"Stand for something otherwise you'll fall for everything." - Steve Waugh
Not sure where to start. But let me begin somewhere. I have generally loved sports, admired sports persons all over. "Common men go nowhere, you have to be uncommon"- puts it in perspective about the best of sports persons.I played a bit of cricket as a wicket-keeper batsman.
"Wicket keeper are like office boys, said author Ray Robinson, because no one notices them unless a catch is dropped and a stumping missed. Standing up to the wickets to a top class spinner is one of the most challenging assignments in the game and long hours of practice go into the making of a successful wicket keeper."
I enjoyed keeping wickets especially upto the stumps to quick bowlers. As any keeper would testify i enjoyed stumping the batsmen out and every time i squat i visualized myself lifting the bails when the batsmen was beaten down the legside. Very seldom would this happen as the chances were not high and when it did happen it was a "wow" thing!!
I'd like to think i had limited skills and my batting wasn't always up to the mark, more so because i never worked on it. A middle order batsman more of utility. Everywhere i went i projected myself as a keeper and never nurtured my batting. I don't know why. Every time i went to the nets for practice the first thing I'd do was to put on my keeping pads and gloves. My parents were quite supportive, but when it came to playing and studying the latter was the priority. The encouragement was to take sports as a pastime and not as a profession. In no ways am i trying to blame someone else or give an excuse, but its just that as a profession sports in India takes a backseat. Thanks to the booming cricket business there has been a considerable change in outlook towards sports(rather cricket). Probably i didn't have anyone to guide me which is partly true and in hindsight i would say i never put effort to understand the game to feel committed as much was required. I seemed content in whatever was on offer which is quite disappointing. I lacked self-belief and never backed myself. When you fail to make the cut even to a reasonable level and still enjoy doing something it seems an unfinished task.
Like most sports fanatics I've dreamt of being close and working with the best of sportsmen. I looked up to my uncle, a well known sports journalist who had worked with the best in the business. For long I've idolised cricketers and alike, have dreamt of rubbing shoulders with the best. It's very natural to feel that way. After all, every individual in his respective field of interest would always wish this to happen. A singer would want to meet the best artist, a budding actor would want to meet the best actor and here i was a young cricketer wanting to be with the best cricketers. In fact when the Indian team was here for a
conditioning camp in 2003-04 i wanted to be a part of that camp so desperately despite me knowing there wasn't any chance. I'd bunk college and take off to Chinnaswamy stadium to take a glimpse of all the stars, get their autographs, get a picture in their company and if lucky manage to grab some stardust!
It was during one of these loitering days at the stadium did i stumble upon the local manager and decided to vent out my desire to be part of the Indian team's conditioning camp. I remember pleading and promised him that i was unlike most people who just came for a photograph and that i really wanted to learn something. I think he saw that passion in me and asked me to come over the next day in cricket whites. My joy knew no bounds as i spent the entire night dreaming about myself standing alongside the legends of the game, asking them questions on the game and so on. I had reasons to feel delighted for these are unfulfilled desires for many.
And the rest as they say is history as i spent the next three weeks with the Indian cricket team assisting as a wicket-keeper keeping wickets to Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and many others. Couple of instances i can vividly remember were when the then coach John Wright stood right behind me at practice and offered me some words of encouragement when i stumped one of the batsmen out down the leg of leg spinner Sairaj Bahatule. The other one was when Sachin Tendulkar asked me to keep wickets off his bowling after recovering from a shoulder injury. That was when the great man caught me on the wrong foot when i misread a googly for a leg spin delivery. In short,the ball went one way while i went the other way! Sachin offered me a tricksy smile indicative of his mastery over the game which i wholeheartedly accepted. It was just great. Few days passed by and little did i know i would be getting Sachin's batting gloves signed "Best Wishes". It was a gift from GOD.
The reason i talk about this incident of mine is to relate to my experiences of the past and present. While I'd managed to get close to the stars i had never had a first hand experience of the dressing room atmosphere where you could get to see real side of the players most times.
Six years later....
Well, six years later i was fortunate enough to live this dream, be part of an international sports team and got to see everything from close quarters. After having had a good experience at the Karnataka Premier League, my next assignment i was told was the inaugural version of the champions league with UK based Somerset County cricket club or the Somerset Sabers as they were known in the shorter format. The Somerset county team was one with great pedigree having had legends like Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham. The current set up was captained by Australian legend and one of the most successful openers in test cricket, Justin Langer. The team was not high on star power barring Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick who formed the back bone of the team in terms of experience. My current job excited me since it gave me an opportunity to have an unique experience.
My profile as an analyst required me to be good at observing the game and giving relevant inputs to the coach, captain and the rest of the team, irrespective of team i was going to be part off. The role of an analyst would more often seem rosy from the outset but seldom not. And if any team was investing on an analyst after much deliberation it was our duty to add value to the team in any form.
To one man whom I'm indebted to....
One thing that i learnt over the years is that no matter what one does, your work doesn't hold much significance and command respect until you add value. This particular quality was reiterated and sort of instilled in me time and again by my mentor at work Prasanna Agoram. Prasanna is a pioneer in sports technology and his role as a performance analyst is well documented and widely appreciated. So much so that the former coach of the national team John Wright makes a special note of him in his autobiography "John Wright's Indian Summers"(Page 69) and referred him to the National Cricket Academy(NCA) where he was the technical head. He's a software programmer, a qualified umpire, a gold medalist from Anna University and more famously a "TCN"(Total Cricket Nut) as some refer to him in the Royal Challenger's camp, a testimonial to his commitment and passion towards the game. Most of all he is a "go-to" man for many, for his insights about the game and life in general is matchless.
Prasanna's expertise is not one-dimensional but diversifies into Tennis when Rafael Nadal(at the Chennai open) asked him if his software would help him beat Roger Federer and as an analyst with the Indian Hockey when he worked under then coach Joaquim Caravalho. Hard to believe that he developed the Hockey software all alone on a flight to Belgium during one of the tournaments!
For me Prasanna Agoram is more than a mentor, a fine human being, highly committed and a intelligent individual. He believed in sharing knowledge and when it came to motivating people he was second to none. Am sure a lot of them who've had an opportunity to work alongside and interact with him would agree. He is one person who could easily give any professional coach around the world a run for his money. Trust me he is damn good. If at all the Somerset team appreciated my work i owe it to him without an iota of doubt.
On the professional front, the champions league assignment was in a lot of ways a make or break deal. The expectations to deliver were high, for if things went well it would mean 'there was hope'. Having had no prior experience before, luckily for me the Karnataka Premier League(KPL) was a great platform to experiment and understand about the players, team in general and the various means through which i could add value. The experience with the Bangalore Brigadiers gave me some confidence. Through my regular interactions with Prasanna Agoram, i still knew at the back of my mind that the champions league was at an altogether different level. Obviously the difference between a local team and an international one is massive. While my work was appreciated by the Brigadiers i still had my doubts on how i had to go about with an international setup comprising of star power. Will i be able to deliver, what should i tell the team, the players, how should i communicate with everyone around, will i be accepted as an outsider, will my work really add value were few of those myriad of queries i posted to myself.
I knew i had to approach this with a open mind but i was really nervous which was bound to happen despite the constant encouragement i kept receiving through Prasanna Agoram. As the legendary Tiger Woods said it once - "I always feel pressure. If you don't feel nervous, that means you don't care about how you play. I care about how I perform. I've always said the day I'm not nervous playing is the day I quit. I agree with the golfing legend.
The best part...
I'd like to believe that the initial background work had been done as the response from assistant coach based on my communication through mail was quite satisfactory. The team arrived at Hyderabad on October 5th and my plan was still uncertain. Not sure about my travel plan with the team and with the tour manager Sally expected to call me upon arrival in India i had no option but to be ready and wait. As my friend Satyabrata Dam in his wisdom states "Having no option is also an option; I learn this every day of my life, hanging with my fingers from impossibly high places". The wait allowed me to gain more knowledge from Prasanna and helped me plan better in terms of logistics.
Over a series of "sms" conversations during the day with Sally, i was asked to report next morning(October 6th) at the Uppal Stadium, Hyderabad. Feeling relieved, i went back home from the hotel where the Royal Challengers were put up and started packing my bags. I must admit i was nervous as i got into the cab ready to leave to the airport after a send off by my mom and Ameet in front of my place. I went to a state of reverie as the flight departed to Hyderabad.
October 5th and 6th...
With my accommodation not finalised as yet i had no option but to manage my own stay. I decided to stay at my grandparents place that night and join the team the next morning at the stadium. The stadium was an hour's journey from where i stayed. I called up easy cabs in the morning requesting for a pickup at 9a.m so that i could be there at 10a.m or earlier. In an ideal world everyone would want to be on time for the critical moments. My situation was very similar to an interviewee would want to report for an interview on time failing which he would be unable to make an impression. Sometimes situations are far from ideal and that was one of those day's for me. I had made repeated calls to the easy cabs travel desk to make sure the cab was on time or let me know in advance in case of any issues. Time went past and there was no sign of the cab. All i would be told is the cab was on its way. 9.45a.m and still no signs of the cab. The lady at the travel desk must be cursing her fate for i suppose she'd never ever had a red-faced customer on the other end of the receiver venting out his frustration big time. I knew i had overdone it but i was pissed off and had reasons to feel so. I didn't want to look out for stupid excuses when i met the team management. The cab driver and the travel desk knew they were at fault as repeated attempts to call the driver was in vain. 10a.m(my reporting time) i was still home and on calling the driver, the first thing he says is "Sir, coming in 5 minutes ...can u tell me the address again!!!" I felt devastated for a moment, fuming all the while, for this assignment was extremely critical. And i didn't want such a silly error from a taxi company to spoil my unique experience. If the cab driver was to be believed, he had finished his shift at 7a.m and was woken up by the travel desk at 9a.m. I sympathized with the driver but felt no remorse for the lady at the travel desk who i thought was quite irresponsible. She did get another round of mouthing and i landed at the stadium an hour late feeling guilty.
The team had started practicing in the nets and i tried to look out for Sally Donoughe, the tour manager for Somerset. Finally we did meet after numerous text message exchanges inside the stadium which looked beautiful. Sally took me to the pavillion and said she would introduce me to the team. Needless to say i was bloody nervous. With most of them practicing in the nets there were very few players inside the dressing room. I stood beside sally as she said "Hi all .. this is Karthik and he'd be with team". That was when i first met the legendary Justin Langer who walked towards me and introduced himself as Justin! I thought that was professionalism at its best. He didn't have to walk up to me but he did with a firm handshake. All i managed to say was its a great honour to meet you, Sir! In fact as the day progressed i realised no one really had any idea about this new chap joining the team. I spent the next couple of hours trying to interact with as many team members as possible and juggling around to get my accredition sorted failing which i wouldn't have access to the stadiums due to high security measures.
Time to head back to the hotel. I was on the team bus for the first time trying to recognize every member and eventually sat alone in the last seat observing every individual in the bus. It was quiet for a while when a couple of players started enquiring about the Hussain Sagar lake and the reason for women wearing burqas. Thought i gave them a reasonable explanation. Many were amused when they saw a passer-by urinate in the open. Glad they didn't ask me why? I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to settle down. My work began in the evening as i wanted to cover the practice match between Deccan Chargers and Otago Volts.Our team was supposed to come down to watch the match and get familiar with the conditions in the evening under lights. While the team arrived later i was in a couple of hours earlier making sure everything was in order for me to cover that match.
October 7th.... the day when it all began
Somerset were to play a practice match against the Newzealand based team Otago Volts at noon. We had a team meeting at 10a.m at the hotel. The coach talked about a few points during the first few minutes. The floor was open for questions and was about to be wrapped up. For me it was a challenge as i didn't have enough time to prove my worth here. We had the first round of matches on the 10th and 12th. Given the nature of the format, there was no guarantee of the next round matches. I told to myself it was now or never. I decided to get up, requested the coach for permission and talk about a couple of points which i felt was important for T20 cricket that could be executed during the matches. That was when i was introduced as the analyst with the team. I believe the point's that i put across made sense as the players appreciated my inputs. Justin Langer gave a pat and said that was good information. The ice was broken immediately as i felt relieved at the initial acceptance. That was when i suggested to Justin Langer to have a look at the presentation about the opponents. He was keen on watching it.
I always occupied the first seat on the right in the bus. Once on board we had the head count going with my number being 20. As i said 20, a couple of players from behind said "who is number 20??....i think its the new assistant coach!!!" I was all smiles and was really glad for having stood up in the meeting and suggested my ideas. On our way to the Gymkhana ground, the main strike bowler for somerset Alfonso Thomas(Thommo) sat next to me enquiring if i had some opponent data. I gave him quite a bit of information based on the coverage the previous day following which Thommo was appreciative of my work and the software in use. I heard him telling a few members in the bus that their past experiences with analyst hadn't been satisfactory and that the current one was too good.
Both the teams arrived at the Gymkhana grounds a couple of hours before the match. While the team practiced i had to set up all the logistics that is part of an analyst's profile. The main criteria for me is the camera position which needs to be straight on top and straight to the wicket. Ideally the sight screen angle would suit the best. While stadiums are well equipped the other second string grounds pose a lot of physical challenges. Every thing from the electric supply, the wires, the computers(hardware and software) needs to be in order. The dependencies are aplenty. I decided to place my video camera on top of a small house where the security guards resided at a distance from the dressing room. I had to sit with the team in the dressing room so that the players and coach can be in constant communication with me if need be. For this to happen i would need long wires to connect from the camera to my laptop depending on where the camera is setup. Sometimes as long as 100meters. Co-ordinating everything at one go can be taxing in a place like Hyderabad where the temperature can get really hot. With half an hour for the match to begin, while i thought everything was in place before the match began the extension chord went kaput. Such things not under your control can be highly irritating especially on the first day of the job when you are eager to make an impression. I remember running from one end to another looking out for an electrician. The electrician had a close look and had it fixed just ten minutes to the start of play. Watching me run from pillar to post trying to do a whole lot of hardware chores, am sure surprised some of the team members.
I gave myself a pat on the back for having set it up successfully and was geared up for the match. I wore a red Adidas shirt since i didn't have a team jersey. As i went back and forth inside the dressing room to grab a quick bite and some drinks the players started to address me again as an assistant coach. I felt really kicked at this juncture for that was a compliment of sorts for me. Behind me sat Wesley Durston, the middle order batsman and asked if I'd be travelling with the team throughout and till when I'd be there with them. I said "Wesley, till the finals", instinctively. He went inside the dressing room and handed over the official Somerset jersey to me saying "I want you to wear this and feel a part of the team". I never expected anything. Wearing the team jersey with the logo on the chest made me feel so proud. I was beaming with pride and joy. My face lit up, feeling kicked with signs of exhaustion disappearing. I think that is what confidence and the slightest of motivation can do to someone. It was one of the many feel good moments which would follow over the next few days.
Somerset chose to field. Little did i know that worse was in store when the camera gave away after the first over of the innings due to over heating! All the team members noticed the "camera over heated.. Please store it in cool place" blinking on my computer screen. I felt miserable but i had no control on that. I excused myself in between the over to bring the camera back to a cool place and possibly use it for the seconds innings. I informed the coach about the issue who was fine with it. I resumed work and tried to make the most without camera.
We started off well bowling out Otago Volts for a low score. I set up the camera again and everything went fine in the second innings. Somerset won the match comfortably. While on our way back to the hotel the players sat next to me in the bus to check if the points which i mentioned in the team meeting was executed. I gave them my feedback and passed on my laptop to Justin Langer seated behind to check if he'd played as per expectations. All these were encouraging signs for me and the more it happened the better. The next morning i met the coach over breakfast to show him reports of our performance in the practice game and the possible areas of improvement. He noted down the points which was addressed in the team meeting later in the day. I had very little time to prove a point. Atleast the start had been made.
It was very similar on the eve of our second practice match against the Hyderabad XI when we won by a huge margin. I would meet the coach over breakfast to share my reports and views on the game and meet the players either at the stadium or at our respective rooms. The message i intended to send across was that i was available for the team 24/7. It was half past eleven that night when Craig Keiswetter(wicket-keeper batsman, also in reckoning as a keeper for England) knocked on my door. My initial thought was he'd come to discuss about his performance in the practice game. He would later give me a set of shirt, shorts and a cap saying "Thanks mate, i appreciate the work you do for the team and I'd like to give this to you". I asked him if he was sure. He said "That's for you and you must feel part of the team". It couldn't have ended better i thought, as i retired for the day.
The day before our first big game against Deccan Chargers we had a team meeting in the evening to chalk out plans for the match day. I asked for the coach's permission if i could show my reports and clippings of the opposition that could help the team plan better than usual. He had a look at what was in the offing half an hour prior and i was given the go ahead. The meetings would usually last for 45 minutes to an hour. We planned well against Deccan Chargers and the team gave me a positive feedback on studying the opponents when i requested for one.
October 10th, on the day of our first match against the chargers i asked the coach if i could show a motivation clip that i'd prepared. He was skeptical initially but he was fine with it when i showed him a demo of the same. He wanted me to use the clip for the briefing before the team's departure to the stadium. I must say i received some great feedback from everyone with each one requesting me to give it to them in a disc. While the whole team left the room Justin Langer came up to me to enquire if i could help him in preparing similar videos and general computer usage. That was a special moment for me sitting beside someone i respected as i grew up and sharing my thoughts. Along with pre and post match meetings, i would be asked to provide specific reports, suggest my thoughts if any and play motivation clips on match days which would become a norm.
The big day.........
We arrived at the Uppal Stadium and the crowds grew bigger in support for the home team. For many in the team this was a first hand experience of what Indian crowds and stadiums could offer. We were always the underdogs coming into the tournament in contrast to the Deccan Chargers. The positives were the somerset played together with the same team for quite some time where as Deccan Chargers had a more star studded team but hadn't played together since IPL2009. For a couple of days before the game i had been telling the director and chairman of the club on how we would thrash the Deccan Chargers and the way in which Adam Gilchrist would be dismissed by our strike bowler Alfonso Thomas. I was pretty confident of us dismissing Gilchrist as per plan since we discussed it quite extensively at the pre-match meeting.
Deccan Chargers won the toss and batted first. On a brilliant batting track such as the one in Hyderabad all you can do is pray for the opposition to be bowled out for a low score which was not in our control. But what we certainly could do was to bowl in a disciplined manner waiting for the opponents to commit mistakes. With a decent start and after a couple of close chances Alfonso Thomas would come steaming in and dismiss Gilchrist as per plan. It couldn't have got any better. Deccan Chargers were bowled out for 150 clearly falling short by 20 runs. Somerset's chase was nothing less than magnificent as the game went down till the wire with 1run needed of 1ball when Alfonso Thomas guided the team to a thrilling win. The crowd was stunned at the home team's defeat and our celebration lasted for a while.
It was one of the best moments in my life as i ran down to the field to congratulate my team. We hugged one another tight and a couple of players lifted me in joy. After the celebration i would meet the director and chairman to congratulate when we had a hearty laughter about my predictions before the game and the nature in which Gilchrist would be dismissed. It was midnight when we gathered inside the dressing room, got into an huddle and sang the
team song as we danced along. Unfortunately, i would miss the dance as i preferred to squat on the floor in the middle with the camera to get the best shot of the team dance. (Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_mJ-x8fGU0)
A small section of crowd had gathered outside the stadium as we boarded the bus. The chairman of the club declared that the win against Deccan would go down as one of the best in the club's history and that he'd been getting congratulatory messages from cricket followers from England. The celebrations didn't last long as we had an early morning flight to Bangalore but the time never seemed so good that day.
The next morning the team was asked to assemble at the lobby at 7a.m with breakfast arranged early for the team and were asked to wear the grey coloured travel shirt. Myself, Arul Suppiah and Justin Langer were in the lift together. Justin and Arul wore the travel shirt while i wore the practice shirt which i received from Wesley. I proceeded to have breakfast and as i was filling up my bowl with cereals i received a pat on my back. It was Justin. He handed me one of his travel shirts saying "mate...this is for you". As i sat down munching my cereals Justin came and sat along with me. He talked about his feelings from the thrilling match and how winning can change things. I nodded in agreement. I was numb throughout. Firstly it was the shirt and second i was having breakfast with a legend. It was brilliant. I told Justin that it was a special moment for me to be sitting alongside with someone the cricketing world respected. He said "Am sure you're going to enjoy this experience mate.... and we'll have more such moments as we go".
We arrived in Bangalore and the first thing most of them said was "This place is great....Way better than Hyderabad". Justin called me from behind in the bus and told me Taj Westend was one of his all time favourite hotels with lush green lawns all over and the monkey's that would peep through the balcony early morning. Team meeting was scheduled for the evening to chalk out plans against Trinidad&Tobago(T&T). The team from Westindies was always a challenge considering the way they played their sport and to add to that was a plethora of new faces making themselves visible on the world stage for the first time during the tournament.
Although we won our first game against the chargers by a close margin, we still had to win the match against T&T to progress further in the tournament. On the day of the match during the briefing i played a movie comprising of the best moments from the victorious game. Justin stood watching the movie and when it was done he said "Excellent presentation mate... and told the guys that this should motivate each one of them". Unfortunately, we lost the game badly by a huge margin of 55runs. Clearly we lacked intensity and intent. It was extremely disappointing as the loss meant we were virtually out of the tournament, a dependency on the other teams in our group to perform badly. With uncertainty looming large and not sure of knowing what was in store, all we could do was kill time for the next three days and hope for a Deccan Chargers loss against T&T. This dependency on the other team to lose was frustrating to say the least.
I had a couple of options in between either to go home or stay at the hotel to try and make the most of business trying to meet more people, give presentations and make some inroads. I preferred the latter and it paid off well. Shopping was the only option otherwise. Justin asked me if we could get some Diesel jeans during one of the team meeting in Hyderabad. I had no idea about this and the best thing for me to do would have been to politely decline. Instead i shot myself in the foot with a confidently diplomatic reply in "yeah... but only the unofficial stuff". Everyone laughed in unison at my response and were kicked about having the unofficial diesel stuff! I was kicking myself for having said that. I said to myself "where on earth would i go in search of this diesel jeans??".
Anyways as the cliche goes having no option is also an option! I was chatting with Prasanna Agoram in his room as all the teams stayed at the same hotel. It was then my friend Chipli's name cropped up for some reason. Brilliant!! Chipli was more into the branded-trendy type of dressing. I immediately called him to check if he was aware of any store which sells diesel merchandise. Chipli contacted his designer friend Vijay, who incidentally has a boutique of his own and gets some stuff from Bangkok. The next afternoon the team dispersed into groups with one group opting for golf while the other went shopping. Myself, Justin Langer and the coach along with my colleague Ashwin had lunch at an Italian restaurant in UB city followed by a bit of shopping and window shopping on lavelle road and lifestyle stores.
After an extensive team meeting in the evening i invited Vijay to come over and display his collections. The merchandises were scattered all around in the meeting room as each and every bit of clothing was tried, tested and some money invested upon. Vijay had a pretty good day at office i must say selling his stuff. So much so that the team members requested him to get few collections of Ed Hardy and True religion. Eventually he would present me a nice t-shirt to express his gratitude.
Later in the evening Justin asked me to come over to his room to help him in using movie maker and general computer help. To be invited my a man of that stature, to be interacting with him closely about everything in life was beyond my imagination. I really felt privileged to be in such good company talking about his cricketing experiences, the "Invincible" Australian team, Shane Warne, his relationship with Matthew Hayden and a lot more apart from sharing a bit of my computer knowledge. I would get to know a lot of interesting stories about the Australian players, more specifically his loyalty towards the legendary Steve Waugh. Justin on quote - "If Steve asked me to run into a brick wall, I would run as fast as I could and hit the wall as hard as I could. I would not question his request. I trust and respect everything he says,".
I still felt a pinch at the huge loss over Trinidad & Tobago, for a win would have seen us through to the next round without dependencies on the other teams. As Steve Waugh mentions in his autobiography "Out of my comfort zone", there's nothing worse than a losing team's dressing room and all you have is your own thoughts for comfort. I don't know what transpired within me as i shared my computer knowledge. All of a sudden i told Justin, "Sir, it would be great if you could prepare a small motivational clip with your thoughts on that and show it in the team meeting. Till date i would be the only one working on the computer in team meetings. My reasoning was - If the slightest of extra effort from the captain could inspire the team, then nothing like it. I felt it would make the team react differently when they saw Justin using the laptop and notice every message he wanted to convey". Justin gave me a shockingly surprised look. I didn't want to force it on him but reiterated the fact that since he was aware of using the movie maker he could experiment with it and if it worked then so be it. As i left the room Justin thanked me for my help and said he would give my suggestion some thought.
I would meet Justin over breakfast the next morning. He told me that he'd given my suggestion some thought and he'd prepared a motivation clip. I looked at him amazed for a while and smiled at him. We reviewed the clip and was ready to be shown in the team meeting. Justin had his laptop with him as the players looked at him surprised as they entered the meeting room while i set up the projector and speakers. The whole team was glued to the video as i watched the reaction on everyone's face. At the end of it, the sound of the applause grew loud in appreciation of Justin. We weren't really worried about the impact as long as the intent was there and it did rub off on few of them i would think. Few players came up to me and said the presentation was great and they'd like to do something similar. I couldn't help but oblige with goosebumps all over feeling happy for what Justin had done. I really appreciated his effort, for he put the team ahead and thought it could boost their morale.
During breakfast that morning, Justin was curious to know about the plain dosa on my plate accompanied by a variety of chutney's and sambhar. I told him it was a pancake and was best made in South India, especially Karnataka and offered him a bite. Well, who doesn't fall for dosa's i thought when Justin ordered one for himself. Darren Veness, the strength and conditioning coach came over and sat next to me. Needless to say one bite of my dosa and an inspiration from Justin having one himself would spur Darren to order a plain dosa. It was festive season and soon they would be having "Shavige Paysam" with me. It was fun!
Three days spent in Bangalore doing nothing but wait for the D-DAY rather D-Night for the outcome of the match between Trinidad&Tobago and Deccan Chargers. The logic was simple. A Trinidad&Tobago win would mean Somerset would progress further. With Deccan Chargers having lost their first game against Somerset, they had to go for the kill. They did, almost! The whole somerset team assembled at the pub downstairs waiting in anticipation for a Trinidad victory. Guess some of them even had lucky/superstitious seating, dining, smoking, walking, going to the loo positions. It happens in any sport. When things go your way when you are in bit of a disarray, you tend to stick to the same way. Probably a temporary obsessive compulsive disorder of sorts. I was in two minds whether to prepare for our future matches or watch the game. Personally i didn't fancy watching the game and following all the superstitions. I thought if we had played with even half the intensity against Trinidad the other night as compared to watching the game on T.V, the result would have been different. On the other hand, if we progressed then we could face the Diamond Eagles(Southafrica) and New south Wales(Australia) in the next round in Hyderabad. Else it was the Fly Emirates flight for Somerset and a short rickshaw ride for me. I wouldn't say i was optimistic of a Deccan loss but in any eventuality i felt it was better for me to prepare if we progressed further.
I met Prasanna Agoram at his room to get some words of wisdom. Based on his experiences concocted with superstitions, he suggested i start preparing after the Deccan-Trinidad match finished, which was at midnight. He believed Deccan were going to lose at any cost, which was more of a personal motivation strategy directed towards a sulking me. I went out for dinner and ended up missing the game till the final overs. I would walk back and forth in the pub hoping against hope when i managed to watch the final few overs of the game. The atmosphere was tense in Hyderabad and Bangalore and the commentators would make a constant reference to Somerset watching the game on TV with nails in their mouth. Prasanna Agoram stuck to his superstitions as he watched the match with his legs slightly crossed and resisting a pee break for more than an hour. Well, when it happens it happens. Deccan Chargers lost the match in the last over. The Hyderabad crowd was stunned while the scantily crowded pub in Bangalore jumped and hugged one another in jubilation. It was great but i empathized with Deccan Chargers for their jinx continued with not a single win on record at Hyderabad.
I went to congratulate Justin Langer, we shook hands as i said "Sir, the work begins now". He smiled back. Close to 1a.m, i went back to my room feeling great thinking about my next step when i received a message on my phone. It was from the coach and read "Karthik, team meeting at 10.30 a.m and depart to Hyderabad at 1p.m." I recalled my chat with Prasanna when he said, "Karthik, mark my words..Deccan are going to lose today. You will have very little time to prepare for the next game but that is the challenge which would make you more focused and keep motivated. You might have to forego your sleep, but your efforts will be appreciated by one and all". He sang the Deccan Charger's team song "Chargers go... go go go..." in the most sarcastic manner i could imagine, clearly holding his grudge against the Chargers after Royal Challenger's loss to them in the finals of IPL2009. I checked with the coach if we could have the meeting at Hyderabad instead of Bangalore as that would allow the players to have a good memory of what was discussed in the meeting. That wasn't the case however.
I had virtually no data of the Diamond Eagles team and i had to get them by morning for the team meeting. I had no option but to go to office. I called up the travel desk at the hotel requesting for a cab. Five star hotels are not for the middle class. The cab charges for a less than 20km drive cost me 1100Rs. Anyways, the amount would be reimbursed later by the team management. I returned back to the hotel at half past two and started working. My eyes were drooping adding to the misery. 10a.m, i was ready for breakfast and with my presentation. I met the coach and gave him a thumbs up when he enquired me about the oppositions data. On questioning i had no option to tell him how i managed to get them in very little time. Guess the word spread across some of the team members. The meeting went well with a couple of Somerset representing South African players Zan De Bryuyn and Alfonso Thomas giving their valuable inputs about the opponents.
The team reached Hyderabad in two groups. The players leaving first followed by the support staff and the director later in the evening. When you are part of a major event such as the champions league and associated with good cricket teams one can be assured of getting pampered at every possible step. You are allowed to take excessively excess baggage in aircrafts, provided with luxurious waiting lounge, get to travel in the best aircraft available, get to stay in plush hotels and experience the exaggerated(sometimes) respect that's on offer everywhere. 15minutes to boarding we were told that the security needed clearance for one of the bags failing which the bag would be retained in Bangalore. Myself and Darren Veness decided to check since we carried heavy luggage in supplements and electronic hardware. It was our security officer from South Africa travelling with the team whose bag was scrutinised. I called up the coach in Hyderabad asking him to inform the security officer about this. Only when he called up to confirm the metal object was it released.
Reached Hyderabad at 9.30p.m and had my usual hotel nightmares. Just when i checked in the phone started to ring. The voice on the other end said "Hey Karthik, hi pal.. hope you are good buddy". Justin's computer had few issues and the internet wasn't working. I tried my best to fix it up but it was a virus issue eventually resulting in an operating system crash . I offered him my spare laptop used for reporting purpose since it wasn't of much use to me as i wasn't allowed to sit in the dugout in compliance with the ICC anti-corruption unit's regulations against usage of any electronic devices on the field.
Very seldom in my life have i purchased tickets or passes for a cricket match, for most of the times i would be dependent on my uncle who's a journalist or friends who could get some for free. And here i was, in a situation where the team management handed over free passes for the best of stands in the stadium. I used a few in Bangalore but being in Hyderabad i would distribute the passes to the security personnel or the staff. They would leave my room with a 1000 watt smile as some of the passes cost a fortune.
Our first match in the second round was against Diamond Eagles. Barring Wesley Durston's brilliant knock we didn't have much to brag about. The Eagles were a beatable side and losing to them didn't augur well for Somerset's morale and our progress further. And losing by quite some margin in T20 is sad and it happened twice in a row. It was extremely disappointing as we were virtually out of the tournament, again. Back in the hotel later, as we headed to the lift Justin put his arms around me and said he wanted to buy me dinner. I thought that was a great gesture by one of the finest sportsmen. Needless to say it was an honour and privilege for me.
The next day the team had an optional net session at the stadium followed by a team meeting to discuss our plans against the New South Wales who were a relatively star studded and strong team followed by Diwali celebrations at the hotel premises. Most of the team members gathered at the lawn, with a couple of them making some extra effort to wear a traditional Indian attire looking in awe of the whole diwali cracker bursting process. But the best part about the celebrations was the manner in which the whole NewSouthWales team stayed together and enjoyed the whole evening buying and bursting more crackers.
The motivation clip before the match included a photo of Wesley Durston posing with his mobile in one hand and a sparkler in the other along with a highlight of his knock against the Eagles which read "The star who sparkled". After the meeting Wesley would come up to me and say "Hey champ u know what... my girlfriend would get emotional when she watches this...cos my girlfriend calls me a star"! Our match against the New South Wales was always going to be tough and it was even tougher to digest we lost the game by quite a margin. Everyone shook hands probably for one last time and all of a sudden it all seemed so surreal. When you are part of a team embracing one another, experienced the highs and low's the thought of parting ways is sour. I wanted a picture with the whole team after which i would be presented with an autographed shirt by the whole Somerset team for my efforts.
The team was scheduled to depart at 7a.m in next morning. I still had my task of handing over the clips and data to all the players. I shuttled between the pub and my room. I enjoyed the casual chat with the team members over a few drinks talking beyond cricket. Again, each of the team member thanked me and appreciated my efforts in trying to add value. It feels great to be appreciated and respected. Some of the players called me over to hand some of their merchandises, shades etc... as a way of expressing their gratitude. I did acknowledge them and thanked them for their support.
I had a bat autographed by the Somerset team as a souvenir, had pictures with the best cricketers, worked with a reputed cricket team and managed to gather some stardust. I smiled at myself.
The slightly annoying part ......
For a couple of weeks prior to the tournament I had been in constant touch with the assistant coach through mails sharing various information related to the opponent teams, players, ground details and much more. On the eve of the team's departure from Heathrow i still wasn't sure of my joining dates, accommodation, accredition. Reason being my name hadn't been sent across to the champions league committee which took care of all the participating teams, officials, travel, allowance and stay. The issue with this as i realised as we progressed was that every time the team checked into a hotel in Hyderabad and Bangalore i would be the only one waiting in the lobby with the huge kits with uncertainty all around. I must admit it was disappointing when i was told there were no rooms available for me every time we checked in. Upon my arrival on October6th in Hyderabad i was informed there were no rooms available and they could accommodate me at another hotel. My point was simple. I had been here to assist the team and i had to be available for the team round the clock, for this wasn't any vacation. It was pure business. And if i couldn't stay in the team hotel i could miss out on opportunities to add any value and meet the right people which was extremely crucial. Few phone calls back and forth to Delhi and after waiting for close to an hour i was alloted a room. Sally Donoughe the tour manager must have had some sleepless nights sorting out my issues that seemed never ending. A projector was required during team meetings and this had been informed to the hotel authorities. Needless to say that the expenses regarding anything concerning the team would be taken care by the team management or the champions league committee. Either me or the coach would usually be the first to arrive for team meetings in order to make sure things were in place.
On few occasions when the projectors and speakers were missing, the constant response was "Sir, i am extremely sorry the expenses would have to be paid by you"!!! I hated to hear this time and again. Team meetings are extremely important and when such things happened it looked very unprofessional. I didn't want to be at the receiving end at any cost. Going further i decided to make sure the settings in the team room were in order an hour before so that i could be spared of any excuses. The team comes first and everything later.
I was informed i could be at the same hotel till October 9th and had to move to a different one on the 10th. Eventually after a lot of discussion i could stay in the same hotel, which would mean i could be with the team on the day of the match. However, things don't always seem perfect when i received a call midnight asking me to vacate the room by noon on match day. I got a call in the morning again asking me to stay back and that the rooms were available in the same hotel. Half an hour went past when i was asked to vacate the room again. This happened thrice, when i packed and unpacked my bags(Huge ones). Amidst all this we had a team meeting in the afternoon after which we had to leave to the stadium at 5p.m. Finally, i was asked to vacate my room and had to share the room with one of the players' for that night. Just before the team's departure to Bangalore the next morning i decided enough was enough when i was asked to pay the room tax. It had been a long while since i had lost my cool when i gave the hotel executives some piece of my mind. The last thing i told them was that the stay at the particular hotel was plain annoying and ran to the team bus with me being the last guy to board.
More was in store when we checked into the hotel in Bangalore. Ok, here i go....'Sir, there are no rooms in this hotel but we can accommodate you 5kms away in another hotel of ours". I was quite tired as we came back to our rooms only at 1a.m the previous morning after our victory against the Deccan Chargers. I told the hotel manager that if i had to stay then it had to be with the team else it was pointless. I'd rather stay at home and come back to the hotel for meetings when the coach asked me to. He requested me to wait for 10 mins which extended to more than an hour after which i was told i would be accommodated into a temporary room which would eventually turn out to be a permanent one for the next four days.
Trinidad defeating Deccan Chargers meant Somerset were through to the next round in Hyderabad to play against Diamond Eagles and New South Wales. Due to logistical issues i would presume the teams left to Hyderabad in two batches with the players leaving first in the smaller aircraft and the support staff in the bigger one along with the massive luggages. Our flight later in the evening was delayed as we arrived at 9p.m at Hyderabad. Everyone in the team were given key's to their respective rooms. It was the same guy with whom i had an argument the other day, who handed the key's. I knew at the back of mind about me having to face another frustrating "no rooms available" moment. I was spot on. It was my turn to collect the key and prompt comes the response "Sir, your room on the 16th floor is ready, but.......But, i remarked?(Am sure he was cursing me big time)....But Sir, you will have to pay for it"!! "hahaha"- was my reaction spontaneously. All I could afford was a smile, for that was the appropriate reaction i could offer them at that situation. I hadn't slept over the last 24hrs and i walked away without a glance wanting to hit the sack. Barring the complimentary breakfast and stay anything else would cost me a fortune. Lunch and dinners would happen at the stadiums, through a bowl of fruits or a walk down to the take away. Am sure the hotel authorities hated me for my arrogance but i didn't care because i had a job to accomplish.
This is purely based on observation. That in most tourist places in India once they realise you are someone from the same origin the perception towards an individual is a totally different one. The moment they realise someone is an Indian you take the lower priority in their minds. The views on this might differ, but this is based on my experience during the 3week stint at one of the best hotels in the country. While i wouldn't want to blame it on the hotel authorities entirely, i feel we could have been proactive as an organization back here in Bangalore. If only we had been proactive and sent across my details to the team management things could have possibly been better.
Time to bid Adieu.......
As the cliche goes "we win some, we lose some". Personally it was depressing. Not because we lost, but the manner in which we lost was burning within despite few players trying to pep me up. But then that is what sport is all about. It teaches a lot about life and with time you learn to move on despite all the setbacks trying to soak in the positives.
The team assembled at the hotel lobby on time. It would be the last time i would meet them and if i was lucky then i could be part of the team sometime in the near future. I must admit i felt emotional as i wore my first Somerset shirt and shorts bidding them goodbye. It was all over too soon.
Nevertheless my stint with the Somerset county club was an experience nonpareil. Lastly, my sincere thanks to the Somerset county cricket club, the players, my organization, friends, parents and everyone involved. Special thanks to Prasanna Agoram who believed in me throughout without whom i cease to exist in this profession. I'm making it sound as if this could be the end of the road but i wish myself many more challenges, get serendipitous and enjoy the journey for as long as i can no matter what is in the offing.
Well, as a wise man once said "It's the journey that brings you happiness, not the destination". I couldn't differ on that although the destination could have been slightly better. If only it was an Utopian world. Glad it isn't.
-Karthik :-)
Links:
KPL Experience
Indian team camp
TeamSong
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