Topic Of The Day:-“The Kumble Factor”
The Indian cricket team should have been exuding confidence as it begins its title defence in the ICC Champions Trophy in England from June 1 to 18. It comes off a long and successful season at home, and in the normal course of things the buzz would be about India’s match against Pakistan at Birmingham on June 4, given how rarely the traditional rivals play each other these days. However, all is not right in the dressing room, and there is distracting speculation about an imminent change in leadership. It started with the Board of Control for Cricket in India calling for fresh applications for the head coach’s post since the incumbent, Anil Kumble’s one-year contract will end after the Champions Trophy. The BCCI clarified that Kumble would have a direct entry for the process, but the last minute scramble, just as Virat Kohli’s men landed in England, raised questions. There had been enough time for the Board to take a call on the head coach, whether it meant retaining Kumble or opting for a new candidate. It did not come as a surprise, therefore, when leaks surfaced about Kumble seeking a higher pay package for the Indian players and support staff. Disgruntled BCCI officials painted Kumble as a man extracting his pound of flesh, and the anti-Kumble campaign was sharpened with suggestions that Kohli is not comfortable with his “overbearing” ways. Such talk about differences between coach and skipper does nobody any good. Whatever be the nature of their alleged differences, the Kumble-Kohli combination has delivered excellent results. While there could be the odd difference of opinion, on the field it is entirely the captain’s call on how to guide the team. Last year in the West Indies, when Kohli preferred Rohit Sharma over Murali Vijay in the third Test at Gros Islet, Kumble backed his decision. Victory in the West Indies and a golden run at home against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia are a testament to Kumble’s and Kohli’s man-management skills and a validation of the talent within the ranks. The unsavoury tidbits planted in the media about Kumble are a terrible contrast to the can-do spirit with which he took charge as coach in June 2016. Now, the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Kumble’s former team-mates Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman has an unenviable task. They have to sift through fresh applications, besides having to assess Kumble’s performance, and then take a call on who should be the head coach. Positions of authority in cricket teams usually have a four-year cycle coinciding with the World Cup. Ideally, the next head coach, be it Kumble or somebody else, should be given a contract till the 2019 World Cup in England. The focus must be on the demands of cricket.
meanings and words
1) Exuding
Meaning: If you exude love, confidence, pain, etc., you show that you have a lot of that feeling.
Example: She just exudes confidence.
Synonyms: Release, Discharge
Antonyms: Absorb
2) Buzz
Meaning: To press a buzzer in order to get someone’s attention.
Example: I buzzed him but there was no answer.
Synonyms: Hum, Murmur
3) Speculation
Meaning: The activity of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain.
Example: Speculation about his future plans is rife.
Synonyms: Conjecture, Guess
4) Imminent
Meaning: Coming or likely to happen very soon.
Example: A strike is imminent.
Synonyms: Close, Near
Antonyms: Remote
5) Incumbent
Meaning: Officially having the named position.
Example: The incumbent president faces problems which began many years before he took office.
Synonyms: Mandatory, Necessary
Antonyms: Optional
6) Scramble
Meaning: To move or climb quickly but with difficulty, often using your hands to help you.
Example: She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the rocks.
Synonyms: Climb, Crawl
7) Overbearing
Meaning: Too confident and too determined to tell other people what to do, in a way that is unpleasant.
Example: Milligan had a pompous, overbearing father.
Synonyms: Autocratic, Tyrannical
Antonyms: Humble
8) Testament
Meaning: Proof.
Example: The detail of her wildlife paintings is (a) testament to (= proof of) her powers of observation.
Meaning: A will that someone makes, saying what should be done with their money and property after they die.
Example: This article will give clear instructions for making a last will and testament.
Synonyms: Witness, Evidence
9) Unenviable
Meaning: An unenviable duty or necessary action is unpleasant or difficult.
Example: I had the unenviable task of cleaning up after the party.
Synonyms: Difficult, Disagreeable
Antonyms: Enviable, Desirable
10) Pound of flesh
Meaning: Something that you have the right to receive but is unreasonable to demand from someone.
Example: Despite the sport demanding its pound of flesh, financially and physically, he managed to pull his weight for four full years.
