Dhoni keeps it light and easy
The endearing thing about Mahendra Singh Dhoni is that he is never far from a smile, writes Akshay Sawai.
The endearing thing about Mahendra Singh Dhoni is that he is never far from a smile. Or a joke. At the press conference in Bangalore after the first ODI had been called off, Dhoni settled into his seat and took an affectionate dig at the reporters, saying, ‘Ab chalu.’ (The firing will start now).
When in Om…
Mitchell Johnson, Australia's left-arm bowler, has an 'Om' on his back. Johnson showed it off when the Australians enjoyed volleyball in the swimming pool at the hotel on Monday. The makers of the film Om Shanti Om might just be rooting for Johnson.
Nerve-wracker Sreesanth
No Indian can forget the last wicket of the World T20 final. Joginder Sharma managed a nervous trundler and Misbah-ul-Haq tried to scoop it over fine-leg. The ball went on an agonising flight high over the field, raising fears that it would go to the boundary. As it plunged, Sreesanth miraculously entered the frame and took the catch.
The moment was especially tense for Sreesanth's circle in Kerala cricket. His former coach P Sivakumar was watching the match in a hotel in Cochin. Ask Sivakumar about the catch and he shakes his head, unable to stand the suspense even now. “The camera didn't cover it well. They only showed the path of the ball. But in a way it was good. Had we seen Sreesanth in the frame from the start, it would have been too much to bear.”
Toll tales
We had an unusual experience while returning from the teams' hotel on Tuesday afternoon. There was a toll booth on the way. The charge was Rs 7.50. We gave the minder Rs 10. He returned Rs 5. How often does that happen? Or maybe looking at our condition, the guy thought we should keep the change.