Beyond the Blues
Ticket to Kotla
The Delhi players would have loved to go and watch Gautam Gambhir score his second hundred against Australia, but they had to wait - unsuccessfully - for the tickets they are entitled to
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Dear readers
How can I not write about my Delhi team-mate when he has got two consecutive centuries against Australia? Especially when the second one has come on our home ground, Feroz Shah Kotla. Gautam Gambhir has taken huge strides in the last one year. All of us in the Delhi team are proud of what he's achieved, and look to him for inspiration.
Full postTraining routine
The Ranji Trophy starts a week from now and all the teams would be preparing in full swing
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
The Ranji Trophy starts a week from now and all the teams would be preparing in full swing. Most teams have been training for the last three-four weeks hoping to peak at the right time. The initial phase of training camps focus mainly on the physical aspect of the sport, which involves a lot of running and strength training. Even though the skill aspect gets introduced fairly early, the focus shifts to the skills only a couple of weeks before the event.
Our preparation was similar, with the only difference being that we have one relatively lengthy session (from 8am to 12.30pm) as compared to a lot of other teams who divide their daily training into two sessions. They would do the physical conditioning and fielding drills in the two to three hours' morning session and the net session in the afternoon, with a decent break in the middle to allow the players to recover and come back afresh. Ideally, the latter is the best way of training because doing everything in one session means one of the two [physical or skills aspect] is often neglected. If you push yourself in training, you rarely have the strength to go full throttle in the nets and if you intend to bowl at full steam, you end up trying to save a bit [of energy] in the physical training session. Batsmen still get through it well enough but the bowlers, especially the fast men, face the brunt of the gruelling session.
Full postThe four kinds of leadership
Before you start wondering why I'm talking about leadership and its forms, I'll get to the point
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hello readers,
A friend of mine who works in a software company once asked a management guru for tips on leadership. To his surprise the guru advised him to talk to his own father and learn a few things from him. My friend's father is not a guru or leader by any standards and my friend explained that to the guru. The guru responded by saying that we all have a leader in us and we often act upon that without realizing it. According to him, there are four kinds of leadership and all of us exercise that from time to time, often unconsciously.
The guru asked my friend whether he remembered ever having burnt his hand or something else with a matchstick when he was a kid; or whether he'd spilled food or a drink on a carpet or a bed. Of course, he had. Well, what happened then? He got a scolding no doubt and was told not to repeat the mistake again. That has happened with all of us. We were told to stay away from matchboxes and be more careful with food and drinks. We didn't ask for a reason and none was provided. We were asked to trust our folks unquestioningly and always do as we were told. That is the first kind of leadership: the 'leadership by direction'.
Then as we grew up and started going to school, the focus was mainly on studies and especially on the subjects we weren't very good at. We were not only told to devote more time and effort on that subject but were also promised rewards if we scored high marks in that particular subject. My friend was weak at mathematics and was promised a bicycle if he did well. He did, eventually, do well enough and got that coveted bicycle. This is the second kind of leadership—'leadership by seduction'.
Full postDoes the county format benefit players?
We don't have contracts at the state level in India and there is no benefit year even at the end of an illustrious first-class career
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hello people,
In the last couple of days I've bumped into two different people from completely different walks of life. One is an ex-journalist (he's just quit a media house and insists on being called an ex-journalist) and the other is a friend who is a lawyer in England. Both of them have one thing in common, i.e. their love for the game of cricket.
On both occasions the conversation drifted to the state of county cricket in England. Both were really unhappy with the way things were run in the country that gave birth to this sport. I argued that it's not the standard but the format that needs to be tinkered with. Probably they were playing too many games in a season and that causes the interest of spectators and players to wane so that towards the end of the tiring season they just go through the formality of turning up for matches while eagerly waiting for the season to finish. But my friends disagreed.
Full postLow blows all around
In my biggest match ever since I was dropped from the Indian team, I failed to make an impression, thanks in no small measure to the low bounce that did me twice
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hi guys
I've just come back from a literary festival in Kovalam, Kerala. I read out a few pages from my book, and that was followed by a Q&A session on sports writing, which included Boria Majumdar and Suresh Menon as the other two panelists. It was an altogether different kind of experience. Being surrounded by all the great authors, writers, poets, etc. could be quite intimidating, and I must admit that it was so for me to begin with. But I'm glad that I not only managed to hold my own but also made a few friends.
Full postAsk Aakash
The reader response to the blog has been pleasing, and here are answers to some of the questions that came up in the feedback
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hello folks
Instead of writing about the reasons for our loss and the aspects in which we were found wanting - whoever has followed the match already knows - I'd first congratulate Rest of India for retaining the Irani Cup. We lost to a better team, but we're still disappointed because we feel we could've fared a little better. The manner in which we succumbed lacked the basic quality we were very proud of last season: the fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude. We have plenty to ponder upon, and fortunately we have five more weeks to get our act together before we start our pursuit to retain the Ranji title.
Full postDisappointed to fall to the quicks
Both Viru and I are to be blamed for our downfall today as we were the only ones who got starts
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
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I'm not really in a mood to write today but a man's got to do what a man's got to do. So here we go. The first session of the day was the most crucial and we lost it comprehensively. The worst bit is that we only have ourselves to blame. We lost Gautam Gambhir in the second over of the day but then Virender Sehwag and I managed to string together a partnership. On this track the key is to score as many as you can against the new ball and the quicks. We did exactly that and maintained a healthy run-rate throughout.
Playing with Viru is always a pleasure not just because of his wonderful strokeplay but also because of our understanding of each other's games which makes things that much easier in the middle. With him at the other end, I could be assured of not having to play six balls in an over. We would pinch almost non-existent singles with ease. We did that today as well, while we lasted. Both Viru and I are to be blamed for our downfall today as we were the only ones who got starts. It's imperative for the people who get a good start to make it into something big, more so against a quality opposition like the Rest of India. On a personal note, I was happy to get my 150th first-class catch, when I caught Wasim Jaffer off Pradeep Sangwan at second slip.
One thing that disappointed us the most was the fact that we lost too many wickets to the quick bowlers. The track is looking too worn-out for a day-two wicket and with the ball turning and bouncing, it may have been acceptable had we lost wickets to the spin bowlers. Giving away too many cheap wickets to the quicks hurt our chances big time. We not only surrendered the advantage we enjoyed at the end of day one but now we are also up against a stiff challenge.
Full postNightmare becomes dream
The first day of Irani Cup started off badly for Delhi, but at the end of the day they are not complaining
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
The day didn't quite start the way we would've liked it to. We lost the toss on a typical win-the-toss-and-bat-first wicket. Though the conditions favour playing two spinners, the lack of a quality spinner among our ranks meant that we went in with our four best bowlers: three seam bowlers and Chetanya Nanda, the lone spinner.
On the other side, the ROI team opted to play five bowlers, which meant playing only five batsmen. But with MS Dhoni as the wicket-keeper, one could afford to play with one less batsman. I've played quite a few games for the ROI, and one thing has always been in common: playing five bowlers. Considering the quality of batting at their disposal, five batsmen are normally more than enough.
Full postRemember the underdogs
There is only favourite in a match featuring the Ranji champions and a virtual Test side, which means Delhi have a lot to gain and a little to lose
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hello everyone
The Irani Trophy game between the Ranji champions and the Rest of India is a curtain raiser to the new domestic season. It has always been a high-profile game, pitting the national champions against the very best of the country. I've played in the Irani Trophy a few times in the past, but it's always been for the Rest of India. This time I'll be playing for my state team, so this is a first for me. Talking about firsts, incidentally this is also the first time I've come to Baroda. Considering I've been around on the domestic circuit for a decade, it seems bizarre even to me.
Full postWet, wet, wet
Rain has followed Delhi to Vadodara, where they have also been introduced to the red soil and the anticipation that cricket brings to small towns
Aakash Chopra
25-Feb-2013
Hi guys
We reached Baroda the day before yesterday for our Irani Trophy game against Rest of India. There was a nice air-conditioned bus waiting for us at the airport. You must be wondering as to what the big deal is about the AC bus, but let me assure you that there most certainly is. In case you're inquisitive, please keep watching this space throughout the season, and you'll come to know.
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