Author: words by ken

Hi, this is Kenaniah Santhosh Raj, the author of this blog. I'm an engineer, writer, and a self-help enthusiast. If you would like to read my poems and short stories, follow me on Instagram @words_by_ken.

England vs India 3rd test 2021

words by ken

The third test match between England and India ended today as the Indian batsmen were all out for 278 while chasing England’s lead of 354. Here are my thoughts on this test match. After all the drama that came to place in the previous test at Lords, this match was all about revenge for the three Lions. Their performance was a clear testament to all the amazing talent they have and their ability to be a championship winning team. India won the toss on day one and chose to bat first. The English seam attack looked very strong with players like Anderson, Robinson and Overton posing major threats to the Indian batsmen. Top order batsmen Rohit, Rahul, and Pujara had played some useful knocks this series, but on this occasion it didn’t seem like they were in control at all. This problem was not only with the top order though, the whole batting unit seemed to be clueless while facing the English attack. All credits to the English pace attack; Anderson in particular, who bowled an exceptional spell of 3 for 6 from 8 overs and destroyed the Indian top order. After much struggle ,the Indians were all out for just 78 runs in 40.4 overs. I was impressed by the way in which the English bowlers where swinging the ball around and expected to see the same type of performance from the Indians. But unfortunately, they were nowhere near to being as good as they usually are. All of them seemed to struggle to find the right line and length and the openers made the most of it; making it seem like they were batting on a completely different track altogether. The difference in the bowling was clearly seen, as the Indian bowlers were not swinging the ball as much. The average swing in the second innings was 0.9 degree which is comparatively lesser than what we saw in the first innings (1.4 degrees). The opening batsmen made full use of the lack of swing as Burns and Hameed ended up with 61 and 68 runs respectively. In came Malan who was about to play his first game of the series and his first test in a while. He got off the mark with some delightful drives and helped continue the momentum. He was then accompanied by his skipper Joe Root who continued his tremendous form and looked like an unstoppable force on the pitch. Both of them made 50+ scores and the partnership kept the scoreboard ticking. All of the top four batsmen had scored over fifty, and the last time that happened for them was a few years back in a match against the black caps. Malan scored 70 off 128 balls before Siraj got him out and Joe Root, as we all expected, went on to score his 23rd test century and his 6th this year. With the way that he is playing right now, he might be breaking a lot of batting records this year. England ended up scoring 432 runs in 132.2 overs, setting a mammoth 354 run lead. Coming in to bat at the third day, the Indian batsmen had a huge task in hand and were keen on not losing their wickets early. Rahul departed cheaply after scoring just 8 runs off 54 balls, but other than him, all of the top 4 batsmen scored half centuries, with Pujara’s 91(189) being the highest score. And surprisingly, he had the highest strike rate among the top four. Rohith looked brilliant in his innings of 59(156) and Kohli seemed in better touch this time, with a useful contribution of 55(125). Early on day 4, India were off to the worst start possible, losing Pujara very early in the day. Rohith and Kohli didn’t last long either. The sad news for the Indian fans was that after these three were gone, things got much worse for the team. Wickets kept falling in quick succession as the lower middle order crumbled under pressure. Jadeja was the only one with a decent contribution of 30, while all the others failed miserably at the end. India were soon all out for 278 in 99.3 overs and England won the series by an innings and 76 runs. With the series tied 1-1, the next two games will be really crucial for both teams. Let’s wait and see the action !

Thoughts on Joe Root on the day of his 22nd test hundred

words by ken

I’ve been a big fan of Joe Root for a long time now,and one of the things that I like the most about him is how flawless he looks when he is in form. As I watched him complete his 22nd century today,I just wanted to write about the few things I’ve noticed in him over the past few months. Starting from the mental side of things,I’ve loved the way he has handled the pressure put on him to score big every time he enters the pitch and set an example to the other players in the team. He is the captain and thats what he is supposed to do,some might say. Totally true. But with most of the other batsmen like Sibley,Buttler and Crawley in poor form and with the abscence of Stokes for this particular series,the onus was on him to carry the majority of the load(as far as batting is concerned). Let’s not forget about his poor run before 2021 began. That was a tough period for him. He didn’t seem to be in full control,and was struggling to convert his 50s into 100s. He fail to step up when his team needed him thr most. That’s added pressure. With so much happening around him,the way he came back and delivered in 2021 was phenomenal. Still is. He has become the first English captain to score 5 hundreds in a calender year. He has scored 1200 runs this year with an average of 65,scoring 5 hundreds(3 of which were big double hundreds) and 1 fifty. The man who was criticised for not converting his starts has now converted 5 of his 6 starts to a big score. That’s the way champions comeback. That’s the way champions play. If you say he has regained his part in the fab four, you’re wrong. He was never out of it. Not all players can score 9000+ runs with an average of 50 at the highest level. Only the elites do. There’s no question about him being a part of that. The second thing I noticed about him is his change of stance(not sure if I’ve spelled it correctly). He used to play with the off stump guard before but now he has shifted to a middle stump guard,thus helping him get better facing the inswinging deliveries. Again,another habit of a champion. Recognized his mistake,worked on it,and came back stronger. Lets also not forget about his rock solid defence today! That man was unshakeable. That’s what this post was all about. Appreciating the greatness of Root. Something that I’ll be doing for many more years.

And to dust we shall return

words by ken

For dust we are and to dust we shall return,
And with us shall all our earthly concerns;
The ones that we exalt in our hearts so high,
Shall also be dust on the day we die.

Why do we greed and lust for the money we earn
And hope to find eternity in return ?
Why can’t our minds fathom the vanity of pleasure
Or our hearts seek a greater treasure ?

The mind crowns itself with gems of pride,
And from the angels it sets the devil aside
The mind sets itself on the mortal highs
And blinds our hearts with worldly lies.

The ones that we exalt in our hearts so high
Shall also be dust on the day we die.
And the mortal pleasures we lust and crave
Can never save us from the mouth of the grave.

A Song of Thanksgiving

words by ken

The birds sing a song of thanks as they come out in the morning ,
For they know that the darkness has faded and the dawn has come
They fear not the darkness that shall come again,
For they know where their help comes from.

With a song of thanksgiving, they come out again,
Reminding me of the first thing to do this day,
As I rise from my slumber and kneel down to pray,
A sigh of hallelujah is the first thing I say.

For the breath in my nostrils, the food on my table and the roof over my head;
And for the health in my body and peace within me,
I’m thankful to God for his mercy and grace,
And for all the goodness He has made me see

Sometimes I look back at the paths that I’ve come through,
And I see how I’ve swam past the mighty waves of sorrow
My heart fills with immeasurable joy and gratitude,
As I await to hear another melody of thanks tomorrow.

French Open Final 2021

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Novak Djokovic’s mental strength is just impeccable. Well,how often have we heard that one before! If you don’t believe it,I highly recommend you to watch his performance in the final last night. In short,this performance is a testament to who he really is; a mental beast! To be very honest with you,I sat down to watch this match yesterday expecting it to end early with an easy win for Novak. Soon enough I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stefanos Tsitsipas showed us exactly why he is one of the top 5 players in the world at the moment. The level of tennis in the first two sets was out of the world,as both these players were making us go crazy with every game. The young greek warrior showed incredible accuracy in his service game and clinched the first set in a tie breaker. With a first set victory in his first grandslam final ever,his confidence seemed to be sky high as he started with an early break point in the second. Novak’s confidence seemed to be decreasing with every other point and Stefanos kept his rhythm going. Eventually,the greek won the second set as well,and this time a bit easier than before. At this point,a lot of people began doubting Djokovic and didn’t seem to have much confidence in him. And at moments like these is where he excels. The reason I call him a mental beast is because at a moment like this,when he was two sets down in a grand slam final,a moment in which most players would usually crumble under pressure,he steps up his game to a whole new dimension. I honestly have no words to describe what I saw in the next three sets of the game. Novak began to drain out his oppenent both physically and mentally. I was just awestruck the whole time,thinking to myself that this guy must be a super human or an alien. How can a player comeback from 2 sets down and win the match with such ease ? Well, Novak is one of those players who’ll make you ask yourself these crazy questions. Winning the last three sets seemed to be a cakewalk for him,but honestly,it takes an incredible amount of hardwork and dedication to reach this level of greatness.Congratulations to Novak on his incredible 19th grandslam victory. And I wish him many more to come. IDEMO NOLE !!

Nadal vs Djokovic French open 2021

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Nadal Vs Djokovic

It is one of the most exciting and entertaining rivalries in sports history,and it is back again this friday,for the 58th time overall;live from the Philippe Chatrier arena in Paris. Rafael Nadal faces Novak Djokovic in the semi finals of the French open this year,and fans are in the edge of their seats already for this mouth watering clash. Rafa Nadal,who is undoubtedly the most dominant clay court player ever,cruised past Diego Shwartzman in 4 sets to claim his spot in the semis. Despite his loss,Shwartzman played well enough to hand Rafa his first loss in a set since 2019(a good achievement,keeping in mind that it was against the King of clay himself). Novak,on the other hand, defeated the world number 9 Berrettini in an emphatic fashion,dominating his opponent in all parts of the game. At 9pm IST tomorrow,we will witness another chapter of this great story.
The last time they faced each other at Roland Garros,it was in the 2020 final,and Rafa seemed to be in total control and dominated throughout the game,and even served a bagel in the opening set.Novak would be hoping to turn things around this time, and would have his eyes fixed on a 19th grand slam. However,it would be more than a tough task for the Serbian,as he is facing a guy who has lost just twice in the French open in his whole career. Will Novak put and end to his dominace ? Or will Rafa come out on top as he always does ? Let’s wait and watch.

Ind vs Eng t20i series march 2021

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After stamping their authority with the red ball,the men in blue were all set for some white ball action. Even though the team were on a good roll,they still had to keep in mind that they were about to face a completely different team this time around. And to add to it,Virat and his men had to conquer the best t20i team in the world in a five match series. Fans were thrilled to to know that all five matches were about to be held in the all new Narendra Modi cricket stadium in Motera,a stadium with a capacity to host 132,000 people. As thousands of hopefull fans began to fill the stands,we were all set for a perfect kick-off.
Captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to field first. With Jofra Archer starting things off,the three lions couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series,as India lost Kl Rahul early. Successive wickets began to fall in quick time,as the englishmen began to rattle India’s top order. Shreyas Iyer was the lone warrior as he anchored the team to a reasonable total,which at the end would not even come close to being enough as the englishmen cruised on to an easy victory. India were back to their best in the second game with the debutant Ishan Kishan playing one of most oustanding innings by a player on debut. And also,it was the game that brought King Kohli back to form,as he scored 73 off 49 balls. Chasing a target of 165 set by the men in red,Kohli and his men took home the victory. With the series drawn at 1-1,the contest was all the more exciting now. England won the toss and decided to bowl again. And once again,India’s top order collapsed early,and the responsibility of guiding the team to a good total fell on the skipper. Kohli played some outstanding shots and steadied the ship,and India posted 156 runs on the board. With the help of a materclass from Buttler and Bairstow,England won the game with ease.
It was a do or die situation for India,and they bounced back in the best fashion. Batting first, they posted a huge total of 185,with major contributions from Suryakumar yadav,Pant and Iyer. They also backed it up with some great bowling, and defended the total,to level the series 2-2. With one last game on the line,both teams had to bring their A- game to the table. England won the toss on the big night and decided to bowl first. What seemed like the best decision to take at that moment,turned into a bad decision once the batsmen came out. The team of Rohith and Kohli,easily the best white ball players in the game at the moment;came out with all guns blazing. With Rohith being the aggressor,the duo started piling up the runs. The 4 time ipl winning skipper ended up scoring 64 off 34 balls,and once he departed,it was the Suryakumar shoe once again,as Kohli played the anchor on the other side. With the help of these amazing batting performances,India ppsted a mammoth 224/2 on the board. Though a herculean task,the England batsmen seemed to handle it well at the start. With quick fire fifties from Malan and Butler,England seemed to have the upper hand at one point. But as soon as their partnerahip was broken,everything went downhill for England. The Indian bowling lineup deatroyed the English middle order,with an incredible performance from Bhuvneshwar Kumar who bowled a mind blowing number of 17 dot balls in such a high scoring game. India won the series 3-2 and clinched the paytm trophy.
After winning the test and t20i series,the focus is now onto the odis.

Closer to The Grave Everyday

words by ken

We’re moving towards this unforeseeable place –
Towards the same goal, but in different directions.
We look at our journey in different ways
With the same eyes, but with different dimensions.

The hour or the moment we don’t know,
It’s as unpredictable as they say.
Days go by reaping what we sow
As we move closer to the grave everyday.



The journey is too short for melancholy strain,
All the hatred and anger we don’t carry to that day.
Love and respect is all we have to gain
As we move closer to the grave everyday

Years of enmity when time is fleeting –
How much more do we have to waste ?
But only until this heart stops beating,
There is a lot of love left to taste.

When joy preponderates over sorrow,
And faith over fear;
We have hope for a better tomorrow,
And a brighter path will appear.

There’s always a reason why we’re born –
Is what we were taught to say,
And with that purpose our life is adorned,
As we move closer to the grave everyday.
.

India Vs England 2nd Test Day one (13/02/21)

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After a triumphant victory in the first test in Chennai, Joe Root and his men arrived at the MA Chidambaram stadium hoping for a similar result. Unlike the first test, it was captain Kohli who won the toss this time,and elected to bat first. Carrying the nation’s hopes on their shoulders,openers Gill and Rohit came out to bat,as Ollie Stone and Stuart Broad started with the new ball. Much to everyone’s surprise, Gill got out early off of a delivery from Stone,without doing any damage to the scoreboard. In spite of losing an early wicket, India put up a great fight, as Rohit Sharma kept the score board ticking with some beautiful shots. With a little help from Pujara,he slowly began to dominate the english bowling attack. Playing on a pitch that had so much to offer,the spinners were expected to do a lot of damage to the Indian batting line up. And just as we expected,the spinners proved to be quite handy on the day,as Jack Leach and Moeen Ali picked up the wickets of Pujara and Kohli in quick succesion. Being so often regarded as the best batsman in the world, King Kohli had a lot of expectations on his shoulders. But unfortunately for him,he failed to cut the mustard this time. With two quick wickets,Joe Root and his men seemed to have had the upper hand.
In came Ajinkya Rahane,a batsman who is nowhere near the peak of his powers at the moment. But we might as well say that this might be a turning point of that story,as he went on to play a crucial knock. Starting his

innings off with a boundary, he looked good from the very beginning. As all of this was happening on one end,the ‘Hitman’ kept going at the other. The master batsman reached his 7th test hundred,and with plenty of overs to spare,a big score was in the cards. The double ‘R’s Rohit and Rahane went to build a big parntership and steadied the ship. England had to rely on their spinners again just as they did earlier. And just like earlier, they came in and did their job again, taking the wickets of both the set batsmen(Rohit on 161,and Rahane on 67). At the end of the day’s play, India have Rishab Pant and Axar Patel on the field and have posted a total of 300 runs on the board, and lost 6 wickets after facing 88 overs.

Will we witness another Rishab Pant masterclass, or will England come out on top? Let us wait and watch.