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- Oct 2, 2004
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Many thanks to [MENTION=141093]big_gamer007[/MENTION] for taking the time to answer these questions and providing some insightful responses.
PakPassion.net : What brought you to PakPassion.net and why do you like posting here?
big_gamer007: To be honest, one day after the 2015 World Cup, I was searching online for cricket forums and PakPassion was the first forum which showed up. So, I visited it and lurked for a few years on and off. The way this forum is maintained is really commendable, most of the discussions are very civil and whenever anyone crosses a line the post gets deleted. That was the reason I signed up to post in Cricket section.
Also, I have a soft corner for Pakistani people because of my ancestral Home and growing up I used to play pool on Yahoo Games (good times) and there in a room called Kashmir (ironically the room name was based on Led Zeppelin Songs) Indians and Pakistanis used to fight daily. But I met a lot of Pakistani people over there and became good friends, then in my stay in UK I met a quite a few Pakistani people who were very friendly, so I liked interacting with them and understanding their viewpoint. That is why I started posting in Time Pass & Sports section to understand things from alternate viewpoint.
PakPassion.net : Given Virat Kohli's failures in 50 over World Cup events, do you think he can ever surpass Sachin Tendulkar in stature just based on his domination of bilateral 50 over series?
big_gamer007: Even if Virat Kohli had a brilliant World Cup he would never have surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in stature. People not growing up in India do not realize the importance of Sachin. In 90's our economy was messed up, crime was at an all-time high, not many people had cable TV, not many could afford to go to movies (movie theatres were few in number), we sucked at mostly every sport and other sports were not popular. Even in cricket our team was not that good, however, we had one world class player who carried the entire nation on his shoulder. Cricket became religion because of Sachin, he gave us hope and happiness in times of despair and sadness.
Kohli is playing in current era where India does not face all those problems. So Kohli does not have the emotional attachment which Tendulkar had for the above reasons. Sachin can only be surpassed once my generation becomes irrelevant.
In cricketing career Sachin is still ahead of Kohli especially in Tests.
PakPassion.net : How do you see the political future of India?
big_gamer007: I think the political future of India depends on various reasons. Growing up in 90's I have seen the worst kind of politics (my mother’s side family is involved in politics). So, compared to 90s we are seeing an improvement. However, it is always dangerous to involve religion in politics. When BJP/ first came into power, his entire 2014 campaign was based on three points: Anti-corruption, Development and Black money. But after coming into power, slowly the focus changed to irrelevant and dangerous issues like beef ban.
The worst part is there is no competition to BJP. Regional parties are the worst and they along with congress are the reason for communalism on which BJP is feeding. Congress does not have any good face to challenge Modi.
So, I see BJP being in power for at least 10 years. With the ever so over exploding population, focus on automation and the diminishing natural resources, BJP need to focus on long term future issues rather than short term benefits. If they don't tackle these issues, then political future can be in turmoil. If they can tackle these core issues, then no one can stop them from being in power for a long time.
It will be interesting times ahead, with chance of going both ways.
PakPassion.net : What's gone wrong with Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf?
big_gamer007: Faheem Ashraf, I think was over-rated from the start. He lacked the skillset to reach the top level. If he does work really hard then he can be a decent player, but in my opinion, his ceiling is to be a decent player and that’s about it.
Hasan Ali needs to hide his weaknesses. He is a skittish type of bowler who lacks height. He is not express like Waqar Younis either. If the conditions are not favorable, his pace and bounce is perfect to get tonked. He needs to work on his variations and develop an out-swinger. Playing in UAE takes a massive toll on bowlers both physically and mentally, PCB need to shift their home matches away from UAE otherwise more fast bowlers will suffer the way Mohammad Amir and Hasan have suffered.
PakPassion.net : What changes would you recommend for Pakistan's Test side ahead of the Test Championship?
big_gamer007: Pakistan team is at the right phase of transition and hopefully it works out well for them this time around. They have a good core of young players who are at the right age, however, you guys need to find a good captain and wicket keeper. Sarfaraz Ahmed is a massive liability. I would replace Sarfaraz with the best wicket keeper batsmen in Pakistan right now, and make Babar Azam the captain with Azhar Ali as vice-captain who guides him for next 2 years till he is groomed.
Fast bowling stocks are pretty good, just need to groom someone to replace Yasir Shah eventually.
PakPassion.net : Do you think Virat Kohli is actually good as captain?
big_gamer007: Virat Kohli is a decent captain. People underrate him because they compare him with MS Dhoni or Sourav Ganguly. He is not as good as his predecessors but that does not mean he is a bad captain. He has his issues and plays his favorites but every captain does that. His main quality is the passion he brings in every time he sets foot on the field. You can see it in his body language which shows how passionate he is for his team/country. If a player does not get motivated by seeing such a passionate captain, then nothing can motivate him.
He knows how important fast bowlers are and backs them always which is the first time we see in Indian cricket.
However, he lacks the street smartness and quick thinking of Dhoni.
PakPassion.net : Tell us a bit about your background, why the name ‘big_gamer007’ ? What do you do as a profession?
big_gamer007: Growing up I used to play computer games and was thinking of a name to use, my sister suggested to use this and ever since then I use this name everywhere even though I do not play games anymore for a long time.
I work as a pre-sales consultant for a MNC. I studied engineering and slowly moved from technical line into techno-functional role now which is better paying
PakPassion.net : If you were given a choice to meet any three cricketers who will they be? And what will you ask them?
big_gamer007: The three cricketers would be:
1. Imran Khan - I want to hear his entire story about the struggles to reach where he is. It's a fascinating story and I think you should make a movie out of his entire life.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin - How many matches did he fix in the 90's and cost us how many games.
3. Lance Klusener - What did he say after the 1999 World Cup semi-final to Allan Donald in dressing room.
PakPassion.net : Growing up, who was your favorite international foreign and Indian player to watch?
big_gamer007: Well my favorite has to be Sachin Tendulkar for obvious reasons. However, at different stages I had different favorites, I will try to list a few I remember in order:
1. Aravinda DeSilva
2. Lance Klusener
3. Shoaib Akhtar
4. Shane Bond
5. Jimmy Anderson
6. AB de Villiers
Currently I don't have favorite per se but I enjoy watching Mitchell Starc bowl when fully fit.
PakPassion.net : What is your take on spot fixing? Do you think that people involved in the crime deserve to play again once their punishment period is over?
big_gamer007: I think there should be zero tolerance on any form of fixing. At international level most teams pay their players well enough to not get involved in such acts.
Whoever is caught should be banned for life.
At grassroots/domestic level you can have a few years punishment with a proper rehabilitation program.
PakPassion.net : Which has been your most memorable cricket game to attend and why?
big_gamer007: To be honest I haven't attended many matches, but I attended few games in IPL in corporate box. So, I enjoyed those games mostly due to non-cricketing reasons. From international matches, I have only attended like 3-4 and most of them were quite boring. I have a short attention span and can't watch an entire match for 8 hours so I avoid going to stadium.
I would love to watch India vs Pakistan in England though. That is the one match I wish I get a chance to watch.
PakPassion.net : Why do fans call Rohit Sharma out despite him performing so well for India and how do you feel about his career and future in Indian limited overs team till the year 2023?
big_gamer007: Rohit Sharma had a bad start to his career and was backed a lot by team management. However, people criticize him because of his play style. He looks so lazy and when he gets out people think he does not try hard enough. But truth is that is how he plays, it's his natural game. Another reason is his lack of success in Test matches, and getting plenty of chances overseas when there are more deserving Test players who don’t get any chance.
I think by 2023 he will be 36 or 37 years old so IMO he will be somewhat of a liability in the team. He has 2-3 years left at top level after that he will start declining as a batsman. And seeing the lack of work ethic he will decline rapidly compared to others.
PakPassion.net : How do you feel about Mohammad Shami not being picked in semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, given that he had played well in the tournament and he was man of the series in India versus New Zealand series?
big_gamer007: In hindsight we can say Mohammad Shami could have played, but in my opinion the playing X1 was perfect. Indian bowlers did a great job in restricting the Kiwis. The match itself was kind of ruined by rain, but there are no excuses for our batting to collapse like the way it did. We all knew there will be a match where the top order fails and all of us fans were hoping it would not be in knockouts.
I don't think Shami would have done anything better than the other bowlers, so I don't mind him not playing.
PakPassion.net : How do you rate India's chances in the Test championship?
big_gamer007: India will obviously be the favourites to win. India at home is just too strong and all other countries currently are susceptible at home. Outside home, India have a good chance of winning in almost every country now. So, unless someone lifts their game considerably or if we suffer from a massive off series (at home) we are firm favourites to win.
PakPassion.net : T20I, ODI or Test - which format do you prefer and why?
big_gamer007: I don't have any specific format. I am a fan of high-quality fast bowling especially in swinging/seaming conditions, so I prefer to watch Test matches in England the most. Second would be to watch Test matches in South Africa.
After that I prefer ICC tournaments, and after that T20 format games. I don't enjoy bilateral ODIs unless they are in bowling friendly conditions.
To me beauty of cricket is when a batsman is facing unplayable conditions and still surviving through sheer grit. I rate Kohli's 47 odd runs against South Africa in third Test last year as one of the best high-quality innings from him in recent times. I would rather re-watch that innings than any of his centuries in batting friendly conditions.
PakPassion.net : What brought you to PakPassion.net and why do you like posting here?
big_gamer007: To be honest, one day after the 2015 World Cup, I was searching online for cricket forums and PakPassion was the first forum which showed up. So, I visited it and lurked for a few years on and off. The way this forum is maintained is really commendable, most of the discussions are very civil and whenever anyone crosses a line the post gets deleted. That was the reason I signed up to post in Cricket section.
Also, I have a soft corner for Pakistani people because of my ancestral Home and growing up I used to play pool on Yahoo Games (good times) and there in a room called Kashmir (ironically the room name was based on Led Zeppelin Songs) Indians and Pakistanis used to fight daily. But I met a lot of Pakistani people over there and became good friends, then in my stay in UK I met a quite a few Pakistani people who were very friendly, so I liked interacting with them and understanding their viewpoint. That is why I started posting in Time Pass & Sports section to understand things from alternate viewpoint.
PakPassion.net : Given Virat Kohli's failures in 50 over World Cup events, do you think he can ever surpass Sachin Tendulkar in stature just based on his domination of bilateral 50 over series?
big_gamer007: Even if Virat Kohli had a brilliant World Cup he would never have surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in stature. People not growing up in India do not realize the importance of Sachin. In 90's our economy was messed up, crime was at an all-time high, not many people had cable TV, not many could afford to go to movies (movie theatres were few in number), we sucked at mostly every sport and other sports were not popular. Even in cricket our team was not that good, however, we had one world class player who carried the entire nation on his shoulder. Cricket became religion because of Sachin, he gave us hope and happiness in times of despair and sadness.
Kohli is playing in current era where India does not face all those problems. So Kohli does not have the emotional attachment which Tendulkar had for the above reasons. Sachin can only be surpassed once my generation becomes irrelevant.
In cricketing career Sachin is still ahead of Kohli especially in Tests.
PakPassion.net : How do you see the political future of India?
big_gamer007: I think the political future of India depends on various reasons. Growing up in 90's I have seen the worst kind of politics (my mother’s side family is involved in politics). So, compared to 90s we are seeing an improvement. However, it is always dangerous to involve religion in politics. When BJP/ first came into power, his entire 2014 campaign was based on three points: Anti-corruption, Development and Black money. But after coming into power, slowly the focus changed to irrelevant and dangerous issues like beef ban.
The worst part is there is no competition to BJP. Regional parties are the worst and they along with congress are the reason for communalism on which BJP is feeding. Congress does not have any good face to challenge Modi.
So, I see BJP being in power for at least 10 years. With the ever so over exploding population, focus on automation and the diminishing natural resources, BJP need to focus on long term future issues rather than short term benefits. If they don't tackle these issues, then political future can be in turmoil. If they can tackle these core issues, then no one can stop them from being in power for a long time.
It will be interesting times ahead, with chance of going both ways.
PakPassion.net : What's gone wrong with Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf?
big_gamer007: Faheem Ashraf, I think was over-rated from the start. He lacked the skillset to reach the top level. If he does work really hard then he can be a decent player, but in my opinion, his ceiling is to be a decent player and that’s about it.
Hasan Ali needs to hide his weaknesses. He is a skittish type of bowler who lacks height. He is not express like Waqar Younis either. If the conditions are not favorable, his pace and bounce is perfect to get tonked. He needs to work on his variations and develop an out-swinger. Playing in UAE takes a massive toll on bowlers both physically and mentally, PCB need to shift their home matches away from UAE otherwise more fast bowlers will suffer the way Mohammad Amir and Hasan have suffered.
PakPassion.net : What changes would you recommend for Pakistan's Test side ahead of the Test Championship?
big_gamer007: Pakistan team is at the right phase of transition and hopefully it works out well for them this time around. They have a good core of young players who are at the right age, however, you guys need to find a good captain and wicket keeper. Sarfaraz Ahmed is a massive liability. I would replace Sarfaraz with the best wicket keeper batsmen in Pakistan right now, and make Babar Azam the captain with Azhar Ali as vice-captain who guides him for next 2 years till he is groomed.
Fast bowling stocks are pretty good, just need to groom someone to replace Yasir Shah eventually.
PakPassion.net : Do you think Virat Kohli is actually good as captain?
big_gamer007: Virat Kohli is a decent captain. People underrate him because they compare him with MS Dhoni or Sourav Ganguly. He is not as good as his predecessors but that does not mean he is a bad captain. He has his issues and plays his favorites but every captain does that. His main quality is the passion he brings in every time he sets foot on the field. You can see it in his body language which shows how passionate he is for his team/country. If a player does not get motivated by seeing such a passionate captain, then nothing can motivate him.
He knows how important fast bowlers are and backs them always which is the first time we see in Indian cricket.
However, he lacks the street smartness and quick thinking of Dhoni.
PakPassion.net : Tell us a bit about your background, why the name ‘big_gamer007’ ? What do you do as a profession?
big_gamer007: Growing up I used to play computer games and was thinking of a name to use, my sister suggested to use this and ever since then I use this name everywhere even though I do not play games anymore for a long time.
I work as a pre-sales consultant for a MNC. I studied engineering and slowly moved from technical line into techno-functional role now which is better paying
PakPassion.net : If you were given a choice to meet any three cricketers who will they be? And what will you ask them?
big_gamer007: The three cricketers would be:
1. Imran Khan - I want to hear his entire story about the struggles to reach where he is. It's a fascinating story and I think you should make a movie out of his entire life.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin - How many matches did he fix in the 90's and cost us how many games.
3. Lance Klusener - What did he say after the 1999 World Cup semi-final to Allan Donald in dressing room.
PakPassion.net : Growing up, who was your favorite international foreign and Indian player to watch?
big_gamer007: Well my favorite has to be Sachin Tendulkar for obvious reasons. However, at different stages I had different favorites, I will try to list a few I remember in order:
1. Aravinda DeSilva
2. Lance Klusener
3. Shoaib Akhtar
4. Shane Bond
5. Jimmy Anderson
6. AB de Villiers
Currently I don't have favorite per se but I enjoy watching Mitchell Starc bowl when fully fit.
PakPassion.net : What is your take on spot fixing? Do you think that people involved in the crime deserve to play again once their punishment period is over?
big_gamer007: I think there should be zero tolerance on any form of fixing. At international level most teams pay their players well enough to not get involved in such acts.
Whoever is caught should be banned for life.
At grassroots/domestic level you can have a few years punishment with a proper rehabilitation program.
PakPassion.net : Which has been your most memorable cricket game to attend and why?
big_gamer007: To be honest I haven't attended many matches, but I attended few games in IPL in corporate box. So, I enjoyed those games mostly due to non-cricketing reasons. From international matches, I have only attended like 3-4 and most of them were quite boring. I have a short attention span and can't watch an entire match for 8 hours so I avoid going to stadium.
I would love to watch India vs Pakistan in England though. That is the one match I wish I get a chance to watch.
PakPassion.net : Why do fans call Rohit Sharma out despite him performing so well for India and how do you feel about his career and future in Indian limited overs team till the year 2023?
big_gamer007: Rohit Sharma had a bad start to his career and was backed a lot by team management. However, people criticize him because of his play style. He looks so lazy and when he gets out people think he does not try hard enough. But truth is that is how he plays, it's his natural game. Another reason is his lack of success in Test matches, and getting plenty of chances overseas when there are more deserving Test players who don’t get any chance.
I think by 2023 he will be 36 or 37 years old so IMO he will be somewhat of a liability in the team. He has 2-3 years left at top level after that he will start declining as a batsman. And seeing the lack of work ethic he will decline rapidly compared to others.
PakPassion.net : How do you feel about Mohammad Shami not being picked in semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, given that he had played well in the tournament and he was man of the series in India versus New Zealand series?
big_gamer007: In hindsight we can say Mohammad Shami could have played, but in my opinion the playing X1 was perfect. Indian bowlers did a great job in restricting the Kiwis. The match itself was kind of ruined by rain, but there are no excuses for our batting to collapse like the way it did. We all knew there will be a match where the top order fails and all of us fans were hoping it would not be in knockouts.
I don't think Shami would have done anything better than the other bowlers, so I don't mind him not playing.
PakPassion.net : How do you rate India's chances in the Test championship?
big_gamer007: India will obviously be the favourites to win. India at home is just too strong and all other countries currently are susceptible at home. Outside home, India have a good chance of winning in almost every country now. So, unless someone lifts their game considerably or if we suffer from a massive off series (at home) we are firm favourites to win.
PakPassion.net : T20I, ODI or Test - which format do you prefer and why?
big_gamer007: I don't have any specific format. I am a fan of high-quality fast bowling especially in swinging/seaming conditions, so I prefer to watch Test matches in England the most. Second would be to watch Test matches in South Africa.
After that I prefer ICC tournaments, and after that T20 format games. I don't enjoy bilateral ODIs unless they are in bowling friendly conditions.
To me beauty of cricket is when a batsman is facing unplayable conditions and still surviving through sheer grit. I rate Kohli's 47 odd runs against South Africa in third Test last year as one of the best high-quality innings from him in recent times. I would rather re-watch that innings than any of his centuries in batting friendly conditions.
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. Chappal and Belt was the most common tool with "Belan" and "Thuppi" being close second 
