Howzzat

by Greenstone Lobo

  India needs Rohit. They need to find a way to extract the maximum out of him as a captain in any format so that we can have another chance to win a title. He also needs to be in the test squad. Sacrifice an opener, an all rounder or whatever but give Rohit some confidence and back him up and he will play astounding test cricket for another five years.

  Prediction #28 : What is the Future of Pujara?

  The Man-of-the-Tournament in the historic 2018–19 Test Series victory in Australia showed the immense value that he brings to the table. With his impeccable performance, Cheteshwar trashed all the talks of his slow batting and won back the confidence of the captain and the coach who had dropped him in the crucial test matches (and probably the series) in South Africa and England in 2018. With his exemplary performance, he showcased how test cricket should be played. He is splendid for these times of instant cricket. But, will he be the greatest of all time? Maybe not.

  One interesting common factor between Cheteshwar and the greatest number 3 of all time for India, Rahul Dravid, is that both of them have their moon in the zodiac sign, Pisces. Pisces is a water sign. Water takes the shape of the container it is filled in. Similarly, Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara can mould themselves according to the circumstances and keep batting, regardless of how difficult the situation is. Pisceans learn from their past mistakes and repeat them very rarely. Dravid and Pujara improvised and performed very well in the grounds and conditions that they didn’t do as well in their first attempts.

  The difference between Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid is that the latter has a superior horoscope. Rahul also debuted on an extraordinary date, which ensured that he remained the mainstay of India’s batting for a very long time, even in the ODIs. Pujara can finally say that he has established ownership over the number 3 position in the tests, but he has been ignored completely in the ODIs. Pujara will certainly not surpass the greatness of Rahul Dravid, even in the tests. However, his date of debut does show that he will constantly face difficult situations and do a great job under pressure. He will win many matches for India on his own like he did against Australia in 2018–19. The Saurashtra lad has a couple of such heroics in his chart. He will be around for a few more years and be a reliable batsman, one down, for quite some time.

  Fortunately or unfortunately for Pujara, he plays only test cricket. This is a blessing in disguise for him as his karmic quota of success is only utilised there and will add to the total tally. Pujara will go down in history as one of the greatest one-down players ever for India. He can never ever displace Rahul Dravid either in the number game, that is runs scored, or in quality or the circumstances under which the runs were scored. But let’s stop the comparison here and let Pujara be his own man. Pujara being himself is of immense value to Indian cricket. And he will go on battling it out for the team in the only way he knows—bringing the team to a position of strength.

  Can Pujara play ODIs? Of course, he can. You need a player who can stabilise the innings in case there is a collapse. In these times of the T20, when the players have forgotten the art of playing long innings, Cheteshwar can be the key. Battling for 50 overs is a long time and Pujara can hold one end up, while the batsmen at the other end go berserk with their bat. The challenge here is that many players are knocking on the doors of ODI cricket and he may end up playing only tests. That may not be a bad thing. When he finally hangs up his boots around 2023–24, he may be the last of the vintage icons of test cricket.

  Prediction #29 : What Now for Bhuvneshwar Kumar?

  Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the answer to many scorching questions in Indian cricket for a while now. Unfortunately, a cruel turn of fate may steal some of his thunder in the end analysis of his career.

  Planet-Z in Bhuvi’s birth chart is a powerful exoplanet in exaltation and Mars, the planet of power, is in its own house. The Uttar Pradesh youngster has all his personal planets in Capricorn, making him industrious, disciplined and responsible. He has also been bestowed with maturity beyond his age and the temperament to excel at the highest level.

  The only bowler to dismiss Tendulkar for a duck in domestic cricket has all the astrological markings required for a genuine all-rounder. He has impressed everybody with his swing and movements in bowling. Many a time he has also rescued his team from precarious situations with his sensible batting. The soft-spoken youngster has seen phenomenal growth since his debut in 2012, helping India win many matches.

  One major problem in Bhuvi’s horoscope though is that he was born on an Amavasya or new moon day. An Amavasya-born cricketer has frequent breaks in his career either due to injuries or off-the-field controversies. L Balaji, Shaun Marsh, Herschelle Gibbs, Marlon Samuels and Andrew Symonds are some examples.

  The medium pacer from UP has chances of his career ending in a similar fashion as Balaji’s or Shaun Marsh’s, with some stupendous performances interspersed with long injury-related recovery periods. In fact, looking at the current flurry of speedsters in the Indian set-up, Bhuvi may find it difficult to hold his spot on for a long time. He may also be a disappointment in the World Cup 2019. India may miss the Bhuvneshwar of yore who was easily the spearhead of the Indian team. His jaded form is going to hurt India’s chances now.

  After a lacklustre performance in the showpiece event, Bhuvi will not be able to hold on to his position in the Indian team for too long. He has had a decent run in Indian cricket and filled in a void for some time, but he may have to make way for other cricketers who will deliver better. Amavasya can create other troubles too, which he needs to be wary of. One can just hope he doesn’t go down as a fallen man, as no one would have toiled as hard and excelled so well, within his own limitations, as Bhuvi has.

  Prediction #30 : What Will Harmanpreet End up Doing?

  When Indian women cricketers met the English in the World Cup finals of 2017, it was an easy prediction for me. Harmanpreet Kaur had played a whirlwind innings in the semi-finals and taken India to the finals. But the final contest was simply between the two captains, Heather Knight and Mithali Raj. Mithali could never have vanquished Heather who had a superior horoscope.

  Well, now Harmanpreet has become the skipper of the T20 team and her horoscope matters instead.

  Harmanpreet has one of the best horoscopes amongst the Indian women cricket squad. In fact, the horoscope is so phenomenal that it could be called the best. Harmanpreet will do something exceptional—far better than whatever she has done before and she has done quite a lot. She was the first Indian woman to score a T20 century, the first to be signed on by an overseas T20 team; she has the highest individual score in a knockout match in the women’s World Cup.

  All these accomplishments could pale in comparison to what she could still achieve in cricket. She could reach the pinnacle in women’s cricket in India. She could change the way Indian women’s cricket is viewed and played. Just like what the 1983 World Cup win under Kapil Dev did for the men’s team. She has exactly the same planet that propelled Kapil Dev to do what no Indian cricketer had done before. Harmanpreet, too, could do what no other Indian woman has done before.

  How about winning the women’s World Cup?

  It doesn’t matter which one it is—a 50-over or a T20. But Harmanpreet has it in her to be the first Indian woman cricketer to win the World Cup as a captain. Yes, she does. Harmanpreet will go down in history as one of the best female players India had ever produced by the sheer weight of her runs and wickets and especially the manner in which she scores them. A couple of women have been there before. We have had a few Goswamis, Eduljis, Kulkarnis, Raus, Jains, Chopras and Rajs. But Harmanpreet will go where none of these cricketers have gone before.

  The Arjuna Award winner has Pluto entering its own house after 260 years, and Planet-X and Planet-Z in exaltation, which show that she will be the greatest ever. The extraordinary placement of Mars and Venus in conjunction in the eighth house indicates her conquering enemies. Neptune exalted in the seventh house indicates the possibilities of her b
eing a world champion. Interestingly, her Planet-X is her twelfth lord and is deeply exalted. The twelfth house indicates glory in a foreign land. The next two women’s World Cups, the T20 and the 50-over, are scheduled to happen in Australia and New Zealand in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Is there a historic moment waiting for India in either of these years? Possible, very possible! Harmanpreet could make it happen. She could forge an extraordinary partnership with the 1965-born coach, WV Raman, and create magic.

  Raman, despite his impressive horoscope, couldn’t achieve much as a player. Yes, he was the coach of the Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and a few IPL teams and also did a stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. But he hasn’t done anything really spectacular as a coach either so far. The man who was born in the same year as the Khans in Bollywood and the Waughs in cricket has a big moment in his life which is yet to manifest itself. Don’t forget, Raman too has Pluto’s power in his favour.

  Together with the best woman cricketer ever in Harmanpreet, he could script one of the greatest stories ever in Indian women’s cricket! I’m waiting with bated breath. Just like I did in 2011.

  Prediction #31: How Far Can Yuzvendra Chahal Go?

  A spinner needs to read the mind of the batsman/woman. A fast bowler can intimidate them with pace, bounce and swing, but the spinner essentially plays with the batsman’s mind. Yuzvendra Chahal has that ability in abundance with his major planets in the zodiac sign, Cancer. He has remarkable sensitivity and understanding of the mind of many a batsman and surprises them with his wrist movements.

  One thing that will stand out for Chahal is that he will be one spinner equally effective under home conditions that are spinner-friendly as well as international conditions—on pitches which may not help spinners naturally. He has a rare fourth house with Jupiter exalted there, making him successful in the country of his birth. He will also create some memorable success stories internationally because of the twelfth Lord (of international success), Neptune, being exalted in the ninth house (of foreign countries).

  Chahal will undoubtably be one of the best bowlers to have played for India. He is definitely going to break many records. He is going to be a World Cup-winner as well.

  Chahal needs to safeguard his financial interests because the only things that he can be successful in life are those connected with cricket. He will be a master of his art and a super achiever at it and will not need to do anything else in life. Unlike other players, who succeed in business or other ventures, Chahal may not have a huge success. His success after retirement can come from teaching his art to youngsters or as a commentator. So, he needs to maximise his playing years and invest carefully. In fact, the best of his career is yet to start and it will see steep success from 2021 to 2025. He will form a great partnership with the chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, and both of them will strangle the opposition in tandem and put India on top. Both Kuldeep and Yuzvendra will stay relevant till some players born after 2000 make their debut post 2021.

  Prediction #32: Will Karun Nair Bounce Back?

  I find it extremely painful when I see the brilliant horoscopes of umpteen youngsters who have superb talent but fall off the radar because someone else has a slightly better horoscope than them. All the talent in the world cannot take you to the next level if luck is not with you. Also, only 11 players can play for a team at any time. Cruel!

  Karun Nair must easily be one of the best young talents in the country. He made an extraordinary start to his career by slamming a triple century in only his third test match for the country against England in 2016. However, the next few outings didn’t yield too many runs for him. Except for the triple century his average was unremarkable. But, as a triple century-hitter, he certainly deserves more chances.

  To the dismay of even stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, he was dropped from the test team that played against the West Indies. He was still in the squad but, ignoring him, the selectors gave Hanuma Vihari a test debut out of the blue. Vihari grabbed the opportunity with both hands and made a fighting half century, which saved the test match. Nair didn't find himself in the squad that went to Australia and conquered them on their own soil either. Mayank Agarwal made his debut in the series and gave a good account of himself. That has only made things tougher for Karun.

  So what is the road ahead for him? While there is no question that Karun Nair has great talent, the planets in his chart are working against him. Unfortunately for Karun, he was born on Amavasya, hence a weak sun and moon. He also has Planet-X and even Uranus in debilitation. Four important planets in such weak positions are pulling him down.

  The ill placement of the planets shows that even if Nair is given another opportunity, his scores may not be compelling enough and he may soon be dropped once again, or he may fall out of favour with the selectors. Besides the weak planets, Karun also has to fight against a number of players who have better horoscopes than him. Who will he replace anyway? KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are just two examples that are snapping at his heels besides Hanuma Vihari. Also, he cannot replace Ajinkya Rahane, who is a proven performer. With Rohit Sharma set to receive more opportunities to establish his credentials as a test player, Nair’s chances appear even bleaker.

  Not everything is lost for him though. He can still keep playing domestic cricket very well. He could be a domestic cricket icon easily enough—like Wasim Jaffer, Amol Mazumdar and a few others. He could also play county cricket and other domestic tournaments within other countries.

  Karun will be an extremely important talent in domestic tournaments like the IPL. He will be one of the most important contributors to his team. He could even win an IPL as a player. Karun Nair may not be destined to be a cricket legend, but he will certainly make a mark. He could also be a good businessman, with special emphasis on import-export. Karun will also find success in the allied fields like entertainment and politics. Karun could also do a lot for the improvement of the game and be an outstanding commentator.

  Prediction #33 : Will KL Rahul Be Back?

  It was always waiting to happen. KL Rahul was supposed to get into a huge mess, something which would almost derail his career. Planet-X is in a debilitated state in his third house. This house indicates communication (the tongue). Ironically, this house also indicates the hands. A naturally talented and gifted batsman, the captain and the team persisted with him, expecting him to deliver at some point. But Rahul had a forgettable 2018, except a fantastic IPL outing. He has been going through one of the worst phases of his career (a carry-over in 2019) and couldn’t justify his talent or the faith of the team. And the worst was yet to come; he found himself embroiled in a controversy together with his teammate, Hardik Pandya, about their callous and misogynistic comments on a television chat show.

  At the moment I write this, Planet-X is transiting its own house and is in a position exactly opposite to what it was at Rahul’s birth. Rahul found himself in trouble regarding both his hands and his tongue. He didn’t do well with the bat and said something which went against him or, rather, he didn’t speak up when he should have. People who have seen the video would have noticed that it was Hardik Pandya who made all the damaging statements. Unfortunately, Rahul’s silence made him an accomplice, because he didn't object to the things Pandya said.

  No one would disagree with the fact that, as a cricketer, Rahul has class. He has substance enough to make a comeback. In fact, he will. Not only will he do it, but he will do it in style. He has enough grit to become one of the most iconic players in Indian cricket history. In the next few years he will put his head down and come back to prove his mettle.

  Rahul’s horoscope has Neptune in the deepest exaltation, Pluto in its own house, Planet-Z in exaltation, an exalted Venus and even the sun. So, it is unquestionably an extremely powerful chart. Rahul has such an amazing horoscope that it’s really difficult to predict how far he can go in this career. Looking at the fact that he is still so young, there are several possibilities. First of all, h
e will score well when he makes his comeback. The years after 2020 will see Rahul on a roll. He will slowly but steadily cement his place once again in all the formats of the game. He could also become the captain of an IPL team. The chances are quite bright. In fact, if Virat Kohli decides to quit his captaincy, Rahul will become his natural successor. Yes, at this point of time it may seem too far-fetched, but Rahul could indeed become the captain of the Indian cricket team in one of the formats. If he doesn't become the captain, then one thing is for sure. He will go on to be one of the most scintillating Indian cricket ever. So Rahul will not just be back, but he will stay for a long time—and successfully.

  Prediction #34 : Will Bumrah Be a Cricket Legend?

  So will Jasprit Bumrah will be a cricket great? Yes, definitely!