Sportpersons should be their own spokespersons. If they want, they can hire some professional to speak on their behalf; but for God's sake don't allow your parents or any of your family member to do so; neither professionally nor out of affection.
When I think of Yuvraj Singh-- more than him; the images of his parents come to my mind. Images like, "Yuvi's mum at an NGO function, requesting media to spare her son" or Yuvi's dad, in some Punjab cricket ground, with young lads carrying on their cricket training in the background, Clarifying, "Both Yuvraj and Dhoni are close to my heart; whosoever becomes the captain is not something I give a thought about". The write-up needs to be to the point so, I better not drag the visualization further; but I underline, there are many such images.
I can't see a single instance when Yuvraj addressed the media the way his parents do. Some rare instances when Yuvi actually tried to take on media; give an impression of more self pity than the conviction of a person so much gifted; with concluding remarks like, "I think I have to act in reality shows soon". [NOTE: Journalists will laugh encouraging at such remarks from legends; as they like Legends fall more than they like them rise; but their laugh should not be misunderstood]
Alright, that may be Yuvi's method of clearing himself of the vicious attacks of ever scrutinizing media; but the method is surely not of someone in control.
Taking the debate further, I think media likes images that people can relate to. If you can recall, at one time, when Sehwag was hitting double and triple centuries against Pakistan; Media was knocking the main gate of Sehwag's Delhi residence many times in a week; asking his mom, "what are you preparing for your lad ?" Kheer ? (porridge made up of milk and rice). Electronic media took the cue from an ad in which Sehwag's mom is shown as a doting mother who prepares his favorite dish daily.
I want to bring the electronic media's obsession with images that too showing "a bonded family" in another legend, the skipper Dhoni. Call it emotions, Dhoni once told to his manager that when he used to be a kid, his mum would give him cooked rice and milk when he would return from his daily practice sessions. The manager, impromptu shared this bite with the world, in some talk show.
To some it'll appear entirely silly but for a long time, succeeding the revelation, Dhoni was asked the same question by all, junior senior, journalist of all types; but in a more maternal affection induced sentence(snow ball effect) "Dhoni tell our readers how your mum used to make you drink two to three litres of milk every day". Luckily, Dhoni was smart to evade the media trap. how? in concluding paragraph.
Yuvraj, though a very gifted and brave young man, has not shown the kind of smartness Dhoni and after a few trappings Sehwag managed to show. Talking of smartness metric in this regards, a famous proverb comes handy, "Some change their routes seeing the light, others do so feeling the heat". Still both managed their professional issues well.
Yuvraj seems unwilling to know; he is still not donning the role of the spokesperson for himself for his good. Dhoni, it appears, always knew, family and profession are two different paths. On the path of one's profession, one has to always travel alone.
To conclude, let I come back to how Dhoni evaded the media's love for images trap. When a senior anchor asked him, "whether he used to have two to three litres of milk daily?" Dhoni replied as a matter of fact, "how can it be that way, after all I come from an ordinary family."
Sportpersons should be their own spokespersons
shared by Anil Singh on Friday, October 08, 2010
how do you feel about yuvraj getting dropped from test team...?
shared by straight point on Monday, September 20, 2010
so yuvraj singh is dropped from the test team...and not 'rested' as they mildly put for more accomplished players...
he was recently dropped from an odi team owing to 'fitness and form' and then was allowed to sleep walk later both in test and odi team without proving either fitness or form so i am not reading too much into him getting dropped...
or should i...?
if i were yuvraj i would punish myself no less than spending a day with ijaz butt for squandering a spot which was presented to him on platter after ganguly's retirement... for not respecting the highest form of cricket enough although one can hear the tape recorded statements that how one loves and yearns to be a test cricketer...
he was seen as natural successor of ganguly but with more attacking game if not grit to fight it out... and that is where, i think, he let it go...
we might never know whether yuvraj could offer us only that much or with more application he had it in him to seal the spot for competition...
so on a day when yuvraj being dropped from the team seems much bigger news than the selection of cheteshwar pujara... sadly i don't feel sad about yuvraj getting dropped from the test team...
send him to domestic circuit...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, June 09, 2010
seems to be the remedial suggestion that has been given to yuvraj singh these days...
but does this common suggestion works with evey player irrespective of how much international cricket he has played...?
or to be specific will it be worthwhile for yuvraj after playing almost 10 years of international cricket...?
i am really curious to know... what yuvraj can learn in domestic circuit facing dindas... gonis in dead as dodo pitches that he cannot learn while facing steyn, anderson or bollingner at international level...?
in defence of yuvraj singh...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, June 08, 2010
so finally yuvraj singh got dropped from team india... and the best part is selectors are either being hailed or at least not questioned why he was dropped...
the reason given (although not given but assumed) that yuvraj had the most disastrous season of his career and his fitness level too dropped to alarming level so there was no option left to selectors but to drop him from the team...
but scratch beneth the surface and you will find many disparities with this assumption...
if yuvraj is dropped for his fitness... then why there are still some players in the team selected for asia cup who are as fat as yuvraj and are more drag in field than him even at his current fitness level...?
so is he dropped from the team coz of his batting failures...?!
in year 2009 he averaged about 39 with bat apart from taking 14 crucial wickets and in 2010 he averages 24 but he has played only 5 odis during this period... certainly not the numbers to drop a proven match winner coz i have seen lesser skilled player with even lesser numbers to keep getting the ticket...
yuvraj is a classical example of mixing chalk with cheese... coz he is dropped from the one day team for his batting form in t20 cricket...!
if the rules cannot be applied clearly and uniformly then why pick him only...?
It is their cities fans cheer for
shared by Anil Singh on Friday, April 02, 2010
The last post here took Sehwag’s 'take it easy' attitude in this IPL.
The post asserts Sehwag’s casual attitude to his elevated status in his IPL team.
And if some casualness has indeed seeped in some established players; then they should mend their ways before it's too late.
So not only Sehwag but none should take their positions too casually. And instead, try their best. If they perform below their potentials then contemplate on the deficiencies; so that next time no one points a finger at them.
Why I can say so, and how this extends the debate SP started in the last article?
My notion behind the assertion is simple: It is their cities fans cheer for
And any shouting support for individual player emanates from the same.
But on the opposite the criticism for a bad shot or a directionless ball goes to the individual player.
Players should keep in mind that in IPL, basically it's their cities that people love, and players come second. Fans affiliation for players emanates from their affiliation for their cities. So if a player changes the team the next season, people will stop cheering for him.
On a casual glance this seems very small observation, as most spectators are aware of this, but unfortunately players with weight either don't know or don't want to know. Keep aside Sehwag, even Yuvraj doesn't seem to acknowledge or is ignorant of this simple fact. And a rumour in this context proves this. Renowned blogger Soulberry recently said that if sources more informed are to believed then Yuvraj may be contemplating to move on to Kochi, the new IPL team for IPL’s next season.
If the rumour proves out to be true, then I think Yuvraj unfortunately is taking his position too casually or; mistaking the roaring support of the fans to his individual popularity.
So rather than sulk non-performing players should start contributing to their teams’ win, in whatever way they can; and should always remember, if they sulk and make it a reason for their departure from their current teams; then fans will pray for their bad form to continue and cheer for someone who either lives 1000 kms away or has to cross seven seas to play for their cities.
yuvraj is angry...
shared by straight point on Thursday, May 14, 2009
according to this story...
Yuvraj Singh is a very angry man and anybody in his team could be a victim of that anger at this moment if the performance is found lacking.
ehmm...rather than blaming all and sundry...what about looking within for a change...yuvi...?
let me help you...
more than the stats...can you remember how many times you threw it away after getting in...?don't be under any illusion just because you are captain...first set example by leading from front before pointing fingers at team mates...
jatman speaks but does the opposite...
shared by straight point on Thursday, March 26, 2009
on the field that is...
the bowlers did well... if we had taken catches, we could have probably taken seven or eight wickets today...
fielding and catching has to improve...
sehwag
very true jatman...
but can you explain what yuvraj was doing at slip...instead of you...?
but munaf fielding at point takes the cake for me above all field placements that you got wrong today...
yuvraj moves one step closer...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
this is what i said before the start of india-srilanka series...
i, though, rather than the series result...will be focusing more on how yuvraj plays mendis and even murli…keeping in mind that he is now going to be certainty in tests and I would like to see how much progress he has made as batsman to be qualified for towards this very fact…
and must say that he has grown more confident with each outing in this series...and when it was time to close the series he came with superlative performance...'ton'king M&M with ease that we have not witnessed thus far...
gk and upton are surely working with him and the brief given to him, as far as playing spin goes, seems like forget the last ball that beat you...if next ball lands in your arch turst your strengths to give it the treatment it deserve...
i think the 'chemistry' yuvi shares with dhoni...and that dhoni is now a permanent test match captain too...he finds himself lot more comfortable playing under him...coz we all know how dhoni backed him when he was going through lean patch in ODIs...
this series is happening just at the right time for yuvi when he is looking to find stability in his test career and the confidence he will take from this series will go a long way in making him complete test bat...
i can only imagine the plight of bowlers who will have to face yuvi and dhoni after aggressive start from sehwag and gambhir...and some solid work in middle by our seniors...
in tests that is...
update: here's a brilliant comment of gaurav of naked cricket on yuvi...here @ SP...
this guy is a form player, and if and when he can cope with drops in form, bide his time, he'll become even more dangerous. Cages will be called for. And signs that say, do not bowl to the animal.
training more important than tours...?
shared by straight point on Friday, January 23, 2009
p. gohi chand...the chief national coach of badminton of india...i just happen to come across this very interesting news...some excerpts..
Chief national coach P Gopi Chand has always believed that rigorous training is more important than competing in tournaments....
...In a latest case, India No. 5 P Kashyap and national men's doubles champions Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas have not been included in the squad for the German (Feb 24-Mar 1), All England (Mar 3-8) and Swiss Opens (Mar 10-15) as Gopi believes the shuttlers need to be training in their backyard.
impromptu...this thought came across my mind that whether this can be implemented in cricket where players struggling for form, temperament etc are sent to the rigorous of watchful training rather than allowing them to go on tours where they don't even find the time to work on some niggles that creep into their game playing in the era of back to back matches...
one such case which comes to my mind is of yuvraj...who inspite of having tons of talent has not converted it into sort of runs that is expected of such talent at test level...has often struggled with his temperament, attitude towards game and not to forget his obvious flaw against quality spin, can be beneficiary of this very policy...
but in the era of so much money and insecurity will any player risk his omission from a tour to work on his game voluntarily or in-voluntarily (like in this case)...?
one question...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, December 10, 2008
who will deliver...?two another captains...one question...
will my team turn up...?two players...one question...
will they perform...?YUVI & IPL...
shared by straight point on Thursday, April 17, 2008
love him or hate him but you can not ignore him...
same can be said about IPL...
the reason i have put Yuvi and IPL in same bracket is this...
its general feeling about yuvi (the test bat) that he has not paid back the investments india made on him...you look it from any angle and the grudge is justified...
he seems to be with team india forever and yet we see him warming the bench at test level...
yours truly too said in one of his recent post that he just want to be 'the yuvraj' when he can actually be 'the king'...
most of us agree that more than talent its his attitude which is the problem...
i can see you are already getting bored of this post coz its saying nothing new at all...
and where is IPL connection in all this...
wait...
as we all know from tomorrow onwards he will be captaining kings xi punjab...
so now he will have to take decisions...make strategies...plan innings...and all that good captain is supposed to do...
how he will cope with some stupid shot one of his player will make at crucial juncture...
how he will react to the player who he feel has the potential but not delivering the results matching the talent that player supposed to have...
and finally how will he manage the player with 'attitude' problem...
will responsibility on his shoulder for the first time as leader will change him...for better ??
will he come out sensible and sincere player with leadership experience...?
will he realise the same pain which he has been inflicting to the people who have invested so much on him...
will IPL make him understand what other's have failed till now...
i think it will.
do you?
PS: while you make your decision...enjoy this punjabi style unadulterated entertainment...no hold barrier...capsule...!!
KING, he wont be...
shared by straight point on Saturday, April 12, 2008
Fans and expert around world looking at you with doubts in their mind...whether you are good for test match level...
god send you an opportunity by first making room for you at the expense of injury to a senior guy...then by giving you wonderful platform to prove your metal...
two quick wickets...to almost unplayable balls...the stage is set...
you come to crease with an opportunity to cease the moment for your advantage...for once and all...coz if you succeed from here it will go a long way in eradicating those existing hanging doubts...
you get start...on difficult pitch...
things start to look relatively easy...after a while...
to the point that opposition looks at your mercy as you are not only getting runs but at good pace...
then what you do...
to their delight, give the initiative back to them on platter...
confirming that between great and good player...you choose to be later...
yes guys...i am talking about one and only...yuvraj...
who is resolutely, stubbornly sticking to being THE YUVRAJ (prince)...when he can be the KING...
mindBLOWING!!??!!
PS: the post was written when yuvi got out...but later as one would have found...dhoni too seemed more than eager to give company to his vice captain...which culminated perfectly with chawla's shot...
how i want gambhir, yuvraj and rohit to line up...
shared by straight point on Tuesday, March 04, 2008
and kick their a@@ till they are sore like hell and ask them to repeatedly say we wont gift our wickets like this...
special treatment should be given to yuvraj coz he is vice captain and he just dont seem to care about this fact...
i mean what they think they were doing there...oz were on mat...laid low waiting for their fate helplessly and what you do...offer them life on platter...
if not for anything they should have respected the fact that on other end there was a person who seem to be on the mission of life with great resolute and what they only needed to do was to be with him and support him in his mission...
irrespective of result of today's final...they needed to be told this lesson...much the same way as i mentioned earlier
do you agree...??
Saving Private 'Yuvi'
shared by straight point on Thursday, January 10, 2008
first of all let me thank uncle for including me in his final x1 as a young-angry-man...sorry mr bachchan, this title belongs to me now...
its indeed an honor uncle!!
now enough of pleasantries...back to business...
uncle made very valid point today in comments that even against club standard bowling yuvi (and Sehwag) could not score...and failed...
although i was more disappointed with sehwag coz he looked his usual good till he was out in the way he gets out...although must add that catch was just superb and on his day the ball would have went flying past slips to third man boundary...
but on second thought i got going for yuvi...
what happened to him?
in not so distant past he could not do anything wrong...till recent he was proclaimed to be in the form of his life...yours truly put a strong case of including him in final x1...and got my wish too...
but i don't know what has changed so much in this short period...
you cant blame pitches for sure...mcg and scg pitches were more like subcontinent pitches...with different address...
so what happened??
he looks all out of sorts...the way he is fielding...they way he is carrying himself on the field...i will ask deepika if he is different off field too but till then...
he seems disinterested...the intensity is simply not there...the sense of responsibility that the whole balance of the team was shifted to accommodate him...the focus...the purpose in batting...nothing seems to come to fore...why the same blade which used to send the ball out of park at will...has transformed into one which struggles to even touch the ball as if it will explode...
i am particularly worried coz when the fab four will retire in not so distant future...he is one of the guy who is supposed to be the core of team...
is he oblivious to this fact...or he simply don't want to take responsibility...or he can take us this far only with all his talent and abilities...was the confidence shown in his abilities was misplaced...is all investments made on him by india will yield only this much or there is twist in the tale...
any answers??
random thoughts....
shared by straight point on Thursday, December 13, 2007
with so many nicely put round ups...nothing left to add anyway...so here are my doosras...
those who still feel that kumble was not aggressive in declaration should read very nicely argued posts of fellow blogger kartikeya's discussing declatations...and friend soulberry's hope and hopelessness needless to say i totally agree with them...
at the risk of repeating myself (i have already commented this) i would say that don't get carried away by pak's 'india gate' kind of batting...the way they were getting out...and please uneven bounce was nothing to do with their dismissals...with bats at least a foot away from the line of bowl...would have embarrassed even club cricketers...
that result was possible irrespective of declaration timing but coz another team was hell bent on committing mass suicide...and surprisingly no one has uttered a single word on how pak batsmen started unfolding...
......
everybody seems unanimous that the misbah was the find for pak in this series...while not taking away any credit from him...of how he batted and how he saved pak from precarious positions every time without fail...and people all over calling him another 'wall'...worthy replacement of 'ul-haq' etc etc...
i would wait for another series...just for the reason that in virtually every innings he gave clear and grabable chances to our fielders in very early stages of his innings and had we got some of them his averages (and dare say series result) could have been very different of what they are now...specially after not so good SA series...i know that its not the fault of misbah and he did not let these chances distract him and build upon that...but you can not expect other team to be so magnanimous in their approach...so lets wait for another series...
.......
i still don't know what harbhajan has done in this series to be on oz tour...i thought he has already seen sydney...isn't it??
.......
i should also give credit where its due...me included...some of us infact...no...many of us questioned the probables selection but it also takes courage to correct mistakes...they should be appreciated for that and by giving kumble more say at team selection coz ultimately he is the one who is gonna face the music... they deserve praise too...although i still feel that they are taking one too many rookie in bowling department...but who knows??? this pankaj singh could well turn out to be another ace in a pack of cards??
.......
theories were going on that dravid will be asked to open the innings to accommodate yuvraj...and going by some reports in media even team management started thinking in this line...and suddenly we (and yuvi) see sehwag coming in...by all probability he will play in boxing day coz you dont want to look fool by selecting him only to warm benches out there...
sehwags selection is 'googly' for everyone...without going into that this is another 'feather' in kumble's cap without even landing in oz...that what this selection means to sehwag coz he would be headless chicken if he doesn't know already...i would be interested in how yuvi see this selection...
Way to go Yuvi...
shared by straight point on Saturday, December 08, 2007
if anybody had any doubt about inclusion of yuvi in final eleven...he should have seen his innings today...(at the time of tea, while writing this)
coming at pressure cooker stage of 61/4 and considering he was coming after long exile...what an innings he has played...he did not allowed the situation to get to him...though, understandably, started bit shaky but once he got the measure of wicket and bowlers on view, run started to flow...suddenly same pitch which was holding demons in it started to look 'flat'...the same bowling started to look ordinary...mind you pitch is still playing game...the bounce is inconsistent but such was the impact of batting it all looked so easy...
ganguly too played his role of senior guy to perfection, easing out anxiety (if any) in yuvraj by guiding him through his experience...he also started to match the flow of runs and played with some conviction...easily his best outing in recent memory...
coming back to yuvi, he is the player from the genre who will not only give their team enough time by scoring quickly but would turn the game on his head...the sort of player people spend their hard earned money to see the game...coz they will not only survive out there but make opposition team pay double the price till they will spent the time at crease...
i would go on to say that we would have won had he played the kolkotta test...he was the 'time difference' between the draw and probable win...
now even if he gets out at this score, he has done enough to merit a place in the team...and if this means dravid will have to open innings so be it...it will be the price our 'past' will have to pay for our 'future'...
Challanges before Kumble...
shared by straight point on Monday, November 19, 2007
As ayaz memon puts it in his latest column :
"He is confronted with his first dilemma much before the first ball is bowled in the three-match series against Pakistan which begins next Thursday. Can he afford to keep the world’s best player in limited overs cricket out of the five-day game?"modern cricket has changed so much that challenges before captains does not necessarily starts with game anymore and if you are 'newly' appointed to the job, knowing that you are warming the chair for another person to take over and that too almost at the fag end of career...the word 'challenge' acquired new meanings...
but if latest article of Harsha is to be believed, about the way kumble turned up for selection meeting, makes me feel that we are in for something special...
and first glimpse of this will be seen through his selection of final eleven....how he sees yuvi's recent exploits...what he makes of saurav poking at balls of akhtar's pace...how he interprets laxmans recent innings at domestic level (which are nothing much to write about)...the choice of second spinner and composition of team. will he go with the comfort of his tried and tested colleagues or will he choose to tread his own way at the cost of unpleasing some of them...
will he be the gentleman captain he is or will he be the fierce competitor and aggressive captain he is too...if he bowls less or more he will be attacked likely for under or over bowling himself...so how he will tackle always-on-your-face media...the (non)functioning of BCCI...and finally the big ego and mouth of DBV...
lots of questions...and the answers of these is with only one man...our own Kumble...so next few days curtailing to first test are going to be very interesting...
but something tells me that kumble having got the cap, which he desired so much throughout his career and was hurt for never treated as potential one, wont let this chance go away without stamping his class...the authority with which he bowls tirelessly...
one thing is for sure...we are in for some interesting time...
A Case for Yuvi & Sehwag
shared by straight point on Thursday, November 15, 2007
Before you start reading this blog...be warned of blogger's 'high handedness of english language'...though i wanted to start the blog much before but was bit apprehensive cause of reasons mentioned...i came thru a comment by soulberry somewhere that he has stopped reading Dilip's articles in CricInfo coz of so many grammar mistakes he makes or something of that sort...made me more nervous...
but comments from friends like homer and ottayam (forgive me for taking liberty of treating both of you as friends) has given me confidence to start it...so here i am daring to blog amongst the august company of well articulated, masters of language, definitely more knowledgeable guys blogging...
but i do hope that more than language i would be able to put across the message...so here i go...
----------
Although yuvi name does not arise so much of surprise as does sehwag's...for test team i.e.
For far too much time India is missing players who can crack the game open with their sheer talent and stroke play in Tests owing to various reasons not entirely of their control...
sehwag once considered second only to tendulkar was once even overshadowing him at one stage with his blistering strokes or else how many batsmen in world can boast of scoring almost double hundred in opening day of a test match down under!!
but with applause and media attention came some arrogance...some ignorance....towards the very game that brought him thus far...so we started to see different sehwag with heavy tyre around his waist...the once famous one liner 'the only difference between me and sachin is the bank balance' not turning up for practice sessions (as reported in media) not giving the post of vice captain of India the respect it deserves...and more importantly his own place in the team...and the most glaring aspects of these fact came in daylight for all world to see during SA series...
he was getting out in similar fashions during tests...one could say he always gets out in such ways...but difference to the past and then dismissals were that he was vice captain then...his dismissals had touch or arrogance and little respect to match and team situations... he kept on stroking balls same way as if to show to the world that there is nothing wrong in him and his form and that was sure recipe of disaster....
Same more or less with yuvi....although his case is more complex for not entirely of his fault though...he came in to test team with so much of anticipation...and started good with century against pakistan...and looked good for his future as well as team India...but then he was seen as threat to our reserved-for-life middle order of rd-sg-srt-lx...and there came the twist...as with sehwag's 'experimentation' of making him an opener...he was also 'guided' to become an opener so that the reservation policy of middle order is not breached...but he was not as lucky as sehwag coz he got confused....on how to approach his innings...
after sg's fiasco and his return to test team he got bit laid off thinking that now sg will not come back and taking things easy and thats where i think he faulted...
but now spending time in wilderness out of test teams (though yuvi has consolation of being regular in ODIs) they have come to know what it takes to be in the team...no amount of money...media adulation and 'difference in bank balance' can fulfill it...
thats why as Madan Lal says that there is purpose in Yuvi's batting these days he seems to have put his focus right up there and one can cleary see that its hearting him to no end to not to be in test team...that to not to be treated as good test match batsman that he is only respected for his ODI and more recently T20 flings...
and with sehwag...i still believes that he was and is not in the team not only for his performance only...and he too seems to learn his lessons the hard way...looking more fitter and eager and one can clearly feet the hurt thru his statements....the way he was running between wickets in his only innings since his comeback (???) of 25 odd runs proves the point...
But people like sehwag and yuvraj can not be judged only by career stats coz their value lies elsewhere....coz when they will be on roll they will win you more matches then all other guys put together...they are what we call in modern cricket as 'game breakers' and their lies their true values...unless we want to play cricket like the era of b&w movies...as once the test cricket was played...
ask Australia who they want to see bat against them the jaffers, the SGs or Sehwag, Yuvraj (and Laxman too) and you will get the answer...
by not including them in test matches against pakistan we are depriving ourselves to see what they can do together in a team...and if we can not even pick them against pakistan now, who are hurting badly with the absence of asif and huffing-and-puffing akhtar, then i wonder when...
India is in the brink of the start of toughest season and what type of players you would like to see in team...the ones who are eager...got some points to prove to the world or the ones who even at the best of their day can only provide so much...
the choice is ours....and as they say we will be right either way if we think we can or we can not...
now start shooting....
