Category — Sports

Sport mirrors life. There’s a lot more to sport, than what the television broadcasters offer us, and I’ve always looked at sports as an invaluable medium to inculcate life lessons. A lot of stories today – all from sporting careers. And a lot to learn. There’s an African, a Brit, a Pakistani and a New Zealand national – no world beaters as such, but winners in a not so usual a contest.

Collins Obuya is your average frail Kenyan who looked like he’d blown away by Shaun Tait’s bouncers in a recent World Cup encounter. Obuya burst onto the scene in the 2003 World Cup and impressed all with his leg spinners. He picked up 13 wickets at an average 28.76 in the 2003 World Cup and took a career best 5 for 24 in Kenya’s win over Sri Lanka at Nairobi. Hailed as the successor to Asif Karim, Obuya was touted as the best young spinner in Africa. His stellar performances earned him a contract with Warwickshire in the English League. In the months to follow, the ball just wouldn’t turn for Obuya. He faced health issues, his bowling deteriorated and he couldn’t buy a wicket.  Obuya has thirty ODI wickets to his name. He had 25 till 2003, which means he’s picked up five wickets in the last seven years, after earning his contract with Warwickshire. To much surprise, Obuya has played in both the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. Not as a leg spinner, but as a specialized middle order batsman. Obuya is Kenya’s highest run-getter in the 2011 World Cup with a healthy average of 48.60, scoring a 98* against the mighty Australians.

James Franklin made his Test debut in 2000 when he played as a seamer against Pakistan. He scored a pair (zero runs in either innings) to kick start his Test Career. For the last three years, he has been a permanent fixture in New Zealand’s batting order. In his first year in international cricket, he had a batting average of 7. He averages 54 in one day internationals played in 2011. Franklin suffered a knee injury in 2006-07 and was never the same bowler. That he switched his core competency from being a bowler to a batsmen given the circumstances, is what still guarantees him a spot in the Kiwi side.

The highest wicket taker in the 2011 World Cup is our very own Shahid Bhai. With twenty one wickets to his name, he’s outperformed stalwarts like Muralidaran and Harbhajan Singh. The problem is that he started his career as an opening batsman, some twelve years ago. Afridi was ferocious with the bat in the late nineties. Aged 16 years and 217 days, Afridi became the youngest player to score an ODI century. In his first international innings, Afridi broke the record for fastest century in ODI cricket, reaching his hundred from 37 balls. The eleven sixes he struck also equalled the record for most in an ODI innings. Batting was his calling or so it seemed. Sometime in the middle of the last decade, he was found out by international bowlers. And runs came to trickle. His technique and approach was not good enough to merit him a spot in the team as a specialized batter. He had to develop his bowling to remain a part of the Pakistan side. As things stand currently, Shahid Afridi is Pakistan’s most successful spinner. His 313 ODI wickets make him Pakistan’s third highest wicket taker behind Wasim and Waqar. Not bad for a Pathan, for whom batting was his ‘true calling’.

Rebecca Romero has two Olympic medals – a Silver in 2004 and a Gold in 2008. What makes it special is that the 2004 medal was won in Rowing and the 2008 triumph was in cycling. A champion rower – she won a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics in the quadruple sculls, and the following year was part of the British crew that won the 2005 World Championships in the quad sculls. In 2006, she quit rowing due to a chronic back problem. But she couldn’t give up her love for sport and the stomach for a fight. She took up cycling and made rapid advances. The individual gold at the Beijing Olympic was her crowning glory.

We have been told a lot of times, stories of companies going out of business as they failed to embrace change, failed to adapt themselves with the need of the markets and the consumers, failed to innovate. A lot of corporate branding has to do with change and dynamism as well. More importantly, a lot of careers hit a roadblock, when the employee fails to reinvent himself in the workspace.

How difficult is it to reinvent yourself professionally? Suppose an employee working at a desk for four years just realises that his core skills are no longer good enough to sustain him in the market. What does he do? Surely, pick up something else. That he can’t afford to given that he is so highly leveraged is another issue altogether.

Why are certain people able to reinvent themselves faster and more peacefully than others? How can Sachin Tendulkar rule over all three versions of cricket, whereas most others invariably restrict themselves to one form? Anurag Behar, in his latest column talks about two extremes in philosophy of education – “the liberal educationist” and “the instrumental educationist”. He says -

The “liberal educationist” believes in education for its own sake: That only learning anchored in deep thoughts and broad perspectives can be called education; that stoking the thirst for knowledge is sufficient to handle life. To him, thinking of how education can prepare someone for a vocation is somewhere between ludicrous and sacrilegious.

The “instrumental educationist” wants the child to prepare for employment— the earlier the better. After all, the real purpose of education is generating livelihood—everything must be aligned to that. Skills and knowledge relevant to employment must be central to the curriculum. In this view, the ability to think critically, perspectives about society and scientific understanding of nature are somewhere between distractions and unaffordable luxuries.

As graduates in India, the focus on instrumental education is very high. Liberal views are not valued by the system, peers or examiners. The current focus of Indian education, especially IT, is on vocation, which aims at transforming lifestyle and eating habits more than anything else. There is no impetus for thought per se, and the confluence of thoughts from various walks of life. And this method of learning perhaps, is what makes most Indian graduates very rigid; very inflexible. Because most students are taught to study for a particular vocation, it becomes difficult to change career tracks at a later stage. Most of us join engineering because a mediocre engineer earns more than a mediocre lawyer or a mediocre artist or a mediocre footballer or a mediocre keyboard player or a mediocre ballet dancer.

Say you are the 256,443 rd best engineer in the country. You’d still be having a six digit annual salary. And a 256,443 rd best physiotherapist in this country would be jobless. The problem is that they day India needs 256,442 skilled engineers, you’ll have nowhere to go, if your education has not been a marriage of the the two extremes mentioned above.

Realising that your core skills which you’ve been nurturing for more than half a decade, are not good enough for the marketplace, can be a very damning experience. But as a lot of sportspersons have showed, it’s not the end of the world. With the right mentality and “soft skills” or “soft attributes”, mastering another domain or vocation, is not really out of reach. Viren Rasquinha captained the Indian hockey team and then studied management and currently heads the operations of the Olympic Gold Quest. So, if you are 21, and totally out of sync with your current vocation/training, all’s not lost. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of this country is a production engineering graduate. Take heart. Have patience. Strengthen your “non-functional” skill base. Vocation training is easy.

A banner at the ground summed up Australia’s affection for Sachin Tendulkar. “Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting,” it read. “They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching.”

Touche .

Source: Cricinfo. Hell, I didn’t want to give them a link here. They do get lots of links anyways

A few friends have actually complained that I am writing very *mushy-mushy* posts these days and that I had lost even the iota of saneness I had once upon a time. So just to prove them wrong, here is an analytical post on today’s game and the tournament in general.

The toss was really a no-brainer. India wanted to put runs on the board and Pakistan wanted to chase. So I was pretty confident that India would bat first, which they did. The inclusion of Yusuf Pathan was a very mature and a bold move. A few months ago one could have expected Dravid to come up at the toss and say ,” Yusuf hasn’t played a game in the tournament. He does not have any prior experience. He’s Nervous. We will go in with tried and tested players (read: tried and tested failures) . Blabber. Blabber.” So when YP actually played, it showed that the team thought that all 15 players in the squad were good enough to turn up and actually play. He tried his best Yusuf with the limited technique he’s got. The six off Asif was courageous.

Gautam Gambhir showed immense maturity to stabilize the innings after Utthapa chose the wrong ball to slog. With the law of averages fast catching up with Yuvraj, Gambhir had to take over as the aggressor and he did his job with panache. Rohit Sharma, again, made an invaluable 30* which perhaps tilted the balance in our favour. I have always believed that 160 is a par score in T20. If you can’t defend 160, its because you have bowled badly. The batsmen are not to be blamed.

People at my house were expecting us to score 180+ and I had to tell them that 160 is a very good score, especially in crunch finals. But they weren’t too impressed anyways. Also its becoming rather difficult to watch the games with my entire family. When I watch any sport I keep a very open mindset. I appreciate everything thats good. And I don’t really care if it comes from Team India or someone else. So when Arafat and Gul were firing in yorkers, I went “Excellent bowling” after each delivery and everybody else was like “Why isn’t he hitting” and then I used to get those ‘gaddar’ glances . Sometimes you need give credit where its due and keep sentiments aside. You need to appreciated the game in general and not individual players or teams.

Imran Nazir slashed with great effect and could have easily slogged his way to superstardom had it not been for an inspired direct hit by Robin. RP got too early scalps bowling a teasing line outside off. YP chipped in with one over for five and I for one thought he was underbowled. Pathan bowled very cleverly, Joginder was very lucky today for he bowled utter rubbish wide outside off stump and Harbhajan was not convincing.

Before I start , let me tell you that Misbah Ul Haq is 33. Yeah same age as Dravid. Doesn’t look that old, does he ? He may never play in a T20 final again. He might never play a ODI World Cup again. But the composure and poise in his batting today was there for all to see. At an instant, he rejected a single off Harbhajan with 21 balls to go. And I was like * Thats the most stupid thing he can ever do. Does he actually think that he can win this game on his own ?* . I got my answer in the next three deliveries. 2 went out of the park.

Dhoni was very impressive. But again I’ve watched so much cricket over the last decade that I can’t help but point a finger at him. Mohammad Asif is a typical number 11. Does he have the slogging capabilities to clear mid-of/mid-on ? No. Can he produce an outside/inside edge? Yes. You bet. With 7 balls to go, and Asif on strike, it is imperative that the captain called mid-off/mid-on into the circle and moved his third man and fine leg as fine (as close to the wickets) as possible to counter the possibility of an edge. Asif edged and the ball raced away for a four which IMHO *should and must* be anticipated at this level.

Coming back, we (I watched the last part of the game with a friend of mine) were pretty sure that Pakistan would win with 13 runs to get and Misbah obliged with a six. With six to win off four, it was *such a low percentage shot* to play. He could have maneuvered his way to victory. And it was so disappointing to see that no Indian went up to him and consoled him after he got out *remember Ashes 2005 Brett Lee/Flintoff* . For he had played an absolute blinder. From a situation of no hope, he had nearly won the game for Pakistan.

The post match presentation was a big farce.

Shoaib Malik said something like *wherever all Muslims live*. I mean cricket does not follow a religion. Sports like music knows no cultures, religions and boundaries. And for SM to say something like this on such an occasion was really disappointing. Does SM think that only Muslims support Pakistan ? I think not.

Afridi came in and went like *I congratulate Indian countries* . And I always thought there was just one.

Ravi Shastri said that India were first time winners of Twenty20. Well, given that the tournament was the first ever World Cup, it wasn’t the greatest of remarks. Also he got all excited at the end and blurted out that India were TT champions !! And I thought that Forrest Gump was the best TT player on this planet.

The best part of watching TV with friends is the useless talk that goes on simultaneously. Here’s how today’s banter went (using A and B, which one is me is anybody’s guess).

*camera on the trophies*

A: What an ugly trophy!

B: Thats why the OZ didn’t want it. They get better trophies at domestic level.

A: SreeSanth’s actually wearing spectacles. He looks like a professor.

B: Yeah and once he removes them the only thing he does is sit down in the middle of the pitch and bang his bands against the ground as if *censored*

*So Irfan, what was on your mind when the last over started?*

A: Tanushree Dutta !

B: *rolling on the floor…..hurts his head*

*Shahrukh starts hugging people for no reason**Hugs SreeSaanth*

A: Do you know what he just said ? Although you don’t understand Hindi and are a Rajnikant fan, please watch Om Shanti Om which is scheduled for a Diwali release. And tell all your Gaonwallahs to watch it too. You bowled pretty well today. You were the one who bowled the last over? Weren’t you ?

Huff ! Enough ! I can’t recollect more. A really good win and a blog post !

In the wake of Sree Santh’s histrionics that would have made Mallika Sherawat proud, sledging in cricket has again raised its witty(did someone say ugly) head. I personally feel that sledging is an integral part of the game and it would be very wrong to do away with it. After all, it was sledging that earned Steve Waugh the sobriquet “The Master of Mental Disintegration”. So I thought it would be apt to post some memorable sledges from the years gone by. Some might be cooked up, that I do not deny. But hold on to your chairs and please don’t injure yourself laughing ! And so on that note, lets start with Steve “Drobe” Waugh !

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Steve Waugh & Parthiv Patel
This happened during India’s tour of Australia in 2001. The series was level at 1-1. It was the 5th and final test at Sydney and India was 4 wickets away from a historic series victory on Aussie soil. However, the aussie Captain, Steve Waugh was proving a thorn in India’s back. Playing in his last test match (as he had announced retirement), he mounted a rear-guard action and was fighting for a draw, and was the only one who stood between India and victory. In an attempt to induce him to do something foolish, the 16 year old Indian wicket keeper chirps ” Hey Steve, how about one of those famous slog sweep of yours before you leave forever?”. Waugh, a veteran of such tactics replied ” Sonny! You better show some respect! You were pooping in your diapers when I made my debut”

Sunil Gavaskar
Once, during the tour of West Indies, a young bowler was trying to get under Gavaskar’s skin by sledging. Gavaskar, a senior player retorted “Son, don’t waste time sledging at me. I have been sledged at more often than you have taken a piss”.

Trueman and Aussie batsman
In an England v Australia Test during early 1960′s Trueman was fielding close to the gate from the pavilion. As a new batsman came out he turned to shut the gate, Trueman said “Don’t bother son, you won’t be out there long enough.”

Adam Parore and Daryll Cullinan.
Because Cullinan is well known for being Warne’s bunny, New Zealand keeper Parore greeted the South African, carefully playing the first ball from kiwi Chris Harris, with a cry of: “Bowled Warnie!”

Healy & Hansie
In one of the tour matches in South Africa, Australia played Hansie Cronje’s province. Cronje was at the non strikers end, there was a short chubby batsman on strike. Ian Healy yelled to Warne, (I think) “Bowl a Mars Bar half way down…We’ll get him stumped” The Aussies and Cronje were all in hysterics. the batsman’s retort: “Nah, Boonie fielding at short leg will be onto it before I can move.”

Bill Lawry & Richie Benaud
While commentating during a match in which Pakistan was faring badly in all departments of the game, Bill Lawry, offering a solution said “I think Pakistan’s problem is they’ve got to relax”, to which Benaud replies nonchalantly, “I don’t agree. I think Pakistan have got to learn how to bat, bowl and field. It’s a simple game.”

David Hookes & Tony Greig
Centenary Test in Melbourne 1977. A young David Hookes makes his way to the crease in his debut test. The English captain was South African born Tony Greig.
Greig : “When are balls going to drop sonny”
Hookes : “Don’t know but at least I’m playing Cricket for my own country”

Merv Hughes Vs Hansie Cronje
Hughes was one of the greatest exponents of the fine “art” of sledging. Once during a tour game in South Africa Hughes was bowling to Hansie Cronje . It was an especially flat wicket and Cronje was hitting Hughes for fours and sixes all over the place.
After the umpteenth boundary, Hughes headed down the pitch, stood near Cronje, let out a fart and said: “Try hitting that for six.” It was five minutes before the guffawing stopped and play could resume.

Viv Richards to Gavaskar
Gavaskar had decided to relinquish his opening position and come in at no 4 for that test. But, Malcolm Marshall fired out Anshuman Gaekwad and Dilip Vengsarkar for ducks, setting the stage for Gavaskar to walk in at 0/2. And he thought there would be less pressure! Viv Richards says “Man, it don’t matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero.”

Waugh Vs Jamie Siddons:
In a Sheffield Shield game between NSW and SA, a Waugh twin (not sure which) was taking an enternity to take guard, asking the umpire for centre, middle and leg, two legs – the whole lot. Then he steps away towards leg side and has another look around the field, before re checking centre. Jamie Siddons is at slip, and decided enough is enough. He yells out. “For christ sake, it’s not a ‘f*ckin test match.”
Waugh replies: ” Of course it isn’t … You’re here. “

Barmy Army Vs Shane Warne:
England’s “Barmy Army” recently decided to sledge leg spinner Shane Warne musically, and it has been described as boorishly personal, but effective. The sledge was based on Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep – the “Where’s your poppa gone?” Song. It has been converted to ” Where’s your missus gone?” (Warne had recently been divorced.)

Healy & Atherton
Michael Atherton, on his first Tour to Australia was adjudged not out on a caught behind appeal.
At the end of the over Ian Healey walked by and announced “You’re a f*@$%#* cheat”.
Athers replied very politely “When in Rome dear boy…….”.

Ian Healy & Arjuna Ranatunga
Yet another Australian witticism with this time porky Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna Ranatunga the victim. Shane Warne, trying to tempt the batsman out of his crease mused what it took to get the plump character to get out of his crease and drive. Wicketkeeper Ian Healy piped up, “Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it.”

Ravi Shastri vs the Aussie 12th man (don’t remember who, and don’t want to slander anyone)
Shastri hits it to this guy and looks for a single. This guy gets the ball in and says, “If you leave the crease I’ll break your fucking head.”
Shastri: “If you could bat as well as you can talk you wouldn’t be the fucking 12th man.”

Malcolm Marshall & David Boon
Malcolm Marshall was bowling to David Boon who had played and missed a couple of times. Marshall: “Now, David, are you going to get out now or am I going to have to bowl around the wicket and kill you?”

Fred Trueman & Raman Subba Row
Fred Trueman bowling. The batsman edges and the ball goes to first slip, and right between Raman Subba Row’s legs. Fred doesn’t say a word. At the end of the over, Row ambles past Trueman and apologises sheepishly. “I should’ve kept my legs together, Fred. “So should your mother,” he replied.

Viv Richards v Greg Thomas
This incident took place during a county championship match between Glamorgan and Somerset. Glamorgan paceman Thomas had beaten Richards’ bat a couple of times and informed him: “It’s red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering.”

The very next ball Sir Issac Vivian Andrews Richards gave him the royal treament and smashed the ball out of the ground, into a nearby river – at which point he piped up: “Greg, you know what it looks like. Now go and fetch it.”

Rod Marsh & Ian Botham:
When Botham took guard in an Ashes match, Marsh welcomed him to the wicket with the immortal words: “So how’s your wife & my kids?”
Botham retort was “Wife is fine, kids are retarded”

Daryll Cullinan & Shane Warne:
As Cullinan was on his way to the wicket, Warne told him he had been waiting 2 years for another chance to humiliate him. “Looks like you spent it eating,” Cullinan retorted.

Glenn McGrath (bowling to portly Zimbabwean chicken farmer Eddo Brandes):
“Hey Eddo, why are you so fucking fat?”
Eddo Brandes: “Because every time I fuck your wife, she throws me a biscuit.”

Robin Smith & Merv Hughes:
During 1989 Lords Test, Hughes said to Smith after he played & missed: “You can’t fucking bat.”
Smith to Hughes after he smacked him to the boundary: “Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can’t fucking bat & you can’t fucking bowl.”

Merv Hughes & Javed Miandad:
During 1991 Adelaide Test, Javed called Merv a fat bus conductor. A few balls later Merv dismissed Javed. “Tickets please,” Merv called out as he ran past the departing batsman.

Merv Hughes & Viv Richards:
During a test match in the West Indies, Hughes didn’t say a word to Viv, but continued to stare at him after deliveries. “This is my island, my culture. Don’t you be staring at me. In my culture we just bowl.” Merv didn’t reply, but after he dismissed him he announced to the batsman: “In my culture we just say fuck off.”

Ian Healy & Arjuna Ranatunga:
And of course you can’t forget Ian Healy’s legendary comment which was picked up by the Channel 9 microphones when Arjuna Ranatunga called for a runner on a particularly hot night during a one-dayer in Sydney: “You don’t get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat ****!”

James Ormond & Mark Waugh
Ormand had just come out to bat on an Ashes tour and was greeted by Mark Waugh.
MW: “Fuck me, look who it is. Mate, what are you doing out here? There’s no way you’re good enough to play for England.”
JO: “Maybe not, but at least I’m the best player in my family.”

Glenn McGrath & Ramnaresh Sarwan
McGrath to Sarwan: “So what does Brian Lara’s dick taste like?”
Sarwan: “I don’t know. Ask your wife.”
McGrath (losing it): “If you ever fucking mention my wife again, I’ll fucking rip your fucking throat out!”

Mark Waugh & Adam Parore
Waugh standing at second slip, the new player (Parore) comes to the crease playing & missing the first ball. Mark: “Oh, I remember you from a couple years ago in Australia. You were shit then, you’re fucking useless now.”
Parore (turning around): “Yeah, that’s me. And when I was there you were going
out with that old, ugly slut. And now I hear you’ve married her, you dumb ****!”

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Now that I think of it, we Indians never were or are good at this game of verbal volleys. Our sledging is downright brute. Foul. We don’t hit where it hurts the most. The Aussies are masters when it comes to ‘ethical sledging’ as I may prefer to call it. The witticism in their sledges is there for all to see. Such characters ! Thats what makes the game special !

Also, with ESPN telecasting the ongoing games, the commentary is oh so better. I recollect another Harsha gem from the second test at Nottingham.

Sidebottom had bowled supremely beating Tendulkar as if he was a playing seam for the first time in his career. But with no luck. He couldn’t induce an edge. And when he did, the ball did not find the slips. Later he removed Dhoni with a peach of a delivery. And then Harsha went something like this, ” Sidebotoooooooooommm…..And finally there is justice in this world, the Gods have just returned after their cup of tea.”

Harsha , you make this stuff very very watchable. And you dont have to sledge either !

(In red, is my personal favourite )