Howzzat

by Greenstone Lobo

  Ganguly and Gambhir are right. Prithvi will never be able to match the high levels the Sultan of Multan reached—not in his entire career. Besides, Sehwag had Venus and Mars in conjunction, the hallmark of a sportsperson who thrives, fights and wins against the toughest opposition. Prithvi will fall short slightly here too. But the fearless young man will carve his own niche. Let him be what he is supposed to be.

  Prediction #43 : Which Girls will Make Indian Women’s Cricket Soar?

  The women’s cricket team in India is oozing with talent. GenNext in the team seems very exciting with some superb players with incredible horoscopes. The younger players, if given enough chances, can easily replace the existing players successfully. They also have higher chances of winning a bigger tournament than their older sisters.

  While Jemimah Rodrigues is a super-exciting talent amongst batswomen, the coach, WV Raman, would have a headache selecting a wicket keeper from amongst Ravi Kalpana, Nuzhat Parween and Taniya Bhatia. He could pick one of them as the wicket keeper and play the other two as specialist batswomen. All of them are very good and have equally marvellous horoscopes. The young bowlers, Radha Yadav and Pooja Vastrakar, also have unbelievable horoscopes which show that they will be around serving the country for a long time and successfully too.

  One common factor noticeable in the horoscopes of all of these girls is that they are destined to bring a huge change in women’s cricket. They also seem destined to achieve something bigger and take Indian cricket to the next level. These six girls would form the core of the team that catapults Indian women’s cricket into a greater orbit. They will undoubtedly be finer achievers with greater glories in their kitty than their predecessors. With Harmanpreet at the helm, these six girls would bring in the much needed renaissance in the women’s cricket in India. Watch out!

  Prediction #44 : Which Brothers Will Play for India and Do Well?

  If we speak of international players who are brothers, Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh are at the top of the pyramid. Some other similar duos also played cricket at the same time, but not all of them were successful. In some cases one of the brothers did well and the other didn’t. Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Michael and David Hussey, Morne and Albie Morkel, Kamran and Umar Akmal are a few examples. One could also add Greg and Ian Chappel, Grant and Andy Flower to them. There is another pair from India that will be added to this list. Mark my words, both will play for India and do well too!

  I am surprised this boy vanished from the scene after looking so promising. At the age of 12 he broke the record for the highest score in the Harris Shield Inter-School tournament in Mumbai, when he made 439 runs for Rizvi Springfield. He was always under the spotlight after that. Then he was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore and played well for them in his first season. Even Virat Kohli had admiration for him. The boy started off with a bang, but seems to be nowhere in the picture right now. There were doubts about the correctness of his year of birth and he had to undergo advanced tests to prove his age. I have his exact birth details and I can tell you that there is no iota of doubt regarding their authenticity as they clearly show the horoscope of a sportsperson.

  He had to move away from Mumbai to Kashmir since his father and coach Naushad Khan felt he was not getting his due there. He was dropped by his IPL team, probably over issues regarding discipline and weight. He has been picked up by Kings XI Punjab in 2019 and, hopefully, he will remind people of his existence with a good show.

  He hit those record runs during his schooldays and was marked as one for the future. But, as of now, he isn’t anywhere on the scene. Mark my words now, he is definitely going to come back and will even go on to play for the country. He is Sarfaraz Khan.

  When the parents of prospective cricketers come to me with the worry that their wards are doing well, but not well enough to be selected for domestic or IPL teams—or that the dream of playing for the country seems far away—I just have one thing to say to them. Remember that the timing of your child’s success is already determined. You cannot force things to happen before their time. If your child has a good horoscope, but is not on the path to glory already, then you should know that his time has not yet come.

  Pluto comes over the horizon in 2021 and Neptune in 2022. Believe me, some of the biggest cricketing stars will make their debut 2021 onwards—or, rather, 2022 and beyond.

  If Sarfaraz Khan has not made his debut so far, it is good for him. A player who makes his debut in 2021 or 2022 or later will definitely be much more successful than someone who debuts for India now.

  Talking about Sarfaraz, he has Pluto in its own house—his fifth house of fame in sports. Most importantly, Planet-X has entered its deepest exaltation in a nascent state. This powerful position can make someone a huge star. Note that Sarfaraz also has Venus and Mars in conjunction and he will go on to be the kind of player who rescues his team from the most difficult circumstances. Sarfaraz’s chart also shows that he could be a part of a World Cup-winning team.

  It seems Musheer, Sarfaraz’s brother, has an even better horoscope with planet Pluto in its own house and Planet-X in the deepest exaltation! I really thank their father, Naushad Khan, for sharing their birth details, though reluctantly, after a lot of coaxing from me. Senior Khan has given birth to two gems! Both of them will go on to play for the country. Musheer is a talented spinner and all-rounder. It is very unfortunate that Musheer, a 12-year-old was banned by the MCA for three years for making obscene gestures at his opponent during a fight. A somewhat harsh verdict, I feel. I’m not sure about what Musheer will do and how the next three years will unfold for him, or even if the punishment meted out to him will be reconsidered. But one thing is for sure: his career will not be destroyed.

  These brothers may not be on the cricket selectors’ radar now. But, watch out, these two brothers will play for the country. They can even go on to be big stars. And, when they do, you will remember who told you about them first, won’t you?

  Prediction #45 : Will India Ever Have Express Fast Bowlers Like Akhtar or Lee?

  Will India ever have a fast bowler like Wasim Akram, Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar? Over the years many cricket fans have asked me this question and I’m going to answer it now. From the beginning Pakistan has been churning out fast bowlers and we have been doing the same with batsmen. Is there a possibility that we will produce at least one world-class, exceptionally fast bowler in the near future?

  Funnily enough, the so-called fast bowlers we have had were actually medium pacers. Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath or even Zaheer Khan cannot categorically be classified as fast bowlers. In fact even the legendry fast bowler, Kapil Dev, lost pace after a few years. It was his sly swing bowling that gave him wickets and kept him going. Some people would say that Anil Kumble was the fastest bowler for India. Okay, just kidding. Yeah, we did have some real fast bowlers like Varun Aaron who could bowl over 150+ km per hour consistently, but they were very rare. As any good fast bowler would tell you, it is not simply pace that can fell a batsman. These pacers would have simply faded away if they hadn’t been able to take wickets or had they been unidimensional.

  We do have a good battery of fast bowlers right now. Jasprit Bumrah has been a revelation, Mohd Shami has been performing well—and young men like Khaleel Ahmed are also doing justice to their selection. So, finally, the pace department is looking good. I mentioned earlier that a great fast bowler was born in India during 2001–02, exactly around the time Zaheer Khan made his debut. This young boy will be a firebrand fast bowler and a great asset for India. There is also a chance that he could be born between 2003 and 2005 because this was the time when the planet, Pluto, was in its own house and Planet-X was in the deepest exaltation. While we have already identified one future great batsman of this generation of 2003–05 (explained in a later chapter) there is also a fast bowler—a real fast bowler—born in this generation. This boy would be about 13 years old now. I would urge the talent scouts to go and find this boy. He m
ay be residing somewhere in a small town in India. They just need to find him.

  Prediction #46 : Will this Boy Make his Legendary Father Proud?

  I’m not sure if life would be easy if you were the son of Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar, Rajiv Gandhi or Sachin Tendulkar. Maybe it would be slightly easier if you were the son of Kumaramangalam Birla. His son, Aryaman Birla, is trying his hand in a different field than his father—cricket. But the intense scrutiny you go through when your father is a legend in a particular field and the expectations to live up to the lofty standards set by your illustrious father can be really nerve-wracking. It is as if you have inherited them and you just have to go out there and start performing. Immense pressure—therefore—not easy.

  Arjun Tendulkar has been making news simply because of his famous surname. Now, that may be a difficult cross to carry. But, Arjun Tendulkar will surely come out of the shadow of his legendary father and make a name for himself. The good thing is that there won’t be an immediate comparison since he is not a batsman like his father, but rather a left-arm fast bowler who can also bat. He has successfully nullified any comparisons to start with. The only questions that remain to be answered now are whether he will play for India and, if so, will he do well? The answer to both is yes.

  Arjun has Planet-X deeply exalted in his fourth house (of family), revealing his pedigree. It shows the immense strength in the areas of family wealth, upbringing, luxuries and vehicles. It simply means that he need not worry about making a living, but only needs to excel in his trade. Will he? That can be seen in his very first house that indicates ‘personality’. It indicates who you are as a person and your individual strengths. The junior Tendulkar has the most powerful planet in the universe, Pluto, in its own house—the first house. Pluto is the natural eighth house ruler of sports and, when you have that planet in the first house in a strong position, then you are a gifted sportsperson.

  This indicates that the junior Tendulkar will be good enough to play for India. Yes, without Papa Tendulkar having to coax anyone to allow his son to play. Arjun will take care of that slot all by himself. Left-arm seamers are a rare breed and he will make the best use of that void in India. He will perform fairly well in the international circuit. Expect him to play well in domestic tournaments like the IPL too. Some high points in his career will be really fantastic.

  Will Arjun be a cricket great? No, not really. He won’t be a Zaheer Khan or a Wasim Akram. Performance-wise he may be Ashish Nehra or Irfan Pathan’s equivalent. He will never be able to match his father’s stellar career—or smash records and create new ones like him. He won’t be a legend, but he will surely be much more successful than most sons of famous fathers who have played cricket for India. He will do what he has set out to do though—making his father proud.

  Talking about sons making fathers proud, watch out for Aryaman Birla too! This gifted boy will make his businessman father proud with his exploits on the cricketing field.

  Prediction #47 : Will this Boy’s Achievements Surpass His Father’s?

  Well, well, you need numerous planets to beat your father at his game, especially when he is a legend. And, if you plan to ply your trade following your father’s footsteps, wouldn’t he want his offspring to surpass him?

  Many legendary fathers have tried every trick in the book to get their children to emulate them. Obviously, it is more common in the world of entertainment. But, if you wish to be as good as your father, then you need as good a set of planets as him. If you have better planets than your daddy, then, of course, you can outshine him in his field.

  In the domain of entertainment, even if you inherit the looks of your good-looking father, you could still make it to an extent. But, in sports, it is all about skills. You need them in loads—and also the one ingredient that can change every equation—luck! You need that, too, in heaps to get things going your way.

  Samit seems to have everything going for him. He is a Virgo-Libra-Sagittarius, which makes him a person inclined towards sports, naturally. Virgos are perfectionists, Librans have the artistry and style and Sagittarians are passionate. So, he is a born sportsman. And he was born in the right home. His father is a legendary cricketer, revered for his professionalism, selflessness, the hard battles he fought on the field and the impeccable way in which he always conducted himself on or off it. Besides that, his father is also the coach of the junior Indian cricket team. He is going to learn the ropes from the best man in the country!

  Samit has the requisite planets too, which means he has the luck. Look at that horoscope—he has Pluto coming into its own house, Planet-X in the deepest exaltation, Planet-Z in exaltation, Uranus in its own house, Planet-Y in its own house and Mars in its own house too. That’s phenomenal! And, you know what? Planet-X comes into the deepest exaltation once in about 63 years. Planet-X came into its deepest exaltation in 1942, when the Indian film legend, Amitabh Bachchan, was born.

  Does Samit’s birthday give something away? He was born on 11th October 2005, exactly 63 years after Mr Bachchan. This simply cannot be a coincidence. I hope Samit doesn’t read this book, at least not yet. We don’t want to put any pressure on that young boy. But I can just tell you that he has the capacity to become the Amitabh Bachchan of Indian cricket. Yes, that big! He is going to be a cricket-mammoth!

  Samit will break records and tear his way into the history books. He will create his own records, too, which will stand for a long time. Mathew Hayden once said[31], ‘If you want to see aggression on the cricket field, look into the eyes of Rahul Dravid. He has the inner aggression. He doesn’t show it by staring and chatting.’ Samit will be a reflection of his father in this regard. He will be aggressive on the field, but still know where to draw the line. But he will be more flamboyant and forceful in his batting style than his technically correct father.

  When Samit posts those big scores, makes a place for himself in the regional teams and then breaks into the national team, I hope people understand that it is through merit alone and not because of his father’s clout. Samit has it all. His being born in Rahul Dravid’s home at the right time was Destiny’s sweet way of ensuring the continuity of his illustrious father’s legacy.

  Prediction #48 : How Good Will the GenNext Be?

  As we know, superstars in every field come in clusters. We have already discussed some of the major patches of greatness over the past century or so. Some great people were born in one generation, only to be surpassed by those born in another. We had the great Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev ruling the 1970s and the 80s. Then, of course, came the wonderful generation of the 90s when we had the fab four: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and, of course, Rahul Dravid. Then came MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli with the new millennium.

  As mentioned time and again in the book, the great years over time have been 1949–50, 1952–55, 1959–60, 1963–66, 1969–75, 1981–82, 1986–88, 1990, 1992–94 and so on. While some of the outstanding cricketers were born in India, others were obviously born in different countries. Also, there was some kind of a patch of greatness associated with certain teams/countries. So, while some of the champion cricketers born in the 1950s belonged to India and the West Indies, others were born in the 1960s in Sri Lanka and Australia, which resulted in all these nations winning the World Cups one by one. The 1970s saw India and Australia sharing them, with a few of them sprinkled over in England too. The 1980s were once again great years for India and Australia. In the 1990s the focus seemed to shift to England. The later part of the 1990s also has some distinguished cricketers born in India, Sri Lanka and Australia.

  Now, let’s zoom in upon the lot born in the 1990s, since they are the hope for the future. Looking at the 1990s, the major years have been 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997.

  The last—1997—was an extraordinary year, when Pluto was in its own house and Planet-X came into its deepest exaltation in its nascent phase. This extremely potent circumstance would produce some of the greatest superstars in
sports as well as other fields.

  The 1997-born Malala Yousafzai is the youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize; Naomi Osaka is creating ripples in the tennis circuit; and Kylie Jenner is the new-age celebrity. Even in cricket some of the greatest players would be born in the same year, interestingly, in the last quarter.

  Rishabh Pant has already made it big and is destined for greatness. Some of the others making waves in the IPL, like Khaleel Ahmed, Rinku Singh, Sarfaraz Khan and Mayank Markande were all born in the last quarter of 1997 and have possibilities of passing several milestones in their career. All of them have chances to play for the country successfully.

  The next lot of cricketers with exciting horoscopes was born in the period 1998–2001. These players have the power of Pluto and Planet-X in their favour, but with a slightly lower impact. These players may play for the country, but their success, impact, scale and grandeur will be less than of those born in 1997. So players like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Mavi, Arjun Tendulkar and Kamlesh Nagarkoti could find relatively smaller amount of success compared to a Rishabh Pant or a Khaleel Ahmed. While Rishabh Pant would go on to be a cricket great, Prithvi Shaw would probably be very good but still short of great. Mind you, the 1998–2001 patch is no slouch; it is just that 1997 is a notch better.