Captaincy in competitive cricket is all about making the right moves to win the match. Very few get that opportunity. However, gully cricket gives chance for most others. This ramble seeks to explore my mind and get some rationale as to how I approach my decisions in tennis ball cricket.
First of all, how is a 'Captain' chosen? Not definitely based on tactical finnesse .. Either the one who sets up the match or who knows most of the guys in the team.. If the team is familiar, the best player or the person with the best people skills.. I am sure I have one of the best people skills (on a cricket field), pride myself as having tactical nous similar to atleast George Bailey. I am a very good all round player on a cricket field.. I know I can make decisions that turn a game on our side (on a cricket field).. The (on a cricket field) phrase is to be read similar to the phrase 'Paatle.. Paatle' in Thillu Mullu (the movie). My people / social / soft skills are well known for its mediocrity otherwise. (It is said smarter the people are, the more difficult it is for them to get on socially!! Possibly that explains my social awkardness?!!) That, though is a subject for another day!!
But, how did I get to captain a side in a tennis ball match.Possibly as the one who knows most guys in the team!!?!?!?
The team composition is mostly decided with the known guys part of a team.. Smooth..
But.. But.. But.. In case, my team is a person or two short, I need to loan a guy from the opposition. That sure is going to make my life tougher because I need to give him a bat or a ball without knowing his skill and my vantage point in removing him in case he bats / bowls detrimentally is greatly stunted. The reason for which is documented below.
In my aarvakolaru to start off with the post, I left out an important portion of the topic.. My philosophy of playing tennis ball cricket!!
Tennis ball cricket is played to enjoy and have a good time. Everybody wants to play because that makes them happy. They want to contribute. They want to either bat for around 10 balls or bowl a couple of overs. Winning has its importance.. But ask any guy who has not bowled or batted in the match on his team winning, the enthusiasm is not quite There. Win or lose, he wants to contribute.. My way of thought - Let them have that feeling of contribution. Let them feel included as a part of the group. The focus is on winning too.. Not only on winning..
There are some who overly try to contribute and make their team win that they dominate the bat and the ball. Winning is very important to them.. Agreed. But is it competitive cricket that you are playing? Nope.. And the common denominator to those guys who dominate, they are all mostly very very average players. Not those who change the game.. but think themselves as to they need to do the batting and bowling to make the team win.. Sad, isnt it?
I generally plan for / prefer two matches back to back. One for chances, one for winning feeling. What I have noted during the previous experiences is that batting at the top of the order gives the feeling of being important. (My personal choice - 3 overs of bowling)
In case I am left with a guy who I know will not contribute substantially to a match, I try to match up a guy to whom I wont be giving a bowl too, to bat at the top with a guy who can actually bat. This way, the not-so-good player has a better opportunity to get out early and give chances to others. In the first match, a normal batting order can be used while I hold myself back. Not that I blast the ball out of the park considering I am more of an accumulator than hitter, but I am sure I will be giving myself a bowl. Let others get the feeling of getting a decent bat. The guys who are sure to bowl will get to bat mostly at the end.
What follows will mostly be mostly a win in the first match. An issue arises with the fact that one or max two players may or may not get a contribution chance due to a higher focus on winning. They get to open the batting in the next match.. If they bat badly and get out, it is fine.. In case they waste balls and yet somehow manage not to get out, I leave it to fate. Believe me, giving a chance to mediocre players to open the batting Chasing 44 in 10 overs and getting stuck at 5/0 in 4 overs is not a pleasant place to be. What do you do then when a guest has overstayed his welcome? Aditaled or in worst case run him out by bad calling!! (This is Chennai - we value sensible cricket than flashy tries.. If you dont play using your brain but only your bat, we do not prefer you playing cricket at all)
The next batting position will go to the guy who has not bowled and batted only for a couple of balls in the previous match...Match is sure as lost. Try to compensate by sending the big hitter next. But the winning the game is not the sole focus of the endeavour! Inclusion is!!
The other way round, in case I am not able to give a guy a bat, I try to ensure he gets atleast an over to roll his arm over to ensure he did something to get involved.
If I am unable to accomodate either the batting or bowling of a guy, give him a fielding position preferably near the batsman to cut singles. Atleast he feels involved in the game.
The worst feeling I got when I am playing under another person in a cricket field is that on the pretext of winning the match, I dont get a chance to contribute. I ensure that not happen to a guy who plays under me!
Another interesting aspect of tennis ball cricket that, most guys will keep asking to get a bat or a bowl!! The first thing is to instill a confidence that they would get their chance to contribute. This is one of the reasons that even at the cost of the team's victory, I do not try to dominate the proceedings by being all over the game. Once they are secure of their chance, the chance of getting them satisfied at the end of the day remains high. Even if they do not get a chance, by my abstinence to indulge myself I ensure that they do not feel left out of the group imagining the others getting more chances than them rather than on cricketing reasons.
That is a person, a group wants to play under. No one has a problem of being left out.
Tennis ball cricket is not all about winning or playing to indulge. All about inclusion and the feeling of doing what you like. Trying to Ensure that, and thereby every outing turns a good experience irrespective of victory or defeat..
(P.S: This is not a suya-puraanam of sorts but as mentioned earlier using myself as reference point. I have written this PS so that I feel good imagining that I am humble.. In our societal structure, humility is a quality that is more preferred than efficiency. Also, I have ensured I have just documented my thoughts without undue interference from my brain by following just my thoughts and not grammer.)
