The traveler ruffled around,
In search of a place so profound,
Never did he stop to look by,
At the musings of a gentle sky.
The pregnant sun slowly rose,
Boring life, quietly it roared,
Burning with all its pride,
All this –seemed nothing more than a mere disguise.
The purity came trickling down,
The ever so scattered clouds,
But it all went down the drain,
For none would pay heed to their claim.
The wind rustled in joy,
Charming its way, it gleamed,
But to him it seemed,
Far too much of a coy.
The birds skirted in unity,
Sailing boundlessly,
As if headed towards eternity,
Troubled he thought, what a pity.
He marched on hoping,
Waiting for a miracle to happen,
Hardly realizing it was all there to be had,
But no one was looking.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Artist and the Recession
“Never mind what he can do to his team’s fortunes. This is a man who can make prime ministers run.”
On a beautiful sunny day, John Howard, then the Prime Minister of Australia, suddenly broke into a trot and his six bodyguards instantly switched to light-jog mode. Moments ago, the PA system had announced that the new man in was the one he referred to as “Laksmin”. Howard hurriedly made his way through a strolling, slightly puzzled crowd and towards his box seat at the 2004 Sydney Test.
"Affairs of state were going to have to wait."
Nearly eight years have gone by, and a lot has changed. Let alone the paraphernalia accompanying the 22 yards, even the Australian Prime Minister has changed – twice. But like form, prime ministers are temporary. However, there are things that remain just as they were – they, in a wonderfully charming way, cause the world to stop, hold back from its incessant march forward – to look at timelessness, at things that seizes motion, allows the mind to wander: a beautiful love story, a travelogue lazily told, a ghazal, a VVS Laxman innings.
Another phenomenon that, somehow, mysteriously defies change is Laxman’s ability to attract doubters. A few low scores here and there, a new kid on the block and questions about his rightful place as the formidable No.6 invariably begin to crop up. Many even do not hesitate to go to the extent of questioning his place in the squad in the first place.
And never have the voices been so loud. His overseas record since the England tour show paltry returns of 253 runs in 12 innings. A little in depth analysis might also reveal a slight flaw in the magician’s armor. Inadequate foot movement, an affinity to lunge into a flaying drive to a ball that is far away from his body, the tendency of staying on the crease to full pitched deliveries.
Kapil Dev, Sanjay Manjrekar, Kiran More and Anshuman Gaekwad have all asked India to look forward. To lose with younger players, if they have to keep losing. To start phasing out the big three - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Laxman. It however does not take a cricket guru to read between the lines, what they actually meant was to drop Laxman, perennially the most disposable man among the Indian batting heavyweights.
But is this lean period of his, enough to strip him off his place in the Indian line-up?
For just a few months prior to this, Laxman was churning out centuries every 4 tests and averaged a whopping 80 over a span of two years (from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2011 to be precise). More than the numbers, Laxman was busy steering the Indian ship to safety, to victory.
"His will never be a career in numbers. He has always been a batsman of imagery and imagination. Laxman’s records may easily be overtaken, but they cannot be replicated."
"No matter how dire the situation – and he has been on duty on some very dire days – when Laxman took the stage in his moment, he conjured up the illusion that the crisis was not being tackled, it was simply being ignored. No wonder, the Prime Ministers came running."
Sport, however, doesn’t care about two years ago, we are told. But Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting have been through such spells. They have been allowed rope. They have all come back.
A lot is being said that the oppositions have now unraveled the very very special mystery and that there seems to be appearing loopholes in Laxman’s magic. That all you need to do is to come up with a few full pitched swinging deliveries and Laxman is as good as a sitting duck, is fast spreading among the opponent’s dressing room.
But isn’t that slight use of the depth of the crease for that fraction of a second more stands him in good light when playing in bouncy conditions? Questions have always been raised aplenty about his fitness, but knees have never been Laxman’s best friends.
Many years ago, a young Jonty Rhodes was batting with the legendary but ageing Graeme Pollock. After Jonty had called him for one single too many, the great man called him mid-pitch and said: “Young man, the athletics stops now and the cricket begins!”
"The athletics may have stopped for VVS Laxman but the cricket continues to be magical."
"The statistics might appear to fail him but computers only tell us about history; they have no concept of heart. They count Tests but don’t account for class and temperament." The end might be nearing but this certainly isn’t. Drop Laxman against Australia in Australia. No. Not yet!
Monday, May 30, 2011
R Ashwin and the Changing Tides
If cricket were a game of stocks, the blue chips would be the spinners. They have been a pretty solid investment over the years and currently, across continents and cultures, they are throwing up quite outstanding returns.
A tall offspinner who bowls with a high-arm action, having the precious ability to operate at difficult stages of the innings and is studying to be an engineer, R Ashwin has some uncanny similarities with S Venkataraghavan, but for the moment the comparison should end there.
As Harsha Bhogle says the spinners are normally a very happy bunch of guys and you will rarely find them complaining about things. Unless of course one of them is called Robert Croft (the purists would scorn at his presence in this list!) for on a bright sunny day on a dusty wearing track he will complain about the length of the umpire's shoelaces! But that of course is history so let’s move on.
R. Ashwin's bag of tricks and the intelligence with which he mixed his deliveries stands out. For a man, having played just 9 ODI’s and who is yet to make his test debut - to be considered as one of the most potent bowling force in the country speaks for itself. India has never lacked the quantity of spin bowlers in its ranks. Almost every domestic side relies heavily on the exploits of their spinners. But it is the quality that counts when one gets to the highest level.
Ashwin may not be someone who you would call a classical off spinner but then again spin bowling is a matter of wits and the cricketing world is undergoing a massive transformation. The pace battery now waits for the ball to scruff up, for the shine to fade away so that they can come up and swing the ball the other way, while it is the spinners who have been entrusted with role of opening the bowling. Indeed, in Harsha Bhogle’s words, the cricketing equivalent of the el- nino.
It was Dipak Patel who first opened the bowling for New Zealand under Martin Crowe during the ’92 World Cup. Opening with spinners, although not an unknown phenomenon to the cricketing fraternity during the ‘90s, it was hardly employed on a regular basis till the turn of the millenium. With the advent of the T20 format, ironically, the effectiveness of spinners bowling with the new ball has certainly come to the fore. Already throwing the ball to a slow bowler in the Powerplays, once considered a surprise, a fad, is becoming normal. It is a strange game: the spinners are bowling the new ball and the quicks are waiting for the shine to go off a bit. It's all happening, Bill Lawry might say.
Already the teams are adapting. The mighty South Africans, they of the muscular hit-the-deck variety of bowling, played three spinners during the World Cup. In one of their games they had Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir, plus Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Graeme Smith himself to turn to. Old warhorses must have spluttered into their Castles at the sight.
India, too have employed this strategy on more occasions than one. In fact, Ashwin may very well be viewed as a specialist opening bowler who can be aggressive and on the same time curtail the run flow. That he has got the stomach for big matches and is undaunted by reputation was amply visible during last two editions of IPL and the Champions League where he played a major role in the CSK triumph. Purists might mutter about a lack of loop and flight, but he is very much a product of his times where short boundaries, heavy bats and shorter forms afford little latitude to slow bowlers.
He is India’s answer to the wily Ajantha Mendis, the “death-overs” specialist Johan Botha and Saeed Ajmal, who arguably has the most well deceived doosra amongst the current fray of spin bowlers. Yes, Bhajji still remains India’s lead bowler in all the three formats of the game but R Ashwin is well on course on playing the perfect foil to the turbanator, pretty much like he himself did when playing with former Indian Captain Anil Kumble.
A tall offspinner who bowls with a high-arm action, having the precious ability to operate at difficult stages of the innings and is studying to be an engineer, R Ashwin has some uncanny similarities with S Venkataraghavan, but for the moment the comparison should end there.
As Harsha Bhogle says the spinners are normally a very happy bunch of guys and you will rarely find them complaining about things. Unless of course one of them is called Robert Croft (the purists would scorn at his presence in this list!) for on a bright sunny day on a dusty wearing track he will complain about the length of the umpire's shoelaces! But that of course is history so let’s move on.
R. Ashwin's bag of tricks and the intelligence with which he mixed his deliveries stands out. For a man, having played just 9 ODI’s and who is yet to make his test debut - to be considered as one of the most potent bowling force in the country speaks for itself. India has never lacked the quantity of spin bowlers in its ranks. Almost every domestic side relies heavily on the exploits of their spinners. But it is the quality that counts when one gets to the highest level.
Ashwin may not be someone who you would call a classical off spinner but then again spin bowling is a matter of wits and the cricketing world is undergoing a massive transformation. The pace battery now waits for the ball to scruff up, for the shine to fade away so that they can come up and swing the ball the other way, while it is the spinners who have been entrusted with role of opening the bowling. Indeed, in Harsha Bhogle’s words, the cricketing equivalent of the el- nino.
It was Dipak Patel who first opened the bowling for New Zealand under Martin Crowe during the ’92 World Cup. Opening with spinners, although not an unknown phenomenon to the cricketing fraternity during the ‘90s, it was hardly employed on a regular basis till the turn of the millenium. With the advent of the T20 format, ironically, the effectiveness of spinners bowling with the new ball has certainly come to the fore. Already throwing the ball to a slow bowler in the Powerplays, once considered a surprise, a fad, is becoming normal. It is a strange game: the spinners are bowling the new ball and the quicks are waiting for the shine to go off a bit. It's all happening, Bill Lawry might say.
Already the teams are adapting. The mighty South Africans, they of the muscular hit-the-deck variety of bowling, played three spinners during the World Cup. In one of their games they had Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir, plus Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Graeme Smith himself to turn to. Old warhorses must have spluttered into their Castles at the sight.
India, too have employed this strategy on more occasions than one. In fact, Ashwin may very well be viewed as a specialist opening bowler who can be aggressive and on the same time curtail the run flow. That he has got the stomach for big matches and is undaunted by reputation was amply visible during last two editions of IPL and the Champions League where he played a major role in the CSK triumph. Purists might mutter about a lack of loop and flight, but he is very much a product of his times where short boundaries, heavy bats and shorter forms afford little latitude to slow bowlers.
He is India’s answer to the wily Ajantha Mendis, the “death-overs” specialist Johan Botha and Saeed Ajmal, who arguably has the most well deceived doosra amongst the current fray of spin bowlers. Yes, Bhajji still remains India’s lead bowler in all the three formats of the game but R Ashwin is well on course on playing the perfect foil to the turbanator, pretty much like he himself did when playing with former Indian Captain Anil Kumble.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Unforgettable Voyage
And now what with Aarohi over, it’s more like a premature end. The soul has gone; it’s just the outer body that remains. For those who have not been a part of it, it is and will always be just another college event, for us it has been the turning point. There has been nothing in these 4 years which can be compared to it when comes to attachment, bonding and fondness.
The journey in these 4 years has been similar to that of a river flowing with lots of fervour and gust at the source, meandering away in the plains and finally ending into a majestic bay ready for a much bigger journey ahead. Quite similar has been our case in these four years. Like the river flowing towards the ocean, all this while we have always aspired for ascendancy. It all started with a rush – lots of commotion – lots of pressure – lots of running to do pretty similar to what happens to rivers near their origin – fast, gusty. As time went on, other stuffs, studies for example, got a little more attention, with quite a number of people being “distracted” and eventually a few being left behind. And finally in our final year, where like the river that gains its entire might near its mouth, we gave all that we could to the best of our abilities with a small hope of going out with a bang.
Leaving all this behind makes us realise of what we can part with and what we can’t. Ten years down the line, we may not remember our classes or our professors but the time we spent together is something that we would never forget. Irrespective of whatever the final outcome may be, and wherever our destinies may lead us, I’m sure we would proudly be able to proclaim that our college life was the most beautiful flower in the lovely garden of life.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Life
The sun was way par its prime and was now fighting a losing battle. With less than a semi crescent visible over the seemingly unending expanse of water, its end was inevitable, darkness would eventually preside over. With the waters becoming ever more turbulent, the ocean had to bear the brunt of this ever impending clash. The Sun never went down meekly, putting up a brave fight whenever its reign was under threat and it was this determination and courage that empowered it to reconquer the lost land unfailingly.
“The curse is as bad for both of them. Both are destined for a complimentary life forever, for one can only survive at the expense of the other.”
The little boy looked up into his father’s gleaming eyes, he could barely sense the sadness and the pain through which those words were spoken, he was more intrigued by this impending battle. He picked up a small twig and carefully drew out a circle on the slightly wet sand. He stopped for a moment midway, his tongue hanging out at one end, his face tilted slightly to the left and seemed to ponder over his progress. Pretty satisfied with his effort he carried on. The little boy had brought down the sun right down to his feet, but this was only half the job done. He was now puzzled more than ever before for he wanted to en-capture darkness like the sun. He had a strange feeling that he could bring this battle to an end, that he could unite the sun and the darkness.
He looked up at his father who was watching him while with a mild expression of surprise. For a moment his father too had forgotten everything and had got mesmerized by the boy’s escapades. With a serious face, that had innocence written all over it, the little boy asked his father as to how to depict darkness for he had no clue. Thinking he hadn’t been able to convey his question to his father, who just gave a shrug and smiled, the boy stood up, went up to his father, and gently nudged him on his arm with the twig.
“Dad, I want to draw darkness.”
The father looked into his son’s determined eyes, who was slowly beginning to get impatient for he couldn’t understand why his father was unable to grasp the urgency. He let out a small clicking noise as if to proclaim that he was getting impatient. The father, sensing the increasing level of anxiety in his child, held the boy with his hands and helped him onto his lap.
“I’ll tell you how to draw darkness. But you will first have to listen to what I have to say.”
The boy looked up into his father’s eyes and a sense of calm swept across him. He realised that his quest would soon be fulfilled. He failed to notice the quiver in his father’s voice but the glint in his eyes told him that his father had something important to tell him. He made himself comfortable on his father’s lap, ready to catch on to everything that his father had to tell.
“There will come a time in your life when you will have to make a decision that will affect not only your life but also will be as important for those close to you. Whenever that time comes, remember that there will be a lot of people who’s lives will depend on that one decision. The sun and the darkness have both had to face such a situation and it is for the betterment of everyone that they have chosen this kind of life for themselves. It was a decision that has made life possible on this planet and it would be a really bad idea to alter their course of action. The pact has been made, and it must be let as it is for normalcy to remain forever. I will not be here for you forever. In fact forgive me for you have a very tough life ahead of you. Your mother died the day you were born. It was only her wish and sacrifice that has given me the courage to move on and live a normal life. But God hasn’t been kind on you, my son, and I will not lie about it. Its only a matter of days now before I will have to pay for my bad behaviour. Yes, my son, your dad is not the best dad in the world, in fact he barely considers himself to be one. I know, you are too small now to understand all this but please remember that in your future you will have to face hardships, obstacles far worse than what a normal child of your age will ever go through. And it is all because of my decision that I took a few years ago. Always remember my son; your decision will influence a lot of people. Always remember the Sun and the darkness, and remember that however tough a life they have to live they have taken that decision for the benefit for the entire world. This is a very small world where a lot of things are intertwined and your every decision somehow or the other plays a role in determining your destiny as well as those near you. Please remember this. And as for how to draw the darkness just cover the sun that you have drawn with a piece of black cloth. And you will have your darkness. But do you still want to go against the wishes of the Sun and the darkness?”
The boy was fast asleep in his father’s comforting lap. His father looked at his son, fast asleep and a tear fell a lump develop in his throat, a tear trickled down his cheek. He looked into the distant sea, now hardly able to make a silhouette of a fishing boat making its way back. The battle was over he thought. Darkness had once more thwarted the Sun. A smile spread across his face as another tear went down rolling on to the beach. His son shifted a little in his sleep.
“The curse is as bad for both of them. Both are destined for a complimentary life forever, for one can only survive at the expense of the other.”
The little boy looked up into his father’s gleaming eyes, he could barely sense the sadness and the pain through which those words were spoken, he was more intrigued by this impending battle. He picked up a small twig and carefully drew out a circle on the slightly wet sand. He stopped for a moment midway, his tongue hanging out at one end, his face tilted slightly to the left and seemed to ponder over his progress. Pretty satisfied with his effort he carried on. The little boy had brought down the sun right down to his feet, but this was only half the job done. He was now puzzled more than ever before for he wanted to en-capture darkness like the sun. He had a strange feeling that he could bring this battle to an end, that he could unite the sun and the darkness.
He looked up at his father who was watching him while with a mild expression of surprise. For a moment his father too had forgotten everything and had got mesmerized by the boy’s escapades. With a serious face, that had innocence written all over it, the little boy asked his father as to how to depict darkness for he had no clue. Thinking he hadn’t been able to convey his question to his father, who just gave a shrug and smiled, the boy stood up, went up to his father, and gently nudged him on his arm with the twig.
“Dad, I want to draw darkness.”
The father looked into his son’s determined eyes, who was slowly beginning to get impatient for he couldn’t understand why his father was unable to grasp the urgency. He let out a small clicking noise as if to proclaim that he was getting impatient. The father, sensing the increasing level of anxiety in his child, held the boy with his hands and helped him onto his lap.
“I’ll tell you how to draw darkness. But you will first have to listen to what I have to say.”
The boy looked up into his father’s eyes and a sense of calm swept across him. He realised that his quest would soon be fulfilled. He failed to notice the quiver in his father’s voice but the glint in his eyes told him that his father had something important to tell him. He made himself comfortable on his father’s lap, ready to catch on to everything that his father had to tell.
“There will come a time in your life when you will have to make a decision that will affect not only your life but also will be as important for those close to you. Whenever that time comes, remember that there will be a lot of people who’s lives will depend on that one decision. The sun and the darkness have both had to face such a situation and it is for the betterment of everyone that they have chosen this kind of life for themselves. It was a decision that has made life possible on this planet and it would be a really bad idea to alter their course of action. The pact has been made, and it must be let as it is for normalcy to remain forever. I will not be here for you forever. In fact forgive me for you have a very tough life ahead of you. Your mother died the day you were born. It was only her wish and sacrifice that has given me the courage to move on and live a normal life. But God hasn’t been kind on you, my son, and I will not lie about it. Its only a matter of days now before I will have to pay for my bad behaviour. Yes, my son, your dad is not the best dad in the world, in fact he barely considers himself to be one. I know, you are too small now to understand all this but please remember that in your future you will have to face hardships, obstacles far worse than what a normal child of your age will ever go through. And it is all because of my decision that I took a few years ago. Always remember my son; your decision will influence a lot of people. Always remember the Sun and the darkness, and remember that however tough a life they have to live they have taken that decision for the benefit for the entire world. This is a very small world where a lot of things are intertwined and your every decision somehow or the other plays a role in determining your destiny as well as those near you. Please remember this. And as for how to draw the darkness just cover the sun that you have drawn with a piece of black cloth. And you will have your darkness. But do you still want to go against the wishes of the Sun and the darkness?”
The boy was fast asleep in his father’s comforting lap. His father looked at his son, fast asleep and a tear fell a lump develop in his throat, a tear trickled down his cheek. He looked into the distant sea, now hardly able to make a silhouette of a fishing boat making its way back. The battle was over he thought. Darkness had once more thwarted the Sun. A smile spread across his face as another tear went down rolling on to the beach. His son shifted a little in his sleep.
If
As the clouds slowly begin to emanate their dominance over the scorching sun, the weather is not the only thing that is in a state of unrest, the sun is not the only thing that is feeling undone. If this is what the oncoming monsoons have in store, then I would gladly spend the rest of my life sauntering under the sultry sun.
As the innocent first drops of water gently kiss the perched land, with life oozing from every trickle, all its hope of a sublime welcome come crashing down the moment it touches the die-thirsty land and is unceremoniously soaked in. If this kind of an abrupt, cruel end is what in store, then I would gladly spend the rest of my life far away from this ill minded milieu.
As the delicate, young blades of grass, in their own artistic paradigm, make their way into this planet of life, they have to unwillingly become an adversary of their own siblings and fight for their very existence. If this is the kind of a living that awaits, then I would gladly be a lifeless spectator than be a part of this grotesque existence.
As the tiny little bud slowly blossoms into its prime, a spectacle more grandeur than any man made marvel, boasting of a smell more divine than any other, it is heartlessly plucked out – its grandiosity short lived – and not of any help against its fatal enemy. If this is what resplendence leads to, then I would gladly give-up all the external glint for a simple but rather friendly life.
As the innocent first drops of water gently kiss the perched land, with life oozing from every trickle, all its hope of a sublime welcome come crashing down the moment it touches the die-thirsty land and is unceremoniously soaked in. If this kind of an abrupt, cruel end is what in store, then I would gladly spend the rest of my life far away from this ill minded milieu.
As the delicate, young blades of grass, in their own artistic paradigm, make their way into this planet of life, they have to unwillingly become an adversary of their own siblings and fight for their very existence. If this is the kind of a living that awaits, then I would gladly be a lifeless spectator than be a part of this grotesque existence.
As the tiny little bud slowly blossoms into its prime, a spectacle more grandeur than any man made marvel, boasting of a smell more divine than any other, it is heartlessly plucked out – its grandiosity short lived – and not of any help against its fatal enemy. If this is what resplendence leads to, then I would gladly give-up all the external glint for a simple but rather friendly life.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Cup returns Home
The wait was finally over. A first World Cup title of any description now sits gleaming alongside the triumphs of Ashes past, such was the eminence of the emphatic win for England, the nation that invented this format of the game, the nation that infact invented Cricket. They faught back the stature and prestige which they had graciously allowed the rest of the world to plunder.
The build up to the dream final had in itself been a lip smackering prospect for both the teams. Both the nations came into the tournament desperately in need to change the course of history. On one hand the Englishmen were radically in search of their first ICC tournament victory in the 35 years of existence of limited over matches while for the Australians, seeded a lowly 9th in the tournament, it was a chance to show the world that they could play this format of the game with an added incentive of completing a cleansweep – World Cup (50 overs), Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup. And both the teams did justice to their cause by playing some immaculate cricket throughout the tournament.
England, catapulted beyond the sum of the individual brilliance by a collective quality almost impossible to quantify, had a sense of certainty in the results this past fortnight, underpinned by refreshing competence in all areas. The Australian juggernaut on the other hand continued to roll on destroying their opponents with utmost of ease and a touch of their typical arrogance. Pakistan, although seemed to be on the verge of stopping their onslaught were not able to land in the final blow and the Australians scraped of with one of the greatest T20 wins ever.
The final, touted by many as the reincarnation of the ashes in the shorter format, never lived upto its reputation of being a tough encounter, a showdown unlike the India Pakistan clash three years ago. As was the story at the Kennington Oval during the 2005 Ashes, the Kennsington Oval and the occasion did not suffer for the trans-Atlantic transfer.
England continued with their cagey thrift with the ball and committed themselves to full-on attack with the bat– a strategy similar to the one Australia’s Test team used to thrive on. They were again quick to adopt their leg side short ball tactic. The slow bouncer is Twenty20’s bodyline. Just like the original tactic it is designed to intimidate, the difference being that it relies on frustration rather than fear to scare the batsman.
The Aussies were unable to match the exploits of their opponents with the ball and it was intriguing that they didn't seem to have a plan B. So far in the competition their bullying pace attack had it pretty much all their own way but after they failed to break through England, they had nothing to fall back on. This is where the attitude of the players and the captain come into the picture. The Aussies, although a better side on paper than their counterparts, found themselves in an unknown territory when their pace battery failed to incur any serious damage and their helplessness was for everyone to see. Once the England batsmen were able to see off the new ball, the result was just a formality.
The result has meant the upcoming of many new horizons in world cricket. The looming Ashes winter has suddenly become a mouth watering prospect. The emergence of a new resilient and united England means that we are unlikely to see a repeat of the last tour Down Under, which began with a reckless wide to second slip from Steve Harmison and ended in whitewashed mortification. Defeat is always possible, but not humiliation.
The build up to the dream final had in itself been a lip smackering prospect for both the teams. Both the nations came into the tournament desperately in need to change the course of history. On one hand the Englishmen were radically in search of their first ICC tournament victory in the 35 years of existence of limited over matches while for the Australians, seeded a lowly 9th in the tournament, it was a chance to show the world that they could play this format of the game with an added incentive of completing a cleansweep – World Cup (50 overs), Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup. And both the teams did justice to their cause by playing some immaculate cricket throughout the tournament.
England, catapulted beyond the sum of the individual brilliance by a collective quality almost impossible to quantify, had a sense of certainty in the results this past fortnight, underpinned by refreshing competence in all areas. The Australian juggernaut on the other hand continued to roll on destroying their opponents with utmost of ease and a touch of their typical arrogance. Pakistan, although seemed to be on the verge of stopping their onslaught were not able to land in the final blow and the Australians scraped of with one of the greatest T20 wins ever.
The final, touted by many as the reincarnation of the ashes in the shorter format, never lived upto its reputation of being a tough encounter, a showdown unlike the India Pakistan clash three years ago. As was the story at the Kennington Oval during the 2005 Ashes, the Kennsington Oval and the occasion did not suffer for the trans-Atlantic transfer.
England continued with their cagey thrift with the ball and committed themselves to full-on attack with the bat– a strategy similar to the one Australia’s Test team used to thrive on. They were again quick to adopt their leg side short ball tactic. The slow bouncer is Twenty20’s bodyline. Just like the original tactic it is designed to intimidate, the difference being that it relies on frustration rather than fear to scare the batsman.
The Aussies were unable to match the exploits of their opponents with the ball and it was intriguing that they didn't seem to have a plan B. So far in the competition their bullying pace attack had it pretty much all their own way but after they failed to break through England, they had nothing to fall back on. This is where the attitude of the players and the captain come into the picture. The Aussies, although a better side on paper than their counterparts, found themselves in an unknown territory when their pace battery failed to incur any serious damage and their helplessness was for everyone to see. Once the England batsmen were able to see off the new ball, the result was just a formality.
The result has meant the upcoming of many new horizons in world cricket. The looming Ashes winter has suddenly become a mouth watering prospect. The emergence of a new resilient and united England means that we are unlikely to see a repeat of the last tour Down Under, which began with a reckless wide to second slip from Steve Harmison and ended in whitewashed mortification. Defeat is always possible, but not humiliation.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tour de Monaco
If Formula One stands at the technological pinnacle of all motorsport with it being the richest, most intense, most difficult, most political, and most demading racing championship in the world then the Circuit de Monaco is surely the crème de la crème in the world of motorsport. The Monaco Grand Prix held each year on the Circuit de Monaco, is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world alongside the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (with which it forms the Triple Crown of Motorsport). The legacy, spectacle and charisma result in the race being considered “the jewel of the Formula One crown”. The degree of audacious eminence on show can offend but Monaco is synonymous with the glamour and wealth of the most expensive sport in the world.
The circuit boasts of numerous elevation shifts, tight corners, chicanes, a blinding run through the tunnel section and a narrow course, all adding up to make it perhaps the most demanding track in Formula One racing. The famous tunnel section (which infact runs under a hotel) is touted to be one of the most formidable and ardous racing circumstances in motorsport since the tunnel has a flat out kink which is,by far, the quickest corner in Formula one(with drivers hitting the corner at speeds well over 260 km/hr). Apart from the body crushing g-force that is generated during the turn, what adds to the complexity is that the drivers have to cope with the quick switch from light to dark, and then back to light again, at one of the fastest points of the course. The fact that this track also possesses the slowest turn in Formula One(the Grand Hotel hairpin, taken at just 50 km/hr) perhaps simply sums up its difficulty. Despite the fact that the course has changed many times during its history, it is still considered the ultimate test of driving skills in Formula One.
However, the tight and curvaceous nature of the track restricts manouverablity and greatly reduces overtaking opportunities. With the track being so narrow and dangerous, the slightest of errors on part of the driver can transform into a deadly acident. As a result, race outcomes here are greatly influenced by grid positions as well as pit strategies.It is one of the few tracks around the globe where a driver with better skill and finesse can outclass those who drive relatively faster cars. As Nelson Piquet puts it, “driving in Monaco is pretty similar to riding a bicycle round your living room.”
So as Formula One heads to its Mecca, the tension and apprehension among the drivers and the masses are becoming more and more palpable with every passing moment. The drivers love it, for Monaco’s tight and twisty streets provide a challenge different from anything else and the thrill is almost as great for spectators – nothing compares to the sensory assault of an F1 car pushed upto its limit. With only 10 points separating the top three drivers in the current standings, there will be a lot at stake when the five lights go out in front of a packed Grand Stand this Sunday.
The circuit boasts of numerous elevation shifts, tight corners, chicanes, a blinding run through the tunnel section and a narrow course, all adding up to make it perhaps the most demanding track in Formula One racing. The famous tunnel section (which infact runs under a hotel) is touted to be one of the most formidable and ardous racing circumstances in motorsport since the tunnel has a flat out kink which is,by far, the quickest corner in Formula one(with drivers hitting the corner at speeds well over 260 km/hr). Apart from the body crushing g-force that is generated during the turn, what adds to the complexity is that the drivers have to cope with the quick switch from light to dark, and then back to light again, at one of the fastest points of the course. The fact that this track also possesses the slowest turn in Formula One(the Grand Hotel hairpin, taken at just 50 km/hr) perhaps simply sums up its difficulty. Despite the fact that the course has changed many times during its history, it is still considered the ultimate test of driving skills in Formula One.
However, the tight and curvaceous nature of the track restricts manouverablity and greatly reduces overtaking opportunities. With the track being so narrow and dangerous, the slightest of errors on part of the driver can transform into a deadly acident. As a result, race outcomes here are greatly influenced by grid positions as well as pit strategies.It is one of the few tracks around the globe where a driver with better skill and finesse can outclass those who drive relatively faster cars. As Nelson Piquet puts it, “driving in Monaco is pretty similar to riding a bicycle round your living room.”
So as Formula One heads to its Mecca, the tension and apprehension among the drivers and the masses are becoming more and more palpable with every passing moment. The drivers love it, for Monaco’s tight and twisty streets provide a challenge different from anything else and the thrill is almost as great for spectators – nothing compares to the sensory assault of an F1 car pushed upto its limit. With only 10 points separating the top three drivers in the current standings, there will be a lot at stake when the five lights go out in front of a packed Grand Stand this Sunday.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Believe to live another day
The writings have been written on the wall and the final testament has been read. For India to imitate their triumph of 2007, the road that lies ahead is devoid of any junctions and bifurcations. Logically the task has abridged down to its minimal complexity and there is only one possible solution left to re capture the lost glory. India needs to win every match that it plays from now on in order to be crowned the champions. If at any point of time, it fails to satisfy the criterion, all that would be left is packing the bags and checking the flight timings, that will be the end of the road for this year’s World Cup race. Full Stop. Thank You for flying down to the Carribean.
However slim and tender may be the odds more than one billion hearts always find the courage to conjure up that tiny ray of hope that finally decides on which side of the border you finally end up. However grim the chances may appear, more than one billion hearts pray incessently as if the world was struck by an apocalypse. That is the amount of pressure that the players have to bear and that is just one side of the coin. Add to it the mind games, sledging and the counterattack from the opposite team and you are surely looking at a pressure cooker scenario.
Call it a blessing in disguise or a killing curse, the choice, although is yours, they say it hardly makes a difference on the final outcome. As eleven of the country’s top cricketers take the field tonight against the erratic West Indian squad, every Indian’s hope of them making through to the semis would have reached its pinnacle. Every move of theirs will be scrutinised to the atomic level by the media, every mistake would be magnified a million times. Such is the magnitude of this sword wielding pressure that a pessimistic of the lowest degree would not have a seconds hesitation in terming this to be a deterrant.
But there have been miracles in the past and more are yet to follow. The Men in Blue have had to face such do or die situations in the past and on more occasion than one have they been able to make the cut. They have shown in the past that they have the mettle to survive through such intense situations and end up on the winning side. That is one of the reason why this country boasts of having cricket’s most frenzied followers on the planet. That is also one reason why the little ray of hope never extinguishes from the hearts of some billion odd people. And that is one reason why cricket is revered as the greatest sport of all by many around the globe.
It is as they say that a wounded tiger is a more dangerous opponent. Call it a blessing in disguise or a killing curse, the choice is yours, and I believe it is this essence of hope and fidelity that makes all the difference in the end.
However slim and tender may be the odds more than one billion hearts always find the courage to conjure up that tiny ray of hope that finally decides on which side of the border you finally end up. However grim the chances may appear, more than one billion hearts pray incessently as if the world was struck by an apocalypse. That is the amount of pressure that the players have to bear and that is just one side of the coin. Add to it the mind games, sledging and the counterattack from the opposite team and you are surely looking at a pressure cooker scenario.
Call it a blessing in disguise or a killing curse, the choice, although is yours, they say it hardly makes a difference on the final outcome. As eleven of the country’s top cricketers take the field tonight against the erratic West Indian squad, every Indian’s hope of them making through to the semis would have reached its pinnacle. Every move of theirs will be scrutinised to the atomic level by the media, every mistake would be magnified a million times. Such is the magnitude of this sword wielding pressure that a pessimistic of the lowest degree would not have a seconds hesitation in terming this to be a deterrant.
But there have been miracles in the past and more are yet to follow. The Men in Blue have had to face such do or die situations in the past and on more occasion than one have they been able to make the cut. They have shown in the past that they have the mettle to survive through such intense situations and end up on the winning side. That is one of the reason why this country boasts of having cricket’s most frenzied followers on the planet. That is also one reason why the little ray of hope never extinguishes from the hearts of some billion odd people. And that is one reason why cricket is revered as the greatest sport of all by many around the globe.
It is as they say that a wounded tiger is a more dangerous opponent. Call it a blessing in disguise or a killing curse, the choice is yours, and I believe it is this essence of hope and fidelity that makes all the difference in the end.
Time to drop Duckworth and Lewis?
Cricket appraises its double acts — be it the great English pre-war opening batsmen Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe or the more recently retired West Indies fast bowlers Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose or the charismatic pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly. Cricket has always been a game where an individual brilliance rarely equates to a victory; what is required is teamwork and coordination and that is what makes this sport so special. Yet it remains ambivalent about potentially the most influential duo, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis.
Duckworth and Lewis, joined at the hyphen, have made their presence felt on the cricketing field on numerous occasions while being miles away from all the action. As the grey clouds start hovering around over the ground, the couple suddenly soaks up a major quantum of everyone’s domain of imagination. The D/L method has been in use since more than 13 years now and it still continues to baffle the masses all over the world. One does not have to be a rocket scientist (but it certainly helps) to understand the intricacies of the calculations but by and large the world of cricket has embraced the method.
But as is the case with great players, during the course of their career they come across an opponent that more often than not seems to get better of them like the exploits of Pedro Collins against Sachin Tendulkar or Graeme Smith’s helplessness against Zaheer Khan. But the point is that one needs to adapt and acclamatize to the situations, you cannot just go on playing your natural game without taking into account the external factors. Pretty similar is the case with this method. Although it has served the cricketing quite amicably for so long, the D/L method finally seems to have met its meddlesome opponent.
With the onset of the T-20s, the works of Mr.Duckworth and Mr.Lewis have suddenly come under the scanner. And the point that is being raised against their theory is a valid and a logical one. You simply cannot superimpose a mathmatical principle built up for a particular format of the game onto another format. It is very obvious that this superimposition will surely be less effective as compared to its effectiveness in the original format for which it was developed. The entire mindset of the players and their approach to the game is different in the shorter version and hence implementing the same technique is infact a contradiction to the basic principle on which the method was incorporated.
Hence it is time we moved forward and let Duckworth and Lewis savour the monopoly in ODIs and leave the T-20s for something newer, something closer to this version of the game.
Duckworth and Lewis, joined at the hyphen, have made their presence felt on the cricketing field on numerous occasions while being miles away from all the action. As the grey clouds start hovering around over the ground, the couple suddenly soaks up a major quantum of everyone’s domain of imagination. The D/L method has been in use since more than 13 years now and it still continues to baffle the masses all over the world. One does not have to be a rocket scientist (but it certainly helps) to understand the intricacies of the calculations but by and large the world of cricket has embraced the method.
But as is the case with great players, during the course of their career they come across an opponent that more often than not seems to get better of them like the exploits of Pedro Collins against Sachin Tendulkar or Graeme Smith’s helplessness against Zaheer Khan. But the point is that one needs to adapt and acclamatize to the situations, you cannot just go on playing your natural game without taking into account the external factors. Pretty similar is the case with this method. Although it has served the cricketing quite amicably for so long, the D/L method finally seems to have met its meddlesome opponent.
With the onset of the T-20s, the works of Mr.Duckworth and Mr.Lewis have suddenly come under the scanner. And the point that is being raised against their theory is a valid and a logical one. You simply cannot superimpose a mathmatical principle built up for a particular format of the game onto another format. It is very obvious that this superimposition will surely be less effective as compared to its effectiveness in the original format for which it was developed. The entire mindset of the players and their approach to the game is different in the shorter version and hence implementing the same technique is infact a contradiction to the basic principle on which the method was incorporated.
Hence it is time we moved forward and let Duckworth and Lewis savour the monopoly in ODIs and leave the T-20s for something newer, something closer to this version of the game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)