Whom should you bet on: Potential or Proven Performers?

(2 mins read)

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The other night, I was talking cricket with a few close friends, and the conversation turned into a debate. We were discussing India’s new Test captain: Shubman Gill. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane out of the picture, and even KL Rahul and Jadeja getting older, Gill seemed the obvious pick. But was it the right pick? His Test record doesn’t scream "next great captain". The room quickly split, some felt he hadn’t done enough to earn it, others (like me) argued that potential sometimes matters more than past numbers.

This whole debate isn’t new. I quoted a few examples from the past where potential was given preference. Graeme Smith was just 22 when he became South Africa’s captain. He had played only a handful of Tests, but the board saw leadership in him. It was a bold move, but Smith ended up captaining for over a decade, leading South Africa to the top of the Test rankings. In politics, Barack Obama had only been a U.S. Senator for four years before running for President. People doubted him. But his fresh ideas and calm presence inspired a generation and led to two successful terms in office. In both cases, potential was given a platform, and it delivered big.

So what really makes a good leader? Someone who has done it all? Or someone who could do it all, if trusted early? I think there’s no perfect formula. But I believe in backing potential, especially when it comes with hunger, clarity, and the ability to grow. Experience can steady a ship, but potential can change its course. As someone once said, “Leadership is not about being the best, it's about bringing out the best in others.” And maybe that’s what we really need - not just a captain who leads from the front, but one who lifts everyone around him.

ESPNcricinfo: Did they upgrade or downgrade?

I started using Cricinfo even before it became ESPNcricinfo in 2007. As a regular and a loyal user I have seen multiple changes and revamp happening to the site. Recently on 20 July, 2017 it upgraded to a new look. Being an avid user of Cricinfo and understanding the ever changing media, I completely agree about the need for a revamp of the mobile site (the new template looks good for that purpose). However, the outlay is really cluttered on the desktop site.

There are things which I did not like at the instant (though I understand that changes require some time to adapt). But there are certain things which kept Cricinfo way ahead of its rival, those things are now missing. In fact few other things that its rivals are adopting have been missed and/or lacking here which would not benefit Cricinfo. I will dwell into those, points by point. The reason why I chose to write an article like this is because my comments are not going to reach them, there’s no feedback mechanism like IT Tech support, they are not responding to my tweets. If they are not going to change for better then I am afraid to say that I may have to find some other cricket sites which would suit my needs.

Anyways here are the pain points:

1. Check out the comments section in the article posted by editor of Cricinfo, Sambit Bal link shared above). Almost 95% of them are negative, while I don’t agree to all of it, but so many people not liking it should create a sense of awareness, right?
• Do visit the Google play store, the ratings have dropped drastically in the recent month (no guesses for what could be the reason). Do read the comments there as well
2. All those stats provided in the beginning of Sambit Bal’s article suggests that world is moving towards mobile and I kind of agree to. But that doesn’t mean that people will totally ignore laptop/PC. Cricinfo’s decision to make desktop version also have a feel of mobile does not get to me. Everything looks to be cluttered, previously it was grouped very intelligently, now I find difficulty in searching for good article, or breaking news, or say stats which was previously available in one corner. Now I need to scroll and scroll and scroll and I wouldn’t even realize that I missed it while scrolling
• The desktop users still constitute 30-40% of the audience, they cannot discount them
3. The excitement I had earlier to check the site every day for a good cricket article has decreased. And I am afraid it will be gone. Are they even listening to people what are their views? Like I mentioned earlier check comments section of Google Play store and Sambit Bal’s article. Or else they can do one more thing, why don’t they create a poll to get the pulse of the reader on their new upgrade or I dare downgrade
4. Commentary section. This was USP of Cricinfo, but the recent updates have killed it. I will tell you why
• Earlier it was interesting to see and easy to filter ball by ball commentary for an individual bowler or batsman, now that feature is gone in this version. I don’t understand why? Was it obsolete or very complex for them to retain?
• As and when the wicket fell, a summary was provided something like this “Dhoni c Smith b Stark 62 (58 balls)”. Now this feature was there till the last version. After 20^th July, this is also gone. Now I need to check the scorecard which is an extra effort
• Previous themes gave me commentaries for 50 overs in one page, now I need do endless scrolling (which is definitely not a user friendly feature)
5. Freeze panes: For live matches I have suggestion to Cricinfo. Put the freeze pane not just on score but also consider the menu-tabs such as “Live”, “Scorecard”, “Report”, “Commentary”, “Coverage”, and “Statistics”
6. Live matches in mobile: I agree that I scroll down for easier use of access, for the same reason I would also scroll left or right (swipe would be more apt word) but in the latest app I need to click on the tabs instead of swipe (which again is not so user friendly feature)
7. Connectivity: As soon as I move away from network zone, the page auto refreshes and goes blank (only in live matches page in mobile). At least keep whatever was there so that I can read the commentaries

All in all it seems like a downgrade, until Cricinfo fixes it, I am not be able use the site/app properly

Pakistan's journey in CT2017 - re-imagined

Pakistan recently won Champions Trophy 2017. Against all the odds, this team achieved what even their greatest of fans would have never imagined. Pakistan had never been a good batting team, their bowling was wayward in the past couple of years (the rank 8 in the world is the testimony to the fact). And let’s not talk about their fielding. Where did all the data go in deciding the champions? Not even a great analyst of game can answer that. I myself being an analyst fail to do so.

Pakistan cricket team unpredictability is not unknown to everyone. All of us know what Pakistan is capable of when they bring their A game up front and we also know how timidly they would surrender when it’s not their day. They showcased their Z to A game in the span of 6 match tournament. After Champions Trophy ended I tried to imagine different scenes where the Pakistan team were like an army meeting enemies in the battle field. So, here’s how the story goes:

India v Pakistan at Birmingham - Jun 4, 2017
Indians are fully prepared, make no mistake they are a super power. Pakistan is meeting their arch rival. After sneaking through the backdoor (read last ranked team), they seemed to be unequipped. The only good thing about them was they didn’t forget their green uniform. They forgot their weapons, there was no confidence, and most of the men were new to the battlefield and others got injured. It seemed like they got chickens in their armory. It was such a mis-match.

Pakistan v South Africa at Birmingham - Jun 7, 2017
Pakistan knew from now on their throats are in the noose. A little slip up and they will be gone. Along with rusted sword they got few shiny swords (read Fakhar and Hasan). With men equipped with rusty sword they were defending themselves impressively. The opposition, South Africa another super power were not at their best. Their commander was less than superb in the recent battles. Nobody can’t seem to remember when was the last time he gave a smile. Another mis-match should be on the cards, but Pakistan seem to be holding the South Africans back. Sword on sword, each one pushing each other. And then the rain came. And we know how vulnerable South Africans are to the rain. They are made of salt and they melted away. Pakistan stood there victorious profusely wiping their sweat.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Cardiff - Jun 12, 2017
“Now is the time” was going on in Pakistanis heads. “One more victory, one more victory O lord!”

Well these were the most matched sides. Inexperience to inexperience, randomness to randomness, volatility to volatility, low rank to lowly ranked, everything matched. It was a battle of anxieties. “Who will falter first?” was the questions. Swords and spears were exchanged. Rusty swords breaking and flying away. Much time passed but no clear winner. Who will weaken first? The new supplement by Pakistan (read Fakhar) in some way or the other seems to be working. Could this be their day? Nope, not yet. Sri Lanka too got their arsenal full even though small and ineffective. They pushed back harder. Brought their most famous and lethal sword (read Malinga), fell Pakistan and started to poke them. It was a matter of time. Why is it always somehow with Pakistan? One push and the blade will be inside of Pakistan and they will be henceforth called Panicstan. Just one push. And here it will be. But wait, what do we see now? Blades are broken. Sri Lankans are flabbergasted, shocked, stunned, dumbfounded. Pakistan have a wry smile, gets back and kicks little Shree Lunkuns on the knee and the stomach and the head. Swoooshh! The end of Sri Lanka

Semi-final: England v Pakistan at Cardiff - Jun 14, 2017
“One more victory, one more victory O lord!”

Here we are. The medieval and modern day greats (both for different reasons). Another superpower – the Great Britain. Well not exactly them, but I think you get my point. Pakistan was never to be here and England, as all expected they were to win the championship. Pakistan to them was just a fly on the rug which they would swat away. But but but, Pakistan’s artillery was growing, they seem to be picking up the weapons from their battlefields and quickly sharpening them.

As soon as the battle began, England’s huge stature sidelined. Pakistan seemed to have pull aside the curtain which England was holding in front of them. Behind it was timid cat who was calling itself a lion all these while. All the previous battles were forgotten by Pakistan. They burnt in those and have risen like phoenix. The superpower had no chance but surrender.

Final: India v Pakistan at The Oval - Jun 18, 2017
“One more victory, one more victory O lord!”

“Mother of battles” is what we were to witness. Indians were also looking out to their arch rivals. They were no long holding a chicken. The rust from swords have gone away, arsenal full of weapons and all seem to be working. No idea how, but Pakistanis have created a tank now. Indians were no short of these. They knew very well how to use their ammos but more than themselves they were worried about which Pakistan would turn up? The one with the chicken or the one with the tank?
Unfortunately for the Indians, Pakistanis turned up with the tank and now I don’t want to talk much about the final battle.

Victory lap
Pakistan were the resounding winners. They proved un-expectations are the best thing for them. Winning a major ICC trophy and that too against India was biggest icing on the cake they could ever imagine. They gave their nation and their fans a great Eid gift.

(I hope someone could make a short animated movie out of this)

My tryst with RDX

I was recently part of an office organized cricket tournament. My team RDX (Rebellious Defenders XI – why this name? That is the story for some other time) was considered one of the favorites to win the title. The matured team consisted of like-minded people, playing brilliant cricket delightful to the eyes and knowing how to execute a winning action. The preparations leading to the tournament was such that even though we are at our nascent stage of team formation, bonding between players were done, team spirit and winning recipes were blown and a nothing short of being champions were the mindset from the very start. That’s not an exaggeration, our first few matches in the tournament was an evidence of it. We truly dominated the league matches. We totally controlled our first knockout match too.

With the victories like; chasing 34 in 3.4 overs, 62 in 5 overs and bundling opposition to mere 37 runs while defending 98 in 10 overs were instilling a belief in ourselves that we could be title holders this time. But I guess, we were thinking too far. We were pushed to walls in the quarters and all our dreams were shattered. The loss gave us a reality check but there was no second chance.

We can condole ourselves by saying every great team faces this type of situation. Two great teams and their great matches comes to mind immediately. It befits our situation perfectly.

1.South Africa were considered the favorites to lift the 1996 cricket world cup. They had won all their matches comfortably before they met West Indies in the Quarters. But majestic Lara send them packing.

2.India in the recent times are dangerous outfit in all the formats. Under the able captaincy of MS Dhoni they were charging in WT20 2016 but hit an unmovable stone in the Semis of WT20, the Windies. Our favorite Indian team scored only 4 sixes and 16 fours in 20 overs while the West Indies team just wielded their bat and it went for a six, in total they scored 11 sixes 20 fours, simply saying they just stood ground and scored bulk of their runs in boundaries. Similar thing happened to us in the quarters, we kept on taking wickets of opposition while defending 84 in 10 overs, but it looked like whoever came to bat had just one thing in mind that is to score boundaries. 5 wickets fell but they overcame the target in 8^th over. We were in such hapless state that any regrouping or new ideas simply didn’t worked.

A victory is always sweeter

We can only contemplate a better performance next year but who knows what Almighty has in store for us. As of now we can cherish the memories and bundle our sadness into a container, lock it and throw the keys into the sea.

How I felt after watching M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

No this is not a review. I am not a movie buff to compare movies, performances, filmography, direction, etc. I am just a fan but not an ordinary one....


Flashback --- 2003: I was in class 9, I believe. We used to get newspaper at our tiffin breaks, during which I would associate myself with those who loved sports. Everyday during our breaks we would take the newspaper, turn to the last page eyeing for any interesting news from sports section. In one of those days, we noticed a picture of a tall hunk with mane flowing behind his neck, keeping behind wickets. It was one of those rare initial pictures of MS Dhoni. He must have performed well in one the Ranji matches and that is why that image (remember he debuted in Dec-2004). That first impression was worth remembering. I vividly remember how desperately I wanted that man to be in the Indian team, not because of his batting skills but because of his charming looks and because he kept wickets. Those were the days when we played so many keepers without success, Vijay Dahiya, Deep Dasgupta, Nayan Mongia and few others of whose name I can't remember. Having a good wicket keeper was much desired. Keeping wickets was taking a toll on our wall aka Rahul Dravid and in some way was affecting his batting. My other class mates were awestruck too. One among them was a Pakistan team supporter, he said it would be good for India. I smirked at him but prayed silently that his (and mine too) wish was answered. And it did...!


Now to the movie: 

Mahi sir's ingredient in the field (in my opinion): 30% Batting + 50% Captaincy + 20% wicket keeping. But in the movie major focus was in batting, it was 90% batting + 8% Keeping + 2% captaincy. It's true he has so many records to his name because of his batting, his average never fell below 50, consistently in the top 10 rank for almost a decade, won consecutive ICC ODI batsman of the year, known as hard hitting finisher, etc. But also true that he has won many trophies for the team, captain of ICC ODI World XI for 6 consecutive years, the street smartness he shows on the field, the selection of bowlers to bowl overs during crunch situations, his unorthodox field placements among others were missing. I would have loved to see what goes through his mind during pressure situations. Dhoni, the hard-hitting batsman, turned into the calm strategist and leader, the sequence was missing from the movie. Becoming the captain was a critical phase in Dhoni’s career, and it is surprising that it does not find a mention in the movie. He has executed many supersonic stumpings and it could have taken only a minute to showcase or highlight collage of his wicket-keeping heroics.

Few instances in the movie made me smile: 

There’s a cricketing sequence in the movie that stands out where a young Yuvraj Singh (played by Harry Tangri), smashes a triple ton against MS Dhoni’s Bihar in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy. Tangri looks very similar to a 19-year old Yuvraj, and is seen having exchanges with Dhoni. His flamboyant personality, which is well portrayed in that scene brought back many memories from 10-12 years ago.

When selectors were debating on which wicket keeper to choose among Dinesh Karthik, Nama Ojha and MS Dhoni, Dada aka Sourav Ganguly gave his inputs, "Dhoni ko try karte hain." That gave me smiles once again. Dada well known for giving chance to youngsters like Sehwag, Zaheer, Yuvraj, Kaif, etc., the movie paints that beautifully even though it was for just one scene. MS Dhoni gives it back in an emotional way. While on his last Test match Dhoni hands over the captaincy to Dada during the last few moments of India vs Austraila match in 2008.

The mutual respect to friends and families is brilliantly illustrated. The Telegraph once reported (probably once Dhoni joined the Indian cricket team and the news was out that he was a TC once in Kharagpur railway station) the place of stay Dhoni. The shabby place was occupied by other men as well (as shown in the movie). The report mentioned that one of his room mate there got married and met Dhoni after his success. Dhoni was kind enough to meet him and complain, "Kya bhaiyya shaadi bhi kar liye aur bulaye bhi nahi (you didn't invite me to your marriage)". Such goals one should have in life of maintaining relationships and keeping the feet firm in the ground.

The last few scenes were of how Dhoni's close friends families reacted to the 2011 World Cup six. The one with which I resonated the most was how his coach, Banerjee sir did. He thumped his chest after pointing towards the TV screen as if saying, "I knew he would do it, I knew it from the beginning". Yes, the wish that I had when I first saw guy with long hair flowing behind was fulfilled.

Thank you and good bye Rockerzzz

I still remember how I was inducted to the cricket team which we fondly call it as Rockerzzz. I do remember how the name Rockerzzz came into being. We were playing one day Red FM came into the ground and asked us to vacate it so that they conduct a cricket tournament there. As we were leaving we were called back and they requested us to nominate our team and participate in that tournament. And that was it, we chose 2 set of 11 players and without much thinking named our team as Rockerzzz 1 & 2. Yes, we do rock as much as we enjoy playing our game of cricket. It was a knockout tournament and we kept on winning that day (probably 3 matches on trot), only to realize it was quite late that day and all of us were pretty tired. However, that's a different story kept for some other day.

Tomorrow I might be playing my last game of cricket with these wonderful people. I thought let me bid them good bye in a different way. I believe they deserve to be appreciated for whatever they have done to me and my life. I owe them, and I would like to give them tribute such that it is recorded and here they are (in alphabetical order):

Afaque bhai

One of the quick bowlers in our team. A bowler to whom I would always go to open the bowling and give me some wicket. He has a lengthiest run up among all of us. Legend says that Shaimir bhai completed his graduation while he was completing his over.
A committed guy always juggling between his passion, i.e. cricket and love, i.e. family. He looks like a bachelor but isn't a bachelor ;). "gupach le bagha" was once said by him and from that day he is known as Afaque urf Bagha. A brilliant bowler by skill but he has an achievement of a batsman in his CV, scoring a six of the last ball to take his team to victory.

Afsal bhai

A prolific batsman, bowler with quickest delivery and multiple variations to keep the batsman in check mode, brilliant keeper, superb finisher of game, successful businessman of a conglomerate, father of 2 cute kids, sponsor to our first ever team t-shirt and what not. He is "The Package" one would want to be
30 runs needed in 2 overs, call Afsal bhai may be
I once picked up his slower ball (which is not very easy btw) and hit him for a six, and I was over the moon for the full next week :)

Afzal bhai

The batsman most feared. Sehwag-esque style of play. You bowl I will hit you is his attitude. When he is in his groove, no bowler can bowl to him. One of the very few player in the team with honesty which might touch the sky. He doesn't wait for umpires to give him out, if he feels he has nicked the ball, he wouldn't wait. I respect him a lot. I learnt from him how to be spiritually and religiously passionate even if one tries to enjoy life or pursue a passion

Ali (Vicky) bhai

Most consistent batsman of the team. Out of touch Vicky bhai !? Ah! You must be kidding me. When I was out of form for a couple of months, he told me that he would want me to come back to form as soon as I can, he gave me few tips how to handle that situation and it was quite motivating. Frankly speaking that really helped me gather some courage and score some runs. He is that kind of batsman who will destroy any bowling attack. He has all kinds of shots in his armoury. If he gets going his team can relax and enjoy.

Ameen bhai

Ameen bhai is the one for whom I would love to come back to Bangalore again and again. A local Bengaluru boy and a big Arsenal FC fan. Such humility, such simplicity, I once mistook (during my initial days) him to be a college student :P, later did I realise that he was way too many years senior to me. A calm and composed batsman, not taking risks, always being a team man, giving the team much needed impetus. But he does get carried away sometime. He tries to hit the ball out of the park which is beyond his scope. I believe not every batsman is made to hit sixes. I have always advised Ameen bhai to not to try for sixes. I think this fact should act as a guide to him. "Do you know how many sixes have Bradman hit in his remarkable career? Only 6"

Buland bhai

The man with the brain. This guy would never follow instinct. He will always have reasons to back any decision. I envy him. He knows how to and when to use pitch, bowler, batsman. Sometimes it do backfire, but tries his best. Always to look to for sincerity and honesty. His love for the game can be understood when one hears from his room mates that he gets up at the middle of the night to watch a game of cricket

Faisal bhai

Form is temporary  but class is permanent. We say this more than often to Faisal bhai. If we can give someone to compare to Rahul and Laxman it would be Faisal bhai. Team's top order batsman, a regular fielder at point position. Once set he can take any bowling team apart. Off late he his out of touch but like I said he is a very classy player. He has improved his fielding a lot in recent days. In batting he could be somewhat similar to batsman of class (as mentioned earlier) but in fielding nowhere near.

Farooq bhai

You take down Farooq bhai, the team is reduced to half. The bowler and the fielder, which raises many eyebrows, with the antics and talents he has up his sleeve. A Shaun Pollock-esque attitude, remarkable captain cum bowler cum fielder. It's rare to see him drop any catch or misfield any ball. He has is own way of batting - hit or miss. A leader, always inspiring his troops with his performance, sending out motivational shouts to his team mates. I have always felt at ease when he is around. I have learnt slower ball from him, tried to emulate him by turning the ball with the pace

Yuvi (Arunesh) and Gaj

I cannot possibly take their name separately. They are like Laurel and Hardy, Thomson and Thomson, Shin and Chan, actually wait Shin Chan is the one same character and Gaj relates to it more than anyone else in the team. These people have brought that element in the team Rockerzzz that was missing for a very long time and that is sledging. The way they do it is entertaining. I will always remember the aaaawww!!! done by Yuvi paaji whenever he takes out Gaj from the crease. Yuvi, we hardly call him Arunesh, but trust me he look and act way similar to the real Yuvraj Singh. His short run up, his pace, his 5 sixes in an over, nahi bhulunga main, jab tak hai jaan! Gajju, the man we always trust who can score some amount runs when all his team mates are back in the pavillion. The never say die attitude shown by Gaj, always smiling, never to get bogged down, always keeping the spirit of the team high makes him the most wanted in any team. Thanks for all the fun guys!

Imtiaz bhai

We fondly call him cheel (the eagle). And why not? The way he fields is astonishing. He is short in stature, but the way he fields and catch will put Ishant Sharma to shame. He has taken wonderful catches, one being a single handed one while jumping over the boundary. As brilliant he is in the field, he is quite good with the ball. Taking wicket is his bread and butter. He might get hit due to his slow pace, but most of the time batsman tend to get decieved and lose his wicket.

Iqbal bhai

The Rohit Sharma of the team, no not because of all the untapped hidden talents, but because of the attoricities he shows to the bowler once he gets going. He might take all the time he need in the world but he wouldn't spare single bowler, be it Farooq bhai or Afsal bhai. He is famous for scoring 18 runs in last over and a last ball six to take his team to victory. Despite all these he is afraid of a simple headly ball. He would bring with himself a batting gloves, keeping gloves, abdomen guard, sunscreen, A-frame white goggles and what not. If not a batsman, he would surely been a scorer. If Iqbal bhai is in the team, one can forget to count the number of runs, balls, overs and many other such things.
Another family man, much appreciated by the team for taking out time to play with us. His child like behavior of asking batting and bowling every now and then keeps the atmosphere light

Maaz

Maaz - what a beautiful name! and what an inspiring person (companion of prophet) after whom he is named.
Probably the youngest in the group but a heart throb! It was a privilege to have him in the group, all thanks to Ameen bhai. With all the number of "friends" he have it's difficult for him to even take a sip of tea, leave alone playing cricket. Hence it was great to have him in the team.
Maaz is a bowler who can be trusted. His deceptive bowling style is always irritating for a batsman and he always uses it to his advantage. Like Gaj and Yuvi, Maaz too help the team to be in light mood

Mehran

 

The sleeping beauty! Yes you read it right. He is fond of sleeping, he can sleep any and everywhere; in the bus, in the ground (even during an intense edge of the seat situation), on the bike, during Afaque bhai's stand up speech, anywhere and everywhere you will find Mehran either dozing off or warming up for the sweet nap.
Jokes apart, he is a very good bowler. Always a good student, any captains first choice bowler, he would give his heart to perform his best. He has seen his worse days with the ball (Sumit bhai should be having an evil laugh here) but more than that he was part of better days under the sun. He has slower ball in his arsenal, and he mixes it well with his pace. 

Misbah bhai

That responsible guy, who could die for the team. That guy is Misbah bhai. Well, name is not just the similar thing between him and the Pakistan cricket team ex-captain. Calmness and serenity are others. Experience can be found in his eyes. A wonderful player of both bat and ball. The way he carries himself around is inspirational. He enjoys life. "Shauq badi cheez hai" he told me once. He bid farrwell almost a year back and went back to his hometown Kolkata but was an integral part of the team when he was with Rockerzzz and I enjoyed a lot while playing with him. He is going to tie the knot of marriage soon, I wish him all the best for future

Rakib bhai

How can I forget the best catch Rockerzzz history and how can I forget the man behind that catch? A flying man, not worried about his almost 80 kg weight diving to his right on a hard red soil ground. Nearby crows were put to shame that day. They must have felt some kind of complexity after watching Rakib bhai giving a dive like no one would have ever thought of.

His uncanny style of bowling, almost bringing Agarkar into the mind. He was the captain's go to bowler when the team needed a wicket. He retired from cricket when he thought his bachelor time is up. Yes he is the youngest entrant to the married club of Rockerzzz. The reason he quit cricket way before his marriage is still unknown. Rumors are that he left cricket because he could possibly get tan and his loved ones wouldn't recognize him ;)

Rehan bhai

One of the genuine allrounder of the team. I guess he is the only player in the team to have scored 4 sixes in an over and taken a hattrick of wickets. He was the captain before me, and the way he showed aggression along with inspiring performance was quite commendable. Leaving aside the anger he emits, there's lot to learn from this young man. Motivation level is high, even if he's out of form, he will make sure team doesn't get affected by that. I have learnt a lot of life hacks from him, not quite successful in many. He's a gadget freak, off the field he is surrounded by gadgets, either physical or virtual, he either owns some or is planning to own them some day.

Reyaz bhai

My partner in crime. He captained one team while I captained another. Although there is a huge age difference between us but we had fun, arguments, fights, handshake and went back home as a happy brothers after every other game. To me there is no other batsman in Rockerzzz who can calculate the chase as effectively as Reyaz bhai. There are other batsman who would hit a boundary every other ball and make mockery of the chase, while others would crumble but Reyaz bhai would know whom to target and how much to target in each over. He can make the opposition captain think twice when he is in the crease. Other than being a good captain and good player, he is also a very good in making biryani. I will miss the days and the biryani :(
His favorite quote which still rings in my ear is, "Gussa humko bhi aata hai" I too can get angry was the words spoken by him, eyes almost popping out, shouting at Shaimir bhai when there was some arguments between them. Man that was so funny, I kept smiling from the sidelines

Shahmir bhai

An RF and a ManU fan. By the pattern I can safely guess he could be fan of Alonso (never asked him though). Always a winner and rooting for winners is in his traits. Latest entry to our team, openner by chance, always played a handy role (much to my surprise). Never thought how such an intelligent human being can be so calm and play so well. I would love to see him captain a Rockerzzz team one day

Shaimir bhai

Oh, what do I tell about this man. He is elder to me but looks younger. Perhaps all those creams, dances, wearing fashionable clothes do work :). (Just kidding Shaimir bhai)
He too bid farewell to Rockerzzz team when call of duty came from his hometown Kolkata. But you never know, he might come back again to Bangalore. He has is own fan following, that can be verified from his Facebook page. It was damn impressive when he used to bowl. He used to bowl his heart out. Batsman wanted a helmet when he was bowling. I always wanted him in my team. Always vocal in the ground, chirping and sledging the oppositions. His favorite opposition was Rakib bhai. Whenever Rakib bhai was in fielding side, Shaimir bhai would sledge him so that Rakib bhai miss fields. And more often than not that worked. Magical indeed! "Chhor de Rakib" Leave it Rakib was just he used to say. Whenever he wanted entertainment, he used to add some masala in arguments. He used to say, If he hadn't done that, weekends would have been utterly boring and no body will have a talking point after reaching home. I almost completely agree with him.

Sumit bhai

Sumit bhai has two people living inside him. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't talking about physical looks. He might look healthy by the grace of Almighty but I was talking in terms of a metaphor. If you have seen Lord of Rings then relate him to Gollum and Smeagol. They were the same person a kind of alter ego. And similar in nature is our Sumit bhai. One day he can tear apart any bowling line, on other day he will crumble like an old lady. He is like a soldier fighting 100s of enemies and killing them all while being killed by a boy in his hometown. He would drop as many catches he would want as if he has done a rigorous training on dropping catches while he would take some stunner behind the wickets or at short leg which will make the batsman drop his jaws. Nevertheless, a simple human being, patience is the key to him, when he bats he bats well.

Suraj bhai

Bengali in nature, hard core KKR supporter and SRK's fan of highest order. He is that guy who adds fun element in everything. Every week till eternity he will have interview to attend. All the wrong number calls and texts happen to him. People (read attractive females) from insurance company and banks sends him messages through their personal contact numbers.
I would recommend Imran Tahir to have a look at him once, the way he celebrates after taking an important wicket. His slower ball is slower no more. He has increased his run up since the day we started to play. Gone are the days when batsman would take him lightly. He has learnt the art of bowling well and if given a chance would probably show how to hit the ball into the orbit (If given a chance!)

Tausif bhai

A handsome hunk. A batsman of Tausif bhai's calibre is hard to find and if he is the one who can never let the ball pass by him then any captain would want him in his team. I can still imagine him standing at long on position and holding on to one of the difficult catches - a skyer which others could easily drop. Bowlers fear of not bowling a short ball to him, otherwise they would need to send 2 fielders to fetch back that ball. Others are afraid of coming near him as they could meet with fatal injury after getting in contact with his body, yes masha Allah he has got a strong body. Sweet and smart in nature, never getting involved in any arguments, one of the many reasons for me staying back in JP Nagar after the game.

Vikash bhai

The phirki waala of our team. Man, I have never seen anyone turn the ball for so many degrees on a red soil and with a green headley ball. Vikash bhai is any team's trump card. A great wrist spinner, who can turn the ball both ways. An added talent of batting is an extra advantage. Always a team player, sending out words of encouragement to his fellow teams is what everyone needs. A very good addition to Rockerzzz team.

Vishal bhai

A very good batsman and a keeper. The batsman who can be trusted for the top order position. The beauty of Rockerzzz has attracted Vishal bhai as well. And boy, he has done remarkably well in gelling with the team. Not too loud spoken, he let his bat talk, always safe with hands, not dropping too many catches, he has all the ingredients to be a brilliant player and be a part of Rockerzzz team.

Naushad, Kashif, Ehtesham and Salman bhai

(top left - Naushad bhai, top right - Kashif bhai, bottom left - Ehtesham bhai, bottom right - Salman bhai)

These people are the roots of our team. They laid a beautiful and strong foundation. The tree is full grown now with lots and lots of amazing fruits and branches. They started the team without any intention of making it this big and even after they are not in Bangalore anymore their legend still lives on, the team is still there. I started my journey in Rockerzzz under the captaincy of Naushad bhai and Kashif bhai. All the tricks and trades, how to win, how to fight, what to do when the situation is against you, when you are swimming against the tide, anything and everything under the sky where the headley ball is the sun. Naushad bhai taught me how to be passionate about things, how to display your emotions, how to be competitive and show that you have achieved something. I learnt how to be sincere and dedicated towards work from kashif bhai, he showed how to manage between work, family and recreation, awesome guy he is. Salman bhai is the manager of our team, he rarely comes but he comes with an aura which is unavoidable. Ehtesham bhai had enough passion towards cricket, a guy with a smiling face even when he is out of form is always bound to bring the happiness to you

O Captain! My Captain!

An open letter to my current favorite cricket player and captain

I belong to that generation of people who have grown up watching and admiring Sachin Tendulkar. I have seen those days when people used to switch off their television once Sachin used to get out. Gone are those days, but people still look for someone to put their trust on. They want someone to carry on their burden of expectations. In the last decade or so you have pulled on weight and carried their expectations. And you did that beautifully. As a cricketer you have already achieved a lot. As a captain too, no one else can be very promising. You report card is still very much positive.

I say this to every haters of yours. For a man who has captained India for almost a decade, he certainly deserves more respect. The haters demand consistency in every performance, winning every matches. I demand from them consistency in their support. Dhoni, you see it's tough to grow in India with all the expectations. You have faced various adversity in the last decade. Not to mention tough oppositions in England, Australia or South Africa, alien conditions Down Under, lack of quality fast bowlers in the team. The real adversity you have faced is the people of India. Having won so many trophies, people expect you to win even more. Nothing wrong in that, but the only thing which matters and delights the haters is the fact that you are the only captain to lose a series against Bangladesh.

People doesn't know what it takes to be the Indian cricket captain. They complain that you give chances to the undeserving. Making Rohit and Dhawan hit purple patches, Rahane to have confidence in his batting, Shami to be the leader of the pace attack. I want to remind them these were not CSK players.

People define your wicketkeeping poor. I won't argue because you have already clarified while taking a flying catch that it was nothing but a fluke. A street smart keeping styles, running out the batsman when the throw is not even 2 meters near the wickets can only be done by you. More than 600 dismissal behind the stumps and yet your keeping is poor?

You have changed your batting style to suit the team. Your helicopter is in the hangar. Yet you do your best to bring laurels for India. Being always present to take the team across the line. Always walking the talk, never asking others what you cannot do yourself. You have gained respect from all across the globe. Only in India where you will find people with short memories and glories to live by.

Not a day passes by without you being compared with other captains of this nation. After having won us so many trophies, memories like the six in the final of the World Cup 2011, Joginder and Ishant bowling in the final matches of the major ICC tournament etched forever, people still complain you are nothing more than lucky. Was it really luck bhaiyya?

People from small town owes a lot to you. You have given them confidence to dream high and be a world beater. The day you retired from the Test cricket, was one of the saddest day in my recent times. It was a bolt from the blue. You never gave a hint. You thought for the team, for the new generation, for the new captain. You led by example and left by example. You didn't want a farewell, a glorified memento. You earned the respect of your teammates by setting an example with your own performances and then simply left like silent saint assassin.

One of the earliest saved pictures (1st Test match)

 

I cried, my team lost

India lost the semi finals of Cricket World Cup, 2015. I am sad but in no way I am shamed. The team gave me enough reasons to be happy.

Those who criticize India now are those who are chronic whiners...those who keep looking for room to blame the National team and some individuals. When our own legends speak high of MSD those who have not played cricket or understood the game well keep pointing fingers against him .. that is foolish and cowardly approach. This is the time we need to support our captain and the team.. a Captain who even refused to visit home to see his new borne baby as he was on national duty.. a captain who was always balanced and focused .. a captain who never complained!!!

It is so easy now a days for these so called experts to question our team on their poor performances, without forgetting that practicing sportsmanship is a lot harder than actually preaching it. Do these morons remember their playing days? If they have conveniently forgotten, it is our duty to give them a reality check.

Dhoni lacked leadership skills need just a gentle reminder, did your uncle score the winning runs in the 2011 world cup? Weren’t you the same bunch who wrote us off before the tournament began? And weren’t you the same bunch who went gaga over we winning seven matches on the trot? Doesn’t that speak a lot about your character? You know fans like me can go on endlessly rubbing it in for questioning our heroes and their commitment. But sadly we have better things to do. Before I end this, seriously ‘Times now’ the nation wants to know “Since when did winning seven consecutive games and having one bad day in office be equivalent to shaming the nation?”

It's a pity that our own country men do not understand and appreciate the importance of Dhoni and go lengths in criticizing and blaming him for anything and everything. Little do they know that in Australia people consider these players in high esteem - Bevan the finisher, Waugh the captain and Gilly the keeper while in India we have all those characteristics combined in one person and that is Dhoni

Tale of ducks and hattricks

I know the reason why we don't win lot of medals in Olympics. I live in Bangalore, a city 2000 kilometers away from my home Kolkata. I am here to earn money (and respect too) on weekdays and guess what I do during weekends? I play cricket. No others sports, no football, no badminton, no gymnastics and no swimming and this is the case with the other 20 odd people with whom I play cricket. Most of them barring a few are from Kolkata (or nearby areas).

For us abnormal is normal, imbalanced is balanced and everything is cricket. We might play “Home run battle” and “2048” in our smart phones and would spent hours to contemplate our performance to get better on the ground which would definitely take up the extra 2 hours after midnight but bats and balls (not to forget wickets) are the weapons we chose to hold in our hands every Saturday morning.

I like to read books and love to write. I write this blog for a very few people, first is of course me and then comes my friends. I am not the one to be compared to a normal blogger. While they type away every day, I wait for something to really amuse me, I write from the comfort of my home. I procrastinate for no particular reason. As a result, despite the best efforts of blogger.com, it is harder for me to discuss, share, and learn from each other. What follows then are some lessons that I have learned, often the hard way. They may not all be universally applicable but, for better or worse, they are the distilled knowledge of my few years practicing this craft.

My # of page views have fallen, I have not written in many months. The joy that I used to get when I get to know that people are visiting my page had vanished. And I wanted it back, I wanted that happiness, that eagerness to check every midnight how many have visited my blog to revisit me. I had to choose something as a topic to write, I chose cricket, because I enjoy it.

While writing this I had to picture my audience, I knew not many of my readers are avid cricket fan, not many of them would go on till the end, but few would, the interested ones would enjoy while the others would smile thinking of me as a crazy, incorrigible fellow.

As I write this, the 1st qualifier match between KKR (my favorite IPL team) and KXIP in Kolkata has been postponed to the next day, I am warm and comfy (it rained a few hours ago) at my home without thinking of what to do in office tomorrow, Narendra Modi is the new prime minister of India and I don’t have to hear Sidhu shouting in the TV,

"Mujhe pasand nahi ladai,
Mujhe pasand aata hai romance,
Lungi dance, Lungi dance
Lungi dance, Lungi dance"

But who cares, I am now going to talk about the cricket without ads, without any commentaries, without any previews. But yes we do have sledges, the fights, the anger, our after match reviews, we do host our own show 'match ka mujrim kaun', showers praises and accolades. 

The constant cycle of death and resurrection plays out in our team's results too. We die some day with a duck in our name, only to find ourself waking up again on next Saturday with new vigor to improve the average. The team boasting of full of top class batsman may fall for a score as low as 50 in 12 overs while bowler who can get hit for 26 runs in an over might take a hattrick.

You must be full of questions, probably more than Arnab Goswami. The Nation wants to know which team? What cricket? Who took hattrick? Okay, okay, enough of riddles.

This team which I am going to talk about is full of studs known as Rockerzzz. Yes, we have a name (and we have a jersey too). And this team consist of more than 24 players (wow!). I won't shy away mentioning the players name but keep in mind to add word bhai after you pronounce their name because I do so as they are senior to me but I would avoid writing it again and again.

Well, it started one day, Shaimir (don't forget to add the word bhai) called me up one day, "Tanzeel, you play cricket right? Can you come over to our place this Saturday morning. We play every week and thought you could be a worthy addition." Well, that was flattery and it was followed by barrage of thoughts , "Cricket!?!?!? mann me laddu phuta?", "Saturday!?!?? that is my sleeping day (yes I sleep till mid-day on Saturdays)", "Okay then I will go for this week and will think about it next week, probably miss it next week". Little did I know that it is going to addictive, people in the ground are going to mesmerize me. They will use their willow to make me their slave (don't take it seriously).

1st Saturday morning: Back in my home city, the biggest ground, the Maidan is just 3 kms. away. We used to get up and reach the field in 10 minutes. But here, to reach the ground at 6.30 AM I had to get up at 5 AM. 23 kms. is the distance that I needed to travel that Saturday. When I reached the ground, I was given a warm welcome (probably it was my first day and I came from very far). I knew several faces but I couldn't recognize the other. Remembering names on the first day is difficult but two of them Kashif and Naushad (add double bhai to these names) were easier to memorize because they were captain and because they kept on motivating their players and/or because they were married :P and because they made me feel at home.

Rockerzzz!!!

While I was on my way back home, I had already been added to the whatsapp group. Discussion on the completed match was full on, everyone praising each other. Names were still difficult to remember but I got to know from the conversation that there is a top class allrounder named Afsal with full of variations in bowling, there is this proper batsman in Faisal and Anjani, hard hitter in Afzal, Ehtesham and Iqbal, a bowler difficult to hit in Farooq and Shaimir, a fielder worth giving a title of eagle in Imtiaz, etc. I felt happy inside me and thought it's a good start.

It's difficult to pick a batsman or a bowler from people like us. All of us are allrounders and that's what makes our team unique. No matter how you chose a team, how imbalance it might look on paper but on the field the matches will be close. I was once part of a team who defended 70 odd runs in 12 overs but couldn't defend 120+ in 12 overs.

A six would invite everyone from batting team to come on the ground to congratulate the batsman, while small error in the field placement would prompt the company of Tausif, Kashif and Shaimir to get together to discuss for 5 minutes how to place the field and another 5 minutes to discuss how not to waste these 5 minutes next time. A hattrick too would invite everyone to get their photo together.

Anil with his team after the hattrick

Buland with his team after the hattrick

While we have fielders like Farooq, Tausif and Imtiaz in our arsenal who would not let the ball pass through if it is in their zone, on the other hand we have Faisal and Ehtesham who if drops the catch and stops the ball from going to the boundary is considered an achievement. The batting team shouts, "Make it two" whenever they see the ball running away towards them, the batsman feel comfortable if they have played a lofty shot and these players are getting under it. But their batting covers up their fielding and their efforts are well appreciated. I remember Ehtesham taking a difficult catch for Anil to complete a hattrick. This catch was not easy as it was high up in the air and he had to run backwards to get under it. Faisal is a responsive player, he can make a target of 120 look easy but sometimes fail to chase 70, because like I told you he is a responsive player, he only respond only when his captain reminds him to wake up and start hitting the ball, other wise a perfect opener any captain would love to have him in the team.

We have orange cones (the ones used by players during their drills) that we keep on the boundaries. We had to keep that at the farthest distance possible because the boundaries were affecting the run up of Affaque. He asks, "Shoaib AKhter, who?" There are stories making rounds these days that Affaque missed his schooling because while he could complete his run up, the school got over.

Nobody carries responsibilities on the shoulder better than Misbah. Once he hit a six, everyone knows that a responsibility had been carried out. A hattrick and getting hit for 26 runs is in the name of Buland. I hope he won't mind having two records of totally opposite in nature. The Shaun Pollock of our team Omar Farooq have never let his team down, taking wickets when required, hitting sixes when needed, took a hattrick once.

Afsal is known for his allround abilities. No one can bowl as fast as he could and not as slow as he could, when he comes to bat he changes the equation in the matter of 2 overs. Shaimir comes close to him in competition. Tausif, the hulk, nobody dare hit towards him, there's a legend that he hit Suraj for 5 sixes in an over. Suraj is kinda sorta Piyush Chawla, on his day he can take 5 wickets and score brisk runs while on his off days he might get belted for 5 sixes in an over.

Afzal once took his team to a commanding position, scored a fifty in just under 5 overs. I have never seen someone hit so cleanly. Reyaz definitely took his place when Afzal was took leave for his marriage. Rehan took a step further, his bowling added extra feathers to his cap. Scoring 3 sixes and a four in an over is no mean task, catching inches before boundary ropes is neither and getting angrier is also not an easy job. For Rehan, the angrier the merrier, hahaha. When it comes to catching no one comes closer to Imtiaz, Shaimir might have taken a diving catch at the boundary but Imtiaz took a one handed catch while running and covering a lot of distance in the ground.

A bowler rarely noticed is Rakib da. The bowler from Bengal could have gotten a chance had Ganguly not preferred Dinda so much. But thankfully there's Tausif who manages him so well.

Ameen, the local boy. It's his city in which we are playing, credit goes to him for letting us play. Thankfully he only deceives the batsman with his slower balls. Few additions to the team; Amjad aka Vicky, Sajid, Sumit and Mehran are doing pretty decent. They have played some eye catching performance adding beautiful feather to the colorful wings of Rockerzzz.

Kashif and Naushad are the ones who brought everyone together. Our manager is Salman because he occasionally comes to play. They are the mastermind for this. So, if anything goes wrong you know whom to contact.

how not to take a catch, circled in red

A selfie went horribly wrong

We once took part in the tournament and that's how the name Rockerzz came up.

Before I finish off, i have few questions to ask you:

Have you watched cricket more than you have played?
a) Yes, b) No
Write your answers on a papyrus scroll, then bury them in a hole in the ground. Winners will be notified in approximately 2,000 years' time.

What is the meaning of life, please? Does it have something to do with cricket?
I give you the answer as beautifully explained by Andrew Zaltzman, "Life is a journey towards ultimate understanding of the nature of existence and reality. And, since we now have illuminating stumps, that journey is now complete."

A note on being a sports fan in India

I belong to a country where people have their opinion in every matter on the face of the earth. The country where cricket is considered a religion, football a reason to fight and hockey a long lost twin of cricket. And not to mention Anand who is known as grandfather of chess (oops! it should have been grand master), Sania a face of beauty, Mary Kom a very strong woman and Sushil Kumar (is he somehow related to Khali?)

Anyways, that was not a full description of sports fanatic country. As far as I am concerned I belong to a group which follows cricket. I wake up early in the morning to check the scores when there's a match going on in Australia and stay late to follow the match happening in West Indies but sleeps when India is playing in India. One may ask why? Boss! it's simple; these players loves Indian ground, give them any target to chase they will do it nonchalantly. Why should I waste my time watching the match, they are going to win it anyways ;)

Cricket runs on an Indian's blood. But football and hockey are shoved down the throat at every given opportunity. Make no mistake of blaming anyone here. Indians are born tad lazy (exceptions are there), football, basketball are not their cup of tea. We are champions in cricket and chess. Bengal my place of birth is the epicenter of football in India. Mohun Bagan, East Bengal & Mohammedan Sporting club were the front runner clubs of India since the beginning of last century. Hockey keeps us reminding every now and then that they are the national sports of the country every now and then as their golden days are history and glorious days are yet to come.

Every 4 years Olympics act as a reminder, it comes with a green lantern and a ring more powerful than the one shown in Lord of the rings movie which makes cricket invisible for that short period of time. It is difficult to fathom how well it reminds us that there are other sports too in this world, there are other awesome athletes and sportsperson which deserves our attentions.

Rooting for the same team brings a sense of togetherness and creates an immediate sense of family. Watching sports can pump up your own workout and help you to burn your calories when you jump, cheer and clap during the showtime. A person may not be knowing if there exists a club called Shillong Lajong but he may very well know the full history of Liverpool football club. English premiere league is the most watched league in India. Since support is not backed by the sense of region the fight between the supporters of two teams is not as fierce when it comes to cricket. Indian and Pakistan cricket fans fight with their heart in the mouth because they know that the arguments they are presenting to win the debate may backfire and can be used against them. Lack of tennis players in India have transferred the support to foreign players. Supporting a basketball team is rare. Golf and chess is still there due to the brilliance of one or two individuals.

Being a fan is not always beautiful and it is not always about being happy and shrieking in success. We have to deal with the defeat of our team and debate against a fan of superior team. Sometimes lack of statistics/victories put us under the cone of shame. There are times when we have to deal with stubborn supporters of oppositions and those are the tough times because after that there is no clear winner of the debate, that just drains out the energy.