Sumit S

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

Why cricket and t20 is so fascinating

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

Something I wrote when I was still sitting on the KKR bench more than a decade ago & then perfectly edited and contextualised by the Yahoo! Sports team.
T20 cricket is, at least for the support staff and teams, a series of four or five-ball battles strung together to make a match. Teams that win more of these little battles normally end up winning more matches -- and some, like Dhoni, are masters at this. What follows is a typical three-four ball spell - a fictional one involving a Deccan Chargers versus KKR game at Hyderabad, but it has been strung together from different real events.
Kallis has just been dismissed by Ishant for 26. KKR are 102 for 4 in 13.2 overs. As the next batsman walks out, the coach gives him his target -- to try and get 30 more in the next four overs without losing more than one wicket. Kallis also stops just short of the dugout to give the new batsman, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, a quick low-down on the pitch: "It's playing true, not stopping, so you can hit the ball on the up -- but Ishant is getting some bounce. Watch for the new slower ball he has; he holds it with a cross seam."
Meanwhile Sangakkara has recalled the brief in the team meeting on Shukla. He is a ‘bolter' - he likes to dab the first couple of balls & steal a single to get off the mark. With that in mind, Sanga brings his best fielder, Duminy, back to point positioned slightly back of square, because that is where Shukla likes to dab it.
Ishant knows about Shukla's temperament, also discussed in the team meeting, and has already decided to rile him about the disappointing season for the Bengal Ranji team - something he knows Shukla is sensitive about. Ishant also knows that Shukla is the in-form man, and one more wicket could really turn the game.
Gambhir, at the non-striker's end, knows that Ishant will definitely have a go, so he waits for Ishant to finish before going up and calming down LR Shukla & warning him again about the slower ball.
The first ball is slightly short, and it is hit straight to Duminy at point. Shukla can't get off strike. The next ball -- rarely for a T20 game -- is on length, and takes Shukla by surprise; he can only push it back to the bowler. Another dot ball, as the batsman has a swing outside off and misses. If this were Test cricket, Shukla could have battened down the hatches and played the rest of the over out quietly. Here, he cannot afford the dot balls mounting; he wants to -- no, he HAS to -- get the momentum back.
The KKR bench tenses, because they can read the game and realize that Shukla is definitely going to take Ishant on. Gautam knows it too, and counsels his partner to follow his instincts, but just don't force the shot.
Ishant brings long-off in, and also brings in long-leg and third-man up. The field indicates that the next ball cannot be short and fast, unless it is a double bluff. The best outfield catchers, Dhawan and Christian, are at deep-midwicket and deep-square. Odds on, it is a slower ball or a slow bouncer, and with three men deep between square leg and long on, the trap is set for the slog sweep. Will Shukla bite?
The batsman makes his own adjustment; he now moves inches inside his crease, changing the bowlers length by a foot. The next ball from Ishant is the slower one, cross seam. LR gets deep in his crease, converting it into a slow, short ball. With long leg up, he adjusts his shot, and places it between long leg and deep square leg. It's four - and we breathe again.
The average fan sees the fours, the sixes, the tumbling wickets and, finally, a result. For those of us on the inside - as players, as support staff, as managers, as those whose life and work is intimately tied up to this sport we all live, cricket is a series of little psychodramas, each with its own narrative, each with a beginning, a middle and an end. It is these dramas that keep us engrossed; it is on the outcome of these little dramas that we live and die a thousand deaths each day, each game.

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

Something I wrote when I was still sitting on the KKR bench more than a decade ago & then perfectly edited and contextualised by the Yahoo! Sports team.
T20 cricket is, at least for the support staff and teams, a series of four or five-ball battles strung together to make a match. Teams that win more of these little battles normally end up winning more matches -- and some, like Dhoni, are masters at this. What follows is a typical three-four ball spell - a fictional one involving a Deccan Chargers versus KKR game at Hyderabad, but it has been strung together from different real events.
Kallis has just been dismissed by Ishant for 26. KKR are 102 for 4 in 13.2 overs. As the next batsman walks out, the coach gives him his target -- to try and get 30 more in the next four overs without losing more than one wicket. Kallis also stops just short of the dugout to give the new batsman, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, a quick low-down on the pitch: "It's playing true, not stopping, so you can hit the ball on the up -- but Ishant is getting some bounce. Watch for the new slower ball he has; he holds it with a cross seam."
Meanwhile Sangakkara has recalled the brief in the team meeting on Shukla. He is a ‘bolter' - he likes to dab the first couple of balls & steal a single to get off the mark. With that in mind, Sanga brings his best fielder, Duminy, back to point positioned slightly back of square, because that is where Shukla likes to dab it.
Ishant knows about Shukla's temperament, also discussed in the team meeting, and has already decided to rile him about the disappointing season for the Bengal Ranji team - something he knows Shukla is sensitive about. Ishant also knows that Shukla is the in-form man, and one more wicket could really turn the game.
Gambhir, at the non-striker's end, knows that Ishant will definitely have a go, so he waits for Ishant to finish before going up and calming down LR Shukla & warning him again about the slower ball.
The first ball is slightly short, and it is hit straight to Duminy at point. Shukla can't get off strike. The next ball -- rarely for a T20 game -- is on length, and takes Shukla by surprise; he can only push it back to the bowler. Another dot ball, as the batsman has a swing outside off and misses. If this were Test cricket, Shukla could have battened down the hatches and played the rest of the over out quietly. Here, he cannot afford the dot balls mounting; he wants to -- no, he HAS to -- get the momentum back.
The KKR bench tenses, because they can read the game and realize that Shukla is definitely going to take Ishant on. Gautam knows it too, and counsels his partner to follow his instincts, but just don't force the shot.
Ishant brings long-off in, and also brings in long-leg and third-man up. The field indicates that the next ball cannot be short and fast, unless it is a double bluff. The best outfield catchers, Dhawan and Christian, are at deep-midwicket and deep-square. Odds on, it is a slower ball or a slow bouncer, and with three men deep between square leg and long on, the trap is set for the slog sweep. Will Shukla bite?
The batsman makes his own adjustment; he now moves inches inside his crease, changing the bowlers length by a foot. The next ball from Ishant is the slower one, cross seam. LR gets deep in his crease, converting it into a slow, short ball. With long leg up, he adjusts his shot, and places it between long leg and deep square leg. It's four - and we breathe again.
The average fan sees the fours, the sixes, the tumbling wickets and, finally, a result. For those of us on the inside - as players, as support staff, as managers, as those whose life and work is intimately tied up to this sport we all live, cricket is a series of little psychodramas, each with its own narrative, each with a beginning, a middle and an end. It is these dramas that keep us engrossed; it is on the outcome of these little dramas that we live and die a thousand deaths each day, each game.

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

.. I hope Porel goes on to do well. He did well in SA A tour when India went there last time. Bowler of the team.

Then health issues laid him low. Went off the A radar. Went unsold in IPL too ..

Looks like he is working on his way back up. So are his 2018 teammates.

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

A friend asked, “Why Mukesh Kumar??”

Maybe a potential counter to bazball?
He can be accurate. Like our own low budget McGrath.

Very low budget.

Usually Jadeja plays that role and we needed a replacement.

Talking of Mukesh, his Ranji team Bengal is playing Mumbai..

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

.. Porel got maybe 1 game over the few years he was with PBKS.

Arshdeep broke through.

Probably a bit less talented than Porel but has the dog in him.

If this was LinkedIn, and I was a thought leader, I would write something about tenacity vs talent and life. #success

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@CalmInvestor Ha, I remember Agarkar and Sehwag’s too

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@sgurumur I feel an asterisk is needed here

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@debarghya_das 11. Ask the experience of those who actually lived through a hospital experience in India vs. US healthcare when on employer insurance.

+ more (sense of safety for kids, toxic politics, etc)

Reality for most lies somewhere in the middle..

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@debarghya_das 6. ONLY in Bangalore and only in temperature. Avg AQI is still 120+.

7. VFS exists

8. If you are lucky to live close and don’t have damaged relationships

9. Ask a person from south living in delhi and person from north living in Bangalore

10. Depends on personal taste

Contd

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@CABergendahl @Reddit As a loyal Apollo user, I’ll stay off for a few days for sure — the risk is, if I stay off for too long, I might give up @reddit altogether

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

@jackerhack all buy from similar sources and have a similar fallback routing. I don’t think is there is much differentiation in internatonal sms — pick any combo for redundancy (twilio, vonage, messgebird, sendbird, plivo, exotel, etc.)

consider going a layer above depending on usecase

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

Read more on creating sales proposals here:

https://t.co/8k4Zgpmb8X

Or DM me, I'd love to brainstorm with you!

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

🚀 Sales proposals play a crucial role in B2B SaaS commercial sales. A well-structured and persuasive proposal can be your ticket to closing deals faster! In this thread, we'll dive into the key elements of an effective sales proposal.🧵

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

SMBs are making faster purchase decisions in 2023 while evaluating more providers.

📅 In 2021, 35% SMBs finalized a software purchase in 3 to 6 months. In 2022, this number rose to 47%!

👨‍💻 And buyers consider 5 different providers before making a choice.

(Source: Gartner)

[Sumit S @anothersumit]

Show each buyer stakeholder what’s in it for them by sending sales proposals with the value story.

Replay the problem statement, define a specific solution for it, define the value and how they will get there, and include proof points for everything.