Today's game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals was truly fascinating. The Mumbai team scored 212 for 6 in their 20 overs. Young Ambadi Rayudu and Saurav Tiwari put together 110 magnificent runs for the 5th wicket. Good to see young Rayudu perform. He had promised a great deal during the under 16 and the under 19 World Cups some time ago. A good IPL should put him back in the reckoning for National duty. Wonderful talent. I also believe that the Rajasthan Royals bowlers gave away too many free runs through wides.
But then the real treat was yet to come. The Royals stumbled and tumbled at the start. and soon were 4 down with very little on board. A mountain to climb and the commentators had begun to write them off. Out came Dogra to join Yousuf Pathan and what followed was simply breath taking. The hitting was simply out of this World. 100 in just 37 balls with 8 hits over the ropes and 9 boundaries. It was a classic demonstration of outstanding fearless stroke play. It was the ultimate display of self belief and confidence. Truly facing the situation on the front foot. The doubting Thomas's in the commentary box also began changing their tune.
It was just a stroke of sheare good luck that stopped the Pathan onslaught and saved the day for Mumbai Indians.
The Pathan Dogra show reminded me of the Yuvraj Kaif partnership at Lords a few years ago when they turned a seemingly lost cause into a famous win. I guess this is why we say "No match is won or lost till the last ball is bowled". I believe that this is also true with life. Never give up, hurdles could be great, but it is not really wise to write oneself off at any point in time.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Scratchy Start
Yes, the third edition of the IPL is here. The opening game was bit of a scratch scratch affair. None of the batsmen except for Angelo Mathews and O A Shah seem to be middling the ball.
Chasing 162 should have been a stroll in the partk for the Deccan Chargers. They started off well with a lot of luck. The KKR fielders appeared to be a bunch of novices when it came to catching. Had all the catches been held, the Chargers might have struggled to cross 100.
It was good to see the old war horses Laxman and Gilchrist at the top of the order. But it was rather disappointing to see Laxman abandon his own sublime poetic style of batting and attempt to emulate Viv Richards by trying to belt the ball out of the ground. All he needed to do was to keep a cool head, nudge the ball around, take singles and time the odd bad ball to the fense. He could easily have made a run a ball 60 or 70 and given the Chargers a better chance of getting to the target.
Garry Sobers was asked on the sidelines whether he would have change his style of batting if he were to play T20 cricket and his reply was a simple "No". To do well in the format, one needs to stick to one's own natural style.
Rohit Sharma is a huge bundle of talent, but then he is also a master at throwing his wicket away. If he does not learn the art of putting his head down and delivering at the crease, he could very soon be out of the reckoning and that would be a shame.
T20 is not about putting every ball across the ropes, neither is it about scoring at a hectic pace right from ball one. It is about keeping the score board ticking, keeping a cool head and building partnerships.
Another observation is that the TV commentators very often did not appear to know the names of the players who were bowling or fielding, specially when it came to Indian players. Besides it would have been interesting if the commentators could from time to time give the viewers a little background on each of the players.
I have nothing against Hindi commentary, but then please don't burden the viewers/listeners with substandard talent. Someone might have been a great cricketer in his time, but if he cannot speak straight and does not know enough about the game, he should not be forced upon the cricket loving public.
IPL has become an annual event that every Indian looks forward to. It is rather sad that Lalit Modi and gang have totally ignored the millions of blind cricket lovers who would also have liked to follow the action on good old Radio.
Chasing 162 should have been a stroll in the partk for the Deccan Chargers. They started off well with a lot of luck. The KKR fielders appeared to be a bunch of novices when it came to catching. Had all the catches been held, the Chargers might have struggled to cross 100.
It was good to see the old war horses Laxman and Gilchrist at the top of the order. But it was rather disappointing to see Laxman abandon his own sublime poetic style of batting and attempt to emulate Viv Richards by trying to belt the ball out of the ground. All he needed to do was to keep a cool head, nudge the ball around, take singles and time the odd bad ball to the fense. He could easily have made a run a ball 60 or 70 and given the Chargers a better chance of getting to the target.
Garry Sobers was asked on the sidelines whether he would have change his style of batting if he were to play T20 cricket and his reply was a simple "No". To do well in the format, one needs to stick to one's own natural style.
Rohit Sharma is a huge bundle of talent, but then he is also a master at throwing his wicket away. If he does not learn the art of putting his head down and delivering at the crease, he could very soon be out of the reckoning and that would be a shame.
T20 is not about putting every ball across the ropes, neither is it about scoring at a hectic pace right from ball one. It is about keeping the score board ticking, keeping a cool head and building partnerships.
Another observation is that the TV commentators very often did not appear to know the names of the players who were bowling or fielding, specially when it came to Indian players. Besides it would have been interesting if the commentators could from time to time give the viewers a little background on each of the players.
I have nothing against Hindi commentary, but then please don't burden the viewers/listeners with substandard talent. Someone might have been a great cricketer in his time, but if he cannot speak straight and does not know enough about the game, he should not be forced upon the cricket loving public.
IPL has become an annual event that every Indian looks forward to. It is rather sad that Lalit Modi and gang have totally ignored the millions of blind cricket lovers who would also have liked to follow the action on good old Radio.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Athletics in India - sad news!
About 6 months ago, I had made a serious bid to prepare for the 21kms run in the Delhi Half Marathon. I began by skipping and spot jogging at home. A few weeks down the line, I stepped out of the house to find an athletic stadium where I could freely jog without being worried about on coming vehicles, hurting my knees and possibly breathing some fresh air.
Well NOIDA had nothing to offer, except for the NOIDA football grounds with thick grass and and ditches. I quickly returned to the safety of my home and also gave up the idea of 21 km run.
New Delhi is hosting the C'Wealth games and not one stadium with a proper running track. The roads are unsafe and running on the roads is not the best for one's knees. When I was in school at Hubli in Karnataka, every morning my friends and I went out for athletics practice at the local Engineering College grounds. It was a good 400m track. Hubli at that time had at least two other athletics stadium. In school the annual athletics meet was a highlight of the year. I wonder if school kids in Delhi have the opportunity to work on the sprints and other athletic disciplines. I know that the school in which my daughter studied had their annual athletics meet once in 4 years! Ha! Ha!
I wonder if the sport loving citizens of Delhi would have more facilities for athletics after the 2010 Games. Shouldn't Sheila Dikshit and co ensure that all the DDA sports complexes are accessible and have proper running tracks which ideally should be standard 400m tracks. These tracks could easily go round the millions of cricket facilities around the city.
I want to run. I am sure that there are many more people in the NCR who also want to run. So please, the powers that be, do something about it.
Well NOIDA had nothing to offer, except for the NOIDA football grounds with thick grass and and ditches. I quickly returned to the safety of my home and also gave up the idea of 21 km run.
New Delhi is hosting the C'Wealth games and not one stadium with a proper running track. The roads are unsafe and running on the roads is not the best for one's knees. When I was in school at Hubli in Karnataka, every morning my friends and I went out for athletics practice at the local Engineering College grounds. It was a good 400m track. Hubli at that time had at least two other athletics stadium. In school the annual athletics meet was a highlight of the year. I wonder if school kids in Delhi have the opportunity to work on the sprints and other athletic disciplines. I know that the school in which my daughter studied had their annual athletics meet once in 4 years! Ha! Ha!
I wonder if the sport loving citizens of Delhi would have more facilities for athletics after the 2010 Games. Shouldn't Sheila Dikshit and co ensure that all the DDA sports complexes are accessible and have proper running tracks which ideally should be standard 400m tracks. These tracks could easily go round the millions of cricket facilities around the city.
I want to run. I am sure that there are many more people in the NCR who also want to run. So please, the powers that be, do something about it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Donate today:6 days to do!
Hi ,
This year I am running the Airtel Delhi Marathon on the 1st of November aspart of the Dream Team. I am raising funds for the following projects
1. Score Foundation's Scholarship Fund for under privileged Blind studentswho would like to pursue higher studies. The fund will support tuition fees,hostel fees, purchase of assistive technologies, computers and so on. There are a number of students who approach us from different parts of the country with request for financial help.
2. Score Foundation's Eyeway Talking Book Production Service. This is aneffort to make available reading material to blind children, students andprofessionals. We sign up with publishers to convert there print material into audio books. Presently, we have a number of volunteers who record withus.
3. Score Foundation is launching a cricket for development programme. The plan is to use cricket as a tool in Community Based Rehabilitation by drawing blind children out of homes and coaching them and providing them with a platform at the community level to play the game they love anddemonstrate their ability. I would urge you to please support this effort by making a contribution towards any of the above projects. Your cheques should be drawn in favour of "Concern India Foundation" and sent to me at George Abraham
CEO
Score Foundation
Y-70, LGF,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016
India
This donation will be exempt of Income Tax under section 80G When you send the cheque, please do indicate the project you are contributing towards. This is a request to you personally and not to yourcompany necessarily. Even the smallest of contribution will mean a great deal to the work we do. You can also now donate online at http://www.concernindiafoundation.org/i-pledge/help_ipledge_page.asp?dreamid=DTeam5&session_id=gk04ErpDDx
Score Foundation is a registered NGO that has been working with the blind since 2002. We have launched Project Eyeway, a single stop Knowledge Resource for persons living with blindness and low vision. Eyeway today comprises:
a. the website www.eyeway.org
b. a weekly radio programme Eyeway Yeh Hai Roshni Ka Karawan broadcastfrom 30 cities of India
c. the Eyeway helpdesk that takes calls from all over the country fromblind and visually impaired persons
d. an SMS news alert service that informs over 600 subscribers aboutlatest career opportunities, new technology, events and so on
e. the Eyeway talking books
The Eyeway experience has been a life changing one for many a blindpersons in the country. We do look forward to your support.
Warm regards,
George
This year I am running the Airtel Delhi Marathon on the 1st of November aspart of the Dream Team. I am raising funds for the following projects
1. Score Foundation's Scholarship Fund for under privileged Blind studentswho would like to pursue higher studies. The fund will support tuition fees,hostel fees, purchase of assistive technologies, computers and so on. There are a number of students who approach us from different parts of the country with request for financial help.
2. Score Foundation's Eyeway Talking Book Production Service. This is aneffort to make available reading material to blind children, students andprofessionals. We sign up with publishers to convert there print material into audio books. Presently, we have a number of volunteers who record withus.
3. Score Foundation is launching a cricket for development programme. The plan is to use cricket as a tool in Community Based Rehabilitation by drawing blind children out of homes and coaching them and providing them with a platform at the community level to play the game they love anddemonstrate their ability. I would urge you to please support this effort by making a contribution towards any of the above projects. Your cheques should be drawn in favour of "Concern India Foundation" and sent to me at George Abraham
CEO
Score Foundation
Y-70, LGF,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016
India
This donation will be exempt of Income Tax under section 80G When you send the cheque, please do indicate the project you are contributing towards. This is a request to you personally and not to yourcompany necessarily. Even the smallest of contribution will mean a great deal to the work we do. You can also now donate online at http://www.concernindiafoundation.org/i-pledge/help_ipledge_page.asp?dreamid=DTeam5&session_id=gk04ErpDDx
Score Foundation is a registered NGO that has been working with the blind since 2002. We have launched Project Eyeway, a single stop Knowledge Resource for persons living with blindness and low vision. Eyeway today comprises:
a. the website www.eyeway.org
b. a weekly radio programme Eyeway Yeh Hai Roshni Ka Karawan broadcastfrom 30 cities of India
c. the Eyeway helpdesk that takes calls from all over the country fromblind and visually impaired persons
d. an SMS news alert service that informs over 600 subscribers aboutlatest career opportunities, new technology, events and so on
e. the Eyeway talking books
The Eyeway experience has been a life changing one for many a blindpersons in the country. We do look forward to your support.
Warm regards,
George
Saturday, October 17, 2009
An Indian Cricket team for all seasons
I have been following cricket very closely for 4 decades now. Read a lot, wathced a lot and heard a lot of cricket. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to put together an India Cricket Test XI taking cricketers from all seasons and all eras.
My XI is
1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. V Sehwag
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Vijay Hazare
6. V Mankad
7. M.S Dhoni
8. Kapil Dev
9. Zaheer Khan
10. E A S Prassanna
11. J Srinath
There could be discussions on certain positions in the team. I opted for Vijay Hazare over Vishvanath for instance on the basis of Hazare's good performances overseas. Vishvanath is a very good batsman but most of his spectacular cricket was played in India. The other debate is the wicket keepers spot. Dhoni is steadily improving as a Keeper and has proved to be a very productive batsman. His records speak for itself.
Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
My XI is
1. Sunil Gavaskar
2. V Sehwag
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Vijay Hazare
6. V Mankad
7. M.S Dhoni
8. Kapil Dev
9. Zaheer Khan
10. E A S Prassanna
11. J Srinath
There could be discussions on certain positions in the team. I opted for Vijay Hazare over Vishvanath for instance on the basis of Hazare's good performances overseas. Vishvanath is a very good batsman but most of his spectacular cricket was played in India. The other debate is the wicket keepers spot. Dhoni is steadily improving as a Keeper and has proved to be a very productive batsman. His records speak for itself.
Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Shocking! Can we do something?
The other day, I attended a campaign launch function organised by Save the Children Fund (SCF). The campaign was called "Everyone".
The campaign is about the children of our country and the dire straits they are in. I learnt that 4 lakh children born in India do not make it past 24 hrs, 1 million children do not make it past their 1st birthday and 2 million children do not make it past their 5th birthday. This is indeed shocking. The tragedy is that most of these infant deaths are due to mal nutrition, diarrhoea, poor drinking water and highly inadequate public health services.
What can we do about this problem, beyond just creating awareness?
The campaign is about the children of our country and the dire straits they are in. I learnt that 4 lakh children born in India do not make it past 24 hrs, 1 million children do not make it past their 1st birthday and 2 million children do not make it past their 5th birthday. This is indeed shocking. The tragedy is that most of these infant deaths are due to mal nutrition, diarrhoea, poor drinking water and highly inadequate public health services.
What can we do about this problem, beyond just creating awareness?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Commonwealth Games, A Waste of Tax Payers Money?
October, 2010 will see the Commonwealth Games take place in New Delhi. It surely would be a spectacular event with very grand openning and closing ceremonies and dazzling sporting action . But the big question is whether our country can afford such an extravagant venture and how the event is going to affect the sporting scene of the country.
In 1982, we proudly hosted the Asian Games. The event was considered by many as a huge success. Huge money was spent on sporting infra structure and other facilities. Does the average sporting loving Indian have access to any of those facilities? Have the Sport Authority of India done anything to maximise the utility of the facilities? Did the holding of the events throw up fresh enthusiasm for athletics and other such sporting disciplines?
We have had a few great sporting icons like Milkha Singh, P T Usha, Shiny Abraham Anju Bobby George, Prakash Padukone, Gopichand and more recently Abhinav Bindra and the boxers . All these champions have come through inspite of the system.
Sad to say that Milkha Singh's record of the1960 still stands for the 400 meters. While World Records are tumbling all the time, Indian athletics records have not changed very much. How do we justify the fact that Suresh Kalmadi has been at the helm of affairs for nearly 3 decades. It is obvious that he has done precious little to raise the standard of Indian sport. I am sure that there is someone else in our vast country who can do better.
If Abhinav Bindra, Prakash Padukone and others can be World Class, there should be plenty more talent around who can be coached and developed to be World Champions. I think as a country we should focus on creating World Class sportsman and women rather than wasting money on big events that do not benefit anyone.
In 1982, we proudly hosted the Asian Games. The event was considered by many as a huge success. Huge money was spent on sporting infra structure and other facilities. Does the average sporting loving Indian have access to any of those facilities? Have the Sport Authority of India done anything to maximise the utility of the facilities? Did the holding of the events throw up fresh enthusiasm for athletics and other such sporting disciplines?
We have had a few great sporting icons like Milkha Singh, P T Usha, Shiny Abraham Anju Bobby George, Prakash Padukone, Gopichand and more recently Abhinav Bindra and the boxers . All these champions have come through inspite of the system.
Sad to say that Milkha Singh's record of the1960 still stands for the 400 meters. While World Records are tumbling all the time, Indian athletics records have not changed very much. How do we justify the fact that Suresh Kalmadi has been at the helm of affairs for nearly 3 decades. It is obvious that he has done precious little to raise the standard of Indian sport. I am sure that there is someone else in our vast country who can do better.
If Abhinav Bindra, Prakash Padukone and others can be World Class, there should be plenty more talent around who can be coached and developed to be World Champions. I think as a country we should focus on creating World Class sportsman and women rather than wasting money on big events that do not benefit anyone.
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