The Conversation - The GOAT Life!!!

Don't let the title of the piece fool you. It came from all the things that KG may say or ask....

YOU HAVE GOAT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

HERE WE GOAT AGAIN...

SHIT JUST GOAT SERIOUS...

GOAT THAT FRIDAY FEELING....

Anyway to more serious stuff. Reluctantly when I asked KG aka Karthik Gopalakrishnan to offer his pearls of wisdom to this piece, he said that he did not need any more fame. Thankfully he responded and I must admit, the guy is funny. Let me also state it for posterity. He is a wise ass, knows he is good at certain things but best of all is ready to have a good time at a drop of a hat. What more can one ask in a buddy. 

I enjoyed this one and hope you do. And KG you can never be the PoP. It comes with entitlement and respect. Both of which you will never get as long as you fight for the 1000 rupee maintenance charge 👻💀

1. What came first, KG with a tennis racket or KG asking too many questions?

Hmmm... That's a tough one! I was never the inquisitive kinds as a kid. I used to do what was asked of me, no more no less. I picked up a tennis racket at 11 yrs and played my first tournament at 12 (I was runner up at this all Kerala tournament).

The inquisitiveness came in much later in life, perhaps through my professional career. However, I'm not like a first-bencher asking questions at every gathering... I think I started doing this with smaller and closer set of people

2. You are a reluctant cricketer at best. What is motivating you to come to the maidaan every weekend?

Hahaha... I've never really played much cricket as a kid coz I started playing serious tennis at 12. So I used to find it hard to wake up early on a weekend to play cricket, a sport I didn't enjoy much or wasn't good at either! Last year, it was Vicky's persistence as a team mate that got me to the maidaan once in a while! Lately, I've started enjoying the game and the camaraderie, despite all the banter 😀...

I guess having the ability to thrash some of you seasoned maidaan bowlers in the recent past, is making it easier to wake up in the mornings to play 😂...

3. Batter, bowler, fielder, team man. Is there anything you cannot do? The community wants to know…

I've been a good sportsman from an early age, guess I had it in my genes as my father was a university footballer. In fact, I was also a good sprinter in school and used to be in the top 2-3 in my age category. So fitness, descipline etc. was part of life from an early age. I'm clearly a better batter as my hand-eye coordination from tennis helps here. I'm a part-time bowler at best.

Is there anything I can't do - I don't think I can umpire as I don't know all the rules of the game! My near-term target is to overthrow the current PoP at SP

4. The teams you have played for are expecting a lot from you. Does that add to the pressure or it does it not affect you?

Interesting question. To be honest, it does start playing on your mind once you get better at something. You have nothing to lose or prove when there are no expectations 😂... Having said that, I've had this experience as a tennis player. Once I started winning tournaments and become the top seed, you have everything to lose from there on. So there used to be tremendous pressure on me as a teenager to continue to deliver results, and it took it in my stride. Think I got this trait from my dad as well, being cool and able to handle pressure. So yes, I do feel different mentally now whenever I'm at the maidaan, knowing I'm expected to perform. But bad bowlers like you make it a little easier for me sometimes 😂...

5. How do you describe your batting style and what goes into your thinking when you take strike?

I have zero technique since I haven't played or watched much cricket! When I started off, I used to just swing the bat and let my hand-eye coordination do the job - see ball hit ball. But now, I'm starting to think a bit more when I bat, which is sometimes detrimental 😂...

6. Is there one cricketer in the group that has your number?

Do you mean phone number? Many do...

7. Has badminton become your preferred racket sport?

Hahaha... Never! It's a sport for the monsoons for me 😀... But since I've started getting better there as well and beating so called "incumbents", I've started to enjoy it