In the history of One Day International cricket, there have been 10 World Cup tournaments in 44 years. And CWC 2015 would be the 11th. For those, who don’t follow the game much, it would be a surprise that Sachin represented India in 6 of those tournaments. And I am not counting CWC 1987 where He was a ball-boy in one of the games. Looking back, the Man did play for an absolute age! But the Question here is – Will we and the Indian Cricket Team miss Him? The answer is a typical MBA one – “Well, it depends!”.
For me, Cricket is all about having a right combination of Potential, Experience and most importantly the Attitude. Potential covers the technical attributes – the ability to bat, bowl and field. Experience consists of ability to adapt with the surrounding conditions, ability to handle the immense pressure and temperament of playing out a tough session of play. Whereas, Attitude is more of the mental aspect. It is the belief which makes you think that you are going to win each and every match even if you have a Bowling line-up similar to that of India at the current moment!
It is extremely difficult to define the right balance of the three attributes which can be termed as a sure mantra for success. It would be a dream to have all the three attributes on a higher side; just like the West Indies in mid seventies and Aussies in late nineties and early part of the new millennium. But there have been instances like ’83 and ’96 when the teams did wonderfully well with limited resources; and ’92 when only the right attitude and passion were enough to compensate for the skills in a magnificent way!
Alright! With this background, let’s evaluate the Indian contingent for the CWC 2015:
Potential: India has been always blessed with a lot of young and exciting talent and I am including the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan here! And this team boasts of some of the rising stars of World cricket. Barring the apparent weakness in bowling department, especially the death bowling, Indian team ‘Potentially’ looks pretty good. Well, at least on the paper.
Experience: This is one area where India is really going to miss Sachin! Not only his assuring presence in the middle when he batted but also his insights and tremendous knowledge of the game. Especially in the absence of Yuvi, Sehwag and Bhajji, conditions down under can be alien for most of the team. It will be crucial how quickly the newbie’s hit the ground running!
Attitude: This attribute, to me, will be the deciding factor in India’s chances of regaining the cup. I believe, controlled aggression is the need of the hour and MSD has a Big role to play in this. He has to marshal his troops carefully and make sure that we do not overdo the aggression through sledging as we did in recent test matches where we tried Bouncing Aussies out of the test.
To sum up India’s chances, I would say it is going to be tough but not impossible. They just have to Bat well, Bowl well and Field well and it should be a good enough! Anyway, as Mr Siddhu says – “Hope is Greater than the Pope” and that’s all we need..
To answer the question – “Will India miss Sachin?”- I would say, maybe not in Cricketing terms but definitely yes in Non Cricketing terms. How can we forget the emotional hundred in ’99 immediately after the demise of his Father? How can we forget the derailing of Rawalpindi express in ‘03? How can we forget the crazy celebrations after Wankhede in ’11? A little difficult not to miss the Master!
Well, He is the Brand ambassador of CWC 15. Who knows, we might see Him handing over the trophy to MSD at MCG. Distant dream! But as the Master himself says – “Chase your dreams, they do come true”
This is a guest post by Parag Sandhansi who is a Cricket enthusiast cum Sachinist who loves to travel and cook. He believes he can identify a song from its tune in less than 3 seconds. He is an MBA from S. P. Jain, Mumbai and has a degree in Computer Science from College of Engineering, Pune.
On the occasion of Teachers Day, Cricket 361° dedicates an entire post for people who have learnt something useful from the sports-persons and have looked upon them as teachers. We invited all our readers and fans to post messages for the sportsperson they have learnt from. This post is a consolidation of all these messages. We thank all the people who made this post what it is. We have messages and posts for the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Michael Jordan, Derek Redmond, Milkha Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Harsha Bhogle. Few people also have thanked their brothers and coaches for the contribution to their game.
The Wall
When one follows a sport closely for years on end and religiously keeps track of players, their performances, etc it is hard to not get influenced by some of them and let them have a lasting impression on one’s life. I have been following cricket since I can remember Sachin dancing down the track and hitting Tom Moody for a six over his head, quite some time, you see. As I grew up, along with Sachin, Rahul Dravid started influencing me, his overall demeanor, and the way he conducted himself on and off the field was a lesson in life for me. As it has been seen that he has been a player who has always done what the team required him to do, and also in real life he carries no baggage of being the great achiever that he is. Recently, I was lucky to read a book, ‘Rahul Dravid – Timeless Steel’ a compilation of articles by the ESPN Cricinfo team and his team-mates at various levels, lucky because it gave me a chance to know the seldom known things about the man, the back-end processes which enabled Rahul to be the Wall, how he handled captaincy, failure and how he never let success drive him away from always getting better. Also over the last three years, his handling of the Rajasthan Royals, first as a captain, then as a mentor as been exceptional. Listening to his commentary alongside Dada and Harsha is a refreshing feeling. So this teacher’s day or Guru Utsav, whatever it is, it is Rahul Dravid who is the Guru and me the Geek!
KartikDeo is a cricket enthusiast since time unknown. When he is not following cricket or watching Hindi movies he can be located at IMRB International crunching numbers (Associate Research Manager) on weekdays and at his humble abode in Chembur, Mumbai on weekends. He can be reached at 9819201933.
For teaching me nice guys can finish first: There are not many things on a cricket pitch which gladden me more than a Rahul Dravid copyright cover drive. Knowing Dravid, I would bet it is the product of countless hours of practice in the nets. That is the first lesson Dravid taught me; talent has its place, hard work has its own. “Genius” is a word not often associated with Dravid, but meticulousness and preparation are his trademarks.
And that requires a genius; to be at it for 17 long years, never refusing to answer the team’s distress call, never refusing to assume new roles because the team required it. People often misunderstand “nice”. Being nice does not mean being submissive. It means being aggressive in the stuff that matters in such a manner that the opponent does not feel disrespected, just outplayed. Mathew Hayden once remarked, “All this going around is not aggression; if you want to see aggression on the cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid’s eyes.” At the same time Bret Lee has this to say of Dravid: “If you can’t get along with Dravid, they you are struggling in life” The two quotes just sum up my idea of the nice guy who finishes first.
ShashankSabesan, after having worked for Morgan Stanley for couple of years is currently studying in IIM Bangalore. He can talk for centuries on Rahul Dravid and his ability to play cricket and being the best ever team player for India.
On this Teacher’s Day, I would like to pass on my respect to Rahul Dravid, who has played a major role in defining my approach towards cricket and regular life. Rahul Dravid was supposed to get a national call in 1992, but he was picked for India in 1996. For 4 years, every morning saw Dravid take out his Kinetic Honda and go to the ground just like any other regular cricketer in Karnataka. The number plate of his Honda had the quote – “God’s delays are not God’s denials”. The quote has left a lasting impression on my mind. It helps me to stay calm, regain my patience and be strong to move towards the toughest of the goals in life.
I played cricket for my undergrad college. I would not be ashamed to admit that I was not a technically sound batsman (as compared to my peers) and was often mocked. I read about how Dravid (after his debut in 1996) improved on the technicalities of his game. This inspired me to work harder towards my game. Now, I play as a frontline batsman for my team and we won the Cricket League in our state. This process gave me the biggest lesson of my life – ‘Never get bogged down by what people say! Work hard and prove them wrong.’
I am blessed to live in the era of Dravid – The Soldier.
Happy Teacher’s Day, Jammy 🙂
Rajat Gangrade lives and breathes cricket and his writing will speak a lot on what he thinks on it. A VJTI Civil engineer and M.S. from Virgina Tech, he works for CH2M Hill as a Geotechnical engineer in the United States.
So many great players one can draw inspiration from. Each and everyone of them have shown qualities that we all can imbibe from to succeed in our lives. Apart from talent and the persona we see on our television sets there is something that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, I refer to of course the most important quality, Hard work. Obviously every great player is hard working and sincere but how many times do we see across the floss and glamor to actually take inspiration from them on this aspect. The one player that has truly inspired me in this regard is “The Wall” Mr Rahul Dravid . This does not mean that I think he’s the best indian batsman or even my favorite player for that matter but when it comes to sincerity and hard work there is no other player I can think of. He taught me that you don’t have to be gifted like Tendulkar to make a mark in life. From being tagged as a test player to making a mark as an ODI Indian legend . Rahul has shown how sticking to basics and overall commitment can pave the way to success.
Rahul has managed to make words like “Responsible”, “Hardworking”, “Sincere” and “Simple” sound very cool and for that I will be forever indebted to him.
JayantWalia is a 23 year old chartered accountant who happens to be a huge test cricket fan. Been a follower of the Indian Cricket since long and misses the good old days of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS laxman and Sourav Ganguly playing together.
The Flying Sikh
On the occasion of Teacher’s day, I would like to thank the superstar of Indian athletics, Milkha Singh for being an inspiration for thousands of youth like me. Whenever I am stressed out or close to giving up on something, I think of the difficult times he has gone through his career and that boost my morale and confidence to a whole new level. I believe that with the resources available with us in today’s world, all we need is to be determined dedicated and work harder towards our goals just like Milkha Singh did. You are the creator of your own destiny. Milkha Singh, you will always be my hero!
PartibanRaja, an engineer from VJTI, presently pursuing masters at Clemenson University, South Carolina.
Michael Jordan
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” These words are a beacon of light in those dark tunnels that life can wring you through. They are one of life’s biggest lessons and deliver the required motivation to succeed when one is at their nadir. Everyone has a bad day in the office. What we do to overcome is what matters at the end of the day. Oh! And I almost forgot, those are the words of my idol and Basketball’s GOAT (greatest of all time) – Michael Jordan.
GajananEshwar, a Production engineer from VJTI, is currently working with Tres Vista. Basketball is his religion and Jordan his Lord.
Dada
“Life is not a bed of Roses, but neither it is a bed of thorns. As our life swings between tears and smile, self-confidence, determination, hard work and perseverance are the keys to success. I guess, India’s most beloved Captain – our favorite Sourav Ganguly aka Dada personifies these qualities. His life has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. But he never bogged down under pressure. On the contrary, he took failures or the so called failures, as challenges and has risen from the ashes as a Phoenix, every time, stronger and more determined, to prove his distractors and critics wrong. Moreover, his leadership skills have made history and have inspired us all. An aggressive leader from outside, he was always there for his teammates when they required him the most and that helped cricket as a sport, to come out of slumber, after the match fixing allegations rocked the sport and made everyone to turn away from the game. These qualities of Dada have always inspired me in my life. Also, would like to add, that have always looked up to Rahul Dravid and Laxman, simply for their perseverance, hard work and determination & last but not the least, Sachin Tendulkar for his humbleness.
So to these heroes of mine – a very “Happy Teacher’s Day” and “Thank You” !!”
Subhankar Kar Chowdhury, a die-hard Dada fan, an IIM Lucknow grad currently working as a Senior Consultant in PwC.
It’s only a blessing to have played and lived the game of cricket. Although I started out early, at a tender age of nine but things really started happening for me once cricket as a sport was introduced in my school. I was in seventh standard and as it was ending of the academic year, I was eagerly looking forward for summer vacations. Little did I know what was in store for me in the coming days. I had never imagined that a cricket summer camp was going to be held at Fatima High School (Mumbai) thus saving me of strenuous train journeys to Matunga Gymkhana.
On the first day of the camp, I could feel the buzz among the players as I was chit-chatting with my friends. I still remember a tall, charismatic personality making his way onto the ground with his shades on. A certain impression he made was that of a fierce fast bowler from his playing days. That was the day I met Mr. Pradeep Kasliwal, a former Ranji trophy player who was to be our coach and has been a guiding force behind my cricketing journey.
Sir, on this teacher’s day I take this opportunity to thank you for giving me worthy lessons on and off the cricket field. The discipline you fostered in us has become an integral part of our lives. I can recall bowling leg breaks continuously for 30-45 minutes specifically after a hectic day at school plus after a grilling practice session. You stood beside me; the time went on, till I bowled exactly how it was meant to be. Not to forget the catching exercise before a practice match. During the warm up session I was dropping a lot many catches and you asked me to practice alone. The warm up was done and match about to start and here I was throwing the ball up in the air and catching it. It was a privilege to captain the school team. I remember going along with you for my first match as a captain. We stopped by at MIG cricket ground, and I listened with utmost attention to all the insights you gave.
Time has flown by since passing out from school but your guidance and teachings in cricketing endeavors has certainly taken me to the next level.
Thanking you once again on behalf of all my school team mates. A connection that has inspired my life.
Amit Patankar, a B Tech from VJTI, is currently pursuing MBA from KJ Somaiya in Mumbai. Amit has played his Cricket right from school till date and was known as a batsman with almost perfect technique.
Cricket is a sport where players swear by how influential their mentors/coaches have been in shaping their game. I am no different. 2 brothers – Alok Sharma & Arun Sharma defined the way I played my cricket and taught me more about the game than I have learnt after parting ways with them. It was not just about the technique of fast bowling or the on-field behavior, but also how they encouraged me to play the game on my own terms and strive to be a better team person. On this day when the entire country honors teachers, I’d like to pay my respect to 2 of the best sports-persons I’ve ever known.
Saurav Agarwal is an MBA from S.P. Jain and is presently working with Capgemini. He is a fast bowler himself and a die hard cricket fan.
Sport is an amazing teacher. I have learnt a lot in my life from great sportsmen as much as I’ve learnt from playing a sport myself. However, on this occasion of Teacher’s Day, I’d like to share this amazing learning I got a few months ago from a sportsperson I hadn’t even heard of, Derek Redmond. In case you haven’t heard about him, I would like you to go through this video before reading ahead –
Even after his career was ruined due to multiple surgeries and injuries, Derek Redmond never gave up and went on represent Great Britain in Basketball, became a professional rugby player, is now the director of development for sprint and hurdles for UK Athletics and also takes pride in motivational speaking on the conference circuit – talking about his inspirational moment in the Olympics and other successes[1].
The most important lesson that I took from this incident was that even when it is our big day and for which we have prepared and worked hard for weeks, months & maybe years; things may not go our way. We could easily curse our luck, fate, everyone and everything around us OR we could stand up again and try to finish whatever we’ve started without giving up to the best of our limited abilities and thus, Never Give Up. It might not be the success story that normally teaches you a lot; but then it make me question the definition of success in the first place.
Manan Shah, a graduate from VJTI and XLRI, Jamshedpur, works at Ernst and Young. A good tennis player himself, shares a unique story with us.
It could seem like a cliché but yes, Sachin Tendulkar it has to be! An epitome of focus and hardwork, Sachin Tendulkar has always been a source of inspiration. His attention to every detail of his game and the perseverance to achieve perfection at them, goes to speak a lot about Sachin Tendulkar as a sportsman and a person. Add this attention to detail and impeccable work ethic to his extraordinary God-given talent, and it doesn’t take much to figure out why he is so successful. Thank You Sir!
Shinil Shekhar, a hardcore Team India Fan, is a Mechanical engineer from VJTI is presently working with Mahanagar Gas Ltd.
Me with Harsha Bhogle
After all the people have appreciated and shared learnings from various sports-person, I want to detour a bit from players and talk about none other than Harsha Bhogle. I must have been 7 years old when I first met him. Little did I know that I would really admire him as commentator and sports writer in the present day. Today on Teachers Day, I would like to write about him as my inspiration for writing and cricket opinions.
Despite not being played Cricket as a professional cricket, Bhogle is really an excellent commentator and is a brand today in sports when it comes to commentary. If you have observed his commentary, he will never claim to know Cricket as much as other commentators and expresses his opinions with this disclaimer. Though he is mostly right about what he speaks, he comes across as a very level-headed person. After 2 decades of his career, he has redefined commentary and sports writing with his sharp and intriguing insights.
Though he did not have anyone to look up to when he started, he took the technician and statisticians as his inspriation and thrived in the sport when he was surrounded by Indian legends in the box. So probably you got to learn that you can pave your own path to success even if you do not have someone mentoring you.
Tejas Chaudhari is a Cricketer by heart and can strike a conversation with anyone on Cricket.
A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge, molds our thoughts, builds our character and shows us the path for living a fulfilling and enriching life. In the Mahabharata, Eklavya mastered the art of archery just by keenly observing his guru Dronacharya from far away. Dronacharya was oblivious to the knowledge and wisdom that he was unknowingly imparting to Eklavya. They often say that the history repeats itself. And indeed it does. Fast forward five millennia and the modern-day Dronacharya is unaware of the ways and means by which he has impacted the lives of millions of Eklavya’s all across the globe. In the modern world, his disciples call him the little master or the master blaster or the God of cricket. And for the rest, he is ‘Sachin Tendulkar.’
I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have grown up in the ‘Tendulkar era’. As my growing up years coincided with the prime of his career, I can safely say that His game, His aura and His personality have had a deep impression on my young and impressionable mind. As I sit down today to recollect the ways in which the master has impacted my life, I could not ignore these three major qualities which I have imbued from him.
Dedication: He started playing international cricket for India since the year I was born in and retired only recently last year. To play for so long at the top-level requires dedication of the highest order. There have been several players who started playing much after him but retired much before him. Towards the end of his career, he had played international cricket for more number of years than some of his team-mates had spent living on this planet. But still, he was always the first one to enter and the last one to leave the training ground. It requires pure love and joy for what you are doing to be able to continue doing so for such a long time. In spite of being the best cricketer in the world for almost his entire career, he never took his place in the team for granted. He wore the India cap with utmost pride and always ensured that he gave nothing less than 100% once he entered the field.
Humility: Perhaps no Indian has been idolized the way he has been, barring Mahatma Gandhi. The amount of love and respect he gets from everyone is phenomenal. In India, cricketers are worshipped as demi-gods. To be thrust into the limelight at the tender age of 16 and having the world at your feet by 25 and still to be able to keep a sane head on those shoulders and focus on the game is nothing short of superhuman. In an era when playing hard is considered to be the norm and cricket has become just a namesake gentleman’s game, the way he conducts himself on and off the cricket field is something which speaks volumes about his values and upbringing. As Harsha Bhogle had once famously said that, ‘the crowd cheering at the fall of Indian wicket can only mean one thing. Everyone knows who the next batsman is”. I had an opportunity to experience this when I had once gone to see the India vs South Africa (SA) test at Chepauk, Chennai, India. When the second Indian wicket fell, I got goosebumps on hearing the crowd chant the great man’s name. For a moment, I tried to put myself in his shoes and imagined how I would have felt on being cheered in that manner. A mere mortal like me imagined himself as nothing less than the king of the world. How he manages to keep his feet on the ground in spite of so much of fame and adulation is beyond my comprehension. To me, he is the epitome of humility.
Mental toughness and self-belief: In his 24 year long career, Tendulkar has been the most dissected cricketing personality. Every move of his is closely monitored and scrutinized. For a career so long, it is natural to have periods of highs and lows. It is not easy to have each and every failure of yours being discussed in the media. It is not easy to concentrate on the task at hand when people call for your retirement after a single failure. To handle that is not everyone’s cup of tea. There have been several instances in Tendulkar’s career when he was written off by everyone. Critics and public, most of whom had not even picked a cricket bat in their entire life, wanted to decide his fate. I particularly remember a TOI headlines sometime in mid-2007 which showed a him crouching after the furniture had been disturbed and the words ‘Endulkar’ written in bold at the top. Tendulkar is someone who has always believed in letting his performance do the talking for him. He always had the belief in his ability and coupled with his work ethic he was able to change the tides for himself when he had one of the most fruitful phase of his career lasting from 2008 to 2011. And not surprisingly, TOI had to eat its words and had to come up with the headline ‘Almighty’ soon after on the back of his sterling performances. To bounce back from such adversities requires nerves of steel.
I believe that no other person has had so much of an impact on my life as Tendulkar. I feel sorry for the coming generations for they will not be able to witness the deeds of this great man in real time. I hope that I am able to give my Dronacharya his guru dakshina by emulating these qualities and performing my duties with utmost integrity which will not only help me but also our nation to prosper.
Dear Sachin Tendulkar,
Happy Teacher’s Day !
Ankit Ojha has dedicated this article to Sachin Tendulkar. He is a mechanical engineer from VNIT Nagpur, currently pursuing MBA at S.P. Jain.
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk of cricketers like Ricky Ponting, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Vivian Richards, etc. is about them being amongst the greatest to have played this game. There’s something else too which is common. Let’s have a look at this interesting statistics:
Ricky PointingSachin Tendulkar
Viv RichardsJaved Miandad
Even though average is an archaic measure given that it violates some of the basic mathematical norms, it can still be considered as a good metric to judge when a longer time frame is taken into account.
What the above figures depict is the dramatic fall that their records have had over the last few years of their career. While one could always argue that it is but natural that a player may not be at the prime of his game, but does the argument justify the fact that their averages have gone down by more than 15-18%? The fact that these names have had such a huge impact on us is probably one of the reasons we have not really delved into these details.
One is tempted not to believe that this is the general trend. My observation is, as far as batting is concerned, that the counter-examples are far and few for e.g. Mark Waugh. Why I say this is because there are examples galore to prove it otherwise as far as bowling is concerned. Let’s see the figures of some of the greats on the bowling side:
Their averages still hover around the same mark as during their entire career. This, to me, is a conundrum for I have delved deep into this but haven’t found any robust logic as to why this would happen differently for these two facets of the game
However, the bigger question that lurks is: Did these gentlemen have an inkling if their time was up or was it their love for the game that over-powered it?
Well, there are multifold arguments one could put as to why they would continue in a phase which is way below their best:
A cricketer might face multiple bad phases throughout the career and hence would consider start of such a period as one phase
The best alternative replacement for the player wouldn’t be good enough to cause any such worries
The cricketer would have earned the right to decide so
The first reason posts a serious issue of how to distinguish between “a bad phase” and “I did my time”. However, given the time frame considered in the statistics (3-4 years), I think it would be only fair to consider that a bad phase cannot possibly last for such length and hence after a year, the correct decision could have been made.
The second reason accompanies questions like, “How would we replace such a player”? This arises due to the innate tendencies of comparing with the players’ past records which is a fallacy as the current track record has substantially deviated from the same.
The third reason emphasizes the fact that the selectors get redundant when we consider the above mentioned cohort of players. This should ideally never be the case for the objective is to put your best eleven on the field which definitely the player doesn’t decide.
On the basis of these arguments, let’s move to the curious case of Jacques Kallis:
Jacques Kallis
The batting average has reduced by more than 30% over this time period. With the 2015 world cup in mind, South Africa’s (SA) team has a key decision to take in hand. He is supposed to play the major role i.e. batting at position 3. However, the data suggests otherwise and the recent performances against India and Sri Lanka only corroborate this fact. It seems like he is still going to get a few chances. That would mean players like Faf du Plessis sitting out. As quoted by Jacques himself, “I don’t see it as goodbye because I still have a lot of hunger to push South Africa to that World Cup in 2015 if I am fit and performing”. The performance part has definitely been a big let-down. While it is evident that he would want to have one last shot at the trophy, I am not sure if that is the best way going forward to achieve the title that has been eluding SA for long now. In fact, the idea of him wanting to add a world cup win to his illustrious CV is too individualistic. Rather, whatever it takes to enrich SA’s cricket CV needs to be done and in this light, the selectors need to take a bold decision now before realizing that they have committed suicide which is worse than choking which they are used to!
References: ESPNCricinfo
This is a guest post by Gautam Anchalia, an avid cricket fan who has played in University Tournaments of Cricket Association of Bengal. Currently, a student @ IIM Ahmedabad
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