Once you step on the field...

VVCL in its fifth edition has begun, although earlier than past years, thanks to the sparse rains of the year 2015, and the players who have turned up on field for the past two morning sessions have felt better with their ageing bodies. The thought of returning to fields, which once were second home during childhood, have brought warm memories back along with the excitement to savour few more in coming days.

The hectic calendar in which everyone of us is trapped into and are desperately looking for the welcome break with a space for oneself, can be easily found on the playground that provides equal opportunities for every individual to showcase his ability, being part of a team that cares for him and strives hard for achieving a common goal that is ‘to bring back life onto the fields that alike global warming are causing serious health & social issues since the young generation is turning their backs to it’.

In the world full of people those who have become slave of their habits like fresh air of air-conditioning rooms, breakfast over a burger, pizza for lunch, smartphones for entertainment & social gatherings on whatsapp are dangerously moving ahead towards disaster that may lead the coming generations’ to stay aloof with deteriorated social values. VVCL is a small medium that allows some resistance and provides opportunity to reverse the adverse effect caused by the lifestyle we live with. Though it comes with a price of sacrificing some sleep during Saturday mornings, a temptation that is hard to resist but once overcome, will lead you to good old days that were spent enjoying field games competing alongside your best of the best friends.

And, once we step on the ground the inner competence within each one of us finds its way out, and the sheer presence over the outfield seduces us with aura which one can only be experienced than expressed. 

The Test of My Life: Yuvraj Singh – Book review

The atmosphere was tense out there on cricket field, and the intensity was felt by all of us watching the match live on television, with the veteran Indian batsmen back, and a novel middle order to cope with against the mighty Australian bowling attack comprising of McGrath, Lee and Gillespie. The day was 7^th October 2000 when Yuvraj Singh, the flamboyant left hander took guard on the pitch for the very first time in an International match that too in one of the most prestigious tournament then, known as the ‘ICC KnockOut trophy’ played in the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi.

Once Yuvraj began to find gaps in the tight Aussie fielding and on occasions found the boundary rope with authority, the smiles began to return on the faces of spectators who till than had pale and sore looks. The batting technique that he possessed would have made him succumb to one of the seamers, yet he fought his way to a match winning 84 and announced himself on the world stage in an innings consisting of classy cover drive, meaty on-drive, a pull and a hook of McGrath that we still savour upon. A crucial air-borne catch later in the day sealed India’s victory as we danced our way out of the apartment on that magnificent day.

Since that day, years have passed and Yuvraj has climbed the difficult mountain in acquiring the heights in International cricket that most dream of, while very few achieve. He’s been part of the team that has won the T20 world cup, have grabbed the first spot in Test ranking and recently have won the 50 overs world cup in which he has claimed the prestigious ‘man of the tournament’ award. He has become a celebrity in India who has been a reason behind the smiles of billion people. His survivor story after being diagnosed with cancer is what his book ‘The Test of my Life’ is all about.

The book begins, as expected, with the story of Yuvraj’s childhood and how he got hitched to playing Cricket. The same has been witnessed by most in documentaries that run on news channel quite often. The beginning of this book is dull and one might be tempted to skip it all-together. Add to it the weak phrases and unstructured sentences which might be the reason behind the bad performance of this book into the market.

But, once you carry on and reach the part where Yuvraj is confirmed to have Cancer, the reading picks up momentum and from there it’s a matter of an overnight that one may relish this book in. In this part of the book, the co-author Sharda Ugra, seems to have taken over much of the workload as the book has a sudden change in tone while the sentences which in earlier part were clumsy, has a swift change in it. The descriptions are clearer and the command over language holds a better grip.

Nevertheless, the book is a must read if you form an Indian audience and are unaware about the hardships a sportsperson undergoes during his playing career. Also, because the wide-spread misconceptions about Cancer are described in a manner that the be-holder of this dreadful disease may get an inspiration to fight and come out victorious.

To summarise, the book shall garnish your bookshelf and make you a proud owner of one as it surely will catch an eye of your guest who invariably pass an eye over the corner where the books seats tall. 

Earlier post on Yuvraj Singh's return:

http://waywardfocus.blogspot.in/2012/09/human-spirit-heavenly-gesture.html

Dhoni’s forte; India’s loss

The climax on the night of 7^th September (evening at Edgbaston, England) was set to favour India in the only T20 International match of the tour with the ultimate finisher of the shorter version, MS Dhoni – Captain, Indian Cricket team, at crease – with his usual ease. Historic figures had made us believe that Dhoni thrives in such hopeless looking situations for others. The scorecard at the start of the final over read: 17 of 6 balls. On most occasions the punters would put money on fielding side, but for Dhoni with strike and a relatively new bowler, the possible result stood at 50-50 chance to each team. The first ball sixer, that too with a Dhoni swagger, shifted the winning pendulum in India’s favour.

But for Cricket’s sake and for the great leveller this game can be at times, Dhoni miscalculated the scoring rate and perhaps the denial of strike to Rayadu played on his game, when he failed to connect at least one of the last two deliveries that were bowled in his arc to execute the famous helicopter shot. India’s loss surfaced the important aspect of Cricket being a team sport and that no individual can ever claim to have mastered it once for all.

Had it been the case where Rayadu would have denied strike to Dhoni, he would have lost the Indian cap immediately for sure and perhaps been blacklisted for his entire life. But such is the aura of Dhoni that non on the expert’s discussed about it, and perhaps added salt to Rayadu’s wounds by sympathising and labelling him “Poor Rayadu”.

Visible Improvement – Catches, win Matches

On the 29^th of March 2014, VVCL team took a leap forward when they encountered two match series against the local team. Although both teams appeared at par before the match began, the opponents had a slight edge only because they were young and better fielding unit. Each team boasted a strong batting line-up while they had a decent bowling attack too.

VVCL batted first in the initial match. There spearhead batsman Rahul, who was struggling off-let, gathered some form with his intelligent batting and enabled a decent score of 53 to defend in six-overs-a-side match. Others pinched in here and there. The VVCL bowlers, under the flagship of Pradeep, made an attempt to defend the modest total. They were exceptionally assisted by their fielders who grabbed all the chances and made the opponent’s batting collapse in the middle overs. One such catch that Vasant caught near the deep midwicket boundary line was mind boggling and one that would be remembered for years. Once the batting stalwarts of opposite team went packing, the veteran bowlers played ruthlessly with the tail and managed a narrow single run victory adding a feather on VVCL hat.

In the second match VVCL team batted again. The opponents were shrewd and made good bowling changes to go alongside better field placements. The VVCL batters struggled throughout and managed mere 47 in six overs. Alike the first match, the VVCL bowlers expected that their fielding unit put an exceptional show to defend such a small total. And they did oblige; again. The brisk start by the opponents was dented in the third over bowled by Vijay, in which he grabbed a Hat-trick and thus beginning the downfall. The fielders caught each and everything that was struck high in air. Again in the deciding overs, the veteran pacers had to deal with lower order batsmen which they ably did and a single run separated the two teams. Thus VVCL team won the second match too.

And finally after playing consistently for two and half years, VVCL team can now allow themselves a pat on their back for such a high quality fielding display one that has made all the team members and well wishers proud. In today’s times of despair, where the multi-storey structures are guzzling the playgrounds, the VVCL team has kept their fields alive.

Sweet Centre – VVCL Season III

The VVCL team in its third season has at last found its prolific batting performance in today’s game. Their two batting stalwarts; namely Rahul Kamat & Selvakumar P, contributed heavily with the bat to ensure victory for their individual teams. The ball found boundary line on numerous occasions as both made a mockery of decent bowling attacks. Rahul in particular was severe in his inning that consists of 4 sixes, while Selva’s knock came just in time during the final’s ensuring the 2-1 series victory for Chetan’s side. Vijay’s knock in finals was excellent too as he was able to consistently find the sweet spot on the bat and send the ball towards boundary to gather crucial runs. One particular cover drive which enables him to collect three runs was probably the ‘shot of the day’.

The ground fielding continues to be inconsistent which added to the Captains woes, although there was a noteworthy improvement in catching. Bowlers from both sides did a fair job as most were on target except for an over or two. Chetan, the best bowler of the lot continues to struggle with his new bowling action which does not yield him the swing or pace that once use to be his flagship weapon. Even though he did not leak runs in dozens, but the lack of wickets would hurt his claim of being the premier bowler.

This season the players appear fitter with extra loads of stamina filled inside them. The batters have used the long handle well to keep sailing the ball long in air, the bowlers are able to put some excellent over’s and only if the ground fielding improves drastically the team would be ready to put their foot forward and register into their initial tournament.

The hopes are high in some of the players who wish to take this serious bunch of cricketers into the next level.

Horses for Courses

Cricket is such a fascinating game one which provides ample opportunities for an individual to pick and perform from either of three departments; namely Batting, Bowling and Fielding. The game has witnessed some special talents who have been able to play for long time with an exceptional skill in only a single department. Take for example, Jonathan Rhodes from South Africa who with his agile fielding was able to set the ground on fire. He would contribute to the teams cause by cutting down on the opposition runs even more than he would himself score with the bat. Then there was Courtney Walsh whose bowling can make the best amongst the very best batsmen dance even though his nightmares with the bat are well-known. The list of batters with exceptional batting ability is long. Yet there are few who would impress in more than one department and a very little among them who even did performed superbly in all three. Such a batch is badge with allrounders tag. It’s been the subject of debate for years as to what type of players is better, since most of the teams play the combination of all. To sum up, the playing conditions enable the team management to select a particular type which often is the key to success.

 

Similarly there are gymnasiums with heavy machinery that offers services of exquisite trainer for individuals who wish to develop their bodies with muscular curves. Otherwise there are old-fashioned ‘exercise-schools’ situated at every neck and corner offering light exercising tools for ones who want to stay fit. In spite of all a huge chuck of people simply ignore them. Here the choice of individual matters most.

 

There are professionals who are well equipped in a particular faculty although they would know the subject in and out. There are surgeons amongst Doctors who perform high skill job. The Chartered Accountants are found in numbers who are specialised in offering financial services. Some do audit, some are tax expert while some others restrict to filing Income Tax returns only. There are advocates who perform their practise in variety of fields. Civil, legal and criminal are few most commonly practised divisions. Many of the advocates are specialised in a single field only. Say for instance an advocate who has restricted his area of operations to civil cases and provides his services in matters of property registration, agreements and court matter thereof would be beneficial for one who seeks advice in such matters. If a patron visits an advocate providing services in other area, then only God can save him from taking such a leap as the advocate would net his fish anyway while their client is bound to face difficulties. A prospective client should be street-smart or else the world is waiting to squeeze blood out from his veins. As the case may be in Cricket, the best bait for our veteran customer is to investigate and choose his prospective service provider, wisely.

 

Always find your Horses, for courses.

Sarcasm exemplified!

Today evening when I woke up from deep sleep my back bone emitted immense pain, thanks to the Cricket match played in wee hours at Goregaon. The match ended with a crushing defeat to our inexperienced team that was never in the game right from the initial over I bowled which cost a dozen of runs.

The local team thrashed and toasted us and accumulated a whooping 150 runs in a matter of mere 12 overs. A veteran batsmen named Ganesh, one who was nearing 50 years of age & who appeared loose and laid back punished us for dropping him twice.

Then came our turn to smack few mighty blows and prove our mantle. Our innings begin with total disarray as  the opener lost his middle stick on the very first ball. We could gather only 29 in half a dozen overs and were blown away and out of the match. Only then Rushi & I decided to cut loose and our pull, hook and cross bat heave yielded 75 runs in the next 6 overs enabling us to cross a century of runs. A defeat that was inevitable tasted sweet for the runs we could gather against a far better team.

Almost all defeated team produce inner grudges by intent or unknowingly. Was that the case with us? Can't answer that. When I woke up in the evening I could hear my wife & daughter playing a traditional game which we all have played in our childhood. On hearing the wording in that game I could not control my instinct and laughed out audaciously from the bottom of my naval only to realise that the back is hurt while the possible victim was unleashed that moment. 

While moving in circular motion my daughter followed her mother who was narrating:

"डोंगरा ला आग लागली, पळा-पळा"

(Fire on the mountain; run, run, run.)

Now few of you would realise the rational behind this blog and might have a little pleasant smile deep inside your heart.

Virus Installation Successful-Dale Styen

The  Indian Batsmen, who until landing in South Africa for the 2013 bilateral cricket series were rich & fat, both; in form & class need to be flatten at the initial round itself. Dale Styen began the campaign with an outstanding spell of fast & furious seam bowling to Rohit Sharma in the Johannesburg one dayer.

Rohit Sharma who landed in South Africa with a circle of cricketing excellence around him & prime form, struggled to connect a single delivery from Styen up until the 17th ball one which he edged. That hostile stuff from Styen has dented the confidence of Sharma and has shattered his batting skills to such an extent that he is found himself into a black hole of cricketing prodigy.

His dismissals in the recent Test innings has raised questions over his ability as a front line batsman in the team & that his exceptional debut century against the West Indies seems to be like a forgotten dream.

The need of an hour for South Africa was to install a self-doubting virus in the strong Indian batting line up. Styen with his fabulous seam bowling that not only has pace but also has vicious swing was able to grab his kill in those initial 17 balls to Sharma.

If weather permits the second & final Test match is slowly moving towards an anti-climax where each team has enough of a chance to get better over other. The question is which team takes that initiative and who chocks under pressure first.

Quinton DeCock – Emergence of a quality batsman

In our age of Cricket, the cricketing prowess of a batsman is established by his hitting powers while the skills such as temperament, determination appear to have become a distant history. In such times of fast-food Cricket the heart of an ardent cricket fan that looks for quality softens a bit when he/she sees the emergence of a batsman who satisfies his inner thirst which defines the very purpose of his existence. The 20 year old South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton DeCock has acquired the focus of that keen follower who is craving to watch quality over quantity in this fast paced world.

DeCock’s recent centuries in the one day arena has proved that he posses those qualities required by a batsman to climb steep mountains in his international cricketing career. Couple of things that stand out in his batting are; a) his technique & b) his heart.

In the technical department DeCock has exhibited maturity above his age. The most difficult stroke to play technically is the cover drive that requires a fabulous hand-eye co-ordination besides a steady head and exceptional body position through nimble foot movement. In his short international career which span about a year or so, he has shown that he belongs to the class of Tendulkar and Richards while playing the cover drive. Also his wrist that generates enough power allowing the ball to gather momentum towards reaching boundary line has all but class written over it.

Although the inner mantle i.e. ‘Heart’, of DeCock is yet to be tested as the Indian bowling attack is not the one which can prove his competence in this area and also he needs to establish himself in test matches too. Still one can credit him for the matter that the South African team is going through a rough patch that has now lasted for more than a year and DeCock has answered all the critics in the best possible manner. 

Coming years would prove whether this little cricketer who has raised high hope in the mind of the astute cricket follower will acquire higher lengths in his cricketing career and while doing so would be a blessing for the cricketing fraternity itself, or else would be lost in the ‘speed of lightening’ like cricket played in his generation.

We await and wish Quinton DeCock to become and be known for the former.    

What can a Sardar do?

Apart from allowing us enjoy deep laughs those arising out of a silly remark and funny gesture here are few noteworthy things that a Sardar can do.

A young Sardar can chew his nails, looking upwards with the bent neck and wrinkles all over the forehead. He may appear tense but is cucumber cool inside.

Sardar can spin the cricket ball both ways with same action.

He can roll over again and again repeatedly in circular motion after getting Ricky Ponting out. He can get Ricky any time, any ball even if waked from a deep sleep.

A Sardar can whack a tight slap straight on face in a full stadium.

He can walk the ramp with open hairs and win the young hearts.

Well a Sardar can set a dance floor on fire too.

Only a Sardar can lift the richest women of the nation in air before the clicking cameras and be humbled about the entire episode.

This Sardar has a Hummer.

Only our Sardar can call an animal, an Animal, that to inside the animal kingdom.

Sardar is the only Indian to grab Hattrick in test and that too against the mighty Australian’s at the Eden Gardens.

Watch video here:

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

Sardar can ball a huge wide down leg stump at crucial encounter and can be torn apart by Afridi in a test match all in one over. Yet, h’ll make the best of the batsmen appear fool with his exceptional guile.

Sardar can date a bollywood hottie.

Sardar can win test matches for India. Who’s the last bowler to do that? Kumble may be?

A Sardar can make crowd dance on his tunes during the match.

Moreover our Sardar can smash two back-to-back test hundreds (a feat unaccomplished by the best in business) and stamp his authority over the allrounder’s badge for India.

Above all our Sardar, Sardar Harbhajan Singh, from Jalandar, Punjab sprinkles life into whatever and wherever he does.

Congratulations and well done “Bhaaji”. Your test centuries have become an epitome of Indian cricket. We love you all. Go fetch the sky!!!