Colombo July 2008: Did India miss out on the basics?

Mere reputation and talent are not good enough for a team or an individual to win. I guess this is what the Indian team would have found out after their thumping innings defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankans.

To succeed as a sportsman, a coach, a trainer or as a professional embarking on an assignment there are 4 Ps to be considered.1. Planning: Had the Indian team planned for the series. Did they look at the challenges that might be thrown at them by the Lankans. Did they think of ways to tackle Ajanta Mendis? and so on... When we embark on any venture , planning is imperative. We need to think of the What, Why, When, Who, Where and Hows of the assignment.

2. Preparations: Again the question is whether the Indian team was adequately prepared for the Test series. Were tactics and strategies thought of? Was the right players picked for the task? Was sufficient work put into getting rid of the rust and lack of physical fitness? Was enough research done on the opposition? Even when it comes to non sporting assignments, there is a great need for preparation. Often this preparation involves research, analysis,strategies and definite action plans. This holds good for the playing field, this holds good for market place, this holds good for a surgeryor for a presentation ...

3. Practice: Did the Indian team have adequate practice before the Colombo Test match? Was one warm up game good enough? Geoff Boycott feels that there should be atleast 4 warm up games before a team goes into an important assignment like a Test match. Practice makes a person perfect goes the saying. We need to give ourselves enough opportunities to practice and perfect ourselves in terms of our skills, knowledge and all else before we take on an assignment.

4. Performance: The focus has to be total, effort has to be 100% and the approach has to be professional. There could be question marks on all three counts when it came to the Indian performance at Colombo. 600 runs was no impossible task. Just go back a couple of weeks and take the case of the Lords Test and the brilliant South African rear guard effort. Smith and Co were totally focused and the effort was both 100% and professional. The result is before us to see. The performance has to have a focus and commitment and a focus that is total.

Finally, the entire process has to be relished and enjoyed. So enjoy your assignments and do remember the 4 Ps.

George Abraham

Delhi Police "Zindabad"

It was the 17th of June, I was in a car with my family going to the New Delhi station to catch the train. Scarcely had we entered Delhi, we were stopped by a police constable at the Chilla Check post. He told us that we were not allowed to carry suitcases on the roof of the car.



I was a little surprised but as we were running a little late, I pulled out Rs.100/- note and gave it to the constable and asked the driver to move. As we moved, we saw the constable and his colleagues have a good laugh. I realised that we were taken for a ride. I immediately called 100 and lodged a formal complaint.

On the 2nd of July, we had a visitor from the Delhi Police. Yes , an officer of the Delhi Police had come home to take a statement from me. He told me that all the 4 constables at the Chilla Check Post had been rounded up within 30 minutes of my complaint. They were reporting to the Police Station but were given no assignments, a kind of suspension, I guess.

Well I was suitably impressed and told the officer Delhi Police was not so bad after all.

George Abraham

The special "Kiss" that can change your life

It was a special kiss that woke Sleeping Beauty from a deep slumber. I would like to share with you that special KISS that can make a real difference to your life.

K is for Knowledge. Knowledge is power. It determines your ability to contribute and participate. Infact it is your knowledge that defines your personality to a large extent.

I stands for Independence. Independent living, independent thinking, independent decisions, independent at work.

S stands for Solution driven. Do not focus on the problem, understand it and focus on the solution. It is the quest for solutions that drives you forward in life.

S stands for Superlative. Yes you need to strive to be the best. You need to master your skills and work towards being the best. You should be able to offer the best in what ever you undertake.

It is a combination of the above principles that contributes towards your success.


George Abraham

Amitabh Bachchan: Do I know him?

Do I really know Amitabh Bachchan? No. I first heard of him in the early 70s when he acted in the film Anand. He happened to drive through a place called Hubli. His car broke down and he went to Humphreys workshop to have it fixed. He was mobbed and had to be locked up in Mr.Humphreys office room. The crowds tore the curtains and try to get a glimpse of the star. Later , I remember Humphrey grumbling about Bloody Amitabh and the torn curtains.

Many years later, I had the pleasure of meeting with Jaya Bachchan at a music concert I was organising at New Delhi. But then, I am still waiting my turn to catch a moment with the Big B.

May be some day , he would come to inaugurate one of the blind cricket tournaments I organise.
George

Time to look a new talent

This South Africa tour at home should be used to try out some fresh talent in the spin bowling department. I am not sure if it is wise to continue with harbhajan Singh in Test matches. He has not quite been the same bowler as he was during the 2001 series when he took that spectacular hat trick at Kolkatta.

Perhaps it is time to try out bowlers like Piyush Chawla. Piyush Chawla did look impressive against South Africa when we played them in Ireland. He also looked quite effective in the limited opportunity he got in Australia.

Well the under 19 World Cup also did throw some spinning talent like Iqbal Abdulah and Ravinder Jadeja. It is time to look out for fresh talent before the cupboard becomes empty.

Thrust Should Be On Fast Bowling...

Thrust to be on Pace Bowling…

With the South African tour just round the corner, the selection of the Indian team for the Test series will be the next National cricketing discussion topic. After such a good tour of Australia, in most minds, this should not really be a problem. But then our Indian wickets and conditions are very different from what Kumble and his men had contended with during their tour down under.

The middle order led by Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly should automatically select itself. The discussions would be about the opening slots. Jaffar has had a great record on Indian tracks. Besides he had played well in the West Indies , South Africa and England tours. Yes, he did not make an impression in Australia. With Gautam Gambir’s outstanding showing in the One Dayers and Sehwag’s match saving ton in the final Test, Jaffar might struggle to make the cut. Besides Delhi’s Akash Chopra who had a splendid domestic season might also be in contention.

While Dhoni should easily make it to the starting line up as the wicket keeper batsman, I believe Parthiv Patel should be given a look in. He is a vastly improved keeper and has like Chopra had a great season with the bat playing for Gujarat and West Zone. Probably he might be better behind the stumps with his gloves compared to Dhoni.
Coming to the extra batsman in the middle order, it is time to look beyond Yuvraj Singh. Barring a couple of performances on friendly tracks, he has not looked comfortable in Test matches. Besides his ability to face up to spin and genuine pace is suspect. He has been given a long rope and it is time we put him down as a specialist player for the shorter versions of the sport. We might like to look at Mohammad Kaif as a Test batsman. He has delivered in the Test arena inspite of being tossed in and out of the team. He has the ability to build an innings and has had a reasonable domestic season. Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Manoj Tiwari could be the other names that could be considered.

As regards the bolwing options, I am sure there is going to be a debate on whether we should rely on pace or spin. My vote would go for pace. Let us face it, there are no spinners worth the while today barring Kumble and maybe Piyush Chawla who seems to be promising. Harbhajan Singh is not quite the wicket taking bowler any more. He could again like Yuvraj could be kept for the limited overs game.

Given the abundance of proven talent in the pace bowling department, we must adopt the policy of rotation. In recent times R P Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishanth Sharma, Srishanth, Irfan Pathan, and to a certain extent Munaf Patel have all done well. We need to keep them fit and hungry. Given the tight and busy schedules ahead, we must capitalize on this happy situation and go for a pace led bowling attack.
Rahul Dravid had mentioned during the England tour that India’s chances of winning in a Test match are far greater on a fast lively track than on flat ones. He had said that there is a need to give our bowlers the conditions to take 20 wickets. In the recent tours of England, South Africa and Australia we have seen that our pace bowlers have consistently troubled the best of opposition batsmen. Further our hugely talented batting line up has the ability to face up to the best of bowling in testing conditions. We do not need to have flat tracks to protect our batsmen. On the other hand we need to develop fast and bouncy tracks to give our bowlers a chance.

Air Travel - made comfortable

On the 31st of July, I was flying to Bangalore from Delhi and then onto Hyderabad on the 1st of August before returning to Delhi on the 1st evening. Having a vision impairment, I had asked both Jet Lite and Spice Jet with whom I was flying for assistance. I must commend both the Airlines for the wonderful help they provided me . An executive from the Airlines was deputed to be with me right from the check in till the time I boarded the aircraft.

This was indeed wonderful support service offered by the airlines. I guess , people with vision impairments can now look forward to more enjoyable and trouble free air travel in the times to come.