tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86040142024-03-16T14:51:55.015+05:30Fultoo BakarIt's just a pointed view!!!Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-48299168768538436342023-03-24T13:02:00.005+05:302023-03-24T13:14:28.637+05:30Clerk - review!!!<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxOZtOVXKbU8MlyvzuHDSG9dNd2eZvs7P7vqv82BVMiyHcJbbdJILeMVC95aJ8bcs3oML0z2BJOCMaqQpLtmwkPTFtuE9PAmhHelQujvWSpQtrkZN1gxgcWo2cdBm6KxuSuhdi2Hoyvskw2c69lntE2Awmz3PVrUd11lWg_pNXWdnHgUxlQ/s281/MV5BNmEwOGU3MmItZDg0NC00ODE1LWJjZjAtODNmYmE3MDA0MTJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1_QL75_UY281_CR9,0,190,281_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxOZtOVXKbU8MlyvzuHDSG9dNd2eZvs7P7vqv82BVMiyHcJbbdJILeMVC95aJ8bcs3oML0z2BJOCMaqQpLtmwkPTFtuE9PAmhHelQujvWSpQtrkZN1gxgcWo2cdBm6KxuSuhdi2Hoyvskw2c69lntE2Awmz3PVrUd11lWg_pNXWdnHgUxlQ/s1600/MV5BNmEwOGU3MmItZDg0NC00ODE1LWJjZjAtODNmYmE3MDA0MTJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE@._V1_QL75_UY281_CR9,0,190,281_.jpg" width="190" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You must have been living under the rocks, be strongly <i>anti-Hinthi</i> imposition wannabe politician or a hardcore anti national to not have watched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl5k7oO3bkU" style="color: #954f72;">this scene from 1989 Manoj Kumar classic Clerk</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s the same scene in which Manoj Kumar, who perennially played Bharat in his movies, saves his dad, an ex-<i>Azad Hind Fauz</i> soldier, from a full-fledged heart attack by playing a patriotic song on a cassette player. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s the same scene where his family is told that they were too poor to afford a doctor but had enough to buy the life saver - batteries for cassette player. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">With every beat of the song, patient recovers. So much so that he himself switches off the cassette player because he can sing now. Talk about energy saving. Talk about earth hour. In 1980s. or 70s. One cannot be sure when the movie was set up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Clerk was ahead of its time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Movie is epitome of symbolism. Need I say Bharat himself is symbol of India. In one of the scenes, Bharat’s ex calls him over the phone, and they sing a song – in their imagination. It is a symbol of phone sex with ex. In imagination. You all young generation torch bearers have done it. It wasn’t an option in my generation’s time. But as I said, Clerk was ahead of its time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In another scenes, Bharat the chain smoker exhales smoke and the girl who has crush on him inhales the same smoke. Manoj Kumar made <i>sanskari </i>movies. This scene was. A symbol of……well, whatever you can think of. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you’ve not noticed, the batteries-saving-from-heart-attack scene announces advent of AI in India. Or should we call it AR. It’s the meta verse in which Bharat’s dad is transported to and he’s saved. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or should we call it Bharat-verse.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The movie has layers. So many of them. So much so that Christopher Nolan once told Manoj Kumar that the idea of layering in Inception was adopted from Clerk. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Manoj Kumar, the humble fellow he is, never really allowed to get Nolan’s statement published. The great man lives his real life by the name he played in reel-life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bharat is a humble nation. So is Manoj Kumar. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The movie talks about how British imperialism sent our great nation into the gallows of poverty. Bharat, in the movie, is a clerk by profession. Isn’t what lord Macaulay envisioned all us Indians to become? Isn’t what he did to make sure once a <i>Sone ki Chidiya</i> had become a poor clerk who is so poor he can afford only one meal in a day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But Macauley’s educational and intellectual erosion of couldn’t break its soul. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although Bharat is poor, he’s fat enough to get his shirts torn by sheer volume of his ginger-like body. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bharat’s poverty represents India’s economy. Broken.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bharat’s bulges peeping out of his torn shirt represent India’s population. Ever so ballooning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">1980s were tough times. The country was facing trouble at every front - terrorism, political chaos, corruption, poverty. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At heart, India was still a socialist country somehow trying to save its soul from the monster called capitalism. Capitalistic societies from western world were trying hard to find its pathway but India always kept itself away from the claws. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That’s what Bharat does in this movie. Without sacrificing its principles. Villain, played by Shashi Kapoor, Vijay Kapoor represents that capitalist society. No matter what the capitalist tries, socialist doesn’t cave in. Such is the strength of Bharat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bharat so beautifully describes the plight of nation’s middle class in the song ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBd6zhBaXP4" style="color: #954f72;">Main ek clerk hoon</a>’, that it shall touch those nerves who may not even exist. Mahendra Kapoor’s painfully melodious voice may take your focus away from these heartbreaking lyrics. <a href="http://www.lyricsgram.com/song/main-ek-clerk-hoon-7627" style="color: #954f72;">Do read them.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But then, nobody is infallible. Absolutely nobody. Not even Bharat. He falls.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But then, it isn’t about falling. It’s about how you get up. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Villain traps Bharat into claws of corruption. But soon, he realises this falling, turns into a spy and atones himself. For all the people drooling over Pathaan or Kabir or Agent Vinod or Tiger, it is Manoj Kumar in Clerk who tops the chart. For YRF’s spy universe, if its genesis is not in Clerk, it should not exist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-43113992099426908862022-10-25T07:00:00.005+05:302022-10-25T07:00:59.134+05:30One king, two nailbiters and three lost keys!!!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W_Nni5VPOJkDysYR3BvJty_9H8ycMv3AyyIP37NLwyu6v3kNHot6fWmIFGPHip8iJVCLdoXFNkPD1_IRDj2eO--rCCwIlVzHErdtOy7YOaX2KPtHKpb1kE8bGaxR6SU1Ggg2ck8EbrrT9eRCm6BFhEHw3991pfGCmSqTTM077VIobJTHrQ/s1200/FotoJet-8.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W_Nni5VPOJkDysYR3BvJty_9H8ycMv3AyyIP37NLwyu6v3kNHot6fWmIFGPHip8iJVCLdoXFNkPD1_IRDj2eO--rCCwIlVzHErdtOy7YOaX2KPtHKpb1kE8bGaxR6SU1Ggg2ck8EbrrT9eRCm6BFhEHw3991pfGCmSqTTM077VIobJTHrQ/w200-h113/FotoJet-8.jpg.webp" width="200" /></a></div><br />Finally, the day has arrived. India versus Pakistan. “It doesn’t get bigger than this” as Ravi Shastri says.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">But before the match, I have another match to follow. My elder son is playing his first match on turf. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">His team is cruising. He is milking the bowling. Often converting twos into ones. He is a lazy runner. SMG would never select him in his team. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Then he decides to do a Dhoni. Finish it off in style. Gets caught on mid-on. “More height than distance” as Sanjay Manjrekar says. Sanjay Manjrekar may select him in his team of ‘Stroke less Wonders’. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Poor kid gets an earful from me. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">9 of 18 with 7 in hand becomes 1 in 1 with 3 in hand. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">A lofted shot over mid-off by number 8 wins the match. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What a nailbiter!!!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Now it’s time to move to the second most important match of the day. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I wonder if I have ever felt so important in my life. Entire world is checking on me. Rather checking with me. I am not sure if it’s checking on me or checking with. English has always been my weak point. It’s surely not checking out. That’s never been the case. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Everyone is asking about the world-famous Melbourne weather in Australia.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Is it raining?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“No”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“But TV channels are saying Melbourne is flooded”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">To restore world peace, I take photo of the sky and post it as my WhatsApp status. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“But I can see some clouds in the corner of the photo” is what I hear.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yeah, I photoshopped them to make it look interesting” is what I respond.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">We are off to MCG. I park my car just to realize I couldn’t have done any worse. I decide to park it properly. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Hey, where are the car keys” I shout.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Oh no. I have lost them. Have I? Damn. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">After 15 minutes of frantic search, we decide to leave it as it is. Since I am able to start the car, keys must be inside the car. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“We shall worry about it after the match. Right now, there is a bigger task at hand” I tell myself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">MCG, here we come.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">IT IS CROWDED. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">While in queue to get tickets checked, I am worried about missing the first ball. The guy behind me is worried about missing the national anthem.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Damn it. That’s also not to be missed. How could I forget? Hope I still qualify as a hardcore nationalist” my worry is real.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">National anthem time. I sing at the top of my voice. If ever there was a chance to prove I am deeply patriotic, I have taken it from the scruff of its throat. My throat is sore already.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Match begins. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What a start for India. Babar Azam out for duck. Arshdeep, you beauty. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">India has totally blocked Rizwan’s scoring. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">One Pakistani fan says to another, “<i>Lagta hai inko pata chal gaya ia Rizwan ko offside pe khelna nahi aata”</i>(Seems like they’ve figured out that Rizwan cannot score on the offside). They are funny.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Rizwan gone. Arshdeep, you beauty.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">A dream start.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">DJ is playing India’s sport anthem, <i>Chak De India</i>. Goosebumps time. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I am going to restroom to relieve myself. Another guy rushes past me. I ask him if all is okay.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“200. We need 200. Nothing less than 200 would do” the guy is stressed. Really stressed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Relax. You have an awesome bowling line up. Even 150 would be good” I try to calm him down. Deep down I know 150 could be more than enough.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“But you have Kohli” comes a response in cold voice. Not sure if it was the rush to relieve himself or stress but the guy has sprayed it all over. If ever there was an example of ‘<i>Pissing in the pants’</i>, I was watching it live.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">There are Indian flags everywhere. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Everywhere. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">It makes me wonder if I am in MCG or <i>Motera</i>. My mind can hear Ravi Shastri saying in his big booming voice, “There is a buzz around the ground and atmosphere is electric”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Pakistan makes a good recovery. Which soon becomes great.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I have been asked to give live updates on my college’s WhatsApp group. After all I have the fastest feed. I am under pressure. Oh yes. There is also a matter of finding the car keys which is constantly playing on my mind. Damn, it has house and garage door keys also. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">All three of them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">With score on 157 and one ball to go, I wonder if they will set us a target of 158. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">You remember? It’s been 15 years. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">DK and BK ensure that doesn’t happen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">A friend texts <i>“Bahut runs ban gaye yaar” </i>(They’ve scored too many).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">He isn’t wrong. 160 isn’t going to be easy. How shall we score so many in front of Shaheen Shah Afridi? Or that Rauf guy. Or 18-till-I-die Naseem? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What if they get a hat-trick in very first over. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What if we are 4 down for 10. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What if my car doesn’t start?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">A Pakistani friend messages that it is going to be a close match. I am about to reply to him, “No way. You guys would win it easily” but realise I am running low on battery. 2 hours of live updates has taken a toll on the battery. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What if I my phone is dead. I wouldn’t be able to unlock the car.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Sorry guys, no more live feeds” is my last message. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">However, we do start. In a nightmarish fashion. 4 down for nothing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">DJ is playing “<i>Dil Dil Pakistan”. </i>What is opposite of goosebumps? I don’t know but its that time. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Now there is a sea of Pakistan’s flags in the stadium. There are everywhere. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Everywhere.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">It makes me wonder if we are in MCG or <i>Multan</i>. My mind goes blank. Suddenly a saffron ticker appears on that blank screen. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“What’s <i>Motera</i>? What’s <i>Multan</i>. It’s part of the same eternal dream. Look at the larger picture which starts from <i>Kandhar </i>(erstwhile known as <i>Gandhar</i>) and ends at Australia (erstwhile known as <i>Astralaya</i>)”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I love you <i>Modiji.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I text a friend sitting in different part of the stadium, “Shall we leave”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Wait. One more wicket and we are off” he responds. Quite a patient and optimistic fellow.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Not everyone is. A guy who has painted Indian colours all over his face and wearing Indian jersey is leaving. Pakistani crowd sings for him <i>“Abhi naa jao chhod kar, ki dil abhi bhara nahi” </i>(Please don’t leave yet, we are still not satisfied).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Another Pakistani family leaves early because they have two little kids with them. You don’t want to get stuck in a crowd of 90,000 if you have toddlers with you. Not one but two. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">One of the Pakistan supporters’ quips, <i>“Dua karna. Suna hai safardar ki dua mein badi taakat hoti hai” (</i>Pray for us. Travellers’ prayers are very powerful)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">They do have a sense of humour. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Kohli and Pandya are dealing in singles. They are content with it. My elder one asks me, “<i>Papa ye kya kar rahe hain? Test match hai kya?” </i>(What are they doing? Is it a test match?)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“They are trying to draw the match” I respond. He gives me a look which I often get for cracking a poor joke. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Little one quips, “<i>Arey, </i>I know what Kohli should do now?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Both of us ask in unison, “What?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Retire” little fellow says and burst into laughter. I need to check with my wife if when he was born, the doctor said “<i>Badhai ho, appko sarcasm hua hai” </i>(Congratulations, you have been blessed with sarcasm)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Kohli and Pandya tickle along. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Slowly they start to score. Indian crowd is finding its voice back. Now we can see both the flags. India’s and Pakistan’s.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">We are everywhere.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Everywhere.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Crowd is chanting “<i>Kohleeeee, Kohli”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">My little one says with a grin and in a very sarcastic tone, “<i>Kohli, Kohli kyon kar rahe hain? Strike pe to Pandya hai” </i>(Why are the shouting Kohli’s name? It’s Pandya on strike). <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I have met a few people who have very dry and wicked sense of humour. This little fellow must be somewhere on the top of that list.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Crowd hears him and starts shouting “<i>Pandyaaaa, Pandya”. </i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Pandya hits a Six. Kohli hits a Six. The chase is on.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">48 of 18.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">28 of 12.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">16 of 6.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Crowd shouts, “<i>Kohleeee, Kohli</i>”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I hear, “<i>Car keys, Car keys</i>” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The last over drama. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">2 of 2.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Damn we can’t lose from here. I witnessed Chennai 1999 on TV. I witnessed India-Zimbabwe 1999 world cup match on TV. I endured the entire 90s.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I do not want my kids to suffer the same torture. Not when they are on the ground. And I don’t want to take a cab back home. I need to start my car and go home. But how would I enter the home? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">2 of 1.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Ashwin. Ashwin. Would he take a double? He has a notorious history of running a double when it was needed on the last ball. You remember? India-West Indies test match in 2011?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">It’s down the leg side. Ash pelvic thrusts it to a wide. The most perfect bum movement I have ever seen. A la <i>“Maara thumka badal gayi chaal mitwa”. <o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Yes. Indeed. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">1 of 1.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">India’s number 8 hits it over mid off for 1. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Oh damn, I have seen it somewhere. This morning. Deja-vu. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">We win. The crowd erupts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What a nailbiter!!!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">People are standing on their chairs and dancing. I join them only to be pulled down by my little one.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I ask “What happened?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">He says, “Nothing”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Do you want to stand on the chair?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“No” he looks embarrassed that his dad is dancing like a kid. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Then?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">He says in same sarcastic tone, “<i>Arey papa khatam ho gaya match. Ab khali ground dekh ke kya karoge” </i>(Match is over. Why do you want to look at the empty ground?). He is one sarcastic fellow.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Walk back to parking lot begins. There are people shouting and dancing and hugging each other and taking photos and all. Irrespective of the teams they supported. I have read a lot about animosity between the fans on both sides. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Trust me, seeing is better than reading. I couldn’t see any. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">They all have one and only one name. This name had left everyone awestruck. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">It is King Kohli. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i>‘Whadddddaaaaaplayaaaaaa’ </i>as Tony Greig would have said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Luckily the car starts. I have a spare house key in the car, so we don’t need to sleep outside.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">And after 30 minutes of through searching (which included opening the bonnet of the car), I find the keys. They were somewhere inside.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Happy ending all over. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Good luck to the companies making nail cutters. Your sales numbers are going to take a beating for few days. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p>Photo Credit - <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/sports/icc-t20-world-cup-2022-india-vs-pakistan-live-score-ind-vs-pak-live-streaming-at-disney-hotstar-star-sports/2729452/">Financial Express</a> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-19753969727497272052021-08-17T17:20:00.005+05:302021-08-17T17:21:32.882+05:30 Mahinder !!!<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u2Ceade3NhPun2sRIzMa1ak86m_puJFK9EcjxYFGrGqJtma-VsO-79H2fXwbEQOKfEkiR4kiSJNZn_50aSAa_anD_EC7GmfA8TNM7c-M0VfEuxx__OcDBWjP7A3dXEgfR2m3/s1844/Screen+Shot+2021-08-17+at+9.48.50+pm.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1844" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u2Ceade3NhPun2sRIzMa1ak86m_puJFK9EcjxYFGrGqJtma-VsO-79H2fXwbEQOKfEkiR4kiSJNZn_50aSAa_anD_EC7GmfA8TNM7c-M0VfEuxx__OcDBWjP7A3dXEgfR2m3/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-17+at+9.48.50+pm.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I don’t know where he is, Mahinder. I don’t even remember when I met him last. When I was 14? Or 16? I don’t remember. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He wasn’t really a friend. Just a guy I played cricket with. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">But I do remember few things very clearly about him. Curly haired, not so tall Mahinder was strong. Quite strong. He could hit them big. He bowled fast. Really fast. And he had a slinging action. So much so that sometimes opposition teams complained he was chucking. Moment they did it, Mahinder would get into an argument which sometimes, or maybe many a times, broke into physical fights. He would beat someone up. He would get beaten. But he never backed down in a fight. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder was a feisty character. Maybe that’s why we always chose him to be our team captain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">My cricket playing career lasted all of 7 years. I started very early, at 11. Peaked at 14. And retired before just after my 18<sup>th</sup> birthday. Or it was before that. I don’t remember. Doesn’t matter. Don’t they say retire when people ask why and not when? Well, now when the same “they” see me bat, they ask if it is the first time, I am holding a cricket bat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I and some other kids would often form our own teams and play against similar teams. Where I grew up, it was a new area in the city which meant there were acres of vacant residential plots. We would find a piece of land, pick flattest 22 yards on that land as pitch, put up bricks as stumps and play with cork balls. Thing with cork balls is, cheaper they are, harder they are. Harder than cricket balls. We always went for cheapest ones. Never had money. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Oh yes, no cricket gears. None. Not even a guard. Just a cricket bat. That’s it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Of all the cricket matches I played as a kid, I remember a few. I remember this one clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I think it was the month of March. We were playing on the residential plot in front of my house. There was a Pipal tree in it which was the only shade for about 100 meters either side of it. We would often choose the pitch near it so that we could get into its shade whenever possible. That tree would always be on the offside because nobody hardly hit on the offside. We were all slog sweepers. No, we didn’t change ends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We had formed a team of 6-7 kids and playing against a team which had some good players. One of them was Deepu, one of my closest friends and neighbours. While we didn’t really have fixed teams, but it was pretty much understood who played from which team. Deepu was pretty much a floater. Since he was good, he was always in demand. His demand was – I don’t contribute for prize money or buying a new ball. He was like modern day T20 mercenaries. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He had a tiff with Mahinder few days back hence Deepu was playing against us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I think it was 15 overs a side match.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We batted first.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I don’t know what it was, but we couldn’t put bat to ball. We just couldn’t. Batsmen after batsmen kept getting out and we didn’t have any score. Rule was that last man could bat but if he ran, he had to run at least two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="line-height: 22px;">“Pandrah banwa do, match fansa doonga </span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;">(Get me 15 and I will make a match of it)” said Mahinder to the last man, yours truly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I knew Mahinder was a good bowler but 15? That’s it? But how? Deepu alone could score that many in an over. I looked at Mahinder and he was smiling. There was something about that smile. There was a sense of frustration, resignation to fate, cruelty or I don’t know how to explain. Maybe he didn’t want to lose to Deepu. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It was Deepu who had announced just before the match in true Kanpur style, “<i>Tumhari to aaj maiyya ch***** </i>(I am going to BEEP-BEEP-BEEP your mom today)” and shouted “<i>Ch**** di na </i>(I did it)” when he got Mahinder out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder was fuming. He could’ve bashed up Deepu then and there. Mahinder didn’t do it because Deepu’s brother was also there. Mahinder might have been hot headed, but he was not stupid. Also, he wanted to have his revenge in cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I had a different and bigger question, “How do I score 5 more runs?” I couldn’t put bat to ball. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As luck would have it, somehow, I could manage to score 4 more runs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Target 15. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder had got his wish. Now it was time to deliver what he promised.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I asked him “<i>Lo mil gaye 15. Ab kaise match fasaoge (</i>See, you’ve got 15. Now how are you going to make a match of it)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="line-height: 22px;">“Abhi out karta hoon salon ko </span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;">(I will get them all out)” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="line-height: 22px;">“15 ke andar? Kaise bhaiyya </span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;">(Within 15? How)” I was perplexed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="line-height: 22px;">“Maar maar ke </span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;">(By hitting them)<i>” </i>he couldn’t wait to bowl. Instructions for the other bowlers were clear <i>“bas 3 over kar lene do mujhe </i>(Don’t let them score 15 before I bowl 3 overs)”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We were just kids. We didn’t know any nuances of bowling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Pitch or conditions didn’t matter. Pitch didn’t exist and conditions were always hot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">All any bowler did was, if he bowled fast, to bowl as fast as he could and hit the stumps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">That’s what Mahinder did that day. He bowled fast. Fastest I had seen him bowl, ever. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Opposition’s opening batsman Kamal’s claim to fame was that he got an offer to get himself register for a local club. That was enough to make him believe he was Tendulkar. He made no efforts to hide his belief from outside world. Oh yes, Kamal did bat well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder hit Kamal on his elbow. Then on shin. Then again elbow. So much so that Kamal started moving away while facing him and got out bowled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We somehow knew they feared him that day. We started saying everything we could. It is called sledging. We didn’t know it back then.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="line-height: 22px;">“Doosra pant hai na </span></i><span style="line-height: 22px;">(I hope you got another pair of trousers)” Mahidner asked Deepu as he came to bat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“<i>Kyon </i>(Why)” he asked<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“<i>Kyonki ismein to aaj tu mootne wala hai </i>(Because you are going to pee in these today)” he responded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Every ball he bowled; he ran up to the batsman to give him a mouthful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Batsmen were just saving their legs. And head. And arms. Least they cared about were stumps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder was all over them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">One kid got hit on his nose and didn’t play for a few months. Parents disallowed him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Deepu was yorked and fell flat on the ground. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder bowled 3 overs. Others bowled 3. Score 12.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As Mahinder bowled his 4<sup>th</sup> over, he told the other bowler <i>“Ye over nikal de. Agle mein main jita doonga </i>(Don’t let them win in this over. I will make us win in next)<i>”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Alas. 8<sup>th</sup> over costed 2. Since it was the last man batting, he couldn’t run any singles. He needed to run at least 2 to win.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Over number 9. First ball. Slinging arm and boom. It hit the batsman in the part which was soon going to become very important in his life. Batsman fell flat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder went running to the batsman and said in a cold-blooded manner <i>“Beta agli wali mein hat jana </i>(Move away when I bowl next).” 5 minutes later when batsman got ready to play the next ball, he did exactly what Mahinder had advised. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">He moved away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder knew it. He bowled straight. Bowled. To make it worse for the batsman, bricks which made the stumps for us, fell on his feet. He was injured. Again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Match tied. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mahinder delivered what he had promised. He made the match out of it. He got them all out. But before that he hit them. All of them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Match lasted just about 15 overs, but it felt like eternity. Especially to those who were facing Mahinder. He was relentless. He was fast. And furious. He hurt them. Then he got them out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I don’t know where he is. Last I heard he was, like his dad, working as a daily wage worker somewhere. All these years, I hardly ever thought about him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Okay. It is a hyperbole what I am going to say next. Or maybe hyperbole of a hyperbole but Indian bowling on the final day of Lord’s test just reminded me of Mahinder’s performance on that day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">At you. On to you. Ruthless. Scary. Accurate. Breathing fire. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Seeing India play like this has been a dream since my childhood. India playing like this just refreshed a childhood memory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I hope Mahinder reads this piece. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Photo Courtesy: https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-england-vs-india-2nd-test-team-india-conquer-the-lords-and-go-1-0-up-in-the-series-406130</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-72209883337300933462021-08-15T09:58:00.000+05:302021-08-15T09:58:05.036+05:30That One Over!!!<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOy-pKIQ9fRmsC9XYGutbZpC0YSi_7hSXl_3adzTkazedapKZCiAaeo3mXUVQ-UyXTUdJX3DbhrLMguzgPTrFOAqBDrfyJNlXW2spi7P5ZFKglOxopjxJyqK9uC8QQ-yCXhwQ/s1210/Screen+Shot+2021-08-15+at+2.26.48+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1210" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOy-pKIQ9fRmsC9XYGutbZpC0YSi_7hSXl_3adzTkazedapKZCiAaeo3mXUVQ-UyXTUdJX3DbhrLMguzgPTrFOAqBDrfyJNlXW2spi7P5ZFKglOxopjxJyqK9uC8QQ-yCXhwQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-15+at+2.26.48+pm.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It's 3:00AM in Sydney. Or it's 3:30AM. I don't know. I slept in the evening to make sure I don’t doze off missing this match.<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">3 more overs for the day. We have James Anderson facing Jasprit Bumrah.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“All XI can bat and I still have a big role to play with the bat” or something like this he said in a press conference last evening. Anderson, I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">His highest is 81. 7 years back this very same pair added 198 for last wicket. 198.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“He is no mug with the bat” is what Bumrah’s team India coach must have told Bumrah in his big booming voice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bumrah is no ordinary bowler. He is special. He is India’s torch bearer. He is India’s toe crusher. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Yorker is coming” Mel jones suggests on air.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Boom!!! On the helmet. Anderson had no clue. None.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bumra’s bouncer had hit Anderson bang on head and ballooned to slips. Barring Bumrah nobody else appealed. Initially I thought it was the case of moot celebrations, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">While everyone else was walking towards Anderson to check if he is okay, Bumrah was still appealing. He was suggesting ball brushed the glove before it hit, he-didn’t-care-where and was caught. If it was Siraj, Kohli would have made a T signal. Thank God it was Bumrah. Kohli patted on Bumrah’s back and sent him back on his run up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bumrah is normally all smiles. He is a gentleman. He doesn’t even curse when people drop simplest of catches on his bowling. Bowl. Smile. Walk back to his run up. Bowl. Smile. Repeat. This what he does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Not today. He isn’t smiling today. He isn’t cursing but there is no gentle Bumrah smile to be seen. He is hurriedly walking back to his run up. He looks pissed. Understandably because he has been wicketless. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He is ready to bowl. Anderson, after concussion tests, change of helmet, break of a few weeks between last ball and next, is ready to face. Or is he. He seems to have crossed 40 in this break. His age I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Light travels faster than the sound. But my ears hear the death rattles of ball hitting the stumps before I see. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In fact, I don’t see it because it doesn’t happen. Next ball does hit but not the stumps. It hits Anderson’s ribs. He does have a chest guard, but it still hurts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“What is he doing?” someone says on air. I don’t remember who. It isn’t Michael Holding, I am sure. It couldn’t have been him. I am sure. How? Because there is no news of the word irony committing suicide, anywhere. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Now the yorker is what everyone is thinking. So is Anderson. He looks scared as if he is saying, “Okay. You’ve proved your point. Now hit these bloody stumps and get me out of this misery”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bang. Bat. Ribs. Ball lands where FSL would’ve taken a catch blind folded. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akqSF9iJwzI" style="color: #954f72;">Salman Butt not counted</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Are you crazy?” Anderson seems like shouting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">3 gone. 3 more. This is what Root is thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I hope the next is my last is what Anderson is thinking. He is looking scared. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yorker next is what I am thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bang. Short again. Remember the sentence I read on Anderson’s face – “Hit these bloody stumps….”. Anderson has added a “Please” to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Everyone is wondering what India is trying. Are they trying to injure England’s best bowler? “That’s unsporting” is on air again. Mel Jones is on air. “Hi Mel. Adelaide. Shami. Rings a bell” I hope someone reminds her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Anyway, Anderson is counting. 4 gone. 2 to go. Or is it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">No ball. Signalled by umpire. This is India’s 13<sup>th</sup> no ball. Anderson seems to be looking at the umpire and asking, “Why? Let it go. Please”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Still 3 to go. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yorker. Hit the bat. Straight to point. Andersons still on strike.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He looks at the umpire. Legal ball. Yay!!! Two more to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Ball 5. Short. Damn. Anderson somehow survives. Forget saving wickets. Anderson is looking to save his life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He stares at Bumrah. “I also bowl fast; hope you know that”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“I know. You are medium fast. I am fast. Difference.” Bumrah stares back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Thoda time hai. Tum dono jaoge </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Kohli is heard telling his opener. Or was it sometime back. But I did hear him say in last 5 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One more and I am done is what Anderson is thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Twitter is going crazy. “This is intimidatory bowling” is what English fans are saying. “Man-up or get out” is what non-English fans are saying. No matter what side you are on, this entire drama is too delicious to miss unless you are, off course, James Anderson. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Short or Yorker. Short it is. Anderson survives. Hint of smile on his face. One more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Or is it? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It’s a no ball. 14<sup>th</sup> one from India. “God damn it” say English supporters. Boom has a wry smile. As if he is enjoying the torture Anderson is going through. As if he wants to insult Anderson the batsman before getting him out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Are these no balls a tactic to waste time so that Indian openers don’t have to bat today? Surely Bumrah cannot be so erratic. Is it a tactic to injure Anderson? Really? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yorker. Bang. Anderson survives. Guess what? No ball again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“I’ve seen get-ready-for-fucking-broken-arm before, but this is are-you-fucking-kidding-me?” is what Anderson seems to be thinking. He looks scared. Proper scared. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Who cares about few inches man? Let it go man. Do you have to give declare these no balls” is what English supporters thinking. Well, it’s a game of inches. Few inches are what won them the world cup couple of years back. Inches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Last ball. Last ball. This is surely the last ball” is what entire England is praying. They don’t care of Anderson saves his wicket or not. They want their premier fast bowler to go back unscathed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yorker. Bang. But Anderson keeps it out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Everyone, the entire universe, looks at the umpire now. All they want to see if that right hand moves or not. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It remains in his pocket. Not a no ball. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Over completed. 4 runs. No wickets. 1000s of heartbeats missed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That one over has summed up India’s fast bowling in last 3-4 years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It has failed at times. But it has been scary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It has been inaccurate at times. But between fancying the inaccuracy and not facing it at all, you know what many would choose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It keeps coming back. At you. Always. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">And to top it all, it can put fear in your mind. After all this is what fast bowling thrives on. All those swings and seams and cuts and pace changes and this and that come later. It’s the fear of getting hit that drives how you play fast bowling. Nothing else. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">We are witnessing the best era of fast bowling. Oh yes, the nostalgia merchants would still remind me of the Holdings and the Marshals and the Ws and the rest. Effectively 70s to 90s. Yes, West Indies had its pace battery. Yes, Australia had Dennis Lilli and Shane Thompson. Yes, Pakistan had Imran and Wasim and Waqar and Akhtar. But they never had to bowl to batsmen who were as adventurous as current lot. They never had to bowl to batsman who, call them stupid if you want, didn’t fear getting hit as much as batsmen in older era. Yes, better protective gear has helped.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">But look around and see the names these teams have. Australia, New Zealand, England and India can all boast of a fearful pace attack. Not just the fear, it’s the skill that is also amazing. So much so that India has an Indian specialist in Umesh Yadav who has much better record on Indian pitches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Fast bowling has never been better. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Today, or tomorrow depending upon your time zone, Anderson shall have his turn to pay it all back. He would surely be fired up. But I am more interested in seeing our own bowling giving it back in 4<sup>th</sup> innings. Hope batsmen give them chance to do so. After all if <a href="https://wisden.com/series-stories/england-v-india/jasprit-bumrahs-10-ball-over-to-james-anderson-sparks-free-hit-debate" style="color: #954f72;">Wisden campaigning in favour</a> free hits in test cricket just because of just one over, you know things were pretty serious. They maybe lobbying for free hits in test cricket but what they really mean is to do away with such bowling. Unless it is done by the team they support. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That one over by Bumrah was everything. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Image courtesy: Getty Images/Cricinfo</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-2117025769372069752021-01-18T17:37:00.004+05:302021-01-18T17:37:23.451+05:30The change!!!<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68ftGoVB3PoSjhXkl4R9lm7yZj00ulHau0QDJ4_ZG2n3vsQ1jZEQHyKX8A0Ij4X6eW696XARera8U0yx4hGViKvPdQv4mFlrguUdNIZGNM54UWKN6e2ocGsMBDLieYiXodfCt/s806/scmn5p2o_india-test-team-afp_625x300_28_December_20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="806" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68ftGoVB3PoSjhXkl4R9lm7yZj00ulHau0QDJ4_ZG2n3vsQ1jZEQHyKX8A0Ij4X6eW696XARera8U0yx4hGViKvPdQv4mFlrguUdNIZGNM54UWKN6e2ocGsMBDLieYiXodfCt/s320/scmn5p2o_india-test-team-afp_625x300_28_December_20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“What do you think?” I asked my father.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“We can win this” he replied.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“What? Are you serious? How?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Let me explain” he started his response “We are 55 without loss today. Right?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, I cannot believe we haven’t got all out today itself” I was actually amazed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">We, I and my father, were talking about India’s <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-tour-of-australia-1991-92-62295/australia-vs-india-5th-test-63567/full-scorecard" style="color: #954f72;">Perth test in 1992</a>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">What a tour it was. Hopes were sent to a high when we did better than expected in Sharjah and won a series against South Africa at home. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">The tour started with losing at Gabba.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Lost Melbourne. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Should have won in Sydney but we were playing four pacers on a turning track. Yes, we did. Only to rectify this mistake by playing 3 pacers and a spinner on world’s fastest track - Perth. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">We reached the finals of ODI triangular series only to be told by world champions Australia – “Thank you for coming”. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Fighting spirits of Sydney did show its glimpses in Adelaide when Australia had to wait for second new ball to thwart any threats. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Perth was supposed to be the final mauling exclusively by Aussies before we opened ourselves to the rest of the world – in world cup.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Sachin scored an unbelievable 114 on a minefield of a pitch. Dean Jones and Tom Moody scored hundreds and helped Australia set a target of 442 for India – in a day and almost a session.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Indian team had been getting all out in little over a session till this time. So, when the openers managed to make it to stumps, it was an unfamiliar territory for us father son duo.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I was in that age where you believe your father knows everything and all I wanted to know in that age was cricket. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">As soon as he came back home that evening, I asked the question “What do you think?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Okay. Here is the plan” his words had me hypnotized me by now. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, tell me” I couldn’t control. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Little did the mighty Australians knew that thousands of miles from them, a father son duo was planning Australia’s defeat in their biggest fortress – Perth. They didn’t know what was going to hit them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“We need 387 more, right?” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“How many per sessions?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“129” I was always good at maths.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, but we shall have to be little careful in first session. We score 110 in first session”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“110? Really? Isn’t that fast?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Oho. You don’t know Srikkanth. When he goes crazy, he just does. And don’t forget the Sixer Siddhu at the other end. 110 is gettable”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Okay”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“So, by lunch we shall be 165/1” he said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Okay. Srikkanth out?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“No. He has to be there in next session also. Siddhu out”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Okay”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"> “Australians shall be tired by second session. We can score fast. Let’s say we score 140-150 in second session. What shall be our total?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“305-315.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, lunch score 315/3.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“3? Why 3?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“I think Srikkanth would get tired in Perth heat and get out in second session. We need Manjrekar out soon. He bats too slow. And you know very well how he would get out?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, run out” I laughed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“So how many needed for last session?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“127-137” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, we need Sachin to come at 2 down and Kapil at 4 down”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Will Sachin get to his 1000 runs?” I asked. I maintained a diary which was my very own <a href="https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html" style="color: #954f72;">StatsGuru</a>. Sachin was at 949 before fourth innings at Perth began. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Off course. He will score a 100”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Two 100s in a test? Wow”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, he will. He is just too good” my dad sounded confident. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Okay” I always felt jealous whenever he praised Sachin. Sometimes I felt he liked Sachin more than he liked me. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Yes, these guys can score fast. So even if Manjrekar bats a bit too slow in second session, they can make up for it” he further said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Wow, we can win it means”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Not that we can. We will” he said firmly. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I smiled. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Now go to sleep. You’ve got school tomorrow” his voice was firmer this time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">I guess it’s easier to sleep happy than sleep sad. I must have slept really well because I clearly remember I had no time to check the scores on radio next morning. I could check scores only after I came back from school. I think it was the evening news on TV.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Michael Whitney had ripped through Indian batting with a figure of 27/7. India lost by 300 runs. Not sure if India made it past to second session.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Sachin got out on 5. Trying to hit another 4. Caught in slips. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Who is this Whitney? Where did he come from? I never heard of him before” I asked my father. I was flabbergasted. We had laid down such a perfect plan to win this test but Michael Whitney? “Who is he?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“Calm down. It is Australia. They are probably the best in the world now”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“How did they find Whitney? Will he replace McDermott? “ I couldn’t believe the guy who didn’t have his name in my stats diary had done this to us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">“McDermott is in different league. But that’s the hallmark of a champion side. Even the new players can give such scintillating performances. They are just ready for next level” he tried his best to console me. Not sure if he succeeded. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">As per Whitney, he played 3 more tests. “What’s he doing here” is what I said when I saw Whitney anchoring AXN’s ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Dares_Wins_(Australian_game_show)" style="color: #954f72;">Who Dares Wins</a>’.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Few years later I realized when my father laid down the plan to bring down mighty Australians to their knees in Perth, all he was doing was to put me to sleep. But then, deep down he did hope it to come true. I surely did. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Quite a funny coincidence that my tryst as an Indian cricket fan watching India play Australia started with a test in Brisbane. We chase a huge target in Brisbane tomorrow. It’s been almost 30 years since that test match in Brisbane.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Lot has changed.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">India has been getting its own supply of Michael Whitney’s who are ready and doing well. Some of them may soon disappear. But for every Whitney, there was a McDermott who lasted long to pass on the baton to next generation. For every Siraj, there is an Ishant or Bumrah. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">That is the second biggest change.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Tonight, I shall go to sleep hoping we chase down the target tomorrow. That hope might well turn into reality. That isn’t far from truth. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">This is the biggest change. <o:p></o:p></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-74779557596481505252020-12-02T08:56:00.005+05:302020-12-02T08:58:48.659+05:30SCG and the 12-year-old!!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzLMm_4uaR3NvejRFwczzdIo2XRR9a7MOuzJc2_A87IPEkAPlyvxaKE_QzFezVOmyW3ZGfwQ3cAhw1IDlbPf4_IWt4g8hCUUt4rt7uS72QKfcyW5EWIsxYWW8XiwuKIKRBlvH/s2048/IMG_0811.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzLMm_4uaR3NvejRFwczzdIo2XRR9a7MOuzJc2_A87IPEkAPlyvxaKE_QzFezVOmyW3ZGfwQ3cAhw1IDlbPf4_IWt4g8hCUUt4rt7uS72QKfcyW5EWIsxYWW8XiwuKIKRBlvH/s320/IMG_0811.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;">We have taken our seats. We are watching the players from distance and trying to recognize them. We try to identify every player and validate it once that player is shown on the big screen. We are awed by the practice before the match.</span><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">The Australians look so tall. Every player looks taller than the other. But Mitchel Starc stands tall amongst them. Real tall. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Indians look slim. Real slim. Nobody seems to have any fat. Of any kind. Surely not the Finch kind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Australia win toss. They bat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Oh No” is what this father son duo says in unison. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Take me to any match. I don’t care if it’s a test or T20 or Big Bash or Women’s cricket. I just want to see how it feels inside the stadium” is what my 12-year-old (11 back then) had requested me. Request was made in such pleading tone that I had to oblige. ASAP. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">For an ardent cricket follower, he wanted to make his real debut as a fan – by watching a real match in a cricket stadium. After all, you don’t get to understand the greatness of drama by watching it on TV. A thespian’s real greatness is witnessed on the stage. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">When did I make my debut? I remember my dad had sent me, with his friends, to watch an <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/16767/scorecard/64296/india-vs-sri-lanka-1st-odi-sri-lanka-tour-of-india-1986-87" style="color: #954f72;">ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Green Park Cricket Stadium</a> in Kanpur. I remember stadium being already full before we even reached the venue. There were more tickets outside the stadium than inside it. Thanks to overselling of tickets. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">People outside were angry. Very angry. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I heard someone shouting, <i>“Aaaj India haaregi maa*******” </i>(India will lose today, mother*******)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">That was the first time I heard that M word. Still remember it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Scores? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Sri Lanka 195.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">India 78 all out. Yes, 78. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">At least my 12-year-old was in a much better position. He had taken his seat inside the stadium. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Indian bowlers have no clue. Neither they have any luck.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I know what they have. They have loads of gaps in the field. Heaps. It appears as if there are no fielders. Finch maybe slow but Warner has raced away.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">12-year-old wants to sit closer to the fence. He has got couple of autograph bats and a pen to get autographs of players. He has got plans for both the bats. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">First one is to be given as birthday gift to his friend who he practices with every morning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Second one is for his younger brother. Younger brother refused to come to the stadium. “I like playing more than watching” is what he had told us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Who do you want to sign it” 12-year-old had asked his younger before leaving for stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Bumrah. And Starc. And Shami” he is a fast bowler after all. “No, just get me Starc’s autograph” is what he had asked for. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“No Kohli?” I wanted to confirm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“No” pat came the reply. All he wants to do is bowl fast. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Alas, security doesn’t allow anyone near the fence. Bio bubble and all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Damn you COVID. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">No really, damn you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">12-year-old still doesn’t give up. He is on the edge of his seat, on the front row and looking for anyone to come close enough to ask for an autograph. He is waving at every cricketer to get the attention in hope of converting it into an autograph. Doesn’t matter if the fielder is at mid-on or cover or even fine-leg. He is shouting their names also. Hoping that they would see him, hear him and sign is autograph bats. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Well, that’s childhood. You hope has no bounds. None. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Kuldeep Bhaiyaaaaaaa…………” he shouts. On top of his voice. Waving both hands with bat and pen. Kuldeep Yadav is walking past us. He just keeps walking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">12-year-old gets a little sad. I explain him why he wouldn’t get any autographs. It’s the bio bubble.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">We decide to move to a different place. I want to take some photos.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">As we move places, Finch gets out. So does Warner. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Yessssss…….” 12-year-old shouts.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">With age, I have started to find it boring to watch cricket. Even on TV. I have never been much of a fan of watching a cricket match in stadiums in any case. First time I really went inside a cricket stadium to watch an <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/13435/scorecard/430883/india-vs-sri-lanka-3rd-test-sri-lanka-tour-of-india-2009-10" style="color: #954f72;">international cricket match was in Brabourne Stadium Mumbai</a>. It was a mess. I couldn’t take water bottle inside. The seats were terrible. Mumbai is always hot and humid. Even if its December. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Having said, to be able to hear Sehwag’s bat hitting the ball so distinctly even when 30,000 odd people were shouting at the top of their voices was amazing. That one sound of ball hitting the bad made it worth the pain. All of it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I was always told – “You aren’t a true fan if you don’t watch games in stadiums. You never get the real feel on TV”. I paid no heed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Watching Sehwag bat made me realize the real meaning of what I was told. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">It is hot. Temperature is in high 30s. Thank god for the winds. I wonder how these players are running around in such heat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Shami is fielding at fine leg. Batsman flicks. Shami chases the ball. Oh man, he can run. He surely can. I wonder if Shami can ran this fast, how would an AB be running. Fielding and fitness levels have gone to another dimension.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I ask my 12-year-old, “Do you see how these guys are fielding? Shall we double the fitness drills from tomorrow”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">He hesitates a bit, looks at the players and looks back at me again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“If you are not this fit, there is no point playing” I break the truth of modern cricket to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Yes papa, double” he agrees while giving me an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RaBxH_MKQI" style="color: #954f72;">Indian nod with a high brow</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don’t know when it happened. I had not visited SCG till first quarter of last decade, but I have always been in love with SCG. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Maybe because SCG has always known to be the most India-like track due to its spin friendliness. Maybe because only saving grace in that horrendous tour of 1992 came in Sydney when we dominated the Australian side. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Shastri’s 206. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Sachin’s 148*. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Warne’s 150/1.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Even in 1999, SCG was kind. Remember birth of Very Very Special in Laxman? The 167. Uff, what a player. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">I have always loved SCG. What a beautiful ground. When sun sets behind the picturesque balcony, when the sky color turns from blue to orange/red/pink to dark, when floodlights start to take control of light, there is no better sight than that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">None. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Nada. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Zilch. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">We have moved to a seat which is just next to the sight screen. Yes, there are a lot of vacant seats. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Thanks to COVID. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yes, you, COVID.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">The sun is about to go down. Sky is about to turn black. In between this hour or so, called golden hour, magic will happen in the sky. Sky will change colors. Put the beautiful SCG balcony in foreground and floodlights taking effect and it becomes mesmerizing. There are a few clouds which are like cherry on the cake. Magic is about to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">And it does happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">For so many years it has been a dream to click this photo. Today, on 29<sup>th</sup> of November in the most hated year of 2020, I do it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bucket list item. Clicked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">India is chasing a mammoth total. They are falling behind. I am trying to explain the concept of angles on the field to 12-year-old. I start to feel suffocated. Such is Australia’s field placement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">We keep changing places. We keep moving to different bays. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">India loses. I start to pack my stuff. 12-year-old is still looking to get lucky with autographs. Even though he has lost the pen. I wonder even if he gets hold of Virat Kohli, how would he get the signature. He has no pen. I am sure Virat also doesn’t carry one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">Yet, this is childhood. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">He is right on the front row, hoping for some cricketer to appear magically and sign his bat. He still has hopes. I told you – hope has no bounds in childhood. Not unless it meets the realities of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">He is not willing to let go. I have to literally drag him out of the stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">We are finally out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">India may have lost. There might not have been any autographs. But I know for sure this match has given birth to a new fan. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Wow, it feels so different in stadium. It’s fun” is what he was telling me on our way back. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">“Are we going for SCG test” is what he has been asking. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-46477527719585306362020-05-19T16:32:00.002+05:302020-05-19T16:33:17.143+05:30Watching the greys!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBopL_D3YH5DR5KWuSggdo1mZf-ADsUmS23zytvE83Xb5BJczk_0H8K_Nl1qfgf3ao4JQ_iLh-B8rEry8SCjdE0WQcm_aKxCr3QCP2qhwUHthLms6W81q0QI51qaBhvtFwYHbz/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBopL_D3YH5DR5KWuSggdo1mZf-ADsUmS23zytvE83Xb5BJczk_0H8K_Nl1qfgf3ao4JQ_iLh-B8rEry8SCjdE0WQcm_aKxCr3QCP2qhwUHthLms6W81q0QI51qaBhvtFwYHbz/s200/Unknown.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Okay. My sample set is limited. And my vision? Its myopic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Yet the trend in ever changing content in Indian cinema (or likes of it) is quite evident and reflection of our society. My definition of cinema does include content on web also – the netflixes, the primes of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">If you look at some of the recent Indian web series which have become popular, they can be categorized as crime thriller. Just that the feel around the, the look, the art of storytelling reflects what we see around us. There is no hero trying to avenge wrongdoings against his family. There is no hero confused between love & friendship. Villains aren’t hideous. Even they have a chance to tell their sides of their stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">It has become all grey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Let’s start with 1960s and around. When good part of country was marred by bandits, some of the super hit movies were of that genre. Within the genre they covered different kinds of stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Mother India highlighted social issues by way of showing a strong female protagonist who, in the name of high morals, kills her own son who had turned into a notorious bandit. Mera Gaon Mera Desh was a love story while the hero saves the village from bandits. Pratigya was a fantastic comedy but the backdrop was same. Even Sholay, probably the best Bollywood movie ever, had similar backdrop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Somewhere in mid 70s, things started changing. Years of socialism exploiting common man, the injustice done to him and around him had made him angry. Very angry. Yet, he was powerless against the might system. He found a vent out in Amitabh Bacchan’s portrayal of angry young man. To me nothing signifies it more than his character in Kala Patthar. Remember him saying “Pain is my destiny. I can’t avoid it?” This one line had it all – guilt of failing, act of self-punishment, frustration of inability to change the past and most of all, the anger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">During the latter half of 70s, India witnessed changes in political scenario. Democracy went through emergency. Power shifted hands only to come back to same old hands. People who knew their ways around system made it big. System became stronger, bigger, well oiled. It had learned the secret to keep the common man tamed. Secret was disillusionment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">What can you talk about 80s really? It started with the leader, who had enforced emergency to make sure power doesn’t become illusive, emerging even stronger. Terrorism found its feet in different corners of the country. The temple opened. The Mandal happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">The era of disillusionment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">It was reflected in the type of cinema also. Just think about the cinema between 1985 and 1995. Yes, there was an angry man (Anil Kapoor in Tezhab, Rakhwala etc) trying to find feet but fizzled out. Yes, there were a few good love stories. Oh yes, there was Mr. India – Bollywood’ best sci-fi movie till date. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">But majority were revenge dramas which had alien looking villains beaten down by plump heroes who romanced girls clad in attire which were too feminine for even females.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Angry young man was diluted to a dancing, romancing, fighting, avenging cringeworthy joker. The female protagonists, from the highs of Mother India, were sidelined. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Oh yes, there was a new villain by the end of this period. Not for the hero of the movies but parents of our generation – the vulgarity in the movies, the songs, the rest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Absolute garbage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Opening of economy in early 90s showed its effects few years later. There were jobs. There was money. There was growth. There were opportunities, for him the common man, in developed world also. If he couldn’t get direct benefits, he benefitted indirectly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Movie locations moved out of India to beautiful world of Europe. Put in a flavor of rosy romance in it and you have everything the common man was craving for. He was too sick of the misery – years of poverty, crime, politics, fights, frustration, this, that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">He wanted a dreamy getaway. Dreamy getaway he got. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Villains started disappearing. So did the comedians. So did the other kinds of roles. It was all about him and his her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Common man found another friend in cable TV, which had ever rising web of channels, which provided him alternate source of information and entertainment. The world infontainment was born.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Nothing lasts forever. Even common man’s affection with this dream world. He was bored by too much of good. By the time first decade of the millennium moved into second half, he was again getting disillusioned. Oh yes, he wanted to come back. Like Mohan Bhargav in Swadesh. Few years back he was introduced to internet which was now affordable. He had access to world cinema also. Not just those Hollywood movies where US saved the world but world cinema. He had more genres at his disposal, more variety in each of the genres. He had seen enough of rosy world outside. He was no longer buying those dream stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">He wanted to see what was happening around him. He wanted to see stories of people like him portrayed by the people like him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">That is when these web series gained ground. These web series didn’t have to conform with the norms, tolerate the tantrums of stardom, worry about scissors of censor board. They had the liberty of creating whatever they wanted, whichever way they wanted. On top of it, they could choose lesser known but more talented people to work with so that they could avoid the malaise Bollywood was suffering – movies often become all about the stars and not the story they are supposed to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Oh yes, common man has had tryst with Crime Petrol – be it in form of the TV series, a TV series similar to it or news. He was aware about the crime world around him. That is how crime thrillers found their way to favorite shows of common man. Difference is that these shows look close to what we see, to people we meet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Isn’t that’s what Mirzapur, Sacred Games, Paatal Lok, Asur et al are? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">One of such series was made in 2010 – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_(TV_series)"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-decoration: none;"><span lang="EN-GB">Powder</span></span></a>. Extremely gripping, solid acting and tight direction were hallmark of the series. It showed beautifully how different agencies, be it police or CBI or anti-narcotics, keep fighting amongst each other. It showed how even they have targets which sometimes drives the investigation. Powder didn’t get as much traction as it should have because it was ahead of its time. Common man didn’t know what it exactly wanted. Powder was like launching iPhone 11 pro max in 1970s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Bard of Blood was released last year. Produced by SRK, it was straight out of SRK’s books. No wonder many didn’t like it because the series came 10 years too late. It was so 2000ish when common man still wanted the protagonist to be hero-like. Bard of Blood was like launching Blackberry Curve 8520 in 2020. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Somewhere between this reverse chronology of Powder and Bard of Blood, common man’s choice of entertainment has changed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Plots are based in Mumbai, Chitrakoot, Delhi, Kashmir, Bhagalpur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Protagonists are human. Hathi Ram Chaudhary in Patal Lok is an inept, unfit and cynical policeman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Even counterparts of protagonists are human. Musa in Family Man has a painful story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Relationships are real. Suchitra in Family Man keeps hovering over the area called infidelity yet is totally devoted to family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Everything is so Indian. So current. So real. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Maybe Mohan Bhargav has come back. And he wants his entertainment to come right out of the crime world. His favorite color is grey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">PS: I might have tortured data to tell the story I wants but then, I am the writer of this story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-41494459049069945092020-05-13T11:23:00.002+05:302020-05-13T11:23:38.657+05:30A connection is lost!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">It was year 2000. Rakesh Roshan launched his son Hritik with a typical Bollywood masala movie – Kaho na pyar hai. It was as perfect a product launch as it could be. Hritik almost danced as well as closest thing to Michael Jackson we Indians had seen, Prabhu Deva. Just that Hritik had better looks than Prabhu Deva. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Hritik came up with more muscular body as compared to the best we had seen till then – Salman Khan. Just that Hritik was taller than Salman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">His action scenes were as good as of Akshay Kumar. Yet he had much heavier voice. Basically, Hritik had the perfect combination of everything. He even had an extra thumb – just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">His first movie was a blockbuster. Few more good movies and initial start just faded away. Some said it was choice of bad movies. Some said his initial PR was an overkill. Not that Hritik totally went into oblivion, but his rest of the career hasn’t yet matched the promise made by the start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">He was quite like a fling which blasts in your life, keeps you totally smitten during the initial period and slowly fades away once the connection goes through the test of time. While you stay attracted for rest of the life, but it is nowhere close to what it was initially. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">In this millennial, there hasn’t been a launch as good as Hritik’s. Similar things happened with Ranbir Kapoor or others in this category. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">All of them flings. Starting with a bang. Then graduating to “the crush I am not desperate for any longer”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Irrfan Khan, on the contrary, had a sedate start. I remember watching him in some DD serial. “Here comes yet another character artist” is what I thought. Yes, character artists used to be a thing those days. Before that I had watched him in Chandrakanta and hated his character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">First time I really noticed him was for his role of Ranvijay Singh in Haasil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">What a movie. What a story. What direction. What acting. What a villain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">So real. So brutal. So hateworthy. So typical. Yet so real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">While doing my graduation, I had witnessed a real-life story which was quite similar to what they had shown in Haasil. I had witnessed characters like Ranvijay Singh in real. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">When I saw Irrfan playing the character of Ranvijay Singh, speak in an accent only people from eastern UP can speak, the way he spoke, the cruelty coupled with nonchalance and not the forget, the eyes, I was awed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">I was sure Irrfan Khan must have born and brought up in eastern UP only because of his accent. Thing with accents is that you grow up with them and they grow on you. It is near impossible to fake and accent without getting caught. Surely not in front of someone who has it in his blood. “Typical eastern UP” guy is what I thought for next few years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Then I watched Mumbai Meri Jaan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Irrfan Khan as a Malayali street vendor. Speaking Hindi in exactly the same way a Malayali from rural Kerala would. Exactly the same way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">All my life I have been trying to get rid of my Kanpuriya accent. Last year I met someone and she, within 5 minutes of our meeting, asked me if I am from Kanpur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Yet there was someone who could change accents like clothes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">I checked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Whoa. Irrfan Khan was born and brought up in Jaipur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">“Jaipur? What? Seriously? Not Allahabad or Banaras” is what I thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Ever been in love? The one which begins slowly in complete hiding? The one in which you start liking the person without realizing at all. The one which silently seeps through your mind to your heart? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">While, in such cases, things keep changing without making their presence felt. Suddenly there is a trigger. It could be anything. It could be a small joke on which both of you laughed, a casual look where eyes meet for fraction of a second though that fraction feels like ages, a friendly hug, wiping of tears, anything? That trigger transpires the relationship to next level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">As an Irrfan Khan fan since Hasil, the realization that he could pick up different accents with such authority was that moment for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">I fell in love with his craft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">He spoke Bengali in Namesake. Proper Bengali. A job Om Puri, a stalwart, did so badly in Yuva. Irrfan rocked it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Paan Singh Tomar (PST) took my love for his acting to a different level, beyond picking up accents. As the movie progresses, his looks change. He gains weight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Unlike Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Irrfan starts with lean figure in the movie. Ever seen India’s athletes, especially in those days? They are slim. Real slim. As if skin was just painted on the bones. Compare that to Farhan Akhtar’s 8 pack abs Milkha Singh. Forget being close to real, it didn’t even look logical to show such a beefed-up sprinter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Irrfan the sprinter in PST looked like PST the sprinter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">I started throwing arguments with friends – “He is the best actor we have ever produced”. I hardly remember if anyone disagreed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">Probably his best quality was his ability to connect. No matter what character he played, people could always see reality in them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">I know how goons in eastern UP look like. They look exactly like Ranvijay Singh in Haasil. Having stayed in Kerala for few months, I know the nuances of language which I could never get hold on but knew what I couldn’t do. Irrfan did it. I have seen how people change with age. How body starts gaining fat, how the way you speak changes, how the way your face looks changes, how the way you look changes. PST in PST changed the same way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">When Irrfan talks to his therapist about his insomnia, dark thoughts and disillusionment with life in movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjL-q88CniQ" style="color: #954f72;">Rog</a>, it doesn’t look like scene out of a movie. That’s exactly how someone who hasn’t slept for nights looks like. That’s exactly how he talks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">In his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDqA5SWV01E" style="color: #954f72;">Vodafone</a> ads, he doesn’t come across as a celebrity selling you a product. It’s as if it’s a real salesman trying to sell you by addressing your real pain points. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">There were no dancing skills like Hritik. Or his looks. Or his muscular body. Or even an extra thumb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">It was always an unassuming persona taking shape of the character. The character looked like it should. The character talked like it should. If we ourselves couldn’t connect to those characters, we all had seen something or someone in real life who could. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">That’s what the most important quality of his craft was. That’s why I fell in love with his acting. I could connect. After all that’s what love is all about. Connection. In his case, connection stood the test of time. More roles he played; stronger it grew. I could watch any movie if it had Irrfan Khan playing a role. That’s because I knew either I or someone I know shall get to see the mirror through Irrfan Khan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">And maybe that’s why his death felt so personal. The man who looked so convincing in selling Vodafone connections, we have lost it with him. Forever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri Light", sans-serif;">May his soul rest in peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-26866015785801408412020-05-07T11:28:00.002+05:302020-05-07T11:30:23.333+05:30The Ranji Final - 1991<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7jgYKdCbO_UfijUCEG5VOr70dNZS7vFD78vYsDeQwDCKeeMLBK4GpXkbQ8W9aXDRO7ywHwdiWMSz7hFtypBresprU4r8hLfdvdcfMr1bCgbiAlQpxKORwM_G_rk8EVzD4vR1/s1600/01-Ranji-HINDUjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="330" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7jgYKdCbO_UfijUCEG5VOr70dNZS7vFD78vYsDeQwDCKeeMLBK4GpXkbQ8W9aXDRO7ywHwdiWMSz7hFtypBresprU4r8hLfdvdcfMr1bCgbiAlQpxKORwM_G_rk8EVzD4vR1/s200/01-Ranji-HINDUjpg.jpg" width="136" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">It was summer of 1991. I had recently fallen in love. The love for the game of cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">While it was always there in the family, I was part of the generation which was turned religious because of reincarnation of God in the world of cricket during India’s tour to Pakistan in 1989. When newfound belief in god turns you religious, you just don’t stick to your favorite gods. You explore. At least in Hinduism. We have 330 millions of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">It’s not that you shall just be celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi because Lord Ganesha is your favorite God. You find interest in everything that’s religious. Every festival. Every ritual.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">My newfound interest was international cricket, India’s domestic cricket, county cricket in England, Sheffield Shield in Australia, exhibition matches played in middle east, club matches, gully matches. Basically anything. Even book cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I had keenly followed India’s domestic cricket pervious year although my only memory for that year is Rashid Patel, with a stump in his hands, running after Late Raman Lamba to bash him up. I didn’t watch it live. I read it later in newspapers and our cricinfo in those days – Cricket Samrat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Interest increased during the season after Rashid Patel- Raman Lamba incident. One of the reasons rise of Ashish Winston Zaidi, if my memory serves me right, around that time. I was hoping someone to make it to national side from my state – Uttar Pradesh. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Newspapers and Cricket Samrat were my information providers. Sometimes radio also helped. For the generation hooked to on-demand video lifestyle, watching international cricket on DD was a luxury back then, leave aside domestic cricket matches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I clearly remember Amarjeet Kaypee making the headlines every match. He was invincible that year. The Un-Out-Able. In one of the matches he dropped his helmet on the stumps and was declared out hit wicket. Must have been bored. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Hence it made sense that the final was played between Mumbai (it was Bombay back then) and Haryana. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Almost all of Mumbai’s 11 played test cricket for India. Almost. LS Rajput was still on the radar. Sanjay Manjrekar, after exploits in West Indies and Pakistan, was next big thing. Vengsarkar was still not finished, not at a level below international standard. Raju Kulkarni was one quickest. Salil Ankola had shown lot of promise in Pakistan. Then they had Sachin, the child prodigy everyone was in awe of. Not to forget, Vinod Kambli who was believed to be more talented than Sachin. By some. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Haryana had Kapil Dev. Enough said. They also had the run machine of the season, Amarjeet Kapyee. Chetan Sharma was quite good if he wasn’t in the shadows of THAT six. Ajay Jadeja who had recently scored an ODI double ton in U19, I think against Malaysia. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">With no international season around that time, big names were available. The expectations were huge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I remember Haryana making a huge score and relying on victory based on first innings lead. Oh, the typical formula in India’s first-class cricket. They did exactly that. That’s even after Mumbai managed to tame Amarjeet Kaypee. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Mumbai failed in first innings and the game was pretty much over for them once they conceded the first innings lead. Yet they didn’t give up. The famous <i>khadoos</i> brand of cricket. Mumbai can never be taken for granted in a Ranji Final. They got Haryana out and had a target to chase. It was not impossible but improbable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">A target of 356 in 66/67 overs (I remember it clearly) was too high a mountain to climb especially against a strong bowling side. Remember, it was a time when RPO of 5 was considered to be difficult even in ODIs. Score 250 and you win was often the formula in ODIs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">It didn’t help that Mumbai lost 3 quick wickets. Forget losing because of first innings’ lead role, Mumbai was in danger of losing the match fair and square.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">The match was all but over. Yet, it was NOT over. Yet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Not when it’s not God’s wish. Not when God is on your side, in your team.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Enter Sachin Tendulkar. 75 balls. 95 runs. 5 sixes, I think.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">In a first-class match, on final day when other teams would have decided to bat out to safety. Not Sachin. Surely not in 1991. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Yahan se Sachin Mumbai ko match mein wapis laaya” </span></i><span lang="EN-US">(From here, Sachin brought Mumbai back in the match) is how Cricket Samrat described that innings. I loved it when people referred to him as Sachin and not Tendulkar. Sachin sounded so friend-like. Tendulkar sounded so remote. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Yes, Sachin brought Mumbai back. He still didn’t get to the headline– one, because Mumbai’s chase was more about Vengsarkar than Sachin and two, because Sachin was still not the biggest name yet. His innings was quite like Sehwag’s 68 ball 83 in Chennai 2008 when Sachin player Vengsarkar’s role. Something like that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I was eagerly following the match wherever I could. Every time I turned the radio on for news, I could hear scores moving at a rapid pace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I remember switching on to afternoon news on DD. DD did show a clipping where Sachin, in his blue helmet, was batting with Vengsarkar. Sachin used white helmet for only 3 international series. He soon moved to blue. It was as if someone had told him, “Come on. You are not a kid anymore. What’s this white? Put on a color on your head. And a price too”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">He had a totally different batsman as soon as he moved to blue helmet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I saw Sachin taking a single and reaching the non-striker end. That’s the only clipping DD showed on the news. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Imagine, they did cover it. They surely did. There was no other broadcaster in India back then. Only DD. Yet it wasn’t broadcasted. Not on DD1 for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Damn you all your big shots at DD. You guys treated us cricket fans worse than a well-groomed guy treats his nasal hair. We deserved better. At least eyebrows. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I remember I had a train to catch in the evening. I was going out of station few days. Summer holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I couldn’t wait for next morning’s newspaper. I read it in the train. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Mumbai ne jeeta dil, Haryana ne match” </span></i><span lang="EN-US">(Mumbai won hearts, Haryana won the match) is what I believe Hindi newspaper must have said. I don’t remember it. I just made it up. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">But there surely was a photo of Haryana celebrating whereas Vengsarkar gutted on his knees.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Few weeks later I remember reading the match description in Cricket Samrat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">When Sachin got out, Mumbai was still miles away from the target. But Sachin had ensured Mumbai didn’t have to worry much about the run rate. After all, they had to win it in 66/67 overs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Vengsarkar kept fighting on. It became really different in the last few overs. That’s when Vengsarkar unleased the beast. He hit Bhandari for 3 sixes in an over. 26 runs in total. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><i><span lang="EN-US">“Lekin whoh aisa saahas whoh dobara nahi dikha paya” </span></i><span lang="EN-US">(But he couldn’t muster such courage again) is what Cricket Samrat wrote about him not trying it again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">He did get tired and had taken Lalchand Rajput as his runner. As it often happens when things are on the edge, chaos took over. Vengsarkar was stranded at one end. After all, runners always came with risks. Unless, you were Saeed Anwar. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Vengsarkar, missing the trophy by 2 runs, cried inconsolably. Even Haryana players tried to console him. Oh, the heartbreaks. Nothing helps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Sachin had one of his on in Chennai 1998. This innings was quite like Sachin’s 136.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">This remains one of the most interesting 5-day matches I have followed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">After reading about the result of the match, I was left confused. I didn’t know whether to feel happy for Haryana or sad for Mumbai. I couldn’t choose. I did get emotional rush and everything and was a bit exhausted but didn’t know how to feel. I had a smile on my face. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I learned something on that day. It’s just that I couldn’t put it in words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Few years later, another Mumbai stalwart put it in words - “Sometimes, cricket is the real winner”. As a cricket fan, my smile was cricket’s victory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Those words just hit the nail on its head like a tracer bullet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">PS: Written mostly based on memory. Inaccuracies are regretted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-13657588517203677632020-01-20T17:11:00.001+05:302020-01-20T17:11:29.679+05:30Dream stories – Flat # 1401<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Part 2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Part 1 of the story is <a href="https://vibhash.blogspot.com/2020/01/dream-stories-flat-1401.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiWK6dckrlMox-ew9ncDhPxyXNC88u6k5uPIYVRjMdBvL7Sus2JqxSnPbcGDl3BjDgRtCOcUgEGSTRE29vCicmUWny5tA8cJm-DODzSY8G-xlDw0ziFV56wPzdgPwkMadYbBy/s1600/IMG_1136+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiWK6dckrlMox-ew9ncDhPxyXNC88u6k5uPIYVRjMdBvL7Sus2JqxSnPbcGDl3BjDgRtCOcUgEGSTRE29vCicmUWny5tA8cJm-DODzSY8G-xlDw0ziFV56wPzdgPwkMadYbBy/s320/IMG_1136+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Oh I forgot. My house help isn’t here. And I don’t have the keys to my flat” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Then? I will stay here.” I really didn’t want to go up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“What are you so scared of? Come up” she giggled. Oh that giggle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“See, I really loved the evening but don’t want to be the collateral damage in the fight between two lovers”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Ex-lovers” she corrected. I could sense anger in her voice. Even her anger had a charm. I was totally under her spell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“But…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Relax, you won’t the collateral damage. We wouldn’t fight. I would just say hi, pick up my dress which is still there and walk out we will” such assuring voice. Uff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Still, if you guys start making….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“We will not make anything. Neither love nor war. Even if we fight, you would walk out all fine” she laughed out really loud. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Okay” it was the most reluctant okay any human would have had spoken. Ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">She rang the bell. He came out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Silence. The most eerie, awkward and noisy silence I had ever witnessed. Eyes were screaming at each other. Lips were tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">She walked past him inside the his flat. He looked at me. Ignored me. Kept the door open and walked in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Why are you back?” he asked. Angry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“To pick something I left behind” she replied. Angrier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Is there still something left?” he asked back. Fury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes” she looked back at her. Rage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Silence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">And then it started again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">One salvo after another. One allegation after another. Objective wasn’t to lighten oneself. It was purely to hurt each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“You know what? I am dead. In every possible way. And it is you who has done it” he shouted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“As if I am alive”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I was terrified. Totally. Completely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Suddenly she looked at me. “You can see what I have been through”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“I shall wait at the gate” I said and started walking away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“I will be there in 2 minutes” she said to me and went back to her war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I called up an Uber. I was in no mood to stay there. None whatsoever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I came down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Surprise!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">My cab was already there. Cabbie asked me to get in. I would have and sped away but something stopped me. Something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I didn’t want to leave her like that. She didn’t have her house keys. She was fighting a war of words which could get worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I asked the cabbie to wait. He obliged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">5. 10. 15 minutes passed by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I woke up the guard who was fast asleep and asked him to call up extension at flat # 1402.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“1402?” he gave me a perplexed look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes. Do it”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">He handed me a paper which had phone numbers of all the flats written on it and went back to sleep. <i>Damn these lucky bastards. They can sleep. Yes they can. </i>I was jealous of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I dialled. The call didn’t go through. I called her mobile. The phone was switched off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I got worried for the worse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Cabbie was calling me from behind to leave. I didn’t even bother to look at him. Only time I had looked at him was when I walked out of the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I rested my back on the cab’s side door. I was constantly looking at her building. That’s all I <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">could see. Tried dialling her number repeatedly. Didn’t help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Cabbie asked me, “I heard you asked the guard to dial at flat # 1402”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes, why?” I couldn’t take my eyes of her building.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“1402? Sure?” he reconfirmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes. Why”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Don’t you know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“What?” when would these cabbies stop blabbering, I wondered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“A couple stayed there in 1402 till last week”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“So”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“They got into a fight. Big fight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“And” I could hear the fear in his voice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“The girl killed her boyfriend”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“What? <i>Kuch bhi” </i>I didn’t believe. More the wait. More the restlessness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes. She killed her boyfriend and committed suicide. Both of them died last week around same time”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I was irritated by then. Too irritated. I threw my hands in the air, looked at her building as if I wanted to say the F letter word and asked the driver “And how the hell do you know this Sherlock”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“I was her boyfriend” came the chilliest voice I had ever heard. The cold of it. The shrill. As if it was death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Something was amiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I instantly turned back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">There was no cab. There was no cabbie. Just the dark and silent road. Not even a dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">My phone buzzed. It was a message from Uber. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11pt;">My cab was 14 minutes away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-1023565444225789172020-01-20T14:44:00.001+05:302020-01-20T14:44:28.839+05:30Dream stories – Flat # 1401<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Part 1</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Do you even know? I have been saving you from wolves for last one week” shouted Peter looking down at me from the peak of his frustration. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Peter was my boss. Quite a nice guy. Warm and friendly. Although my lethargic attitude had left him worried and frustrated.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">But I couldn’t care less. I was at such point in life when I couldn’t care at all.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Okay. Thanks. Do you want a bouquet?” I replied.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Shove it up man. Why do you have to piss off everyone? Why?”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Dude, it’s my job to do what I do. I ask questions. Tough questions. If they cannot answer, they can keep mum in place keep running to you. Screw them” I was really pissed off with everything. As I said, I couldn’t care less.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Who am I? I am a nobody. Look at the guy (or girl or whatever) to your left. You might see me. Look at your right, you might spot me. Look into the mirror. Who knows?</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I am just another you. </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">This is a story from my past. The troubled part of it. </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I rushed out of my office to burn my lungs. I sat on the stones at marine drive, the most gorgeous place in the city of Mumbai. I just looked at the setting sun, the lighting up queen’s neckless and the nicotine rings I smoked out. My job sucked. Personal life hadn’t had anyone to do what my job did. I wasn’t a human anymore because they live life. I wasn’t a machine either because machines are efficient at work. I really didn’t want to live. I didn’t want to die either. I was in a limbo and enjoyed being there. It was such a phase for me.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I had just given up.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">*Ting*</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Buzzed the dating app. Someone had shown interest in my profile. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">"Okay" I just shrugged. Let's see is what I thought. I wasn't totally thrilled. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">"Hi" came the message.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">"Hello" I replied. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">And there it started. I had no clue how my day was going to change so drastically.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Few hours later we were sitting in a pub. Gulping at the rate of gallons. Gossiping like geeks. Giggling like girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">We talked. And talked. And talked. I talked all about my life had entered a never ending phase of monotony and mundaneness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">She talked about how she had broken up with her childhood love because her ex had not only broken her heart but also hit her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">We shared the tears of our past. We were sharing the joy of our present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Ah, how times changed. After months of killing boredom, I just had few most enjoyable hours of my life. This is what I was thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">She was beautiful. She was gorgeous. The chubbiness of her cheeks. The twinkle in her eyes. The shine of her hair. The way she talked. The way she walked. She was the most perfect sight I had ever put my eyes on to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">And her lips. Oh the lips. The red juicy lips. Wish I could kiss them is what I was thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Why are you staring at me? I am not going to run away” she giggled and winked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“It would be an insult to your beauty if I didn’t” my flirtatious old self was coming back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Wow that’s bold. Are you that bold in everything you do?” she asked with the most mischievous looks on her face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“There is just one way to find out” I replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Our eyes got fixated on each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">And I knew. The moment has arrived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Every time you date someone, the moment arrives. The moment of crossing the bridge. You take a leap of faith and might end up on the other side. You wait a little longer than you should and you miss it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I was in no mood to miss it. No way. Not after the way my last few months had gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">It happened. We kissed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Ah the best I have ever had. Ah the first I have had in ages. Ah the time had turned. “Never give up. A miracle is always just around the corner” is what I used to tell my friend who were gutted by their lives. It was about time that my miracle had arrived. It had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Let’s go to my place” she whispered in my ears. Wasn’t it exactly what I was waiting to hear?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Okay” I couldn’t even pretend to be reluctant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Just one request” she pleaded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Anything” I was under her spell anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“It has been exactly one month since I broke up with him” she started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Damn. There comes her no this is wrong chastity belt </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">is the thought which made my heart sulk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“I just want to see him once. Just once. For few seconds” she pleaded again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Oh well. That was some dilemma. At one hand I was having a fantastic date which started with dinner and as a good date should end with, was going to end with breakfast. On the other hand I was staring at the possibility of becoming a kitchen towel. Isn’t that thrown away without even second thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Nope. You don’t need to think like that. Our date will go as per plan. I just want to see him once. Just once” she said as if someone had handed her the print out of what was going on in my mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Boss, does she possess supernatural powers. Is she an alien who can do it? </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Is what I was thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Oh well, you can expect the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Where does he live?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“He stays in a housing complex in Andheri. We can catch an Uber. Its midnight so traffic wouldn’t be that bad”. Considering we were in Mumbai, her last statement was quite bold. Traffic in Mumbai is bad. Almost always bad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">That night was the almost in last sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">There we were. At the ground floor. He stayed on 14<sup>th</sup> floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“I will stay here” I said pointing towards the reception desk at ground floor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“No its okay. You can come. My flat is on the same tower. He is in 1401. I am in 1301. You can stay in my flat. I shall be back in five minutes”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Are you sure?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Yes, yes. No problem. My house help is awake. I will ask her to cook something. You must be hungry”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Hungry I was. And thirsty. And curious. And nervous. And everything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Okay” I reluctantly agreed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Cool. Let me drop you at my flat first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Okay I said”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“Just a word of caution. Don’t believe what my house help says about my ex”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“And what she does say?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“That my ex is dead….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">Not sure I expected it. Not sure I understood it. Emotions of shock took some time to convert into my facial expression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">“…in his heart” she completed the sentence with a pause.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">I took a sigh of relief. The pause had made me read between the lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;">………..To be continued<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 11pt;"> PS: Based on a real dream.</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-17242237534111572822019-07-15T23:26:00.001+05:302019-07-15T23:26:48.851+05:30 The ifs, the buts and the life lesson cricket teaches!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJcgkkwUpJNnujdR9XkF9mGVkvvu9LJDZOJ7RH6YMqsZ3r3epyJ-P5XXW8wkuxjrHWz-OmiaYJZyw2XrztlKqDY4WUlkIK29nYujBw6sQvUohd2r5NKu0eLEC7E4ZVpxJJ4J8/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="1256" height="79" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJcgkkwUpJNnujdR9XkF9mGVkvvu9LJDZOJ7RH6YMqsZ3r3epyJ-P5XXW8wkuxjrHWz-OmiaYJZyw2XrztlKqDY4WUlkIK29nYujBw6sQvUohd2r5NKu0eLEC7E4ZVpxJJ4J8/s200/i.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Life. Life is a tale of ifs and buts. While choosing different ifs can result in multiple endings, it’s the but which always prevails in the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Oh yes. I am not good at articulation. Hence the examples of what I want to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If Nawab of Bengal and his French friends hadn’t forgotten to pack trampoline while going into the 3<sup>rd</sup>battle of Plassey, India’s history might have been different. But it was not to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If Hitler hadn’t opened the front with his supposedly ally Russia that too in winters, he might have won. But it was not to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t brought back to his real parents after he was exchanged with a fisherman’s son at the hospital, the world might not have witnessed one of the best batsmen. But his uncle didn’t let it happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If you had taken up that job, career might have been elsewhere. But it was not to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If you had told her everything, you might have ended up marrying her. But. Well, no comments here. Life might still have been the same (tongue in cheek).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">The world cup final of 2019 was a prime example of this ifs and buts theory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If Santaner hadn’t ducked under the last ball. If Guptill’s throw hadn’t ricocheted for a four. If umpire had checked the rules and how it all happened for the boundary. If this. It that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But then, for every if NZ may ponder over, there are many buts they benefitted from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If Carlos Braithwaite’s shot had little more power to carry it over for a six. If Mushfiqur Rahim had known that a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR74sXZ3YMQ" style="color: #954f72;">wicket keeper is better off behind the stumps and not in front</a>of the stumps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If all those 50-50 decisions in match against India hadn’t gone in favor of NZ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If this. If that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But they all didn’t happen, and NZ were in the finals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">NZ played exceptionally well but they couldn’t win the trophy. This, in the journey of their tournament this year, was the final but.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">While we can, and most of us have already been doing it, take out all our ifs now but it isn’t going to matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If the rule, in case even super over is tied, was to play another super over. And another. And another. Till one fetched the clear result. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If no overthrows were allowed in case of deflection because of batsman or stumps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If rule was to give precedence to number of wickets lost in place of number of boundaries hit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But none of this mattered. Because all these scenarios must have been analyzed before the end result and teams accepted them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Quite similar to life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Every decision you take is based on data points you have. One of them is X. X, as always in the case of mathematics, is not known. Not to you for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Yet you go ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Whatever be the outcome, you deal with it. Better you do. Else a life time isn’t enough to do an if and but scenario analysis. Multiple versions of these scenarios. Analyzing them. Over and over again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">I don’t follow many other sports other than cricket. In fact, I don’t follow any other sports, really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But for me, cricket is the best teacher when it comes to learning life lessons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">It has the most possible variables. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">There are 2 sets of lands involved – pitch and the ground. While the pitch is more important of the two, ground’s is no less a devil. As people chasing the ball in Lords along the slope or against the slope. Ask Colin de Grandhomme who chased it down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">There are three skills involved. Batting and bowling, the two more important skills, take turns but fielding is always in use. First two skills can be acquired to certain extent but scope of improvement in fielding is limitless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">You may get out on the first ball of the match and that might be your only involvement in the game for your skill. Marvan Atapattu got out on the second evening of a test match – not first ball of the match but first ball from someone starting his career. He sat in the dressing room for next 3 days seeing his team mates just piling on the agony of Indian bowlers. Jayasuriya 340. Mahanama 226. Arvinda 180. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">You may bowl and bowl and bowl. You may keep beating the batsmen. Yet, you may not get a single wicket. It may all come at the other end. Oh yes, because of pressure created by you. Remember “unlucky” Ishant? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">It may happen that a catch comes to you at the start of an innings and you drop it. That may be the only chance given by the opposition. Kiran More dropped Gooch when he was 36. He went on to score 333. 297 runs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">It’s a game of split seconds. Once a ball leaves bowler’s hand, it can reach you between anytime between 0.4 to 1 seconds. Yet it is a start and stop game. Sir Jadeja finishes off his over in as little as 90 seconds. Shoaib Akhtar could take ages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Sehwag could play those breathtaking cover drives without moving his feet. “Footwork? My foot” was headline in one of the newspapers next morning when he scored 195 in Melbourne. Dravid may do everything correct yet keep on failing. On another day, Sehwag may fail and criticized by everyone but him for his lack of footwork. Dravid may score beautiful hundred and critiques for Sehwag might be writing songs about Dravid’s century. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">See, so much of variety. Such contrast. Such contradiction. So much of, nothing succeeds like success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Quite like life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Ben Stokes was a villain in T20 world cup in 2016. He had 19 to defend in last over. 19. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">All, Carlos “remember the name” Brathwaite needed were 4 balls. Heartbreaking it must have been. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Ben Stokes was man of the match in the world cup final.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Stuart Broad was hit for 6 sixes in 2007. We all remember that. Come 2011 and Broad was India’s biggest tormentor. 174 runs at an average of 61 and 25 wickets in 4 tests. He did it on his own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Such a lesson. Never give you. You never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Oh yes, the game also teaches about the cruelty of life. Its unfairness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Nilesh Kulkarni toiled and toiled in domestic cricket. He finally got his chance to play for India. Kulkarni to Atapattu. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">First ball in test cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Atapattu caught behind. “I have arrived” is what he must have thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Oh, dear cricket and your cruelties. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Nilesh Kulkarni had to wait almost 4 years to get his next test wicket. That was his last wicket as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Same Atapattu had scored 6 ducks in his first 12 test innings. He went on to become one of the major batsmen for Sri Lanka and also led the side at one point in time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Remember Joginder Sharma. His last over to Misbah. Sreesanth’s catch. That started a T20 revolution worldwide. What happened to Joginder Sharma? I don’t know if he played another game. That’s because he didn’t fit in the big picture after that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Martin Guptill caught Steve Smith’s hook at leg gully. Read it again. Seems impossible even for EA sports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">He is NZ’s best fielder. His direct throw running Dhoni out sealed the final spot for NZ. His rocket throw was on his way to run Stokes. But then, the randomness came to fore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Ball got deflected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">For a four. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Nobody’s fault. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Maybe the umpire was at fault and signaled 6 runs. He should have, or so I have read, signaled only five. Guptill’s accuracy had cost extra runs to NZ. What if umpire had given only 5 and Rasheed had been on strike? Easier batsman. Boult would have got him out first ball. Right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">What if Rasheed had hit Boult out of the park? After all he has 10 first class 100s. As Ravi Shastri would say, “He is no mug with the bat”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Okay. 6 is far-fetched. French cuts aren’t. Ask Bairstow. What if Rasheed had picked a few tips from Bairstow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Yes. Cricket is cruel and unfair at times. Like life. Cricket is random. Uncertain, like life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Like in life, all “if” shall give you are multiple scenarios. All that matters, like in life, is the part after the word “but”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">If ever there was a teacher as good as life is, cricket shall top that list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">For all the ifs, but England has won the world cup. Sooner you make peace with this fact, better it would be. They worked hardest for this world cup and they won. Plain and simple. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">As Benjen Stark said, “Nothing someone says before the word “but” really counts”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">He was and will always be right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Do take a note that there is no but in above sentence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">PC: Copied from Cricinfo. </span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-10974730019351599362019-07-11T13:50:00.000+05:302019-07-11T13:53:26.007+05:30Moving on!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is second day of a one day international –
world cup semifinal. Yes, that’s a thing. Its cricket after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Almost everyone has written off New Zealand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, I have not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For two reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One, I have always been wary of New Zealand. They
are a strange team. Somehow, we always find it difficult to get past them in
ICC tournaments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Two, everyone almost believed that once Gayle got
out, <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8604/scorecard/951371/india-vs-west-indies-2nd-semi-final-world-t20-2015-16">T20
final was ours</a>. Rest is history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It begins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Now then, I look down for a moment and NZ
celebrate. Rohit, the kind of guy you hated in childhood because he never
really let your turn to bat arrive, gets out even before he could arrive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Note to self – never look down for the entire
length of the match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Kohli gets out LBW. He refers but it looks out
even without replays. Oh damn, out by millimeters. So many umpire’s call went
in NZ’s favor yesterday. First umpire’s call and here we are. Not our day. Surely.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Note to self – pray for no calls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rahul fishes. Rahul is gone. Oh damn. When I was
growing up, Rahuls were either Dravids or SRK. Rahuls these days are so…….
(fill in the blanks). Damn it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Note to self – pray. Just pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As I am praying, I get a call. It’s a call from my
home ministry. I have been summoned to pick her up from her school. Yes, I had
said no-calls. But when it comes to nature’s call, wife’s call and duty’s call,
one has to respond. Normally the middle one takes precedence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Moment I reach home, my 11-year-old duly informs
me “Papa, 4. What a catch by Neesham”. Yes, he spoke in English. Proud moment
for a father who still sees interacting in English as his biggest challenge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Dhoni’s utility shall come to fore on the day we
are 10/2”. This is what I and a close friend of mine used to discuss in order
to find justification for his place in the side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But where is Dhoni? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pant and Pandya are trying to rebuild. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">11-year-old shadow practices and tells me how he
would have played it straight unlike Kohli who was trying to play an in swinger
with a cross bat. He then shadows practices the same shot on his own. I nod
smilingly. How time flies. Seems like yesterday when I was <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8039/scorecard/65129/australia-vs-india-12th-match-benson-&-hedges-world-cup-1991-92">shadow
practicing Kiran More’s paddle sweep</a> and wondering how I would have hit
that for another four. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He asks me, “Papa, how is India playing” and
immediately says,” No, no. I will not. Else they will get out”. I smile. Oh the
superstitions. They catch you young and grow on you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My 8-year-old asks why is Boult always smiling.
Then he shows me the difference between Boult’s and Bumrah’s actions. Seems
like yesterday? No way. I could never roll my arm over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pant caves in to his penchant for hitting it out
of the park on leg side. He falls short. By yards. He has a grin on his face
which has disappointment written all over it. Kohli is fuming in the balcony.
He runs to the coach. “Ben Stokes. Ben Stokes” is what Kohli seems to be
shouting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Oh well, poor lad is going to get a bashing from
the boss. I sympathize with Pant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Finally, here is Dhoni. As expected, required rate
shoots up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dot. Dot. Dot. Single. Single only if it’s the
last ball of the over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then repeat the sequence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is irritating. So very irritating. I think of
switching off the TV but then, remember my first note to self - never look down
for the entire length of the match? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Pandya holds out. Santanar is bowling grenades. Or
that is what it seems like. Rohit in the balcony is almost in tears. He almost
broke Sachin’s record. We almost won this tournament. I hate the word – almost.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sir Jadeja arrives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He has looked most fluent batsmen including both
the teams and both the days – I announce while Sir Jadeja has played only three
balls. Fluent he has been. No bits. No pieces. A whole. A complete batsman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Oh the sequence is repeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">11-year-old asks me, “Papa, how is India playing”
and immediately says,” No, no. I will not. Else they will get out”. I smile. Oh
the superstitions. They catch you young and grow with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My 8-year-old tries to imitate Neesham’s action. Sibling
rivalry you see. If elder one has said some which gets my nod, younger one has
to win my appreciation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Kids. I smile. They are in an age where Papa knows
everything. Soon time will fly and I shall be just an old man who knows
nothing. This is how circle of life works. Bloody life. So merciless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sir Jadeja is showing no mercy on the bowlers. He
is batting like a charm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dhoni, on the other end, is being Dhoni. Not the
Dhoni of the old but Dhoni, the old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dot. Dot. Single of the last ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sir Jadeja keeps the required rate under control.
Dhoni ensures his partner is working hard to keep it under control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sir completes his half century. The sword swing
celebrations are out. Then he asks for Sanjay Manjrekar or so it seems. Where is
he? He is enjoying his lunch <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1148987955748495362">as we are informed
later</a>. Watch the video and listen to what Manjrekar has to say. Even while
praising Sir Jadeja, Pandya’s name slips out of his mouth. Slip of tongue? If ever
Sanjay Manjrekar asks why he is disliked so much, this slip of tongue has all
the answers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Suddenly there are 2 more kids to give me company
– neighbor’s 10-year-old son and their younger daughter. She is adorable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I tell the 10-year-old sitting next to me, “If we
don’t get a boundary in this over, I will slap you”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He wonders, “Why me?”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I respond, “My wish”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He asks back, “Why just me?”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Okay. I will hit everyone” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The daughter says in a teasing manner, “Noooo, I
will run away”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Nope. Sit there. Just sit there. Nobody is
changing their place” I shout. Superstitions you see. They catch you young and
grow on you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sir Jadeja hits a six. We hi-five. More
boundaries. More hi-fives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s getting closer. Sir Jadeja is batting as if
he is playing on Jamnagar’s benign pitches. Dhoni is still pedestrian. He wants
to take it deep. Really deep. “Taking deep means scoring 36 in last over?” I wonder.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Commentators are going all gaga about Dhoni. A
friend messages, “Wonder why they are all praises for Dhoni who hasn’t played a
single convincing shot”. I totally agree. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dhoni hits a four. Should I disagree, I wonder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Are the paid experts seeing something I have not
been able to see in last four years? When was the last time Dhoni won a match
in a Dhoni fashion? <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8663/scorecard/597929/india-vs-sri-lanka-final-west-indies-tri-nation-series-2013">2013</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dhoni blocks again. I shed away any thoughts of
disagreement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sehwag never changed the way he played. Hence he
was dropped once his ways stopped succeeding. Dhoni has also not changed the
way he plays. See what he has become” is what I am thinking. You know who kept
changing the way he played? Sachin. But then, lets limit the comparisons to
humans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As they said in the movie Dark Knight – if you
don’t die as a hero, you live long enough to become a villain. Oh well, my last
cricketing hero becoming a villain – who would have thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Once the most ridiculed cricketer in the country,
the bits and pieces player is taking India to an impossible looking victory.
Who would have thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Suddenly, in a moment of madness and I don’t know
why, the daughter shifts her place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is when it all goes down the drain. Sir
Jadeja is caught. Kane Williamson. Bloody hell. Do you ever drop catches? Even
Guptill does but do you, Kane?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">By now there are 5 boys and yours truly in the
room. We all shout at her, “Why did you move?” She just giggles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Superstitions. Are they for real? Really? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Another of Sir Jadeja’s scintillating knock seems
to be falling short of victory. I remember a few. <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/11691/scorecard/667729/england-vs-india-5th-odi-india-tour-of-england-2014">The
teacher’s day in England.</a> A day <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/11825/scorecard/667645/new-zealand-vs-india-3rd-odi-india-tour-of-new-zealand-2013-14">before
India’s republic day in New Zealand</a>. Today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Maybe he is the Robin who always needs his Batman
to lead the charge. The batman, batting at the other end, has lost his mojo. It
is public knowledge that he had lost it long back but people who matter refused
to accept. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Knowledge is good. Wisdom is best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But what do I know. I am just a fan boy turned
hater. Hate is a strong word but I don’t know any other appropriate word to
use. Poor English, you see. Please assume hate is used in a much lighter
context due to lack of words I know. Lacks or boundaries are hurting us in
Birmingham. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Now it is just a matter of time. Batman falls to
his strongest suit – running. His first international dismissal was also a run
out. Back then, the opposition needed a keeper to run him out. This time, the
keeper wasn’t required? Oh well, is there a message in there? Keeper not being
required? Is it the last of him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I start getting messages from everywhere. Yes, you
got it. I am the cricket expert in my friend circle. Everyone is fuming.
Everyone is sulking. Everyone is pissed off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Somehow, I am unperturbed. I just shrug it off and
got for a stroll. No emotions. None at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Okay. Little bit of emotions. Just a tiny bit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That’s quite a strange thing for someone who used
to get so emotionally involved that he has done some crazy things. I have
always been weak-hearted when watching close matches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Remember that match which made Kanitkar a
household name? I didn’t watch India’s chase as I wasn’t sure if I could take
the tension. I just kept roaming around on my bicycle my college’s campus – the
campus was huge. Every time I heard people shouting, it made me happy. Every people
shouted, I wanted them to shout again and again. Finally, I gave up and decided
to watch the match in one of the hostels. Lo and behold – here I was watching
the final over of match in the most NOTORIOUS hostels in the entire campus –
Biral Hostel. People with BHU connections would know why the word notorious is
in caps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I, along with 4 of my flat mates, were watching
NatWest trophy final at a colleague’s place – we didn’t have a TV at our place.
The moment 5<sup>th</sup> wicket fell, I left for my own place to – yes, study.
As if I was going to study. There was a Pan shop visible from window of my flat
and this shop had a TV. Only part of the TV was visible but I would look at it
every 5 minutes. I watched the final over in that shop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There have been many such instances but cannot put
them all in public domain. Oh yes, embarrassment is the word I am looking for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am a weak-hearted fan. For such a fan, to feel
little or no emotions after the loss in world cup semifinal is strange. Maybe
it was because IPL being played before the world cup has been an overkill. Maybe
it is too much cricket. Maybe this. Maybe that. So many reasons. Cannot put
them all here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Or it was, dare I say, maybe the Batman. Also. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 338.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dhoni is the last cricketer who became my idol
when I still had hope for a better world, middle age crisis was far away,
exuberance of youth was at its peak and I still used to daydream that -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what if I am bitten by the bug called cricket
which turns me to a world class cricketer. Yes, Spiderman type.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have defended him in many arguments with extreme
ferocity. I have been a fan boy bordering being a fanatic. It may sound crazy
but I and a close friend of mine stopped talking to each other because of an
argument over Dhoni. Embarrassing, I know. Childlike, agreed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">His powers have left him slowly over the years. He
pretty much looks like a shadow of a glorious past. Maybe that’s what happens
if you idolize a cricketer who has been <a href="https://www.mykhel.com/cricket/ms-dhoni-not-wired-as-an-emotional-type-paddy-upton-in-new-book-116431.html">publicly
declared as unemotional</a>. Or maybe that happens when you become old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For me it is Dhoni. For some it must have been
Gavaskar. Sachin. For some, it shall be Virat. Pant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There is always a link which keeps your emotions
attached to your interests. Nothing lasts forever. Absolutely nothing. Not even
this link. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Surely it is time to move on for him and let the
young blood take over the reins. Surely it is time for me to move on too,
follow cricket dispassionately and pass on the passion to my 8-year-old and
10-year-old. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Whatever is the case, surely it is time to move. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-38382936358068344202019-06-25T10:39:00.002+05:302019-06-25T10:39:56.716+05:30Hoping the movie hasn’t ended yet!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1od5sjbiD26D0cpmNrEJ4XuQYiO1-S2E9KrbSZwNvO2sdjq771gSs1SYyUDT7bFCdpD1Ll9633TEHcB2qA3tfddwKblj1OXB9JnfCu4cygCoX2erde8EzZNO5kkcGN2B6AgW1/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1od5sjbiD26D0cpmNrEJ4XuQYiO1-S2E9KrbSZwNvO2sdjq771gSs1SYyUDT7bFCdpD1Ll9633TEHcB2qA3tfddwKblj1OXB9JnfCu4cygCoX2erde8EzZNO5kkcGN2B6AgW1/s320/Unknown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">“<a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/shah-rukh-khan-on-not-signing-films-i-want-to-spend-more-time-with-my-family-1554006-2019-06-22" style="color: #954f72;">I want to spend more time with my family</a>” said the mighty SRK. Oh yes, we believe him. Like all those years women believed when he enlightened them about the four-letter word and we men believed when he convinced us that to be our love interest, she has to be our friend first. Such a deviation from our, people of my generation, childhood when we were duly informed by Mohnish Behl that a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwYt4KFaXlY" style="color: #954f72;">guy and a girl can never be friends</a>. Such a conceptual change. From the class of lust, he pulled us to the class of romanticism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Try showing SRK in bad light to women of my generation and I shall wish you all the luck I can. Men of my generation hated SRK for the reasons I have mentioned <a href="http://vibhash.blogspot.com/2018/02/an-open-letter-to-srk.html" style="color: #954f72;">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">But over the years, especially in last few, SRK’s magic seems to have faded away. Or so it seems. While he continued to be teaching the same subject in same class, somewhere over the years entire syllabus has changed. While SRK still kept trying to VLOOKUP and HLOOKP and pivoting tables, the world moved on to Rs and Pythons and whatever buzzword these machine learning folks are using these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">I think it all started with Om Shanti Om (OSO). Not everything wrong about the movie. It was typical SRK movie – romance, drama, dance, colors, dialogues which only SRK can deliver. The movie was all about SRK. Or maybe this was the problem. Till this point, every SRK cult movie had a theme – <i>Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaynege (DDLJ)</i>was romance being sold to Indian audience which was about to venture out of India. Beauty of Switzerland was sold to a generation which was just sniffing opportunities outside the country. <i>Dil to Pagal Hai (DTPH)</i>planted the genesis of question on which next decade of movies survived – <i>Ye pyar hai ya dosti </i>(is it love or friendship). <i>Kuch Kuch Hota</i><i>Hai</i>(K2H2) turned the question of love or friendship from a small plant to a gigantic tree. <i>Mohabbatein</i>had <i>Amitabh Bacchan</i>, the superstar of yesteryears. <i>Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam</i><i>(K3G)</i>had SRK, Amithabh and Hritik. The superstar of yesteryears, the superstar and a perceived superstar of coming years. Oh yes, it also had family melodrama – a product which was sold heavily on small screen in those times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">OSO had SRK pitted against SRK. It happened in Duplicate but SRK had yet not become SRK. It happened in <i>Paheli </i>but do you even remember <i>Paheli</i>? Probably only positive exception was <i>Don-2</i>, but it was a reinvention of the wheel which had already conquered the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">By the time OSO was released, the Shahid’s and the Jon Abraham’s had made their entries. Hritik was always presented to us as a demigod. Salman Khan was anyway master of this trend. Like excellent fitness has become a must to make an entry in Indian cricket team, a 6-pack body had started to take the same place in Bollywood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">And this is where SRK did something he had never done. The trendsetter in so many ways, tried to follow a trend which was totally unrelatable. He got his own 8 packs. Or they were 10. I don’t know. The ageing superstar turned back the clock and came up with a look which was in line with current generation. Or so it seemed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">To me, this was the turning point in the legendary tale called SRK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">An entire generation had grown up admiring him. Lot of men tried to bring an SRK in their definition of romance. More they tried, more they failed. That’s because, courtesy SRK, expectation of women of their generation kept rising. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">We had all become accustomed to his ageing. From a rich brat in DDLJ to a teacher who had vengeance filled with love in <i>Mohabbatein</i>to a discarded younger son in <i>K3G</i>to and elder brother in <i>Main Hoon Na</i>to an NRI coming back to make the change in <i>Swdesh</i>to struggling husband in <i>Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna</i>to an inspired & fiery coach in Chak De to a <i>Don-2</i>to….well OSO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">In OSO, he tried to change the clock. As Dumbledore said, “Mysterious thing, Time. Powerful, and when meddled with, dangerous.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">That’s where it all started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">The carefree lover with unkept hair, a man with a normal physique, not really caring about his image (he would openly accept being a chain smoker) had changed. He had tried to turn into the demigods that newcomers of the decade were. Imagine God trying to become a demigod. The recipe for failure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Soon, there was another SRK vs SRK story in <i>Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi</i>. A boring husband at home, a wannabe dude fighting hard to learn dance outside. Remember the skin hugging tee shirts and manhood suffocating pants he wore? When did you see that last? In <i>Duplicate</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Maybe SRK tried coming back to track in <i>My Name is Khan</i>. A better story. Focus on hamming and acting. Kajol. More importantly, no more tight tees, no more see-my-abs, no more blond streak in hair. Just the SRK who resembled the generation he belonged to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">SRK’s public appearances were commoditized especially after IPL because that’s where he regularly appeared looking like human – ageing SRK, wrinkling SRK, angry SRK, worried SRK, ecstatic SRK, rooting for KKR SRK. All in all, a human SRK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Not the one who would bend back, spread arms, sing <i>mitwaa </i>and make the world fall on its feet. Not the one who would gift a flower to a quarrelling group and things would get resolved, just like that. Not the SRK who would snatch his girl from someone else by just singing songs and persuading her by the power of his romance. Just SRK things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">We saw a human SRK who would grimace when team was losing, who would jump & dance when his team won. We even saw an abusive SRK which got him banned from Wankhede. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">His larger than life image was fast getting humanized. Yet, he refused to align it with his on-screen image. Events outside the screen were diluting his on-screen image.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Maybe he did realize it. The result but not the cause. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">He tried to strengthen the brand SRK on screen. Harder he tried, more he failed. While his movies might have done well in numbers (well, they work differently – sponsorships, rights, overseas revenue and all), they were getting worse by day. Yet SRK didn’t leave his lover boy image. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;"> SRK refused to age. On screen, off course. Off screen he looked to be ageing faster than usual. Especially after OSO fiasco. He wasn’t like Aamir who would give appearance only when his movies were going to be released and that too in looks, he wanted us to see – they would be the looks in his movies. He wasn’t like Salman who had a different audience – all they wanted was to see Salman. Stupider the better. Akshay Kumar cleverly aligned himself with an ideology and started appearing in grey hair. He shed away his <i>Khiladi </i>image. Oh yes, he worked some good movies also – movies which had a message, movies which were fast paced, movies which weren’t all about him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While in his attempt to keep his looks coherent with time, SRK probably lost touch with his major fan base – the generation which had grown up in its youth with him. They stopped resembling with him. For the current generation, he wasn’t a youth icon anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Meanwhile as this decade started, new crop had come in. The generation which came after SRK’s major fanbase had their own heroes to follow. Formula of romance which made SRK such a success had changed. <i>Oh, you don’t follow the girl half way across the world just to charm her over. You just sleep and move on – either with her or without her. </i>This was the mantra as the decade progressed. With the advent of Netflix and the ilk, there was no dearth of quality content as well. Even the art of movie making was changing. They were becoming more about the script and less about stars. Some of the best movies of this decade are prime example – <i>Andhadhun, Stree, Padman, Newton </i>are some of the recent examples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">SRK didn’t change. Ironically, unlike OSO, he needed to change now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">He continued to do movies like <i>Fan </i>where he played the star he is and his fanatic fan. Talk about narcissism. Talk about insecurity of letting anyone else move inside his brand. Talk about bullshit movies. <i> </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">He did <i>Zero</i>. Again, all about SRK. Maybe there was a script. I don’t remember. He missed the point that when his career skyrocketed in mid 90s, Indian audience was hungry for digitally colored foreign locations. That was an aspiration. Over these years, that aspiration has been met. Now they want to see things which are closer to reality. Gone are the days of sets which don’t seem real, locations which look alien, colors which seem too good to be true. Now audience wants stories in the set up they can see around them. To top it all, SRK continued to make it all about him, the SRK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">His only movie in this decade that I have liked is <i>Dear Zindagi</i>. SRK was brilliant in it. Reason being, he didn’t play SRK. He played the character. Movie wasn’t all about him. Movie was all about the issue at hand – mental health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Rajesh Khanna was a superstar. So much so that men from generation senior to me were envious of him because women from generation senior to me always had his photographs tucked in somewhere. Women wrote letters to him in their blood. Amitabh Bacchan took over. Rajesh Khanna’s stardom was gone. In a flash. There is a popular story that the day Rajesh Khanna didn’t find a single letter in his letter box, he knew his time was up. It came pretty fast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Amitabh Bacchan’s career was almost over. KBC saved him. It helped in commoditizing his brand. It humanized a larger than life figure. After that, he could do roles which were relatable to his age. And he did some wonderful roles after that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">However.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">It doesn’t matter if SRK makes a comeback or not. Doesn’t matter if he comes back like Amitabh Bacchan or ends up like Rajesh Khanna. He will always be an idol for all self-made men and women. His wit will always outwit the most. He shall always be a legend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Yet, for the sake of SRK fans including myself, I just hope, “<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oIGqzx5hZ4" style="color: #954f72;">Picture abhi baaki hai dost</a>”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Image credit - Images Dawn.</span></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-11877895387051494382019-06-21T16:49:00.001+05:302019-06-21T17:29:36.065+05:30Importance of lying!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">“You have made a big mistake” is what Graeme Smith alleged to have told chairman of selectors in South Africa or some bigshot of the board. Year was 2003 and SA hadn’t picked him for the upcoming world cup.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">What happened with SA in 2003 world cup is history and why they got knocked out is still a mystery. I mean, how can you lose a match just because you didn’t know the fact that in order to win a cricket match, you need to score more than opposition. Even if you outscore them by one run, you would win. Unbelievable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">SA appointed Smith as their next captain. A 22-year-old newbie leading a side which was just rattled by loss in world cup due to a reason which was bizarre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Under Smith, SA won 92 of their 150 matches. That’s winning little over 60% of the matches. Yet they didn’t win the world cup in 2007. Or in 2011. Still, few would argue against Smith being one of the best, if not the best to have ever led South Africa. His leadership was beyond questioning. Results in world cups weren’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Ever since 1992, you can always point out to one reason which has resulted in SA’s campaign ending before they were expected to. 1992 was cruel rain rule. 1992 was B C Lara. 1999 was Gibbs. 2003 was lack of mathematical abilities. 2007 was Shaun Tait. 2011 was slow pitch. 2015 was Matt Elliot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Every time they choked when it mattered most. <i>Oh well, that rhymed. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Hence it is different to see this South Africa. It’s a change not so welcome though. They have decided to not go up to the knockout stage and get their hearts broken on suddenly. It’s like your love interest making you believe for many years that you are the ONE suddenly telling you one day – “Oh, I love someone else. Let’s just be friend”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This time they are different. They have decided not to have any interest in the love interest and be in the friendzone from the beginning. They might well be, if not already, get knocked out much before the knock outs begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Yet, if someone asks me to point out one biggest reason for this year’s shambolic performance, I would point to the captain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This world cup is a lesson in leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">KW is like the final frontier for all the opposing team. If they somehow manage to get past NZ’s nippy bowling, irritatingly good fielding and their talented batsmen, they end up getting stuck at KW. The man leads from the front, lets other take the center stage and takes the team cross the final hurdle once all across him has fallen. In ways, he lets his army loose on opposition and when it fails, conquers the opposition on his own. Maybe he leads from behind. Or whatever. He does lead quite like MSD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Kohli is the best example that while leadership is about one man taking the charge, he should still be taking the charge with others. He believes in letting the best men do their jobs. A culture carried forward from his predecessor. Bowlers often set their own fields. Batsmen know their roles clearly. And then it comes to crunch, he lets MSD take the charge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Mashrafe Martaza is an example of pushing the boundaries. With his almost always injured body, he puts all he has in his bowling. Oh, the grunt when he bowls those 120 odd kph balls. He puts so much efforts in his shots that sometimes he seems to be aiming for mars. He is, to large extent, in the league of Darren Sammy where he lets other past captains in the team go around their jobs. He has taken the workload to lead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Finch is like most Australian captains we have seen – blessed with a good team so the captain doesn’t have to do much. Probably his biggest challenge is to justify Khwaja’s existence, if not on this planet but surely inside the playing XI. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While it is important to know what one must do in life to succeed, it is equally important to know what one mustn’t do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Sarfaraz does that beautifully. In his age, I often found it difficult to sleep before important matches, leave aside sleeping during the matches. And I was just a viewer glued to TV set. Being the wicket keeper Sarfaraz has to be attentive on every ball. Being the captain, he has to be concentrating even between the deliveries. Yet he managed to yawn. That’s some talent. Talk about leading by examples – of what not to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Faf du Plessis, in this world cup, has come from Sarfaraz’s brand of leadership. His team looks like eleven people turning up on the morning of every match and somehow managing to play. He has complained about how IPL has resulted in Steyn’s injury. He cribbed about losing Ngidi in initial matches. He has let us all know how dark it is inside the dressing room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">You don’t do that. Simple. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Every time India loses, like the series loss in England, all Virat talks about how opposition played well, and they deserved it. No complains about alien conditions or lack of practice or pitches or weather or injured players or Ranveer Singh’s dressing style. Nothing. No excuses. All he or any of his teammates give are same old boring answers about process. I think KW isn’t very different. These are the two best captains in this tournament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Sometimes as a leader, you need to put up a brave face and lie about your fallacies and fallibility and whichever word you can fit here. Sometimes you need to keep pretending things are fine although they may not be. Every time you need to make your team believe that they can win because every factor which can make it possible is in their hands. You may still lose. But if you don’t do it, you would surely lose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">You can’t go on complaining about the factors which aren’t in your hands. Like Steyn’s injury. Like AB’s early retirement. Like, well again, Ranveer Singh’s dressing style. You just need to keep denying these factors matter. Completely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">You need to keep lying to the world that you believe you can win. Lie it so convincingly that even you are led to believe that. And then you win. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">That’s where South Africa have lost it this time. Their captain’s inability to lie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-85095397276063125142019-06-18T22:45:00.001+05:302019-06-18T22:45:51.173+05:30The maturing tigers???<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Shakib scored his second century of the tournament. Second consecutive century of the world cup. Do you know the list he joins? The elegant Mark Waugh. The ever-dependable Rahul Dravid. The destructive Ricky Ponting. The bully Matthew Hayden. The 360-degree AB. The stylish Sangakkara. The Bangladeshi Mahmudullah. Brandon Taylor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">To be honest, I was so surprised to see the last two names in this list that I couldn’t find a proper adjective for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">How would you describe Shakib? Where does he fit in this list? He isn’t elegant. Surely not 1/10<sup>th</sup>of Mark Waugh. His team has often complained about his inconsistencies. Nobody other than AB could be a 360 degree player. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Probably only word before a name in this list I can relate to Shakib is Mahmudullah. They both are Bangladeshi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">How did Shakib celebrate? He didn’t. Didn’t even take his helmet off. Carried on bashing the West Indian bowlers. He had figured the secret to win against West Indies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">If you can somehow make West Indies realize that match might last full quota of 100 overs, they would self-combust. Because the moment match starts getting further away from 40 overs, they start walking towards the path of diminishing returns. You know what I mean. A runner adept at 100 meter sprint is unlikely to do well in a half marathon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Shakib had figured this out. He put the match out of comfort zone for West Indians. While Shakib remained unbeaten, his team became the first team in this world cup to chase down 300+ score.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">How did his team celebrate? I don’t remember <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHfnWRYr_8M" style="color: #954f72;">Nagin Dance</a>. </i>I don’t remember seeing them go berserk. Celebrate they did but there was nothing going overboard. Hell, I don’t even remember Shakib pointing to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjH7tz9uPPiAhXRSH0KHbwzAVcQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcricket247withsashank.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F02%2Fshakib-suspended-for-three-odis.html&psig=AOvVaw0_PP6S7LqQj48QrXWUALDV&ust=1560961523208363" style="color: #954f72;">his manhood</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While their victory against West Indies has kept them alive in the tournament, they showed everyone that they have finally started moving on a path which transitions the teams up the value chain. The path of maturity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">*********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">How you celebrate your success tells a lot not only about how badly you wanted it, but also how much you were expecting it. Ah, the famous <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/when-ms-dhoni-asked-his-men-not-to-publicly-celebrate-odi-win-vs-australia-1292950-2018-07-22" style="color: #954f72;">MSD story would be</a>case in point here when he asked his team mates not to celebrate their victory against Australia in CB series 2008. He wanted to send a message that winning against Australia was no longer a big deal for his team. He wanted to tell Australian that Indians were expecting to win the match. The message was sent once the match ended. CB series was won later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Bangladesh have come a long way. From the days when winning a single match against stronger teams would result in celebration across the nation. From the days when their own team celebrated every personal achievement as if purpose of their lives had been served. From the days when their own cricketers would put <a href="https://www.dailyo.in/sports/mushfiqur-rahim-world-t20-india-vs-west-indies-team-india-asia-cup-ms-dhoni/story/1/9833.html" style="color: #954f72;">questionable messages on social media</a>only to retract it later. From the day of 23<sup>rd</sup>March 2016 – when they celebrated needing 2 of 3 balls only to lose all three wickets in those 3 balls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Getting to international cricket has never been a gift to any team although allegations have been made against this theory in case of Bangladesh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Once teams make it to international cricket, only way for them is up. Normally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Running a stronger team close becomes an achievement. Ask Afghanistan. They wouldn’t forget their tied match against India. Zimbabwean Dave Houghton’s <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8039/scorecard/65094/new-zealand-vs-zimbabwe-4th-match-reliance-world-cup-1987-88" style="color: #954f72;">142 is still remembered</a>as a classic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Winning against a stronger team is celebrated for years. Oh dear 2007 world cup. Why don’t you go to hell? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">India and Bangladesh. Pakistan and Ireland. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This is where team might get stuck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While earlier achievements are applauded more than they would normally be, but they should be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">A child just beginning to walk needs applaud at every step. Doesn’t he? But then, you can’t forever be clapping for the child for every step he takes. For him to start running, you need to stop applauding his prior achievement of learning to walk. You need to encourage him for running. For him to be good at cycling, you need to stop applauding every time he runs. Clap when he starts to paddle without support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This is where teams get stuck when appreciation carves way for complacency. For teams in transition, they often make the mistake of being happy with running top teams close or winning against them infrequently. For them, winning is just a timely lifter and not a habit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Quite often, the last mile is most difficult. To make winning a habit is tough. It needs an overhaul change. But it begins with believing that one can win every time and it’s no longer just a rarity. Teams take ages to achieve this stage. But when they do, they become a power to reckon with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">*********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Shakib, after completing his century, sent a message that he wasn’t done yet. Bangladesh, after winning last night, sent a message that they weren’t just aiming for win against teams which were perceived as HOT. They have eyes on bigger targets. If they manage to win 3 out of their 4 matches – winning against Afghanistan and Pakistan is surely not impossible, they might well make it to semis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">After that, who knows?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">PS1: In case you want to point me towards Imran Tahir’s direction, my celebration & success theory does apply to him also. He is surely very good. But for a 40-year-old cricket, any wicket could be his last. Every time he bowls, he doesn’t know if he shall ever get another international wicket or not. Hence….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">PS2: Bangladesh wouldn’t win the world cup. Teams are too professional and ruthless to let 1983 happen again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">PS3: I can be wrong about maturity bit. West Indies did give up quite easy.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">PS4: There is no PS4. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Image Courtesy : India Today</span></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-38670490872259241262019-06-17T15:25:00.002+05:302019-06-17T15:25:55.472+05:30 It’s not fun anymore!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaUHOR2Dw4McmftRzwyeg2hcgb910ZJG8408gI3ghluSECV5AFJXozfdy8jHqFENbzBtAags6JluWoa0gYTgmYd0dofQzHl3hTSTZuncSZTw6cA0NozoElTOaO6NTl4XYw_Fr/s1600/837287-16ph-2019-06-16t183755z1546256778rc1867b37200rtrmadp3cricket-worldcup-ind-pak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaUHOR2Dw4McmftRzwyeg2hcgb910ZJG8408gI3ghluSECV5AFJXozfdy8jHqFENbzBtAags6JluWoa0gYTgmYd0dofQzHl3hTSTZuncSZTw6cA0NozoElTOaO6NTl4XYw_Fr/s200/837287-16ph-2019-06-16t183755z1546256778rc1867b37200rtrmadp3cricket-worldcup-ind-pak.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">I distinctly remember that afternoon. I had paddled really fast to cover 11+ kilometer journey from school to my house. As soon as I entered, I threw away the bicycle, prayed to god that there wasn’t a power cut, switched on the TV to watch the match. One more thing I remember that it was a Friday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Formalities were going on in Sharjah. While chasing 230 odd against Pakistan, India were 140 odd for 5. Batsmen weren’t even making an effort. A single here. A single there. Wickets whenever a bowler wanted. Batsmen getting out didn’t have an ounce of regret on their faces. I remember one of them was even laughing as he got out. No, it wasn’t anything fishy. It was just that they had resigned to their fate. Winning wasn’t even remotest of possibilities in their minds. Winning against Pakistan? In Sharjah? On a Friday? Forget it. While organizers preferred to keep India-Pak match in Sharjah on Friday as it’s an off there on Fridays, we always looked at it from religious angle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This was typical India Pakistan match in those days. They came. They thrashed us. They left. We didn’t even matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">If you are a cricket fan who hadn’t yet hit double digit in terms of your real age by the time Sachin upper cut Shohaib in Centurion, and you boast about India Pakistan rivalry and how it gives you goosebumps and all that, you are nothing but those rich SOBO kids who post selfies when they travel Mumbai local with comments like - <i>Yay!!! Me in Mumbai Local #MumbaiSpirit #MumbaiLifeline #LifeGoal #MeInLocal. </i>While travling in Mumbai local might be a bucket list tick mark for you, there are real people actually sustaining the ordeal of Mumbai locals all their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">You have no idea about what it meant to play against Pakistan, let alone winning. I often felt if we were nothing but confidence boosters for Pakistan. “What? You aren’t in form? Let me call up the Sheikh. They shall arrange few matches with India in Sharjah”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">It all started on that fateful evening of 18<sup>th</sup>April 1986 when you-know-what happened. Spare a thought for Chetan Sharma. He was called up from county cricket to play in the ongoing test series in England. He helped winning the series. He was the first ever to take a hat trick in world cups. He was probably the first to be sent as a pinch hitter and come back as a centurion. Yet, all everyone talked about for ages was THAT six.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">It all ended in Centurion. It <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8039/scorecard/65268/india-vs-pakistan-36th-match-icc-world-cup-2002-03" style="color: #954f72;">was this match</a>where even after Sachin getting out while we were considerable distance away from target, we won comprehensively. Maybe gen-next was ready to put the ghost of Sharjah to rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Since then, things have moved in different directions for both the teams. While new generation of Indian cricketers were quite devoid of baggage of past, Pakistan were in a way still stuck in their glorious past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Numbers speak the story themselves. Between 1990 and 1999, India had won 17 and lost 26 games to Pakistan. In Sharjah, India had won 3 and lost 10. Between 2000 to 2009, India won 18 and lost 22. India stopped playing in Sharjah in 2000 itself. In this decade, we have won 10 and lost 5. That’s it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Imran Khan won the world cup in 1992. For next few years, Pakistan were a side full of one of the best bowlers in their history. Come 2000s and they started becoming a shadow of what they used to be. New crop was talented but not disciplined. They got disoriented. Need I say there was no Imran Khan to lead them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">On the other hand, India kept getting better players. They learned the new word called process. It was put in place. The vision of sticking to the process strengthened their mission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This is where lesson in leadership lies. While Pakistan carried on after the win of 1992, they just relied on the flow of talent they were getting through their structure. While I didn’t follow their domestic cricket, I did follow international cricket. Fielding levels kept falling. One can find plethora of videos named funny Pakistani fielding. Fitness levels kept dropping. It wasn’t just their fast bowlers who were getting frequently injured. Just have a look at the waistline of current players. The continued to remain in era of Arjun Ranatungas and Arvinda De Seilvas and Injis and the likes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Imran khan was a personality cult. Even today some of the Pakistani greats talk about what he would have done in current situation. Wasim Akram, when he saw one of the Pakistani players laughing during Pakistan’s innings, said, “If Imran Khan was there, that cricketer would never have played again for Pakistan”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Every leader leaves a legacy. For some, it’s the product of a process. For some, it’s the process to make the product. Some leave people who followed them. Some leave a path to their followers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Imran Khan also left a legacy. He belonged to the former category. His legacy were his pupils i.e. the products of the process. The great Wasim Akram. The great Waqar Younis. The great Injemam ul haq. They carried on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Even the pupils were personality cults, albeit nowhere close to Imran but personality cults, nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Problem with personality cults is that they have a shorter lifespan. People move out of their shadows and that’s when the problem begins. You have been following a path as directed by someone. Soon that someone isn’t with you anymore. You wouldn’t know how to proceed, where to go and whom to follow. Yet, you aren’t ready to declare publicly that you’ve moved out of the shadows of personality cults. That would flirt with being blasphemous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">As the saying goes, teach a man how to fish and all that. While Pakistan kept enjoying their fish, the art of fishing got lost somewhere during transition. After all, how long can you carry on relying on people for transition. Everyone is different. They have different motivations, different ambitions, different visions. Hence better to rely on something which doesn’t change much. At the cost of being cliched, I can again call upon the buzzword – process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">This happens everywhere. Maybe that’s why organizations struggle when a high-profile leader hangs his boots. Because getting next leader who has same vision, mission, thinking, motivation and (add any corporate buzzword you like) as his predecessor isn’t possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Maybe that’s why political parties suffer once their leader who has been nothing short of a personality cult departs. If you follow Indian politics, you would well know what I mean. I would not say much – reasons includes my worry for my own safety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Hence it is pertinent to lay down a path where people are self-sufficient to walk on their own. If need be, they should be able to make throw own pathways. That’s where vision comes into play. That’s why so much focus on the word process these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">When Alan Border and Bob Simpson took up the reign in Australia, they didn’t just focus on winning. They, along with their board, decided to put in a structure where they could keep getting quality players and have smooth transition every time it is needed. That’s why even when there are a few big names in team Australia these days, they are still a force to reckon with. They would always be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">In my opinion, that’s where Pakistan lost the race. Oh yes, there are many other reasons too. Like it doesn’t help if your players keep getting involved in fixing scandals. Or a travelling team gets terror attacked. Pakistan couldn’t move out of personality cult culture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">On the other hand, India invested in right places. While Indian captains have also been personality cults, none of them became bigger than the team. And they left a legacy worth following. They didn’t leave mere followers. They also left a path to follow. Every incoming captain, in 2000s, build upon the work done by their predecessors. Entire system needs to be credited – other players, coaches, selectors, board, coaching academies, domestic cricket, IPL. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Pakistan may still surprise us every now and then like in CT2017. But then, that’s the nature of the game. Otherwise, that’s is where the gap has widened so much that all this hype of Indo-Pak cricket rivalry is less interesting. What’s more interesting are the jokes trending on social media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While older Pakistan had all our curiosity – how do they keep getting so many good fast bowlers, how come they always win, how come they never lose on a Friday, why can’t our batsman bat with the bravado their batsmen have? This Pakistan doesn’t even deserve our attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">The fun in beating them in the game of cricket has died. Soon the hype shall follow. It’s just living on the time borrowed from its own glorious past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Pic courtesy : DNA.</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-9295779056514454582019-06-15T00:48:00.002+05:302019-06-15T00:48:48.645+05:30The fire in Babylon!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoce0dM9WOIYa3YM4NVexFGJNbKoMk-9vCnhQwo2Iui_tb5vAUHJP0KeUzDv-8JqAk6TcG6a-gMALyQRyB0R6VD15N8wSBVFPvzwqLLU8OiQPcyyRoa7oL6jcgp33-cxmLf4C4/s1600/MV5BMjg0NDczODg3Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTIxMzcxNQ%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoce0dM9WOIYa3YM4NVexFGJNbKoMk-9vCnhQwo2Iui_tb5vAUHJP0KeUzDv-8JqAk6TcG6a-gMALyQRyB0R6VD15N8wSBVFPvzwqLLU8OiQPcyyRoa7oL6jcgp33-cxmLf4C4/s200/MV5BMjg0NDczODg3Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTIxMzcxNQ%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Are you a cricket fan?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Yes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Have you watched the documentary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_Babylon" style="color: #954f72;">Fire in Babylon</a>? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">No?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Hang your head in shame, slap yourselves and go watch the documentary. The documentary beautifully describes the golden year of West Indies cricket and the making of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Passion of Viv Richards oozes out of his eyes. Michael Holding’s narration of events give you Goosebumps. Colin Croft lets you peep inside the mindset of the team. Bowling clips of their pace battery make you tremble even in your couch. The documentary is pure gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">My generation has grown up listening to stories of West Indian cricket. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes were inseparable. Richards was purely a genius. Jeff Dujon was the best ever. Then there were their pace battery. If anything went wrong, there was Clive Lloyd to take care of whatever went wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">First there was west indies. Then there was 50 feet of mediocrity. Then there were other teams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">My generation didn’t get to see the peak of West Indian cricket but we definitely witnessed the steady decline and hopefully the bottom also.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While they were still good by the time last millennium ended, this millennium has been bad. Not winning has been the least of their problems. <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/208251.html" style="color: #954f72;">Board has had major financial crisis</a>. Their star allrounder has <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/401579.html" style="color: #954f72;">allegedly faked an injury</a>to pick franchise cricket over test cricket. Their cricketers haven’t been <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/4774166/West-Indies-implicated-in-match-fixing.html" style="color: #954f72;">untouched by match fixing scandals.</a>In recent years, most of their main cricketers have been perceived as cricketing mercenaries. Their best batsman after Lara has been <a href="https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Chris-Gayle-Cricketing-Controversies/" style="color: #954f72;">vying for controversies</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">To add to that, there have been multiple feuds between cricketers and boards, between cricketers and cricketers, between I don’t know who and I don’t know who else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Questions have been raised if West Indies should play as country or not? Darren Ganga famously admitted in first version of CLT20 that he believed Trinidad & Tobago was better than the West Indian team. Administration had been in a fix. Talent had been deserting them. Discipline had been non-existent. They had even started relying on spinners. Mighty West Indies relying on spinners? Malcolm Marshall must have turned in his grave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">West Indian cricketers were known for their sledging-less cricket. Hence they were always likeable across the globe. They even lost this quality when their <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/Steyn-fined-for-spitting-at-Benn/article16181077.ece" style="color: #954f72;">bowler spat on opposition cricketer</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">By the time first decade of this millennium ended, things were at nadir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Yet, there was a silver lining by the start of this decade. When everyone refused to play with anyone, West Indies were lucky to have a captain who could keep everyone gel with anyone – Darren Sammy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">There is no on size fits all solution for leadership. Every type of leader is meant for specific situation. Put them out of that situation and they wouldn’t be as effective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">1992 Pakistan team had abundance of talent. All they needed was someone with authority to lead them. Someone they could all look up to. Imran Khan lifted the world cup in 1992.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">When Kim Hughes cried so famously in the <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/266824.html" style="color: #954f72;">press conference</a>, Australian cricket was in all sorts of trouble. They needed a leader he would have vision and could make his own team. They needed a bull-headed leader. Alan Border turned Australian cricket around. He would give equal credit to Bob Simpson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">While senior players at the end of last millennium weren’t too keen to lead team India, new players weren’t too sure how long they would last before being dropped at the whims and fancy of powers that be. The team needed a leader who was bold, willing to lead, could stand up for newcomers and possessed belief that they could win. Sourav Ganguly was one of the best. Dhoni carried on that legacy and put the word process in everyone’s mind – if you keep doing things right way, results would follow. Virat Kohli enforced fitness and that’s the reason we have one of the best bowling & fielding side in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">But a good leader needn’t always be authoritarian or bull-headed or bold or can be described with any other adjective. Sometimes all that a leader needs to do is stand up till the storm passes because others wouldn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">That’s what Sammy was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Sammy was butt of many jokes. Maybe based on his abilities he wouldn’t find a place in many teams if any but he took up the captaincy when others were either too controversial or not willing. He was acceptable by almost everyone or made himself acceptable to everyone – to the stars in the side, to the newcomers. He even got along well with the WICB better than others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Sammy just ensured that West Indies continued to play till they got better. He led. To hell with the mockery made by fans. To hell with repeatedly giving reasons for their frequent losses. To hell with questions raised on his place in the side as a player. He took up the job and performed what was expected out of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">To me, Sammy was a true leader who had put team’s interest ahead of himself. West Indies didn’t need an authoritarian or a bold or a bull-headed leader. They just needed someone to do the job. Sammy did exactly that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">When I read <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/995293.html" style="color: #954f72;">Dave Cameron’s interview in 2016</a>, I was positively surprised about West Indies cricket. Here was a man who clearly defined the roles & responsibilities and was willing to stick to it. I was again hopeful was West Indian cricket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">They won T20 world cup in 2017. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uEgFhkRV4U" style="color: #954f72;">Remember the name</a>?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">West Indies cricket is now on an upswing. In last 2 years, they have won 7 tests and lost 10. In a two year period prior to that, they had won 2 tests and lost 10. They have won T20 world cup. They have won U19 world cup in 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">In this world cup, they may not be doing so well but at least teams are taking them seriously. They walloped Pakistan, nearly won against Australia and could cause a few more upsets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">They have been lucky again. Holder is another captain almost in Sammy’s mould. Just that he is a better player – bowling, batting or fielding. Nobody can question his place in the side. He has a cool head. All West Indies needs is maturity which shall come with time. They need discipline which will also come with time. They need to shed some of the stars who are good on paper but only on paper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Maybe they need to be as lucky as India. Like India has been lucky to have 3 good captains in this millennium who have carried on where their predecessors left and built upon that. While Sammy just held the things together, Holder has given them a taste of winning. Their next captain needs to be someone who makes them win consistently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Another thing West Indies needs to do is come out of the shadows of their glorious past. We all dream of a wonderful future but for that to happen, one has to thrive in his present which ends up becoming the past. Here is where past lays its trap. More glorious it is, more power it has to lure you into it and keep you there. One you fall into the trap, there is no coming out of it. Sooner one comes out of it and realizes that past isn’t coming back, better one does in present to make a better future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Surely not this time. Maybe not even 2023. But if West Indians keep going the way they have been in last few years, they shall be a serious threat in the world cups after that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Till that happens, we may hope the fire in Babylon lights up again to its full fury. Soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 18px;">Pic Courtesy - IMDB</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-68754906929850453112019-06-13T20:26:00.001+05:302019-06-13T21:36:36.731+05:30#ThankYouRohit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4Wa-hK1FHLoygEbcxpWCfsznK2KfNq1Abp8C9k1ZHTT1VnJ7349OuzwclwGg_0SVbunt9Uo-UENaEnSON4MAQdV4HAEySfcMmCkNdePGVTRgK8H7Dpu9oc7YXVTf3t2fFw2P/s1600/rohit-sharma-m-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="759" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4Wa-hK1FHLoygEbcxpWCfsznK2KfNq1Abp8C9k1ZHTT1VnJ7349OuzwclwGg_0SVbunt9Uo-UENaEnSON4MAQdV4HAEySfcMmCkNdePGVTRgK8H7Dpu9oc7YXVTf3t2fFw2P/s320/rohit-sharma-m-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rabada bowls a really good ball to Rohit. Rohit is comprehensively beaten. He gloves it. Faf Duplessis, the South African captain, drops him in slips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">India is playing against South Africa. It’s their first match of the world cup 2019. While bowlers had a chance to wrap up South Africa well below 200, somehow, South Africa have ended up scoring 227. There is life in the pitch. Quite a bit of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rabada is good. He is on fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">But Faf has dropped Rohit. Rohit is looking clueless. Totally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">A friend sends a message, “How much longer?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">I respond, “I already have a #ThankYouRohit” message in my draft”. It’s a tradition I have followed over the years to post this message on social media as soon as Rohit gets out. Just to piss off Rohit fans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">I know it’s just a matter of time before I actually post this message. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">***********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">All my friends with whom I discuss cricket, Rohit Sharma has always been the most controversial topic to discuss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Whenever I have cited numbers, they have cited potential. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Whenever I have mentioned his failures, they have mentioned how highly he has always been rated by everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Whenever I have argued how long rope he has been given, they argued how sporadically he has been dropped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Whenever I have asked them to look how others are missing out due to favouritism being shown in his case, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shWczQcXhsM" style="color: #954f72;">they asked me to watch him pulling a good length ball over mid-wicket for a six- with total disdain</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Every time I have heard the last argument, I have had to shut up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">As you can see, you either like him or you dislike him. There is no ignoring him. Rohit is a divisive force. Quite like you-know-who <i>(tongue in cheek).</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rohit Sharma, for all these years has been an enigma. At least for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">I have always been careful before judging a player as far often my judgement has been wrong. Having seen MSD score his ODI first century against Pakistan, I declared to the universe that he wouldn’t last 10 matches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">I never liked Tendulkar till 4-5 years in his career. I thought Virat’s bubble would be burst in his first year itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">I loved Sujith Sundar (Who? Exactly). I watched him play just two shots to mid-on or mid-off. What timing it was. Awesome. Again, Sujith who? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Hence, I am always careful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">With Rohit, it’s been a love hate relationship. While I loved some of his shots, I hated when he kept getting picked even though he didn’t have numbers supporting his claim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">On 2012 SL tour, he scored 13 runs in 5 innings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">13 runs. 5 innings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Careers have been finished for lot less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Not Rohit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">***********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">India is being cautious. They have lost their most prolific batsman in ICC tournaments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Its 8th over. 3rd ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rabada bowls. I am not sure the pace of the ball, but it looks fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rohit yawns. Probably woken up by the noise crowd is making. Then he stretches a little bit. Probably still not completely woken up or so say the expressions on his face. He casually looks at the ball racing towards his throat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">By the time he has woken up from his slumber, allowed his mind to wander around, made a few stretches, the ball hasn’t reached him yet. So much time he has. Even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J0o3v8ptHY" style="color: #954f72;">Virat is perplexed by the amount of time he has</a>. Quite like Inzamam-ul-Haq. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">He starts to swivel. Makes connection midway. By the time he is done swivelling, the ball has almost landed out of the park. He has, on a pitch which has quite a lot of juice and bounce, hit opposition’s best bowler bowling in high 140s for a six. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Of a short pitch ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Just like that. With complete disdain as if is saying “Bhag @#$@”. The bowling side wonders, “He was getting beaten on every ball. Where the hell that came from?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Its orgasm time for his fans. Even haters surrender to the magnificence of the shot. #JustRohitThings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">***********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rohit has been around for more than a decade. He has improved significantly. Till he started opening, he was averaging 30. Average is 48 now. 23 centuries. 3 double centuries. Highest of 264. Two hundred and sixty-four. Only.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Dig deeper and picture is a bit different. Try remembering one Rohit innings which came on a tough pitch against quality bowling and was key in winning. <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8037/scorecard/415284/india-vs-west-indies-12th-match-group-a-icc-champions-trophy-2009-10" style="color: #954f72;">Like Virat’s 79 in 2009 Champion’s trophy</a>. Where is Rohit’s 79? Double 100s have come in India on flat wickets. 5 of the 9 50+ scores in Australia have ended up in loss. He averages 20 in South Africa. 36 in NZ. Yes, these are random pickings but still say something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Typical allegation against him is that he cannot play ugly, something needed when going gets tough. That’s the reason he hasn’t succeeded in tests. He has often thrown his wicket away. Remember his penchant to hit sixes against Lyon ending in fielder’s lap in Adelaide test last year? All his three test centuries have come at home against weaker attacks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">First time I ever disliked his batting was when he threw it away <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/14167/scorecard/297805/india-vs-pakistan-5th-odi-pakistan-tour-of-india-2007-08" style="color: #954f72;">just after reaching 50 in Jaipur</a>. “Typical Mumbaikar, playing for self” is what I thought while flirting with blasphemy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Or maybe it was 2009 T20 world cup where he scored very well in practice matches and weaker teams but failed when mattered really. India lost to both WI and England in its group. Rohit scored 9 and 5. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Yes, one man cannot be blamed for team’s loss. But, the same man had been given a really long rope hence expectations were higher. As Benjen Stark famously said, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SOwR_O01_s" style="color: #954f72;">Nothing Someone Says Before The Word But Really Counts</a>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">But. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">He often favours glory over grit. Elegance over doggedness. Flamboyance over fight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Even the best of them have played ugly to weather the storm before they could make merry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Sachin did it. Dravid was master of this art. Laxman, even when he played ugly, looked elegant. Sehwag was too genius to ever needing to play ugly. But they all knew when and how to play for survival, when to go for shots. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Does Rohit know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">***********************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Pandya has just hit an emphatic four at point. India has won. But the real story is at the other end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Rohit Sharma not out 122 of 144 balls. That’s the real story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">It is a very un-Rohit innings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">He kept getting beaten. Yet he opted for grit over glory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Edges kept finding the grass before they found the fielders. Elegance was never missing but doggedness came to the fore today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">He saw the team home and like most times, didn’t throw it away while the bowling was unplayable at times. Flamboyance gave way to ugliness sometimes, but it was heartening to see the fight. Till the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">This 122 not out is what Virat’s 79 is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">This is the Rohit I always wanted to see. Hope to keep seeing more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">#ThankYouRohit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 24px;">Pic credit - Indian Express.</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-26403825085819928502019-06-10T21:23:00.000+05:302019-06-10T21:23:07.700+05:30The dramatic entertainer!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmGHtNtQvvKYxbS_1WjN1h9CutrQtChuT0O-h1SbG1nrKBhB8IpR9iNMGcqBDE4UO3Vp1yCFTfRyfaaShF8CQ9OM1JCJ77QH_qS29j8bHbb6CcSc8YQoMs9gNiQtZvhB6P1rz/s1600/150121110229-yuvraj-singh-screaming-on-knees-tz-super-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1100" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmGHtNtQvvKYxbS_1WjN1h9CutrQtChuT0O-h1SbG1nrKBhB8IpR9iNMGcqBDE4UO3Vp1yCFTfRyfaaShF8CQ9OM1JCJ77QH_qS29j8bHbb6CcSc8YQoMs9gNiQtZvhB6P1rz/s200/150121110229-yuvraj-singh-screaming-on-knees-tz-super-169.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">“266? Wow” who scored?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">“Robin Singh. He scored 80. Played really well” a friend told me as I couldn’t watch the Indian innings due to, well you guessed it, power cut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">That’s how I first heard about Yuvraj’s innings. Till next morning, when I read the newspaper, I didn’t know that the batsman hitting 84 was Yuvraj and not Robin. Remember, internet was still limited to extremely expensive internet cafes for most of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">“Oh, the same Yuvraj?” I wondered. A friend of mine had told me about him couple of years back. “He can hit sixes in Australia. He is very strong” is what I was told.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Sixes in Australia? Yes, there used to be a time when hitting sixes was rare. In Australia? Well, Indians weren’t strong enough to do that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">That 2000 series in Kenya was something special. For the first time, we felt fresh. Maybe it was signs of the things to come. We had a new comer who in his first outing as a batsman took on mighty Australians and did it in style. Else earlier, we were used to seeing our new comers surrendering to the might of opposition even before they took the field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We had a pacer who could beat an Australian batsman, grin at his face and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBpOc2XZCs" style="color: #954f72;">beat him again to get his wicket</a>. We were used to seeing our bowler told to F off even though he had gone to check the well-being of the batsman he had hit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We saw our fielders flying and taking catches. We were too used to seeing our fielders letting the ball stroll past right below their manhood i.e. between the legs. We saw an under-arm throw at rocket speed running Michael Bevan out. Yes, Michael Bevan. The master of running between the wickets. We were too used to of seeing our fielders bowling over their throws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">That series was different. The series gave us Zaheer Khan. The series gave us Yuvraj Singh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Yuvraj Singh was first in many ways in this millennium. He was the first Indian cricketer with an X factor – he could win matches on his own. Yuvraj could hit it big, could bowl handy slow left arm and was unbelievable in fielding – we had never seen anyone field like him. Azhar was good but he was swift, not spectacular. Ajay Jadeja was excellent, but he was still no Jhonty Rhodes or Gibbs. Robin Singh was fast but then, anyone in the team of Anil Kumble, Srinath, Prasad and likes would look fast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Yuvraj was our response to Rhodes and Gibbs of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Yuvraj could hit towering sixes. On his day, bowlers didn’t matter. Pitch didn’t matter. Nothing did. Only he did. He had his weaknesses but, on his day, nothing mattered but Yuvraj. If Sachin had greatness, Dravid had solidity, Ganguly & Laxman had elegance, Yuvraj had one quality which I had never seen in any of the Indian cricketers – flamboyance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Slowly he became backbone of the middle order, especially in company of Dravid and Kaif. So much so that we stopped worrying if Sachin got out. Oh yes, the biggest fear of 90s was put to rest sometime in early 2000s. Yuvraj had a lot to do with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Big, strong, fit and intimidating – these weren’t the words one associated with Indian cricketers in those days. Not in 90s. Srinath & Kumble were big but they rarely looked fit or strong. Dravid looked fit but he didn’t look big or strong. Tendulkar sometimes looked fit but that’s about it. If above four adjectives were answer to an MCQ, for Ganguly one would still tick none of these. Nobody ever had a presence which could be called intimidating. Yuvraj, again, had an intimidating presence. The walk with swagger yet the bored look on face, proper cricketing shots yet the power in the strokes said it all. Correct answer in case of Yuvraj would be all of these.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We can talk on and on about his so many impactful innings in ODIs, his brilliance in field, his useful “pie chucking” bowling. We can talk about his inability to perform when pitch was tough, or bowling was tougher. We can talk about his failures as a test cricketer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We can talk about T20 world cup in 2007 – the 12 ball 50 against England or 30 ball 70 against Australia. We can talk about six sixes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We can talk about 2011 world cup – the century against West Indies or 5-fer against Ireland or all-round performance against Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">We can talk about thousand things. But a cricket career lasting for more than one and half a decade shouldn’t be just about numbers and records and statistics and all that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">It should be remembered for the legacy it has left behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">What has Yuvraj left behind? To me, he brought drama to the game. Drama which got us glued. Drama which entertained us. Drama which made us love him. Drama which made us dislike him. Drama which made us sympathize for him. Drama which made us believe that unlike our God like cricketers, he was a human. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Cricketers before him were too perfect. My entire generation grew up with our parents wanting us to be as obedient as Sachin or gentle as Dravid. With Yuvraj, we came to realize that things needn’t be as idealistic when it came to idols. There was space for imperfections. Maybe parents in that generation, seeing Yuvraj, realized that even if their kids grow up to be someone like Yuvraj, it was fine. Maybe they also realized that even if their kids didn’t idolize Yuvraj, it was fine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">For so long our cricketers were good boys who lived an almost perfect public life which was devoid of anything but idealism. They played cricket. They went home. On the ground, they showed no emotions. It was as if they were too focused on being the gentlemen in the game. Come, play, leave. Repeat. As if they had no emotions. They were too perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">With Yuvraj, this changed. He walked in as if he owned the ground. He often stood his ground like a bully. When he got out, he made such a face as if it wasn’t his fault at all and needed someone to drag him off. Every time he took a catch or affected a run out, he had a different way to celebrate. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkTfpFW7Y9o" style="color: #954f72;">He took spectacular catches. He needlessly made simple catches look spectacular. </a>When he made those impossible stops, he acted as if it was business as usual. When he missed simple stops, he acted as if he had got an injury while making a valiant attempt. When it was his day, he looked the best batsman around. When it wasn’t his day, he made us wonder how come a guy who can’t play quality spin, swing or bounce made it so far. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">See, watching him play didn’t offer a plateau to emotions. There was always a roller coaster ride. That’s what he brought to game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">While Tendulkar kept us interested in the game in 90s through his genius, Ganguly made us believe that we can win in places we hadn’t even imagined, Dravid gave us belief through his solidity, Yuvraj made things more dramatic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">He made things more human. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">A human who wasn’t perfect yet excelled. His times kept changing with time. They were dramatic, always.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">One series, he was hitting sixes at will. Next series he couldn’t put bat to ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">In one format of the game, he was seen as the next big thing. In another format of the game, he was nowhere to be seen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">One day he was man of series in the world cup. Next day he was battling cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">With him, it was always a roller coaster ride. Never short of drama.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">And that’s how I shall remember Yuvraj. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">For his dramatic career which entertained us and dramatic life which inspired us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">All the best mate. May the life be little less dramatic for you now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Picture courtesy - CNN.</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-66533788825254312072019-06-07T15:23:00.001+05:302019-06-07T15:39:44.763+05:30World cup – week 1 round up!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2M64uk_CiZnsoOEPuVe9A4Fn-cJ82VAcJJZIphV2LS-MChpSxD6C9dEHKgOaD5lsc77qkPXcK2F_MxdEC1R4lQcvDWRdq04oG7HSzEbvJTpIEGup4N8j3ImrpPfcnHy07wzgO/s1600/a60e0240f1a08ab0ca660291a7798194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2M64uk_CiZnsoOEPuVe9A4Fn-cJ82VAcJJZIphV2LS-MChpSxD6C9dEHKgOaD5lsc77qkPXcK2F_MxdEC1R4lQcvDWRdq04oG7HSzEbvJTpIEGup4N8j3ImrpPfcnHy07wzgO/s320/a60e0240f1a08ab0ca660291a7798194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">I had expected this world cup to be extremely boring. “You score 450, we will chase it down” kind of. I have been proven wrong. But that’s okay. I expected the world to end on 21<sup>st</sup>December 2012 which didn’t happen. I had Mayan’s company with me in getting proved wrong. Sir Jadeja is yet to hit a ball to Mars. World war 3 hasn’t started yet. I have been wrong quite often. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">What I have liked so far is the bowling. Even when scores have been in the vicinity of 350, bowling has been enjoyable. Quite often, we have seen the lines and lengths reserved to test cricket. Some unexpected results have opened up the tournament. Here is how teams stand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Australia – </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">I expect them to win it again. Hope I am wrong again. Smith and Warner have come back hungrier. Their batting doesn’t seem to end. In bowling, they have Mitchel Strac who is on his way to become best ever ODI bowler (look at his average of 21 and strike rate of 27). Pat Cummins is lethal as ever. But then, that’s where it ends. Australia’s weakness lies in rest of 30 overs they would need to bowl unless their first two bowlers don’t wrap up the teams on their own. While most teams have relied on bowling short pitch stuff till now and done it well, Maxwell (Australia’s response to Suresh Raina) may just end up being a fantastic fielder and an ordinary bowler other teams might target. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=troaA35ATjM" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: underline;">Love-birds Zampa and Stoinis</a> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">may not get the mushy romantic vibes from batsmen of other teams. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">India –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">World was in awe of India’s top 3. Dhawan seems to have decided and opted out. His form might be a worry. Dhoni’s form seems to be coming back to good old days when he would take RR of 2 to 12 before he decided to wake up, but it isn’t bad as long as team keeps winning. Coffee seems to have done wonders to Pandya’s attitude. Team has good options to choose from when it comes to fast bowlers. With Kuldeep and Chahal, team is placed best among the lot to bowl middle overs. If Kedar Jadhav keeps bowling shooters, bowling shall continue to look good. Problem lies in clear divide of skillset. Batsmen don’t bowl. Bowlers don’t bat. Quite like West Indies of old. But then, lot less lethal than them. At some point of time, they will have to decide on unleashing the supernatural powers of Sir Jadeja (CLT2013, #youremember). Till then, they never lose more than 5 wickets in an entire innings because for this team, 287/5 in 42 can soon become 290 all out in 45.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">West Indies –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">I am loving the way this team has shaped up in last few years. Hope they realize they had been lucky to have two good captains in Darren Sammy (Yes!!!) and Holder. At the top, Chris Gayle is a lottery. He cannot run. He cannot field. Only hope is THAT one innings which wins the match on its own. Their batting has depth in terms of manpower. Problem is, depth of mind is missing. Otherwise, how could you lose a match needing 38 in last 5 overs with 5 wickets in hand when 3 overs were to come from weak links of opposition attack? Hope WI doesn’t adopt the strategy of KKR who played entire season of IPL relying on Andre Russel. He kept winning them matches but then, he is also human. Moment he started failing, KKR collapsed. Andre Russel kind of batsmen in any batting line up are like orgasms – they need to come as late as possible but come the must. Otherwise, like last night, ending might well be premature. Problem with West Indies is that they have all the arsenal to explode. But then, they are expert when it comes to implode. They do the both, often in same match. </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Pakistan –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">All these years, Pakistan has been most consistent side in being inconsistent. 105 one day, close to 350 another. Batting can hit out most of the bowling attacks on its given day. Bowlers can bundle out oppositions next to nothing. Very next day, results can reverse. Pakistan always has to budget for scoring 25 extra runs and taking 3-4 extra wickets because of their fielding which has not one bit deteriorated in its comic value. Their bowling shall still be a threat to opposition batsmen. Problem is, their batting might well be the biggest obstacle for their bowlers to win matches. Hard to defend 105, isn’t it?<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Sri Lanka –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">One look at Lasith Mallinga’s ever growing tummy and you start feeling bad for this side. Yet, Mallinga is still the best death bowler as long as he isn’t bowling to top sides. They have been in transition for so long. Their batting succumbed to Afghanistan’s spin. Weren’t Sri Lankans known to be expert at playing spin? Their bowling, especially Mallinga, rescued them against Afghanistan. But then, Afghanistan isn’t a top side. While their premier bowler shall keep targeting batsmen’s toes, Sri Lanka’s own batsmen shall keep finding their heads being targeted. Somewhere between head to toe, Sri Lanka shall quietly transition to another world cup.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">England –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">All these years after 2015 world cup, England scared the world with their batting powers. 350s were norms. 400s were never out of reach. They even threatened scoring 500. They just packed their team with hard hitters. Problem is that they forgot to pick some bowlers. They also forgot that it’s one thing to hit everything out of park in a bilateral series. World cup is different. Even pitches are different. Pressure is different. Pakistan has beaten England in their own game. One more such defeat and things might well start changing for worse. I would love to see them not reaching the last four so that Dravid can ask Nasser – “Hey, did you guys peak too early going into the world cup?”<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">South Africa –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">The world cup thus far has questioned every team’s invincibility. In case of South Africa, question of invincibility has been removed. Completely. QDK isn’t turning out to be future he once promised to be. Amla is shadow of his past. Faf seems to be living in scenarios – if we had Steyn & Ngidi, when we had AB, if it was EA sports. In bowling, Rabada has been excellent with both – ball and mic in his hands. Only problem is, he has been lone fighter. Their batsmen can’t pick spinners. They keep falling in traps against pacers. Fielding has been the worst ever. Every world cup they start as one of the favorites, strengthen their claim before succumbing to word C. This time however, they seem to have adopted a different strategy. People have already written them off. will this bring a change in fortune? One-word answer is – NO.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">New Zealand - New</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Zealand is playing like New Zealand (NZ). Not dropping any catches. Bowling tight. Batting in gritty manner. They give enough hope to not so strong teams that they might win. Their bowling blows away top sides. In league matches, like always, they are everywhere. Like all world cup matches, they might miss one place they have always wanted to be – winner’s place. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Bangladesh –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Surely the most irritating team. They field well but make most basic errors on the field like breaking the stumps before ball could hit them direct. They bowl well but get so fixated with bowling that they end up bowling many more balls. They bat well but keep messing up in crucial hour. Having said it all, there are no easy wins against them. No more. But teams shall win, nonetheless.<b></b>South Africa didn’t because that’s how bad they have been. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">10.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Afganistan –</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Best spin attack in the competition. They are in a place where Bangladesh were when they started – every punch of Afganistan shall be cheered. Just that they would rarely deliver the deciding punch. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Photo Courtesy - Fox Sports</span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-57818032763974036592019-02-27T11:30:00.002+05:302019-02-27T11:30:49.430+05:30Wander-clicks!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">Photography is a painful, expensive and tedious hobby. Yet, its gives me a chance to be in the Zone. It inspires me to appreciate the world around you. It makes me see things in different perspective which you otherwise would have missed. It has given me a chance to make so many friends and a topic to converse. Other than all these things, it has also inspired me to travel. Being a lazy bum, I am, I wouldn’t have travelled have the place I have if not for photography. Hence, here are some of the places I loved visiting just because of their photographic value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://500px.com/search?q=Zaanse+schaans&type=photos" style="color: #954f72;">Zaanse Schaans, Amsterdam, Netherlands</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US">– What this place is for a shutterbug? One-word answer is heaven. If return on investment on a place is calculated by the variety of landscape photos one can click, this beautiful windmill village shall be the best and by some distance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There are multiple problems in landscape photography. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91OKbZeU5xKiT_fE21A36abEK8TkTDsqoZBbhcOEXLChGMz72ZT4u4NItei-CpIlnvEsJdk_QtMWcy67mz4K7xK-MmuPvMNpX-wgFFB1CaeWEl9L0r-RX1ydui0xvNHvlM-Lh/s1600/new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91OKbZeU5xKiT_fE21A36abEK8TkTDsqoZBbhcOEXLChGMz72ZT4u4NItei-CpIlnvEsJdk_QtMWcy67mz4K7xK-MmuPvMNpX-wgFFB1CaeWEl9L0r-RX1ydui0xvNHvlM-Lh/s640/new.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1040" style="height: 301pt; visibility: visible; width: 451pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:////Users/vibhashawasthi/Library/Group%20Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/TemporaryItems/msohtmlclip/clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US">You need to know the place well to find out exact angles where sun shall be rising or setting. Zaanse Schaans has such beautiful curvaceous landscape around the waterbodies it has that even in the first twilight, you don’t have to fret. The opportunities present themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQslC2hSm-ihAZnOKneNggDCVfxbvLqxkqKOSEkq4ayHkxIa2ZBU6mc1osRLPObkALmIru1LmdYoEU_uAnOX6Gy1oSvLNFypR2fEXP-dMDMjO98TQXmuKKRbXQ-EDvrd4izXdq/s1600/FB_IMG_1548849867690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1090" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQslC2hSm-ihAZnOKneNggDCVfxbvLqxkqKOSEkq4ayHkxIa2ZBU6mc1osRLPObkALmIru1LmdYoEU_uAnOX6Gy1oSvLNFypR2fEXP-dMDMjO98TQXmuKKRbXQ-EDvrd4izXdq/s640/FB_IMG_1548849867690.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You want reflections to be still and perfect. Even if there is strong wind, which normally is the case in Amsterdam, water in the small water bodies in front of the houses remains still to make sure reflections aren’t moving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyarrNUL1Col-sLlGG9FkigAJtzu5K8BeB_yTxLGa3ABCEkcdH4_SOKvgrDIaVnZA5wk-lb2HxyAf1tArUA_sjKAvMmjFWD0ilA5yikW00qgzdDgnrMN2Kzd3etJnKNqpkUNQR/s1600/hdr242527a-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyarrNUL1Col-sLlGG9FkigAJtzu5K8BeB_yTxLGa3ABCEkcdH4_SOKvgrDIaVnZA5wk-lb2HxyAf1tArUA_sjKAvMmjFWD0ilA5yikW00qgzdDgnrMN2Kzd3etJnKNqpkUNQR/s640/hdr242527a-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E3RUUrX2robs7n9GptsFpkLYqT_byJUy60lU30_LKkgGF2wZ0nJ1sKa08uC52S-Md6Q7prCO44T-BnoZlI5E5gjDbdKPYKbrb0f-CsqhKfY-gg0TIMx1iVWGUqpeHoEeB8ZT/s1600/aq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E3RUUrX2robs7n9GptsFpkLYqT_byJUy60lU30_LKkgGF2wZ0nJ1sKa08uC52S-Md6Q7prCO44T-BnoZlI5E5gjDbdKPYKbrb0f-CsqhKfY-gg0TIMx1iVWGUqpeHoEeB8ZT/s640/aq.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Quite often the problem with landscapes is that they end up becoming too bland hence boring. In Zaanse Schaans, the windmills never let a photograph become boring. Add up the beautiful houses and blandness goes out of the picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1037" style="height: 301pt; visibility: visible; width: 451pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:////Users/vibhashawasthi/Library/Group%20Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/TemporaryItems/msohtmlclip/clip_image004.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US">My only regret is that I couldn’t visit the place during summers. It can be quite freezing in winters. I couldn’t visit it as many times as I wanted. To get the clouds in your favor, you do need to pay it a few more visits than 4 which I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ideally, I would like to stay there for a week sometime during April – May when winters are promising to take a siesta so that I can capture all the moods. One day. Surely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://500px.com/search?q=great+ocean+drive&type=photos&sort=pulse" style="color: #954f72;">The Great Ocean Drive, Victoria, Australia</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US">– Nice green hills on one side. Blue sea on another. In between these two, you are driving towards 12 apostles on a curvy road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IlW2kzFesIeM5tlW16E5-wbVvab62eYcPRbBoyT_THvR-FWkTklvvwqgzJBUuYTfBYNZXXCH5KDJQTtW_ffiDsaheLm2TFgfR0XcDm6WUavq0xXEBgbLlskTW71ZH8wkVVf9/s1600/1403456_227059254129775_904453105_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IlW2kzFesIeM5tlW16E5-wbVvab62eYcPRbBoyT_THvR-FWkTklvvwqgzJBUuYTfBYNZXXCH5KDJQTtW_ffiDsaheLm2TFgfR0XcDm6WUavq0xXEBgbLlskTW71ZH8wkVVf9/s640/1403456_227059254129775_904453105_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="A sandy beach next to a body of water
Description automatically generated" id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1036" style="height: 301pt; visibility: visible; width: 451pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="A sandy beach next to a body of water
Description automatically generated" src="file:////Users/vibhashawasthi/Library/Group%20Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/TemporaryItems/msohtmlclip/clip_image005.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span lang="EN-US">GOD is one of the best drives you can do. The entire journey from Melbourne to 12 apostles is a treat to watch for the best camera ever made – human eye. If you have a little cloudy sky, long exposure shots at 12 apostles are simply amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UygPTcc5MS9w7GSPMdo9s6z4MQHr_ub7IubngeRXbg5hgKbE8riqFmpj7urC5cdGwtnK516fAAonLdlvTG1d38aCrOdFU43XHkpe_dLGLOc29gS2kflkAlqD9KXydmq9TYQD/s1600/1399724_227059514129749_775563959_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6UygPTcc5MS9w7GSPMdo9s6z4MQHr_ub7IubngeRXbg5hgKbE8riqFmpj7urC5cdGwtnK516fAAonLdlvTG1d38aCrOdFU43XHkpe_dLGLOc29gS2kflkAlqD9KXydmq9TYQD/s640/1399724_227059514129749_775563959_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="Water next to the ocean
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://500px.com/search?q=Big+Ben+london&type=photos&sort=pulse" style="color: #954f72;">London, UK</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US">– I visited London for just one weekend. Hence, wouldn’t be fair for me to comment on the entire city. But the main area in the city is pretty picturesque. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">London eye provides multiple angles to click different pictures. Obviously, being a 360-degree object helps. On top of it, it's huge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kSXzR7eU_NHxC5KnwKUmpV69KRkxVc2k3R3HNZCIzHrBAh0ay3W_QiHHv68NYqTgMt8XMtDXy96EIPnBsakVvkiClvk9kXhHkgoEa0mtm76vGexNRxTAsjNEXWsg1c1dyvA2/s1600/hdr242527a-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kSXzR7eU_NHxC5KnwKUmpV69KRkxVc2k3R3HNZCIzHrBAh0ay3W_QiHHv68NYqTgMt8XMtDXy96EIPnBsakVvkiClvk9kXhHkgoEa0mtm76vGexNRxTAsjNEXWsg1c1dyvA2/s640/hdr242527a-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you are looking for its reflection in river Thames, make sure you have a stable tripod and ND filters. Being in the east, sky turns pink when the sun sets. If you are lucky, you shall have sky peeping out of the clouds. Being London, you have to be really lucky here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXHcjWpTTOnaeTvWemj1pxAYcjLQcHie0v1Ciqzbw9j30TxcgmEgC-qV1z-wNj3ikw9DzMfG4VRkryRnnvmH9fjCj7Fl6xjWbtRHHTlJ9O35iWJvmUzhhN7-KqF4L4fGpu6MM/s1600/hdr242527a-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXHcjWpTTOnaeTvWemj1pxAYcjLQcHie0v1Ciqzbw9j30TxcgmEgC-qV1z-wNj3ikw9DzMfG4VRkryRnnvmH9fjCj7Fl6xjWbtRHHTlJ9O35iWJvmUzhhN7-KqF4L4fGpu6MM/s640/hdr242527a-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On the west, there is parliament or whatever that building is called. The sun sets behind them. It does give you a window of opportunity with sun just peeping out of the middle of the buildings. Light trails of the vehicles passing by on Westminster Bridge and the Big Ben standing tall behind them makes fantastic composition for a landscape picture especially when sun has totally farmed way for moon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYdqtNr21PNpp9iJ1RnRg6Unf8CIbDvuWAttNvXUtBlrXlUzxmL2Nich2cD59YAQ2BjMKhlGlkpwKBNhUtyLx4QhH7xTzZi9ZaeztOC47oDNhp__uVO9lNgR78CTGXH5bvjmq/s1600/hdr242527a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYdqtNr21PNpp9iJ1RnRg6Unf8CIbDvuWAttNvXUtBlrXlUzxmL2Nich2cD59YAQ2BjMKhlGlkpwKBNhUtyLx4QhH7xTzZi9ZaeztOC47oDNhp__uVO9lNgR78CTGXH5bvjmq/s640/hdr242527a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvyhyUkvfl-KtuRUGEhtWlx1EJ2Ot741CtzzlEbtYKlPvCLgmNgJ_qSF52tKOVrNynzL_oOP2MQYl6L-QtjrR0hZFlrjT4QxjXsDZ2UT-HpbAU2ss2W-jsvbvF1Ytmvibctx_/s1600/16300206_713494515495923_2003113059393178330_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1600" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvyhyUkvfl-KtuRUGEhtWlx1EJ2Ot741CtzzlEbtYKlPvCLgmNgJ_qSF52tKOVrNynzL_oOP2MQYl6L-QtjrR0hZFlrjT4QxjXsDZ2UT-HpbAU2ss2W-jsvbvF1Ytmvibctx_/s640/16300206_713494515495923_2003113059393178330_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="A picture containing sky, outdoor, water, building
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<b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://500px.com/search?q=jaisalmer&type=photos&sort=pulse" style="color: #954f72;">Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US">– It was 14<sup>th</sup>May 2017 when I bought my second car – Hyundai Creta. A wonderful car. We parted ways on 4<sup>th</sup>February 2019. A painful separation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">During these 1 year 8 months and 22 days, I drove 32342 kilometers. Some of the road major trips were Pune to Goa, Pune to Udaipur via Ahmedabad and Pune to Bhopal. To top of it, I made multiple trips around Pune especially during Monsoon when its simply gorgeous. Of all these trips, the one to Jaisalmer stands out and it stands out by some distance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOKsVov9F5uFFoOw-J6EVQi5je9WX5eTFwSZtHw4j3GaQXP3v5kyFxUui7YFQJF1J3Mu-Rfu-yd6xI6yjBWdKPDm0taCGFAiz0-9hIVkI475aBXDS1CmKn-ncGtkIuPWEh1JM/s1600/48926360_1210644479114255_4820739879363149824_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1600" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOKsVov9F5uFFoOw-J6EVQi5je9WX5eTFwSZtHw4j3GaQXP3v5kyFxUui7YFQJF1J3Mu-Rfu-yd6xI6yjBWdKPDm0taCGFAiz0-9hIVkI475aBXDS1CmKn-ncGtkIuPWEh1JM/s640/48926360_1210644479114255_4820739879363149824_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It was Acres of deserts on both the side. A long road ahead of you. A streak of black between muddy yellow on both the sides. Often you spot camels. Rarely you spot a human. That’s Jaisalmer for you – in fact India between Jaisalmer and border. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">First Jaisalmer the city – a typical Rajasthan city with a beautiful and gigantic fort giving immense opportunities to click architecture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="A large white building
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<span lang="EN-US">There is Gadisar Lake where you can do a boat ride. There are couple structures in the lake which make excellent props for clicking the sunset. They are full birds which adds to the drama.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="A sunset over a body of water
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<span lang="EN-US">As soon as you get out of Jaisalmer, you can start coming across the real desert. The sand dunes. While visit to Longewala border does make you thankful to the army, the history lessons at the war museum tell you how brave those men were. Tanks captured by Pakistan army do give you a chance to capture the remains of history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Things get better during the drive from Longewal to Tanot. You do come across villages with tiny populations after every 5-10 kilometers. The realization that there are places in India where it’s hard to spot anyone is something different. Drive from Tanot to the border is the best I have ever done. Nothing but long road ahead of you. Mighty desert on both sides of it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><v:shape alt="A person flying through the sky
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<span lang="EN-US">Blue sky devoid of any clouds makes the roof. If you use a filter which can somehow suppress the highlights, blue black and muddy yellow make an excellent composition. These landscapes also offer excellent setup for dramatic portraits or clicking milky way which is a rare sight in India. I wish I could do either of those.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hope to do many more in near future. Hence ending with the note - TBC...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-60630825733754677782019-01-07T18:28:00.000+05:302019-01-07T18:28:14.572+05:30The stack isn’t empty!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7WEK1b7-rv7DDUIbBqtBnf61PW_rOaUAhU3zKXEnahwFa51G1y4UoSl_ZuBUIRxlfkvnPfZjCEdw0heDaPVddHSfWHipgkMSoYGTaouBCjht2e9sU_L-M589Ogd_fIUFF8mC/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="476" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7WEK1b7-rv7DDUIbBqtBnf61PW_rOaUAhU3zKXEnahwFa51G1y4UoSl_ZuBUIRxlfkvnPfZjCEdw0heDaPVddHSfWHipgkMSoYGTaouBCjht2e9sU_L-M589Ogd_fIUFF8mC/s200/i.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">3<sup>rd</sup>Test, 3<sup>rd</sup>day<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">27<sup>th</sup>December 2018, MCG.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">10. 3 I Sharma to Finch, OUT, <b>Caught at short midwicket by debutant Mayank Agarwal</b>. He swoops to his left and claims an outstanding low catch. He leaps for joy and is embraced by Rohit. Ishant keeps it full and attacks the stumps, Finch searches for a flick square on the leg side, instead he feebly chips it in the air and Agarwal dives to his left to snaffle it and lift India on the third morning.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d1e1f; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">AJ Finch c Agarwal b I Sharma 8 (50m 36b 1x4 0x6) SR: 22.22<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">India has scored 443 in first innings but declaration came at the end of day 2. Pretty slow. Ricky Ponting even suspected that <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/india-vs-australia-pujaras-slow-batting-could-cost-india-the-match-says-ponting-1985025.html" style="color: #954f72;">slow batting could cost India the match</a></span>. Indians have to bowl Australia twice with a possibility of they themselves needing to bat once more. Australia doesn’t have their top two batsmen but everyone knows getting the match over quickly might not be easy. India, however, is relying on their supposedly best ever bowling attack. Ishant takes out Finch to what seems to be a well thought plan. Excellent catch by Mayank. Few minutes later Shane Warne comments on air, "This is the best I've seen Ishant Sharma bowl in Australia." Even better than Perth 2008?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I remember reading an Aakash Chopra or Harsha Bhogle article on Cricinfo some years back. Maybe it was 2012. I don’t remember. Things have so much recently that it is virtually impossible to search for this article based on what I remember from it – India’s bowling stack isn’t scarce, it is empty. He argued about the dearth of talent we had in our domestic circuit. Zaheer Khan wasn’t getting any younger. Post the world cup 2011, he was spending more time in rehabs than on the ground. Ishant Sharma was closer to the word “Unlucky” than “Fast Bowler”. I think he named Jaidev Unadkat who relied more on slow off cutters than anything more than 130kph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">With Sachin, Dravid and VVS fast becoming the shadow of their best days, poor bowling was often being exposed even more. Nothing illustrates this better than 4-0 defeat in England in 2011. From being the number one test side who had also won the recent ODI world cup, things suddenly turned south as soon has Zaheer Khan started holding his thigh muscle during the first session of Lord’s test. We lost it then and there. Not only the match, the series but also next few years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ishant had yet to redeliver the performance of Perth 2008. Probably he needed to move out of that dream spell. For last 2-3 years, Ishant had done well in the shadows of Zaheer. With Zaheer gone, he was exposed. Only things that looked threatening were his facial expressions while delivering the ball. Praveen Kumar did swing it big but he was so slow that had Sir Jadeja played in that series, he could have run faster than Praveen Kumar’s deliveries. RP Singh was summoned from Miami. If his waist size was converted in centimeters, that number could have been more than his bowling speed. Harbhajan Singh suddenly discovered stomach muscle pull. Soon it was all formality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">From being the number one side in the world when the series started, we had become the side who had batsmen living off pension money and fast bowlers who were often slower than their wicket keeper’s bowling. Did Ashwin play? Don’t remember. Don’t care. Nobody did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">13.3 Bumrah to Harris, OUT, Bumrah follows the short ball on the hips with an even shorter one at the chest of Harris. The batsman dares to hook, despite the presence of Ishant at the long leg boundary. Harris is cramped for room, he can't control the shot, and holes out to long leg. Ishant didn't have to move at all in the deep<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">MS Harris c I Sharma b Bumrah 22 (68m 35b 2x4 0x6) SR: 62.85<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bumrah has already hit a few batsmen. He said to be the best fast bowler in the world. He has made his transition from T20 to test cricket really well. If Virat Kohli is often criticized for his selection blunders (Raina replacing Pujara, seriously???), Bumrah is one selection we often tend to forget. Virat deserves full credit for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2001 to 2010 were good. We had Kumble. Enough said. We also got Harbhajan Singh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the initial few years, we had Srinath. I shall come to him later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We got Zaheer Khan. Zaheer was god send. Probably first Indian pacer who could sledge. Even Manoj Prabhakar could but he was barely a pacer. He was good, could swing it really well but had no pace. Sorry. I shall never forget him sledging batsmen in Champions Trophy 2000. He made us forget the days when our fast bowlers felt too apologetic to bowl fast. As I said, I shall come to Srinath later. Sometimes Zaheer overdid it but then we all have our own WC03 finals of our own, isn’t it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When Zaheer got injured, we got Irfan Pathan. Irfan was master of swing. Erstwhile Yousuf Yohana would vouch for that – full length ball curving in trapping the batsman on pads or beating them, both of them. The usual mode of Yohana V Pathan dismissals. That Irfan hat-trick in Karachi. Uffff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Pathan could bat too. In the hindsight, maybe it would have been better if he didn’t. In order to make a Kapil Dev out of him, we ended him making a <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/irfan-pathan-sets-the-stage-on-fire-in-television-dance-reality-show-1496169" style="color: #954f72;">Jhalak Dikhla Ja</a> </span>participant of him. But till then, he was a star.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We got Sreesanth. The kind of control he had over seam position, if he had even half of that over himself, he would have played much longer. However, he was fast. He was good. He could be lethal. And he had THE moment. The moment which any fast bowler would like to get framed – one of the best batsmen in the world getting swept off his feet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We also had Munaf who was rumored to have ability to bowl at 150kph. So was VRV Singh. Till IPL came to scene, RP Singh was real deal. Pity RP came in 2006 and IPL started in 2008. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We kept getting our share of decent bowlers. Pacers were fast enough to be called fast bowlers. Unlike in 2012, we didn’t jump in our seats if we saw anything over 135kph. Speeds were often in 140s. Lot of times they were 145+. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In spin department, we had the old warhorse Kumble. We had Harbhajan Singh. They were good enough. Kumble was almost always a certainty in test sides. If nothing, he ability to suffocate the batsmen ensured there was always some pressure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As I said, 2001-2010 was good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">32.6 Bumrah to SE Marsh, OUT, <b>oh he's got him with a stunning ball!</b>Unbelievable control on the slower ball from Bumrah. They won't bother reviewing this lbw, he's been struck on the full, right in front of middle stump. World class from Bumrah. Quick-arm whippy action, Marsh has been dealing with those yorkers solidly so far, but he's early on this because he's rolled his fingers over it and got it to dip. Can't play that, it's just too good. Marsh can't believe it. He was looking good and seemed to have taken them to some sort of safety, only to be outdone by a moment of genius. He's dejected, but there's really no way to adjust when you're hurrying down to deal with a yorker and it ends up drifting in slowly. The perfect deception.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">SE Marsh lbw b Bumrah 19 (81m 61b 1x4 0x6) SR: 31.14</span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bumrah. Bumrah. Bumrah. The new pace bowling sensation. He bowls so quick and so consistently that a slow ball Yorker is the last thing Marsh is expecting. Moment I read about the dismissal, I am anxious to watch the video. <i>Must be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zV0Hq6Zlu8" style="color: #954f72;">Ambrose-like</a> </i>I think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am in Jaisalmer enjoying my Jeep Safari. It is a bumpy ride. Indeed. But not for Bumrah. He has been slicing them. So is Ishant. So is Shami. So are others. 151. That’s it. All the worries of slow batting having eaten too much of time are brushed off. 151. That’s it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I cannot believe I am missing watching the match. Of all these years, I have woken up, every time India has travelled Australia, to watch India bat. Because I know if we are bowling, it isn’t going to be fun. Right from the days of David Boon to Steve Smith, we have been clobbered. Right from Ricky Ponting’s <i>“<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU8mb7Nj9xU" style="color: #954f72;">go back f**** bowl</a></span>” </i>to David Warner’s <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ8vbNro9-M" style="color: #954f72;">“Come on”</a></i></span><i>. </i> Remember Vinay’s Kumar’s welcome to test cricket? That Six over his head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Yet this attack is so good it makes you watch the bowling. At times I have hoped they don’t take a wicket because to see batsmen struggling has sometimes been more fun than seeing their back. Last time I got such fun, it was Ponting facing Ishant in that one spell in 2008. This time, that spell seems to have lasted entire series. At least for first six Australian wickets in every innings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The period before 2001. Damn it.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It. Was. Awful. Period. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am not sure where to start. I started following cricket in 1989. Stop guessing my age and focus on the story I am telling. Gooch had us for breakfast, lunch, supper, dinner, in between meals. Seven hundred and fifty-two runs. In a three-match series. Four hundred and fifty-six runs in one test match. Australian tour was lost by 4-0. We couldn’t get David Boon out. While Kapil Dev did take 25 wickets in the series, 4-0 tells a different story. Kapil narrated a story that he decided to bowl against the wind in Australia because Manoj Prabhakar was worried that if he did so, he might not reach the other end. We did win at home but with spinners bowling on turning tracks. If tracks were flat, so was our bowling. Only Kumble remained a stable force. Oh yes, we did get Srinath and he was good. But then, he was only a bowler. Couldn’t bat. Couldn’t field. Our fast bowlers were more than a liability in field and often threw under handed as if it was a luxury they were provided for bowling faster than Kumble. I remember once Geff Bycott commented about Srinath’s fielding – “Put him at Silly Point and I shall run two to him”. You drop a catch on his bowling and he would give an apologetic look. You hit a four on his bowling and he would give an utterly disappointed look. You get out to him and he would look so thankful as if he had achieved all he wanted to ever in life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There was Venketesh Prasad. The super slow fast (???) bowler. Once a Zimbabwean batsman gave the full swing of the bat, his follow through resulted his bat ending on his neck, the ball was so slow it hit the back of the bat and lobbed to a fielder. His slow balls were the best. For people like <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/12461.html" style="color: #954f72;">Jane Dernbach</a></span>, Prasad would have been an idol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Somewhere in late 90s we got what we had wished for – Ajit Agarkar. Agarkar could bowl fast or so I thought before Richie Benaud commented on air during 1999 Australia tour,” Agarkar is nippy but he is surely not fast”. He must have heard the hype. Alas, one injury and Agarkar converted to a shadow of the promise we all thought he was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Rest? Really? Prahsant Vaidya? For him pitching the ball on the seam was an achievement. Dodda Ganesh? He looked like poor man’s poor man’s Srinath. Not even him. David Jhonson who ran faster than he bowled. Mohanty? He was to fast bowling what Rajesh Chauhan was to spin – did well only if everything favored him. Harvinder singh? Same as above. Kuruvilla? He was slower than Pollard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bowling was laughable. Really. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">5<sup>th</sup>Test, 3<sup>rd</sup>day<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">30<sup>th</sup>December 2018, MCG.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">I Sharma to Lyon, OUT, India win their 150th Test match! And they go 2-1 up in this Border-Gavaskar series. Short from Ishant, and Lyon tries to pull. Takes the top edge, and Pant makes no mistake. Start the celebrations!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US">NM Lyon c †Pant b I Sharma 7 (86m 50b 0x4 0x6) SR: 14.00<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">India wins the match. With that, retains the Border Gavaskar trophy. If we go by the trends, we are going to win the series if we bat first in Sydney. We haven’t lost a test in 2018 if we have batted first. In fact, we have won both of them. No reason 2019 should be any different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I am busy reading all the article I can get my hands on about our bowling. 179 wickets in a year. Huge % by pacers. Accuracy. Average. Strike rate. What not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For a change, if I get an article about Virat or Ishant, I would choose Ishant. The unlucky Ishant. In last 5 years he has averaged 29 compared to career average of 34. We can call that coming of age of Ishant. Finally. The leader of the pack. The warhorse. The worker ant. The winner of the Lord’s 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bumrah is new. He is a sensation. He is fast. Consistently fast. Real Bumrah will be discovered after he gets his first major injury. Bowlers change after that. Hope he changes for better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Shami has been awesome. Especially after what he has been through recently. Kudos to BCCI for handling his case – “We don’t care what is going on in your personal life. As long as you aren’t taking drugs, not fixing matches, are fit and in good form, we shall pick you”. That’s how it should be. That’s how it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ashwin and Jadeja are moving into Kumble groove. Not taking heaps of wickets outside India. But always keeping the pressure on. Hence adding to the heap of wickets taken by pacers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Kuldeep is the joker in the pack. Then we have BK who hasn’t played for a while. Umesh did play one test but didn’t do too well. Surprisingly, he does better in India than abroad. Oh well, we don’t want to be winning at home just riding on spinners. Do we?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Suddenly, the bowler’s stack isn’t looking all that empty. These bowlers don’t throw under arm. It is hard taking an extra run against them anywhere in the field. They dive to take their catches, to make the ball stop, run hard and dive to save boundaries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Maybe that’s why I am not able to find out that article I was referring to. That’s buried somewhere under the stories of recent success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hope it lasts. It wouldn’t last forever. I hope it lasts as long as possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The stack isn’t empty for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-90246172703821430152018-12-22T18:59:00.000+05:302018-12-22T19:47:40.381+05:30Bolly’s battle!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rm5XtcobCaqVEWo2vkpxKs_7L0ddXqA2adSJn7dmo7QaqB8AuhPvz85iAbJ3QS-G_ORjZG4RyeQ-c5Zax1IqYxpLavAcL3Fht6kGF4Q9iTEpEPvcPscHfIKituBpE2fMbKDr/s1600/26987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1123" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rm5XtcobCaqVEWo2vkpxKs_7L0ddXqA2adSJn7dmo7QaqB8AuhPvz85iAbJ3QS-G_ORjZG4RyeQ-c5Zax1IqYxpLavAcL3Fht6kGF4Q9iTEpEPvcPscHfIKituBpE2fMbKDr/s200/26987.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108198/" target="_blank">Andhandhun</a>. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7725596/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Badhaai Ho</a>. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108202/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Stree</a>. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">These are three of the most talked about movies of 2018. Since these days I find it easier to argue with higher powers at home about not watching a movie in cinema than actually watching the movies in cinema, I hardly watch Bollywood stuff. But I keep hearing a lot about them. Hence talking about what I have heard about these three is – they all have excellent story line aided with fantastic direction and acting. People went to watch good movies and that is what they got. Nobody went to watch them only for Ayushman Khurrana (not sure how many Rs are there in the name) or Raj Kumar Rao.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">To the list, add content available on web portals like Sacred Games or <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8595766/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Yeh Meri Family</a> </i>or <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6473300/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Mirzapur</a> </i>and it makes an interesting group. All these have good plot, excellent direction, maybe fiction but relatable, star cast isn’t always of larger than life images but all of them done a good job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Content is becoming more plot heavy, has good direction and is no longer driven by the star cast. Sacred Games was not over shadowed by Saif Ali Khan. He continues to play 8 ball to the villain during the entire length. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">They are shot mostly in India if not all of it. <i>Mirzapur </i>is set up in Hindi heartland. Sacred Games is shot in Mumbai and <i>Andhadhun </i>is shot in Pune (barring a few scenes). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Protagonists don’t fancy 6 packs. <i>Akarsh Khurana </i>in <i>Ye Meri Family </i>makes you wonder which number would be higher – his waist or his age. Quite like we have seen people from our senior generation. <i>Saif Ali Khan</i>fashions a tummy in Sacred Games. Khurrana and Raj Kumar Rao look fit but prefer showcasing their acting skills rather than abs. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;"> Dance is almost absent. Even if it is there, it is like you and I dance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Fight sequences don’t defy the laws of physics. <i>Mirzapur </i>fight sequences are as real as they get. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Things are becoming quite relatable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">For me, Bollywood was at its best between 1970 to 1985. Give or take a few years. This is the time when we got some of the best movies – <i>Sholay, Deewar, Arth, Andhi, Kaliyug, Kala Patthar </i>and the list goes on. Almost every movie had a message. It seemed to have a purpose. Acting was good. Direction was even better. There were rarely stars – they were all actors. They all looked normal human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Something changed around 1985. Cinema started losing sense. As if all the issues had colluded to one – hero, heroine, villain, hero’s sister who gets violated, hero’s dad who gets killed by villain, hero’s mom who raises him, villain who gets killed in the end before the screen displayed The End. Movies started getting from bad to worse. This was the age of movies like <i>Paap ko jalakar rakh kar doonga, Paap ki duniya, Paap ki Aandhi, Pyar ka mandir, Pyar ka devta, Pyar ke dushman, Tamacha </i>and many more.<i></i>Yes, there were sparks of brilliances in between but far and few. Music was taking precedence of stories – so much so that some of the movies worked only because of good movies. Some of today’s stars made debut or in that era 1985-1990. Slowly even the music started leaning towards vulgarity. <i>Andaj, Raja Babu, Dalal </i>were some of the movies stuffed with vulgar songs. <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apsL8gy_WQQ" style="color: #954f72;">Here</a></span>is a playlist you can enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Things went so bad that <i>Hum Aapke Hain Kaun </i>became a super hit only based on the fact that one could watch it with family, violence was limited to single slap, had no vulgar songs and maximum skin show was limited to <i>Madhuri’s </i>backless blouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Then came <i>Dilwal Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,</i>a movie which showed us all how beautiful the world outside India was. In an economy which was opening up, where barely a handful of people had passports, where used to boast that their dad’s cousin’s friend’s father in law had once travelled abroad, seeing such beautiful scenes from Europe was a mesmerizing experience. Everything from people in the movie to where there were – it all looked good. A trend started where almost every movie was based out of India and even if it was, it was shot outside India. Slowly heroes started taking larger than life images but in a different way. Movies were all about them. They were present almost in every scene. In the story, unlike the earlier decade, money was never a problem for them. Probably audience, who was anyway sick of controlled economy making their lives hand to mouth, was aspiring for a life of abundance and didn’t want to see the money troubles. It had seen enough of protagonists slogging off to make ends meet and killing the villain in the end. It wanted to see protagonists flying in private jets with only problem in life being – reconciling with family or love interest. Audience didn’t want any real life troubles – it has had enough its own. Audience wanted to dream. Dreams are what they got.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">But somewhere down the line, stars started getting much bigger than they should have. They started becoming demigods which might have started with 6 fingered star’s debut movie – he had never seen before physique and his looks were such that once a Kiwi friend refused to believe he was India. While we believed we had MJ’s response in Prabhu Deva, this debutant was much better looking and could dance really well. Soon it became mandatory to have 6 packs if one wanted to have an acting career and one had to look good. Acting was parked somewhere in the backstage. Probably only exception to this theory was the man who married Miss World. For him, acting never existed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Story lost its meaning. Direction was taken over by star power. Stars became producer taking equity in place of fee. They also ensure that their cost of per second star presence on screen was minimum because they were almost always present. Somehow movie makers started to behave as if they were doing us a favour by making movies and by giving us glimpses of these stars on screen. Belief that star power had enough to sell crap had gained immense strength. So much so that stars were not only playing themselves but also their fans. Remember <i>Fan?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Bollywood had become a family business where all we could see was stars and their kids. <i>Nepotism</i>was shamelessly in open. So much so that when a movie was made about a newcomer making a mark in Bollywood, newcomer was played by director’s brother. Remember <i>Luck by chance?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Artistic brilliance had started disappearing so much so that people had started making remakes of their own movies. Remember <i>Judwaa 2?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">This is where things went a too far. We were bored of brick faced actors being sold as talent because only thing that could act in those bodies were their biceps or bellies. We were bored of seeing newfound foreign locations which after sometime, look all the same. We were sick of seeing dance which seemed unreal. We were sick of physics defying cars flying scenes. We were sick of love or friendship crap. We were sick of seeing people with no real problems in their lives. We were sick of people’s thinking that we could be sold crap just because it came covered in a star’s poster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Movies had stopped being what they should be – story telling. We were sick of that. We wanted good stories. This is where technology started breaking this cartel. It gave an additional media to reach the audience. The media which was cost effective and had no censorship. Same way, multiplexes opened way for low budget movies. Economics is simple. You get a good story. Take some who neither charges you a bomb nor is so big that story has to pave way for him. You stick to the plot. Rest will be taken care off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">This has changed the game. With the recent flops of 3 big Ks and more of some star kids, cracks have started to appear in the castles. With recent hits of some names which still find their feet on this planet, slums are redeveloping as <i>pucca </i>homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">The tussle is on. They will soon find an equilibrium. But by then, the battlefield would have shifted. This is how things work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 20px;">Till then, enjoy the path to equilibrium. And some good content. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8604014.post-11073184354113141152018-12-20T14:55:00.001+05:302018-12-22T12:38:12.789+05:30A trip to remember – Concluding part, Sayonara!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Links for - <a href="http://vibhash.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-trip-to-remember-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part1</a>, <a href="http://vibhash.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-trip-to-remember-part-2-branding.html" target="_blank">Part2</a> and <a href="http://vibhash.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-trip-to-remember-part-3-food-fun-and.html" target="_blank">Part3</a> </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFxowlBh_Lnvb9_Y_f2V_p69a9jD1wBbuKt2bCqiYaGjgVCBaO-qoMbmTiWxdeL5BnjGuQz3Ksnzqla1u2EmvQWemWdtQ0zFN9sAmfS7H0Ekf7C8ddcZVjJzKRquxdhNBOCMR/s1600/IMG-20181215-WA0064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFxowlBh_Lnvb9_Y_f2V_p69a9jD1wBbuKt2bCqiYaGjgVCBaO-qoMbmTiWxdeL5BnjGuQz3Ksnzqla1u2EmvQWemWdtQ0zFN9sAmfS7H0Ekf7C8ddcZVjJzKRquxdhNBOCMR/s200/IMG-20181215-WA0064.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">By the time I was woken up, after multiple attempts, half the rituals were over. Almost 3 hours more and we were done. The wedding hall staff had already started dropping unmissable hints for us to leave. Whenever a wedding hall wants you to leave, they opt for a standard modus operandi. First, the shall cut the power supply. Then, they would start pulling off the chair covers while you are still sitting in them. If you ask them to wait, they would ignore you. Next would be starting to clean up the hall. All you would notice is people with broomsticks all around you. Getting to feel like muggles amongst pure bloods, you would soon rush off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Breakfast served looked so oily that my already revolting stomach sent a signal to my mind – eat it and I will teach you the literal meaning of fire in the belly. Hence, I decided to give it a miss and opted for another typical breakfast item in Kanpur – <i>bread, makkhan and mattha </i>(Bread, fresh white butter and buttermilk). They take 2 slices of fresh bread, stuff the <i>makkhan </i>in between and serve with a glass of <i>mattha.</i>The bread which is already soft, becomes even softer due to <i>makkhan</i>. Quantity of <i>makkhan </i>just enough to make it feel like it is spilling out but not enough to actually get spilled out. The moment you put it in mouth, it melts. Along with the bread. Yes, bread. To smoothen the flow in your </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">esophagus, you are supposed to take a sip of <i>mattha </i>after every bite. Bite and sip. Sip and bite. It has to work in sync. Taste? Yummiest ever. People go for morning walk and have this as their breakfast. People want this in their breakfast hence go for morning walk. Not sure which one is true. But I am sure that if you ask my fellow <i>Kanpuriyas </i>to choose between low carb and high in protein food, they will choose whichever is tastier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Sometime in the afternoon, people started leaving. I had deliberately taken an extra day because I didn’t want to leave in hurry. For me, coming back to Kanpur wasn’t just a question of when, it was also a question of if. Hence, I wanted soak it all in – all the memories, all the nostalgia, wanted to meet as many people as possible, to eat as much variety of street food as I could stomach, take photos, make enough memories and generate emotional inertia to convert the question of “if” in to question of “when”. Isn’t it what life is? You always want to meet people wondering when are you going to meet them next instead of wondering if you would meet them next? “When” has a willingness to look forward but the willingness is certain. “If” may lack both – certainty and willingness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Later I visited the house where I had spent my early childhood. 2 homes. 2 lunches. By the time I was back, I had puked out both the lunches plus a bit of breakfast. My dinner was nothing but multiple medicines. Hosts were in no mood to send me back sick. After all, it was a matter of pride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">I woke up to a lazy Monday morning. The sun was out. Temperatures were just mild enough for us to enjoy the sun. I was chitchatting with my brother in the balcony. We talked about old days, big cities, politics, cricket and everything two people with an age difference of almost a decade and a half could discuss. While we had been involved in intense discussion, another couple had been sitting outside their house, enjoying the sun and doing nothing – no mobile, no newspaper reading, no running, no jogging or not even talking to each other. They did speak to each other once in a while. Otherwise, all they were doing was sitting idle and doing nothing. I told my brother – “In Pune, it is almost an impossible sight. You would hardly see two people sitting like this for an hour and doing nothing. Either they would be in mobile or go for a walk or indulge in something. If nothing, they would go back inside. But this, this is something different. This is peace”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">This is something we miss in so called bigger cities. We want to make use of every moment – knowingly or unknowingly. We want to waste nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">We are always running. Running after an illusive goal. Once we achieve it, all we get is a lull in the name of “What now?”. Everyone has goals, even on personal front. Someone is running marathon. Someone is building muscles. Someone is losing fat. Someone is clicking. Someone is traveling. Someone is writing. Everyone is doing something. Nobody is doing nothing. But doing nothing has its own pleasure. It is important. So important that there are mobile apps which <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/" style="color: #954f72;">help you in doing nothing</a></span>. How ironical that the rat race we been trapped in, it is making us take help from technology to do what should come naturally to us – to do nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">I also visited one of the most famous temples in Kanpur – Panki, the <i>hanuman </i>temple. Not surprisingly, the temple is full of monkeys. They are so well fed and taken care of that they hardly trouble the devotees. Not sure if this is valid now but when I was a kid, everyone buying a vehicle first brought it to this temple then took it anywhere else. Every. Single. Vehicle. While it may not be the cleanest temple, the atmosphere is serene. <i>Hanuman Chalisa </i>in the background, colour saffron all around and not many devotees if it isn’t a Tuesday or Saturday made it special. On Tuesdays or Saturdays, the temple is stuffed with monkeys and those who claim to have evolved from monkeys – humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Every city has its own salient features. It includes driving. <i>Gangtok </i>is so disciplined when it comes to driving that I was thankful I didn’t have to drive there. I am not cut out for such rule abiding driving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">In Mumbai, nobody has time. Even if you dash against someone’s car, most probably all you shall get is a stare. That’s because nobody has time to waste time in solving a problem on the road which can only be solved in service centre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Don’t you dash someone’s car in Delhi. You might actually get a bullet. That’s because people do own guns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Bhopal is so laidback in driving that cars hardly cross the speed of 40kmph. People know that even if they rush, all they would save is 5 minutes. So why rush?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">People in Pune drive a bit rash. If you dash, apologize and move on. Don’t hurt people’s ego else…..well, they will hurt your ego and it might not stop there. Special tip – stay away from cars with tinted glass and special numbers like 1, 777, 999 etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Of all the cities I have seen, people in Ahemdabad have the worst driving sense. Driving is by hook or by crook. This is my personal opinion hence please don’t file a FIR against my name or torch my house. If any sentiments are hurt, I apologize. People normally keep the left side mirror closed or its absent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Kanpur is unique. In Kanpur, hold your breath, people don’t use side mirrors at all. They are either closed or not present. Why? I got the answer <i>“Dekhiye bhaiyya apna kaam hai seedhe gaadi challan. Agal bagal wale se humko matlab nahi. Who uski labhed hai, who sambhale. Waise bhi khula rakhenge to toot jayega. Kaahe befaltu ka bayaana len” </i>(We drive straight hence why worry about left or right. If we keep open, it might get broken. Hence let it be). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Lot of people have asked me if aeroplane incident was true. Yes it was. So was the abovementioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Finally the trip was coming to an end. After biding adieu to everyone, I started my journey to airport with butterflies in my stomach – wanted to see how would be the departure at airport. To my utter surprise and relief, this part was built of concrete. Although the building looked like a small hospital, it had everything required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">A gentleman was blocking my way. I politely said, “<i>Sir, jara hatenge?” </i>(Sir, would you please move)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Sir is pronounced as <i>Sar</i>which means head in hindi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">“Sar kahe hatega kewal? Poora aadmi hi hatega. Tum kya kewal sar hatate ho. Hayn?” </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">pat came the reply which I didn’t even find funny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Now here is an important lesson about people from Kanpur. If they crack a joke and they think it is funny, they will keep repeating it. “They think” and “keep repeating” are operative words here. They always think their jokes are funny. They can keep repeating the joke till death – their death. If they sense you are ignoring their joke, they shall hold you and make you listen. Hence if something like this happens, you have to immediately respond back with a funnier joke. Else, you are doomed. That is how good wit is built by outwitting each other in order to survive the torture of listening to same joke till eternity. That’s why people are so witty. Practice, you see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">The gentleman repeated what he said at least 4 times. Every time he laughed louder than the last. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">“Batao kah rahe hain sar hatao. Arey sar kahan se hata den bhaiyya? Poori Body hi hata dete hain. Hayn.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;"> “Kyon bhaiyya, chalega na. Poori body hat gayi. Ya tumko bas sar hatana tha. Hayn.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">“Dekhiye bhaisab. Ye humse bole sar hatao. Ab sar kaise hatayen. Poori body hategi na. hayn.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Luckily, he had come to see someone off hence wasn’t allowed to enter the building. Otherwise…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Finally I boarded the flight. With beautiful memories and awesome stomach. In this trip I had made sure I left nothing in my mind for “next time”. What if there is no next time? I relived all those years spent in the city. These 4 days had made up for all those years I had missed. It was as if I had completed a circle. It was I had got closure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">I am not sure when would be my next visit. I am not sure if there would be a visit. Only thing I am sure about is – these wonderful 4 days had tilted the question of “if” and “when” towards “when”. What a wonderful feeling. May one never gets to a situation where "when" turns to "if". With a ear to ear grin on my face, I said "</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Adios my beloved".</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<s><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">If we meet again. <o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">Till we meet again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">PS: On my way back to Mumbai, the flight didn't stop mid air. Or at least nobody wondered if it had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Vibhash Prakash Awasthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10560503953678264848noreply@blogger.com0