We are at that stage when we are looking for a new name for the operation. At yesterday’s morning meeting we spent a full two hours discussing some possiblities and we ended up with a list of 50-plus.
There were the usual (Newsline, Newstimes, News Horizon, News Echo), the cliched (Silicon Times, Chip City), the classy (The Metropolitan, The Cosmpolis, Bangalore Browser, Enter), and the convoluted (Coffee Country, Robusta, Harbinger).
But there were a couple of names which were truly interesting even if impractical.
Imagine calling a paper Bangalore Post & Observer like in the US because the first letters add up to BPO, or imagine a paper named in the manner in which the city likes to drink its coffee (News By Two)—only half the news will be provided every day; the reader fills/imagines the rest!
Things were going swimmingly well till B D Narayankar sent an SMS that he would like to write a sports column called Deep Point. That sent us off on a tangent.
We began thinking of cricket names for the paer. Somebody suggested “Third Slip“. It sounded like something till we realised how awkward a reporter would sound if he called up Deve Gowda‘s house and and introduced himself in Kannada.
For strategic reasons, the most likely new name/s is not on this list. Wanna guess?
IJR 
Here are some new names from Magazine section:
Sandalwood Times, Local Times, Look Out…
Who’s Rohith?
The times that we have been thru and the things that we have faced an yet survived the best name would be Testing Times
Times Today
Unpublished
Deep Point
B D Narayankar
Except maestro Sachin Tendulkar, they fell like a pack
of cards to the hostile pace battery of South Africa
at the Kingsmead in Durban. India lost last seven
wickets for 29 runs to be bowled out for 91 – India’s
lowest total ever against South Africa in a one-day
international. Previous worst was 147 in Port
Elizabeth in 1992-93.
The Indian batsmen -– Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer,
Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina – lost their wickets
pushing at the ball hard as though they were batting
on a flat sub-continent pitches. There is an art to
cope with the rising balls on a spongy pitch like the
Kingsmead.
The Indian batsmen, particularly the top order batsmen
should learn to play the pacy and rising deliveries
close to their bodies and with soft hands. Raina,
Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer and Mohammad Kaif were back in
the pavillion playing away from their bodies, either
getting bowled or caught in the slips or in the square
region.
After the quick departure of captain Rahul Dravid and
Tendulkar in quick session, defeat stared in the
Indian face. Andre Nel, Makaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis
and Shaun Pollock were too much for the incoming
batsmen, who could not negotiate the bounce they were
getting.
Even after 18-long years of cricket, India still
depends on Tendulkar and it is a matter to worry.
India has not found a player like him over the years.
It has something to do with the selection process.
The criteria to select youngsters into the Indian
squad is ridiculous. The ilks of Rainas are picked up
for international matches after watching their one-day
performances in domestic rubbers. Good Lord! Is there
any competition at all at this level. It is
understandable to pick Under-19 pace bowler into the
international arena, but batsmen of this age need time
to gain confidence, which they can do by playing more
domestic cricket.
It is not that the BCCI has the only job of making
money, it should also see that proper scheduling is
done for the players to get as many warm-up games to
acclamatise themselves to the local conditions. BCCI
should have asked for more such matches with Cricket
South Africa. Just before the Kingsmead battle, India
had only one practice match and were unlucky to stay
indoors during the first one-day internationals at New
Wanderers Stadium in Johhasnesburg. They did not have
time to acclamatise.
BCCI also would do a world of good for Cricket India
if it sets up another National Cricket Academy in
Chandigarh. There the wickets are bouncier and players
can well in advance acclamatise themselves to bouncier
tracks available in South Africa and Australia. The
National Cricket Academy in Bangalore can be used
during the home series.
All said and done, defeat should not bog the Indians
down, instead they should see it as an opportunity to
capitualate and set right their wrongs. Oversees,
India always have started their campaign on a low
note. Wake up Indians, you can do it. Only thing,
batsmen should try to spend more time in the middle
and bowlers try bowling at right areas consistently.
Eom\