31 December 2005

Don't Quit

Wish you and your family a great year ahead

Today is the start of a new year.

Though birth of a new year is nothing more than dawn of another day in the life of all those living, it still is looked at with lots of expectation. Why is that?

The new year gives us a chance to start afresh. It helps us to restart things. You can think of starting on a clean slate. Make a better beginning. Make a fresh attempt at rectifying things. Make a fresh attempt at better achievements.

I would like to start the new year by looking at this poem which I saw pasted on the wall at the office of my very first employer. The poem made an immediate impact on me. The meaning of the poem got etched in my heart forever.

Read it, even if you have read it before. It will make an impact in your life. And it is nice to start the new year with this motivating thought.

DONT QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

30 December 2005

Best Buy Dec 30 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

(Note: The shares recommended here are purely from my personal analysis as a hobby and I do not take any responsibility for the outcome of the decisions of the user based on my recommendations)

Recommendation dated 30/12/2005

Buy ITI Ltd at the current levels. Look for price targets of Rs.83 & Rs.89

Disclosure: I do not hold this share or the derivative.

Read the latest recommendation
Read the previous recommendation
Read about GOAT and GANGULY
Fifty ways to manage time
Property prices are going up in Chennai
Now Viagra is available in India - 'IT' can finally look up?
Have you seen my other blog?

29 December 2005

Money grows from Mother Earth in Chennai

As the preferred destination for automobile manufactures, auto ancillary manufacturers and software companies in India and world over Chennai's commercial status is fast going up.

The opportunities thrown up by the increased business activity, many of those who have relied on mother earth more than stocks and shares have found their fortunes go up.

Properties
in this calm and conservative southern city have been for long undervalued to its high profile cousins Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Not any more. Prices of properties have started moving up and most likely will find their more appropriate valuations in the next few years.

If you think you have surplus cash or you are thinking of investing in properties, Chennai is probably the best destination at present.

While at the subject one cannot but admire our ancestors who believed in property investments more than anything else. They had no stock markets, flashy bonds or securities. Their common sense approach made them to look at only two extreme avenues in terms of liquidity:

a) Properties - has a period of gestation before appreciation happens and then cannot be readily sold.

b) Gold, in the form of jewelry - enjoys very high liquidity, but lots of emotional value too and so generally liquidated only on extreme situations

One cannot but admire their foresight in building wealth and passing it on to the next generation.
Read below.

Chennai land prices skyrocket, push small builders out of business

K. Ramachandran

IT boom, latest technology and income tax concession work in favour of big builders



CONCRETE JUNGLE: With land becoming scarcer by the day, buildings and their cost can only spiral upwards. - PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

CHENNAI: As land prices continue to rise abnormally in Chennai, the pressure is mounting not only on those trying to find the right urban space, but also on big builders to move to the suburbs.

This is leading to an upward spiral of land cost in the suburbs too. The result: small businessmen in the real estate sector operating outside Chennai feel threatened.

Big builders, with their ability to tap funding from banks, are able to get loans at lower interest for buying land at `fancier' prices and still quote competitive rates. The CMDA's inability to rein in violations and the lack of an updated set of development control rules is only aiding the trend.

In the last five or six months, land prices in residential localities such as T. Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Vadapalani, Anna Nagar, Kilpauk, Adyar and Alwarpet shot up by 60 - 70 per cent, says Chozha Foundations head M.K. Sundaram.

"It has turned into a sellers' market. Anyone with a piece of land is able to call the shots. Almost on a daily basis, the sellers tend to change the land price quotes."

Prices double

All builders agree that the rates are in no way comparable to the guideline values fixed officially by the Registrar's offices.

Within the last five or six months, the price of property in K.K. Nagar has almost doubled, as one of "our members found out," says the chairman of the Builders Association of India, Chennai, L. Moorthy.

"There is no land available in the inner city for development. Almost every bit is fully exploited. The only option is to move to the suburbs. But there too prices are shooting up," he says.

And this is affecting those builders who were working on smaller projects.

S. Narasimhan, a developer in Chromepet says: In the western parts of Chromepet and Pallavaram, the land costs are frightfully high... they have gone up in the last few months.

Big builders have moved to these parts and are buying off chunks of land of one or one and a half acres.

"They are able to quote higher rates than us, because they get a line of credit from banks for project loans at lower interest rates. But we only depend on financiers who charge higher rates of interest. This also has an impact on the quality of the structure," he says.

The State BAI chairman, K. Ramanujam, agrees that the small builders' role is shrinking in commercial exploitation of urban space.

Mumbai model

He feels the situation only highlights the need to follow the Mumbai model: create a new city - a planned city with more efficient use of infrastructure and resources.

A former national chairman of the Institution of Valuers, C.H. Gopinatha Rao, says the boom in the information technology sector and the incentives given to the IT buildings in floor space index and availability of more money with people speeded up are fuelling faster urban development.

But it is pushing up the land price and leading to urban problems.

Big builders adopt latest technology and complete buildings in a shorter time at a lower cost. Hence, they are patronised by lenders and buyers. Have you seen my other blog?

27 December 2005

The Goat Story & Ganguly

Once upon a time, there was a King ruling one of those many Rajs in India.

The King, in the tradition of maintaining the favourite pasttime practices of the Rajas of yore, once set out on a hunting drive.

That day was not as lucky for the King as it normally used to be. On a lucky hunting day, as is normal for any lucky day, even bad aims gave him some catches.

But this was not his lucky day and despite a full day of hard hunting he didn't get any catch on that day. He was wondering if he could really call hunting as a pasttime.

When you are in a bad day things happen such that it becomes worser as the day progresses.

Our hunting King was no exception. He lost his way inside the jungle and got caught by a hungry tiger on the prowl.

The King even though was King was still a human being. He was shit scared. And since there was no one else in the near vicinity, he could courageously show his cowardice.

He was so scared that he started running in the hope that he could beat the tiger in the race. The tiger had no other pending things to do so it chose to chase the King.

The King having hunted enough animals was well aware of the art of evading the hunter, learnt from the hunted. Now that his job description changed from "hunter" to the "hunted" he put his knowledge to good use and did his level best to avoid being a prey.

Despite all his efforts the tiger got the better of the King. Just when all seemed over, life appeared at the end of the tiger's tail for the King.

An entorage of a businessman passed by that side and the businessman, a person of some courage, saw the plight of the King and immediately swung to action to deactivate the Tiger and save the King.

The King got immensely relieved and as is usual for Kings offered as gift anything that the businessman would desire from the King.

The businessman was a very successful one at that time and he found nothing that he could only get from the King. So he politely refused to take any gift as he had the pleasure of saving the King which he thought was bigger than anything material.

But, the King insisted on giving a gift and so told the businessman that the gift offer will remain open and the businessman could use it whenever he wanted.

The businessman accepted the open ended offer. The King and the saviour then parted ways to their respective homes and narrated the incident to their better-halfs.

After many years, the businessman suffered huge losses in his business and things turned so much downward that he almost reached the stage of begging for a living.

The wife of the businessman remembered the offer of the King made many years ago and reminded the husband to go and take the help from the King so that they can be out of the troubles and go back to their prosperous life style.

The husband was hesitant. He told the wife that the King may not even remember him. However, since his wife persisted with him he went to meet the King.

The moment he reached the palace and sent in the message the King called him in immediately. How can he forget the person who saved his life. The businessman felt very happy seeing the gratitude of the King.

The King patiently listened to the story of the businessman and learnt about the loss property and wealth by the businessman.

The businessman reminded the King about the open offer that the King had given many years back and asked for the same now. Money as fresh capital for the business, nice home, clothing, jewels for his wife etc., were his demands.

To the surprise of the businessman the King got very angry and ordered for sending the businessman to the prison in solitary confinement.

After the businessman was sent to the prison, the King called his Minister and gave him the orders to keep a close watch on the businessman in the confinement and told him to feed him properly.

He also gave one more instruction which looked strange for the Minister. The King told him to ensure that every night one pregnant Goat about deliver any moment should be tied inside the cell with the businessman. The Minister was asked to report the well being of the businessman, the Goat and the new born kid the next day morning to the King. He also made arrangements for taking care of the businessman's family in the absence of the businessman.

The instructions were strange, but the Minister had to obey. So he obeyed them religiously and on a daily basis one pregnant Goat was tied inside the cell of the businessman. There was a delivery everyday. Though a new Goat was tied each day the report to the King was same. The Goat delivered the baby and the kid died within few hours.

This kept going but the bemused Minister can do nothing else but send the report to the King. Then, one day the report changed. The news that the Goat delivered and the kid survived reached the King.

The King called the Minister, gave the orders to release businessman from the prison, extend him all hospitality, give him the best food, best clothes and put him up in a new palace. He also told the Minister to take an appointment with the businessman so that the King can go and meet the businessman.

The Minister once again felt strange at the turn of events. Also was the businessman. Anyhow, its a Raj so they had to obey. The businessman having nothing else to do, gave the appointment to the King for a meeting after he refreshed himself.

The King arrived at the appointed time, hugged the businessman and apologised for having kept him in the prison. He then asked the businessman about his requirements and ordered for fulfilling all, gave him lots of money and properties and made arrangements for sending him back to him home with full honours.

The businessman was dumb founded at the largesse. He and the Minister had the same question to ask the King.

Why now and Why not then?

The King smiled at the businessman and the Minister and told them. "I could have given my country to the businessman when he came with his request few years back. But, that would not have stayed with him for long. Because, when I had first seen him, he was very wealthy and had a flourshing business. He was the King of that trade. I thought that one has to be extremely unfortunate to fall from such an enviable position.

I wanted to check how bad was his time. So I decided to put alongside him one Goat everyday the family of which was about to grow. And wanted to see if that growth sustained. I was right in my theory. The businessman's time was so bad that it was not only affecting him but also those that were near him and so the new born kid didn't survive for long and so the Goat's family didn't grow.

Today when I got the report that the Goat delivered and the baby was healthy, I got the message that the time has turned for the businessman for the better and so I gave him the money and all these things and respects that I am giving him now.

Had I given it to him then things would not have worked out for him and he would have only lost more money and would have only lost his morale and motivation because of further failure."

The King asked, "do you think I was wrong?". The Minister & the businessman for the first time said "NO" to the King, but to convey obeyance.

Now read below! You will know what I want say from the Goat story and how Ganguly link came in this whole story!!!

More seeks explanation from Ganguly

Mumbai: Kiran More, chairman of the national cricket selection committee, is peeved at Sourav Ganguly's decision not to turn out for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group `A' league match against Gujarat at Surat. After being dropped from the Indian team for the third Test against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, Ganguly did not play the match against Karnataka at Mysore.

"Ganguly has to explain the reasons for not playing against Gujarat. I spoke to the Bengal selector Pronob Roy and Bengal coach Paras Mhambrey on Saturday. Both of them said they do not know where Ganguly is and are not aware whether he would play the match or not. It's really surprising. I want an explanation from Ganguly now," said More.

The selectors on Saturday chose Ganguly for the Test series in Pakistan. "I can understand the reasons for Ganguly missing the match against Karnataka. Probably he was disturbed. But he should have played against Gujarat that started today at Surat. I, as chairman of the selection committee, demand an explanation from him," said More.

More upset over Ganguly missing Ranji match

Cricinfo staff

December 26, 2005



Sourav Ganguly did not play in Bengal's Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat © Getty Images

Kiran More, the chairman of selectors, is upset that Sourav Ganguly did not play for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat, in spite of being asked to do so.

"I am surprised and shocked that Sourav is not playing the Ranji Trophy match. This was the ideal time to get some match practice before the Pakistan tour," More was quoted as saying by the Times of India. "BCCI should ask for an explanation from Sourav on why he is not playing the match. He had already missed the last round as well."

Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, said that an explanation would be sought in due time. "If Sourav was free he should have played the Ranji match. I don't know what the reason is, but we will definitely ask him why he missed out."

More was unhappy with the reason given for Ganguly missing the match. Pranob Roy, Cricket Association of Bengal chairman of selectors, and Sardindu Pal, the CAB secretary, said that they were unable to contact Ganguly. "Pronab did not know where Sourav is. I also spoke to Paras Mhambrey [Bengal coach], but he too was clueless and did not know how to contact Sourav. This is really surprising. There is nothing like match practice and since we have just one tour game in Pakistan, it would have helped Sourav if he had played the match."

More added that he had asked Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag to play for Delhi and that VVS Laxman had called him and asked to play for Hyderabad against Services. After much speculation, Ganguly was included in the 16-man squad for the Test series in Pakistan beginning in January 2006.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It may not be out of place to add here that the BCCI President might not have played the King's role correct in getting Ganguly included in this team.

The Goats around Ganguly are not going to grow.

The real lifeline for Ganguly would have been not including him in this team borne for Pakistan but in a subsequent tour after assessing the true performance of a team sans Ganguly in Pakistan.

Ganguly is now in a very difficult position of staying inside the prison and at the same time having to grow the Goats. Impossible I think.

This is not lifeline sir, but a leaking oxygen cylinder very close to the fire. The cylinder is going to blast and take the life of the person that it is supposed to be saving!!!

Wait and watch!!!

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My Brother blogs too!

25 December 2005

Revel with reasons

Let the revelry go on, with no excuses but only reasons

Today is Merry Christmas and in a few days time you have the New year 2006. Lots of party, wining and dining. Many of you make a new year resolution also. If someone makes a list of the most popular new year resolutions the following two are definite to figure in that list most likely at the very top:

1. Resolution to stop smoking
2. Resolution to stop drinking

Most of the time these resolutions are also broken within three months of making those. Because most of us as die-hard optimists know very well that we will be there when another new years turns in and hence make a brand new resolution.

However, there is an amount of guilt that surrounds us when we first break a resolution. I thought I can reduce atleast a part of the guilt from you. Here are some actual statements of people on why one should drink. Read them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. " ~Frank Sinatra

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" ~ Brian O'Rourke

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." ~ Dave Barry

To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group. Salvation in a can! ~ Dave Howell

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went:


"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you found some convincing arguments here. Its better if you have them memorized. Come back and memorize. But one condition, you should start that exercise only after you have downed a few cans of beer or a few pints of the harder variety, preferably on the rocks!

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23 December 2005

We are sorry Shane, but you are passed over

Warne's "cheap" slur against Murali annoys Sri Lanka great

By Rex Clementine

COLOMBO (AFP) - Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga on Thursday slammed record-breaking spinner Shane Warne for suggesting that rivals like Muttiah Muralitharan benefited by taking "cheap" wickets.

"Shane tries to be larger than the game and life and expects a lot of credit for his performances. He thinks there's no better bowler than him," Ranatunga told AFP.

The Australian leg-spinner said earlier this week that his world record tallies of 651 career wickets and 87 in a calender year will not last long because other bowlers got a lot of wickets against weaker opponents.

Without naming Sri Lankan Muralitharan, his nearest rival with 584 wickets, Warne said: "There's a lot more cricket being played these days and you have teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in there, with some teams playing them a lot more (than others).

"I've never played a Test against Bangladesh and only one against Zimbabwe, but there are some teams out there that play them a lot.

"Some blokes bowl at one end all day against those sort of countries and take lots of wickets. I'm sure that whoever those people are, they might get the record."

The Australian newspaper, which quoted Warne, said: "It doesn't take a sudoku expert or a Da Vinci Code sleuth to work out who 'those people' are."

Muralitharan has taken more wickets (89) against Test minnows Zimbabwe than any other nation. The off-spinner also has 34 wickets in four Tests against Bangladesh -- an average of more than eight wickets a match.

Warne will play his first two Tests against Bangladesh when Australia visit the South Asian nation in April. Sri Lanka will also tour Bangladesh in February-March.

Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, said Warne's argument against his rivals did not stand up.

"Warne takes a lot of wickets against England, South Africa and New Zealand who generally don't play spin all that well," said Ranatunga.

"But take a look at his record against the Indians who play spin best. I am not lying, check the statistics and judge for yourself and you would know who the better spinner is."

Warne has taken 172 wickets against England, 107 wickets against South Africa and 103 against New Zealand.

But the leg-spinner has managed only 43 wickets against the Indians at an embarrasing average of 47.19 -- compared to Muralitharan's 73 wickets against them.

"Warne also gets a lot of tail-end wickets and I have always said that he's an overrated bowler," Ranatunga said.

"Question marks will always hover around Warne's performances. After all, he is the one and only Test cricketer banned from the game for taking drugs."

Warne served a 12-month suspension from the game after being found guilty of taking a banned diuretic ahead of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

"Can Warne be a role model for any youngster?" asked Ranatunga. "How many controversies he's been part of.

"Warne can never be a role model and I don't want any Sri Lankan youngsters to follow him as a role model."

My take on the above:

There have been many greats in the game of cricket.

We ourselves have seen many and have read about many of them. Greatness is bestowed on people who excel in their field be it leadership, batting, bowling, wicket-keeping, fielding or all round abilities.

The reason that one is performing exceedingly well doesn't mean that the person has become THE GREATEST. The history of the game has not seen anyone yet to be named THE GREATEST. To my little knowledge only two have come very close to being called THE GREATEST.

One is, Sir Donald Bradman - whose batting consistency was such that it would take a more than Bradmanish batting to surpass that. If you have to beat Bradman you should bat him out. Currently he is light years ahead of any contemporary batsman.

The other is Sir Garfield Sobers - for his allround performance - batting , bowling and fielding. Though we have seen other brilliant allrounders such as Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan and Sir Richard Hadlee, no one has come close enough to usurp the supremacy of Sobers mainly because none has shown the similar authority on the cricket field that consistenly.

Leaving these two, you have only seen great players.

When that be the case, how someone can get overboard about his achievement and starts belittling another contempary performer is very unsportsmanlike.

I am talking about the tacit remarks of Shane Warne about Muralidharan. Shane considers that Murali has bowled more against the weaker test playing nations and hence he has taken more wickets. He considers that he has taken all his wickets not against weaker test playing nations.

The remark is unwarranted. It is for the fans to decide who is superior to whom. Ask any Indian Cricket fan and he will tell you how ordinary a bowler is Shane Warne. He will definitely consider the craft of Murali much better than Shane Warne.

If Shane considers Murali's wickets against Bangaladesh and Zimbabwe as low ranking, where should we rate all those wickets Warne has taken against a low ranked England, New Zealand and West Indies, traditional poor players of spin? What is Warne's performance against India and Pakistan? Is it earth shattering?

Warne should realise that he is not yet and no where near to be the greatest and even if he is, he is not conferred with the job of rating other bowlers and their wickets.

I really appreciate Arujuna Ranatunga for retaliating to Shane Warne in the way he has done.

Shane Warne can be the highest wicket taker at present in test cricket, he is certainly not a role model material for youngsters.

We are sorry Shane, but you are passed over!!!

Have you seen my other blog?

Some cool definitions

1. Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end a fool at the other.

2. Love affairs : Something like cricket where one-day internationals are more popular than a five day test.

3. Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her master

4. Divorce : Future tense of marriage

5. Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either".

6. Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

7. Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

8. Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water-power ..

9. Dictionary : A place where divorce comes before marriage.

10. Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens everybody disagrees later on.

11. Ecstasy : A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feeling you have never felt before.

12. Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.

13. Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

14. Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

15. Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

16. Etc. : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

17. Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

18. Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

19. Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

20. Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

21. Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

22. Opportunist : A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

23. Optimist : A person who while falling from Eiffel Tower says in midway "See I am not injured yet."

24. Pessimist :- A person who says that O is the last letter in ZERO, Instead of the first letter in word
OPPORTUNITY.

25. Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

26. Father : A banker provided by nature.

27. Criminal : A guy no different from the rest... except that he got caught.

28. Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

29. Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

30. Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

31. Computer Engineer : One who gets paid for reading such mails......!



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Best Buy Dec 23 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

(Note: The shares recommended here are purely from my personal analysis as a hobby and I do not take any responsibility for the outcome of the decisions of the user based on my recommendations)

Recommendation dated 23/12/2005

Buy Allahabad Bank at the current levels of around Rs.83 in cash or futures. Look for price target in excess of Rs.90

Disclosure: I do not hold this share or the derivative.

Read the latest recommendation

Read the previous recommendation

Read about GOAT and GANGULY

Now Viagra is available in India - 'IT' can finally look up?

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21 December 2005

Things will look UP now

Pfizer to launch Viagra in India this week

Pfizer, the inventor of Sildenafil Citrate, is planning to roll out its blockbuster erectile disfunction drug brand, Viagra, in India this week after a long wait.

The product is expected to be launched in all big cities simultaneously at a "competitive" price.

Currently, there are about 11 generic brands available in the domestic market which are priced in the range of Rs 180 to Rs 200 per strip of 10 tablets.

Pfizer had launched Viagra in regulated markets abroad but hadn't introduced the product in India. With Indian companies flooding the domestic market with generic copies after Pfizer's US and European launches, the company was reluctant to introduce Viagra in India fearing generic competition.

The domestic brands of Sidenafil Citrate, introduced by leading pharmaceutical firms like Zydus Cadila, Ranbaxy, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Torrent Pharma, have been one in the limelight among different pharmaceutical products launched since 2001.

According to industry data, Penegra, the Sildenafil Citrate brand of Zydus Cadila Healthcare, grossed annual sales of about Rs 32 crore (Rs 320 million) this year.

It is now the highest selling product in the segment. Caverta, Ranbaxy's brand, which reported sales turnover of Rs 26.31 crore (Rs 263.1 million), comes in second.

Torrent Pharma's Androz, has been positioned fifth among the top 10 brands launched during 2001-02, while Sun Pharma's Edegra is in the ninth position with a turnover of Rs 16.16 crore (Rs 161.6 million).

Industry analysts feel the "curiosity factor" has induced the high turnover of Sildenafil brands despite the presence of over 10 players in the market.

Silagra, Cipla's brand, had also reported attractive sales with a marketshare of 13.69 per cent. Edegra currently enjoys a marketshare of about 9.94 per cent.

Androz has a market-share of 9.31 per cent, while Unichem Laboratories' Erix brand has a monthly sales figure of about Rs 15 to 18 lakh (Rs 1.5 to 1.8 million) and a marketshare of 6.47 per cent. Juan of Cadila Pharmaceuticals posted sales of Rs 11 lakh (Rs 1.1 million) per month and a marketshare of 4.72 per cent.



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Best Buy Dec 21 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

(Note: The shares recommended here are purely from my personal analysis as a hobby and I do not take any responsibility for the outcome of the decisions of the user based on my recommendations)

Recommendation dated 21/12/2005

Buy Dr. Reddy at the current levels of around Rs.980 in cash or futures. Look for price targets of Rs.1086 & Rs.1157

Disclosure: I do not hold this share or the derivative.

Read the latest recommendation

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Now Viagra is available in India - 'IT' can finally look up?
Do you want to read all about Ganguly axing?
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19 December 2005

Best Buy Dec 19 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

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Recommendation dated 19/12/2005

Buy Panacea Biotec at the current levels of around Rs.273/Rs.274(Click to view the intraday price chart) and add more aggressively when it closes above Rs.296. This share has good potential to touch Rs.400 or even higher in about 3 months.


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16 December 2005

Ganguly Deserved Better Treatment

Ganguly deserved better treatment

Vijay Lokapally (http://www.hindu.com)



THE PRINCE'S ARMY: Kolkatans come out in protest against Sourav Ganguly being dropped from the Indian team. — Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly has found overwhelming support from all corners of the country. The selectors' decision to exclude him has not been received well and the consensus is that the former skipper deserved a better deal.

Kapil Dev: It is sad. Sourav did not deserve this. Not after his wonderful contribution to Indian cricket. Sourav is not the first cricketer to have suffered but then let us ensure that such dirty episodes are not repeated. But that is the BCCI for you. These officials will not offer any explanation for such a poor step. Ill-treating top cricketers has been the trend in our cricket and it is indeed tragic when you look at Sourav's immense effort in raising a good side and standing by his players.

Mohinder Amarnath: There can be no justification for the manner in which the selectors have handled things. Things could have been better. What was the hurry to take such a decision. They have been very, very unfair to Sourav. This is no way to treat a national icon. In any case, how do you justify his exclusion when he has scored runs and contributed in the team's victory. It is clear that the selectors have different yardsticks for different people. That is why I have always said that there should be fewer selectors and they should be cricketers of stature. My heart goes out to Sourav. He simply did not deserve this shoddy treatment.

Dilip Vengsarkar: It shows the immaturity of the selection committee. They have shown utter disregard for someone who has contributed immensely to Indian cricket and he certainly did not deserve this kind of treatment. What have the selectors tried to prove? Sourav is a national hero and you don't insult your heroes. There have been precedents when selectors have handled things poorly but nothing to match this. There is simply no cricketing merit in his exclusion.

Sandeep Patil: Same ground and same hotel. I had suffered a similar fate in 1984 and never played a Test again in my life. So I can understand how Sourav feels. It is a shocking decision that defies logic. Normally a player is dropped after failure but here Sourav had scored runs in both innings. He was involved in two partnerships that helped the team win the match. The issue could have been dealt with in better fashion. The selectors are not justified at all in dropping him after having brought him in just a few days ago. It was a bold decision no doubt. The argument could be that Indian cricket has to move forward because some youngsters are waiting for opportunities. But the selectors have made a mess of it really. They may not be answerable for their decisions but then there is no consistency here.

Madan Lal: If I were a selector, I would have spoken to him. He has been the captain, done well for the country, looking at his contribution we could have told him what we had in mind. Maybe after consulting him we would have taken a decision. He deserved this much of a farewell. The signs were there that they would drop him. Maybe they wanted to be fair to a youngster like Yuvraj Singh. But I would have preferred someone talking to him. He is a big player no doubt. They should have waited for one more Test.

Aunshuman Gaekwad: Nothing could have been more illogical. Ridiculous decision I must say. First you drop him, then bring him in, put him in the eleven, ask him to score runs. He scores runs and then you show him the door. Very, very unfair. In the last Test, Sourav was included instead of Zaheer Khan because the selectors thought he was a batting all-rounder. So when Sourav is dropped, logically Zaheer should come in. But they bring in an opener, who should have been there in the first place. It would have helped avoid experiments like Rahul (Dravid) and Irfan (Pathan) opening the innings. Can there be any comparison between Sourav and Yuvraj (Singh). They have only insulted a senior cricketer for all the good work he has done as captain.

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Best Buy Dec 16 2005

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Recommendation dated 16/12/2005

Buy CESC (Cash or Futures) . It is set for greater heights as it crossed Rs.223/-


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15 December 2005

Don't be surprised - he is a professional politician

Pawar 'shocked' over Ganguly's exclusion
NDTV Correspondent

Thursday, December 15, 2005 (Kolkata):

Former BCCI President IS Bindra has said he doesn't approve of the way in which Sourav Ganguly was dropped from the Indian Test squad.

Bindra also claimed cricket board President Sharad Pawar was shocked to hear the news and may take up the matter with the selectors.

On Wednesday, Ganguly was dropped from the Test side despite his decent performance in the Delhi match.

He was replaced by Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer, which gave rise to the speculation that the decision was influenced by the BCCI top brass, most of whom hail from the West Zone.

Protests held

The decision has also seen some angry reactions on the street. Kolkata erupted in protest for the second consecutive day over the unceremonious sacking.

The cricketer's fans put up road blockades, conducted mock hangings and shradh ceremonies of coach Greg Chappell and selection committee chairman Kiran More.

Around 300 people blocked the Behala Chowrasta crossing on the busy Diamond Harbour Road near Ganguly's residence shouting slogans demanding that the left-hander be recalled to the Indian team.

Vehicular traffic came to a standstill at the intersection during the 15-minute long agitation, but those stranded were in no mood to complain.

"This is needed. We must voice our protest against the injustice done to our boy. There should be more such agitations," said a middle-aged bus passenger.

'Betrayal of cricket'

Even the artists forum in Kolkata have joined the chorus of protestors that Ganguly being axed was unjustified.

"What has been done is a betrayal of cricket. It is the shabbiest, shoddiest treatment that a national hero has ever received," said Soumitra Chatterjee, the veteran matinee idol.

Leading film and television artists of West Bengal have demanded that the cricketer be brought back to the national side immediately.

Chatterjee said they will send a protest letter to Pawar, and are also in touch with several politicians to ensure that the wrong done to the former captain was redressed.

Ganguly leads the news in the media

Puppets, Jokers & Spineless creatures

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Ganguly - Leads the news in the media

That Ganguly is an important figure in the Indian Cricket is underlined by the fact that his omission became prime headline news in all media - print or electronic!!!

Here are some news clips!

The Hindu

Ganguly dropped

S. Ram Mahesh

The BCCI selectors who met captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell after the match named Dravid captain for next year's tour of Pakistan and the series against England. They also dropped the former skipper Sourav Ganguly from the squad for the third Test against Sri Lanka. Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer earns a recall to the side.

The end of a chequered career?

Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI: It took five hours of intense deliberations to include him for the Chennai Test but a mere five minutes to show him the exit, effectively shutting a glorious chapter in Indian cricket.

"Unanimous decision in five minutes" was Kiran More's declaration at the National selection committee's decision to axe the former captain from the team for the Ahmedabad test.

For all his services to the team in the past five years, Ganguly, the lone change in the team, was not even informed or spoken to by any of the selectors, who also chose to ignore the tradition of retaining the winning squad.

The victory over Sri Lanka was overshadowed by the momentous decision of the selectors to end Ganguly's international journey. For the left-hander to script a comeback from this stage would obviously mean a gigantic effort. The selectors are convinced he has no place in the team and rule out any chances of Ganguly making it back.

Does it signal the end of an era? It does, for Ganguly's stellar influence on the team, recorded in glowing terms even by his opponents, had not been a factor when discussing the left-hander's future.

Dalmiya cries foul

Sports Reporter

KOLKATA: The former BCCI President, Jagmohan Dalmiya, has said that dropping Sourav Ganguly from the Test team was unjust on the part of the selectors. "I do not know why he has been removed from the team. I think a little injustice has been meted out to him,'' he said reacting to the news of the former captain's sacking on Wednesday.

Mr. Dalmiya, who is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, said the way Ganguly played the two innings in the just-concluded Test against Sri Lanka he "should not have been dropped in the interests of the team.'' He felt the former captain had shown good form and played a responsible innings.

"I saw him play both the innings. He was playing for the team and looked to be in good form,'' he said.

PTI reports:

Meanwhile, the West Bengal's Municipal Affairs Minister, Ashok Bhattacharya, said Ganguly had been ``a victim of a deep conspiracy which should be opposed by all.''

``Some members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India have a grudge against Ganguly and they have been instrumental in deciding on his removal,'' Mr. Bhattacharya told reporters here.

TIMES OF INDIA

Sourav Ganguly - bowled Board Politics!

Sourav Ganguly's unceremonious exit from the Indian team on Wednesday was disgraceful. But though the proceedings that followed India's 188-run victory were a shameful way to sideline the former Indian skipper, they didn't come as a shock, especially considering the way Indian cricket is run. Politics, many would believe, got Ganguly so deep into the series in the first place. That Sourav was branded a "batting all-rounder" by the Jagmohan Dalmiya regime to force him into the side, and then made to bowl only 2 overs in the seven days of cricket that followed, tells a tale. Without enough chances, his "all-round" worth was destroyed with the precision befitting a seasoned assassin. Although, Ganguly displayed his worth with the bat, it just wasn't enough. The final blow came when Dalmiya was voted out of power and the referee-count ended on Wednesday. Politics giveth, and Politics taketh away. The balance of power has shifted and so have the preferences. Indian cricket remains the same, trapped in a vicious web of power-brokers. (AP Photo)

No light at the end of tunnel

In past, some stalwarts have been known to play politics in the team but for the first time a group of selectors, not much-known gentlemen, played a dirty joke on a performing player.

Ironically, things which naked eye fail to catch can be best viewed in video-tape, thanks to technology. Do we need a 'spy camera' in selection committee meeting?

Cricket lovers as well as tax payers in this country have every right to get an unabridged version of the proceedings. The filtered story will not suffice the fans any more.

This is not the first time that the phenomenon of corrupt choices has surfaced. But the scale of the dishonesty is new and disconcerting. Do we need to remind our esteemed readers the notoriously famous phrase - a bunch of jokers? Time for couplets is over and it's high time that cricketer-turned-commentator Mohinder Amarnath should re-play his 'story' on the national channel.

A team on the growth path is always hungry for a dose of optimism. But the wise men in the selection committee have given a dosage of opium to the well-wishers of Team India.

At present, Team India is facing the problem of too many but it should not deflect attention from the fact that decisions relating to selection in the national side are driven by hardcore political compulsions.

On Sourav Ganguly's surprise exclusion from the squad of the third Test, skipper Rahul Dravid said it was a 'happy problem' in having to decide between Yuvraj Singh and Ganguly for the next Test. "I don't think it is a problem. If you call it a problem, it is a happy problem. It is a good problem when we have two or three players doing well (for one slot). "It is not going to be right on whoever is left out, but that is the way international cricket is," he said. (Reuters Photo)

A subtle hint before the axe


NEW DELHI: Skipper Rahul Dravid must have obviously known of the decision to omit Sourav Ganguly when he arrived for a media interaction scant minutes before selection committee chairman Kiran More dropped the bombshell, and the first hint was when he said - when queried on the problem of plenty facing the Indian middle-order - that it was "not going to be easy for whoever misses out".

But few read between the lines and the news still came as a shocker. After announcing the extension of Dravid's captaincy tenure till the England series, More nonchalantly added that Ganguly had been dropped to make way for Wasim Jaffer, and that Yuvraj Singh would bat at number 6. After soaking in the stunned silence which followed, More added, "We have Yuvraj who has performed very well, so it's not fair to drop him. Sourav played well, but Yuvraj is in great touch and cannot be kept out any longer."

He virtually made it clear that Ganguly's chances of a comeback were bleak by adding that the team had been chosen keeping the upcoming Pakistan and England series in mind, which, More explained, "are going to be very tough and hence we are looking at developing Yuvraj as a middle-order mainstay".

More added: "We did not want Ganguly at No.6. We want Yuvraj to play there. It's also not done keeping Sourav in the squad and then not playing him. We are also keeping the future in mind. We want to give opportunity to a player who can go on for six years or more. It's just that Yuvraj is in great form and has been batting well in the One-dayers too. We also have the likes of Mohammed Kaif and the talented Suresh Raina to add to the bench strength."

More, however, clarified that this did not imply Ganguly's international career was over, saying: "Doors are definitely not closed for him." He added that Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer's inclusion was solely to bolster the top order and keep a reserve opener handy if Gautam Gambhir failed to find form. "Gautam has done well, but of late he has not clicked and we thought a reserve opener was lacking. Our middle-order is strong. There are no issues there. Jaffer has been doing well in domestic cricket and has the experience and ability to play fast bowlers."

Lonely exit for stunned Sourav



NEW DELHI: He maintained a studied silence, but the bloodshot eyes and drawn face said it all. As Sourav Ganguly alighted from the team bus to pack his bags, it was painfully clear he was still struggling to come to terms with the shock he'd been dealt.

As the rest of the country celebrated India's win over Sri Lanka, Ganguly's mood was sombre. The media crowded around him, trying to get a comment but the man known for his expressive words and gestures simply put his head down and walked silently into the hotel.

He was joined there by wife Dona and daughter Sana. The two were enjoying a day out in the city when the news of Ganguly's ouster was announced. Dona immediately rushed back to the hotel.

She found a lonely, isolated man. According to sources close to Ganguly, "Apart from being hurt by the dropping, he was also shocked that not one of the senior players visited him in the room for more than four hours".

Only one of the stars went to meet the former skipper - and he didn't want to talk about it.

For now, though, Ganguly isn't contemplating retirement. Always a fighter, he is unlikely to quietly fade away. "But he is still reeling from the shock and is utterly disappointed," a source told TOI.

Maybe there will be another day for Dada. On Wednesday, though, it was time for him to enter a white car and make the long, lonely drive - to the airport and into exile.

Out! Yours unanimously

Seven men (five selectors, captain and coach), four walls, 20 minutes, one topic. And then the proverbial bells tolled for Sourav Ganguly.

"I swear on my daughter that the decision to drop Ganguly was unanimous," national selection committee chairman Kiran More tells ToI. Keep the faith in More because his report on Ganguly's omission isn't greatly exaggerated. An insider reveals that, counting the coach and captain, it was a 7-0 verdict to impose the axe effect on the batsman who scored 40 and 39 in the Delhi Test.

"It was indeed a unanimous decision to drop Ganguly - nobody wants him in the team," says the insider. "The 20 minutes spent on Ganguly during the 35-minute-long meeting were stormy ones. It was felt that, apart from not having been consistent with big scores in recent times, Ganguly lacks motivation and is a poor fielder compared to Yuvraj. Besides, his bowling isn't exactly Test quality." He's that bad. Or so seven men with a say in the selection process feel about Ganguly.

This begs the question: why then was Ganguly picked for the Chennai and Delhi Tests? "If Ganguly was picked for the Chennai Test, it was simply because he had scored a ton in Zimbabwe and had to be given a chance. After he failed in Chennai, it was a direct contest between Ganguly and Yuvraj in Delhi. Though both scored almost the same number of runs, Yuvraj, who is in good form, was by far the more fluent batsman. With Sehwag returning for the Ahmedabad Test, it was obvious who had to go."

Ta-ta, Dada. Because, as BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah tells ToI: "Ganguly has been dropped because there is no slot for him in the team." And there is no space for him in the squad of 16 either because, as the insider says: "Ganguly is a senior player; you can't pick him and then bench him... specially when his alleged lack of motivation can rub off on other players."

Officially, there is more straightforward explanation for Wasim Jaffer (an opener) replacing Ganguly (a middle-order batsman). "Ganguly has been dropped on cricketing grounds," says a selector. "With Mohammed Kaif in the squad, the middle-order has back-up; it is the opening slot that needs bench strength.

With Gautam Gambhir struggling in Chennai and Delhi, we need an extra opener before the Pakistan series in January 2006 and this was, perhaps, the best time to take this decision." Ganguly could have got better treatment, no?

"What do you mean by better treatment?" counters the selector.

With More stating that the selectors have the Pakistan tour in mind, is it the end of the road for Ganguly? "Can't say," says Shah. "Ganguly has to prove his form in domestic cricket." Even then, the odds on a comeback by Ganguly are near-zero. As the insider says: "There's Yuvraj, there's Kaif... who will he replace? Finally, it's not lack of runs alone that have gone against Ganguly." And thereby hangs a tale.

"Unfortunate but you have to accept it. In a way history repeats itself, same venue, same hotel, 21 years ago on 17th December, I was also dropped after top-scoring in both innings against England. I never played Test cricket after that. I have gone through a similar situation. To move forward you have to take some bold decisions and if Indian cricket needs Kaif, Raina then you have to stick to them. The larger interest here is Indian cricket. I personally feel sorry though for Sourav."

Should he quit? "I won't say so. He is not past his prime. Look at how Sidhu, Mohinder Amarnath came back after being dropped. Sourav can too." - Sandeep Patil

"Very unfair decision. It appeared the selectors were hell bent on taking this call. Sourav has performed well and did what he was asked to. First you pick him as an all-rounder and then don't give him bowling. There is no logic in the whole thing since they have brought an opener for an all-rounder. What surprises me most is that Zaheer has not been considered again. Sourav was chosen as an all-rounder ahead of Zaheer. And now if Sourav is dropped, shouldn't Zaheer be brought back."

Should he quit? "No way. He is a proven material, he should go back to Ranji Trophy, keep scoring runs and prove everyone wrong. He is still fit enough and has enough cricket left in him. Both Mohinder Amarnath and I would do the same thing everytime we were dropped." - Anshuman Gaekwad

"Normally I don't get shocks, because anything can happen in our country. It is rather unfortunate that Sourav has been dropped. If winning combinations are retained, but they have clearly not followed that option. I would not know what went through the selectors' minds when they dropped him.

Should he quit? "I don't think so. He has got a lot of cricket left in him. He has vast experience and his inclusion will only add moral support to the team. I am sure with his fighting qualities he might just come back. What's more, this exclusion could act as a motivating factor and inspire him further. He can look at my example from 1986 to 1993 I played domestic cricket, but could never comeback to Indian team. It was always banging against a wall, but never give up." - Syed Kirmani

"I am shocked. I don't think he should have been treated like this. He performed quite well in the Delhi Test (against Sri Lanka). Dropping him from the third Test defies logic. He has served Indian cricket for years. You can't treat such a cricketer so shabbily. They should have given him the opportunity to call it a day. That would have looked better. He should have been allowed to leave the game on his own. This is the least that he deserved." - EAS Prasanna

"No one can raise a finger at Sourav's performance in Delhi. He was involved in good partnerships. I am shocked. I am running short of words to explain how i feel. I have not heard the selectors give any logical explanation for his removal. Till I get to know the reason, I will find it very difficult to digest the decision. The five wise men have set standards even higher than in Australia. If that be so, they should apply the same yardstick to other players." - Kirti Azad

Sourav's removal 'motivated'



KOLKATA, Dec 14: Hinting that Sourav Ganguly had been made a victim of BCCI politics, Cricket Board's former joint secretary Goutam Dasgupta on Wednesday alleged that the talented left-hander's removal from Test squad was "motivated" and "guided by reasons other than cricket".

"This decision is unfortunate and irrational. Ganguly paved the way for an Indian win in the Delhi Test by batting responsibly and forging good partnerships in both innings. How can they even think of dropping him?" an upset Dasgupta said.

Finding fault with the logic advanced for dropping the cricketer from the side for the Ahmedabad Test, Dasgupta told PTI "When Ganguly was kept out of the one-day squad, some people put forth the argument that a winning combination shouldn't be disturbed. Then how come Ganguly has been axed only hours after India won the Test?"

"This decision is motivated. Performance has not been the criterion for his removal," he said.

"Definitely, there is something other than cricket behind this decision. It defies logic. And there is more to it than meets the eye," Dasgupta said.

THE STATESMAN

Ecstasy & agony: India wins, Sourav dropped

Elora Sen in Kolkata
Dec. 14. – India completed the formalities today, cruising to victory over Sri Lanka at the Feroze Shah Kotla. But then came the bombshell – Sourav Ganguly dropped for the third and final Test at Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka. Mr Kiran More, chairman of selectors, hinted that Ganguly was kept out to give younger players a chance keeping in mind the forthcoming series against Pakistan and England.

Ganguly’s one-day career is already widely reckoned to be over given the emphasis on building a team for the 2007 World Cup. Now, the death knell seems to have been sounded for the Prince of Kolkata’s international career as far as the authorities are concerned. Yet, those close to Ganguly said he would not give up hope just yet and would most likely continue to prove his mettle in the domestic circuit.

It is true that the veteran has been battling a prolonged slump in form. But after having lost the captaincy and his ODI berth, he seemed determined to make a mark in the ongoing Test series. With most of the Chennai match being washed out, interest was centred on the second Test in Delhi and here, even his sharpest critics would not be able to say he failed.

His diligently crafted scores of 40 and 39 may not have set the stands afire but both innings came at a time when India had lost quick wickets and he played the sheet-anchor role enabling the team to consolidate.

Mr More gave as one reason for Ganguly being dropped that the younger “Yuvraj Singh... (who) had a good match” would be accommodated in the playing XI for the next Test and it would therefore “not be right” to pick Ganguly only for him to be relegated to the reserves. But Yuvraj looked much less comfortable than Ganguly at the Kotla.

While the stamp on the decision is that of Five Wise Men aka selectors, BCCI sources said that the “team management’s inputs” (read coach Mr Greg Chappell, captain Rahul Dravid and some senior players) were vital. And they obviously no longer see a place for him in the team. They seem more comfortable when he is not around, is the buzz.

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Best Buy Dec 15 2005

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Recommendation dated 15/12/2005

Buy Bank of Baroda (Cash or Futures) Targets Rs.248 and then Rs.265+.

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14 December 2005

Puppets, Jokers and spineless creatures

How will you deal with a cricketer who averages near 40 in a test match?

What if the cricketer figured in atleast three crucial partnerships in the course of his innings in that test match?

What if the runs scored by that cricketer is the 4th highest in the team?

What if he was the only player in the team to score a near 40 in both innings of that match? (Do you call it consistency or inconsistency?)

What if that cricketer forgets all negatives that happened in the recent past in his life and applies himself like a true sportsman and applies himself for a better future?

What if the test match in which he made his important contribution is won by his team?

What if in the same test match there were other players who fail but retain their place in the team while this cricketer who averaged near 40 is dropped from the team? What if that cricketer who is dropped out of the team has a track record for good performance at crucial times over the years?

What if the Captain of the team in his end of match conference expressed that the cricketer had performed well in the match?

What if there was rampant double standards in the selection of the team and consideration of performances?

What will you then do as a cricket lover? What will you think of the selectors who take such a atrocious decision of dropping that cricketer from the team on the same evening when you are rejoicing the victory?

I am one such cricket lover and I will call those selectors as PUPPETS, JOKERS AND SPINELESS CREATURES.

You wait for 7 straight international matches for a so called talented youngster to come good and call that as investment in future.

You wait for 10 straight international matches and tolerate a string of failures for a so called world class batsman to come good and say that he is doing a mentoring role in the team (then for what reason you have a high paid coach, captain and vice-captain in the team?). You don't ask for domestic performance and current form even if that cricketer comes back after a long lay-off.

That is, unless.

Unless, of course, the name of that cricketer is Saurav Ganguly.

Unless, of course, the person answering to that name was the most successful captain ever produced by the country.

Unless, of course, the person answering to that name had taken over the team from the so called world class quitter and rejuvenated the team by inculcating things such as, a winning habit, fighting spirit and passion into them.

Three cheers to the joker in chief Mr. Kiran More. Three cheers to the co-jokers.

God save Indian cricket!

We find no place for an established player at No.6 so we drop him and bring in someone who plays at No.1 or No.2 as his replacement.

God save Indian cricket!

You select a player as an all rounder. You don't give him a bowl. Then drop him from the team saying he is a No.6 batsman.

God save Indian Cricket!

We have improved our game!

Off the field, that is.

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Dropping of saurav ganguly calcutta kolkatta Greg Chappel Siddhu's comments NDTV turning point Rahul Dravid Sachin Tendulkar

13 December 2005

Best Buy Dec 13 2005

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Recommendation dated 13/12/2005

Buy Bank of India (Cash or Futures) Targets Rs.130+ Stop Loss Rs.108/-

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12 December 2005

Best Buy Dec 12 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

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Recommendation dated 12/12/2005

Buy MRPL (Futures) above Rs.48. Targets Rs.51 & Rs.53. Stop Loss Rs.47/-

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10 December 2005

Rahul Dravid - True Leader

Virender Sehwag got ill and was not available to play in the second
cricket test match against Sri Lanka. Whole Indian cricket following
public, experts and non-experts, were discussing about the possible
opening partner for Gautam Gambir, in the absense of Sehwag.

Names doing the rounds for opening the innings were largely confined to
Yuvraj Singh, M.S. Dhoni and Very Very Special Laxman. Some would have
even thought that Saurav Ganguly might be asked to open the innings.

A slightly ill Rahul Dravid went out for the toss, won it and elected to
bat. The cricket fans were still speculating about the opening
combination. The match got delayed by about 30 minutes and so they
needed to wait for some more time to know about the opening combination.

And then the match started. The Sri Lankan team went out to field. There
came the opening pair. It was the Rahul Dravid himself who walked
alongside Gautam Gambir as the opener, to surprise of a lot of people.

Dravid had the the choices, as speculated by the public, Yuvraj, Dhoni,
Laxman, Ganguly etc. But, he didn't want to make the youngsters nervous
(Yuvraj & Dhoni) and didn't want to put further pressure on the senior
players struggling to retain their places (Laxman & Ganguly). So he
decided to go out to bat as an opener.

If you keep saying anyone should be ready to bat anywhere in the order,
then it should also include yourself.

That to me displayed his character and his true leadership qualities.
Hats off to you Rahul. Keep it up!!!

This display of high character by Rahul would have motivated the younger
team members to a great extent.

Hats off once again!!!

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Sachin Tendulkar 35th test hundred world record delhi test match

09 December 2005

BEST BUY - Dec 9 2005

BEST BUY RECOMMENDATION

(Note: The shares recommended here are purely from my personal analysis as a hobby and I do not take any responsibility for the outcome of the decisions of the user based on my recommendations)

Recommendation dated 09/12/2005

Buy Wockhardt (Futures) CMP 454 Targets of Rs.475/Rs.500

Disclosure: I am intending to take a position in this derivative

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07 December 2005

The Indian batting tortoises

What would you expect from a cricket team playing in a truncated cricket match which will surely end in a draw even if the two teams playing in the game are two local clubs?

I for one, would expect the teams to provide lots of entertainment to the spectators coming to the stadium and watching the match on the tele across the world.

I do hope, most of you will share the same opinion.

I am talking about the recently rained off Chennai Test Match between India and Sri Lanka.

The Indian team which boasts of world class players and budding world class talent had a great chance of giving good entertainment to the crowd as the match had in any case died in all other respects having lost nearly four days of cricket due to the torrential rains.

For some strange reasons the top players, sans V. Sehwag, scratched around giving maiden after maiden to the Sri Lankan bowlers. The wicket was definitely not a minefield or an unplayable surface.

The Indians batted as though their future career was depended on the number of deliveries they faced and the number of singles they scored.

They keep talking about Sachin Tendulkar being a batting great. But, he seemed to be content on working towards his 35th Test Hundred (a personal landmark) than taking control of the situation and providing entertainment to the crowd that came just to see him bat as there was no motivation for them in the dying game.

What Sachin Tendulkar gave to them? He scored 20 odd runs facing 120+ deliveries in this test match. He was watchful, careful, skillful and above all, awful. What was he trying to prove? Contrast his innings with those played by Jayawardane or Sehwag or M.S. Dhoni or even Rahul Dravid to a limited extent in this very same match.

Ultimately India got all out for 167. And conceded the psychological advantage to Sri Lanka who batted postively and took the lead over Indians losing fewer wickets.

I still wonder what made Indian team and especially Sachin Tendulkar bat like the way they did in this test match. Were the Indian batters trying to learn the "Occupying the crease" skill in this match?

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04 December 2005

The Record Progress

A record Bradman never had

(Travis Basevi and George Binoy - at http://www.cricinfo.com on November 29, 2005)

Some statistics, like Bradman's average and the number of centuries Gavaskar made, are known to pretty much every cricket buff. But The List will bring you facts and figures that aren't so obvious, adding fuel to those fiery debates about the most valuable middle-order bat, and the most useless tailender.



Brian Lara: the record for most Test runs is in fitting hands © Getty Images

At Adelaide, Brian Lara broke another elite run-scoring record by going past Allan Border's total of 11,174 Test runs and cricket had the rare chance to watch the highest run-scorer take on the highest wicket-taker, Shane Warne.

This week, The List looks at the record-holders over the decades, who broke whom, and who took it back after losing it. By becoming the latest player to hold the record Lara joins a hallowed list of the most prolific run-makers of their times with the glaring absence of one Sir Donald Bradman.

The legendary Jack Hobbs had over 4500 runs by the time Bradman made his debut and Wally Hammond, had just under 500 runs after playing his first Test in December 1927, less than a year before Bradman. Hobbs retired in August 1930, with 5410 runs in 102 innings. At the time, Hammond had 1935 runs in 22 matches, maintaining his near 500-run head-start over Bradman who had 1442 from nine games. For a brief period during the fifth Test at Sydney 1933, Bradman went ahead of Hammond by 28 runs, but thereafter, by virtue of playing more often than Bradman, Hammond went on to break Hobbs's record and when he retired after playing 85 Tests and racking up 7249 runs, Bradman had 5773 runs from 42 Tests. Bradman played 10 more Tests and gave the record a valiant chase. In the end, he fell short by a mere 253 runs.

Who's the closest challenger to Lara's title? Sachin Tendulkar is the immediate contender, while Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid are the other best long-term bets. However, considering the amount of cricket played these days (witness Marcus Trescothick scoring his first 5000 runs in a shade over five years), you can't be too sure how long any of these players would hold onto the record.

Most Runs in Tests - Progressive Record Holders (since C Hill in 1902)
Player Runs Opposition Ground Match End Scorecard
C Hill (Aust) 1562 v England The Oval 13 Aug 1902 Test 74
C Hill (Aust) 3412 v England Sydney 1 Mar 1912 Test 120
JB Hobbs (Eng) 3497 v Australia Sydney 27 Dec 1924 Test 158
JB Hobbs (Eng) 5410 v Australia The Oval 22 Aug 1930 Test 198
WR Hammond (Eng) 5528 v New Zealand Lord's 29 Jun 1937 Test 260
WR Hammond (Eng) 7249 v New Zealand Christchurch 25 Mar 1947 Test 284
MC Cowdrey (Eng) 7256 v Australia Brisbane 2 Dec 1970 Test 674
MC Cowdrey (Eng) 7459 v Pakistan Birmingham 8 Jun 1971 Test 687
GS Sobers (WI) 7591 v New Zealand Bridgetown 28 Mar 1972 Test 695
GS Sobers (WI) 8032 v England Port of Spain 5 Apr 1974 Test 738
G Boycott (Eng) 8090 v India Delhi 28 Dec 1981 Test 914
G Boycott (Eng) 8114 v India Kolkata 6 Jan 1982 Test 916
SM Gavaskar (India) 8123 v West Indies Ahmedabad 16 Nov 1983 Test 967
SM Gavaskar (India) 10122 v Pakistan Bangalore 17 Mar 1987 Test 1073
AR Border (Aust) 10161 v New Zealand Christchurch 28 Feb 1993 Test 1215
AR Border (Aust) 11174 v South Africa Durban 29 Mar 1994 Test 1256
BC Lara (WI) 11204 v Australia Adelaide 29 Nov 2005 Test 1773

(*The player's first row shows the stats in which the player broke the record and the second, his present record)

Although Test cricket records were not maintained at the time, in hindsight we can see that up to six players vied for the batting record in 1902 before Clem Hill broke from the pack. Since then, it has been rather straight-forward with each batsmen holding the record until his retirement. The opposite is the case for the bowlers though, with there being three occasions since the start of the 20th century where a bowler has lost the record to a contemporary. The first was in 1963 when Brian Statham held the record for six weeks before losing it to team-mate Fred Trueman on the same tour of Australia and New Zealand.

In 1986, Richard Hadlee was in the New Zealand team when Ian Botham broke Dennis Lillee's record of 355 wickets, and Botham was the outright leader until Hadlee joined him on 373 wickets at the end of 1987. Hadlee then injured himself in New Zealand's next Test (coincidentally against England, but with no Botham, who was busy playing for Queensland instead) and then with Botham injured for the entire 1988 series versus West Indies, Hadlee chose to tour India in November that year to claim Arun Lal as his 374th wicket. The pair had been tied for 318 days.

After the third Test against Australia in Colombo in 2004, Muttiah Muralitharan had 513 scalps and Warne had 517. But Murali took eight wickets in his next Test against Zimbabwe to pip Warne to Courtney Walsh's record of 519. Warne went ahead against a Murali-less Sri Lanka in the first Test against Australia at Cairns, but was overtaken again. It would have been a fascinating game of cat and mouse had a shoulder injury not sidelined Murali, allowing Warne, who is having the most productive year of his career, to surge ahead. Syd Barnes held the record for 22 years, the longest reign till date, but with Warne and Murali going great guns, one of their records looks a good bet to beat Barnes.

Most Wickets in Tests - Progressive Record Holders (since H Trumble in 1904)
Player Wkts Opposition Ground Match End Scorecard
H Trumble (Aust) 126 v England Melbourne 5 Jan 1904 Test 79
H Trumble (Aust) 141 v England Melbourne 8 Mar 1904 Test 82
SF Barnes (Eng) 150 v South Africa Durban 17 Dec 1913 Test 130
SF Barnes (Eng) 189 v South Africa Durban 18 Feb 1914 Test 133
CV Grimmett (Aust) 193 v South Africa Cape Town 4 Jan 1936 Test 249
CV Grimmett (Aust) 216 v South Africa Durban 3 Mar 1936 Test 251
AV Bedser (Eng) 218 v Australia Leeds 28 Jul 1953 Test 375
AV Bedser (Eng) 236 v South Africa Manchester 12 Jul 1955 Test 410
JB Statham (Eng) 241 v Australia Adelaide 30 Jan 1963 Test 538
JB Statham (Eng) 242 v Australia Sydney 20 Feb 1963 Test 539
FS Trueman (Eng) 250 v New Zealand Christchurch 19 Mar 1963 Test 542
FS Trueman (Eng) 307 v New Zealand Lord's 22 Jun 1965 Test 592
LR Gibbs (WI) 307 v Australia Adelaide 28 Jan 1976 Test 768
LR Gibbs (WI) 309 v Australia Melbourne 5 Feb 1976 Test 770
DK Lillee (Aust) 315 v West Indies Melbourne 30 Dec 1981 Test 915
DK Lillee (Aust) 355 v Pakistan Sydney 6 Jan 1984 Test 974
IT Botham (Eng) 357 v New Zealand The Oval 26 Aug 1986 Test 1051
IT Botham (Eng) 373 v Pakistan The Oval 11 Aug 1987 Test 1079
RJ Hadlee (NZ) 373 v Australia Melbourne 30 Dec 1987 Test 1087
RJ Hadlee (NZ) 431 v England Birmingham 10 Jul 1990 Test 1147
N Kapil Dev (India) 431 v Sri Lanka Bangalore 30 Jan 1994 Test 1245
N Kapil Dev (India) 434 v New Zealand Hamilton 23 Mar 1994 Test 1255
CA Walsh (WI) 435 v Zimbabwe Kingston 28 Mar 2000 Test 1492
CA Walsh (WI) 519 v South Africa Kingston 23 Apr 2001 Test 1544
M Muralitharan (SL) 521 v Zimbabwe Harare 8 May 2004 Test 1698
M Muralitharan (SL) 527 v Zimbabwe Bulawayo 17 May 2004 Test 1699
SK Warne (Aust) 527 v Sri Lanka Cairns 13 Jul 2004 Test 1706
M Muralitharan (SL) 532 v South Africa Galle 8 Aug 2004 Test 1709
SK Warne (Aust) 537 v India Chennai 18 Oct 2004 Test 1714
SK Warne (Aust) 645 v West Indies Adelaide 29 Nov 2005 Test 1773

(*The player's first row shows the stats in which the player broke the record and the second, his record when he was equalled or overtaken)

Statistics upto and including:
• Test # 1773: Australia v West Indies at Adelaide, The Frank Worrell Trophy 3rd Test, Nov 25-29, 2005
• ODI # 2300: India v South Africa at Mumbai, 5th ODI, Nov 28, 2005

Thanks to http://www.cricinfo.com

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