This is my final article for Whackk! this year and like every sports writer writing a sports article at the end of a year, I’m going to be reviewing the game and what happened in it and what didn’t.

This year has been a real rollercoaster ride if you are a cricket fan with plenty of highs and also some lows. The cricket World Cup in the sub-continent was probably the highest point and from an Indian point of view nothing can be better. The inaugural Big Bash league modeled on the Indian Premier League finally took place and is happening as I write this, the emergence of a unified Pakistan team under Misbah Ul Haq, the amazing debuts of certain youngsters (Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, James Pattinson, Vernon Philander just to name a few), Sehwag’s double century in ODI, reintroduction of Zimbabwe into the test arena, and so many more were the definite highlights this year in cricket and at the same time there was a whole lot of lows.

The deprivation of the Sri Lankan cricket team after the fabulous World Cup finals, the spot-fixing scandal in which cricketers were sent to prisons, cricket overkill with stupid scheduling, fall in spectator attendance and the continuing debate over the use of the DRS (Decision Review System) in cricket. 2011 was one full of mountains and valleys, but I’m sure that it is the climb to the summit that would be remembered as we try and learn the lessons from the lows.

From a strong Indian cricket point of view, 2011 was a spectacular year. We managed to lift the prestigious cricket World Cup for just the second time in the history of the game and the entire nation was filled with euphoric joy. It just wasn’t the way that India won the tournament after struggling early setbacks and the various records they broke but the confidence that oozed from the team and their captain that made it special. The Indian team was no longer just a highly talented outfit. Now it was a confident unit that wouldn’t hesitate to go for the kill and pounce on an opportunity. It was like the tiger finally come of age and we saw the results of that.

The IPL took place shortly after and it was a bit of an overkill of cricket. Nevertheless it was a good competition and as usual there was plenty of drama, glamour, and cricket entertainment and was well received though the ratings fell compared to the previous seasons. This writer’s beloved Bangalore team managed to make the finals and though they lost, made the entire tournament worthwhile.

India then went on to win the test and ODI series in the Caribbean and things looked very bright. The summer in England however changed all that as India managed to put up its worst performance in over a decade as they were devastated 4-nil in the test series and then went on to lose the ODI series adding further insult to injury. For the first time in the last 4 years or so, the Indian team looked helpless. A team that a couple of months ago was on top of the world was now eating humble pie in England.

The CLT20 took place in India and again it was hectic scheduling and there were cries of player burnouts and viewer fatigue that the BCCI decided to ignore and the empty stands during the tournament served as a reminder that too much of anything even if it is a good thing is bad. My team made the finals yet again and yet again managed to come second best. However sitting in the Nokia hospitality box which also hosted a pretty Priyanka Chopra watching the finals was a high of sorts.
India and West Indies clashed again and as expected Indian came out on top and soon after India faced the English lions but this time at home and managed to rout the visitors. And then India headed to Australia for the Aussie summer, and has managed to lose the boxing day test and will be ending the year 2011 with a loss.

So a complete rollercoaster ride and as a Indian fan I must be pretty pleased despite the various lows. However as we remember and cherish the fond moments of victory it is also necessary that we do not forget the low moments. I sincerely hope that the BCCI is taking a look at those and trying to figure out a plan for those. One of the main reasons for the failure of the Indian team in England was due to the fact that the Indian team was not accustomed to the English conditions and a couple of practice games would have helped the Indian players greatly. Hence the failure to plan properly resulted in an embarrassing loss. Also the entire debate and confusion over the DRS must be addressed at the earliest. It is just not good for cricket and either the ICC or the BCCI must relook at their stance. Similarly the scheduling has to improve and if cricket is played like the haphazard manner like it is now then surely the interest by the spectators would die and that is not a very good thing.

So as we head off to a new year, lets hope that it would be a even better ride for the men in blue and that all the problems facing cricket will be handled in a proper manner. So with that I’ll bid adieu and wish a very blessed and prosperous new year to one and all.