Ranji rout
Vaibhav Sharma

Uday Kaul put up some resistance to the fiery bowling spell by Karnataka

Two games into the season and Punjab’s Ranji campaign looks like it has gone horribly wrong. They drew the first game against the Uttar Pradesh side with an extremely efficient bowling attack , but came back with only one point with the hosts picking up three.

The game against Karnataka was being looked at with a lot of anticipation and everyone thought the batting line-up, that had the likes of Yuvraj Singh, a seasoned Pankaj Dharmani, stylish Ravi Inder Singh and the ever-reliable Uday Kaul, would put up a better fight. Also, the return of Manpreet Gony in the bowling department had given the attack a sharper look. But the way the four days unfolded at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, it was as if the action was being enacted to a totally different script.

Punjab lost the match by six wickets, and on each of the four days, they were thoroughly outplayed. It started with a dismal showing on Day 1, when they folded up for 243 and only Uday Kaul put up a little resistance to a fiery spell by Karnataka skipper Vinay Kumar. But even his grit was not enough as the Punjab bowling was torn to shreds by an on-fire Robin Uthappa. Karnataka took a massive first innings lead, and from there on it was always going to be an uphill ride for the hosts. Punjab lost the way in the second innings as soon as Yuvraj was dismissed and lost the match, too.

The reasons for losing the plot at home were quite blatant. There were some decisions that baffled everyone like bringing Harmeet Singh to bat in at No. 4, making Karan Goel bat at number 7, etc. These decisions made the defeat look embarrassing. A former Punjab player, on the condition of anonymity, says, “The team didn’t look very comfortable. They lacked a certain edge, I don’t know why, but they just didn’t look focussed on the job. You can blame the coach, the captain and everyone involved for some dubious decisions, but this is not the time to start a blame game. This is the time where the seniors, the coach and the captain take charge and hold the squad together.”

The curious thing has been the way Yuvraj Singh has been stuck in the middle of not-totally-out-of-form, and not completely in flow either. He has made starts, scored two fifties, but in a match like this, the team needs a big hundred, or probably a double hundred from their star batsman. Yuvraj has failed to deliver on that count as well, and it seems that this has hit the confidence of the team on the whole.

Right after the second match, the squad has undergone some changes, with players like Bipul Sharma, who didn’t even play a single match, have been left out. New faces might bring in a new attitude, but like every situation, the solution lies within the boys. A couple of new players will not bring a turnaround. The entire unit has to rise to the occasion and make the extra effort, whereby the performance can go up a couple of notches.

An inspired performance by any of the seniors, or a path-breaking show by one of the youngsters will ensure that the morale gets a boost. The talent is there, within the team. As was suggested in patches by many players like Navdeep, Kaul and Ravi Inder Singh. Now, the problem is whether the individuals can collectively stand like a team and whether the state’s cricketing hero, and the state itself can make a comeback in the national reckoning.

World Cup wannabes
Abhijit Chatterjee

A player in the reckoning for a place in the World Cup squad is Cheteshwar Pujara, who showed his class in the Bangalore Test against the Aussies Photo: Nitin Mittal

Forget the people in the boardroom jockeying for power. Forget the mud-raking going on in Indian cricket in the name of the IPL. Forget the conflict of interest among the people who are running the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and hoping to grab a piece of the IPL pie. Now is the time to have a critical look at the Indian team as it prepares to land its hands on the Holy Grail of cricket, the World Cup.

The World Cup, which India has won only once, way back in 1983 under the leadership of Kapil Dev, is silverware which any cricketer would give his everything to lay his hands on.

Sachin Tendulkar, as he approaches the twilight of a very illustrious career during which he has set batting records which future generations of cricketers will find extremely difficult to emulate, has gone on record to say that the World Cup is one thing he is very keen to win both for the country and himself before he hangs up his bat.

Although it is too early to predict the composition of the Indian squad for the 2011 World Cup, which is a little more than 100 days away, there is no denying the fact that the squad will be a blend of old and new players who are already flexing their cricketing arm to make it to the squad. And, in one way, newcomers to the Indian squad will be lucky since barring their first match against Bangladesh, which will be played at Dhaka, India will play all their Group B preliminary league matches at home. This will ensure that the team will have enough vocal support every time they are on the field.

Quite a few youngsters are waiting to grab a place in the World Cup squad. Leading the pack, of course, is Virat Kohli, who has shown tremendous grit and determination together with technique and temperament whenever he has been given the opportunity. Virat was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. Following a hundred in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia in 2008, Kohli was selected in the ODI squad for India's tour of Sri Lanka.

Delhi-based Kohli played in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy after Yuvraj Singh was injured, and since mid-2009 has been the reserve ODI batsman. But he came into the limelight in the recent series against Australia, when a number of senior players were either injured or rested by the national selectors. His knock of 118 against the Aussies at Vizag and his match winning stand with Yuvraj might have swung the dice his way. (It is really a pity that only one of the scheduled three one-day games against Australia could be played with the remaining two being washed out.)

Another player who is also in the reckoning for a place in the World Cup squad is Cheteshwar Pujara, who showed his class in the Bangalore Test against the Aussies, where batting in the fourth innings of the match he scored a match winning 72. A solid middle-order batsman, Pujara can be an asset in any batting order and he can definitely hope to get a look-in at the World Cup.

More than these two youngsters, the one player who can make a marked difference to India’s campaign in the World Cup is Suresh Raina, who has been grabbing headlines with his performance with the bat as also for having the confidence of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Raina undoubtedly leads the pack as the most exciting young player in India today, both for his skills with the bat as also while fielding (In fact, all these three players together with a host of other youngsters are excellent fielders). Raina is also probably the calmest, a fact not unrelated to his success.

All the three are immensely talented and should be finding a place in the World Cup squad.

But there are some other players who are also waiting in the wings. Among them is Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma, who has failed to make the most of the chances given to him but will probably still get an opportunity to exhibit his talent. Rohit has played as many as 54 one-day games for an average of 28.87 but is now out of favour.

Next on the list is the exciting Ravichandran Ashwin who has made his mark while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and has played in two ODIs, one against Sri Lanka and one against Australia, and, of course, Saurabh Tiwary, who also played in the Vizag one-day match against Australia. Then, there is Ravinder Jadeja in whom many selectors are looking for the elusive all-rounder that the Indian team lacks.

Calorie kids
Sachin Kalra

Parents should not treat their child to junk food as an incentive for good behaviour

Parents can positively affect a child’s relationship with food years down the road. Help your child develop a healthy relationship with food. Also, do not use food as a reward. Offering kids candies, cookies, or pizzas for achievements or good behaviour connects success with food

The levels of childhood obesity are increasing at alarming rates in many countries, including India. This rise in the number of overweight children is disturbing because obesity has a profound effect on a kid's life. Obesity increases the child's risk of numerous health problems, and it can also create emotional and social problems. Overweight children are more likely to be teased by their peers, hence they develop low self-esteem and lack self-confidence. They also tend to be depressed and are at a higher risk of developing various eating disorders.

Obese children are more likely to remain so even as adolescents and become overweight adults. Being obese as a child or adolescent increases the risk of disorders in adulthood.

Factors for obesity

Food choices: A child’s food choices greatly influence his body weight. Children are consuming more high-fat and sugary foods than before and are shrugging off the healthier options.

Lack of physical activity: Children are less active these days than they were in the past. Sports and outdoor physical activities have taken a back seat.

Spending a lot of time on sedentary pursuits: It seems that sedentary pastimes are replacing active ones. Kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video games, than actively playing outside. Television is also a major culprit.

Overweight parents: Studies have shown that a child's risk of obesity greatly increases if one or both parent/s is overweight or obese. Members of a family tend to have similar eating habits and maintain the same levels of physical activity. Also, some overweight parents may be less concerned about their child being obese than parents who are healthy.

Genetics: Genes help determine the body type and how your body stores and burns fat just like they help determine other traits. They probably make some children more susceptible to obesity. If there is a family tendency to become overweight, parents need to be even more aware of making healthy food choices for the whole family

Role of parents

Once children are overweight, it requires a lot of effort and commitment for them to return to a healthy size. When the goal is to help a child reach and maintain a healthy weight, parents should take the lead, as they can exert the maximum control on a ward’s lifestyle. There are no instant remedies, as obesity management is a long-term endeavour with the active involvement of the parents.

Encourage physical activity: Encourage your child to enjoy physical activity and restrict the amount of time your child spends watching TV, sitting at the computer, or playing video games. These activities burn few calories and encourage snacking. Increasing physical activity is the best step to overcome obesity. And when you add sports and exercise to your child’s daily routine, you pave the way for lifelong fitness. 

Provide a balanced diet: A balanced diet is a necessary part to overcome obesity. Offer your child a variety of foods. Do not ban any foodstuff.  All foods have a place in a healthy balanced diet, even foods high in fat and calories, as long as they are eaten occasionally and in moderation. Concentrate on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and plenty of fluids.

Provide emotional support: The most important thing parents can do for an obese child is to be supportive. Help your child learn to love and accept themselves the way (s)he is. Let your child know that you love and accept him/ her at any weight. Be supportive and understanding towards your child and provide unconditional love.

Lead by example: It’s important to remember that children learn best by example so set a good one. Be a role model for your children. Be active and eat healthy foods and they will likely follow.

Help develop the right attitude to food: Nutritional research shows that eating habits developed during childhood set the stage for long-term patterns. Parents can positively affect a child’s relationship with food years down the road. Help your child develop a healthy relationship with food. Also, do not use food for reward. Offering kids candies, cookies, or pizzas for achievements or good behaviour connects success with food. Instead, when you want to reward kids, it’s better to give hugs and attention, or some special time together, rather than sugary, high-calorie treats.