Internet is fun

This is an entry for the contest, "internet is fun"

 www.vodafone.in/fun

12^th May, 2012..

9.00 a.m, Delhi, India

“Dude, wassup man? When are you flying?”

“Having a H1B visa is one thing and flying to the US in another thing, Ritesh”, John replied unenthusiastically.

“I know that it is a long wait, but your parents will be happy. They get more time to look out for a bride”

“Huh..That is another tragedy. They find girls who dumb, dull and not socially active man”

“Socially active? What does that mean?” Ritesh was curious.

“Girls without facebook profiles and the ones without twitter handles”

“Come on, Dude..You must be joking. I don’t know anyone without a facebook id for a long time”

“What is the point in having a login in facebook when you don’t login often? I am a social networking freak and I need a girl who would match my taste..I don’t want some outdated girl, even if she is a super model..”

“Haha, that’s interesting… Hope you find the girl of your dreams”

“I seriously wish that I find someone soon. My manager told that I will be back to India only after 3 years and mom and dad want to find a girl for me ASAP”

“Tough days ahead, dude” , Ritesh smirked.

“Where is aunty and uncle? I can’t see them in the house? “ Ritesh continued.

“They left to Bangalore yesterday. Dad’s friend’s daughter is getting married.Chalo, we’ll go for a drive”, John walked out of the house with his car keys.

9.30 a.m, Bangalore, India

“Jessy, please put down that damn mobile phone”, Mrs. Kuriakose yelled at the top of her voice.

“Oh, come on ma..I am 25 and I know what to do”, Jessy was equally agitated.

“I don’t understand what you find so very interesting in that damn mobile phone?”

“Oh, come on ma, I can even live without your food but I can’t live without my mobile. It has anything and everything that a girl needs”

“I know that you girls are addicted to SMS, Facebook and twitter, but can you pause your online activities for the next 2 hours”

“Ahh.. That delhi guy’s parents are coming and you want me to act dumb before them Huh!!.. I can’t understand how you people call someone whom you met just yesterday for lunch. And even worse, you are trying to get me married into that family”

“They are no strangers Jessy, they are our family friends. We were neighbours in Kollam. Don’t you remember that cute guy John? You always used to play with him”

“Mom, I was 4 then.. I don’t remember John nor his parents. By the way, what is that uncle’s name?”

“He is Richards, he worked for a Bank in our place. Get ready, they told that they will be here by 11.00 or so”  Mrs. Kuriakose hurried her daughter.

Jessy smiled when she heard Richard uncle’s name. She recollected the games which she had played with John.

“It is such a pain to take bath on a Saturday morning”, Jesse murmured and walked away.

10.30 a.m

“Hello Dad, How is it going? How was the wedding?”

“We are fine John, you are asking as if we haven’t met for months together”  Mr. Richards was at his satirical best.

“We just left delhi yesterday and will be back on Sunday night”, he continued.

“Come on , Dad, stop pulling my legs”

“We have a surprise for you son” Mrs. Richards yelled at the phone.

“Surprise, don’t make a fool of yourself, Mom… By the way, what is it? Where are you people now?”

“We are going to look for a girl for our smart son” , Mr. Richards laughed aloud.

“Oh!! dad, I have seen enough girls and am quite bored”

“You will like this one dear”, Mrs. Richards.

“Mom..I called for an important update. I have to travel on the 3^rd of June”

“Oh my God, so we have just 20 days to find a girl for you” Richards laughed again.

“Come on Dad.. Who is the girl, You don’t know anyone from Bangalore, right?”

“This is a girl know to us son. Do you remember Jessy from Kollam??” Mrs.Richards was all excited.

“Jessy..Jessy..” John smiled shyly.

Jessy was his first love. He was 7 and she was 4 when his dad got a transfer to Chennai. He is hearing about Jessy after 21 years and he just couldn’t control his excitement.

“Which Jessy are you talking about mom”

“Son, I am your father and I still remember how you used to tell stories about your friendship with Jessy after we reached Chennai. I still remember you crying for 4-5 days. Do you thing you can fool me”, Richards replied.

“Oh Dad, you mean to say that Kuriakose uncle’s daughter?”

“Finally the cat is out of the bag.. She is the one my boy. She has completed her BDS and is a dentist in JayaNagar ”, Richards laughed.

“Hmmm.. She was very pretty when she was young but now my priorities and interests have changed Dad. I am not sure if I will like her now”

“Oh..you and your interests.. I am done with those things”

“We will reach their house in 30-40 minutes and when we come we will get her photograph. You can check it and tell your decision,son” Mrs. Richards was concerned.

“Ok Dad.. Take care and don’t have much hopes. Have a nice day” John disconnected the call.

John touched the facebook symbol on his smart phone and searched for “Jessy Kuriakose”.

30 search results and he patiently looked at each one of them and rejected those based on the likes interests and maps. His eyes stood still when he saw that one of those profiles was in Bangalore.

He checked the likes and found “Indian dental association”. He gave a victorious smile to Ritesh who was driving the car.

He sent a message in facebook, “Hey, is this the same Jessy from Kollam who sings in the choir? The girl who used to ask me to catch the butterflies behind our house? Do you remember me?”

“Oh, dude..You got her in facebook , is it” Ritesh teased him.

John was blushing but was skeptical about the response and had his fingers crossed.

“Come on Dude, don’t blush” Ritesh continued with his teasing.

“Is this the same guy who was not even able to catch a single butterfly for me? The guy who told that the moon is a dosa made by his mother :P” , John jumped out of his seat in joy when he saw the reply in facebook.

YEAH..he yelled in joy…

“Jessy Richards wants to be friend with you”

John was literally out of the world when he saw these words in his mobile.

He accepted the friend request and checked her friends list. He was very happy when he found that she had 655 friends. Just 245 less than him.

He saw her online and started to chat with her.

“Hey, I could not believe my eyes.”

A smiley came as a reply.

“Here I am driving with a friend in the dry lands outside delhi, but I am chatting with a childhood friend”

“Smiley. Power of internet”

“Do you have a twitter handle?”

“jesssysparkles”

“Awesome.”

The chat went on and on and on…..

In the meantime, the Richards family had come to Kuriakose’s house and there were a lot of happy moments.

“We will get Jessy’s picture and mobile number, and then ask John to decide”, Mrs. Richards said while leaving.

Jessy was secretly grinning as her fingers replied to John’s chat message.

04.00 pm

“Jessy do you blog?”, John was curious.

“Yes, I do blog a lot. Mostly about the things that happen around me”

“Oh my God.. We are almost similar. I do the same, but with video blogs..”

“Great.. I will SMS you the video blogs that I have made”

The next 2 hours was spent in talking about the blogosphere and how John records a lot of stuff in his mobile and creates video blogs. Jessy was thoroughly impressed but Ritesh wasn’t. Ritesh had to do all the driving while John was busy with his future fiancé….

“Jessy, I have seen you pictures, but haven’t spoken to you. Let me call you now”

“Hmm..yeah sure” replied Jessy.

“But do you have a phone with front camera?”

“Of course, I do” replied Jessy enthusiastically”

The vide call lasted for the next 4 hours.

10.00 pm

“John, had a great day with you… A virtual date”  said Jessy.

“It isn’t over yet, Jessy” replied John and moved the phone from his face.

He had come to a cozy restaurant and decorated the table with roses and just candle light . There was a bottle of wine and a diamond ring nearby.

He kneeled before the camera and asked, “Will you marry me??”

Jessy smiled and replied, “The best proposal ever”

John smiled and continued the talks…

“Fine honey, when my parents come tomorrow, let me tell them to fix the wedding date” John smiled…

“I would update my parents now itself, Jessy smiled and disconnected the call.

A love story which would have taken months, was possible in a days. Thanks to video calls, facebook, twitter and vide blogs. In other words, Thanks to the Internet.

Internet is fun, indeed..

This is an entry for the contest, "internet is fun"

 www.vodafone.in/fun

The Day I quit International Cricket…

The title may be deceptive and one may think that this is written by an ageing Indian Cricketer, but that isn’t the case. The post is written by just another ardent cricket fan who belongs to the most cricket frenzy nation in the world.

I was never a believer of the adage that cricket is a religion in India. You don’t talk about your religion to anyone and everyone just like that. Do you? You pause a bit, think twice and then talk about any religion so that the sentiments are not hurt. But the case is exactly the reverse when it comes to cricket. You comment about the players and their techniques and even families to complete strangers. Cricket in India is much more that a religion and for many it has been important than their career. [Ask the people who have failed/got bad grades in their board / university exams because of the Cricket World Cups]. Cricket is the best conversation starter in the nation and makes one feel comfortable with the other person within minutes. But, for a sport to become an integral part of the billion people in Nation there must be something spectacular about the sport. Is there something really special about this sport that makes us eat, sleep and pray Cricket?

On deeper introspection, I find that more than anything else Cricket is associated with our psychology. I may not be able to speak for the people who used to watch cricket even before India’s premier world cup victory or the test match era but I can certainly vouch for the guys born in the 80s. I still remember the BOOST Ad which made me a mad fan of Sachin Tendulkar. As a 6 or 7 year old, you get inspired when a 16 year old smashes the world deadliest bowlers. You get attracted towards a person when you hear stories about him batting with a shirt full of blood. You get goose bumps when a diminutive baby-faced teenager looks into the eyes of Merv Hughes and Craig Mcdermott. We started to create an alter ego of ourselves of what we saw from the little champion. It was a story of courage, a story of hope that gave us a cushion to think that we are not what we are.

Cricket instilled a lot of patriotism in us and gave us a big mountain, to hide our problems. We had something to look forward even in our turbulent times. We suddenly had something with which we are not directly associated but felt as a part of. The 1996 World cup quarter finals victory against Pakistan gave us more joy and pride than Pokhran II. We were a nation obsessed by Cricket by then. Thanks to the jam-packed schedule and the introduction of a bunch of talented new players in the side.

From a single super star who was driving the nation behind him with his bat, we suddenly had Fab-3. Even the regionalists were forced to follow the game and come along as the Fab 3 were from the different zones of the country. We were suddenly watching India 2.0. We were with the Indian cricket team throughout the year. We celebrated when they won, we cried when they lost and we stood with them during the darkest times like the match fixing.

The reason for such unbridled love and affection towards the team is not a one off affair. It is the result of the joy and happiness which the team has provided us over the years. They have helped us to forget our personal problems and have made us cheer for them wherever they go. People who live far away from home for ages also have a sense of belonging when the Indian team plays cricket. Such love and affection is way ahead of the restricted love which we exhibit amongst friends or relatives. It is an unexplainable and uncontrollable kind of feeling which can never be penned. But, they say, Success has a lot of fathers and failure is an orphan.

In love, you never see the imperfections. It is because you are blind when you are in love. When you come out of it and look back, you start to analyze the black spots with a magnifying glass. You try to extrapolate based on your assumptions and try to demean them. The more you think, the more you hate the other person. You think that you have been deceived for all these years and you start to question the wonderful years that you’ve had together. The parting made by such a loss is much more difficult than a real break-up. So, I have taken a bold yet cowardice decision to call it quits.

When we have our own problems, it doesn’t make sense to carry the other party’s problem along with us. We had a wonderful relationship, where we enjoyed every moment together. But, now the load is too much for me share it. This isn’t like the 2007 WC loss, where a single bad day turned the tables around us. These are matches where we have our best resources. But, the weakness of the best has been brutally exposed. The great mental image created in the past decade and a half now looks like a mirage. A little more thought may bring out something else or may even prove that I am completely wrong, but dissecting into the problem brings out a lot of pain than answers.

The reason for mentioning International Cricket in the subject does make a lot of sense. When Tamil Nadu lost the Ranji trophy finals even before batting, I was disappointed but not sad. When Chennai Super Kings were shunted out of the Champions League, I did feel sad for my city but I never cried. But, when the Indian cricket team loses in such a fashion, it takes days to come out of the trauma. It makes all the things in the vicinity ugly, it makes me harsh, it makes me absolutely worthless. Hence, this break-up which may atleast help me gain more time on the personal front.

I took this decision on the first day of the Perth test, when I saw the cookie crumble yet again. I may not see the 100th ton for which I have been wishing and praying for a long period, but again I know that it will come sooner than later. By that time, I will be happy to watch somewhere in the news channels and secretly cherish and feel happy for the Master once again.

PS : The image was taken from google when I searched for images which can be reused. No copyright violations here :-)

Revolution 2020

Chetan is by far the biggest selling Indian author. His stories have always struck a chord with the young crowd and have made him a household name amidst young students and professionals. His latest book, “Revolution 2020” is akin to his previous works.

The novel is pretty much similar to his previous works because of the simple vocabulary and the simple characters in the novel. He has tried to send out a social message through his new book which is a very good sign.

The story is set in Varanasi and revolves around 3 childhood friends. The story is woven around the poor Gopal Mishra and his childhood friends, the rich girl Aarthi and an Engineer’s son Raghav and their dreams. It talks about IIT –JEE, AIEEE and the preparation institutes in Kota in detail. It also talks about bringing out a change in the society. There is a very practical love story amidst all the commotion. The strongest point in the story is that you can identify yourself with the characters, be it the grey character or the straight forward one. Nobody is born evil; it is only the society which turns the good ones into evil. Similarly, all you need to get back to your good old ways is a small spark which reminds you of the past. It also advocates you to follow your passion.

Every character in the novel come with their own philosophies and still you could relate to them. All of them are right in their own rights. There will be one Prateek in every class and the MLA Shukla’s is probably Chetan’s way of reiterating his “Mera Neta Chor jai” movement. Though, it has come to an end, the characterization of Shukla has certainly evolved from the campaign.

Chetan takes a dig at the municipal authorities, the education department, HODs, the AICTE and a bunch of other people who are part of the corrupt society. He has taken the private engineering colleges as the base and explored all the possible avenues. It extends up to the shady underground business of the goons and the ugly land-grabbing cases as well.

The story starts with a simple wit in the 5^th standard classroom and ends with a lot of hope. The 15 years travel between the beginning and the end of the story moves like a lazy breeze across your face. There are some major twists on the way but mostly it is a seamless masala story, the one that we expect from Chetan Bhagat.

The slight humor which is a usually trait in CB’s novel is slightly missing here. This story has more sexual content compared to his previous novels which would make the younger audience feel slightly uncomfortable. The story reads like a screenplay which is already written with a movie in mind. The contents towards the end are too filmy. Though the filmy contents are needed to provide hope to the audience, it doesn’t fit well in a story which was pretty much practical till then.

Bottom line: Revolution 2020 certainly doesn’t surpass CB’s best work (Five Point someone) but can certainly be read once to get the CB social consciousness feeling.

Oxymoron

I must get back to my writing ways. I used to write some stories in
the past, but nowadays I do not have the urge to write stories. But,
when I see the topics in the INK IT contest, I feel like writing
something. To write a story, I need a title. Once I get a title, I can
weave a story around it. I am still trying to get a title based on
this week’s topic. Is there someone who could help me out?

Thomas Uncle!!! He is my savior. Whenever there is some problem, I
look-up to him and he helps me.

Thomas uncle is my neighbor from time immemorial. I have grown-up
seeing him. He is one of those rare human beings whom I respect. He
has an aura around him and in the past two decades I have never seen
him being sad. He is the most cheerful person I have ever met. Other
than being in the same street, there is nothing in common between us.
He is 62 and I am 26. He is smart and I am dumb. He is always cheerful
and I am always gloomy. But, everyone in the colony lookup to him for
his advises. He always shares his wisdom with us.

He explains about the 1965 India-Pakistan war and Pele’s debut
world-cup match with the same enthusiasm. He speaks about the release
of the Dev Anand starrer “Guide” with the same emotion as he speaks
about the Anti-Hindi riots. He also enjoys the IPL just as I do. He is
the walking encyclopedia of our colony. He is not a nerd but someone
who has the charisma of the Superstar and the talent of the Master
Blaster. There is never a dull moment when Thomas uncle is around.

He had invested in the Reliance IPO in the 70s and the Infosys IPO in
the 90s and has reaped the benefits. But, he is not one of those
filthy rich people who have all his money with themselves. He helps a
lot of people in the town and is even planning to adopt a village in
the future. He runs a gym in the neighborhood and earns a handsome
amount from that as well. He is really enjoying his life after
retirement.

As expected, he has a lot of friends. They come to his house and chat
with him for long hours. He spends the evening in the park sharing his
wits. I wish I could atleast become half as good as Thomas Uncle in
the future.

Amidst all this, there is one thing which pricks me the most about
him. I always wanted to ask about that to Uncle. I remember him
telling the “Sermon on the mount” by heart. Being a God fearing man,
he knows that God had told, “It is not good for man to be alone”. But,
he is alone for the whole of his life. For a smart and charismatic man
like him, getting married shouldn’t have been a problem. After all,
everyone in India gets married. I should ask him about this.
Goodness gracious me, Thomas uncle is sitting in the balcony all
alone. I must use this situation and ask him about his past.

“Uncle…”
“Ah!! Come on my boy… How are you doing?”
“I am fine uncle… Finished your evening walk?”
“Yes Beta…. You look quizzical. What is the story?” He giggled…
Man, this guy is awesome. He is finding out my thoughts just by my
looks. How I wish that my PM and parents were this smart…
“Nothing uncle…” I hesitated…
“Come On dear!!! I am sure that you want to ask me something!!! Go
ahead… Shoot your questions!!”, he laughed..
Though he is friendly, I am slightly worried about asking such
personal questions, but again what do I have to lose. Let me ask him
once…
“Uncle… Why are you single?” I gathered my courage and muttered
looking at the ground.
He looked at me with his piercing eyes but I desperately wanted to avoid
eye-contact.
“This is the first time in the last 15 years that someone is asking me
about this”
He paused for a bit and continued.
“It is a long story beta”
“I have all the time in the world uncle” I winked…
“I was very choosy when I was young and I rejected a lot of proposals
even before visiting those girls. After a couple of years of the bride
search, my parents took me to a girl’s house. The girl was really
pretty”
“When was this uncle?” I interrupted.
“It was in 1975 son... I liked the girl and told my parents that I
wanted to talk with her. They were furious on hearing this. But, they
did talk to her parents and allowed us to talk”. He had some water and
continued.
“I asked her if she was comfortable and told her that I wanted to ask
her a couple of questions”
“Ah...Interviewing the poor girl? This is too much Uncle...”
He gave a wary smile and continued.
“I asked her, who the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was. She paused for
a bit and replied Indira Gandhi...”
I literally fell of the chair laughing, but controlled it to an extent
and sharpened my ears.
“Did you ask her the second question Uncle?”
“Hmm… I did. I asked her, If 2 people can dig a 2 meter deep well in 2
hours, how much time will it take for 4 people to do the same job” he
paused and had some water.
“She replied correctly?” I was very curious to know her response.
“She started to cry and her parents came running into the room. They
were looking at me as if I had abused their daughter. Even my parents
did not understand me. They started to scold me. I got fed-up and
walked out.”
“What happened after that uncle?”
“We had a big fight at home. My Dad was furious that I had bullied a
poor girl and was scolding me like anything. He asked me, if I had any
mental problem. I told him that all I need is a smart girl to marry.”
“What did your Dad reply, Uncle?”
“He said, he was fed-up of me and asked me to find my life-partner all
by myself. I replied that I will take care of my life. ” His tone had
suddenly subdued.
“All I wanted was a smart girl to marry, smart girl…but Alas…”
“Smart Girl” I repeated quietly. I will participate in this week’s INK
IT contest.

Jaded

There comes a hunk, never seen this guy in our pub, yelled Jane. Her voice wasn’t heard outside her friends contingent because of the loud music in that boisterous pub.

Look at his height, must be from Netherlands muttered Jenni.

Hell no, he sounds American but it is hard to find a 2 meter American nowadays.

The girls were ogling at the new kid in the bloke. The man walked in and got a Heineken and had it in a single gulp.

Julie would be interested in him, she is just out of a relationship.
Why are you girls drooling at a stranger, asked Julie sipping in the 4th vodka. She just looked aside and saw the smartest man on earth. She gasped as Jamie came and sat near her. Jamie was well over 6 feet and 5 inches and looked pretty much like Hugh Jackman. He would weigh around 200 pounds and was blonde. Julie wasn’t in a position to take her eyes of him. Jamie started the conversation, “Shall I buy, you a drink?”. His voice was so very masculine and deep that the other girls near Julie were envying Julie’s luck. That night started a relationship which will not end so soon.

Jamie had all that a girl would like to have. He was tall, well-built with a husky voice. More than his physical appearance he was a connoisseur. He had completed his masters at Harward. He had his own business inHawaii and had come here to spend his vacation. He was just 30 and was single. Julie is single yet again after a bitter second marriage.

They got along well, long drives and beach parties. They loved each other and Julie decided that she has met the man of her dreams. He was the perfect husband. But, she was afraid to make a decision quickly as she has already erred twice with the choice of her husband. But Jamie had it all. He spoke about anything and everything. He wrote love poems. He would discuss about Sri Lanka for a minute and would relate it with Chechnya within no time. He reads JK Rowling and would relate it with O Henry’s stories. He would explain the making of a jet and the next moment crack a joke with a flat face. He was an expert batter and a great athlete. He would rip apart Nolan’s movie with ease and expert comments. He was an art enthusiast and loved playing with Julie’s pug, Tyson. He was the best man on earth and Julie’s friends also liked him.

Julie’s first marriage failed because Jerome became far too serious and did not bother about Julie. Jerome was a Financial Accountant with one of the most reputed Accounting firms in the Country. She tried hard for 4 months to stick on with that relationship, but then she decided enough is enough and got her first divorce. Jack was a smart young man, who was a couple of years younger than Julie but was a brilliant stage actor. He had fans everywhere and Julie enjoyed her life with Jack for the first 6 months until the day she realized, that his IQ was no match to her. She sought divorce immediately and celebrated the day with a sumptuous dinner followed by a booze at the pub. That is where she met Jamie.

Julie got married to Jamie and they lived happily. Jamie would do anything and everything for Julie. He would caress her, when she feels low and would provide her advice ONLY when he is asked for one. He would always listen to Julie’s musing without uttering a single word of advice. He would come back from office and hug her from the back and would surprise her with gifts with every now and then.

He had a very high IQ which made even Julie, a member of Mensa envy him. He spoke in detail about the movies which Julie watched and was an expert in making cocktails. He was Julie’s pride. Until 2nd September 2009 when she had her first quarrel with him. It had been 11 months since their marriage and from that day, Jamie has done everything properly including the placing of the seat in the toilet.

Julie was bored of this Mr. Right. He was all that she needed. He seemed to act as if he perfectly knew what women want and had all the required stuff to satisfy her. But she was still unhappy. She felt that Jamie was probably much too perfect. They haven’t had a fight for the past 11 months and she did not like that.

“Get lost you moron. You do everything I need. Life is so boring. You know about everything under the sun and you are in the way I expect.I don’t like it at all. Life was better when I had those silly fights with my men. We become closer with every fight, but that is not the case with you”. Julie’s eyes were filled with tears and that is when Jamie was puzzled and was left wondering on what to do. He went to Julie and spoke about things which interest her, but she wouldn’t budge. All of a sudden, Jamie the hustler succumbed to pressure, he didn’t know what to do and started to behave like a jackass. Julie was bedazzled by this behavior and before she could think of her next course of action, entered Dr. Jose Watson.

Julie, hope you are having a great time with your new hubby?

He is no match, for me. He doesn’t suit me at all.

What? I guess he has all the characteristics which you expect of a man. He is probably the ideal man.

Yes, he is ideal, probably that’s why we lived together for 11 months and I don’t want to take this anymore.

Dr. Watson chuckled and called for Jane and Jenni who were waiting outside Julie’s house. They came in and removed Jamie’s shirt. Jenni kept her hand on Jamie’s spine and poked him. She then got a key from her pocket and inserted in the key-hole near Jamie’s spinal cord. They opened his back and stopped the super computer which was running.

Julie was shocked at the turn of events and looked at Dr.Watson with anguish. The Doctor continued, you wanted someone who would understand you better and needed a good companion. We wanted to help you and hence planted a chip in your head which will pick your thought process and send it to us. The chip would also recognize your voice and record the same. We analyzed all this for a period of 6 months. Only after this did we create this JAMIE (Just Another Man with Intelligent Emotion). We have feed a total of 2695 books and 3658 movies into his head along with many other details. 6 doctors and 14 engineers worked on him for 3 months and only after that we sent him here.

But Alas, even this lasted only for 11 months. Julie felt as if the whole world was coming down on her and fainted.

Cricket India and the Bouncer fetish

Amidst all the controversies surrounding the lackluster performance of the Indian team in the T20 WC, one reason that looms out is the bouncer. But is the ability to play the bouncer mandatory in the shortest form of the game? Can’t the players duck from the one bouncer that is allowed per over and score of the remaining 100 deliveries? Are the all time greats, experts in playing the perfume ball? Is the BCCI at fault? Or is it the Indian young brigade that threw it away? Can there be more answers for this eternal predicament?

Domestic bowlers

When was the last time that the Indian team produced a fast bowler? There were talks of David Johnson being a tear away fast bowler but he lasted just 2 matches. Munaf Patel who started with a lot of promise ended up as a medium pacer. The talented young Indian batsmen, who work their way to the top, get to face all the lollypop medium pace bowlers in the domestic sides and score heavily. It is not that the bowlers don’t try the short stuff, but the batsmen are quick enough to get on top of them and pull it to the boundary. This gives the batsmen the much needed confidence to face the quickies in the international arena. But now, when Murali Vijay gets to face the fiery Kemar Roach who bowls at 150 kmph, he is found wanting. He puts on his dancing shoes and jumps like a fish out of water. Can the batsman held responsible for this scenario? The quality of the domestic bowlers needs to improve for our batsmen to fair well against the bowlers in the international arena.

The domestic Pitches

NS Sidhu tells that “Pitches are like wives, you never know how they are going to change”, but in the Indian subcontinent we can be sure that the pitches may or may not turn but will never bounce. Creating a bouncy track like the one in Mysore needs lot of time and effort and an effective curator. Above all this, the state cricket associations need to get the proper funding to get the right soil and adequate amount of time to prepare the new wicket. In a country where the national cricketers play for 200 odd days, the various state associations aren’t ready to put in the effort to create a sporting track. The faster bowlers love it, when the ball passes near the batsman’s nose. But to create bowlers who can bounce it to the batsman’s chin, we need more sporting wickets. So it takes us to the perpetual scenario of chicken and egg, with the bowlers and the pitch.

The International pitches

Cricketainment may be a new word, but the game is undergoing a metamorphosis, since the 1996 WC which came to India. The spectators want to see more runs and hence the pitches have become more batsmen friendly. The bat has undergone so much evolution (the mongoose being the latest) but the Cricket ball has not been altered to provide any extra edge to the bowlers. The shorter boundaries are yet another catalyst which has helped to change the paradigm which was accepted long back. The contest between the bat and the ball has reduced so much that the contest has now become something between the batsmen of the two teams. The pitches being the main culprit produce very less bounce and carry and do not change its color during the match. The concrete tracks used in International Cricket just marked the beginning of the end.

International bowlers

Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were deadly with the ball. The innings in which the English were bowled-out for 46 under 20 overs serves as a testimony for this pair’s class. Wasim and Waqar was yet another deadly pair. They could virtually run through any batting line-up. But when these greats retired in the early 2000s, they left a huge void in the game which is yet to be filled. The prime bowler in the last 10 years was Glenn Mcgrath, who was more of a disciplined bowler than being express fast. Allan Donald had all the ingredients of a fast bowler and rocked the batsmen for quite some time. But the other bowlers who ruled this era were the Pollocks and McGraths. The bouncer is not a wicket taking delivery by any means, but the international batsmen were not even tested with that in the last generation. With Tait, Nannes and Johnson bouncing the opponents in Barbados, the focus is back on this stuff. The reasons are many and hence blaming the Indian youngsters may not be the right thing to do.

Some like it short?

The classy Sourav Ganguly, who scored over 11,000 ODI runs or the tenacious Steve Waugh who scored close to 11,000 runs in test matches never played the hook shot comprehensively. They elevated themselves from good to great with this disability. Their examples just reiterate the point, that one shot less in your arsenal doesn’t handicap you.

Ricky Ponting, one of the best players of the hook and the pull, had an extended honey moon from 2001 and 2006 and averaged nearly 70. But, his average hovered in the low 40s for the first 5 years of his career. His honeymoon concurring with the retirement of the fast bowling legends of the previous generation is not a mere coincidence. The Australian Captain was found wanting against Kemar Roach’s speed and accuracy in Perth. He danced to young Ishant Sharma’s tunes in the same venue a couple of years back. But still, he is the best in the current generation when it comes to the hook and the pull. The bottom line is nobody likes it, when the ball is short and fast.

The young Indians disability is due to many factors which can be worked out over a period of time. With constant practice and decent oppositions, the younger generation, not only the Indian batsmen but the Sri Lankans and Pakistanis, may all get to play the bouncer well and provide us with some fabulous display of the hook and the pull and not some chin music in the future.

MAY 21, 2010

Yuvraj Singh: India vs Sri Lanka, now or never

Yuvraj Singh: The Prince who never became King

The prince walked in with his bat when the team was reeling at 90 for 3 with the Fab 3 back in the pavilion. He lambasted the world champions out of the park and returned back to knock them out of the tournament, when he hit the stumps directly to dismiss the dangerous Michael Bevan. When he walked away with the Man of the match award, the 18 year old champion had set forth his initial footsteps for a long journey in international Cricket. This was his second match and his first opportunity to bat in Indian colours. The semifinal was a similar story, when he set Nairobi ablaze once again with his sizzling 41 against the Proteas.

He had to wait for another year to get to his next 50, but he chose the right occasion. The score was 38 for 4 in 13 overs and the champ took centre stage once again. He hit the Lankan bowlers out of the park and scored an unbeaten 98. He walked with the man of the match, yet again. But, we just got to see glimpses of his talent as the best was still in store.

“Cometh the hour, Cometh the Champion” and there he came. Yuvraj Singh cemented his place in the Indian side when he pulled of a spectacular victory from the jaws of defeat against the English at Lords. Yuvraj Singh scored 69 of 63 balls when India was chasing 326 and was crawling at 146 for 5. His under-19 captain played a helping hand, but it was Yuvraj Singh’s power hitting which gave the chase the initial impetus. By then, it wasn’t just a promise from the prodigy anymore as we were starting to see results. A new hero had arrived. Yuvraj Singh had arrived.

The Numbers quandary

In the first 5 years, Yuvraj Singh averaged in the early 30’s but in the next 4 years, his average in ODI’s skyrocketed to 45. Of the 113 matches played in that period, Yuvraj averaged close to 58 in the matches won by India. In that period, there were only 2 centuries by Yuvraj which were in lost matches and on both occasions, Yuvraj got the team from dire straits to a commendable position. He scored a century when India was struggling at 35 for 5 against South Africa and then scored a spectacular 121 when the team was crawling at 13 for 3 against Australia. Incidentally both these matches were played at Hyderabad.

Yuvraj Singh – The T-20 Hero

Twenty20 Cricket requires a unique blend to succeed. The player must possess talent, technique and power. Yuvraj Singh had them in the right balance hence was an immediate success in this format. A single weakness can lead to the potential downfall of a cricketer in the shortest format of the game. But Yuvraj’s ability to score all around the wicket helped him to propel his career using this newest form of Cricket.

In the 2007 T20 World cup, after losing the first Super 8 clash against the Kiwis, India had to win the remaining matches to qualify for the knockout stage. The young Indian team needed some inspiration and it came from its favorite son in the most emphatic manner. Yuvraj Singh walked in to bat against the England team with 20 balls left. He achieved many unthinkable feats in those 20 deliveries. He became the only batsman to hit 6 sixes in an over against a test match team and also scored the fastest 50 in T20 cricket in just 12 deliveries. Though he missed the last super 6 match against the South Africans, his Midas touch wasn’t lost. Yuvraj Singh returned back with yet another brutal assault against the Australians in Durban. He scored 70 of 30 balls with 5 sixes and 5 boundaries to send the Australians back home. That brutal assault in the semi-finals served as a catalyst to forget some of Ricky Ponting’s heroics in the 2003 World Cup finals.

Yuvraj Singh -The rise and the fall

From Sep 2005 to mid May 2006, India had 17 successful run chases in succession. The main architect in these victories was Yuvraj with a staggering average of 83. The Fab 4’s presence in the middle order prevented Yuvraj Singh’s entry in the test line-up. With voices all over the world demanding for Yuvraj’s inclusion in the test XI, the call came in the final test against Pakistan in Bangalore. With Tendulkar out of the game due to injury, Yuvraj came and fitted his place with absolute grace. He partnered with his mentor, Saurav Ganguly and piled a 300 run partnership. Yuvraj Singh made a scintillating 169 with some brilliant counterattack. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 80 plus, thus confirming his berth in the playing 11 against Australia.

The 4 innings in Australia fetched him a paltry 17 runs including 2 ducks and created a big dent in the Indian middle order. It has been a free fall since then, with Yuvraj still searching for his next test hundred since that majestic 169. He has a fixed test slot now with the exit of Saurav, but his position still remains as the most vulnerable of all.

The last year and a half has been marred with injury problems and disciplinary issues for the Champion left hander. It started with a finger injury which was followed by a ligament tear. Yuvraj Singh was back for the IPL 3 but returned empty handed. He did not manage to score even a single 50 and scored just 199 of his 14 innings. The batting issues were blemished over the captaincy issues and his supposedly transfer to another IPL franchise.

The issues about him being overweight were put aside when he was chosen to West Indies for the T-20 world cup. Despite the confidence from the team management he failed in the Caribbean miserably. This was followed by the much spoken about Pub brawl at St.Lucia which took Indian cricket to a new low.

Following these, Yuvraj Singh was dropped from the ODI side for the first time only to be included in the upcoming test series against Sri Lanka.

The future?

What started of as a fairytale now beckons to come to a premature end. The Yuvraj of the past who walks in and ransacks the opposition bowling attack is yet to be seen for quite sometime now. With the Powerhouse that he is and the talent that he possesses, an abrupt end to his career will certainly break a million hearts.

Yuvraj Singh has made his supporters rejoice and has given loads of moments to cherish. But, let us hope that he brings back his magic yet another time to make the billion hearts smile by winning the world cup. But for that, he need to comeback fitter and prove his worth. He can take a cue from his mentor, who made a comeback after being snubbed by the national team. After all, Yuvraj Singh is the most talented left hander of this era only after Brian Lara.

Till he comes back and proves his worth, he will always be called as the prince who never became King!

JULY 12, 2010