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Has 20:20 killed the spirit of the Gentlemans' Game?

The Indian Premier League has completed 10 glorious years this season. 10 years of cheerleaders gyrating on the sidelines, 10 years of watching "Six hitting machines", 10 years of flat, lifeless pitches, 10 years of the bat dominating the ball and not the best 10 years in the history of cricket if you ask me.        Sure, the sport is popular like never before. Cricket is more accessible now, there is an endless supply of talent coming through from all the corners of the country. There has been more cash in the sport in the last 10 years than the previous 100 years. The question I would like to ask is, has the spirit of the game really changed over these last few years?        Name 5 bowlers from the last decade who have made an indelible mark on your minds. Do you remember any fast bowlers who instilled fear in the hearts and minds of the batsmen? Or any spinners who rattled the cages of the batsmen facing them? Well, your might argue that Ashwin is a world class spinner.
Recent posts

Pune Food Truck Zone

I am not very fussy when it comes to food, my mother will probably disagree, but really I am not very picky about what I eat. Methi (fenugreek), palak (spinach) and karela (bitter gourd) are an exception to this rule. Fast food and I have been in a long and successful relationship. A fortnight ago, on Thursday, Facebook announced that a new 'food truck park' had materialized in Viman nagar. So, on Saturday, having cajoled my wife to try out the new 'fried ice cream' we reached the designated spot. We were greeted by colorful trucks and an aroma of meat being grilled nearby. Some of my likeminded friends had already reached before us and were about to get started on some burgers they had bought. So, the food truck park comprised of 7 gaily painted trucks with an assortment of cuisines being served. There is a truck which sells everything in eggs, another truck which sells desserts and snacks. 2 trucks which dish out Mexican stuff, and one good truck whic

Microlearning!

If you are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, you would probably know that David was tiny while Goliath was a giant. However, David with his slingshot brought down the mighty giant. Moral of the story: A small but effective solution can overcome even a mighty problem.                 Coming swiftly to the point now, I propose that the exact same principal can be applied to adult learning. Micro learning - training broken down into short yet informative bits has proven to be beneficial to the learning needs of the millennials. This concept embraces teaching a concise topic which is then tested or applied immediately afterwards.                 Research suggests that 90% of all information taught in a traditional classroom setting is lost within 12 months!  To counter this, micro Learning rejigs your training program into short bite sized courses. Information is relayed in a manner that is easy to understand. Studies show that the average attention span of a human b
Have the Japs missed out on the quarter litre party in India? I was born in the early 80's, i know, you are probably formulating adjectives like ancient, or  antediluvian and laughing your guts out . However, that apart, in those times a motorbike was simply a means of hauling your 'arse' from Point 'Á' to Point 'B'. We had a wide choice of 4 motorbikes to choose from, viz. Bajaj (made the KB100), TVS-Suzuki(made the AX-100, IND-Suzuki) and Hero Honda (made the CD100 of the fill it, shut it, forget it fame). If you look closely the integer 100 is the HCF. Circa 2016, Indians have woken up to the fact that motorbikes are not simply for getting you from home to office and back. You now see bearded 20 year olds wearing t-shirts with quotes like, four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul. If you see a new motorbike, the first question they ask you is probably how fast does it go as opposed to "kitna deti hai" (whats the average petro

Transformers - Dark of the Moon

Its like logic never crossed paths with writers of this film if I were to be ernest. But then again if they all had Quad core processors in their heads, who would make movies? There is something oddly captivating about the 'shape-shifty-car-robot-' thingies isn't there? If you are a car fanatic like me, then you would have to like them on principle, but even the doe eyed, curly haired damsels covered their eyes or cupped their mouths when optimus' arm gets dismembered which is a touching moment. I am still clueless about how all of a sudden everyone remembers that there is something buried on the moon, or why Monsiur Sam cannot get a job, why the seals/army types accomplish in the entire movie, or even what Sams "new british" girlfriends' actual role in the film is besides showing her posterior or running helter skelter to no apparent destination. I can bet that she could have been given "Lord Voldemorts nose" (or the lack of it) and no one woul

Auzzies shipped back!

A blind man, with a wooden leg and no shoes could run more efficiently on hot coals than Gambhir ! Seriously.. if he wanted to take a crap.. I mean there is always the option of RETIRED HURT! Bowling out OZ on a "sandpit" within 260 was India outdoing itself in the field today.. however they became their usual selves in their chase... doddering idiots! Its like they fancy being Real Madrid.. Yuvraj finally does justice to the talent that he possess, coming in at No.5 and still managing to score more than 300 runs in the tourney at an average of over 100 is no easy task. Add to that the dozen or so wickets.. and a few brilliant saves in the field.. he for me is the Cricketer of the tournament already. I am a huge fan of Mr. Smash it out of the ground-Pathan but I prefer the cool head on his shoulders Raina to be honest. He is more of a batsman for me.. not as flamboyant as pathan but a safer bet in any condition. he was a bit off colour on the SA tour against the short stuff,

Super "Sport" Sunday March 06, 2011

It has been an unusual Sunday for me considering I spent the better part of it glued to the tele rather than galavanting around town or spend time munching onto something spicy. Its been a good day if you're a sport lover for the following reasons. Chronologically the English downed the South Africans in a gem of a world cup game of cricket. The Lads from Manchester were beaten comprehensively at home by the Liverpudlians and the Irish made a match of it when India were tottering at a 100-4 while chasing a moderate 208 in a 50 over contest. England for me have looked like an up-and-down side this world cup. Having nearly chased down India's 338 on the 27th of February, they allowed the Irish to beat them even after having posted a huge 329 whilst batting. I reckon a certain Mr. O'Brien had to do a lot with England losing. 100 of 50 balls against a quality side speaks volumes of his batting prowess. I would like to see more of him in the coming games. The big one now.