On to the Compaq Cup final

Right. So we have a one-day final tomorrow. The Compaq Cup (which features a pretty digital trophy, like totally 21st century, if you know what I mean).

India have a chance to do two things: take back the No. 1 spot, which they held for some 24 hours (at least, I think they get it back, but I'm not sure), and more to the point, they have a chance to try and get over the "finals jinx", because they have this really bad habit of losing in anything that ends with the word "Final."

Sri Lanka have the chance to just continue smacking India around the Park like they did on Saturday (can someone confirm if that was the same pitch on which India clobbered New Zealand? I'm serious).

Despite all my recent snarkiness about the one-day game, I'm genuinely interested in this game. I would like to see: Tendulkar and Dravid bat; the Indian trio of Nehra/RP Singh/Sharma fire; Dilshan/Jaya/Sanga batting; Mendis/Malinga bowling. I still like ODIs when the stakes are "high." This isn't a big deal as far as tournaments go, but there is always some national pride at stake. And importantly, Sri Lanka is playing at home, so the atmosphere should be have a crackle and pop to it. The one-day final, with a big crowd behind it, is still a marquee international cricket event. Fingers crossed, we'll get a good game.

Oh, and the times are good. The games start at 5 AM, and thanks to a pesky back injury, I haven't had any trouble waking up then!

The return of the prodigal(s)

Right. So it has been a long time since I've seen India play any international cricket (the World T20?) and thus, here we are on a wet, dark morning in Brooklyn, watching India take on New Zealand in the Compaq Cup (I have given up trying to understand the provenance of these triangular ODI series). I confess to having tuned out just a bit over the last few weeks as India made noises about their team selection, and thus, it was a pleasant surprise to see Nehra and RP Singh opening the bowling. The former was in danger for being better known for a a little YouTube clip where he says terrible things about Dhoni's sister, and along with the latter, of becoming yet another answer to that well-known trivia question "Which promising promising Indian fast bowler is in danger of slipping into obscurity?". But Delhi's prominence on the national scene, and this stint in the IPL, has done him wonders. And here he is, taking two wickets in his first two overs, both LBWs.

Good Lord, the television screen tells me Nehra played in the West Indies earlier this year as well. Mea culpa. I hadn't realized. I wasn't paying attention to that ODI series.

Which fact brings me to one-day internationals again. A few weeks ago, when Pakistan were touring Sri Lanka, I had noticed that large crowds had not shown up for the ODI series, contributing to a rather flat atmosphere at the ground. While today's small crowd is not surprising, (given that Sri Lanka is not playing), it made me wonder whether it would be only India that could be counted upon to drum up large crowds for bilateral games. And perhaps, then, only for games involving India. Things are a bit worrying for ODIs.

Meanwhile, synoptic musings about various forms of cricket aside, New Zealand have lost three wickets as Taylor goes to RP Singh (I'm glad to see him back in the side as well). Looking ahead, another interesting return awaits: Rahul Dravid is back in action.