REMINISCENCES

Hello all,

Remember the last post in which I wrote about the Mynah and the Crow. Well here they are, sharing a papaya . Then they will go about their respective duties, Mynah to his singing and the Crow to his what ever'

Today was Sunday, and after church I was just thinking , reflecting on my journey, as a coach and as a human being, I remembered a lot of guys who were at certain point of times were my trainees, and are now on their way in life . May be none of them became world famous, but I am sure that each in his own way , will contribute to humanity and will espouse the cause of kindness,cause I firmly believe that it is acts of kindness, both random and deliberately constructed, which will enable us in this troubled times to have hope

I remember NJ John, son of a great sports man. I remember the bond between son and father.I saw them butting heads, John was may be 12 at that time.It was in the crowded railway station of Trivandrum, and the shared love brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my soul. Johns Father, N J Jose, JOSE CHETTAN to me and TITANIUM JOSE to a multitude of football lovers to whom he brought cheer and happiness.I remember as just now , years back, when i was may be 12 years old, during a furious football match at the university stadium,Jose Chettan, wearing a striped black and white jersey, scooped the ball over the heads of two defenders who had cornered him and let loose a thunderous shot at the post.
I remember John as a u 16 player who knew his limitations and will play accordingly, but boy he never would let go. I remember him now heart broken after being left out of the team in spite of being the top scorer against Maharashtra the year before.
I see him now, a proud MBA holder,Wow John !God bless you and keep you

I remember Mahesh, aspiring wicket keeper, who came to me in tears and said in a trembling voice that the selector asked him whether he can bowl off spin. I remember him huffing and puffing during the off season conditioning camp, never letting go. I remember him showing the same grit in his fight against cancer. I saw him last month, dressed like a king, Praise lord, it was his marriage. yes he is married to a beautiful girl, an accomplished dancer and no doubt a good cook, but I doubt whether he has disclosed his fondness for fried chicken to his orthodox brahmim beauty. I wish him the very best in life

I remember Ramakrishnan,now the proud father of a beautiful daughter. I remember him as a teenager fighting his doubts but trusting in his ability. I remember him , fighting his way time and again in to the state senior team, only to be sidelined by devious captains and stupid coaches.the same determination, I am sure will make him a winner in life

I thank my lord JESUS for having given me the opportunity to witness at close range how men of strength and character emerged from the cocoons of clumsy teen age, like the beautiful butterfly emerging from the Grey shell of it s cocoon.I am thankful that I could contribute in my own way in their flight towards their destiny
There are many others, and I will write about them all in random

THANK YOU LORD FOR MAKING ME A COACH

sparrows , mynahs and cricketers

hi,
Well here I am, writing again. I guess that some things just don't die , they might fade way though.
The day before , I was in my nets coaching, and a guy called Arjun asked me why , some players are so good at cricket and why others were not?. I was stumped to say the least, I could speak on talent , genes , slow and fast twitch muscle fibers, enhanced rate of neuron firing leading to faster response to stimuli and all, but there was a catch, this guy was all of 8years old, and a philosopher in the making.
He aspires to be a wicket keeper and one day as I was making him do some drills with an agility ball, he missed some , stood with his hands on his tiny hips and asked me a question! How any years have I been coaching? I replied 19! He asked me again. Have you ever seen a ball that will bounce off at tangents in a cricket match? I was stuck for a plausible answer.
And now here he is with this question!
I took a deep breath looked around and saw a sparrow and a mynah. I asked him ,How awkward that sparrow is walking?He agreed, noting with glee that it looked like a dignified old man running after a bus. I shooed it and and Mr sparrow flew up. Wow , such elegance , such poise and grace.I asked him do you notice some thing? He said NO! Then the resident mynah started it beautifull song , I asked him to listen, He said wow!
There it was the answer to his question, I told him that not all sparrows are good runners but they are experts in avionics and the even though the mynah was not so hot in looks but his voice was tops .
Same way , some one must be good at cricket but bad at singing and still others good at writing.it is for each one to find out where his talent lies and endeavour to polish it till he or she becomes the gem, he/ she was designed to be by god.
Each child is a gift from god, special, with talents none else has. He or she should not be enticed, cajoled of forced to take up sports , profession or life styles which will kill the genius in them.

SO LET SPARROWS FLY, MYNAHS SING AND TALENTED CRICKETERS FLOURISH.

Speaking of talent, talent with application, dedication and single minded pursuit of excellence will produce results . look no further that Sambasiva Sharma. I remember, years back as he was struggling to come through the U 19 ranks. the state chairman of selectors telling me " This Sharma will never play quality cricket". But he believed in himself, his family supported him, he trusted me when I told him to switch to opening from middle order,most of all he worked hard. Look where he is now, the only player to score two centuries for kerala in a single match.

HATS OFF TO YOU "DEAR SAMBA" KEEP PUSHING AND AS I TELL YOU ALWAYS , "WHAT EVER HAPPENS . DONT LET GO!'

Y THIS SILENCE

hi all,
Its been quite some time since i felt like writing, cause the passion and love I had for this game slipped in to a coma on the 26th of October 2008, at the scenic Infosis grounds Mysore on being operated upon (lobotomy) by the eminent English and Australian bred surgeon Kerala cricket association authorities had brought over to revive cricket in this beautiful state.

He convinced me that my passion and enthusiasm for this game was misplaced and that i can never ever aspire to coach as I have not, in his words "played at the highest level". so here I am wondering why I have wasted such a large amount of my time . and what hurts most was that there was no one to put in a word for me.

"wasted, wasted"
I have wasted a decade in this futile pursuit in this state where there is ,
no honor for being true to your profession,
no compassion for the honest trier
no virtue in being honest and truthful
no one to support
and all to point fingers
"wasted wasted ! a decade wasted

solo, duet or symphony

Hi,
What is more pleasing to the ear, of all these and what does that mean to a cricket player.
What does a player need to become a complete cricketer?
what does a bird need to fly , to soar and to ride the winds.
Well two wings for sure.

What can be the two wings for a cricketer?

passion and vision!
technique and tactics!
strength and stamina!
speed and agility!
temperament and capability!
reflexes and quick reaction!
the list can be endless but i fell that he needs it all, in varying amounts maybe. so i think a cricketer will enjoy a symphony more than a duet or solo!
AND MAY BE HE WILL NEED MORE WINGS THAN TWO!

GOT MY POINT!

nothing of note

Hi all,
For a few days, almost a week , i been like the wizard in the Tempest , who has lost his magic wand. I could not get myself to write, let alone update my blog.
I write this one for Marjella, a fascinating woman from the U S of A. Brave, witty. cute, philosophical, honest and n most of all caring.She is persecuted, cheated by life and men but still has the most inspiring and cheerful out look for life. I wish her the very best in life and would do any thing to have a taste of her cooking, cause she is a wonderful cook, mother, and MARJE you rock!

Life is like a midnight rose
A thrilling poem not prose
On this journey many athing you lose
But its victtory for those
WHO TRY

Life is a pot of gold
Many a story has thus been told
Seek it till your old
But those who get it are the bold
WHO TRY

Life is an upset sea
Full of storms you see
The key word is we
4 THOSE WHO TRY

Life is a summer rain
Full of joys and pain
But to have an inch of gain
Try not in vain
THOSE WHO TRY

You might be wondering , what has this to do with cricket . well again the key words are TRY and WE
Try and try and success will certainly be yours. We , well i hope that you all guys know what TEAM means . Well it says TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE.
so the theme is , WE TRY, AND WE WIN

Zen, Zone and Comfort Zone

Hi all,
I was alone one day , at my coaching center thinking,meditating almost, and random thoughts came dancing in to my mind, till the diffused thoughts , oscillating at random attained a pattern and Voila !there was clarity.Wow ! This must be Zen ,The chan ,The dhyan , that can distill pure fragrant thoughts out of swirling insanity. I was at peace, in tune with the rhythms of life,
I could hear the song the brown bird was singing, better I understood the purpose. I could see why the ants were marching. time started to flow slowly and smoothly , like honey dripping out of the tilted pot.

I started thinking, as a cricketer, when does time appear to slow down and you can almost sense what is going to happen?
That is when you are in that elusive state of mind and affairs called the zone, where time actually appears to slow down, there is such clarity of vision and purpose of action. that the result , is but a foregone conclusion. Then , the player is said to be in his zone, where he performs to his max potential with seemingly no strain , and graceful in his movements, he appears to transcend time.

Well , now that you me and the player, knows what it it is to be in the zone,what prevents you from being there always? or how can you be there?
Well, i think one way is to stretch and come out of your comfort zone.You have to shift barriers always.Your goal setting has to be dynamic. KEEP CHALLENGING YOUR SELF, PUSH THOSE FRONTIERS BACK AND BEFORE YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE MORE TIMES IN THE ZONE THAN OUTSIDE

Foundations,Stock balls and Life

Hi,
Recently I was in Hyderabad, and the vagabond that I am ,decided to go walk about and what did I come across, This magnificent masjid near the famous Charminar , the edifice was imposing to say the least, adorned by minarets with a pond for the believers to do their ritual cleansing

.Wow ! I was spell bound, and I almost never saw the foundations, yet they were there, impassive , unassuming, reassuring and I knew for certain it was these foundations that gave, the minarets the confidence to soar so majestically, the columns the courage to hold themselves so high.

So does a cricketer need such foundations?

Certainly, His foundations are the , months he spend during off season building up his strength, stamina, speed, agility and technique. It really never shows, but you know these are the things that make him play that fighting innings in the hot sun staving off cramps and the intrigues of the wily spinner with deft foot work.

Spinner! Does he need a foundation ? If so, What can it be?

Let me try to answer that, the foundation on which spinner spins his minarets of flight, fancies and twists and drifts is his stock ball.

What is a stock ball?

Well in my opinion it is the ball, that he call bowl at any time of the day or even if called on to bowl from deep sleep. It is that length that he is sure of, the type of delivery that he repose his confidence in. On that delivery, he build his spell, and casts his web of deceit on the batsman. This is the foundation, that lends him the confidence to send down that arm ball that crashes in to the pads , the curling floater that drifts away leaving the hapless bats man stranded

Life also stresses upon the need for a foundation , a stock ball, that in times of troubles is a reassuring influence. When you begin unknowingly to doubt your self and believe in your fears, that is the time , when, values that your parents , teachers , elders, your good friends built up in you, your inner self , will hold you in good stead.

Values,like , integrity, honesty, sincerity, trust , kindness, care , concern, education ,willingness to share, willingness to confide and belief in your self, and belief in God.
THESE MY FRIEND I BELIEVE ARE THE FOUNDATIONS YOU CAN BUILD YOUR LIFE UPON

Hi all,
Thought I will add some color to the blog, well I hope that the chosen color is fine with you people.
What do i write about today ?

I am writing what i feel, no connection to cricket.

Please feel these words don't read them!

Sitting alone
stringing my thoughts
like beads on a thread
the thread snaps
the beads roll across
the sound

is it

my laughter insane

or
is it

the whimper
that shreds my
broken heart!

what is the wind?
but a thousand sighs!
what is the ocean?
but a cup of tears!

The big picture

Hi all,
I been away for a long time now , and i have my reasons too. I was away with the state senior team preparing to a pre season tournament.
The camp was in Cochin, enchanting place of Chinese fishing nets, lagoons , mysterious streets that lead you up to unexpected vistas opening in to myriad hues of green blue and splash of reds
,Well any other time, may be!
But now it was raining cats, dogs and a couple of rhinos, so the mysterious streets were now muddy to say the least, the sky a dirty slate Grey and you can ask any fellow traveler the roads are all fine , be it dusty or muddy but it is the washing that gets to you

So what do the guys do when you are forced to be cooped up in the room bursting with energy and practically nothing to do, you can be assured that sooner or later one of them will become a martyr. In our case the martyr was Sanuth, who in his innocennce proclaimed his date of birth which was the next day, and lo! the team organised an imprompto party . There was singing ,dancing and alot fun , but can you ever find out where the icing on the cake went?

If you cant, then take alook at the picture, Sanuth is not painted for war, but the entire team was of the opinion that, the icing made him presentable!

Love for Cricket

Hi all,
A well wisher of mine , pointed out to me, quite rightly too, that my grammar is horrible. I agree ,and to boot my spellings are even worse. Let me defend myself saying that grammar lies in the analytical brain, while I write from my heart!

As I came to the ground today morning my eyes fell on the score board standing forlorn in the corner of the ground, and i saw the total score, it read" I L U" or I Love You. a true cricketing lover with an artistic bent and lateral thinking capability must have visited the ground before me.

That set me thinking; why this love for cricket? this passion,urge, why?
I see every day people from different levels of society , struggling to make it big, to make their name, and cricket is a great leveler.

I see the guy who comes in the fancy car helping the cobblers son in his functional drills, I see the Kerala captain Sony correcting a 15 year old guy who has not still earned his cricketing spurs, and it warms my heart!

Is it not the perfect Utopia which Christianity envisages. Is it not the perfect world , where all are equal, which was propounded by Marx and Engels , sans the class struggles.
The only struggle is between bat and ball, between driving mind and tiring muscles, between the brain of the spinner, with his flights and deception, and the twinkling feet of the batsman. In spite of all these grim struggles there are smiles all around, the appreciative pat on the shoulder, the glance that says it all.Its all there in CRICKET
No wonder they spelled it out " I L U"

I too love you,Cricket, this wonderful game, that touches us all and enriches all of us in so may different ways

Science or Art

Hello all,
Glad to be back to writing after a few days,
Let me start off with an apology and a warning;

1.The apology; I was not able to write for a few days, kindly forgive the break

2;The warning;I am a start-stop-start writer

Today was another rainy day, and when I say rainy, its a bit of an understatement, as the two photos show, they were taken in space of 3o minutes and while I was hunkered down in the confines of the room adjacent to the ground,mind you all, it was not a cozy room , the roof was leaking all the time and the spray was drifting in along with a chilly wind.

This was the ideal scenario for the philosopher in me to take over and I started ruminating,
Is cricket a Science or is it an Art?

What do u feel?
To an earlier post, a reader, knowledgeable and by all, I feel a good cricketer, had posted a comment which was illuminating to say the least. I salute your knowledge and feel for the game Mr Abhi.I hope that this post will be of interest to you.

I feel that the Science is in the execution of the skill and the Art is in the eye of the appreciative beholder.
I will explain,

The eye sights the ball. the brain takes over, computes the trajectory and pace of the ball, suggesting an area of impact, the brain in conjunction with previous experiences derived from memory decides on the best possible response, here lets say cover drive. proper footwork makes sure that there is a marriage of stability and mobility, ensuring that the body levers are aligned and the summation of force is in the proper direction, and the ball is hit with required force.

What all sciences where at work here?
Let me count. Bio Mechanics,Exercise Physiology, Psychology, and what else?. OK
Kin Anthropometry ,excuse me have i got a spelling wrong?I have an excuse,
I am a poor speller. hahaha

Now where is the Art?

The art is in the glorious arc of the flashing willow, The art is in the innate timing,The art is in the sweet sound of the ball hitting the bat, The art is in the speed of the ball across the lush green, finally the Art and the enjoyment is in the heart of the beholder(In all our hearts a little David lives, thirsting to vanquish the giant Goliath), who roots for the under dog, relishing the way the diminutive batsman dismisses the flaming red missile hurled by the menacing fast bowler to the pickets with a wave of a flimsy piece of wood. Is that not magic?

Oops, is Magic an Art or is it a science?

YOU DECIDE

Imitation

hello all.,
they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, yes , i believe that, but to imitate a cricketer! For a budding player, well that can be a tough ask, and foolish to say the least.

Why?
First of all what do u copy?
U tend to copy the exaggerated mannerisms that make up a players persona,
Fine with me, turn up ur collar , swagger to the pitch with chewing gum in your mouth, some times your mouth is so dry that you hardly find any spit, . the white sun screen , the zinc that makes up the warrior face, take a look at the guy above


OK, now for some serious brain jamming; what can u imitate, what cant you?

Never imitate a style of playing a shot , or delivering a type of ball,
WHY?
U have to differentiate between Style and Technique, so
What is Technique?
It is the most efficient way of performing a task, lets say a drive.
and it becomes a particular players STYLE when that player executes that technique taking in to consideration, his own physiological characteristics and bio-mechanical limitations.

so many players fall in to the trap of trying to copy the style of a player without understanding , the solid technique, the physiological and bio-mechanical factors that lead to the technique being displayed by that player in that manner, and end up as poor copy cats or even worse

eg: try being an other Murali and get called for chucking
try being a Pitersen and get out LBW

MORALE

Copy Technique, Not Style

MOST OF ALL TRY TO RETRACE THE STEPS THAT MADE THE STAR WHO HE IS TODAY, AND YOU WILL SEE BLOOD, LOTS OF SWEAT, TEARS WIPED AWAY. AND STEPS CLIMBED, WHEN ALL THE OTHERS ROOTED FOR FAILURE, AND MOST OF ALL THE BURNING DESIRE TO SUCCEED AND THE BELIEF THAT HE COULD AND HE WILL

coaches and cooks, do u see the resemblance?

hi all,
its been a few days and the fault is entirely mine, apologizes are due , and hereby tendered.
as the headline says ,there are a lot of similarities,
well good cooks and good coaches don't spoil the dishes and players.
lets find out, what all goes in to a great player
1. raw talent
2.good technique
3.proper application
4.temperament
5.fitness
6.dash of luck
they say cricket is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.

now what goes into a great chicken roast,
1. a good fresh chicken, properly dressed.
(raw talent)
2.proper pot and pan
(good technique)
3.spices to taste
(proper application)
4.salt to requirement
(temperament.
5.correct cooking time
(fitness)
6 garnish and dress
(dash of luck).
can you see the similarity now?
there are more , any thing out of proportion will spoil. too much spices will spoil the chicken and too much emphasis on technique can mar the performance.
so what is the morale ?
a coach and a cook should, know what to add, how much time to marinate( off season training).
and
MOST OF ALL KNOW WHEN TO LET THE PLAYER AND THE CHICKEN BE, GIVE THEM TIME AND SPACE TO BRING OUT THE FLAVORS, AND TIME TO MATURE.

SO A TIME TO BE HANDS ON AND A TIME TO BE HANDS FREE , AND ENJOY THE RIDE

HAPPY COOKING(COACHING)

the scream in my soul

every day at least 40 trainees of different age groups come to me for training, some are talented, some are not. some are driven some have to be driven. some have a passion, in some the fire burn low,their embers have to be stoked, fanned until the fire burns bright. some are mentally agile,others quick of feet and eye.
BUT WHAT MAKES A PERFECT CRICKETER? IS HE BORN OR MADE?
i don't know

but i am afraid, that i cant live up to their expectations. i am scared that i cant equip them for the battles that lie surely ahead of them.

the more i read and learn, the more i am convinced that i know but little.
the more i plan and formulate , more and more variables creep up
the more i think, the more confused i am

i wish that for those who come to me for training, i can be alil of all they want me to be when they need me.

trust worthy, so that they can confide their fears
reassuring, so that i can soothe them
knowledgeable, so that i can teach them
honest, that i wont fail them
that i be their COACH
help me be all that, dear GOD

pain, gain

there is an often quoted saying# no pain no gain# but the pain must be for a purpose, in the limit of tolerance.
why this topic/ u might ask, well today, at the fag end of the workout, one of the trainees, mr chatergee said he was in pain and i the philosopher replied, pain at birth, pain at death and the victorious smile in between.
its good to b philosophical when some one is playing the game. u r just an analytical observer.
A work out or a program should have an aim, a logical beginning and end building to a crescendo at the midst and tapering to a low intensity drill. and the player should have an understanding to why he is doing this.
My friend nothing comes easy, all the hard work u do in the off season pays off when u run that winning run at the end of day when ur legs are leaden, ur lungs burning and ur heart says quit! but your warrior soul says no! i can and i will!!.
So my friends, any pain with a purpose pays off, like what the great cricketer said`what comes out in the flood light in the circle, is what u did when no one was looking at u, the rounds u ran in the rain. the weights lifted, the balls knocked in senseless ( u felt so at that time) batting drills, catches took when ur palm stung.

IN THE END MY FRIEND, THE WILLING ALWAYS WINS!

rain , pain

yeah, rain can b a pain, but u can do a lot when it is raining. fitness, fielding, functional trg to charge up ur batting and bowling. its like life when
your constrained from action , ur mind , takes over, visualizing, planning , dreaming. i don't think that u have to deserve to dream, u can dream and then work towards realizing ur dreams. that's when a thinking cricketer emerges, he thinks his way out of problems he faced earlier on the field. that takes us to planning
what is planning?
its is how u decide to tackle a problem with a well thought out line of action.

for that u should have,1- knowledge uf where u in terms of technique, tactical awareness, fitness etc
2-what u wanto be
3-in what time frame
then u sit down and think it over
but rains can be a time when u work on your turf wicket project too.
so r rains a pain,NO NOT IF U CAN THINK LATERALLY AND GET DIRTY BY WORKING ON UR WICKET AND ADD A LIL BIT OF DREAMING

spellings

i seem to get my spellings wrong every time i write on any thing that tugs at my heart, is there alink between ur heart, fingers and brain,
that can b short circuted by some emotions?

how to say no to feilding practice

fielding drills can b a bore at times, trainees find different ways of saying no please. this doggy was ok with the chasing and catching, but for the throwing part he begs to differ

kp

well in a couple of days, pardon me three to b exact kp will be gone from kerala. to the relief of some, joy of few , and loss for many. how can u define him. friend, yes he was to many , to me certainly. but for all his friends in the phone book of his very busy mobile, how many were his friends? he was at the beck and call of all, putting all his priorities off and running around for others. how many were there for him when he neded a helping hand, a hug , apat on the shoulder telling him , tomorrow can b better. i saw few!
to the players their chettan wont b there,to get them contracts, to fight their cause, project them, protect them. i saw even today kp on his bike bringing a player from aleppy to the ground for practice, putting him up in his house. i know for sure he has spent at least a couple of lakhs on players , not just from tvm but from all over kerala.

What was he for me? friend? yes, brother? more than one
i wish him all the very best and i know for sure that what ever he does, what ever assignment he takes up it will b a success cause i know that he is sincere, dedicated, hard working,diligent , honest and god fearing

I wish him all the best

ramblings

can u equate a spider to a spinner, spinning his web and looking so Innocent, till the fly is snared. turn, turn then the straighter one and the poor batsman is left in the lurch. but occasionally the spider nets a powerful gnat, and woe to the poor spider,his web is tattered the gnat is the victor. today in the nets our poor spinner of a spider was bowling, spinning his web of deceit to the batsman till with power full trademark shots the web was broken , the ball soaring to the skies, the characters in today's play. spider played by Shiju. and the powerful gnat Mani alias the great Amp.

i guess the most frustrating career in kerala is that of being a cricket coach, there is minimal support, maximum criticism, i feel so stuck in a rut. i feel like going away. i should try get a transfer , move to a place like sikkim . or such , where u r not judged by the way u look or who u know.here every one thinks that to be a good jockey, u needed to b a race horse till u retired. i know that i am not, and i will not b accepted fully, cause , i have not played first class cricket . never mind , the blood sweat and years of back breaking toil i put in for kerala cricket in the hot sun, oh its so fustrating! some time i feel so blue

cricket and intelligence

often i wonder, are intelligent players better cricketers or are better cricketers intelligent? if u are a cricket follower in kerala, let me give u some case studies: me sanuth the state u 19 captain is very good in studies, scoring a+ at will, but he plays often daft shots and gets out: case2; shiju vs the most outstanding oneday player in the domestic circuit can hardly spell his p and Q`s. or P. prashanth u can harldy call him an einstein but give him acricketing problem on feild and he comes up with surprising solutions. but the big daddy of them all was aplayer called govind, intellectual, studious, now actively pursuing a n it career in the us of america, intelligent in all ways of the world , but his on feild antics and on road driving skills plus management skills shown in the alteration of his bike earned him the title of MANDAN govindan. ps; the tiltle is being actively pursued by sanuth

feilding

fielding can b a bore at times

cricket on rainy day

+

cricket and rain , is there a heavenly connection, i certainly think so. but the trainees certainly dont seem to mind, instead they seem to lose years of their biological age,eg; in the pic u can see a trio of 19+ cricketers acting like nursery kids and enjoying them self too.

why bee not be

when i wrote bee in stead of be,(what can heaven bee), have u ever noticed the connection between bees and cricket. well they usually get every one, even the most pompous umpire to dive for cover, when they conduct an aerial route march over the cricket ground.

THEY IMPOSE

cricket

what else can heaven bee, a lazy, hazy summer sun filtering through the bordering trees on to a lush green meadow, the smell of linseed on new willow, the feel of leather on your palms,the sound of ball on bat.