A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
The New Zealand team administration has received a pat on the back from the Kiwi media for their bold team selection in the opening match of the World T20 opening match against India on Tuesday.
Has the IPL, its players and fans become secondary as big companies cynically use India's most followed and visible sport to push their phone or toothpaste brands?
MS Dhoni all set for new innings.
John Wright, who coached India between 2000 and 2005, said the late Jagmohan Dalmiya, who passed away on Sunday, was a 'tough' but 'fair' boss.
Virtually backing India's stance on producing spin-friendly tracks, former Australian captain Ian Chappell said he does not see anything wrong in the turning track in the Nagpur Test which saw India thrash South Africa inside three days, saying matches played elsewhere on seaming tracks have ended "in the blink of an eye".
Sachin Tendulkar revealed that a few Indian players were not feeling comfortable under former coach Greg Chappell after the first couple of tours and he was the one who had persuaded his colleagues to be patient with the Australian and give him more time to get settled.
'Where will the next 200 million users that will come online in India prefer to go? Will they buy a data pack, or will they use the free Internet?' 'What will happen when most of the Internet in India is inside a walled garden?'
'When Dhoni walked in, India needed 105 to win with 32 overs to play. The situation called for calm, nerveless, ice-cold execution without necessitating any adrenalin-fueled impestuosities -- the sort of situation that is the Indian captain's spiritual home.'
Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar, by writer-journalist Dilip D'Souza, is a close scrutiny of the batting legend's last Test, against the West Indies, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, last November.
Prem Panicker, on the Rediff chat, delves on what went wrong for Team India and what to expect from Sunday's trans-Tasman World Cup final.
