Kangaroolations to the Indian team on winning the Perth test. I am glad they took my well-timed advice seriously. Call me a maverick, rebel or a freak, but in the face of such strong criticism, I have always believed that, at the end of the day, the team that bats more sensibly, bowls more intelligently and fields more diligently gets to win. At the end of the day, your total number of runs in both the innings must be more than your opponents’.
Some cynics insist that what is more important, at the end of the day, is that you must humour the umpires and keep them on the right side. But, I have always believed that you can keep the umpire on the right, only if you are bowling over the wicket. When you bowl around the wicket, he will necessarily be on your left. Of course, if you are a left-arm bowler, it works the other way, but you get the message.
Incidentally why do commentators keep using expressions such as “at the end of the day” and “ I have always believed…?
As Don Bradman said once, “At the end of the day, what matters is not only what you did at the end of the day. What you did during the rest of the day is equally important.” You won’t find this in any compilation of quotations, and this is the first time that it has appeared in print. I heard that famous quote of Don Bradman in a Tamil remake movie called Billa Bradman. I have always believed that movies are better than books.
There were several interesting moments in the test match. But, when the task was daunting, Ponting was found wanting and this will keep his critics taunting and haunting him. He batted miserably. He was quite comfortable against R.P.Singh, but struggled against Ishant Sharma. No wonder that , by the end of the day, (this time it is literal), he kept humming the tune, “I shall Singh, I shall Singh, I shan’t Sharma, I shan’t Sharma”. This soulful humming provided him some much-needed relief. I have always believed that music is a great palliative for a troubled mind.
Some people describe this as the biggest win ever for India. This is meaningless. When a nerdy looking commentator asked Rahul Dravid, which win he considered more special, Perth, Adelaide, Trent Bridge, Johannesburg or Kolkata, he rightly said that he had always believed that, at the end of the day, each was special in its own way.
I am reminded of the questions addressed to a guy called Arasu in a Tamil magazine, “Kumudam”. A typical question would be, “Compare : Sridevi’s eyes, Khusboo’s teeth and Hema Malini’s cheeks”. The venerable Arasu’s answer would be, ‘One twinkles, the other sparkles, the third wrinkles” or something equally profound. What he means to convey is that each is special in its own way. Don’t compare. I have always believed that the same truth applies to test match wins as well..
Can we repeat the performance at Adelaide? I have always believed that once is a fluke, back-to-back wins a mere coincidence and 16 consecutive wins a freakish streak. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed. Although, I admit, it is tough to walk around for a week with crossed fingers. But, I have always believed that no sacrifice is too big for the cause of the nation. At the end of the day, each one of us must do whatever we can and always believe in ourselves.
Some cynics insist that what is more important, at the end of the day, is that you must humour the umpires and keep them on the right side. But, I have always believed that you can keep the umpire on the right, only if you are bowling over the wicket. When you bowl around the wicket, he will necessarily be on your left. Of course, if you are a left-arm bowler, it works the other way, but you get the message.
Incidentally why do commentators keep using expressions such as “at the end of the day” and “ I have always believed…?
As Don Bradman said once, “At the end of the day, what matters is not only what you did at the end of the day. What you did during the rest of the day is equally important.” You won’t find this in any compilation of quotations, and this is the first time that it has appeared in print. I heard that famous quote of Don Bradman in a Tamil remake movie called Billa Bradman. I have always believed that movies are better than books.
There were several interesting moments in the test match. But, when the task was daunting, Ponting was found wanting and this will keep his critics taunting and haunting him. He batted miserably. He was quite comfortable against R.P.Singh, but struggled against Ishant Sharma. No wonder that , by the end of the day, (this time it is literal), he kept humming the tune, “I shall Singh, I shall Singh, I shan’t Sharma, I shan’t Sharma”. This soulful humming provided him some much-needed relief. I have always believed that music is a great palliative for a troubled mind.
Some people describe this as the biggest win ever for India. This is meaningless. When a nerdy looking commentator asked Rahul Dravid, which win he considered more special, Perth, Adelaide, Trent Bridge, Johannesburg or Kolkata, he rightly said that he had always believed that, at the end of the day, each was special in its own way.
I am reminded of the questions addressed to a guy called Arasu in a Tamil magazine, “Kumudam”. A typical question would be, “Compare : Sridevi’s eyes, Khusboo’s teeth and Hema Malini’s cheeks”. The venerable Arasu’s answer would be, ‘One twinkles, the other sparkles, the third wrinkles” or something equally profound. What he means to convey is that each is special in its own way. Don’t compare. I have always believed that the same truth applies to test match wins as well..
Can we repeat the performance at Adelaide? I have always believed that once is a fluke, back-to-back wins a mere coincidence and 16 consecutive wins a freakish streak. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed. Although, I admit, it is tough to walk around for a week with crossed fingers. But, I have always believed that no sacrifice is too big for the cause of the nation. At the end of the day, each one of us must do whatever we can and always believe in ourselves.
3 comments:
you are indeed, the bloggest!
:)
I have always believed that whatever the subject Raj will always have a funny take on it. At the end of the day what matters is that everyone is happy , right?
(really, were you like this even when you were in school and college?)
sundar, thanks.
usha, no, I was worse.
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