Listening to music is not a constant enterprise for me. I can go long periods of time with no music, and usually look forward to the solitude that a quiet evening allows. When I am working I like the surroundings to be quiet, but I am able to tune everything out if need be. This is a gift and a curse. When I am really immersed in what I am doing, I don't hear a word or notice anything that is going on around me.
But occasionally, especially at the end of a long day, I like to listen to songs while I do some repetitive work. My officemates are quite understanding of my choice of music and have never complained about it (at least not to my face). Today, as I write up final exams for my students, I am listening to some songs in the background.
My jukebox is not a CD or a playlist on iTunes, it is a random selection of songs from Youtube. This gives me the freedom to take breaks periodically while selecting songs that appeal to my current mood. Here are some of the songs and musical pieces that I have been listening to today.
1) The first one is a personal favorite. I can never sing the repeating refrain of this song in the right notes correctly, no matter how hard I try! One day I will, promise.
2) I like the first half of this song (the version I am putting up is missing the second half of the song). Amitabh Bachchan's expressions right through the song are picture perfect, in tune with the music, a sense of timing that offers a glimpse into the immense acting ability of a man whose on-screen persona became so large it trapped him into a career of repeatedly doing the same role in different settings. (The movie is Sharaabi, one of many Amitabh hits directed by the recently-departed Prakash Mehra, the man largely responsible for that afore-mentioned image of Amitabh).
3) Until recently, I did not care too much for Mohammad Rafi's songs. But with time, my appreciation of songs has gone beyond just enjoying the tune and the lyrics have become just as important. Ten years, I would not have listened to more than 10 seconds of this song. Today, I can listen to it on repeat play multiple times. Too bad the song is wasted on such a wooden actor. I feel like applauding every time the heroine slaps him at the end of the song!
4) I do not completely understand the lyrics, but just listen to SP Balasubramaniam grab hold of it and give it life. There is some audio trickery in there somewhere, but it sounds as if the song is being delivered in one breath by him. The tempo of the song builds up leading to a very satisfying crescendo. (Luckily, I found a version with subtitles that helps understand the song better. It's a pity that the actor (Ajith) almost ruins the song with his "acting").
5) Anytime I need a pick-me-up tune, this is the song I go to. The combination of the lyrics and the peppy beats never fails to get my blood flowing again. (The explosion at the 2:05 mark is cool, too!) Oddly, I enjoyed the Hindi version of the movie more than the Tamil original, even though Vikram is a much better actor than Vivek Oberoi.
6) At the opposite extreme is this lovely song which contains one of my favorite statements someone can ever say to a loved one. Listening to Placido Domingo and John Denver is such a treat, too.
7) And finally for this post, one of the most awesome pieces of music ever composed, in a video that doubles as a tribute to, well, see for yourself. I love the music. It is haunting and reflective, and fittingly it served as the recurring musical theme for "The Fall".
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
TMC: Episode 1 - Zero out of 3 ain't bad
Welcome to The Midwest Chronicles (TMC). These are the accounts of the exploits of the Nebraska Cricket Club in the 2009 season. To spice up what would otherwise be a routine match report of runs scored, wickets taken, and catches snaffled (or spilled) these posts are being written with a tongue firmly in cheek but with the facts completely in the true. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the meandering show.
Here's a complete guide to the cast of characters and their nicknames. The cast will be updated as players are added or dropped or nicknames changed as the season progresses.
Captain Ozone (Damian) came up with a brilliant strategy to get the team to gel and connect with each other. Two mini-vans were commissioned to take the 12 members on the 125 mile drive to Des Moines. This way the team was split up into just two groups of players. Nothing unites 6 people more than finding funny and insulting things to say about the other 6 folks in the team! With 2.5 hours of such team-bonding on hand, Cap'n now had to contend with just two factions in the team!
The drive up to Des Moines was quite uneventful and the first close catching practice session of the season was hastily organized by Bhishma (Bhaskar) once they reached the ground. The odds of any fielder being this close to the bat when the ball is hit is remote, but some traditions die hard.
Ozone is deathly scared of losing the toss and has assigned Little Boy (Swarit) with the onerous task, thus ensuring that he has a scapegoat if things go against his plan. But LB is so lucky that even when he loses the toss, he manages to come out clean, as the opposition - Cedar Rapids "A" - chose to field (Ozone wanted to bat anyway)!
A quick pep talk by Ozone ("score lots of runs, score fast, don't get out" ... you know, the usual platitudes that are wasted on the team) was the signal for Bhishma and Thin Man (Bala) to go forth and begin the 2009 season. Thin Man got off to a rollicking start, pounding 33 runs in just 23 balls and after 6 overs the score was a smile-inducing 49 for no loss. There was one particularly memorable shot by Thin Man off the opening bowler that cleared long-on, the trees behind long-on, and also the road behind the trees behind long-on before finally landing in someone's front yard. It took about 10 minutes and half the players from both sides to find the ball. The bowler's ignominy was complete when he ended up being the one to find the damn ball. (Too bad Keyshawn Johnson wasn't at hand to retrieve it).
The first ball of the 7th over was the turning point in the match. Bhishma, who is sometimes too talented for his own good, in an attempt to "rotate the strike" tried to deflect a ball that he would have creamed through cover on any other day. Instead a regulation edge to first slip brought Chikna Slater (Jatin) to the crease. His whole innings was shorter than the time it took for Bhishma to remove one pad. A shuffle across the crease, a thud on the pads, and suddenly the bowler was on a hat trick!
Kingsize Dada (Abhi) calmly played out the hat-trick ball, and the next one, and the next one...and so on, bringing some peace to the proceedings. But at the other end, with the loss of quick wickets, Thin Man was in two minds about smashing the ball and gave a tame catch to gully to put NCC in a more serious hole. A good start was starting to unravel, but this team is not sufficient with converting the good into the not-so-good. Why stop at 3 when even more wickets can fall?!
Energizer had barely drawn a deep breath when he gave the cover fielder some catching practice, but not before watching Kingsize get out. Wait? Did I not tell you about that? Well, well, well...that deserves it's own paragraph.
That Kingsize likes the off-side is no secret and the opposition knew as much. What is life without a few challenges? Taking on the challenge of the 5 man ring on the off-side, Kingsize square-drove the ball to the fairly deep point fielder and took off down the wicket. Energizer stopped him from taking more than 4 or 5 steps but by then it was too late. Momentum = mass multiplied by velocity. For Kingsize to reverse his momentum is not as easy as it used to be (blame it on the Freshman 15...or 20). He had barely reversed directions before the keeper smashed all the stumps out of ground. Run-out by a country mile, as most Indian commentators (most of whom do not know that this is also a country mile) would say.
The Tasmanian Devil (Amit) and The Shadow (Botheju...I need to find out his proper name) pieced together a slowly building partnership. The type that would put DLF out of business because it is based upon singles and not sixes. Their running left much to be desired and, not surprisingly, a horrendous mix-up occurred and the Tasmanian thought he was really as fast as his cartoonish namesake and perished attempting a second run that was never there.
By the way, to say this middle-order collapsed would be an insult to middle-order collapses. In the blink of an eye (albeit a long protracted blink lasting about 9 overs) the score was around 75 for 7 with another 5 overs to negotiate.
Lord Warnie (Pradhip) hit a boundary and got carried away in trying to swing for the fences. Stumpings do not come any easier than the one that the opposing keeper had. He even had time to wipe away the drool before he smashed the wickets.
Now, Ozone and Loblaw were at the crease with memories of a similar situation in the 2008 CLIA finals fresh in their minds. On that occasion they had squandered it away with a needless run out and decided to eschew risks of any kind this time. Not surprisingly, not just two's but even three's were converted to singles. So averse were they to risk-taking that the 19th over, the penultimate one of the innings, yielded just one run. Bhishma, who was umpiring at this point, was heard negotiating with the opposition, offering to give the batsmen out if the bowler even cleared his throat in appeal. Sadly, the opposition thought he was joking!
Hearing this Bob took matters into his hands by pummeling the first ball of the 20th and last over into the square-leg fence, taking the team score beyond 100. Joyous celebrations ensued on the sidelines and even as the bystanders (two dogs, one rabbit, and five grasshoppers) settled down Bob was in their midst, having tested square-leg's prowess in taking swirling catches.
Little Boy finally got to walk into the middle during a batting innings in a live match. Marching up to the wicket with his jaw firmly set, he dreamt of ending the innings Kapil Dev-style with 4 consecutive sixes.
But the best laid plans of mice and not mice-like men never bear fruit. The two batsmen had crossed over while the catch was taken and Ozone gently drove the next ball to the cover fielder to end the innings on 104 with 3 balls still to go. Little Boy walked off with an extremely eye-catching and impressive 0 not out to his credit.
In between innings, the entire NCC team wandered into the middle and had an extensive fielding session. Strange but true, this was the first time all season the players had done any kind of fielding drills together. The opposition was totally bemused by the intensity of the session. Oblivious to thoughts of conserving energy, talking strategy, or simply taking a break, all 11 players had a fantastic round of ball retrieving.
The Cedar Rapids dudes came in and faced a charged-up Energizer and Bhishma. Here are the cold-hard facts: After 8 overs featuring 4 overs each by the two bowlers, the score was 30 for no loss. While I have your attention, here are some other facts:
One game, one win and the 2009 season is off to a good start. Sort of. As noted by Bhishma, NCC batted badly, bowled badly, and fielded badly...and yet won the game.
To mis-quote Meat Loaf, "None out of three ain't bad!"
Here's a complete guide to the cast of characters and their nicknames. The cast will be updated as players are added or dropped or nicknames changed as the season progresses.
You can't run away forever.The entire gang was told to assemble at Gundappa Malki's residence by 11am sharp, with the latecomer's punishment being that he would have to sponsor everyone else's lunch. For years, the NCC has worked on IST (Indian Stretchable Time) standards but, incredibly, with mere seconds to go, the only one missing this time was Bob Loblaw (Manish, who has never been late for anything except when it comes to his bat making contact with the ball). Even as the cell phones turned over to display 11:00am, Bob came careening into the parking lot to (JJ) Energizer's intense chagrin. Foiled!
But there's nothing wrong in getting a good headstart.
- Meat Loaf
Captain Ozone (Damian) came up with a brilliant strategy to get the team to gel and connect with each other. Two mini-vans were commissioned to take the 12 members on the 125 mile drive to Des Moines. This way the team was split up into just two groups of players. Nothing unites 6 people more than finding funny and insulting things to say about the other 6 folks in the team! With 2.5 hours of such team-bonding on hand, Cap'n now had to contend with just two factions in the team!
The drive up to Des Moines was quite uneventful and the first close catching practice session of the season was hastily organized by Bhishma (Bhaskar) once they reached the ground. The odds of any fielder being this close to the bat when the ball is hit is remote, but some traditions die hard.
Ozone is deathly scared of losing the toss and has assigned Little Boy (Swarit) with the onerous task, thus ensuring that he has a scapegoat if things go against his plan. But LB is so lucky that even when he loses the toss, he manages to come out clean, as the opposition - Cedar Rapids "A" - chose to field (Ozone wanted to bat anyway)!
A quick pep talk by Ozone ("score lots of runs, score fast, don't get out" ... you know, the usual platitudes that are wasted on the team) was the signal for Bhishma and Thin Man (Bala) to go forth and begin the 2009 season. Thin Man got off to a rollicking start, pounding 33 runs in just 23 balls and after 6 overs the score was a smile-inducing 49 for no loss. There was one particularly memorable shot by Thin Man off the opening bowler that cleared long-on, the trees behind long-on, and also the road behind the trees behind long-on before finally landing in someone's front yard. It took about 10 minutes and half the players from both sides to find the ball. The bowler's ignominy was complete when he ended up being the one to find the damn ball. (Too bad Keyshawn Johnson wasn't at hand to retrieve it).
The first ball of the 7th over was the turning point in the match. Bhishma, who is sometimes too talented for his own good, in an attempt to "rotate the strike" tried to deflect a ball that he would have creamed through cover on any other day. Instead a regulation edge to first slip brought Chikna Slater (Jatin) to the crease. His whole innings was shorter than the time it took for Bhishma to remove one pad. A shuffle across the crease, a thud on the pads, and suddenly the bowler was on a hat trick!
Kingsize Dada (Abhi) calmly played out the hat-trick ball, and the next one, and the next one...and so on, bringing some peace to the proceedings. But at the other end, with the loss of quick wickets, Thin Man was in two minds about smashing the ball and gave a tame catch to gully to put NCC in a more serious hole. A good start was starting to unravel, but this team is not sufficient with converting the good into the not-so-good. Why stop at 3 when even more wickets can fall?!
Energizer had barely drawn a deep breath when he gave the cover fielder some catching practice, but not before watching Kingsize get out. Wait? Did I not tell you about that? Well, well, well...that deserves it's own paragraph.
That Kingsize likes the off-side is no secret and the opposition knew as much. What is life without a few challenges? Taking on the challenge of the 5 man ring on the off-side, Kingsize square-drove the ball to the fairly deep point fielder and took off down the wicket. Energizer stopped him from taking more than 4 or 5 steps but by then it was too late. Momentum = mass multiplied by velocity. For Kingsize to reverse his momentum is not as easy as it used to be (blame it on the Freshman 15...or 20). He had barely reversed directions before the keeper smashed all the stumps out of ground. Run-out by a country mile, as most Indian commentators (most of whom do not know that this is also a country mile) would say.
The Tasmanian Devil (Amit) and The Shadow (Botheju...I need to find out his proper name) pieced together a slowly building partnership. The type that would put DLF out of business because it is based upon singles and not sixes. Their running left much to be desired and, not surprisingly, a horrendous mix-up occurred and the Tasmanian thought he was really as fast as his cartoonish namesake and perished attempting a second run that was never there.
By the way, to say this middle-order collapsed would be an insult to middle-order collapses. In the blink of an eye (albeit a long protracted blink lasting about 9 overs) the score was around 75 for 7 with another 5 overs to negotiate.
Lord Warnie (Pradhip) hit a boundary and got carried away in trying to swing for the fences. Stumpings do not come any easier than the one that the opposing keeper had. He even had time to wipe away the drool before he smashed the wickets.
Now, Ozone and Loblaw were at the crease with memories of a similar situation in the 2008 CLIA finals fresh in their minds. On that occasion they had squandered it away with a needless run out and decided to eschew risks of any kind this time. Not surprisingly, not just two's but even three's were converted to singles. So averse were they to risk-taking that the 19th over, the penultimate one of the innings, yielded just one run. Bhishma, who was umpiring at this point, was heard negotiating with the opposition, offering to give the batsmen out if the bowler even cleared his throat in appeal. Sadly, the opposition thought he was joking!
Hearing this Bob took matters into his hands by pummeling the first ball of the 20th and last over into the square-leg fence, taking the team score beyond 100. Joyous celebrations ensued on the sidelines and even as the bystanders (two dogs, one rabbit, and five grasshoppers) settled down Bob was in their midst, having tested square-leg's prowess in taking swirling catches.
Little Boy finally got to walk into the middle during a batting innings in a live match. Marching up to the wicket with his jaw firmly set, he dreamt of ending the innings Kapil Dev-style with 4 consecutive sixes.
But the best laid plans of mice and not mice-like men never bear fruit. The two batsmen had crossed over while the catch was taken and Ozone gently drove the next ball to the cover fielder to end the innings on 104 with 3 balls still to go. Little Boy walked off with an extremely eye-catching and impressive 0 not out to his credit.
In between innings, the entire NCC team wandered into the middle and had an extensive fielding session. Strange but true, this was the first time all season the players had done any kind of fielding drills together. The opposition was totally bemused by the intensity of the session. Oblivious to thoughts of conserving energy, talking strategy, or simply taking a break, all 11 players had a fantastic round of ball retrieving.
The Cedar Rapids dudes came in and faced a charged-up Energizer and Bhishma. Here are the cold-hard facts: After 8 overs featuring 4 overs each by the two bowlers, the score was 30 for no loss. While I have your attention, here are some other facts:
- It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a church in Nebraska, USA.
- You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
- It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
- Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
- "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
But the most important fact is that all that fielding practice had a significant effect: NCC dropped 7 catches in those 8 overs with Ozone moving on from a catch-less 2008 to continue his streak of dropping at least one catch per match. (Rumor has it that he has trouble even catching a cold when he is drenched in the rain in the dead of winter). Not content with grassing one, he put down a second one that was even easier, off Bhishma's bowling. But you see, this was all part of a strategy that would pay off later on (more on that at the appropriate time).
Chikna was brought on first-change and his relentless desire to hit the base of middle stump paid off when the first wicket came down in a clatter of timber to bring a few smiles to the beleagured faces. A second wicket followed soon after but then Chikna and Kingsize lost control of the ball and were smashed, by Mike Strydom and Himashu, who took Kingisize for a couple of humungous sixes and a four to bring the asking rate down so much so that after 13 overs, CR"A" was at 67 for 2, needing just 37 runs in 42 balls with 8 wickets to spare. Driver's seats have rarely been more stoutly filled but NCC's secret weapons were still to be unleashed.
When catches were going down like nobody's business in the first 6 overs, what NCC was really doing was lulling CR"A" into a false sense of complacency. You see, had the fielders taken the catches then Cedar Rapids would have been more careful about getting the runs needed and would probably have coasted with 37 singles. But having been blinded by the prodigality of the NCC fielders they did not fear for their fate and began to loft the ball with reckless abandon. The trap had been set and they walked right in.
Ozone threw the ball to Warnie and, on debut, Warnie enticed Himanshu to swing for the fences. His desparing blade swished through without making any contact and the leg stump felt the full force of the ball. The door to victory, which had almost been shut completely, was now ajar. Like the rude guests that they are, the NCC-ers came charging through.
Complementing Warnie was the wicket-to-wicket bowling of the Tasmanian Devil. As the runs began to dry up, the pressure began to build and periodically the Cedar Rapids batsmen tried to relieve it by lofting the ball. The hunter became the hunted. Catch after catch was taken, none more impressive than the single-handed grab at backward square-leg by Thin Man, that was speeding by him. When a swirling hit towards long-off was safely pouched by Energizer the game was as good as over. For all his abundant skills in the nets, Energizer dropped (by a conservative count) a dozen catches last season. Seeing him hold on to the ball sent the team on a Monty Panesar-like celebratory outing (especially the last 10 seconds of this video).
In the 6 overs bowled between Warnie and TD, Cedar Rapids lost 8 wickets (the last one being a run-out to end the match) for 24 runs, getting all out for 91. NCC had yet again managed a get-out-of-jail victory that has been their trademark since they joined the CLIA.
One game, one win and the 2009 season is off to a good start. Sort of. As noted by Bhishma, NCC batted badly, bowled badly, and fielded badly...and yet won the game.
To mis-quote Meat Loaf, "None out of three ain't bad!"
Saturday, May 09, 2009
The Midwest Chronicles: Episode 0 - Ground rules
For the second time since the inception of this blog, I shall revoke my promise to not reveal people's full names. As in the previous case, I shall be documenting the triumphs and errors of a cricketing season. On this occasion, however, it shall be during the season, rather than after the fact. Let's see where this season leads us to.
The team I shall be following is the Nebraska Cricket Club, based in Warren Buffett land. The cast of characters will be plenty, but taking inspiration from an inspired source, I shall be assigning nicknames and using real and nicknames interchangeably.
Here's your glossary of the cast of characters. It will be updated and revised as and when needed, depending upon which lawsuit has been settled, and who has earned a new nickname. Where possible I have tried to link the nickname to the information they were based off of.
(In approximate batting order)
1) Bhaskar Krishna - Bhishma. The grandfather member of the club, he has been around since the time of the Bush administration (the senior one) or so it seems. Like the man whose name he has been given, Bhaskar is big on oaths - a day does not go by without a big proclamation. His bhishan pratijna has been to not retire from playing cricket until every 8th grader in the greater Omaha area knows the difference between the insect and the glorious game.
2) Balachander Marimuthu - Thin Man. Do not be fooled by his reed-like appearance and the glasses he wears. He combines the fleet-footedness of an antelope being chased by a lioness, with the long-distance thrashing power of an on-song Chris Gayle. Seemingly built to only make special appearances, he has surprised many an opposing team by batting so long, the rest of the match was too easy to even be called a formality. Oh, and just to show that he is not perfect - he wears glasses even when he plays. What a nerd!
3) Jatin Khurana - Chikna Slater. He shares more than just a physiognomic connection with the erstwhile Aussie opener. Jatin enjoys hitting the ball in the air (especially off the fast bowlers), likes a dot ball as much as a vampire likes the sun, and most importantly, is guaranteed to get out in the 90's caught at the boundary. No Tendulkar-style tippy-toeing towards landmarks for this fella, a trait he shares with that other fellow Delhi-ite he adores - Sehwag. And as incredible as it sounds, Jatin is really fairer than Michael (and fairer than lovely). By the way, his parents never had to search for him even once their whole lives. All they had to do was say, "Who wants to bat now?" and Jatin showed up in less than 5 seconds.
4) Abhimanyu Lakshman - Kingsize Dada. His off-side play is a sight for the Gods. So much so that after Rahul Dravid once said, "On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly" he added, "Except, of course, for my big friend Abhi." But no one remembers that. A gentle giant, Abhi prefers a ground attack and accumulates his runs by giving the deep cover fielder lots of practice. His bowling is bimodal, short-pitched when he is off his game, and yorkers when he is on. The fastest bowler on the team (you know it's true, Jatin, so just let it go) he is like Shoaib Akhtar in that he goes full steam for no more than two overs at a time.
5) Janmejay Tanwar - Energizer Bunny. Like his fellow desert-buddy, the camel, JJ seemingly has inexhaustible reserves of energy, and can be seen either bowling, batting, or fielding during every minute of practice or game. Currently, among the top two all-rounders in the OCC (no, Jatin, you are not the other, so just sit down will you?!), he is an opening bowler with a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l outswinger and a batting technique that is pleasing to watch, unless he decides what shot to play before the ball is bowled. Guaranteed to drop at least one catch per match, he has perfected the art of diving after the drop to make it seem like it was brilliant athleticism that he was even able to get his hands (and body) to the ball at all.
6) Amit Phatak - U-turn (previously he was the Tasmanian Devil). The fastest runner on the team, I predict that this relative newcomer will now have the honor (cough) of racing from deep midwicket to deep midwicket between overs for the rest of the year. He is what Ravi Shastri disturbingly calls a "handy man to have in your side" as he bowls a stump-to-stump line, fields anywhere from silly point to, yes, deep midwicket, and his batting style belongs to the almost-forgotten Mohammad Kaif school of strike rotation. Midway through the season he demonstrated a propensity to take sharp U-turns on one-way streets, exit ramps and parking lots while driving, and on the playing field by turning around the fortunes of NCC midway through a match with his under-rated but brilliant wobbly seam bowling which never fails to snag a wicket or three.
7) Harshana Boteja - The Shadow. At this point of time, I don't have much to add or say as I have never had a conversation with him. Who knows what lies in the heart of this man? The Shadow knows! Having seen him play a couple of times, I can say that he is surprisingly quick to the ball, and can bat a little bit. But I will add more, I promise, before the next episode.
8) Pradhip Swaminathan - Johnny WalkerKing Warney. (This name is on a probationary basis as he personally requested it with these words: "I will get the zinc on my hair and my nose, wear white wrist bands, sledge and swear like a pirate, text message anything with a phone wearing something resembling a female undergarment.") The only southpaw on the team, his batting is full of drives and lusty pulls, while the surprise package might yet be his bowling, if he gets it on the stumps. His single biggest contribution to date has been to take some friendly Saturday morning tennis ball matches in downtown Omaha and make it a venture that now requires capital campaigns and fund-raising activities just to be able afford the cost of using the javelin thrower's runway at an elementary school. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Attaboy!
As the season progressed, teammates realized that Pradhip is very quickly out of position on the field, rarely to be found at the fielding spot assigned to him. Several matches later, Ozone figured out why. Before every ball is bowled, fielders usually "walk in" a few steps in preparation. Once the ball is bowled they walk back to their mark. But you see, Pradhip does not. So eventually by the end of the over he is about 30 yards away from where he started! His new nickname is in honor of the whiskey brand whose tag line is Keep walking.
9) Me - Bob Loblaw. On the link for Bob Loblaw, scroll down to the Minor recurring characters section). Because of my propensity to chatter non-stop much to the annoyance of opponents and teammates alike, this moniker was thrust upon me by Little Boy (see below). I am being typecast with a fictional character's name which is meant to sound like "blah-blah-blah". (Hmpff!!). Apart from possessing a forward defensive prod that would bring tears to Aakash Chopra's eyes, I am the current record holder of the deep midwicket to deep midwicket walkathon-marathon that is organized every year by the devilish captain of the OCC.
10) Damian DeRozairo - Captain Ozone (formerly Captain Binary). If the name wasn't a big enough clue - he is the captain of the NCC. Since he either bats at #1 or #10 he does his best to live up to his nickname. No captain is more afraid of losing the toss and he has yet to lose one in almost two years. How does he do it? He sends someone else for the toss! A Sri Lankan by birth and an Aussie by youth, he talked his way into the captaincy simply because no one knew what he was saying for the first 6 months of his stay. One fine morning when the words began to make sense, everyone realized that he was already telling the NCC how grateful he was to have been asked to be the captain. No one on the team knew how to speak Australian to tell him otherwise. A very flappable fellow when things are going down the drain (and they do in every game the OCC plays) his rallying cry is the stuff of legends. It starts off: "Guys, we are letting the game slip away. What's going on? If we keep this up...." In order to not listen any further, the rest of the team gets serious and, invariably, a furious fightback and victory ensues. The NCC has been taking such strategic timeouts under Damian long before it had even fermented as a thought in Lalit Modi's green-hued brain.
After a round of discussions and some spirited chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie", Binary's new nickname is now Ozone (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie .... Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie ... O three ... chemical structure of Ozone is O3 ...comprendes?).
11) Swarit Agarwal - Little Boy. This not-so-little fellow packs quite a punch. The CFO of the club (i.e. the guy who oversees the $14.37 surplus that is guarded with pride in the OCC bank account) his roles are many - wicket-keeper, off-spinner, gadaa-dhaari Bhima impersonator, and scorekeeper par excellence. By the way, his swearing can cause even pirates to blush...and often does. He is the only man I know who trashtalks the umpires and the opposition team from a scorer's perch.
12) Francis Origanti - Doctor Kamikaze. A legend in his own lifetime (and in his own mind and no one else's), Kamikaze believes that the walk to the crease is more than enough time to gauge the wicket, the bowler, the situation, and the conditions. A master at assessing bats - swinging one without contacting the ball is enough to tell him whether it has a good stroke. His feats are of the aar ya paar type. He has scored a century in 50-odd balls and has been dismissed bowled first ball trying to hit a six (with his team at 0 for 1 after 1 ball in the innings!). He has taken 6 wickets in a single innings and has been taken for 30 runs in a single over. A good way of knowing how his day is going to be is to see when he has to be home before he gets beaten up by his better half. If he is looking at his watch constantly, it is a bad sign for the opposition. Games have been decided on mere glances at the clock. And yes, since no one listens to what he says, when no one was paying attention he became the vice-captain of the team.
13) Srinivas Malkapuram - Gundappa. Built along the lines of the original Little Master, Malki is a man whose contribution to the team's score goes beyond the runs off his bat. Opposing bowlers find his posterior so enticing that they go crazy trying to hit it, but always in vain. With a speed that belies his frame, Malki hops forward just before impact and the ball sails harmlessly by to the keeper down the legside - wide! An extra run, an extra ball, and a frustrated bowler - it is a wholly unique way of getting a hat-trick in one ball. Midwicket is his domain, and he is the most improved fielder on the team, putting JJ's shoddy fielding displays in true perspective.
14) Gowtham Maranani - Gunmaster G9. Okay, I was wrong when I said that Abhi was the fastest bowler in the team. Gowtham is it, by a good yard or two. A gunslinger in the truest sense, he is a throwback to the good old days when bowler's run-ups were 30 yards long, and their primary attacking balls were the yorker and the bouncer. Gowtham looks like a docile Telugu movie sidekick and the next sledge that comes from his lips will be the first words he has probably ever uttered on a cricket field but do not mistake his docility for weakness. Many batsmen have made that mistake and numerous crushed toes, jammed fingers, and dented egos have been left in his wake. (Including Jatin's, who can no longer fathom the fact that he is not even the second-fastest bowler in the team any more).
15) Quintus Swampillai -Mind It now the Fifth Element. With a name that evokes awe and respect in the same breath, Q is the quintessential team man - first at practice, last off the field, ready to bowl a few balls, chase a few down, and bat till the sun sets. Rumor has it that he once said a few words without being prompted three years ago, but no one has ever heard him speak to know if it is true. A quick smile belies the intense desire to play better every time he dons the white flannels (okay, sweatpants, but they are white). His nickname comes from a recent change in his facial hair pattern. A look that suits him to a T. Having shaved off his distinctive facial hair, Q was ready for a new nickname and upon me finding out that he was the fifth child and hence the name Quntus, it was decreed by popular vote (mine) that the Fifth Element be his new name.
16) Devkanth Rao - Soul Patch. He is a rare breed - an opener who has converted himself into a middle order batsman. Light footed and ever-smiling, Devkanth's favorite scoring area is the V between midwicket and cover. Unafraid to loft the ball, his recent scores have been hampered by an inability to find a bat that he is comfortable with. His nickname comes from the Aamir Khan-like fuzz on his face.
17) Jai Ganesh - Hercules. JG has the best upper body on the team (which is not hard when you consider the sizes and shapes of the players..but still), a testament to how many hours a week he spends in the gym. A bowler who bowls better when he slows down the pace, JG is always one ball away from unleashing a bouncer. It has yet to work for him, but some day it shall, he supposes.
18) Sandip Umrotkar - Sunny D. A pleasing-to-the-eye batsman cast in the Rahul Dravid frustration-by-accumulation mode, Sandip is the perfect #3 batsman. He is willing to bat through the innings, and does not get bogged down by having to play out prolonged periods of good swing bowling. He knows that runs, just like his ever-present smile, are always one ball away.
19) Nirmal Srinivasan - Bean Counter. A man who does it all - bats, bowls, fields - Nirmal is also armed with the enviable ability to recall facts, numbers and stats at the drop of a hat, making him a scorer's nightmare. Calling him a stable batsman, a steady medium pace bowler, and an electric fielder pretty much describes his on-field expertise. Off the field he is a doctoral student studying the potential impacts of cell phone usage (while driving) on the sensory perceptions of a driver. Yes, he's one of those dudes who are ensuring that Bluetooth stocks keep rising.
The team I shall be following is the Nebraska Cricket Club, based in Warren Buffett land. The cast of characters will be plenty, but taking inspiration from an inspired source, I shall be assigning nicknames and using real and nicknames interchangeably.
Here's your glossary of the cast of characters. It will be updated and revised as and when needed, depending upon which lawsuit has been settled, and who has earned a new nickname. Where possible I have tried to link the nickname to the information they were based off of.
(In approximate batting order)
1) Bhaskar Krishna - Bhishma. The grandfather member of the club, he has been around since the time of the Bush administration (the senior one) or so it seems. Like the man whose name he has been given, Bhaskar is big on oaths - a day does not go by without a big proclamation. His bhishan pratijna has been to not retire from playing cricket until every 8th grader in the greater Omaha area knows the difference between the insect and the glorious game.
2) Balachander Marimuthu - Thin Man. Do not be fooled by his reed-like appearance and the glasses he wears. He combines the fleet-footedness of an antelope being chased by a lioness, with the long-distance thrashing power of an on-song Chris Gayle. Seemingly built to only make special appearances, he has surprised many an opposing team by batting so long, the rest of the match was too easy to even be called a formality. Oh, and just to show that he is not perfect - he wears glasses even when he plays. What a nerd!
3) Jatin Khurana - Chikna Slater. He shares more than just a physiognomic connection with the erstwhile Aussie opener. Jatin enjoys hitting the ball in the air (especially off the fast bowlers), likes a dot ball as much as a vampire likes the sun, and most importantly, is guaranteed to get out in the 90's caught at the boundary. No Tendulkar-style tippy-toeing towards landmarks for this fella, a trait he shares with that other fellow Delhi-ite he adores - Sehwag. And as incredible as it sounds, Jatin is really fairer than Michael (and fairer than lovely). By the way, his parents never had to search for him even once their whole lives. All they had to do was say, "Who wants to bat now?" and Jatin showed up in less than 5 seconds.
4) Abhimanyu Lakshman - Kingsize Dada. His off-side play is a sight for the Gods. So much so that after Rahul Dravid once said, "On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly" he added, "Except, of course, for my big friend Abhi." But no one remembers that. A gentle giant, Abhi prefers a ground attack and accumulates his runs by giving the deep cover fielder lots of practice. His bowling is bimodal, short-pitched when he is off his game, and yorkers when he is on. The fastest bowler on the team (you know it's true, Jatin, so just let it go) he is like Shoaib Akhtar in that he goes full steam for no more than two overs at a time.
5) Janmejay Tanwar - Energizer Bunny. Like his fellow desert-buddy, the camel, JJ seemingly has inexhaustible reserves of energy, and can be seen either bowling, batting, or fielding during every minute of practice or game. Currently, among the top two all-rounders in the OCC (no, Jatin, you are not the other, so just sit down will you?!), he is an opening bowler with a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l outswinger and a batting technique that is pleasing to watch, unless he decides what shot to play before the ball is bowled. Guaranteed to drop at least one catch per match, he has perfected the art of diving after the drop to make it seem like it was brilliant athleticism that he was even able to get his hands (and body) to the ball at all.
6) Amit Phatak - U-turn (previously he was the Tasmanian Devil). The fastest runner on the team, I predict that this relative newcomer will now have the honor (cough) of racing from deep midwicket to deep midwicket between overs for the rest of the year. He is what Ravi Shastri disturbingly calls a "handy man to have in your side" as he bowls a stump-to-stump line, fields anywhere from silly point to, yes, deep midwicket, and his batting style belongs to the almost-forgotten Mohammad Kaif school of strike rotation. Midway through the season he demonstrated a propensity to take sharp U-turns on one-way streets, exit ramps and parking lots while driving, and on the playing field by turning around the fortunes of NCC midway through a match with his under-rated but brilliant wobbly seam bowling which never fails to snag a wicket or three.
7) Harshana Boteja - The Shadow. At this point of time, I don't have much to add or say as I have never had a conversation with him. Who knows what lies in the heart of this man? The Shadow knows! Having seen him play a couple of times, I can say that he is surprisingly quick to the ball, and can bat a little bit. But I will add more, I promise, before the next episode.
8) Pradhip Swaminathan - Johnny Walker
As the season progressed, teammates realized that Pradhip is very quickly out of position on the field, rarely to be found at the fielding spot assigned to him. Several matches later, Ozone figured out why. Before every ball is bowled, fielders usually "walk in" a few steps in preparation. Once the ball is bowled they walk back to their mark. But you see, Pradhip does not. So eventually by the end of the over he is about 30 yards away from where he started! His new nickname is in honor of the whiskey brand whose tag line is Keep walking.
9) Me - Bob Loblaw. On the link for Bob Loblaw, scroll down to the Minor recurring characters section). Because of my propensity to chatter non-stop much to the annoyance of opponents and teammates alike, this moniker was thrust upon me by Little Boy (see below). I am being typecast with a fictional character's name which is meant to sound like "blah-blah-blah". (Hmpff!!). Apart from possessing a forward defensive prod that would bring tears to Aakash Chopra's eyes, I am the current record holder of the deep midwicket to deep midwicket walkathon-marathon that is organized every year by the devilish captain of the OCC.
10) Damian DeRozairo - Captain Ozone (formerly Captain Binary). If the name wasn't a big enough clue - he is the captain of the NCC. Since he either bats at #1 or #10 he does his best to live up to his nickname. No captain is more afraid of losing the toss and he has yet to lose one in almost two years. How does he do it? He sends someone else for the toss! A Sri Lankan by birth and an Aussie by youth, he talked his way into the captaincy simply because no one knew what he was saying for the first 6 months of his stay. One fine morning when the words began to make sense, everyone realized that he was already telling the NCC how grateful he was to have been asked to be the captain. No one on the team knew how to speak Australian to tell him otherwise. A very flappable fellow when things are going down the drain (and they do in every game the OCC plays) his rallying cry is the stuff of legends. It starts off: "Guys, we are letting the game slip away. What's going on? If we keep this up...." In order to not listen any further, the rest of the team gets serious and, invariably, a furious fightback and victory ensues. The NCC has been taking such strategic timeouts under Damian long before it had even fermented as a thought in Lalit Modi's green-hued brain.
After a round of discussions and some spirited chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie", Binary's new nickname is now Ozone (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie .... Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie ... O three ... chemical structure of Ozone is O3 ...comprendes?).
11) Swarit Agarwal - Little Boy. This not-so-little fellow packs quite a punch. The CFO of the club (i.e. the guy who oversees the $14.37 surplus that is guarded with pride in the OCC bank account) his roles are many - wicket-keeper, off-spinner, gadaa-dhaari Bhima impersonator, and scorekeeper par excellence. By the way, his swearing can cause even pirates to blush...and often does. He is the only man I know who trashtalks the umpires and the opposition team from a scorer's perch.
12) Francis Origanti - Doctor Kamikaze. A legend in his own lifetime (and in his own mind and no one else's), Kamikaze believes that the walk to the crease is more than enough time to gauge the wicket, the bowler, the situation, and the conditions. A master at assessing bats - swinging one without contacting the ball is enough to tell him whether it has a good stroke. His feats are of the aar ya paar type. He has scored a century in 50-odd balls and has been dismissed bowled first ball trying to hit a six (with his team at 0 for 1 after 1 ball in the innings!). He has taken 6 wickets in a single innings and has been taken for 30 runs in a single over. A good way of knowing how his day is going to be is to see when he has to be home before he gets beaten up by his better half. If he is looking at his watch constantly, it is a bad sign for the opposition. Games have been decided on mere glances at the clock. And yes, since no one listens to what he says, when no one was paying attention he became the vice-captain of the team.
13) Srinivas Malkapuram - Gundappa. Built along the lines of the original Little Master, Malki is a man whose contribution to the team's score goes beyond the runs off his bat. Opposing bowlers find his posterior so enticing that they go crazy trying to hit it, but always in vain. With a speed that belies his frame, Malki hops forward just before impact and the ball sails harmlessly by to the keeper down the legside - wide! An extra run, an extra ball, and a frustrated bowler - it is a wholly unique way of getting a hat-trick in one ball. Midwicket is his domain, and he is the most improved fielder on the team, putting JJ's shoddy fielding displays in true perspective.
14) Gowtham Maranani - Gunmaster G9. Okay, I was wrong when I said that Abhi was the fastest bowler in the team. Gowtham is it, by a good yard or two. A gunslinger in the truest sense, he is a throwback to the good old days when bowler's run-ups were 30 yards long, and their primary attacking balls were the yorker and the bouncer. Gowtham looks like a docile Telugu movie sidekick and the next sledge that comes from his lips will be the first words he has probably ever uttered on a cricket field but do not mistake his docility for weakness. Many batsmen have made that mistake and numerous crushed toes, jammed fingers, and dented egos have been left in his wake. (Including Jatin's, who can no longer fathom the fact that he is not even the second-fastest bowler in the team any more).
15) Quintus Swampillai -
16) Devkanth Rao - Soul Patch. He is a rare breed - an opener who has converted himself into a middle order batsman. Light footed and ever-smiling, Devkanth's favorite scoring area is the V between midwicket and cover. Unafraid to loft the ball, his recent scores have been hampered by an inability to find a bat that he is comfortable with. His nickname comes from the Aamir Khan-like fuzz on his face.
17) Jai Ganesh - Hercules. JG has the best upper body on the team (which is not hard when you consider the sizes and shapes of the players..but still), a testament to how many hours a week he spends in the gym. A bowler who bowls better when he slows down the pace, JG is always one ball away from unleashing a bouncer. It has yet to work for him, but some day it shall, he supposes.
18) Sandip Umrotkar - Sunny D. A pleasing-to-the-eye batsman cast in the Rahul Dravid frustration-by-accumulation mode, Sandip is the perfect #3 batsman. He is willing to bat through the innings, and does not get bogged down by having to play out prolonged periods of good swing bowling. He knows that runs, just like his ever-present smile, are always one ball away.
19) Nirmal Srinivasan - Bean Counter. A man who does it all - bats, bowls, fields - Nirmal is also armed with the enviable ability to recall facts, numbers and stats at the drop of a hat, making him a scorer's nightmare. Calling him a stable batsman, a steady medium pace bowler, and an electric fielder pretty much describes his on-field expertise. Off the field he is a doctoral student studying the potential impacts of cell phone usage (while driving) on the sensory perceptions of a driver. Yes, he's one of those dudes who are ensuring that Bluetooth stocks keep rising.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
When ants meet sledgehammers
There is a temple in Nebraska which has been very good at fund-raising in the past few years. So much so that it is widely regarded as being the strongest temple, especially in these economically difficult times, by virtue of the monetary clout it possesses.
Last year a small group of individuals in this temple set up a separate prayer group. Some of the members of the temples in the state also joined this prayer group. The main temple did not approve of this move and banned any person belonging to their temple from fraternizing with the new group. The prayer group held steady and began to expand. However, the temple extended its reach by preventing other temples in Nebraska from letting members of this prayer group from attending or participating in any temple-related activity.
Soon, the members of this prayer group were ostracized and when a couple of them tried to organize charity events in the neighboring state of Iowa, the Nebraska temple strong-armed the Iowa temple into preventing these individuals from participating in the activity.
The Nebraska temple then successfully lobbied the main governing body that oversees the functioning of all temples in the country and has officially stopped any member of the prayer group from practicing their faith anywhere else in the entire US. Any temple not complying with this faces severe sanctions and worse.
Do you think this is unfair? If you do, here's the official website of the now-ostracized group.
If you are NOT affected by it, here's the official website of the all-powerful group. You may also want to see the clemency offer that was so magnanimously put forward to the splinter group.
Last year a small group of individuals in this temple set up a separate prayer group. Some of the members of the temples in the state also joined this prayer group. The main temple did not approve of this move and banned any person belonging to their temple from fraternizing with the new group. The prayer group held steady and began to expand. However, the temple extended its reach by preventing other temples in Nebraska from letting members of this prayer group from attending or participating in any temple-related activity.
Soon, the members of this prayer group were ostracized and when a couple of them tried to organize charity events in the neighboring state of Iowa, the Nebraska temple strong-armed the Iowa temple into preventing these individuals from participating in the activity.
The Nebraska temple then successfully lobbied the main governing body that oversees the functioning of all temples in the country and has officially stopped any member of the prayer group from practicing their faith anywhere else in the entire US. Any temple not complying with this faces severe sanctions and worse.
Do you think this is unfair? If you do, here's the official website of the now-ostracized group.
If you are NOT affected by it, here's the official website of the all-powerful group. You may also want to see the clemency offer that was so magnanimously put forward to the splinter group.
What dreams may come
I have previously talked about "The Fall".
I saw the movie (finally) and fell in love with it. The folks I watched it with were not as enamored, but it may have had to a lot to do with the stop-start nature of our viewing and a tendency to judge the movie before it even began.
Much better writers than I have captured the essence of movie. If not for anything else, at least for the visual style of story-telling, this is a must-see. I have not seen a better-looking movie than this, ever. And the music that was used throughout the movie was Beethoven's 7th symphony, 2nd movement (one of my favorite pieces of music).
Here are some other sources of information on "The Fall".
a) The official website of the movie has some still photos worth preserving as screen-savers.
b) Roger Ebert raved about the movie on his website.
... Tarsem made one of the most astonishing films I have ever seen. It is all the more special in this age of computer-generated special effects, because we see things that cannot exist, but our eyes do not lie, and they do exist, yes, they really do.c) An intrepid blogger Moriarty goes in-depth with Tarsem, the director of the movie, in this no-holds barred interview (yes, there is some salty language in there). His fellow blogger "Capone" conducted a two-part interview. Here's part 1, and part 2 of the interview.
d) If bloggers aren't your cup of tea, here is the Washington Post on Tarsem's long but strange journey to make the movie.
e) Finally, the New York Times weighs in on this astounding movie.
The man of a 1000 cuts
According to the ICC, the number 1 ranked Test batsman in the world is not named Ponting, Sangakkara, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Smith, or Pietersen. Not surprisingly, this anonymous soul is happy that the attention is elsewhere.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul is content to let preening alpha dogs like Kevin Pietersen hog the limelight while he toils away in a mediocre West Indian batting line-up. His road to the top has been a long and arduous one (as is almost everyone else's, true) but especially so since his shy nature and interesting batting style does not lend itself easily to reams of poetic prose, to coin a phrase.
Only 6 batsmen in the history of Tests have batted more than a thousand minutes between dismissals. Chanderpaul, the only man to do it more than once, has done it a mind-boggling 4 times! He is the only one to go more than 1500 minutes, and during that span he faced more than 1000 balls (the only one in the 1000 ball club, incidentally). In fact, that 1500 minute span came against the 2001-02 Australia team, no less!
And he is not just a blocker. One day, he scored the 4th fastest Test 100, off just 69 balls, that too in the first innings against Australia!
Talking to Anna Kessel of The Observer, Chanderpaul shows why he is more than content to let the others around him hog the limelight. Though, the mention of one person does raise his shackles and bring out the hidden fury in him.
There are few subjects that will shake Chanderpaul out of his private world, but Kevin Pietersen is one of them. The two batsmen are polar opposites – Pietersen loves the limelight, Chanderpaul detests "glamour"; Pietersen loves to take risks, Chanderpaul would rather stay at the crease. They meet again at Lord's on Wednesday as England take on West Indies. At the mention of KP, Chanderpaul's face grows very dark. On the recent West Indies tour Pietersen took a swipe at him, accusing him of "playing for himself". It was a comment that Chanderpaul did not take lightly.By the way, I am waiting for a day when an article on Chanderpaul will be written without his crab-like batting stance being mentioned even once (oops, I just did it, too). The photo at the top of this post was taken from an article in The Age that discusses his stance.
"You can't assume or think someone's just playing for themselves. I don't know where he gets his stories from … I can't be playing for myself when I'm in Trinidad trying to save a match. Scoring 140 and I'm playing for myself?" Chanderpaul's expression is one of utter disgust.
Did Pietersen's comment make him angry? "What he said just motivated me more. It definitely made me better at what I was doing. If people come at me I just want to make sure that I can be out there even longer. You get angry and you just want to grind somebody out there longer, that's how I do my job." Chanderpaul folds his arms, his outburst a rare moment of expression.
Spring cleaning
Cutting ties with the past is something that we do not do very easily. In this electronic age there are added layers of connectivity with the past that we are not even aware of.
Recently, I had a few minutes to kill and scrolled through my phone list on my cell phone. In it I found saved phone numbers of acquaintances who I had not even thought about in more than 5 years. I began deleting those names from the cell phone's memory.
Even within that process deciding which names to delete and which to save became a process of deciding which names conjured up good memories and which did not. Some names were in the deep recesses of my brain and it took me a few seconds to even place them. Those were the first to go. The rest took a little longer to do.
But now from 281 contacts on my phone, I am down to 183 names. Just as 281 was a good number of contacts to have, 183 is a good number, too, so I shall not purge any more for some time.
I wonder whether I will ever have cause to wonder why I deleted all those phone numbers. Let's see.
Recently, I had a few minutes to kill and scrolled through my phone list on my cell phone. In it I found saved phone numbers of acquaintances who I had not even thought about in more than 5 years. I began deleting those names from the cell phone's memory.
Even within that process deciding which names to delete and which to save became a process of deciding which names conjured up good memories and which did not. Some names were in the deep recesses of my brain and it took me a few seconds to even place them. Those were the first to go. The rest took a little longer to do.
But now from 281 contacts on my phone, I am down to 183 names. Just as 281 was a good number of contacts to have, 183 is a good number, too, so I shall not purge any more for some time.
I wonder whether I will ever have cause to wonder why I deleted all those phone numbers. Let's see.
Caveat emptor
When someone promises you the moon it is always good to remember that beyond the realm of a poet's imagination the moon is nothing but a desolate, deserted orb revolving around the earth.For the past few years Dubai has been the hotbed of raging construction and mind-boggling real estate growth. In a chilling article, Johann Hari of The Independent scratches beneath the surface and what he finds is more than a cautionary tale - it is a horror story of unimaginable proportions.
Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide, suppression and slavery. Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history.Click here for the rest of the article. It deserves to be read from start to finish.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Three's Company
Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter and (the curiously fast-fading) Roger Federer show up in a new commercial that does its own take on "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees.
Here's the original, for reference.
Here's the original, for reference.
Friday, April 17, 2009
For the record
A few of you have asked me privately about this and I want to go on record:
I will not write about the IPL Season 2, just as I shunned writing about season 1. I shall only do so when they start treating all cricketers the same - whether they belong to the ICL or not.
I cannot believe how long they have been allowed, with the backing of the BCCI, to run roughshod over the right of so many cricketers around the world. Every time a Board steps up and seems to be taking a stand (Sri Lanka and Pakistan come to mind right away) they disappoint me by then cowing down to the pressure exerted by the BCCI.
Shameful.
P.S. And this piece of news simply makes my resolve much stronger.
I will not write about the IPL Season 2, just as I shunned writing about season 1. I shall only do so when they start treating all cricketers the same - whether they belong to the ICL or not.
I cannot believe how long they have been allowed, with the backing of the BCCI, to run roughshod over the right of so many cricketers around the world. Every time a Board steps up and seems to be taking a stand (Sri Lanka and Pakistan come to mind right away) they disappoint me by then cowing down to the pressure exerted by the BCCI.
Shameful.
P.S. And this piece of news simply makes my resolve much stronger.
The history of defeat
A billion people rejoiced when India's historic Test series win in New Zealand was completed recently***. This article is not totally about celebrating that. Sort of.
Quite a few columnists have taken umbrage with the fact that MS Dhoni settled for the safest option possible (draw first, win second) in the third Test with India leading 1-0 and holding a commanding lead at the end of the 3rd day's play. A couple of examples will suffice - Sharda Ugra in India Today, Samir Chopra on CricInfo and on his blog - Eye on Cricket, and Harsha Bhogle.
I have not come here to praise Dhoni or to bury him.
I like MS Dhoni's captaincy and admire his knack for picking moments in the match where he needs to assert himself. For the most part, he has been spot on in his judgment of these moments. I can see why he chose to be so conservative with the Kiwis on the mat, even as I disagree with his choice to do so. I believe he weighed the long-term over the short-term and took it in his stride. He figured that getting rid of the bogey of a 41 year drought, brought upon mostly because of how infrequently India tours New Zealand, was a bigger burden than winning big. He did not want to risk even the remotest possibility of a 1-1 situation, at the expense of a series win, historical precedent notwithstanding (no team has scored more than 418 runs in the 4th innings to win a Test match). Fair enough. I am willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt in this situation.
The point that many of the columnists made is that Australia would have been more ruthless and would have gone for the kill, etc. But India is not Australia. It aspires to be one on the Test arena and (in my opinion) is just a wee bit short of South Africa and on par with the current Australian team. What this team is really battling is the perception that we have of Australia. The Australian teams of the 1980's were in the doldrums after the retirement of the Big 3 (Chappell, Lillee, Marsh) and it took them a few years of scrapping around under Alan Border before they began winning again. The 1987 World Cup win began their ascendancy, but it was not until the early 1990's that they began to do better. Even then, it went through Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh before the juggernaut emerged. The juggernaut that won everything in sight and, more importantly, was willing to risk losing in order to win everything (classic example - the India tour of 2001, where such an eventuality did happen).
I see this Indian team as being in the Mark Taylor phase of captaincy. It has just gone through the period of rebuilding and inculcating self-belief through Sourav Ganguly, and is now slowly reaping the rewards by having players (Gambhir, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Dhoni, etc.) who have not felt the debilitating sense of loss that comes from being regularly thrashed by the best team of the time. By my estimation, Sourav Ganguly is unsurpassed in the captaincy stakes in one aspect - in that he captained the Test team to at least one Test match victory in 8 different countries, missing out only on New Zealand and South Africa. Even Ricky Ponting has done it in just 6 nations. Steve Waugh won in 8 Test nations, too, missing out on Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (who he never played against).
This was MS Dhoni's first Test series outside India and he is very aware of how perceptions can be built up. He plays up his Captain Cool image to the hilt, though I suspect this is genuinely in his nature to be so, and realized that it was important to be known as a winner both home and away. I think this is what he meant when he said a benchmark had been set. Henceforth, for a few months (or Test series) he has the cushion of throwing back the fact that we have won a series abroad (both ODI and Test) to repel any criticism of the Indian team being tigers at home and kittens abroad. Sadly, we do not play any Test matches until at least November so a lot of the goodwill that this series win generated will dissipate by then.
A final point that the columnists make is that they are afraid that this conservative approach that Dhoni adopted might become terminal. As India begins to justify it's #3 (or #2 or #1) ranking with more regularity in the future, I suspect he will be a lot more ruthless. This one time I am willing to give him a mulligan. His history up to this point does not indicate that being conservative is a natural option for him. Let's just sit back and enjoy the next few years without reading every tea leaf he leaves behind in his wake.
I was very happy with the series win and that was paramount for me. (Very few remember that the Chicago Bulls were 15-2 in the playoffs when they won the 1997 NBA title, but everyone that cares about the NBA remembers that they won the title that year). MS Dhoni probably felt the same way, too.
The ultimate goal before leaving for New Zealand was to win the ODI and the Test series (one T20 match does not a series make).
Mission accomplished.
(*** Do a "billion" people really care about the Indian team? Seriously? That is nothing but a marketer's tagline. Sachin Tendulkar does not carry the weight of a billion people "on his shoulders" when he goes to bat, commentators and writers just like to project that he feels that he does. A majority of the folk in India don't give a damn about Sachin's score and, I am sure, don't really care whether we beat New Zealand or not. If a billion people really felt that passionately about Indian cricket, the IPL would still have been in India.)
Quite a few columnists have taken umbrage with the fact that MS Dhoni settled for the safest option possible (draw first, win second) in the third Test with India leading 1-0 and holding a commanding lead at the end of the 3rd day's play. A couple of examples will suffice - Sharda Ugra in India Today, Samir Chopra on CricInfo and on his blog - Eye on Cricket, and Harsha Bhogle.
I have not come here to praise Dhoni or to bury him.
I like MS Dhoni's captaincy and admire his knack for picking moments in the match where he needs to assert himself. For the most part, he has been spot on in his judgment of these moments. I can see why he chose to be so conservative with the Kiwis on the mat, even as I disagree with his choice to do so. I believe he weighed the long-term over the short-term and took it in his stride. He figured that getting rid of the bogey of a 41 year drought, brought upon mostly because of how infrequently India tours New Zealand, was a bigger burden than winning big. He did not want to risk even the remotest possibility of a 1-1 situation, at the expense of a series win, historical precedent notwithstanding (no team has scored more than 418 runs in the 4th innings to win a Test match). Fair enough. I am willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt in this situation.
The point that many of the columnists made is that Australia would have been more ruthless and would have gone for the kill, etc. But India is not Australia. It aspires to be one on the Test arena and (in my opinion) is just a wee bit short of South Africa and on par with the current Australian team. What this team is really battling is the perception that we have of Australia. The Australian teams of the 1980's were in the doldrums after the retirement of the Big 3 (Chappell, Lillee, Marsh) and it took them a few years of scrapping around under Alan Border before they began winning again. The 1987 World Cup win began their ascendancy, but it was not until the early 1990's that they began to do better. Even then, it went through Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh before the juggernaut emerged. The juggernaut that won everything in sight and, more importantly, was willing to risk losing in order to win everything (classic example - the India tour of 2001, where such an eventuality did happen).
I see this Indian team as being in the Mark Taylor phase of captaincy. It has just gone through the period of rebuilding and inculcating self-belief through Sourav Ganguly, and is now slowly reaping the rewards by having players (Gambhir, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Dhoni, etc.) who have not felt the debilitating sense of loss that comes from being regularly thrashed by the best team of the time. By my estimation, Sourav Ganguly is unsurpassed in the captaincy stakes in one aspect - in that he captained the Test team to at least one Test match victory in 8 different countries, missing out only on New Zealand and South Africa. Even Ricky Ponting has done it in just 6 nations. Steve Waugh won in 8 Test nations, too, missing out on Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (who he never played against).
This was MS Dhoni's first Test series outside India and he is very aware of how perceptions can be built up. He plays up his Captain Cool image to the hilt, though I suspect this is genuinely in his nature to be so, and realized that it was important to be known as a winner both home and away. I think this is what he meant when he said a benchmark had been set. Henceforth, for a few months (or Test series) he has the cushion of throwing back the fact that we have won a series abroad (both ODI and Test) to repel any criticism of the Indian team being tigers at home and kittens abroad. Sadly, we do not play any Test matches until at least November so a lot of the goodwill that this series win generated will dissipate by then.
A final point that the columnists make is that they are afraid that this conservative approach that Dhoni adopted might become terminal. As India begins to justify it's #3 (or #2 or #1) ranking with more regularity in the future, I suspect he will be a lot more ruthless. This one time I am willing to give him a mulligan. His history up to this point does not indicate that being conservative is a natural option for him. Let's just sit back and enjoy the next few years without reading every tea leaf he leaves behind in his wake.
I was very happy with the series win and that was paramount for me. (Very few remember that the Chicago Bulls were 15-2 in the playoffs when they won the 1997 NBA title, but everyone that cares about the NBA remembers that they won the title that year). MS Dhoni probably felt the same way, too.
The ultimate goal before leaving for New Zealand was to win the ODI and the Test series (one T20 match does not a series make).
Mission accomplished.
(*** Do a "billion" people really care about the Indian team? Seriously? That is nothing but a marketer's tagline. Sachin Tendulkar does not carry the weight of a billion people "on his shoulders" when he goes to bat, commentators and writers just like to project that he feels that he does. A majority of the folk in India don't give a damn about Sachin's score and, I am sure, don't really care whether we beat New Zealand or not. If a billion people really felt that passionately about Indian cricket, the IPL would still have been in India.)
The methodically mad phoenix
In 2007, Virender Sehwag was jettisoned from the Indian Test squad mostly because of a series of failures in the ODI arena. He made the Indian team to Australia in 2007 in controversial circumstances at the expense of Aakash Chopra, and waited. The Sydney Test of 2007 was seminal for many reasons, but the least momentous one was the decision to go back to Sehwag for the next Test. That victory in Perth was followed by a brilliant rearguard action at Adelaide, made possible by Sehwag's 151 in the second innings. Two innings of coruscating (and contrasting) brilliance followed - 319 against South Africa on a featherbed of a pitch and 201 not out against Sri Lanka and the marauding Murali and Mendis. Since then he has frustrated his supporters no end. He hasn't scored a century in his next 20 innings, though he has crossed 30 in ten of them.
But what lingers in the mind are those mammoth centuries and no one knows how to put up big scores better than Sehwag (and this includes the Don and Lara***). His last 11 Test centuries (out of a total of 15 so far) have all been over 150, a streak unmatched in Test history. Just read this list and you will see what I mean: 195, 309, 155, 164, 173, 201, 254, 180, 151, 319, 201.
(Contrast this with Ricky Ponting, the man I consider to be the most feared and remorseless batsman in Test cricket over the past 5 years. For his career, he has crossed 150 just 12 times (out of 37 centuries), and just once in the last three years.)
Happily for Sehwag, the team has done well in spite of his recent relapse into mediocrity (by his high-scoring standards) and it has saved him the scrutiny he probably deserves. As India's focus shifts towards the shorter version of the game for the next six months, a parting gift for this Test star came in the form of Wisden's Cricketer of the Year award for 2008. A significant achievement for a man who began the year on the bench as his team played their biggest opponents in Sydney. Ravi Shastri salutes the man and his accomplishment.
But what lingers in the mind are those mammoth centuries and no one knows how to put up big scores better than Sehwag (and this includes the Don and Lara***). His last 11 Test centuries (out of a total of 15 so far) have all been over 150, a streak unmatched in Test history. Just read this list and you will see what I mean: 195, 309, 155, 164, 173, 201, 254, 180, 151, 319, 201.
(Contrast this with Ricky Ponting, the man I consider to be the most feared and remorseless batsman in Test cricket over the past 5 years. For his career, he has crossed 150 just 12 times (out of 37 centuries), and just once in the last three years.)
Happily for Sehwag, the team has done well in spite of his recent relapse into mediocrity (by his high-scoring standards) and it has saved him the scrutiny he probably deserves. As India's focus shifts towards the shorter version of the game for the next six months, a parting gift for this Test star came in the form of Wisden's Cricketer of the Year award for 2008. A significant achievement for a man who began the year on the bench as his team played their biggest opponents in Sydney. Ravi Shastri salutes the man and his accomplishment.
Virender Sehwag had to beat off the strongest of challenges by Graeme Smith to become the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008. Sehwag did so by taking the task of opening Test innings to a new level. He sought, and often achieved, mental domination from the first ball by scoring faster than any other opening batsman has ever done on a regular basis in Test cricket: 85 runs per 100 balls in the calendar year, without any soft opponents (Smith made 488 of his Test runs against Bangladesh); Sehwag also scored at 120 per 100 balls in one-day internationals.***P.S. Yes, I know that Don Bradman had an incredible 12 double centuries out of 29 total centuries in his career. In this post, I am simply talking about streaking big scores together, once the century is made. For those that are curious, over a career, no one has more scores over 150 than Sachin Tendulkar (18 out of 42).
He hit the fastest Test triple-century ever, from only 278 balls, against South Africa. Sehwag and India softened up Australia by defeating them 2-0 in India, for Smith and South Africa to beat them in Australia. Sehwag broke a mould as well as records: he set up the highest successful run-chase in Asia, and the fourth-highest to that point, by striking England's bowlers for 83 from 68 balls at Chennai.
Books and their covers
With over 18 million (yes, million) views and counting, the latest Youtube sensation is a video from a reality TV show in England, Britain's Got Talent. In spite of knowing that the performance was going to be fantastic, I still had goosebumps when Susan Boyle first started to sing. Appearances can be deceptive, never more so than in this case. Watch it completely for yourself, if you haven't already. Even the song she chose to sing was so perfect (click on the right side on "more info" for the lyrics).
Click on this to access the video.
Click on this to access the video.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Catching on
It took some time coming, but Rahul Dravid finally managed to snare catch number 182 to cross Mark Waugh on the all-time list for most catches by a fielder. And once the pressure was off, he picked up #183 soon after.
He is being hailed as India's best slip fielder but I wouldn't go that far. I can think of two or three others who were just as safe or reliable but there is no denying that to a spinner he is brilliant. Sambit Bal got lucky and was able to celebrate this achievement when it happened.
Huw Richards of the New York Times put together an informative article while avoiding a lot of the hyperbolic comments that usually accompany world records. In fact, of all the articles that discuss this achievement, this one is the best I read for the even note it maintains. A lot like Dravid, dare I say?
He is being hailed as India's best slip fielder but I wouldn't go that far. I can think of two or three others who were just as safe or reliable but there is no denying that to a spinner he is brilliant. Sambit Bal got lucky and was able to celebrate this achievement when it happened.
Huw Richards of the New York Times put together an informative article while avoiding a lot of the hyperbolic comments that usually accompany world records. In fact, of all the articles that discuss this achievement, this one is the best I read for the even note it maintains. A lot like Dravid, dare I say?
That Dravid’s feat will occasion less excitement than Sachin Tendulkar’s achievement in becoming the highest-scoring test batsman says something about the status of fielding in relation to other cricketing skills. While it is one of the game’s oldest clichés that “catches win matches,” the fielding statistics that are recorded are extremely limited.
The day the earth stood unlit
To commemorate Earth day and in an unparalleled attempt to bring some awareness to the energy crisis, all over the world people turned off lights for an hour on March 28th, 2009. Click on the photographs to see how cities around the world looked with some famous monuments in darkness.
More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 28th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Leading the fightback
In the entire history of the game (Test cricket), look who has the highest average when his team is following-on. It is revealing that of the four times VVS Laxman batted after following-on, the one time he failed the Indian team lost.
Not that it matters, but it does put that achievement into perspective when you see that Don Bradman's teams lost 3 of the 4 times they followed-on.
Not that it matters, but it does put that achievement into perspective when you see that Don Bradman's teams lost 3 of the 4 times they followed-on.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
The paceman cometh
Zaheer Khan has developed a totally unique way (among bowlers) of celebrating his wickets. He holds his arms aloft in the Rocky Pose and slowly does a full 360 degree turn savoring the response of his teammates (see image #11), while they rush to mob him. On the second day of the Basin Reserve Test match, he got to hold the pose 5 times. While he got lucky on a couple of wickets, he thoroughly deserved the 5-for as they were numerous other balls in the spell that deserved wickets and did not get them.
Enough people have written about his removal from the Indian team, his subsequent rejuvenation after putting in the hard work at Worcestershire (where he saw a 40plus Graeme Hick, with no prospects of an international future, train harder than anyone else everyday) and his triumphant return. John Buchanan may be yelling from the roof-tops about his multi-captain approach but the Indian team has already practiced it - most visibly during the 2003 World Cup when there was a batting, bowling, and fielding captain. Thesedays, when the fast bowlers are operating, watch closely. MS Dhoni does not set the field, Zaheer Khan does. Dhoni is content to let ZAK take over, relying on the pacer's judgment and instinct, only taking over when the plan does not seem to be working and damage-control is required.
Yesterday, Harbhajan Singh also stepped up. Basin Reserve is noted for its strong cross-breeze and it takes a bowler of great heart to keep running into it over after over. Ewen Chatfield's role on the New Zealand team of the 80's was not just to keep one end quiet while Richard Hadlee ran amok at the other, it was also to keep running into the wind. Harbhajan bowled unchanged for 23 overs, even picking up 3 wickets in the process, albeit one (of Ross Tayor) that wasn't. (While on that, how Ross Taylor not display even a split second of anger or disappointment at that terrible decision from Daryl Harper is beyond me).
At the end of the day, India are effectively 233 for 1. The only way New Zealand can win this Test match is to throw caution to the winds and attack. Try to get India all out under 250 and then chase down whatever target is put up in the manner of an ODI. They will not be able to play the waiting game and bat out more than a day. This Indian team has too many weapons, starting with the tactical nous of the captain, to let them play the survival game.
Now, dear Kiwi, do you see why New Zealand did not prepare bowler-friendly pitches for this series? It was the New Zealand team that they were afraid of, not the Indian one.
Enough people have written about his removal from the Indian team, his subsequent rejuvenation after putting in the hard work at Worcestershire (where he saw a 40plus Graeme Hick, with no prospects of an international future, train harder than anyone else everyday) and his triumphant return. John Buchanan may be yelling from the roof-tops about his multi-captain approach but the Indian team has already practiced it - most visibly during the 2003 World Cup when there was a batting, bowling, and fielding captain. Thesedays, when the fast bowlers are operating, watch closely. MS Dhoni does not set the field, Zaheer Khan does. Dhoni is content to let ZAK take over, relying on the pacer's judgment and instinct, only taking over when the plan does not seem to be working and damage-control is required.
Yesterday, Harbhajan Singh also stepped up. Basin Reserve is noted for its strong cross-breeze and it takes a bowler of great heart to keep running into it over after over. Ewen Chatfield's role on the New Zealand team of the 80's was not just to keep one end quiet while Richard Hadlee ran amok at the other, it was also to keep running into the wind. Harbhajan bowled unchanged for 23 overs, even picking up 3 wickets in the process, albeit one (of Ross Tayor) that wasn't. (While on that, how Ross Taylor not display even a split second of anger or disappointment at that terrible decision from Daryl Harper is beyond me).
At the end of the day, India are effectively 233 for 1. The only way New Zealand can win this Test match is to throw caution to the winds and attack. Try to get India all out under 250 and then chase down whatever target is put up in the manner of an ODI. They will not be able to play the waiting game and bat out more than a day. This Indian team has too many weapons, starting with the tactical nous of the captain, to let them play the survival game.
Now, dear Kiwi, do you see why New Zealand did not prepare bowler-friendly pitches for this series? It was the New Zealand team that they were afraid of, not the Indian one.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Six of one, six of the other
The first day of the third Test between India and New Zealand was one of those rare days when supporters of both teams found reasons to cheer.
India made 375 runs in 90 overs. New Zealand took 9 wickets. India scored 185 runs in the post-tea session after being 190 for 5. New Zealand gave up 68 runs without a wicket in the first hour, and 185 runs in the last session and still managed to get the Indians almost all out.
The first day of the third Test between India and New Zealand was one of those rare days when supporters of both teams found reasons to jeer.
Ironically, take the second paragraph of this post and flip the perspective of the supporter and you will find the very reasons for anguish.
At this point in time, India has the advantage. New Zealand needs to win. In order to do so they have to not only overhaul the Indian total, but also score enough to put pressure on them when they bat second. Also, they need to do this at a fast rate.
Probably the worst thing for India was that they did not get all out at the close of play. On the second day, early on in the morning when there is enough swing available, the tail-enders will be wasting time trying to add more runs to the total. Let's assume that India gets all out in the first over of the day. New Zealand will need to bat all day and into the third day just to get a big lead. Based upon the way the pitch is behaving I don't think they can bat without losing wickets through the day, so it is going to be a tough task to expect the Kiwis to take a big lead.
I know one thing - MS Dhoni will not let them score at more than 4 runs an over. He does not mind looking ugly in order to get results.
Many folks around the world, especially in New Zealand, have been wondering why the hosts have prepared such batting-friendly pitches. I think the Kiwis know that the Indian bowling line-up is much better than their own and if given a juicy wicket the Kiwis were more likely to collapse. Secondly, this Indian batting line-up is clicking on almost all (barring Yuvraj) cylinders and are wiser for their experience in 2003.
Preparing bland pitches was not done to protect the Indians, it was done to protect the Kiwis. Day two promises to be a great one for followers of Test cricket. It's a shame, really, that India is not scheduled (as of now) to play any more Tests in 2009.
One parting shot - should India declare at the overnight score?
India made 375 runs in 90 overs. New Zealand took 9 wickets. India scored 185 runs in the post-tea session after being 190 for 5. New Zealand gave up 68 runs without a wicket in the first hour, and 185 runs in the last session and still managed to get the Indians almost all out.
The first day of the third Test between India and New Zealand was one of those rare days when supporters of both teams found reasons to jeer.
Ironically, take the second paragraph of this post and flip the perspective of the supporter and you will find the very reasons for anguish.
At this point in time, India has the advantage. New Zealand needs to win. In order to do so they have to not only overhaul the Indian total, but also score enough to put pressure on them when they bat second. Also, they need to do this at a fast rate.
Probably the worst thing for India was that they did not get all out at the close of play. On the second day, early on in the morning when there is enough swing available, the tail-enders will be wasting time trying to add more runs to the total. Let's assume that India gets all out in the first over of the day. New Zealand will need to bat all day and into the third day just to get a big lead. Based upon the way the pitch is behaving I don't think they can bat without losing wickets through the day, so it is going to be a tough task to expect the Kiwis to take a big lead.
I know one thing - MS Dhoni will not let them score at more than 4 runs an over. He does not mind looking ugly in order to get results.
Many folks around the world, especially in New Zealand, have been wondering why the hosts have prepared such batting-friendly pitches. I think the Kiwis know that the Indian bowling line-up is much better than their own and if given a juicy wicket the Kiwis were more likely to collapse. Secondly, this Indian batting line-up is clicking on almost all (barring Yuvraj) cylinders and are wiser for their experience in 2003.
Preparing bland pitches was not done to protect the Indians, it was done to protect the Kiwis. Day two promises to be a great one for followers of Test cricket. It's a shame, really, that India is not scheduled (as of now) to play any more Tests in 2009.
One parting shot - should India declare at the overnight score?
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Numerically speaking
If numerology has anything to do with fate, then you heard it first here - Jesse Ryder will score either 0, 12, or 21 in the Third Test match against India.
Update: Ryder scored 3 runs (2+1) but took 12 balls and 21 minutes to do so (as pointed out by Nish (see comments). Cue the spooky music!
Update: Ryder scored 3 runs (2+1) but took 12 balls and 21 minutes to do so (as pointed out by Nish (see comments). Cue the spooky music!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunshine on my shouder
Some days are just perfect. When these days roll away I wait eagerly for CricInfo to write about it. They did not disappoint me this time. I have watched the innings thrice already and I could watch it another three times. What a joy to watch VVS Laxman in song!
Rahul Dravid has spoken about the mental strength of Laxman, which is often masked by the beauty of his batsmanship. "When he walks in, whether you are batting in the middle or sitting in the pavilion and a wicket has fallen, he brings calm to the whole dressing room," Dravid said. It wasn't a surprise to see the Indian team happily playing football at the end of the fourth day's play, still a long way to go in saving the Test. Laxman was still to bat.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
King-ly corner
Stealing an idea from Peter King (of Sports Illustrated), here are some things I think when I am not thinking other things:
a) Why don't frontline bowlers get the luxury of a nightwatchman at the end of a long day when they have been at the mercy of a lifeless pitch? Can Sachin Tendulkar give me an answer?
b) I have a strong suspicion that Rahul Dravid is going to retire from Test cricket at the end of the India-New Zealand Test series.
c) If Sachin Tendulkar is batting in the high 40's the best way to get him out is to bring on a slow bowler or spinner. His need to get there with singles, and not by playing the ball on its merit, is making him very vulnerable lately (think White, think Patel, in fact, look at the names of the bowlers who got him out when in sight of a personal landmark (in the late 40's) in the recent past.
a) Why don't frontline bowlers get the luxury of a nightwatchman at the end of a long day when they have been at the mercy of a lifeless pitch? Can Sachin Tendulkar give me an answer?
b) I have a strong suspicion that Rahul Dravid is going to retire from Test cricket at the end of the India-New Zealand Test series.
c) If Sachin Tendulkar is batting in the high 40's the best way to get him out is to bring on a slow bowler or spinner. His need to get there with singles, and not by playing the ball on its merit, is making him very vulnerable lately (think White, think Patel, in fact, look at the names of the bowlers who got him out when in sight of a personal landmark (in the late 40's) in the recent past.
d) I think there should be a ban on using certain puns with certain players, such as, Tiger Woods and prowl in the same sentence, Rahul Dravid and the wall, Chris Gayle and cool, Laxman and wristy.
e) Who will man the slips cordon once Sachin, Dravid, and Laxman exit the Test stage?
f) If the IPL is played in South Africa, is it still the Indian Premier League?
g) I wish I could golf more fequently. I bet RT would agree!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Spring is in the air
Over the years, cricket in the United States has slowly been picking up steam. Played mostly by college students or recent immigrants from various parts of the British Commonwealth, the level of play is not of the highest caliber, but there is no shortage of intensity. Elsewhere on this blog I have documented one such season for a team from West Virginia University.
The New York Times recently featured cricket in its weekend section, chronicling a club cricket tournament played in Florida.
A book by Joseph O'Neill, Netherland, was recently in the running for the 2009 Man Booker Prize, too.
For my part, with each passing day as the sun sets later and later, an excitement is building in anticipation of the new season.
The New York Times recently featured cricket in its weekend section, chronicling a club cricket tournament played in Florida.
Though cricket counts its fans by the billion worldwide, the sport does not register a pulse in the United States. Of the five teams in attendance at this experimental event last weekend — Montgomery, from Maryland; Boston University; Carnegie Mellon, from Pittsburgh; the University of South Florida and the University of Miami — most exist only as social clubs. None of them have club team status, and the sport is not officially recognized by the N.C.A.A.I doubt whether cricket will ever really catch on in a major way in the US (the ICC will find a way to botch it) but it is heartening to see that it is beginning to make some inroads.
“This is an opportunity for us to really show athletic directors at a Division I level that cricket matters, cricket is a big sport and cricket has a marketing capability in this country,” said Sumantro Das, an all-rounder and junior at Boston University, who learned to play as a child in India.
A book by Joseph O'Neill, Netherland, was recently in the running for the 2009 Man Booker Prize, too.
For my part, with each passing day as the sun sets later and later, an excitement is building in anticipation of the new season.
The march of the lemmings
A few weeks ago, some students told me about a charity event that they were organizing. In order to raise some money for it, they set up a "pay to vote" system where students could "vote" for one faculty member to lead the event.
I was the lucky (or unlucky, depending upon your inclination for these things) faculty member chosen for this honor. Yesterday was the day and it sneaked up on me! The local newspaper covered the event. Here's a look at what the event was about!
The ambient temperature at that time was about 35 degreesF (2 degreesC) but it was much colder because of the cold breeze that was blowing. All in all, a fun way to spend a few seconds of the day. There definitely was shrinkage, Jerry!
I was the lucky (or unlucky, depending upon your inclination for these things) faculty member chosen for this honor. Yesterday was the day and it sneaked up on me! The local newspaper covered the event. Here's a look at what the event was about!
The ambient temperature at that time was about 35 degreesF (2 degreesC) but it was much colder because of the cold breeze that was blowing. All in all, a fun way to spend a few seconds of the day. There definitely was shrinkage, Jerry!
Logically speaking
When the Oscar awards were announced, I could not understand how The Fall was not nominated for visual awards. All the clips I saw of it were breathtaking and Ebert's praise could not have been more fullsome. (I had written about it here).
Made by Tarsem (he goes by just one name) it looks like a fantastic movie to watch. Here's a preview of it:
Here's just one scene from the movie. The kid's logic is simple and unanswerable.
Made by Tarsem (he goes by just one name) it looks like a fantastic movie to watch. Here's a preview of it:
Here's just one scene from the movie. The kid's logic is simple and unanswerable.
Cottoning on
Bobilli Vijay Kumar finds that the ghosts of the former regime are still being revisited by the current one.
I have talked about it a couple of times in the past, most recently a few weeks ago.
I have talked about it a couple of times in the past, most recently a few weeks ago.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Hot tin roof
Dinesh Karthik (who seems to be back to a normal spelling for his name) needs to calm down behind the stumps. He is too jumpy and has way too many body parts moving around while the ball is in the air. If he keeps this up, this may well end up being his last Test match.
For instance, he is like Jim Carrey when he needs to be like Clint Eastwood. Action isn't everything.
For instance, he is like Jim Carrey when he needs to be like Clint Eastwood. Action isn't everything.
Matter of the mind
MS Dhoni has not put too many false steps in the short time since he has been captaining the Indian side. Where he has impressed the most is in his ability to deflect the media's questions with jokes and (gasp) corporate-speak. For a guy who has no more than a high school education (and by all accounts just a rudimentary one at that) he is erudite and displays an acumen well beyond his ears.
At press conferences, his answers are elaborate and informative, while eschewing typical captain-speak ("boys batted well, the boys bowled in the right areas", etc.) most of the time. It is not as if he is always ready with a quip. It is just that even when he is giving the same information, he takes the time to elaborate on what he means by it.
Case in point: He takes a simple statement that the team is not underprepared because they haven't practiced much at the current Test venue (yawn) and turns that into a lesson on how to unclutter a mind. The stock answer would have been that the players are all professionals and know how to prepare for the game at such short notice, etc. Here's how Dhoni elaborated on it.
At press conferences, his answers are elaborate and informative, while eschewing typical captain-speak ("boys batted well, the boys bowled in the right areas", etc.) most of the time. It is not as if he is always ready with a quip. It is just that even when he is giving the same information, he takes the time to elaborate on what he means by it.
Case in point: He takes a simple statement that the team is not underprepared because they haven't practiced much at the current Test venue (yawn) and turns that into a lesson on how to unclutter a mind. The stock answer would have been that the players are all professionals and know how to prepare for the game at such short notice, etc. Here's how Dhoni elaborated on it.
"Mentally we are right there. When it comes to the mind it depends on what you're feeding into the mind. The mind doesn't know if it's Napier or what you're feeding. You come and say 'this is Napier', and it believes it's Napier. If you see, it's an abstract. When people say 'he's in form', nobody has seen form. It's a state of mind where you are confident and you think very positively and everything you think about, you think it's very achievable. It's about how you treat the mind. One day here, one day there doesn't really make a difference. Preparation-wise, we are up to the mark."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Fore!
Here's a panoramic view of the Meadow Ponds Golf Course in West Virginia - a course where I honed my (very-limited) golf skills. This video was taken in the month of March (which explains why the trees are so bare and the grass not as green).
Yes, the wind does get pretty strong sometimes. And that is indeed me missing my putt (for par).
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Old wine, meet new bottle
In 2006, Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid were at the helm of Indian cricket. The Indian team was gearing up for a run at the upcoming 2007 World Cup. There was a great deal of hue and cry over the fact that India did not have a settled #3 batsman.
On February 12th, 2006, on my blog I wrote:
Fast forward to today. Once again, the Indian batting line-up is in a flux. Stop the presses!! Sidharth Monga (there he is once more!) picks up the thesis, as if it is a new concept, again.
On February 12th, 2006, on my blog I wrote:
The IndianOil Cup in Sri Lanka was the first time Rahul Dravid was made the captain for an entire series, under the aegis of Greg Chappell. Since that time the following players have batted at #3 - Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, MS Dhoni, JP Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, SK Raina, and VVS Laxman.The criticism that was being leveled at that time was that the oh-so-easily-insecure batsmen were unsure who was batting where, and that it was ruining the player's confidence. In searching for a method behind the seeming madness, I thought I found one.
I searched for a pattern and I think I am beginning to see one. The Indian think-tank (Chappell, Dravid and Tendulkar) appear to have broken up the batsmen into two categories - the accelerators (Sehwag, Yuvraj, Pathan, Dhoni) and the anchors (Tendulkar, Dravid, Kaif). These 7 form the central core of their batting lineup.The plan did not quite work out in the World Cup because of factors not completely in their control.
The manipulation of the batting line-up is based on pairing an accelerator with an anchor as much as possible. Which role-players will go in to bat depends upon the state of the match:
The generic formula: Sehwag and Tendulkar will open. Sehwag's mandate is to accelerate, while Tendulkar's is to consolidate. If Sehwag gets out early - either Pathan or Yuvraj or Dhoni will go in. If Tendulkar gets out first - either Kaif or Dravid will go in.
Unfortunately for the think-tank, the worst possible thing happened. Sehwag's ODI form hit rock bottom and, soon, Pathan joined him there. Yuvraj Singh hit a purple patch of form and India rode the crest of his, Dhoni's, and (for some time) Pathan's feats to the tune of 18 straight successful chases (oh, how easily the media forgets this astounding feat).The end result was that Chappell was eased out, Dravid eventually resigned, and serendipitously, India discovered that MS Dhoni was a brilliant captain, in spite of a total lack of experience in that role.
But then Yuvraj, a vital cog in the scheme, was rendered hors de combat, and Raina/Mongia could not fill his void. Eventually the scheme was adjusted to try to fit the personnel available and this coincided with the clamouring for all experimentation to stop. (Ironically, this is the time when they needed to experiment the most to find the pieces to replace the cogs that had begun to malfunction).
Fast forward to today. Once again, the Indian batting line-up is in a flux. Stop the presses!! Sidharth Monga (there he is once more!) picks up the thesis, as if it is a new concept, again.
So who is India's No. 3 for ODIs? Gautam Gambhir? Only when Sachin Tendulkar plays. But wait a minute, didn't Mahendra Singh Dhoni feature at one-down in the Napier ODI with Tendulkar opening with Virender Sehwag? Gambhir didn't even get to bat then.Dhoni attempts to clarify this (seemingly) bewildering state of affairs when he says:
Suresh Raina would be a close guess, but he has done it only five times out of his past 11 matches, and on 15 occasions during his 61-match career.
How about Yuvraj Singh? Not really, having batted at No. 3 14 times in his 228 games. But he can make a surprise appearance every now and then.
Dhoni took the uncertainty game one step ahead after India won the previous match. That involved the roles the different batsmen were supposed to play. One of the keys is for one batsman to provide stability from one end so that the likes of Sehwag, Yuvraj, Raina and Yusuf can play their natural game.Hmmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it? Before we get too ahead of ourselves we must let some old demons rise up one more time.
"We have Sachin, Gautam and lower down the order, myself, who can do this job," Dhoni said. "But in between we change that also, so the opposition can't really be sure that the batsmen will play their innings in a certain way. At times he is given the responsibility to play aggressive cricket too, because the opposition keeps thinking he will look to take the innings through."
But there is a fine line between a clever, better shuffle and a muddle. If the ploy surprises the opposition, it must also leave the batsmen themselves a touch unsure. By the time the captain-coach combine of Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell was done, a major criticism was that with so many shuffles no batsman was certain of what his role in the side was.My take has always been simple. If the captain (and coach) of the team clearly explains to each player what the overall strategy is and how their play fits in the big scheme of things, I don't see anyone having problems with that. The only concern (and this is a big one) is that the selectors need to be aware of this before they take a knee-jerk approach and discard someone for a lean spell while simply following team orders. It has happened before (most noticeably with Aakash Chopra in the recent past) and nothing convinces me that it will not happen in the near future.
I just hope that the 2011 World Cup does not get sacrificed at the altar of public perception, like the 2007 edition was.
Cricket links
Here are articles that merit a few sentences but probably not an entire blog item. (Also, I think I will get lynched by some of my regulars, who are not as cricket-centric as I am, if I proceed to have 5 more posts on cricket today!).
a) If you haven't already gotten the message - I am thoroughly jealous of Sidharth Monga. Here's a sample of his tour diary from New Zealand while he has the arduous task of following the Indian cricket team and reporting on it. Grr-dom prevails. Someday....someday...
Step into the spotlight - Isa Guha and Claire Taylor. (What?! You thought I was talking about Pietersen and Flintoff?). I watched England thump India yesterday (yes, I watch women's cricket, too!) and came away maha impressed with Guha, Taylor, and Mithali Raj.
c) Elsewhere, Sidharth Monga describes the inequity that exists in cricket these days between bat and ball, particularly in the shorter form of the game. ODI's first double century is coming, maybe in just a few hours from now (in the 4th ODI between India and New Zealand, but I will not rejoice when it does. Scoring runs these days is as easy it was to hunt a dodo back when dodo's were alive and thriving.
What is even more frustrating is that people like Sachin Tendulkar, who should know better, think this is a wonderful trend. Sickening, really.
a) If you haven't already gotten the message - I am thoroughly jealous of Sidharth Monga. Here's a sample of his tour diary from New Zealand while he has the arduous task of following the Indian cricket team and reporting on it. Grr-dom prevails. Someday....someday...
February 24b) From the "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" stable comes this entry - England has the world's #1 batsman and bowler. I kid you not!
Norm has been driving the Indian team around in his coach. He has done the job for various sports teams for a long time now. The first time he went into the bus this time, he saw Sachin Tendulkar in his customary first seat, and his jaw dropped. "Jeez you are famous," Norm said.
A few of Norm's observations: the Indians are immaculately behaved; most of them put on their iPods when they board, except for Tendulkar, who is always seen laughing with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Norm keeps the bus keys away from Sehwag. Never know when he feels like a drive. Alone.
Step into the spotlight - Isa Guha and Claire Taylor. (What?! You thought I was talking about Pietersen and Flintoff?). I watched England thump India yesterday (yes, I watch women's cricket, too!) and came away maha impressed with Guha, Taylor, and Mithali Raj.
c) Elsewhere, Sidharth Monga describes the inequity that exists in cricket these days between bat and ball, particularly in the shorter form of the game. ODI's first double century is coming, maybe in just a few hours from now (in the 4th ODI between India and New Zealand, but I will not rejoice when it does. Scoring runs these days is as easy it was to hunt a dodo back when dodo's were alive and thriving.
What is even more frustrating is that people like Sachin Tendulkar, who should know better, think this is a wonderful trend. Sickening, really.
There is an inherent flaw in the modern cricketing language too. Commentators, captains, experts instinctively call a flat track a "good pitch". A pitch which assists bowling is put in the "not-of-international-standard" category.d) The recent events in Pakistan have put some doubts into the latest season of the IPL. The IPL has successfully flexed its muscles, notably with respect to the ICL and the ICC. But now, the IPL may be trying to bite a bitter chunk than it can reckon with - the Indian electoral system, as Nirmal Shekar explains in The Hindu in a tongue-and-cheek way.
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? The bowlers won't be thinking of all that though for they are facing the ultimate test of their skill and acumen.
The Indian Premier League is about many things. It’s about money, money, money, money, money… and then, of course, about a bit of cricket, of the frenetic kind, too.e) Asian players have long complained about a biased treatment from the match officials when it comes to handing out punishments. But news from West Indies would have heartened them when they heard that two English players were found guilty of excessive appealing. But before I could write about it here, Samir Chopra beat me to the punch on his blog.
Given that fact, this column has a suggestion to Mr. Lalit Modi, the IPL’s high-profile head honcho. He should request the Central Government of the world’s largest democracy to postpone the general elections scheduled for April-May. Well, actually he should go beyond that: he should demand it.
(...)
There is a simple solution: postpone the polls, no matter what the Constitution says, no matter what the Election Commissioners may say. After all, can these blokes possibly bring in hundreds of millions to the kitty? Can they conceivably persuade Preity Zinta or Shilpa Shetty — draped in the finest their unabashedly expensive wardrobes can offer — to jive it live in front of TV cameras during the matches?
Did anyone whisper anything about priorities? By golly, who cares? After all, this is a nation where Parliament erupts in atavistic frenzy whenever the Indian cricketers lose a match in South Africa, and reverts to certain ennui as the odd member brings up an issue such as farmer suicides.
(...)
In a rational world, it would have been an open-and-shut case, a non-issue. If the governments of the States where the IPL matches are scheduled believed they would not be able to provide adequate security to the players because of the election pressures, then the Central Government should simply tell the Board of Control for Cricket in India that it would do well to postpone, or even cancel, the event.
(...)
Repeatedly we are told that there is far too much at stake for too many people, for the IPL Board to even so much as contemplate the idea of such a postponement or a cancellation. But who are these stakeholders, and why should elected governments stretch their security apparatus dangerously thin in order to protect their interests?
But wait! The two Englishmen are named Madhusudan Singh Panesar and Amjad Khan! Curses. See? Its in the genes, the stars, the pitch, the water, the blood, the skies. Poor lads. Their parents moved so far away from home, put up with the trials and tribulation of migration, of an unsympathetic local populace, brought their kids up right, sent them to good schools, made sure they didn't have the wrong accents, and even got them into the English team, complete with the Four Lions sweater. But they still got hauled up for excessive appealing.Or in the case of Panesar, you can prance like an excited bird (or a happy seal as aptly described by the commentators on CricInfo) but you can never be a McGrath. Note how McGrath never turns around before the decision is given, but was he reprimanded? Are you kidding me?!
Sorry lads; you can run, but you can't hide.
Dancing with the stars
One more article that deserves to go into my ode to the original Little Master, GR Viswanath, is this one by Ramachandra Guha. It is full of anecdotes and is a treat for any fan of Vishy.
I once watched Vishy, at the Ferozeshah Kotla, in a Ranji Trophy match between Karnataka and Delhi, being beaten on the back foot by a delivery from the rising university star Praveen Oberoi. The ball had come in late with the arm instead of, as the batsman had anticipated, spinning away towards the off side. The ball was only narrowly missing leg stump, and the bowler, after pleading with the umpire to give the decision in his favour, sank to the ground in despair. At the end of the over Oberoi made a great show to his team-mates of what he felt was a case of justice denied. Vishy watched calmly but at the beginning of Oberoi's next over came dancing down the wicket to send the ball into the crowd over extra cover.
Even the gentlest of men are sometimes moved to show an upstart his place.
Musical Chair
Ram Gopal Varma has collaborated numerous time with AR Rahman and has a good working relationship with the musician. On his blog, he goes into detail about the origins and the workings of this relationship.
Oddly, they have worked together in just twice in the past (Rangeela and Daud) and not since 1997.
I was making a Telugu film called Kshana Kshanam with a first-time music director called Keera Vani, now known as M.M.Kreem. One day at the recording studio while we were having lunch, Rickey, a rhythm programmer working with M.M.Kreem at that time, mentioned to me that I should work with this very talented keyboard player called Dilip. That was the first time I had ever heard of A.R.Rahman.Read the whole piece. It is informative and gives an insight into both of their thought processes.
Oddly, they have worked together in just twice in the past (Rangeela and Daud) and not since 1997.
High ground
Here's reason number 14,657 why I like Aakash Chopra. Aakash recently played a few matches in Agartala, a location not often visited by the cricketers. His CricInfo blog touches upon the place and his feelings.
It is so typical of the fellow that he did not refer to this in his blog. His book (which I have now read and shall review in detail when I have a couple of hours to spare) is also written in the same style.
He truly believes in letting his deeds do the talking. For a guy not considered good enough for the slower formats of the game, check out where he ended up in the leading run-scorers table after the Vijay Hazare tournament.
Personally, I like coming to the smaller, lesser known places in this vast land. Only cricket could have given us the opportunity to travel all over and get acquainted with various local cultures. There’s something peculiar about the houses (on the outskirts) in this part of the country. Since land is not at a premium the houses are built on a big compound with enough space for a garden. Invariably there are a couple of coconut trees in every compound and the boundary walls are made of bamboo. Those bamboo boundary walls – some of the smaller shops have them too - make a statement: we trust each other. It reminds me of the tradition in a small island called Nevis in the Caribbean, where locking your car is taken as an insult by the others.What is impressive about the post is not what is there, but what is not there. Chasing a mammoth score of 306 to win, Aakash and Virat Kohli hit centuries to guide Delhi to a great win.
It is so typical of the fellow that he did not refer to this in his blog. His book (which I have now read and shall review in detail when I have a couple of hours to spare) is also written in the same style.
He truly believes in letting his deeds do the talking. For a guy not considered good enough for the slower formats of the game, check out where he ended up in the leading run-scorers table after the Vijay Hazare tournament.
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