World Cup Cricket 2015 - INDIA's journey

So finally, world cup ended, at least for India, so ek post toh banti hai.

I would not call India’s journey in it as an interesting or boring, but definitely would call it weird.

Let me try to explain why I’m calling it a weird journey –

1. After pathetic performance in the preceding test series and ODI tri-series who would have imagined them to reach the semi-finals and how.
2. Ask yourself, how confident were you when India played Pakistan in the opener;
3. And confess it, despite win against Pakistan, we totally made peace with the fact that we’ll be thrashed left, right and center by South Africa in next one.
4. Beating South Africa at their own game, i.e. making good use of large MCG by rotating strike, by converting ones into twos, and running out two of their key players, was not less than a miracle; and in their next game while watching ABVD thrashing WI we truly believed Mohit Sharma should have been given MoM just for his throw which ran out ABVD.
5. Then came WI, we lost 6 wickets in chasing 180+ runs, we won mostly because of some sensible batting by Dhoni n Ashwin, and some senseless captaincy by Holder.
6. UAE game does not count at all.
7. Zimbabwe, Ireland gave some serious scare, especially Taylor’s hitting and Irish opener’s stand. Our bowling looked pedestrian and clueless.
8. Then came, QF against B’desh – again it was a serious affair; B’desh was riding high on Mahmudullah’s  back to back 100’s and Soumya Sarkar’s Ganguly like flair; they did exceedingly well against England and New Zealand. In QF, we were not 100% sure of the win, it was a pretty even game till one point, India barely managed to win some crucial periods of play (or B’desh lost due to their inexperience and enormity of the situation) and hence the game.

So with all that 70/70, 7-0, and 11 consecutive WC wins hype, we faced the not-so-formidable hosts Australia; though it warrants a post on itself, but I’ll not go in detail, will not bore myself with my own over analysis.

So what went wrong after ‘such-a-strong-showing’?

In reality, nothing new happened, we failed because we failed to acknowledge our problems, or address our problems; in simple straight forward terms we lost because –

1. Even after spending 4/5 months in Australia, we still don’t know what to do with STEVE SMITH.
2. We still don’t know how to blow away the tail-enders.
3. Our tail-enders still don’t know how to hold their ground against a quality opposition.

At one point, when Smith n Maxwell were pummeling everything out of park, score of 370+ seems inevitable, then sudden 3 wicket collapse (Smith/Maxwell/Finch) brought India back in game but we lost the plot thereon, we allowed shoddy and out of form Watson to survive, we allowed Clark to free is arms now and then, even till then score looked manageable, but we committed biggest folly by allowing Faulkner some free runs and finally letting Johnson score 27 off just 9 balls. Such complacency is inexcusable. All the late flourish shifted the whole momentum.

We started the chase well, Rohit and Dhawan had their share of luck early which was again a good omen, but when you’re chasing 325+ you tend to overdo things; with 70+ runs onboard with healthy 6+ RR, again casualness in approach creeped in;

Dhawan’s dismissal is a prime example of that, may be got bored or what, he tried something stupid out of curiosity and picked the only man parked in the deep. Boredom.

Kohli weighed himself down with expectation of whole team and country, he started with out-of-character extremely cautious approach and played a maiden over.

And in very next over, he suddenly realized he is 'THE KOHLI' and he needs to exude that and try to dominate Johnson. As a result he played an expensive shot which was not there. Overconfidence.

Rohit was best at being Rohit, scored an effortless 6 and got bowled effortlessly next ball. Casualness.

Let’s not get more into it, but before I stop, one last thing, Dhoni is not a magician; he cannot think for every guy; he needs a stronger supporting cast during ‘strategizing’ he alone cannot do it all. He needs better support from guys like Raina/Ashwin/Kohli/Jadeja. 

And guys like Jadeja need to rise themselves, they have talent, they should NOT be content with their current situation; Steve Smith and Maxwell are prime example, how these guys raised their games season after season and became best batsman after starting their career at no. 7/8.

Anyways, finally the weirdness has ended; started with low expectations, and reached unreasonably higher expectations, and crashed down expectedly but crashed down in a manner that made it look unacceptable.

Hopefully, guys will learn from this roller coaster experience and will become better in the times to come.

Rule# 86

Its same time of the year when people make resolutions that last for on-average 3 weeks most. 
I’ll talk about something that has been troubling me for years now, by the end of this post hope that ‘troubling’ usage will make sense.

So what really keeps people motivated to stick to their resolutions or side tracking from them?
Some don’t make their resolutions public, and work secretly on them and at some point the will to carry out fades away, and since know no one really knew about it, so it becomes quite acceptable in the head to go lenient with them and eventually shun them. That was pretty straightforward.

Now, let’s talk about the people who publically declare their resolutions or confide them to a select group or person(s).
For some disclosing resolutions make them work hard towards achieving their goals, and ( this is the fun (or troubling) part) for some disclosing resolutions have an exact OPPOSITE reaction, the moment they declare their intentions, their plans, their future course of actions , at that very moment their brain gets some sort of signals of accomplishments or fulfilment. And they STOP right there. 
Unfortunately, I belong to later group, who chalk out a detailed strategy for my resolutions, and disclose them to others even in more detailed way about  how I’m going to do this and that and that etc. etc. And after that my brain gets some sort of comfort, it feels as if it has achieved all the goals. Or maybe I over-simply everything, and brain in its own brain thinks ‘Oh that is easy, I can do that anytime I want to, so nothing urgent, take it easy, everything is under control’. As a result NOTHING gets done.
So my dear son, please please don’t belong to this group, it is a sure shot recipe for disaster.  I sincerely pray to God that you don’t inherit my this trait.

86) So in short, please make a conscious effort and don’t be like me when it comes to resolutions.

Music Theory

Music we choose to listen at different times reflects our inner-self.
And I think it usually follows a sine-wave kind of pattern;

Like when one is temporarily happy or is temporarily high on something, prefers to listen to so-called ‘peppy’ numbers in which it is mostly the loud-music/beats or rhythm that dominates, which immediately puts them in a party-sort-of environment whereas when one is feeling temporarily low then one wants to take solace in soft numbers where they focus on words being said rather than the music, numbers that transforms them into dim-lit settings, 100% alone.

Now comes the other half of the sine-wave, my personal favorite analysis actually; when one is sad deep-down inside and wants to fool oneself into being in a happy state, one tends to mask that again with loud, so-called peppy numbers; the moment loud music stops they start another one just to temporary forget something , so to mask something.

On the other hand, people who resort to soft numbers, slowly relishing the ‘sound’ of each word said, intoxicating themselves in the meanings/thoughts/imaginations of the words – are more happy and contented. It’s the magic of words, the aura they create is so beautiful that it transforms one in an euphoric state, it create some kind of divine connection which is impossible to define.

just like tiny matter that stays afloat in nothingness but is seen only when a ray of sunlight sneaks past from the corner of the curtain.....

it is there, when it is not there, and when it is there, it might not be there….

जहाँ कुछ नहीं है....वहां तुम हो....

....और तुम कहीं नहीं हो .......

चलो कुछ बात करे
बस तुम कहो और मैं सुनूं

somewhere, on the slant of a mountain, where sun and shadow play a game.
somewhere, from we can see a river flowing, and hear a distant falling waterfall,
also can see snow clad peaks of some far far away mountains.

somewhere, we can sit silent, and yet talk.

बस , यूँ ही बैठे रहे और खामोशियों को बात करने दे
यह सांसें थक गयी है , इन्हें थोडा सुकून दे

चलो कुछ बात करे
बस तुम कहो और मैं सुनूं .....

Is everything for real?

Or am I living someone else’s life in an alien land in disguise?

Sure?

Music 2011

We're just 15 days away from another brand new year - with every passing year I think my preference of music is changing, this year I either liked soft numbers or loud ones, but good lyrics and melody (at least to me) remained constant in both.

Here's the list of my favorite songs of the year.

10 top favorite Songs of the year --

1) Piya -- Tanu Weds Manu
2) Bekaraan -- 7 Khoon Maaf
3) Jo bhi main kehna chahoon -- Rockstar
4) Yun Hi -- Tanu Weds Manu
5) Kun Faya -- Rockstar
6) Awaara -- 7 Khoon Maaf
7) Tere Siva -- Delhi Belly
8) Der Lagi Lekin -- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
9) Hona Tha Pyaar-- Bol
10) Rangrez - Tanu Weds Manu

Other favorites of the year include -
11) Tere Liye -- 7 Khoon Maaf
12) Saibo -- Shor in the City
13 Haal-E-Dil -- Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap
14) Señorita -- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
15) Khwabon Ke Parinde -- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
16) Accha Lagta Hai -- Aarakshan
17) Dilli -- No One Killed Jessica
18)Jugni -- Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
19) Naadaan Parindey - Rockstar
20) Saadda Haq -- Rockstar

Needless to say, but still my top 5 favorite albums are -
1) Tanu Weds Manu
2) 7 Khoon Maaf
3) Rockstar
4) Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
5) Delhi Belly

Eternally looking for something which I have no clue about....…yet I'm looking.

Just like routinely I stand in front of my wardrobe looking for something which I know doesn’t exists but still I look for it.

Daily I start for somewhere and daily I end up from where I started.

It’s a circle I know, its slopes are slippery, and it drags me along with it like hordes of rush hour commuters push me in and out of the metro, like flock of seagulls escort me along the sky.

I feel like an odd pigeon among all the pigeons who feed on the left-over bread crumbs or discarded sandwiches on the sidewalks, who are so frightened and yet so fearless to face the mad dash of pedestrians and their contraptions alike, who eat as if that’s their last bit of food ever, and fly away in circles on slightest sign of danger, and end up on the same sidewalk after performing mindless ritual of flying two blocks in circles.

Daily I start for somewhere and daily I end up from where I started.

Season of sadness

Season of sadness, or not; may be uneasiness.

My favorite celebrities/intellectuals/artists have left us in past few days/weeks; it started with Shammi Kapoor, Tiger Pataudi, Steve Jobs, and then Jagjit Singh, and now Dennis Ritchie.

It would be juvenile to even attempt writing a post about any of these stalwarts, especially about Mr.Jagjit Singh, that’s unimaginable.

And now as I heard about Dennis Ritchie, I again experienced a sense of personal loss, I’ve spent more than half of my life sitting in front of a computer writing silly programs.

It all began with BASIC/FORTRAN then PASCAL/COBOL etc etc, after that I was introduced to a book by “Kenningham and Ritchie”, it was introduction to C language and all.
That along with their other ‘invention’ UNIX operating system changed my whole perspective towards all that boring programming and all and that eventually shaped my future, and life.

Thank you chief, RIP.

7 seven years!!!!

7 years, saat saal.....I still can't believe that I've kept this place alive for 7 full years. Of course , this is not what it used to be in jawani, but still I keep on sneaking 1-2 post a month.

Best part about it , I met so many interesting people just because this blog. And irrespective of my frequency here always make a point to visit their blog DAILY!!!

**
7 years, everything has changed, or nothing has changed; I clearly remember when and how I started this place, sitting bored/idle wasting myself, in pursuit of something unknown, something which is still eluding me, something of which I still have no clue.

That anxiousness, that madness, that emptiness, that restlessness, that something something has not changed at all.
On surface things look different too, well I gained weight, lost hair; I don't smile much but I do talk these days, all that crappy small talk about weather and sports; may be I'm mixing into 'duniya' or becoming one.
Anyways, at the same time I don't count those as negatives. I call it natural erosion of myself.
Positives are aplenty, God has been kind. First and foremost is my son, it seems that life before him was a total waste.
**
Life has been a sequence of "snoozes" or "dismisses" so far or that's what we control; however what happens in the background is like a flowing river, totally unbridled , sometimes violent sometimes serene, and beautiful most of the times.

*

Ek brahman ne kahaa hai ke ye saal achchhaa hai

Another year, and surprisingly this time I'm not just conned but convinced that "Two-Zero-One-One' is going to be a smashing year.

So no resolutions or re-solutions for me, I just want to start to my year with this beautiful ghazal filled with optimism.

Ek brahman ne kahaa hai ke ye saal achchhaa hai

Zulm ki raat bahut jald talegii ab to
Aag chuulhon mein har ik roz jalegii ab to

Bhookh ke maare koi bachchaa nahin royega
chain ki neend har ik shaKhs yahaan soyega

Aandhi nafarat ki chalegi na kahin ab ke baras
pyaar ki fasal ugaegi zameen ab ke baras

Hai yakeen ab na koi shor-sharaabaa hoga
zulm hoga na kahin Khoon-kharaabaa hoga

Os aur dhuup ke sadamein na sahegaa koi
ab mere desh mein beghar na rahega koi

Naye vaadon ka jo daalaa hai vo jaal achchhaa hai
Rehanumaaon ne kaha hai ke ye saal achchhaa hai

....dil ke Khush rakhane ko Ghalib ye Khayaal achchhaa hai

--Sabir Dutt

Hijacked

hmm just realized that this blog has been hijacked by my baby..not just this blog but all our(including wifey here...) actions by him.

Everything has changed completely, and I'm not complaining but loving every second of it.

"Tu mila hai to yeh khyaal aaya
zindagi itni mukhtasar kyu hai"

"सबसे खतरनाक होता है मुर्दा शांति से भर जाना

ना होना तड़प का..सब सेहन कर जाना

घर से निकलना काम पर और काम से लौट कर घर आना

सबसे खतरनाक होता है हमारे सपनों का मर जाना "
- पाश

These days one simply can’t ignore Jerry Brown – Meg Whitman discussions.
And I’m no exception, though I’m not much interested in politics of the world be it India or US but like everyone, I too have my own strong biases, likes and dislikes for different parties and people.

So these days, almost everyone is talking about upcoming California Governor Elections, and since I’m a tax payer here for almost 5 yrs now, so I simply can’t ignore following their campaigns and all.
Earlier I used to favor Whitman, mainly coz of her huge contribution in the growth of eBay, (for records, way back in 1999, I was part of team which started eBay in India, it was called baazi.com then, and later on merged with eBay, and moved it’s operations to Mumbai). Anyway, I really admire the way she utilized all the resources and made eBay what it is today.

But these days, I’m getting my doubts about her, about the way she is spending her money in her race for the post of Governor. So far she has spent 90+ million USD in her political campaign. Agreed she is spending her own hard-earned money, but still 90+ million is a HUGE amount, and this kind of splurging starts to look obscene in context of California State which is already under some 20-30 billions deficit.

So giving reins of already an economically sick state to someone like her doesn’t sound good to me.

Also Jerry Brown is also not a saint himself, so no matter who wins but state of California is going to lose for sure.

**

Lot of cricket is going on these days, but it is not invoking the kind of interest in me as it used to do in past. Of course Sachin and Sangakara are playing magnificent cricket, and Ed Morgan, Stephen Smith, Umar Akmal are emerging to be future stars, but still something is lacking which I don’t know.

I think I’ll also retire from watching cricket the day Sachin hangs his boots.
Ideally he should retire only after scoring 50 hundreds in both forms but sometimes I get a feeling that he’ll retire from all forms of cricket after 2011 World Cup, which is just 6-7 months. And I dread that day, that’s going to be a very sad day for me and for millions like me.

**
Alright, I’ll stop now with the lines which are playing in a loop in my head may be after writing them here they’ll stop.

‘har ek haseen cheez ko choone ki umang hai….
Main aag kehta hoon, kahe sheyhad ha rang hai….

..continued from last post!

How come everything amazing is happening to you?

How come you are doing best-ever project ever possible at… world’s place of work?
Mujhe to parking spot bhi dhang ka nahi milta.

How come you’ve you got amazing colleagues, and a fantastic boss?

And I’m deleting the next guy who updates his/her status about Inception.

**
Interesting things are happening in cricket, like Murli taking 800 wickets, I mean EXACT 800, kam na zyaada but exact. Kuch to gadbad hai boss, otherwise Ojha would have ran himself out or fell on the wicket (on some other bowler’s delivery) or handled the ball, or obstructed the field to get out. . Kuch to gadbad hai boss.

Now my gut feeling says, India is going to win next one, that too very easily ;-)

Also, I think now Yuvraj must be the happiest person after SL’s win ;-)

Another interesting fact, now after Murli’s retirement, Harbhajan is the next highest wicket-taker in test-matches among the current active ones. I’m not counting Ntini or Vaas as active anymore.

**
So Afridi retired ( again)..But didn’t he say he will retire after Headingly Test, but PCB immediately declared Butt as new captain and even dropped from Afridi from team for Headingly Test.
Strange are the ways of PCB.

Facebook

Dear FB Friends –

1) Please stop this stupid WC soccer madness, I don’t want to know why you support Germany and hate Spain.
Stop this once in 4 years fake loyalty drama.
If you are really so much into soccer then please name just 3 players of current Indian Soccer Team.

2) Stop giving sermons on how one should live their lives. Please.

3) And most importantly, if you want to say something than go ahead say it loud and clear; please stop using your status messages as cryptic messages for someone. Or better use email.

Thank you.

To be continued….

......by the way, last week this blog completed 6 years of it's existence.

.....life will return to it some day, yeah down , but not out yet!

Random

There are two kinds of players, one who raise their game when they play a higher-quality player and there is one who drags their higher-quality opponent to their low-level and then beat them by playing street-smart shots.

And I think I belong to both kinds. Some days I’m aggressive and match them shot-by-shot and some days I slow it down, and play lot of lobs which land right on baseline, and then hit lot of drop shots to bring them to net. It looks ugly but fun nevertheless ;-)

***

Alright, after a long, watched a movie, or I’ll say watched first 30-40 minutes of the movie KITES. And so far it’s ok; I think I can finish it in another 2-3 sittings.

On a positive note, I liked this Barbara Mori lady; she looked fantastic, someone like actual actress, well don’t know how to put that in words but to say the least after a long time saw some mature, gorgeous unabashed (in right sense, ok) woman unlike run-of-the mill teenage actresses of these days.
Alright, let’s hear it straight, she is someone of my age-group whom I can ogle at without any guilt ;-)

**

Anyone following Wimbledon?? John Isner / Nicolas Mahut match?
They played 4 sets yesterday before bad-light stopped the match-
They stopped at
6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, and
And today resumed the fifth and final set and score as I type is 47-47.
I’m sure their next round opponent must be a very happy man.

**

Ruh ke bandhan khultey nahi hai……daag hai dil ke dhultey nahi hai…..

http://www.worldometers.info/

Hmm...cool......hmm interesting......hmmm scary