I am mighty irritated  and angry on myself. Feel down right dumb and silly. And it all started a couple of days back. Came home and switched on TV, the first IPL match of the day  had just finished. Some commentator was well as usual going ga ga over the quality(??!!) of cricket and he ended it up with thats a ” ____ Moment of success”. I didn’t get it the frst time. In the 2 nd match of the day, the phrase was oft repeated n somehow i never could get it. Swallowing my pride of being relatively better off with Queen’s language , finally did a Google ( foolish me) to search for such a phrase with  ofcourse no success.  That was till i read  an article on Cricinfo by an equally dumb struck guy. It’s actually ” Citi Moment of Success”. Wow.While ‘Karbonn Kamaal ka Catch ‘ n ‘DLF Maximum’ is a throwback to the era of only DD and AIR , ( yeh laga BSNL ka chowka) , this moment of success takes the cake.   It has just added to a looooong list of things that makes Cricket such a pain to watch now.

True Picture of IPL Cricket

First and foremost is the Broadcaster Set Max. This channel is second only to Lalit Modi n IPL to turn Cricket from  being a Sport to an entertainment show a la WWE. Mindless promotions, Events, parties,  TV hosts with combined IQ of 20 odd. Anyone remember the pre IPL days some 5-6 yrs back. A certain Roshan Abbas wud  sit along with very ordinary yesteryear cricketers n zap on non stop. A Set Max telecast guaranteed that in ODI’s u miss the frst and last ball of every over. The trend continues. An entire industry has flourished due to this. Desperate Guys trying to play cool and  Hot Babes acting intelligent all are having a field day literally.  Anyone whose connect to cricket is limited to that Section A vs Section B in 4th Std. at school has a chance to sit in the box and join the likes of Gavaskar, Ravi and Harsha.  But the real torture by Set Max was to unleash  Ms. Mandira Bedi. Oh she of Noodles Straps and High Heels. That she is an ambassador of cricket for the fairer sex and sex appeal for the men’s team is only a reflection of times we live in. Or Perhaps  in my limited understanding i could not fathom the deeper meanings of her questions.What Color socks do u wear to win has floored even a Wasim Akram ,  who am I?

In gud old times the only Over the Top persona to enter the Commentary Box after Tony Grieg was Navjot Sidhu. IPL  commentators has made both Tony and Sidhu luk like novices . A guy has just got out or has been clobbered for 20 odd runs in an over and up pops a formal attired person with a simple Question” How does it feel”? F****** gr8 Einstein. Or “What is your strategy for Hayden/Gilli/yuvi…. “? , Oh here take my notes and read it .How is a player  supposed to react. And mind you these are the same guys who had educated an entire generation on finer nuances of cricket sitting in that Box. I understand a Ravi, Harsha, Gavaskar got a  job to do and taking sponsors name is mandatory. But how do u explain the inane comments except perhaps that even Shakespeare wud have  had run out of new expressions match after match.

The Karbonn Kamaal Catch ( Why does evry1 need Dual sim phone all of a sudden), however sitter the catch would be,  DLF Maximuim are here to stay along with the Citi Moment. The least the Tv Commentators can do is cut down on some of their comments.

” The Atmoshphere is Electric”.

” This Crowd is unbelievable”. Which one isn’t

” That has Gone Miles up in the Air, Someone’s getting underneath it”. Obviously that’s how u get a player out.

” He needs to do better than that” after the bowler has been hit out of park.

” This game has gone down to the wire” . It’s T20. Matches invariably end up in last overs quite frequently.

” Rajasthan Royals need a win desperately”. Yes they do. They  have lost all so far

” Why is it called Mongoose? “  Ask Hayden Man. How wud we know ?

” They have all come out here to see there favorite players in action “, Really not the cheer leaders?

For most of us IPL is all about time pass. We come home and see some cricket still as a sport. All of us have our favorite teams but the teams do not have die hard fans like EPL. At least not yet. The Commerce of the game demands IPL is here to stay. But is it really necessary to demean it in such raucous manner.   The games are so entertaining by themselves. Why search for Voice of India, Dancer, Actor , Leader all at this one place. Its all right to attract the Non Cricket lovers to the game ( this tribe is a rarity in itself) but what about the  real Cricket Lovers who have no  other options. ( Why am i feeling another wave of anger on Hockey Team).

Give me some good cricket and thats all i want and please cut down on accessories. The base Model is just fine for me.

Though i am still curious about one thing. The team that will have more Citi Moments in a match are sure going to win. Right?

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Sachin Tendulkar in an exclusive interview on completing 40 years in cricket
November 15, 2029.

Mumbai:

Recently knighted Sir Sachin Tendulkar, not only India’s best batsman but also of world cricket (and now universal cricket), has completed his 40 years in cricket today. Unlike what happened on the 20th and 30th anniversary celebrations, Tendulkar has not been able to give any interviews to the media on this accomplishment due to the tight cricketing schedule, but Tarka Singh, News That Matters Not reporter, managed to have a chat with the “Endless Master” (formerly the “Little Master”) during the tea-time on Day Four of the ongoing Test between the ICC-Earth XI and the ICC-Moon XI.

[SportsKeeda in association with NTMN. This imaginary interview was first published on the news spoof site News That Matters Not (NTMN) on November 30, 2009. It is meant only for entertainment, as mentioned in the disclaimer of this site.]

Tarka Singh: Sachin, many many congratulations on behalf of the NTMN team and the whole of India on completing 4 long decades in cricket.

Sir Sachin Tendulkar: Thanks a lot. But please make it fast, I need to take the field after tea, just 5 minutes.

TS: Okay, don’t worry sir. But how does it feel to have been playing a sport for such a long time? How has the tag of “Endless Master” replacing “Little Master” affected you personally?

Sachin tendulkar 20 years

ST: Oh its been a great journey. The word Master is overwhelming, but I feel “Little” was a more lovely adjective.

TS: But you aren’t little anymore! I see you turning 56 this April, and you are by far the oldest playing cricketer in the…

ST: But I am enjoying my game, and I love the idea of playing for my country. I believe I still have a lot of cricket left in me.

TS: Do you see yourself playing in World Cup 2031 in Antarctica?

ST: Oh why not? Moreover, it will be great to have such a big cricket event in Antarctica, now that they have such a large cricket-loving population there…. it will certainly be helpful to play in 15 degree temperatures, now that its gone to 55-60 everywhere else! But please, Sourav Junior is calling me now… the team needs to take the field for the evening session… let me go… will catch you later…

TS: Sourav Junior, is that how you call Ganguly’s son in the dressing room?

ST: Ah yes… Junior’s a great captain, nice competition to his old dad… no wonder he got the captaincy of Earth XI.

TS: What do you have to say about the change in the game over the last 40 years?

ST: The game has obviously undergone huge changes… we have just 1 day gaps in between consecutive Tests, and playing 15-match T20 series in 6 days… its really testing… the robot umpires ICC introduced have been giving correct lbw decisions for 5 years now… the One1 format has made the game shorter than ever…

TS: How do you maintain such high levels of fitness… playing at the age of 56 is really amazing…

ST: Oh yes… you get used to it… there have been serious injuries no doubt but I always remained focussed… the basketball elbow injury that kept me out for 5 years really made me tense, but I was happy to be back on the field for the 2023 World Cup.

TS: I see you are in a hurry… but don’t worry they can put up a substitute fielder instead of you. Lets talk about family and friends… how do you look at their role behind such a long career? Your son plays with you in the national team…

ST: Family has played a huge part. Anjali keeps me motivated… good to see my son as part of the Indian team and to share the dressing room with him.

TS: What do you say about Vinod Kambli’s latest comment about you as a friend in the 18th season of Sach Ka Saamna?

ST: Vinod is a very dear friend… but I can’t really help him play anymore, he is nearing the age of 60, isn’t he…

TS: Who do you see as the best bowler from the current generation?

ST: Well… its a tough question, but I think it should be Warnie’s son… although I hit him for few sixes some weeks back… but he is good.

TS: 49682 Test runs, over 60000 ODI runs, 195 international centuries…. where do you see yourself end up with when you retire? And is there anything you haven’t accomplished yet as a player?

ST: I have a lot of cricket left … lets see where I end up with! My wish remains to win the World Cup for India… it was sad I wasn’t on the Indian team that won the Cup in 2019 due to injury, but I surely want to play in 2031.

TS: What after cricket, … after retirement? Your former teammates -Dravid, MS Dhoni, Pragyan Ojha, Munaf Patel, to name a few – are commentators now after long illustrious careers.

ST: No commentating for me… a TV channel CEO told me my voice is not loud enough for effective commentating (laughs loudly).

TS: The most memorable moment in these 40 years?

ST: Getting the 100th Test century, being on the spaceship to the Moon for the first-ever cricket match there, and launching my ice statue in Madame Iceaud’s.

TS: Once again, congratulations for this feat… may the Indians see more of the Endless Master in the years to come. You may go and play now. All the best.

ST: Thanks a lot.

*****

Related report: NTMN office attacked by MNS goons for calling Sachin “Indian” in this interview

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It has been almost a month since Sachin Tendulkar tore apart yet another page in cricketing history and rewrote one of his own. History books will fall short if they were to list all the accomplishments of the Little Master, and the man himself will have a torrid time remembering even half of them. The euphoria of Feb. 24th, 2010 is yet to sink in, and there are still times when I occasionally browse through the archives on my social network pages and put on a smile on reading the comments from fans around the world about the person who enjoys demi-God status in the world’s second most populous country.

Sachin Tendulkar waving to the crowd after his 200

With time, though, rationality has started to creep in, and I started to burn more of my grey cells on that masterful innings. Why did the media go crazy over this innings of Tendulkar when it is not even the best innings he ever played? In fact, I can count at least five more innings that I would rank better than the one which rewrote history – his twin innings at Sharjah in ‘98, the 98 against Pakistan in World Cup ‘03, his 175 against Australia in a losing cause at Hyderabad this year, and 117* against Australia to win the first final of the CB Series in ‘08.
On a similar note, why did Roger Federer need to win that elusive French Open to prove that he was the greatest player of all time when he was already an established clay court player and his GOAT rival Pete Sampras was not? Even if he had won the Wimbledon trophy last year after failing to win the French Open, there would still have been lingering speculation regarding the status of the Swiss as the world’s greatest. Then why did the legendary trio of Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras make sure that they were present to watch Federer win the title he had won five times before, instead of attending the one he had failed to win in the past four attempts?
Why do statistics play such an important role in the perception of media and fans when even they know that they never convey the full picture?
The answer is somewhat evident if we analyze the state of the South African cricket team over the years which has routinely managed to come close to the finish line but is always ultimately left stranded perilously close to it. They had arguably the most well-balanced team during the 90’s which boasted of great batsmen, intimidating fast bowlers, versatile all-rounders and a shrewd captain. Yet, they never managed to win a World Cup despite dominating the early stages in the three events in ‘92, ‘96 and ‘99.
Critics always brush off statistics as mere numbers, but contrary to the popular belief that statistics hide more than they reveal, I believe they also tell a lot more than the obvious. A big number is the difference between a supremely talented player and a player dedicated to the sport. It conveys not only the player’s talent, but also his mental strength, willingness to fight, ability to absorb the pressure and adapt under different conditions, and most importantly, physical fitness.
After all, the reason the barrier of 200 had not been crossed until now despite multiple scores above 180 is that there was always too much pressure. The pressure of reaching a celebrated landmark. Saeed Anwar fell six short of the target with more than three overs still to go in the innings. Sanath Jayasuriya fell 11 short of the landmark with two overs still up his sleeve. And one should not forget that both these players fell to part-time bowlers – Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly respectively.
Even the Master himself had failed to reach the target on numerous occasions, the most disheartening of which was his dismissal at 175 against Australia which brought India to the brink of a miraculous victory. That the master was able to shrug off the earlier disappointments and hold his forte even when time was running out due to the phenomenal counter attack by Mahendra Singh Dhoni makes the accomplishment even more special. And the fact that he was limping with cramps during the later stages of the match and yet refused to take the help of a runner – it should be remembered that Saeed Anwar scored more than two-thirds of his 194 runs with a runner – elevates the class of this knock beyond comprehension.
Numbers may not always tell everything, but the obsession of statisticians and fans with numbers is not necessarily worthless. These are the factors which differentiate the Vinod Kamblis from the Sachin Tendulkars, the Rahul Dravids from the Rohit Sharmas.
The first double century in the history of limited international cricket scored by Sachin Tendulkar ranks right up in the echelon of the most remarkable achievements in the game even though it may not even be among the five best innings played by the master.

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There couldn’t have been a more fitting finale to the 100th All England Open Badminton Championships on Sunday. Denmark’s Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen saved four match points against compatriots Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen to win the men’s doubles title 26-24 in the third game, bringing to an end one of the most thrilling tournaments in recent times.

All England Badminton championship

Through the week, the fact that this was the 100th edition of the world’s most famous tournament was on everybody’s mind. The All England is often compared to Wimbledon in tennis, but the contemporary scene is far removed from the romanticism that it is associated with. The problem with the All England is that its venue has constantly shifted, and so, most past players feel no affinity to the current location. One expected to see a galaxy of greats turn up — but disturbingly, the only ones who came were those who are still associated with the game as coaches or officials — Park Joo Bong, Rexy Mainaky, Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen. Not even the legendary Judy Hashman, who won a staggering ten singles titles and 17 overall, arrived despite living in England. No special effort seems to have been made to ensure the presence of former greats — and thus we had the spectacle of the 100th All England without its greatest champions. Rudy Hartono was not there; neither was Erland Kops, Liem Swie King, Lene Koppen, Morten Frost, Prakash Padukone, and several other names whose identities are so closely linked to the All England.

The game thus suffers from a lack of initiative to highlight its past. History is dispensed with in a glass cabinet with old battledores and shuttlecocks; there is no deeper engagement. Indeed, it was left to the Badminton World Federation — and not Badminton England — to bring out a commemorative volume on the first 75 years of the BWF. It would have been more appropriate had the national association released a souvenir on the 100th year of the great event.

While its treatment of its own tradition left much to be desired, Badminton England’s conduct of the event was classic as always. As in other parts of Europe, an event of this nature is presented thoughtfully. The critical aspect is lighting, which Asian organisers ignore. The right lighting gives an electric ambience, and looks stunning on TV. Audience seats are lit up in red, and all other lights in the arena, except those for the court, are turned off. Thus, any movement among the spectators does not distract from the on-court action. These may seem minor but are important details.

The on-court action lived up to the event. All players were aware of the occasion, and eventually it was the friendly Malaysian and world no.1, Lee Chong Wei, who took the men’s singles title. Lee has been unfairly criticised in Malaysia for being a choker, but this time he kept his nerve. A long hug with coach Misbun Sidek — a losing finalist at the All England — said it all. There was much relief and celebration in the Malaysian camp, with Misbun, Rexy Mainaky and the others hugging everybody in sight. Just as he stepped off court, Lee received a call from the Malaysian Prime Minister who had stayed up all night to watch the match.

Tine Rasmussen might be ungaily and almost awkward for a badminton player, but her power and netplay gave her the title over China’s Wang Yihan. That China did not win either of the singles titles was a rare occurence.

The standout performer was world no.20 Kenichi Tago. The Japanese dazzled with his all-court ability and his courage under pressure — he kept believing even when the situation looked hopeless, and brought down three top-ten players in four days. Tago looks sound in all departments; as Mainaky observed, if Tago can keep his head, he could be a force to reckon with.

The Indians, excepting Saina Nehwal, were disappointing. Saina became only the fifth Indian in the semifinals of the All England; and by the look of things, she should be in many more to come.

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A perfect jump, excellent action, perfect footfall and a brilliant follow-through. Yes folks, its that time of the year again, where we stare open mouthed at cheerleaders.

The DLF IPL 2010 has begun with a pffffff. Seriously, I would have loved to have typed ‘bang’ there but the butt of 99.7% of my jokes, Lalit Modi, should be sitting with his face red as a Kookaburra after that destruction they called the ‘Opening Ceremony’.

I was unfortunate enough to be sitting in the crowd watching ‘2012′ right in front of my eyes. Some guy named UB40 was singing something not even The Almighty could understand, then Deepika Padukone..well I don’t know what she did. From where I could see, I just caught a glimpse of a hand but my friends thought I was extremely lucky.

Lalit Modi

Then ofcourse, came Lionel Ritchie. Hey Lalit, what year are we in? 1844? Seriously, I heard his name in history books and here he was singing something I couldn’t comprehend much like UB40 guy. Four guys and gals calling themselves ‘ABBA Revival’ lip synced and played cardboard guitars with such vigour, I felt I could be as good as Beethoven. But these guys made sure, ABBA would never comeback from the dead.

Pandemonium is the only adjective I could use for what was happening around these stars. People with lights on their heads covered with Star Wars-like clothing walking around in no particular pattern. I only wished for the match to start before my eyes pop into my hands.

Soon after Kolkata Knight Riders shocked Shah Rukh Khan into not making an appearance by beating Deccan Chargers, deja vu was the only feeling associated with the IPL. And deja vu in every single way.

Remember, when a dog walked into the stadium last year and strolled along while ads were being shown and Lalit’s pockets kept getting bulkier? Well, that was not last year, it was this year. Or rather it was last year. See! Deja vu! Lalit’s best friend returned the favour of being treated to a million dog treats after last year’s appearance by making another one. C’mon Mr. Modi! We thought you were smart and you keep doing the same trick over and over again!

But just when you thought our Lalit was so predictable, you’re facing a bouncer bowled by Parthiv Patel. Between each over, an advert is shown for about ten seconds making our own Lalit ten seconds richer! We thought,’Oh the man has gone soft, reducing the ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ strategic timebreak to a smaller ‘Aag’ like timebreak(nobody sat through the whole thing now, right?).’

But the sly Lalit has increased his earning by adding these breaks in between overs. How smart is that you ask? I say very because you don’t even realise whats going on. Oh, Lalit you sly fox.

Many people have been irritated by these interruptions and so was I until I actually concentrated on the ads. I realised, these weren’t ads! These were hilarious clips which were sure to keep the viewer stuck to his or her seat! For example, Virender Sehwag, who murders bowlers and puts Jack the Ripper to shame, throwing a mobile up and down like a ball and nodding his head sideways, enough to make Rajnikanth frown and roll his eyebrows up and down with the precision of a Bharatnatyam dancer and ending it by delievering a dialogue to be remebered(at least by me) forever. ‘I am dashing, I am Karbonn’. Six words that changed my life. I rushed to get my Karbonn mobile the same day.

The IPL, ladies and gentlemen, is very much back!

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Sachin Tendulkar, after his miraculous 200 not out, has made it absolutely clear that he is not going to leave any batting record, however good or bad, under anybody else’s name. He has revealed that his next target would be to score consecutive zeros in his next 200 innings. Sachin made this historic revelation while receiving the Man of the Match title after leading India to a thrashing victory over South Africa at the Gwalior cricket stadium.

Sachin said, “I’m exhilarated after this legendary innings of mine against the South African minnows, it really feels good to hammer amateur South African bowlers all around the park. But now I will be focussing on my new target which will be to score consecutive zeros in the next 200 innings which I will play. So all my fans, please pray for me that I will accomplish this legendary task which no other cricketer till date has ever even dreamt of.”

Sachin already has the record of most ducks in ODIs by an Indian batsman, and he is proud of it. “That record gives me a lot of confidence.”

The BCCI officials are all praise for Sachin for the mighty world record and the new career target which he has set for himself in a single day. BCCI President Shashank Manohar said, “We are looking forward for Sachin to complete his new goal. Our blessings are with him. The committee is also planning to start a special training camp for Sachin where he will be trained to precision to surrender his wicket on the very first ball that he faces.” Sachin expressed deep pleasure over this.

The Men in Blue are also impressed. Captain M S Dhoni has said, “We are really proud of Sachin to have thought of such a noble idea. Only legends like him can think of such innovative ideas, to make the ODI format last longer. I feel that the rest of the team members can only dream of what Sachin has done and is planning to do in future.”

Photo credits AFP

People from the cricketing world are divided over the feasibility of Sachin’s idea. Analysts anticipate that the opposition teams will now try to prevent Sachin from surrendering his wicket and in this process he will still keep on scoring big runs and this will help India to win. The cricket boards of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have started negotiating with BCCI to arrange long ODI tours to India in near future.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said, “I think I’ll have to bowl myself to prevent him from scoring ducks. I certainly want to keep the record of most ducks to myself, so I don’t want to give Sachin the opportunity.” Indian bowler R P Singh is happy that he is an Indian player and not an opposition player; he said, “Its difficult for me to get wickets, you know, even if the batsman is hellbent to give away his wicket.”

Meanwhile this declaration made by Sachin has left an open challenge in the cricketing world which no batsman is willing to accept due to lack of guts and courage. The crowd of Mumbai is ecstatic that their city boasts of the only batsman who stands unchallenged by the entire world in his arena. The Maharashtra government is planning to make it mandatory for parents to name their boys and girls as “Sachin” so that the state can have many more people to help the state achieve high standards of failure.

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This morning the official quarterfinal and semi-final draw of the Champions League took place in Nyon, Switzerland. This was the first time that six different nations were apart of the final 8 of the Champions League trophy.

The quaterfinal and semi-final draw of the Champions Leauge

The world’s most prestigious club competition in the world of football sealed the fate of the remaining 8 teams to play in this year’s tournament.

The first match up squares two french teams against each other as Olympique Lyon will take on Bordeaux both of Ligue 1. This will ensure a french club into the Final Four of the tournament. Lyon, so far, has pulled the most shocking upset of the tournament knocking out Real Madrid and Christiano Ronaldo, but Bordeaux and their young striker Marouane Chamakh will be ready for the french team as they both know each other well from the French Ligue 1.

Next is a rematch of the famous 1999 Final as Manchester United will take on Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga. In 1999 United famoulsy won the Treble against Bayern, but this tie seems to be a lot trickier for the Red Devils with the likes of in-form winger Arjen Robben and Franc Ribery to contend with while the German Giants have the unthinkable task of stopping the hottest striker in the world as of this moment, none other than Wayne Rooney.

The next match up has the defending European Champions Barcelona and reigning world player of the year Lionel Messi against 22-year-old Cesc Fabregas and the Gunners from North London. The last time these two teams played against each other was in the 2006 Final where Arsene Wenger and the Gunners were 13 minutes from Champions League glory before Samuel Eto’o and Chelsea player Juliano Belleti struck gold for the Catalians as they went on to beat Arsenal 2-1.

The final match-up sees current Serie A leaders Inter Milan take on an upstart CSKA Moscow team from Russia. In the round of 16 Inter defeated Chelsea by an aggregate score of 3-1 while Moscow dispatched of spainish side Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate.Wesley Sneidjer and Samuel Eto’o for Inter will be a stern test for the Moscow defense, but Milan will have to deal with Russian sensation Milos Krasic of CSKA. ( Just ask Man. United about Krasic’s play-making ability)

Now that the draw is set it should be an exciting end to the Champions League as the Bayern Munich and Mancherster United and Barcelona and Arsenal match ups are sure to create some great football matches and moments in Champions League history.

The Final of the Champion League will take place on Saturday May 22nd at the famous Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain.

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On my way back to Mumbai from Chennai a few months ago, I met a co-passenger, Mr. Kadir Ali. He was travelling with a badminton racquet and I assumed he must be a sports enthusiast who was carrying the racquet for reasons of his own. After interacting with him, I came to know that he played a sport called ball badminton for Western Railways. Apart from the sense of surprise, I started thinking about the condition of sport in India. And if you are thinking this is another article lamenting about the lack of facilities and politics that’s playing spoilsport, well, you are in for a change.

Ball Badminton

Away from all the limelight and the media frenzy ( which I despise and am very critical of), organizations like the Railways, government banks and a few private entities have been supporting various sports for quite some time now. The talent that they have been attracting from the unheard parts of our country is truly amazing and I began to appreciate the system more as I thought more about it.

I’ll try and explain this system to you using the reference that I have of Mr. Kadir Ali. He used to play ball badminton, a team sport, in a village of Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. After participating in various tournaments and winning a good number of them, he signed up to be a part of the Western Railways ball badminton team and based on merit and vacancies available they selected him. Now, he has a full time job, gets sufficient time to play, attends almost all the tournaments held across India on behalf of his team and this is with all the right support in the form of facilities, proper coaching, financial support…name it and he has it.

The best part is that this system works at its level. The fact is any sportsman from any part of the country can now lead a life which is contrary to popular perception and what the media reports and continue pursuing the dream of making it big on the international level if made aware of what the system has to offer. Now, it may not be tempting but definitely good enough in a country where one can think of diverting resources to more basic needs of the teeming millions out there.

Thousands of athletes are being supported by above mentioned entities and continue to do well for themselves.  At this point, one may ask as to why is it then we don’t do well on an international level. My answer to that is: we are a young nation with many more important things to care for. Forget us as a nation, even as individuals we would prefer giving more importance to academics and other interests when compared to sport. And for the record, in 2008 Summer Olympics, we did better than developed nations like Ireland and Sweden.

My point is: a system for choosing and grooming talent for international events is necessary and is in the making. But let’s give it time. Sport is being taken up seriously now compared to what it was 15 years ago. Things are out in the open when it comes to mismanagement and action is taken accordingly. As individuals too there is change. For instance, there is a start up that scouts for talent and grooms players with the help of corporate support. And then we have our very own Sports keeda which keeps our interests alive and helps us meet people with similar interests in sport. These things matter too when it comes to developing a sport.

This bit of writing definitely isn’t looking the other way when it comes to the plight of Indian sports and I am not living in a fool’s paradise. But let’s appreciate what’s happening around us and hope that things will improve.

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The first few days of the third audition of the most celebrated league in cricket has already begun, and has unraveled a flurry of thoughts for the enthusiasts. The league has returned back to India—the place where it ought to be played given the name—and has kept the countrymen involved for the latter part of the day when they come back tired from a long day at work.

IPL-3 continues to prove that the shortest format of the game is not only for the youth.

Being seven seas apart, I have been unable to catch most, in fact all, the action brought up until now, either due to lack of broadcasting facilities (the live streaming of IPL through YouTube is unavailable for U.S.) or due to clash with work timings. I have kept myself up-to-date with the scores and results, though, hence aware of how easy it is for Shane Warne to exaggerate Yusuf Pathan’s innings as the best he has ever seen.

In one way, although I am disappointed at the continued persistence with short boundaries and placid pitches, it has been a treat for the fans with those absolutely high scoring games. And with a close couple of games in which an innings went for more than 200 runs, it is working as of now. However, as the IPL last season has already proven that the most exciting matches are those in which the chasing team has a manageable score and the bowling side has something in the pitch for support. And if last match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils in any indication, the contest becomes totally lackluster if the team chasing a 200+ total loses wickets early in the innings. More often than not that is always the case, and the sooner the authorities realize that, the better. The reason why IPL ‘09 was so enjoyable was that the lower half of a team’s lineup was equally important for the match as the upper half. And when you have bowlers like Dale Steyn, Shane Bond and Shaun Tait in the mix, then why not allow them to flourish as well?

An extremely high scoring match is great as a fast food snack, but becomes unhealthy once it becomes a staple diet.

But the greatest story for the moment has been the turnaround of the team which was the center of attack and humiliation—the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Shahrukh-Sourav-Shoaib saga is long gone, the laptops and strategies of John Buchannan has been replaced by the cricketing tactics and basics of Dave Whatmore, and their success has meant that even the once famous Fake IPL Player from the team has gone into oblivion. His arena may sport a new look and feel but is devoid of any substance as of now.

It is not just the victories by the KKR that has grabbed attention, but the style in which they were attained, which oozed both character and domination. While in the first match, they hobbled and limped towards the victory after almost being down and out at least two times during the match, they thoroughly dominated the scene from start to finish in the next outing.

Sourav Ganguly stated that their team was well prepared this time around, and this was apparent as even the captain was running and diving around the field holding on to catches, despite failing with the bat. As they say, sometimes the captain is the most important asset of the team regardless of his contributions to the runs or wickets, and the Prince of Kolkata is definitely one of them.

The other interesting aspect that has caught my attention is how even the shortest format of the game never deserts the players who have class and technique. It has been amazing how the older guys have thrived in the last two seasons after a pathetic start in ‘08. Rahul Dravid was fantastic last year, Jacques Kallis has already played two blitzing innings, Anil Kumble has been among the wickets since the last two seasons, and Sachin Tendulkar has been….well, Sachin Tendulkar.

If anything, T20 cricket further highlights the importance of Test Cricket and the role it plays in the development of cricketers. The specialist test cricketers may lack the exuberance required to succeed in this format, but they have enough class and experience to change their style according to the nuances of the T20 and adapt eventually

Jacques Kallis has been phenomenal in IPL-3.

. Moreover, the nerves of steel that are required to succeed in tests equally helps to hone their character in T20. The same cannot be said of the IPL stars—Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar and others—who are unable to find their slot even in the final playing eleven of the Indian team. The latter, in fact, could not even manage to get past the first version.

If the action on the cricket field has been good, that behind the microphone has been terrible—or so I have heard. The old clichés are still prevalent and the needless enthusiasm shown by the broadcasters to pump up the viewer’s interest continues to flourish. Although, this is a very minor issue because after all, this tournament is meant to be a source of enjoyment for the fans and the commentators are offering the viewers the excitement they need.

Overall, the IPL has done great to overcome the initial set of controversies with the media. Their contract with YouTube has been a master stroke and the lack of gossip after its commencement, unlike last year, has been heartening. Their are still a few things that need to be better—bigger grounds and greener pitches among the top concerns—but one cannot expect that to happen in the subcontinent anytime soon.

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It’s funny how quickly things change in football. This time last season, Liverpool were in contention for the Premier League title while Arsenal were trying to beat Aston Villa and Everton to fourth place.

And as it turned out, Arsenal managed to finish fourth while Liverpool went on to lose the title by four points.

This time around, Arsenal have a chance of winning the league while Liverpool are battling with Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa for the fourth Champions League spot.

Arsenal are currently third, two points behind Manchester United who lead the table, and are level on points with Chelsea who are second with a game in hand. But the Gunners have relatively easier games compared to the other two. United and Chelsea still have to play each other and also have a game each against Liverpool.

This is where Liverpool becomes so important to the title challenge. Towards the end of last year, with fourth place safely secured, Arsenal still had games to go versus Chelsea and United. With the latter two vying for the title, Arsene Wenger had declared that his side would play the “role of kingmakers” as those results would affect the title.

The Gunners did not do much as they went on to lose against Chelsea and when they played United, the Red Devils only needed a point to seal the title. The game ended in a goalless draw and United celebrated their record-equaling eighteenth domestic title.

This year it is Liverpool who takeover as kingmakers. But more than deciding who wins the title, the Reds have their own interests at stake as it is unlikely that this season the fourth place will be decided until the very end. They will have to win every match and hope the others fighting for fourth drop points. They take on United on Sunday.

Arsenal beat Liverpool home and away which in a way widened the gap between the Reds and fourth place. It is ironic that by winning their remaining games, Liverpool will be doing the Gunners a favour.

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