But are coaches elsewhere in the world of sports given their due? In a team game or an individual one, it is the players who always end up getting all the credit and praises for their victories and superlative performances. Likewise, they also bear the brunt of the fans and media if they fail to live up to the expectations. However, history suggests that coaching has a huge part to play in the success of an individual or a team. Yes, the captain and the players are important because they are the ones who have to perform on the field. But it does not take away anything from the impact that good coaches or for that matter bad coaches can have on the performance of an individual or a team.

Take the example of Indian cricket. In the year 2000, India got its first foreign coach in John Wright. The former New Zealand skipper kept a low profile and worked behind the scenes. During his five-year stint, Team India enjoyed a remarkable winning percentage of over 40 in Test cricket, winning 21 out of 52 matches. More importantly, Wright’s tenure taught the team to win overseas, guiding the players to 10 wins on foreign soil, including victories over Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies. He also helped India attain ODI success, winning 52 per cent of the games, and it was under his regime that India reached the finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Yes, he had the luxury of an outstanding team comprising of a blend of experienced and young cricketers led by a dynamic captain, but considering that Wright took over the reins in the aftermath of the match-fixing scandal of 1999, his achievements with the side are truly special.

Then came the Greg Chappell era which was known more for controversies rather than cricket. The Aussie had the responsibility of taking Indian cricket to greater heights following Wright’s successful reign. However, things backfired right from the word go, as Chappell’s “I’m the boss” mentality did not go down too well with the star-studded Indian team. Chappell’s two-year stint proved to be a nightmare and the numbers reflected that. The overseas record was even worse with India winning just four games out of 12.

The Indian team had to recover from the Chappell era and after few stop-gap arrangements, they got their 3rd foreign coach in Gary Kirsten. Under Kirsten, Team India went on to win an emphatic 16 matches, at a rate of almost 50 per cent, out of the 33 that they played. The team also achieved huge success on foreign soil, winning six games out of 14. During Kirsten’s three-year stint as team’s coach, India only lost one series while they won seven out of the 12 that they played. It was under him that India not only became the number one ranked Test side, but also fulfilled every Indian’s dream of winning a World Cup after 28 years.

But after the 2011 World Cup, Kirsten left and all of us know what has happened in the post-Kirsten era with Indian cricket. Under Duncan Fletcher, India has already lost 8 Tests in a row on foreign soil and to simply keep the story short, the team is struggling to get back to its glory days. Thus, in the last 12 years or so, the team has seen 4 different coaches and their fates have been strikingly different. Yes, a sizable chunk of players have changed in this period but the core of the team has been more or less the same. As far as Gary Kirsten and his coaching abilities are concerned, he joined the South African cricket team last year and their success is for everybody to see. They recently dethroned England from the number one spot in Test cricket.

Football or soccer is one game in which the role of a coach or manager has always been acknowledged and appreciated. If we have to talk about Manchester United, their coach and manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been often credited with the success of the club in his 26-year regime. And many seem to believe that United will never be the same once Ferguson decides to call it a day. On the other hand, Chelsea, under their manager Andre Villa Boas, plunged to their rock bottom halfway through last season. The star players of Chelsea including Lampard had issues with him and nothing was going right for the club. When Andre Villa Boas was sacked after less than a season in charge at Stamford Bridge, the club was on the verge of an early exit from the Champions League with a defeat to Napoli. To go on and win the Champions League from that situation is fairy-tale stuff and Roberto Di Matteo was able to achieve the impossible. The inclusion of Robert Di Matteo or should we say the exclusion of Andre Villa Boas, did the trick for Chelsea. If this does not highlight the significance of having a good coach in sports, nothing ever will.

The impact of coaches on individual players is immense too. Good players require good coaches to be able to perform to their maximum levels on the field. And bad coaches can make good players look horribly out of sorts. One may argue that good experienced players do not need coaching per se but there are challenges that good players face and they require somebody’s help to tackle the challenges. That’s where the role of a good coach comes in. Sachin Tendulkar stressed upon this point when he spoke very highly about Gary Kirsten and his huge involvement behind India’s success during his era. In fact, Sachin himself could rediscover his form and played some of his best cricket in the Kirsten era. It is only after Kirsten left that Sachin has found himself in a slight slump and Duncan Fletcher has not yet been able to help him get out of it. Sachin faced a similar rough period when Greg Chappell was in charge of Indian cricket too.

Tennis legend Roger Federer also was apparently suffering a crisis of confidence in 2010 and many of us thought that his era was done for good. However, the appointment of a new coach Paul Annacone managed to help him revive his career. Annacone led Federer to two straight year-end championships in 2010 and 2011, a Wimbledon title in 2012 and a return to the World No. 1 ranking. It is interesting to note that Annacone was earlier the long-time coach of another tennis legend Pete Sampras and was instrumental in his success too.

You look around the world of sports and you will find many more examples which showcase the impact of coaches. Basketball coach Phil Jackson and his successful stint with Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Jose Mourinho and his exploits as a football manager with various clubs, our very own Pullela Gopichand and his mentee Saina Nehwal – all these examples showcase the importance of a good coach. The players understand and acknowledge it. It is high time the others give them their due as well.

This beautiful advertisement shot in 1999 featuring Shahrukh Khan along with Sachin Tendulkar, Mohd. Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid & Ajay Jadeja has been directed by the ad guru Pralhad Kakar.

Another one starring Sachin Tendulkar beautifully captures young kids’ aspiration to become Sachin Tendulkar.

This advertisement was shot just before the 2003 World Cup and featured Sachin Tendulkar along with Shane Warne and Carl Hooper. The word ‘Aila’ has been associated with Sachin since then.

This advertisement featuring Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd. Kaif, Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar was shot before the Friendship Series between India and Pakistan in 2004. This advertisement brings back fond memories of the wonderful team under the dynamic leadership of Sourav ‘Dada’ Ganguly.

And finally, this advertisement featuring Sourav Ganguly managed to create an emotional connect with the Indian public. ‘Apni Dada ki baat sunenge na?’ would remain etched in every Indian cricket fan’s memory for a lifetime.

Even after representing India at the highest level scoring heaps of runs for almost 23 years, we still manage to find flaws with this man. Two batting failures at the start of a new season after a long break and people have started complaining. ‘Sach’ is Life! For the man who started off as the wonder boy of Indian cricket when he burst on to the international scene with a squeaky voice, curly hair and flamboyant stroke-play, this may well feel like a routine exercise. Whenever he goes through a poor run, his head is immediately called for. Question marks over his fitness, his work ethic and even his technique have been raised. But as an Indian cricket fan, I am happy. In the past, people have said worse things about him and history suggests that whenever Sachin Tendulkar has been pushed to a corner by people, he has only come out stronger.

Playing cricket at the highest level for such a long time is physically demanding and injuries have been part and parcel of Sachin’s illustrious career. If we look at the list of injuries that have plagued him in the past, we will notice that the man has seen it all: back injury, toe injury, thigh injury, finger injury, knee injury, groin injury, abdomen injury, hamstring injury, shoulder injury and the famous tennis elbow injury. He has undergone two major surgeries – one on his elbow in 2005 and another on his shoulder in 2006. All of these injuries have been tough, and none was tougher than the tennis elbow injury which made it very difficult for him to even grip the bat. The whole nation and cricket enthusiasts across the world prayed for his recovery and it is possible that the prayers and support may have helped him bounce back. However, the critics did not spare him.

Sachin’s return to international cricket after these injuries was not easy. He struggled to get back into the groove and immediately people started raising questions. There were people suggesting that his utility in the team was limited and that his weaknesses had been exposed. In 2004, Outlook India came up with an article ‘Sachin Endulkar’ in which the author suggested that Sachin Tendulkar, with an injured toe beyond repair, a strained back and a tennis elbow injury, cannot expect to play cricket for long, and that it was time India contemplated a future without Tendulkar. In 2006, Sachin was booed by cricket fans at the Wankhede after a failure in the middle. To be fair to the crowd, Sachin’s stay in the middle was painful and he looked out of sorts. But that is no way of treating somebody who has exceeded our expectations on most occasions. In that same year, the Times of India also came up with an article ‘Endulkar? Dare we imagine the unimaginable’ in which the author opined that Tendulkar’s batting prowess had diminished and his career had slid permanently.

These authors are no cricket experts (much like myself) and hence can be forgiven for their ignorance. But the so-called experts also endorsed these views. Maninder Singh said, and I quote, “His left arm is not as strong as it once was; hence, we must learn to live without that trademark punched drive. With time, the aggressor has turned accumulator, the entertainer tends to go into a shell. We will never see the vintage Sachin of 5-7 years ago.” After the disastrous World Cup in 2007, in spite of the team collectively failing, Ian Chappell personally attacked Sachin, calling for his retirement in his column in Mid-Day, a newspaper in Mumbai. Sachin, being the man that he is, did not respond verbally and instead let his bat do the talking – and how!

He started his post World Cup 2007 season with two back-to-back man of the tournament performances and in the subsequent ODI tournaments, one against England in England and one against Australia at home, he was the highest run scorer from India. A tour to Australia followed and he continued with his exceptional form, becoming the leading run scorer with 493 runs in 4 Tests. After the successful Test series, Sanjay Manjrekar wrote in a newspaper column that Sachin is an “elephant in the room no one wants to talk about.” Days after the column, India shook off Sri Lanka to qualify for the finals of the CB Series and Tendulkar made Manjrekar eat humble pie by scoring 117 not out and 91 in the two finals to beat Australia and earn a landmark win for Team India. In fact, the years 2007 (2nd half), 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 (1st half) have been some of his best years in his career with him scoring a total of 24 international centuries in this period. He had 3 scores of 150-plus in ODIs, including a double hundred, thus silencing all his critics who thought his ODI career was over with him becoming a less aggressive player. He played some very important innings in Tests as well and along with his team-mates helped India reach the pinnacle of Test cricket. In the year 2010 alone, he scored 1562 runs in Tests with 7 centuries to his name. And in the 2011 World Cup, he amassed a total of 482 runs from 9 matches and played a huge part in helping India win the tournament, thus fulfilling a life-long dream of his.

Dream come true

Since then, admittedly, it has been a tough period for him. But to be fair, it’s been tough for the team collectively. The critics have again started to question his place in the team. The media speculates about his retirement every now and then. Many of us scrutinize every move of his and discuss him regularly on the internet. Yes, everything good has to come to an end and Sachin Tendulkar’s glorious career also will. He is 39 now and the day is not far away when he decides to call it a day. That moment will hit us hard when it arrives. It happened recently with the great Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Many of us were calling for their heads after the tour to Australia but suddenly when the news of their retirement actually arrived, we were shocked and extremely saddened.

In the case of Sachin Tendulkar, that inevitable news will be harder to digest. After all, he has truly been a once-in-a-generation player. Many kids have shown promise in school cricket but have failed to make it big on the international stage. And here is a man who has lived up to the burden of expectations, achieved everything possible in cricket and in the process, earned a permanent place for himself in the history of the game. There have been many occasions in his career, especially with the long list of injuries, where he could have been depressed and easily given up everything. Lesser mortals like you and me would have done that. Instead, he bounced back stronger than ever before. The great Vivian ‘King’ Richards had once said in 2007 that India has been ungrateful to their most wonderful son. Earlier this year in March 2012, he again told us to enjoy Sachin while we can. Can we then simply pay heed to his advice and allow Sachin one final shot at glory?

The Indian colts have done it again. The under-19 Indian Cricket Team, under the able leadership of Unmukt Chand, has won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2012 by defeating the home side Australia in the finals. The Indian team has now won three under-19 World Cups, previous wins being in 2000 under the captaincy of Mohammad Kaif and in 2008, under the leadership of Virat Kohli. The whole idea behind starting such a tournament was to give promising young cricketers a taste of what international cricket is all about. It is designed to give them a feel about playing for one’s own country and the pressure and expectations that come along with it. This would in turn ensure that promising young cricketers have a smooth transition into the senior national side. Have the Indian team selectors been successful in doing so?

Still going strong

If we had to look at the Indian players who made their way into the national side through the under-19 team, we have the likes of Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik. Some of them have made it big on the international stage and are instrumental to the senior side.

However, there are also many players who had shone in the under-19 sides but faded away into oblivion after that. Take, for example, the case of Ravneet Ricky, a cricketer from Punjab, who was declared the best batsman in the under-19 World Cup 2000 held in Sri Lanka. He had finished the series just 8 runs short of Graeme Smith, who finished as the highest run-getter in that series. Graeme Smith went on to become the youngest captain of South Africa and recently led his team to the number one position in Test cricket. Ravneet Ricky played his last first class match in November 2008. Same is the case with Manish Sharma, who had a great outing in that tournament but made his last first class appearance in 2006 before joining the Indian Cricket League in 2007.

Reached nowhere near his potential

Another peculiar case is that of Shikhar Dhawan. In the 2004 under-19 World Cup, he was the player of the tournament and the highest run-getter with a total of 505 runs, which included 3 centuries. Alistair Cook was second in that list with a total of 383 runs. Alistair Cook has grown and developed into a solid opening batsman for England with as many as 20 Test centuries in 83 matches. He is second only to Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to achieving batting milestones at a young age. Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, has featured in only 5 ODIs for India and is yet to make his Test match debut. Worse, he is not even in contention as far as Test cricket is concerned.

If we had to consider our bowlers, there is Shalabh Srivastava who finished the under-19 World Cup 2000 as the joint second highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps. Today, he is one of the 5 players suspended by the BCCI for spot-fixing. Another player named Anup Dave, a left-arm slow orthodox bowler, finished that same World Cup with 13 wickets, but has not played a single first-class game since November 2005. He simply faded away. Ajay Ratra, Venugopal Rao and Mrityunjay Tripathi are some of the other names who have failed to register much success post their under-19 heroics.

What could be the possible reasons behind this? Do they get lost in all the hype surrounding the under-19 triumphs? When the 2008 World Cup-winning team returned from Kuala Lumpur, there was a grand ceremony at the Chinaswamy Stadium in Bangalore to felicitate these young lads. Cash rewards, brand endorsements and IPL offers followed. These young cricketers earn almost as much as their role models – the senior cricketers – from all of this. Does handling success and keeping their focus on cricket then become a problem for these lads? Former Indian cricketer Robin Singh believes under-19 cricket is several notches below first-class standards and hence nothing should be based on the performances at that level. Former Indian cricketer and coach Venkatesh Prasad also believes that one should play a minimum of two years of first-class cricket before thinking about graduating to the next step.

Boy, hasn’t he lived upto the expectations!

However, there are few cricket pundits who have a different view. Australian great, Ian Chappell, in his recent article, says that he believes the very best players need to be constantly challenged from a young age, and if left for too long at a lower level, they may develop sloppy habits. The success of Graeme Smith justifies this school of thought. When Smith was made the captain of the South African side at the tender age of 22, the decision was criticized by many. Today, he is still the captain and needless to say, is going strong. Our very own Sachin Tendulkar also made his international cricket debut at the age of 16 after playing not more than one year of first-class cricket. The rest, as they say, is history. Both these wonderful cricketers have benefited because of the exemplary vision shown by the selectors and administrators, who had belief and confidence in their abilities. Conversely, the players who have failed to capitalize on the remarkable performances in the under-19 level may be victims of poor grooming, conditioning, counseling and selection methods.

So it all boils down to the vision of the men that matter the most, the selectors. The recent World Cup triumph by the under-19 colts will ensure enough media attention for the players. They will be felicitated, rewarded with cash and tempted with endorsement deals. It is up to the selectors to ensure that these young stars do not fade away as some of their predecessors have. Ian Chappell firmly believes that Harmeet Singh and Unmukt Chand are already good enough to play international cricket, and it is up to the selectors to provide them with enough opportunities. Are the selectors listening?

Sports fans have a huge impact on players’ and teams’ success or downfall. Sporting heroes rise because of their natural skills and athletic gifts but they become immortal when the passionate fans back them in their journey to stardom. In the modern era, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, Michael Schumacher, Usain Bolt, Sachin Tendulkar, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo are some of the sportsmen who have enjoyed immense following from fans across the world. Sports teams have also banked on the loyalties of their fans in their journey to achieve greatness. Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, etc. are some of the teams that have achieved cult status thanks to the incredible fan base that they have enjoyed over the years.

A priceless moment for this fan

Sachin Tendulkar is often referred to as the ‘God of Cricket’. Whenever he walks out to bat in a stadium, there is an altogether different level of excitement in the air, and his dismissal often brings the stadium to a pin-drop silence. His achievements are collectively enjoyed by everybody and it is almost as if he is obliged to always perform well for us fans. The level of fan following that he has can easily be demonstrated by this example: In a recent survey which included public votes amongst other factors, he was selected as one of the Top 10 Greatest Indians ever. The other personalities in this list comprised of senior political leaders including former Presidents and Prime Ministers and social reformers like Mother Teresa, and all of them were at least double his age. Some of them are not even alive today.

Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary is one such die-hard fan who travels to all Indian home games with his body painted as the Indian flag. It is said that Sachin himself provides him with tickets for the matches. It was a wonderful gesture by Sachin Tendulkar when he invited this loyal fan to Team India’s dressing room at the Wankhede stadium to hold the World Cup in 2011.

Fan blessing her “grandson”

One more extraordinary example is that of an 89-year-old lady in Chennai, Saraswathi Vaidyanathan, who fondly considers Sachin to be her grandson. Even at this age, she manages to remember all his statistics, and stays awake late at night to watch him play. Her son says that all her medical issues get sorted once she watches Sachin bat. Sachin rightly reciprocated by taking out time to meet this wonderful lady, and sought her blessings in 2010 at Chennai.

When we talk about club loyalties, one astounding example is that of a group of Sikhs who are die-hard fans of Manchester United. They have been following Manchester United by attending all the home games at Old Trafford for 20-25 years; one of them has been doing it for 35 years. They are season ticket holders and generally sit right beside the dugout. The club had rightly honored their loyalty by featuring some of them in a Manchester United pre-season advertising campaign in 2009.

On the contrary, players occasionally have to bear the brunt of angry fans if they fail to live up to the expectations. In India, cricketers are often the most admired and the most hated bunch of people, depending on their performance on the field. Team India’s poor start in the 2003 World Cup led to fans venting out their anger by burning posters and even attacking a few cricketers’ homes in India. Whether this outburst inspired the Indian team to suddenly raise their game and reach the finals of the World Cup is debatable though.

In sports where club transfers are involved, players are subjected to extreme hatred if ever they decide to change their clubs. A recent example being Robin Van Persie, who had to face the wrath of Arsenal supporters after he decided to leave Arsenal and join rivals Manchester United. Basketball superstar Lebron James also faced a similar situation when he left Cleveland Cavaliers and joined Miami Heat in search of a championship for himself.

Yes, fans are sometimes a bit too harsh and demanding. But it is important for the players and sports officials to respect the sentiments and preferences of fans in order to ensure success in the long run. Today when we say Test cricket is dying, it is primarily due to the low attendance that we witness in the stadiums. Rahul Dravid did take up this point in his speech in Australia last year when he spoke about the need for cricket administrators to become a little more fan-centric. When the lockout struck the NBA last year in the US, it was not only the players and the officials who were affected. The fans were left waiting helplessly for their heroes to rise again.

So all you fans out there, take some time out of your hectic schedule, which includes cheering for your favorite players and teams, following the transfer updates, memorizing statistics and watching match clippings. Take some time out and quietly applaud yourselves for being such wonderful fans. You are an integral part of sports. You, avid sports fans, are instrumental in making the game, the players and the teams successful. Sports would be nothing without you. Take a bow, all of you!

But Mr. Ajay Maken did drop a bombshell when he spoke about human development index and per capita income of a nation playing a very important role in determining its performance in the Games. He also said that India has managed to do well in London keeping in mind the poor standings in both human development index and per capita income. When I saw this interview on TV, I brushed away this statement made by the minister considering it to be a lame excuse for under performance. But the following day I read an article on Business Standard which suggested that countries which are poor and have a predominantly hot climate do not generally do well at the Games. Now, coming from a reputed publication like the Business Standard, this had to be more than just a lame excuse.

According to the Business Standard report dated 13/08/2012, India has done well to have stood 55^th in the Games inspite of being ranked 140^th in per capita income and 134^th in human development index by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Of the 43 countries listed as poorer than India, only five countries have managed to win medals and only three of them namely Kenya, Ethiopia and North Korea have fared better than India. And as far as the climate is concerned, countries falling in the hot weather belt all the way from Western Sahara to humid Southeast Asia could manage to win a total of 25 medals only. There were more than 900 medals up for grabs at the Games (962 to be precise) but countries which were either poor or hot managed to win only 49 medals. And India achieved the unique distinction of being the only medal winning country which fell in the category of being both poor and hot. Does that mean we will always have to be content with whatever meager we manage to achieve in sports? Can’t we ever become a truly sporting power? What do the previous Olympic Games statistics suggest? Do they also say the same story?

For the sake of convenience, the scope of this article is restricted to 1996 Atlanta Olympics and onwards. Also for the sake of convenience, let us assume that the standings of the countries as far as per capita income is concerned remain the same in this period.

Let us now have a look at each of these Olympic Games one by one:

1. Atlanta Games 1996:

Total number of medals to be won: 842 medals

Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 14 medals

Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 19 medals

Total number of medals India won: 1 medal

Total= 34 medals

2. Sydney Games 2000:

Total number of medals to be won: 928 medals

Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 19 medals

Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 29 medals

Total number of medals India won: 1 medal

Total = 49 medals

3. Athens Games 2004:

Total number of medals to be won: 929 medals

Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 19 medals

Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 28 medals

Total number of medals India won: 1 medal

Total= 48 medals

4. Beijing Games 2008:

Total number of medals won: 958 medals

Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 33 medals

Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries):  22 medals

Total number of medals India won: 3 medals

Total = 58 medals

5. London Games 2012:

Total number of medals won: 962

Total number of medals won by countries poorer than India: 24 medals

Total number of medals in the hot weather belt (includes ASEAN, SAARC & Arab countries): 20 medals

Total number of medals India won: 6 medals

Total = 50 medals

So, the total number of medals won by countries which fall in the category of being either poor or hot or both in the last 5 Olympic Games is 239 out of a possible 4600 odd medals. This finding clearly warrants the claim made by the Business Standard article. However, I would still want to believe that it is sheer co-incidence that majority of the countries which fall in this bracket also are the ones where sports is neglected and hence under developed. Since there are few countries in this bracket who have performed exceptionally well at the Games, it is purely because of the ambition and dedication of the people living there.

For example, Kenya, which is ranked 155^th in per capita income by IMF, has won as many as 75 medals including 45 medals in the last 5 Olympic Games, most of them coming in the long and middle distance races. For young people in Kenya, there is a common desire to be rich and for them the way to achieve it is to excel in sports mainly running long distances. It is this intense ambition to beat poverty in this manner which inspires them to go through rigorous training drills and to go through whatever it takes to be a champion. “When the lion is chasing the antelope, he doesn’t look back. He has to eat.” This is a common trait that describes the people of Kenya, a compulsion to end poverty.

Ethiopia, which is ranked as low as 179^th in that list, has won 32 medals in the last 5 Olympic Games, all in athletics. Bekoji, a remote town in Ethiopia, has a tradition of producing sporting legends, generation after generation through a combination of remarkable coaching and a peculiar climate that produces air quality perfect for distance runners. ‘This ‘freakish climate’, as they call it, is pure and clean but is so thin that it makes visitors gasp. It sometimes makes one ill to the point of vomiting. Instead of complaining about it, the people there looked at it as an opportunity to test themselves to the maximum by learning to master one’s pains and control one’s breathing.  And we have some of the best long and medium distance runners coming from this country.

So, finally, it all boils down to intent and desire. The Kenyans and Ethiopians have shown us that. Surely India faces its own set of challenges. We are not a naturally athletic nation. Nor do we indigenously have a sporting tradition. And yes, we are a ‘poor and hot’ country. On the positive side, London showed that Indian athletes are now participating and meeting world standards in many more disciplines than they were a decade ago. There clearly isn’t a dearth of sporting talent in the country. If nurtured properly, they could spark a sporting revolution in this country. With good systematic reforms, this could well be the beginning of India’s journey to becoming a sporting powerhouse.

P.S. The Business Standard article can be found at  http://business-standard.com/india/news/not-forpoorsweaty/483079/

However, there are numerous other records which are unique and special in their own way but do not enjoy much popularity.

Here’s presenting a list of ten such records:

1. Indian cricketer, Rameshchandra Gangaram Nadkarni, popularly known as Bapu Nadkarni, holds the record of bowling 21 consecutive maiden overs (131 consecutive dot balls). This astonishing feat came in the Madras Test against England in 1963-64. He finished with figures of 32-27-5-0 in that innings. With a career spanning 41 tests, he had a career economy rate of less than 2 runs per over.

2. Sri Lankan great, Muttiah Muralitharan has an incredible record of bagging 10 wickets and more in a test match in 4 consecutive test matches. And if you thought this is amazing, be ready for more. He has done it not once, but twice in his career, once in 2001 and once in 2006.

3. Australian legend, Sir Don Bradman holds the record for scoring hundreds in 6 consecutive test matches. All of them came against England, 3 of them in Australia in 1937 and the remaining 3 in England in 1938.

The Greatest ever!

4. The number of international centuries that Sachin Tendulkar has scored (100 to be precise) itself is an unimaginable achievement. Just to add to it, he also holds the record for having the most number of nineties in international cricket. He has 10 nineties in Tests & 18 nineties in ODIs. So that’s a total of 28 nineties in international cricket for the Little Master.

Truly a ‘Run Machine’

5. Graham Mckenzie of Australia, who possessed an easy but deceptive approach and action, has the unique record of bagging most wickets taken hit-wicket. He has 4 wickets taken hit-wicket in his career.

6. Trevor Bailey of England holds the record of hitting the slowest half century in Test cricket. In the 1958-59 Ashes Tour to Australia, he took 350 balls to reach his half century. This, incidentally, was also the first test match to be broadcast on television in Australia.

At his defensive best!

7. Len Hutton of England is the first and only man in Test Cricket to be given out obstructing the field. He edged a ball in the air and legitimately knocked it away from his wickets with his bat; in doing so, he prevented a catch being taken and was given out.

Weird dismissal

Ramiz Raja, Mohinder Amarnath and Inzamam-ul-Haq hold this dubious record in the ODIs.

8. Sri Lankan batsmen, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene hold the unique record of being the only batsmen to be retired-out in an international cricket test match. Both of them were retired-out in 2001 in a test match against Bangladesh.

Retired Out

9. James Southerton(L) of England holds the record of being the oldest cricketer to make a test debut. At the age of 49 years & 119 days, he made his debut against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on 15^th March 1877. His career was short-lived as he played a total of 2 test matches only. In 1880, he also became the first test cricketer to die.

Nolan Clarke (R) of the Netherlands holds this record in ODIs. He made his ODI debut at an age of 47 years & 240 days.

10. Ricky Ponting of Australia is the only player to have scored a century in both innings of his 100^th test match. This came against the South Africans in Sydney in 2006. Scoring an unbeaten 143 off just 159 balls, he helped his team chase down 287 in the fourth innings on the final day of the test match.

Arguably the best player of the pull shot in the game

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/12/list-of-some-unique-yet-special-records-in-cricket/feed/ 8 8191098 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/10/fall-of-a-sporting-empire-called-indian-hockey/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/08/10/fall-of-a-sporting-empire-called-indian-hockey/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:34:00 +0000 athulpillai http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=579639

Firstly, I must admit that I have never been a great fan of hockey. However, I take pride in calling myself a sports fanatic and hence I’m following the London Olympics very closely. Along with my fellow countrymen, I have been rooting for India and after witnessing the thumping 8-1 victory over France earlier this year in the Olympic Qualifiers, one of the sport I expected India to do well was men’s hockey.

After all, we were the most successful team in the Olympics when it came to men’s hockey. Winning 8 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals is by no means an ordinary feat. In fact, there was a time between 1928 (Amsterdam Olympics) and 1956 (Melbourne Olympics), when we were unbeaten throughout and it was only in 1960 (Rome Olympics) that Pakistan managed to snatch the gold medal from us by defeating us in the finals. People were heartbroken that we lost the Gold Medal in spite of winning the silver. Joseph Antic, a member of that team which ‘lost the gold medal’, while remembering the match, says that they used to hide from people fearing a backlash after they lost the match. Such were the levels of expectations from our team then. Later in 1964 (Tokyo Olympics), the Indian team bounced back like true champions and won the gold medal back.

But, that was about it. Yes, we did win a gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics but that was a weakened field with many major teams boycotting the competition. Since then, it has been downslide, an extremely steep one. So much so, that our team has failed to win even a single game at London Olympics so far. Well, many great teams across different sports have witnessed a fall after years of dominance, a popular example being West Indies in cricket. But for Indian Hockey to stoop down to a level where the coach of the national team says that the players are merely happy being a part of the tournament, is a real shame. Who is to be blamed for this debacle?

People who are associated with the game blame it on the use of artificial turfs which got introduced in the 1970s. According to them, the artificial turf increased the speed of the game dramatically and this led to a sudden downfall of Asian countries that relied more on skill and talent. The physical demands on the players changed. A classic case of failure to adapt, India got left behind in the switch from grass to astro-turf.

The more popular target of the blame game has been cricket. Yes, as bizarre as it may sound, many of us tend to believe that cricket has killed hockey. If being obsessed with one sport meant suffering for other sports, how is it that countries like USA, UK, Australia etc. have more than one popular sport. There surely is enough room for various sports to co-exist.

Along with the game, all us cricket lovers are blamed too. “You guys only want to watch cricket” is a common statement made at all cricket lovers. But that’s not true. Today, sports lovers in our country follow various different sports along with cricket and worship sportsmen other than cricketers too. We organize screening of football matches at pubs and stay awake late at night to watch them, only to wake up early in the morning to watch NBA. Such is the level of adulation we have for sportsmen that we cry with Roger Federer when he loses a match and pray silently for a footballer when we hear about him collapsing on the football ground. We keep track of all the transfer talks taking place during the transfer season as though our lives depend on it. We fight with our friends over club loyalties and many of us have this big dream of watching our favorite teams play live. In fact, all of us today are celebrating the success of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal at the Games inspite of them being players of sports which are not considered very popular in our country.

Therefore, instead of blaming cricket and its lovers, we should be focusing on some core issues like:

Where are the role models?

1. Infrastructure: India has 50 odd cricket stadiums as compared to around 10 hockey stadiums. Mumbai alone has 3 international cricket stadiums, quite a few numbers of cricket clubs and numerous other maidans. Kids are exposed to a lot of international matches due to these stadiums and they get access to good coaching facilities at these maidans. This eventually helps in creating a huge talent pool of youngsters in the country. Grass root level competitions in hockey should be similarly organized.

2. Governance: Dhanraj Pillay, former captain of the national team, has blamed the long standing power struggle and ego clash between the two parallel bodies – Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation as the main reason behind the death of hockey in India. While this may not be the only reason, any sport needs fair and transparent governance to thrive. Hockey in India needs an administration structured on the lines of the BCCI, manned by professionals with enough knowledge and competence to turn things in their favour.

3. Role Models: Sachin Tendulkar had once said that watching India win the cricket World Cup in 1983 inspired him to dream about winning a World Cup someday for the country. That victory inspired many kids of his times to take up cricket. The likes of Sehwag, Kohli etc. have said that they held a cricket bat for the first time after watching Tendulkar bat for India. And now we have loads of youngsters and kids who look up to the likes of Dhoni and Kohli and take up cricket. Similarly, Vishwanathan Anand, Gopichand etc. also have inspired many youngsters towards their sport. Today, unfortunately in hockey, we do not have a role model to inspire young kids towards the game.

Yes, there are more issues like media coverage, corporate sponsorships, public relations etc, but that will come only with on-field performances. Today, Mary Kom, deservedly, is being widely admired by everybody on TV or the internet. The Government has also announced a cash award of Rs. 50 lakh and 2 acres of land for her. Needless to say, she has today become a source of inspiration for many parents and young kids, especially girls. And we can now hope for getting many more talented boxers in our country. Indian Hockey needs an inspiration like this from somewhere. Only then will we be able to preserve what we call as our ‘national sport’.

Dear God,

Not so long ago, I was considered by everybody to be the ‘Next Big Thing’ to emerge from the maidans of Mumbai. Everybody associated with cricket including the pundits, former players, legends of the game and fans shared the opinion that I would be an instrumental part of the Indian Cricket Team for at least a decade. Even your namesake, Sachin Tendulkar Sir, on being asked who HE thinks can surpass HIS batting records, took my name.  I took these views seriously and imagined myself doing the following things in the coming years:

1. Act in advertisements and endorse everything possible. Be it pens & school bags (though I haven’t used them much), pepsi-colas, luxury cars, (even imagined being gifted a car by a Formula 1 legend of my generation), toothpastes, ceiling fans and of course alcohol (after all, it is my forte).

2. Act in movies (the ads will help me refine my acting skills), do item numbers with all the beautiful actresses and become a Superstar in the truest sense.

3. Surpass Dhoni in the Forbes List of Richest Sportspersons. No wait; replace Lebron James as the richest sportsperson in the world.

4. Own a sea-facing mansion with a fancy name so that it becomes a landmark and a must-visit spot for tourists coming for ‘Mumbai Darshan’.

5. Watch the Wimbledon every year sitting in the Royal Box and be acknowledged by everybody sitting in the crowd.

6. Fly to London to unveil my wax statue at Madame Tussauds.

7. Go to various book launches, all of them featuring books on my life’s success. I had even imagined the title of one of them, ‘From Borivali to Bandra’.

8. Inaugurate the ‘Rohit Sharma Stand’ at the Wankhede Stadium right beside the ‘Sachin Tendulkar Stand’.

9. Receive awards like the Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna by 2020. After all, the decade 2010-2020 was supposed to belong to me.

10. Finally, become the President of India or at least a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.

But, all these plans have gone terribly wrong. Today, MSD has lost his faith in me (I could never be as close to him as a Raina or a Jadeja), the ex-cricketers are calling for my head (some of them were as bad if not worse), Virat Kohli is already being groomed for captaincy (why this ‘Kohli’veri Di) and Manoj Tiwari does not even talk to me. Fans call me lazy; some of them even call me obese.

I was wondering when things started going wrong once again. After the disastrous World Cup 2011 (Team India winning without me in the team was painful), things were getting better. Two series against West Indies ensured that I score some runs. India had a disastrous tour of England. I still remember enjoying watch Raina struggle against short pitch bowling. In fact, till Sydney test in January 2012, things looked good. India continued their poor run in tests; people were raising questions about Kohli’s temperament in Test Cricket and to add the cherry to the cake, his middle finger episode.

But since then, it’s been a nightmare. Australian bowlers lost their sheen against the Indian batsmen (especially Kohli) in the 3^rd and 4^th test, and to make matters worse, Sri Lankans arrived and Hobart happened. I sometimes wonder if Sri Lankan bowlers have made a pact with Kohli. Whenever they bowl to me, they bowl with extra pace and bounce (sometimes no/low bounce) and to Kohli, they bowl like we do to a ‘kaccha nimbu’ in galli cricket. Well, I expected the Pakistani bowlers to do a better job but they also ‘helped’ Kohli by bowling to his strengths and that 148 balls 183 knock happened in the Asia Cup. And with Manoj Tiwari scoring the winning runs in the finals of IPL 2012, he has shot to fame as well. Everybody remembers that he scored an ODI Century in his last outing and in my case; even I don’t remember my last century.

Dear God, please help me get out of this mess. People say that I am talented and gifted. And I agree that I have the talent to live a life full of riches, fame, awards and glories. I request you to please help me achieve my true potential and realize all my dreams.

Oops, it’s time for the 3^rd ODI against Sri Lanka to begin and it seems that I have kept my place in the team. I had bunked the practice session today to write this letter to you. Please God, do consider my request.

Yours sincerely,

Rohit Sharma

Date: 28/07/2012

Disclaimer: This article is meant to be a satire. I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma myself and am sure that he will do well and represent India for many years to come. I fully endorse Gautam Gambhir’s views that he is the best young talent in the country today. Let us give him some more time.

Jimmy Connors, the American Tennis Legend, had once said, “In an era of specialists, you’re either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist… or you’re Roger Federer.”  Such is the stature of Roger Federer in World Tennis that everybody including sports analysts, tennis critics, former greats, contemporaries and fans consider him to be the greatest tennis player of all time. Recently in March 2012, he topped a list of the “100 greatest tennis players of all time” (male or female) by Tennis Channel, an American channel devoted to the game of tennis. But everything has not been rosy for the Master in recent times. He has lost against lesser ranked players, has failed to reach the last four of the Wimbledon in 2010 & 2011, has even managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on several occasions. Yet when it comes to pulling power, he remains the number one attraction. So, what is it that sets him apart?

Roger Federer announced himself on the world stage at the 2001 Wimbledon as a 19-year-old when he defeated the then defending champion, Pete Sampras, in a thrilling five-setter 4^th round match, thus ending Sampras’ 31-match winning streak at the Wimbledon. However, it was only in the 2003 Wimbledon that he managed to win his maiden Grand Slam title. He finished the year 2003 as the World No. 2, narrowly behind Andy Roddick. The year 2004 saw him clinch three more Grand Slam titles and the No.1 ranking in the world, which he then occupied for 285 weeks, just one week short of the record 286 weeks held by Pete Sampras. In the period 2005-07, he won eight Grand Slam titles from ten finals. After being denied by Rafael Nadal, a true champion on clay, on several occasions at the Roland Garros, Federer finally completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first French Open Title in 2009. This was also his 14^th Grand Slam title: on par with Pete Sampras. He then surpassed Sampras by winning his 15^th Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon a month later. With a win at the Australian Open in 2010, Federer extended his Grand Slam singles record to 16 titles. Yes, a total of 16 Grand Slam titles and to add to it, a gold medal in the doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; he has truly achieved everything possible in terms of statistics and numbers to be regarded as the best tennis player ever.

But Federer’s greatness cannot be judged or measured solely by his records and statistics. Yes, they do speak volumes of his longevity, versatility & brilliance but it is his uncanny ability of enriching lives through his exemplary display of skills, artistry and expertise that makes him truly special. He has consistently transcended expectations with humility and integrity and has inspired everyone around him to rise above their potential. On the tennis court, there is nothing he cannot do. The forehand & backhand slices, the topspin winners, the backhand flicks, the tweeners, the powerful serves and to add to it, excellent footwork and smooth floating movement across the court; his game almost seems too good to be true. To many, his game is best defined as poetry in motion.

Roger Federer may not have won a Grand Slam title for almost 30 months now and is no longer the No.1 ranked player in the world. But when he is on-song like he was in his quarter-finals match against Mikhail Youzhny two days ago, there are few better spectacles in the world of sport. In recent times, it has become a painful ritual to see Federer struggle against lesser mortals and hence it was more satisfying and refreshing to see him gracefully destroy his opponent. This victory has ensured a mouth-watering contest between Federer and the current World No.1, Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. They are playing each other for the first time at the Wimbledon and the match would be tightly contested.  Federer seeks to match the record of seven Wimbledon titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000. If he wins the title, he will also reclaim the top ranking from Djokovic and tie Sampras’ record for most weeks at the top. Whether he does it or not, he will remain the greatest ever to have graced the game.

Take a Bow, Master!

Never before in the past has the Mumbai Cricket Association’s U-14 off-season training camp been in so much news.  But when a 12-year-old boy, by the name of Arjun Tendulkar is one of the 32 probables selected for the camp, things ought to be different.  My initial reaction on reading this was pure happiness. The kid is on the right track and may soon be playing cricket at the highest level. But then, I realized that I was dreaming too fast too soon. The kid has to first play well in this camp, then hope of having few good seasons under his belt and then take it forward step by step. And these things have to be done by every budding cricketer who wishes to make it into the Indian team. But for Arjun Tendulkar, there are few more things he has to be wary of.

Firstly, I would like to believe that Arjun has made it in the list on the basis of merit and if so, we should be giving him credit for that. His recent achievements of a 124, a 39-ball 65 and bowling figures of 22/8 do show that he is in the list because he deserves to be there. But, it would be very easy for us to belittle his achievements by giving credit to his surname alone; I am sure there will be a set of people who would do this. Arjun himself will be subjected to a lot of these talks. His biggest challenge will be to absorb all of this and still focus on the game. His father could teach him a thing or two about handling this. After all, he himself has been successfully turning stones into milestones for the last 23 years or so.

Secondly, as he moves up the cricketing ladder, there would be obvious comparisons made between him and his father. The pressure of being a ‘Tendulkar’ in Indian Cricket will then be felt by him. His father has achieved everything possible in the game. A record partnership in school, centuries on his debut in the Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy and Duleep Trophy, Test debut at the age of 16 and many such milestones on the cricket ground: some of them of everlasting stature. Arjun himself should realize that the boots are too large for him to fill and he would be better off trying to make his own individual mark. The Indian public may not look at him as a different individual, and may constantly equate him to his father. It is up to him to create his own identity in the game and in the hearts of its lovers.

Thirdly, he has to ensure that he lives up to the expectations of people, not just in cricket but in all facets of life. His father has been an ideal son for his parents and a perfect role model for youngsters and kids. His father has brought us joy and pride not only through his exploits on the field, but also through his impeccable behavior off it. Living up to this public image would be the real test of character for Arjun.

Sachin Tendulkar had once said ‘‘If I could be half of what my father was, I’d be a very good person in life.’’ And if Arjun Tendulkar could be half of what his father is, in cricket and otherwise, he would do great service to our country.

All the best, Master Tendulkar!

Disclaimer: This is a Fake Wall and is completely fun intended.