ఐపీఎల్ సీజన్ జోరుమీదుంది. స్పిన్నర్లు జోష్తో వికెట్లు పడగొడుతున్నారు.ఇంట్లో టీవీలో కలిసి మ్యాచ్లు చూసే తండ్రీకొడుకుల ముచ్చట్లకు కొదువేం ఉంటుంది. స్పిన్ బౌలింగ్తో క్రికెట్ను ఓ ఆట ఆడుకున్న అనుభవం తండ్రిది. ఆట ఓనమాలు తెలుసుకునే తాపత్రయం కొడుకుది.ఆట మీద ఆసక్తి లేదంటూనే ఆ కొడుకు సంధించిన బంతుల్ని.. చక్కగా ఎదుర్కొన్నాడు తండ్రి. దూస్రా మతలబులు, గూగ్లీ రహస్యాలు ఎంచక్కా ఇలా ఇంగ్లిష్లో చర్చించుకున్నారు. ఈ స్పిన్ మంత్రం మనమూ నేర్చుకుందాం..
Kiran: Our
college is run in a residential building.
Arjun: You can go to a public playground, can’t you?
Kiran: Dad! You say that you were a good cricket player in your college days.
Arjun: Yes.
Kiran: Were you a batsman or a bowler?
Arjun: I was a spin bowler.
Kiran:: What is spin bowling? I have poor knowledge of cricket.
Arjun: That’s your bad luck. You’re not at all playing any outdoor game.
Kiran: We have neither encouragement nor any facilities.
Arjun: Our college had such a large playground.
Kiran: Our college is run in a residential building.
Arjun: You can go to a public playground, can’t you?
Kiran: We are not encouraged to play.
Arjun: Unlike you, we were forced to play.
Kiran: With so many subjects to study, we are left with no time to play.
Arjun: We had a physical director, a cricket coach, a football coach &
Kiran: By the by, what is spin bowling?
Arjun: As the ball hits the pitch, the ball deviates from the straight path.
Kiran: Deviates?
Arjun: It turns from right to left, or from left to right.
Kiran: How does the bowler achieve it?
Arjun: The bowler uses his fingers or wrist to turn the ball.
Kiran: Turns from right to left?
Arjun: If a right-arm bowler bowls off spin, it turns from the left to the right.
Kiran: If he bowls leg spin?
Arjun: If a right-arm bowler bowls leg spin, it turns from the right to the left.
Kiran: Tell me about a left-arm spinner.
Arjun: A left-arm spinner’s off spin is leg spin to the right-handed batsman. It’s called orthodox spin.
Kiran: Is there unorthodox spin?
Arjun: A left-arm spinner’s leg spin is off spin to the right-handed batsman. It’s called unorthodox spin.
Kiran: So, finger spin and wrist spin!
Arjun: Usually off spin is finger spin and leg spin is wrist spin.
Kiran: What is drift?
Arjun: The spinner may also cause the ball to deviate in the air. This deviation is called drift.
Kiran: What is a doosra?
Arjun: If an off spinner bowls leg spin with off spin action, it is called a doosra.
Kiran: What is a googly?
Arjun: If a leg spinner bowls off spin with leg spin action, it is called a googly.
Kiran: What is a topspinner?
Arjun: If the ball spins towards the batsman, it is called a top spinner.
Kiran: What is a slider?
Arjun: If the ball spins away from the batsman, it is called a slider.
Favourite bath
Saran: Can you guess my
favourite bath?
Kamal: Hot-water bath?
Saran: No.
Kamal: Cold-water bath?
Saran: No.
Kamal: Partial bath? Full-bed bath?
Saran: No.
Kamal: Tub bath?
Saran: No. Tomato bath!
-సూర్యారావు ఎం.వి
వివేకానంద ఇన్స్టిట్యూట్ ఆఫ్ లాంగ్వేజెస్,
రామకృష్ణ మఠం.