Cricketers being compared with Kollywood actors

Note : I got the following blog posting as a forward message where the current Indian cricketers are compared with our Kollywood actors. I thing the author (a 'Rajini & Sachin' fan, I think) has penned this blog after our successful tour of Australia where we leveled the test series 1-1. Have some fun on reading this and post your opinion.

My Fav : Vijayakanth and Ganguly.
Least Fav : Sarath and Kumble.

Now to the post....

While thinking about what to write next in my blog, came up with this novel (?!) idea. Now that the Indian cricket team is the toast of the nation following their unexpectedly good performance in the test series Down Under (forget the VB series disaster), I thought of comparing some members of the Indian cricket team with some of the current stars of Kollywood.

Rohan Gavaskar <--> Surya

Both these guys are the sons of great legends and that is the underlying reason behind this comparison. Though they both have a long way to go before catching up with their illustrious fathers, they have shown the prmise and the potential for the same. In both the cases, the burden of expectations is quite huge due to the achievements of their fathers. Just like the fact that Surya has given hits of late and has started fulfilling his potetntial, Rohan has done the same by making it to the Indian XI and subsequently doing well in the opportunities provided to him.

Rahul Dravid <--> Kamal Hassan

Kamal has always been considered as an actor who is technically perfect. We all know that Dravid is the most technically proficient batsman in the team. So stems this comparison. They both are sincere to the task and extremely talented.Another reason for this comparison is the fact that they were unfortunate to have been born in the same era as that of 2 other greats (you know who I am talking about). Had it not been for those 2 giants in their fields, these two would have attained far more success and popularity than what they have achieved now.

Sourav Ganguly <--> Vijayakanth

This comparison too is quite obvious. Similar to the fact that Vijayakanth is the head of the Actor's association, our Ganguly is the captain of Team India. Both men have worked really wonders with their respective teams. When Vijayakanth took over the reins, the Nadigar Sangam was in complete shambles with debts exceeding several crores. Similarly when Ganguly took over the captaincy of the Indian team, our team was down in the dumps after a shattering home series loss to the Proteas, preceeded by a 3-0 drubbing at Australia's hands. But just like the way our Captain cleared all the debts of the Nadigar sangam by the help of star night shows in Malaysia & Singapore, Ganguly scripted a complete turnaround in India's cricketing fortunes with the help of a great support staff of John Wright & Andrew Leipus. Another similarity among these 2 guys has been the fact that they have managed to bring in a sense of unity among the various members of their teams. Prior to Vijayakanth assuming office, the association was faction ridden with a clear gap between the junior and senior actors. But the way they mingled together during their Malaysia show was a heartwarming sight. Similarly, there was always this complaint of a certain aloofness associated with the senior players before Ganguly assumed power. Now you can see the camaraderie between all the players in the team, irrespective of their seniority.

I will be failing in my duty if I fail to mention the final comparing point between these 2 - Though these 2 did so much for their teams, their personal performance left a lot to be desired. Vijayakanth's best performances came before the time he assumed office and after that, he has more flops than hits. Same way with Ganguly, some of his best innings came before his stint as a captain and post captaincy of Team India, he has had more failures than successes.

Anil Kumble <--> Sarath Kumar

Kumble and SarathKumar are veterans of their respective fields. Just like the way Sarath Kumar has reeled off super hits in the past, Kumble has won so many matches for India. But sceptics kept doubting their potential and passed on judgements saying that they both were well past their prime. Just then, the twin hits (Paarai & Arasu) and the Australian tour happened respectively. It has really rejuvenated their sagging careers and has made us expect more such inspiring performances from the duo. One other reason where these 2 are similar is that both of them are married to divorcees.

VVS Laxman <--> 'Cheeyan' Vikram

You would have easily guessed the reason behind this comparison. Yes, they both are comeback kids. Few years ago, mention of these 2 guys' names would have hardly raised any eyebrows. But what a transformation these 2 guys have achieved. Just like Vikram is the current superstar of the tinsel world, Laxman is the superstar in the Indian team. The historic Kolkota innings did to Laxman what Sethu did to Vikram. Though we had all along known the talents of these guys (Look back at Laxman's 167 in the 2000 Sydney Test and Vikram's performance in 'Ullaasam' and you will see what I am saying), it was Eden Gardens and Sethu which made the world take notice of these two and their abundant potential. Once that happened, they both have never looked back. Vikram has been reeling off both mass-entertainers which have been big hits at the Box Office while at the same time he gives quality movies their due & seems like he never ceases to experiment. Laxman's wide array of strokes include the most gracious cover-drive which leaves the connosiers of the game gasping for breath to the most unorthodox of shots like flicking a delivery wide outside the off-stump to the mid-wicket boundary, which every fan in the stadium can relate to.

Virender Shewag <--> Ilaiya Thalapathi Vijay

The reason behind this comparison is the way they have modelled their respective careers. While Vijay has openly divulged in his movies his craze for the Superstar, Sehwag has done the same by saying that he has modelled his game entirely on Sachin.Vijay has been fondly called 'Chinna Rajini' while Sehwag has been rightly nicknamed poor-man's Tendulkar. While you can not relate Vijay's acting and emoting, you can also not relate class and Sehwag's batting. But both have been moderately successful in their respective careers in their own ways, inspite of their unorthodox methods of going about their tasks (batting & acting).

Sachin Tendulkar <--> Superstar Rajinikanth

Knowing me, you would have easily guessed this comparison by the time you started reading what this blog was all about. They both are my idols and heroes in the 2 different fields. I am a diehard and crazy fan of both these greats. Both have a strong fan base - if Sachin can claim to have biggest fan base for any cricketer (past ot presentand he is even supposed to be more popular than the Prime Minister of the country), Rajinikanth can boast of the same among Indian actors (with the only exception of the big B and that too can be discounted due to the fact that Thalaivar acts only in movies whose languages are confiened to a few southern states).Just like the fact that Thalaivar's every movie is eagerly expected & welcomed by the whole Tamil cine industry, every innings of Sachin is looked forward to with the utmost fervour & the nation holds its breath each time he walks out to bat. Just like the fact that the Superstar title belongs solely to thalaivar and there can never be another Superstar in the history of tamil film industry, there has been and can be only one Sachin in the annals of Indian cricket. Both will go down as one of the very best to have graced the cricketing field and the silverscreen respectively