IPL Review

The IPL is finally over. I did not follow IPL much last year because of the hectic schedules so I did not have much idea about how it is like. It was fun this year following all the games. Fantasy cricket made it even more interesting.

Its all a good concept. But you can't help thinking that its too long. Its hard to understand why every team has to play each other twice. The home and away concept seems to be flawed. Moreover, waiting for 37 days to know who the winner is, is just not done. One of the best things about T20 is that you get to know the winner in 3 hours. So waiting that long to decide the winner is just like watching a 4 or 5 test series to finally know who is going to win. And that defeats the purpose of T20! I also think that most of us guys even lost interest in Fantasy cricket half way through!

So while IPL promises fun, an overdose of cricket can get nauseating. And thats what happened this time atleast. I hope the organizers do something about it next year.

A lesson learnt

It hurt, really hurt. For some timeless moments I feared the worst. I feared that all my dreams have come down crashing. As I gathered my wits back, I kind of got a feeling that things were not as serious as I had earlier thought. Still, I was worried. I hoped it was not threatening. Moreover, I was shocked. Shocked thinking that how little wrong you've got to do to spoil all your good work, done perhaps in a life time. Its amazing really that one small wrong is equal to, and can negate, a thousand huge rights!
The question I asked myself is Was it really wrong? Whatever happened, was it really my fault? It was sheer bad luck, the probability of being precisely at that point at that time and being hit was really one in a million. Yet, I was hit. How cruel can my luck be!
Its easy to blame your luck in such cases. But as I introspected, I quickly realized that on that day and at that time I should not have been there in the first place! I really should have been here, sitting on this very chair and working on this very computer. Before I went there, I had a decision to make: Should I continue working OR should I go there .... and I took the easier decision, I succumbed to the temptation. And it was not just yesterday, I had been taking this easier, tempting and incorrect decision of going there for the last three days! There have been times when "He" has been very kind on me. "He" has made me believe that hard work never goes waste. "He" has made sure that as I sow, so shall I reap. Yesterday, it felt like "He" wanted to teach me a lesson, the hard way. "He" wanted to remind me of my responsibilities and warn me of my wrongs. "He" wanted me to realize that things should never be taken for granted.
Though painful, it has been a useful lesson.... or as they say every dark cloud has a silver lining. It is through these incidences that you learn about how to treat your falls and how to rise from them. Literally. It is through such events that you grow and mature. I'm grateful to "Him" for putting me through this. I have still not recovered though, so hoping that "He" helps me recover soon and hoping that things are not serious :)

"That" one moment

Its been exactly a year since "that" moment. One of the most memorable fortnights of my life had already begun. I did not know it then. But in that period, I perhaps experienced all emotions that one could possibly experience: dejection, depression, desperation, anxiety, happiness, satisfaction, pain, relief, regret, anger, solace, love, hate, tiredom, peace ..... I fought, I wept, I smiled, I laughed. I seemed calm but I was not, I seemed fresh but I was not, I seemed normal but I was not. It was the best "cocktail" of feelings I have ever had, its THE best "cocktail" one can ever taste.
All through it, I almost seldom slept, the dream did not let me sleep. My mind, body and soul were stretched and stressed to unimaginable proportions .... limits that I'd never thought I could withstand..... "I broke my heart, fought every gain". I channelized every ounce, every bit of every possible energy I possibly could have ever had ....... all for one cause ...... "to taste the sweet, I faced the pain".
Then, on "that" day, I could not find the right words to summarize my emotions. One year later, I know "that" day was "A moment when I was more than I'd ever thought I could be, A moment when I was racing with destiny, and "that" moment was the moment I felt eternity".
In remembrance of "that" moment ..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx4v6cO1GMk ..... a beautiful song. Thanks Madh for sharing :)

Yuvy should bat at no 3 in tests

I know people are calling for Yuvy to be axed from the Indian test side but I have a very contrasting opinion on this. We all know Yuvy is a player with infinite ability. But for some reason that talent has never been translated into consistent performances in test cricket. Axing him is not the solution because Indian cricket needs him, even at test level. Instead, they should try something different with him, change his batting position.
Actually, if you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between Ricky Ponting and Yuvraj Singh:

1. Ricky Ponting, in his early twenties was known to have tremendous potential. But he was brash, arrogant, considered a party animal and got involved in a lot of off-the-field controversies. Ditto with Yuvy.

2. In the first half of his test career, Ponting could never bat in the top 4 due to big shots like the Waugh brothers forming core of the middle order. Batting at no. 6 then, it would be fair to say he did not get too many chances to fully showcase his talent, to score big hundreds. Same has been the case with Yuvy. Due to fab 4, he has never got consistent opportunities in test cricket and whenever he has, he has had to bat at 6.

3. Ponting, as a youngster was a tremendous fielder. He was Australia's answer to Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs. Again, ditto with Yuvraj.

4. Ponting is considered weak against spin, he has a dismal record in the subcontinents, records say he is bhajji's bunny. Bhajji says he can get ponting out in 6 balls. Yuvy too is a dead duck against quality spin. Records and Murali both say and prove that.

Till about the year 2003, Ponting was just another good player, there was nothing "great" about him. But then, something struct someone and they decided to entrust Ponting with some responsibilities. The first of those responsibilities was batting at 3 (the second ofcourse was captaincy). With that responsibility, Ponting turned out to be a different player altogether. With Hayden, Langer and Ponting as their top 3, Australia could play at their agressive best scoring at over 4 an over from day 1 of test matches and that definitely helped them win all those test matches in the last decade or so.
Thats why I say India should gamble with Yuvy at 3. He needs responsibility, the captain and selectors need to show faith in him, to get the best out of him. Also when batting at 3, Yuvy could well get a chance to face the new ball and so may not have to play spin first up. Having Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvy as their top 3 would give India their best chance to score fast and win more test matches. Those 3 men could be India's answer to the Australian top order of the last decade. One may argue that Yuvy does not have the technique to play moving/seaming fast bowling, which is so important for a no. 3. But who would have thought that Sehwag with the kind of technique he had (and still has) would end up in emerging as India's best opening bat after Gavaskar, when he opened for the first time in England!
I think a major reason for Yuvy's lack of success in tests is that he is never sure whether to attack of defend. Sehwag and Yuvy have similar styles, both are extremely attacking. But unlike Yuvy, Sehawag gets to open the batting so does not have to think about playing according to the situation (well, not that he would have thought anyways). Sehwag "builds" the situation, he lays the platform and the other batters play accordingly depending on whether Sehwag has succeeded or not. I think Yuvy needs to be given a similar license. License to set up games, license to play his natural game. Then if he fails, have guys like Dravid at 6 to stem a collapse and play according to situation. Also, guys like Dravid and Sachin are not going to be in for long now. The other guys should now be given the lead, while these senior pro are still around to help, to set up games. It is time for transition, it is time to defy logic, it is time to get unconventional. Yuvy at No. 3 can help team India transit from a good side to a great side.

Was that really me?

Man, its wierd to hear your own voice .... realized it so very much while watching this video ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc_pI3r9Kdg

Was embarassing, don't know if it was tooooooooo bad, but definitely thought there is a lot of scope for improvement.

All in the game

First you say you're always with me,
Coz being with me is fun.
Say you'll go the whole distance,
Since the love that you found all right.
Come on. What's going on?
What you're thinkin'?
Then you say you need me,
Like the garden needs rain.
Then you go and deceive me,
Like it's all .....
.... in the game...
All in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R00T80pwKmE

Love the ad .... and more so, the jingle.....fabulous it is.

Recession Times

There was an interesting analogy that came to mind while reading through a cricinfo article today. The article said that Tendulkar recently criticised the pitches on the last tour to New Zealand thus: "The wickets are great [this time around]. Not only players, but the spectators are also enjoying it. Last time we came here the bowlers got false confidence and the batters were looking for technical problems which didn't exist. I have at least not played on tracks like those and it wouldn't be ideal for the spectators either."

Most of it is fair comment, but the pitches are not great this time either. Not with the small boundaries at least, where edges and dabs go for boundaries and sixes. Won't the easy runs give some of the batsmen false confidence? Wouldn't bowlers be looking for faults that might not even exist when they look at their figures?

A booming economy, like it was in the last five years or so, is like a batting paradise: small boundaries and a flat pitch. Even edges and dabs go for boundaries and sixes and batsmen get a false sense of confidence. There is no distinguishing between a Tendulkar and a Ryder, everyone scores hundreds.

On the other hand, a period of recession is like a hard seaming pitch. Or a pitch that offers sharp turn and bounce. Only batters of the highest quality can survive, score and do well. Champions flourish wheraeas others perish in such conditions. I bet the Dravids and the Chanderpauls get more pleasure scoring runs in such testing conditions. Its in such conditions that they get distinguished from the rest. Flat track bully's like the Jaffers and the Laxmans who score tons of runs in good batting conditions, are not good enough to survive on such a pitch. They blame the pitch and the conditions for them not doing well.

I think this is a perfect analogy with what is happening with the economy right now, we keep blaming the economy for whatever is happening with us.

Thats why I think batters should try to improve their batting skills rather than blaming the conditions! Atleast not unless the pitches are as bad as the New Zealand pitches of 2002-03 tour :)