Bye bye 2022, Hello 2023!

As we wrap up 2022 and welcome another year, this is just a quick thankyou too all the readers for their love. Thankyou for mailing in with your thoughts on my posts and sharing your inputs with me regularly.

I just want to send the best of wishes everyone's way, for a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous new year! May everyone achieve all that they want and more while also retaining their health, goodness, humility, and sanity. God bless!

See you around on the other side of 2022.

Take care and be well!!

14 years on...

It's been a little more than 14 years since the dastardly attacks of 26/11 in Mumbai.

While the world has moved on to other stories, other tragedies too, the memories of that horrible night continue to haunt the nation. I was nowhere near Mumbai that day. I lost no one from my known circle of  family and friends. Still, it was a day when one felt the entire nation lost someone or the other.

Perhaps a lot of the angst has come from the fact that the people being targeted were hapless, innocent civilians, and many foreign nationals identified by citizenship and religion,

It was made worse by the satellite channels which beamed live and "exclusive" coverage of the attacks and our counter-operations in defense.

We keep recounting the horrors of that night and the ensuing days but what will remain etched in my memory is the valor of our armed forces and the resilience of our citizens. It was a tragic day but it was also a day to ensure that we do not let any of the perpetrators rest till we bring them to justice. Most importantly, to Pakistan, as the nation being the sponsor and mastermind, orchestrating the entire series of attacks that day across Mumbai.

I am confident that we will always remain united and will continue to defend the motherland, and if need be, even go on the offensive to defuse and/or pre-emptively extirpate any sinister plans by anyone against our country. 

To the martyrs of 26/11 - Jai Ho!

What a birthday!

October 23, 2022
Generally, birthdays are a happy time. Apart from reflecting on another year as you age and be thankful for all your blessings, you also get greeted and loved by your family and friends. All in all, a relaxed, fun vibe all through the day.

This year, it was slightly different. Of course, all usual stuff I mentioned above did happen. Only, there was another ingredient in this year's birthday. October 23, 2022 also happened to host an India Pakistan match. That too in the World Cup. That too, after the heartbreaking loss 364 days ago in the previous World Cup (and another loss to them recently in the Asia Cup in August). 

This meant my birthday was also going to be a tense day, filled with the usual racy heartbeats and sweaty palms you come to expect from a typical India-Pakistan match.

The last thing I wanted was for us to lose on my birthday. Sure, it would not have been the end of the world. But of course, sentiments and rationality need not always coexist happily. I knew it would not have mattered but I still did not want us to lose to Pakistan, certainly not on my big day.

And as the match began, India won a good toss, had a great start with its bowlers but we squandered that advantage and Pakistan managed to make almost 160 (159), despite no contributions from Babar or Rizwan.

And then, the horror start. After the quick procession of wickets in the first 10 overs, my "happy" birthday began to seem more like more of a sad day. Until a certain Mr. Kohli and Mr. Pandya decided to take things in their own bats. From biding their time initially and rotating strike to counterattacking Nawaz and taking him out of the attack to taking the game deep continuously and staying in the hunt to 28 from 8 to the legendary consecutive sixes by Virat making it 16 from 6, to the controversial no-ball, to the 3 smart runs after being bowled on the free-hit, to the sensible left alone wide by Ashwin and to finally, the lofted off drive for the winning single - every single moment thereafter was a pulsating account of how we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. And of course, to the one and only Virat Kohli's chasing masterclass.

Thank God for making my birthday one of the sweetest eventually, by making India victorious and for all the lovely, unforgettable moments!! What. A. Day!

As I write, Pakistan has lost to Zimbabwe last night, in the most shocking manner, by 1 run. Their fans must be distraught and have every reason to feel so. They were not even chasing a score of 180+ or even 160-odd. Just 131. And with all due respect to Zimbabwe's bowlers, they aren't the most menacing attack in the world either. Even after Pakistan committing harakiri like only Pakistan can, they were still in a position where they needed just 3 runs off the last 3 balls, with 4 wickets in hand. And an in-form Nawaz in the middle. Yet, the pressure got to them and they are staring at an early exit, barring any miracles and all other results going their way.

For the Indian team, we have managed to thrash Netherlands quite comprehensively in our next encounter and now await South Africa on Sunday. Let's keep the momentum going and continue playing the best cricket we can. The rest should take care of itself too. 

Keep rocking, Team India...Jai Ho!

Rest in Peace, Raju ji

Comedian - A term that we often tend to associate with someone who can make you laugh.

Given the punch-down trend of comedy today, especially stand-up comedy (except a few honorable exceptions like Amit Tandon), Raju ji was a much bigger, better star from another league. 

He was at par with the Johnny Lever's and Surendra Sharma's of his time. This post is a tribute to the man who was more than just a comedian.  

Of course, I cannot claim to know too much more about Raju ji. Like most people, I was also aware of only his comic talents, his great mimicry style, and not to forget, his unique ability to personify even the inanimate objects or the most dull situations. 

Be it his hilarious take on flood-reporting by news reporters or the ROFL-worthy bits on observations at weddings or his performance of preaching as a gangster-turned-baba, each act was legendary and a comedy masterclass in itself. And obviously, these are just a few standout performances, it's by no means an exhaustive list.

The thing with Raju ji was that he never descended to the level of making comedy crass or below-the-belt. None of that could ever pass off as humor in his book. Every single act was something that the entire family could understand, enjoy, and watch on repeat.

Mimicry was another forte - where he could effortlessly pull off a Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Mithun, Johnny Lever, Shatrughan Sinha, even Shashi Kapoor, among many more. Besides, who can ever forget Amitabh Bachchan? His AB mimicry was on par with Sudesh Bhosle. No one else can ever come even close.

And then, there were those cute observations and one-liners on different authentic characters that he would pull from the common man - be it his sketches of an overexcited sister-in-law or the typical simpleton villager like Gajodhar, Sangattha, Baijnaath, each sketch was a treat to watch. Again, you could identify with the observations and marvel at his talent without needing any break.

But even more than all his talents, his best quality that I figured in these last few days was that he remained a genuine and true person, straight from his heart. It has been alleged that he was chucked out of The Kapil Sharma show because he criticized Bharti for consuming (and/or possessing) drugs. While the allegation may or may not be true, he is reported to have criticized Bharti only because he wished her well. There are also reports of many other comedians and artists who have shared that during their days of struggle, Raju ji had always lent his support to them in every way, including financial support.

Thanks to Saurabh Pant's podcast, in case you are also a fan, you can watch this memorable conversation of Raju speaking about his journey and the story behind some of his performances in this video.

Rest in peace, Raju ji. You went away too soon but your work will continue to live with us as some of our fondest memories. You will always be an immortal star for us.

You were a wonderful, lovely, and loveable soul who always brought happiness to everyone. May the Almighty also keep you happy and at peace, always. 

Om Shanti.

Chak de!

308 days ago, the stage was the T20 World Cup but the venue was the same and so was the opposition.

India Vs Pakistan

It really doesn't get bigger than this. More than revenge, it was a time for redemption for Team India.

On that night, we batted was timid and our bowling was lacklustre. 

Cut to August 28, 2022. Even this time, we were too timid in our batting for the most part (this was especially glaring after our new template of attacking the bowlers and batting positively from the get-go, in the last 6 months). We lost KL Rahul in what was almost a replica of his dismissal the last time around. With almost the same impact too.

We went into our shell for a bit, as edges flew, tensions rose, and we nicked and prodded for a few runs. Just when things were looking more in control, Sharma threw it all away and very soon, Kohli came tumbling after.

Then came the most significant partnership of the match, Jaddu and Hardik, as they went about their job of keeping the scoreboard moving and ensuring that we did not lose any more wickets. Remember, with only DK to follow and playing with a long tail while chasing at 9+ per over for the better part of the last 10 overs, another wicket would have set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Hardik Gold Pandya

No, the Gold is not his middle name because he loves wearing it along with a generous sprinkling of his tattoos. The Gold is very much part of him now (and may it long be) because he has become an invaluable cog in our armoury, with renewed zeal, much fitter physique, much calmer temperament and much fiery bowling spells too. And the killer batting prowess was always there. He is priceless to this team now. 24K priceless. And what better place for this golden boy to show his worth than in the Middle East!!

The zen-like calm and self-assuredness in his batting has been evident ever since his comeback after injury, in the IPL. Captaining a new team and taking it to IPL victory this year has only added to his credentials, qualities, and confidence.

What a beautiful blossoming and touchwood to that!

Overall, it was a great day for the team as we persevered in our bowling as well as batting for the most part, and eventually stood on the right side of the result after a well-fought, scrappy contest.

Some positives:
Hardik, Hardik Hardik

Jadeja's batting

Bhuvi's typical, understated brilliance

Kohli's semblance of his old self

Arshdeep (barring a few disappointments, did pretty well overall)

Things to work on:
KL Rahul

Rishabh's T20 future/potential team instability so close to the World Cup in October

Waiting for Deepak Hooda, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Venkatesh Iyer to make it to the team.
I know Venky Iyer is not even in the squad but he is surely a matchwinner and is ready, in my books.

My Preferred Team India for the T20 World Cup in Australia:

01. Rohit Sharma (c)

02. Venkatesh Iyer

03. Virat Kohli

04. Suryakumar Yadav

05. Rishabh Pant (wk)

06. Hardik Pandya (vc)

07. Ravindra Jadeja

08. Harshal Patel

09. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

10. Jasprit Bumrah

11. Yuzvendra Chahal

12. Deepak Chahar

13. Dinesh Karthik

14. Ravi Bishnoi

15. Deepak Hooda

16. Arshdeep Singh

17. Shardul Thakur

18. Washington Sundar

Anyway, that's for later. For now, well done, Team India - more power to you, keep going!

Jai Ho!

Jai Ho!

It's been a long month and we are not yet done.

It started with the last match of the longest ever Test series (spanning a full year between the first and last Test). When the Final Test began earlier in the month, we dominated for four days. The fifth day was all about Bazball cricket and how it took off, thanks to the English batsmen, particularly Bairstow and Root.

The match was disappointing for Indians not just because we lost a golden opportunity to beat England in England in Test cricket but also because we seemed to have exceeded expectations for most of the Test match. Don't forget, India just came straightaway from IPL cricket into what was a one-off Test in this year, in English conditions. If you observe our recent results, you would notice that we have been poor starters on foreign soil, especially in SENA countries. 

Last year's WTC Final against New Zealand is another example where we would have surely been better off without having to play just one Test out of nowhere. A series allows scope for redemption and comebacks. A one-off contest, especially in alien conditions, has basically been our Achilles heel.

Which is why, it was all the more commendable how we dominated this Test. Yet, on the final day, we lost. With more resolute batting, with more disciplined bowling, we could have easily drawn the match, at the very least.

Nevertheless, the 1-1 result was a tough pill only because we knew we were this close from making history and lost that moment because we fluffed our chances out of nowhere. It is still a compliment to this team that we are bemoaning a 1-1 series draw in England as almost a loss because we know the potential and ability of this team. 

It was the same disappointment we felt after what happened in the last two Tests against South Africa in South Africa in January. Our third innings batting and our last day bowling have let us down in two consecutive, crucial away-series moments, and it was truly disappointing to not get over the line.

Be that as it may, overall, we have still acquitted ourselves very well. The team won the T20 and ODI series in England and now, at the time of writing this, we have already won the ODI leg of the WI tour too, with basically a second-string team.

As the T20 season approaches again with the WI T20 series later and Asia Cup in August, culminating in the all-important T20 World Cup in October, let's wish our team well and continue to let them have our backs.

Go well, Team India - Jai Ho!

A tale of two teams

The T20 series between India and South Africa just concluded today. It was a series that came quick on the heels of a two-month long IPL, and a busy cricket season for Team India right before that. Needless to say, Workload management is the key factor in ensuring that our best XI takes the field for all our important matches. All good with that.

But having said that, we must also understand that workload management is just one part of the story.

The other half of ensuring continued success and dominance in any condition, against any opposition, with any XI, will come from our in-house depth. How much depth we have, how much exposure can we give to our cricketers, and how many players can we identify to do justice to the India jersey?

Thanks to the IPL, we can now say that India can field two teams of its own at any given point of time, for any tournament, on any ground in the world. And by team, I don't just mean a team that can be fielded to simply make up the numbers. I mean, a team that is almost of the same level as the original team in quality and depth, almost equally competent and competitive in skills and temperament. 

And with choc-a-bloc cricket in the New Normal, it is only to be expected that the all-format cricketer is now an endangered species. We might not find too many of them and even when available, we will have to ensure that the all-format cricketer is well-rested, with enough workload management in place (in other words, they must get enough rest and recuperation time between inconsequential battles to be available to win the bigger wars).

Our bench strength is easily among the best in the world. We can field two teams of near-same quality across any format, be it T20s, ODIs, or Test matches.

We have almost like-for-like replacements for all our cricketers. Come the T20 World Cup later this year, for example, we should be able to have enough players to match the skill sets of our First XI. 

In another welcome development, we are fielding two Indian teams at the same time now. One in Ireland for the two T20s, and the other one will be touring England for the sole carry-forward Test match, and the T20 series with the Englishmen.

As the series with South Africa showed, even our second XI can still be a handful and match any team shot for shot, ball for ball. Even after a slow start, we managed to keep ourselves afloat from 0-2 to 2-2, heading into the decider.

As spectators and fans of cricket and Team India, it's now time to encourage them as much as we enjoy their achievements. Do well, both teams - Jai Ho!

IPL spectacle ho riya, agle baras tu jaldi aa!

After what has been two long years without hosting the IPL in India, this year finally brought the IPL caravan to Indian stadiums, along with the crowds.

A new sponsor in Tata, a new number of total teams, a new competition format - and, a new champion!

At the outset, it must be said that the biggest achievement was the fact that we could finally host the entire competition (despite a few hiccups on the way) in a pretty much uninterrupted and secure manner. Sure, there were a few occasions when it seemed like the odd positive results of a few players and support staff might threaten the continuation of at least the matches of those teams. 

Even more importantly, everyone was praying that the infected individuals would not have spread the virus to others. This might have opened a Pandora's box of many unavoidable and uncontrollable factors, which could have led to discontinuation of the tournament.

So, the biggest achievement has got to be the fact that despite all challenges and constraints, IPL 2022 turned out to be a rousing success because each and every IPL match could be conducted relatively smoothly and with the active participation of all the fans in the stadium as well. Good job, everyone!

Another highlight was the number of close matches. Most matches turned out to be cliffhangers, with both the teams being in a position to win the match till as late as the 39th-40th over of the match. The mega auction ensured that every team had to now work with new personnel. Uncapped players needed time and confidence to flower and cement their places in their franchise's Playing XI

Despite coming with the pedigree of being the most successful teams in IPL history, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings kept languishing at the bottom of the table. New times, new combinations, new challenges. 

Talking of new combinations, a word of praise for the two new teams - Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. Not many would have given them a chance but they went out, expressed themselves and played fearless cricket, proving many naysayers wrong. 

Not to forget Rajasthan Royals, one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament and with the irrepressible Jos Buttler in sublime, red-hot form, they always remained force to contend with. Unfortunately, their overall batting performance and shoddy fielding on key occasions went on to let them down.

As always, one of the biggest pluses of such a tournament is that we also found many emerging stars, who did outstandingly well. Players like Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan, Rajat Patidar, R. Sai Kishore, Mukesh Choudhary - just a few names who made their mark and grabbed their opportunity with both hands in this IPL.

Speaking of emerging, it's time to doff our hat to the new emerging sensation - Hardik Pandya - who has emerged as another potential captain and leader of Indian cricket, after this season. His astute captaincy, calmness, composure, and batting prowess have already catapulted him to make a comeback in Team India for the upcoming T20s with South Africa.

Well done IPL, and see you next year!

As we wrap up the 'visarjan' of this year's IPL Ganpati, it's time to revel in its wonderful memories and probably chant "IPL spectacle ho riya, agle baras tu jaldi aa!"

Tata, IPL!

Jai Ho :)

13 years and counting!

If you were a primary school student in 2009, chances are you must already by in higher studies or even a job. Heck, even if you had only just joined school in Class 1, you should still have graduated from school to be in college today.

13 years!

While I had begun this blog in July 2008, I had just been writing sporadically - 5 posts in the first month (July) itself, followed by a couple each in August and November.

But it was only in April 2009, 13 years ago, when I made a silent resolution of blogging at least once a month. As it turns out, I have stuck to that resolution quite religiously, so much so that I have barely written more than once a month since then.

But it's still a nice, happy feeling to be able to continue on a nice hobby, to keep writing, and to maintain at least a monthly cadence to this blog, my blog.

You won't really need to be a data scientist to deduce that most of my posts are on my first love - cricket. I don't think I have written anything too radical or earth-shattering but I am still happy enough that this blog has been a nice platform to express and share my thoughts about anything.

Even within cricket, I have been happy to write - to borrow my byline for this blog - "something or the other, about something or the other". Thank you to all of you who have read my posts and mailed in (I am still not too convinced about needing a Comments button, so letting it be as is). I hope to continue writing and sharing more, and at the very least, maintain my monthly dose cycle in future as well.

Thank you for all the love and hope you continue to enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them, Jai Ho!

Say hello to Tata!

The tournament 

It's that time of the year again when the IPL caravan is upon us. But this time, it's no DLF, no Vivo, but our beloved, our very own Tata group that has befittingly won the title rights for the premier tournament.

What's also new is the format of 10 teams playing the biggest, and by far, the richest T20 league in the world. Apart from the new title sponsor and number of teams, what's also changed is the format.

The format

We do not have each team playing every other team home and away (would have made it 9x2=18 matches) for this edition. Divided into groups of 5 each, they play their group's teams twice + with the team in the same row in the second group (4x2+1x2=10) and once each with their corresponding team in the same row from the second group (4x1=4).

The players

No Pandyas in MI? No Chahal in RCB? No Faff in CSK? No Rashid in SRH?

Be prepared to take some time, as you get used to figure out the team combinations in the new order. But that shouldn't really matter eventually. At the end of the day, it is about which set of players gel better, execute better, and put on a performance that could catapult them to not just victory but even higher gains, glory, and superstardom.

So, let's get going with the fun - fun, which is serious business - the Indian Premier League 2022. May the best cricket win!

Some life learnings, some prayers/wishes

Apart from being a great leveler, sports are a great medium of binding us together. Most sports do not necessitate too much expenses (at least not initially), ensuring that pretty much anyone and everyone can enjoy them without worrying too much about the related economics and affordability. 

Sportsman's spirit

Most sports teach us about sportsman's spirit - though in today's gender-agnostic/neutral world, it could also be renamed as sportsperson's spirit (but that's not the point, you get the drift, right?). Each sport offers many pertinent life lessons that are worth imbibing. 

The crux of the matter is that each sport teaches us to be humble, to win but not at 'any' cost. Sport teaches us to play hard, play to win but to not sacrifice fairness and grace in our pursuit of victories. At the end of the game, even after the most intense battles on the field, win or lose - you smile, shake hands (in many sports, even exchange t-shirts/jerseys) with your opponents, and appreciate each other to round off the day with a "well played!" with teammates and opponents alike.

Not to forget, the fact that talent and temperament trumps everything else. You may be anything or anyone in other spheres, but ultimately, your performance will be determined by what you actually do, how you perform in the field of play and not by any extraneous pedigree. 

Equally importantly, each game and each match begins afresh. Even if you have seen the highs of your last match, there is no guarantee that you will be perform just as well in your next one too. Certainly not if you are complacent and think that it's a given thing. Conversely, it is equally true that just because you were a dud in the last match, it does not necessarily mean that you will continue to flop in your next one too. Certainly not, if you learn from your mistakes and do not give up on yourself. Just like life.

Okay, enough of boring you with all the learnings and sermonizing. If you are still awake, let's look at a couple of real-life examples of all that I've been talking about. A lot has happened in the world of sports in the last month or so.

1) The great Rafael Nadal won this year's Australian Open, beating Medvedev in an epic final. 

2) After losing ignominiously in T20s at home to Ireland, the West Indian cricket team pulled itself back and rallied soon after, to beat England's strong T20 team.

Both these occasions taught me that oft-repeated but even more consistently undervalued virtue of a never-say-die attitude. Never give up. Never ever.

Again, as in life, keep learning, keep improving, and keep believing in yourself. Never let failures or any kind of adversity make you doubt yourself. Never ever.

Playing the final, Nadal was already 2 sets down in the best-of-five sets final. In the 3rd set, when the match score (situation) for Nadal read 2-6, 6-7, 2-3 (0-40), the tournament's Artificial Intelligence predictor gave Medvedev a 96% chance of winning. In other words, it was a 4% chance of a win or a 96% chance of a loss for Nadal. Of course, Nadal knew (and believed) better. Oh, and you can also file this as another exhibit why AI can still do only so much and why it can never really or fully replace human intelligence, self-belief and capabilities!

The other instance, from the West Indies' roller-coaster ride after losing to Ireland and then beating England, is yet another example of self-belief, a phoenix-like renaissance, rising from the ashes, and continuing to enjoy the game. Of all these qualities, enjoying the game is something that WI know very well. Not many sides (from any sport) in the world are better at enjoying the moment, enjoying the game with such abandon, freedom, and unbridled enthusiasm that the Caribbean sides have always possessed in much abundance. It's always nice to see them do well, especially after a disappointing loss. Makes you believe that much more in the fairness of sport, makes your heart gooey to see all the nice people from WI, NZ and SA do well, makes you feel good about the world and life in general.

Before I conclude, here's another footnote to celebrate another memorable sporting day: As recently as yesterday. Last night, India played a not-so-crucial match against West Indies - the first T20 of a 3-match bilateral series. Ok, and India won. What's the big deal, you might ask.

The big deal that made yesterday special, at least to me, was the performance of one of my favorite batsmen, Surya Kumar Yadav. I've been a fan of his batting for as long as I can remember, especially since the last 3 seasons (2018-19 onwards).  The range of his shots, the game plan, the versatility, the ability to be a hitter as well as a run-pincher (stealing ones and twos consistently), the cool and smiling nature - all make him someone I keep rooting for. It doesn't help that he's on the wrong side of the right age for a cricketer. Already 31, Surya needs to make the next few years count. He's too good a batter to miss out on playing for India. It's already taken him much longer than it should have, to sport the Indian jersey.

The only chink if I can say, in his armor, is that he gets too ahead of himself at times. Too often, much against the run of play, he has been guilty of getting out when he is all set, to a nothing ball and a nothing shot. That too, when he has had the field and bowling team at his mercy. I've been praying and wishing for him to be there till the end, whether in the first innings or in the chase. Yesterday was one such day and he came to the party, staying not out till the end and shepherding the chase really well. No surprises, no against-the-run-of-play dismissal, no disappointment! What I loved the most was the fact that in the post-match conference, he himself stated that he would like to stay till the end a lot more and it was like music to the ears. Surely, the man himself knows more than anyone else, what needs to be done. I was just happy I have felt the same way as he has. Hopefully, this was the first of many, many such innings from this gem of a batsman (and person), touchwood! May the sun never set on ya, Surya! More power to you, Jai Ho!

Another day, another year

Happy new year and all that!

As we say hello to a new year (still new, at least for this blog posting its first article of 2022), it's probably a good time to reflect a bit.

Pretty much a year ago, India registered an unforgettable victory on Australian soil, on January 19, 2021. It was the second consecutive Test series victory by an Indian team, beating Australia IN Australia for two consecutive tours (2018-19 and 2020-21).

How time turns. Ironically, two gentlemen who were the heroes this time last year - Cheteshwar Pujara (as the gritty, blow-bearing, un-outable, un-dismissable batsman who won us the Gabba match and pretty much the series too) and Ajinkya Rahane (the stand-in captain for the series after Virat Kohli's paternity leave after the infamous 36 all out first Test) were being rightly feted, glorified, and hero-worshipped.

Cut to circa 2022. Twelve months and many cheap dismissals later, as India lost a very winnable series against South Africa today, they are now the most maligned, most targeted and most blamed villains of the day. While one mustn't forget their contribution and grace for the most part, and extreme reactions are still avoidable, it must be said that they have been given enough of a long rope now.

So much so, that the long rope has now become a noose around their necks. While they must be the first ones to acknowledge and improve on their lack of contributions and might still have time for a comeback, on the evidence of the last 12 months, they need to make their performances talk and begin with the domestic circuit now. If they still bang the door hard enough with their runs, they can always come right back in but for now, that'll be all.

Barring an odd performance here and there, the last 12 months have not shown any semblance of consistency and assuredness that have been their USPs over all these years. Remember the time we were blanked out in Australia in 2011-12? We revamped our Fab Four after that, bringing in a generational shift. 

This loss, against a South African side, who we could have beaten quite easily, will hurt for a long time. It comes against a team that is inexperienced and probably the weakest Protean starting lineup that we have faced on their soil, till now. Not taking any credit away from the magnificent Rabada, the inspirational and gritty Elgar, precocious Petersen, and Jansen, their new sensation. The grit, skills, temperament and talent of this SA lineup compensated for the lack of enough experience or "big name"/marquee players.

But all said and done, the way we began, we could have still won the series from the points where we had been in the match. For both the losses, we have to look at our batting as the biggest bugbear. A failure to capitalize on 50-50 situations, sometimes collapsing even after dominant positions and the lack of those consistent partnerships and daddy hundreds hurt us bigtime. After all, you cannot ask your bowlers (especially fast bowlers) to keep galloping in, session after session, innings after innings, match after match.

Tough luck at times but we were very under-par and need some tough calls now.

It's time to bring the Viharis, Iyers and Gills of Gen 2.0 and start afresh. With Rahul as coach and guys like Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja, Ashwin, Shami, Bumrah, and Rahul, there's no dearth of experience or quality either. Only a matter of time before we hit our straps and make every match count and every moment count.

Hope to see Gen 2.0 in our playing XI. Now. High time.

Only then can we say that we are on course for a truly happy, a truly "new" year.

Jai Ho!