After watching a certain Sachin Tendulkar play for the last 17 years, I cannot help but feel that I have lost an integral part of my life today. For Sachin Tendulkar was no ordinary run-of-the-mill cricketer. Mere words cannot describe what a terrific one day player Sachin Tendulkar was. Watching Sachin Tendulkar bat gives you the most amazing feeling.

The year was 1989, the month was November and the opponent, Pakistan. The world got a first look at a young teenager who would go on to win a billion hearts with his sheer brilliance. While he didn’t exactly set the stage on fire, the mastery was there for all to see. His first Test century against England in Manchester made him the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century.

The first time I watched Sachin play was during the 1996 World Cup in India. The first match was against Kenya and Sachin scored an unbeaten 127. Watching the Master in action was mesmerizing. I took an instant liking to the game and of course, to Sachin himself. Sachin went on to become the top-scorer in almost every one of India’s matches.

Who can forget the epic quarterfinal against Pakistan? Sidhu and Sachin opened with a 90-run partnership and laid a solid foundation for India. The next match was the semifinal against Sri Lanka. India was chasing 252 and with Sachin at the crease, it seemed like the target would be attained easily. But with the score on 98, Sachin got out. What followed will never be forgotten by Indian cricket fans. The rest of the batsmen were unable to deal with the Sri Lankan spinners and from 98/1, team India spectacularly collapsed to 120/8. The fans could not take it anymore and created a ruckus in the stadium. The match was abandoned and India was knocked out of the World Cup.

After the World Cup, Tendulkar unleashed himself against Australia in Sharjah. His two centuries in the league match and in the finals were two of his best knocks ever. Sachin simply tore apart the Australian attack in a brutal assault, winning the match single-handedly. In the 1999 World Cup, Sachin scored a century against Kenya after his father’s death.

During the 2003 World Cup, Sachin ended up as the highest run-scorer in the tournament, setting a record in the process. Sachin was back to his irresistible best during the 2003 World Cup. His 98 against Pakistan will rank among one of his best knocks. With a bowling attack consisting of Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, the Master decimated the attack with a fine show of aggression, shredding the attack to bits. India was on an unbeaten streak, but unfortunately faltered at the last hurdle. A forlorn Sachin was almost in tears when he was presented with the Player of the Tournament. His long cherished dream would have to wait longer.

Tendulkar continued to scale new peaks and set new records. He became the highest run-scorer in ODIs against Australia and broke the record for the most number of Test centuries against Sri Lanka in 2005. The 2007 World Cup was one of the lowest points of Sachin’s career.

India had won the CB series in Australia after Sachin had scored a century in the first finals. In the 2011 World Cup, Sachin was back to his best, opening the innings with Sehwag. Sachin scored two hundreds in the league stage against England and South Africa. In the quarterfinals, Sachin scored a fighting half-century against a good Australian attack. In the semifinal Sachin scored 84 against arch rivals Pakistan. On April 2 2011, Sachin Tendulkar had achieved his only unfulfilled goal – winning the World Cup. After six attempts, Sachin was successful.

Sachin’s 100^th international century came against Bangladesh after a long wait, and the world rejoiced. In his last One Day International, Sachin scored 52 against Pakistan. So after 23 years,  463 matches, 49 centuries, 96 half-centuries and 18,426 runs, we the fans of India and the world will no longer see a legend represent India in a colored shirt. No more will we see records being set every other day. No more will have incentive to watch a match just for one man. No more will the fans leave the stadium after the fall of their beloved number 10. No more will we hear the chants of “Sachin Sachin Sachin” in a One Day International. With a heavy heart, it’s time to say goodbye. Fans have always dreaded this day. The Indian cricket team will no doubt lose a sizable chunk of its fans.

Sachin Tendulkar has in many ways symbolized hope. He has shown us that anything is possible. He has shown us that God does exist. He has taught us the meaning of hope. Sachin has carried the hopes of an entire nation for 23 years. While the rest of the team crumbled around him, he would never give up and fight till the end. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, you are truly immortal. We will miss you. Farewell GOD.

After the roaring success of the inaugural World T20, Indians embraced the game and that gave rise to the behemoth known as the IPL. Looking back, here is a list of the Top 3 games in the first edition of the world T20.

Australia vs. Zimbabwe at Cape Town – September 12 2007

Australia 138/9 in 20 overs lost to Zimbabwe 139/9 in 19.5 overs

Four Time World Champions in One day cricket Australia was up against Zimbabwe in a Group B match at Cape Town. With Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting, Symonds, Hussey and Lee in the Australian side, the game was expected to be a walk in the park for Australia. Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. The most fearsome opening combination in world cricket was dismissed in the space of two overs. Captain courageous Ricky Ponting did not trouble the scorers too much and departed soon after, to leave the Aussies reeling at 19/3 in 4 overs.

It was then up to the trio of Symonds, Hussey and Hodge to rebuild the innings and lend some respectability to the team’s total. At the end of twenty overs, Australia was 138/9. Zimbabwe got off to a rollicking start, in sharp contrast to Australia. Sibanda and Taylor took the attack to the opposition. After the fall of Sibanda, the scoring slowed down a bit, but Zimbabwe was on course.

At the end of 14 overs, the scoreboard read 87/4. A bad over from Hodge, in which he conceded 15 runs, handed the initiative back to the African team. But the next 4 overs were tight and the equation was down to 12 runs  from the last over for Zimbabwe. Taylor smashed the first ball of the last over for four. In the next three balls, four runs were scored. With four needed from two balls, Bracken conceded 4 leg byes off the penultimate delivery and a deserving Zimbabwean team won the match!

India vs. Pakistan at Durban – September 14 2007

India 141/9 in 20 overs tied with Pakistan 141/7 in 20 overs. India won the bowl out 3-0.

India vs. Pakistan in a World Cup match, nothing could possibly be bigger than that. With India’s first match against Scotland washed out, the Indian team had to win or lose by a small margin to progress to the next round. The new look Indian team was not amongst the favourites to win the Cup and the expectations from the team were very low.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. The Indian openers were supposed to be the only strong link in the Indian team. Gambhir was out for a duck and Sehwag didn’t last very long either. The last semblance of hope then was Yuvraj Singh. In the first ball of the fourth over, Yuvraj Singh was heading back to the pavilion. 19/3 in the fourth over and it seemed like the Indians had just played their first and last match of the world cup.

Uthappa and Karthik led the fight back for India. Karthik, though, did not last for long and was sent back to the dressing room by Asif. The score was 36/4 after 6.4 overs. Dhoni was up next. Uthappa and Dhoni slowly and steadily rebuilt the innings with controlled aggression. Pathan and Agarkar chipped in with some valuable runs and India’s eventual total of 141 was good, considering the state of affairs in the seventh over.

Pakistan was off to a decent start. Butt and Akmal took Pakistan to a score of 44/1 in seven overs. Team India hit back with three quick wickets and the scales were balanced once again. The Indian bowlers strangled the Pakistani batsmen and stemmed the flow of runs considerably in the next few overs. Pakistan was moving at a snail’s place.

At the end of 17 overs, Pakistan was 100/5. The Indians were well on course for a comfortable victory. But the format of T20 is such that, a team can never rest, no matter what the situation is. With 40 needed off 15 balls and Afridi dismissed, all seemed lost for Pakistan. But Misbah and Arafat had other plans. 27 runs were scored off the next 8 balls and all of a sudden, Pakistan only needed 12 runs from 6 balls. Sreesanth was entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the final over of the match. Arafat crossed over for a single off the first ball. Misbah capitalised on three poor deliveries from Sreesanth and hammered the bowler for 10 runs. The scores were level with two balls left. Misbah missed the penultimate delivery and it was down to one run off the final delivery. In a sensational finale, Misbah cut the ball straight to Yuvraj and scampered for a run. Yuvraj was too quick for Misbah though and the batsman was run out! This was first tie of the tournament.

The match was then settled by means of a bowl out, which team India won comfortably 3-0. What a game it turned out to be!

India vs Pakistan at Johannesburg – September 24 2007

India 157/5 in 20 overs beat Pakistan 152/10 in 19.3 overs

India vs. Pakistan in the finals of a World Cup, this was the mother of all contests! India and Pakistan had never faced off in the final of a world event previously. So with bated breath, fans from the two neighbouring countries waited eagerly for this game. Team India was dealt a severe blow before the finals, as Sehwag was declared unfit. The unheralded Yusuf Pathan, a player who was previously unheard of, was drafted into the side as a replacement for Sehwag.

Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. Yusuf Pathan got India off to a flier and departed after a scintillating cameo. Gambhir was in fine nick and was timing his shots well. Uthappa struggled to get a hold and was out to Tanvir in the sixth over. Gambhir and Yuvraj steadied the ship and India was on course for a big total. The score was 103/2 in the fourteenth over. Yuvraj and Dhoni departed in quick succession. At the other end, Gambhir was unfazed and kept the scoreboard ticking. Rohit Sharma blitzed away towards the end with a quick-fire 30. India’s total at the end of 20 overs was a decent 157/5.

Pakistan lost Hafeez in the first over in pursuit of India’s 157. Nazir was on fire and was in a hurry to wrap things up. Akmal hardly got any of the strike and when he did, he perished to R.P Singh. At the other end, Nazir was unstoppable and raced away to 33 off just 14 deliveries. It took a fine throw from Uthappa to dislodge Nazir, who was just short of the crease while attempting a risky single. As in the previous match against Pakistan, the Indian bowlers hit back and choked the Pakistani batsmen slowly. Younis, Malik and Afridi were dismissed and the scoreboard read 77/6 in 11.4 overs.

With 90 runs required and only 4 wickets in hand, team India had almost sealed the match. But Misbah was still at the crease. At the end of 16 overs, Pakistan was 104/7. With 54 runs required from 24 balls and 3 wickets in hand, even the most diehard Pakistan fan would have given up all hope. But Harbhajan Singh bowled a terrible over, in which he was smothered for three sixes. This was followed up with another bad over, this time from Sreesanth. 34 runs were scored in overs number 17 and 18. A fantastic over from R.P Singh, in which he conceded just seven runs and picked up a wicket, brought India back into the game.

Joginder Sharma was entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the last over of the match. Joginder started off badly with a wide. A dot ball was followed up with a mighty six from Misbah. 6 needed from 4 balls. Surely it was game set and match for Pakistan. But redemption was not meant to be for Pakistan. A brain freeze from Misbah, resulted in him trying to scoop the ball over fine leg in spite of the presence of a fielder. The dolly was gleefully accepted by Sreesanth and all of India erupted in celebrations! It was a really stunning win and one cracker of a match. The final was a really fine advertisement for the game and led to a revolution in the sport. A few months later, the IPL was born.

So what if the best players from each team were selected and assembled together, like in the expendables movie. What would the team look like? Let’s have a look!

The Openers

Sehwag and Gayle

Openers are the key to every team’s fortunes and play an integral part in the final outcome of the game. Openers can either make or break the game. The openers selected would be Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle. They are two of the most destructive players ever to grace the game of cricket. With Gayle partnering Sehwag at the top, there’s no telling what score would be enough for the opponent. The pair is every bowler’s nightmare; it would be bad enough to be bowling to one of them, but to bowl to both of them at the same time? That would require the bravest of bravehearts!

The Middle order and Finishers

Kallis, Yuvraj, Watson, Afridi and Dhoni

The job of the middle order batsmen is to get their eye in, protect their wicket, score at a decent clip and then explode. The job of the finisher on the other hand is to score boundaries right from the first ball and send the fielders scampering for cover. Jacques Kallis at one drop lends solidarity to the team, in case of any early breakthrough. Kallis can switch gears effortlessly and is a handy bowler to boot.

Yuvraj Singh and Shane Watson at No. 4 and No.5 are the ideal players for these two positions. Yuvraj Singh is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball and is very pleasing to watch. With clean strokes and deft placement, Yuvraj Singh is the perfect batsman for any format of the game. Shane Watson can use his brute force to unsettle the best of bowling attacks. Watson is a power hitter and when he is around the flow of runs will never cease.

Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are two of the best finishers the game has seen. While Afridi is more of a hit and miss player, Dhoni is Mr. Consistent. When Afridi gets going, he seems like a completely different player who is in total control of himself. Dhoni is one of the most consistent players around with an amazing average. Dhoni adapts to the situation perfectly and is also a very smart wicket keeper.

The Spinners

Shakib-Al-Hasan and Daniel Vettori

Spinners play a vital part in restricting the flow of runs and in strangling the batsmen. Shakib and Vettori are very experienced and can tangle the batsmen with their webs of deceit. Both of them can restrict the flow of runs to a trickle and also pick up wickets at crucial intervals. In the subcontinent, the duo will come in handy. To top it all, both of them are world class all-rounders who excel with the bat.

The Pacemen

Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga

Fast bowlers are the ones who get hit the most and the bowlers have to be smart to avoid becoming cannon fodder, especially in the subcontinent. But when the bowlers happen to be Mr. Steyn and Mr. Malinga, the pitch really doesn’t matter. Steyn is undoubtedly one of the best fast bowlers of our time. Malinga is the best death bowler in recent times.

Malinga has always been an exceptional bowler at the death. With his toe crushing yorkers, most of the batsmen find it very hard to play him and see out the over without trying to smash him out of the park. Steyn can knock over a team within minutes with his sheer pace. Steyn and Malinga together are similar to Sehwag and Gayle at the top, both pairs are unstoppable!

The Team

1)  Sehwag

2)   Gayle

3)   Kallis

4)   Yuvraj

5)   Watson

6)   Afridi

7)   Dhoni (wk) (captain)

8)   Shakib

9)   Vettori

10) Malinga

11)  Steyn

Down 10-17 after the second round, Devendro Singh Laishram, all of 20 years, trudged back to his coach, disappointed. Devendro was facing Paddy Barnes in the quarter-finals of the Olympics. Devendro was just one win away from earning an Olympic medal. Watching this bout at 1:15 am, I couldn’t help but feel a little let-down. Still all hope was not lost. There was still one round to go. Devendro was trailing Paddy by 7 points and if Paddy Barnes could muster a handsome lead, so could Devendro! There was always the possibility of Devendro knocking out his opponent, like he did in the first round. Or the judges could screw up once again and award the match in favour of Devendro.

So with renewed hope, I waited for the third round to begin. The referee signalled the boxers and the final round began. Devendro started off well and looked to be having the upper hand. Paddy Barnes was given a warning and an extra two points was awarded to Devendro! Now it was only a matter of two left uppercuts and a couple of right hooks before Devendro could progress. But as expected and more realistically, it was too much to expect from Devendro. Devendro won the round 8-6 but lost the match 23-18. Devendro might have lost the match but won many hearts in the process. His aggression and style was refreshing to watch. Now to get on with the story.

The person here, the author, depicts the Indian sports fan. For practical purposes, I will use the word “fan”. Even when all hope seems lost, when the odds are stacked heavily against our team, when there is absolutely no way out, the fan never gives up. Even when our team is down in the dumps and has reached its lowest ebb, we will still support our team when offered one last tiny chance of partial redemption. For instance, in the case of our Hockey team, in spite of the team losing all of its matches, the fan still tuned in to watch the last match. The match was a classification game, a battle to avoid the dubious tag of the “Wooden spoon” holders. The South Africans took the lead in the eighth minute. But India hit back and equalized in the 14^th minute. Unfortunately the South Africans were in the lead once again. With four minutes to go, our team reduced the deficit to one goal, the possibility of another goal would take the game to extra time. But there was to be no redemption. No light at the end of the tunnel.

There are highs and lows, in equal measure for the fan. The Fan will always support the team/country no matter what. The fan might be critical of the team/players after a bad day in the office, but the reason behind that is expectation and hope. The fan will support the player even when the player is slipping.

The fan will stand by its team and its players, no matter how they perform. The fan will spur the team and transform the players. Without the fan, the team will not have the motivation to play. The fan will do anything and everything possible to make his/her team win. The fan will wait for hours in a queue to get tickets to watch his team play. The Fan will buy a jersey of his favourite player. The Fan will always believe in his/her team. The fan will flock to the stadium, even when the team has already lost the series 4-0. The fan is a die-hard supporter. The fan never loses hope. The team is a part of the fan. The fan is a part of the team. The pain of defeat is crushing, but then the joy of victory is overwhelming and that is what the fan so deeply desires! We are the Indian sports buffs!

Football, the most popular sport in the world and you would think that the second most populous nation in the world would figure in the top 20 teams in the world. No? Top 50? No? Top 100 then surely! Well you are in for a rude shock! India is ranked 168^th in the world out of a possible 209 nations that play football. While it is not right to criticize the players, it is high time the authorities in charge step up and start looking at the sport in a serious manner. Football in India offers tremendous scope and if managed properly, it has the potential to put the IPL to shame.

The country’s premier domestic competition in India is the I-League. The National football league which was the main domestic football league from 1996-2007 was rejigged with a few changes and the I-League was born in 2007. The I-League is contested by 14 teams with each team playing all the other teams on a home and away basis. Teams from West Bengal and Goa dominate the I-league, with eight of the fourteen teams in the league from the two states. The three teams that have won the I-League (Dempo, Churchill brothers and Salgaocar) are all based in Goa.

The Santosh trophy is similar to the Ranji trophy and is contested by the state associations. The Durand cup is the third oldest football competition in the world, only behind the F.A Cup and the Scottish cup. Football in India is mainly concentrated in the North East and in Goa although the sport is picking up fast in the rest of the country but not in a big enough way.

The ranking by itself tells the tale of Indian football. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the apex body which governs Indian football. Praful Patel, a Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister for heavy industries is the chairman of the AIFF. He was the person who scripted the downfall of our national carrier, Air India. As long as Patel is in charge of the AIFF, there will be no light at the end of the tunnel for Indian football.

Despite frenzied efforts by FIFA to take the game to the next level in India, the game is, in fact, going nowhere. Just when things started looking up with Bob Houghton in charge of the Indian team, baseless charges were slapped against him and he was forced to resign. Under Bob Houghton, Team India played remarkably well and constantly punched above their weight, the highlights being the Nehru cup triumph, AFC challenge cup triumph and qualifying for the AFC Asian cup after a span of 34 years. After Houghton resigned, Team India has been largely listless. They were swamped by all the teams in the 2012 AFC challenge cup. Lets hope that India can retain the 2012 Nehru Cup, which begins on the 22nd of August.

When will the administrators wake up and spend more time and allocate more funds for sports? Only time will tell. Hopefully with more people taking to the sport and with the popularity of football surging ahead, there is a flicker of hope. The 2030 FIFA World Cup champions maybe!