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 !!

The captaincy tug-of-war

For long this team has been under the reins of a captain whose leadership skills have never been questioned and who has always enjoyed the unflinching support of his team members.But recent setbacks in the form of losses to lesser teams have set the rumour mills running overtime and talk of the captain being renominated through a team consensus has been confirmed.The latest piece of information doing the rounds is that there is a rift among some of the team veterans in the fist-fight for captaincy.
21/02/2008
Reliable sources confirm that the team members have unanimously decided to re-elect the captain through a popular poll.
The captain though, steadfastly rubbishes the pretensions of the challengers and is quite confident of reclaiming his numero uno spot.The contenders have popped up in the form of Gtype and Shyam, both loyal foot soldiers and hithertho staunch supporters of the captain.Other team members are also expected to dive into the already raging captaincy cauldron and nominate themselves as leader material.
As the cold war for captaincy enters the voting phase, the contenders are falling over each other in trying to win over their team members and boost their vote banks.With just a week left to decide the captain of the team, the excitement levels are at an all-time high.
Watch this space for more as the would-be captains present their candidatures and unexpected names crop up for captaincy!!
22/02/2008
Breaking news!!!In a sensational turn of events, Balaji alias SB has nominated himself for captaincy. The battle, which was primarily expected to be a three-horse race between Sunder, Gtype and Shyam has now assumed a new dimension altogether.
And in a coup likely to overturn team dynamics on their head, DKJ, always considered to be a Sunder loyalist has switched sides to Gtype's camp and publicly denounced Shyam's candidature for captaincy . This move, allegedly a well executed conspiracy by Gtype admirers, has crucially shifted momentum to the Gtype camp a week before the elections and landed a potentially grevious blow to Shyam's stuttering campaign.
Moreover, with SB, till now a staunch Sunder supporter, making his intentions public, the Sunder camp loses a vital cog in its electoral aspirations.
As core members flip-flop allegiances by the minute and once heralded supporters fall by the wayside like nine pins, Sunder would gain some consolation from Viju's decision to stand firmly by his side.
In the face of such path breaking events, Anand's neutrality is confounding the election analysts. The Sunder camp can no longer take the result of the election for granted, what with SB, a very highly respected and influential team member expected to garner many popular votes.
The enigmatic electoral jigsaw puzzle continues to befuddle the rational mind. Watch out for more updates.

25/02/2008

The preliminary poll reports have come in and it seems as if the house is going to be split between Sunder and quite surprisingly, Shyam.Gtype's narcissist bickering about his own leadership abilities have put off his primary confidant, Karthik and the only vote that Gtype is now assured of is his own.It's all downhill for Gtype now who started the campaign in rambunctious fashion but has lost steam in the decisive phase.

Shyam, on the other hand has risen from the ashes with Anand's support assuring him of atleast two votes.With SB and Viju's choices still hanging in the balance, itwill no longer be a surprise if D-day results see Sunder gridlocked in a tie with his sibling.

The status quo may not be loaded in SB's favour but it would be foolhardy to underestimate his chances of attaining the top spot. With a brilliant performance on the field last weekend, he has emphatically reinvigorated his campaign and is looking good for the home run.

Sunder, meanwhile continues to impress in his typical laidback fashion and seems the punter's favourite for captaincy.

Four days before the votes are cast, it remains to be seen whether Shyam and SB can muster enough firepower and display the political nous to steal the carpet from under the captain's feet.

Sunday,the 13th

There are few things in life that excite the 'Wariyers' more than a game of
exhilarating cricket and Sunday,the 13th provided yet another glimpse as to why the Wariyers are dreaded by all and sundry in the local cricketing circle!!

The setting was ideal for war - a flat track with patches of grass (SB was
observed rubbing his hands in glee), a captaincy debate that had been relentlessly dragging on and the reassuring presence of the 'Golawala'.

The spectators were primed for the titanic clash.It was going to be a battle of the giants, Sunder and DKJ ably aided by Anand against the guiles of SB,Gtype
and Sachin. For Nilesh, the debutant, this was the ideal opportunity to exhibit his prowess and cement a place in the team.

The battle-lines were drawn,the die was cast, a rousing round of applause provided an indication of things to come.Gtype came in to bat,the swagger in place. The captain had decided that he would take it upon himself to relegate Gtype to the shadows.The first over was an excellent one - a lesson in line and length for the aspiring youngsters.Only 3 runs were conceded.The war had begun and how!!

DKJ,an able ally,bowled an excellent second over,yet again highlighting the
chinks in GType's armoury. Two overs had been bowled and the scoreboard reflected a miserable 7 runs.

Anand came on to bowl the third over and started off in cavalier fashion - a huge no-ball over Nilesh's head providing the much needed free-hit. Gtype failed to capitalise on it and the tension on the faces of the members of the batting team was palpable. Anand finished off his over without any further profligacies. The momentum was firmly now with the bowling team.

14 runs off three overs was never going to be good against a team that
boasted of some fine batsmen.Sunder came on to bowl an impeccable over yet again and it was left to DKJ to complete the formailties by bowling the last over ........

Fate had probably something else in store for SB's team as Gtype yet again did the impossible - a huge pull and a heave off the last two balls adding 10 valuable runs to the score, which now stood at a very respectable 28 of the alloted 5 overs.

SB reiterated his credentials as the best bowler in the team by bowling a torrid first spell conceeding only 2 runs.Anand and DKJ were finding the going tough and how ! Sachin and Nilesh too bowled neat spells. 28 did not seem such a low first innings total after all !! Gtype accounted for Sunder who dragged the ball back on to his stumps and it was left to DKJ to lend the total some respectability which he dutifully did by hanging around till the end. Sunder's team was left stranded
on 22 after 5 overs...a handy lead of 6 for the opposition.

The proceedings for the second innings were started by Anand and DKJ who bowled tight first spells. Sunder bowled a good over again but for the solitary boundary sneaked in by SB.The innings wound up at 30 - the target a mammoth 37 for DKJ's team.

Sunder took it upon himself to open the innings but was sent back off the second ball itself - a stunning caught & bowled dismissal by Nilesh !! DKJ and Anand played brilliantly, the highlight being DKJ's superb boundary off GType. The scoreboard kept ticking consistently until Anand fell.

This humdinger of a match was not over yet. With DKJ,the lone warrior standing and 9 runs required off SB's last over, the odds were heavily stacked against him...it boiled down to 5 runs of the last ball...and then SB did what he had never done before!!!

Overstepping was a crime and SB did just that..3 runs were required of the last ball now.SB surprisingly, faltered yet again........a huge wide sending a wave of cheer among the spectators.Only 2 runs were required now.

But lending credence to the cliched aphorism "The match is not won until the last ball is bowled", SB proved why fans admiringly call him 'Indian Lightning' by bowling a near-unplayable last delivery. It was a tie. Even the Gods could not have forecast such an outcome.

They say there are very few things in life that excite the Wariyers more than a game of Cricket....whoever said this probably never saw this team playing Cricket !!!

First ever bowl out in the History of Wariyer's!!!!!

After so much of dedication and action packed match the stage was finally set for the mother of all entertainment -bowl out.However this was the first ever bowl out in the history of wariyer's.

The excitement for out bowling the wicket dominated the minds of wariyer's overcoming the need to quench their thirst with delectable gola and the same interests, which centered in the game, was evinced all through until the last bowl is bowled.

The match begun and half of the battle was won by SB after winning the toss and putting Sunder's team in a driver seat to bowl the first ball.

Things were left into DKJ's hand and by now, the wariyer's were on their feet to witness first ever bowl out ball.The first delivery which was clocked at approximately 84 mph, went straight to wicketkeeper missing Off stump by inches.However as far as opposition is concerned,Nilesh started well by breaking Off stump in pieces, and succeeded in infusing some spirit into the game.

Now,Sunder's team was under pressure to deliver results with the remaining balls.But at the end, they were outplayed as DKJ,Anand and captain himself missed the last three hits.

In a nutshell,SB's team pipped Sunder's team in a pulsating bowl-out to seal their victory.