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