13 years and counting!

Dear reader(s),

I began writing on something or the other on this platform in 2008. 

As you might see from the archived posts on this blog, what began then was just sporadic jotting. 

And while I might not have written anything too elaborate or exhaustive here, I have always tried to use this medium to just keep writing about anything that is current or appealing enough for me.

Most of my posts have been about cricket and sometimes, about the current socio-political affairs of India. The idea is to just ensure that I stay in touch with the habit of putting my thoughts on the canvas of this blog, every now and then. 

In 2008, when I started off on this journey, I would write a few posts here, and a few there, every few months. That was also fine but I wanted to make this blog a habit. Well, not exactly a particularly taxing or strenuous habit (like a daily or even a weekly blog) but at least once a month. 

So April 2009 onwards, I decided to ensure that I would write about something here at least on a monthly basis.

And here we are today, May 2021. 12 full years of at least one blog post a month. That's quite literally an entire schooling (span) in itself. 

A big thank you to everyone who has been following me, and to every reader who has enjoyed the posts and shared their feedback over email. (Of course, I have still not enabled the Comments section but I would like to keep it that way, at least for now, but I always welcome all your emails)

Here's to more such wonderful milestones in future too!

Take care :)

Stay home, stay safe, and vaccinate!

It's been more than a year since COVID-19 hit the world - at least most parts of it.

One could have been forgiven for thinking that things would be fine more than 400 days later. Especially when many nations began coming out of it towards the end of 2020. Or at least began showing signs of improvement and more control over the dreaded pandemic.

However, no one would have thought that despite the knowledge that a second (or third) wave would hit them, most countries were feeling more confident and more secure by the time we welcomed 2021.

However, this turned out to be a disastrous miscalculation, surely in a place like India.

Apart from mistaking the lull before the storm as a complete flattening of the curve, we made two cardinal mistakes.

1) No one bothered to increase mass-scale production of vaccines and begin vaccinations across the length and breadth of this huge country. Governments' failure - both at the Centre and states.

2) With the few people who began getting vaccinated (along with of course, the Corona-fatigue of people who had been locked down), there was a general sense of nonchalance and insouciance towards continuously following COVID-appropriate behavior. Public failure and gross negligence.

To make matters worse, people began congregating in mass gatherings with impudence of I-care-two-hoots for masks and social distancing.

No one bothered to think that even if they would be fine, someone else who could become more vulnerable to any potential virus that their presence could escalate.

The results have been catastrophic and here we are, today. Record number of cases, record number of deaths, horrifying accounts of people dying of lack of oxygen, hospitals turning patients away, doctors and medical staff breaking down and feeling helpless, the list goes on and on.

While we cannot undo the past, we can certainly do much better to improve our present and future. Please do not venture outside of your homes, unless it is absolutely essential. Even then, take every precaution you can, stay safe, and get vaccinated as soon as you are eligible and called upon.

This is also a moment to express our gratitude to all those who tireless helped others. Be it the doctors or other medical staff, the police and paramedical staff or the delivery boys or the sanitation workers who  have ploughed away incessantly.

Thank you, everyone.

If you are a COVID warrior who can help others by donating blood or plasma, please do.

If you are anyone who can help anyone, please do.

This is a time when the entre nation needs us. All of us, together.

Stay strong and please take care everyone. I'm sure we will overcome this soon. Jai Ho!

A memorable English spring

The juggernaut called Indian cricket continues to roll and more power to it!!

After a rude jolt in the first Test, India has always managed to stay one step ahead of the Englishmen in all formats of the game.

Of course, don't gi by the whitewash in the scoreline across each format - the series was a close one and England competed very well in every format.

But true to the character of the Men In Blue, Team India managed to find ways to scrape through every tough situation and overcome every obstacle in their way.

We kept getting match winning performances from Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Shardul Thakur.

Not to forget, some scintillating debuts by Ishan Kishan, Suryalumar Yadav, and Krunal Pandya.

Wishing many more super duper performances from our awesome assembly line of incredible performers.

Here's to many more enjoyable seasons in Indian cricket...Jai Ho!!

Kuchh din toh guzaaro Gujarat mein!

This is turning out to be quite a riveting series with epic proportions between India and England (not to forget, with both Australia and NZ also following every bit of action with added interest).

If the opening Test belonged to the toss and Joe Root, the second one belonged to the toss, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin.

Suffice to say that the upcoming pink-ball Test will be another mouth-watering affair, with both teams vying to take the ascendancy. If India manage to win this, they will need to only only ensure that they do not lose the next match, to make it to the WTC Finals. So, a win or at least a draw, will be high on their wishlist from this match.

On the other hand, England have to win both this match as well as the next one. If not, they will have to quietly say bye-bye to their hopes of qualifying for the Finals. A draw from here will make Australia happy, who will then get to bypass both India and England, to meet New Zealand in the Finals.

All said and done, the pitch will be crucial, but so will the performances too. Any Test side has to perform in every condition, not least one which aspires to be a WTC finalist. And there is enough talk of home advantage - why not? Why can we not have pitches that turn and help spinners from Day One? For all the critics of such tactics, how often have you heard the same people complaining about seaming, bouncy pitches that jag the ball in and around your chin/chest from the first over of the day?

It's all fine as long as nothing is substandard. And substandard it has not been. If you needed any further confirmation, I have a few names for you: Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin - centurions from the same match, same pitch. Even Ben Foakes, in the English First Innings, showed how one can apply oneself to play and score on such a pitch.

So let's leave the excuses and wailing to disgruntled and frustrated Vaughans, Waughs and other such cry-babies. Time to spend some time in Gujarat now, get your dhoklas and fafdaas ready, let's get to the action in the middle soon, and let's look forward to another round of top quality cricket from two wonderful sides.

All the best, India - Jai Ho!