Say Hi to the wariyers

This cricket team,consisting of some remarkably talented individuals has been in existence for quite some time now. A team that started off with 'bits-and-pieces' players,has now transformed into one consisting of some genuinely talented guys....Guys who would go to any extent to savour a hard-fought match over some chilled 'golas'!!

The core team-members

Sunder (a.k.a captain):

The self-appointed and longest serving captain of this bunch, he holds the distinction of being the laziest member in the team.Typically the last man to walk into the ground, he is the archetypal lower order bat who can give the ball a hard thwack at times but comes up a cropper against the better bowlers.Is very good defensively but has the maniacal 'Afridi'ish tendency to attack right from the word go.His stock shot is the very acobatic swing/pull/hook with eyes closed and legs dangling in mid-air.Can walk into any team as a bowler alone and is undoubtedly the best 'yorker'er in the team.Bowls frighteningly fast at times, though team gurus feel he can do with a bit more variation.Fielding is not really his cup of tea but then this team doesn't really pride itself on its fielding skills, does it?He swears by the Kapil Dev school of captaincy which means other bowlers get a chance to bowl only when the captain is tired or fed up of bowling.All-in-all, a captain, bowler and batsman that the team simply cannot do without.

Shyam (A.K.A Captain-in-waiting):

The only left-handed batsman in our team, this guy is the most difficult one to bowl at.His batting had improved a lot in recent times...and those irritating nudges and pushes,that he was once renonwed for,have thankfully metamorphized into some clean hitting.But his absence from the team for such a long duration may hv changed equations,especially now tht the quality of the other players(read as DKJ,Gtype,SB,yours truly, Viju & Anand) has improved drastically.His bowling though,is still considered to be the toughest one to face....the occassional beamersnotwithstanding....he is still among the top 3 bowlers in the team.

Weaknesses:- Performs poorly in crunch situations,by dropping catches at inappropriate moments... Is also known for getting out in the last over,especially in crucial encounters

Strengths :- Can bowl real quick and is very difficult to face once he gets into the groove.

Balaji(Better known as SB):-

Undoubtedly,the best bowler in the team!!Has an action to-die-for and is a fast bowling legend within team circles.Remarkably accurate and consistent in line and length,he is still the opening bowler in any team that he plays for....has been bowling those gems directed at the middle-stump for a long time now.A solid player on the off-side,his batting style is more suited to test-cricket.Though his fielding continues to be a bit suspect ,his bowling abilities more than make up for it.In all,a team member par excellence...

Gtype (Formerly also known as Parag :-))

The great Gtype needs no introduction.Easily stands out in a crowd when he smiles (becoz his front teeth is missing !!!!)Here is one player who can give Tendulkar an inferiority complex one day...and make Venkatesh Prasadlook like GlennMcGrath the other day!!Easily,the most inconsistent player in the team,this guy has a rather irrirating habit of bowling ill-directed beamers at 160 kmph (or maybe even 170 kmph) to hapless batsmen like Anand/Creature and then flashing those pearly whites of his. Can bowl real fast (I really mean it!!! Ask SB or Viju...).Is a solid batsman,maybe even the best the team has,if not for his inconsistency.Among the better fielders,this guy can win as well as lose matches single-handedly!!

DKJ (some people know him as Karthik):-

The most improved player in recent times and the loud mouth of the team, this guy is more of a bowler who can also bat.His bowling has gradually undergone a transition and he is among the main bowlers of the team now,which is quite a compliment considering the fact tht the team boasts of bowlers like SB,yours trulyand the great Gtype!!His batting is mediocre at best,with the legside 'jhadoo' shot being the main one in his armoury.Has grown in stature in the team...in all,a good team member!!

Viju :-

Viju, the most powerful hitter on the legside,this side of the equator.Bowl a loose ball to him on the legside & watch as the ball defies gravity for a stunning period of time.His off-side is a little suspect and his batting almost entirely thrives on that mega whack down the legside!! Is a decent bowler..though his running between the wickets & fielding abilities leavea lot to be desired.Has the distinction of being run-out innumerable times
draft

Dii :-

The hugest member in the team by quite a margin, Dii has as many facets to his batting as the many names he is addressed by, 'Kamande' and 'Raag waala Kapil Dev' ..the more famous ones among them. Here is a guy who has probably batted as an opener throughout his life. His more famous antics include fielding close to the batsman so that the bat can be grabbed from the batsman's hand at the slightest chance. Dii and Ceechi , his equally oval-shaped brother can be a captain's nightmare ,especially during fielding . The pair is known for it's innovative ideas to distract the batsman and possibly everyone else, in close vicinity during fielding, by throwing stones , laughing out loudly and fighting amongst themselves as to who would open the batting ,though both of them are equally incompetent batsmen. Inspite of his monstrous build, Dii ,surprisingly manages to retain the tag of being the only bowler in the team whose ball does not reach the batsman inspite of his umpteen efforts. The opening pair of Dii and Ceechi are notoriously renowned for scoring a run off the last ball of every over to retain the strike, even though the very first ball of the next over would usually send their stumps shattering.

Jokes apart, Dii would definitely qualify as the best opening batsman the team has ever had, if the mercurial albeit cranky Gtype is excluded from the list. Known to be a classy front-foot player with an equally solid defence, Dii, brings to the opening order the much needed stability, though the same cannot be said of his bro. A passionate team member who can resort to aggressiveness if required, Dii is one of the rocks of this enigmatic team. In short, a 'Wariyer' ,who epitomises the qualities of one !!