Down to earth

Success is always most enjoyable part of one’s life. We always seek for the success in every effort that is taken. But, very few people get their target achieved! I have seen many big personalities achieved a great success in life but very few are there, who are still “down to earth” after their achievement.

When we are targeting to climb the mountain of success, we always look forward but very few still knows that there was a ground level also from where we started climbing. Many one only goes forward and forward only and does not look back. They are not proud of their success but have a strong ego about it. About 90 percent successful people are of this type. But remaining 10 percent I thought are real successful people.

I have seen many such personalities who look down to earth after their grand successful achievement. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam are among such great personalities. Everyone has capability to achieve the success but very few recognize it. This recognition leads us to achieve our target. The people who know that everyone has potential to do any kind of task, they do not underestimate to others. Here human tendency plays one of the most vital roles to decide the activeness of the person. The personalities that I have mentioned above are really humble and not having ego of their success. They look themselves as a common man who has capability to do anything. The capability to look down to earth makes us a great human kind.

It is one of the great qualities of the person…

लंकाविजय आणि लक्ष्मण

परवाच्या सामन्यात व्ही.व्ही.एस. लक्ष्मणने भारताच्या विजयाची नौका तीरावर पोहोचवून ठेवली व लंकादहन साकार करून दाखविले. कसोटीमध्ये कशा प्रकारची खेळी करायची असते, हे लक्ष्मणसोबतच राहुल द्रविडनेही अनेकदा दाखवून दिले आहे. आजही या दोन महान खेळाडूंना युवा पर्याय सापडत नाहियेत.
अझरूद्दीन कर्णधार असताना हैद्राबादच्या लक्ष्मणचे भारतीय संघात प्रदार्पण झाले. दोघेही हैद्राबादी असल्याचा फायदा लक्ष्मणला झाला असावा. पण, संघात प्रवेश झाल्यानंतर त्याने आपल्या खेळीने संघातील स्थान पक्के केले होते. आपल्या नजाकदार खेळीने टिपिकल हैद्राबादी फलंदाजी त्याच्यात दिसून यायची. सुरूवातीच्या काळात तर त्याच्या फलंदाजीवर अझरूद्दीनच्या फलंदाजीची छाप दिसून येत होती. त्यावेळी त्याच्या फलंदाजीत दिसलेले अफलातून टायमिंग मला आजही दिसून येते. कसोटी संघातील स्थान पक्के होत असताना मात्र त्याला एकदिवशीय संघात स्थान टिकवता आले नाही. राहुल द्रविडही खऱ्या कसोटी टाईप खेळाडू असला तरी त्याने एकदिवशीय संघात स्थान पक्के केले होते परंतु, लक्ष्मणला मात्र तसे जमले नाही. सन २००१ मध्ये ऑस्ट्रेलिया संघ भारताच्या दौऱ्यावर असताना कोलकत्याला झालेली ती ऐतिहासिक कसोटी मला अजुनही आठवते आहे. लक्ष्मणने राहुल द्रविडच्या सोबतीने फॉलोऑनवरून भारताचा ऐतिहासिक विजय साकारला होता. त्या कसोटीनंतर खऱ्या अर्थाने लक्ष्मणचा कसोटी क्रिकेटमध्ये दबदबा तयार झाला. नंतरच्या काळात राहुल द्रविडसोबतच्या त्याच्या भागीदाऱ्यांनी भारताला विजय प्राप्त करून दिले होते. द्रविड-लक्ष्मण खेळले व भारत हरला, असे कधीच झाले नाही.
लक्ष्मणने आजवर १६ शतके केली आहेत. त्यांपैकी केवळ दोन सामन्यात भारताला पराभव पत्करावा लागला होता. हे दोन्ही सामने भारताने सिडनी क्रिकेट स्टेडियमवर गमावले आहेत. गेली अनेक वर्षे लक्ष्मण हा राहुल द्रविडच्या सोबतीने मि. डिपेंडेबल बनून राहिला आहे. सचिन-राहुलच्या जमान्यातही त्याने स्वत:च्या फलंदाजीचे वेगळेपण जपले आहे. या दोघांपेक्षाही लक्ष्मण हा टायमिंगच्या बाबतीत उजवाच आहे, हे आवर्जुन नमूद करावेसे वाटते. परवा कसोटीच्या शेवटच्या दिवशी सचिन बाद झाल्यावरही अगदी थंड डोक्याने फलंदाजी करून त्याने भारताचा विजय साकारला. कसोटी क्रिकेटला असणारे वलय आता कमी झाल्याने तो आजच्या तरूणांचा आयकॉन बनू शकत नाही, यामुळे त्याचे महत्व कमी होत नाही. टी-२० च्या जमान्यातील युवकांना कसोटी क्रिकेट खेळताना किती संयम व एकाग्रता लागते, हे काय कळणार? त्यामुळे त्यांना द्रविड व लक्ष्मण सारखे खेळाडू हे संघावर बोझच वाटत राहणार आहेत. ऑनलाईन वृत्तपत्रांमध्ये प्रसिद्ध झालेल्या कमेंट्समुळे ही बाब मला प्रकर्षाने समजून आली.
सध्या तरी युवा खेळाडूंमध्ये राहुल द्रविड व व्ही.व्ही.एस. लक्ष्मणला पर्याय ठरणारे खेळाडू दिसून येत नाहीत. कसोटी क्रिकेट लयाला जाणार असे गृहित धरूनच सध्याच्या क्रिकेटची ’प्रगती’ चालू आहे. भारताला क्रमवारीत आपले स्थान अग्र ठेवायचे असेल तर लक्ष्मणसारख्या खेळाडूंची खऱ्या अर्थाने गरज आहे...

Sachin, Saurav and Rahul

These are the three players whom I appreciate most in the world of cricket. I think due to these players, India has reached at top of the rankings. I have seen the play of them from the start of their career. Actually it is not true 100% for Sachin. I started watching him from 1996 world cup onwards. But it was the actual rise of his career. After the shameful defeat of India in 1996 world cup at home. Saurav and Rahul were included in the Indian squad. Saurav Ganguly has already debuted in ODI matches in Australia. It was a test debut for both of them in the tour of England. Saurav was amazing in this tour. He smashed the century and taken a wicket in his first over bowled in the debut match against England. Rahul has also impressed the spectators with his classic batting.
These three players have aggressiveness and coolness in common. Sachin is aggressive on pitch and cool in nature. Saurav is aggressive in both nature and on pitch. Regarding Rahul, he is cool in both nature and on the pitch. After 1996 to 2005, these three players have taken team India towards top position. They are having most of the world records scored in the cricket listed below:

Sachin Tendulkar:
1.He is the don of world cricket who has scored most number of runs in both Test and ODI cricket aggregating more than 30000 (13000+17000) runs.
2.He was the first player given out by third umpire.
3.He has scored highest number of runs in any single World cup.
4.He has got most number of man of the match and man of the series awards.
5.Recorded highest runs partnership along with Rahul Dravid in ODI (332 vs. New Zealand).
6.Highest number of 4’s in the ODI world cricket.
7.Highest number of centuries in both ODI and Test cricket.
8.Scored the centuries in all 10 test playing nations. He shares this record with Rahul Dravid.
9.Most number of 150’s in ODI cricket.

Saurav Ganguly:
1.He is India’s most successful captain recorded 21 test wins under his captaincy.
2.He is only left handed batsman to score more than 10000 runs in ODI.
3.He is the only player to score a century in debut match and took a wicket in debut over.
4.He is scorer of maximum number centuries in ODI being as a left handed batsman.
5.He is the only player after Sachin Tendulkar to obtain 10000 runs + 100 wickets in ODIs.
6.First Indian batsman to score ODI century in Australia.
7.First Indian captain to score Test century in Australia.
8.Involved in highest runs partnership in World Cup cricket along with Rahul Dravid.
9.India’s highest individual scorer in the single innings in World Cup (183 vs. Sri Lanka)
10.Got 5 ‘Man of the Match’s in single series. He is the only batsman to achieve this feat. Even in World Cup also no one has achieved it.

Rahul Dravid
1.Most of the records that Dravid has achieved are in the tests. He is the player who has played all the 95 tests continuously that India has played! He did not miss any test match from his debut till 95th.
2.Highest number of catches in test cricket.
3.Scored five centuries in continuous five test matches, an Indian record.
4.79 century partnerships in test cricket. This is the world record.
5.He has involved the record partnership in ODI, that is, 332 runs vs. New Zealand with Sachin Tendulkar.
6.He has involved in two 300 runs partnerships in ODI cricket. Only player to achieve this.
7.Scored the centuries in all 10 test playing nations.
8.He played continuous 117 ODI matches without a duck!