Something on cricket ...

Another cricketing great, Muttiah Muralitharan, has chosen to call it a day.

On 22nd day of July 2010, he registered his 800th wicket in Test cricket in form of Pragyan Ojha in the ongoing test series against India. Like a true champion, he bowled his heart out, capturing 8 (exactly, the number needed to complete the figure of 800) wickets in the match and in the process helping the home team to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match test series.

An apt way to end a glorious career (though prospects of rain , some rearguard batting display by the Indian tail enders and a spirited Malinga did seem to threaten Murali from reaching the landmark). With Murali's adieu to the game, an era has ended. Though, not quite a cricketing poster boy, he has served the SriLankan cricket very well.

We will be missing the man with big eyes , a bigger grin and even bigger turner of the cricket ball.

A cricket follower like me, will definitely feel sad and nostalgic, whenever cricketing legends of such stature decide to leave the game.

I feel blessed to be a part of a generation that has seen debut and growth of many mordern cricketers; most of them have gone on to become living legends from stark new comers.

I have witnessed the sensational test debut of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid at Lords in summer of 1996. I have seen Tendulkar making his Test debut against Pakistan in 1988 and winning laurels from then established greats like Imran Khan, Srikanth and Abdul qadir to name a few.

My growing up period was a transitional phase in world cricket. This phase saw some of the past players placing themselves on the pedestal of being great and young cricketers were making the world to sit back and watch their feats.

So, if on one hand I had the oppurtunity to see the exploits (in a limited amount) of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan, Geoff Marsh, David Boon, Dean Jones, Mike Gatting then on the other I was enamored by the skills of Tendulkar, Lara, Ganguly, Dravid, Ponting, Waugh brothers, Jayasuriya, Warne, Kumble, Wasim Akram, Arvinda de Silva, Rhodes, Klusener, Kallis ..... really the list is endless.

With many players calling it a day (both Indian and foreign) and more about to do so, it really hurts somewhere in the heart. Not only because they were great exponents of the game but more because of the fact, that during my growing up years, many of them started playing the game and gradually as I understood the game in a better fashion, these players went from being good to great.

Who would fit in the shoes of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Jhonty Rhodes, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Ricky Ponting ?

Will I be able to witness swashbuckling opening partnerships, as once stitched by Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar? All the Spin wizards have left the scene. Where will I get to see the sheer pace of Wasim Akram, Allan Donald or Courtney Walsh?
Who can forget the magical wrist work of Azhar?

The younger cricketing generation, though immensely talented, will take time to re-create the magic of their predecessors.

There has been a paradigm shift in world cricket in last 15 years or so.

Cricket itself has changed; there was a time when a run rate of 4/4.5 in a 50 over match was considered safe. Matches took place only in the days and cricket gear meant only whites. 20/20 was probably a distant dream then. Concept of powerplay, hawk eye, third umpire were unthinkable and alien.

But, as we all are aware, those unthinkable concepts have become part and parcel of modern day cricket and now no target can be considered safe to defend. Cricketers take the field in colorful attires with names of sponsors pasted from the head gear to the footwear. 20/20 is mantra of cricket and talks are on to schedule test cricket in day/night format. I forgot the mention the color of balls have also changed

It used to cherry red during "good old days". Now we have the "kookaburra whites" for day/night format.

Hopefully, we will continue to enjoy cricket for the right reasons…

Signing off /

Traffic Snarls: Not so bad after all..

Traffic jams have become an indispensable part of any civilized city life. Any civilized city, across the globe, is unthinkable without traffic jams and if one can't find jams in a city, then that city shouldn't be considered civilized at all!!

Generally, we tend to loathe the very thought of traffic snarls however I Have tried to find out few positive aspects of the same. (Optimistic, eh??)

If you are stuck in a jam (that seems endless and timeless), you can catch up with a quick nap; it will compensate the loss (if any) of last night's sleep. It will have a positive effect on your health!!

I have realized that my Hindi vocabulary has become richer; I have added choicest Hindi abuses to my Hindi speaking capabilities. (I am very much indebted towards my co-passengers).Another gain...

There has been a growth in my geographical knowledge; to avoid jams, drivers tend to take detours and take less ventured roads and by lanes (only to end up in middle of the jam!!); however, such navigation adds to the knowledge. You start to know the traveling route just like back of your hands..

Next time you are planning to throw a party and don't know where to look for the DJ, then your search ends here; the amount of jarring and deafening music being played by our private bus drivers and conductors, is surely an indication of their latent talent. They surely know how to make some "noise".

In this treacherous weather getting stuck in a traffic snarl has another benefit. You can really sweat it out without actually hitting the gym. You lose calories; another way to stay fit and slender...

The best one is probably this one; if you use a public transport and take the same bus/auto and if co-passengers are more or less the same, then there are definite chances that you will be able to find your dream girl/boy during the stuck hours. With so much time to spend with each other, sparks will definitely fly and cupid will strike. The hassle to scout for prospective partners also gets reduced to a great extent.

So, you see traffic jams are not that bad after all...

Great Indian Family..

Indians, by nature, are very much attached to their respective families. From very early age, value of family is ingrained in the hearts and minds of each and every Indian. We love to stick together as a closely knit unit. However, when this love takes the form of a fetish, then unknowingly or (knowingly) we create problems for others.

Have we ever thought, why there is so much rush at the railway platforms or airports? Amongst other factors, the "Great Indian Family" is to be blamed!! Irrespective of the number of people making the trip actually, the number of well-wishers and attendants outnumber them at any given point of time... it does cause mayhem and confusion however who cares as long as the family is sticking together...

Last week, I visited a friend of mine at one of the upmarket hospitals; she was admiited there for a surgery. Post surgery, it was confusion time for the doctors and support staff as they had some tough time handling "The Family". One of the junior doctors jokingly said that the surgery was far more easier than handling the "caring family".

Even ATMs are not spared; I have seen an instance when a family of six, entered the ATM premises to take out cash. Being objected by the guard, every one replied in unison - "can't you see, we are Family!!"(by the way, their pet dog also went inside)

Long live the Indian Family...