The last time in 2008

I had to do this alone for a change. I did it. I had to.

Happy New Year everybody!
I hope 2009 will bring you joy!

A nice piece

on highs and lows of cricket by Osman Samiuddin

Some excerpts

The best advertisement for Test cricket this year

Test cricket has never been as rowdy as when Virender Sehwag is at the crease. He resurrected his career with a resolute Adelaide hundred but he lit up the year with two outrageous innings. A triple hundred against South Africa at better than a run-a-ball in Chennai was easily the fastest triple ever, managing to enliven what was
otherwise one of the year's dullest Tests. The second capped off one of the best: A ludicrous 68-ball 83 that really made impossible nothing, letting India chase down 387 at the same venue but on a very different pitch.

The most audacious match-winning innings of the year not played by V Sehwag

This year Graeme Smith confirmed his status as one of the best last-innings batsmen ever, leading South Africa to victories in four countries. He started with a 79-ball blitz against the West Indies in Newlands in January, his 85 fairly hunting down a tricky 186. Sixty-two came in a dicier 205-run chase in Dhaka. But the glory lay first in a monumental unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston, chasing 281; a blistering 108 in Perth in the second-highest chase ever; and a calming 75 at the MCG to seal the series. No longer the cocky kid, in 2008 Smith became a man of indomitable will.

The Inzamam-ul-Haq Award for figure of the year

Jesse Ryder. The boy may be fat but the boy can most definitely bat.

Retirements of the year

The quietest but loudest "Just one more things lads' was how one of Indian cricket's most significant figures quietly announced his retirement. Sourav Ganguly signed off with a bang, however, with 324 runs at over 50 against the men he riled the most. No better way of saying he could've played on.

Most statistically satisfying

Stephen Fleming's actual batting was far sexier than his career numbers suggest, but if he had failed to finish with an average of 40, it would've been cricket's greatest injustice since Bradman's 99.94 and Inzi's 49.60. Fortunately, two typically smooth innings (typically, not hundred either) ensured he didn't.

The biggest shoes to fill Those left behind by Anil Kumble and Adam Gilchrist. Both were among the biggest game-breakers their country - and cricket - has seen. Who will be the more difficult to replace: A wicketkeeper-batsman who made 33 international 100s at a strike-rate not far from 100, or a grim-faced leggie with over 600 Test wickets? Will make the search for the next Beefy look like a walk in the park.

Haircut of the year
Ishant Sharma, because he got one.

Splendid

Mitra Kalita's last piece on Mint. Simply too good!

Why can't I just get it?

Am I blind or foolish!

On another note I have 48 hours for my vacation. I am really waiting for it!

Hopefully it will turn out well.

Shane Watson

I hope he is serious (cricinfo)

Glass half full

It's hard enough to convince players to speak to the media when their side is losing, let alone when the player in question has just received devastating injury news. But Shane Watson is a talkative chap and when he discovered that he had stress fractures in his back that would keep him from bowling for up to six months, he was happy to do television and radio interviews to explain the situation. "I've been really happy with the way things have progressed over the last ten months to a year, the way my game has been able to improve," Watson said. "I'm happy with the things that have been evolving and it's just another little setback but I'm going to be really excited when I'm back bowling and back playing full pelt." Talk about looking on the bright side.

Finally

I manage to pass my driving test :)
Will have to wait till next year to get my official license though. I waited for 4 years, so a month isn't difficult.

Have I lost too much?

I made a particular decision and gave everything for that. At some points, I was not being honest with my friends. Thats not something I like. Sometimes I feel I have given up too much. I really do! Especially considering what I am getting back for that!
But all I can do is learn!

Irony

Isn't it? Whatever you do some things keep coming back. Its really hard. I just don't know how to handle it!

Year end post?

Hmmm. As the year draws to the end I am wavering whether to post a year end summary like I did last year.I have decided I should do it. So watch this space for the post!

Solitude

Solitude is something that I tend to prefer in cycles. There were times in the past when I was worried to stay alone early during my stay in Austin. Slowly I learned to enjoy spending time with myself. I started liking it. Then slowly I slipped into a phase where I started getting into a group that reduced the amount of time I spend alone. I just realized it has risen to such high proportions that I am at the stage where I was 4 years ago. I think I have to start again, slowly to spend time with myself. I know it is only a matter of time. But the ride will be anything but simple. I need to disassociate with some specific things to reach there! What makes it difficult is the belief that what I wanted was right and not everybody sees it that way.

Lets see!

The time has come

The time has come for me to take the reverse plunge. I made a calculated plunge. But that did not work out as I would I have liked. But, given what I know now, I still would have made the same decision. That tells me what I did was the right thing to do. Now is the time to get back to where I was 7 months ago. It won't be easy at all especially with all the wonderful times I had. But it will necessary. So, for that reason I will take some steps backward. It might necessitate a full fledged withdrawal. I hope not. But the next 3-4 weeks might set the tone! I hope I have the necessary strength to pull it off!

Lets see!

Wow

is what I felt when I read this article on Hayden by Christian Ryan!

Simply stunning!

Need a break

where I don't have to use my brain.

May be in 5-6 days! I really hope so!

What more can I say?

My Horoscope

You might be worked up today about someone who misunderstands you. Your frustration has increased because the gulf between you seems to have grown, but keep in mind that the apparent riff may seem worse than it actually is. Remembering a recent time when dialog solved a problem could help the situation now. Take the first step and start talking.

Has it happenned?

There have been days where all I want to do is get out of Austin. A new place I hope will give me new things to do. Not that Austin has been unkind to me. I made some really great friendships for life here. I have grown as a person and as an individual. What the hell, I have spent some of my best moments in life here. But still time comes when you have to leave it for reasons only you know. You have to.

May be today it has finally reached a stage where I do not expect to enjoy my stay here. Some things leave a mark. I have compromised so many times. I don't have the strength to do it anymore. I just hope I won't need to search for more. Because I might break down!

Anyway, hoping for things to improve!

Economic necessity?

Indicates the seriousness of the recession for sure, more so if married couples are sticking together for financial reasons!

Discussion

Sometimes you are surprised at what you can reveal and how comfortable you are doing that. Its crazy!

Words

Very rarely do I fall short of words to express what I am going through. Today I just don't even know what is going on! I just don't.
But well life has to move on. I hope it will soon!

What can you say?

This is so true!

For some, like his three-year-old son Samit, though, life's about far
more than centuries and revivals. "He just wants me to come back home."

I was one of those who feared Rahul Dravid's day's as Indian batsman are over. But I am very very happy they are not. Thank god. Because I would not have liked him to end his career like that. I hope he will have a good year in 2009 and end his career in a decent manner! Thanks for proving me wrong dude!

Rob Steen

on Monty

He could have another decade on the clock. If he does, Murali and Warne
might have to watch out. It is not all that inconceivable that the
overall Test wicket-taking record could yet be his. But first he must
become a thinking cricketer and a proper team player, as opposed to
merely a gifted and natural bowler.

Seriously? Please!

A Sehwag classic

This article by Samir Chopra is about his test debut.

I myself have watched his debut innings video on youtube many times. Its a stunning innings from a test debutant coming in at 68-4 in South Africa. I remember Geoffrey Boycott's inimitable praise "Tell you what! This lad can play.I like the look of him. This lad can play". Well, Geoffrey might not always  agree with what Viru does but nobody can say he hasn't been a successful batsman in Indian cricket. Very soon, (if not already) he shall enter the pantheon of Indian batting greats! All we need is more match winning knocks like the one against England!

100 hundreds list

Just for my reference in the future!

The reason this list came up is because of "Slumdog Millionaire". And for all those wondering if I knew "the answer" to "the question" before. Yes, I surely would have answered the question right! So this is research done prior to knowing the question. I am just documenting it for my sake (For example: If they ask me who is 7th on the list!)

199 JB Hobbs 1905-34
170 EH Hendren 1911-37
167 WR Hammond 1923-51
153 CP Mead 1906-36
151 G Boycott 1963-86; H Sutcliffe 1919-39
145 FE Woolley 1906-38
135 GA Hick 1985-
129 L Hutton 1934-55
128 GA Gooch 1974-96
124 WG Grace 1866-1904
123 DCS Compton 1936- 64
122 TW Graveney 1948-70
117 DG Bradman 1927-48
114 IVA Richards 1974-93
108 Zaheer Abbas 1965-87
107 MC Cowdrey 1951-76, A Sandham 1913-37
104 TW Hayward 1893-1914
103 GM Turner 1968-1982, JH Edrich 1959-1978
102 GE Tyldesley 1909-1935, DL Amiss 1964-1987, LEG Ames 1927-51
100 MR Ramprakash 1989-

Funny that we don't count the hundreds in ODI's. If we do Sachin would have been in the list. I think they should do it. But well I am not English so my opinion might not count !

May be it did!

Michael Atherton on the match

Swann served up something juicy on leg stump and Tendulkar, down on one knee and watching the ball like a hawk, paddle-swept it for four. Yuvraj, bad back and all, hoisted Tendulkar into the air, the little maestro clenched a fist in salute and the noise from the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium echoed all the way to Mumbai.

What more can you say?

You see this piece from an English fan in India. Surely cricket is the winner!

Rigidity?

I like to believe I am a very rigid person. I have my reasons for liking some stuff and I stick to them stubbornly. But still when a person I care for suggests something I really think and try to see if what I am doing is right or wrong. I make the effort. If I believe what I am doing is right I will not change. Otherwise I will work on it! So is it too much to ask the same favor from my close ones? Well I don't think so!

Anyway

Virender Sehwag

He played a gem yesterday. Finished watching the highlights twice. Well, cricket is after all a sport but if it can entertain you its more than sport. Lets look at the situation of the innings here. England were well on top with near 300 runs lead with 7 wickets in hand. They scored their remaining 85 runs slowly (i know its an understatement!) The reasons the pitch was crumbling and so they played cautiously. Well at tea they declare with India left to chase 387. Out comes Sehwag and beats the hell out of the English bowlers. England in the entire post lunch session scored 2 boundaries i.e. 2 fours in nearly 25 overs. Sehwag hit 6 4's in his first 15 balls. Can you see the difference? To play at a level that nobody else can even come close to is generally attributed to Tendulkar. But I think there is genuine reason to put Sehwag right up there at least now*. Tendulkar did that to bowling attacks in the past but the way he did it was much more normal. What Sehwag does is outrageuos to say the least. The first ball he faced of Monty was deposited in the stands. That for me is a statement. Also, his contribution is not just in terms of runs. His batting has impacted the English bowler's psyche. Also it should give confidence to the rest of the batsman.

I really hope now India get the job done. We surely have the batting to get the job done! For Dravid's sake I hope he will come good. Please dude play a good innings tomorrow!

Update: A nice piece here
This excerpt is pretty funny

When, in the tenth over of the innings, he pushed a single into the on side - just to show he could - it brought up his half-century from 32 balls. There are 11 instances of faster fifties in Tests but none by an opener. Things have certainly moved on a bit since Geoff Boycott's day.

*If you do not agree with that assertion go screw youself!

This

surely is stupidity personified. Ironic that we have a woman president and another woman practically rules India when such laws are formulated!

Thats English humor for you

Four days earlier, 42-year-old Colin Cowdrey was sitting at home in Kent looking forward to Christmas. But an injury crisis led to his being summoned to Australia to reinforce the beleaguered English tourists, and Cowdrey barely had time to get over jet-lag before he was thrown in at deep end in the second Test in Perth against a rampant Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Cowdrey made 22 and 41 and famously reduced Thomson to incredulous silence when he arrived at the wicket and politely introduced himself with a cheery: "Hello, I'm Colin Cowdrey, I don't believe we've met."

(from cricinfo)

Somedays

are just unbelievable. They truly are. You just would not want them to end. But sadly they do. Still the memory will live on! That's the beauty I guess!

As usual

Geoffrey at his candid best. Particularly forthcoming are his views on should England and India be playing.
Here's the full audio. (Listen to the last 3-4 minutes. He presents a very strong case!)

Blogging

has many advantages, or so they say here!
Good to know!

Hmmm

Funny life. There is always a first. Whether you like it or not. Currently I don't like it at all.

Lets see!

It is sad

that in the situation I am in, I find it impossible to enjoy some simple things. I have so many questions that are irrelevant but yet pop up that make it really difficult. I wish I could have my old freedom back. I do not enjoy these constraints!

Surely

would have been funny seeing your life as a musical for Shane Warne.

Sounds a

good change to me! The more the young get involved the better it is for India!

Well, I belive in

the J factor hypothesis presented here!

Indians are not interested in bombing Pakistani cities because well they are no better without the bombing, But, for fundamentalists on the other side of the border an upbeat economy offers enough reasons to attack.

Anyway

An aggresive

perspective towards handling Pakistan? May be!

One of

the very few congress leaders who has always impressed me. She wins a third term as the Delhi CM. I wish more CM's have the courage to run their campaign on a development plank. Lets see!

Conflict of interest

exists. That is what causes the pain I guess. But am I getting better at handling it? May be because with time two things change. You know you have to live with that in the future and may be I get everything I should get.

Anyway...

Some nice

editorials on the South Asian crisis by Fareed Zakaria, Greg Sheridan, and more here by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha

Cricket

I sometimes feel I chose the wrong career. I would have loved to do this. But may be not. I would love to do that as a hobby for sure!

Someday

I hope it does happen!

A decent piece

on the course of action the International community might have to pursue in Pakistan by Robert Kagan! (Link via acorn)

Well said

a government that could not protect citizens from monsoon rains—a relatively predictable phenomenon—can hardly be expected to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. Unless Indian citizens channel their anger and outrage into improving the overall quality of governance, and demanding more from their political representatives and holding them accountable for quotidian public services, it is almost certain that the state will be increasingly less effective in providing basic security. For the fundamental problem is that India’s governance capability has so fallen short of its economic, geopolitical and internal security circumstances that the impact of even minor events,
leave alone massive terrorist attacks, will be increasingly destabilising. 

see here for full piece

These are reasons

worth playing for! Simply stunning article on how Sutcliffe and Blair played in dire situations. To have been present that would have been any cricket followers dream. To see such determination and grit would have been nothing short of inspirational!

Isn't this

how congress worked always?
More interested in the party than the people!
The Defence and External Affairs ministers are busy... well not examining plans to strengthen our intelligence or improving the infrastructure at the disposal of the police. But in determining who will be next CM of Maharashtra.

Anyway!

Gender equality?

Seems like the recession is reducing the gender gap in employment because most of the job cuts are in industries where men dominate.

A good

piece on how pragmatism and necessity have ensured (nearly at least) England will complete their test leg by Andrew Miller. I am sure, if it was Pakistan no English journalist would have even suggested going. Because, well its obvious naa!

I am lucky

Seriously! I am. Just that some times I take it for granted and forget what an awesome family I have!
Today is my sisters birthday. I hope she will have an awesome day!

The economy

gets worse.

Everyone is on pins and needles waiting for today's jobs report from the American Department of Labor. The consensus number at the moment is 340,000 lost jobs in the month of November, pushing the unemployment rate into the neighbourhood of 6.8%, but those figures have been shifting a bit for the worse, in recent days. A really bad number could mean an ugly day for markets, among other things. UPDATE: Oh heavens, the decline was 533,000, the most since 1974.

Pretty bad!
full details here

The story

of a fighter who played more than 100 tests for England, Graham Thorpe.
I always liked him!

Pain

I really hate being bound in a way I have no control. I have to change it I guess!

Cricket

I don't know how many of you grew up like me. I had very few books at home. But I did have a 1987 cricket book with scores of all tests and Ranji matches in the season. I read it many times. Re-reading each test score memorizing the names. My knowledge of most of the people who played cricket in the 90's is from that book. Well, why did I suddenly remember this?
Andy Zaltzman has a very funny post on his childhood experience and his reading of a cricket book. Do read the piece if you  want to remember those good times as a freakish cricket fan! How I miss those good old days of freedom!

A detailed

discussion of why, how and what next after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.
A very good piece by Raghu Raman.

A fantastic piece

by Michael Atherton on why England should play the tests in India.

Atherton surely is one of the best cricket player-writers of this generation!
Today also happens to be the day where he dug deep against Donald and played the innings of his life (details here)

Hmmm

The last 3-4 weeks have been demanding for a reason. Is it my feeling or is it true?

I just hope an equilibrium is reached soon! More worryingly, I realize the amount of effort that would be necessary in the not so distant future is increasing. But that's expected I guess!

Tailenders

A rare and endangered species. Here is some fun facts on the best Tailenders.

Could

Mumbai bring about a positive change in the way people perceive the government and themselves?
May be says Ramesh Ramanathan in this very nice article

China's

way to surviving the crisis?

Scary

My horoscope

Someone you trust may inadvertently hurt your feelings today when he or she raises an issue that you thought had long been put to rest. Don't take it personally, even if it directly involves you. It may be hard to understand, but this is more about the other person's residual feelings than your reaction. Taking the emotional and intellectual high road is crucial or you could quickly become mired in the past instead of moving into the future.

Finally

a decent piece from a western author on The recent Mumbai incidents.
(link via palscape)

Osman Samiuddin

discusses how the cricket celebrations have evolved over time here

Interesting how cricket acts as a mirror to the times!

The ultimate

solution to the problem of terrorism might be this one. It will take time but only through this medium can we eliminate the source of impressionable souls who are attracted towards terrorism.

Lets see!

Aakash Chopra

on how the game seems to be a trivial pursuit now here

Gayle

does a smart move

The Move

If you're looking for smooth operators, cast the eye no further than Chris Gayle. There's no proving it, but the most imperturbable figure in the game pulled off what just may have been one of the slickest
tricks seen on a cricket field, during the third ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Rao Iftikhar Anjum was in the middle of an inspirational spell that had pulled West Indies back from 168 for 1 to 193 for 4, when Gayle guided one from Anjum off the face of the bat through to the keeper. A big shout followed - though short-lived, because the fielding side saw Gayle walking… but only as far as the
middle of the pitch, it soon became apparent, to confer with the non-striker, because it was the last ball of the over. The celebrating Pakistanis didn't know quite what to do; the moment had passed where they could cast questioning looks at the umpire. They came up instead and had a chat with Gayle, but obviously their skills of persuasion weren't the greatest. Gayle, on 99 at the time, went on to score 122. Mercifully for Pakistan, the incident didn't much matter - they won comfortably, by 31 runs.

Don't you agree!

Hmm

All it took was 4 hours to come crashing down! funny life ha!

Hmmm

It turns out I can have fun. Good to know that it is possible to have such great times. The long weekend has turned out pretty well for me. Got some work done. Got to spend some interesting moments that made me really happy. What more can I ask for? Well I know the answer ... if only it can be forever... but now is not the time to think about What ifs.. its time to relax and feel happy about what I have now!

I can do that for now.... I really hope so!

What a conspiracy theory

Mossad behind Mumbai attacks? Well what can you say!
There are stupid people in this world for sure! link vis barbarindians

Haha

Clarie Grimmet the legendary Aussie leg spinner comments on Ashley Mallett's offspin

Grimmett faced up to Mallett and defended the first ball off the middle
of the bat. "Give up spin, you're too predictable," Grimmett said. He
offered to prove his point by facing up blindfolded and promptly struck
Mallett's next ball out of the middle of the bat. A point well made.

What can you say but laugh!

All you want to read

on the Mumbai incidents by Amit Varma

A detailed

piece on the November 26th incident by greatbong.

Please

I beg of the people in power to act. Please take steps to prevent such incidents. Please.

The horror

continues.

Spirit

I have taken some batterings and fought to keep my spirit alive. But I am afraid its reaching a stage where I can't take it any more. It hurts. I have made mistakes but what I have to hear is putting off the light in me. I was very close to responding aggressively. I was there before but I managed to stay silent. Same today. But I am not sure for how long. I hope I can manage for the next 8 months! I desperately need the strength.

Mumbai

To see such a well orchestrated terrorist attack just numbs me. It is sad that so many innocent people will die because of the fury of some maniacs. All I can say at this moment, hopefully the damage can be limited !

Weird

There are times where I don't even understand why I am tense and why I am not able to do anything productive. Its weird is all I can say. I mean I can't see myself in huge problems yet I find myself in stress that is uncalled for. May be all small things add up. To solve this I need to get my work in order. Get that dude!!

A good piece on

why India are defeating England easily!

Some good excerpts

And then there were the Indians, for whom Virender Sehwag - more so even than the man of the moment, Yuvraj Singh - is a totemic influence. As Stuart MacGill once put it, after Sehwag had butchered 195 from 233 balls in the 2003 Melbourne Test, "It's not that he can't pick my bowling, it's just he doesn't care." Sehwag's last 11 Test centuries, dating back to that innings, have been gargantuan affairs: 195, 309, 155, 164, 173, 201, 254, 180, 151, 319, 201 not out, all scored at - or bloody close to - a run a ball. He deserves a place in history as the first truly postmodern cricketer, a player who has taken one tempo and extrapolated it to fit whatever length of contest is required.

All of the above might have been a coincidence, but somehow I doubt it, because that would mean a belittling of the unsung star of India's show. Zaheer Khan taught England a lesson in their own conditions last year - Ryan Sidebottom admitted he'd never contemplated going around the wicket as a left-arm seamer until he saw the success achieved by his opposite number. On Sunday, Zaheer followed up with a home-school lesson.

His five overs, all bowled during the Powerplays, went for a miserly 20 runs, and included the key wickets of Shah and Patel. When he wasn't doing the job himself, he was coaching his younger colleagues - Dhoni even left him to set the fields when the match reached its midnight tipping point. Bell and Bopara jabbed back
his new-ball offerings as if Glenn McGrath had been spirited onto the stage, but half-an-hour later he returned as Darren Gough, swinging yorker after yorker into the blockhole to deny England any opportunity to take the aerial route.

Good ha !

Being in this country

There are moments where I feel I should be back home with my parents. They are going through some stupid mess and here I am helpless. All I can do is provide verbal support. This simply is inadequate. I am scared to even think of what could have happened. I don't know what to say. For everything that they have gone through they don't deserve this. This is ridiculous! I just hope things will turn out fine!

Well

may be after all he is only a shrewd politician

Interesting piece

An interesting piece on how with two of India's most reputed economic advisers at the helm (PM and FM) India managed to screw things big time and is unprepared for the economic downturn. Well, the reason for that is that Congress cares only about votes!  (Link via Acorn)

A very

detailed article expressing some views I endorse about P Sainath.
Without any doubt P Sainath i doing great work. But there are some flaws to the way he analyzes his data. The article clearly points out some!
This is in now way to demean what people like Sainath are doing. As a journalist, he works on getting attention to the problem. However, it is essential to take a correct look at the problem to solve it. So a balanced perspective is imperative!

More

things people do in times of stress

Somedays

you end up realizing what you want is n't simple and easy. I guess such days you want to fight with yourselves to convince yourself that it is. And surely it doesn't work.
Anyway!

All I can say

is great work to this group

Hmmm

Sometimes you realize people are so different. I am not sure how to handle the differences. Sometimes it makes me wonder was I blind to all these or it would be the same with any person. There will always be issues to work on. I as of now think its the latter. I hope thats the case. Of course there is nothing to do but wait for it to unfold.

Anyway!

Can't agree more

Peter English on the pitch issue. We need more bowler friendly wickets! But it does not make financial sense for the people who run the game! Anyway

Hmmm

There are some things that I am very bad at. I have to find how to improve. It does not help pointing it out multiple times in my experience. At least so far it hasn't. But I have to take it on the chin and move on! Hopefully someday I will be able to elevate myself to solve such weaknesses! These are moments when I am freaking scared to pursue a career in Academia. The question "What If" keeps coming up!

A poor English fan

wants more than company to watch cricket

excerpt

But while I might have been watching the game in solitude, the wonders of modern technology mean you are never truly alone. Whilst watching the game this morning I had a chat online to a friend in Mumbai, another to a fellow Barmy Army fan 50 miles away from me and read the comments of both English and India fans on Cricinfo's live commentary. So thank you, internet, for bringing the cricket community across the globe together... now if you could just do something about England's batting line up.

Funny!!

Challenges to

take the region forward faced by Mitra in a nice post.
Sometimes I question myself, do we intend to bring change really for the sake of others or is it to make ourselves feel we have contributed? Well, I will never know I guess but at the end of the day if its for a good cause so I am up for it. And hopefully time will answer these nagging questions!

Global economic future

seems bleak

And oil dipped below $50 per barrel for the first time in almost two years. The news is decidedly bittersweet. Lower petroleum prices act as stimulus in economies that are significant consumers of petroleum products. On the other hand, the falling prices indicate growing concern over the state of the global economy, and they increase the potential for geopolitical problems, as nations dependent on high prices for financial and political stability find themselves threatened.

Incentives, do they work?

Well this research by Dan Ariely seems to indicate they do not work all that well in tasks involving cognitive skills!
An excerpt

When we posed this question to a group of business students, they said they expected performance to improve with the amount of the reward. But this was not what we found. The people offered medium bonuses performed no better, or worse, than those offered low bonuses. But what was most interesting was that the group offered the biggest bonus did worse than the other two groups across all the tasks.

We replicated these results in a study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where undergraduate students were offered the chance to earn a high bonus ($600) or a lower one ($60) by performing one task that called for some cognitive skill (adding numbers) and another one that required only a mechanical skill (tapping a key as fast as possible). We found that as long as the task involved only mechanical skill, bonuses worked as would be expected: the higher the pay, the better the performance. But when we included a task that required even rudimentary cognitive skill, the outcome was the same as in the India study: the offer of a higher bonus led to poorer performance.

If our tests mimic the real world, then higher bonuses may not only cost employers more but also discourage
executives from working to the best of their ability.

Link via economist freeexchange

Full story

on the Pirates of Aden.
Amazing actually! Its a whole economy out there!

Ricky

Ricky Ponting is a great batsman and might end his career as the batsman with most hundreds and most runs in test cricket. But he sure is one sore loser. Look at this:

Ponting also took a dig at just-retired Indian captain Anil Kumble saying his comment 'only one team was playing within the spirit of the game' after the Sydney Test was borrowed from a former Australian skipper Bill Woodfull.

"I'm not sure how extensive Anil's knowledge of cricket history is, but -- as was picked up immediately by reporters -- his comments echoed those made by Australian captain Bill Woodfull during the acrimonious bodyline series of 1932-33."

'There are two teams out there, one is trying to play cricket and the other is not', Woodfull had said to English managers during the third Test of that series," he said.

Seriously dude please grow up!! The important thing wasn't whose quote Kumble was using. The important thing was how ridiculous you were playing. If you want to read more on ponting's inane blabbering here is the link

Economists

really do weird research.

Have to say though the results are interesting and present a weird insight into gender reactions to stress!

Well

How can I expect the roller coaster to become smooth suddenly. All I can do is give it time. The problem though is that I can't see well into the future.
May be someday!!

I am not alone

Well, in the question of why I blog

see this from an economist

To all those readers of this blog who have requested shorter, snappier, less technical and abstruse postings, the following.  I write this blog for me, not for my readers.  Writing things down is the only way for me to communicate effectively with myself about complex issues.  By doing this writing in the form of a blog, I gain the option of taking on board the comments and criticism of those who read my scribblings and feel compelled to respond to it.  I gain this benefit at the cost of having to plough through a lot of stuff that makes little or no sense, in order to uncover the few pearls hidden among the swine.  There are minor vanity/ego rents to having people read what I write, and my consulting income may receive an indeterminate boost from these activities. But all that is secondary to my need to write.  I don’t know something unless I have written it down.

Full piece here (link via economist free exchange)

A possible way

for the Asian markets to decouple from the global crisis? May be!

Euro in trouble?

The Economist thinks its a little premature to think so

West Indies

Fazeer Mohammad wants to make some things clear about West India cricket history!

An excerpt

From February 1980, when we lost a three-Test series in New Zealand 1-0, to May 1995, when Australia completed a 2-1 triumph in the Caribbean, West Indies did not lose a single Test series. Not one. That's 29 Test series unbeaten all over the cricketing world, a time when the regional side had yet to face Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at the highest level and had only played a drawn one-off Test against Sri Lanka.


So we're talking about 15 years unbeaten in Test series. In contrast, Australia haven't even managed a four-year stretch of invincibility, losing series in India in 1998, Sri Lanka in 2001, England in 2005 and now in India again just a week ago.

Isn't it unbelievable that the Windies managed such a great run!

Will Tata's

be able to handle the effects of the crisis? For more see here

Spiral fundaes

to explaining why the economy is in such a mess. More here

Weird week

Was a very different kind of week. Was tense for the first two days and did not know how to handle for the next two. In between had lots of different work related things to do causing lot of tension and it reached a peak friday. So, I decided Saturday will be a rest day. So far its going fine with minor mishaps. Hopefully I will get to relax and spend some good time alone!

Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott is a very interesting character. Here is a new book on him. I was stunned reading this excerpt from the book

"Boycott was certainly aware of his image as a leading Test cricketer, and could be absurdly jealous of any slight on his reputation as a batsman. Rodney Cass [a fellow Yorkshireman who kept wicket for Worcestershire and Essex] was working at a school in South Africa in 1967 while Boycott was coaching at King David College. 'We had a match between our schools and at the end of the game, all these kids were gathered around Geoff, wanting autographs. He was signing away and talking and I said to him: 'What do you think of my No. 3, not a bad little player, is he?' And with 200 kids listening, he replied, 'Ay, he's a good player him, all right.' I said, 'I think he plays the on-drive as well as anybody I've ever seen.' And Geoff exploded: 'He doesn't play it as good as me.' And he meant it."

He is one bloody jealous chap

Finally an

interesting piece by Vir Sanghvi. This one on the problems to free markets

A serious

analysis of Ganguly's contributions in comparison to Dravid and Tendulkar by Mukul Kesavan.

An Englisman

gets a taste of the cricket obsession in India

Finally somebody

really understands the third day's play. Test cricket is not attractive only when you score at 4 runs an over!

A well articulated piece

on the contributions of Dravid to Indian cricket.

I wish

I could meet my family today!

Happy day

The first day I walked into my department I looked at the board with names and saw Karthik Srinivasan. I always wondered will I ever be able to get my name there. Today, I know it is possible and it will be there forever. I guess I have etched my name in the sands of time! Albeit on a very small board. But who cares its a board at UT Austin!

Not bad huh?

My horoscope

Others may think they know you, but today even your close friends and family might not fully understand how you're feeling. It's not that you are purposefully hiding anything, nor are you in a bad mood. It's just that your emotions are running deeper than anyone realizes and you don't feel obliged to disclose something that would make you feel more vulnerable now. There's no need to justify your actions; your inside world is yours to share as you wish.

I love such ones!

Dhoni

I have to say Dhoni is a great leader. I am not talking just about his cricketing acumen but his leadership other than his cricket leadership. He let Ganguly captain for the last 10 minutes of the match. Then he let Kumble take the series trophy. Have to say its awesome! He will surely go a long way! All the best the official Indian captain in all forms of the game!

And by the way... Congrats to Indian team for defeating Australia 2-0!

Ganguly

Dileep Premachandran discusses the emotions in the stadium when Ganguly came out for his brief.. very brief last innings.
What can you say!

Excerpts!

The applause was deafening. Anil Kumble got a magnificent farewell in Delhi, but Ganguly had tugged at the heartstrings in a way that no Indian cricketer has before or since. The last few years of his career were like reality TV, with no one able to look away. But like a man who knew the significance of a big occasion - who else would start with a century at Lord's? - he had saved his best for last.

Before the series, his average against Australia languished in the low 30s. He finished these four Tests with 324 runs at 54, a century in Mohali and 85 in his final game. And even Bradman didn't manage a golden duck for his farewell. Of the many things you might accuse Ganguly of, lack of a sense of theatre wasn't one.

Cricket

A riveting day of cricket. What with Ganguly coming out to bat for the last time and India with a chance to shut Australia out and Sehwag starting the day in style I just had to be up. I was and I was not allowed to sleep till 4am. Sehwag played as only he can trashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground. The openers came with clear plan. Stay safe till lunch and get the lead up. Vijay played well for a man making his debut. Once they managed to remain wicketless till lunch Sehwag started attacking. He missed out on a well deserved hundred. But thats when the real action started. India went through a phase where they lost 6 wickets for 60 runs! Most importatntly Ganguly came and went in a flash getting a duck in last innings. (What the hell... if he can't make a century in list test and join Greg chappell and others... he made a 0 and joined The Don!.. not bad!). And then Tendulkar did what he only can manage. He was in good nick. So there was less chance of anybody getting him out. So, he gets run out. India went into Tea with me freaking out. Then Dhoni and Bhajji walked in and I was hoping the lead to go over 300. An interesting phase of cricket began. Australia were 10 overs short on the over-rate and so they brought White to bowl. Indian approach was to be positive (I mean Bhajji doesn't know any other way!). So runs started flowing and  slolwy but surely the lead went above 300 and I started relaxing. But the Australian commentators weren't very impressed with Ponting's tactics. To say the least they were FOOLISH. He might miss a match. Common its better than your country loosing a test. I don't even know how you can't see that. Border summed it up so well

"I'm glad Ricky can't read my mind right now, because he's not going to like it".

I am sure those thoughts would have involved some B@@@@@d and A$$%%%e in that for sure. So, with that strange tactics and Indian taking advantage of it India's lead edged towards 400. Now Australia have 369 to make in a day. They made 186 last time they played a full day. So surely its advantage India. I hope we can close it with a win!

Before I finish I have to bid aideu to Dada. I have been pretty much neutral to Ganguly the batsman. I was a fan of Ganaguly the captain. He had some real spunk in him. He was instrumental in making India stand up in overseas conditions. For me that is his greatest contribution to cricket (He also thinks it is!). There were some really good knocks along the way. Brisbane 2003.. Johanessburg 2006 (on his come back).. the double hundred against Pakistan... and century at Mohali. He ended his last series with very good contributions. Now all he needs is an Indian victory to end his career in style. Dhoni and the current team owe him that!

Dravid seems to be really in a bad frame of mind. He hasn't been lucky in the last 2 years with umpiring decisions. But still it boils down to his mental state and currently it is in turmoil. So he might have to reevaluate before he is shown the door. Its very sad to see the Wall with the uncharacteristic frown getting out to rookie spinners! I am not calling for his dropping. But if things are like the way they are, that is not far away.

Anyway... lets hope India finshes the series in style!

The real John McCain

I was mildly interested in the presidential race. I remember being impressed by the first speech Obama gave and supported him for the Democratic race because I thought he did not stand a chance. But he won. At the same time I liked John McCain for the kind of person he is. I am not even discussing their ideals. Just simply their personalities. So once both of them were running I really didn't mind who will win. Then McCain (or should I say the Republican's) started getting dirty in the campaigns. That was the moment I really started getting disinterested in the election. It looked like Obama will win and well he surely deserved to win. But once he lost The real McCain woke up, the person I liked.
Here is his concession speech!


And Congrats to Obama!

I know the post is delayed. But better late than never!

Yes

I was hoping Ganguly will join this group (most  importantly Greg chappell)

He fell 15 runs short of possibly ending his Test career in the same way he started it. He failed to join four batsmen who have scored centuries in their first and last Test: Mohammad Azharuddin, Bill Ponsford, Reggie Duff and,ironically, Greg Chappell. (cricinfo)

It wasn't to be!

Scary!

My horoscope

You aren't always comfortable discussing your feelings around people who seem to be sitting in judgment of you and your lifestyle. Today, you may not be able to avoid such a conversation, and it could bring up unpleasant memories about other times when you were misunderstood. Take it slowly and don't say more than is necessary unless you think the relationship is worth the time and effort.

Isn't it?
My solution... spend some time alone... I am kidding.. But with work due it will be a lonely night I guess!

Sounds

nice to my small brain

A upside to the economic downturn! Can you believe it?

Such a great

piece for the 25-30 years old cricket fans out there. Most of us will feel this way. Once these 5 great players retire all I have is Viru to keep me to cricket. But for many there is not even a Viru. So a art of life will never be same again! I guess when I read about Jumbo's retirement my tears were shed for that part of my life!

Good to hear

from the legends of Indian cricket

An excerpt of Kumble's statement

"When we first came into the Indian team, everybody in India said you [Tendulkar] would break all records. You've done that. Congratulations to you. To me, when I first came, they said you won't last two Test matches. You had the challenge of proving everybody right. I had the challenge of proving everybody wrong."

So true!!

Mitra Kalita

on issues and fears close to my heart. It would be sad to see her leave. I enjoyed her pieces!

Solitude

There is a wonderful pleasure in walking on the campus alone invisible to the crowd, observing things of no consequence, and just looking at people going home.

Anyway!

Unrest

There is some burning unrest within me. I wish I could pinpoint to what is causing it !
Am I tense about my future? What will I do in a year? As much as I don't want to admit may be I am. Or may be I am not

Anyway!

Haha

My horoscope!

You may be ready to celebrate or, at least, do something enjoyable, even if you have work responsibilities to fulfill. But you don't want to play by yourself, so you could waste time looking for someone to share in your fun. Resist the temptation to convince someone into coming along if he or she isn't an eager participant because in this instance you'll probably have more fun doing it on your own.

Dravid

Dileep Premachandran, like all Indians, wishes that Dravid will begin scoring big runs. It's not right that he ends his career on a sour note! Lets see!

A great talent

that might never appear on international scene Shane Bond talks forthrightly about his career here

Have to feel

for Murali Karthik

"The Holdings and the Athertons say I am one of the top three left-arm spinners in the world... People say I am the best left-arm spinner in India, but I am not playing for India."
Murali Kartik rues that he doesn't seem to be in the frame despite the retirement of Anil Kumble

Pretty cool stuff

Very nice lift to Vishy here

Bad news for India

Gambhir will miss Nagpur test. This is surely bad news considering the form he is in! He is a victim of Australia's sledging tactics. They could not get him out, so they used their mouths to disturb him. Well, Gambhir did not do justice to himself by falling prey. But it surely highlights the ridiculous way Australians play!
It is ludicrous that Malcolm Conn thinks India is the worst behaved team. Well Malcolm you are welcome to kiss my @@@! It is not the number of guilty verdicts that matter. Every cricketer and cricket fan knows how Australia sledge. So, please stop the crap! Gambhir was taunted all day. A part of me feels Watson deserved what he got. If you have to maintain the high moral ground of being a team that does not get guilty verdicts please ask your players to shut their bloody mouths! The Indian players don't start the arguments if you haven't noticed!

Anyway.. looks like a young opener might get a chance now!

Very sad

to hear this letter To Aravind Adiga
An excerpt!

i finally finished reading the white tiger, and as i closed
the book on the train last night, i felt nothing but a sense of deep
relief, and regret. relief, that i had survived reading your book.
regret, that one more english-educated indian has learnt what was not
part of the syllabus: shouting at the rooftops about how dark and dirty
the country is. and look! they even awarded you £50,000 for doing that.
well done!

I remember feeling very similar when I read "Inheritance of Loss"... and to some extent "God of Small Things". I don't feel good that now Adiga's book also falls into this category. I am appalled at how such books keep winning the Booker. Anyway, I will still read White Tiger in sometime to confirm!

More on Kumble

From the article here by Kadamabari Murali

He had a clear vision for India. Almost a year ago, last November, in the team hotel here in Delhi, Kumble presented a three-page note to his mates,  a stated vision that he believed could serve as guidelines for future generations of cricketers. It was something that had not been done before, not in this detailed format. But again, it was typical of Kumble, an organised man who believed in the importance of leaving a legacy.

The symbolism of Dhoni carrying Kumble on his shoulders at the Kotla today was not lost on anyone. For the team Dhoni will carry forward was a team that owes a lot of its "oneness" to Kumble, the captain. The one thing missing in Dhoni's team of course, will be Kumble, the tireless player, India's man for all seasons.

If you

want to read about the legend, a collection of links

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Anil Kumble

The greatest Indian bowler retired from cricket. How do I describe his career?

• A fighter who performed with grit and determination
• The greatest Indian match winner (with due respect to Sachin and Dravid)
• Man who inspired a generation of individuals with this hardwork and professionalism
• A man who handled captaincy with such great poise that made us all wonder if only he got his captaincy earlier
• A test bowler who has more than 600 wickets
• As a lower order batsman who gave everything he has got
• A player who broke his jaw and yet came to bowl for the team
• 11 stitches did not stop him from taking the field in his last test (so fittingly)
• A man who retired on his own terms
• A man who had to fight criticsm all his life.. he can't bowl leg spin.. he is tired.. he is old.. he is home-track bowler....
  
• ....
  

All these still don't add up to Kumble! As usual he went his own way. No extravagant announcements. I am really sad I did not watch the match yesterday. Kumble was the man I always respected and wanted to bid him my farewell. To imagine he will never play again will take time to sink in. I got up and read the news and belive it or not I had tears streaming on my cheeks. I salute you Kumble. Indian cricket is fortunate to have a player like you. I am privilged to have seen so many of your wonderful bowling performances. The present might not treat you with as much respect as you deserve but once people realize what they miss when you are not around I am sure you will get the praise you more than deserve. But I know it does not matter to you an iota. You did your job with the same determination whether there were people cheering you or not. That for me is the greatest lesson in life. Perform your role to the best of your ability and let things take their own turn after that. It is simple to say this and yet to work without looking at the results is not easy. But he has done it all his life for 18 long years!

Even the end to his career was as Kumblesque as possible.. modest and clear.

At this moment I would like to thank my family, my parents, who gave me all the encouragement, supported me and asked me to bowl legspin. Although I am still trying to find out how I can bowl legspin.

Thank you all for all the support I have received right through my career. I've built some great friendships and met some
fantastic people along the way. You'll probably start calling me from tomorrow for quotes about somebody else. Give me a break for a couple of days and I'll certainly take all your calls

What can you say?
Today India lost not just a legspinner who has more than 600 test wickets, but also a man who has served Indian cricket with all he has got for the last 18 years. There will never be another Kumble. There will not be for sure. I think that is what makes it so hard to imagine he wont play again! Surely India will miss you man. As far as I am concerned I cannot even say in words how much I will miss you and your steely graze!

I wish you success in anything you pursue in the future and thanks for all the wonderful moments!

Stanford 20/20

Well Rob Steen does not care much for this match and he gives pretty good reasons for the indifference.

Life

The last 4 months have been a journey towards learning more about myself. I have learned a lot ... both positive and negative about myself

1) I have extraordinarily high expectations, but small words satisfy me!
2) I am capable of giving a lot (I know I might be boasting. But its the truth)
3) When in the mood, I have loads of patience to take a lot of crap !
4) When in the mood (in the opposite way), I am capable of giving lot of trouble


Well ... four months of learning in four lines!

Kumble

You have to respect the man for the effort! A nice piece on Kumble's Delhi effort.
He played after 11 stitches on his left hand!

Poor Viru

Viru has taken 4 wickets. After that he had Michale Clarke dropped twice of his bowling. Really stupid drops they were. He still managed to smile about it! I am not smiling here. You stay up all night watching cricket and seeing such mistakes makes you really angry!

Anyway at least I got some work done!

Update at 3.31AM
What does Viru do?
He gets his own wickets by picking another bowled! So thats 4 bowled and 1 LBW. Great hob dude! You have made my stay even more worth it!

What do you do

when it is difficult to sleep even after a hectic game of squash! Get angry and realize that will not help in any way. Then start working!

Lets see how long I can do this!

An interesting parallel

between the American Presidential Election and the Stanford Farce in West Indies by Alex Try. Can't agree more with Alex!!

Cricket

Just finished watching the entire highlights package of day 3 of the test at Delhi. Well Australians fought hard. But India still has a chance to convert this match into a victory. They need to be aggressive and a little bit of luck will help. The Indians bowled well as a unit. Kumble until he got injured did a decent job. Though his critics would be pointing out to the 70 wicketless overs he has bowled. Mishra was decent. The fast bowlers bowled greats pells but were unlucky with lots of edges going to into empty spaces in the slip cordon. But surely the man of the day was Viru. Well well...What can I say. He bowled great off spin. He flighted the ball and encouraged the batsman to attack him. He foxed three batsman and all of them were balls that an offspinner would be proud of. The one he got Hussey was a gem! Sheer joy when you see the guy you like play well! And man was he smiling or what. The highlights package after tea was more like Sehwag overs only!

Lets hope for more luck for today!

Does seem a

bad plan to me to assist 3 million homeowners especially given that how you determine if a household qualifies is so subjective!

China

seems to adversely affected by the economic downturn. A series of steps to better the situation!

An interesting

piece on the lack of empathy towards the financial sector by Vir Sanghvi

Really

its sickening to get up and watch news like this everyday. I am even scared to look at news!

Well

economist endorses Obama today. A very nice piece that sums up the positives and negatives of both candidates in a sensible manner. You have to agree with the Economist! If only it was the real McCain running for election he might have had a chance. But its a republican McCain who is running for election and he doesn't stand a chance against an articulate opponent like Onama (against Kerry it worked but you don't get dumb democratic candidates always!)

So I guess it seems like Obama will win a landslide victory. Lets see!

Hmm

What can I say... My horoscope!

It's not that you are insecure; it's just that you might be overly
concerned with someone's feelings today. If you do decide to
temporarily hide your true intentions by being vague, keep in mind that
it's to your benefit now to gradually disclose more information. Others
can be more fully involved once they know what's really going on.

Some things

You never know what is the right thing to do. Well may be there isn't a right thing!

Life seems to be full of such times!

Anyway!

Cricket

Well well well... What do we have here. Australia again on the mat. Good to see the Indian team not loosing focus and playing sensible (and aggressive) cricket! They need to wrap things up and get the job done over the next 3 days (I want Australia to be trashed in 4 days!!)

There were good knocks from Gambhir, Tendulkar and Laxman. Lets see how they do tomorrow!

This is what Gambhir had to say after his splendid innings!

He had stayed in their eyes, but not lost his concentration. "I made my debut against Australia and I was all at sea, to be honest," Gambhir said. "At that time, I had one dream - to score runs against Australia. That dream is now coming true. I was very determined coming into this series because I sure remembered my debut Test. It wasn't that great an experience."

Only in India

can you have such an unique experience.

Samir Chopra remembers one of his pleasant memories from Kotla

It was while watching a Wills Trophy game at the Kotla that I enjoyed one of my most pleasant Indian cricketing experiences. A bunch of us lads from the University had gone down to see a match-up between the Challengers and the Indian side in a one-day game. We showed up with little money in our pockets other than the odd rupee that would aid in the buying of cheap cigarettes and possibly a cup of tea later in the day. Food seemed like a minor detail at the time. The sun was out, cricket was on, what more could we need?

An elderly gentleman sat in front of us, and at lunchtime, proceeded to unpack what seemed like a gigantic lunch box. We looked on hungrily, our appetites suddenly aroused by this sight. Our friend, who had chatted gaily with us about matters cricketing before, proceeded to share his lunch with us, handing out delicious parathas left right and centre, all gratefully and ravenously consumed by us. He was generous to a fault, and he knew his cricket. It was a uniquely Indian moment.

Nice peice

on how we make too much fuss about the fab four with comparison on the old spin quartet. They were some great spinners! Prasanna, Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Venkat! Would have been a treat to watch those masters live!

Anyway!

Today the second test begins

A lot of hype for the third test to begin in Delhi. I hope we can seal the series in Delhi. That will be fun!

Hmmm

Sometimes I really don't know the reason for doing somethings. Its not like I don't know but sometimes that does not seem logical enough! But you follow your instincts like I usually do! It makes it harder when you have to answer the question...... why?.... that too if the question arises from outside....

But well if you knew reasons for every action of yours wouldn't life be boring! Or that's what I think to keep moving ahead!

Anyway!

As if my thoughts

aren't unnerving enough, I have to see such horoscope :P

The Scorpio New Moon isn't easy for you because it can put your head and your heart in direct conflict. Which will win? Either way, something is lost. Instead of choosing logic or emotions, find a position from where you can honor both realms, allowing you to keep in touch with your feelings while still remaining rational.

God help me!

Adore him for the positves

like Mukul Kesavan does it here. A stunning piece on Dhoni!

It is difficult to choose excerpts from this piece. But I will select some paragraphs

There's something special about Dhoni.It can't just be that he's a provincial from Jharkhand who's made it to the top. There's been a cohort of "provincial" players who have represented India in recent years: Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, the brothers Pathan, come to mind. It can't even be that he's the outstanding player among them, because he's not. Sehwag is the greatest natural talent Indian batting has seen since Sachin Tendulkar's debut (so true!!).

...

He is the only Indian cricketer in the last 40 years (apart from Sehwag) who actually does what Kipling prescribed in that corny but resounding poem, "If": he meets with Triumph and Disaster and treats those two imposters just the same

Do read the whole piece!

The Ground beneath Her Feet

Salman Rushdie's is a genius. I have read his Midnights Children, Satanic Verses. Of course he is a literary genius who sometimes flirts with ridiculousness. Basically I can appreciate his genius only to a certain level beyond which his intricate fantasies I am (shall I say) unable to comprehend. But in some specific parts of the book he really makes you wonder about somethings.

One of those things he says in the current book about the three main characters in the book!

I never realized sometimes words do capture some emotions.

Pretty

scary analysis of the future! Economic future of course!

Weather

Its winter in Texas. Well, its not as bad as it is up north. But still handling temperature drops of 30-40 degrees in a matter of 2-3 days isn't easy. May be in a week or so I can handle the cold better. Lets see!

The rot

seems to be spreading across the world markets. This is not good!

Finally a balanced

perspective on the entry of film stars into politics. I believe that GLV Narasimha Rao got it right.
Lets see!

Ian Chappell

on why Indian captaincy should be handed to Dhoni

An interesting excerpt

It has been said that good captaincy is like pornography - it's hard to define but you know it when you see it. Usually when you do see it, a victory soon follows and after Dhoni's great performance at Mohali, it might be the right time to ask Healy if he still thinks good captaincy doesn't affect the result of a match.

No comments :P
Of course I disagree with Ian though!

There is some truth

to the argument that luck plays an important role in Tests especially in India as Suresh Menon points out. But in the current series, Australia won the toss in the first test yet could not capitalize. They played very slowly allowing India to have less time to bat. So India managed to survive. On the contrary India raked up runs at more than 4 per over putting Australia under serious pressure! So India won the test! Lets see how the rest of the series goes!

Hmmm

It is so difficult to manage life. Isn't it?

It seems funny that I feel this way (especially seeing what most people in the world go through!). But at some moments I do!

Weirdness!!

Very weird week has come to an end. I just hope it will be better from now on. I am getting bugged with lot of stupid things that are not allowing me to focus!

Seriously freaky

My horoscope for the day

It's challenging to be you sometimes, even if your life looks good on
the surface. External appearances can be quite misleading, for there
are tricky planetary forces pulling you into deeper waters today.
Fortunately, you are quite comfortable in the intense emotional
currents, so don't waste any energy trying to avoid them. Dive in and
learn something new about yourself.

No comments

A splendid piece

documenting the Indian pace attack's revival or should I say their first coming by Dileep Premachandran

Weird!!

Just had one of the weirdest incidents in my life! I don't even know why that happened. All I know it has spoiled my mood!

Anyway!

Money markets explained

An interesting explanation of the financial crisis from the Economist



Pretty informative!

Jealousy

starts when you are 3 months old according to this research!
Pretty early isn't it?

Interesting take on Men

Can't say I disagree with Mudra on this one!

An open letter

to Ricky Ponting by Jagadish.

Have to say its pretty damning!

Australian spectators coping it?

Hilarious this! isn't it?

I love this one the most

It’s strange being an Australian in another country when the team
loses, and in India it gains you more attention. People who didn’t
recognise me before suddenly are – and they want to talk. “Sorry
Australia,” one young boy said, smiling as I walked to the ground on
day five.

I can see myself doing that when I was young! May be even now :P

Is McCain catching up?

The poll results seem to point that way!

An important day

in the Indian space program! Details here

Finally

some one gives credit to all the people who deserve it. Anand Vasu discusses the contributions of Kumble and Dhoni to the test team here

American's changing their spending habits

Are they? It seems like that from here

Like good old days

May be its a little too early but it seems there is every possibility of getting there! I would like that!

We have done it

India defeats Australia. And what more this is the largets win in terms of runs in Indian cricket history! When you defeat them do it grandly :P And what more this is a great team victory with contributions from everybody! Thats the beauty of this match!

So, now we have a series to win and hopefully we can do it in style!
What about 3-0 now? I think its a possibility!

Update 12.54 AM
Dhoni gets the Man of the Match. I feel Gambhir deserved it. I agree Dhoni played well but in both innings he came and built on very good starts by openers. But thats me. This is not to take anything away from Dhoni. But I am worried that Man of the Match awards gravitate towards most popu;ar cricketer. Currently it is Dhoni. It was Tendulkar until recently. I hope the award adjudicators remain unbiased. But who am I kidding!!

A great week for Indian sportsman

Anand extends his lead in the World Championship to 2 points!

Is LTTE being tamed?

Is this the end of LTTE?

Frankly violence will not solve the problem. It can only defer it for future generations.

A sensible cricket administrator?

Surprising that he needed to be from Pakistan. But I hope his sense prevails!

The ONGC connection

Viru, Gambhir and Mishra play for the same club ONGC.

Here is what Mishra had to say about Gambhir. Very nice!

Another of Gambhir's good friends is only one-Test old. Amit Mishra plays for ONGC, the same club as Gambhir and Sehwag do. Mishra has spent years feeling happy about his friend's inclusion in the national side. "I used to sit in front of the TV set in hope that maybe this time my name would be there. But it was only Gautam's name that would bring a smile on my face, the only saving grace." It fitting that Gambhir should have cemented his place in the same match that Mishra took a five-wicket haul on debut.

I seem to like Mishra the person too :)

Are we ?

talking about an Indian fast bowler.

Ricky Ponting got the kind of ball that makes batsmen wake up in a cold sweat. That, and the delivery which darted back to trap Shane Watson in front, crowned a magnificent spell from Ishant Sharma, who must surely now be considered one of the best fast bowlers in the world

You bet!

Why am i getting tense?

It is very weird. There were times when I did not care about how the work I did resulted in papers. I was happy to help people around me. Now, I have reached a stage where if people need help I expect them to share the credit. I have had enough of helping people and seeing them getting credit without even a mention of my name. May be its getting to me. Now, when I see something is not fare I really get angry!

Anyway I need to get hold of myself and get these things smoothly handled. More reasons to run away from this place!

Simple pleasures in life!

It is simply so good to hear an Australian end his commentary saying "India dictating the terms in Mohali". Doesn't it sound sweet. It does to my ears. The commentator is Ian Chappell.

Cricket

India in a very good position. Now I really hope they will get the job done!

A good game for the debutant Amit Mishra. A nice piece on the little guy here

The beauty of the Mishra story, though, is that the legspinner could change again once Kumble is fit. And Mishra's big heart will be tested one more time. At least he has shown that borrowed it might be, but the cap fits. 

Good to see two legspinning prospects for the future (Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla)!

Update : 10.43 am

Just saw the post match interview of Amit Mishra. He is an awesome kid! Like his small city demeanor! Hopefully he will have a long career for India.

Is it?

my imagination or am I seeing it correctly?

Will never know!

Interesting incidents of the day

From cricinfo's plays of the day

On Dhoni

There's no such thing as pain

Dhoni came out like a happy hooker today, dismissing everything short. But when Lee, bowling from round the stumps, tuck him up with a perfect short-pitched delivery, straight, and shoulder high, Dhoni played it out in his own original way. The bat stayed low, and seeing there was no way to move out of the line, he took the blow  on his body. The scene, though, looked like a tennis ball hit a brick wall. And Dhoni went back to hooking.

Have to say it was awesome the way he did it!

Other interesting stuff

Wise move of the day

In the 128th over of India's innings, Dhoni disproved the law of equal and opposite reaction. Cameron White bowled him a gentle, flat delivery, but it was sent back to him about 1367 times the pace. White smartly didn't go for the catch. With 465 already given away already, four runs wouldn't have cost Australia a lot. But White did make sure his tour didn't end right there, because had he got his hands to the ball, only God could have blessed his fingers.

Zaheer - 3, Hayden - 0
Harbhajan Singh versus Ricky Ponting is history, for there is a new one-sided love story playing at a stadium near - or away - from you. Zaheer Khan has found a liking for Matthew Hayden, and the external forces have  started conspiring to make the love materialise. Zaheer got some help from Asad Rauf in dismissing Hayden off the third ball of the innings. He dismissed Hayden in the second innings, too, lbw this time with one that might have just slid down leg. Again, in Hayden's third innings of the series, Hayden contrived to get out. The ball hit his pad, then his inside edge, and then the middle stump. Poor old Matty. He had spent more than nine hours on the field.

Dada rocks

Well, Ganguly made a hundred! Watched it live. So was awesome!
This man does it again. When the chips are stacked against him he manages to perform! That's Ganguly for you. A nice piece on his innings under pressure!

Tendulkar

Well he surely deserves a mention for what he has achieved. Doesn't he!

What a fine record. Good to see that the record was part of an important innings in the ongoing series. What he has achieved is monumental and cannot be described in words. He has played for India always under immense pressure (more pressure of expectation than the pressure from opposition). For a person to go onto the field under such pressure itself is unbelievable. Given that he performed so well he should be a pleased man.

Well, people who know me know how I do not respect him as much as a cricket aficionado like me should. But I always have my reasons for that. There are some great pieces on his career here, here.

Hmmm

What all do I let myself go through! Why?

An interesting

post on rituals by Mitra Kalita!

This I think sums up my reservations with being ritualistic pretty well

Over the last few years, my generation has appeared to be growing more religious than our parents. In this festival season, I wonder though if it’s that youth are actually less spiritual, more ritualistic, obsessed with getting dates, mantras, practices just “right”.

Nothing wrong with being ritualistic. All I hope is the feeling comes from within.

BCCI

All I can say is what else do you expect from an organization run by bunch of politicians! They were supposed to meet officials from ICL and the talks have failed (What a surprise!!). I just can't get it! Is cricket BCCI's monopoly? How can an individual's freedom of playing cricket be governed by a sports body. Why isn't ICL filing a suit? Go for it and sue those BCCI ********. Either cricket will be better or we will realize in India there is not much freedom after all.

Is this right?

Jet airways fired about 1900 employees citing reduction in passenger demand and rising fuel costs as reasons. It is not a good thing to be fired. I feel sorry for the employees. But is politicizing the issue right? If the reasons cited by the organization are incorrect I can understand standing up for the fired employees. But when in pure business terms if they cannot afford to continue with these employees what should the organization do? Keep all of them and sink as a company? I don't think politicizing such legitimate problems in the industry is not right. But that's me!

I agree there should be better provisions when a company fires employees like compensation for 6 months etc. (I am no expert so I am just suggesting). But to protest and put pressure on corporations to hold on to employees is surely not the way to go! Now, the MNS has more reason to gain publicity with protests! What pity!

Update: The protests have worked. Jet takes back all employees! Don't know what to say

I am under way too much pressure

You don't think so...
see my horoscope :P

You have to play the role of caretaker today, even if you don't want to encourage anyone else to be dependent on you. Your ability to know what to do should quickly win others over to your side now. Don't be afraid to act as long as you do so with integrity. You won't go wrong if you stick to your true convictions.

Economist's take on

India's situation amid all the financial meltdown. Considering whats happening in the US its not bad!

Excerpt

All of this might mean that once the dust settles, India is likely to re-emerge as an attractive investment destination. At least in the short term, growth in India's flagship IT-services sector is likely to slow because of the financial-sector crisis. But the rupee's depreciation will help to shore up the profitability of IT and other exporters. More importantly, Indian IT companies, as well those in other industries, are stepping up acquisitions. Strong growth in the past few years has given Indian companies the financial muscle for large acquisitions, just as the global slowdown is putting good international companies on the market. For example, in October 2008 HCL Technologies (India's fifth-largest IT-services firm) outbid Infosys Technologies (India's second-largest IT company) for UK-based Axon. This will be the Indian IT sector's largest outbound merger. At home, meanwhile, India's biggest IT company, Tata Consulting Services (TCS), announced that it would become India's second-largest business-process outsourcing (BPO) company by buying US-based Citigroup's captive Indian BPO, Citigroup Global Services, for US$505m. TCS also agreed a multi-year, US$2.5bn contract to provide Citi with outsourcing services.