Shockingly poor technique

I happened to watch a bit of Indian batting in the ongoing India-England test series, but it was just a series of cringe-worthy moments one after the other. Mukund, Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni – these guys just have no clue about batting technique at all. They don’t even know the basics of batting in test cricket. I don’t know if it is the ODIs or the T20s that have ruined these guys, but if this is what mainstream Indian batting is going to look like when Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar retire, then India would be lucky to be rated in Top 5 test teams, leave alone being the best.

Consider the Terrorist

It turns out that terrorists may be nitwits. Sample these:

… it’s fair to say that the Taliban employ the world’s worst suicide bombers [in Afghanistan]: one in two manages to kill only himself. And this success rate hasn’t improved at all in the five years they’ve been using suicide bombers, despite the experience of hundreds of attacks—or attempted attacks. In Afghanistan, as in many cultures, a manly embrace is a time-honored tradition for warriors before they go off to face death. Thus, many suicide bombers never even make it out of their training camp or safe house, as the pressure from these group hugs triggers the explosives in suicide vests. [The Atlantic]

Of course, a bullet fired from a nitwit’s gun would be just as deadly as one from (say) Sheldon Cooper’s gun.

Tendulkar Reaches IPL Semifinals

Really, how else would you describe the event of Mumbai Indians (MI) becoming the first team to confirm a place in the IPL 2010 semifinal lineup?

He has scored about 27% of the runs scored by MI, and is the highest run scorer in the tournament so far (512, strike rate 139.5). In 11 outings, he has been Player of the Match 4 times. And while he is leading the tally in the number of 4s hit (71), he has only hit 3 sixes (2 of them came in the last over of the 11th match).

The numbers are amazing enough but, what is really astounding is that he shows no sign whatsoever of the slightest dip in his hunger for more.

On April 24, he will turn 37. And 2010 is turning out to be one of his best years. Except for winning an ODI World Cup, he has no other real milestone left to cross. So, what is it that not only keeps him going but going like this?

I don’t have an answer to that, of course. Perhaps, as he has said several times, it is simply his love for the game. I just hope that this love stays exactly as it is.

Things People Write on Currency Notes

I am not sure if this is a global thing, but the practice of writing stuff down on currency notes is rather widespread in India. If you are reading this post in India, check your wallet right now. I am sure that half the notes would have something scribbled on them.

The most common thing is the count of notes. Usually, when people are making stacks of 100 notes, they mark the count on the topmost note. In my wallet right now, I have 7, 49, 84 and 100 marked on notes. Another common thing is names and/or phone numbers.

But it is a rare note that is blessed by a poetic verse or a shopping list. I got this one as change a couple of days ago:

I didn’t even know there was such a deodorant on the market!

I have edited out the mobile number scribbled on the note. Also check out the serial number – a pretty good hand to hold while playing Liar’s Poker.

Now, what do you have in your wallet right now?

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Bugging Me

I interrupt my holiday to bring you this bug from your nightmares:

Now, my question is: what the heck is it called? Can someone point me to a Wikipedia entry on this creature? The only other information I can give you is that this thing is about the size of a housefly (Musca domestica). They have been invading our house for several days now, and not knowing their identity is bugging me a lot.

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