The NFR Experience

On it's day, nothing is better than the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo also known as the NFR. The National Finals Rodeo is organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor of this event which normally spans for 10 days. I always wish that I go for this special event where a lot of things happen. So what exactly happens there? Lots of events! Bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie down roping, bull riding and barrel racing are the events that usually take place at the NFR. Barrel racing is the only event exclusive to women. The NFR has been going good from the time it was established in 1958. Now, enough of explaining about the National Finals Rodeo. I feel bad not to have been on at least one occasion of the NFR. And I am going to make it a point that I go at least this time when it happens. This is going to very exciting for me as I have been waiting to go for such an event. Don't take me granted, I'm really going to get the NFR Tickets and half my friends who mocked that I would never go will feel uncomfortable now. Anyway it's very good fun. If you are a NFR follower like me, then maybe you should come along too. See you at the NFR this time!

Kolkata Knight Riders Win

Kolkata Knight Riders won against the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League today. It was definitely a fantastic match. The KKR batted first and they managed to score only 133/6 in 20 overs with Salman Butt scoring 48 and David Hussey scoring 31. From what we know of the IPL, 133 is not a very good score but the KKR had something to bowl at when the Delhi Daredevils came out to bat. Shoaib Akthar bowled superbly to pick up four impotant top order wickets in his first spell of three overs and Lakshmi Ratan Shukla took three wickets in five balls to wrap up the match for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly was visually excited and pleased by the result and by the spirit showed by his boys on the field. It was low scoring match but it was really competitive and good to watch. This is good for cricket as well.

Chennai Super Kings Turn It Around

The Chennai Super Kings have turned around their bad fortunes in the Indian Premier League. They have played really hard to clinch some narrow and convincing victories and are again at the top four tables of the IPL. After losing three matches in a row, the Chennai Super Kings have managed to win two matches in a row and that is something that needs special mentioning. They were down and out and low on confidence after their three successive losses but they have recovered well enough mentally to win the last two matches. Good work CSK! Hope they continue playing well. Also I heard that the Aussies, Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey are retuning to the team in the semi-finals. So if the Chennai Super Kings can make it to the semi-finals, I think they have a very good chance of winning the tournament. There are still some matches to go. We'll see what happens.

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CSK's Woes Continue - It's The Deccan Chargers This Time

It's the Deccan Chargers this time who defeated the Chennai Super Kings of the IPL. This is the third time in a row that the Chennai Super Kings have lost in the tournament. After the first four matches, the Chennai Super Kings were on top of the list and were all geared up and happy. But now they have lost three matches in a row and the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a task at hand and he must somehow inspire his bunch of boys to believe in themselves like they did when they started out in the initial matches of the tournament. And I think the big hitting Albie Morkel should be pushed up the batting order so that he gets more overs to go about his routine of hitting big sixes. Manpreet Goni deserves special praise as he has been consistently bowling well throughout the tournament. Before the IPL actually started, I believed that the Deccan Chargers are the team that could very well win the IPL. But as it turned out they lost five of their seven matches as they were not mould themselves into a team. Now that seems like a story from the past. With explosive batsmen like Adam Gilchrist, Herscelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi in the line up, I feel that if the Deccan Chargers get their momentum going, it will definitely be bad news for all the other seven teams.

More Woes to CSK

The Chennai Super Kings lost again to The Rajasthan Royals. The Rajasthan team is not a star studded team. But they show more spirit than any other team in the IPL. Led by Shane Warne, the team has hit the right balance from day one. All the players in the team are doing their best to ensure that their team won. When they met CSK in their own home town, they bowled really well to restrict CSK for 109 in 20 overs. After that it's just a matter of time before they wrapped up the match in 15 overs. The dropped chance by Joginder Sharma at mid-on off Greame Smith was not of much help to the team either. Overall it was day when nothing went right for the Chennai Super Kings and everything worked out well for the Rajasthan Royals. The left arm seamer Sohail Tanvir took 6 CSK wickets and he was the star of the day. Let's hope the Chennai Super Kings turn things around soon. I heard that the Aussies are returning to the IPL and that means good news to the Chennai Super Kings.

Daredevils End CSK's Dream Run

The Chennai Super Kings have been winning all the matches in the IPL until the match in which they faced The Delhi Daredevils. The CSK's big strengths are the two Australians Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey. But as these two players had to go (after playing a significant part in the victories in the first four matches) due to their national and domestic commitments. Their departure will definitely have a huge impact on the morale of the team. On the other hand The Daredevils have been playing really well under skipper Virender Sehwag. Their top order is really strong with players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikar Dhawan performing well in all the matches. When CSK met DD on the field they made a not too competitive 169 in 20 overs and the DD chased it down without much problems. The absence of the Australians has really had a negative impact on the Chennai Super Kings.

Lessons from the Tour Down Under

India toured Australia recently to play four test cricket matches and a one day series. And how eventful it was right from the day it started. The Indians did not adjust well to the condition in Australia and faltered in the first hurdle. They lost the first test match and then went in to the second test match with less spirit. But they played really well and competed with the mighty Australians in their own country. But horrible incidents took place in that match involving Andrew Symonds, Harbhajan Singh, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden. India lost that match as well and the kind of criticism the match received is well known to all. Not to mention the standard of umpiring in the game. It was really horrible. Everyone thought the Indians were down and out. But they hit back with a convincing victory at Perth in the third test. Who would have thought an Indian team would win so convincingly on a track like Perth? I suited the faster bowlers and Ishant Sharma bowled so well and got into a wonderful rhythm that helped him bowl well throughout the series. The fourth test as we all know ended in a draw. Then came the one day series. Under the new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indians played really well and outplayed the Australians in both the finals and won the CB series and the trophy. It was such a dramatic finish! After all the ugly incidents of the second test match at Sydney, all turned out well and in the end Cricket was the winner in the much hyped and talked about series of recent years.

My Affair With Cricket

I started playing Cricket when I was fifteen years old and I have never stopped playing. It is such a good game. They call it 'the gentlemen's game' and I can see why. Like every sport, those that are involved in it develop a parallel thinking about the game and their life. My cricket influences my life. And my life influences the way I follow the game. I feel that it's one of the greatest games ever to be played. For me, it's the best. I borrow strategies from the cricketing field to improve the way I live. My life grows into a better shape because of it. After all there are so many things to learn from the game. It has taught me how to be a 'player' in life. And I shall give something back to the game that gave me so much.

The IPL and the Future of Cricket

So have you heard of the next big thing in cricket? Yes you would have. The IPL promises to be big venture and the whole world is excited about it. But some are against the format as they feel that this would destroy test cricket and one day cricket. After all, who would watch test and one day cricket after they have tasted the action-packed format of the T20? But I don't think it would turn out that way. I think the format would help cricket reach new heights and go to places where it has never been before. Initially I too was against the format, but later on after I watched the T20 World Cup, I realized how much fun it is. And about the IPL, I think it is going to help youngsters in the bench more than anyone else. They will be rubbing shoulders with the best of the best in cricket and that is a very good thing. As far as I know, the build-up and hype for the IPL has been really good and impressive. But will it be a grand success like it's management promises? Only time will tell.