Ganguly dumped for now

It was good to see that the selectors retained the same team for the next three ODIs. There was really no need to bring Ganguly back in a hurry. The decision to not recall Ganguly does however imply that Greg Chappell has a strong hold over the team, the selection and the overall process. So chances of Ganguly returning in the near term for ODIs is looking pretty bleak at this point.

Kiran More (selection committee chairman) said, “We have enough options at the moment and are looking to have a pool of 22 players from whom we can pick the final World Cup squad.” (Chappell had said earlier that he had identified about 18 players to represent India, I can’t recall the exact interview). Notice that Chappell issued a statement prior to the first ODI that Sreesanth would open the bowling and he sure did. This is quite in contrast to his earlier statements that the “captain is the boss” once the match starts. Its just a sign of Chappell’s growing influence and control.

There is a clear sign of change. So far its working well (thanks to the return of Sachin of course) and hopefully it will continue.

p.s: Coach Greg Chappell, captain Rahul Dravid and physio John Gloster attended the selection meeting.

Second ODI: India thrash SL

The India team seems to be on a roll. Sachin is back with a vengence. His stroke play is simply superb. The paddle shot to Vaas is simply out of this world. He played this delightful shot in both matches so far. He certainly seems to have a plan (similar to the one against Warne when he came to India in 2002) to attack Muralitharan from the start. It should be an interesting tussle in the matches ahead. Hope he can continue his good form.

For once, JP Yadav got his full quota of overs. If he can firm up the all rounder spot, one of India’s main issues with the team composition will be solved. I thought it was crazy to drop Sreesanth after one match especially on a pitch like Mohali.

The Middle East just got messier

Iraq has been in a perennial crisis ever since the US set foot there a few years back. The US Govt insists on staying the course (where have I heard this before?) With the UN report on the Hariri killing, Syria is on the verge of sanctions (another crisis).

And now Iran’s Ahmadinejad just confirmed that Iran could go to any lengths. I think he is completely crazy to make an open statement about Israel like he did. This is bound to accelerate tensions. Ahmadinejad and our Neocons in Washington are bound to make this concoction of crises into a global nightmare.

Harriet Miers withdrawal of candidacy

Well, well….finally a wicket falls for the Bush team. Its time for Bush to call in his super-sub. 🙂

He has two options: make peace with his Democratic opposition and pick a moderate candidate (and piss off his conservative base) or pacify his base by picking a right wing activist as the next nominee (and piss of the opposition). Either path is wrought with its own perils.

Meanwhile, the umpire’s decision is due on Rove and Libby. Finally, the boring speeches about spreading freedom will come to a stop at least temporarily as Bush and co. are forced on to the backfoot.

Richard Clarke is back with a new novel!

Remember Richard Clarke, the guy from the National Security Council who came out with a book that accused the Bush administration of negligence that resulted in 9-11? He is now into fiction writing! Check out his new book.

Sounds like he is putting his retirement to good use. It was not very long back (last year?) that his previous book was released and generated a lot of press (given its controversial nature). A second book in such a short time is quite an accomplishment (or he has a team of full time ghost writers!) .

First ODI: Ind vs SL

Apart from the fact that India won in style, here are a few aspects of the Indian approach that were interesting, impressive and bode well for the future.

1. Pathan at number 3: Its a move that worked. I just hope they don’t send him in at number 3 in every match. Remember India did the same with Agarkar a while back?

2. Yuvraj coming in ahead of Dravid: This was a very good sign of Dravid’s flexibility (or Chappell’s control).

3. Sreesanth’s return at the end: He wrapped up the tail and ended up with two wickets on debut. Great move to encourage the youngster. Hope he doesn’t become another Tinu Yohanan.

4. Dhoni as the finisher: This guy is the perfect fit for the last 10-15 overs. He has the ability to provide the momentum at the end. I am glad they have not made him a permanent number 3 after his performance against the Pak.

5. Last but not the least, Sachin is back in full form!

Overall, its great to see India experimenting with the talent at hand. I hope Venu and JP Yadav are given some good exposure to prove themselves as well.

I suspect that if Viru fails to get a big innings soon, he will be tried in the middle order.

Give Ganguly a rest!

There has been plenty of speculation (rightfully so) about Dada’s return for the third ODI. I have been a fan of Ganguly’s captaincy, but since he is not coming back as captain and there is so much of talent to choose from (among other reasons), I think he should be given a rest. It would be really sad if the selectors dump one of the youngsters (Venu, Raina, Gambhir) to bring Dada back.

Dravid has made a terrific start the series –Man of the match, superb innings, win by a biggest margin in a long time. Bringing back Ganguly will limit Dravid’s choices in team selection (I can’t imagine Dravid not having Ganguly in the playing 11) and unnecessarily create tensions. Its a great opportunity for the team under a new captain, and an overbearing but completely in-charge coach to come together to form a winning unit.

The long break has done Sachin a world of good. He was on a roll like the long lost Sachin of yore! Ganguly could certainly benefit by playing some domestic cricket to regain his form. After all he has a tennis elbow problem too! 🙂

What about Kaif? Who gets the boot to make room for him? If you ask me he should be given a rest too and eventually brought in place of Yuvraj if he continues to fail.

Help me recover from the PC monitor power save mode

My PC (Windows 2000 Dell) monitor goes into the Power Save mode (when left idle for a while) and I get the message “Activate using PC”. No matter what I do I can’t seem to get the monitor to come alive again. I tried a bunch of keys and finally had to hard re-start the PC. Anyway around this?

I don’t want to stop the power save mode. I just want a way to bring it back without having to re-start my PC.