Help MS Dhoni to decide in a crucial play-off match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, the students were asked in their semester examination at Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M).
The Indian Premier league (IPL) has entered the portals of the premier Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M). Help MS Dhoni to decide in a crucial play-off match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, the students were asked in their semester examination.
To their surprise, the students were asked about how to make judgment of the pitch and the outfield considering the dew factor. No, it was not a generalised one, but a specific one pertaining to the Chepauk ground in Chennai, hosting the qualifier for the IPL. Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in the play-offs.
It was an end semester examination for the paper ‘Material and Energy balances’ held on Monday. Giving details of the weather forecast and the temperature as well as possible humidity level in the city, students were asked to recommend Dhoni what he should opt for – batting or bowling first.
Bringing novelty into the matter, the question has been set in such a way that the students have to answer and justify their reasoning. Points will not be awarded without correct justification. So they can’t hazard a guess.
CSK, with a fanatic fan following, has the credit of reaching the play offs in every edition of the tournament save for the ban period. Dhoni is so popular that a movie on a cricket aspirant too has come in his name. No wonder then that the questioner too asks students to team up with him on what to opt for.
“As per the weather forecast for May 7, the relative humidity in Chennai is expected to be 70%. Temperature at the start of the game is predicted to be 39 degree C, at the beginning of the second innings the temperature is expected to drop to 27 degree C. Based on this info, if MS Dhioni wins the toss, would you recommend batting or fielding first?” reads the question.
The question was set by Professor Vignesh Muthuvijayan of the Bio-Technology faculty. With the International Cricket Council (ICC) tweeting the question, it has gone viral on the internet. The ICC’s tweet had this caption as well: “Shout out to Professor Vignesh @iitmadras for making exams relevant to important, real-life issues”
Prior to that, it explains that dew plays a major role in day night cricket making the outfield wet. With the ball getting wet, it becomes difficult for both spinners and pacers to bowl with required grip.
When contacted, Professor Vignesh M said students should be able to apply in real life what they learn in the class rooms.“Academic enquiry of sports is very relevant to understand what students learn. They could apply their academic knowledge in real life situations. Rather than being a mere spectator to pre-match discussions on TV, they could themselves analyse from what they have learnt in the class room. Since cricket is popular and IPL being played in the city, it has been taken in this instance. And, Dhoni is hugely popular here,” he explained.
