Everytime Sachin Tendulkar gets out cheaply these days.....
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Everytime Sachin Tendulkar gets out cheaply
Everytime Sachin Tendulkar gets out cheaply these days.....
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The IPL: from an Aficionado
Once the opening ceremony of IPL IV was done, there was one thought that eased me down a little. Yes! It has been a hectic past few months, but India had just won the World Cup and after a lukewarm opening ceremony – things could only get better. And things soon did, the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders (as usual) played out a thriller and things were underway.
For a change, it was refreshing to just keep your emotions in check and appreciate good cricket, no matter who was playing. For a change, it was nice to be a neutral. After a grueling World Cup, where I had let the fan in me take over, it was good to let the observer take his place again. Just Watch.Analyse.Write.
If the World Cup was a treat for the Indian fan, the IPL has been the same for an aficionado. No, the fan and an aficionado are not the same. For a fan, India’s victory against an opponent should come at any cost. It’s like expecting good’s triumph over evil – it just has to happen. There is no way India can let evil triumph. For a fan; the conditions, the surface, players’ form or a brilliant show by an opponent accounts for, if not nothing at all, very little. A follower though takes things in his stride- He gives credit where it’s due. ‘India lost to a better side on the day’, ‘Yuvraj Singh’s form was the lone bright spot’, ‘Ricky Ponting took the game away from us’, ‘The surface did not suit India’ etc. are some of the things a follower might agree with, but a fan? No! Make no mistake; I am not criticizing the fan. Being the fan is where the real fun lies, your mind experiences a plethora of emotions, most of which you will never get otherwise.
Seeing myself make no inclination towards a particular side has helped me realize how important the IPL is. Over the past, it has given us some classy players; Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Saurabh Tiwary and Ravindra Jadeja (ahem!) among many others. And this time it seems the players are more motivated to make an impact, maybe the WC win helped with that. A host of little heard players have taken the IPL by storm and none more so than the diminutive prowler (remember, you read the tag here first), Paul Valthaty.
Being a neutral you somehow see yourself always backing the underdog - one could see how a boisterous crowd sided towards minnows, Ireland and Kevin O’Brien during their stunning win against England. The same has happened over this IPL, though not with a particular team but with players who one would generally think will fail against world class players. Think Paul Valthaty against Tim Southee and Albie Morkel, think Ambati Rayudu against Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori, think Siddharth Trivedi and Amit Singh against Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy, and you usually do not give much chance to Valthaty, Rayudu, Trivedi and Singh. But it is when they defy the odds and send the more esteemed players running for cover that you see yourself backing them. That is exactly why the IPL is so fascinating; it gives the previously unheard of player an opportunity to burst onto the scene. For some it maybe just their 15 minutes of fame, but for most it is a stepping stone to achieving childhood ambitions.
The general aura emanating from this IPL has been that the Indians have been playing too much cricket. Yes! A gap of 6 days after the World Cup would be harsh on even the fittest athletes. But that is for 15 players, there are scores of other Indian cricketers who will benefit greatly from playing with top international players. Basing a selection on performance in the IPL, where players are up against the best in the world, rather than the domestic circuit doesn’t seem all that out of place to me. That’s where the IPL has done a commendable job, give India players we never thought we will see. It is not only the Indian players who have made the most of the cricketing extravaganza; Shane Watson made the most of the IPL and is now a permanent fixture for the Aussies. Murali Vijay changed the general perception that people had that he was just a Test player through a few superb knocks in the IPL. Ravindra Jadeja had everyone’s hopes up about India having found a genuine all rounder. Yusuf Pathan’s exploits with the Royals have been instrumental in him becoming one of the most feared batsmen today.
Not all may go onto become successful at the international stage, but imagine the IPL unearths a player of Shane Watson’s capability. Jadeja, Watson, Dirk Nannes, Vijay, Tiwary and many others have used the IPL to go onto bigger, more important things and this year we already have seen many players wanting to go their way – Valthaty, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Iqbal Abdullah, etc.. It won’t be long before some youngster goes on to become a real success at the international level.
Valthaty, someone who failed to make an impact at Rajasthan Royals, is now widely regarded as a player who could make the India team for the West Indies tour. Valthaty (who has played for Mumbai only once) himself, even with belief in his ability, would have never in his wildest dreams thought his name would be popping up in selection debates in the Indian board on the basis of just a few games in the IPL. But the IPL has given him the stage, the audience and the cast to show off his talent.
The fans fail to see beyond the razzmatazz surrounding the IPL- the big shots, the cheerleaders, the music and Ravi Shastri bellowing like he’s swallowed a mike; the follower sees what it is truly doing to Indian cricket – giving them budding youngsters, giving them promising careers and giving us all an unmatchable experience.
For a change, it was refreshing to just keep your emotions in check and appreciate good cricket, no matter who was playing. For a change, it was nice to be a neutral. After a grueling World Cup, where I had let the fan in me take over, it was good to let the observer take his place again. Just Watch.Analyse.Write.
If the World Cup was a treat for the Indian fan, the IPL has been the same for an aficionado. No, the fan and an aficionado are not the same. For a fan, India’s victory against an opponent should come at any cost. It’s like expecting good’s triumph over evil – it just has to happen. There is no way India can let evil triumph. For a fan; the conditions, the surface, players’ form or a brilliant show by an opponent accounts for, if not nothing at all, very little. A follower though takes things in his stride- He gives credit where it’s due. ‘India lost to a better side on the day’, ‘Yuvraj Singh’s form was the lone bright spot’, ‘Ricky Ponting took the game away from us’, ‘The surface did not suit India’ etc. are some of the things a follower might agree with, but a fan? No! Make no mistake; I am not criticizing the fan. Being the fan is where the real fun lies, your mind experiences a plethora of emotions, most of which you will never get otherwise.
Seeing myself make no inclination towards a particular side has helped me realize how important the IPL is. Over the past, it has given us some classy players; Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Saurabh Tiwary and Ravindra Jadeja (ahem!) among many others. And this time it seems the players are more motivated to make an impact, maybe the WC win helped with that. A host of little heard players have taken the IPL by storm and none more so than the diminutive prowler (remember, you read the tag here first), Paul Valthaty.
Being a neutral you somehow see yourself always backing the underdog - one could see how a boisterous crowd sided towards minnows, Ireland and Kevin O’Brien during their stunning win against England. The same has happened over this IPL, though not with a particular team but with players who one would generally think will fail against world class players. Think Paul Valthaty against Tim Southee and Albie Morkel, think Ambati Rayudu against Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori, think Siddharth Trivedi and Amit Singh against Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy, and you usually do not give much chance to Valthaty, Rayudu, Trivedi and Singh. But it is when they defy the odds and send the more esteemed players running for cover that you see yourself backing them. That is exactly why the IPL is so fascinating; it gives the previously unheard of player an opportunity to burst onto the scene. For some it maybe just their 15 minutes of fame, but for most it is a stepping stone to achieving childhood ambitions.
The general aura emanating from this IPL has been that the Indians have been playing too much cricket. Yes! A gap of 6 days after the World Cup would be harsh on even the fittest athletes. But that is for 15 players, there are scores of other Indian cricketers who will benefit greatly from playing with top international players. Basing a selection on performance in the IPL, where players are up against the best in the world, rather than the domestic circuit doesn’t seem all that out of place to me. That’s where the IPL has done a commendable job, give India players we never thought we will see. It is not only the Indian players who have made the most of the cricketing extravaganza; Shane Watson made the most of the IPL and is now a permanent fixture for the Aussies. Murali Vijay changed the general perception that people had that he was just a Test player through a few superb knocks in the IPL. Ravindra Jadeja had everyone’s hopes up about India having found a genuine all rounder. Yusuf Pathan’s exploits with the Royals have been instrumental in him becoming one of the most feared batsmen today.
Not all may go onto become successful at the international stage, but imagine the IPL unearths a player of Shane Watson’s capability. Jadeja, Watson, Dirk Nannes, Vijay, Tiwary and many others have used the IPL to go onto bigger, more important things and this year we already have seen many players wanting to go their way – Valthaty, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Iqbal Abdullah, etc.. It won’t be long before some youngster goes on to become a real success at the international level.
Valthaty, someone who failed to make an impact at Rajasthan Royals, is now widely regarded as a player who could make the India team for the West Indies tour. Valthaty (who has played for Mumbai only once) himself, even with belief in his ability, would have never in his wildest dreams thought his name would be popping up in selection debates in the Indian board on the basis of just a few games in the IPL. But the IPL has given him the stage, the audience and the cast to show off his talent.
The fans fail to see beyond the razzmatazz surrounding the IPL- the big shots, the cheerleaders, the music and Ravi Shastri bellowing like he’s swallowed a mike; the follower sees what it is truly doing to Indian cricket – giving them budding youngsters, giving them promising careers and giving us all an unmatchable experience.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Men of the World Cup
It was a feeling I had never experienced for 25 years 1 month and 29 days when I woke up this morning. No, it wasn't the drinks last night that left my head buzzing, India had lifted the coveted World Cup trophy for the first time since 1983 and I was proud I had played my part. Yes!
Though I have witnessed and for my part done numerous crazy things to ensure India wins, the World Cup and especially the final on Saturday made me realize how true 'team aise nahi jeeth thi, uskho jeethana padtha hai' was.
A colleague of mine left his desk and sat beside me for most part of the match - calm, unflustered, confident! "How are you so calm?" I asked him. He said, "My nerves are jangling inside man, but I don't want to jinx it (the Gambhir-Dhoni stand) by moving." Any questions I asked thereafter was addressed to with a similar set of words. "Don't you have work to do? "I don't want to jinx it" "Wanna go out for a break?" "No, I don't want to jinx it" "OK move, I have to take a leak" "DON'T jinx it." The guy was twice my size, no point arguing, I had to hold on.
Forget the thousands of fans in the stadium - the 12th man for Team India, forget the 11 players slogging (if Munaf and Nehra's efforts also qualify as slogging) it out in the middle, forget Kirsten and the support staff; would Team India have triumphed without the fan who is outside the stadium? The fan who is doing everything in his capacity to take us closer to victory?
I don't think so! Everyone has played their part in India's victory - from the selfless model who promised a treat for the eye if India won to temples offering special prayers for their team to win; from stars descending upon the stadium to cheer their team to the common man risking robbery, heartache and getting fired to ensure he doesn't miss a second of the game.
Some choose to not watch the match, others offer humongous bribes to god, movie stars vow to give up eating even if it was a shameless attempt to promote a movie. Every Indian prayed for a miracle ending. "He's served India well for far too long; surely it will be a deserved prize for Sachin to win" "Forget Sachin, India should win cos it's at home."
"Cricket is a religion here, and we have God. India has to win." There are also others who make plans keeping the match in mind - 'if we win we drink, if we lose we drink'. There are a million different things people do just to make sure India wins.
In a country bustling with life with so many diverse religions, backgrounds and people there was a togetherness that the freedom fighters would be proud of, when Sachin was out there was a silence that school teachers would die for during their classes and when India won there was a cheer that echoed all over our 3,287,263 square kilometers landscape. My usually busy bosses were all sitting together watching the game, cheering every run and offering advice to the players on how to play. It was a day when productivity, growth, profit et al didn't matter; it was only about India winning.
I read in a book that, "Cricket is a way of life in the sub continent; it consumes a disproportionate amount of people's time and energy for a normal sport." Well, Cricket is no normal sport. It is the driving force behind unity in this country (and between countries), it is perhaps the only occasion when a person breaks the shackles his boss or wife has on him to get a glimpse of his team winning, it is an opportunity for everyone to forget everything and become a fan. For us in India, cricket is life.
This World Cup belongs to every Indian as much as it does to the Men in Blue. With India's jam packed schedule this year, it won't be long before the fans don their roles again. For everyone has a very specific role when India plays; it might mean not watching the game, it might mean sitting in the same position all day, it might mean going to a fancy bar and forgetting what you were there for or for a lucky few it might mean commanding others to do what they want to do (my colleagues) but it is a role played to perfection by most and the result was there for all to see on 2nd April.
Go on give yourself a hand, you deserve it.
- Vishaal Loganathan
Though I have witnessed and for my part done numerous crazy things to ensure India wins, the World Cup and especially the final on Saturday made me realize how true 'team aise nahi jeeth thi, uskho jeethana padtha hai' was.
A colleague of mine left his desk and sat beside me for most part of the match - calm, unflustered, confident! "How are you so calm?" I asked him. He said, "My nerves are jangling inside man, but I don't want to jinx it (the Gambhir-Dhoni stand) by moving." Any questions I asked thereafter was addressed to with a similar set of words. "Don't you have work to do? "I don't want to jinx it" "Wanna go out for a break?" "No, I don't want to jinx it" "OK move, I have to take a leak" "DON'T jinx it." The guy was twice my size, no point arguing, I had to hold on.
Forget the thousands of fans in the stadium - the 12th man for Team India, forget the 11 players slogging (if Munaf and Nehra's efforts also qualify as slogging) it out in the middle, forget Kirsten and the support staff; would Team India have triumphed without the fan who is outside the stadium? The fan who is doing everything in his capacity to take us closer to victory?
I don't think so! Everyone has played their part in India's victory - from the selfless model who promised a treat for the eye if India won to temples offering special prayers for their team to win; from stars descending upon the stadium to cheer their team to the common man risking robbery, heartache and getting fired to ensure he doesn't miss a second of the game.
Some choose to not watch the match, others offer humongous bribes to god, movie stars vow to give up eating even if it was a shameless attempt to promote a movie. Every Indian prayed for a miracle ending. "He's served India well for far too long; surely it will be a deserved prize for Sachin to win" "Forget Sachin, India should win cos it's at home."
"Cricket is a religion here, and we have God. India has to win." There are also others who make plans keeping the match in mind - 'if we win we drink, if we lose we drink'. There are a million different things people do just to make sure India wins.
In a country bustling with life with so many diverse religions, backgrounds and people there was a togetherness that the freedom fighters would be proud of, when Sachin was out there was a silence that school teachers would die for during their classes and when India won there was a cheer that echoed all over our 3,287,263 square kilometers landscape. My usually busy bosses were all sitting together watching the game, cheering every run and offering advice to the players on how to play. It was a day when productivity, growth, profit et al didn't matter; it was only about India winning.
I read in a book that, "Cricket is a way of life in the sub continent; it consumes a disproportionate amount of people's time and energy for a normal sport." Well, Cricket is no normal sport. It is the driving force behind unity in this country (and between countries), it is perhaps the only occasion when a person breaks the shackles his boss or wife has on him to get a glimpse of his team winning, it is an opportunity for everyone to forget everything and become a fan. For us in India, cricket is life.
This World Cup belongs to every Indian as much as it does to the Men in Blue. With India's jam packed schedule this year, it won't be long before the fans don their roles again. For everyone has a very specific role when India plays; it might mean not watching the game, it might mean sitting in the same position all day, it might mean going to a fancy bar and forgetting what you were there for or for a lucky few it might mean commanding others to do what they want to do (my colleagues) but it is a role played to perfection by most and the result was there for all to see on 2nd April.
Go on give yourself a hand, you deserve it.
- Vishaal Loganathan
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sachin Tendulkar: Cricket’s own Rajnikanth
Both are tutelary deities when they start doing what they do, one on screen and another on the field. The two may be like cheese and chalk; cannot be compared… but there’s a lot more common with these 2 superstars than what we generally see or think.
One goes about doing the impossible on screen while the other does it regularly on the field. The hopes of an entire nation are wrested upon one to save it from corruption, terrorists or (maybe sometime soon) aliens while the other answers all prayers, more often than not, to save India from embarrassment. Both defy logic, one with his movies and the other one almost every time he holds a willow. One has defied age, competition and the rules of an industry to stay on top for more than 3 decades, while the other has gotten only better with age to put his name on any record that is worth putting your name on.
Sachin Tendulkar can make ‘making the impossible happen’ look like just another day in the office with probably the same ease that Rajinikanth pulls of what the world thinks can’t ever be done. The little man from Bombay probably has a world record or world records when it comes to batting, and churns out unforgettable performances by the dozens, unforgettable performances just like Rajinikanth has dished out over years with his movies.
More than 32 thousand runs, close to a 100 hundreds, more than 150 50’s and one wicket away from reaching 200 international wickets in a glorious career spread over 20 years is no mean feat, but for this diminutive right hander that is not enough. A career of such longevity would’ve been impossible without inviolable determination, a passion to excel and the hunger to give it everything you’ve got every time, all the time.
For Rajinikanth its just a small matter of 150 movies, and one movie vaulting the expectations of the next to dizzying heights and the Tamil Superstar not disappointing. Again.. A career of such longevity would’ve been impossible without inviolable determination, a passion to excel and the hunger to give it everything you’ve got every time, all the time.
For Rajinikanth and Sachin, impossible is just the next challenge to take up. Impossible is where no one ever has been and where these two will soon be!
One goes about doing the impossible on screen while the other does it regularly on the field. The hopes of an entire nation are wrested upon one to save it from corruption, terrorists or (maybe sometime soon) aliens while the other answers all prayers, more often than not, to save India from embarrassment. Both defy logic, one with his movies and the other one almost every time he holds a willow. One has defied age, competition and the rules of an industry to stay on top for more than 3 decades, while the other has gotten only better with age to put his name on any record that is worth putting your name on.
Sachin Tendulkar can make ‘making the impossible happen’ look like just another day in the office with probably the same ease that Rajinikanth pulls of what the world thinks can’t ever be done. The little man from Bombay probably has a world record or world records when it comes to batting, and churns out unforgettable performances by the dozens, unforgettable performances just like Rajinikanth has dished out over years with his movies.
More than 32 thousand runs, close to a 100 hundreds, more than 150 50’s and one wicket away from reaching 200 international wickets in a glorious career spread over 20 years is no mean feat, but for this diminutive right hander that is not enough. A career of such longevity would’ve been impossible without inviolable determination, a passion to excel and the hunger to give it everything you’ve got every time, all the time.
For Rajinikanth its just a small matter of 150 movies, and one movie vaulting the expectations of the next to dizzying heights and the Tamil Superstar not disappointing. Again.. A career of such longevity would’ve been impossible without inviolable determination, a passion to excel and the hunger to give it everything you’ve got every time, all the time.
For Rajinikanth and Sachin, impossible is just the next challenge to take up. Impossible is where no one ever has been and where these two will soon be!
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