TV VIEW:WHILE YOU couldn't help but be in awe of Kevin O'Brien's performance against England last week, it seemed as though a chap in the crowd during yesterday's game against minnows India had taken his reverence just a bit too far.

“My Mom asked me to go to the Temple so I came to worship the God of Cricket,” read his banner. “But this time there’s no breaking the wall, you directly see the GOD.”

Well, you had to assume O’Brien would find that level of glorification a bit disconcerting, even if it was understandable, maybe leave him fretting about a bunch of pilgrims turning up at his next Railway Union match, genuflecting before him as he came to the crease.

But then the camera picked out the “SRT” scribbled beside “God of Cricket”, so KOB’s worries eased. It was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar – sort of Lionel Messi with a bat – who was the object of the supporter’s fervour.

Still, though, O’Brien was bang in the centre of media attention in the days after his Roy of the Overs’ display: Muammar Gadafy was possibly the only man to out-appear him on Sky News all week.

What did you get for your birthday, Kevin? “Three scratch cards and a bag of sweets,” he replied, which almost made us cry. Worse, all three scratch cards drew a blank.

At least he’ll have Enda waiting for him at the airport, although if he delays his return home and emerges through arrivals at the same time as Queen Elizabeth and President Obama, the Taoiseach- in-waiting will have a right dilemma. Who do you hug first?

But that’s for another day. The main concern yesterday was finding a way to see live coverage of Ireland’s innings. David Gower, his thoughts focused on England v South Africa in Chennai, kept telling us to press our red button, but, as has been the case for a fair while now, whenever we do that our telly switches off.

When we finally got live pictures from Bangalore we were greeted by a banner that read “We want helicopter shot”, the randomness of it all leaving us half expecting to see “Down with this sort of thing” and “Careful now” popping up in the crowd.

Anyway, India produced the mother of all giantkilling upsets by beating Ireland, although along the way George Dockrell took Tendulkar’s wicket – Ravi Shastri was unkind enough to inform us that Dockrell wasn’t even born when the God of Cricket made his international debut.

But Ireland had, in cricketing parlance, given it a right lash, prompting this gushing tribute from Mike Atherton: “Well, they weren’t disgraced.”

They certainly were not, as Davy Fitzgerald might put it, they weren’t “tiddly-winksing” around.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Tiddlywinks used as a verb,” said Setanta’s Eoin McDevitt after the Waterford manager’s tribute to his 13-man team following their National League defeat to Tipperary. And Tipp’s Patrick Maher wasn’t tiddly-winksed with, the fella blessed to have left Semple Stadium with a head still attached to his shoulders.

And there was no tiddly-winksing around either by Jamie Carragher at Anfield yesterday, the Liverpool man putting Nani out of the game with what you might describe as a slightly mistimed tackle. It had already been a less than satisfactory day for Nani, having provided the perfect assist for Liverpool’s second goal – “It comes off his head like a 50p piece,” as Ray Wilkins described the little fella’s attempted and slightly comical airborne clearance from his box.

“Down with this sort of thing”, Alex Ferguson’s banner would have read, if he had one.

Glenn Hoddle, by the way, was elected by Sky as heir to the departed Andy Gray’s co-commentator crown. Well, for this Monster Big Game at least. How’d he do? Grand. Edwin van der Sar? “He’s not wearing a cap, that’s interesting,” he told us.

“With a 1.30 kick-off,” the Patrick Moore of football co-commentating continued, “the sun is obviously in a different position than it would be at 4.0, 3.0, or, you know, whatever.” No tiddly-winksing around from this sunseeker.

And then Edwin must have been blinded by the light when, positioned at silly mid off, he spilled a Luis Suarez free-kick into Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick-seeking path.

Game over. No word from the United camp: alas, they’re in the midst of a media boycott following Ferguson’s improper conduct charge by the FA following his criticism of the referee after last week’s Chelsea game. Proper order. Where’s the improper conduct charge for James McCarthy after he viciously assaulted Wayne Rooney’s elbow?

Anyway, a good day for Liverpool. “My Mom asked me to go to the Temple so I came to worship the God of Football. But this time there’s no breaking the wall, you directly see the Dalglish.”