Good Practice
It was a rather pleasant day with the folks who had signed up showing for the game. We had 11 players which ensured a decent game. Despite being booted mid-way through the first innings of the first match the team made the most of it by moving to Jeffery Trail Middle School’s ground. This also ensured a good practice session lest we play here this coming Sunday. The is literally a minefield where the odd ball was coming onto the bat and most of them were either staying low and coming on a bit slowly or rising viciously or speeding past the batsman, the wicket-keeper and the hapless fielder in the slips. None-the less it was entertaining and while one of team failed miserably the other showed great character. We had a slight mishap which by its very nature can be very very painful and at the same time provide for some laughs (especially to the non-sufferers) with the lone sufferer being butt of jokes.
Team A: Siddharth, Rajesh, Senthil, Pankaj and Abhijeet
Team B: Venki, Gour, Amit, Dharmendra and Anand
Common Player: Chandru
Team A won the toss and elected to bat. Rajesh opened the innings with (if I am not mistaken) Pankaj. You could sense that Rajesh was playing the role of an anchor while Pankaj donned the robes of the hitter. As somebody commented it didn't seem as if Pankaj was returning after a break and had been out of action for nearly a month. It was nice for a change after last week to see somebody standing up to Venki. The former very patiently played him out waiting for the loose delivery. He was rewarded with one which he very gracefully pulled it in the long off region which beat the fielder and crossed the rope. The two openers played sensibly, in fact the entire team played brilliantly. I was thinking if we click the way they did in our match this coming Sunday we won't have to worry about anything. Pankaj's task was carried over by Senthil. Playing confidently he chose the on side to dispatch most of the lose deliveries. Venki, Dharmendra and Gour were bowling well , but Team A was just too good. Dharmendra hit ball's eye (no its not a typo) though. While trying to hit one over, Siddharth misjudged the line completely baring himself open to an attack of the vicious kind. It was a fast one and hit him right in the middle, he immediately doubled over. Just few deliveries earlier he had hurt himself in that general area (abdomen-groin) and now this. But the good thing is, he endured it like a brave soldier and marched right on. I am not sure (I don't think so) if he sat down and took some rest ... kudos to him! After about 7 overs we saw could see a boot landing on our asses as mothers accompanied by their daughters started making their way to the field. These last 3 overs were a bit hectic where Amit and I went to the boundary line twice to retrieve the cones only to be asked to return to our fielding positions. Taking full advantage of this confusion, the batsmen made hay by stealing singled and twos. I vividly remember being mortified when I dropped two simple high rises. One was straightforward, and the other was slightly difficult but definitely possible. I was just hoping that our accidental spectators were not attentive enough. Chandru was at the crease and doing some excellent running between the wickets. He was ably supported by his team-mate and when the quota of 10 overs was done Team A had put on a healthy 61 runs on the board.
After Team A’s batting we moved to an adjacent field which promised some interesting result. This new ground did not have the hard surface that we are so accustomed. The pitch has a lot of grass which makes it very unpredictable. Last time when we played against the Woodbury East team we didn’t even cross 50. To add to this, Team A was trying to convince Team B's players to abandon the match and start afresh. But Gour and I having been at the short end of the stick few weeks back were in no mood to oblige. We persisted and fortunately prevailed. Team B began its campaign on a positive note. Gour opened the innings and displayed some good running between the wickets. Unfortunately he had to depart soon, where (if I am not mistaken) he got a top edge and Chandru did the rest. This brought Venki to the middle. Team B desperately needed Venki to perform. If anybody then he could pull it off. Team A also knew this and so they were extra cautious. I think it was Senthil who was bowling. I am sure a lot of things were going throug hhis mind when he came to crease and jumped in the air to release the ball. The ball was on the off and it stayed very low. It was so stealth-like that despite me being at the non-striker’s end (and it all happening right there in front of me) I thought the ball had kissed Venki’s calves and gone down the leg side. It was only when he moved over I saw his off-stump uprooted. It was a big blow to Team B. Veki was replaced by Amit who showed great promise and was the only batsmen who took the fight to Team A. He played a very patient knock. He perfectly knew what was required of him and honored it. He did not play any rash shots, but concentrated on placing the ball and running the first run fast to help him get the second run. Dharmendra tried to give him company but he too fell victim to the unpredictable nature of the field. Finally it was left upto Chandru and Amit to salvage the innings and restore some pride. But it was just a matter of time and Team B lost the match with a huge margin. Team B shot itself in the foot by not adapting to the field quickly. They have nobody to bame but themselves. They should have shown some patience as displayed by one of their own (Amit). I agree it’s definitely a challenge batting on this track, but not impossible and this is where the batsmen should show their mettle. Hopefully the second game would be different.
Team A again won the toss and elected to bat. In a way I guess it was good that they won the toss as they showed Team B how one bats on such a pitch. Repeating their bowling performance from previous match Team B's bowling tri-fecta carried on their superb performance. I was standing in the slips and despite trying to be vigilant was not able to stop a single ball. Both Venki and Gour's deliveries were whizzing past me and all I could do was run behind them. But Team A was smart, they did not indulge in any unnecessary heroics. They left the balls which were bowled outside the off stump and tried to fend off the ones bowled in the block hole. In this innings too Pankaj displayed great skill. As Abhijeet pointed out Pankaj was being smart. He was eying the ball very well and hitting the lose ones with great force. Despite being in pain Siddharth continued to play and batted with great gusto. Together they clicked as a team and at the end of 8 overs put on 40 odd runs. Team B had its work cut out, they just had to emulate Team A and their task would be easy. This time Venki opened the innings with a bang by hitting a boundary. He appeared to be in great touch and was raring to right the wrong (done in the first match). Unfortunately for him and his team, the following pull shot in the square leg region went straight to the fielder. After a few deliveries I experienced first hand what the pitch can do to you. I never felt confident playing any of my shots and always wondered how the ball would behave after the bounce. This mind game the ball was playing on me kind of froze me when I saw one being bowled slightly outside the off stump. The height was right, the pace was right and the placement was perfect, but I kid of froze and ended up playing an awkward shot on my front foot. The one which balloons either to mid off or to the bowler. In my case it was the former.The rest of the team followed suit and then finally it was again upto Amit to salvage the match. He tried his best but couldn’t stay long and finally Team B again lost with a considerable margin.
Team A outplayed Team B in all the departments. As far as batting was concerned Pankaj played very well showing great confidence both on the hard surface as well as the grass pitch. Senthil gave him good company by hitting some great shots, especially in the first match. Rajesh was very lethal on the grass picth with his nagging line and lenght. The one that he bowled to get rid of Chandru in the second match was a beauty, the ball was a yorker and hit the middle stump exactly at the bottom where it met the ground. From Team B Venki, Gour and Dharmendra bowled very well. Dharmendra’s last over in the second match was very nice, where he kept Team A’s batsmen guessing, not allowing them the pleasure of crossing 50 and restricting them to 40. It was a very good over. We had a surprise guest today when we saw Pranay walk onto the field with his dada, Chandru. He seems to like the game a lot like his old man. He was all ready with his bat and wanted to go after the bowlers. In fact all of us took turns to keep him entertained on and off the pitch as he was running to the middle to witness firsthand all the action and face the bowlers while he was at it. Overall it was a good match. After the game all of us sat down discussing the upcoming match and giving advice to Siddharth. Hopefully this past Sunday’s unexpected boot helped us prepare for the match. Good Luck to the team!!
Rajesh
Siddharth
Senthil
Pankaj
Abhijeet
Gour
Amit
Dharmendra
Chandru
Partha and
Anand
You guys have a nice rest of the week.
Talk to you later.
Bye.
Anand
Team A: Siddharth, Rajesh, Senthil, Pankaj and Abhijeet
Team B: Venki, Gour, Amit, Dharmendra and Anand
Common Player: Chandru
Team A won the toss and elected to bat. Rajesh opened the innings with (if I am not mistaken) Pankaj. You could sense that Rajesh was playing the role of an anchor while Pankaj donned the robes of the hitter. As somebody commented it didn't seem as if Pankaj was returning after a break and had been out of action for nearly a month. It was nice for a change after last week to see somebody standing up to Venki. The former very patiently played him out waiting for the loose delivery. He was rewarded with one which he very gracefully pulled it in the long off region which beat the fielder and crossed the rope. The two openers played sensibly, in fact the entire team played brilliantly. I was thinking if we click the way they did in our match this coming Sunday we won't have to worry about anything. Pankaj's task was carried over by Senthil. Playing confidently he chose the on side to dispatch most of the lose deliveries. Venki, Dharmendra and Gour were bowling well , but Team A was just too good. Dharmendra hit ball's eye (no its not a typo) though. While trying to hit one over, Siddharth misjudged the line completely baring himself open to an attack of the vicious kind. It was a fast one and hit him right in the middle, he immediately doubled over. Just few deliveries earlier he had hurt himself in that general area (abdomen-groin) and now this. But the good thing is, he endured it like a brave soldier and marched right on. I am not sure (I don't think so) if he sat down and took some rest ... kudos to him! After about 7 overs we saw could see a boot landing on our asses as mothers accompanied by their daughters started making their way to the field. These last 3 overs were a bit hectic where Amit and I went to the boundary line twice to retrieve the cones only to be asked to return to our fielding positions. Taking full advantage of this confusion, the batsmen made hay by stealing singled and twos. I vividly remember being mortified when I dropped two simple high rises. One was straightforward, and the other was slightly difficult but definitely possible. I was just hoping that our accidental spectators were not attentive enough. Chandru was at the crease and doing some excellent running between the wickets. He was ably supported by his team-mate and when the quota of 10 overs was done Team A had put on a healthy 61 runs on the board.
After Team A’s batting we moved to an adjacent field which promised some interesting result. This new ground did not have the hard surface that we are so accustomed. The pitch has a lot of grass which makes it very unpredictable. Last time when we played against the Woodbury East team we didn’t even cross 50. To add to this, Team A was trying to convince Team B's players to abandon the match and start afresh. But Gour and I having been at the short end of the stick few weeks back were in no mood to oblige. We persisted and fortunately prevailed. Team B began its campaign on a positive note. Gour opened the innings and displayed some good running between the wickets. Unfortunately he had to depart soon, where (if I am not mistaken) he got a top edge and Chandru did the rest. This brought Venki to the middle. Team B desperately needed Venki to perform. If anybody then he could pull it off. Team A also knew this and so they were extra cautious. I think it was Senthil who was bowling. I am sure a lot of things were going throug hhis mind when he came to crease and jumped in the air to release the ball. The ball was on the off and it stayed very low. It was so stealth-like that despite me being at the non-striker’s end (and it all happening right there in front of me) I thought the ball had kissed Venki’s calves and gone down the leg side. It was only when he moved over I saw his off-stump uprooted. It was a big blow to Team B. Veki was replaced by Amit who showed great promise and was the only batsmen who took the fight to Team A. He played a very patient knock. He perfectly knew what was required of him and honored it. He did not play any rash shots, but concentrated on placing the ball and running the first run fast to help him get the second run. Dharmendra tried to give him company but he too fell victim to the unpredictable nature of the field. Finally it was left upto Chandru and Amit to salvage the innings and restore some pride. But it was just a matter of time and Team B lost the match with a huge margin. Team B shot itself in the foot by not adapting to the field quickly. They have nobody to bame but themselves. They should have shown some patience as displayed by one of their own (Amit). I agree it’s definitely a challenge batting on this track, but not impossible and this is where the batsmen should show their mettle. Hopefully the second game would be different.
Team A again won the toss and elected to bat. In a way I guess it was good that they won the toss as they showed Team B how one bats on such a pitch. Repeating their bowling performance from previous match Team B's bowling tri-fecta carried on their superb performance. I was standing in the slips and despite trying to be vigilant was not able to stop a single ball. Both Venki and Gour's deliveries were whizzing past me and all I could do was run behind them. But Team A was smart, they did not indulge in any unnecessary heroics. They left the balls which were bowled outside the off stump and tried to fend off the ones bowled in the block hole. In this innings too Pankaj displayed great skill. As Abhijeet pointed out Pankaj was being smart. He was eying the ball very well and hitting the lose ones with great force. Despite being in pain Siddharth continued to play and batted with great gusto. Together they clicked as a team and at the end of 8 overs put on 40 odd runs. Team B had its work cut out, they just had to emulate Team A and their task would be easy. This time Venki opened the innings with a bang by hitting a boundary. He appeared to be in great touch and was raring to right the wrong (done in the first match). Unfortunately for him and his team, the following pull shot in the square leg region went straight to the fielder. After a few deliveries I experienced first hand what the pitch can do to you. I never felt confident playing any of my shots and always wondered how the ball would behave after the bounce. This mind game the ball was playing on me kind of froze me when I saw one being bowled slightly outside the off stump. The height was right, the pace was right and the placement was perfect, but I kid of froze and ended up playing an awkward shot on my front foot. The one which balloons either to mid off or to the bowler. In my case it was the former.The rest of the team followed suit and then finally it was again upto Amit to salvage the match. He tried his best but couldn’t stay long and finally Team B again lost with a considerable margin.
Team A outplayed Team B in all the departments. As far as batting was concerned Pankaj played very well showing great confidence both on the hard surface as well as the grass pitch. Senthil gave him good company by hitting some great shots, especially in the first match. Rajesh was very lethal on the grass picth with his nagging line and lenght. The one that he bowled to get rid of Chandru in the second match was a beauty, the ball was a yorker and hit the middle stump exactly at the bottom where it met the ground. From Team B Venki, Gour and Dharmendra bowled very well. Dharmendra’s last over in the second match was very nice, where he kept Team A’s batsmen guessing, not allowing them the pleasure of crossing 50 and restricting them to 40. It was a very good over. We had a surprise guest today when we saw Pranay walk onto the field with his dada, Chandru. He seems to like the game a lot like his old man. He was all ready with his bat and wanted to go after the bowlers. In fact all of us took turns to keep him entertained on and off the pitch as he was running to the middle to witness firsthand all the action and face the bowlers while he was at it. Overall it was a good match. After the game all of us sat down discussing the upcoming match and giving advice to Siddharth. Hopefully this past Sunday’s unexpected boot helped us prepare for the match. Good Luck to the team!!
Team composition:
Venki (Captain)Rajesh
Siddharth
Senthil
Pankaj
Abhijeet
Gour
Amit
Dharmendra
Chandru
Partha and
Anand
You guys have a nice rest of the week.
Talk to you later.
Bye.
Anand
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