Most of our readers must be familiar with the cupping therapy as a source of recovery but a lot of them are unaware of its benefits. The trendy method of relapse actually dates back to the ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. Thankfully, we have an expert, Dr. Badar Batliwala to explain its benefits.
Dr. Batliwala has already spoken about his personal ventures in the given field in a previous article. He also explained the origins and various methods of the cupping therapy. Badar has enough practitioner’s experience. Here are a few benefits:
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Cupping reduces anxiety- When your therapist glides the cups across your skin, your parasympathetic nervous system engages. This promotes deep relaxation to move through your entire body. Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for slowing your heart rate, assisting in digestion, and increasing intestinal and gland activity.
- Circulation is increased by cupping- Circulation in the region where the cups are put is improved by the suction from the cups. The increased blood flow to that location can aid in cell healing and the relaxation of tense muscles. Cupping helps to improve circulation and lessen the appearance of cellulite.
- Using cups helps cells discharge toxins- The organs in your body that eliminate poisons from your blood really exist. The contemporary way of life, however, overburdens your body with poisons. Your body is assisted in expelling those poisons through cupping. Focused blood flow benefits your body by clearing toxins through the lymphatic system that have accumulated. Your lymphatic system is in charge of getting rid of waste and poisons from your body
- Scars and stretch marks can be lessened by cupping- The removal of toxins from your body, the restoration of lymphatic circulation, and the removal of edoema (extra fluid) are all made possible by increased blood flow, which also helps to hide scarring. Even in locations far from the area where the cups are administered, studies have shown that cupping has a good impact on stretch marks and scars.
- Cupping can help with digestion and unclog colon obstructions- The parasympathetic nervous system is activated by cupping, increasing the amount of blood flowing to the digestive tract. Additionally, gentle abdominal cupping stimulates the inside of your digestive system. It promotes blood and bodily fluid flow through your organs, helps eliminate colon obstructions, assists in peristalsis (contractions that drive food through your digestive system), and relieves indigestion.
Dr. Badar Batliwala also provides services regarding the cupping therapy.
The term ‘Off-season’ is probably not the right term to describe the true concept behind it. The varying cycle of seasons across the globe ensures that no outdoor sport can be played continuously around the year. This weather aspect has led to the existence of an ‘Off-season’ in every outdoor sport. It is usually a 2–3-month extended period in which no major matches or tournaments are played.
Players use this period to prepare for the upcoming season. This is the period when the elite athletes do their behind-the-scenes hard work. Great playing seasons of athletes are often preceded by great off-seasons. Hence, contrary to what the name suggests, the off-season is perhaps the most important part of the year for a player. Readers must be curious to know what exactly the top players do in the off-season and most importantly, what to work on during the off-season? Let us find the answer to these questions.
The four-month-long monsoon is the off-season for Indian cricketers. One of the biggest advantages of an off-season is that it gives you time to work on certain facets of your game. It is often not possible for players to make major technical adjustments during the season. You can make such adjustments in the off-season, and you can use this time to perfect your technical skills. Cricketers usually have highly focused skill-based sessions with their coaches during this period. They try to fine-tune their game through a combination of drills, shadow practice and knocking etc. You can also have such sessions with your coaches which will help you to improve your game. The off-season time is also ‘ripe’ if you want to experiment or try a new skill (e.g., a new shot or a new delivery). The creation of ‘indoor cricket’ facilities have made this entire process much easier. A few years ago, Shikhar Dhawan worked on his leg-side stroke play in a comparable manner which has helped him to become one of the best batters in the IPL since then.
Fitness has certainly become a decisive factor in modern-day cricket. The off-season provides you with the perfect opportunity to improve your fitness. Most cricket academies conduct monsoon fitness camps for their players. You can also take the help of professionals such as sports physiotherapists and certified trainers to devise your optimal fitness program. Such an improvement can make your results a whole lot better. Virat Kohli’s special emphasis on gaining lean muscle mass and power during the 2015 off-season enabled him to become the highest six-hitter as well as the orange cap winner in IPL 2016.
Mental training has also become an important part of off-season routines nowadays. Elite athletes are taking help of the professionals (e.g., sports psychologists) to master techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises, positive thinking, and visualization. These techniques help the player to perform under pressure. It was meditation that helped Mayank Agarwal to stay focused when he was not getting selected for India despite performing very well. Today, he has four test hundreds to his name as a result. Similarly, you can also use the off-season to master your mind.
Every player has unique needs. You must consult with your coaches, physiotherapists, psychologists etc. to create an optimum off-season program for yourself. Remember that one good off-season can be a game-changer for your career. In extreme cases, you can even use it to reinvent your game completely just like Imran Khan did in the late seventies. Now, you have been equipped with all the information about the off-season. So why stop then? Go ahead and enjoy your off-season.
-Charvak Naik
The Qualifier 1 of the T-30 Cricket League in New Delhi was played between the Vikings XI and Shipoars Shipping. The toss was won by the Vikings who chose to bat first.
The batsmen of Vikings worked as a single unit as everyone played their part and contributed towards the cumulative total. The opening stand lasted for 77 as Shoaib went on to score 47 off 32 while his partner made 42 off 49. Number 3 batsman Ishanth chipped in with 28 and managed the middle overs.
Coming at number 5, Sahil Khan scored an excellent 47 to make sure the Vikings crossed the 200 mark providing an ideal finish. Sanjeev Pant who was brought into the bowling attack late in the innings took 3 wickets in 4 overs while Kapil Kantiwal bowled an economical spell bagging 2 wickets as well as the Vikings lost 8 of their wickets.
At the loss of 8 wickets, the Vikings set a good target of 213 in 30 overs for the Shipoars Shipping.
Just like their rivals, Shipoars Shipping made a good opening start as well with 74. Nitin Kasana missed his half century by just 1 run while his opening partner supported him with a modest 23. It was the number 4 batsman, Tarun Singh Chhonker who top scored with 58 off 55 balls. It was flowing quite well for the Shipoars Shipping but they were losing wickets on the other end as well.
The final 10 overs of the game saw a dramatic swing as late heroics from Rakesh Das and Karamveer Solanki bagged two quick wickets each turning the game upside down. Tarun’s efforts were in vain as the Shipoars Shipping were bowled out for 177 with 5 overs still to spare. Shoaib also claimed 3 crucial wickets and bowled a brilliant spell.
The Viking XIs comfortably won the game in the end with 36 runs.
The T-20 Champions League at the Haryana Cricket Academy produced one of the most entertaining games. The game between Warriors Cricket Club and Cricket Studs seemed one sided on paper but the reality was quite different.
Studs won the toss and elected to bowl first. A comprehensive bowling performance restricted the Warriors to 148 only. Warriors were bowled out with an over to spare. Opener Ramnek Singh started off well with 28 runs to his name meanwhile, the other side collapsed. It was the heroics of Kundu scoring 42 off 30 balls only which pushed the team to a fighting total. Stud’s bowling attack was led by Saurabh who took 3 wickets. He was supported by Sarojanand Jha and Abhishek Prasad who claimed 2 wickets each.
The target to chase down was 149, a below average yet competitive total.
The second innings was started off by opener Praagya Shukla who scored 22 off 24 balls. It seemed Shukla was the only batsman who got off as no other batsman was able to survive and chase it down. It was a catastrophic batting performance from the Studs as they were bundled up for only 77 in 16 overs by the Warriors. Robin Bhardwaj claimed 4 wickets in his 3 overs. He received a helping hand from Karamjeet Singh who took 2 wickets himself.
Even after scoring a modest 148 in 19 overs, the Warriors Cricket Club had a super comeback against the Cricket Studs to bowl them out for a mere 77 and winning the game by 71 runs.
The recently held 20 over game between Ace Brigade and Stalwarts XI in the Straight Drive Ent Present Freedom Cup Edition -2 was a one sided affair. Stalwarts XI eased up to victory as the Aces had no chance.
Winning the toss, Ace Brigade chose to bat first. This move backfired as the batting unit managed only 110 in the allotted 20 overs losing 8 wickets in the process. Opener Shershaah top scored with 23 runs while the other 9 out of 10 batsmen were dismissed for single figures. From the Stalwarts, Amit Sidana had a brilliant spell bagging 3 wickets in 4 overs giving away only 14 runs. He was backed by Aditya Srivastava who took 2 scalps in his 4 overs. Overall, it was the bowlers who handed the Stalwarts an early advantage in the game.
The second innings lasted for only 10 overs as the Stalwarts convincingly chased down the target with 7 wickets in hand. Initially though, they lost their 3 wickets for 51 only. It was the match winning partnership of Himanshu Gulati (33 off 18) and Sagar (34 off 14) which took the team home. The duo absolutely hammered the opposition with a combined count of 7 sixes.
The bowlers of Ace Bridges had a tough outing as every one of them went for more than 9 per over. Ankit Ekanna managed to take 2 wickets while the other 1 was taken by Anil Chaudhary.
A dominating performance from Stalwarts XI.
In a cricket loving nation, everyone knows the ins and the outs of the Indian cricket team but is anyone aware of the cricketing scheme for wheelchair cricket? The chances seem bleak. Vicky Lamba Kumar from Delhi is an unknown personality in relation to any other cricketing personalities but the work put in by him is more than exceptional.
Vicky Kumar is an ex-wheelchair cricketer who represented India in the last decade. It wasn’t just the cricketing abilities but his willpower and determination which were lauded by everyone. Making a career in cricket isn’t as easy as it looks anyways but Kumar managed it even with his physical disabilities.
With the lack of support from the government and cricketing bodies, cricket for the disabled was always neglected. Vicky had to go through a lot during the initial phase. Playing in a wheelchair was challenging itself, and added struggles from society amplified it. Regardless of the difficulties, Vicky Kumar was able to reach the top and represent the nation in 2015. He debuted against Bangladesh in Dubai but his career lasted short with only 3 games.
Leaving the field for good, Kumar was assigned the role as the President of Delhi Wheelchair Cricket Association in 2017. He regularly organizes tournaments for the physically challenged as there are very rare instances of them playing regular games.
After becoming the President, he only had one goal in his mind, to spread awareness about the wheelchair cricketing community in the society. During his playing days no one paid attention to these leagues leaving him and his comrades heartbroken. Due to this, the funding was low which resulted in poor development.
Vicky Kumar wants to send a strong message through his work so that the Government would monetarily aid the leagues. This would enable cricketers to have better financial backing and security for their respective futures after their careers are over. Kumar is not only doing this for the wheelchair cricketers but also for other physically disabled teams.
Currently Kumar and his Delhi team are preparing for the WCI National tournament at Lucknow in October. 16 Teams from India will be participating in this prestigious league. Vicky will travel with the team to guide and support them.
The recently held game between Kadapa Warm Up and HCA Colts played on 30th June was a competitive game of cricket. On paper it seems like HCA Colts won easily but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. The Colts won the toss and asked Kadapa to bat first.
After being asked to bat first, Kadapa Warm Up managed to score only 227 for the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs. After a decent opening partnership of 61, wickets fell in a heap. Opener R. Rohit Varma scored 85 off 138 and anchored the innings. From the other end though, wickets regularly collapsed and the team never got going. A valiant effort from T Sudharshan (31 off 31) down the order made sure Kadapa crossed the 200 mark.
The Colt’s bowling attack was led by Jeevan who bagged 4 wickets in his allotted 10 overs and gave away just 30 runs. Overall bowling partnerships were quiet in order to restrict the opposition to just 227.
Smith Dhyawartiwar kicked off the run chase for HCA Colts by scoring 36 off 50 but after losing 4 wickets for such 83, they were in a spot of bother. Palem Charan Theja made sure the run chase came to a halt by bagging 2 quick wickets. It was the match winning innings and partnership of Aryan Reddy (73 off 92) and Aaditya R K (71 off 79) which secured the victory. Thanks to Aryan’s ability to soak the pressure, Aaditya could go on and play his game freely. The Colts managed to complete their target in the 47th over with 6 wickets in hand.
Aryan Reddy of the Little Scholar School is also selected for the U-16 HCA State Colts Tournament.
‘Bradmanesque’ is an English adjective that is rarely known by people. But ask any avid cricket fan and he will immediately tell you the meaning of the word. The adjective is a tribute to the great Sir Don Bradman, whose batting average of 99.94 is unmatched in the history of the game. Many pundits also consider him to be the greatest ever sportsperson to have ever lived. But what was so special about his performances that made people immortalize them in the form of a new adjective? The answer is consistency. Here, we will try to decipher the secret behind consistency.
We require consistency in all fields of life. Consistency separates the very best from the good. Even though we will limit our discussion of consistency to sport and cricketing examples. The major takeaways from this discussion will be applicable everywhere.
According to many greats, consistency doesn’t come out of the blue. Rather, it depends upon doing the basics correctly and mastering them over a period. When the legendary AB De Villiers was asked about the secret to his 360-degree batting, he had said that “I just focus on doing the basics correctly and since I have mastered them, I can innovate according to the need.” It often takes years of hard work and effort to really master the basics. All successful people in their respective fields do their basics right, it is something that is common to them.
The readers might wonder, the greats have some extraordinary abilities which the ordinary folks like you and me can never have. It is true that some individuals are more talented than others, but talent is not the only determinant of consistency. One of the most important things for ensuring consistency is following the process and not worrying about the results. MS Dhoni had once talked about how following the process helps him to get superb results. Rasmus Ankersen, a Danish author has done a case study of six very small regions of the world which consistently produce great sportspeople in their respective sports. His findings are described in his book titled ‘The Gold Mine Effect’. He has also highlighted the importance of following the process in their consistent success at the Olympics.
There is one last piece for solving this puzzle of consistency. This last piece is the mindset of the individual. Successful people who have shown remarkable consistency have often talked about ‘getting into the zone’. What is this zone then? It is typically defined as a mental state where one is completely focused on the task, has an empty mind, and doesn’t worry about the results. Virat Kohli had once stated in an interview that when he is batting, he sees only the ball and the rest is a complete blur. This is an example of ‘getting into the zone’ and we all have seen what terrific consistency Virat has achieved over the years. Common people like us also experience this feeling sometimes and when we enter the ‘zone’ everything happens just perfectly for us.
Finally, one must always consider the fact that there is no single formula or method to ensure consistency. Apart from the basic points mentioned above, you are free to choose your own method. Trust yourself, your process and figure out what works best for you. Remember, Sehwag and Dravid achieved great results by using totally different methods and yet they both are considered as legends of the game.
-Charvak Naik
On 23rd June 2022, RKB CA showed a dominant performance to clinch the title. Fighting hard, efforts of Rajeev Rathore CA were valiant but in vain. The SMT Indrani Sharma Memorial Tournament was organised by Parag Sharma and Prashant Sharma and sponsored by FAST&UP.
DCAD President Mr. Surinder Magan and coach Jitendra Kumar were present. RKJ’s owner Mr. Gaurav Kapoor attended the finals as well.
After winning the toss, RKB CA asked their rivals to bat first. The match was scheduled for a 40 overs but the innings of Rajeev Rathore CA lasted only for25.2 overs. They were bowled out for only 102 with the highest scorer Priyansh Singh coming down at number 8 and contributing 32 off 47. Opener Adhavan scoring 28 while another tail ender Aditya Kumar scoring 20. Aditya Gautam and Ronit bowled exceptional spells for RKB giving only 14 runs off 6 overs each. Ronit bagged 2 scalps while Gautam was able to take 3. Overall, all bowlers contributed towards a complete effort to bundle up the runners up.
The second innings lasted shorter than the first. RKB managed to chase down the target in just 16 overs. The opening stand of 82 of Abhigyan Mishra (20 off 32) and wicketkeeper Swastik Bhati (36 off 49) caused the majority of the damage. RKB won the game and the tournament with 8 wickets to spare. Aditya Gautam was announced as the Man of the Finals .
Here’s the list of other awards:
Man of The Tournament – Pranay Sharma
Best Bowler – Ronit Kumar
Best Batsman – Priyansh Singh
Upcoming Player – Shivesh Kapoor
Emerging Player – Abhishek Chalal 
Special Thanks to Mr. Arjun Gupta (Kragbuzz Owner) and Mrs. Shalini Sehgal (Franchise Head of Institute of Professional Banking).
Mumbai Cricket is filled with inspiring unheard stories and people who have been around since the longest of time but often going unnoticed. One such personality who has been deeply connected with the grassroots of Mumbai Cricket is none other than Nadeem Memom sir- the revered Ground Curator of the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Nadeem Memon, though 61 today has been acquainted with the maidans of Mumbai Cricket since the 80’s. A football player in his early days and then finally spotting his love for cricket, Nadeem went on to play cricket himself playing Top Division Mumbai and Corporate Cricket. Nadeem has also played in Times Shield and other marquee MCA tournaments. Nadeem also represented IDBI Bank in corporate Cricket. Nadeem Memom played A Div Cricket for almost 11 years and he was also a part of the iconic Karnataka Sporting Association Team which won Purshottam Shield back then. Karnatak team during the 80’s had the likes of Ravi Shastri, Brijesh Patel, Suresh Shetty, Sudhakar Rao, Deepak Rai, Balvinder Singh Sandhu to name a few who all were prolific first class cricketers of that time. Nadeem later also played for John Bright CC and he remembers playing alongside the likes of Vinod Kambli as well. Nadeem also recalls being close to Achrekar sir and the memories he shared with him during his playing days are still etched close to his heart.
Nadeem’s journey with Ground Curation also began in the most fascinating ways. Nadeem Memon shared with Cricketgraph”
“During 1979-83, when i used to also play football alongside cricket, there used to no facilities for working out and even if there were, affording it would be a challenge and to be a strong footballer you need strong calves and leg muscles. There used to be one Bengali Chacha on the Maidans who used to make pitches. For almost 4-5 years, I used to help Chacha in rolling the grounds, those 500kg rollers ensured that my calves and leg muscles became strong while at the same time I also learned the nitty gritties of ground curation, I would study the wickets, use roller on moisture wickets as well and that is how my journey began as a ground curator”
Fast forward to 2022, Nadeem Memom now holds experience of over 3 Decades as ground curator and indeed he is one of the Top Ground Curators of India. In a career spanning 30+ years, Nadeem has prepared over 58 Grounds while he has actively made wickets for iconic clubs like PJ Hindu Gymkhana, Parsee Gymkhana, MIG, Islam Gymkhana, DY Patil, Anushakti Nagar Ground, Nehru Stadium to name a few. Nadeem Memom was the official Ground Curator of Wankhede Stadium between 1999 to 2003 and later came back to service Wankhede from 2011 to 2015.
Nadeem recalls “I was the first ground curator to completely dig and prepare new wickets at Oval Maidan assisting in opening the now very reputed Elf Vengsarkar Cricket Academy. The 2002 wicket at Wankhede was also made by me, the same wicket where Mumbai emerged Ranji Champions and till date the wicket is almost the same”
A one man with various faces, Nadeem has done it all whether you talk about him as a cricketer, ground curator, coach or a secretary. Nadeem Memom has always believed to remain connected with this beautiful sport in different facets. For the uninitiated, Nadeem Memon is also a qualified MCA and NIS Coach, Nadeem passed his Coaching exam in 1986/87 from MCA under the tutelage of legendary Madhav Mantri sir where he learned important aspects of the game. Nadeem coached Anjuman Islam School between 1985 to 1988 for 3 years & during his tenure Anjuman always reached the finals in Harris/Giles Shield tournaments.
Nadeem has also served as the Joint Secretary of MSSA – Mumbai Schools & Sports Associations between 2015-2019 while he has been an active voter of MCA since 1984. Nadeem actively continues to curate grounds for MCA Wankhede, MCA BKC and MCA Kandivali while his contribution to Mumbai Cricket certainly holds a special place in its own right. His journey of more than 4 decades is certainly inspiring for the future generations who will remain connected to the field of cricket.
Stay Tuned for more such inspiring stories as Cricketgraph envisages to bring out many more unheard stories from grassroot cricket.
