For people interested in statistics I have something interesting. The greatest fast bowler of India, Kapil Dev, debuted for India in October 1978—in the same month the second-best fast bowler in the country, Zaheer Khan, was born. Uncanny, isn't it?
Now Zaheer Khan debuted for India in late 2000. Probably, somewhere around that time, one of the greatest fast bowlers for India should have been born.
So, going by reverse logic, did any great fast bowler debut for India during the time when Jasprit Bumrah was born—in December 1993? Well, no one in India. However, this is a great patch astrologically—late 1993. Pluto was in its own house, Planet-X was in exaltation and planet Neptune was in the deepest exaltation. Some great guy must have debuted somewhere.
Yes, one man did. Glenn McGrath! One of the greatest fast bowlers in the world debuted exactly in the same week as Jasprit Bumrah’s birth. I should say it the other way around. Bumrah was born exactly in the week when the great McGrath debuted for Australia. Well, that is something.
That implies Jasprit will go on to acquire great stature for sure. His horoscope indicates the possibility of him overtaking even Zaheer Khan in the list of the all-time greats for India. He may fall behind Kapil Dev, who will remain India’s greatest fast bowler ever. There are massive possibilities for Bumrah. While Pluto and Neptune in his chart are similar to Kapil Dev’s, he has Venus and Mars in conjunction, like Zaheer. So, while he may produce some extraordinary spell bamboozling batsmen to throw their wickets away, he can also toil hard and earn his wickets under extremely tough conditions and circumstances. This also implies he will do well in the Indian sub-continental pitches too which assist spin more than pace.
The year 2019 started on a good note for Bumrah and he will do well for a decade or more. In the years after 2021, he will become even more dangerous. He is already one of the best bowlers in the world and will terrorise batsmen around the world from 2021 to 2027. Injuries might slow him down somewhat. But being the wily bowler that he is, he will compensate for that with his clever bowling, outsmarting the batsmen.
Bumrah’s final wickets tally will be lower than Kapil Dev’s but higher than Zaheer Khan’s. There is no question that Jasprit Bumrah will end up being one of the best bowlers of his generation and an inspiration to many budding fast bowlers from India. And yes, if Virat has to win a World Cup, he cannot do it without Bumrah in the playing XI.
Prediction #35 : Shreyas Iyer—How Big Will He Be?
Shreyas Iyer is going to be huge. Really huge. He has a fantabulous horoscope. He is the future of Indian cricket. We all know he has great talent. The important question is: does he also have the luck to shine as a star?
He has six planets in positions of strength—Pluto, Neptune, Planet-X, Planet-Y, Chiron and Venus. That is something. He is bound to be one of the biggest batsmen ever from India. He has not lived up to the promise of his chart so far, but his best is yet to come. The year 2020 will be the beginning of a splendid stretch for Shreyas Iyer. In the next decade, from 2021 to 2031, Shreyas will break many records and also create many of his own.
Shreyas has Pluto in the ascendant. It is the natural ruler of sports and it is in its own house after 260 years. This huge planet placed in the ascendant makes him potentially a great leader in sports. This indicates that he will not just be a batsman, but he could also assume bigger roles in cricket. Shreyas is obviously one of the future captains of India. He has already captained the Delhi Daredevils and if they persist with him, he could create absolute magic. Shreyas could be an extraordinarily successful captain.
It is very difficult to find a player who can do justice to his role as a team player as well as the captain, simultaneously. A few well-known names are Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly. Yes, it is too early to say this but that is the rare combination Shreyas Iyer possesses. The exalted Planet-Y and Chiron in eleventh house also indicate that he will play for a very long time. He is quite young now. That means he could keep going until his late thirties.
Shreyas Iyer’s successes will prompt big brands to hire him as an ambassador in the future. So, all you brand managers, catch him when he is still young, so that you can save some money!
Prediction #36 : Will Hardik Pandya Beat Kapil Dev?
It is very unfair to compare Hardik Pandya with Kapil Dev. The young man doesn't want that to be done. He wants to be himself and be known for being himself—which is fair. Even Gavaskar has said, ‘Kapil Dev is a one-in-a-century player and should never be compared; we should leave Hardik Pandya alone.’
Then why this comparison? It is to gauge, astrologically, how far Hardik Pandya can go.
Hardik’s brilliant horoscope has Pluto in its own house, Neptune in exaltation and Planet-X in exaltation. These three planets are enough to make him a good all-rounder. But can these planets make him a great all-rounder in the mould of a Kapil Dev or a Richard Hadlee or an Ian Botham? No, not possible. All these great all-rounders had more planets in stronger positions. As an all-rounder one is expected to do well every time they are on the field. So the number of planets they require in high strength is much more. Hardik is found wanting in this respect. Hence, he will be a good all-rounder, but perhaps not a great one. He could be another Irfan Pathan or better, but not a Kapil Dev.
Also, Kapil Dev had a huge impact on the outcome of a game. Hardik Pandya may not have such kind of a huge impact. One very important planet for a fast bowler is Mars. It is the planet of stamina, energy and strength. Unfortunately, Mars is in a weak position in Hardik Pandya’s chart. The weak Mars will ensure that he has frequent breakdowns and injuries that will impact his game. He will pick up some wickets in one match and score a few runs in the other, but consistency will be a challenge. In the long run, Hardik will be the Hardik as he wants to be known. And, yes, he will come out of this school-boyish kind of attitude that got him into trouble and be sober and gentler.
Prediction #37 : Who Will Be the Captain of India after Virat Kohli?
Now, this is the other question many have asked me time and again. While Dhoni was at the helm, it was very difficult to imagine another player who would go on to become the captain, replacing the Chennai Super King. That is, until Virat Kohli, with his cocksure attitude, slowly made the mantle of captaincy his own. Now, it is very difficult to think of someone as Virat’s replacement, simply because it seems that Virat will remain the captain for another five years. Or at least until the 2023 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India.
Who indeed will wear the crown after King Kohli—say after 2023?
Well, as we have touched upon this earlier, it is KL Rahul. Shreyas Iyer, too, looks good enough to don the mantle. If the captaincy is split between these two gentlemen, it will be great for Indian cricket indeed.
After MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, there seems to be no player over the horizon who has natural leadership abilities like these two greats of the game. Yes, there are some players who could be very good leaders, but they are still very young. Before a long-term captain can be appointed, there may be a phase where a couple of interim captains hold fort. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul could serve that purpose.
Rahul does have the captaincy element in him due to his extraordinary horoscope. He scores over all the other contenders simply because he wouldn't want to be one in the first place.
Mercury in Pisces also gives them the ability to absorb and learn from others, all the while being an excellent team player. You also need to give it to him that he has amazing maturity as a cricketer. He can be calm during a crisis. The sun in Aries gives him the leadership skills. So, if entrusted with the responsibility, Rahul can come up trumps. The Libra in him will ensure he is fair when he handles his team members.
On the other hand, Shreyas is a passionate Scorpio with the shrewd leadership skills of a Capricorn. He is the one you want when you go to war. Hence, both the boys are good contenders for the captaincy role. Let the best man win the crown. In fact, if both men win it, it will be a win-win situation
for Indian cricket.
Prediction #38 : How Far Will Kuldeep Yadav Go?
Kuldeep Yadav has a phenomenal horoscope. He has Pluto in its own house (of career). Pluto is the natural ruler of sports and having Pluto itself in your tenth house is an amazing piece of luck. Add to this the fact that Kuldeep also has Chiron in exaltation and Planet-Y in its own house—both in his eighth house (of sports) and we have a killer combination.
This extraordinary arrangement of planets is what makes him unique. He is the only chinaman bowler India has produced in ages. Kuldeep could probably be the best chinaman bowler ever in the world. In the process he could also go on to break many records and create a few of his own. He should also have a long career because of a very powerful eleventh house.
With Kuldeep there will be an additional bonus. Many may not have realised it, but he could also be a very handy batsman. He is an Aries-Scorpio. He has that fire in the belly. He was supposed to be a fast bowler but, at his coach’s insistence, turned out to be a spinner. But his mind still works like a fast bowler’s. He will come back at you if you you hit him hard. He can also whack the ball hard. He can be that healthy lower order batsman who adds some quick runs to your total.
While Kuldeep will do very well in tests, his greatness will be established in the limited-overs editions. He will certainly be a World Cup winner in one of these formats. He debuted on a full-moon day in the T20s and will go on to be a legend in that shortest format of the game.
Kuldeep will also be a very good businessman. His horoscope shows his excellent potential as a shrewd investor. He is going to be a wealthy man for sure.
Prediction #39 : Is Smriti Mandhana Made for Bigger Things?
Smriti is meant for bigger things in life. Her remarkable horoscope has Planet-X in a rare exaltation in Capricorn. Besides that she also has Pluto, Planet-Y and Jupiter in their own houses. She is already doing pretty well for herself. The BCCI named her as the best woman cricketer in 2018. The ICC gave her the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the best cricketer of the year. Simultaneously, she was named the ODI player of the year.
Smriti's first breakthrough came in October 2013 when she became the first Indian woman to hit a double hundred in a one-day game. In 2016, Smriti also signed up with Brisbane Heat for the women's Big Bash League along with Harmanpreet Kaur—the first two Indians of either gender to sign up with them.
Smriti is going to be a pillar of strength for her skipper, Harmanpreet, and for India. If India is to win any big tournaments, it needs Smriti to play a crucial role. She missed the chance to create history when she got out for a duck in the 2017 cricket World Cup final against England. She had done well until then and her only failure robbed India of a great chance.
Smriti will not make the same mistake again. Together with Harmanpreet, she will be one of the highest run scorers for India. In all likelihood, she will also be one of the greatest openers from India. If India is ever to dream of winning a World Cup, then Smriti’s should be the second name to feature on the list after Harmanpreet’s.
Prediction #40 : Who Will Be the Future Superstar of Indian Cricket?
Rishabh Pant for sure. Rishabh has an extraordinary horoscope with Pluto in its own house. Planet-Y, too, is in its own house. The most important aspect about his chart is that his birth coincides with the moment when Planet-X entered into deep exaltation. The nascent deep exaltation is very powerful and produces some titans. Rishabh will go on to be a superstar for certain.
He also has Venus and Mars in conjunction. Now this is a very important combination for a cricketer who would fight for victory against all odds. He may face impossible situations where he would have to either finish the game from an extremely difficult position or bide his time and slowly take his team to safety. Everyone loves a hero, isn't it? Especially one who can brave the odds and come out victorious. Rishabh will be that hero. This fire-fighter role will endear him to the masses and to the brands and he will undoubtedly be a huge brand magnet.
Rishabh’s stocks will soar once be becomes an opener. Making him an opener will prove to be a fantastic decision by the Indian think-tank and will unlock his full potential. Rishabh can just destroy and demoralise the opposition with his murderous big hitting. He will remind us of some of the veteran Indian openers of yore and the entertainment and spunk associated with them. He will carve out a niche of his own though.
The fact that he will play all the three formats of the game would also work in his favour. So, be ready to see this young lad's face plastered on the billboards all over your city. His love life will be scrutinised and so will his every move. He will be an unexpected yet incredible fashion icon too. Yes, in 2021 and beyond, you will have a new cricket superstar in Rishabh Pant.
Prediction #41 : Will These Two Late 1997-Borns Shine?
As I had mentioned many times before, the late 1997 patch would produce some sports greats in general and cricketing greats in particular. While Rishabh Pant is already there, we will also look at the possibility of two more promising talents in Khaleel Ahmed and Mayank Markhande.
Can Khaleel Ahmed be a great?
‘Great’ is a word we use very loosely. There are very few greats in fast bowling. One can call Courtney Walsh, Dennis Lillee, Richard Hadlee, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Wasim Akram as greats of fast bowling. But then so many others, who were very effective, cannot be called as greats. They did pick up wickets under tough situations, terrorised the best of batsmen and road-rolled over the opposition single-handedly many times. Some of them are Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, James Anderson, Dale Steyn, Glenn McGrath, Waqar Younis, Brett Lee and Shane Bond.
When one examines the horoscopes of most of the greats of the game, be it a batsman or a bowler, one finds that they had more than five planets in extremely strong positions at the time of their birth. Or they had great-impact planets like Pluto, Uranus or Neptune in the deepest exaltation. Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni fall under this category.
Khaleel has three planets in strong positions. His Planet-X has just entered its nascent deep exaltation, planet Pluto is in its own house—and so is Planet-Y. This arrangement can make somebody a good, popular and an effective player but maybe not a ‘great’.
Khaleel is a combination of Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Scorpio and Sagittarius make him extremely passionate, full of energy and cool in temperament, but he is also blessed with a sharp mind because of Capricorn, which can help read the opposition very well. As he grows older and more mature, he will become a smart cricketer who will get wickets by deceiving the batsman then by felling them with his pace.
Khaleel may turn out to be one of the best, maybe one of the top 10 fast bowlers ever from India. He may not be a legend, but will be super effective. What's more, he could actually have something every great player would give their right arm to boast of—a place in a World Cup-winning squad!
What about Mayank Markhande?
My goodness, what a horoscope he has! India has an amazing pool of spinners that never dries. In Mayank Markhande, the latest addition, India seems to have fished out another winner. The young man was born in the last quarter of 1997, a deadly patch where some of the world’s greatest sport stars must have been born. With the power of Pluto, Planet-X and Planet-Y, he also has Venus and Mars in conjunction. This connection is tremendous for fast bowlers. When a spinner has this combination, he can wreak havoc upon the opponents. Mayank should have the ruthlessness associated with fast bowlers. Add to it the fact that he is also a Scorpio-Pisces, two zodiac signs which are the epitome of guile, cunning and mystery—and he can simply hoodwink batsmen with these traits of a master spinner.
Mayank made a sensational debut for Mumbai Indians in 2018 and he will only get better each year in the club championship. He may become a veteran of the T20s. Expect him to become a permanent fixture in the T20 squad for India too, leading up to the next two World Cups in 2020 and 2021. India will have a str
ong spin triumvirate in Chahal, Yadav and Mayank. He will also feature in the ODIs soon. He is here for the long haul.
So, while Khaleel may not be termed as a great, he will still be an exciting talent for India who will do extremely well. Mayank, on the other hand, can really be up there as one of the best spinners to have played for India.
Khaleel and Mayank’s horoscopes also suggest the possibility that a future Indian World Cup-winning squad is slowly being formed.
By the look of it, it seems India can have a World Cup-winning squad assembled just by having cricketers born in the years 1997–99.
Prediction #42 : Will Prithvi Shaw Be Bigger Than Sehwag?
Interesting! People compare the young Prithvi Shaw with the veteran, Virender Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir has cautioned them against making such comparisons. He reasons that Prithvi had an easier outing against West Indies and he has tougher challenges ahead. He has a point there. Ganguly, too, has said that it is not fair to compare Prithvi with the genius, 100-test old Virender Sehwag.
I thought so too, but something very interesting caught my eye. Prithvi Shaw was born the year Virender Sehwag made his debut. It isn't really surprising that even Ravi Shastri has compared Prithvi with the veteran. As I have mentioned a few times in this book, if a future player is born at the time a great player makes his debut, it gives a fair indication of how far he would go.
When you dig deeper and focus minutely on Sehwag’s debut day, you notice that it was 1st April 1999—an auspicious full-moon day! Yes, though Sehwag’s debut coincided with Prithvi’s birth in terms of the year, the planets over the horizon when the Nawab of Najafgarh debuted were super-extraordinary vis-à-vis those in Prithvi Shaw’s birth chart. The X-factor of the full moon indicated Sehwag’s longevity in the game and the amazing heights he reached. This extra zing that is missing in Prithvi’s horoscope might have helped him perch next to the great icon. Also, when we go back to the basic birth charts, Prithvi Shaw has three planets in strong positions, while Sehwag had seven, so no comparison there either.
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