Back to senses after a day, night and INDIA INDIA so so many times ...

A very very famous night ....

For throughout the partnership of Dhoni and Gauti, I was sitting at a very awkward position almost all weight on the calf muscles, moved and inch to make myself ok, gambhir got out .. cursed myself and abused and back in same position. When Dhoni hit that six, my newly wed wife was jumpin in air .. She is one of the females who just dislikes cricket to core, but today she was wearing an India team shirt with dhoni on the back. She wanted me to take photographs to be put on FB with that pics, i simply was not listening. When he hit that six, I just sunk back in the chair . I could not speak, not yell.. I was smiling , smiling like a random thought was going on. I dont know what was, but there was inner peace, I have never ever felt so peaceful, calm and relaxed. I heard the presentation, and the philips extra. Then i started realising what a blined MSD had played, Everything fell into place Yuvraj diving at point, Zaheer bowling in the starting spell, Gautam gambhir diving to save a run out.. Oh man they did play like never before.. never before.. the scenes were unbelievable... We took car and went out.. It was crazy in koramanagala, in the paramount lathi charge, in the honking, random people yelling and we yelling back .. We came back, saw it over and over again, the best part is however still to come. IN morning, I got up , I saw the time. It was 0940. Its first time after education , that I slept without a break, I slept so long, I slept so peacefully, so calmly, I slept like no worries in world,I slept like all has been achieved, I slept like a baby. Thanks Team India for giving such good feelings, respects forever.

CROSSROADS

crossroads...

I am here again.

There are 2 ways , out of them one will be me and the other will be lost me, till we meet again my dear Crossroads.

I stand at a juncture of life, where frankly I have the choice of choosing it. My ways are simple to understand, but have a symbolism attached to it.

First is to accept, and second is to reject. Opinions start forming here only, though my inclination and my desire point in different directions. It often does happen , no It does not. When you desire for something else and you are inclined to something else. In my life it is frequent, and almost one thing alongside change which never changes.

Acceptance is easy, better and good for future. It allows you to move on, look for more avenues of happiness in life and decide a new you from ashes. Rejection is tough, weirdly painful , stays as a permanent headache, and never lets you be a free bird.

Also, the first is to be happy and the second is to be troubled, but happiness is a state of mind; is not it.

My options if detailed are like this- to accept that I am not special, accept that I am average and have no cutting edge , accept that it is destiny, accept that the spark was a spark and not light of future and thus live happily.

I shout loud at it, I cant. The alter ego and ego fight, to reject is to be a fighter even if it means to go down fighting, to reject is to put all I have in a struggle and risk everything, to reject is to believe that the spark is light, to reject is to believe that happiness is state of mind .

To accept or to reject is a battle between my mind and me, It who controls who.

But, remember happiness is state of mind.

~Ak

The land of oceans!

Ever heard of this before!

I am forced to wonder how it would be, a land of oceans.

I often wandered along my life, what pulls me the most. Beaches, Mountains, Springs, Rivers, Roads etc, over the years the craze for each one of them has gone down.

The feeling of lying down on a beach with no worry of tomorrow is a dream, not the former but the latter. The ecstasy of standing on a mountain and looking down is a high to be wished for, and sweetness of the dream to always bath below a spring is a wish deep inside.

As I understand me better, I feel I like all of it not for the reality around them but the dreams I build around them.

For always I lie on a beach, I wish I was Columbus to discover this one, for every mountain, I was the only man on it. And this is what is scary, my most beautiful dream is the land of oceans.

Have I become a loner, and have started cherishing it.

Yes, I have. Most of my best holidays have been alone, places which I have liked the most I have visited alone, and dreams I see, no one else does.

~Ak

A famous victory

On 5th Oct 2010, I was in office early, had a meeting in morning.

I had forgotten that today is the last day of the first test match of Border Gavaskar trophy. I came back to my seat and Krishna said to me, Zaheer out!

Oh, Now I remembered, We need 216 to win, and we were 55/4. Sachin and Zak on crease yday.

Khuda as Vishal calls him, had to just not beat the aussies, but a legacy of choking in taking the team through. I as usual am opinionated, knew with Laxman unfit to bat, we have little chance. Somehow I know that Sachin can take us to the door, but not through. I was tensed, but I had hopes from MSD.

As Zaheer got out and Laxman walked in, I sensed an air. An air of a man, walking not to save the game but to cherish the occasion. He has a simplicity in his awe, which not many people have.

Suddenly the game had changed on its head. Hauritz went for 14 in an over, a drive and a slap, the wrist, even in office, I could imagine his shot. Sachin was also suddenly hitting runs, but there is the difference. Laxman's natural game is to play strokes like that, Sachin does not play them naturally, He makes a call to do it. Today He got carried away, that shot he played was like the one he plays in a T20 match.

Sachin gone, Dhoni gone and Harbhajan gone.

It was scary.

My heart usually sinks in, I feel like suddenly very low.

That kind of feeling one gets when he has failed in an IIT entrance exam or has been dumped on the marriage date.

Ishant Sharma, very recently I read Venkatesh Prasad talk about his work ethics, and to the delight of me chose an apt day to display it.

Till lunch no wicket had fallen, I think in test cricket whenever 2 or 3 wickets fall quickly a partnership happens, and it looked like that till then.

When I re looked at the numbers at lunch, I felt is it possible.

The fact that VVS was there reassures you that runs wont dry up, but there s always the element of getting out

When the chase resumed at lunch, even before we could sense the pressure and heat, the target became chase able. Thanks to some boundaries here and there, Ishant helping the faith of India watching.

32 required.

I began remembering famous wins of yesteryears of the WIs, Englishmen and Aussies, the partnership for last few wickets winning matches. For a few minutes I felt, It is possible.

I started wishing that Laxman maybe hits a few boundaries in one over, it had to be done quickly now.

22.

16.

And suddenly as often it happens, an anti climax, a wrong decision.

While Ishant was walking back, I could sense the pain, the hurt, I could feel it in me. But, I believed that the young fast bowler had done his job. I knew It can be one ball anytime now, but something in me said, its about 3 balls. 3 fours. 3 VVS shots.

It did not happen, and Ojha had his own moments. He was looking a little lost, not in control, was confused whether to go for laxman's command or still do what his spine tells him to do. His brain had stopped working.

And I do believe there is power in crores of people praying, for that throw of Steve smith to miss by a whisker and then to go for 4 over throws, It was divine.

2 runs more, now looked get-able.

Well played VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma.

A famous victory had been accomplished.

~Ak

~ Late evening, sitting in the office, muted emotions all the while I followed cricinfo, a punch in the air when we won and broad grin for the rest of the day on my face. Thanks for making my day, VVS.

India's line up for the world cup!

Well, the grandest event is just a few months ago.

We all are looking forward to it, with great enthusiasm. It for all purpose might be God's last tournament.

By this time ofcourse, each of the teams look settled with their first 12 13 players, let us look at whats up with the India.

Opening combination- No sweat about it - Sachin & Sehwag; Gambhir is as good as the two but just the weight of two stalwarts and experience helps them there more. If either of two get injured, Gambhir fills in. If we still need a replacement, I will make a case for Dinesh Karthik ahead of Murali Vijay.

No. 3 - This is an extremely critical position in subcontinent and in 50 over match- If Gambhir is not opening, he should be here. But in case we dont have him or he is opening in absence of a regular opener- I might wana look at a Rahul Dravid here. Sounds a step backward does it, but well he has 10,000 ODI runs behind him, excellent slips fielder and bulk of experience. Another name which springs to my mind is Irfan Pathan. Well he is not in the thick of things, but I think he might be the guy in place of Ravindra Jadeja, if we have 2 full time spinners in team.

No 4. I think Dhoni has to bat @ 4, ahead of Yuvraj. My reasons are simple, one he has matured his game well over last time, now he can bat risk free for long, set the platform better than any player in team and has a mighty impressive average at 4.

No.5 - This is a no brainer, I am convinced Yuvraj Singh has to play pretty much here. This is a game changer's traditional position and he should be here.

No.6 - Raina, in future Raina will bat @3,4 or 5. But in current scheme of things he should be at 6, since the point he has started playing those shots opening up the offside, he is an awesome guy to have in the crunch situation.

Well before we go ahead, let me sparkle a debate.

lets look at the line up till now

Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Raina.

As bowlers, between Sehwag, Yuvraj and Raina I think I have 10 overs on a subcontinent.

I think Raina should be bowled more considering the fact that he bowls well in 20 over games and in all IPL matches for CSK he bowled 4 over all the time. He is a guy with cool head, thinking player and not scared. I want him to bowl those 4 critical over for 20 runs in a ODI.

Also Sehwag is a pretty decent offspiner by world standards, remember Bedi saying something.

Now we have been looking for the elusive no. 7 for India, Jadeja has been pursued a lot and people will start asking for a ROI.

So what is the route, I think we have to follow the same model of 2003, when selfless Rahul Dravid took the gloves which allowed Yuvraj and Kaif to play together, and remember the daunting innigs Kaif would play.

In the current scheme of things, we have Kohli and Rohit Sharma who can play at no.7, Kohli obviously is a better fielder and a more aggressive cricketer. Rohit Sharma however allows for the option of few overs and can finish better.

So for me it might be Rohit Sharma in this model.

The other model is ofcourse look for that 5th bowler and and the allrounder, in that case It would be either of Pathan's ( I want Irfan to be given a chance) or Jadeja. Ashvin is also a contender.

Now the look at bowlers,

4 bowlers- one medium pacer and one spinner select themselves the other 2 are dependent on the combination we get out of our allrounders and part time spinners.

So lets put a batting order later, Harbhajan and Zaheer are first preference.

Now, If we take in Irfan, I can look at other right hand bowlers- Ishant Sharma , Sree Santh, Mithun, Praveen Kumar namely, but if we dont I think Nehra should walk in. It makes it little weird to have 3 left armers. In case, we pick Irfan I think I ll put Mithun ahead, he can bat a bit helps.

The spinner, well If Jadeja comes in, no need for a spinner at all. Pick a medium pacer, but if he does not, look at Amit Mishra or Pragyan Ojha.

Now, I am gonna present 2 XI- the first is the likely one by selectors and the second one is what I think can be also looked at.

1. Sachin

2. Sehwag

3. Gambhir

4.Yuvraj

5.Dhoni

6.Raina

7.Jadeja

8. Harbhajan

9. Zaheer

10.Nehra

11. Ojha/Praveen Kumar

Another one

1.Sehwag

2.Sachin

3.Gambhir

4.Dhoni

5.Yuvraj

6.Raina

7.Rohit Sharma/Irfan Pathan

8.Harbhajan

9.Mithun/Jadeja ( if Irfan plays and is bowling well enough then we can play the extra spinning option over Mithun)

10.Zaheer

11.Nehra

~Ak

Zulqarnain Haider!

An interesting name is my first comment when I hear this!

He is the new wicketkeeper batsmen Pakistan have in their ranks, and I have a tale to tell about him. Kamran Akmal has been quite a sensation with bat all these years for them and is pretty much fixed there, but there s always someone behind you.

I was pretty curious about this youngster ever since I read in some article that he was a member of Pakistan under 15 team, this to me means he has been a good player always.

And then I read that he has said that he would like to make a 100 and take 10 catches. So to say, catches and pakistan dont stick together right now( I hope I have to bite my words though), but Zulqarnain haider did play an innings worth a 100. And true to my commitment to my favourite form of cricket I witnessed the innings.

On a king pair, He was given out but thanks to the UDRS a career has been made or saved.

What followed was dodgy, stand and stand still determination. The innings had a character, a boring one but with every ball he blocked I found it more interesting, his smile alongside was of a young innocent cricketer.

88.

and definitely it would have been more had Ajmal not got out, which forced him to play shots( this is one thing you ll learn Haider that you still did not need to play the shot).

but thats only hindsight ,

He might still be far from a permanent place in the team in any form of the game, but he is going to be there.

Well played !

a good test match innings

~Ak

~Somehow my love for test matches just does not get over.

Greatness has a cutting edge, an ability to recognise itself

Greatness has a cutting edge, an ability to recognise itself...

Greatness has a cutting edge, an ability to recognise itself....

Greatness has a cutting edge, an ability to recognise itself...

This is a line I read in one of the articles in cricinfo, today morning.

It instantly has clicked a trigger.

Well, it might be about me or about many like me, It might be about us or many like us, but its true.

As we grow up, even if we sit in same office as others, even if we do the same meaningless work as others, or if we live in same house as others, eat same food as others, there is something.. something in the mind.

The sheer sharp and acute thought, that we are destined for more.

I would narrate a feeling I would have gone through innumerate times in past, It s like this- Often we are in similar surroundings, but others are caught up in it, I feel above it. I feel its just a phase, and I will glide through.

Most of us have similar feelings, If we do is it about the title line of the post.

~Ak

Its story time..

Well,

been some time that I blogged.

I am in a pretty interesting office and I feel that the characters here make for a nice read.

As best of the posts till date have been characters, the TAS induction days.. the killer, john and 2,5 kgs wala post..

It s time to write again.

~Ak

IPL 3.0

Hi all,

lot of my friends are asking, why am I not writing about IPL like previous year.

well,

IPL 3.0 is not exciting to me somehow,

I can figure out a bit why so, but as it is.

This year wont be writing much about it, heard Yusuf Pathan made a 37 ball 100.

Nice, must have been a great innings.

For now, I just wana lie down on bed and try to sleep.

~Ak