Whitewash by the Blackcaps!

              It has been a very disappointing performance by the Indian Men's cricket team during the 3 test match series with the New Zealand team with the greats of the Indian test team like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja failing to bring their best during the series. The series has been whitewashed by the Kiwis 3-0 and is even more humiliating as this happened on the home soil of India. Indian cricket team has not lost any test series in India for the last 18 consecutive series that were played in India since 2013. The series loss with 3 matches has largely affected India's chances of being in the World Test Championship final. 

                                What really went wrong was the tactical decisions made by the Captain and the Coach where they opted to bat first in the 1st test when the pitch was more suiting the pacers resulting in the 46 run all out was the lowest score by the Indian side. And in the rest 2 matches the pacers were hardly used, with the spin attack not up to the mark. On the other hand, the Kiwis adapted to the conditions and the turn that the pitch was offering and the Kiwi spinners have used slower paces to get more out of the pitch. It is annoying to see Indian pacers missing this logic and bowling at higher pace only to be punished by the Kiwi batters and that ultimately pressurized all the players. Perhaps, Jadeja was the only one to understand this logic though a bit late and adapted to the conditions and could produce some favorable results. The only good thing that happened to India during this test series is Washington Sundar who could be considered as replacement to Ashwin or Jadeja as an all-rounder. The top order batters have miserably failed and it is not sure if going all guns blazing is a strategy cascaded by the new Indian team coach or the batters being habituated to the hitting since the evolution of T20 format of the cricket. 

With the senior players like Rohit, Virat, Ashwin & Jadeja showing signs of their end of cricketing career in the red ball format, Indian cricket (BCCI) now has to own the responsibility of finding cricketers who are committed to the test cricket format. All such players should be made play more of domestic cricket in the same format to let them practice more and improve their skill pertaining to the test cricket. The ability to hit big boundaries in the T20 format would certainly not help the test cricketers as the test cricket requires a completely different approach and one has to show the patience and resilience. With Yashaswi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant showing the intent and skills, India need more such batters to stabilize the top order. With all that has happened in the series against the Kiwis, there are more lessons learnt and the learnings are to be diligently implemented in the coming test matches. However, the next series being away from home at Australia requires more homework along with these learnings and hopefully Indian cricket team would look at it positively. With the next test match at home soil for India being scheduled in October 2025, chances of seeing Rohit, Virat, Ashwin & Jadeja playing in that appear slim. 

Hope the Indian cricket team would retrospect and come back stronger and make their supporters proud again. 

'Egg'splosion: Don't heat up your inner emotions!

                             Not sure how many of you are aware that an egg subjected to the heat of microwave would explode. I have witnessed the egg explode which I call the eggsplosion as recent as yesterday, unaware of the fact that a semi boiled egg would explode when reheated in a microwave. I was lucky to have escaped with minor injuries but the eggsplosion kept me thinking, and in a state of shock for a while. The experience was horrifying. the egg splattered across the kitchen with great force and it was real hot which could easily injure anyone in the close vicinity. I have then tried to analyse the event by detail and understood how heated the inner contents were because of the heat and pressure from the outside. 

                        We humans are quite similar to the egg, our inner most emotions explode when we are subjected to extreme pressures from an external source. The pressure from the outside could be anything ranging from an work deadline to household budgets to unwanted criticism. All that matters is how we handle the pressure from the outside and not let it disturb our inner peace. The ability to handle the pressure definitely varies from person to person depending upon the amount of resistance to the force and the levels of saturation. When we fail to absorb the external pressure and let it cross the membrane, the inner emotions heat up and the consequences might not be as desired. On the contrary, there could be some external forces such as constructive criticism which can help heat up the inner emotions resulting in higher productivity or significant achievements. Such force helps in stirring up the positive emotions within and motivate the people around us. Irrespective of the kind of external pressure, we can still strive to achieve desired results if we master the art of dealing with such pressures without affecting the inner most emotions. A calm and cool mind is needed to channelize all such emotions and prevent them from exploding in an unpleasant way. It is easier said than done, however it is not impossible. It requires a conscious effort and the right mindset. Many great saints & successful people have mastered this art of handling the external pressures and in turn put such pressures to good use and not let those adverse the situation. It will become easier to achieve this when we start thinking about how much control do we have on these external pressures or situation? We might not be able to control all that is external to us, but we certainly can control all that is building up within. There could be ways to exercise this control (on the inner emotions) : meditation, travel breaks, physical activity, listening to music etc. Explore what helps you to control and channelize your inner most emotions from exploding. 

             With the lesson learnt from the eggsplosion, I would certainly not heat up the eggs again in a microwave. And the incident certainly helped me rethink the way I deal with my inner energy. It is very important to give the inner emotion a right direction, keep cool and don't let the external pressure heat up your inner emotions! 

Raksha Bandhan - A sacred bondage of safety!

                        India is known for its various festivals celebrated across the length and breadth of it throughout the year. And these festivals have a sublime agenda of improving the bonding between family members and also between the families in the communities. Irrespective of the festival, the festivities are enjoyed by all the family members and it's all about spreading the joy and happiness. The festivals or at the least the names of the festivals are all free spirited and one is free to enjoy the way they want to, barring one festival which talks about bondage and not freedom - Raksha Bandhan. 

                    But, the true sense of freedom lies in being bonded with the loved ones I suppose, and the festival of Raksha Bandhan helps enhance such bonding between a brother and sister. There are many theories around how and why the festival evolved, however the significance of the festival is simply to make brothers and sisters accountable for each other's happiness and well being. I remember my mother talking about how I should safeguard my sister and to be with her for eternity. I used to think that the bonding that a brother and sister share since childhood is strong enough and lasts for infinite time, though it might not show the strength from the beginning, it would surface when the need arises. However, with changing times and aspirations of brothers and sisters making them relocate and prioritise their life-goals I think the role of festivals like Raksha Bandhan becomes more significant to rekindle the magical bonding of a brother and sister. 

                                                                    The way Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the country might vary depending upon the historical theory of the festival in that region, but the essence of it remains same and it is to enhance and strengthen the bonding between a brother and sister. Applying of Tilak on the forehead for the brother's safety and tying the sacred Rakhi on the wrist and feeding a sweet and sisters anticipating a return gift (usually monetary) appear to be the common celebration across most of the communities which celebrate Raksha Bandhan. With many references in the Bollywood movies and special Raksha Bandhan songs and the creative colourful Rakhis and the super delicious sweets, Raksha Bandhan is becoming more joyful each year. Near or far, I wish brothers and sisters unite in the best way possible to celebrate this festival of bond which never breaks. Happy Raksha Bandhan!

P.S: I miss my sister (lives in USA) around this year for Raksha Bandhan, but my love and bonding for her resonates louder than ever, across the seas.

Growing by throwing : Neeraj Chopra is a true champion!

                         With winning a gold at the latest world athletes championship at Budapest, Neeraj Chopra has won the hearts all across India. While the ISRO scientists made India proud in the week that has gone by, it is Neeraj this week who made India proud again. While ISRO reached the moon, Neeraj also appeared to have aspired to reach the moon with his javelin, and he certainly has grown beyond the expectations with his spectacular throw. Having won the Olympic gold medal in 2021, Neeraj seems to have become even more consistent with his performances in various events that followed. 

       In a country like India, where medal tally in world championships was always under the expectations, it is untiring athletes like Neeraj who are changing it. Soon after his triumph at the Olympics the story of Neeraj has surfaced and it is very inspiring to know his journey towards success. Learning by watching his idol Jan Zelezny's videos on YouTube and spending hours practicing consistently has put him where he is now. His consistency speaks volumes in terms of the medals and his achievements which have made India proud. Above all, his words at the ceremony at Budapest marking the win as the nation's and not just his, reveals his character of a true sporting champion. I would like to quote a part of his speech - "You know throwers have no finish line". This tells us his undying spirit to aspire for more and more by being consistent. Neeraj says that he would keep trying to hit the 90m mark and even after achieving so much, he is still hungry for more. Such high spirits help draw inspiration and strength to overcome the hurdles that we are facing, there is no finish line and we should keep striving hard to move ahead. 

                                Battling so many hardships, Neeraj with a spear in his hand and no fear in his eyes will continue to inspire the young athletes who are in the making. His hard work and consistent effort has paid and no doubt that these qualities make him a true champion. Glad to see him grow with each throw! 

OMG India - Over the Moon Goes India!

The lunar fascination of humans dates a long way back and ever since humankind has always tried various innovative ways to get closer to the moon. With many countries spending a significant amount of money for the research and development of space engineering, expedition to the moon has always been a key aspect in the research programmes. With nations competing, there will always be an element of pride associated with greater accomplishments in this area. It has always been a dream for the human beings to reach the moon and references can be seen in many areas of creativity like stories, songs, movies etc. The distant dream started to be less distant with the advent of technology and thanks to the victory hungry scientists across the globe.     

                                        23-08-23 will be special in the history of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) as Chandrayaan-3 makes a soft landing on the moon. There has been so much of hard work put in by the scientists and staff at ISRO to make this landing of Chandrayaan-3 a soft one, especially after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. The learnings from the failure of Chandrayaan-2 seems to have been applied in a stupendous way and it is evident in the result of Chandrayaan-3. There has been so much of anticipation around the result of Chandrayaan-3 mission and every Indian now beams with pride for this accomplishment of India in the lunar space. This is new beginning to support to numerous moon missions involving human travel to moon as these kind of landers on the lunar space will help in the study and research required. India being only the fourth member in the club of countries exploring the lunar space, there certainly will be more competition coming up around this. However what makes India stand apart is the innovative minds at work that can pull these kind of missions at about a fraction of cost of what the other countries spend on missions like these. And hence these achievements become even more significant. The planning, dedication and perseverance of the ISRO team is commendable and this sure will inspire the young minds from the generations to come. Will it now make sense to say - "Dream of the moon and you can have it". Maybe it would make sense as time and again human brains have proven that anything is possible. 

    With great sense of gratitude, I thank the entire team behind Chandrayaan-3 and Congratulations India! Over the moon goes India, what next?