If you are a cricket fan,go and grab this book now or else you are not exposed completely to what cricket is all about.The book that reveals the heart of a man who was one of the architechts of the Australian success in Cricket.Stephen Rodger Waugh is one of those very few cricketers whose life is a lesson itself...
He is a genius,not by birth ,but acuqired it through sheer grit,perseverence and hardwork.The book is foreworded by our very own Rahul Dravid who sums up everything in his last few words
"When I hit the winning runs in Adelaide,Steve found the ball and handed it to me.I still have it and it is signed by him."
His entire career can be divided into three periods, his early days where his place was insecure and as he fought against his mind and talent to fit into the Australian eleven,the days he shone with the bat and ball and went on to become the Australian captain,the days when he became the helm of Australian cricket,which reveals the true person in him.
Honesty is one thing that any true fan of him expects from him and he does not disappoint his fans.The match fixing incident,the controversial catch in WestIndies,the indifferences with ACB and every other things that an ordinary cricket fan wants to know about the life on the field, is beautifully presented.The facts like one of his 'backyard pitches' near his home produced enormous turn that actually made mark waugh to make that mid-wicket shot his very own,Steve Waugh's description of his character of wanting to be the best but not wanting to get the attension,how Shane Warne predicted the Gibbs dropped catch at the 1999 world cup are just amazing.
It is sure for sure that the book elevates our stand as a true cricket fan one step higher and help us understand how onw has to out of his comfort zone to acheive greatness...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A part of me would go with the Fab-Five...
This is the most agonising period for those of us in their early twenties and whose journey with cricket started with the arrival of Sourav to the cricket scene.The everlasting debate of Lara Vs Sachin began to occupy our Lunch hours at school.The two potential youngsters Sourav and Dravid had just begun to change Indian cricket from what it was as a one man show.The purity of Dravid and the unconventionality of Sourav stole our hearts.We were taken to a different world by the wrist work of Azhar and moved to tears seeing the painful exit of India at Eden Gardens in 1996 world cup.
It was even more painful when the one we had trusted betrayed us by involving in the match fixing scandal.We were comforted only by the centuries with which our genius named Sachin conquered the world.The two knocks at Sharjah with Tony grieg at the background...We would remember those straight sixes even in our death bed.Then came our saviour in the name of Sourav with the job of the cleaning the soul of the game and taking Indian cricket forward after our batting genius failed to be a better captain.
Then came a term called 'professionalism' in to Indian cricket.Dravid started to keep wickets.Balls were chased till they reach the boundary.We saw the entry of Yuvraj,Kaif,Harbhajan,Sodhi,Zaheer.we started beating Australia in one -off matches.Yuvraj's maiden fifty against Australia and Zaheer cracking the stumps of Steve Waugh at that Nairobi match made us hope that Indian cricket was in safe hands.We saw Kaif struggle for runs and going out of the team in agony.Over all those years one man did his job in silence and extraordinay precision and accuracy as we would often fail to give credit to one of the remarkable sportsmen of all time ,Anil Kumble.
The VVS Laxman story of the innings that changed the history of Indian Cricket and 'The wall' that made us comquer every country we tour.We were treated by the greatness and class of those amazing batsmen.Yet we would never give away that special place in our heart to anyone other than our master.Alas we had one for everyone of them!The epic innings of Sourav at Brisbane that started the remarkable Steve Waugh Farewell tour.the 271 that Dravid made at the Adelaide Oval,Laxman producing shots against australian leg spinners that English batsmen would never play in their dreams,SCG being renamed 'Sachin Cricket Ground',Sourav removing his shirt at Lords....Oh it goes and goes on and on.....
No other team would have had these glorious batsmen coming in at No2,3,4 and 5.Then we witnessed a masterstroke from the prince ,of sending a batsman to open who had never opened in any of his first class games,the move that changed Indian Cricket in the ages to come.Then there was that 'so near yet so far story' of 2003 world cup final.Chappell and co converted our team into a youth brigade.We saw Dhoni marshalling his boys and give us that elusive victory in a final after we had witnessed each and every final given away with ease.But we knew we would have been more happier if our four extraordinaty gentleman had been part of that triumph.
Sachin was a genius,Dravid was an epitome of batsmanship,Laxman was a Magician,Kumble was a veteran,Sourav was an artist.More than everything they were gentlemen whom every children can have as his idol.They demonstrated every quality that someone have to suceed.We learnt to enjoy our game and let the better team win a match.We were never really angry at them as they made us realise that it was all part of the game.
The days wont come back.The days when I used to sit back and lose myself into the grace of Sourav and elegance of Sachin at either end.The ruthless opening partnerships between them just refuse to go out of my memory.The happiness when I see a full match and predict the next day's headliness in 'The Hindu' .The desperate prayers that I made in my childhood to see an Indian win.The fake illness that I often came in the day of a cricket match and the punishment I used to get after my guilt exposed.I was happy to give anything to see a match.After all these years of being obsessed with cricket and with the feeling that some time when India is going to be at 5-1 and 15-2,there wont be a Dravid or Sachin walking in,I knew I would quit watching cricket.As for me,with Sourav and Kumble quitting and when Sachin,Laxman and Dravid would bid goodbye,a part of my life, with it, a part of me would be gone forever...
It was even more painful when the one we had trusted betrayed us by involving in the match fixing scandal.We were comforted only by the centuries with which our genius named Sachin conquered the world.The two knocks at Sharjah with Tony grieg at the background...We would remember those straight sixes even in our death bed.Then came our saviour in the name of Sourav with the job of the cleaning the soul of the game and taking Indian cricket forward after our batting genius failed to be a better captain.
Then came a term called 'professionalism' in to Indian cricket.Dravid started to keep wickets.Balls were chased till they reach the boundary.We saw the entry of Yuvraj,Kaif,Harbhajan,Sodhi,Zaheer.we started beating Australia in one -off matches.Yuvraj's maiden fifty against Australia and Zaheer cracking the stumps of Steve Waugh at that Nairobi match made us hope that Indian cricket was in safe hands.We saw Kaif struggle for runs and going out of the team in agony.Over all those years one man did his job in silence and extraordinay precision and accuracy as we would often fail to give credit to one of the remarkable sportsmen of all time ,Anil Kumble.
The VVS Laxman story of the innings that changed the history of Indian Cricket and 'The wall' that made us comquer every country we tour.We were treated by the greatness and class of those amazing batsmen.Yet we would never give away that special place in our heart to anyone other than our master.Alas we had one for everyone of them!The epic innings of Sourav at Brisbane that started the remarkable Steve Waugh Farewell tour.the 271 that Dravid made at the Adelaide Oval,Laxman producing shots against australian leg spinners that English batsmen would never play in their dreams,SCG being renamed 'Sachin Cricket Ground',Sourav removing his shirt at Lords....Oh it goes and goes on and on.....
No other team would have had these glorious batsmen coming in at No2,3,4 and 5.Then we witnessed a masterstroke from the prince ,of sending a batsman to open who had never opened in any of his first class games,the move that changed Indian Cricket in the ages to come.Then there was that 'so near yet so far story' of 2003 world cup final.Chappell and co converted our team into a youth brigade.We saw Dhoni marshalling his boys and give us that elusive victory in a final after we had witnessed each and every final given away with ease.But we knew we would have been more happier if our four extraordinaty gentleman had been part of that triumph.
Sachin was a genius,Dravid was an epitome of batsmanship,Laxman was a Magician,Kumble was a veteran,Sourav was an artist.More than everything they were gentlemen whom every children can have as his idol.They demonstrated every quality that someone have to suceed.We learnt to enjoy our game and let the better team win a match.We were never really angry at them as they made us realise that it was all part of the game.
The days wont come back.The days when I used to sit back and lose myself into the grace of Sourav and elegance of Sachin at either end.The ruthless opening partnerships between them just refuse to go out of my memory.The happiness when I see a full match and predict the next day's headliness in 'The Hindu' .The desperate prayers that I made in my childhood to see an Indian win.The fake illness that I often came in the day of a cricket match and the punishment I used to get after my guilt exposed.I was happy to give anything to see a match.After all these years of being obsessed with cricket and with the feeling that some time when India is going to be at 5-1 and 15-2,there wont be a Dravid or Sachin walking in,I knew I would quit watching cricket.As for me,with Sourav and Kumble quitting and when Sachin,Laxman and Dravid would bid goodbye,a part of my life, with it, a part of me would be gone forever...
Life is not that beautiful...Sometimes
Exactly Five months and 23 days have passed since i started working as a Software Engineer.It started off well with a very good training and a lot of intensity , interest levels etc(Even I managed to be perform as the best)But now looking again what i am into and what sort of life i would have to lead if i continue to work in this celebrated profession,it is like i am given a Einstein's puzzle and trying to solve it forever though i know the solution.
The tragic part has been an absolute wall that has been built between me and the outside world.My interest seems to go away from any news other than cricket.No newspapers for the last three months,no awareness of what is going on.Sometimes it makes me think "Do I really need this ?"But the facts that most of my friends are still waiting for their call to the job and I am lucky or good enough to get one keeps me going.Only time has to say if this is what really what i want to do with my life...
Five months and 14 days ago,I was still at the college just coming out of my last university exam and a trip to Ooty as a boy wondering the intricacies of life ahead.It is awfully wonderful and interesting to be into the corporate world and thinking about the careless hours spent in college.It was a great journey those four years and i am sure that those days would be best days that i would have in my life again...
So after spending my first Diwali away from my family,I am not angry but disappointed seeing the people celeberating it greatly,I am slowly realising what it takes to be sucessful in professional life,a pure dedication to your profession and to nothing else.....
P.S:Needless to say that this post is a result of reading the college slam book at 11.45 p.m in solitude....
The tragic part has been an absolute wall that has been built between me and the outside world.My interest seems to go away from any news other than cricket.No newspapers for the last three months,no awareness of what is going on.Sometimes it makes me think "Do I really need this ?"But the facts that most of my friends are still waiting for their call to the job and I am lucky or good enough to get one keeps me going.Only time has to say if this is what really what i want to do with my life...
Five months and 14 days ago,I was still at the college just coming out of my last university exam and a trip to Ooty as a boy wondering the intricacies of life ahead.It is awfully wonderful and interesting to be into the corporate world and thinking about the careless hours spent in college.It was a great journey those four years and i am sure that those days would be best days that i would have in my life again...
So after spending my first Diwali away from my family,I am not angry but disappointed seeing the people celeberating it greatly,I am slowly realising what it takes to be sucessful in professional life,a pure dedication to your profession and to nothing else.....
P.S:Needless to say that this post is a result of reading the college slam book at 11.45 p.m in solitude....
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