Ravindra Jadeja gets high praise from mentor, coach by Gaurav Gupta

While Amla was lampooned on the social media for his lack of judgement, the moment marked a stamp of triumph for 'Sir' Ravindra Jadeja. © AFP

It's a dismissal which best describes why he's so potent on a turning track. Hashim Amla's woes on a forgettable India tour were brought to the fore cruelly in the second innings of the first Test in Mohali. With South Africa battling to save the game, the skipper left a seemingly harmless delivery which crashed into his middle stump.While Amla was lampooned on the social media for his lack of judgement, the moment marked a stamp of triumph for 'Sir' Ravindra Jadeja.

On yet another comeback trail, this 26-year-old left-arm spinner has forged a terrific partnership with the in-form Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra, having taken 16 wickets in three Tests against the baffled Proteas at 12.06, with five for 21 being his best effort. There have been a couple of crucial cameos off his bat too which have mattered a lot in these low-scoring contests.

What makes Jadeja so dangerous on turners? Bowling on such wickets, after all, is an art too "He's unplayable on a turner. I've not seen a left-arm spinner in my career who won't bowl a single ball outside leg stump in his entire spell, but would keep firing it on the stumps," remarks former Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra, who's seen a fair bit of the man.

"He's the best left-arm spinner all-rounder that we have for these conditions. He's consistent and bowls with a low, flat trajectory , which doesn't give you room or time to hit the ball. In fact, as it happened with the SA batsmen he leaves you confused abouT whether to leave or play the ball If it doesn't turn and you leave it you meet Amla's fate.

His 'straighter' delivery is even more dangerous. And if it turns, you can easily edge it behind the wickets. He's economical, and can bowl long spells. It helps that he has a strong shoulder," feels former Saurashtra batsman turned-coach Shitanshu Kotak, who's seen him right from his Ranji debut days.

"There were six spinners on either side, but he was by far the best amongst all in all the games that he played for us this season," he adds.

"In these conditions, he's a sure-shot match-winner. And that's because he's accurate. He bowls side-on, which creates a difficult angle for the batsmen and plenty of doubts. His bowls at the quick air speed which is ideal for such wickets," praises former India leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani, who feels that Jadeja's presence has made Ashwin even more dangerous. 

"He has kept things tight and applied pressure from one end, which has allowed Ashwin to bowl more freely. Vice-versa, sometimes batsmen take a chance against Jadeja because they can't do so against Ashwin, and perish in the process. It's a perfect bowling partnership. With Amit Mishra in the mix too, you have the ideal variety to compliment the attack," he says.

More than the skills to succeed on a particular wicket, Jadeja's dream comeback also talks about a steely resolve to win back his place in the side. "He's a determined cricketer. He doesn't believe in giving interviews or playing up his chances in the press, which gets misconstrued as arrogance.Nor does he bother about how others are performing. Before the season, he told me `If I perform, I'm sure l will be in the Indian team,'" compliments Kotak.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN YOUTH SPORTS

Parents, when it comes to the impact you have on your child’s sporting experience, do not underestimate your influence. Children learn from watching others and copying the behavior they see demonstrated. It is most often the parent who is the first person to introduce a child to sports, and parental involvement can affect whether a child enjoys the experience or not (1, 2, 3).

ROLE OF PARENTS IN YOUTH SPORTS

Parental involvement in sports can be looked at as a continuum from not involved at all to over-involved (3). It can range from low to high and from positive to negative. Positive involvement includes supporting your child through ways such as verbal encouragement, your presence at a game, allowing your child to make his/her own decisions about what sport to participate in, and providing financial and other resources that enable his/her participation. Negative involvement refers to directive behavior, and pressure to win or perform up to a parent’s expectations. Recent research has shed light onto the relationship between parental involvement and the type of youth sports experience a child has.

SUPPORTIVE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS

It is not surprising that the research overwhelmingly points to a connection between positive, supportive parental involvement and a child’s level of enjoyment and success in the sport he or she is playing. (1, 2, 3, 4). It has also been suggested that a moderate level of involvement would be the optimum level of parental involvement (1). Hellstedt (1) theorized that over-involved parents may create high levels of pressure, while under-involved parents do not provide enough support to facilitate a child’s desire to participate. But those parents who are moderately involved seem to provide just the right balance not only to facilitate enjoyment, but also to challenge the child to continue to grow and develop his/her skills. On the surface, this theory seems to hold up. Without support, especially financial and emotional, it would be very difficult for a child to be able to participate, and the pressure felt from the parent who is over-involved could easily take out all the enjoyment of playing sports.

OPTIMAL LEVEL OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS

However, what appears to be the most significant finding is that it may not actually be what you do that affects your child’s experience. Rather what appears to be important is how your child perceives what you do (2, 3). For example, you might be classified by others as a parent who does not seem very involved, yet if your child perceives your support and feels that your level of involvement is just right, they would be more likely to have an enjoyable experience than another child in the same situation who did not feel like their parent’s level of involvement was optimal.

WHEN INVOLVEMENT IS STRESSFUL FOR YOUTH IN SPORTS

So how do you know if your level of support and involvement is optimal? Simple – ask your child. Stein et al. (3) recommend that you discuss with your child the ways in which you are involved, and ask your child how he or she wants you to be involved. They also recommend discussing with your child things that you might do involving their sports participation that could be perceived as stressful for your child, and also things that your child enjoys. If your child feels you are a bit over-involved, it may be difficult to hear. The best thing you can do for them in this case is to really take to heart how they feel and reduce your involvement if necessary, no matter how much it hurts.

Australia delay departure for Bangladesh amid security concerns Via ESPNcricinfo

 
Cricket Australia has delayed the departure of its team for Bangladesh after the Australian government raised security concerns. According to a CA release, the government has warned it that "militant groups may target the tourists".
The Australian board's CEO James Sutherland said the decision was taken based on advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He said the tour is by no means off at this point, but CA is looking into a revised security plan for it.
"We have received advice from DFAT and based on that information we are working with security experts and the Bangladesh Cricket Board on a revised security plan for the tour," Sutherland said. "We want the tour to go ahead and are planning for that, but the safety and security of our players and support staff is our number-one priority and won't be compromised.
"We will wait to receive updated security information early in the week before confirming the team's travel arrangements."
Sources at the BCB has said that they were taken by surprise by the developments. There has been no security alerts issued in the country.
Australia were due to leave for Bangladesh on September 28, separately from their respective home cities in Australia, and gather together as a unit only on arrival in Dhaka. They were supposed to begin the tour with a practice game in Fatullah on October 3, followed by two Tests in Chittagong and Mirpur that concluded on October 21, ending the tour