Coming Soon!: Playing It Sachin's Way

It's been almost a year now, since we last saw (and saw for the last time) the Master Blaster don the Indian cricketing gear.


As they say, once a fan, always a fan.
Almost a year has elapsed, and yet, the memories still (and will) remain.

True, the game is (rightly) bigger than anyone, and moves on, unraveling new heroes, reaching unchartered territories.

However, there is always that something extra special about the favorite players we watched in awe, the ones we grew up idolizing, that we keep yearning to see them in action always.
It could be through archived footage or avid discussions about their best performances with friends and like-minded enthusiasts.

It's always fun to be around, when your hero(es) come back in the news, with you being a willing audience, ready to lap up any but of information about them :)

A similar activity is going to take place very soon.
Sachin Tendulkar, my hero, is coming up with his autobiography - Playing It My Way - and today marks the first teaser of his book.

Here's wishing Sachin the very best on his upcoming book, and hoping it turns out to be as fun, as insightful, and as entertaining as his cricketing accomplishments.
All the best, hero - see you soon!!
Would love to read every word of the hitherto unheard-of trivia and interesting tidbits from the man himself.

Can't wait!!
Sachchiin, Sachchiin!!! :)

Hamara leader AISA ho!!

Pre-script: I am not a blind supporter of Narendra Damodardas Modi. Nor am I a critic of anyone else. I am just writing this to share my objective thoughts on the choices we have from among our leaders today.

A while ago, I had posted about the sort of leader a country needs.

Right or wrong, there are quite a few people who believe Narendra Modi is not the right guy at the job.
But the fact is, that never in the last 30 years, has any leader managed to command an absolute majority, on the basis of his charisma and ability alone.
Make no mistake.
We have been in an era of coalitions all along in the last 3 decades.

The thumping results in the General Elections of 2014 was not an electoral victory not really a vote for the BJP.
This emphatic and absolutely unambiguous verdict was for Modi Sarkar. It was a decisive and comprehensive mandate for the one man who was the focus of the entire election and indeed, the entire nation.

There are some who believe that Arvind Kejriwal is a better person, a beacon of honesty and transparency.
Well, he could well be all of that and more.

But who or what made him come to power (when he had promised otherwise) and even after he had done so, what stopped him from continuing in Delhi when he had the government and the chance to govern and deliver?
This is not to say that he is a bad guy.

But there are many blind supporters who of his, who find fault with every right thing too.
Who turn a blind eye to even the right things that anyone does.

Ofcourse, this applies both ways:
A Modi supporter who criticizes or Kejriwal or his partymen for any good work that they would have done or ignores any constructive point from them, is equally wrong and just as guilty as the AAP supporters who criticize or ignore even the qualities or good points that Modi has brought to the fore.

Even before he had arrived, the very fact that no other visiting dignitary has ever commanded such a reception, never has anyone else generated such a buzz and never has the public clamored to hear a politician speak, in itself speaks volumes about his charisma and fervor.

You might agree or disagree when it comes to ideology, but credit where due - the way the man spoke, the eloquence and the passion, the alacrity and clarity of doing the small things right - the purposefulness, the earnestness and the zeal to make a difference, along with the ability and willingness to involve and invoke active participation from everyone - all this, is what makes Modi, Modi.

Did your heart not swell with pride as he spoke without reading out from a prepared script, as he spoke about India and Indians from a position of strength?
It wasn't that he was saying just for effect. It wasn't as if he was overlooking the negatives and ills that beset the country.

However, what was strikingly different and positive about him was the genuine confidence and pragmatic optimism he generated that all of these problems could be solved and overcome.

It was his astute identification and clarity of thought about India's strengths and USPs that showed we can win over any and every problem.

He might be right or wrong - you can say he is good or bad - but no one can ever deny that this is how a leader ought to be.

This is how a leader must think and behave.

Jee haan, hamara leader AISA ho!!

Time to introspect

A lot of water has gone down the Thames since the time I last posted on this blog.

It seems perhaps even a completely different time when the Indian team won at Lord's.

Cut to the present: where, after lording over England at Lord's, we repeated the same old story of inept displays in all departments of the game at Old Trafford, followed by a big zero (another oval) at the Oval too.

If, after being 1-0 up after 2 Tests, you lose the series 1-3 (with the last two Tests getting wrapped well under 3 days), it just shows how meekly and completely you have lost the plot.

It's only appropriate therefore, that we use this latest series loss to introspect for the patterns and learnings we could take from them.

More than the matches, we have lost the respect and credibility of being competent performers at the world level.
As Harsha Bhogle points out correctly, good batsmen do not become bad overnight (and vice versa too!).
So what is it, that has plagued us series after series, in overseas conditions, not just on this tour, but in all the overseas tours we have undertaken (in the real deal - the Test matches)?

We have some good words of advice and constructive analysis available here:
You can read about the background and context of India's abysmal performance here.

Siddharth Monga shares his anguish of a deflated Indian team's dispirited show here.

And this is where he shares thoughts about the benchmarks we could have on digesting and classifying how ignominious our defeats can be.

No home series victory would help heal these wounds.
No amount of wins in ODIs would create the aura that a Test series victory provides, in difficult, away conditions against quality opposition.

Let us ponder, analyze and come back stronger.
The first step has been taken, let's hope we go forward and emerge improved, stronger, and better.

Lords of Lord's

It's been sweet comeuppance for the Indian team at Lord's this time around.
After what was a terrible tour in 2011, this younger, new-look Team India has done pretty well in both the Tests that have been played so far in this series.
While Trent Bridge would rightly not qualify to be up there in the league of the toughest 'away' matches that India would have ever played (due to the placid, benign pitch on offer), what really made everyone stand up and take notice was our performance at Lord's.

After losing what was a very crucial toss, and being inserted to bat by England on a green top, the Indians would have the odds stacked against them.
Despite that, the team played splendid cricket at all levels in the game, to emerge deserving winners at the end of Day 5.

Just a few notes about our victory at Lord's:

Murali Vijay - disciplined, focused and absolutely watertight in his defence and leaving the balls that are best left alone.

Cheteshwar Pujara - lovely application, great temperament and a classy, patient innings.

Ajinkya Rahane - with the classy hundred he scored

Ishant Sharma - bowling the way he most often should - more than the second innings, I liked him a lot the way he bowled in the first innings...no trash deliveries, pitched-up, wonderful line and length - maintained consistently.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - superb batting and bowling

Ravindra Jadeja - great counterattack and disciplined bowling

Wait, we still have Dhawan, Kohli and Dhoni who are due anytime now.
Plus, I am betting on Ashwin to come good and be effective in his next outing (and there's even a certain Gautam Gambhir waiting in the wings - talk of bench strength!).

Shami needs to just stop drifting down leg side so consistently and rediscover his control and accuracy.

Dhoni could still be more proactive the way he was in the second innings and not like his captaincy at the fag end of England's first innings.

All said and done, given the form and fitness our team is in, this series is a golden opportunity to obliterate all the unpleasant memories of the past, and ensure a series win in England, finally!!