Before penning my thoughts, I was watching the Gangnam video on the Internet. I was trying to understand what the fuss was all about. Honestly, I didn't know about it till the time the sparkling Chris Gayle gave a demo of the Gangnam moves during the T20 World Cup. I thought, perhaps, that's how the Jamaicans are grooving these days. The enlightenment came from a friend. He told me it was Gangnam, a Korean music video.
Internet is flooded with Gangnam. And, I can understand why. It is not a great video but the music is catchy. Dance steps are fun to watch but a challenge to master. In any case, no number of invites has been able to push me on the dance floor. To me, Gangnam is fun and underlines Park Jae-sang or PSY's out-of-the-box thinking. Sometimes, you never know what you may get by pushing the envelope.
That is what breathes life in our game too, or, for that matter, in every walk of life. It is about pushing the envelope, thinking out of the box. Well, on the face of it, my game may not advertise unorthodoxy, but I always maintain that creativity is in the mind and delivered by skill.
Menacing opponent
Here is an example. During this year's IPL, I was consistently getting runs against a particular bowler. Earlier, I used to have a lot of verbal exchanges with him. During the overs, or in between, I'd never take a backward step. But this IPL, I just kept quiet and he kept giving me his piece of mind. I deliberately did that which upset him. He needed this verbal duel to get going. I didn't want to give him that and it worked. While this is not as creative as Gangnam, but it was my fresh approach to counter this menacing opponent.
Menacing opponent
Here is an example. During this year's IPL, I was consistently getting runs against a particular bowler. Earlier, I used to have a lot of verbal exchanges with him. During the overs, or in between, I'd never take a backward step. But this IPL, I just kept quiet and he kept giving me his piece of mind. I deliberately did that which upset him. He needed this verbal duel to get going. I didn't want to give him that and it worked. While this is not as creative as Gangnam, but it was my fresh approach to counter this menacing opponent.
At the moment though, KKR, as a group, doesn't need to be creative or doesn't need to get the Gangnam moves. This is because we haven't done the basics right. As we prepare for our last game, I can't stress enough on the need to have a strong foundation of planning, technique and a sound mindset to deliver consistently. We tried but were not good eno-ugh. It will be a consolation if we can sign off with a win, although the weather once again looks menacing here in Cape Town.
A resounding win followed by a KKR version of Gangnam will do no harm. We have a few in our ranks who should be good in that and can accompany Gayle on the dance floor. I was just told that LA Lakers' star, Dwight Howard, feels that Gangnam style has helped him strengthen his lower back! And, I also read somewhere that a country's federal minister has urged his countrymen to imbibe PSY's creativity! Well…
The writer is the captain of KKR
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