Words & Idioms Chased:
Torch-bearer, Whimsical, Perception, Horses for Courses, Nimble, Flimsy, Confound, Jeopardise, Counterpart.
Source of Article: Cricinfo.com the best cricket info site ever we love cricinfo.
By: Harsha Bhogale . We love harsha bhogale too well amost. We like his passion for words and the excitement , drama , some amount of special glory , a sense of suspense , the eye for something special that he brings to table.
Indian cricket begins its home season by showing disrespect to one of its most honourable torch-bearers. Rahul Dravid has always done everything asked of him, including in the last five one-day games he played in. And now he has fallen prey to a whimsical hire and fire policy. I hope there are a few people feeling embarrassed by what they have done because otherwise we are in for more bad news.
By picking Rahul Dravid for Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy, the selectors had sent out a clear signal that they were unhappy with the younger players. I don’t think they saw enough in five games to change that perception. Meanwhile Dravid scored runs, played the role that assigned to him and did nothing to suggest that he didn’t belong in a one-day game. So either the selectors were wrong to pick him last month or they are wrong to drop him now.
Maybe they were picking horses for courses hoping Dravid’s superior ability would be handy in South Africa. And maybe they have gone horses for courses again by picking free-striking nimble players in home conditions. If that is indeed true, and it seems obvious, it is sending a terrible signal to the young guns in the squad; that it is okay to play only in favourable conditions and that you don’t really need to learn how to play elsewhere. I worry about a system that encourages such thought and devalues superior all-round players.
I also think the selectors need to think about whether they are undermining one of India’s finest ever team players; someone who opened when no one else wanted to, kept wickets when the team needed him to. We have to, at all times, make the distinction between a selfless team player and another who might seek to fatten his numbers. And with all India’s cricket due to be played in home conditions over the next six months, we will not learn too much more about the ability of the younger players to adapt.
That is why Suresh Raina had to be number three in South Africa. But if indeed he was assessed and found inadequate, then he must bide his time. The future belongs to him, to Rohit Sharma, to Virat Kohli but for that these young men have to prove that they can play anywhere; like Dravid did, like Laxman and Ganguly did. You cannot treat Rahul Dravid like a dish you might have ordered wrongly, then have a spoonful and send it back. And that is why, in spite of being a great admirer of his, I hope he doesn’t allow this to happen to him again. He deserves better. We have used flimsy scales to weigh a man of steel.
Meanwhile India continues to confound world cricket. If India has to drive the world cricket market, then Indian teams need to play till the last stage. Otherwise viewership tails off, sponsors either pull out or demand more and in course of time revenue drops. It’s a peculiar situation where world cricket, and individual nations, will benefit from the revenue that India brings in and yet that revenue could be jeopardised in future if they keep beating India! We have seen that over three high profile events in the last five months. Now either India needs to get more consistent or money will start finding its way towards events where every match is a home game for some Indian constituency. It is tricky situation especially in the light of what happened at the Champions Trophy and the Champions League, two outstandingly organised, and promoted, events where Indian interest ended early.
I’ve loved the enthusiasm at the Airtel Champions League. The best teams made the semi-final and there are two reasons that come to mind straightaway for the poor performance of the Indian franchises. First, and this is something we have to admit straightaway, the average first class player in Australia or South Africa is better than his counterpart in India and, I suspect, has a superior work ethic. And second, teams like Trinidad and Tobago and the NSW Blues, or even the Diamond Eagles for that matter, played like it mattered more to them. But this is a tournament with legs and I see it growing as viewers get to know players from other lands better.
Harsha Bhogale
Analysis and info:
- Torch-bearer: (Noun)(Dictionary meaning): a person who leads or inspires; a person or thing that carries a torch.
This word can be used in a sentence like “Martin Luther King Jr. Was the torch bearer of civil rights movement in US.”
In the context of the article, it means that Rahul Dravid has been a player who has inspired many youngsters as he has been an epitome of dedication and discipline. Indian board has disrespected him by not including in the side without any reasons.
2. Whimsical: (Adjective)(Dictionary meaning): Erratic in behaviour or degree of unpredictability; Determined by, arising from, or marked by whim or caprice.
Synonyms of Whimsical: Capricious, Impulsive, Eccentric, Unusual.
This word has been used in the context that Dravid’s non-inclusion in the side has been because of some unreasonable selection policy. Indian selectors choose a player for 3-4 matches and drop him without giving any logical explanation. It’s like some hidden agenda is there.
3. Perception: (Noun)(Dictionary meaning): The act or faculty of understanding by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
Synonyms of Perception: Awareness, Observation, Discernment, Notion, View-point.
We can use it in a sentence like “It did not require a great deal of perception to realise what he meant.”
4. Horses for Courses: (Idiom): What is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another.
This idiom is quite frequently used in common conversation also. The writer has used this to emphasize the fact that the selectors were using “horses for courses” policy with Dravid as they choose him for hard and bouncy tracks of South Africa where his solid technique would come in handy, but the selectors ignored him for one-dayers to be played in India where the batsmen need raw power to hit through the line. So, in the context, the writer is suggesting that the selectors have given a raw deal to Rahul Dravid.
5. Nimble: (Adjective)(Dictionary meaning): Quick, light, or agile in movement or action; Quick, clever, and acute in devising or understanding.
Synonyms of Nimble: Agile, Active, Deft, Sprightly, Sharp, Keen, Alert.
Antonyms of Nimble: Awkward, Clumsy, Lethargic, Slow, Indolent, Lazy.
We can use the word nimble like “the dancer was nimble on his feet” or “he has nimble wits”.
The word nimble has been used in the context for younger players who were selected to play in Indian conditions like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja or Virat Kohli. They are very quick on the feet and are athletic fielders.
6. Flimsy: (Adjective)(Dictionary meaning): Lacking plausibility; unconvincing; Light, thin, and insubstantial.
Synonyms of Flimsy: Weak, Fragile, Shaky, Superficial, Insubstantial, Transparent, Gossamer, Inadequate, Tenuous.
This word can be used like “The students gave a flimsy excuse for coming late for the class” or “He was charged on flimsy evidence”.
The word has been used by the writer to stress the injustice done to Rahul Dravid by not including him in the one-day team. The selectors have given him a short shrift.
7. Confound 
Verb)(Dictionary meaning): To cause to become confused or perplexed; To make (something bad) worse.
Synonyms of Confound: Befuddle, Dumbfound, Flummox, Fox, Bewilder.
“The student’s misconduct in front of Principal confounded the situation”
This word has been used in the context that If India crashes out of a high-profile tournament, and then the viewership ratings of the remaining matches go down drastically. The advertising companies incur huge losses. So, if India has to rule the world cricket, Indian team has to win most of its matches so that it can reach the finals or semi-finals. That will mean more ratings, which will lead to advertisers shelling out more revenues to BCCI which can be used for development of cricket in India.
8. Jeopardised: (Verb)(Dictionary meaning): pose a threat to; present a danger to;
Synonyms of Jeopardise: Peril, Imperil, Threaten, Endanger.
“By getting out on zero in the practice match, Rohit Sharma jeopardised his chances of being selected in the team”.
This word has been used brilliantly in the context. Those who follow cricket know that India is the money-spinning nation as far as cricket revenue is concerned. So, it is ironical that the money which will benefit other cricket playing nations will reduce if those nations keep beating India in high-profile tournaments like ICC World cup or ICC Champions Trophy in early stages as the viewership in India drops dramatically when India crashes out of tournament. Due to India losing out, the sponsors suffer revenue loss and other cricket playing countries also suffer because of that.
9. Counterpart: (Noun)(Dictionary meaning): One of two parts that fit and complete each other; One that has the same functions and characteristics as another; a corresponding person or thing; A copy or duplicate of a legal paper; One that closely resembles another.
Synonyms of Counterpart: Equivalent, Equal, Peer, Duplication.
“It is quite unlikely that Pakistan’s defence minister will agree to the list of terrorists based in Pakistan given by Indian counterpart”.
In the context also, this word means the same. The local domestic player of South Africa or Australia is better than its counterpart of India.
Words & Idioms Discussed Today:
Torch-bearer, Whimsical, Perception, Horses for Courses, Nimble, Flimsy, Confound, Jeopardise, Counterpart.