Why

Why

Monday 29 June 2009

Back to the Old School of Cricket

After a long hiatus, it was good to see ball dominating the bat . For the past few months, minds around the world were fuelled in by the shots played all around the park in the 20-20 format; today at Sabina Park it was a different scene.
Oh yes, a 50- over match after IPL and T20 World Cup was a different diet for many cricket fans (new ones).
a. India struggling to score on a placid mirror track at Jamaica,
b. Indian batting undone by accurate bowling of the WestIndian pacemen,
c. There is nothing to look at the Indian score card barring, Dhoni's 95, R P Singh's 75-ball 23 and Yuvraj Singh's cameo of 35.

It was a pity, I couldnt watch this live after India were reduced to 82/8 in the 22nd over. The ninth wicket partnership of 102 runs gave India a formidable total to bowl at the Windies. In the end, it wasnt enough, Dhoni with his 95 has showed that, he hasnt lost his brains when most people thought he must regain his lost touch of striking the ball a long way.
Each cricketer goes through these phases, and Dhoni isnt just a slogger these days in the team. He is a wicket-keeper, middle order batsman and captain of the team. It was good to see him play a captain's knock.
Due credit to Windies and this game was easily won with 15 overs to spare in the end. This was a match that showcased, what 20-20 has done to most of the batsmen; the inability to hang in there and respect the bowlers early on when there is some assistance for them from the pitch.
No offense to the 20-20 format, its just that cricketers are at fault not 20-20. It's just a excuse when people accuse 20-20; and very few acknowledge that cricket is a different game because it gives a chance to showcase the versatility of cricketers in three different formats in International cricket. (5-day test match, 50-over One day International and 20-20)
It was good to see cricket going back to the Old school of having an even contest between bat and the ball.
Although games like this do not attract new spectators, it does keep the interests alive for the purists. Experiences such as today is a rarity these days for the Indian team and it can only help the team and indiviuals to work out their game thereby improving their approach to avoid similar situations in the future.

Complete match details at: http://www.cricinfo.com/wivind2009/engine/current/match/377314.html

Monday 22 June 2009

Sports Imitates Life

The name 'Sports Imitates Life' is based on my experiences as a kid and my growing years; where I always related sports activities to life in terms of results, joy, sadness, tears, laughs etc associated with it.

Personally, I have benefitted from sports immensely, though I have never been an athlete at a elite level. I just played for the sake of pleasure, but I fought it hard and always played to win. I was a bad loser as a kid, with time, I realised, the analogies of sports and life; and this enabled me to accept things and look at things in a different way. I have attempted to look at Sports from a life's perspective.

Sports as a tool of motivation in everyday life. Yes, people have different ways or should I say create different ways to motivate themselves. Some are external and others are internal. But the external and internal parameters are mutually related and will always continue to be.
After having done my Chemical Engineering, winning few Sports Quizzes, having watched Sports, I have always felt the gamut emotions of Sporting world to be a constant source of motivation in my life.

The title was also partly inspired by a book I read early last year by Gary Kasparov titled 'How Life imitates Chess'. When i finished reading the last page of the first part, my perspectives on sports, life and their correlation were justified.

As a Candidate Master of Sports Technology and Administration, I am convinced each day about their inter-connection. Someday my aim would be to apply what I have learnt in life to sports. Hence I decided to create a blog as a first step on 'Sports' and how it imitates 'Life'