I'll walk alone

Recently, I read through a post in one of my bud’s blog. Instead of finishing with a smile as I usually do, I was rather shocked when I was done reading. Well, I am one such an individual who believes in restricting the radius of my ‘Circle of Trust (COT)’. And taking into account the fact of my friend not having considered me in his COT…was a bitter astonishment. One of my ex-roomies ‘Mr. A’ always used to warn/pick me harshly about the company with which I mingled and extended my trust to. I used to discard all his comments away….but today, I am forced to rethink!

After encountering so many happy and crappy experiences in life….I framed one theory which I always keep telling some people when I felt they took the wrong road. My theory is something like this:

“Value you give…is the value you get”

….and this proved right at all times.

I can quote an example….I knew this guy who came from a very knowledgeable and a highly respectable family. He was/is a very nice guy by heart (even though he gets cranky at times….LOL...J/k). And, he didn’t quite know the value and respect that one owed towards money. On one fine day….I felt he wasn’t doing justice towards the money he had and so, I went to him and put forth my theory. He gave me a glare and used some unparliamentary words ultimately telling me to ‘**** off’. I gave a smile and said ‘Money is god’ before going away. And, after two years….he calls me back saying that he owes more that $5000 because of his carelessness, and also adds that he walks 2 miles from college to home to save on his commutation charges.

And to my surprise, I read John Wright saying something similar to my theory when I read his book 2 days before. He was talking about Virender Sehwag getting too haughty and egoistic about his dominance in ODI cricket that took him as far as getting him selected in the World XI side in 2004. In that season, he made an open statement to the press…saying…

“If I can bat for the full 50 overs in a game, I sure can cross 200 runs easily”…

And what followed was 2 years of ODI cricket with just 2-3 fifty’s and getting dropped from the side for the recently concluded West Indian home series! And looking at this, Wright rightly said that…

“If you give a piss towards Cricket, Cricket will give its piss at you!”

But…reading at my bud’s post had completely proven my theory wrong. I totally valued my friend, spent all the fun part of life with him…considered him higher than most part of my family members….but today….all I get is a cold shoulder. Expectations and assumptions are my greatest weaknesses. And this is just one more of the defeats that I face due to my stupid expectations. My friend used to say that ‘Girls are the toughest beings to understand’…but I just wanna rephrase that and say…’Friends are the toughest beings to understand’.

When I watched ‘Goodwill Hunting’ a few days before yet again, I was once again touched by Robin Williams’ dialogue when he talks about ‘true loss’. He says ‘true loss’ is experienced only when u lose something that you love more than yourself. And any day, I would accept this statement with my hands tied down! A few days before, I was telling one of my friends on the phone about the value of people. I said,

“ It aint about ego, it aint about money…..its all about people…and the people whom you value the most…”.

So….to sum up…..by combining what I had said…and what Williams had said…I only feel my hands are more than empty now! My theory was proved wrong, the radius of my COT is further narrowed down and I have experienced true loss. Solitude was always my best companion…and so will it always be….

“ I’ll walk alone….” :)

The art of batsmanship

When I was reading this fine piece of cricketing literature last week, I found an interesting topic that I wanted to share with the world. This was the legendary English batsman Colin Cowdrey's tips to be a good batsman(assuming the batsman is right-handed). Here they are:

• Build a sound framework: stance, grip, head.


• The first key to batting is the head position


• The stance must be totally relaxed, a leopard waiting to pounce


• The grip should be left hand tight, right hand light(fingers only)


• The head should be erect and still without being stiff and tense.


• The second key to batting is the left shoulder which must lead and take the head to the ball.


• The third key to batting is that the left forearm must control the stroke.


• The back-lift must be stricly controlled and grooved.


• The batsman should have strict rules for starting an innings which should be practised under pressure.


• The eyes must be glued on to the ball until the point of the strike.


• Concentrate on two levels: the next ball and the bigger picture.


• Shot selection must be disciplined and based on pre-planning.


• The batsman must be immune to distractions, which require a thick skin and the ability to neutralise the opposition by wither freezing them out or with a smile.


• Build one brick a time: take the singles.


• Bat in pairs.


• Keep it simple.

When I started playing leather ball cricket around 15-16 years ago, what I missed was a coach who could provide me the tips listed above. If at all I did, I would have become a much better batsman than what I am. So, if you guys know any youngster who is looking promising, pass these tips without fail...

C'mon India

My XI for the world cup:

1.) Sourav Ganguly
2.) Sachin Tendulkar
3.) Rahul Dravid
4.) Yuvraj Singh
5.) Virendra Sehwag
6.) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
7.) Irfan Pathan
8.) Ajit Agarkar
9.) Zaheer Khan
10.) Anil Kumble
11.) Harbhajan Singh

12th man: Dinesh Karthik

With the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ rising up like a phoenix from the ashes, the slot for the first opener is indubitably cemented. He has a new stance, looking to play straighter and is facing the short ball with more confidence and with much ease. The only hurdle for him to gain his lost redemption is to counter the likes of the fast and furious Aussies.

The living god has performed healthily at the middle order in the last few outings. But I strongly believe that he should be opening the innings for India in the Caribbean. He could bat at any position in the order…but considering that he is the best player that we have at the moment, it would be a wiser option if he were offered the entire 50 overs to bat. And if he gets going….u know what to expect!!!!! The openers who have been tried out in the recent games haven’t been consistently successful, and I wouldn’t risk any of them for a major tournament like the World cup.

Dravid and Yuvraj perfectly fill up the voids in the # 3 and # 4 spots. Two class acts that have all the shots in the book.

Sehwag’s selection might be debatable. But, as I said earlier, a major tournament like the world cup isn’t the time for any experimentation. Experience would be the key and the timely break for Sehwag promises to do a world of good for his batting and fitness. And, with Sourav back, it would not be a great choice to let Sehwag open the innings.

Dhoni has been outstanding with the bat and the gloves in the recent past. Unless things turn upside down, I wouldn’t let anyone grab that spot.

Irfan has been good with the bat for sometime now. But, the primary purpose of his selection is to bowl 10 overs. Recent games have exposed his bowling incapabilities and have brought his confidence levels to rock bottom. But, have a look at the seamers in the bench for national contention.
· Sreesanth: A very good Test bowler. But his Economy rate and success levels in the shorter version of the game have sucked!

· VRV Singh: Raw pace. No rhythm and lacks the refinement of a quality fast bowler.

· RP Singh: Good bowler. But, the team has made blunders in making him sit out when toning his line/length was much required. Not a wise decision to make him take the field directly in the Carib.

· Munaf Patel: More of a military medium pacer. Also brittle and lacks the fitness required for a long serving quickie.

· Joginder Sharma: No comments!!!!


Irfan needs to regain his mojo very soon. And a month before the WC can do wonders to his confidence. Irfan with the in-form Zaheer alongside Agarkar will form a deadly pace attack that can clatter the opposition.

We are fortunate to have 2 of the best and most experienced spinners in the world. On their day, both Anil and Bhajji can run through the opposition with their vicious deliveries.

It’s pretty unfortunate that a wonderful batsman like Dinesh Karthik would have to sit out as the 12th man. But, exclusively playing Karthik as a batsman would require one of the major batter’s in our lineup to fail wretchedly. The person, who comes somewhere close to trade the 12th man spot with Karthik based on present form, is Sehwag. Otherwise, I wouldn’t listen to people who are strongly against playing 2 keepers. Karthik is good enough cricketer who can retain his place in the team due to his batting abilities alone. Considering other options its best we stick to Karthik.

Overall, we have a team capable of producing the best. With some magic, I believe we guys can do it.

LET’S GO BOYS!!!!!