And only then did i realise....

I have been wanting to write on this topic for a long time now..but..its just that i have been way too....lazy( i am honest, am i not?;D)

My father always said/says that while on the ground your Coach is your father, your mother, your everything. Anything that you are not happy about or uncomfortable with has to be brought to his notice so that you dont carry any extra baggage home( something that i have never been able to do;D). Also 'Respecting the Coach' is a point that makes up like 70% of the good bye SPEECH that he delivers in my mother's presence everytime i am leaving for a tournament(local/state/national)."Whatever you do, win/lose, all of it is immaterial. If you are able to make your Coach and team mates feel proud to have you in the team that will be the greatest achievement ever"- those are his favorite lines..(i am a self- confessed daddy's girl;D)...I have tried doing that all my life!!(my professional cricketing life is just four years old..and i intend to grow older:))

I always saw/ followed cricket- 'THE' game only from tw0 angles- one as a player/learner of the game and second as a follower/spectator of the game!And i thought that was it, i never realised there is a third dimension to it- a Coach's! I guess i was way too ignorant!And boy was i amazed when i discovered it:)...It is similar to say..-A car that was moving on a two dimensional plane whose co-ordinates were described by X and Y ..then all of a sudden wings got added to the car, it became an aeroplane which was now flying in the three- dimensional space thanks to the third dimension- Z!!(*sorry but i have just finished reading a book on Einstein's Theory Of Relativity..so ...you know..:D*)

I have been blessed to have some some real nice coaches from the time i started playing cricket. I learnt a lot just by following the game on television but whatever knowledge that i have about the technical side of the game is all thanks to my coaches!(i sometimes wonder where would i have been if it was not for them)

I had always wondered what would if fell to be a coach and come this summer i got to experience the feeling..big time!This summer has been a real great one in terms of understanding and learning the game. To have Puri di come over and be the head coach for three weeks was a dream come true!!Have never enjoyed my training sessions more..Also to work as a Mentor(yes you read it right:P)..was a life time experience. There is one Ms Anuja Gaunekar, member Goa Cricket Association ,who came up with an idea to hold summer camps for girls at as many centers possible with senior women's team players acting as mentors!!Directed to hunt talented young girls this program succeeded big time!!We were supposed to select girls, who we thought were talented, at the end of the three week camp and send to the main academy for further selections by seniors coaches!!sounds fun right..believe me ..it was!!*i have never considered myself a senior in the team..actually in our team sometimes a more experienced one ends up getting bullied by a new comer..:D..we consider our team mates just as friends, with whom we try enjoying the process of playing cricket and giving in our 100% to win evry time we step in to the ground*

I was supposed to assist one Ms Salma Divkar at Panjim center. We have played a lot of our cricket and have attended a lot many camps together so this assignment sure sounded fun and we were both looking forward to it! So now we were officailly the mentors at panjim center..so we were not coaches but were supposed to work like coaches:).First day was a lot of fun.We made sure we were on time for the sessions(setting examples you see:)). We tried our best to pass on to them whatever we had learnt from our coaches and our experiences on the field!!Basics were something that we stressed a lot on..Everyday the thirty two of us ( yeah thirty plus the two of us) had fun..we played recreational games, competitions after the drill sesssions and the losing team sure did enjoy the punishments, :D..We tried treating them all equally (and so did they:))..I in particular learnt to have patience, and controlled temper is a bliss*there was this session when we taught them(i mean tried teaching them) under arm fielding technique..so after the drills got over we made two teams and with the help of the pugg played a game wherein which ever team got the most number of hits after three rounds would be the winner..we tried to tell them to concentrate on the technique more than anything....after a while we too joined them..guess what happened??i missed all the three times and the stare that i was met with was like one of those hollywood movie dialogues-'people who can- they do..People who cant- just advice''ha ha*

It was after this camp that i realised how difficult a job coach does..he has to understand thirty different minds and then try helping them by adopting a method he thinks that the individual will be comfortable with!!

At this point of time i cant help but mention about a coach who was there with us in the zonal cricket academy camp(south zone). And then after i made it to the National cricket academy camp(*i suppose i just got a little lucky and did well) i saw her again. I was simply amazed when she came and congratulated me. But the thing that amazed me the most was she knew my scores and the number of wickets i managed to get..she knew the way i got out batting and the modes of dismissals of my bowling..Can you imagine..she had followed all our matches and had done her homw work well!!she actually by now, knew what areas i would want to work at..simply superb!!

As a famous saying goes- "A good coach will make his students see what they can be, rather than what they are"..my coaches have taught me that and that is why i dream higher everytime i fall!!

Down the memory lane..

a few things that i'll never forget...
*playing gully cricket with big guys.. on roads..getting to bowl only when all of them would be tired and in that process picking up a wicket or two..
*when playing with kids of my age..hogging all the limelight for being the only girl in the group...
*learning the round arm throw from 'Rinchu chacha' and taking pride in being able to throw that way with great precision..
*fighting every single day with my friends on the ground..and still be the first one on the ground the next day!!
*playing cricket with chappels(slippers) on..(never thought wearing shoes was necessary)..and in that process twisting my ankle every second day..and ending up being the keeper(or else the goal keeper if we would decide on playing footie the next day)..
*not being able to play spin bowling from big guys who would be like 6 feet tall and eventually learning to play scoop(ok...i was the one who played it first...even before dilshan did..:D..the only difference is i, was mere 4 feet tall ,could easily get under the ball and played it against the spinners who weren't world class:D)
*playing till 7 o'clock even on exam eve and still managing to get an A+(partly because there wasn't much to study:D )
*getting scolded for 'mastering the art of losing cricket balls every second day and then randomly promising my father a series of A+ in tests to follow!!
*contributing so that we could go buy a new ball and then making sure that i got to keep it after the days play!!
*making 'a hanging ball' with paper and then practicing hard with it..(not counting the number of times i would have broken the string)
*watching the post match presentation ceremony and getting inspired!!coming back home..catching hold of a bottle of water and trying my level best to imitate the international players..wondering how good a speech would i give after i win my first man(/woman) of the match award!!
*fielding always near the boundary line..confused about the sudden change in rules ..still enjoying it all..taking a catch there and blushing after being praised...
*getting up really very early to watch india play test series against australia in australia (1999)!!
*enjoying watching test matches..the way bowlers would set up the batsmen, the patience shown, the field placements..
*having long and lengthy discusssions about the players currrent form and team selections with my father (especially when the power would just go off and i would pick up the transistor ,drag him for a walk and listen to the commentary..)

i can't imagine how i would have grown up without playing the game of cricket!!!Cricket is probably the best thing that could have happened to me..

THE game

'THE' game

Cricket- its all about history, tradition and passion...

butterflies in my stomach

proud to wear the country colours

a feeling of honour as you run past the national flag

listening to the fans sing

the ball in my hand, the smell of the leather and the feel of the seam

walking to the middle i no longer hear the crowd

my only thoughts are what i need to do

running to the crease my heart starts to beat faster

the crunch of the ball on the middle of my bat

a force nine times my body weight goes through my front leg

i hold my breath as the ball flies past the fielder

a perfect view as it rattles the stumps

and races to the boundary

flags fly with passion

but i hear nothing

sweat rolls down my forehead

standing in the field and feeling the heat of the sun

furiously shinning the leather

trying to get every last bit out of the ball

another bouncer screams past the batsman's grill

he's survived another ball

i take guard and scratch centre

the pitch crumbles under my shoes

i look around the field to where i can get my next run

taking a break down at the fine leg,copping cheers or jeers from the crowd

just a few more runs

just a few more wickets

running on adrenaline

taking that final catch

hitting the winning boundary

the noice of the crowd erupting

VICTORY IS THE GREATEST EMOTION!!

- courtesy CATV

RANDOM 8 LINER:)

sometimes hundred 'wrongs'.

will average 'right'.

but it would'nt be long,

before the 'actual right' shows its might!!

hope is boundless,

there isnt any doubt.

sooner 'wrongs' would be groundless,

just averaging OUT!!!

                                   -Unknown

Physical Fitness or Gaming Skills??what matters more in a sport like cricket..

a rather unusual question..right??hmm..had this question in my mind for quite sometime..so here i am..trying to figure out the answer to it...

let me take u guys back to 99 world cup(cricket world cup ofcourse..i hardly know anything about the other games..:D..know a bit bout tennis though:))..ok..so what do you think separated team australia from other teams like india,south africa,pakistan ......considering india and south africa in particular..hmm..any answers..u wud hav got it..:)

team south africa had very gud fitness levels..i mean no other team could beat them when it came to ground fielding n physical fitness on the whole..

then v had our very own team india which ,was(and traditionally is) supposed to have some of the best talented and skillfull players that the world cricket sees every year..

so on the whole team SA lagged cricketing skills ( by using the word lag i mean they werent what they are now..they were comparatively new to world cricket then and had jus stepped into the international arena after facing a boycott for 30 years...so they were excellent as a new team but way behind teams like india and aus in terms of cricketing skills)

n the situation with team india was just the opposite..they had some very good players but the fitness levels were not there:(..just to say the seniors had all the skills but no fitness levels to match teams like south africa and australia (point to note here is..the whole mind set here in india is like that..or rather was like that..now we do have good fitness programs to boost the physical strengths of our players and then the young guns entering the arena have a totally different outlook..good for us:))

lastly team australia..they had it all..superb physical strengths..great cricketing skills and talented individuals..n hence they won..i mean they had to ...

Coming back to the present scenario..i somehow feel..team india is climbing the ladder..where the fitness and physical strengths are concerned..(i mean it all shows on the field..,UV(hey doesnt he use the same initials on his bat:D),raina,rohit,yusuf..they all are osum on the field and mind u they have the skills too..team australia with so many key players retiring from international cricket does seem low on that skills scale..they have the talent though..who knows in a year or two..they might be well on top again..

team SA seems to have it all..lightening quick fielders who are just too osum to describe( com'on u cant blame a batsmen if he cant score:)..wth AB , Botha, Gibbs,Duminy guarding the point,extra covers,covers and mid wicket area..he can only think of arial shots)....n they have the talent n skills anyways...(remember that test 4rth innings win agnst oz in oz..)..

so the point is cricket is not just about skills but about physical strength( dont u ever forget matt hayden just dancing down the pitch hitting the bowler for 6s..it looks effortless ..really), conditioning and good fitnesslevels as well..

hmm...now i know it for myself ..i sure do....:)

HOW HAS SACHIN INSPIRED YOU??

Hey, friends I know all you sachin fans will surely have an answer to this question…me being a sachin fan too, have my own story to tell..
I have grown up watching sachin bat his way through world records, winning matches single- handedly and proving to the world that it’s your passion for the game that matters the most..
Still remember the triangular series in sharjah (1998) where he won the cup for India single handedly. Can’t forget the incident when he walked without the umpire giving him out (he was caught in a fix actually) and even the bowler (Damien Fleming) appealed half- heartedly…a real sportsman as he is..
Being a nine year old then, those were the first impressions of cricket and the god of cricket on my mind. And it was the very same year that I came to know that sachin wanted to become a fast bowler but this wish of his was undone by his height. At that time I was 4 and half feet tall and was an ok-ok bowler (good enough for gully cricket). I couldn’t help but wonder why sachin thought so (I was too young to understand the complexity of his statement). So I kind of pledged that I would be a good bowler even with my height (for him, for me..I dont really know..I somehow thought he would be proud of mesone day, alsoI didnt realize that I would grow taller eventually).
And here I am. At 5 feet 9 I am an ok-ok bowler now...a medium pacer...Not a quickie though.:)I play for my state team... And do realize the importance of height in being a fast bowler...
He is indeed a role model for millions in this cricket mad country, me being one of them.

And I think we are blessed to have been born in this era and to have witnessed a great cricketing legend showcase his unusual talent…
I dream to make it big someday and meet him in person…

My Cricket Bat
It was yesterday that I gave my cricket bat for Threading( a way to protect or repair the toe of the bat). When I returned home I just happened to refresh memories of my previous bats. As of now I have two season bats (English willow)-Reebok n Maruti, Reebok being the one which I use during my matches.
The first ever bat which I had, rather was gifted, was of plastic. I still remember the way I used to bang it on the ground after getting out. But then it saw its end when I started experimenting it against the tough rubber ball more often than usual. As a result it developed a dent. Hehehe.
Then I graduated to playing with wooden tennis ball bats and rubber balls. This was the time when my father made it a point to bring along a hand made wooden bat every time he happened to go to Hyderabad. These bats were not very show off kinds but did have good stroke. And the best part was that they were durable (at least for the kids of my age). Suddenly I was someone to reckon with, thanks to the bat and the wooden stumps my father brought along the next time (the stumps were like the plastic ones which you get these days). Thus I had a great time playing with my mini cricket kit…and this happiness also is attributed to the fact that I always used to win.. not because I was so good but because I made it a point to be in guy’s team rather than the gals team.
Then came the big turning point…my father got transferred to Vasco Da Gama, Goa. I was 9 yr old at that point of time. I was new to the place and by the look of it gals here were not supposed to play with guys.
So my wooden bat had to spend a few days in exile. I found the kids here very reserved and proud. So even I passed a few days playing badminton with my father and sister. I was happy to play anything outdoors. Then one day I happened to remove my bat, asking my dada to give me some catching practice. Just the merry site of the bat and all the guys came running literally. And suddenly I had good 10 kids to play with. So here I was again stealing the limelight because of my bat… I really enjoyed giving people tough time finding out whether I was a gal or a guy(thanks to my attire and the boy cut which I had).
4:30 in the evening and there I was in the cemented play ground playing with my friends. And the days play would end only when my mother used to come shouting. :). Even on the days when I wouldn’t be at home, my bat and stumps used to be out of their usual place…I had many arguments and bitter fights during those days, but come next day I would be on the ground. thanks to my kit….
Daughter of a central government employ I was used to changing places….so our next stop was naval base, Mandovi, Verem, Panjim. I was a 15 year old teen then. There was absolutely no one here with whom play cricket. So I had to pass time playing badminton. Being in 10th standard even I was fully into studies. So my bat, against my wish, was given to the kid next door, who happened to be my Maths mam’s son. And the worst happened when one day he left it on the ground. I felt like crying...
cut to 2009 Here I am a proud owner of two cricket bats. I am a state player now. Used to use BAS bat from the common kit of the team but now I can afford one more of those Reebok bats, and I am planning to. :) It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to carry my own kit, specially my Bat.

And I am changed now…I try winning the matches not on my team’s strength but on my own strength added to my team’s.