Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti (Birth Anniversary)!

Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak or Baba or Father Nanak (1469-1539), was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, is being celebrated this year today, the 30th of November or whenever the full-moon day called Kartik Purnima occurs during October-November every year all over the world. Guru Nanak is believed to have travelled across Asia teaching people the message of 'one God' who dwells in every creation of His and constitutes the eternal truth. With this concept he created a unique spiritual, social and political platform based on equality, fraternity and virtue. We wish you all a very blessed Nanak Jayanti. 

We remember Guru Nanak today and his teachings, his messages and his immortal devotional poems that are composed musically as Bhajans in basic Punjabi, cutting across all religious and linguistic barriers in India. Composers, Vocalists and singers have been presenting his Bhajans or devotional songs to devotees and music lovers since centuries. My father and my first musical guru Tabla Maestro music composer and director, Late Pandit Vivekanand or Bibekananda Bhattacharyya had also composed numerous devotional lyrics into melodious bhajans, including those of Guru Nanak. 

I take great pleasure in presenting one of the Nanak Bhajans composed by my father-guru and recorded by me for you all. This bhajan is from my Album of devotional songs, 'Hari Darshan Ki Pyaasi' 

Hope this devotional presentation gives you enjoyment as well as peace of mind in the times of gloom and crisis. Baba Nanak tells you to look up to God, your only true friend or kin on this earth, for the ultimate love and solace. Best Wishes...

Australia Crush India To Win The 3-Match Dettol ODI Series 2-0!

 

India have not learnt any lesson from the first match in terms of improving body language, intensity on the field and the basic will to win, despite the second one-day international being the decisive one in the 3-match Dettol ODI Series. The team management reposed full faith on them by fielding the same team, not even replacing anyone in the bowling line-up, prominently Chahal and Saini. To make matters worse Virat Kohli lost the toss again, offering the platter one more time to the hosts to make hay. And they did exactly that.

 

The Warner-Finch opener-duo who posted another 100-plus run partnership and later Steve Smith who notched up his second consecutive century continued to prove to be India’s nemesis. A target of 350+ runs was to be set for India yet again (the average first-innings score being 319 at the SCG for the last five years). The Indian bowlers did nothing better than in the first match: Saini continued to be the most expensive; Bumrah ineffectual as earlier; Shami unable to repeat his earlier length bowling; and the spinners putting up another abysmal show of club-cricket bowling. For a change, Pandya and Agarwal were also tried a bit, but with no results.

 

The formidable Aussies even bettered the target of 375 set in the first match by scoring 389/4 in the allotted 50 overs in the second ODI in Sydney today, with Maxwell coming up again with a quickfire unbeaten 63, and Labuschagne dampening the Indian cause further by scoring 70 odd runs. The Australian batsmen displayed a repeat show of grand batting with effortless ease, making the ball run to the boundary at the slightest touch as often as they preferred and to all sides of the park. Indian fielders were seen mostly running haplessly around, perhaps in a surrealistic frame of mind, not knowing what was happening around them.

 

The Indian reply was nothing much to write home about. Despite Kohli’s 89 , Rahul’s 76 and the Pandya-Jadeja summary fireworks. They finished for 338/9 in 50 overs. For Indian fans the frustration of the first ODI doubled up today having to watch a numbing flop show by their favorite stars, yet again, and the cause lost as Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match Series, making the third match in Canberra on 2^ndDecember inconsequential. Australia’s tight length bowling almost throughout and super catching should be revelations for the seemingly squeezed-up Indians. Although the margin of victory is only 51 runs, Australia have effectively crushed India in all aspects of the game, and exacted sweet revenge for the home ODI Series loss in 2018-19. Steve Smith was the Man of the Match for the second time for his back to back tons. 

 

Perhaps the three-month long isolation has impacted the spirit of the Indian cricketers, and how they are going to regroup for the T20 and the Test Series is to be seen keenly. Additionally, perhaps the ‘family matters’ of superstars have had some adverse impact on the team too: Rohit Sharma being allowed to attend to his family matters after IPL-2020 (he was injured initially, sat out in a few matches and was not selected for the Indian squads for the Australia tour. But he started playing again till winning the IPL final, and mystery surrounded his case with even skipper Kohli wondering about his status.), and Virat Kohli himself granted leave after the first test to attend to his family matters. In any case, the challenge ahead is mounting for Team India, and we have no option but to hope for the best, and at least to hope for keenly contested matches.

Dettol ODI Series: Australia Beat India As The Fans Are Allowed In At The SCG, Sydney!

 

Photo: espncricinfo.com

Before coming to the match, we must mention the most heartening thing about cricket new normal: for the first time in 8 months crowds were allowed at the Sydney Cricket Ground, of course, up to 50% of the stadium’s capacity. However, some of stands were seen to be packed to the brim, and in general, masks were not being worn nor social distancing kept. It is not clear how the bio-bubble is going to help in this crowded environment. We hope this does not translate into an indiscretion as far as the pandemic spread is concerned as crowds ranging from 50 to 65 capacities are going to be allowed for all the remaining matches of the India Tour of Australia-2020-21 including the Tests.

 

Australia have beaten India by 66 runs in the first one-day international match of the three-match Dettol ODI Series in Sydney today, giving the long-missed home crowds much to cheer. The moment the Aussies put up a mammoth target of 375 runs before India many cynics might have written off the visitors having any chance of winning or even fighting back. However, considering the pitch that was full of runs and India’s fabulous batting depth the match was still full of probabilities, of India winning or giving a tough fight or losing ultimately.

 

Wining the toss and electing to bat first, the Aussies, fresh from IPL-2020, attacked from the word go with Finch and Smith notching up respective super tons, Warner missing one and Maxwell somewhat venting his IPL-frustration with a quickfire 45. For India all the bowlers except Mohammad Shami who captured 3 for 59 were ineffectual and expensive. A few blemishes on the field did not help their cause either. A challenge of a chase was thus set up for India, the only inspiration being that there were lots of blue-jersey supporters too in the half-capacity crowds.

 

India gave a fitting counter to the hosts launching a brutal assault on their bowlers from the opening overs, openers Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal (in absence of Rohit Sharma) going great guns. But it was too good to continue for long. Hazelwood struck in the sixth over to get rid of Agarwal for 22 runs. With skipper Kohli on the field as the no.3 batsman the momentum was not lost though. But then, Hazelwood struck a vital blow in the 10^th over getting Kohli out for just 21 runs, and this possibly was the turning point of the match. Shreyas Iyer came and was gone in two balls, succumbing again to the lethal Hazelwood. While the Indian spinners struggled even to contain the batsmen Aussie spinner Zampa picked up a wicket in his very first over, that too of KL Rahul. India were 4 down for 101 in the 14^th over. The match was as good as over.

 

It wasn’t. Dhawan and Pandya had much better ideas. They went about as if nothing had happened, notched up their respective half-centuries surviving a few chances and kept the chase well ahead of the required run-rate, reaching 200 runs in just 29 overs. The probabilities we mentioned earlier were fast turning into possibilities, and incredible ones at that. After the Hazelwood burst the Australian bowlers looked ordinary, and the Indian duo went on plundering runs with effortless ease. But it was not easy at all to sustain the chase till the winning run with not much batting to come.

 

Australia needed just one wicket to derail the momentum, and when spinner Zampa got rid of Shikhar Dhawan, after a brilliant partnership of 128 runs with Hardik Pandya, the end looked inevitable. India still needed 146 runs to win in 15 overs with the last recognized batting pair on the field, and the required run-rate beginning to rise and rise. Although Jadeja had been in top batting form the challenge ahead was far too daunting. When Pandya got out for 90 the match was finally all over for India. It was Zampa again, he  ended with 4 for 54 runs. Wake up, Indian spinners!

 

In the final analysis the probabilities of the match did threaten to become possibilities, and the cynics were not exactly proved right. And Rohit Sharma was missed sorely. This match would inspire India too in terms of cricketing strategy, and the remaining two ODIs to be played in Sydney on 29^th November and in Canberra on December 2 are going to be real exciting stuff. Keep enjoying, not with fed-in audio, but with real fans in the stadiums! Scorecard: