Trukz

Just started playing this game and seems like a good one.

Trukz

Try it out.

The bores.

It was the 12th of March 2006, placements were on at IIMB. Placements are usually like a chaotic job fair where candidates jump in and out of interviews and superbly manage to switch between how consulting is the ideal career for them to how they are exactly cut out to make money for the ibank they are interviewing for. Sometimes people end up telling Citibank how it would be the greatest honour of their life working for StanC. Yeah - you get the picture - a high stress situation for all involved. That day I was through with my first round processes for HUL (the company that eventually picked me) and was waiting for an interview with P&G ( first being told that i was not on the shortlist - they had lost my form - then being told that they would interview me - then eventually not being interviewed at all)

In between all this, I was hearing news of the Australians having piled on 434 in 50 overs at the Wanderers. Looks like another thumping win for them we discussed and rushed on to the next process. Till Gibbs took control , till Smith badgered out 90 in 55. Till suddenly it seemed as if it was a match on.

When the last 10 overs started, the placements were already secondary - Recruiters, candidates, trackers, company volunteers were all in the TV room - watching South Africa - create history - willing them to win. Willing Kallis to get out, willing Van der Wath to get those runs. Cheering every boundary as if it was India beating Pakistan in a world cup. An apocryphal story goes that one of our batchmates was called in for an interview with GS India and he told them to wait as SA charged up against the Aussies. And when they chased it down we all cheered wildly.

And it was so out of character for the South Africans. South Africans are supposed to be the most boring cricket team ever - clinical cricket minus of passion. And yet there they were launching the best offensive ever. Creating conditions to have a bunch of Indians - some of us under stress of placements - waiting there and cheering them on.

South Africans continued to choke after that match - notably in the T20 WC against India and in the WC in the Windies. But for that one match the bores of international cricket had the world on their side.

Perhaps its what Graeme Smith brings to the game. The unbridled aggression and passion for a win, for proving people wrong. And that is exactly what he set out to do on 20th Dec 2008. A record run chase in the 4th inning v.s the World No.1 Australia in their own backyard at Perth.

And outstanding century at the top and with support from everyone else, the South Africans yet again had most of the non - Australian world cheering for them. As yet again they dragged themselves out of their boring mode to a interesting team that could breathe passion into the game.

First the 387 chase at Chennai and now 414 at Perth - this has been a fantastic week for Test Cricket. Outstanding stuff.

A slow demise

We all knew that it was around the corner - just a matter of time that it had to happen. Afterall the body could only take so much abuse. Yes the best patchup possible was done to prolong the lifetime but even then, one could unmistakably sense that the end was nigh. The bandaging could only do so much after all.

Some soft hearted people could not bear to look at the sight and suggested euthanasia, but our hero, the companion of the aforesaid was unwilling - An old warhorse he said, Will go down fighting he said. Irreplacable he said. In the past he (our hero) had chosen better versions and let go his earlier faithful companions but this time he was not about to fall into the same trap he said. That they would be together till death do them apart.

Some scoffed at such indulgence, others simply poked fun, some had sympathy - some mooted the idea of gathering funds to ensure that the situation was taken care of but eventually the hero stood alone by his companion.

The kindhearted ones amongst us, hoped that the end would happen altogether, quietly without much struggle but then such wistful thinking never really comes true does it ?

We then finally received a message saying "Guys, my phone is upset with me and refuses to work on any mode apart from loudspeaker. Hence i wont be able to take your calls"

Unfortunately, the phone was dying a slow death - because in truth perhaps our hero was too miserly to let it die with dignity and honour and outright buy a new one. But no - it had to drag on and on till finally it would stop working even as a pager.

But sigh - who dare argue with one's boss especially so close to appraisal time - so we now only sms him instead of speak

Here is attached a pic of the phone in slightly happier times - when it was only bandaged up.




This we believe was the drunken night which got the phone to this condition in the first place

The Final Flight

A bespectacled young man who confused batsmen by calling himself a spinner and did not turn the ball. A nerd who came up with a computer game on cricket - self titled ofcourse. Highest ever Indian wicket - taker. Captain. But above all a fighter who shaped his own career on his own terms.

If the wolves would have had their way, Jumbo would have been out of the team in 2003. Harbhajan by then was the first choice spinner for us. Abroad Jumbo was termed ineffective for ages. But Jumbo has not been a champion for nothing. He has not been known for his resilience or his fighting spirit or his commitment for nothing. If anything then at age 34, he refused to walk away quietly. He refused to remain a old 2nd choice spinner and he fought back. That Adelaide test might be remembered for Dravid's double hundred and Agarkar's six wickets. But for Kumble it meant that he was back in the reckoning with a 5 wicket haul. For he had converted what was expected to be his last tour down under into the start of a second inning for himself. He then bowled at Sydney to pick up 8 wickets in the first inning with 4 more in the second and had it not been for a blind Bucknor and a butterfingered Parthiv, he might as well have won us the series and bid adieu to another great - Tugga - with an Indian victory.

For someone who was expected to fade away in 2003, he came back strongly not only to be play a strong role in most overseas Indian victories but also to return to Australia as the captain. And he pulled off a victory at Perth - the mecca of fast bowling.

Kumble has always been a great bowler but he has been criticised for being non-conventional. He shrugs that off and soldiers on picking up wickets - proving himself to be India's greatest match winner. But at no point of time reaching the levels of popularity enjoyed by the Fab 4 or heck even Yuvraj. He was always in the shadows - but never shying from picking up responsibility for the team. Ever ready to toil and throw down over after over in fast bowling friendly pitches while a usually ineffective pace attack had done their no show. Ever ready to pick up the baton while negotiating central contracts for the players.Ever ready to do a job not primarily his - bat hard when the batting had collapsed and guide India to a better score. Ever ready to realise his limitations and fight hard to achieve above those.

His batting was a story of two parts - A useful tailender at the start and end of his careers and flabby in the mid. His 88 in company of Azhar at Eden was in the first phase while that awesome century in England at the end. Towards the end of his career he was a much better batsman than in the other parts. Yet again a testament to his immense commitment to the game. Rarely would you find a Kumble playing a nothing shot to throw it away. He would want to be there at the pitch and add to the tally so he and the other bowlers would have something to bowl at.

Commitment or resilience for Kumble usually is associated with his courageous act in the Windies when he came out with a fractured jaw and bowled to get rid of Lara. He typified the same spirit in his final test (fittingly at Kotla) when he braved 11 stitches and an ungainly bandage to come out and contain the Aussies and pick up 3 wickets. His last wicket in Test Cricket captured everything that he was. He toiled for many overs to get the wickets he did, he showed commitment in going for a tough catch and taking it and then expressed his emotions with a throw at the stumps. But what made it special was that he braved the pain to get his wickets and came out because the team needed him. He was way off his best form but never ever off his spirit.

If Kumble was a batsman and had achievements similar to his own - he would have been feted as a great hero. Here in the sparkling light exuded by Sachin, Dravid, Dada, VVS and Sehwag we were blinded and for most part Kumble has been the unsung hero. However History will be much kinder and fairer to the man who has been the workhorse of the team for almost 19 years. A man who has won us more matches than any other bowler.

We would do well to remember that its the team which takes 20 wickets that wins a test match. Kumble did more than his fair share to that cause. Today at the Kotla, Jumbo landed his final flight and was on his way - as usual with no fuss.

Thanks Jumbo for all the years, for all the wickets and for all the memories.

Run Outs

Lets examine why run-outs happen ...

1. The striker calls for a run and zips down confident that there is one to be taken there but the non - striker staunchly stands his ground wondering how the hell the striker even imagined there was a run on. But hey give some credit to the striker who atleast went for it. For all you know the fielder's throw could have missed target and that one run could have been the difference between the win and the loss. But a runout in this case
2. Then there is the one where there is hesitation. Maybe - May not be. Bam by the time you decide to take off, the ball is in the keeper's gloves and you have been run out. If only you had started earlier and not stopped to debate whether there in fact is a run there or not - you could have made it and lived to die another day.
3. Then there is the genuine misunderstanding - the striker thinks there is 2, the non striker thinks there is 1. The classical - one-side-hoping-for-more from it all while the other side thinks that there is only so much that can be done here. And amidst all that confusion, you have been run out
4. Then there is the confusion caused by the 3rd person involved in the picture - the runner. The batsman might be injured, so out comes the runner. With it creating the ultimate triangle situation. The batsman might put complete faith in the runner only to see him fumble and be run out OR the batsman might not trust the runner and both might run together to the same end. Well thats just not done isnt it -The runner then ensures that the batsman is runout anyway.

So the key then is to ensure that you dont get run out at all. If at all you have to get out - it had better be that special ball. A random fielder putting a throw is just not done.

Movies

Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rang De Basanti, Wednesday. Different movies - yet a thread thats common to them all.

Gandhi is known as the father of the nation - admittedly I have always been biased anti Gandhi and see no reason to turn that around at all. However Lage Raho quite lucidly captured the essence of Gandhi - protest peacefully and victory will be yours eventually. If you are slapped on the cheek - offer the other one. Your lack of protest will eventually shame the attacker and he will give in. Yet the movie asks the pertinent question. What do you do if you get slapped on the other cheek too ? And Munnabhai promptly shows us the answer - through slapping him back. Non Gandhian but indeed practical.

And thats where RDB takes off from. Protest peacefully - have candle marches et al. But what when those fail? What do you do when you are pushed constantly. Thats when you snap and react and react forcefully. RDB showed the extreme where a bunch of youngsters could assasinate an incompetent defence minister. Protest violently so it registers!

And Wednesday - spoiler ahead if you havent seen the movie yet - registers a similar idea. You carry on with normal life inspite of all the shit that surrounds you. You are numb to blasts in Kashmir, Blasts in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, Delhi, Mumbai - practically everywhere. You stay at home - wary of visiting public places due to the threat. You put your head down and continue with life. But somewhere sometime the anger boiling inside - albeit slowly - will cross that high limit and then there will be hell to pay.

Maybe that anger will be all too visible now - for the government and the authorities will sense it and act visibly. We might find an operation that strikes at the heart of the likes of SIMI and IM. And then there will yet again be hell to pay. Because if the terrorists dont, the government will at the elections.

The corridor of uncertainty

A batsman in form usually rocks the scene with his confidence. He would not hesitate to take a swing at that long hop outside offstump even if its the first ball he faces and the odds are that it would go on for the boundary. The inform batsman has no doubt in his mind - he knows he is on the top of his game and would punish any loose ball. Hell - he would even come right down the track to top bowlers and thwack them over their heads without an iota of indecision.
Sometimes the swings might take the edge - but they would still fly to third man for boundaries. But the in-form batsman would take shots even on marginal balls and succeed like success.

It is when the batsman begins to lose form, doubts take over the back of his mind. When he takes his shots - they are mostly tentative pokes usually ending up in edges going in to the slips or that grinning forward short leg. In most such cases, when the batsman walks out - he walks out with a purpose of not failing. He would be extra cautious - not wanting to get drawn into false shots. he wants to get a hang of the pitch, build up familiarity and then once he is in - take his shots.

Yet often in that "getting in" phase - there might just be that one ball, pitched outside off in that corridor of uncertainty - the batsman aims to let go - deciding not to take the shot only to see it coming straight onto the stumps. Plumb and not offering a shot or maybe sometimes deciding to go for it but failing to get the bat down in time. Time to go and take that long walk back to the pavilion yet another time in his career.

Because whether in form or not, the batsman does well to remember the words of the wise man who said "You miss 100% of the shots you dont take!"

The Captain

He had been their most successful captain. Hell he had taken over in tough times from a captain who had lost most and had ended up confusing the boys. But this chap had come in - fresh with new ideas - firm on principles and high on determination.

Slowly but steadily he had realised that all this team needed was a bit of direction and loads of motivation. So he set about identifying the best talent - previously ignored and decided to put his weight right behind them. Soon the starlets who had shone in a couple of matches and then marched themselves into oblivion were suddenly back in contention. They were given an extended run - they were mentored and lo and behold they were topping the performance charts.

He had given the team a sense of purpose and belonging. A goal - a belief that they could mix with the best and give as it came. That they too could shoot higher than the rest.

And that transformed the team - that transformed the performance and catapulted the team into one of the best - into being one of the most potent teams - a team that could be relied on.

And the team now looked upto that man who had made it all possible for a little trust and belief had indeed gone a long way.

But today was not about the journey that had been. Today was about the announcement he had in hand - that he was to play his last series here and that he was to leave the boys to fend for themselves. That he had no other choice really in the matter - he just had to move on to his new role, it was almost a diktat that he had to go. And he expected the boys to take it on their chin and move on. But try as he did - he could quite digest the fact that this dream was over and that a new one had to start.

He went through his words over and over again - trying to finalise the ones he could deliver that would soften the blow. And just as he had the ideal words on hand, his coach rushed in and told him that he had broken the news.

The captain - apprehensive walked in to face his team - he expected a barrage of anger for letting the announcement happen through the coach. But the crestfallen hopeless faces were not what he expected. The young stars who owed their all to him, who thought their future was tied to his remaining the captain had taken it badly.

But the captain had to leave - his work here was done - the fruits were ripe. He had had his pleasure seeing them ripen. The sweet taste could be enjoyed by the successor - for the captain had other fields to pasture, a new role to crack.

For the thrill of starting over - the challenge of taming the unknown was something his kind could never turn down.

Chokety choke

Mohali - a flying Yuvraj and a choke. Delhi - a sweeping Karthik and a choke. Rajasthan - a misfielding Fernando and yet another choke.

With all these chokes - I petition to rename the Mumbai Indians as the "Mumbai South Africans" and nominate them as the true successors to the choking tradition of the Saffers.

Oh Woe!

The IPL situation

Note: This is one of the rare posts that I had left as a draft after writing the first 2 points and than actually came back to finish it off. Started writing this before the IPL - got a bout of NED (No Enthu Da) - quit the post and now am continuing it again once the IPL has started. So the latter part of the post also has the benefit of hindsight.

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Lot of people have expressed their concern over IPL - ranging from resentment over India's growing and now evident power in World Cricket to IPL's effect on International matches and even the future of Test and ODI cricket and even the impact on the purity of the game.

Lets try and look at it point by point

1. India's Power in World Cricket

Thats just some countries being sore about India and the shift in balance of power from traditional English-Australia stronghold days. Lets face the fact - India is where this game has gargantuan proportions and tremendous fan following and the money. India will be powerful and should use some of that power. However to quote Spidey's Uncle - With great power comes great responsibility and BCCI will have to tread that line carefully. But the point is that the IPL for the first time has opened up the treasure box of cash not just for itself but also for the players. For the first time players are not being paid according to Board Policies or Prize Monies but according to their market value - and astronomical sums. I have for long argued that a cricketer has a limited shelf life - open to injuries ruining his career - and if he isnt articulate enough then a career in commentary is not open either. Hence it is only fair that the cricketer cashes in on every possible opportunity to earn and secure his future. Indian money now is directly flowing to good players of any caste creed or origin. A relatively unknown David Hussey also has the chance to make a killing here and from the players point of view - this has to be a good thing.
The biggest stakeholder however is the spectator - and he now gets the chance to watch the best players play against each other far more regularly. While it may lack the national rivalry flavour - soon enough we might find that we the spectators will rally behind some franchisee or the other. And this may not even be region based - but largely on the following that the players will command.

2. The International Matches

The IPL is a 45 day window with 8 teams. Teams will purchase players on the basis of their performance not only in the IPL which happens only once a year for a 45 day window but primarily on the basis of their performance on the biggest stage that is World Cricket. For any player to connect to the adoring masses who will eventually bankroll the entire IPL - that player needs to shine for the country at the International Level. Unless he does that he will not be able to command a price premium. Given the intensity with which players have been playing in the IPL - it does not at any point of time seem that they look upon this as a carnival (except ofcourse Graeme Smith's stumping off Pollock). It is serious intense cricket with both the foreign and local players giving it their all.

What this means is that International Cricket will not be devalued by IPL - infact the importance will increase tremendously. The ICC here has a huge role to play by actually trying to accomodate the IPL in its FTP calendar as without that the player will be forced to choose for those 45 days between money (really big money) and country. With the shortsightedness that most cricket boards carry - it can end up having serious consequences for the player. My hypothesis obviously is that if a player only plays 45 days of IPL and no international cricket (unless he is a retired star like Warne or McGrath) he will lose bargaining power with the IPL.


3. Devaluation of Test / ODI cricket

When ODI cricket came in - it was argued that Test Cricket would die a death. On the contrary ODI has made Test Cricket more interesting with the fast pace of scoring boiling down to more results and hence more interesting cricket. Test cricket will always have its own charm - the charm of seeing 7 players crowded around the bat with the bowler attacking with full steam is something that has its own joy. Or the excitement that a tense close draw can generate with the no.11 batsman looking to play out the last over of the day to earn a draw by the skin of their teeth is unmatched.

Similarly T20 is going to make ODI cricket a more exciting place. Last 10 overs 134 to chase is no longer going to be outside the realms of possibility. The fielding is only going to get better and running between the wickets is going to improve.

Also the good part is that most matches have seen clean hitting and not slogging - which is good for the game.

4. The Good Things

This is not a concern obviously. One thing that IPL will do is increase friendship and tolerance amongst players from different countries and that is one thing that cricket desperately needs. Also now player weaknesses are going to be out in the open - so that again will make cricket more interesting and put the onus on the player to perfect his game to the largest extent possible.


All in all - IPL can only mean good things for the game. Ofcourse it could have been done in better ways but that doesnt take anything away from it. Its an outstanding idea executed well and the BCCI and the players will earn some deserved moolah.