The coach is of supreme authority in football. He can make or break careers of footballers. He has the most unenviable job of selecting the right people who will perform for him and land the coveted trophy. The cricket coach doesn’t enjoy that much control though. In fact, all the coaches who have tried to assert themselves have found themselves removed, especially in India. High-handedness of any kind is not tolerated by the players and they can even revolt against the coach, eventually leading them to be removed from the team. Ask Greg Chappel.
But teams that had incredible coaches, who had excellent people-management skills, not just survived but wrote extraordinary stories that turned into folklore. Ask Gary Kirsten.
Yes, there were some coaches whose ideology didn’t match that of the captain and, eventually, they fell out. The coach in question here probably wanted certain things to be done in a certain way. The captain probably didn’t like it; perhaps didn’t want his authority diluted. In such a scenario the coach was even shown the door acrimoniously. Ask Anil Kumble.
Virat Kohli’s handling of the Anil Kumble episode also emphasises the fact that he could not have been born in 1988. Had he been, he would have his sun and Mercury in Libra. Librans are known to always listen to different perspectives and then take decisions. Librans always end things amicably, even if there is a difference in the points of view. They are never into showdowns or getting into situations of ‘You versus Me’. That is typically an Aries~Sagittarius~Scorpio trait, which could be the case if Virat was born in either 1986 or 1987.
I was unsure about Didier Deschamps’ possibility of winning another huge title after already winning an UEFA Euro and WC as captain—especially with the 1960-born Argentine coach, Jorge Sampaoli, still in the fray. But when you looked deeper into Deschamps’ timelines, he won the WC and the UEFA Euro in 1998 and 2000 when Pluto, Planet-X and Planet-Y were in strong positions, exactly the same planets that were in exaltation in his birth chart. Now there was one planet still to give him results and that was Uranus. An exalted Uranus was transiting his third house (of coaching) in 2018 and hence the karmic quota was accomplished now.
Coming back to the coaches, in cricket they may not be as powerful as those in football, but they do act as the yardstick from whom we can know if the team is going in the right direction. A coach with a great horoscope, appointed at a good time, would lead the team to great successes and vice versa.
Let us look at the likely scenarios during the upcoming 2019 World Cup to understand what may transpire.
The strongest coach for the 2019 World Cup is Justin Langer. Justin is already a World Cup-winner and a magnificent batsman. But look at his horoscope! The phenomenal Uranus, Planet-Y and Planet-Z definitely promise more. Had he been a World Cup-winning captain, I wouldn’t have given him much importance. But he certainly still has some karmic quota of success up his sleeve. Justin Langer guarantees you at least one World Cup as a coach. So it is just a matter of finding out which World Cup Australia will win under him.
Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan coach, has already reaped the benefits of his horoscope by winning the Champions Trophy in 2017 against arch-rivals, India, besides taking Pakistan to the #1 ranked test and T20 team. So, another huge high for him seems improbable. South Africa has been making extraordinary blunders regarding the people at the helm. That’s one of the reasons why they have never won a major ICC trophy or have the reputation of being ‘chokers’ who win all minor tournaments only to freeze in all the major ones at the most important stage. In Ottis Gibson they have an ordinary coach who will cap another ordinary World Cup year for the Proteas. Sad.
Trevor Bayliss, the ‘tail’ of England definitely has a marvellous horoscope. With deeply exalted Pluto and Neptune and other well-placed planets, England does have a major tournament-winning coach in him. In fact, he has already won a Big Bash League with Sydney Sixers, and two IPL tournaments with KKR as a coach. Can he still manage to win more? Yes, he can. He has not had an eventful career as a player and that works in his favour. He was born in the same year as Ravi Shastri and has almost the same planets as him if not better. What works in Trevor’s favour is that unlike Shastri he doesn’t have any impressive track record as a player. He hasn’t utilised all his planets yet. His planets still have some magic left in them. With England, he may just turn on his biggest magic yet.
Ravi Shastri does have a good horoscope. However, his achievements are equally remarkable, at least looking at the potential of his horoscope. He is an accomplished all-rounder, the ‘Champion of Champions’ in the historic World Championship series in 1985, besides being an ace commentator. Immediately after he was appointed as a coach, I had written[28] how he would win great tournaments abroad if he ensures the right mix of personnel.
He had the best team in place while touring South Africa and England too in 2018. But glaring mistakes in selecting the players cost him the chances of winning two major tournaments outside the sub-continent. And then the final frontier was conquered. India won the test series for the first time in Australia after trying for more than 70 years in 2018–19. Team India became the first ever Asian team to defeat Australia at home. Ravi himself said[29] that this win was a greater victory for him than the 1983 World Cup win that he was a part of, though he didn’t feature in the final match.
Well, if Ravi Shastri feels this is better than a World Cup win, then he may be right. He may never lead a team to a World Cup win, as he has already seen the best according to him. Well—all too good for his horoscope. Maybe there isn’t anything further left now.
Ravi’s acme of achievement would be done with once he steps down from being the coach of the Indian cricket team after the World Cup. Then it will all be about reflected glory. Ravi may never have another glorious career peak after this. He would, of course, continue to be an ace commentator. He could also find some additional success as an author, writer and columnist.
Prediction #6 : Will RCB Win an IPL?
It is really surprising that Virat Kohli has not won an IPL yet. Yet it has been in India’s greater interest. Virat has probably utilised all the energy of his karmic quota to win the overseas tests in South Africa and England in 2018 and some of those famous historic victories in Australia in 2019 he has accomplished so far.
Dhoni is a 1981-born and Rohit Sharma is a 1987-born and, of course, Virat Kohli was born in 1986 or 1987. The year 1981 was power-supreme. Between 2010 and 2018, both Dhoni and Rohit Sharma won the IPL thrice and Gautam Gambhir won it twice. The next few years are going to be ruled by the captains born in the years 1986–87, who will win the IPL. Therefore, it goes without saying that the time is in favour of Virat Kohli.
Virat will surely win an IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). It is on the cards and can happen anytime. It could even happen this year (2019). So while I am writing this, Virat’s Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of the biggest challengers for the crown. If not this year, then it will happen sometime over the next two years. Virat is going to win an IPL; it is just a matter of time. If Virat Kohli doesn't win the World Cup 2019, then there are even greater chances that he will win an IPL soon. The vice versa, too, is true and in India’s interest let’s hope he doesn’t win the IPL. RCB has a very good team in place and the man who was hindering the chances of the team, the Amavasya-born, Daniel Vettori, is no more their coach now and things will get better for them from here on.
The only factor which is still stopping Royal Challengers Bangalore from winning an IPL is, ironically, another coach. Gary Kirsten has done so much for cricket and won so many accolades that he probably has nothing left to win. This could probably be that one factor working against Virat. Let's hope that Gary has one last glory left to be gained and maybe that would translate into an IPL win. If Gary doesn’t win it for them soon, then they would need to look for a new coach. RCB have the best captain and probably the best team in place. The only non-working factor right now is the coach. Sometimes, having the best man in place for a purpose m
ay not be the best idea.
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Prediction #7 : Which Captains Will Win the Future IPLs?
The horoscope of the captain is the key in winning mega tournaments such as an IPL. As we have seen in the past, only the best players with the best horoscopes can win the IPL. In the last 11 years (as of 2018), the captains who have won the cash-rich event were born in the years 1969, 1971, 1981, 1986 and 1987, with the 1981- and 1987-borns winning it thrice! As we have discussed a few times in the book, the 1986–87 phenomenon is going to work for the IPL in the future too. The year 1985 is also very important and cannot be discounted. So Dinesh Karthik, the only 1985-born captain, will always be on the radar.
The year which follows the 1986–87 belt is 1990. The year 1990 will be followed by the years 1992–94. So the IPL-winning captains of the future look like this: the 1987-born Rohit Sharma will always be in the reckoning as he has the finest horoscope amongst all the captains. Besides, he has not been captaining India regularly, so he has some karmic quota still intact. Therefore, he is the most important captain to watch out for. The 1986-born Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin will always be dangerous and both should win at least one IPL each.
If any other major player born in the stretch of 1986–87, like Suresh Raina, Kieron Pollard, Aaron Finch, Shakib Al-Hasan or Chris Morris, is made the captain, then they too have chances to win the IPL.
One of the biggest players who has a great chance to win an IPL is captain Kane Williamson, a 1990-born. His chances are higher as there is little possibility of him winning a World Cup or a similiar event as the captain of the New Zealand team.
I am really surprised that the test captain of the English team, Joe Root, is not playing in the IPL. If some smart franchise can make him their captain, he should certainly win an IPL. Branding Root as a test player is premature. He can surprise most with his scores in the shortest format of the game as well.
Jos Butler, too, could be one dangerous and lucky captain. Kane, Jos and Joe were all born in the year 1990.
The next lot of captains could be born in 1992–94. We can see some real gems here in Quinton de-Kock, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul and Shivam Dube. Shivam will be playing his first IPL when this book goes to print, but I’m pretty excited about the potential of his horoscope.
It is always possible that some players, whose names are not mentioned here, might win the IPL tournament as captain. But they would invariably be born in those strategic years—1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1994 in the next few editions. By the time those born in the 1990s get into action, the scene would have changed for the coaches too. The coaches born during the years 1968–74 would have higher chances now to win an IPL, combining forces with a captain born in the 1990s. The 1980–82-born coaches would come next in forming the fantastic IPL-winning teams.
Prediction #8 : What are India’s Chances in the 2020 ICC World T20?
When our school mates decided to meet after 20 years, I was surprised to hear some of my classmates asking if ‘athlete’ Greenstone was coming for the get-together. I remember faintly that I used to sprint well and even was an above-average footballer during my schooldays. But, I never played cricket. One sport which I loved to play was kabaddi. I used to be the ‘raider’ who would ‘visit’ the opposing team in their den. Making a ‘super raid’, touching two or three opponents and escaping away to safety was a daredevilry that raised my adrenaline levels. Boy, did I love it! I found cricket very long, dull and boring and never played it. Funnily enough, I have written volumes on cricket and nothing on kabaddi!
The T20 World Cup in 2020 will be played in Australia. Strangely, the winner of this World Cup will remain a champion for only a year. The next year, in 2021, there will be another T20 World Cup. That is the ICC’s strange way of scheduling a tournament!
So, what are the chances that India can win the Cup in 2020?
It is never easy to predict a tournament’s result so much in advance, since the horoscopes of the captains, the coaches and the team members play a big role in deciding it. The teams are yet to be known. But what we could try and do, on the basis of Virat’s horoscope alone, is hazard an educated guess about the possibilities from India’s perspective.
The 2019 win would have given one 1986-born captain a win, that is Eoin Morgan or Aaron Finch. I assume it would be Morgan as we have mentioned several times before. There is a miniscule chance that Aaron Finch will win it instead. In either case, there are two other 1986-born great players around, who also need to have equal chances to win a World Cup. They are the two captains out of the trio of Eoin Morgan, Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch, except whoever wins the Cup in 2019. They both need to win a World Cup each. Or at least one of them has to win a World Cup. But, since the tournament will be played in Australia, the chances of Australia winning grow higher, especially if they don’t win the 2019 event.
Can a 1990-born win a World Cup now? As mentioned before, 1990 is the next best year in the queue after the patch of 1986–87. But a win now is not possible at all. The 1990-borns will be able to win huge tournaments only after 2021, when Pluto gets exalted. So, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has no chances this time.
India’s chances of winning the 2020 T20 World Cup brighten, especially as they would have some deadwood removed from their team by then—and will also have a new coach as Ravi Shastri will step down after the 2019 World Cup. India would then have a fairly good chance, with a new set of young players. But they will still face competition from either Australia or England, depending on which one of them does not win the Cup in 2019.
In scenario #1, assuming England wins the 2019 World Cup:
England has already won a cup under Eoin Morgan and cannot repeat the feat again. The greatest chance of winning the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 goes to Australia. Aaron Finch—born on a full-moon day—has the best chance to win it in his own den. Australia’s chances also grow significantly because now they also have a terrific coach in Justin Langer. Langer’s horoscope says he has to win a World Cup. So, India’s chances grow rather thin here.
India may have a chance—if they rid themselves of the non-performing assets in their team or replace their old warriors with new ones. We will discuss the possible winning team in a chapter to follow. India’s chances would also brighten under a new coach. Hopefully, the birth year of the new coach will fall between 1965 and 1975 and he will have good planets in the right houses.
In scenario #2, assuming Australia wins the 2019 World Cup:
The best chances to win the 2020 World Cup then go to England. Eoin Morgan doesn’t play tests and the only glory he can achieve is in the ODIs or the T20 World Cup or the IPL. As none of the IPL teams will make him the captain, he should be the best man to win the World Cup in 2020. The extraordinary team under Morgan hasn’t won a big tournament yet and it will win it this time.
India has the second best chance to win the 2020 World Cup since Virat has a spectacular horoscope. If he has a great squad, then, as a 1986-born, he will undoubtedly have great chances to win the World Cup indeed.
Australia still has a chance to win the T20 World Cup in 2020 even if it wins the 2019 event. This man, Aaron Finch, has an extra-special horoscope. It seems he is destined to win a World Cup. Will it be two? A 50-over one as well as a 20-over one? Well, he does have the potential to accomplish that feat! So, Australia will be the super-favourite to win this tournament.
So, the highest chances to win the T20 World Cup in 2020 go to:
Australia
India
England
I’m not talking about the possibility of any other team at all as none of them stands a chance. That includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa.
Well, Indian fans need to cheer up. There is a great chance here, especially if we don’t win the 2019 event.
Talking of T-Rex, both Australia and India would have a fantastic head, body and tail and hence almost equal chances. As the
Australian T-Rex’s head isn’t as celebrated as the Indian T-Rex’s, I would consider it to have a slight edge over us. But we can cling on to the hope that the Indian T-Rex would still emerge stronger and victorious—and hopefully do a successful ‘super-raid’ on the Aussies, I hope. And hope is a good thing.
The only problem with this is that Virat has already created history through a ‘super raid’ in Australia by leading India to victory for the first time on Australian soil in a test series in 2018–19. Would he be able to do something similar again? Well, it is anyone’s guess. I had anticipated this dilemma (both the WC and the historic test series win highly unlikely on Australian soil) and hence predicted[30] that Virat would win a maiden test series in Australia. Between winning a test series Down Under and a World Cup Down Under, the first one seemed more probable, especially as there was a weak captain in the 1984-born Tim Paine. But in the 2020 World Cup, the Aussie captain would be the 1986-born Aaron Finch and it would be a tough job to do it once again. Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Prediction #9 : Can Smith and Warner Stop India from Winning in Australia Again?
India’s historic win in Australia for the first time ever in a test series occurred in 2018–19. Many people feel that the case would have been different had Steven Smith and David Warner been a part of the Australian team.
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