Indian Cricket Fielding Positions

Fielders
assist the bowlers to prevent batsmen from scoring too many runs. There are several types of field positions and the captain of the fielding team decides different combinations of them for tactical reasons. Since there are 11 players on a team, one of whom is the bowler and another the wicket-keeper, at most nine other fielding positions can be used at any given time. The captain may move players between fielding positions at any time except when a bowler is in the act of bowling to a batsman.


Wicket Keeper
The wicketkeeper who stands behind the batsman on strike at the wicket, sets the tone for the fielding side. His role is to stop balls that pass the batsman and attempt to dismiss the batsman in various ways.

First Slip
Most important fielding position in the game. The fielder at First slip, normally stands closest to the wicketkeeper.

Second Slip
The fielder at Second slip stands just to the offside of first slip. The second slip is likely to be used in the first couple of over's of a match or if a team is employing an attacking field in an attempt to finish an innings off.

Gully
The Gully fielder covers the area just square of the wicket on the off side but the fielder will tend to vary where they stand according to the pitch and the batsman. Gully is employed in catching the ball after it hits the edge of the bat and deflects a long way, or for misplaced cut shots.

Third Man
This is a boundary position right behind square on the offside. The fielder at Third man has to covers a large area, preventing anything that pierces the slip and gully area.

Point
A position on the off side and located at 90 degrees to the batsman. The Point fielder's job is to catch the ball from a misplaced cut shot, or to prevent runs from cut shots, square drives, and defensive strokes square on the off side.

Cover Point
This is the fielding position on the off side in front of the wicket.

Deep Point
Deep point is a defensive position on the off side and the fielder at this position is usually stationed on the boundary.

Cover
This is fielding position in front of the wicket and the position designed to prevent runs from cover drives, defensive strokes on the off side.

Extra Cover
This is the fielding position in front of the wicket. A strong off side field would probably have both a cover and an extra cover.

Sweeper
This is the fielding position in the deep outfield near the boundary used when the fielding side wants to keep the runs to the bare minimum.

Silly Mid Off
This is the fielding position on the off side, and the position is almost mid way to the wicket and very close to the batsman.

Mid Off
This is the fielding position on the off side, and the position is almost straight in line with the bat to prevent runs from off drives, and defensive strokes on the off side.

Long Off
A fielding position on the off side and has to cover a large area from the sight screen to the sweeper cover position and near the boundary to prevent runs from off drives or catch long, lofted off drives.

Long On
A fielding position on the leg side of the wicket to prevent runs from on drives or catch long, lofted on drives.

Mid On
A fielding position on the leg side almost straight of the batsman to prevent runs from on drives, and defensive strokes on the on side

Mid Wicket
This is positioned on the leg side and the position is designed generally to either catch the ball from a misplaced pull shot, or to prevent runs from on drives, and defensive strokes on the on side.

Deep Mid Wicket
This is positioned on the leg side near the boundary to prevent boundaries.

Silly Mid On
This is positioned on the leg side forward of the strikers wicket and very close to the batsmen generally use to put pressure on them.

Short Leg
A fielding position to the right of forward square leg and very close to the batsman. This position usually given to the youngest member of the fielding side and employed against players who are especially strong off their hips.

Backward Short Leg
This position is similar to first slip on the leg side and is very often referred to as leg slip.

Square Leg
This position is on the leg side. This is also the position for the leg umpire. Between the wicket and the square boundary, it prevents the batsman from going for pull shots.

Deep / Backward Square Leg
This position can also be monitored by the fielders from the deep mid wicket and deep fine leg regions.

Fine Leg
This is the fielding position on the leg side to the right of the square leg region designed to catch the ball from a misplaced bock or other defensive shot.

Indian Cricket Ways of Bowling

A bowler is a member of the fielding side who runs up to the wickets and throws the ball to the batsman, with a full arm, trying to hit the wicket to get the batsman out. There are different ways of Bowling. They are;

Swing and Swerve

The ball can be made to swing in the air, either away from the batsman or into him. If there is a lot of humidity, the ball will swing more appreciably than on a dry sunny day. The amount of wind and its direction will also have a certain effect on the swinging of the ball.

Away Swing Grip

The seam should point to the batsman and the shiny side of the ball faces the on side.

In Swerve Grip

Here the shiny side should face the opposite direction (off side) with the seam pointing very slightly in the direction of fine leg. To bowl on in swerve, the right hand must go slightly past the vertical position and towards the leg in an arc which will take the hand past the right leg.

Off Spin

The off spin bowler aims to pitch the ball on the off side and bring it back into the wicket. The off break is spun in a clockwise direction from left to right, the ball being held between the first two fingers, the two other being curled slightly over the ball, with the thumb on the opposite side. The main finger is dug into one side of the seam and the second finger far away enough to exert some pressure on the first finger. Each bowler should find the correct distance between the first and the second fingers according to the size of his hand. Do not force the ball between the fingers or use a grip which does not feel comfortable. The ball can be held with the fingers round the seam or across, provided the top joint of the first finger can get some pull on the ball.
The right arm should be taken right back, making a full sweep. As the arm comes over, the right wrist is cocked, the palm will now be facing upwards and the thumb pointing to the off. The action should finish in exactly the same way as the basic action, although, if care is taken not to go too far, the left foot may be placed slightly towards the left side to enable a little more drag to be put on the body. This is transmitted to the arm and eventually, through the first finger, to the ball.

Leg Breaks

The leg break is spun with the fingers over the ball and in most of the cases the ball is given in the direction of the spin. The leg break, bowled with fingers over the ball and in a somewhat downward motion, penetrates the surface of the wicket and turns quickly. It is stock ball. A young bowler interested in leg breaks, should concentrate on the basic bowling action, particularly the high arm and follow through past the left leg, spinning the ball and bowling a length.

Grip

The ball is held in the first three fingers, which are spaced comfortably apart. The top joint of the third finger which is under ball, takes most of the pressure of the thumb which has very little part in spinning the ball and naturally rests on the seam. The ball should be kept quite firmly. The wrist is bent to almost ninety degrees and the back of the hand is uppermost. On delivery the ball is spun off the third finger by the synchronization of the action plus the flicking and twisting of the wrist in an anti-clockwise direction. For better spin, the right arm should be fully extended, with a large goal of swing. The back of the right hand must be uppermost throughout the swing, as this will ensure a leg break bowling.

Top Spin

It is a difficult bowling. Right arm straight above your head and wrist bent. Ball is to be held like leg-break. Twist the arm slightly until the seam of the ball points straight down the wicket. Delivery : The arm is turned until the hand, if held upright, is sideways on to the batsman. If the ball is held in the same way with the wrist bent to ninety degrees, the seam of the ball will not be pointing straight down the pitch to the batsman. The wrist is flicked straight and the right arm pushed through towards the batsman and the follow through should take the right hand to the left knee.

Googly

It is an off break with a leg break action. The grip of the ball is like leg break, with the wrist turned down to ninety degrees. The arm is turned in an anti-clockwise direction with the back of the hand now pointing towards the batsman. As the wrist is flicked straight, the ball will come out of the back of the hand and generally in an upward direction, but will not hit the pitch quiet so hard and will plop rather than turn or bounce over the third finger. There is no need to alter the action. Do not drop the left shoulder or point the left foot.

Off Cutters Grip

The ball is held with the seam pointing in the direction of fine leg. The first two fingers are placed almost together diagonally across the seam, with the finger tops dug in behind the seam on the off side. Delivery : The wrist is cocked and as the ball is bowled the straight fingers cut down across it in a clockwise direction. The right hand should finish the delivery by going well past the left side. The palm of he hand should face the off side.

Indian Cricket Ways of Batting

The batsman is a member of the batting team who try to hit the ball delivered by the bowler and run between wickets to get as much runs as possible. Shots in batting, range from the square cut, hook, off-drive, pull to the sweep and the leg-glance etc. The different types of shots a batsman can play are as follows:

Block
A defensive shot played with the bat vertical and angled down at the front of the wicket, so as to stop the ball and drop it down quickly on to the pitch in front of the batsman. This is also known as a forward defensive or backward defensive, depending on whether the batsman plays the shot from the front foot or the back foot.

Drive
A shot played with the bat sweeping down through the vertical arc through the line of the ball. A drive can be either a drive, straight drive, off drive, or cover drive, depending on the direction the ball travels.

Cut
A shot played with the bat close to horizontal, which hits the ball somewhere in the arc between cover and gully.

Edge, or Glance
A shot played off the bat at a glancing angle, through the slips area.

Leg Glance
A shot played at a ball aimed glancing angle behind the legs, using the bat so that it goes in the direction of fine leg area.

Pull
A cross-battled shot which pulls the ball around the waist height of the batsman into the square leg side.

Sweep
A cross-battled shot played to a low bouncing ball, usually from a slow bowler, by kneeling on one knee and swinging the bat around in a horizontal arc near the pitch, sweeping it around to the leg side

Hook
A cross-battled shot played to a bouncer at or near the batsman's head and intended to hit the ball high in the air over square leg -sometimes for six runs.

French Cut
An attempt at a cut shot which hits the bottom edge of the bat and goes into the area behind square leg.

Reverse Sweep
A cross-battled shot played to a low bouncing ball, usually from a slow bowler, by kneeling on one knee and swinging the bat around in a horizontal arc near the pitch, but reversing the blade of the bat half-way through the swing and sweeping the ball around to the off side from the leg side.

India in Olympics

India first participated in Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time. He bagged two silver medals in 200m. dash and 200m hurdles. Then after a gap of 20 years India again participated with two athletes in 1920 Antwerp Olympics and with eight members in 1924 Paris Olympics.
But the more organised, official representation by India, was made in 1928 Amsterdam, with the formation of Indian Olympic Association in 1927. Dorabji Tata was the first president and Dr A C Northern of Young Men's Christian Association, Madras was the secretary. That year, Indian Hockey team participated in their first Olympic hockey event and won the gold medal under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh. For the next 6 successive Olympics spanning 28 years from 1928-1956, Indians retained their gold medal for the hockey event. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand played a major role in Indian victory in the first three successive wins. It was definitely the golden era of Indian Hockey in Olympics, during which India played 24 matches and won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. India again won two more gold medals in Olympic hockey in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

In athletics, six Indians and the 4x400 women's relay team have reached the finals of their events in Olympics. They are Norman Pritchard in 1900 (two silvers in sprint and hurdles), Henry Rebello in 1948 London (Triple Jump), Milkha Singh 1960 Rome ( fourth place in 400 metres), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa 1964 Tokyo (fifth place in 100 m hurdles), Sriram singh 1976 Montreal ( seventh in 800m), P.T Usha in 1984 Los Angeles ( fourth in 400m hurdles) who unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second and the 4 member squad of the 400m. women's relay P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham reached seventh place, the same year.

Apart from Hockey and a few fine performances in athletics, India's record in the Olympics paints a dismal picture, for a country having a population of over a billion people. Apart from the 8 gold medals, one silver medal and two bronzes in Hockey, two silver medals in athletics, India has won bronzes for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki), shooting ( Dr Karni Singh 1964 Tokyo), tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta) and weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney).

Indian History

Introduction To History:

A subcontinent with a 5000-year old history. A civilization united by its diversity. Experience the richness of culture, the glory of the past, the turbulences and triumphs. The landmarks of each era, the achievements of each age, the legacy of the regime. As you walk through history, through India's geography, through the religious, linguistic and artistic chapters, your interpretation will be your very own discovery.

Indian Astrology;

The roots of INDIAN ASTROLOGY can be traced back to the ancient Greek Civilisation. According to Indian Astrology, your true self & personality is defined by the position of the planets, at the time & place of your birth. The present & future positions of the planets are compared with those of your birth chart to predict your future. This is the basis of Indian Astrology.

Astrology of India: Information about Vedic Astrology or Jyotish - Here you will find everything you want to know about the astrology of India
IndianAstrology.com - The Sun Amongst Stars - Astrology, Tarot, Query, Consultancy, Horoscope, Rashi Phal, Free Horoscope, Astrological Classes, Astrological Software, Leo-99, Leo-pc, Leo-1, Future Samachar, Bio-Rhythmic Cycle, Seminar, Astrologers Directory, e-pandit, Mantras, Panchang, Ephimeris, Quiz, Muharat, Future Point, Sprituality, Stars, Download, Festivals, Market Predictions, Books

Online Indian astrology, Vedic Astrology Predictions - Consultants providing online Indian astrology, vedic astrology predictions, india astrology zone, daily horoscopes, astrological predictions, weekly horoscopes, astro education, future predictions, etc.

Jagjit Uppal's Website - Your Zodiac, Horoscope..It is a paid service at bare minimal cost
Astrological Society Of India - Online astrology service in traditional Indian horoscopes, horoscopes, marriage-compatibility reports, prepared using birth-data, astrology, numerology year guide etc.

Vedic Astrology - Horoscopes From India - Vedic astrology horoscopes by Jyotish astrologers living in India. Provided in personal written reports

Avinash's Occult Center - The Center For Indian Astrology and Occult Sciences - An Indian ocultist working purely in indian astrology and TANTRA & solving problems, physical or metaphysical curing diseases- physical, mental or due to supernaturals through VEDIC MANTRAs, YAGYAs and TANTRAs also treatment of haunted buildings and persons is succesfully done with above mentioned procedures. No cheap miracles are performed here. In most of cases no physical presense is required, only photograph of afflicted person or building with full postal address is needed.

Ayurveda;

Ayurveda is the Vedic system of health care that developed in India over 5000 years ago. A gift of the Gods, it was codified by the sage-physician Charaka and the sage-surgeon Shushruta. This ancient science is health, not disease, specific and takes into account the patient's entire personality - body, mind and spirit.

What is Ayurveda? - Tutorial level introduction to Ayurveda
Ayurveda Resources Page (Incomplete) - Database of Ayurvedic resources, including bone fide physicians offering analysis and diagnosis online. The database will also include other Ayurvedic resources such as courses and supplies.

Everyday Ayurveda - The mission of Everyday Ayurveda is to introduce the art of Ayurvedic living in ways that will be accessible, affordable, and adaptable to daily life. The approach empowers people to reclaim true health and find renewed enthusiasm for creating harmony in their bodies, minds and spirits.

Good Health for You - Good health n you - The finest resource for your personal health information. Offering detailed study on the Alternative medicine - Ayurveda.
Ayurvedic Foundations Web Site - Principals, meaning and origin of Ayurveda
Holistic Health And Alternative Medicine - Home remedies, Yoga, Tips for good health
Ayurvedic Herbs - Buy Ayurvedic Medicines Online
Ayur Center - Ayurvedic Seminars, News, courses
History of Traditional Indian Medicine - Very good link collection

Indian Culture;

India's heritage is an insight in the varied facets of the country's history, religious and cultural contrasts, and its indigenous lifestyles still untouched by the trappings of modernity.
Online Indian Culture - India's first culture mall, buy online handicrafts, send gifts to your near and dear in India. They serve more than 1100 locations through out India. Hold your virtual exhibitions, Artist, Painters, Fashion Designers. One stop shop for Indian Art and Culture.
India: Past and Present - Introduction to India's fascinating 5000-year-old culture includes facts about languages, religion, music, film, politics and government, history, economy, sports and much more. Listen to audio clips of classical, popular and dance music, as well as a few phrases in Hindi and Tamil, two of India's 15 national languages.

Indian Heritage - info on Indian art & culture - Hindu Gods, Music, Paintings, Alangaram, Temples, Dance, Sculpture, Architecture
Heritage Tours of India - Tourist information guide of India providing online info on heritage travel in india, forts and monuments, fairs and festivals of india, festival tours of india, travelling in india, tours and travel in india, holiday to india, religious travel to india, pilgrimage tours in india, etc.

Ancient India - Great Books
India Guide : Culture - Compilation Of Good Resources
Indian Heritage - Nothing to say........

History of India;

The spirit of India has fascinated the world with its very mystique....Discovery of India may take a short while, but will last a life time...
Internet Indian History Sourcebook - This page is a subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks along with added texts and web site indicators.
History of India - Ancient India, Medieval India, British India, Modern India
History and Politics of India - Ancient, Bristish India, Mughals, Gandhi etc.
HINDU HISTORY - A Search for Our Present in History - INDIA through the Ages, Hindu Influences on Different Communities, The Hindu Ethos, The Hindu Caste System, Hindu Festivals, Ahimsa - Non-Violence, Secularism and Rational Humanism

Indian Literature;

Literature in Indian Languages
Indian Literature Directory - Open Directory Project
Indian Literature in English - Books of Upamanyu Chatterjee, Shobha De, Anita Desai, Rohinton Mistry, Kiran Nagarkar, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Allan Sealy
Literature - Sites - 123 India Directory
South Asian Literature - OK Kinda Stuff
Indian Literature Links - Have a look
All India Site - The link points to the outdated page which in turn will redirect you to the Current Page.. nice collection
Bengali, Tamil Literature - Short and Sweet
Bhartiya Sahitya - Buy Online Books
Index of Indian Literature - Includes an index of books about India.
Postcolonial Indian Literature in English - Narayan, Jhabvala, Rushdie .. Old Page
Indian literature Resources page - Listing of Recommended Books

Indian Recipes;

Tasty, Spicy Indian Food
Bawarchi - Your Indian Cook - Indian Dishes, Festival Special, Cooking Tips
Nonveg Indian Dishes - Chicken Masala,Chicken Tikka Masala, Various Curries, Lamb with Spinach, Nan, Navarattan Korma, Saag Aloo, Samosas, Tandoori Chicken
The Indian Food Guide for Indian Recipes and more... - Sanjiv Kapoor's Personal Website
Indolink Recipes - Appetizers, Rice & Grains, Dals & Beans, Soups & Stews, Salads, Condiments, Dessert etc.
India Tastes - A variety of tasty vegetarian(south indian style) recipes ordered by category. webrings, message boards, Glossary of ingredients with pictures, image gallery of recipes and ingredients
Indian recipes - Utlimate Guide to Indian Cookery
Indian Express : Cooking - Recipes by Category - Chicken, Lamb, Vegetables, Potato
Vedic Mathematics
One of the foremost exponents of Vedic mathematics, the late Bharati Krishna Tirtha Maharaja, author of Vedic Mathematics, has offered a glimpse into the sophistication of Vedic mathematics. Drawing from the Atharva-veda, Tirtha Maharaja points to many sutras (codes) or aphorisms which appear to apply to every branch of mathematics: arithmetic, algebra, geometry (plane and solid), trigonometry (plane and spherical), conics (geometrical and analytical), astronomy, calculus (differential and integral), etc.
Magical Methods - Vedical Maths for faster calculation
Nuggets from Vedic Mathematics - Vedic Number Representation , Interesting Nuggets and Examples
Vedic Mathematics - Some examples in Vedic Mathematics
Vedic maths, a forgotten science - Discussion Board
Vedic Mathematics Research - Researched study on the resurrected ancient Indian science of Vedic mathematics and its relevance in our times with related links
Math Can Be Fun - Introduction to Vedic Mathematics
The Magic of Vedic Maths - What is Vedic Maths?
URDHVA-TIRYAK SUTRA - Only one Sutra out of sixteen -the general formula for multiplication. After learning this, you will never take out calculators for multiplication.
Indian Social Organizations

Various social organizations in India.;

CRY - Child Relief and You - CRY stands for Child Relief & You... in words. In spirit, it stands for much more, it stands for hope, for a need to change what must be changed, for collective action by individuals and organisations, for the rights of the Indian child who is born with no one but us to give it life.
ILP - India Literacy Project - India Literacy Project, ILP, is a US-based non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to spreading the cause of literacy in India.
Jeevashram Foundation - An organisation dedicated to the cause of pets & wild animals providing animal shelter, veterinary hospital, ambulance service, pet care services.
Parivartan - A group of citizens who are extremely disturbed with the present state of affairs in the country and who are committed to alter this situation.
Maya - The Tender Touch Mission - Provides school for spastic and mentally retarded children and those affected by cerebral palsy
India Social - Providing social welfare organizations services like ngo, rural development services etc.
Home For The Aged - Providing Home For The Aged.
Creative Handicrafts - Providing opportunities for underprivileged women to be self sufficient.
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - Charitable Institution Preaching Relief Free Education Medical Service & Spiritual Guidance
Missing Indian Kids - Indian website on missing/lost/kidnapped/abducted children in India.
Adopt A Mother Foundation - Providing destitute children with education, nutrition and healthcare services and adult literacy classes for their mothers.
Kovai Heart Foundation - A non profit organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease through programmes to create awareness and providing financial aid for those who cannot afford the high cost of heart surgery.