https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/random-forays-adapting-to-real-life-from-screen-life-101647125596418.html The re-population of campuses and offices have given rise to several piquant situations, especially for teenagers who had taken to the ‘screen life’ like ducks to water, but now find themselves befuddled by ‘normality.’ The re-population of campuses and offices have given rise to several piquant situations, especially for teenagers who had taken to the ‘screen life’ like ducks to water, but now find themselves befuddled by ‘normality.’ Several spoof videos have come up illustrating the same, for instance the first meeting of a boss with his ‘ultra techie’ junior who is feeling ill at ease in the absence of features such as mute buttons and text chat boxes in real life! Hasn’t many a rebellious teen longed for a real-life mute option when being scolded by a parent, elder sibling or teacher? Virtual has become the new normal over the past two years, so much so that special courses have been introduced in the western world on how to interact with people in a real world! In any case, not many societies are as heterogenous as Indian communities, and many westerners may find it uncomfortable to interact with different kinds of people. In India, which is known for its diversity, people have found it slightly easier to return to fraternising with others, which is good with colleges and school campuses once again abuzz with hordes of youngsters swarming common spaces, cafes and squares. During my visits to Shoolini University, SD College and CGC Landran last week, it was a delight to be able to address actual audiences. Zooming to the campuses in a car was a much preferred experience when compared to a Zoom call. One could, however, sense the after effects of a long hiatus from social interactions in the manner of students. A clear hesitation in asking questions and a slight shyness in speaking before a group of people were indicators of the long period of relative seclusion that the youngsters had experienced. But once the ice had been broken, even if it took a while to thaw, their reluctance to express themselves gave way to a warmer acceptance of the need to be social. Some seemed all the more eager to speak and be heard, as if their fizz was coming to the fore after having been bottled up for long. The youth of the world has had to put up with even more stress than other generations during the pandemic. They have struggled to come to terms with missing out on the important years of their high school or college life. Conversations over coffee or even Maggi with their mates in college cafes have been denied to them for 24 months. They have become used to video chats and texting and forgotten how to actually look at and listen to another person. And the same is true for younger as well as older human beings. But the youth need counselling and care because their vision of life ahead has become blurred in the recent circumstances. Even in the best of times, young ones find it difficult to understand clearly the options they should opt for, given the fierce competitiveness which reigns in the present era. Communication, as always, is the key to resolving mankind’s problems, whether between warring nations, or with confused minds. Psychologists and well meaning counsellors aplenty are needed to assuage the trepidations of the youth at large. The elderly, too, are delighted to have come back to life as it were. At a recent wedding ceremony I spotted people hugging each other after a long while. And their mask free visages, adorned by newly rediscovered smiles, were a joy to behold. Some more than others of course! Human memory is rather short as we all know.Very soon, the ravages of the pandemic will become distant memories. We will probably have a laugh or two at our own expense and at our masked ways. Yet, the need for conversations and understanding between human beings has never been more pressing as it is now. We need to talk and listen to each other a lot more than we do. Relationships and friendships need to be bolstered by the balm of oral communication accompanied by nods, handshakes, pats on the back and eye contact. Social skills are the skills that we all need to possess, going forward. No amount of technological advancement can take the place of coffee and conversation.

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ipl-2024-gujarat-look-to-get-back-on-winning-tracks-vs-inform-hyderabad-23342272 After shaky start to season with one win and a loss, India player Shubman Gill & Co will need a solid all-round performance to overcome high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad today It will be a battle of contrasts on Sunday afternoon when hosts Gujarat Titans take on the high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad on a sweltering day at the Narendra Modi Stadium here. Gujarat are still smarting from the 63-run defeat they suffered at Chennai Super Kings’s home ground in Chennai on Tuesday, while Hyderabad are high on confidence after outplaying Mumbai Indians by 31 runs in a match that saw a record total of 523 runs. The Hyderabad batsmen had a superb run in the first two outings, with their team crossing 200 on both occasions. On the other hand, Gujarat’s batting has struggled a bit, with only Sai Sudharsan (45 and 37) showing a bit of spine. The rest of the batsmen have failed to build on their starts. Gujarat did well to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against MI, but the Sunrisers are in a different zone altogether.  Hence, Gujarat will find the going tough. Shubman Gill & Co will have to show that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Before the first match of the season, Gill said that the team had collectively come together in the success of their first two seasons when Gujarat won in their maiden season and finished runners-up to CSK last year. He was referring to the absence of Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami. The time has come for Gill and the team to prove that, as a unit, they have it in them to counter any opposition. The skipper will have to lead from the front and start scoring like he did last season. Azmatullah Omarzai, Hardik’s like-for-like replacement that GT acquired, will have to step up and perform with ball and bat. He has the potential, but needs to fulfil that promise. Klaasen, the key for SRH For the Sunrisers, Heinrich Klaasen is on song, having hit 15 sixes in two matches. Although the South African wicketkeeper is at ease against the tweakers, his duel with GT’s wily Afghan spinner Rashid Khan will be interesting. The Gujarat batsmen have struggled against seamers in their first two matches, and Hyderabad boasts of a formidable pace attack, led by Pat Cummins. The Aussie has fond memories of the Motera venue, having won the World Cup for Australia here four months ago.  He also marshalled his resources well to halt Mumbai’s march while chasing the target of 278. It will be interesting to see if Cummins’s astute leadership and marauding batsmen continue their winning streak or if Gill takes a giant step forward as captain to get back to winning ways. The victor will join the top four teams in the 10-team league.

https://revsportz.in/ipl-2024-13/ There was a special quality to T Natarajan’s bowling in the Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday evening. It lingered even when it was overshadowed by Andre Russell’s hitting and Harshit Rana’s bowling in the final over of the match to snatch a four-run victory for Kolkata Knight Riders over Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-arm seamer’s skill did spark a deeper reflection on the contemporary cricketers’ worry about their workload in the wake of injury and time spent in rehabilitation. In the past couple of years, India could have done with Natarajan’s bowling but he has chosen to be a white-ball specialist, much to the dismay of fans. Of course, Natarajan’s bowling on Saturday augurs well for Sunrisers Hyderabad as he finished with the best figures in the match – three for 32.  He claimed the wickets of Venkatesh Iyer and KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer in his opening over, both to good catches, and added Rinku Singh’s scalp in the final over of the innings. His eight-run final over amidst the carnage inflicted by Russell broke the momentum and infused some hope in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp that it was a target that they could chase successfully. Had it not been for Rana’s final over when he had only 13 runs to defend, Natarajan’s bowling would have featured in more conversations. However, that he has not played a first-class game since the amazing Brisbane Test ended on January 19, 2021, is a matter of concern. He gave up red-ball cricket because he was unsure how his body would hold up over four days of a match. To be fair, he was included in the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy squad this season but did not seem ready enough to be picked in the XI. It would be unfair to dismiss his choice as a result of the financial attractions that the IPL holds for cricketers. For, that would be overlooking his tennis-ball cricket background – where bowling yorkers is a necessary skill – that may have left his body fragile and more prone to injury. Be that as it may, the cricket romantic will want all Indian players to be playing all formats of the game. It is a blessing for cricketers like Natarajan that they can choose formats to appear in. However, a sprinter or a javelin thrower or a butterfly-stroke swimmer does not have such options. How do such athletes manage to return and perform at the highest level without worrying if their bodies will hold up? Back in the 1980s, we were in awe of how Dennis Lillee returned from a severe back injury to bowl full tilt, enthrall the crowds, harry and hurry the batters. The lessons he learnt in reading up and breaking down his bowling were of immense help when the present Australian skipper Pat Cummins faced a career-threatening back injury. By all accounts, part of the athletes’ rehab process, across disciplines, focuses on developing greater mental strength to come back to deal with a full load. The ability to read the body is a critical part of the process but the best athletes around the world feel stronger and hungrier than ever for success when they have recovered from injuries. The realisation of not being able to adjust to not being a sportsperson is one of the key drivers when athletes come back from injury and rehab. But the thread binding all sportspersons has strands of motivation, attitude, fortitude, discipline and resilience, each as integral as the other to their mental make-up. Rishabh Pant has these traits to stage a comeback after a debilitating car accident. Yet, it would appear that this mental aspect of the rehab is mostly being overlooked in Indian cricket. It is understandable that back in the day there were no specialists to assist cricketers with the psychological part of recovery and they depended on friends and mentors to hear them out. But now, it is important that BCCI works to put more players on the park across all formats. Natarajan himself may want to work with a strength and conditioning coach to try and overcome the ill-effects of the intense effort he would have put in when playing tennis-ball cricket in his developing years. The wise point out that there is no guidance to such cricketers in their formative years and they end up abusing their knees, elbows and shoulders. Besides, in the next few weeks, if Natarajan can have conversations with Cummins, his skipper, about the art of returning to and stoking the hunger for red-ball cricket, he will do himself a great deal of good. And perhaps end up an inspirational story in the annals of Indian cricket, rather than be seen just as a quality bowler in the shorter formats of the game.

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/ipl-2024-unbeaten-titans-to-take-on-mumbai-indians-at-motera-23341290 Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya looks to carry the legacy of predecessor Rohit Sharma against former team Gujarat; Shubman Gill excited to begin his captaincy career in Ahmedabad All eyes were on the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch four months ago when India played Australia in the 2023 World Cup final. On Friday, two days before the first IPL match at this Motera venue, no one bothered to have a look at the uncovered 22-yard strip. It was all about Hardik Pandya on his home turf in a new avatar and, as the Mumbai Indians’s (MI) new captain, his equation with India skipper Rohit Sharma. Everyone was following Pandya and his interaction with Rohit. Even if there was awkwardness between the two, it was impossible to judge that from 60 yards outside the boundary line.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/randomforaysamiable-humans-and-their-sneezes-101711227221268.html Allergy season is here! Stocking up on tissues and remedies is essential. Sneezing can be sudden and uncontrollable, but it’s a human phenomenon unlike coughs or hiccups. The sneezing season is here! People who are prone to allergies are buying tissues, lozenges and ayurvedic concoctions in bulk mode. A crisis could be just around the corner for them, you see. Unending bouts of sneezing uncontrollably can happen any moment to such ones. Moreover, there’s something very human about a sneeze that a cough can never quite match up to. A sneeze enforces itself upon a human being quite suddenly and undeniably. Milder occurrences like coughs and hiccoughs are hardly as challenging. Hiccoughs or hiccups as they are popularly known, can also be quite unmanageable as we all know, but they tend to occur once in a blue moon. A cough can often be suppressed for a while and one can even leave the room to cough outdoors at times. Especially if one is in a movie or a meditation session where people do not appreciate even the slightest disturbance. Sneezes are looked upon with more understanding by the neighbours in a bus or train. Unless the sneezer is an unusually loud exponent of the act! Some individuals, like my better half, sneeze so softly that one is left wondering whether she had sneezed or simply sniffed! Others like me can be heard in the next room and still others like my late grandpa could be heard down the street! In fact, the manner in which grandpa used to sneeze was quite an electrifying phenomenon. He would come up with a loud shrill one out of the blue and people in his vicinity could end up shrieking just as loudly! Especially if they had heard him for the first time. My Nani would not be surprised by his sneezing cacophony, but she would definitely mutter words of mild complaint at times, which he would ignore! Even the toughest of bosses are prone to succumbing to a bout of sneezing or even hiccuping. And they somehow lose their toughness once they have puckered up their nose and sneezed in full view of their subordinates. There is something innately human about a sneeze that makes even the most feared of men appear less formidable. Hiccups can be even more embarrassing at times of course. During a recent high-powered meeting, the boss was grilling the attendees ad nauseum. He went on and on bellowing at the cringing juniors. But he started hiccuping midway through the meeting. And try as he might, his strongly worded and scathing statements lost their bite appreciably since a loud hiccup would interrupt them! Shielded smiles and sniggers worsened his mood and he really lost it. But having sensed that he had been ambushed by a force of nature, he called the meeting to an abrupt halt. Much to the delight of all concerned! Sneezes are actually said to be the sign of good health in a way. While an infection or irritation may be the immediate cause, a sneezing person is not in bad health, say some experts. And despite some misapprehensions, the heart does not stop or malfunction when one sneezes. Of course the old adage says that “someone is thinking of you” when you sneeze or hiccup (they haven’t decided which one is a stronger indicator!). Five sneezes in a row are even stronger signs of a loved one longing to be with the sneezer, it is said. Some people usually tend to sneeze twice, others at least three times, and rare ones only once. I myself have found that I sneeze a lot in the morning during changing seasons and not so much later in the day. Homoeopathy has helped me get over a lot of sniffing issues but the sneezes remain a part of my mornings in temperate weather, come what may! People usually bless the one who sneezes. One wonders why such blessings do not flow to someone coughing, hiccuping or even snoring! Perhaps the level of annoyance that sneezes cause is not as persistent to the company one keeps! Thus one might receive a blessing or two for each sneeze, subject to a maximum of three! Be that as it may, please go ahead and sneeze once in a while. It is good for the health, I am told. And God bless!

https://www.mid-day.com/sports/cricket/article/nehra-hardik-shami-are-big-shoes-to-fill-23340239 Nehra, however, insisted that the Titans had enough players to fall back on, like veteran seamer Umesh Yadav, who is expected to spearhead the attack in the absence of Shami, who is ruled out for the entire season Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra admitted that they will miss Hardik Pandya in the 17th edition of the IPL, starting on March 22 in Chennai. “Surely, GT will miss Hardik, but we have to move on,” Nehra said at a pre-season press meet here on Saturday. He wished the Baroda-based all-rounder good luck with the Mumbai Indians. Pandya was swapped for cash by the Titans to MI after he led Gujarat for two seasons, winning the title on the team’s debut before losing to Chennai Super Kings in the final last year.  “Yes, you can’t buy experience, but talking about Hardik and [Mohammed] Shami, what they have done in the last two years… to fill those shoes won’t be easy.” Nehra, however, insisted that the Titans had enough players to fall back on, like veteran seamer Umesh Yadav, who is expected to spearhead the attack in the absence of Shami, who is ruled out for the entire season. “Every year, new guys come and step up and that is how the team move forward. And in the IPL, every team has the luxury of 25 players,” he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/why-the-england-series-is-a-big-win-for-the-bcci-too-101709134685051.html The BCCI made a strong statement about supporting Test cricket, first by hosting a five-match contest and then producing tracks that produced quality cricket The scoreline reads 3-1 for Team India but the real winner is the BCCI, and captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are real heroes. Rohit for his calm composure and creating a stress free, enabling team environment. Agarkar for inspired team selection. India’s home record is phenomenal (undefeated in 17 series across ten years) but the England series is extra special. From the player performance perspective and the manner in which the BCCI has supported Test cricket. Unlike the past, the wickets were not akharas that turned square where every batsman is a sitting duck. This time they were challenging-batsmen required skill to make runs and bowlers were not gifted wickets by terrible tracks. Both teams made 300-plus runs many times. For England, Pope, Duckett, Root made hundreds and if others failed it was due to bad batting not bad wickets. For India, Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Gill, Jadeja made hundreds and if others missed out the wickets were not to blame. By producing decent Test match tracks, the BCCI buried the criticism that our ‘home’ wins were because of ‘manufactured’ wickets which give spinners an unfair advantage. That criticism is now dead – more so because Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep made vital contributions. The BCCI made a strong statement about supporting Test cricket, first by hosting a five-match contest (unlike SA where we played 2 games) and then producing tracks that produced quality cricket. All Tests were riveting; quality cricket with equal opportunities for batsmen and bowlers. Besides wickets, there are other reasons for BCCI to be happy? Alarmed by the trend of players prioritising IPL over Ranji and Tests the BCCI read the riot act to players, threatening them of ‘serious consequences’. The nature of these consequences were not specified but the message was don’t mess around, anyone doing so could lose central contracts/ be barred from IPL/ not considered for India selection. The BCCI acted swiftly to curb a disturbing trend where players (even domestic, non contracted) were openly disrespecting Ranji. Captain Rohit Sharma repeated the warning when he spoke about backing players ‘hungry’ for Tests. The BCCI is a winner in the sense that, if the England series is seen as an annual health checkup, the results show that Indian cricket is in great shape. Particularly gratifying is the finding that IPL and white ball cricket is developing players who can successfully transition to the longer format. That IPL can produce quality red ball players is a major victory for the BCCI because this is the path they chose. Dhruv Jurel surprised everyone by his remarkable maturity (and patience) but he is not the only one to demonstrate the benefits of white ball cricket. UP’s Sameer Rizvi, no tiger in Ranji but worth ₹8.4 crores in the IPL for CSK, smashed a triple century in the U- 23 tournament. Which shows that formats may be different but players learn skills needed to succeed at the top level. Till now the feeling was IPL stars can only conquer small mountains but won’t get past base camp of Everest. Now that perception has changed . The England series has also demolished the theory that Test cricket is a tough exam that only experienced players can ace. To everyone’s surprise India won with half its side missing: no Kohli, Shami, Pant. Jadeja and Bumrah available not for all games. That youngsters stepped up is a big win for Indian cricket. More bench strength provides options for selectors and sends out a subtle message that however big you are, the game is bigger. Nobody is indispensable and for every King taking a break there is a ‘hungry’ youngster waiting to grab his chance. In the England series, the BCCI selectors were on the top of their game. Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues are heroes because they chose youngsters, resisting the temptation of going back to Pujara when Kohli and Rahul were unavailable. The selectors rewarded Ranji performer Sarfaraz and gave Patidar an extended run, picked Akashdeep based on India A games and saw the spark in young Jurel, an IPL player. Also, don’t forget the tough lesson handed out to Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. The BCCI can righty look at Indian cricket and feel a sense of huge satisfaction. It runs the biggest cricket structure in the world – with age group cricket from U 14 going up to Ranji/ Duleep/ Irani more cricket is played in India than all other countries put together. The system is developing quality players, cricket’s conveyor belt is throwing up exciting talent and the WPL is a game changing moment for women’s cricket. Cricket’s fan base keeps growing, sponsors continue to queue up and the IPL is a monumental commercial success. So, whatever the yardstick, the BCCI is the MOTM.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/random-forays-those-walking-talking-joke-factories-101706415984061.html In a world filled with negativity, those who can bring laughter and humor are like beacons of light. Whether it’s through jokes, witty remarks, or funny stories, these individuals have the ability to uplift the spirits of those around them. From old-timers to stand-up comedians, their talent for making people laugh is truly remarkable. However, not everyone possesses this skill, and those who do not often struggle to elicit laughter. Despite this, finding humor in difficult situations and being able to lighten the mood is a valuable quality. Online joke factories and even everyday people like street vendors can bring smiles to our faces with their wit. In times like these, the ability to infuse humor into our lives is much needed. There are some rare beacons of light, those cheerful laugh-a-minute sorts. (iStockphoto) There is no dearth of gloomy faces in view nowadays, what with all sorts of negativism uninvitedly bombarding our consciousness. But there are some rare beacons of light, those cheerful laugh-a-minute sorts, who are ready hipsters when it comes to regaling us. Some old-timers are able to emanate warmth and wit quite effortlessly, at most times, no matter what the world is going through. Such gems remind me of my grandfather who would always be on the lookout for an opportunity to unleash his wisecracks. He would tell me to fetch the dust from the stars, for instance, when he wanted to read the Stardust magazine! My grandmother was so much in love with him that she would laugh heartily even after 60 years of being married; even when she had heard each joke a million times. A friend of mine, Manish Jain, is forever playing with words (and names), whether in real-time conversations, or on WhatsApp groups. He is lightning quick when it comes to responding to a comment that demands a funny repartee, while the rest of us are struggling to put our thoughts together. He has also probably undertaken a course in typing skills, for he wins fastest-finger contests hands down. Stand-up comedians, however, are a different species. They have to prepare, plot and plan. Even if they appear to be utterly spontaneous, hours of practice have clearly gone into the prep for taking the stage. Yet, someone like Kapil Sharma will be quick on his feet too, and will blossom forth with hilarious one-liners as the show goes on. And with comely damsels around, the man on stage suddenly evolves into an entirely charming species. The ability to find humour in duress is another matter altogether. Sam Manekshaw’s gritty words after taking nine bullets in the stomach were, “A mule kicked me!” Everyone cannot be like the great Field Marshal, but we can surely try to keep our chins up when testing times assail us. The online joke factories that abound these days are rather amazing as well. Within a few minutes of something major happening, there will be memes or witty forwards by the dozen, which more than bring a smile to our visages. My favourite recent online joke is about a young lad who was (wrongly) advised, by his teacher, to not worry too much about his spellings because autocorrect would always be around to correct him. He replied that he would truly be eternally “grapefruit” .for that advice! And while Indians might not be as famous for witty one-liners as the British are for their dry humour, we seem to be catching up. A recent visit to a small town marketplace brought out the humorous side of a “gol gappa” vendor. He appeared to be somewhat weatherbeaten by the vagaries of life, but he regaled customer after customer with his witticisms. The ability to infuse a general sense of humour into the environs that one works and lives in is perhaps a quality direly needed, especially in current times. It is another matter that light-hearted one-liners are often taken in the wrong spirit by grumpy others. It’s no use joking about a friend’s lack of driving skills, when he’s at the wheel. He might just prove you right! Be that as it may, my vote is perennially for the funny uncle or aunt, or whoever. May their ability to tickle our funny bones never die down!

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ipl-auction-is-about-the-team-not-players-101702825554767.html The auction is about strategy and vision as teams chase players who fit into defined roles. Utility more than ability, auction price demand and supply With ₹250 crore on the table for 77 slots, the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is compelling television theatre where all eyes are fixed on the paddle. If it goes up there is life for the player because an IPL contract, even at base price, is a career changing moment. It is an entry ticket to life in the fast lane with access to cricket superstars and social royalty. The auction is about the team, not players. Behind the spectacle of bidding is serious cricket and serious commerce. Players are bought and sold like art or vegetables, depending on one’s viewpoint, but it is the team that is more important. The auction is about identifying and acquiring talent, but this isn’t normal selection. When teams construct a squad of 25, players are picked in an unconventional manner. Cricket experts zero in on options through background work and number crunching. Then on the big day it boils down to market forces, which play out in mysterious ways, to decide who is worth what. The auction is about constructing a group which will navigate through 14 games and hence teams must factor in injuries, bad form, availability and pitch conditions while choosing players. The challenge for every team is to find the right players at the right price. The auction is about strategy and vision as teams search for players who can fit into defined roles. Sam Curran (IPL’s most expensive player ever at ₹18.5 crore) is a cricket lightweight, but Punjab Kings desperately needed a bowling all-rounder to fill a gap in their team. This highlights the point that utility (what the team wants) matters more than ability and auction price, of course, is impacted by demand and supply. The auction is also about luck, the X-factor, and a player’s fate is affected by when his name comes up. Teams tend to go hard in the beginning, not wanting to miss out on players, and names that come up later usually receive modest bids. In this auction, Indian batters will again spark a bidding war because they are scarce and every team needs their commercial brand value. Similarly, there is always market for foreign finishers and those with express pace. This cricket stock remains strong while all-rounders, once very expensive, are suffering a demand slump because of the Impact Player rule. The auction is about research and data plays a big role. Potential picks are put through a strict DNA test, a 360 degree check where every strength and weakness is analysed. Auctions now are scientific, far less dependent on gut feel compared to the past. Before the auction, teams do extensive prep, holding mock sessions and keeping an eye on interest other teams may have on particular players. Talent scouting for potential stars is now a key vertical in each IPL team. That said, auctions throw up googlies that disrupt carefully made plans. Multiple bids from competing teams can drive up price to an astonishing level and a team can end up, as someone observed, paying the price of a Mercedes for a motorcycle. The bidding process is dynamic and unpredictable and sometimes it just boils down to obstinacy — the owner/coach/captain is determined to get a ‘must have’ player. In which case the paddle keeps going up. So does the price. In Dubai on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see how Kolkata Knight Riders reset their team by filling 12 slots with the ₹32 crore they have. Having axed their entire new-ball attack (Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Kulwant Khejroliya), they have a lot of shopping to do. Royal Challengers Bangalore face a similar challenge because they let go most of their bowlers; perhaps they want to buy back Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Hazelwood (all expensive players) at cheaper prices. There are many other intriguing questions, specially about Indian players, in the auction. What kind of bids will Karun Nair or Manish Pandey attract? Will Shahrukh Khan get anything close to the ₹9 crore Punjab Kings paid for him? Same for Shardul Thakur, who cost KKR ₹10.75 crore? Are teams looking at Umesh Yadav and Chetan Sakariya? T20 cricket and IPL celebrate fresh talent and the upcoming auction will surely throw up new stars and staggering prices. But in this inevitable churn do remember Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla who carry on defying age, fitness and competition from younger players. The player auction is a means to an end — an exercise to collect players capable of winning IPL. CSK and Mumbai Indians are IPL’s two most successful sides, but both follow very different auction strategies. CSK play to their strength, maximising their home advantage by packing the team with spin options and all-rounders. CSK make few changes because master strategist MS Dhoni believes in continuity and consistency. MI are built around big players and big buys in the auction. Previously it was Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Tim David, Jofra Archer. This year, with Pandya already in the bag, who will they target?

https://www.asianage.com/opinion/columnists/201123/r-mohan-aussies-gatecrash-indias-grand-cricket-celebration.html They came like gatecrashers to India’s party and stayed to spoil it while winning the cup and the accolades. Australian captain Pat Cummins holds the trophy after winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (PTI Photo/ Manvender Vashist Lav) The Australians have won the ODI World Cup more than anyone else. Even so, as they went into an eighth appearance in a final, they were the underdogs against the red-hot favourites. They came like gatecrashers to India’s party and stayed to spoil it while winning the cup and the accolades. The brilliance of two men stood out as the Australians shocked a crowd of 92,543 into pin-drop silence at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The tactical nous of Pat Cummins, who saw the pitch as favouring a chase more, and Travis Head’s extraordinary assault on the Indian bowlers who had dominated the World Cup up to that point in the home team’s 10 wins on the trot to the final, were instrumental in bringing about a fairytale finish. In the end, Team India were hoist by their own petard, their penchant for “fixing” the pitch in which they would like to play their cricket boomeranging on them. Their all-round game had been so good that they scarcely needed to predetermine the surface on which they would play. It was their predilection to doctoring pitches to suit their cricket best that spoiled what was for a month and a half a long nationwide celebration of the Rohit Sharma-led Team India, who came close enough to attaining perfection in 10 wins. The middling form they were in, they hardly needed a used, slow, slightly underprepared pitch whose extremities resembled a patchwork quilt sewn to help the spinners. It was in conquering every adversity that the Australians stood out to hand the Indians a lesson on how to handle the pressure while ratcheting up efforts in the field a notch or two in a Cup final. It appeared the end of a decade of inability to raise their game in a crunch match was in sight as Team India roared into the final on holding off a challenge from the doughty New Zealanders. How they went into a defensive shell as soon as their captain, who had led the campaign with a fearlessness and an un-Indian disdain for personal landmarks, fell was the storyline that defined the final and sealed the destination of the handsome World Cup. India’s poor performance with the bat — only four boundaries in 40 overs after the captain’s dismissal to an extraordinary catch — could not have come at a worse time. Until that point, India’s pennant had been fluttering in the breeze with the nation’s soft power clearly on the ascendant as the cricket circus had moved from venue to venue among ten cities in an event that seemed to have all the trappings of a big fat Indian wedding. The private jets that flew into Ahmedabad for the final creating a traffic jam in the skies, the celebrities from showbiz, business and the world of power politics who had all contributed to making the IPL the biggest Indian sporting enterprise, the diehard cricket fans weathering the discomforts of stadiums not designed for their comfort and the sheer colour and raw emotions of sporting venues were on show at the biggest event on turf. The World Cup may have contributed generously to the Indian economy, which was said to have crossed the $4 trillion mark on the day of the final, but in a false dawn report. More significantly, the length, breadth and diversity of India was represented in Team India whose players, irrespective of their religion, caste, and creed, had united the nation like none other in its smooth progress to the grand finale. The man from the nondescript district with the exotic name of Amroha, Mohammed Shami, despite his marital troubles and questionable selection of the playing XI that saw him sit on the bench until Hardik Pandya got injured, was quite the national hero. There was an anticipatory buzz every time he had the ball in hand at the top of his runup, a rare tribute to bowlers in a “we want sixer” land obsessed with the deeds of batters. The logistics of the 10-team event over 45 league matches, and three knockout encounters, had been handled well enough and there was hardly a complaint about Indian hospitality save from querulous Englishmen who picked faults at every turn as their defence of the title descended into a shambles. Rarely has any of the 13 editions of the World Cup gone without the mice roaring at lions. The Afghan cricketers, virtually adopted sons of India in their Greater Noida lair where they train, were the ones who benefited the most from the exposure as they batted with remarkable maturity in run chases and bowled and fielded like natural adepts. The orange-clad men from the Netherlands had their moments in the sun too even as the highly fancied Pakistan team, amazed at the warmth of Indians recalling their close cultural links, enjoyed their stay before their cricket imploded, much after being beaten but not humbled for the eighth time by India in ODI World Cups in the first full house of the event. The New Zealanders and the South Africans were in it till the last four before their nerves were tested by the teams that made it to the final. As the crowds picked up with the intensity of competition throwing up closer finishes, more people turned up at non-India games — it was a pity there were very few cricket fans touring to cheer their national squads. Visa restrictions meant very few from Pakistan could make it. Attendance records at a multilateral event were shattered, once again signaling how India matters as a nation of spectators, even if they are stunned into silence when their favourite team does not get the