Limelight...not for me please!

A house has four walls. Every wall is in itself complete. But together they make something that has a lot more meaning. But for now, let us concentrate on a single wall. Have you ever wondered how much stress falls on a single wall in holding up a house, or any free-standing structure for that matter? How much all the bricks have to work together as a unit to maintain the shape of which it is a part. Measure it and you'll be amazed. It's a wonder that buildings can stand on their own at all! Now consider the weight of expectations which fall on a cricketer in India, where cricket is more than a sport, and its players are more than demi-gods. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people, were every leading edge, every wide ball is scrutinised more than investigators at a crime scene, it is staggering to think that a player would last for 1 and a half decades, playing like he used to when he started, and remaining the perfect gentleman that he always was.



That, my friends, is the story of Rahul Sharad Dravid. A cricketer who represented the country with the verve and passion matched only by a few others. A player who brought hard work, dedication and determination to a sport, in a country which treats its players like a yo-yo, lifting them to the highest of highs one moment, and then plunging them into the deepest abyss the next. All because they won or lost a 'game'.
He made his debut at the crease on a cloudy day in the summer of 1996, at Lord's, no less, the home of the sport of cricket. But right from the start the spotlight seemed to have a way of avoiding him, running circles around his person but never settling on him. His debut score of 95 was overshadowed by the amazing debut century of a certain Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Ganguly. When he made 145 three years later at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka, he was overshadowed again by a pulverising 183 by that same guilty party. When he scored 180 against Australia in the now legen...wait for it...dary Test match at Eden Gardens (woohoo!!), a Very Very Special Laxman scored 281, which was at that time the highest score by an Indian. Not that Dravid did not get any plaudits for that innings, but again he was playing second fiddle. Even the Test match in which Dravid reached 10000 runs, Sehwag scored a record breaking triple century, blistering through the opposition bowling attack.



Not that he didn't star in any of India's wins. In the greatest Test achievement oversees(in my opinion) in the past 10 years, the win over Australia at Adelaide in 2003, Rahul Dravid played the lead role, scoring 233 in the first innings and a 70 odd not out in the second to pull India over the line, and forever engraving his name as a legend of the game.



His decision to retire came yesterday in what has to be described as typical Dravid fashion. When the spotlight was elsewhere, when he wasn't in the news, he decided to call an end to an illustrious career which reached across three decades of the calendar. I have come to expect nothing less of the great man. This is my salute to the glue which held the Indian batting line up together for 15 long years. Sad to see you go, The Wall. Thank you for the memories.

The Festival which Eludes Me

I think what would be more appropriate as the heading is 'The Festival I avoid like its the Plague'! If my memory serves me correctly, I was 14 the last time I returned home on the day of Holi looking like a Rainbow. And then it began, the scrubbing, the rinsing, the soaping, the shampooing, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, those damn colours just wouldn't come off! By the time I would give up on the task, I would end up having this pink hue all over with the darker colours still persisting on the fingers and fingernails. And then the worrying would start as to how I would save myself from the chastising which was awaiting at school the following day. And then, the following year, we stopped playing, my friends and me. That was that. And I haven't played Holi ever since.
It has gotten to the stage now that there are no more inclinations, no sudden urges to restart the old tradition. I used to hate it when people in college would try to put colour on me in the annual pre-Holi celebration. Even this year, when all others were busy colouring each other, I spent the morning like it was any other. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that most of the friends with whom I used to play Holi have moved on, moved to new places and to new avenues in life. Most of the friends I have in general have gone out of town as well. So, there isn't a lot of reasons to restart. Maybe, years from now, when I find a reason to, I'll play with colours on this festival again...
I have to say that I have made some friends recently, who, though I have known them for a very long time, having studied in school together since nursery, weren't exactly close. But now, having had the time to get to know them, I have to say that maybe all of us were a bit too judgmental in school, believing in people's reputations rather than giving them a chance to be themselves. The last couple of months have been quite well spent thanks to them, not to mention the people who have always been and will always remain close. They made my 23rd birthday last month really special :-). If you're reading this, you know who you are and I know you're smiling right now. So yeah, for making me smile that little bit more, this is to all of you.

Happy HOLI everyone...

Think twice

Before I write this blog, I want to make one thing very clear to everyone who reads this. I have absolutely no political inclinations and I definitely DO NOT support any party. On the contrary, I do not like the word 'Politics' and everything it stands for in this state and country. This is just some thoughts which I'd like to share regarding everything that's going on in our state at the moment.
I have a question to the person calling all the shots in our state at the moment, how many mistakes and verbal faux pas will it take for you to realise that statements made to the press or otherwise should be done after careful consideration and understanding all of the facts involved? Recent times have seen a spate of unfortunate, and even horrendous events, which have brought disrepute to our state and city. But the situation has been made from bad to worse by the statements made by our Leading Lady. Is it really necessary to make statements the moment a uncalled for incident occurs, without getting to the bottom of the problem first? I know, a Chief Minister is supposed to come out in the open with an explanation of how the state is approaching the problem. I can understand that it is not easy being in front of a hall full of people, journalists, who often ask difficult questions and dissect every strand of the statements made, with an almost vengeful desire to find the minutest faults. This, however, cannot be an explanation for everything that's being said every time a crisis comes to the fore.
I mean seriously, when all those babies passed away in that Malda hospital, the whole country sympathised with their families and demanded an explanation be sought from the state. And what did you reply? I'm para-phrasing here, 'They were conceived when the opposition was in power'. Do you even hear yourself speak? Do you know what these kind of statements do to your reputation? What does when a baby is conceived have to do with infant mortality?? This is probably unheard of in any part of the world!
And then, more recently, when a woman comes on national television, goes to the major newspapers, to tell her story, and a horrific one at that, you dismiss it without even bothering to let the police do the investigation. And what did that lead to? More disrepute. It has been proved that her story was in fact, fact. This has again lead to our state and your position being questioned. Why? All because you were too keen to pass the buck of responsibility from the state to one of its citizens.
Everyone keeps telling me that I should give you some time, to get things in order. But tell me, if all this had been said by someone who weren't you, would people give them the same 'time'? In the coming years, or maybe even months, I'd probably have to go out of this city and state for work or otherwise. If all this continues, how can I feel proud about where I come from? How do I represent West Bengal in the rest of the country, leave alone the world? Think about it Madam, this is no small matter...

Clash of the Titans

“Man Utd v Liverpool is the biggest game in the world – Sir Alex Ferguson”

Cliched heading, but not the event. Just over 3 hours to go for the big game today, Liverpool vs Mancehster United, at Old Trafford. The last time these two teams met in the Premier League was in October, when a whopping Half Billion people are said to have watched the event. That's 1 in every 12 people! Today, the predictions say that 900 million people will watch the match, almost double that of last time, and approximately 1 in every 7 people in the world!! Now that's what I call popularity. Perhaps the El Classico, Barcelona vs Real Madrid, in the Spanish Primera Liga, is the only other match which rivals this particular fixture in the footballing calendar.
The history between these two clubs goes back a long long way, and surprisingly, and quite unknown to most, wasn't always this choleric. The two clubs are seperated by only 40 minutes by roads, and are often considered, along with Nottingham Forrest,Leeds United and West Ham United, to be the backbone around which English football reached out to the world. Perhaps the biggest indicator of the respect that the two clubs have always shared for each other can be understood from events after the horrendous Munich air crash which wiped out nearly the entire Manchester United squad. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were the only teams who offered the services of their reserve teams to United, to help them rebuild. As I found out from a recent status update on my friend's facebook page, there are some United supporters who still hold Liverpool in high regard for that gesture half a century ago. Truth be told, even I wasn't aware of this fact before I had read that particular update. Thanks Arghya for the enlightenement :-).
The two teams combine for 117 trophies in total. So it was quite natural that their paths would cross in many tournaments down the years. But the two League fixtures in the year are ever present, and to me, the biggest games of football in the year. The recent matches between the two teams have produced some magical moments, some astonishing scorelines, and some ugly tussles. Perhaps the immediate talk of the ugly racism row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra threatens to take some sheen away from the impending slobber-knocker we have on our hands.

Perhaps the match-up that'll decide the match, and no more hanky-panky please

Recent matches have seen Liverpool do the double over United in 2008-2009, including a 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford, a Dimitar Berbatov hat-trick last season, when most critics were writing the obituaries of his Manchester United career, and a Dirk Kuyt hat-trick in the reverse fixture, with a lot of help from Suarez to get there. The reverse fixture at Anfield this season ended in a 1-1 draw, with Javier Hernandez cancelling out a Steven Gerrard free-kick. The most recent match ended 2-1 in favour of Liverpool with Dirk Kuyt scoring the winner at Anfield to secure Liverpool's place in the F.A. Cup 5th round.

Which side are you on?

PROBABLE LINEUPS

       
      MANCHESTER UNITED                                                      LIVERPOOL


                   De Gea                                                                      Reina
 Rafael,Ferdinand,Evans,Evra                                  Johnson,Skrtel,Agger,Enrique
Valencia,Giggs,Carrick,Young                                      Gerrard,Spearing,Adam
          Wellbeck,Rooney                                                  Kuyt,Suarez,Bellamy


It promises to be a spectacular Saturday evening of football. I've missed the last two matches between the two teams, so there's no way I'm missing this one. Oh, and the last time I wrote about a great sporting event was the Australian Open final. That one became the longest and, in my opinion, the best Grand Slam final in history. So here's hoping my hype here doesn't jinx the match today.
And for all you Man Utd fans out there, for those 90 minutes, it's war...

Grand Slam!!

Before I go on to write anything about the year's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, here is a big shout out to a certain 38 year old who's still making us proud, despite, as some would say, his 'old' age. Congratulations Leander Paes on another major tournament win. And congratulations on completing a career Grand Slam. There's still the mixed doubles final to come today, so thats definitely something to look forward to. At a time when the whole country is calling for the axe on a couple of other 38-39 year olds in a different sport, Paes still keeps on proving that age is simply but a number.


1. Men's tennis is in good hands
There is no doubting the quality of the top three in men's tennis. They've proved there worth time and again and still keep doing so with Nadal and Djokovic reaching the final. The chasing pack are getting closer with Murray getting closer than ever for his chance at the top. There are others like Del Potro, Tsonga and the new kid on the block Tomic waiting to take up the reigns.



2. Women's tennis has a new number 1, but it needs a couple of new stars
Congratulations to Victoria Azarenka on her first Grand Slam victory. 
But women's tennis still remains as unpredictable as ever, which though good at times, often leads to poor quality of tennis, case in point the final yesterday, where Azarenka blew Sharapova off the court! Considering that players like Serena Williams, even with all her injuries, and Kim Clijsters, after taking a couple of years off due to child birth, still often being stronger than the top ranked players in the world, it is a sign that the game is not progressing at the same pace as the men's game. The women's game needs someone, or a couple of new players, who can dominate just like the Williams-Henin rivalry in the middle of the last decade. At the moment there is too much inconsistency in women's tennis.

3.Federer still has the game,he just makes more mistakes nowadays
The great man's matches against Tomic and Del Potro were a treat to watch for Federer and tennis fans the world over. It's what you would call a 'Lesson' in tennis. And then the way he started against Nadal, I was sure he would win that match. But then he served the worst in that match in recent memory, and his trademark forehand winners deserted him on that day. He's still got the game, he just loses focus sometimes these days. Can't blame him for taking his eyes off the ball after everything he has achieved. In my humble opinion though, he's still good enough to win one if not two more Grand Slams. It's the unforced errors he needs to control.

4.Australia has new hope
Lleyton Hewitt has been the flag bearer of Australian tennis for the past decade. But there's a new kid on the block who seems ready to take on the mantle from Hewitt. He is the calm, cool-under-pressure, bordering on unemotional, Bernard Tomic. He showed in the first three rounds what he is capable of producing. And his brand of tennis is not the usual fare that's served up these. He doesn't rely on brute strength or manic running chasing down balls from Melbourne to Perth and everything in between! His game is a breath of fresh air, with slices and drop shots dished out with equal aplomb, along with a forehand which is more like a slap, it is hit so flat! Definitely someone to watch out for.

Match of the tournament : Djokovic vs Murray, semi-final(5 sets,almost 5 hours)
Comeback of the tournament : Tomic vs Verdasco, first round(from two sets down)
Disappointments of the tournament : Stosur's first round exit and Sharapova's tame surrender in the final
Biggest effort of the tournament : Clijsters defeating Li Na(after twisting her ankle in the first set)
Most different match of the tournament : Tomic vs Dolgopolov(filled with drop shots,all kinds of slices and everything else you don't see much these days)



The Mixed Doubles Final is on and the Men's Singles Final is from just after 2 pm today. Enjoy a great day of tennis.

CORRECTION CORRECTION CORRECTION
Everything above this point was written before the men's singles final.

Match of the tournament : Djokovic vs Nadal(without a shadow of a doubt)
Probably the best tennis match I have ever seen, Period.

A Star bids Farewell

With the glorious past of our footballing history left long behind in the pages of scrapbooks and record books, the past 25 years or so have been the worst phase of Indian football. That is pretty much all of my life and a bit more! But ever since I knew that a sport called football existed, and our country were, however disinterestedly, a part of it, there was one name which would be everyone's lips when talking about the Indian football team - Bhaichung Bhutia.
His journey started in the small town of Tinkitam in Sikkim in the foothills of the Himalayas. He represented his schools in various schools and finally landed a scholarship from SAI to take up football at the Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok. His professional career started in 1993 at the age of just 16 when he signed for East Bengal. He transferred to JCT Mills, Phagwara, where he won his first Indian Football League title in 1997. He was also the top scorer in the league that year. Thus began perhaps the greatest career in Indian football in the past two decades. A career in which he became the first Indian player to play professionally in England when he joined Bury FC in 1999. He played for a little less than 18 months, but managed to score only a single goal in the period, against Chesterfield in April, 2000. He also became the first Indian footballer to play in Malaysia when he signed for Perak on a 3 month loan in 2003. Later, he also played for Selangor MK Land. Unfortunately, neither his stints in these Malaysian clubs proved fruitful. His career included spells in both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, a fact for which he received a lot of flak with the faithful from either side questioning his loyalty. He never let any of he criticism get him down, and went on to win the ASEAN Club Championship with East Bengal in 2003, perhaps his greatest achievement as a club player, also finishing as the highest scorer in the tournament and winning the 'man-of-the-match' in the final.



He has represented the country a total of 107 times, scoring 43 goals along the way. His achievements at the international level include Nehru Cups, SAFF Cups, the LG Cup win in Vietnam and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, which allowed them to automatically qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, the premier international tournament in Asia. By his own admission, qualifying for the Asian Cup was the highlight of his career. He could only play one match in the tournament, that too as a second half substitute because of an injury prior to the tournament. Perhaps fittingly, he decided to hang up his boots after this tournament, as India were eliminated following a 4-1 loss to South Korea.



Today was his testimonial match, and being the true champion that he is, he played a significant role in inviting Bayern Munich to be our opponents. He could have asked for any opponent, scored a couple of goals himself, but he decided instead to showcase Indian football to the world, and the stars of world football right here in India. As for the match, well it was a foregone conclusion even before a ball was kicked. Bayern won 4-0 eventually. A special mention and thank you to the Bayern Munich team for playing their starting 11 in this match. They could well have opted to field a second string side, this being a friendly match. A bigger mention for Bastian Schweinsteiger and Manuel Neuer for playing the entire 90 minutes when they didn't need to. Shows the kind of respect that players have for one another.



Perhaps a fitting tribute to Bhaichung was paid in a tweet which was read out on air. It went something like, "If not anything else, Bhaichung Bhutia gave Indian football hope...". We'll stil see him playing for United Sikim, a club he founded and owns. But today was the last time he pulled on the Blue jersey of the Indian national team. Thank you Bhaichung Bhutia for all the memories...

The Year that is...

A lazy Saturday afternoon, with not much going on. I thought this would be the perfect time to write my first blog of the new year. 2012 - the year of the Apocalypse. The year when it all ends....
Hold on just a second, lets rewind. Really? It all ends this year? I sure hope not. So much left to do. So many things I haven't tried yet, so many places I haven't visited, so many people I haven't met! So I really hope the Mayans made some kind of mistake when they decided to end their calender on 21st December,2012. Not that they counted by our system, I'm sure they had no clue as to what December is or the year A.D. that they lived in. But you get the picture.
A week into the year, and there isn't much to write about. The occasional outings and frolic aside, it has been, well, boring. No project allocated in office yet, so not much work there either. It's getting a bit worrying now! Brought in the new year on a grand enough scale. House-party. We seemed to suddenly have the energy of ten year olds on their birthday. Music, dancing(I'm sure you've seen the pictures), dinner in the middle of the night, no less, and an overall sense of belonging, seemed a perfect enough way to start a brand new year. Though this also resulted in me sleeping through half the first day of the year, but one can't have everything! The rest of the week passed in cruise-control really. Reminds me of those lines in that song by Rembrandts, made famous by it's use as the title song of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., "It's like your always stuck in second gear...". From 2nd to 7th January, I really have been stuck in second gear. A higher gear shift doesn't seem to be around the corner either!
On another note, the new year has brought some definitely weird weather to our city and its surroundings. For starters, the cold weather has disappeared. Its been warm for a couple of days. It has even rained for the past couple of days! Looks like the weather is getting back at me for making fun of the winter rains in London. Also, on that note, check out the conditions in which the Wigan versus Sunderland game was played this past week. That was what I was talking about in my 'Calcutta=London...' blog post. Near zero temperatures, driving rain, half-sleeve and shorts....I am left wondering as to how the players don't end up with pneumonia!
The new year's celebrations are over for another year. Time to buckle in and hang on for the ride that is 2012. Happy New Year everyone. Better late than never :-)