Boo to guru & glamour girl

The Telegraph - Calcutta : Metro

Vishaal Bhat (http://vishaal bhat.blogspot.com) points out: “In 44 of the last 47 ODIs, Chappell has fiddled with the Indian batting order. His rigid stance in not accepting the over-experimentation as a mistake is cause for concern. India has only won four of the last 15 ODIs and prospects for the South Africa tour and the World Cup are looking rather bleak.”

He also feels there are too many teams playing first-class cricket in India making it hard for the selectors to choose the best lot.

The most eloquent attack has come from John Cheeran (http://johncheeran.blogspot.com): “I wish Indian cricketers had the time (between shooting commercials) to watch the semifinals of the Champions Trophy... How many Indian fast bowlers will bowl their quota of 10 overs on the trot the way McGrath did to strangle the Kiwis? If McGrath represents one end of the chasm between India and class, Chris Gayle symbolises the other end. Gayle is flamboyant, but he is consistent, too. And look at the pathetic sequence of scores Virender Sehwag has notched up over the past two years.”

Cheeran concludes: “In Indian cricket we have plenty of ‘maharajs’ and ‘yuvrajs’. But they are without a kingdom; their only trophies are tennis elbows and pulled hamstrings, and they are content to enjoy the privy purses that overflow from the Indian board’s cash-laden coffers.”

Mandira Bedi is another target of fan frustration. And yes, the blog boos from the women are just as loud. The Temptress (http:// fractalenlightenment.blogspot.com) is categorical: “The Extraa Innings is a blunder… It makes an absolute mockery of the game... Charu Sharma is bearable, but Mandira really needs to start making some sense.” Her advise is “chuck the glamour factor, get some sophistication. The majority of the cricket fans want to hear the experts speak”.

If cricket must be married with entertainment, Kartik Kannan Iyer (http://katchucrap.blogspot.com) suggests a panel comprising Mandira Bedi, Shonali Nagrani, Arjun Singh and George Bush, because he “can’t think of a greater set of lunatics providing entertainment to us” before and after a cricket match.

After guru and glam, the blog gun takes aim at the board. Razib Ahmed (http://www.indianraj.com) says: “If India performs badly, they (board officials) cannot just say that the players are to blame. They must accept responsibility, too.”