[28/10, 05:42] George Attokaran: DISCLAIMER: My Quinton de Kock T-shirt! Anyone less than 18, Please look away!!!                    Just wish the graphic designer researched the spelling a bit more  Once I reach home, need yellow paint and need to make a “C” into a “K”  Amazingly, not a single vendor selling PAK T-shirts  A pity I could not buy Babar T-shirt. Rohit 45 is a given, a true ODI great. Fans are pouring in. Definitely more excitement (and Cops) than NZ-BAN

[28/10, 05:42] George Attokaran: Looks like “Virat 18” is playing today 

[28/10, 05:43] George Attokaran: Walked all around the stadium … Asked every single vendor! Not a single one selling PAK or Babar T-shirts  I could be grossly wrong, but I get a weird feeling that there is no love for PAK in India 

[28/10, 05:43] George Attokaran: Hope SA likes a challenge … I.e. Chase!

[28/10, 05:43] George Attokaran: Not as “good” a seat as last time, but still a World Cup match … Which means something to the Points Table.

[28/10, 05:44] George Attokaran: Ticking off:

Bavuma

Jansen

Miller

Imam

Babar

Shafique

Klaasen

Markram

Keshav

Quinton

Rizwan

[28/10, 05:45] George Attokaran: And the great man walks in ….

Babar 

[28/10, 05:45] George Attokaran: Crowd regularly chanting “Babar. Babar. Babar” now

[28/10, 05:45] George Attokaran: At least 20000 now …. Once office hours get over, more should come

[28/10, 05:45] George Attokaran: Babar himself seemed shocked at the ovation he just got …  Looks like he gets no love in PAK …

[28/10, 05:46] George Attokaran:  

[28/10, 05:46] George Attokaran: You guys haven’t seen me yet??? I am the one in QDK T-shirt doing:

(1) Lungi Dance

(2) Sheela Ki Jawaani

(3) Arabic Kuthu

(4) Pathala Pathala

(5) Zinda Banda

[28/10, 05:46] George Attokaran: Looks like at least 30000 now … PAK has got back into it. SA better be on their best game

[28/10, 05:46] George Attokaran: Going by modern ODI scores, does not look like a scary target. But …. If Shaheen goes berserk 

[28/10, 05:46] George Attokaran: Or Haris Rauf 

[28/10, 05:47] George Attokaran: How often do we see PAK open with someone other than Shaheen  Looks like  “QDK strategy” to open with Chacha

[28/10, 05:47] George Attokaran: On a ‘s edge … 

[28/10, 05:47] George Attokaran: Babar has stumbled onto the “Magic Potion”: Wasim Jr & Osama (And Shaheen, of course) …

Equal support for SA and PAK here. Was surprised at the tremendously loud roar that greeted Klaasen and by the equally loud roar when he got out 

[28/10, 05:47] George Attokaran: ESPNCricInfo claims 86% SA probability … Does not feel like it though. PAK is definitely not out of this, yet.

[28/10, 05:47] George Attokaran: Am I in Pakistan!? The roar when Shaheen runs into bowl 

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: A tiny  height difference between Rizwan and Jansen 

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: Who is calculating ESPNCricInfo Win Probability?? 86% for SA … This pair is it! Depending on Shamsi with the bat?? 

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: 1st real close game of the 2023 CWC?

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: Am I sitting in a Karachi stadium!?  The crowd is going nuts

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: Very uncalled for shots by QDK, Bavuma, Klaasen & most importantly, Markram 

[28/10, 05:48] George Attokaran: Whew  Wasn’t so nervous even for an IND match 

[28/10, 05:49] George Attokaran: From the time Babar got out, till the very end, PAK gave a good account of themselves. Batted, bowled and fielded hard. They must have enjoyed the neutrality of Chennai fans. For crying out loud, Shaheen and Wasim were getting massive claps while running in to bowl!

Babar (50 & 2 critical catches), Saud (a nice 50), Shadab (43), Shaheen (What a bowler!), Wasim Jr (What an overall effort and attacking fielding on the boundary), Osama (Crucial wickets) Etc.

What a pity Markram missed what would have been a wonderful 100.

SA tailenders squeak through … Chepauk rocked today 

[28/10, 05:49] George Attokaran: The “Best-Case Scenario” (Babar century and a thumping SA win)  did not happen 

Had to settle for a “Compromise”         (Babar 50 and a squeaky SA win) 

[28/10, 05:49] George Attokaran: I was busy yesterday 

[28/10, 06:29] George Attokaran: Still recovering from a rocking match at Chepauk. The 1st NailBiter in 2023 CWC.

Some thoughts:

* This PAK team is not as bad as it appears. They have it in them to run “big” teams close, as they showed yesterday. They just missed turning the tables on Table-Toppers.

* Don’t go by the gaming BCCI did on Oct 14th (Sat) at Ahmedabad, with the crowds. There definitely is a lot of people in India who love to watch PAK Cricket (Keep in mind that other than CWCs, they have historically kicked our asses in all formats, look at ODI record even now). PAK players sure would have enjoyed the support they got at Chepauk yesterday.

* Looks like TNCA and Chennai Police stopped all PAK T-shirts sale yesterday. No wonder the vendors were acting as if I said something taboo when I asked for Babar T-shirts

* Looks like, if PAK fails to make SFs, Babar will lose his captaincy. But man, what a stylish and elegant player. (So is Markram, but with more power).

* All set and excited for NZ-AUS If AUS wins, we can safely say that “Khumbhakarna has woken up!” 

Adios!