Its a new day

A busy but refreshing trip to India is over and I'm back to US. I have quickly got a reminder that things cannot be taken for granted. Howsoever good you are, in howsoever good nick you might be in, you have to take a fresh guard, you have to start from scratch in a new innings. You have to remember that when you face a new delivery, there are no past reputations. You cannot relax and rely on your past laurels. It was my mistake, I just did not deserve it this time. There just wasn't enough perseverance and more importantly desperation. I just kept hoping for some miracle. But I have been quickly grounded, and its disappointing and hurting.
But the important thing is to learn from your defeats. This is a hint to me to work on my game and my game plan. Never relax and chalk out plans to conquer future games.
And also, as I said earlier ..... if there is no desperation to win, there can hardly be enough perseverance. I think that's an important reason for my current form slump. There's just not enough motivation in there. I need to find some pretty quickly to avoid more embarrassments. Need to be on the right track otherwise it doesn't take long for the wheels to come off and the train to derail!

Feeling Proud

"Thats why you can never count us off. We can come back from behind, from seemingly hopeless situations to win games. We can raise the bar when it counts, we can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Ultimately, thats the stuff champions are made of" - Steven Waugh after Australia won the 99 world cup.

Cannot write anything more right now, but I repeat ... "Wo sikander hee doston kehlata hai, haari baazee ko jeetana jise aata hai" :)

So near but yet so far

The 5 P's: Preparation, Planning, Practice, Pressure, Performance ..... are the keys to success. As far as my latest venture goes, I did great as far as the first 3 factors are concerned...I don't think I could have done anything more to change fortunes as far as these three factors go. But probably I was not able to handle the pressure and perform on d-day. The result: I may lose this one .... well there's still a big one to go on the 17th and while I won't give up till the last minute, honestly, its going to be an uphill task to win from here.
There is no shame in losing a game. But yes, there is disappointment ... and tons of it. And when you introspect, there is nothing but regret. Regret the mistakes that you made, a tale of what COULD have been but what it is. But again, principles let me not to give up and situation demands to try harder.

Bombay Bleeds

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/25kp.htm .... an article that I'd read after the bangalore blasts a few months back .... and history repeats, keeps repeating!

Are we really the best cricket team in the world?

It is really stupid of anyone who thinks that we are the no. 1 team in the world right now. To come anywhere close to being called no. 1, the team has to perform well in all conditions, against all opponents and for a consistent period of time. Just beating Australia, that too at home, is not enough to be coined numero uno. Just about three months back, we were mesmerized by Sri Lanka's spin bowling and lost miserably, just about six months back we lost badly to SA .... at home!!! .... were bowled out for less than hundred in the first innings. And still we consider ourselves the world beaters.
The truth infact is that we are no where close to what the Australian team was like in the last decade. Australia, ever since they tied that world cup semi final in 99, never looked back. Its been almost 10 years since then and that team won 3 world cups, beat every county home and away and won more than ninety percent of the games they played. They scored over 4 an over in tests and took the game to unseen levels. Even when they lost, say the 2001 series against India, the famous 400+ ODI against SA etc, the quality of cricket that was on display was breathtaking.
Point is that while Dhoni's boys are doing well currently, but their objectives should not just include winning the next series against England and then basking in the glory. But they should try to raise their game to a level that would transcend them to heights achieved by the Australian team in the last decade. Only then would they deserve to be called the no. 1 side in the world. Getting the world champions tag is not so easy afterall.

Habit of Winning

Winning is a strange habit. If you are used to winning ... if you are one of those who has had that Midas touch and everything you touched turned gold ... and then suddenly if you lose, the loss can be hard to digest. It is not at all easy to take the loss in your strides because you are just not used to losing the gold. Suddenly your abilities are doubted, suddenly you are considered weak and any reason given for the loss is termed a lame excuse. You are termed a sore loser.
So suddenly if Australia lose to India, they are considered a weak team and India are termed champions. If Anil Kumble has one bad series and Amit Mishra has one good game, Kumble is considered history and Mishra the next Warney. If Rahul doesn't score for a while its said that the wall is crumbling, if Rohit Sharma scores a couple of fifties he's considered an instant replacement for Dravid. If Federer loses one Wimbeldon final to Nadal, Federer is said to be fading.
Its the time of T20 where test cricket is so easily neglected. Its a world of one match wonders and proven performers are so very quickly forgotten!!! They say in cricket, you are only as good as your last innings. So true. But its all immensely frustrating and disappointing that you have to keep proving you critics wrong. Time and again.

Being a Spectator

There is a spectator, among a hundreds of others, watching a game. This spectator is not any ordinary spectator though. Not too long ago he was part of the team that is playing the game now. He is no longer part of the team: Maybe he is not fit, maybe he has lost form or maybe he has just plain not been picked inspite of being good enough to play! Afterall, he thinks he is better that many of the players featuring in this game right now. He wants to play, he wants to succeed, he wants to entertain, he wants to be cheered, he wants to be a part of the team. But he is not and he cannot.
The game begins. The hundreds of spectators surrounding him cheer enthusiastically for their team. The team is doing well. He tries to join the masses, he tries to be cheerful and enthusiastic. But he cannot. He should be happy that his team is doing well. But he is not. He has tried to put the disappointment of not featuring in the game behind him. He has tried to put his head down and work hard to gain lost ground. But still in some corner of his heart, there is a lot of frustration and disappointment. He is not happy, he is feeling lonely and hurt.
Being a spectator is tough. Particularly, when one is used to being a performer, a leader, and in the thick of things.

PS: Just watched the hooo haaa india, aya india pepsi ad by ganguly on youtube.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFkJNlvtqYs ..... can imagine what ganguly must have gone through then.