Review India fielded well. Special mention to KL’s keeping and Kuldeep’s ground fielding. Batted relatively better than opponents. Standouts are KL against Zampa, Rohit against Matt Henry and Kohli against Santner. There are no words to describe bowling.  Bumrah’s wickets of Rizwan and Shadab, Stokes’s meltdown against Shami and Kuldeep’s wickets of Maxwell and Butler are just out of the world. A wrist spinner should not be able to demonstrate the zip and consistency that Kuldeep is showcasing. We will likely not witness this level of bowling skill and intensity again in our lifetime  NZ is the second best team irrespective of what the table says. Australia might not have…

Reliving the emotion of joy and disbelief in the words of noted sports columnists. India wins the second test in Melbourne. With a depleted bowling attack competing against the best attack in the world, there was no expectation but a hope to compete well in the upcoming tests. Heist while it might be, the thing with heists is they are not repeatable so easily. In the longer run and over a four-test series, you would expect a bowling unit drawing the larger amount of indecision from the batsmen to prevail – Sidharth Monga Ashwin with a bad back and Vihari on one leg battling the final session in Sydney. We…

Feel that many of us during our initial years in US have some of these ingrained financial instincts like directing all savings to fixed & recurring deposits, buying a home, using insurance policies as investments and being risk averse to market investments. Based on my experience, just wanted to share some quantifiable inputs. Priorities, necessities and understanding differ and below is just a personal perspective. Some mistakes, which I made. Transferring Dollars to India to fund fixed deposits for better returns. Returns offered by banks are proportional to inflation. If the return offered in India is 7%, inflation would be around 5%. Similarly, if the return offered in US is…

What are odds of two people compatible in their sexual, emotional, financial and social – sensibilities/intelligence/perspectives. Could not think of a more apt sarcasm (as phrased in Hunger Games) – May the odds be ever in your favor. Issue however is not in the differences but lack of intelligence and awareness in accepting the differences. It is interesting to observe that this acceptance is more natural and willing in mother, father, son, daughter, brother and sister relations, which is why institution of family is relatively stable compared to marriage in every society, culture and religion. Our social marketing on marriages (read as in – Marriages are made in heaven; Your…

Thoughts on Ball tampering controversy Hypothetically assume a student gets caught using calculator in an exam and the examination board debars him for that subject, as per board regulations. His parents then drop him from school for one year, for the act. If this is foolish parenting, Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland did exactly the same. Nietzsche said, Morality is the herd instinct in individuals. I`ll expand this a little – Herd imposes the morality on individuals and individuals are always amoral with circumstantial obligations being their justification. If the motive is to prevent these from happening again, a simple change in ICC regulation imposing harsh sanctions, would have just…

Perception is that feminism is an ideology to counter unfair male superiority to promote gender equality. I have developed a contrasting view on our thoughts and actions out of above stated perception. My friend and I were walking out of a restaurant and a lady who was about to enter snapped at us saying – After you ladies. Courtesy should be by intent and is meaningless if it is by habit and expectation. All the “After you madam” acts are out of unconscious belief that women are weaker (or) a mundane habit, just like brushing in the morning. How is it empowering to demand courtesy as if it is a…

We have an open mind and are receptive to various literature, media, conversations when it comes to health, nutrition, finance, academics, sports etcetera which we believe will enrich our lives and rightly so. Sex too is an equally healthy and enriching experience – physically and emotionally. Why do we then narrow the scope for sex and suppress it with various social, moral and religious inhibitions? I used to watch an elderly couple aged around 60, going for a walk. For some reason, I felt they were sexually very happy. I don’t know what it is, may be the way they looked at each other, talked to each other, whatever it…

How would it feel, if you have a headache and expected to – Feel happy about it and enjoy the experience? If this sounds uncomfortable, imagine a mother`s state of mind, when undergoing physical and mental stress post delivering a baby. Women are psyched into the idea of motherhood, that it is the most pleasurable experience. If their natural instincts do not relate that way – without adequate support, the resulting confusion/self-doubt might lead up to depression. Many might genuinely feel they truly enjoyed and relished motherhood. A mountaineer too enjoys climbing Mount Everest in the harshest conditions.However,it is a choice out of strong self-inclination, with no judgement attached. However,…

I asked my mother (when I was around 10) if God, Devil, Heaven and Hell exist really. Don’t remember what exactly she said but her answer was “No” and loosely referenced these to individual`s state of mind. What I inferred was that there was no super power which could police, reward and punish. My personal assumption is that if there is a force/process that supports life on this planet, it is devoid of any judgment – just like sunlight which does not differentiate between good and bad plants /fermentation process which induces the same chemical reaction in good and spoilt milk. On a side note, my father who is very…