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Ready for another challenge |
 VB Chandrasekar |  24 Apr 2010, 04:14:45 PM |
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Now that we are in the final, it obviously feels good and like I had mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, my 3-in-one champion did not let me or, for that matter, the Super Kings fans, down.As usual, I went to the team room for the meeting. One thing for sure, I did not see any nervousness among the players. They were cheerful and everyone contributed to the discussion...
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A Himalayan miracle! |
| VB Chandrasekar | 20 Apr 2010, 03:59:12 PM |
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There was plenty of excitement in the team as we journeyed to Dharamshala with the prospects of reaching the semifinals. The mood was upbeat and on the flight from Delhi to Dharamshala, I got pulled into an interesting conversation between “Mr and Mrs Cricket”. The “Mister” was of course Hussey and the “Mrs” was Muttiah Muralitharan! .... |
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| Night of the Devils |
| VB Chandrasekar | 16 Apr 2010, 02:07:41 PM |
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After riding the Knights, we fell to the Devils. It was a match we should have sealed, considering the home advantage, but we have given hopes to other semi-final contenders. From here, we head to Dharmasala and hopefully, the great Dalai Lama will clear the confusion on the points table!... |
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| All is not lost, yet |
| VB Chandrasekar | 12 Apr 2010, 12:45:23 PM |
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Getting to Nagpur, we were on a high, but the conditions were extraordinarily difficult with the dry heat even at half-past five when we landed. A blast of heat greeted us as we alighted. Deciding to forego practice sessions, we went straight into the match that was scheduled for a 4 pm start with possibly one batsman short. There has been a lot of chat on Murali’s omission and yes, we might have erred, but I would say that the loss was due to the poor efforts from our batsmen. It was the responsibility of the batsmen to give us a 160-plus total......
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| Changes in team worked for us |
| VB Chandrasekar | 08 Apr 2010, 03:16:27 PM |
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The crowd at Chapauk supported Chennai Super Kings despite the presence of its all-time favourite, Sachin Tendulkar. The Little Master is worshipped all over the world and the Chennai crowd has witnessed many a masterpiece from him. But this was a different contest and the spectators were torn between the apple of their eyes and their loyalty to CSK who were fighting the Master in a crucial tie .... |
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| Self-belief is the key |
| VB Chandrasekar | 06 Apr 2010,01:55:28 PM |
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A big game it is for the Super Kings on Tuesday night against Sachin’s Mumbai Indians. Lot of hard work and a tremendous fightback has put a semi-final spot in its sights. The desperation of last week is behind us and ahead is the final climb towards the first target of top four... |
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| It’s time to aim for the stars |
| VB Chandrasekar | 23 Jan 2009, 05:17:40 PM |
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The past week has seen us recover and play to potential. Every match is like a knock out situation for the contenders for the last 4 stage. Mumbai Indians come to the Lion’s den this week after having established a clear lead with comprehensive wins. The ageless superstar Tendulkar has shown that T20 format is not all savagery but of character backed by finesse and poise....
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| Look ahead and rebuild the team |
| VB Chandrasekar | 26 Mar 2010,04:42:05 PM |
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Next on my agenda for the day was a trip to the Siddhi Vinayak shrine. I went there to ask a lot of things from the Lord. However, when I had the darshan, my mind went blank, but came out feeling peaceful....
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| It’s time to pull up our socks |
| VB Chandrasekar | 24 Mar 2010, 07:44:10 PM |
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The notorious Bangalore traffic nearly did us in even before we got to the ground last night. We finally arrived at the Chinnaswamy stadium around 7.15 with little time to tune ourselves into match-mode. Anyway, we started pretty well I thought, picking up three wickets early and it was a matter of taking another to take full control of the game. But quite a few things went wrong for us from that point on.... |
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| From firm ground to quicksand |
| VB Chandrasekar | 22 Mar 2010, 05:36:56 PM |
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Super Sunday finished in a Super Over defeat. The crux of the matter is another astonishing fact of twists and turns of the T20 format. The last few overs of the game must have been exciting to cricket lovers and excruciating for the participants. Handling pressure as it kicks in left one wondering the exact frame of mind of players in the thick of it. It seemed as simple as run a ball, but inexplicably finished in a tie.. .. |
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| Haydos, Mongoose and Super Sunday |
| VB Chandrasekar | 20 Mar 2010, 07:28:02 PM |
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I am writing this on the flight back home after shutting out the Devils in Delhi. The win was satisfying for the Super Kings sans Dhoni. Raina didn’t have to make a major decision at the toss as it was obvious DD would bat considering their huge loss to Mumbai Indians. The surface looked good and so it didn’t leave the team speculating about their chances while chasing.... |
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| It’s time to dare the Devils! |
| VB Chandrasekar | 18 Mar 2010,01:16:49 PM |
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The captain, leading from the front, gave us a sweet victory at Eden Gardens. We have bounced back in typical fashion after the loss to Deccan Chargers. But the moment was soured by the captain’s injury and consequent non-availability for the next couple of games. The Eden Gardens wore a festive look. The crowds piled in to watch India’s two most successful captains battling it out at this historic venue... |
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| A nudge to our pride |
| VB Chandrasekar | 15 Mar 2010, 08:35:09 PM |
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I am pretty sure that the Chennai Super Kings fans have plenty to say on our Sunday night loss to Deccan Chargers, and so have I. At the outset, I would like to emphasize the point that we still have another 13 matches to play and last night’s loss, although disappointing, is not a worrisome issue. At least, the team is not unduly perturbed at the defeat.....
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| Hustle, bustle before the tussle |
| VB Chandrasekar | 12 Mar 2010, 05:57:37 PM |
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The hustle and bustle at Chepauk may seem chaotic, but they add to the excitement ahead of our first game of IPL-3 on Sunday against the Deccan Chargers. Construction activity in the stands is in full swing with hardworking men totally dedicated to their time lines; the Television crew is rigging the lines along the periphery, connecting the cables to their control room and satellite van... |
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| Back on home turf |
| VB Chandrasekar | 10 Mar 2010, 12:12:11 PM |
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Last year, we were in South Africa for the IPL and it was pretty difficult to cope with all the travel. I am not too comfortable living out of suitcases like we did in 2009, for it barely affords an opportunity to take a step back, assess the situation. It was more a case of shuttling between hotels, airports and grounds with a couple of breaks to take your mind off the game.... |
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