Journey from 150Kmph - 120Kmph

Nearly a decade back when India was still yet to understand the miracle called "Cable TV" and when DD was king, a very famous cricket serial used to be telecast'ed. BodyLine that was the name. The infamous bowling tactics used by the English to decimate the Aussie batting attack. Spearheaded by the fierce and fast English bowler Harold Larwood, that was fast bowling at its best.

Zoom into the 70's and you have the most fearsome team of all times. The mighty West Indies and their Caribbean Chin Music. Legends of their times and even today the most feared by any batsmen in the world - Andy Roberts, Joel "Big Bird" Garner. Michael "Whispering Death" Holding, Malcolm Marshal, Wesley Hall and you have bowlers bowling well over 150kmph mark.

Fast word to the early 80's and some more chin music - Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Imran Khan, Richard Hadley and our very own Haryanvi Hurricane Kapil Nikhanj Dev. Mid - Late 80's saw the arrival of two young Pakistani's who will be crowned later as the "Sultans of Swing" Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

Moving through time and we meet few more masters of chin music - Glenn McGrath, Alan "White Lightning" Donald, Shoaib "Rawalpindi Express" Akthar and Brett Lee. The last two clocking nearly 100mph pure tearaway bowlers and batsmen nightmare.

Here is were we come to a screeching halt. Did you see any Indian bowlers?? Well the answer is well Yes! in glimpses. Javagal "Mysore Express" Srinath probably only genuine fast bowler after Kapil Dev.

It has been noticed in India that owing to lack of so called bowling coaches, our young lads come out from MRF Pace Academy at tear away speeds and end up clocking nearly 148kmph and then one season of National cricket and they are in the 120kmph. Latest victim of this is Ishant Sharma. From SSC grounds in Australia bowling at 150 kmph and striking fear and India's answer to a tearaway bowler he is now 140kmph bowler. Food for thought, Munaf Patel again a tearaway now a 128kmph bowler, Sreesanth minus is eccentric behavior on and off field he has lost it completely. Who is at fault? I got my answer last night- Zoom back into the support staff and you see two old warhorses. Robin Singh and Venky Prasad. If Venky is going to coach our bowlers for chin music then we need to think again - Hello! wake up he used to not bowl more than 78kmph at full throttle. So are we servicing our sports cars at a Maruti centre???

Wake up Selectors before we wait for another decade to get a tearaway who will end up as slow as our boys in the streets.

The King of Pop

"Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is pass'd in sleep" - Lord Byron

This morning my brother who works in Dubai called me up and said MJ is Dead! For a few seconds it never occurred to me that MJ is Michael Jackson the Moon Walker.

I still remember way back in the 80's I got my first MJ album gifted by my cousin. A purple Sony audio Cassette with "Thriller" written on it.It was actually during the same time I watched the "Thrilled" on a VHS player in my friends house.I was so stunned by his dance moves that like any other youngster in the 80's I was dumb Struck.

Moon walker is when I was totally blown away with his gravity defining moves. Something I used to wonder how he did it.

My last encounter with MJ was "Dangerous" and his tour to Mumbai. A lot of law suits thrown on him, lot of controversies on his image, his plastic surgery etc. But his eccentric behavior and combine that with his dancing moves - people get their money's worth from probably one of the equivalent to the real "King Elvis".

It would not be appropriate to say The King has left the room, but rather say The Moon Walker has just walked by!