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How many craters does Saturn have? This is a question that relates with hypothesis and belief as of today. More often than not a debate rages, "who is the best" not quite unlike the cruel witch mother of Snow-white asking "Mirror, Mirror on the wall ... who is the fairest of all". I write this thread as a "hats-off" to Indian sports persons.
All in all, it was a very good year for Indian sports. In fact, some would even call it fantastic. I am no sports editor of any magazine and you will have plenty of such articles to read (if not) already. But I would just like to highlight a few events:
On the last note, I read some amusing comments over the net. Chiefly amongst the non-Indian cricket pundits, all believed that India does not deserve the number one status in World Cricket. Some still do, even after Durban. They usually say the cliched things, "victories at home only", "dust bowl champions", "jumping jacks on true tracks", etc.
- Indian Cricket Team achieved and retained the numero uno status
- In spite of the huge ruckus and scam, India managed to secure the 2nd spot in CWG, 2010.
- In the Asian Games shortly thereafter, where we were not expected to do well at all, we managed a very good show especially in Athletics.
(In fact the joke was, "let us have the opening ceremony, award all Golds to China, distribute Silver's/Broze's equally amongst others, and then have the closing ceremony". Such is the impact of China on world sports)- Saina Nehwal knocked off one wrung to go to #2.
- ... and finally, Sachin Tendulkar achieved the unthinkable, 50 test centuries and on course for 100 international 100's. To cap the event, the team won the Durban test on a green wicket where we were expected to be blown away.
When I saw the way Jacques Kallis blown away in the second innings at Durban, I am convinced of the facts, "no one can really play the ball that rises to the throat from just short of good length". I have played cricket in my yesteryears, mainly with the tennis ball. There is no way one can play tennis-ball cricket with the straight bat; you have to hit the ball cross-batted because the ball jumps to the chest most of the times". With the proper cricket ball, you always play with the straight bat and there is a limit on how much you can defend a snorting rising ball.
People say we win on dust-bowls only in spite of Perth, 2008 and Durban, 2010. These are aberrations they say. Well, why can't the others play on dust-bowls if that is so easy, I ask? While it is true that we won majorly in the sub-continent in 2010, but that is not the fault of the Indian team. They can only play where the tours take them. But least one forgets, Sri Lanka is also a top team and was beaten by India in Sri Lanka, something very few have been able to do. No one snorts when top batsmen of other teams play to spinners like lower order batsmen.
But the funniest of the statements came from Darren Gough, who says that "England can beat India every day of the week". Now really, Mr. Gough? Aren't you getting carried away a bit? No doubt that England has won against the Aussies in the Aussie backyard. But let us not forget that this team is a mere shadow of the team three or four years ago. More or less the same English team was beaten in 2008 in England and once again back in India in 2009. In fact, it was blown away in the ODI series.
The debate on whether SRT is the best batsman continues. People compare the greats with the contemporaries and the past. Is Ponting better than Tendulkar? Is Brian Lara? Who would come on top between Viv Richards and Sachin? And finally, can Sachin be ever considered better than the great Don (Bradman)? I will not go into these debates. But I have just some things to ponder:
- Vivian Richards never played against the greatest bowling attack of his times - the West Indies.
- Ricky Ponting never played against the greatest bowling attack of his times - the Australians.
- The great Don was in an era of different times where game was played by gentlemen (discounting the Bodyline series). There was no video, computer analysis, man-to-man game plan, etc. On the other hand, the pitches were uncovered and there were no helmets or scientifically manufactured bats.
- Brain Lara and SRT are comparable to each other in many respects.
This brings to the question in the title. How many craters are there on Saturn?
The answer: None (believed). The great planets of our Solar System, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are gas giants. It is believed that there is no solid rock core to any of them - at best a liquid gas ball. The climate of all these planets is so dense that any meteor striking the planet at great speed would burn out much before it comes even close to the surface. And even if one did, the belief that there is no solid core to these planets, will make it an improbability to leave a crater. The moons of these planets are a different matter though.
That is the belief. Who knows what the real fact is?
With this note I end. A very happy and prosperous new year to all of you.
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Originally Posted by meetdilip 