Less to do with talent and potential and more to do with mental strength, writes Vivian Richards
It was a surreal feeling to sit in the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, and I am really honoured that such a magnificent arena has been built and named after me. The pitch looks good, and the size of the playing area reminds me of the big grounds we used to play in, in Australia.
It's sad that we could not get a complete game on Tuesday, but we do have an extra day in hand to complete the first of the Super Eight encounters.
The island was supposed to have been swarming with Indians, who were to have played their first two Super Eight games here. When rain interrupted the match on Tuesday, the talking point was India's exit once again.
Mind-boggling
As I mentioned in my earlier column, this is a big loss for our World Cup. Like many of their fans, I find the way India were ousted from the tournament mind-boggling.
I would not blame the team management for this debacle, but there has to be some reason why a team as supremely talented as India's does not achieve more success. The reasons have less to do with talent and potential and more to do with mental strength.
Each player, especially the experienced ones, is responsible for himself and capable of self-training and managing his mental preparation. These are aspects that come from within, so blaming Greg Chappell or even Rahul Dravid is not going to take Indian cricket ahead.
I would certainly like to help India in this aspect of their preparation if asked to. I have always enjoyed a challenge as a player, and would enjoy the challenge of instilling self-belief and confidence in a group of players as talented and promising as the Indians.
Small sample
Considering this team, with more or less the same personnel, came to West Indies last year as the team that was ranked second in one-dayers, I would also urge fans not to judge their ability on the basis of three games — that was just how long the Indian campaign was. Agreed, they fared poorly, but it's too small a sample to drop a player.
I remember the West Indies were devastated when we lost the World Cup finals in 1983. That is why we came in full force and with great intent to win when we toured India later that year. We needed to prove to the world and more importantly to ourselves, that we were the best team in the world.
India, too, tour Bangladesh in six weeks time. They should regroup and ensure that they can prove to themselves that what happened in Port of Spain was a blip, and nine times out of ten there can be only one winner in an India-Bangladesh encounter.
Fast-improving
That said, we must also acknowledge that the Bangladeshis are a talented, fast-improving bunch of cricketers. They remind me of the Sri Lankans in the late-1980s, and therefore the rest of the teams in the competition cannot consider them pushovers.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
How Human Change......
There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she's blind.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He's always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend.Her boyfriend asked her, "now that you can see the world, will you marry me?"
The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying.
"JUST TAKE CARE OF MY EYES DEAR."
This is how human change when their status changes.Only few remember what life was before, and who has always been there in the most painful situations.
TODAY BEFORE YOU THINK OF SAYING AN UNKIND WORD.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO CAN'T SPEAK.BEFORE YOU
COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TASTE OF YOUR FOODTHINK OF SOMEONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO EAT.
BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND OR WIFE THINK OF SOMEONE WHO'S CRYING OUT TO GOD FOR A
COMPANION.
TODAY BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT LIFE.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO WENT TOO EARLY TO HEAVEN.
BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO DESIRES CHILDREN BUT THEY'RE BARREN.
BEFORE YOU ARGUE ABOUT YOUR DIRTY HOUSE, SOMEONE DIDN'T CLEAN OR SWEEPTHINK OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE STREETS.
BEFORE WHINING ABOUT THE DISTANCE YOU DRIVE THINK OF SOMEONE WHO WALKS THE SAME DISTANCE WITH THEIR FEET. AND
WHEN YOU ARE TIRED AND COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR JOBTHINK OF THE UNEMPLOYED, THE DISABLED AND THOSE WHO WISHED THEY HAD YOUR JOB.
BUT BEFORE YOU THINK OF POINTING THE FINGER OR CONDEMNING ANOTHER.REMEMBER THAT NOT ONE OF US ARE WITHOUT SIN AND WE ALL ANSWER TO ONE MAKER.AND
WHEN DEPRESSING THOUGHTS SEEM TO GET YOU DOWNPUT A SMILE ON Y OUR FACE AND THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE AND STILL AROUND.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He's always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend.Her boyfriend asked her, "now that you can see the world, will you marry me?"
The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying.
"JUST TAKE CARE OF MY EYES DEAR."
This is how human change when their status changes.Only few remember what life was before, and who has always been there in the most painful situations.
TODAY BEFORE YOU THINK OF SAYING AN UNKIND WORD.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO CAN'T SPEAK.BEFORE YOU
COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TASTE OF YOUR FOODTHINK OF SOMEONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO EAT.
BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND OR WIFE THINK OF SOMEONE WHO'S CRYING OUT TO GOD FOR A
COMPANION.
TODAY BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT LIFE.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO WENT TOO EARLY TO HEAVEN.
BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN.THINK OF SOMEONE WHO DESIRES CHILDREN BUT THEY'RE BARREN.
BEFORE YOU ARGUE ABOUT YOUR DIRTY HOUSE, SOMEONE DIDN'T CLEAN OR SWEEPTHINK OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE STREETS.
BEFORE WHINING ABOUT THE DISTANCE YOU DRIVE THINK OF SOMEONE WHO WALKS THE SAME DISTANCE WITH THEIR FEET. AND
WHEN YOU ARE TIRED AND COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR JOBTHINK OF THE UNEMPLOYED, THE DISABLED AND THOSE WHO WISHED THEY HAD YOUR JOB.
BUT BEFORE YOU THINK OF POINTING THE FINGER OR CONDEMNING ANOTHER.REMEMBER THAT NOT ONE OF US ARE WITHOUT SIN AND WE ALL ANSWER TO ONE MAKER.AND
WHEN DEPRESSING THOUGHTS SEEM TO GET YOU DOWNPUT A SMILE ON Y OUR FACE AND THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE AND STILL AROUND.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
A Wonderful Story::::::::::
A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."
"Is the man of the house home? ", they asked.
"No", she replied. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened."Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in"
"We do not go into a House together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home." The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"
Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"
The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"
"Is the man of the house home? ", they asked.
"No", she replied. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied. In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened."Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in"
"We do not go into a House together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home." The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"
Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."
Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"
The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"
Friday, March 09, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
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