My perspective : Out on something new....

A common Indian lives for 58 years which is approximately 21170 days but he hardly remembers 20-30 days for rest of his life. After joining TCS these sort of days are few and far in between. But this weekend I found couple of such days which were a great relief and relaxation after some hectic weeks in the office. The occasion was our trip to Ganpati Pule.

As Vipul has done most of the hard-work of putting places and schedule correctly in place, I would like to take you all onto this trip with my perspective.

I started this trip with more passion than I have ever shown before. One of the well known reasons for this is the pain that I go through everyday in my workplace with circus of people running me all around the place and I must say that only these guys give me an essential break at lunch time. I knew it will be a good fun with them on trip but I got hell a lot more than just pure fun. I saw almost every angle of life through somebody and some incidences.

The first and most striking memory of this trip will be the Marleshwar waterfall. It was I think most memorable moment of trip and I must say thanks to Vipul for being the first one to drop the fear of wet cloths and giving inspiration or ignition to many people like me who were too much involved in materialistic things. The next 15-30 min will always refresh my mind as that falling water cleaned up all the dust and rust that had started to stack up in last year or two at great pace. I thought the pain of climbing 500 stairs was all worth for those incredible moments.

The second incidence is that of Dream theories of Imran bhai and an all inspired, completely unique story by paddy that literally scared the hell out of Vishu. Imran bhai was at his best that night and as usual gave informative and interesting insights to our different and sometimes weird dreams, making everything in life look very scientific. I also know the pain Imran bhai had to go through because of this informative session as the rest of their trip went into looking into hands and futures of other people. I just wonder if Imran bhai had seen this future of his before as he seemed to be prepared for that as well.

What can one say about paddy’s narration abilities? He has this unique and delightful way of taking sweet revenge of people who almost everyday try to make his life a living hell and I can’t agree more with vipul than when he says that paddy has more patience than most of us collectively have.

Third incidence is about singers. There were four of them, each one with their own style and flair. Amit has amazing nasal singing abilities and believe me that he can irritate anyone at any time but at the same time he and vipul has got great vocabulary of songs that made them go this far against an more than decent opposition of Sapna and Apeksha. As we all have at some time seen glimpses of what Sapna is capable of doing, I can say that fight from Sapna was expected but Apeksha was a pleasant surprise. Looking at her if somebody could bet that she can sing in such a loud voice for such a long period of time I would have been ready to bet all the money that I have. (Actually I don’t have a lot since I work in TCS but still would have betted all that I have got.) But she proved me and all others predicting about her abilities very wrong.

Fourth incidence is of Gang of Slanger’s who just couldn’t control their tongue. First day morning in the room it was raining slang’s with everybody contributing their own. There were some unexpected people joining the fun who don’t generally use this beautiful form of language but they showed that they were equally brilliant in this art if they were required to use it. And it was a place where all language barriers no longer existed as slang’s poured in from all directions in all languages. At the same time I saw People were as happy to see Television as man in ancient age was when he first discovered fire.

Apart from these incidences there were some qualities of people that left mark on my mind. There was series of Shayari by Imran bhai, Vipul. Sid with his Guitar singing beautiful, romantic songs and “Out of Pune and Not in Bombay” phone calls. There was Vishu with his ever ready business proposals even late in the night when common man is in Second phase of his dreams (Imran bhai hope I am right). I saw a religious side of Ashish which I had never seen before. There was a cameraman in Swaroop who captured almost everybody in good poses and most importantly took some good pics of mine which in itself is an achievement. There was a naughty cat in sapna who was good enough to scare the local tribal with her looks. There were Paddy and Amit who rocked the trip. There was Hema whose bag had almost the same weight as she has. There was Apeksha, the only person who found that bus specious. There was Shrenik who I think was the only guy who did not give away any slang’s. He has always believed in simplicity and modesty. I just the love the way this guy behaves even on trips and would love to be a good boy like him atleast for a day (Although it will be very very difficult for me to live without slang’s). But even he was their when needed with his unbeatable one liner’s. And last but by no means least there was Nitin who for me was a stand out silent lover boy with lot of time on phone, remembering his GF just by looking at NH4 the Pune-Banglore highway. I love the way he blushes when he talks about her. And there was Shruti di without whose support this trip would not have been a reality.J

Kudos to the organizing committee of this trip, who gave us a memorable trip.

In the end I would like to sign off with couple of lines from famous song.
“Dil chahata hai, kabhi na bite ye chamkile din,
Dil chahata hai,hum na rahe kabhi yaaro ke bin”

Class of 2007

As the teams start reaching their destinations in Caribbean their prime focus will be on getting key players in fully fit and in form. Game of Cricket despite being a team game is always won or lost by individual performances. If we have a look at last 8 world cups the fact becomes more obvious than before. Even if even just we want to concentrate on modern day one day cricket i.e. WC’s after 1992 we will always find that some tremendous individual performances have managed to win the world cup for their side. Who could forget the heroics of Wasim Akram with that round the wicket superb bowling performance that won Pakistan their only world cup. And 1996 was all about Sanath Jaysurya and Kaluvitharana taking all the bowlers for a ride of their lifetime. Such was their threat that allegations like springs in their bats were believed to be true. And of course 1999 will be always remembered for two men Shane Keith Warne and Herschel Gibbs. One ignited a fire in a low in confidence side while other made a mistake of his lifetime. A mistake that will never be forgotten no matter what he goes on to achieve in his career. 2003 was always Sachin’s world cup. His great performances almost single handedly took India too the finals and failure there meant India had to be satisfied with Runners Up title.

Although team composition and conditions will have a lot of impact on the outcome of the matches in this world cup focus will always be on individuals who can make the difference between good side and winning side. Here I try and list my players for this series.

Before I turn to individual teams I must say 6 batsmen in the elite league of 10000 + will be most watched batsmen this time. Fortunately 3 of them are from India and that is why I believe India stand a good chance. All of them namely Sachin, Sourav, Lara, Inzamam, Jaysurya and Dravid will be most probably playing their last world cup and hence will try and give more than just their best to be on the winning side at the end of 2 months of intense cricket. Although all of them are not on peak of their careers I will still want to put my money on them. After all there is nothing like class, is there?

Same is case with some veteran bowlers like McGrath, Vaas, Murli, Pollock and Kumble who will be trying to give more than their best and as usual I am ready to put my money on all of them (although I am not sure if Kumble will as many games as others).

Apart from them my list of dangerous players will have a lot of players from NZ. Lou Vincent has finally realized his potential and importance of consistency so watch out for him. McMillan, McCollum, Oram (not yet fully fitL), Vettori and Shane bond. My god almost all the team seems to be dangerous!!! J

Srilanka will be second with Sangakara, Dilshan, and Jaywardhane as my strong favorites. For me Sangakara is up their in the running for Player of the tournament. He has matured a lot as a cricketer and has improved a lot in his keeping department as well. He provides the balance that Srilanka needed after retirement of Desilva and Rantunga. Also don’t discount experience of Attapattu at any point of time that could be a costly mistake.

Aussies for me have all players as dangerous as others but Hussy, Gilchirst, Ponting, Symonds, Hayden are stand out performers over the years. And I must say none of the bowlers will feature in this list (since McGrath already covered). My pick from this side will be Michel Hussy and I don’t think lot of people will disagree on this. Just when people were thinking if we can ever replace somebody like Beven ever, came this player in the side and has taken cricketing world by storm. He is a complete package with ability play all round the wicket, play with tail and has ability to finish the close games, a role which Beven played so well for a Decade. Although his record as Captain of side is worst in Australian cricket history, his individual form has never seen a low for last one and half year.

Pakistan’s strength is always in their fast bowling but without Akhtar, Asif and Razzaque there is nothing to talk about their bowling. But in batting they still have a lot of promise in form of Younis and Yusuf. Both of them along with Inzamam can take game so much away from opposition that their bowlers will hardly require any hard work.

English side also seems to have some dangerous players but unfortunately their other team mates are very poor. Freddie Flintoff, Collingwood are enough to scare lot of teams. But my choice for player to watch out is undoubtedly KP or Kevin Piterson. He has had a tremendous last couple of years for England and they will need him badly if they are to give any serious challenge to the title. But I do strongly believe that he is a waste of bowling option if England is dreaming of using his slow bowling in Caribbean.

Hosts don’t have lot of dangerous players but still class of Chanderpaul, Sarwan along with Lara and Mr. controversial Samuels is enough to make them a difficult side to beat especially on their home turf. But my picks are Gayle and Bravo. Gayle can single handedly win matches for hosts and is a very effective bowler as well. Although I believe Bravo is more hyped than his abilities, conditions in WI will make him a dangerous player.

SA side has some very effective player but it’s always difficult for somebody to figure out an individual who has the ability to win the cup. So I will go with experience of Kallis, Boucher and to some extent Ntini. But my favorite is and always has been Pollock. Very few players manage to be still on top of their game at this age but this fellow is not just anybody, is he? He is king of control, line & length and at this moment is touch better than all time best McGrath. His batting has become almost as good as his bowling. Now days I wonder if I should call him batting all-rounder or bowling all-rounder but then I just decide to call him all-rounder. After all he and Kallis have explained the world real meaning of an All-rounder. Also watch out for their captain, who on his day can have a big demoralizing effect on opponents.

Finally over to my team. If I list down dangerous player I must write the full batting line up including Dhoni. This time I will hesitate to call Sachin the deciding factor although I would like him to be one. I think Sourav, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Dravid are also going to be equally important. And I also believe Sehwag is a key player and not a player to hide. In bowlers, watch out for Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan. Zaheer has come back and looked better than ever. Also he would be very keen to wash away the disappointment of poor finals last time. I hate to say this but I think trump card for India will be Agarkar if he is managed and used well by team. Don’t forget for a minute that he was India’s best bowler in last WI series and looked as dangerous as anybody in this game.

At the end if I still have to pick player of the tournament I will listen to my heart than head and have no regrets in saying that my choice will still be Sachin. He is fitting well into his new role at no 4 but my gut feeling says they might ask him to open in some matches especially against Pakistan. And don’t be surprised if he still comes out as best Indian player on display in this mega event. And for the sake of his great career I pray to the god to give him the Cup that he needs the most to complete his list of astonishing achievements.

Cup of Hope !!!!

After 3 months of hibernation I finally found some time out to write about my first love and what better occasion than a day teams have started taking their flights for Caribbean where grand stage is set for biggest cricket “mela” which promises to be a mouthwatering event.
For now all the cricket has come to a freeze before this main event and air of speculations around chances of each team are reaching all time high. Here I try to list down plus and minus points of teams and their chances at this cup.

To begin with, it’s an exciting time to follow cricket as pure cricket lover. And as a pure cricket lover it is a fun to watch Australia get beaten five times in a row, loose two consecutive series, face a series whitewash and above all loose no 1 position in world ranking. Since the very inception of ratings that position was occupied by only and only Australia. It’s good for game that somebody else enjoys that spot now. They surely will miss Symonds and Lee as they were pillars of their memorable wins. Ponting is coming back from back injury and it’s not easy to get going immediately after back injury. After all the Great Sachin Tendulkar has never been same after such injury. McGrath has lost a bit of rhythm too. So things are not looking so good for champions. I believe that they need Gilchirst, Pointing, Symonds, and McGrath in good form to win world cup. But believe strongly that they are still the best contenders for this trophy.

Over to current no one team SA. They are in ominous form and have taken air out of powerful teams like India and Pakistan. Their strength lies in their lower middle order and list of Utility players. Pollock, Boucher, Kemp and Hall at 6,7,8,9 can easily give sleepless nights to many captains. But they have a strong weakness which might get exposed on slow tracks. Their top order is highly inconsistent and you cannot expect utility players to win 75% games for you. Also these utility players don’t have a lot of experience in WI which makes everybody doubt their chances of success. I don’t think SA stand a chance of even getting into semis. Their bad run at biggest stage might continue this time as well.

Now over to Pakistan. They are anyways most unpredictable side in world cricket and currently their cricket is going through bad phase because of doping and other external things. But they have a very balanced side with great mix of youth and experience, seamers and pacers, hitters and innings builders and mind you they have improved their fielding as well. If they can rise above their internal problems then I think they stand a good chance this time around. Only thing that worries me is that they don’t have any Imran Khan this time which might mean that they don’t have a man for crisis. If Inzamam can take that role then they stand a good chance this time round.

Kiwis for me are Dark horse of this cup along with Srilanka. Their heroics against Champions might be good moral booster for this most hardworking cricket team in world. Two Mc’s, McMillan and McCollum have given much needed strength to their lower middle order as have new breed of players like Fulton and Taylor. They have a quality spin option in Vettori and best leader in form of Fleming. But for me player to watch for in this team is Lou Vincent. I think he is going to have great world cup. My only concern with this side is fitness of key guys like Styris, Oram and most importantly Shane Bond. If they are fit and available then I think they will surely reach to semis and may be even to finals.

The second underdog team this time is Srilanka. They have wealth of experience, all players inform, fielding standards up their with the games best, quality spin bowlers and most importantly players who know how to use WI conditions best. For them it’s almost like playing in Colombo or Galle. I think in those conditions they become unbeatable side with list of spin bowling options that can cramp batsman and make run making very very difficult. I think this is the best chance and conditions for Srilanka to win the cup second time.

The hosts will have home advantage this time and they have been playing some wonderful cricket at home for a year now. They have just seen a dip in performance with loss in India and match fixing scandal still hovering over their head. This might be a difficult tournament for them to live up to expectations. Their fast bowling is only about stopping runs and on some flat tracks this may be dangerous. Also this cup will not have any team with just couple of wins under their belt into semis. They will need to show consistency that they have hardly shown for last decade. I think their dream will end after super eight round.

On to inventors of this beautiful game the England. They have just started to get back into form and have started to gel together as team. But they lack class and consistency which is in plenty with other teams. They need Vaughn playing all matches and Pieterson fully fit. Flintoff, bell, Collingwood hold the key for them but their bowling seems the weakest of the all test playing teams. Batting at the top looks unstable and I see a lot of dependency on middle and lower middle order. They have never taken their one day cricket seriously and will have to pay for it this time as well. I think they themselves also know that their best chance is super 8 and nothing beyond that.

And last but by no means least I come to team India. They have done it in past and do have players to do it again but still if you want to bet you wont bet for them. Such is their current record away from home that they hardly win matches. They have a bunch of experienced players who are not at peak of their career or form. Experience is preferred to youth and in current circumstances it’s a right move. But this makes this team vulnerable to a lot of things. This could be by far the worst fielding side in this world cup. They don’t exert that freshness and energy on field and I wonder if this could make a difference if team is in trouble. After all bad things I would like to say that I believe that this team can go the distance this time as well. Its not just heart but also brain that tells me this team has got people who can scare the hell out of any captain and any team. I think 6 batsmen or 7 batsmen is a decision that can decide India’s fate at this world cup. Pathan is a pain that Indian team is carrying for long time and if it heals in time then we stand a great chance. Because he is one guy who can give another dimension to this one dimensional team and play a role of batsman at no 7 and fifth bowler. Considering his current form that looks near to impossible. His bowling is all at sea, he is not completing his action, hurrying through run-up, his arm is not straight when he is bowling so he is not getting the swing for which he is known, he is just angling the bowl across and his seam and wrist position looks bad. On current form I think Sachin Tendulkar is bowling better than him. If he is not up to the mark then I think Sachin and Shewag hold the key to India’s chances. Their bowling needs a consistency for over 11-12 matches which is a tough ask considering the batting pressures that they have. Another man key to all this is Dhoni. He could well be the much wanted relief for India in lower middle order and in slog over’s. Although he had poor ODI series in WI last time I still think he has matured a lot to take the responsibility. I have no doubts about the three biggies i.e. Sachin, Sourav and Rahul and I think their run feast at world cup will continue. Fast bowling for once looks adequate enough to bowl their quota and middle order looks complete with Yuvraj fully fit. Spin bowling looks fat and experience with Bhajji and Jumbo. In all team looks very good on paper they just need to convert their promise into reality.

After these entire analysis if I was to shortlist two teams I think it will be Srilanka and India who have best chance to walk away with the trophy. What say guys??