Cricket and Emotion

Once in a while, when i question myself on 'commitment' levels, one answer helps me feel better  - Cricket. I've played that game for 20+ years , though i have not progressed much beyond the school /local league games. Cricket in general and Indian cricket in specific, defined my english vocabulary. I made most of my school pals on the cricket field. I played cricket all weekend long when i was growing up, even at 1 am, when the sun was burning us.  Fought with any one / anything, to allow me to play a game of cricket. Have had a broken nose and fractures, playing cricket !!! To improve my bowling, i used to bowl against a brick wall - Result : Ball marks all over all the walls around our house!!!I used to practise my batting stance and bowling run-up, all day and night. The mind ran the bowling run-up all the time. I still have the earliest cricket bat my dad got me. I've played cricket games the day before big exams, watched Sachin smash the aussies , the day before my 10th standard board exams. Listed to India cricket games on radio restlessly, on the journey from school to home and rush to switch on the TV. Felt depressed when India lost and like a conqueror of the world when India won. 

Suddenly, i stopped watching cricket. I was losing the 'emotion' i attached to the game. It became just another routine - to see the scores of India games. Winning / Losing not doing much to the feel.

When Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly decided to leave the game - the 'feel' which was missing for a few years, re-appeared. That seemed to be the emotion one feels on the departure of a friend, after a fantastic holiday at one's place. I grew up as these guys gave their best for India. Anil seemed to define intensity and commitment. He showed how much 'attitude' can do to anyone especially, if they lacked talent. Saurav taught us 'attitude'. He taught us to be 'aggressive' , paving way for the current assertiveness of Indian cricketers. 

These guys made my day happy, so many times. 

When i read about their departure on Cricinfo, it brought out the emotions hidden deep below. It made me think about the possibilities that lay ahead. I decided its time to recharge my 6 month- unusedTATA SKY cable box. Its time to watch every game that Sachin plays now on... 

When he leaves, am certain , its time to 'move on' ..

Runs N Wickets

It has been a good start to the year ( late start as well.. ) for my cricket team - Runs N Wickets. We won by 150+ runs in our 1st 25 over game and in the 2nd won by 5 wickets with 5 overs to spare. If you enjoy playing cricket and stay in Chennai, you are welcome to join the team. We play matches and do "NETS" in the weekends. Just head to www.runsnwickets.com and join the group by providing your mail id.

Our team has just enrolled for a local T20 championship. Scores and more will be up on the site now on.

Runs N Wickets

If you want to score your runs and take the opponent's wickets, join RunsNWickets.

That is the cricket team i play for. We are a bunch of passionate cricketers who meet up every weekend for a hit in the NETS or play a match. We also meet online using the google groups where the finer details about the game are shared and discussed.

Some photos from a recent game at Madras Christian College ( MCC) ground at Tambaram - One of the most scenic grounds i've played .

The green ground..


Vinoth ( Our keeper-batsman, who has played for TN under 17 team ) shows defense..



That is me, going hard after a cricket ball ..

Needless to say who won the game :)

T20 - Some thoughts

Totally enjoyed watching the T20 final ( Finals and the semi's are the only games i watched ). Some thoughts about the game, Indian cricket and more..

• T20 is surely cricket's answer to the basketball challenge. Americans went the basketball way since the game offered excitement and uncertainity every second of the game and the game itself lasted only about 1.5 hours. From, what we saw in the worldcup, T20 can clearly match up to the "American" challenge
• T20 world cup in 15 years will surely see stiff competition from the countries in the Americas
• T20 worldcup in 15 years will probably structured the same way as the football world cup ( regional level competitions and then the world stage )
• Bowlers need to be accurate all the time and have 2-3 types of deliveries to keep the batsman guessing. The 07 T20 finals saw Harbhajan being smashed for sixes. Harbhajan was attempting to just bowl 1 type of a ball ( fire the yorker in ) and the batsman can, by default, wait on the front foot to smash him. This puts the bowler under a lot of pressure to pitch on the right spot , ball after ball. On the other hand, Irfan Pathan kept mixing the balls - one was a slow offcutter, another was a quicker one, a short one ( at Afridi ), a fuller one and he was clearly successful
• Also, the T20 worldcup clearly showed that the batsman has to have solid batting skills to excel. The batsmen who smashed - Yuvraj, Hayden, Misbah and others had a clear method to their hitting. T20 may not bring out the same grace from the batsman as a TEST match does, but it will surely match up to the One day international levels.
• As a result of T20 games, if the One day international games are played ( i see the one day games dying out very soon ), the 50 over a side games will see totals of 400+ being scored regularly
• Lastly, i couldn't feel more sorry for Sachin - He gave his everything for the Indian team for 17 years. Sometimes, it was as if he was the only guy who was playing straight - literally and otherwise. He deserved that world cup the Indian boys won as much as guys such as Yuvraj, RP Singh and Dhoni, if not more. He should have been a part of the team. That cup should be dedicated to his contribution for the Indian cricket. ( Joginder must be one lucky guy on planet earth. He kept bowling at all places on the pitch and still managed to be a part of the world cup winning side). Sorry Sachin - Life is really cruel sometimes
  

Sports Story #4 : Spectator and more

Of the many gripes about sports in India, there is nothing more damaging than the lack of spectator interest in the games beyond the national stage. Support and encouragement to the sports and games played at the local level will be a big boost to the sports in general and players in specific. My friend in the US regularly talks about going to watch his local football team play. He and his friends take a picnic meal along and enjoy the weekend supporting and appreciating the local league games. In contrast, the only people who turn up at the local games in India are the player's family.

Can this situation change ? ...I don't have an answer. But i do know of someone who stands by a cricket team like a rock in India - In an earlier life, i used to captain the cricket team of Frost & Sullivan in Chennai. This highly enthusiastic team used to play competitive cricket against other corporate teams almost every other weekend. We always could count on this person to turn up and support the team - whether the game happens at the easy to access, in-city grounds such as St.Bedes or the grounds that are miles away and have to be reached through "national highways" ( Yes yes, grounds beyond Tambaram in Chennai ).

She has played the role of a 12th man taking water to the thirsty souls in the burning heat in May, been the cricket scorer when the players dumped the work on her , team's photographer clicking away the snaps and promptly mailing it to the players for "keeps", Run around and organise farewell gifts for players moving away from the team ( Cricket and Frost ) and importantly, cheer the players ball after ball ... For over a year now.

If only we had many more of her tribe, am sure there would be some positive change in the sporting culture in India.

Thanks AC !!

Here is a video she put together ... That was one of the best teams i've been a part of and it shows in the photos!!

Cricket and my times playing that

Some of my best /worst in Cricket so far. Sometimes, i think that i started playing cricket right from the times i was in my mom's womb...

• Ran away from the crease while batting, on seeing the bowler steaming in [me -Class 3 and the bowler some years senior] and with that, stumps and my standing in the team flew away!!! Never played for that team again!
• I had the best kits in my neighbourhood [ I played most matches coz the team needed my kits]!!
• Had the worst kit among my school team mates
• Captained my school cricket team in my 12th std days. Won the only tournament we entered in and won too.
• Bowled the fastest in my school. Had most of the wickets only coz of the fear factor.
• Bowled a bouncer at a guy to prove to him that i could hit him. He was hit on the back of the head [felt sick at myself for doing that, and never bowled for the rest of the inning]
• Took a cruicial wicket- bowled, in an inter-school final.
• Got hit for a few sixes in an intra-office game. Worst ever!
• Bowled some 25-30 bouncers at that guy at the next NETS!!
• Got my nose broken while fielding.
• Got my left little finger broken while batting.
• Never cheated in cricket.
• Lost my wicket more than a few times coz the umpire erred. And in one, we lost the game and the shield.[Was in the best form and we were so close to victory]
• Never made a difference to a few games i played.
• Won a few on my own.
• Played at the "Royal toilet pitch". The pitch in my school which is right behind the loo.
• Have bowled 13 overs straight in 25 over games during school days. Felt great then. Feel stupid now. Couldv'e made intelligent moves with other bowlers.
• Had a batting average of 47 runs and took 12 wickets in a 3 match series [25 overs] during school days.
• Was one of the worst cricket captains my school house team would've had. But learnt so much after my stint as a captain there.
• Learnt that the best thing a captain should do is building the team, getting them give the best, playing hard with the team, seeing people score/bowl well and win in the process. That gives a feeling then even a personal 100 or a 5-wicket can't beat.
• Had some of my best moments with frost cricket team - both as player and a captain
• Was the best player in my school house team and was in the top 2 in my school during that last 2 years at school.
• Always helped pack the team's kit and lay the mat on.
• My respect for a guy went up if he pitched in with kit packing. More, if the guy was a senior.
• Blasted a mighty quick 48 [not out], when the whole school was watching us play in an inter-school game. And all of them got to "know me by name" instantly.
• Got out for a duck, when the whole school was watching us play in the next game, with a huge expectation from me
• Let down my school team in a few past students Vs present students games.
• Played for my school team for 3 years!
• Was offered a chance to be in the main eleven in one of my district 3rd division teams
• Felt absolutely miserable when i was made to sit in the "bench" during my "neighbourhood cricket" days - The team just "used" my kit. Was laughed at for this!!!!
• Scored my maiden 100 [105 n.o] in a chennai corporate league game and appeared in the local news paper!
• Never made it to my college cricket team. Was one of the lowest points in my cricket days.
• Thought i lost my cricket abiltiies after the accident.
• Rebuilt most of my strokes and changed my bowling action [infact, i forgot what my earlier action was, after the accident]
• Suck at playing tennis ball cricket.
• Plastered the wall at my home with ball marks all over.
• Broke my dad's car window and more than a few flower pots at home playing cricket
• Never won the cricket shield in the inter-house matches during the school days. Pals still joke about it!!
• Captained and won an intra-hostel cricket game with just 4-5 guys who play cricket, against an opponent filled with 11 stars. One of the best moments in cricket.
• Never won a toss, captaining frost cricket team.
• Never slept before a cricket game.
• Hate watching cricket on T.V these days. Don't watch even a ball, most times.
• Watched Ind Vs Aus at Sharjah during the 10th board exams. Never missed a ball.
• Spent my entrie childhood weekends and weekday evenings playing cricket. All day long and sun never bothered us.
• Made some really awesome pals playing cricket. Most of my school buddies were made on cricket field.
• Used the 15 min interval to have lunch and the 45 min lunch break during school times for the cricket games , every day from class 5 to class 9.

More.. when i remember!