The Indian Weekender, 13 November 2020

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Editorial Crossing ‘Lakshmana Rekha’ in cricket never a cake walk The ‘Lakshmana Rekha’, the famous line drawn by Lakshman for Sita not to cross when he went to find Ram in the forest, as mentioned in the Ramayana, seems so synonymous with the way the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) participating sides appear at the moment. In case of Sita, the sacred line was not to be crossed, similarly, the top teams in the tournament seem to be following the same ritual. Each side in the IPL requires at least eight wins to maybe secure a place amongst the last four for the knock-out stage of the tournament. With the Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) languishing earlier at seven wins, with a fair amount of matches to go, one seemed certain that they would all sail into the respective top three slots. The ‘Lakshmana Rekha’ drawn to cross the line has now become an ordeal for both Delhi and Bangalore. Mumbai Indians, after their comprehensive win against RCB in their last match, are the first team to cross the seven seas and continue to the next stage of the tournament. MI look a strong side to defend their title, even though their captain and star player, Rohit Sharma, cannot support them due to a hamstring injury. Cricket, as one says, is a game of many uncertainties and with none of the teams looking distinctly better than the other, there could be a possibility of five teams ending up with eight wins. This could lead to a run-rate scenario and would, therefore, make the IPL even more interesting to watch. With the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) having already lost its place for the play-offs and the only side at present out of the reckoning, they could be a spoil sport for all the other sides competing. They did put a spoke in the wheel of RCB’s progress by beating them in their last encounter. Rajasthan Royals (RR) unfortunately cannot accumulate more than seven wins and so will depend on the outcome of all the other teams performances. An interesting outcome, however, could develop, if RR wins both their remaining matches against Kings XI Punjab(KXIP) and Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR). This then would deter both KXIP and KKR’s progress and thus create a possibility of five sides finishing with seven wins each. The IPL has never in its 13 year history been so closely fought. Every franchise has spent considerable time in evaluating and analysing their squad and all of them boast of world class performers. Therefore, teams are much more evenly matched as regards their international stars and the ones showing consistency are the ones where the Indian domestic stars are performing well. The IPL, for these domestic performers, is the only opportunity to exhibit their skills and talent. Therefore, it had a significant impact on the selection of the players for the Indian tour to Australia. Varun Chakravarthy, the KKR leg spinner, due to his sterling performance of getting five wickets against DC on the eve of the selection day, made it into the Indian T20I squad. He made the significant progress of stepping over the ‘Lakshmana Rekha’, the line that differentiates the national players from the international ones. However, this was not the case for Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai batter missed out being a part of the Indian line-up even though he has consistently performed in the domestic tournaments and in the IPL as well. Unfortunately for him, the international Indian stars that he is competing with, also did equally well and so for him to seize a place proved to be once again a futile effort. This is where lady-luck plays a vital part in a cricketer’s career and one did feel sorry for Yadav as he played a fluent and scintillating knock of 79 runs to make MI win against RCB on the very day the Indian squads were announced. He did so against Virat Kohli’s side, in style with dignity and grace leaving behind a definite message for the Indian captain to ponder over. The IPL has been a severe test for the cricketers as regards their fitness as well. The lockdown with its restrictions and the lack of practice, due to Covid-19, has led to injuries and muscle strains in many of the players. The T20 format maybe a shorter version of cricket, but it requires a burst of speed, not only while batting or bowling but also during the 20 overs of fielding. Each run saved is a run gained and so a cricketer needs to exert that much more from his comfort level to give that extra bit for his team. This is why players succumb to injuries and niggling aches and pains. This unfortunately has been disastrous where Indian cricket is concerned. One of their most destructive batsmen, Rohit Sharma, is in the list of injured and not a part of the Indian touring side for Australia. Similarly, Ishant Sharma, India’s most experienced fast bowler, is also in the injured list. Apart from these two, there are a few more who will be carrying their injuries Down Under for a grueling encounter against the Australian side, who are itching to take their revenge for their Test series loss against India when they last toured in 2018-19. One is still perplexed as to why a simple hamstring injury has kept the ‘Lakshman’ of Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma, away from the Indian touring side to Australia. If he does not enter the bio-bubble right at the beginning, then for him to be a part of the team later on would be a time consuming effort. Maybe, he has drawn his own “Sharma Rekha” from which Indian cricket may have to draw him out, especially when they play the first Test match against Australia in a day/ night encounter at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. India has a lot at stake, not only to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also to garner enough points to qualify for the first ever Test Championship final to be held in England in June 2021. They need their most experienced players to get them over the sacred line. Thought of the week “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” —Mary Kay Ash 12 November – 20 November 2020 Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu On-and-off rain and drizzle 16° 9° Partly sunny 15° 8° 17° 9° Indian Weekender : Volume 12 Issue 35 Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Technical Officer: Rohan deSouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Media Sales Manager.: Leena Pal: 021 952 216 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Distribution: 021 952218 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Editor at Large: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland. Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Parlty sunny Clouds and sun 14° 10° A touch o dafr This week in New Zealand’s history 13 November 1896 Mount Tongariro erupts 15° 10° Copyright 2020. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved. Sunshine and pactcy clouds 16° 9° A few morning showers At 12.40 p.m. on 13 November 1896, Te Maari, a crater at the northern end of the Tongariro range, erupted spectacularly. It continued to erupt sporadically for nearly a year. 15 November 1861 First issue of Otago Daily Times published Dunedin became the first New Zealand town with a daily newspaper when the first issue of the Otago Daily Times was published. 16 November 1840 New Zealand officially becomes British colony New Zealand officially became a separate colony within the British Empire, severing its link to New South Wales. North, South and Stewart islands were to be known respectively as the provinces of New Ulster, New Munster and New Leinster. 16 November 1916 First conscription ballot The Military Service Act passed on 1 August 1916 had made all healthy New Zealand men of military age (20 to 45) liable for active service overseas. Conscription was introduced because after two years of war too few men were volunteering to fill the necessary reinforcement drafts for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. 17 November 1925 New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition opens Governor-General Sir Charles Fergusson opened Dunedin’s New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition in November 1925. By the time the exhibition closed in May 1926, it had attracted over 3.2 million visitors, more than double New Zealand’s total population at the time. 19 November 2010 Pike River mine explosion kills 29 The Pike River underground coal mine is located in the rugged Paparoa Range, on the West Coast of the South Island. The only access to the mine workings was through a 2.3-km-long tunnel that intersected with the Brunner coal seam. 15° 9°
27 Oct–14 Nov Festival of Lights Discover the full festival line-up at aucklandnz.com/diwali Major Partner Sponsors Foundation Partner
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The Indian Weekender, 13 November 2020

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