Everyone is born an off spin bowler
(Left-arm Jadejas are off spinners too)
That flailing baby, trapped in its stroller,
Has flighted one that’s spun and beaten you.|
Leg breaks come later, a learnt perversion,
Seam bowlers trade in their birthright for speed,
Selectors reward this coarse conversion:
Slow maestros starve as brisk journeymen feed.
Why, in England, do we Mankad Ashwin?
Can’t cricket allow a spinner to scheme?
Must a genius with more tunes than Gershwin,
Be subbed out in favour of one-note seam?
By Sunny G, why play a bloody Test,
If you’re too spooked to even field your best?
Reading
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1
The murky, unregulated world of psychological counselling in India
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2
‘Emergency’ review: A parodic Indira Gandhi biopic
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3
Food history: How nihari went from being the humble food of the poor to a dish for the high table
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4
This book studies past central governments to analyse the current regime’s push for privatisation
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5
‘Paatal Lok’ season 2 review: The netherworld has a new address but a familiar roadmap
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6
‘Azaad’ review: A love triangle between a man, a woman and… a horse
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7
The story of how one family from Maharashtra built a thriving Hindustani music scene in Kanpur
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8
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years jail in corruption case
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9
TM Krishna interview: It would have been wrong of me not to accept the Sangita Kalanidhi award
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10
A new book by a Sindhi food enthusiast looks at the region’s history and its influence on its food