We say we have talent and that we dont lack in skill. I say we do lack in skill. Coz patience is also a skill. And we don't have it. While the other teams seem to have loads of it. Its not just batting and bowling which are skills.
We've also gotto forget going in the match having stereotypes in our mind about the opponents by going through their past performances. We ought to go in the match without viewing the other teams stats. The moment we see the quality of the opponents opening bowlers and batsmen in the initial overs we take it easy in batting, bowling and fielding alike. Batsmen tend to go for shots thinking they can easily breach the fielding barriers. Bowlers take it a bit easy serving out extras on a platter intermingled with a barrage of short balls( of the easier kind). Fielders not attacking the ball allowing a couple where there is a single and a single when none existed.
The only "silverlining", I think, was to see Venkat finally let the bat do the talking for a change. Coz for me the bat has taken a silence vow and the only thing talking is my laptop keyboard(as in now).
I was also involved in a terrible on-field mix-up with Sam today and caused his run-out.
I called for the second-run and ran 3 to 4 steps but realised later that the fielder had thrown the ball to the keeper who almost had it in his hand. So I ran back and with a dive was successfully able to reach the crease before the keeper dislodged the stumps. I rose to see the umpire declining the run-out only to realise that Sam was standing next to me in the same crease. In the meantime the keeper had fumbled the ball again and was struggling to get it back. In that moment of truth I looked at Sam and it was either him or me, someone had to run at the other end hoping the keeper would miss the throw to the bowler. And it was me who showed utter selfishness and stood their without running at the other end even though it was my mistake in the call. Sam displayed great selflessness and tried to run back and sacrificed his wicket. He was the set batsmen who had his eye in and I had just arrived.
I must admit I was such a jerk, a$$hole, stupid, fcuk1ng selfish m0r0n.
To add some more to my stupidity I got emotional and threw my wicket on the very next ball going for a big heave and didn't trouble the score-card.
I know its umpteenth time for this kind of appeal, but then as humans we have responsibility for not letting down the great human spirit of fightback. We can't just go in there playing thinking there is no use playing now, nothing to play for now, thinking we are going to lose. Hoping we can never change. We have to fight. We have to change. We have to improve. We have to win. In the next match or the next or even the last. Fight for whatever is at stake in that match - being in the play-offs, or for finishing 9th or 11th or not finishing last. But fight we have to.
Its time batsmen take silencers off their bats, bowlers start dictating (terms) instead of being humble servers (of extras). And fielders work for bringing a smile on our bowlers faces rather than the batsmens.
I called for the second-run and ran 3 to 4 steps but realised later that the fielder had thrown the ball to the keeper who almost had it in his hand. So I ran back and with a dive was successfully able to reach the crease before the keeper dislodged the stumps. I rose to see the umpire declining the run-out only to realise that Sam was standing next to me in the same crease. In the meantime the keeper had fumbled the ball again and was struggling to get it back. In that moment of truth I looked at Sam and it was either him or me, someone had to run at the other end hoping the keeper would miss the throw to the bowler. And it was me who showed utter selfishness and stood their without running at the other end even though it was my mistake in the call. Sam displayed great selflessness and tried to run back and sacrificed his wicket. He was the set batsmen who had his eye in and I had just arrived.
I must admit I was such a jerk, a$$hole, stupid, fcuk1ng selfish m0r0n.
To add some more to my stupidity I got emotional and threw my wicket on the very next ball going for a big heave and didn't trouble the score-card.
I know its umpteenth time for this kind of appeal, but then as humans we have responsibility for not letting down the great human spirit of fightback. We can't just go in there playing thinking there is no use playing now, nothing to play for now, thinking we are going to lose. Hoping we can never change. We have to fight. We have to change. We have to improve. We have to win. In the next match or the next or even the last. Fight for whatever is at stake in that match - being in the play-offs, or for finishing 9th or 11th or not finishing last. But fight we have to.
Its time batsmen take silencers off their bats, bowlers start dictating (terms) instead of being humble servers (of extras). And fielders work for bringing a smile on our bowlers faces rather than the batsmens.
