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Was Rohit Sharma’s aggressive batting approach in the 2023 ODI CWC overhyped?

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Could Hitman have done things differently?

I felt compelled to do this post as a lot of talk is surfacing about Rohit Sharma’s participation in the upcoming T20I World Cup. His overall batting strike rate in T20 World Cups is less than that of Virat Kohli and one would expect him to follow the same batting approach that he adopted in the recently concluded ODI World Cup. I know a lot of cricket fans are coming to terms with the ODI CWC final loss but I strongly feel the need to get some closure on the disappointment by uncovering and showcasing strategies which don’t seem to be rooted in logic.

During the ODI 2023 Cricket World Cup, a lot of cricketers, both present and past, gave a lot of coverage to Rohit Sharma’s aggressive style of batting and credited him for setting the tone at the very top of the order so that the batters following him could capitalize. Rohit Sharma, very significantly, followed the same batting template in the final of the CWC 2023 World Cup and India ended up on the losing side. One could just say that the better team won and that the game is a team game and that responsibilities are shared equally but let’s look very closely at the context of the game before agreeing to the popular opinion that Rohit Sharma aka Hitman just wanted to “set the momentum” for his team members to take advantage of.

I beg to differ from the popular opinion but before that I would like to emphasize and underline the fact that I am a huge Hitman fan and that my analysis is not intended to put down Rohit Sharma’s batting approach but to just evaluate an alternate approach that could have definitely been adopted.

Let’s look at what happened in the final of the CWC 2023 again: India lost the toss and were put in to bat on a dry pitch that was supposed to be easier to bat on towards the latter part of the day. The Indian cricket team having had access to several data analysts and wealth of experience playing on different pitches (Indian pitches in particular) should have got a clear idea of how the pitch was going to behave in the first half. So, it is imperative to accept and understand that India knew how the pitch would behave.

Now let’s look at the batting approach that India took: Rohit went hammer and tongs as usual and was out to an incredible catch by Travis Head on 47. Was this ultra-aggressive batting approach in World Cup final really necessary considering the nature of the pitch? Earlier, in the league stage, India had played vs England on a similar pitch and Rohit was the top scorer (and Man of the Match) in that match with 87 (Suryakumar Yadav was the only batsman who scored runs at better than 100 SR with a score of 49). On several occasions in the recent past fans have seen regularly that Rohit Sharma is the best Indian batsman on spin friendly pitches. Most Indian commentators and cricket analysts will agree Rohit is more dominant and assured compared to Virat when it comes to playing spin.

Let’s take a slight detour: A few months, ago fans were flummoxed by Suryakumar Yadav’s horrendous form in ODIs and explanations given about his poor form indicated that Surya was more suited to the ultra-short format of the game i.e. T20 and hence was better suited to play down the order where the likelihood of playing many balls was less. In other words, simulating a T20 like situation within an ODI would help SKY plan his innings better. I personally feel that this concept is flawed as any batter who wants to make it big and is selected for a particular format, should tailor his approach according to the game situation and the format length.

Coming back to the analysis on the batting approach in the final, we need to establish some facts :

Rohit Sharma is not a pinch hitter. He is a proper batsman with the record for the highest number of 150s and 200s in ODI cricket. Read the previous sentence again and let that fact register in your mind.

The approach in the final should have been to bat through and try and keep the ball hitting along the ground as much as possible while taking calculated risks. The best batsmen are the ones that need to have more exposure, and everyone knows that including Rohit. Taking singles to get to a milestone may look like the tactics of a selfish batsman (Kohli has been unfairly accused of doing this several times in his ODI career) but when a milestone is achieved, it puts additional mental pressure on the opposition as the awareness that a milestone has been achieved plays on the opposition players’ minds.

Don Bradman famously used to retake his guard once he scored his century.

One could always argue that a sedate approach could have met with a different end also but Rohit’s ultra-aggressive approach was too much of a risk when the World Cup was within grasp. I personally feel that commentators and cricket analysts should stop calling proper batsmen like Rohit Sharma “brave” and “fearless” when they get out after a quick 40 in a 50 overs match. An opening batsman in ODIs has plenty of time to switch gears while batting first to set a total. You generally need to get just 10 to 12 boundary hits while focusing on reducing the number of dot balls faced to score runs at healthy strike rate in ODIs; Rohit being the opener always has the opportunity to face the maximum number of balls available to the batsman and can make always make amends especially in a format like ODIs.

I do wish Rohit Sharma gets an opportunity to captain India one more time in the Champions Trophy 2025 and bats with a more “selfish” approach by getting more hundreds and fifties and play an important role in winning the Champions Trophy for India.

Here’s why a personal “tortoise shell” is necessary for personal and career growth

FOMO is something that everyone goes through nowadays because of the deluge of new content on social media and content platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Visibility is given a lot of importance as continuous and multiple interactions are viewed as the recipe for increasing one’s sphere of influence. However, it is important to prioritize one’s own self development and spiritual goals and take a brief departure from the buzz of interactions. This stance can help you recharge and introspect about the way ahead disengaged from the outside world. So, deploying your “tortoise shell” needs some minor adjustments to your life. You can do this by following the tips outlines below:

  • Take a sabbatical
  • Take a break from your your social circle
  • Work on one or 2 high priority goals

Let’s look at each of the above in detail:

Take a sabbatical

Sometimes going through the grind day in and day out does not give enough bandwidth for a person to introspect and re evaluate one’s goals. I am not advocating quitting your job suddenly but if you feel that you need a change of pace and want to switch careers. It is advisable to time the sabbatical whenever you are switching jobs and the length of the sabbatical should typically be between 1 and 3 months for you to reset and unfurl your new roadmap.

Take a break from your your social circle

Sometimes a break from the social circle is best release one can get as one seeks to unclutter their mind. Outside opinions and external influences are difficult to disengage from when one seeks to make career/ lifestyle changes. The break from the social circle is something that you can time to overlap with your sabbatical time. This tactic is mostly recommended if you are a introvert or an ambivert. One can also consciously decide to not get influenced by any external influences for a period of time and still be in touch (but this requires great discipline as conversation threads can reverberate in your memory forcing you to second- guess.

Work on one or 2 high priority goals

Time during a “tortoise shell” period can be used effectively to focus on and pursue goals like doing a certification or course(s) that you feel will give you an edge. One does not need to broadcast about the type of goals that one is working on during this period as that would invite more opinions. Those very close to you (most times this just means family) are the ones that need to be in the loop as you make incremental progress on your goals.

So, there it is: my 3 point plan for resetting and continuous growth. The above 3 points need lot of planning and single minded dedication to execute. I would like to recommend 2 books that expand upon the principles that I outlined in this post: DeepWork by Cal Newport and 7 Habits of Highly Effective people by Stephen Covey. Hope this post helps you 🙂

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The New Age of Enticing Clutter

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In the recently concluded elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a second term. While I am not a huge supporter of BJP, I have always believed that a person needs sufficient time to effect lasting change and because of this reason, I was relieved to see Narendra Modi get a second term in a row. However, the tactics employed by the ruling party to garner votes and attention seemed to indicate general trend towards favouring the popular sentiment rather than what is logical or backed by facts.

All the campaigns were tailored to get mass appeal. There was a movie that was strategically released to malign a former prime minister. Another movie about Narendra Modi had to be postponed for release after the elections because it would surely have influenced the elections (however the controversy behind the stay generated enough attention to influence voters). Some of the methods were unconventional; an interview by a popular Bollywood actor had Modi reveal how Barack Obama was concerned by his excessive hard work. All these campaign had one underlying theme : anything to win (or) in more polished terms, All’s fair in love and war.

The opposing party was no match and could not mount a decent challenge to the extremely creative and focused election campaign tactics by the BJP. This points towards a possibility of future elections being driven by “mass appeal” generating rhetoric rather than messages of substances. Maybe, the society itself has transformed and is more sympathetic to the flashy campaigns as no one really has time to scratch beyond the surface? Let’s see and hope for the best..

 

 

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Book Review : On Writing by Stephen King

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Recently I read ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King and was intrigued to find out that one of the tips that King offers to budding writers is to read voraciously. Stephen King, himself, reads around 70 novels a year. What was surprising to me is that King advocates a method which focuses on sifting, borrowing and polishing other ideas. This does not necessarily equate to stealing from others ,but rather acknowledges the fact that there are very few truly original ideas and that new ideas germinate from a mixture of existing ideas.

This book also captures some of Stephen King’s personal experiences like how he survived an accident to write again. Stephen King is the author with the highest number of books that were made into films – 34 and his book ‘ On Writing’ offers more than a glimpse into how uncomplicated yet unconventional, his methods are. This is not one of those books which reads like an instruction manual. It offers simple and practical advice to budding writers and asks them to be patient in honing their craft.

Key takeaways from the book :

  1. Read a lot to be able to write a lot
  2. Be patient in honing your craft
  3. If you are passionate enough about your craft, the money will follow but Money should not be the sole motive.

Let me know your thoughts about this post in the comments section

 

 

 

 

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Dhak Dhak Dhoni

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Every person goes through moments in life where totally unrelated events,facts or occurrences form a sudden pattern in one’s mind revealing a totally new idea or concept.

I was reading Blink by Malcom Gladwell recently and something he outlined in his book suddenly gave me a totally different perspective. According to Malcom Gladwell’s research,when the heart rate of a person is between 115 beats and 145 beats even during stressful situations performance is optimal; beyond that your mind goes into overdrive and become mind-blind to reach a state of autism.This leads to “rush of blood” and foolish decisions.That is the reason why people are asked to take deep breaths during stressful situations as breathing in reduces heart rate and helps you think straight.

Okay,so now I have explained one fact. How is this relevant to the title of this article? “Dhak” is the Hindi word used to refer to heartbeat and Dhoni is the name of one of the most iconic Indian cricketers of all time.

Dhoni or MSD as he is otherwise referred to is known for his ice cool demeanor in crunch situations. After one more nail-biting run chase,he discussed his strategy to “get the heart rate down first” to then increase it near the finish line. After I read Blink,I understood the significance of what he said;when you remain calm and then up the ante suddenly, your opponent (particularly inexperienced players) is likely to lose composure and make mistakes which Dhoni could then capitalize on.

I am pretty sure that Dhoni would not have known the science behind the controlling of heart rate but nevertheless his razor sharp cricketing brain could see the connection.A valid reference point from this is that when one faces a dilemma of sorts in a pressure situation always strive to keep your heart rate down (by breathing in) to maintain mental clarity.

 

 

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Science does not equal Logic always

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Very often,I come across conversations in platforms like Quora and Facebook where someone immediately dismissed the point of view of the other person just because it did not sound “logical” or is supported by science. Science was regarded as the sole benchmark for their microscopic analysis. Let’s take a look at how unreliable this point of view is..

Though mankind has benefited immensely from the advances in science, holding science as a benchmark for any logical argument is well… not logical 🙂

Consider this: Light was established as a phenomenon that moved in a straight line. You could see that light moved in a straight line and so it was logical. Next, Light was proved to able to propagate in waves as well and that was accepted too after sufficient proofs.Very recently,neutrinos (that were previously thought of as zero mass particles) were proved to have mass.

Almost on a yearly basis, a new scientific study comes up that disproves or provides provides reasonable amount of doubt to question the status quo.Which brings us to this question:

Why believe completely in something that keeps evolving and revealing a new facet with the passage of time?

Having an open mind and believing in something because a control group supported that evidence is normal,enjoying the benefits of something that simplifies your life and promoting its efficacy is agreeable but passionately arguing your case based on “published studies” is a mile away from being logical as you never know what the future holds or what is going to be disproved in the future.

5 Tips to improve your experience as an Uber user in Tamil Nadu

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I have been using Uber as a ride sharing platform for a very long term and generally prefer it over other ride booking platforms like Rapido and Ola. My preference for Uber does not have any specific reason; I just like to ensure that I stick to one platform as much as possible so that the platform is able to offer discounts on future rides based on usage (this is not a promise that Uber offers, this is just my assumption based on experience).

I feel that Uber drivers in Tamil Nadu always try to bargain over the projected price and like to call out that Uber’s pricing of rides is unfair (to Uber customers) and that they were better off driving for the other ride booking platforms. I don’ t think this is necessarily true/ accurate as the prices keep fluctuating and as a ride taker one is always on the lookout for the best bargain rather than ensuring justice for the driver (which effectively means paying more).

Here are 5 pointers that will help you navigate trip price related conversations with Uber drivers:

  1. Always be aware of the total distance of your ride between start and destination points

    Most people do not know the approximate distance between the start and end points of their ride. A quick Google search is usually the fastest way to find out the total distance between the start and end points (you can even check alternate routes to determine if there is a shorter way to reach your destination). The reason this is important is you will be able to quickly do a mental calculation (or use calculator in your mobile if you are not Asian) to find out how much the fuel costs for that ride would be.

    2. Try to find out the type of fuel that your Uber vehicle is using

    This is important because the mileage of a vehicle depends on the fuel used and the cost of that particular fuel per liter. For example, petrol cars give a mileage of 12- 15 KMs and the if the total distance travelled is less than 30 KM, you can calculate the fuel consumption and cost incurred for the ride.

    3. Calculate how much of a profit margin is reasonable

    Most Uber drivers who seek to get more than the ride price try to project that their deal with Uber is not a fair one and that they are grossly underpaid. If you are aware of the fuel cost incurred by the Uber driver for his ride and add an approximate amount for additional factors such cost of depreciation linked to the vehicle wear & tear and driver engagement cost for covering the distance you will be able to understand how much profit that the driver is able to make out of a ride.

    4. Make the Uber driver aware that you are aware of the ride cost breakdown

    This is related to points 1,2 and 3 and you must use this tactic only when the Uber driver goes into a “sob story mode”, delves into great detail about how he is not able to make money on the ride and tries to guilt-trip you into paying more even after you clearly set expectations on the final price you will pay for the ride. The tone in which you communicate your understanding of costs involved depends on how receptive or belligerent the driver is.

    5. Don’t forget to review the ride

    A lot of customers underplay the significance of the review that they give the Uber driver after the ride and don’t bother to add reviews that truly mirrored their experience. This is a great disservice to all the future users of the platform as Uber (and I think most other ride sharing platforms) pay attention to reviews that flag that drivers demanded more payment and adjust the frequency of the rides allocated to the Uber drivers based on customer feedback. Uber drivers who try to bully you into paying more should not encouraged to continue their behavior with other customers and hence giving a proper conscientious review helps Uber serve customers better

    Summary:

    The reason I wrote this post is because I felt that Uber as a platform provides a lot of value to the users (both customers and drivers) but sensed that Uber drivers sometimes painted a picture of indifference/ exploitation by Uber. I guess sometimes Uber drivers have to try to their luck to maximize their profit margins per ride but in general if you are able to see that a ride costs 60-80 percent more than the fuel cost incurred for that ride, you can rest assured that the ride cost is reasonable. I do hope that all one day all ride sharing platforms like Uber, Rapido, Red Taxi and Ola (to name a few I am aware of) publish some kind of information to indicate that the ride price is reasonable so that the conversations centered around “unfair pricing” is minimized if not eliminated.

    Is Astrology a hoax?

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    When Stalin assumed the post of Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu after the recently concluded Tamil Nadu elections, a viral video that caught my attention showed H Raja, a politician commenting that he has researched Stalin’s horoscope and found that the there was practically a zero chance of Stalin becoming the CM. There was also an article that was published in a prominent astrology journal that ruled out his chances. There is a saying that “All’s fair in love and war” and election is generally a war of sorts but astrology should not be used as a weapon to influence the minds of people in any way whatsoever as it is could be utilized as tool of subversion on a grand scale. Let me explain:

    Astrology supposedly can predict the trajectory of an individual’s life based on his/her’s time of birth. A recent video I saw on Vijay TV shows a doctor pointing out that the time of birth in an overcrowded hospital (where multiple births may occur at the same time) may not be recorded accurately always. Most of the so called astrological based software that is used nowadays rely heavily on the time of birth of the individual. Also, the fulcrum of the astrological belief is that there are 9 planets which is in itself proved to be wrong. The fact that a lot of universities offer degrees in astrology makes it that much more difficult for the general public to decide on the genuineness of astrology.

    I personally do not believe in astrology as I have experienced first hand the death of a close friend of my family, ironically an astrologer, through suicide and because astrology has not predicted any major calamities like the tsunami or the coronavirus outbreak (the videos that are available on Youtube have included a lot of generalizations that could be interpreted in multiple ways). People in general are curious about the future and astrology helps to alleviate anxieties about the future and provide reasons for the shortcomings. Since astrology has a very heavy overlap with religion, people still consider it to be a central guiding force. However, what people fail to understand is that Life is in general a messy affair with several circuitous routes and it is up to us to enjoy Life’s essence without using astrology to predict all of Life’s twists and turns.

    To people who point about how there is a software that uses astrological principles to predict, let me point out that it is fairly easy to design software that publishes certain outputs for certain inputs (basically designing an algorithm to help make predictions in the way we constrain them). Also, just because a degree is there for a subject does not mean that it is a valid indictor for genuineness. All you have to do to design a course is to put together a curriculum and a community willing to swear by it. The reason I felt compelled to write this post is because I come across a lot of people who go into a shell (or) accept periods of inactivity just because an astrologer or astrology based app (more common nowadays) said that it is a “bad time” for them. When you accept that your temporary misfortune or lack of progress is due to “bad time”, you fail to grasp that failures help unearth valuable lessons for future progress. If you are a big fan of “The Big Bang Theory” ,there is an episode where the character Sheldon, who is shown as a scientist, laments the fate of people who believe in astrology and homeopathy.

    In conclusion, anyone who believes in astrology chooses to live a life restrained by verbal jugglery and non science.

    Check out my earlier post on astrology : Do Horoscopes give you a Plan B?

    The Great Indian Novel: Book Review

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    I was finally able to get some time to read a novel after a long time (I generally prefer reading non- fiction books) and chose to read Shashi Tharoor’s “ The Great Indian Novel“.

    The title of a book is usually the first thing that grabs attention but the fact that it was Shashi Tharoor’s first novel and that the premise of the novel involved the story outline of one of India’s greatest epics of all time, The Mahabaratha, was very enticing.

    My first exposure to The Mahabaratha saga was during my childhood when I saw some glimpses of the epic story telecast via TV serial episodes broadcast via Doordarshan. I never really understood the fascination at that time as it was too complex for my 5 year restless brain to dissect and assimilate. Coming back to the present day, as I read page after page of The Great Indian Novel my appreciation for the Mahabaratha and Shashi Tharoor’s talent to weave images of real Indian political characters into the story, grew manifold.

    Tharoor has drawn caricatures and camouflaged the foibles of India’s most celebrated political stalwarts who helped shape the destiny of the Indian nation (and Pakistan and Bangladesh). The novel is right up there in the list of best Indian novels as it uncovers several details which let the readers peek into India’s pre-Independence and post-Independence days.

    If you are looking for a quick journey that will help you understand the central theme of the Mahabaratha and politics of pre-independent India, The Great Indian Novel is highly recommended

    Should bowlers be expected to attack in pairs?

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    The IPL 2020 has shown us that innovation and unpredictability are still very much part of T20 cricket.

    A new tactic that some teams (Royal Challengers Bangalore being one of them)are starting to use during the Power Plays is bowling 3 or 4 different bowlers in a row. This is a very astute tactic as this gives the bowling team the option of maintaining the unpredictability and having the option to switch ends for the bowler who is deemed most effective.

    Batsmen who previously used to take a few balls to gauge the nature of the pitch and the bowlers lines and lengths are suddenly exposed to a lot of variety within a short time leaving the batsmen very little time to adjust and capitalize on the limited time afforded during the Powerplay. This effectively reduces the batting team’s run rate and increases the chances of wicket taking for the bowling team.

    The usage of this tactic seems to have various possibilities :

    1. Should bowlers continue operating in pairs for a spell in Tests and ODIs?
    2. Can having 3 or 4 bowlers operating in tandem force the batsmen to commit errors?
    3. Will this reduce the effectiveness of the strategy of having a left-right batting combination to induce mistakes due to frequent line changes.

    Let’s hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is over soon so that more cricket is played across the various formats for us to check if this strategy will evolve and be adopted.

    Which is better: Watching the News or Reading about it?

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    Recently I made a few changes to my lifestyle to increase my productivity and to decrease my stress levels. The approach I’ve started following is not radical in any sense but I would like to share it with the world as I feel that there is too much noise nowadays on issues that lack substance. Here is my simple advice to people who want to increase their productivity and cut down their stress levels :

    Stop Watching the News!!

    Nowadays most news channels have debates where participants are involved in a shouting match to get themselves heard. The viewers who watch these debate shows inadvertently experience a spike in their blood pressure (Google “Arnab Goswami + blood pressure”) as they get more “involved”. Consider this : When you SEE THE NEWS, you assimilate the news content mixed with the emotions of the news presenter and his biases. Most TV News debates begin with an agenda and their content takes awhile to be digested (if you are not distracted by the millions of ads that popup in between).

    A simple but effective alternative would be to READ THE NEWS from newspapers and magazines. Most of the times, the ” Breaking News” that you see on screen changes direction every hour and sometimes, the entire context is changed at the end of the day. If you closely examine the content of the news section that you “watched” you will be surprised to note that the 2- hour news section could be easily summarised in 10-15 min. To avoid a scenario where you mull over how you could have used your time more productively, always READ THE NEWS as most people read faster as textual content does unfold gradually as in the case of a video; you can read anywhere and wherever you want in a newspaper. Also, you can form your own opinion about the truth behind the news article and lessen the chance of acquiring a clouded perspective. I do watch news debates, once in a while but reading news has become the norm and it has helped me manage my time immensely.

    So,READ the news and save time. If something really demands your attention, someone close to you will surely inform you ( assuming you have people who care about you and talk to you :-)).

     

    Should Indian Farmers pay income tax?

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    I was watching closely the protests by the Tamil Nadu farmers at Delhi recently and was intrigued by why income tax is not levied on farmers. I understand that some of the poorer farmers cannot afford to pay income tax but can’t the government set some limit,say, income from farming above 15 lakhs per annum (which is a very reasonable lower limit compared to the rest of the population) is taxable. It seems very unfair that some rich farmers take advantage of the loan waivers and get the benefits from the tax payers’ money.

    It is high time that we stop being emotional about farming and farmers and consider them as ordinary citizens who have a responsibility to contribute to the development of the country like people from other professions.