just like that

Just didnt want the blog to become inactive again. So reproducing an earlier post I wrote as a guest blogger for Mrunal's new blog.



Cricket versus T20

Along with over-arm bowling, Kerry Packer and the third umpire, T20 will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the few things that changed the game forever. Like all those changes, the impact of T20 was not immediate – Two years and an Indian win in the inaugural World cup was what it took to capture India’s, and thus, the cricketing world’s, imagination. Smartly, Lalit Modi & Co stepped in. A few cash-rich corporates, some of the world’s best players, a borrowed concept and a booming economy (on second thoughts, just a growing economy) took care of the rest. No one even remembers poor Subash Chandra now.

Well, with IPL2 ready to rock South African audiences and Indian televisions, I thought about why IPL1 didn’t fascinate me as much as it should have. Surely, if not for all the glitz and glamour, atleast the big names and the cricket on display should have had me. First and foremost, I guess it was the city-based teams’ concept. I really didn’t feel that passionate about supporting my city, or any city for that matter. And when Mathew Hayden, Joginder Sharma and Andy Morkel turn out for Chennai SuperKings, whatever little you felt is also gone. On the other hand, when Team India is playing, it’s a totally different ball game. The ecstasy that an Indian win brings is truly unmatched and so is the disappointment at a narrow loss.

The second thing that doesn’t work for me is the whole T20 concept itself. Sure, it gets over in three hours and fits television audiences perfectly but for a serious cricket fan, the cricket on view is not as pleasing as Test or one-day cricket. I remember seeing the inaugural T20 WC and truth be told, I fell for it. What nail-biting excitement it provided and of course, India kept winning. Two years on, the format has not evolved as much as it should have with the result that we keep seeing batsmen trying to hit every ball for a six. Swing and seam are gone; Flight and loop have been forgotten and it’s all about getting the Yorker length.

There is no doubt that T20 has given an exciting twist to the gentleman’s game. As Richie Benaud famously remarked “Test cricket is what parents take their kids to and T20 is what kids bring their parents to” (or some such thing). It has got a whole new generation of people hooked onto cricket. It has got more money into the game and for a cash-strapped ICC, it’s a huge opportunity. But let this opportunity not lead us to the demise of the game. Let it not turn cricket into some fast-paced action thriller where power and purpose take control over skill and strategy. The Dhonis and Gambhirs of today were brought up on Sachin’s Sharjah-like innings. Let Yuvaraj’s six sixes in an over not be the role model for tomorrow’s cricketing princes. Let T20 be what it is - the fun-filled, relaxed form of the game.

It’s a tribute to the game that Test cricket is still considered the pinnacle by its players and fans. And it’s a tribute to its administrators that they have maintained the balance between all the three formats. Undoubtedly, the big challenge will be to sustain the same in the coming years. Let’s maintain IPL as what it is – a cleverly packaged entertainment show with cricket as its anchor. Let it stay as the format where Buchnan tries out his multi-captaincy theories and Modi his time-out commercials. But let’s not take it beyond that.

Once in every four years, we come across

(i) the biggest sporting extravaganza on the planet.
(ii) the existence of sports like Boxing, Weightlifting and Shooting.
(iii) small African countries that can't be found on the map winning many medals.
(iv) an entire nation of one billion and more waiting with bated breath for that single gold/silver/bronze.

That time has come. Lets pray and hope for the best!

I finally got my posting this month at work. Coimbatore will be my new home. The Manchester of South India, the city and its surrounding geographies are in the middle of an economic boom. For the first time, I see a city where manufacturing is above par the services/agriculture in terms of employment as well as wealth creation. The cost of living, not surprisingly, seems to be nearly as high, if not more than, Chennai. In fact, one of my friends went to the extent of suggesting that it is costlier than Bangalore.

Anyways, since I am going to be here for sometime, you will have enough of Coimbatore snippets in the days to come. Just thought I will make a post as I begin another journey in a new city. I am looking forward to the challenges and hope to have fun in the way!

You know Valentine’s Day is near when

a) The normal stationery shop you visit is suddenly full of ‘You are the one for me’ cards and heart-shaped gifts.

b) Your newspaper comes with special ‘love’ supplements.

c) The news channels run breaking news as “One crore red roses sold in February”.

d) Shopping malls run all sorts of Ms. And Mr. contests.

e) A lot of (otherwise idle) bloggers write some silly post on it :)

As of now, the only missing link is the self-proclaimed moral police who pop-out on occasions like this and tell people what is right for them and the society. (I guess they will give it a skip this time as they are busy with other ‘Maha’ issues)

Anyways, my earliest memory of V-day goes back to eighth standard - I overheard a conversation while standing in the prayer line at school which went as follows “Do you know today is lover’s day?” “Yeah! I know. And Ganesh is going to propose to Divya” (Names changed to protect identities :) ). But it wasn’t until I was 15 that I actually came to know about the dress-color codes to be followed. I remember being furious with myself for not having a green shirt with me (Green, supposedly, was to indicate to your target segment that you were available). These two silly events keeping come back to me whenever I think of V-day. Since my other adult years did not provide any reason to remember Feb 14 in any special way, its time to bring this aimless post to an end now!

I wish all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the day. Love everyone and throw away any of your old hatred for anyone! And above all, treat every day of the year as V-Day. Let your heart go on!