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The Commonwealth Games so far has been a disaster for India’s image in the world as a sporting nation and otherwise. One can only hope that it will not be the same once the games begin on 3rd of October.
The opening ceremeony at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium will be a major event as India can really turn it around from there, a good opening ceremony will surely gather some appreciation. The tickets for the opening ceremony are also done and dusted. Something for optimism.
Other than that, sports enthusiasts are eyeing the games for an excellent show of sportsmanship and excellence over various disciplines. Here is the list of top five matchups to look out for:
5. Saina Nehwal vs the rest of the worldSaina Nehwal has seen a meteoric rise in her fortunes in the last two years as an athlere in India. She has risen from being a good player, to be one of the best and now one of the most valuable brands of India. She has a success story that goes far beyond sport.
However, it will be sport that decides if she can stay up ther in the eys of the world. A lesson is to be lernt from Sania Mirza – she was in the public view till she was good at her sport, till she was playing good tennis consistently.
Saina Nehwal will have fewer opponents at the Commonwealth Games 2010. But still she will have the greater part of her challenging opponents intact in the Chinese rivals. If Saina comes through she will be bigger than she ever was. Next stop, the Olympics!
To know more and book your tickets, click here.
4. Tennis @Commonwealth GamesThis is the first time will be making an appearance at the Commonwealth Games with 5 medals on offer. Tennis being one of the most viewer friendly events at the Games, sports fans will love to see the Indian contingent do their best.
Moreover, India will have many stars to look out for at the games. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take the court as a doubles team to the joy of all Indians. Somdev Devvarman is a keen competitor in any event. All eyes will also be following the “fallen from grace” Sania Mirza.
3. Sushil Kumar – The World Champion
This will be the first time that Sushil Kumar will walk into the battlefield as a champion, as the best among his peers as the best all over the world. We as a sporting nation have felt that kind of pride only a few special times. It was the hockey team of thje yesteryears or the shooting team in the present. That is a small lot of people for a country that is 1.2 billion.
Sushil Kumar will be playing in fron of a home crowd that will cheer him out of their breaths. Hopefully. Wrestling is also a sport that has roots in India and has much to do with the akhada tradition. For this purpose too, Wrestling in this Commonwealth games on our land, will have a special place in our hearts.
2. Boxing the worldAt the Beijing Olympics four of our boxers were a step away from the bronze medal, and it was unfortunate that we conquered only one through Vijender Singh. However, as a result of that admirable performance of the boxers and the sports potential for entertainment – it is a hot favorite with the audiences.
Akhil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Jitendra and others are all geared up for the games. Medals will be expected from this contingent in numbers and not in individual efforts. Boxing will contribute heavily to India’s overall medal tally and hence consequently India’s position in the table.
Expect some fireworks.
1: India vs Pakistan Hockey on 10th October
That’s got top be the top battle if you are an Indian spectator wanting to catch some rare action in the CWG. This has got to be your best bet. Whenever it comes to this rivalry, audiences dont go back empty handed.
The sport, we hope will remain a sport. The Pakistan officials have sworn that they intend to revenge India’s victory at the World cup at CWG. They intend to hurt us the most where it hurts best, at our native ground, in Delhi.
India vs Pakistan
We will know on October 10, book your tickets for this one. Worth each penny.
Vijender Singh
Somdev
Saina in action
