India Don't Look Tournament Favorites

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Team India started as the favorites in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. But if the performance is anything to go by the team has seriously hurt its brand value. Drawing a match after scoring 330 plus runs  against England showed the weakness of the Indian bowling attach. In the match that followed versus Ireland the bowling has looked anything but impressive with Yuvraj Singh the most unlikely of bowlers getting five of the ten Irish men.

The lack of bowling resources at his disposal has made Dhoni looked clueless at times. Especially in the match against England there was not a single bowler who was stopping the singles and the boundaries when Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell were milking the bowling. Even if the Indian fans think cricket to be a game of sixes and fours flowing out of Sachin Tendulkar's bat it is not. If such fans needed one example the match versus England was one. A poor bowling attack never makes a team world champions.

A lot of doubt has been raised about the performance of Piyush Chawla. His selection had raised a few eyebrows but we all know that he is being backed by his captain. But Dhoni seems to be on a mission to prove that Chawla's selection was worth the deal. The only problem is the fact that in doing so he might have to throw a few matches here and there. A good captain should realise his mistake and not repeat them instead of persisting with his ego.

Till now the only two teams which have looked like favorites are the defending world champions Australia and maverick Pakistan under a maverick captain. Shahid Afridi seems to have discovered a master spinner in himself who seems to be causing a havoc among batsmen in this tournament. As far as the kangaroos are concerned no one should write this team off as they have held this trophy for the last 12 years and inmost of the times deservingly. India will have to overhaul itself in fielding and bowling to get over these giants. 

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Never Opt For An Apple's Launch Product!

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

If you are one of those people in India who has missed Apple’s latest gizmo you have something on the offering. Just about a year after Apple iPad created buzz in the technology industry, Steve Job and his team are ready with the second avatar of the product. Apple has made the iPad2 faster, thinner, lighter, more powerful, and more versatile than the original iPad. What’s more it is priced at the same $499 as the model launched last year.

So just about a year’s wait has made the buyers get a faster, thinner and lighter product at the same price. So what’s the point in buying a product first up when you get a better one just about a year later? Off course it doesn’t apply to the techno geeks who love ripping apart a new product (virtually though) and writing about or those cool dudes who boast about having stood in queues to get hold of their Apple product. For a smart buyer a year’s wait seems to bring in a lot of bonuses.

This is not the first time this has happened with an Apple product. Since the launch of its revolutionary portable music player the iPod in 2001 we have seen six generations of the product rolling out. It has been even faster with the iPhone which has seen four avatars in since its launch four years ago. With every newer version Apple has something new to offer at the same price or even at substantially lower price.

P.S. If you are buyer and don’t have any eagerness to flaunt an iPad as yet, waiting for the third generations shouldn’t be stupid. One thing for sure you won’t have to wait for too long!

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