Which is the most underrated individual score in test cricket?

 22 yards of deathbed.

The pitch is a minefield. The ball is moving. The ball is bouncing. There is a swing. There is speed.

This is West Indies. This is the den of fast bowlers.

The pace arsenal of Collins, Taylor, Bravo, and Collymore is breathing fire.

The openers survive only 23 balls. The team is two wickets down. The score reads 3 for 2.

And he walks to the crease.

He is straightway in the firing line.

A short ball shoots off the surface. He tries to fend it and fortunately for him the ball lands just short of the leg slip.

Another full delivery misses the outside edge of his bat by a centimeter.

A little later, the ball finds the edge but doesn’t carry to the slip fielder.

Another bouncer hurries on him. The ball kisses his bat and balloons in the air. The gully fielder jumps and gets a fingertip to it. But only a fingertip and nothing more.

Phew! He gets worked out ruthlessly. He gets grinded, beaten and bruised. They tempt him, they torment him, they test him.

But he refuses to give in. Wickets fall from the other end. No one except him is able to stand on this wicket. Everyone around him falls. Except him.

He withstands the storm. He overcomes the turmoil. He digs deep and waits for the opponents to commit the error. He plays the dirty way. The hard way. He ducks, leaves, defends and continues to do it again and again.

He waits and continues to wait. Eventually, his patience pays off.

He gets a full delivery and he drives it handsomely for a four with a straight drive. His first boundary. Off the 43rd ball he faces.

Then he gets a lifeless short delivery. He rocks back and hammers it with an authoritative pull.

There is no grace. There is no glamour. This is infact, the hard, the ugly way. But it works.

The runs come. Slowly. But importantly they come.

He works hard for them. He waits and waits for eternity. He shows immense grit to stand on that wicket. He reflects unparallel mental strength to overcome the conditions. He showcases impeccable patience to outshine the rigorous bowling.

Finally, after holding the fort for a whopping 340 minutes and after surviving 215 balls, he edges a fine delivery by Collymore and Ramdin collects it behind the stumps.

But by this time he has done the job for his team. Arriving at 2 down for 3 runs, on a minefield and no support from the other end, he takes the team close to 200.

A total that allows his team to eventually win the match by 49 runs and the series as well.

At Sabina Park, Jamaica in 2006, he not only scores81 runs but also shows the world the value of having a strong foundation, a never-die attitude, and a steel-like determination.

A masterclass of 81 runs! An underrated gem in Tests!

Who is the most underrated international cricketer?

 Most of the Answers here mention Batsmen.

I Wish To Differ

My Pick is Indian Fast Bowler JAVAGAL SRINATH

WHY HIM???

First Let us Have a look at his Statistics

NOW REASONS

• Highest Wickets by an Indian Fast Bowler in ODI
• Highest Wicket taker for India in World Cup Cricket
• Could bowl consistently with speeds even touching 150 kmph
• 2nd fastest Indian Fast Bowler to 200 Test Wickets
• Average is the 3rd best among all bowlers taking more than 100 Wickets for India
• Had one of the best strike rates as an Indian bowler
• Most 5 wicket hauls for India in ODI
• Bowled a delivery at 154.5 kmph(fastest ever recorded by an Indian)
• 11th on the list of all time highest wicket takers in ODI and 2nd Indian on that list
• Gentleman of a person

CAREER DEFINING MOMENTS

• Demolishing South Africa

In 1996 South Africa were favourites to win requiring just 170 of the Fourth Innings in Ahemedabad. Javagal picked up 6 wickets for just 21 Runs and won India home. Who would have thought a fast bowler in the Fourth Innings on an Indian pitch could be so lethal?

• Did they Pull that Off??

In 1996 vs Australia in the Titan Cup. 216 was the target given to India.India were reduced to 164/8 requiring 52 in 8 overs.He saw India home with 30 runs from 23 balls with Anil Kumble scoring 16.India went on to lift the Titan Cup beating South Africa in the Finals.Such unlikely victories boost your morale,don’t they?

• Rattling the Top Order

Singer Cup ODI of 1996 and the target for Sri Lanka was a meager 200. Sri Lanka were reduced to 23/4 and Srinath picked up 4 for 35.India won by 12 runs.He once again proved to be an asset for India.

• South Africa Again???

2nd Test match of 2001.India had lost the previous one.A six wicket haul for 76 saw India to a good start but the batsmen could not capitalize and the match was drawn.

and many more….

WHY DO I FEEL HE IS UNDERRATED AND WHY HE SHOULDN’T BE

• Never been looked as an Iconic Player of the 90’s (Most People preferred Batsmen over Bowlers)
• Played for India at a time where he did not have quality bowling partners
• Let us name the top 15 highest wicket takers in ODI

(M.Muralitharan,W.Akram ,W.Younis , C.Vass,S.Afridi ,S.Pollock, G.McGrath,B Lee,A Kumble,S Jayasuriya , J.Srinath ,D.Vettori , L.Malinga ,S Warne,S.Mushtaq)

My Point is how relatively well known the others are?

He is a Pure Gentleman of the game.How many Fast Bowlers would you put into this category?

He has been serving as a ICC Match Referee currently

He should be given the Appreciation he widely deserves.

Image Credits: Bing

What animals have underrated intelligence?

 I was going to say hyenas, but that’s taken, so allow me to present you an altogether more different and alien organism. Technically, it’s not an animal, but I doubt you’ll mind.

Pictured above is Physarum polycephalum, also known as the “many-headed slime”, a type of protist, and, specifically, a slime mold. The term “slime mold” doesn’t refer to a specific single group, but it is a broad term for several kinds of eukaryote which behave similarly.

Anyway, Physarum has - astonishingly - a basic form of intelligence, despite having no brain and only comprising a single many-nucleic cell. Here are some of the amazing things this slime can do.

• It can solve mazes. A P. polycephalum placed in a plastic maze will extend forth hundreds of tendrils, exploring all possible paths until it finds one which leads to food. It then retracts all the tendrils leading to dead ends. Moreover, it knows which way is quickest. If there are multiple routes to the reward, it’ll retract the (even slightly) longer one.

• It remembers. When the mold is solving a maze, it leaves behind a trail of slime wherever its tendrils reach. Using this slime, the Physarum avoids the paths it has already taken. This is essentially a creative, albeit rudimentary, analogue to memory - one that is in external, material form.
• It mimics transport networks. A P. polycephalum was placed in a plastic enclosure the shape of Tokyo, Japan. Bits of food were placed where the major transport hubs would be in real Tokyo, and the slime mold - knowing which ways were fastest, created a replica of the city’s rail networks using its tendrils.

• It learns and keeps track of time. A team of scientists - including the one who did the maze experiment, put this slime mold into a long groove, letting it move along the groove. However, every 30 minutes - they decreased the temperature and the humidity (slime molds thrive in hot, moist conditions). The mold slowed its pace to use less energy. After a while, the scientists stopped. Sure enough, the polycephalum kept slowing every 30 minutes, showing it could both learn and keep time.
• It’s a healthy eater. Another experiment had the slime molds in the middle of a circular clock face. At each mark in the clock, a different food was placed. However, some of them were made up of the healthiest ratio of carbs to protein, while others weren’t. All of the slimes selected the optimal foods.

An astonishing organism if there ever was one. So unusual that this creature is so obscure, for it certainly has some amazing stories to tell.

Which is the most underrated tourist spot/attraction in India?

 Here are some of the most underrated tourist spot in South India (I haven't explored North Yet)

1. Valparai

Valparai is a hill station in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nallamudi Viewpoint has vistas of the Anamalai Hills in the Western Ghats and surrounding tea estates. To the northwest, in Kerala, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is a forested area, with teak plantations and trails, sheltering tigers and Indian elephants. Northeast of town, the Anamalai Tiger Reserve is home to tigers, panthers, elephants, and macaques.

P.S. a ride/drive through Malkapara forest to Athirapally waterfalls is a must when visiting Valparai

2. Vagamon

Vagamon, also spelled Wagamon, is an Indian hill station town primarily located in Peerumade taluk of Idukki district, and also Meenachil taluk and Kanjirappally taluk of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India.

3. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary / Top Slip

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 391 square kilometers protected area in Chittur taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala state, South India. The wildlife sanctuary, which had an area of 285 square kilometers was established in 1973

4. Marayoor / Chinnar Wildlife

Marayur or Marayoor is a town in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located 42 kilometers north of Munnar on SH 17 connecting Munnar with Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu. Marayur is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forests. Ancient dolmens and rock paintings in Marayur date back to the Stone Age.

5. Gavi

Gavi is a village in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is located 28 km southwest of Vandiperiyar, a town in Idukki on N.H 220, the highway connecting Kollam and Madurai.

6. Meghamalai

popularly called the Highway Mountains, is a mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamil Nadu near to Kumily, Kerala. It is dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea level and it is rich in flora and fauna. This area, now mostly planted with tea, includes Cloudlands, Highways, Venniar and Manalar estates, the access to which is now largely restricted. It still includes large untouched remnants of evergreen forest

7. Ponmudi

Ponmudi is a hill station in the Peringamala Panchayat of Trivandrum District of Kerala in India. It is located 53 km north-east of Trivandrum City, 78km south-east of Varkala Beach and 69km north-east of Kovalam Beach at an altitude of 1100 m.

8. Varkala

Varkala is a commercial, industrial and tourism centre in the Thiruvananthapuram district, situated in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the northern suburb of Trivandrum City. Varkala is also a taluk headquarters. In 2019, Varkala Beach was selected as the second most stunning cliff beach in the world.

9. Povaar

Poovar is a tourist town in Neyyattinkara in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state, South India. This village is almost at the southern tip of Thiruvananthapuram while the next village, Pozhiyoor, marks the end of Kerala. This village beach attracts tourists throughout the year

10. Kudremukha

Kuduremukha is a mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station cum mining town situated near the mountain, about 20 kilometers from Kalasa

11. Coonoor & Kotagiri

Kotagiri or Kothagiri is a taluk and a Panchayat town in The Nilgiris District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the third-largest hill station in the Nilgiri hills.

Coonoor is a hill station in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s known for its tea estates in the surrounding Nilgiri hills. Sim’s Park is a sprawling public garden with plants like rhododendrons, roses and eucalyptus trees. The steam Nilgiri Mountain Railway travels between the towns of Mettupalayam and Ooty via Coonoor. Dolphin’s Nose is a vantage point with views of the cascading Catherine Falls.

12. Kolukumalai

This highest tea estate in the world is definitely a place worth visiting, especially for those who swear by a cup of tea. Located at a height of 7900 ft above sea level, the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate is popular for growing special flavoursome teas, known for its divine freshness and rich taste

P.S. Some of the pictures are straight out of Google Images, Credits to the photographers.

What are some unknown or underrated travel destinations in India?

 

• Rani ki Vav or Ranki vav (lit. 'Queen’s stepwell') is a stepwell situated in the town of Patan in Gujarat state of India.

Engineering sketch plan of the step-well.

• It is located on the banks of Saraswati river. Silted over, it was rediscovered in 1940s and restored in 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Rani-ki-Vav was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2014.

Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, daughter of Khengara of Saurashtra, queen of the 11th-century Solanki dynasty and spouse of Bhima I.

As the history goes, Patan where the stepwell is located was the capital of Gujarat when King Siddharja Jaysingh was in power. Then, it was known as Anhilpur Patan. The construction of Rani Ki Vav was commissioned in the Solanki or Chalukya regime. It is said that the stepwell was built as a tribute to Bhimdev the First whose father had founded the Solanki dynasty in 1050 AD. The construction was proposed by the queen Udayamati, wife of Bhimdev the first.

• The entrance is located in the east while the well is located at the westernmost end and consists of a shaft 10 metres in diameter and 30 metres deep. The stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs which lead down to deep circular well.
• The finest and one of the largest examples of it's kind and designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, the stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels; more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery.
• The walls, pillars, columns, brackets and beams are ornamented with carvings and scroll work. The niches in the side walls are ornamented with beautiful and delicate figures and sculptures. There are 212 pillars in the stepwell.
• The structure was flooded by the Sabarmati River and remained silted till the late 1980s, when the ASI excavated it.
• The steps lead to the deepest bottom through several pillared pavilions. The lowermost step ends at a small gate which opens to a 30-km tunnel. It is supposed to have been used as an escape to the nearby town Sidhpur in times of invasion by enemies.

The World Heritage Site status has made Rani Ki Vav the queen of stepwells in India, for its sheer magnificence, intricate carvings, celestial sculptures, and water-preserving technology.Since July 2018, the new 100 rupee banknote features rani ki vav in its rear side.

The beauty of this step-well architecture is beyond the words.