Ashwin - A true Son of the Soil!

'Wily', 'Guile', 'Skillful', 'Master Tactician', 'Craftsman', 'Mind Reader', 'Problem Solver', 'Homework'. These are some of the key words/phrases that characterises and symbolises Ravichandran Ashwin the cricketer. When the announcement of his retirement came along in the midst of an intensifying test series, it felt out of the blue and out of the box much like the man himself. 

Ashwin could have easily obtained and right royally deserved a farewell test to be played at home but didn't opt for it. He felt the time was ripe and decided to hang his boots. Ashwin's career especially as a test cricketer reeks splendour in every way and his records speak for itself. He could easily slot himself amongst the greatest 10 test cricketers that India has ever produced. Since the turn of this century, there has been no greater match winner for India than Ravi Ashwin.

The first step to assess the longevity of a cricketer is by determining the number of test matches a cricketer has played. There are less than 100 cricketers since the inception of test cricket to have represented their country in over 100 test matches and Ash is one of those to have this privilege. Getting 500 test wickets is like the greatest summit ever to be achieved by any bowler and Ashwin is just one of 9 cricketers to scale this monumental peak. He will end his career as the second highest wicket taker for India with 537 test wickets behind his idol Anil Kumble. As a bowling all rounder he was also no mug with the bat impressing with a tally of over 3500 runs with 6 centuries to boot. Coming to his core skill of bowling, he is joint second highest with Shane Warne in terms of 5 wicket hauls with 37 and the only bowler other than Muttiah Muralidharan to account for a whopping 10 wicket hauls in a test match on 10 different occasions. He has also been rewarded with 'player of the match' 10 times and is also joint highest ever on the 'player of the series' award which he has received a whopping 11 occasions.

Having mentioned some of his superlative achievements, one also needs to factor few other notable points which perhaps could have made his records glow even brighter. Considering all the entrants into the 500 wicket club, Ashwin was a delayed starter being the only one to don international colours after the age of 25. Thus, he certainly didn't have a head start by any stretch of the imagination and in fact was a late bloomer. It's really rare for a cricketer to make such inroads and strides after beginning their career in a relatively later time frame when considered with other doyens of the game. Another fact to ponder is that despite Ashwin logging over 100 tests with 106 to be precise, he missed about 30 of those especially the one's in SENA countries on account of not being selected. Thus, he could have easily added much more wickets to his tally if presented the opportunity.

One question which keeps pointing against Ashwin is his inability to counter foreign conditions and his potency being potentially negligible in alien territories relative to his supremacy at home. This is again questionable because in reality he never got much of a chance to showcase his potential. In the limited opportunities that he got he did what best he could. And there especially were some really wrong selection calls where Ash unfortunately got the rough end of the stick by not being picked in few very crucial games overseas. It's again not his fault that he was at his herculean best at home conditions and those criticising him as purely a  home surface bully is certainly not vindicated. From times immemorial, batsman and bowlers are said to adopt to certain conditions better and truth be told majority of the greatest cricketers have a better home record than away. His record in India is simply impeccable and he has been the chief architect in India garnering 18 continuous series victories ranging at a stretch across the period from 2013 to 2024 and winning 19 of the total 21 series that he has partaken at home soil traversing over his test career from 2011-2024.

One has to appreciate how decisively and deceptively he exploited his skill sets to get bucket loads of wickets aplenty at home. Left handers especially fell to his trap many a time laid by his clever, cunning and cheeky tricks. He mastered the art of the carrom ball and had the wood over many of the best players through his armoury of excellence. Many a time he has simply rattled the opposition with his flight and guile paving the way for plethora of Indian victories.

Ashwin, the red ball cricketer deserves all the encomiums but it's well worth considering that he also had his moments in white ball cricket. He was part of the ODI World cup winning side of 2011 and also helped India win the Champions Trophy 2013 in England by bowling a terrific under pressure last over to seal victory. One would also fondly remember his leaving the ball stance with 2 required off one delivery and eventually hitting the winning shot against Pakistan in a game for the ages at MCG during the T20 World Cup 2022.

Tamil Nadu as a state and Chennai as a city is known to be culturally rooted and takes super fondness towards the sport of cricket. It's known to be immensely cricket loving and knows to appreciate greatness. The holied turf of the MA Chidambaram stadium has witnessed many a classic over the years. Ashwin himself has been a stellar performer at his home ground accounting for plenty of runs and wickets in the opportunities presented. There have been quite a few cricketers from TN to have represented India in test cricket but Ashwin easily goes down as the finest ever iconic cricketer to be produced from the soil of this land for his long lasting impact and reaching the pinnacle of greatness. It is but yet fitting that he has been picked by Chennai Super Kings at the auctions and will be representing his beloved CSK at the 2025 edition of the IPL. Here's hoping the farewell which he didn't receive in International cricket will yield to rousing receptions and chants of "Ashwin Anna" on his homecoming to Chennai.

Ravichandran Ashwin can truly look back at his achievements with pride and can walk back with his head held high for all the joy he has given to Indian cricket. It's a no brainer that the love he has for the sport will make him associated with it in some form or other with many young & upcoming talents getting benefited from his expertise. Ravichandran Ashwin has been a source of inspiration for cricket lovers all across the globe and with his departure from Indian colors, he can truly cherish by savouring all those memorable moments and reflect upon this 13 year fulfilling career with immense gratification and satisfaction. Go well, Ash!

An astrological perspective on the race to the White House - A tussle to the finish line

The US elections are literally days away and it's really getting heated up. The Republicans look to seize and win back the majority whereas the Democrats who are fielding their replaced candidate are looking to go all the way once again. It's a battle which has started to intensify and there is no two ways about it that history is going to beckon irrespective of the eventual outcome.

Donald Trump is looking to win a second term in 3 successive elections that he is contesting whereas Kamala Harris is vying to become the first lady president of the United States. This is the first time ever that a candidate has been part of the front running for 3 terms in a row and it's the second time that he would actually be taking on a women after successful quelling the challenge of Hillary Clinton back in 2016. Trump also could become the oldest elected President at the ripe old age of 78, a few months older than when Biden became President in 2020. Kamala on the other hand could end up becoming only the second black person to ever hold the prestigious post and perhaps become the only women president the nation has ever seen since the advent of Presidential elections which began way back in 1788 during the time George Washington was elected.

Let us look at it astrologically to dissect insights as to who has an edge in this race for President ship. Though there are multiple factors at fray worth considering, the first major affirmative happens to be that accurate birth times are available of both the competing candidates.

Donald Trump
Date of Birth: 14th June 1946
Place of Birth: Jamaica, New York
Time of Birth: 10:54 (10:54 AM)
Timezone: 4 Hrs West of GMT Day Light Saving

Kamala Harris
Date of Birth: 20th October 1964
Place of Birth: Oakland, California
Time of Birth: 21:28 (9.28 PM)
Timezone: 7 Hrs West of GMT Day Light Saving

We shall now look at their horoscopes from various dimensions be it the potential of the birth chart, the dasha timing of the planetary sequence, transits that will hold fort near to the election outcome date, running year success quotient, the impact of Panchang and so on and so forth.

First up taking a look at Trump's chart, it clearly depicts someone who is power hungry and craving for supremacy. He is a Leo rising Ascendant with the Yogakaraka planet Mars right at the tip of the Ascendant. Mars is a fiery and red hot planet which clearly personifies his character. Since it's also the most beneficial planet for this Lagna, it clearly is a terrific placement to hold. Also his Lagna Lord Sun goes into the most powerful house of the horoscope viz 10th place. 10th is all about power, position, fame and authority. The Sun though being placed in an unfriendly house it gets maximum strength in the 10th and being in a Venusian house, it clearly showcases his focus on reaching the summit. The Lagna is more of the inherent characteristic and with Mars being placed there shows his brash abrasive nature and the Lagna Lord placement indicates one's desires. The chart placements of Donald Trump clearly indicates fire in his belly. It should however be noted that his Sun is very closely associated with Rahu though it has crossed it in the zodiac belt. Rahu by itself also tends to show one's interest in the house which it is placed and in the 10th it again depicts wanting to be at the top and ruling. The planet of money & finance Jupiter is also very placed in the chart in 2nd place from Ascendant, 11th from Moon and 5th from Ascendant Lord Sun. The fact that it's also retrograde adds to the strength. The 2nd and 11th Lord Mercury being placed in it's own 11th house of Gemini gives that additional angle for craze of wealth. On the whole the outline of Trumps chart screams power and wealth in every way you look at it and what's greater in attaining this than being the President of the United States.

As per his planetary sequence he is running Jupiter Dasa currently as per the Vimshottari scheme. He started off his initial presidentship at the start of Jupiter Dasa, then suffered a setback and now again is competing for the post for a third time. At the time of result declaration, he would be running the sub period of Venus within Jupiter. Venus is placed in 12th in an uncomfortable sign for it but is 11th from the Dasa Lord Jupiter. This could indicate desires being fulfilled. Also a Venus sign Taurus happens to hold his Ascendant Lord and Rahu which in a way gains indirect strength. At the time of result announcement, the Dasa Lord Jupiter happens to be on the 10th from Ascendant and 7th from Moon which again showcases a strong factual indication of rise in power. As per Bhrigu Paddhati sequence, Trump will be running his 79th year which equates to 7 in the 12 year cycle. The 7th in general is a strong kendra house and indicates success. The house of Kumbha is also being seen by Mars from Lagna and is also placed 10th from original Lagna Lord placement of Sun. All these kind of shows that time is falling in place and seems to be on his side.

Coming to Kamala Harris horoscope, it's really tricky and quite a pitfall to decode. She is a Gemini rising Ascendant and has Rahu placed right there as a tail wind. The nodes are extremely hard to disseminate and any amount of analysis may prove futile as they can tend to be a mirage than can hoodwink in the opposite direction. Rahu can give enormous amount of success and at the same time is also completely capable of derailing. Rahu's dichotomy is hard to assess but Gemini which is a sign that's said to be favorable for Rahu can be said to be more positive than negative. Her Lagna Lord is well placed in the 5th house but is however combust by a debilitated Sun. 5th house shows one's creativity and inclination but not necessarily power driven. Also the Government related planet placed in a sign of fall does not bode well for the highest placement of power. The 10th Lord of power & hierarchy Jupiter going to the 12th also doesn't give much to write home about. Her 11th Lord of desires though being well placed in the 2nd indicates gains in wealth but again being debilitated gives a tinge that something that she's working tirelessly may end up being snatched at the last moment. The Moon is quite strong placed in the 11th house in Ashwini Nakshatra indicating someone swift and always on the move.

As per planetary sequence Kamala Harris is running the Dasa of Rahu at the moment. She did attain the post of Vice Presidency during it's tenure but whether it can go a step further and give her the ultimate hegemony of President ship has to be wait and seen. One can never discount Rahu and if it gives it can just shower unenviable level of success and power. She would also be running Venus sub period within Rahu and this certainly is a positive because Venus happens to be the most beneficial planet for a Gemini rising. As per transit, her natal 10th Lord Jupiter would be in the 12th sign of Taurus but however from Moon it would be in the 2nd which is beneficial. The roles get reversed with regard to her running Dasa Lord Rahu. It would be in 10th from Ascendant but 12th from Moon at time of announcement of winner. As per chakra sequence, Kamala will be in her 61st year marking 1st year into operation. She has her Ascendant and Rahu both within the 1st degree and at the time of results which is virtually within a fortnight of her birthdate they will be extremely active. Rahu can usurp her to greatness or can end up giving her a steep slide downwards. The Lord of the house Gemini however though placed in 5th is combust with a fallen Sun and may not connote positivity.

Looking at things from the Panchanga elements, there is a similarity between the two candidates as both of them are born in the full moon Tithi of Pournami and also in the same Karana of Bava. Many successful personalities are known to have a full moon birth and also the Karana is indicative of leadership trait. Their Nakshatra's are an anatomy of each other with Trump's Jyeshta being placed in 8th from Kamala's Ashwini. Also these 2 Nakshatra's are said to oppose each other and definitely not a good combination for working together. Kamala is born on a Tuesday whereas Trump took birth on a Friday and coincidentally both the rulers of these days viz Mars & Venus sit in Cancer in their respective charts. With regard to Yoga, Trump is born in Shubha Yoga where Sun attains prominence whereas Kamala is born in Vajra Yoga which makes Moon the planet of importance. Both Sun and Moon happen to be well placed in Trumps and Kamalas chart being housed in 10th and 11th place respectively.

Thus seeing at things from various angles:

Horoscope Potential: Trump seems to ace it here

Dasa Sequence: Advantage to Trump 

Transit in Operation: Better for Trump on the whole

Running Year: A mild fillip to Trump mostly because 7th house is stronger than 1st house

Panchanga Element: Quite neck to neck and evenly matched

Thus, from the outset it looks like Trump holds fort on most cards but however the underlying factor of Rahu can change things drastically. Rahu if it does turn in the affirmative for Kamala can see her horoscope potential getting a huge boost especially with it also being the current Dasa Lord and also the fact that it will be 10th from natal Lagna in transit plus also the fact that Rahu will get activated as 1st year will be running at the time of results. Now whether it works in the positive sense or negative sense we just cannot but have to wait with bated breath and see the eventual outcome. However since most of the factors seem to favour Trump and also the fact that in regular astrological parlance Rahu is generally perceived as more of an illusion and soaked in cynicism, one can expect that Donald Trump will just about be able to pip Kamala Harris to the post of US President in the race to the White House.

India's insipid performance at Paris Olympics 2024

It might be hard going hammer and tongues at a nation who ended up winning 6 medals and came agonisingly close to doubling it's tally but that's just not what the underlying story connotes. A benchmark was set at Tokyo 2020 and expectations were rife that India will emulate the feat and make a few steep steps forward. But instead, it ended up being a horror run when viewed at from the larger picture. In a sentence it can be summed up as being underwhelming, uninspiring and simply not good enough.

In a relative sense, this would mark as India's most poorest showing at the Summer Olympic games. Expectations were running high but they were dashed and the eventual outcome ended up being pretty sub standard to say the least. The whiskering misses hurt terribly badly and adding insult to injury was the fact that the truly deserving never had the luck going their way. Even those who won, it appeared that there were reasons to believe that an extra yard taken could have yielded higher and richer dividends.

As the final curtains drew a close, India which sent 117 participants as part of their contingent finished at a poor 71st place out of the 91 countries that ended up winning medals. It could have been much higher but the complete lack of Gold medals and just a solitary Silver ended up meaning India was pushed to the brim as the tally standings taken into account gives higher priority for the Golds won followed by Silver and only after that the total medal count gets precedence. It was unfortunate because India finished much lesser in the table than countries with hardly a handful of India's population size.

Let's look at the list of those who claimed medals for India in the Paris Olympic Games.

1) Silver - Neeraj Chopra - Javelin

2) Bronze - India Men's Team - Hockey

3) Bronze - Aman Sehrawat - Wrestling

4) Bronze - Swapnil Kusale - Shooting

5) Bronze - Manu Bhaker - Shooting

6) Bronze - Manu Bhaker - Shooting

If finishing 4th was equivalent worthy of winning a medal, then India's list would have usurped significantly on the upside. Let's take a look at those agonising oh so near yet so far 4th place finishes.

1) Manu Bhaker- Shooting 25m Pistol

2) Arjun Babuta - Shooting 10m Air Rifle

3) Lakshya Sen - Badminton

4) Mirabhai Chanu - Weightlifting 49kg

5) Ankita Bhakat & Dhiraj Bommadevara - Archery

6) Maheshwari Chauhan & Anantjeet Singh - Shooting

Looking at those who actually garnered medals, there was still a tinge of disappointment in a few cases where there were hopes of something even better. For instance Neeraj Chopra who won the Gold and brought the country laurels back in the previous edition at Tokyo couldn't repeat the feat and had to settle for Silver. The disappointment was writ large for Neeraj though it's still a commendable feat winning back to back medals in successive olympic games. The Men's Hockey team repeated the achievement at Tokyo by claiming Bronze yet again in Paris. Having said that this was a golden chance missed to win Gold as India came astonishingly close to defeating Germany in the semifinals. They should have actually won that game if not for a plethora of missed opportunities within the box.

With respect to 4th place finishes, it's a clear case of mental fortitude missing and not able to extract the killer instinct in the clutch moments at the final hurdle. There were so many cases of faltering due to nervous frailties getting exposed at the most crucial stages. In the Badminton especially young Lakshya Sen virtually had the semifinal in the bag against the eventual gold winner but a melt down saw him losing focus and allowing his opponent to turn things around. A similar story repeated in the 3rd place finish as well. This could be attributed to lack of experience and being unable to land the killer punch but when it comes to the Olympics it only takes place once in four years and you don't get such memorable opportunities to create history every time. Manu Bhaker who was the out and out starlet of this Olympic games for India having won 2 medals also faltered at the last ditch in winning a third medal which would have been an unprecedented moment in the history of Indian sports.

Lastly one other monumental miss which ended up eventually being the biggest controversy of the Olympics was Vinesh Phogat being disqualified on account of being over weight by as minuscule as it can ever get. This was perhaps the biggest heartbreak moment for India because there was a clear Gold there for the taking. Vinesh was in full momentum after thwarting the defending champion Yui Susaki's unbeaten run of 82 consecutive victories and looked well set on course to register India a Gold medal for the ages. But alas it wasn't to be and it all had to happen just literally hours to go before the final showdown. Unfortunately an appeal for Silver also was rendered negated and she was stripped off without any medal to showcase. It could have easily been a tally of 13 medals accumulated if not for the verdict on Vinesh and if and only if those 4th place finishes could have gone plus one up but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.

India has made rapid leaps and strides as a country to reckon with and is now considered as one of the economic powerhouses in toto with the United States and China. But when it comes to sports especially in the form of Olympics which comprises a number of track & field events India seems to be languishing right at the bottom with virtually countries hardly even visible on the world map overtaking it. This is definitely not something to be proud of and India needs to make major amends if it is harbouring hopes of hosting an Olympic games and wanting to be a sporting powerhouse in the near future. The objective this time was to attain a goal of at least a double digit medal tally but it ended up being way short albeit it was well within reach considering the factors at play. Irrespective of the outcome, bygones are bygones and India needs to introspect and set the ground work in place right away for Los Angeles 2028 to ensure the disappointment does not repeat and it's only onwards and upwards from here on going forward.

When Aasa Kooda meets Tauba Tauba!

The current hot favorites in the reel world happen to be Aasa Kooda and Tauba Tauba. Both these numbers are instantly catchy & peppy causing a rage in the world of socmed. Almost every alternative sound byte comprises either of these two foot tappers and inevitably one tends to get on to their dancing shoes at the mere listen to these bits.

Catching on with the hype, I simply tried to blend or rather meet these tunes on the veena.  While it initially seemed odd to link the two as they happen to be differently constructed, the underlying punch of the dance element made it apt to bring both of these together within the same umbrella. There is also a musical harmony associated as both these numbers predominantly use the notes from the minor scale of the ever popular raga Natabhairavi.

Hence just a random experiment of playing minor bits of both these crunchy crackling numbers which has taken the nation by storm. Hope I am able to capture the essence of these chartbusters to a wee bit at least.

July 14th comes back to haunt and the eerie similarity between 2021 & 2024

There were 3 highly anticipated sporting finales which got played out on the 14th of July 2024 viz

Wimbledon Final - Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz

Euro Final - England vs Spain

Copa America Final - Argentina vs Columbia 

The day was all set and it was imminently clear that it was going to be a sporting extravaganza of epic proportion and a blockbuster of sorts for the sport loving aficionado.

Sporting clashes have happened across different formats and dates earlier on as well. But what really caught the eye and makes this one Sunday special is because it associates itself to a few incidents of the past which ironically played out in the same intervening period but across different years.

Let's traverse back to the exact day of 14th July, 5 years ago in 2019. That very same day witnessed a Wimbledon final and the ODI World Cup cricket final. On 14th July 2024 also we had the Wimbledon Final but instead of the cricket we had the Euro Football final. The common player/team running across both these days were Novak Djokovic and England. In 2019, Novak Djokovic claimed the Wimbledon title in a match for the ages against Roger Federer and the England cricket team claimed the cricket World Cup final in a super over through boundary count in the final against New Zealand which was heralded as one of the greatest ever ODI matches played. 

Both Novak Djokovic and England appeared again on court in the final in 2024 and a victory for both would have made it extra special and a day to savour for eternity for both Novak Djokovic and England as a sports team but alas it was not to be as Djokovic was swept aside by the marauding young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and later on in the evening the England football team were humbled by a mercurial Spanish side. The 14th of July 2019 which bought joy to Novak and the England cricket team bought despair to the same Novak Djokovic and England football team on the 14th of July 2024. It was perceived that Novak almost did the impossible by saving 2 match points on his opponents serve to register a famous victory much to the chagrin of the partisan British crowd who were cheering and egging on Federer to create history in 2019. In a similar vein, it was also felt that the Kiwis were robbed off a World cup title in dubious fashion since the win was awarded to England in controversial circumstances. Both Federer and New Zealand felt dismayed on the 14th of July 2019 but things came back to haunt Novak and England in albeit a different manner by taking defeat off them coincidentally and ironically on the very same date 5 years later. Hence, there were a lot of coincidences and patterns emerging across these 2 dates 5 years apart but the result ended up being completely opposite from one another.

Talking of coincidences, there was one more eerie similarity taking place in 2024 but this time the year in question is related with 2021. The very same 3 sporting events that happened in 2024 also took place in 2021 just 3 days apart on 11th July 2021 and once again there was the common theme of one player/team being weirdly the common link across the 3 major sporting finales. 

Let's take a look at the commonality.

2021 & 2024 Wimbledon Final - Novak Djokovic appeared in both finals

2021 & 2024 Euro Final - England played in both finals 

2021 & 2024 Copa America Final - Argentina took part in both finals

The results however were a mix & match across these 3 years. Novak Djokovic emerged victorious in 2019 but came a cropper in 2024. England football team ensued heartbreak both in 2021 at home and 2024 in Berlin. The Argentinian team emerged triumphant on both occasions beating the home side Brazil in 2021 and winning the finale again in 2024.

Documenting the tale of sporting finales loaded with numerous twists & turns arising across different years resulting in so many weird and varied patterns indeed makes sport so very special and thrilling.

The Fallen has Risen - India's comeback turnaround orchestrated by 3 Crusaders!

India's conquest over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final 2024 has given it's players and fans much to cherish and rejoice with the manner of victory making it all the more extra special. India clawed it's way from a seemingly improbable situation to register a triumph for the ages and one which would be firmly and proudly etched in it's folklore.

Thus ended India's ignominious draught of not winning a global ICC title for over 11 years and not securing a World Cup for 13 years and not claiming a T20 World Cup for 17 years. The margin was as wafer thin as it could get and the way the team fought like terriers to ensure that the team will not be undone yet again on the big stage in a mega tournament final clash marks signs of a truly Champion side and deservedly so.

The team has gone through a lot across the last decade with consistent performances across the board but all to no avail. The slip ups always tended to happen at the most pivotal stage causing heartbreak time and again. It almost seemed as if a curse was cast upon the Indian cricket team as something or other was always preventing them from crossing the finish line. All the talk of 'Its just a matter of time' appeared to be slashed across the backside since the victory was eluding them for far too long to even contemplate a justification of any repute.

The seed of this particular success was however not sown just now. In fact, there is a long inglorious history associated with it which goes back plenty of years where different outcomes of trauma germinated in indirectly influencing this win and making it a dream come true with redemption being obtained in it's truest essence. Though this victory is attributable to the entire squad including the support staff as each and every member contributed in some way or other to make this feat attainable but for 3 of the members viz Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, this achievement means just a tad extra special considering the pain they've gone through to make this happen. These 3 architects projected the path ahead, transpired to make it happen and inspired India's journey to glory. 

First let's transport back to 2022. Rohit Sharma was appointed captain and was the man in charge of leading his side in the T20 World Cup held in Australia along with Rahul Dravid at the helm of things as coach. India won arguably the match of the tournament against Pakistan with a spectacular showing thanks courtesy to a masterclass from Virat Kohli. All these celebrations turned bitter as just a few days later, India came a cropper being pummelled by the eventual champions England on a day in which they were served a royal drubbing. Things got worse for this duo as they again lost the World Test Championship final in 2023 continuing on from their defeat at the same stage in 2021. When it looked like sanity will finally prevail with India claiming a home ODI WC in 2023 especially after being the most dominant team throughout the tournament came yet again a day of utter disdain with a nightmare being unveiled on the most important day as all the efforts put in throughout the tournament yielded no fruit with a really savage blow being dealt in the final against Australia in front of a billion fans.

Let's now map back to 2014 and the T20 World Cup edition in Bangladesh when this unfortunate draught got implanted. India came in as heavy favourites having just won the Champions Trophy few months back in 2013 and were looking to win their 2nd T20 World Cup. They breezed their way to the final only to be undone by an unfancied Sri Lankan side who came remarkably well prepared in the all important final thus putting a dent in India capturing a major title. This horror run endured from then on for the next decade till 2024. One cricketer induced with misery aplenty happens to be Virat Kohli. He was unfortunate not to be part of the winning side in the 2007 T20 World Cup but he has always been the key performer especially when it comes to this format and more so on the biggest stage which is the World Cup. Both in the 2014 & 2016 T20 World Cup editions, he was the stand out player by a country mile but India as a team again diffused at the big stage losing in the finals and semifinals respectively. If the T20 format was his undoing in capturing a victory for his beloved nation, the despair only extended further with Kohli registering the highest ever total runs amassed in any ODI World Cup only to again be on the losing side in the final of the ODI WC 2023.

We will now go a step further way back specifically to 2007. The current coach of Indian team Rahul Dravid was granted the leadership role and expected to take India all the way after the shattering defeat encountered in the 2003 ODI WC final. When India was hoping to go one better, what ensured was the lowest ebb in India's cricketing history as they bowed out in the very first round causing utter humiliation and disgrace. The whole episode was taken so badly that effigies were burnt of the players by the general public. This turmoil and outcry led to Dravid being stripped of the captaincy in what could said to be the lowest point of his career. As a player, Dravid was a class apart and considered one of India's greatest servants but it was indeed sad that he could never be part of a world cup winning side. He did make amends by coaching the U-19 side to a world cup triumph after failing in his first assignment but striking gold on the second occasion. However one always felt that the man deserved a hurrah with the senior Indian cricketing side as well and when the chance came to take the perfect revenge by avenging the loss as a player in the WC final of 2003, the same story unfolded yet again 20 years later in 2023 as a heavily favoured Indian side had it's worst day coming to a halt on that ill fateful day in Ahmedabad. Dravid also decided to quit as coach after this debacle but was coaxed by the camp to stay on for another 6 months till the T20 World Cup 2024 which he reluctantly agreed.

For Rahul Dravid, to end his career as coach by leading India to a World Cup trophy is a perfect testament dedicated to his greatness and mental toughness. This was at the very same Caribbean 17 years prior in 2007 where he went through horror of the highest magnitude as captain of the Indian team in the ODI World Cup. Also in this particular ground Bridgetown, Barbados that hosted the finale, India encountered an abject shameful defeat in 1997 in a test match against the West Indies where they were shot out for a paltry 81 chasing just 120 with Dravid being part of the team and seeing the collapse unfold. Having been witness to so many regrets running across multiple years, this particular victory to give Dravid the perfect send off makes it so extremely emotional. He may brush this off as just another day as part of his duty but this redemption story certainly couldn't have been scripted any better. Witnessing him hold the trophy aloft beaming with pride unleashing emotions of every kind was truly a sight to behold. Similar is the case with captain Rohit Sharma. Anyone in his place could have just capitulated after what happened in the 2023 ODI WC final. But this man made Australia pay by playing a career defining innings against this very same team in this T20 World Cup by knocking them out and eventually leading his beloved side to a glorious triumph. He wanted this championship so badly and one could see how much this meant to him. Lastly for Virat Kohli to cap off his T20 career with a World cup title to go along with being part of the victorious ODI WC 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013 side places him on a special pedestal. He didn't really have the best of World Cups this time around but cometh the moment and cometh the hour, he showed his class by playing a responsible and crucial knock after the initial setback to eventually win the player of the match trophy in his last ever T20 World Cup match for the country.

The events that transpired on that eventful Saturday of 29th June 2024 at Barbados makes one believe that God truly exists as justice couldn't have been served in a more sweeter manner. The 3 visionaries deserved this redemption more than anything else and rightfully so. This also would rank tribute to being one of India's greatest moments in it's rich cricketing legacy and etched in memory as a day to remember for eternity in India's cricketing fortunes.

Cricketing Nostalgia Edition - Test Cricket of 2002, ODI WC 1999 & beyond

We were in the process of disposing off old items in the house when an old notebook running more than a quarter century caught my attention. I was quite fascinated to see that I had documented handwritten scorecard of all ODI matches played during the 1999 World Cup along with plenty of other notes pertaining mainly towards cricket, a bit of movies and some random scripts.

This was much before the advent of blogging came into existence. I recall around the late 1990s and early 2000s, most homes didn't even have a personal computer and it was only around the early 2000s that internet came into existence with the good old net cracker dial up edition which used to take quite a while to connect.

I had also incidentally penned a summarised version of the year 2002 that played out in test cricket chronicling on the major events that took place during the year. I couldn't beleive it myself that I took the pains to write about test cricket decades back when I was a wily teenager hooked on to the sport in a major way. Also looking at penning scorecards from cricket matches noted down from newspapers brings back a lot of vintage memories.

I am producing verbatim my write up of the year 2002 that was for Test cricket and sharing my hand written documentation of the 1999 ODI World Cup match played between India and Pakistan on the 8th of June 1999. A quarter century has passed since these events have occurred and looking back evokes memorable memories growing up in Chennai and falling in love with this wonderful sport of cricket.

2002 - The Year that Was 

2002 will go down in history as one of those years in which bat completely dominated the ball. It was also a year full of world records. Adam Gilchrist obliterated Botham's record to score the fastest double century. In a matter of few days, he found that his own record was broken by Nathan Astle. Incidentally Astle broke Gilchrist's record by 59 balls getting to his double ton of a mere 153 deliveries. Michael Vaughan scored the second highest runs in a calendar year ever with 1481 runs. The record still belongs to Viv Richards who amassed 1710 runs in 1976. If you thought test cricket was boring think again. Sri Lanka's 509 runs scored in a day against Bangladesh is the highest score scored by a team in a day in test history. Also other notable achievements include Inzamam Ul Haq's 329 vs New Zealand which was the highest test score ever by a Pakistani. The score also stood 10th on the all time list. Rahul Dravid became the fourth batsman in test history to score 4 consecutive hundreds in as many innings. Bowlers couldn't make much of an impact but still there were a few important milestones set. Muralitharan and McGrath became the 7th and 8th bowlers respectively to join the 400 wicket club. Muralitharan also equalled Hadlee's world record of 36 five wicket hauls. Shane Warne went second on the all time list for most wickets taken. Sachin Tendulkar joined the illustrious club of all those who have scored over 8000 test runs. He also went past Donald Bradman's record of 29 test centuries. Now he is in second position in the list of most number of centuries scored behind Sunil Gavaskar. For the first time in test history two teams India and New Zealand got bowled out for less than 100 in their respective first innings. In spite of this feat 2002 will be remembered as a year for the batsmen.

1999 ODI World Cup Scorecard - India vs Pakistan (8th June 1999)