"Gaining Winning Attitude at Workplace.."

 As we move out of our college in the job market to realize practical experiences. Certain things unknowingly become important which we had never noticed during our college life. One of the most important factors is our Attitude. In terms of work place it can be defined as professional behavior. A proper and balanced attitude enables a person to adapt to their work environment. Every organization has its own rules and regulations which help in knitting its employees and value together. Tampering with these rules and regulations may turn costly for anybody. Here also comes the importance of attitude which helps in binding you with the rules and regulation. If you are new to the organization then your attitude matters a lot. Your activities will be noticed by every eye. So, it’s very important that you demonstrate a positive and balanced attitude in order to maintain a balanced relationship with coworkers. Here are some points which one should instill in his/her attitude before entering at your work place. Do recognize your boundaries. Do keep a watch on your attitude even in light environment because you are being noticed every time. Also avoid putting your perceptions until asked. Some employees are fortunate enough to have generous working environment but it doesn’t mean that they should take undue advantage of the situation. So, do take your work and instructions from seniors as seriously as you can. Try to complete the given task in given time. It’s your official responsibility. Secondly, do not compromise with work at any point of time. Work should be at utmost importance. Organizations do not bear carelessness with work. Do remember only hardworking and deserving candidates survive in the long run. This is because management does have faith in them. Further your mistakes will soon let you loose self confidence and subsequently, seniors will also loose confidence in you. Now a days, males and females do work together in offices. So, its better you track you activities. A respectful distance form coworkers always proves beneficial in the long run. But on the other hand it should also not look like a presumptuous attitude. Above all, a good attitude may help you in becoming a good coworker. And in the long haul, such attitude will make your coworkers less grumble about. Last but not the least, avoid indulging in gossips. Talking negative about your team in front of others create a bad image of yours. Organizations do criticize employees involved in gossiping. As the result such employees are not taken seriously. So, it’s better to check your attitude before its get too late. Kindly post your comments, opinion below this blog.

Then the father explains: "People call this 'ECHO', but really this is LIFE.

Mountain Story 

"A son and his father were walking on the mountains.Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it."
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"

 

A Tribute to 'The Wall'-Rahul Dravid- Regret on Not Selected in World-Cup-2011

Happily,When Rahul was reselected for odi tri-series in srilanka last year, said he didn't look at the recall as a chance to prove his detractors wrong. "I have never played my cricket that way, wanting to prove a point," Dravid told the Deccan Herald. "To me, it's about trying your best to be the best you can be, day after day, in whichever format you are playing and for whichever team you are playing."

Dravid, who has had a long break after the IPL ended in May, said: "It's nice to be back, I am very happy. I am looking forward to the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, to giving it my best. It will be nice to catch up with the boys once again." 

Its Seveourly dissapointing Mr Dravid not included into squard of Probable 30 recently selected for upcoming 2011-World cup. A Tribute to One day performance of rahul-

Rahul Dravid History

Name : Rahul Sharad Dravid.
Nick name : The wall, Jammy (childhood).
Date of Birth : January 11, 1973.
Place of Birth : Indore, Madhya Pradesh, INDIA.
Batting Style : Right Handed Batsman.
Bowling Style : Right Arm off spin.
Role : Middle order batsman in Test’s.
ODI Debut : vs. Sri Lanka at Singapore in 1995-96.
TEST Debut : vs. England at Lords in 1996.
Playing Teams : Karnataka, INDIA&Bangalore Royal Challengers (captain).

 

 Dravid on One Day International-

• Dravid is the 3rd Indian (6th in World) to score more than 10,000 ODI runs.

Partnership Records

• The only batsman to have been involved in two List of One-Day International records exceeding 300 runs.
• First batsman to be involved in a 300 run partnership in a Cricket World Cup along with Sourav Ganguly in the 1999 Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka at Taunton.
• Involved in all three highest 4th wicket partnerships against South Africa, two with Yuvraj Singh.
• Involved in the highest partnership in the history of ODI cricket with a 331 run partnership along with Sachin Tendulkar vs New Zealand cricket team at Hyderabad (India) in 1999-2000.

World Cup Records

• He was the leading run scorer in the 1999 Cricket World Cup with 461 runs.
• Has the 2nd highest score (145) by a wicketkeeper in a World Cup behind AC Gilchrist(149).
• He was only the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Zimbabwean Dave Houghton to score an ODI hundred in the World Cup.
• He was the second batsman after Mark Waugh to score back-to-back hundreds in the World Cup

Captaincy Records

• He is tied with Sachin Tendulkar in fourth place for having captained India in the most victorious matches

Other Records

• Has the record of not being dismissed on duck for 120 consecutive ODI matches
• 3rd Highest number of fifties, after Sachin Tendulkar (93) and Inzamam Ul Haq (83).

 Dravid's Success on ODI Matches-

One Day International - Man of the Match Awards:

S No	Opponent	Venue	Season	Match Performance
1	Pakistani cricket team	Toronto Cricket Club	1996	46 (93b, 3x4)
2	South African cricket team	Kingsmead	1996/97	84 (94b, 5x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
3	New Zealand cricket team	Taupo	1998/99	123* (123b, 10x4, 1x6)
4	New Zealand cricket team	Eden Park	1998/99	51 (71b, 5x4, 1x6)
5	West Indies cricket team	Toronto Cricket Club	1999	77 (87b, 6x4, 2x6); 4 Catches
6	Zimbabwe cricket team	Queens Sports Club	2001	72* (64b, 7x4, 1x6)
7	Sri Lankan cricket team	Edgbaston Stadium	2002	64 (95b, 5x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
8	United Arab Emirates cricket team	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium	2004	104 (93b, 8x4); 1 Catch, 1 Stumping
9	West Indies cricket team	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium	2005	52* (65b, 7x4), 1 Catch
10	Sri Lankan cricket team	Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground	2005/06	85 (63b, 8x4, 1x6); 1 Catch
11	South African cricket team	Wankhede Stadium	2005/06	78* (106b, 10x4)
12	Pakistani cricket team	Sheikh Zayed Stadium	2005/06	92 (116b, 10x4); 1 Catch
13	West Indies cricket team	Sabina Park	2006	105 (102b, 10x4, 2x6); 1 Catch
14	England Cricket Team	Edgbaston Cricket Ground	2007	92* (63b, 7x4, 1x6)

Dravid Dravid Dravid Dravid Test Cricket Awards

Test Cricket - Man of the Series Awards:

#	Series	Season	Series Performance
1	Indian Cricket Team in England cricket team Test Series	2002	602 (4 Matches, 6 Innings, 3x100, 1x50); 10 Catches
2	Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Indian Cricket Team in Australian cricket team Test Series)	2003/04	619 Runs (4 Matches, 8 Innings, 1x100, 3x50); 4 Catches
3	Indian Cricket Team in West Indian cricket team Test Series	2006	496 Runs (4 Matches, 7 Innings, 1x100, 4x50); 8 Catches

Test Cricket - Man of the Match Awards:

S No	Opponent	Venue	Season	Match Performance
1	South African cricket team	Wanderers Stadium	1996/97	1st Innings: 148 (21x4); 1 Catch 2nd Innings: 81 (11x4); 1 Catch
2	West Indian cricket team	Bourda	1996/97	1st Innings: 92 (8x4, 1x6)
3	England cricket team	Headingley Stadium	2002/03	1st Innings: 148 (23x4) 2nd Innings: 3 Catches
4	England cricket team	The Oval	2002/03	1st Innings: 217 (28x4); 3 Catches
5	New Zealand cricket team	Sardar Patel Stadium	2003/04	1st Innings: 222 (28x4, 1x6); 2 Catches 2nd Innings: 73 (6x4); 1 Catch
6	Australian cricket team	Adelaide Oval	2003/04	1st Innings: 233 (23x4, 1x6); 1 Catch 2nd Innings: 72* (7x4); 2 Catches
7	Pakistani cricket team	Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium	2003/04	1st Innings: 270 (34x4, 1x6) 2nd Innings: 1 Catch
8	Pakistani cricket team	Eden Gardens	2004/05	1st Innings: 110 (15x4, 1x6); 1 Catch 2nd Innings: 135 (15x4)
9	West Indies cricket team	Sabina Park	2006	1st Innings: 81 (10x4) 2nd Innings: 68 (12x4); 1 Catch

Dravid Dravid Dravid Dravid Awards

• 1998: Arjuna award
• 1999: Ceat Cricketer of the 1999 World Cup
• 2000: Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000
• 2004: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy Winner (Awarded for ICC Player of the Year)
• 2004: Padma Shri
• 2004: ICC Test Player of The Year, MTV Youth Icon of the Year for 2004
• 2006: Captain of the ICC's Test Team

Dravid Dravid Dravid Dravid Tests

Test Debut: vs English cricket team, Lord's, 1996

• Dravid's best Test batting score of 270 was made against Pakistan, Rawalpindi, 2003-2004
• His best Test bowling figures of 1 for 18 came against West Indian cricket team, St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, 2001-2002
• He is only the third Indian to score over 10,000 Test runs, following Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
• He is the fastest batsman in the history of Test cricket to make 9,000 runs. The former Indian captain brought up the landmark in his 176th innings playing against West Indies in 2006 and broke the earlier record of Brian Lara
• He has the most catches for a fielder in Test cricket with 184 catches, beating Mark Waugh's tally of 181 catches when he caught New Zealand opener Tim McIntosh in New Zealand's second innings of the third test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

 Dravid on-One-Day Internationals

ODI Debut: vs Sri Lankan cricket team, Singapore, 1995-1996

• Dravid's best ODI batting score of 153 was made against New Zealand cricket team, Hyderabad, India, 1999-2000
• His best ODI bowling figures of 2 for 43 came against South African cricket team, Kochi, India, 1999-2000
• 6th player and 3rd Indian to score 10,000 runs. He broke the barrier by scoring 66 against Sri Lanka and levelling the series 1-1.

 

50th ton not my focus: Sachin

Addressing the press here Tendulkar said, “I believe it is destiny. When it is destined to happen it will happen. I am not thinking too much about it. My focus is on preparation.”
Laying emphasis on adapting to the conditions, Tendulkar said, “For me one thing is very important and that is to get acclimatised to local weather conditions.”
“Preparations have been spot on and the lengthy practice session has given us that opportunity [to get acclimatised]. We have had good net sessions under the guidance of coach Gary [Kirsten],” he said.
Talking about the preparations going into the series, Sachin added, “When [a] tour starts and we step on to the cricket field for the first time, we normally start running. While completing the first lap one can easily feel that the body is not getting enough oxygen. Once you get used to those kinds of conditions, there is no problem.”
South African captain Graeme Smith wished Sachin luck for his 50th Test hundred but hoped that the master batsman would reach the landmark against some other team.
“Sachin is a great player and a great ambassador for the game of cricket. I too wish that he gets his 50th Test hundred - not in this series but in the next series,” Smith said in a lighter vein.

'The Laxaman's Pull'

The Pull of Laxman

Lots have already been written about the stunning knock of 73 'not out' by VVS Laxman which managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against a determined Australian side.
Instead of repeating the much deserved eulogies that have flooded the media, blogs and posts, I will limit my article to one solitary stroke during the entire innings.

 Having matured into a cricket aficionado in the eighties, the sight of a batsman pulling a fast bowler evokes romantic images – mainly because of the pitifully limited number successful executions of the routine by Indian batsmen during my formative years of cricket watching.

Many of the top batsmen of India had either eschewed the shot totally, weighing the risks it brought into the game against the probable benefits. Brought up on domestic pitches, where the bowlers' backbreaking effort more often than not failed to bounce a new ball higher than the knee, batsmen lacked sufficient practice against high class pace to employ it with confidence and consistency.

Dilip Vengsarkar seldom played it against fast bowling during his best days, preferring to evade or defend the short balls at his body. Mohammed Azharuddin resorted to it only as an afterthought during his madcap years of the mid nineties, and for someone who wielded the bat like an artist's brush, he suddenly seemed to trade it for a sledge hammer every time he went back to cart the ball past the square leg. Both these maestros failed more often than not whenever they tried the shot on the faster, bouncier tracks overseas.

Sunil Gavaskar, famously bringing the hook back into his repertoire during his 29th century that morning twenty seven years ago at Feroze Shah Kotla, nevertheless confessed that the pull was one stroke he never mastered. Television did not beam the famed counterattack of Mohinder Amarnath in the West Indies in 1982, but back home in India, his performance against the best fast bowlers of his day was less than ordinary to put it very mildly.

Among the lesser luminaries with the bat, Kapil Dev did execute a Nataraja shot in which the bat scythed across the body, but it was effective and exciting in an agricultural way, rather than a real sight for sore cricket loving eyes. Krish Sirkkanth did have a peculiar pull shot of his own, but as his average of 30 in test cricket and 29 in ODIs testify, seldom was he too long at the wicket to play the stroke with regularity. Probably the only time his pull brought forth success was when he holed out off Imran in the Sialkot test in Pakistan, thus denying Akram the distinction of getting his wicket on every occasion during the test series. Akram, however, had both his hands in the dismissal as he took the catch at  long leg. Ravi Shastri and Navjot Sidhu were too stiff around the lower back to swivel around and pull a super fast delivery. For all their six hitting ability off slower men, their scoring became distinctly slower and painstaking whenever the balls became fast and short.


With the coming of the nineties, the phenomenon called Sachin Tendulkar walked in and stamped his mark on all departments of the game, including the pull. Even as the expert in Sunil Gavaskar harped on his lack of inches which made it difficult for him to keep a pull on the ground, we were exposed to the thrills as he played the shot again and again, against every mighty fast bowler and with disdain. Yes, many a masterpiece in the making or on the way to becoming an opus were cut short by the stroke – as his 88 in Napier,122 in Birmingham,169 in Capetown and 155 in Bloemfontein are the ones in immediate memory. But, the discerning never complained of his dying by the sword, having been witness to the delightful heaven of his living by it. Versatile as he was, while his straight drives were just about gloriously timed pushes, delectable and effortless, his pulls were violent and merciless, executed with powerful disdain for the fast and famous bowlers around the world. As Andy Caddick will remember forever, they could travel far.

Then came Dravid, a master technician, who went about playing every stroke with the approved stamp of the MCC Coaching manual. In his pull, as with every other stroke of his, he looked unhurried, composed and infallible, as the Wall which has been his alias ever since. Here was the first Indian batsman who could pull fast bowlers on pacy, green foreign wickets without allowing for the slightest risk that generally creep in even for the best masters of the stroke. This was in sharp contrast to his fellow debutant Sourav Ganguly, a peerless stroke-maker on the offside, whose pull off fast bowlers was often an act of futile self defence, eyes closed, bat held at a periscopic angle, with frequent, fatal and flimsy results. Dravid's pull had an elegant efficiency about it, which was the hallmark of his entire game. The ferocity associated with the stroke was eliminated as was the uncertainty.

Virender Sehwag, with the bludgeon of a bat, prefers to cart the short balls in the region between extra cover and thirdman. While initially he suffered some discomfort with the balls aimed at his body, he has developed a pull, which like most of his other shots, is belligerent and fierce, but the audacity and confidence while he plays it does not quite match the rest of his strokes around the wicket.

Enter VVS Laxman. Styled in the Hyderabadi gharana of wristy willow wizardry, stepping into the large shoes of Mohammad Azharuddin, he shuttled up and down the order for a few years, but soon outgrew the illustrious footwear. The world sat up to take notice of someone who had bettered the esoteric template that he was built on. While possessing every bit of the silky elegance of the wrist on the onside, he was distinctly more assured than Azhar through the covers and could play the same ball to mid wicket or extra cover based on the whims of his will and wrists. At the same time, on faster wickets, he outshone the earlier artist almost to the extent that the sun outshines the pretentious street lamps.

A significant reason for his success overseas was while Azhar negotiated the short balls with a jump and a duck or a cross batted swipe more reliant on luck and wager than timing and placement, VVS Laxman did have an impeccable pull shot which kept the fastest bowlers from pitching too short too often. Even when India was bundled out for 83 at Bridgetown while chasing 120 for a win in 1997 and Laxman was still in the floating up and down the order days, a languid short arm pull off Ambrose still sticks to the memory as he top scored with 15 while opening on that treacherous wicket.

While the pull embodies exuberant energy in the case of Sachin, elegant efficiency in the case of Dravid, in Laxman's case curiously it is an extension of the exquisite artistry in the other shots. Timing and wristwork all the way.

When Laxman essays a pull shot off the fastest bowlers, there is none of the savagery associated with a bludgeon by a Mathew Hayden or an Adam Gilchrist or the arrogant ferocity of a Ricky Ponting. The body moves into position with the customary lazy elegance and the stroke is as wristy as his flick through the mid wicket – and as effective and devoid of risk.

In the latest Mohali test against the Aussies, during the later stages of the innings when he was batting with Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha, with the field allowing singles, men placed on the ropes, he kept taking twos with élan, using those malleable wrists to place the ball at will, just a wee bit on either side of the men on the ropes. With two people on the mid wicket fence to cut off his celebrated flicks off the pad, Hilfenhaus pitched short. Laxman laid back and rolled those wizard wrists over the ball, placing it with impeccable precision between the two deep fielders, the patrolmen almost running into each other as the ball mocked them, slipping through undeterred into the fence. It was a masterly demonstration of an unreal mix of artistry and efficiency in the face of utmost pressure.

People often wonder how he manages to turn out  these poetic yet potent offerings in the face of peril. The Cricinfo team compared his rescue acts to symphonies conducted with ambulance sirens in the background. However, I don’t think that is strange. The most poignant of art, we must remember,  comes from the dark pits of distress. We often see this same very, very special soul struggling for self expression when the going is smooth and there are lots of runs on the board as he walks into bat. Sometimes, he drops his paintbrush for the more austere workman's tools. It is only when the stakes are raised to tipping point and the opposition places demanding challenges for his creative batter's mind that he is motivated to sublime brilliance, a sight fit for gods.

One thing that probably works for him in his rearguard actions is that it is very difficult to set a field for him to limit his scoring or even keep them down to a single – as Ricky Ponting has so painfully found out. Those wrists can always find the gap in the most crowded of fields. And while people like Sachin Tendulkar are wont to back their big hitting ability to try and aim for the maximum when the batsmen at the other end are busy taking part in a relay race from and back to the pavilion – something that brought his demise in the heartbreaking so near yet so far affair in Chennai against Pakistan in 1999 – VVS Laxman, with all his genius, knows the limitations which keep him from clearing the fence too often. Even when six runs were needed with the last man in, there was no desperate attempt to aim for the stands. Unlimited in versatile artistry, he is fully aware of the boundaries of his calibre which has limited his overboundaries to four in all his test matches. In fact, the only occasion when Laxman looks ungainly at the wicket is when he tries cross batted cow shots.

However, genius is rare. There will hardly be another 281 in a lifetime. And Laxman may not hit another six in his career. Even then, let me recount one of these rare occasions which sticks to memory. There are strokes that a cricket lover cannot forget. For example, the straight drive of Sachin Tendulkar off Shoaib Akhtar in the 2003 World Cup face off. Or a pull by Brian Lara, with an almost vertical bat, two feet off the ground. And that moment of mesmerising magic by Laxman.

It was a short innings of 32, made from 30 balls, a miniature masterpiece if there ever was one, on the fast and furious Bloemfontein wicket against Pollock, Hayward, Ntini, Klusener and Kallis. In the 9th over, with India at 17 for one, Pollock ran in and bounced. Laxman, with a seeming eternity in his hands, swivelled, languid and lissom, and dismissed the ball off his face. It was a cross batted stroke off a short ball, experts undecided whether to call a hook or a pull. Almost a cross batted counterpart of a Tendulkar defensive push which often blazes away to the fence. The effort was minimal, the fuss non-existent, the batsman's eyes hardly followed the ball once it had been removed from his presence. The red cherry sailed all the way, over the boundary board behind square leg and into the crowd. A short ball by one of the fastest men in business almost lovingly caressed away for a six. A contradiction in terms?

Even if VVS does not hit another six in his lifetime, I will be blessed to have witnessed that one stroke. Like the pull shot of his latest match winning innings, it will be replayed in my memory for ever – as a delight to brighten the drabbest of days.