Category: Sports

What a Mess(i) !

Shakespeare in his incomparable style had a distraught ‘Macbeth’ ponder ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow … Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets….’ in one of his immortal tragedies of epic proportions.The lines highlight the fickleness of fame and fortune, success and victory which all mortals must face – even if it’s Lionel Messi, currently rated the world’s best soccer player. That fateful Saturday night when Argentina crashed out of the World Cup against a raging red-hot French team, that gave them no quarters to equalize the score, many dreams were shattered !

A disconsolate Messi may now announce his retirement from international soccer bringing down the curtains to what can be described as an incredible career spanning about two decades. It’s so fascinating that at the age of 31, Messi has been considered the best soccer player in the world and regarded by many as the greatest of all time in the tradition of the great Maradona.

Born in Jun,1987 as Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, the remarkable story of his life started in Central Argentina. Initially not strong he was diagnosed with a  growth hormone deficiency as a child. At a very young age of 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona and later made his competitive debut  aged 17 in October 2004. Thus began the spectacular era of Lionel Messi.

Having played professional soccer for the Spanish Club ‘Barcelona’ with  whom he spent his entire career and of course his own Argentine National  Team, over the years, Messi has been one of the most prolific goal scorers and creative playmakers having been the recipient of innumerable awards, prizes, trophies for his teams and huge recognition in the soccer world.

Messi became the youngest Argentine to play and score in a FIFA World Cup during the 2006 edition, and reached the final of the 2007 Copa America , where he was named young player of the tournament. As the squad’s captain from August 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive finals: the 2014 World Cup, for which he won the Golden Ball, and the 2015 and 2016 Copas America.

FIFA 2018, will be remembered not only for its many upsets (with last year’s champions Germany and Ronaldo’s Portugal making early exits ) but also for becoming swan song of possibly one of the most gifted and classy  practitioners of the wonderful game of football !

Messi himself has been quoted as saying “My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn’t paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing” ! Apt words from a truly great sportsman of this generation.

messi

 

FIFA World Cup 2018 – The Greatest Kick-Off

Being a sports-lover who’s reasonably informed about the IPL or the Ashes, the Wimbledon and the Grand Slams and our fight with the Chinese for badminton supremacy, I have felt inadequate with my knowledge and lack of interest in the incredible happenings of planet ‘soccer’, its most sought-after stars (I’m literate enough to know of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo). What I can’t fathom is – why fight over ‘Arsenal’ and ‘Chelsea’ !

I was not unduly concerned till I realized that the most stupendous sporting event, called the world’s biggest extravaganza “FIFA World Cup, 2018’ is about to kick off in Moscow with the opening match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Estimated to be followed by many millions of soccer-maniacs across the earth via live telecasts, football-fever will grip Russia and its 11 host cities as about one million fans from 32 participating nations pour into the country. Some say the ‘festival of life’ is back for next 30 days!

From the standpoint of politics and economics, a smoothly organized World Cup will add to the stature and standing of Russian leadership and its people as it seeks to establish itself as a premier force to reckon with. International sports throw up heroes and evoke impassioned nationalism.

My studies of this WC, show that the nations to watch out for are Germany, the last WC champions, (with key player Thomas Muller), France (with key player Antoine Griezmann), Brazil (with star player Neymar ), the Last WC Finalists, Argentina (boasting of the iconic Messi ), Belgium and last but not least Portugal ( mainly for the charisma of Ronaldo). Spain is besieged with last minute problems with their Coach Lopetegui being given the sack.

One avid sports-writer hopes that this WC turns into a clash of the today’s titans, Messi and Ronaldo – if both of them could propel their respective teams through virtuoso brilliance into a perfected scripted Argentina vs Portugal final and like other greats, call it curtains on incredible careers !

So let’s sit back and become part of the soccer-mania, for as one headline screams out ‘ It’s time to kick off  Russian Roulette’ !

messi vs ronaldo

FIFA World Cup 2018 – As Big As It Gets

Being a sports-lover who’s reasonably informed about the IPL or the Ashes, the Wimbledon and the Grand Slams and our fight with the Chinese for badminton supremacy, I have felt inadequate with my knowledge and lack of interest in the incredible happenings of planet ‘soccer’, its most sought-after stars (I’m literate enough to know of the legends, Pele and Maradona and the present greats, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo). What I can’t fathom is – why fight over ‘Arsenal’ and ‘Chelsea’ !

I was not unduly concerned till I realized that the most stupendous sporting event, called the world’s biggest extravaganza “FIFA World Cup, 2018’ is about to kick off in Moscow with the opening match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Estimated to be followed by many millions of soccer-maniacs across the earth via live telecasts, football-fever will grip Russia and its 11 host cities as about one million fans from 32 participating nations pour into the country. Some say the ‘festival of life’ is back for next 30 days!

From the standpoint of politics and economics, a smoothly organized World Cup will add to the stature and standing of Russian leadership and its people as it seeks to establish itself as a premier force to reckon with. International sports and specially soccer can throw up new heroes and evoke impassioned nationalism.

My studies of this World Cup, show that the nations to watch out for are Germany, the last WC champions, (with key player Thomas Muller), France (with key player Antoine Griezmann), Brazil (with star player Neymar ), the Last WC Finalists, Argentina (boasting of the iconic Messi ), Belgium and last but not least Portugal ( mainly for the charisma of Ronaldo). Spain is besieged with some last minute problems with their Coach Lopetegui being given the sack. However, they face Portugal in a tough encounter on Thursday.

One avid sports-writer hopes that this WC turns into a clash of  today’s titans, Messi and Ronaldo – if both of them could propel their respective teams through their virtuoso play and brilliance into a perfected scripted Argentina vs Portugal final and then like other greats, call it curtains on their incredible careers at their peak !

So let’s sit back and become part of the soccer-mania, for as one headline today screamed out ‘ It’s time to kick off  Russian Roulette’ !

messi vs ronaldo

( Picture source : messivsronaldo.net)

‘Afghan’ Khan Superstar

A question often asked in the larger scheme of things – can one man make a difference ? No, it’s not about the one who is always talked about and dissected, but of another man’s  coming from the relative obscurity of a small strife-torn country, to becoming a sensation through sheer brilliance and who is largely responsible for minnows, Afghanistan becoming a unit and  their remarkable entry into the international cricket scene !

In our country where films and cricket, are followed like religion, three famous ‘Khans’ have ruled Bollywood for the last two decades but now face stiff competition from others (somewhat like the present ruling party !). As is it’s wont, IPL ( cricket’s big annual bash ) has thrown up a new ‘Khan-icon’ in form of that unflappable leggie, ‘Rashid Khan’ who’s inscrutable bowling skills and on-field exploits has taken the cricketing world by storm !

Such has been his meteoric rise to fame (in the shorter format of the game) that an improbable story became viral in the social media of our people seeking Rashid’s citizenship to add to our cricketing assets and the Afghani authorities politely refusing to spare their hero from his national duties !

A  leading Indian magazine has carried out a two-day feature on him aptly putting the poser – What does it mean to be Rashid Khan – a big-league cricket star in a war-ravaged country .. and carrying the expectations of the entire nation, expecting a five-wicket haul in every match he plays. It’s the stuff dreams are made of, but despite the adulation coming his way, so far Rashid appears a perfect role model – committed, grounded, utterly loyal to his country and a real hero who rode into big battles from nowhere !

Much is being written in our papers of how cricket in Afghanistan picked up as late as 1980 from the refugee camps and showed amazing progress over the years to almost qualify for the 2011 World Cup in 2009 and later qualifying for World T20 in 2010 to fulfill their dream of playing a major international event. In 2017, ICC impressed with their progress inducted them as a Test playing nation.

Our own star batsman Dinesh Kartik, who’s as eloquent when he speaks as when he bats, said on the eve of historic First Test to be played in Bangalore tomorrow between India and Afghanistan ‘ It’s been beautiful … to have a Test nation like Afghanistan. Their journey has been an inspiration for international cricket …’ A feat that the Afghans can be really proud of as they cheer on for their team and real-time hero, Rashid Khan !

Rashid Khan

City of Champions

The beautiful city of Hyderabad with its regal history and legacy is also a one-stop haven for young techies and whiz-kids with its forward looking window open to innovative ventures and technological marvels. But remarkably, it could well be reckoned as our country’s reservoir of internationally acclaimed sportsman in the past from the legendary cricketers CK Nayadu and elegant ML Jaisimha and class batsman like Azharuddin and VVS Laxman to the incomparable badminton coach, P Gopichand and his protégé Kidambi Srikanth, just to name a few.

In the last decade, it has been giving to India world-beaters in different sporting disciplines, producing champion super-women of the likes of Sania Mirza (tennis) , Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu (badminton-singles) and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa (badminton-doubles), with the first three becoming household names because of the on-court exploits.

Add now to this list of extraordinary women, the name of the soft-spoken but feisty captain of the Indian Cricket team, Mithali Raj, who became the first Indian cricketer to amass 2000 runs in T-20 format as she edged past the King Kohli. She is also the highest run-getter in Women’s ODI cricket with an amazing average of over 51 ( more than even the God of Cricket, and leading scorer in men’s ODI cricket, Sachin Tendulkar ! ). Generally, there is no huge display of emotions from Raj on reaching any landmark but like all greats, she has acknowledged on different platforms  the stellar role of her father in shaping her illustrious career in cricket which started from the age of 16 as she made her ODI debut !

With such an inspiration of girls and many promising youngsters like Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Raut , Harmeet Kaur and others and the veteran bowler, Jhoolan Goswami ( the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI cricket) in the team, women’s cricket is improving by leaps and bounds but needs great support and nurturing from the authorities to get the same aggression and confidence of the present Indian men’s team ! For starters, while we all know the saga of the coach selection for our team lead by Virat Kohli, most of us would’nt know the name of the coach for the women’s team !

But Hyderabad can boast of a super coach from its ranks, the legendary P Gopichand  – albeit in another wonderful sport, badminton and is doing yeomen service to discover and create champions and to popularise the sport and physical fitness among the young boys and girls of today. People like him and other legends like Prakash Padukone and Rahul Dravid must be given all the administrative support by the Govt.authorities for they are the ones who can ‘lift’ all the talk of our country’s sporting culture to great heights. They can show the way to other big states what excellence in sports is all about.

Mithali Cricketer

Finding Goodwill

When celebrated and hugely talented, talismanic South African cricketer, AB De Villiers retired from international cricket yesterday, there was legions said and written about his cricketing prowess and breath-taking records by players, writers, peers and veterans of the cricketing fraternity world over. However, overriding it all was the adulation for a modern-day super-star with grace and humility rarely seen on the field and off it, who’d never let any discordant note or controversy surround his actions, and admiration for a role-model, playing a ‘gentleman’s game’ !

Accepting that AB D was extraordinary and a class apart, what happens in the lives of normal people who call it a day. It’s often seen that after their proverbial long innings of professional life and that stint from the seat of power and authority is over, most people slowly become relics and their names get submerged only to remain in the record books having served in the institution once upon a time. The ‘Ex’ factor stops being exciting whether attributed to a Boss or a partner/friend !

It’s not always that the compulsive ‘out of sight, out of mind’ theory is intentionally followed, for the world must move on and new must replace the old as a natural consequence.  But even with the dynamics of change, some old faces, voices, acts, names and memories linger on because of that intangible asset they created in their time – called ‘goodwill’ !

The world of accounting looks at this concept of ‘goodwill’ as the value of a company’s brand name, solid customer base, good customer relations, good employee relations and any patents or proprietary technology. Break it down to core human elements and we have those stand-out qualities of amity, benevolence, altruism, grace and human compassion which create that ‘goodwill’ which keeps alive the memory of a person long after he/she has gone. Appreciative, humane, compassionate and  the friendly, irrespective of positions they held, spread happiness at work making others around feel nice and wanted. They are truly missed when they leave and faces light up in recognition if they happen to walk in !

However, some individuals, specially those occupying high positions in their professions or organizations, very involved in clinging on to their authority and sense of entitlement and cut-off from the lives of people serving under them, assume that the same largesse will continue when they demit office. It’s amusing but ironic that many top executives have been seen lonely and unsung after the trappings of power are gone. It was a shock to a retired Top Boss, known to be irascible and curt to staff in his heydays, when juniors and subordinates didn’t stand up and even acknowledge his presence – it was their idea of pay-back time !

It’s not about being the best on the job but making a difference to the lives of the people and making it better and happy. Finding goodwill is a journey and not a destination – it’s not tangible but makes you so rich !

AB De Villiers

CWG Brave-hearts and Cricket’s Samsons

‘What’s in a name ?’ is a like a worn-out cliché – actually it’s everything if you’re rich and famous and a poster boy/girl  to boot, like our glamorous, blue eyed stars of Bollywood or much-hyped and over-valued ( some would say !) cricketers, whose gladiator-like heroics are flashed on the IPL giant screens across the cities and cheered by millions every night for 45 days this time of the year !

Toddlers still learning their ABC are familiar with AB D (De Villiers, the ace batsman for RCB), and ‘Hitman’ (Rohit Sharma of MI) is more popular than Spiderman ! Mumbai boys, ‘Pandya brothers’ are special in terms of hair-styles and cool-quotient (being often spotted with stars both on and off the field !). Gabbar (Shikhar), Ash, Jaddu, Jasprit, Bhuvi, Chahal are household names. Dhoni and Virat have acquired demi-God status.

While the IPL 2018, was on in full swing, other sporting history was being created in Gold Coast beyond the world of cricket – India stood third in the medals tally in the Commonwealth Games including 26 Golds ! With iconic greats Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar and Saina Nehwal striking gold, what has also emerged are new young stars in diverse disciplines like pistol shooting, wrestling, weight lifting, boxing, table tennis and predictably in badminton where India now reigns supreme.

Names like Manu Bhaker, Heena Sidhu, Manika Batra, Mirabai Chanu and the teen pistol sensation Anish Bhanwala and many others have covered themselves with glory but have a long way to go in acquiring a cult status unless the authorities ensure that some of the spotlight shifts to them !

Cricket, however much damned by many critics for its flamboyant domination over other sports and absurd amounts of earnings involved in the game, continues to be the big draw and IPL often sidelines even new Hindi film releases in terms of being a crowd puller ! Add to this, are a host of exciting new cricketers forming a formidable bench-strength and causing selection headaches. Leading are young guns like Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Rahul Tripathi, Kuldeep Yadav,Washington Sunder, Prithvi Shaw and Shubham Gill, many being products of the IPL brand of fast T20 cricket !

With all this, let a thousand champion sports-persons bloom everyday

and make every Indian proud that we’re a nation of a billion sporties !