The power of words

 

Image courtesy : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

There are some days when I get this uncontrollable urge to put my thoughts down. Those are the days when I am bubbling with energy because of something I have seen, read or experienced.

Examples of such days are : A great day of sport or when I witness an exceptional performance or experience something out of the world or read/learn something that just clicks and my mind says “this!”.

Almost all the time, it will have something to do with sports. At that time, I like to be left alone to write and want to finish it in one sitting.

Today is one of those days.

My husband and daughter have gone to Bangalore and I am at home in Chennai, with all the time in the world. I have been reading a book called “Out of the box”, which is a collection of articles written by someone I really look up to and admire.

Harsha Bhogle.

He had written these articles from 2005 to 2011, for Indian express. It is fascinating to see that even today; some things have turned out exactly the way he had written years ago. I haven’t even reached the half–way mark in the book and I already feel that ‘urge’ to write.

That is the power of the man. Rather, the power of his words.

Rest assured, the book will be like a treasure chest overflowing with learnings and I will keep sharing, as I read.

Shekhar Gupta says in the foreword, “If on TV his words make you see what’s not on the screen, in writing he takes you way beyond what he already told you from the commentary box”. He goes on to say Harsha is among the few in Indian media ‘who can tell the story as it unfolds on camera so coherently, and then take it forward in print’.

Make you see what’s not on the screen.

When Harsha talks, everything comes to a standstill for me. He takes me through a journey where everything just comes alive, my mind starts to paint a picture and I experience all the emotions like I am at the center of that story.

He talks at a cricket fan’s level and hence we can to connect with him.

When I met him in Australia during the 2018 test series, his humility bowled me. It was raining at MCG and the start of the match was delayed. The commentary studio at the MCG was nothing like what we see in India where it generally is in a separate wing, within closed rooms and no access. Since it was raining and was the 5th day, they had opened only few gates. We had to take the stairs to go to our stand and on one of the floors, right next to the stairs, we froze.

I had never seen such power & skill in one frame … Shane Warne, Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Allan Border, Mike Hussey and Harsha Bhogle. 

 

All in the open. Fans who have followed cricket through the years will feel the impact.

Harsha finished his segment & came happily to talk to us. He took time out to ask our names and the city from where we had traveled. He ended by saying, ‘you guys are bigger fans than me’.

That interaction stayed with me.

 

If it is Harsha’s book, you can be rest assured that it will be like a treasure chest overflowing with learnings. There are so many, but I have picked a few to share (till where I have read). As I continue to read, I will keep sharing.

                                             Learnings From Harsha #1

The first part of the book has articles about T20s and the one in 2005 was about the vision for T20 cricket.

It was an unknown product back then and there were a lot of unanswered questions in everybody’s mind. Is this new product required? Will it replace ODIs? Will it change the way cricket is played? Will it just be about the power, and will skills be thrown out of the window?

Today, when you think of all this, everything seems to be straightforward. We all can say, of course, T20 had a great future right from the beginning and we all knew it.

Not true.

India did not want to adopt T20 cricket back then till we won the 2007 T20 WC. Hence, the skepticism.

Harsha had said that India will have to adopt the T20 format, as that is the way ahead. It will have to co-exist with ODIs, not replace it.

To think that India did not want to play T20, and to see where we are today, is incredible. Even during a pandemic, everyone changed their schedules to accommodate IPL and T20 is part of every series now. India has become a powerhouse and we cannot imagine our calendar without T20s.

Another important point he made was that 20-20 will be an ‘athlete’s game’ and Indians will have to adapt to it quickly as ‘athleticism’ hasn’t been our strong point.

Wasn’t a strong point back then only, thankfully.

It has taken a turn for the better and credit goes to Virat Kohli. Of course, this pandemic has rolled it backwards for some players but overall, we are way ahead compared to what we were in 2005.

I have never been a big T20 fan, but I must accept that it has had some big positives like building our bench strength, uncovering talent and making ODIs and tests more interesting because of the positive intent.

When something new is introduced, not everyone has the vision and not many realize the impact it can have. Very few can see the future clearly in their head, Harsha was one of them, for sure.

T20 is all about the mind.

Harsha says, ‘in a frenetic 200-miles-an-hour sport, the calmest mind will prevail’. This holds true even now. It applies to everyone – batsmen, bowler, wicketkeeper, fielder or even the umpire.

This is not restricted only to sport.

Most days in our life are like a 200-miles-an hour sport. It triggers a lot of emotions based on which we react and that has an impact on the result. In stressful situations, those that remain calm are able think clearly and will end up making the right calls. Of course, it is all about the mind.

According to him, the way the game was played back then would change. It would become a game for the six-hitter and the inventor. The brisk 2 or a quick single may not be required.

How true. But, not for some.

We still see the brisk 2 or single from Virat even now. Some things don’t change, and it is good to see certain good things not changing.

He moves on to the IPL in the next articles and had some very interesting observations at that time. From where it started to what we are currently experiencing, it is a totally different world. Everything has changed and so have we.

It is good to take a step back through Harsha’s book and experience the journey again, now with a different lens.

Until next time, keep thinking ‘Out of the box’!