Friday, July 3, 2020
I was leaving Hyderabad for a weekend trip and did not know where to park my vehicle during that period. I had recently moved to Hyderabad and did not have a safe place to leave my vehicle unattended. I had spent over a month in hotels, service apartments and at the house of a kind friend.
Someone suggested long-term (in my case, just 2.5 days) parking at Hyderabad Airport. I was not comfortable with the idea but wanted to try it out too. Was not a great decision!
As soon as I completed the security check, I started thinking "did I turn off the head light", "did I lock the vehicle", "will the vehicle be safe" and everything bad. This continued for the entire 2.5 days I spent outside Hyderabad and made me miserable.
When I landed in Hyderabad, I was really anxious to reach the vehicle. This smile is what I had on my face after finding my vehicle. Was so relieved. Car was safe. Little dirty though. Took it for a wash immediately afterwards.
Ananya Met Varun Aaron
These pics were taken when we were returning from Udaipur. This is actually at Udaipur airport. While getting into the airport, I noticed some familiar faces. Some Indian cricketers were in the queue. Varun Aaron, Indian fast bowler, was right behind me. I shook hands with him and wished him luck for a comeback in the Indian team. Later we saw Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal and few other cricketers. They had come to Udaipur to attend Karun Nair's wedding. Ananya did not recognize any one of them but wanted some autographs. Varun Aaron happily obliged and that brought smile on Ananya's face.
A crazy and 'expensive' evening
This was at Prost (Hyderabad). We met up and spent a long time chatting and drinking. When we decided to leave, Khaitan suggested that we should try some shots. And we ended up staying for another hour!!! It was fun. Even the chef came out for a pic with us!
Created a small bar
Always wanted to create a bar or display unit at my place. Considered several bars on sites like Pepperfry, Urban Ladder, HomeTown and also visited several furniture stores. Did not find anything that fit my requirements. An old friend has once shown a bar at her place and I had liked it but when I saw a similar unit, I was not particularly impressed. The unit looked pretty good when all the doors were open but with the doors closed, it looked quite ordinary. Ended up buying a simple display unit. I like this one as it has scope for customization. One a weekend, I would put some lights inside and then it would look even better. For now, I am happy!!
Monday, June 29, 2020
RIP Sushant Singh Rajput
Recently I watched the movie for zillionth time. It is indeed an inspiring story and I watch it quite frequently. But this time, for the first time, I saw Sushant Singh Rajput in the movie. Every other time, I saw Dhoni...this time I saw the actor. And from here on....this movie would always be about Sushant Singh Rajput. RIP Sushant.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
Arguments against CAA and NRC: Are they valid?
A section in India is protesting against CAA and the 'yet to be drafted' NRC. In the past couple of weeks, I have had discussions with some people, who are against CAA and NRC. I have made an attempt to understand their reasons and reservations. Following are some key reasons that have been expressed during such discussions;
Reason # 1: CAA is against Indian Muslims and it would take away their citizenship
Fact: CAA is not about taking anyone's citizenship. Instead, it is about granting citizenship to minorities (not limited to Hindus) from certain countries in our neighborhood. There is no way that CAA would take away citizenship of existing Indians.
Reason # 2: Thousands of people would come to India due to CAA. In present economic environment, it is not advisable to bring in more people
Fact: CAA will not grant fast-tracked citizenship to anyone who comes to India today or in future. It is about giving citizenship to people who are already in India since 2014 or before.
Reason # 3: It is derogatory towards other religions (for example Muslims) staying in those countries
Fact: There are documented proofs that the minorities under the scope of CAA have faced discrimination and religious persecution. Yes, others may also be facing issues in their countries. However, have they come to India? (Remember, India is not inviting people but fast tracking citizenship to certain people who are ALREADY in India). People who did come - e.g. Adnan Sami - receive citizenship after undergoing certain formalities. Some may even be fast -tracked, depending on the case. India is not saying that people from other faiths will not be given citizenship. However, they would have to follow the 'regular' process i.e., the process that has been defined by statutes and have been followed by all past governments. Now some of the those political parties are questioning it!! If they have an issue, why did they not change the law earlier? And even if the point that 'Why not Muslims' is considered, why are people *OPPOSING* CAA. Why are they not requesting for inclusion of Muslims? Consider this example. Suppose 100 people from different religions/faiths came to India from Pakistan in 2012. Out of that, 60 were Hindus/Sikhs/Parsis/Jains/Buddist/Christian and 40 were Muslims. CAA says that India would grant fast-tracked citizenship to 60 and would consider the request of remaining 40 in due course. Those 40 would go through the *usual (nothing additional)* documentation/formalities and depending on the case, they will either get citizenship or would be denied citizenship. That is the process. It is similar to getting a visa. Some people get visa, some do not. The first 60 would become citizens of India and would have documents to prove it. They can lead a normal life and also pay taxes. Now, if nothing is changing for 40 but you are making a positive impact in the lives of 60, why should anyone have a problem with that? If people want CAA to be rolled back then essentially means that they do not want positive changes in the lives of 60. If people want 'everyone' to be included in CAA then they should demand exactly that. But my question to them is *where were they earlier?* Were they talking about the remaining 40 before this? No, they never talked about them. They never protested or signed petitions to grant citizenship to those 40. Why is it an issue only NOW? Is it because non-Muslims are going to be benefited? If yes, then those protesters are the ones who are dividing India. But I do not think that is the reason for MOST. Most people are protesting against CAA because they have fallen for the false narrative that has been created by leftists, commies, Muslim fundamentalists, opposition parties and their sponsored media. And it is going on and on because (a) of recent decisions on 370, Ram Mandir, Triple Talaq and proposed Uniform Civil Code and (b) Delhi elections are round the corner. AAP will almost certainly win Delhi elections - most people know that. It is thanks to the freebies given by them. But now, when they do win, the narrative would be that Delhi has said no to divisive politics of BJP. One must understand that BJP is not the party in power in Delhi. It last formed a government in Delhi more than 20 years ago. So, they are not 'losing' the elections. However, that is the picture that the media and opposition parties want to paint for next elections and beyond.
Reason # 4: If not CAA, NRC would take away the citizenship of Muslims
Fact: Nationwide NRC has not even been drafted yet. Assam NRC is a different matter altogether. The need was different over there. Nationwide NRC would be nothing like Assam NRC. So, if people are protesting against NRC, they are protesting on the basis of speculation and fear-mongering. Someone even said "people are not scared of what would be there in NRC but they are scared about who (BJP) is proposing it"!!! That is absurd. If I see 10 Muslims sitting and talking in a corner and I attack them on the basis of a speculation that they must be planning a terrorist attack then people would say (and rightly so) that I am insane and bigoted. The argument that nationwide NRC, whenever it is drafted, would be against Muslim - just because BJP government would be proposing it - is equally absurd.
Reason # 5: Present government is fascist and is trying to silence the voice of students. The violence against students is uncalled for and is not acceptable
Fact/Response. Firstly, it is not a reason for opposing CAA/NRC but is a response to what happened afterwards. Police beat protesters in Jamia but they were burning buses and pelting stones. They pretty much invited the wrath of police. Reports suggest that the group of protesters included several non-students from nearby areas. So it was not an action against students. It was an action against vandals. Yes, may be some innocent bystanders may have got hurt but in such cases, we can not blame the cops. They cannot ask for student ids while lathi-charging vandals. And they have no way of figuring out who pelted stone or burnt the buses and who did not. If you be near a violent mob, there are high chances that you would become a collateral damage through one of the parties involved. What happened in JNU had nothing to do with CAA/NRC. It was a university fight and something which must not have happened
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Does Not Make Sense
Living a nomadic life these days. Moved from Pune to Hyderabad in a car filled with personal belongings. A new job lhas led me to this new city. The plan was to find a place to stay within a week. But things did not go as per plan.
Spent the first one week in a hotel - meeting brokers, checking out potential places to stay. Found a place and almost finalizedit. Later, came to know about some not-so-good things about the place, landlord and caretaker.
Found another place but it was going to be available only after a month. Checked out of the hotel, filled the car with my stuff and shifted to a friend's house Spent two weeks there. Not the best two weeks though. I felt welcomed and felt at home there. The family treated me really well. But coming back from office everyday and finding them play with their kids was difficult. It used to make me miss my daughter immensely. And I suffered from severe bouts of depression.
Then spent a week with my family - holidaying in Goa. That was a relief and something I thoroughly enjoyed.
After returning, I loaded my stuff again in my car and shifted to a hotel. Will spend a week in the hote,l and then will pack my stuff again and move to the place I have picked. That place is not a house or home. It is just a room in a flat. So since past month and may be for a long time, my world has been limited to single rooms and my car. That is a nomadic life, isn't it?
These days I question myself - is staying like this really worth it? I am away from my parents, wife and most importantly my daughter. Yes, it is an interesting opportunity that excites me and so far, I like the people I have met. But staying away from family, not having anyone to talk to after office hours makes me a little depressed. Financially also, it does not make too much sense (right now). I have to take care of expenses of two full fledged households in two different cities.
Till I reunite with my family, nothing is going to make sense.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Dear Romeo Alpha Mike
Dear Romeo Alpha Mike,
I recently left Foxtrot and Sierra after spending over 7.5 years. I thoroughly enjoyed my stint there - except the last few months. It is indeed going through some turbulence and require several changes. Honestly, I was excited about your vision - even though your first mail sent massive shock waves!!! :)
I felt that you would be able to do the much needed course correction. Naturally, I was surprised and shocked when I heard about your exit. Based on my interactions with stakeholders (though the sample is neither statistically significant nor representative), I can say that they had high expectations from you and they felt confused later on. Your blogs/articles suggest that things were not handled in a professional manner.
I wish the organization could benefit from your vision and leadership. And I wish you all the best!!
Regards,
Alpha Kilo
Flirting For Benefits
There is this company that I know pretty well. I know several people who have worked over there or are currently employed with the company. It is a global company with offices in several countries (more than 40) across the globe. Though it has a decent name in the industry it operates in, I have heard there are several internal issues. Some people have all the power and they are running the company as a family run business. Well, that is not the reason why I wrote this blog.
I have heard that some key people in the management are known to flirt with women and they shower certain women employees with benefits. These benefits include promotions, increments, opportunities to travel abroad and so on. I have also heard that some women employees have had a unbelievably fast growth trajectory. There is a particular female in the India office; as per some of the people in senior leadership, she has slept her way to an important position in the organization. All this is widely discussed - I am surprised that it neither bothers those people in the top management nor those women employees!! It is extremely unethical and for an old school person like me, it is absolutely disgusting. Well, that is ALSO not the reason why I wrote this blog.
I came to know that one woman employee - who is widely believed to have benefited from these practices - recently acknowledged it. Apparently, she told 2 other employees that it is the fastest way to grow in the company. As per her, the management is full of old lustful men and one can get several benefits by flirting with them or giving them 'some freedom'!!! One of the other female employees - who was part of the conversation - acknowledged it and called her boss a disgusting pervert. For some reason, this brought a smile on my face. I am certainly not under any kind of delusion that it would change such men - at least in that company. May be I smiled because more people came to know about the disgusting practices. May be I smiled because at least these women know what they are doing. May be I smiled because no matter what these men think of themselves, most employees think of them as old, sleazy, lustful, perverted men. And this is the reason why I wrote this blog!!!
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Closed Chapter; Now A New One
Ended a long chapter of my life. The journey was mostly enjoyable. Nothing special but for the most part, it was fulfilling. Made some poor decisions. Or may be I am being hard on myself. Lets just say that I went against my own principles on one occasion. It was not a stupid mistake. Like always, choices were there and neither were absolutely clear. I chose to play it 'safe'. Did not know the pitfalls. Things started taking a bad turn. Its all behind me now. Chose to move on.
The new chapter should be interesting as well as challenging. Have mixed feelings about it. But I am determined to do whatever it takes. Lets see.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Happy Birthday Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC (posthumous)
Today is the birth anniversary of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit
Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra (posthumous). He is the only PVC recipient from
the Indian Air Force.
During a surprise attack by Pakistan, the Indian pilots in
Srinagar were ordered to take shelter but Sekhon managed to take off in his
Gnat. He single-handedly chased away a strike force comprising four F-86F
Sabres of Pakistani Air Force's 26 Squadron (Black Spiders). "I am behind
two Sabres. I won't let the bastards get away". Sekhon achieved his objective
as the enemy aircrafts fled from the scene of the battle without pressing home
their attack against the town and the airfield however, Sekhon was killed in
the process.
Pakistan Defence website describes him as "His was a
commendable effort indeed, as he had kept the field single-handedly to the very
end" and "Some enemies are also respectable"!!!
I salute this true hero!!
Super 30: Movie Review
Though I am impressed with the story of the real life teacher Anand Kumar, his work and his achievements, somehow I did not feel like watching the movie made on his life. However, one lazy afternoon, with nothing else to do - I ended up watching the movie.
'Super 30', starring superstar Hrithik Roshan and directed by Vikas Bahl (Queen, Me Too) is a movie on the life of Anand Kumar - a teacher and mathematician. Anand came from a family with lesser means but he had high dreams and potential. He qualified for Cambridge but could not go as he and his family could not arrange the required funds. He did not give up his passion for mathematics but the family had to resort to make and sell Papads (wafers; thin, crisp discs) to make ends meet. He later went on to become a successful and much sought-after teacher in a private coaching center meant for helping kids prepare and qualify for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He later gave all that up to start free coaching for poor students. His institute has been successful and he has received several awards & accolades in India as well as at global level.
Super 30 is a good movie BUT is not an honest movie. The movie has good performance, fast-paced narrative, happy ending. However, somewhere the makers decided to make it a bollywood formula film instead of a biopic of an actual hero.
Several events have been dramatized but that is okay. After all, it is not a documentary and commercial cinema requires dramatization for entertainment purposes. However, several incidents have been overly dramatized and several facts have been ignored/omitted. I am not sure how Anand Kumar feels about it but I felt - by doing that - the movie undermines his 'actual' struggle.
I believe that Anand encountered several challenges but he found ways to overcome them. By exaggerating his challenges, I feel the movie - unintentionally - gives a message that his challenges were not 'challenging enough' and needed exaggeration. For example (and if I am not mistaken), Anand started a for-profit coaching center in order to fund his not-for-profit coaching center. Nothing wrong with that and it was a smart move. By omitting the fact about the for-profit coaching center, the makers probably tried to exaggerate his struggles and I firmly believe that was not required.
And there is a rather lengthy scene at the end where students apply what they have learnt for fighting off local goons. It was so much dramatized/exaggerated that it became impossible to digest. And someone who does not know Anand Kumar may not be able to resist questioning the rest of the story.
This is a good movie which could have been much better and much more honest.
As far as Hrithik is concerned, before watching the movie and from the trailers, I felt that his image and looks would come in the way of delivering a powerful performance. I was worried (not really, I do not care that much about Hrithik and movies) that he would not look believable. I was pleasantly surprised as he has not allowed his image to come in the way. He has turned in a great performance and looks believable.
Overall, I do recommend the movie. At least 80% of the movie is real and that is a story that people must know about.
Broom the Groom-ing Plan
Heard that MS Dhoni would be 'grooming' Pant till Pant settles down.
What does that mean?
While all these are speculations, it suggests that Dhoni would be 'skipping' India's tour of West Indies. However, later he would be part of the team but would not be in playing XI!!! That way he would mentor Rishabh Pant.
My take on this:
Teams did not need such mentoring when Bradman, Sachin, Lara, Sobers, Richards, Gavaskar, Dravid, Ponting, Warne, Gilchrist, Kumble, Akram etc retired. Are they suggesting that MS Dhoni is the greatest ever and his exit would create such a massive vacuum that Indian team would find it difficult to play unless they see MSD at least in the dressing room?!!? And what about the player would could have been in the squad but would not be there because one slot was reserved for MSD. Who would mentor/groom that player?
This is complete bull shit!!! He is past his prime and should make way for someone who can make it to the next WC. Period!!!
Monday, July 15, 2019
2 Amazing Matches....2 Winners and No Losers
Watched two amazing matches yesterday. 1. ICC Cricket World Cup Finals between hosts England and New Zealand and 2. Wimbledon Men's Singles Final between World #1 Novak Djokovic and the all time greatest - legendary Roger Federer.
Both matches involved edge of the seat action and in both it was difficult to differentiate between the two sides/men.
New Zealand scored 241 and then - thanks to a last over overthrow drama - England also ended up with 241. In the super over, England scored 15 and New Zealand also scored 15!!! Yet, England won because the hit more boundaries in the regular innings. That is a bizarre rule but it was decided before the World Cup. I think no one objected as no one could have imagined that the scenario would actually play out!!!
I believe New Zealand was unlucky. The overthrow punched holes in their plans and later the rule to decide the winner on the basis of boundaries also went against them. It is also being said that the overthrows should have costed them 5 runs instead of 6. Not sure about that but if it is true then they have another reason to feel bad.
In the other match, Federer clearly looked like the better player. Djokovic looked nervous and was not his usual self. Yet, he hung in there and won the important points. It was a matter of who keeps nerves in control and who is fit enough to win the longest Wimbledon Finals ever!!!
I was cheering for Federer and New Zealand and I was tad unhappy after both matches. England and Djokovic are the winners but New Zealand and Federer are definitely not losers!!!
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Article 15: Does the director believe in it?
Recently watched the much talked about movie 'Article 15'. For the uninitiated, Article 15 of the constitution of India says 'Article 15 (1) and (2) prohibit the state from discriminating any citizen on ground of any religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them'.
The movie discusses the important topic of caste discrimination, which is rampant and is a major social evil in India. The plot is 'based' on a true incident but has been tweaked to suit the views of the maker. The movie has great actors and they have delivered powerful performances. Overall, the movie is interesting and I did not feel bored at any point of time.
However, such movies make you think. That per se is not an issue. Every movie on a real issue should make you think. But this one also makes you think about the intentions and motives. There is a background to it as well. I have watched the previous movie ('Mulk') of the director and have also watched several interviews. He seems to have certain views against the major religion in India and takes a consulting-like approach to narrate or weave the story. He develops hypotheses and then creates a narrative to prove that hypotheses.
I really liked his previous film - Mulk. It talks about targeting Muslims and thinking that every Muslim is a terrorist. That is incorrect and it must be said. The film did show an Islamic terrorist but the director spent only few minutes on that. The rest of the movie showed how the family of the terrorist was targeted, asked to move to Pakistan etc. I would not say that it does not happen. I also agree (and firmly believe) that every Muslim is not a terrorist and that it should not even be discussed. However, the fact also is that >90% of the terrorists follow or claim to follow Islam (the reason I say "claim to follow" is because I firmly believe that most Islamic terrorists (and their handlers and religious leaders) do not even understand Islam). But it is a fact that over 90% terrorists are Muslims. Will the film-maker make a movie on that? No. Because then he would be scared of his life.
These days when the critics appreciate a movie, I start doubting the movie and the intentions. These days it has become fashionable to talk against Hindu religion. Any movie which shows Hinduism or a certain political party in bad-light gets good reviews from critics. Take for example the movie 'Mukkabaaz'. It is a good movie about a boxer of lower caste fighting against the system for his career and love. However, there are two scenes in the movie that I found questionable. In one scene, the goons target the boxer and his coach by falsely accusing them for consuming beef. While I agree that there is an actual case which got a lot of attention from media, pseudo-seculars, so-called liberals and of course political parties. However, there is no case where someone from Hindu religion was targeted in such a manner. The goons could have targeted the boxer and coach in many different ways but the maker (another guy who seems to hate Hindu religion and was quite vocal about the case) chose this as it could have given the movie free publicity. There is another scene in which the protagonist unnecessarily and repeatedly says "Bharat Maata ki Jai" while bashing the villain - who is a prominent local politician - in front of the cops. While the intentions were not absolutely clear but may be the film-maker tried to show that you can get away with anything by saying that. This in my opinion was a cheap tactic to garner free publicity for an otherwise good movie.
Article 15 also primarily bashes the Hindu religion or upper caste Hindus. I am not at all denying that in several parts of India, such caste-based discrimination is rampant. However, caste based discrimination is not specific to a religion. Have you not heard about the term 'Dalit-Muslims'? Although Islam does not recognize any castes, Muslim communities in South Asia (especially India) apply a system of social stratification. It is developed as a result of ethnic segregation between the foreign conquerors and the local converts. Why was that not correctly portrayed in the movie? Because it would not fit the hypotheses?
It is important to make socially-relevant movies but it is equally (if not more) important to ensure that it is portrayed in a non-biased way. Else it would only stem (or rather further escalate) communal tensions. Such movies also suggest (or at least fails to suggest otherwise) that majority of upper-caste Hindus think like this. It is as wrong as thinking that majority of Muslim are terrorists. That goes against the very intention behind Article 15.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Trust???
When he put down his papers, the HR told him that the company would hold to 1.5 months salary, "as per company policy". When pointed that the policy is for 1 month, the HR representative asked to "trust the company".
You are holding on to salary, you have held back variable component, you have blocked sites like Gmail, LinkedIn etc., you have blocked USB drives and you are asking about trust!!!???!!! Hilarious!!!
Should Indian Captain for Limited Overs Cricket Change?
Read a news article that there is a rift in the Indian cricket team and two camps have emerged - one with Kohli and Shastri and the other led by Rohit Sharma. The article mentioned that some team members are not happy and they desire a change in leadership. While I believe that (a) the story is work of fiction and (b) one bad match should not result in stripping Kohli of captaincy, I also think that handing Sharma the captaincy in shorter format is not a bad option. My reasons are (a) dependence on Dhoni for DRS (b) lack of flexibility and willingness to try new players/combinations and (c) slight biasedness towards certain players (d) failure to build a strong middle order and (e) failure to realize that some players no longer are fit for the team. I still like Kohli as a Captain and batsman but it would not hurt to try something new. However, I do not think selectors would do it.
Ananya's World of Peppa Pig
Ananya draws and draws well! Touchwood!
Back in my childhood days, I used to be good at drawing. I stopped as I used to be mocked and bullied by someone who was not good. I wish I could go back and change that. I would do whatever I can to ensure that Ananya keeps and hones her drawing skills and imagination.
Pune in Monsoon
This city and the touristy places near by turn heavenly during monsoons. We look forward to the rains which ushers greenery, long drives, kande pakode, tapri waali chai and lots of happy moments!!!
Excited about India A tour to West Indies
India A is touring West Indies and am excited about the series. Indian team failed to win the WC 2019 and it has been acknowledged that the team requires changes. Finally, people are realizing the need of a 'solid' batsman at number 4. Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill (not quite a number 4 though), Hanuma Vihari are part of the India A squad and would try to put their best foot forward. I hope we get some answers from the tour.
In my opinion, India should have a selection policy that the best player of such series (India A tours) would get selected for the Indian team. That would create a healthy competition and would motivate the youngsters to do well. Performance at the domestic level and on such tours must count for something.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Dhoni: WC 2019 and Retirement
Though the Cricket World Cup 2019 has not ended, the euphoria is over for Indian fans. We were the best team in the league stage and unlike previous WC campaigns, this time we were equipped with the best bowling arsenal.
Bumrah is the world's best limited overs bowler right now. Shami had a great WC even though he did not get too many games. The miserly Bhuvi was good in patches but overall he could have done much better. Hardik Pandya bowled smartly and used the conditions really well. The two wrist spinners went in with a lot of promise. However, both could not really set the stage on fire. Having said that, the bowlers did well through out the world cup.
That does not mean that the batting was weak. Our top order got plenty of runs - especially the flamboyant Rohit Sharma and the ever dependable Virat Kohli. Shikhar Dhawan had a good start but sadly his campaign ended abruptly due to injury. We cannot say that Rahul was good but he did okay in the absence of Dhawan.
If batting and bowling were both okay (fielding was great and we were in fact a better fielding side than most others) then why did we did not win?
Now, with the immense super-powers of hindsight, a lot can be said. However, I will stick to what I have been saying since last couple of years. We faltered in our preparation and when we failed to realize that Dhoni is no longer the same.
I can actually feel some raised eyebrows, some guns coming out of their holsters!!! Some may argue politely (others may start a rabid rant) that we did not have a better option than Dhoni. My question is how do you know? You did not try another option adequately. Actually, let me take another approach in justifying my stance and explain why do I think that Dhoni should not have been there.
Firstly, we went in with a weak middle-order because we kept trying to accommodate Dhoni in the playing XI. There were some good options available. Pandey was given several games but in a lot of those games, his batting position was shuffled. Pandey is a good batsman and is a top order batsman. He takes time to settle in but when he does, he usually plays a good knock. He is not the right candidate to come in the slog overs and start belting the ball around. But he was asked to do that in several matches and was later dropped. This happened because the management was trying Dhoni at 4 or 5. Rahane met similar fate. A promising batsmen like Shreyas Iyer was never given an opportunity. My point is that while trying to fit Dhoni at number 4, we made other batsmen suffer and later we dropped them.
But did Dhoni bat at 4 or 5. No he did not!!! That highlights my first argument but also brings me to the second point. Why did he not bat at 4? If Dhoni was included in the playing XI, his recent style of play suggests that he was most suited to bat at number 4 position. You cannot come and knock the ball around for singles in the slog overs. It costed us the game against England. Moreover, Dhoni managed to put totals that we could defend only because of our strong bowling attack. This shuffling and lack of clarity on his position made our game plan look extremely random and ad hoc.
My third point is regarding wicket-keeping. Dhoni - without any doubt - is the best keeper for spin bowling. He is quick and he also gives a lot of suggestions to the bowlers. But overall, is he as effective as he used to be? Some stats that I looked at (a week ago), suggested that Dhoni gave away most runs in byes. In the semi-finals against New Zealand, he dropped a difficult chance against Ross Taylor. Taylor was 32 at that time and was struggling. After getting a life, Taylor went on to add another 40 runs. May be that could have changed the result. We would never know. I agree that the chance was difficult but in semi-finals, you have to grab the half-chances. Something that Guptill did when he sent Dhoni and Indian team packing with a direct hit. Not only the WCs, even before that - in IPL and in the matches against Australia and New Zealand, Dhoni did not do anything special with the gloves. Now, it can be questioned that how do we know that someone else - Karthik or Pant - would have faired better. We do not know but if we had started testing Pant 2 years back, he surely could have done well. And Pant brings a balance to the side.
Next argument that a lot of people come up with is that Dhoni is a specialist when it comes to DRS reviews. I would just point that he proved to be wrong on 3 occasions during the WC 2019.
Another point that Dhoni fans make is that Dhoni actually makes all the decisions and Kohli is only a pseudo captain, who cannot operate without Dhoni. Firstly, Kohli-led Indian team has become the top test side so there is no question of his dependency on Dhoni. Secondly, if Dhoni was making all the calls, why are his fans now blaming Kohli for 'sending' Dhoni at number 7 position in the semi-final match against New Zealand in World Cup 2019? Basically, they are saying that if the decision is right, Dhoni must have made it but if it is wrong, its because of Kohli!!! Such flawed and absurd logic!!!
Another point that I would like to put forward is that Dhoni seems to have become slow or his ability to judge a run has probably gone down. He was run-out during the IPL 2019 finals and was again run out in the WC 2019 semi-finals. Age, may be?
Also, Dhoni's ability to plan spin seems to have taken a hit. He was stumped in the match against Afghanistan and got a life or two in the match against West Indies.
To sum up, I would say that Dhoni had not done anything special in the last two years to command a position in the side. The selectors and the management seem to have gone with reputation. Once, several years back, he played a great innings in a WC final but does that mean that you would walk into the side 8 years later without doing anything special? If we had to go with reputation then Yuvi should have played the 2015 WC. As mentioned above, Dhoni fans argue his valuable inputs and credit Dhoni for wickets taken by spinners because he told them what to do. Do they give credit to Sachin for Dhoni's innings in WC 2011 final? After all, it was Sachin who suggested that Dhoni should bat before Yuvi.
Some people are saying that Dhoni should not retire as he mentors the young players and should continue to do that. So if Dhoni continues to keep wickets, how will that help Pant in gaining experience and maturity as a wicket-keeper? If Dhoni bats at 6 or 7, how is that helping a young batsman - who could have batted at that spot - learn anything?
Every good thing comes to an end and must come to an end. Dhoni is definitely one of the best players India has produced. However, he is no longer the player he used to be and that is okay. It happens with everyone. We must look beyond him and give a good run to players who can make it to the next WC side. Dhoni preached through press conference and his indirectly produced biopic that the players who are no longer suitable should make way for new players. While I have always maintained that legends should get a farewell but Dhoni changed that. Several legends did not get a proper send-off under him. Why should the stance be any different for him? He will not play the next WC and must hang his boots. He would always be respected and would be missed but it is time for him, us and Indian cricket to move on.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Monday, July 8, 2019
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Monday, July 1, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
Amma
Its a pic of Amma (my grandma) that I clicked in 2005 or 2006. Now, my youngest Bua has used it on the back of a book on Amma's work. Not sure about the nature of the book but it should have poetry. Amma's writings had deep meaning and she was really good with words. Am happy that the pic is a small part of the book.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)