Life Etc Etc

It took me sometime to collect my thoughts after the utterly disappointing World Cup final on Sunday. I needed this break to objectively wrap my head around what might have happened and also listen to the analyses from various sources before writing this piece. Within the last week, I've seen  several experts  claim that a slow track was intentionally prepared to provide an outside advantage to India with that strategy ultimately backfiring on the hosts. I don't know how true these allegations are but more than the pitch I single out the team's performance as the primary reason we lost that day . Here are three things which our team could have done better.  1. Firstly, we did not read the pitch as well as the Australian team did . Rohit Sharma revealed that he would have batted first had he won the toss on a surface which played better in the second innings. Considering the fact that we played more international matches than any other team at the venue we should have had...

Before the first ball is bowled in the final tomorrow, I would like to have my final say on this World Cup. We've seen a tournament where the Indian Juggernaut has rolled along thumping teams across the Indian sub-continent. Come T20s or ODIs the core of this team has largely been the same since 2019. After some misguided attempts to bag a World T20, the team is finally flourishing in a format which suits its strengths. One thing which we could have done without, were the repeated tributes to Virat Kohli. Conversations on/off the field inevitably centered on him, fall of wicket montages unfailingly transmitted his reactions and the preview packages to all matches featuring India were replete with his references. Virat is a great player, no doubt, we just don't need to be reminded about it every other minute. Cricket World Cup 2023: Grandest prize of them all <Courtesy: Logowik >  Our opponents in the final, Australia started listlessly but found form at the right time. Th...

Until Next Time, Your Quotemaster, Chaitanya J.J.

I've never reviewed or analyzed a telugu film on my blog before. All it took I guess was a big star playing his age on the screen.  Plot Ouline Bhagavanth Kesari ( Balakrishna ) takes on an indomitable foe ( Arjun Rampal ) who will stop at nothing to get even with him and his foster daughter ( Sreeleela ). Performances of the lead cast Before I delve into what could have been better, I must admit that Balayya lights up the screen with his presence and performance. His acting prowess allows us to experience the range of emotions his character feels. Arjun Rampal is competent as the antagonist and credit must go to the writing department for keeping his character strong until the very end. Sreeleela's performance allows you to empathize with her plight and is indeed one of the strong points of the movie. Kajal's character, Dr. Kathyayani, is the weakest among all of the lead characters. While it is commendable that the main plot line was not sacrificed for a romantic sub-plo...

India have finally recorded a victory against New Zealand in a ICC Championship tournament but here are three frustrating things (ordered from the most frustrating to the least) which I observed in our victory: 1. Throwing away starts: Shubman Gill's unnecessary swipe at a wide delivery, Shreyas Iyer's mistimed pull and Suryakumar Yadav's frantic runout could have cost us this match if New Zealand had more runs on the board. Team management should urge players to put a higher price on their wickets. Just forsake the sizzle for the substance and don't throw away a solid platform at the cost of making a statement. 2. Bumrah's fielding: Bumrah's bowling is world class but his fielding left a lot to be desired today. The dropped catch of Daryl Mitchell  might have cost us at least 50 runs. That coupled with the fact that he was always one step slower on the field makes me wonder about his fitness and his presence of mind. The fielding coach needs to have a c...

All of us without exception do the following quite consistently.  We analyze profusely whether required or not and do not let up before it's too late.  We torture and blame ourselves for a complication even when we are not sure about the root cause We hang onto a remnant of the past which inevitably sours the present This vicious cycle of analysis, regret and uncertainty has to stop. You might ask me how? I might be able to offer some advice with the help of the following scenarios.   Scenario 1 Ever messaged, called or greeted someone with an intention of opening up a conversation only to run into a situation where the other person just doesn't want to open up. The person you called upon could be someone with whom you had a storied history but they at this very moment are decisively stonewalling your attempts at initiating a conversation with their terse response style. You can do one of two things when this happens: If this behavior was caused by an earlier action ...

Ever had a dull and drab today where your zeal was at an all time low and then suddenly: An old friend rings you up out of the blue OR A curious message pops-up OR An appreciative email arrives OR  Your social media post receives an unforeseen response OR Your favorite movie crops up as an OTT recommendation OR You get invited out for a sudden plan Wouldn't we all want to have such external things motivate us time and again whenever we are down? Looking elsewhere for motivation seems easy but we keep forgetting that: Nobody has time for us 

Wimbledon 2023 final is done and we have a new champion nullifying all the pre-tournament predictions. In a thrilling merry-go-round of a match, the young contender, Carlos Alcaraz took down the reigning king of Center Court , Novak Djokovic .  Carlos Alcaraz after second set tie-break <Courtesy: Wimbledon > The decade long undefeated streak of Novak in which he took on all comers is finally over. But how good did Novak really have to be in order to maintain his supremacy at Wimbledon? Let's take a look at the stats and facts pertaining to his grand slam exploits since the pandemic: Won six out of the eleven grand slams he contested Reached nine grand slam finals (including Wimbledon 2023) Lost only four grand slam matches since the pandemic ( not counting the disqualification loss at US Open 2020 )  Rafael Nadal contributed to two of those defeats while Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz were the victors on the other two occasions All of the defeats except the most ...

Another day is about to pass us. Before the day passes by, I have a very important question for all of you.  Did you have a good day?   You are not sure, then why don't you ask yourself the following questions? Did you sleep well? Did you have a decent meal? Did you exercise? Did you spend time with your near and dear? Did you dwell on the positive aspects of your life? Did you watch something nice? Did you take up a task? Did you focus on something which is bothering you? Did you do less of what you consider as a bad habit or what spoilt your day the last time around? Did you repent or admit to follies of the past? Did you fight a bad thought? Did you indulge in a hobby or take part in a sport? Did you make a plan for the future? Did you try to help someone? Did you dream? Life is only good if the days in it are good <Credits: Dominik Hofbauer > If you have answered 'Yes' to any of the above questions then you definitely had a good day because a good day is made up o...

I haven't done one of these in a long time and I am glad to be back with a hidden gem. Now there's a 2021 movie with the same name but it's the 1944 version which I hold dear to my heart. So let's jump right into the nitty-gritties of the plot. The Woman In The Window (1944) Plot Psychology professor Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) is besotted by the portrait of an enchanting damsel adorning a shop window right next to the club which he frequents along with his friends. Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) awestruck by the woman in the window The professor's family is out of town and he spends the evening with his friends lamenting the boredom that has set into their middle-aged lives. After a hearty supper, Richard's friends leave but he spends some more time at the club before heading out close to midnight.  Richard relaxing in the company of his friends Upon stepping out of the club, he once again walks up to the shop window and marvels at the portrai...

Where is it? Around 125 KM from Bengaluru, on the Kaveri river right on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. What is it? They call it the Niagara of India but after stating unequivocally in my previous blog that nature is incomparable, I will just ask you to make up your mind after looking at the pictures below as some things are indescribable. Hogenakkal Waterfalls as the moon begins to shine Hogenakkal Waterfalls from an alternate view Hogenakkal Waterfalls: The gorge on the Kaveri River  If the sights look familiar then you have probably seen them in movies such as Roja or Raavanan . How do I explore the area? If you are visiting the falls during the rainy or winter seasons then you will not be allowed to take the boat to view the falls. Instead there will be a separate viewpoint to explore the region.  My trip fell in March so I got to use the small round boats known as coracles to catch some eye-popping views. Coracles on the Kaver...

Where is it? Around 60 KM from Bengaluru. Scenic landscape from one of the viewpoints What is it? A hilly retreat with a rich history and fantastic vistas all around. View from the top of the rock face How do I get there? I reached the parking which is at the base of the summit by car. The hairpin bends are a bit challenging but as long as you stick to your lane you should be fine. There are cabs which will take you there and there's also public transport available from Majestic  I believe.   Parking Lot at Nandi Hills What should I take? All plastic water bottles are confiscated at the base of the summit so do carry water in a non-plastic container. There's a bus which will take you from the base to the top of the hill but if you want to explore the surroundings by yourself you will need plenty of water to refuel yourself Take a windcheater (I suggest using a heavier jacket if you are visiting in winter or rainy seasons) along just in case it gets chilly up t...

It's unfair to talk about someone when they are not doing well. Therefore the intention of this blog is not rant on KL Rahul or his performances of late but to lend some statistical evidence as to why ordinary cricket fans like me are pining for a change at the top of India's batting order. I will also urge my readers to look up Jarrod Kimber's video  which presents a very interesting take on KL Rahul's performances. In order to help my analysis, I visited Cricinfo to garner some vital stats about Rahul's career.  I looked at his overall numbers and came up with a scatter plot of his batting performances in tests.  Rahul's test career average from 2014-2023 Scatter Plot of KL Rahul's test performances from 2014-2023 When I analyzed Rahul's entire test career, 64% of his innings yielded less than 30 runs. 86% of these innings produced 20 runs or less.   Rahul's test scores' breakdown When I confined my examination to his 3rd and 4th innings'...

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; Rudyard Kipling ( IF ) I encountered both of the impostors mentioned above during the course of the last year and life has not been the same since then .  What's worse than a disaster?  It's a disaster which follows a triumph. Just when you think that your life is better than ever, you are jolted into reality and reminded how precarious life actually is. It takes a lifetime to set-up something but it takes less than a second for all of it to turn into dust. You have to find illuminated space within yourself <Courtesy: William Daigneault > We, human beings are expendable, replaceable and inherently perishable.  Yet, we act tough and surround ourselves with hubris for the short while we are here. We feed our fragile egos at every turn and one day when life smacks us we complain that it's cruel. The truth is that we are just fortunate to have a lot of things that we take for granted....