Howzzat!

Good morning Sir.....

All the kids were making lot of noise. Of course it would be wrong to
say that everyone was making noise. Sachin, who was sitting on the
first bench,was very quiet as usual. Only 2 minutes were left for the
teacher to arrive. At sharp 9, John Wright Sir enters the class.
Everyone take their place.
"Good morning everybody", Sir said. "Good morning Sir", everyone said.
Every one except Harbhajan. He was still learning English.
"Sat Sri Akaal Sirji".
"Ok, today we are going to learn about team spirit", Sir said.
"What is timspi rit"?
Well, it was Harbhajan again! Sir, many times felt that he should have
completed his English classes before joining this course.
"Beta, it is not timspi rit. It is Team Spirit" he said, trying to
control his frustration. "Ok boys, so let's learn something about team
spirit. Hey, Parthiv, how many times I have told you not to put your
thumb in your mouth. Now you are in big boys. So act like a big kid.
And how will you keep wickets if you put your thumb in mouth"
Parthiv doesn't pay any attention.
"PARTHIV", Sir shouts.
"Parthiv, take the thumb out." Sachin says in his too gentle voice.
Parthiv immediately takes the thumb out and says - "I will always
listen to you. Sachin Dada, You are my role model"
Sachin gives a TVS Victor smile.
"Grrrrrr.... I am the only DADA in this team! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
Sourav dada shouts from the last bench!
"Boys, don't fight. Today we are going to learn about team spirit.
Harbhajan! Why are you slapping Rahul?"
"Sir, he calls me 'Sardar'"
"But you are a Sardar, right?"
"Sir, but he says - I can bowl well only at 12 o'clock. And since
12o'clock is lunch time, I will never bowl well" - Bhaji said very
angrily.
"Rahul, I always thought you were a quiet guy like Sachin."
"But Sir, he calls me 'Tortoise' because I score slowly."
"But, they all call u Wall for your perfect defence, right? And you
should be proud of it"
"I was sir. But now I am not, because they sing a song - 'Rahul Dravid
the Wall, Can't hit a single ball'"
"Sourav, you are the captain of the side, you should make sure that
boys don't fight with each other."
"I tried, but they don't listen to me. Some of them still listen to
Sachin only." Sourav said dejectedly.
"Guys, no more fights. So we are going to learn about team spirit.
Team spirit is - playing for the team and not for yourself. Can anyone
give me one example of team spirit?"
Everybody remained silent and as usual started looking down.
"Ok, Nehra, give me a good example of team spirit"
"Sir.. I don't know any. But I know a good example of lack of team spirit"
"Ok, ok, tell me that."
"When Sourav comes near his hundred, he forgets the team's requirement
and plays slowly. That is a good example of lack of team spirit"
"Grrrr.... In the next match Ajit will play in your place. And you
will be the water boy" Roars Sourav.
"This type of fighting is not good for our team. Anil, you are a
senior member of the side. You should take care of the boys. ANIL!!!
Why are you looking at the board, look at me."
Some children say "soda buddi, soda buddi". Everyone laughs.
"Sir, I forgot my lenses today."
"So you should always keep your specs with you."
"But sir, then these people call me 'soda buddi'. Now I wear lenses,
so I am not a soda buddi right?"
Now Ajit joins the fight. " And you call me 'Diwali Dasara' because I
give too many runs"
Kumble defends himself, "I said that because you called me 'Navajyot
Singh Sidhu' when I said something without thinking."
Enough of this!!" Said frustrated John Right. "Guys, one thing we have
learned today and that is - there is no team spirit in our side. By
the way, no matter what happens, you should not call anyone 'Navajyot
Singh Sidhu'. That hurts. Now we have learned what is not team spirit.
Let us now see what team spirit is?"
Sir I have a shooting for TVS Victor" Sachin said. "And I have to go
for Coca Cola" - Said Sehwag. "Hero Honda for me" Sourav. "Jam jam
Jammy " Rahul said.
One by one every one left the classroom.
Only sir and Parthiv Patel were left. Parthiv was waiting for his mom
to pick him up. He still has his thumb in his mouth. Sir has anyway
given up on this side. "Parthiv, I am going to teacher's room. Don't
go anywhere. Your mom will come in few minutes. And don't forget to
take your water bag home."
Dejected sir went to the teachers' room, called the peon and told him
to bring a VRS form!!!

posted by Tyagarajan S @ 9:30:00 PM 2 comments

A question un-answered

....what the hell is happening? Just a few months back we were on the threshold of being perhaps the only team that had the right to challenge the australians for the mantle. A couple of months later we are beginning to look back at the time of glory with nostalgia. Bad news!

So what exactly transpired during the break that we had from cricket. A break that looks big when you compare our performances on either side. We come right out of and bam! we become losers. Is it complacency? Lack of match practice? or the controversial burn out?. Well , my guess is its a bit of both. But what is wierd is all the indian batsmen putting up a torrid display of batting. They look like little kids lost in the city when they come to bat. something is definitely amiss. A behind the scene controversy? . You can discount nothing. The 'dada' gave a lot of food for thought when he stayed out of the third test owing to groin strain. Strange though that he must strain his groin in the bed. Whatever did he do?

Now the indians must be a battered and bruised lot and not just from the defeats but from the scathing attack from all sides. well , u've got to learn to live with it if you are an indian cricketer.Any further defeats would be due to lack of confidence and the losing habit they've gotten themselves into. In this context the series against south africa is vital. Victory , however it may be , may just be the drug to revitalise this ennervated bunch of men to start a new season of glory. A defeat there too will herald a darkness over indian cricket which will hit a new low and will be accompanied by a lot of rolling heads and chaos.

posted by Tyagarajan S @ 1:28:00 AM 0 comments