Category: Sports

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The greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo

Cruyff and Beckenbauer, McEnroe and Borg, Sampras and Agassi, Federer and Nadal …. Messi and Ronaldo. There are certain sportsmen whose fates are intertwined. It is difficult to come up with an article about one without mentioning the other. Hence even though this post is about Ronaldo, please bear with me because Messi will be mentioned every other line. Every Ronaldo needs a Messi and every Messi needs a Ronaldo. Together they have propelled each other to greatness and also have lived rent-free in the heads of the other’s supporters!

It is very easy for me to confess that I worship Messi but as a soccer fan I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for what Ronaldo has done on the football pitch. Blessed with a physique and a face that is the envy of billions around the world and one that has been splashed across numerous sports and fashion magazines, Ronaldo is the most famous athlete on the planet today. His achievements in the last 15 years are nothing short of legendary – 5 Champions League titles and many goal scoring records both in the Champions League and La Liga. His move from Sporting to Manchester United led to him honing his skills under Sir Alex Ferguson. He was already one of the three best players in the world along with Messi and Kaka when he was bought by Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee. Ronaldo at Real Madrid vs Messi at Barcelona has dominated soccer headlines for the last decade. The fairy tale ended this year with Cristiano joining Juventus.

There was a time when Messi was ahead as far as individual awards and titles were concerned up until 2013. Also, he was a big game player aided by the great Xavi and Iniesta in the Barca mid-field. However, Ronaldo’s single minded obsession to be the best and an amazing Real midfield in the last 5 years has seen him catch up and even surpass Messi in many statistical categories. I personally feel that football comes naturally to Messi. Ronaldo on the other hand has practiced hours to perfect his skill. His dedication to his craft is undeniable. There is no denying his genius though – a case in point is the gorgeous bicycle kick goal past Buffon in the Champions League.

Another factor that gets overlooked is that while Messi is generally loved by friend and foe alike, Ronaldo has had to work really hard to endear himself to everyone who is not a die hard Ronaldo fan. He was viewed as a diver who would do anything to win a penalty. He was also perceived as arrogant by the soccer fraternity. However, arrogance backed by real talent has quietened even his harshest critics. Ronaldo has let his football do the talking. Right foot, left foot, header .. Cristiano Ronaldo you are just that damn good!

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Before Nadia Comaneci, there was Olga Korbut

‘Perfect 10′ is something that everyone aims for in any field. In gymnastics, it is more than a number. It is a statistic which defines perfection, a statistic which defines flawlessness, a statistic which defines excellence. Nadia Comaneci was the first to get a Perfect 10 in the 1976 Olympic Games although it had been done before in the 1967 European Championships by Vera Caslasvska. Nadia’s performances made her the darling of the 1976 Montreal Games. Her performance in the uneven bars was sublime and deserved a ’10’. There was a surprise in store. The scoreboard displayed ‘1.00’ since it could accommodate 3 digits only. Many documentaries have been made to highlight the performance and deservedly so. However, there was another performance in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games which in my opinion was equally impressive and it could have been the first ‘Perfect 10′ in the Olympic Games – Olga Korbut on the uneven bars. It was that good of a performance that ironically it got a silver!

The Olympics provide a global platform to showcase one’s talent. Olga Korbut was considered the second best talent on the USSR 1972 gymnastics team behind Ludmilla Tourischeva. Olga’s performances in the team events made her the favorite for the all-around title but mistakes resulted in Tourischeva winning the gold. Olga more than redeemed herself with golds in the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise events. As good as she was in these events, I think her Uneven Bars performance where she finished second should have been a ’10’ for the unique combination of skill, daring and artistry.

I have watched Korbut’s Uneven Bars performance hundreds of times on YouTube and am still amazed. The smooth mount segued into the legendary moves for which she will always be famous. For someone her size, the strength to pull off the ‘Korbut Flip’ (named after her) just shows what a phenomenal athlete she was. Olga would stand on the high bar (the higher of the two bars in the uneven bars event) and then flip and grasp the bar. Then Olga would use the momentum to perform a back flip from the lower bar and re-grasp the high bar. The degree of difficulty is insane. In fact the move was later considered too dangerous and was made illegal. This was followed by a few more incredibly difficult acrobatic moves. The entire routine left everyone who watched it in awe and the perfect backward dismount from the high bar put multiple exclamation points for the performance. Indeed the ‘Sparrow from Minsk’ had enthralled one and all. It is a Perfect 10 in my book!

 

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_Korbut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korbut_flip

Disclaimer – I don’t own the copyright of any of the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9aFvxz_jso (Uneven Bars – Individual)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2NGqI6FqeQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=461zBWmJHNc ( Uneven Bars from the Team competition – With commentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrDtXx87C38

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Football is intelligence in motion – Messi’s greatest Champions League hits

‘Magisterial Messi’ as Ray Hudson would say. A fortnight ago, I watched in awe as Messi took his game to stratospheric levels when Barcelona met Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League. A couple of days back it was another terrific display against Sevilla in the La Liga. Alas it lasted a mere 15 minutes. It is only befitting that I write about Messi because for the next three to four weeks my soccer world will be devoid of joy as he recovers after breaking his arm in the match against Sevilla. Messi has had performances extraordinaire in the Champions League. It is difficult to narrow it down to a few but I will give it a try. Most of them are against the English opposition. The Manchester City nutmegs and the Bayer Leverkusen 5-goal haul just missed out on my top 5. Here are some of my favorite Champions League moments when Messi has excelled:

1. Tottenham Hotspur (Oct 3, 2018) – In his previous Champions League game, Messi had scored a hat-trick against PSV Eindhoven. In this game he was a couple of steps ahead of everyone every second of the game. In the 2nd minute a gorgeous pass to Jordi Alba was followed by a goal from Coutinho with the keeper Lloris in no man’s land. Then in the 28th minute, he scooped a beautiful pass above the defender found Suarez who controlled it off his chest. Coutinho tried to smash the ball past the goalkeeper but it was saved. Coutinho kept it in and passed it to Rakitic whose wicked volley took a deflection off the post and found the net. Rakitic’s strike was superb but Messi was the one who started it all. In the beginning of the second half, Messi evaded three defenders but hit the woodwork with the goalkeeper beaten. Then a few minutes later he glided past four defenders and in a carbon copy of the previous attempt hit the woodwork again! Was it not going to be his day in terms of goals scored? Harry Kane pulled one back for Tottenham. Messi passed wide to Alba on the left who crossed it and Suarez left it for Messi. There was only going to be one result as Messi steered his shot past Lloris and accurately this time. Spurs scored again. With a few minutes left, Suarez dummied Alba’s ball and Messi had the easiest of finishes. Messi created a couple of goals with his vision, hit the woodwork twice and scored another couple of goals. Not a bad day at work!

2. Bayern Munich (May 6, 2015) – I was at my client office in San Diego and extended my lunch break to witness an amazing performance in the semi-finals. Messi was facing his former manager, Guardiola and the best goalkeeper in the world in Manuel Neuer. Neuer had prevented Messi and Argentina from scoring in the World Cup final. The Bayern defence was proving impregnable. For 77 minutes the Bayern wall stood tall. Then Messi happened. A pass from Alves and a booming left foot strike from outside the box and Neuer beaten to the near post. The resistance was broken. Then a few minutes later magic happened. Messi received the ball from Rakitic and pulled off a juke and a jive move with Boateng landing on his back. Messi then scooped the ball over Neuer and into the net. What a finish. Then in the dying minutes, Messi provided an assist to Neymar to complete the decisive win.

3. Manchester United (May 28, 2011) – It was the final of the Champions League and I was watching it at home in Orange with my friends. The stage was set for the best player in the game to shine in the biggest game of the year and he did not disappoint. Messi was running circles around the United players but it was Pedro who scored for Barcelona. Rooney equalized from a Giggs pass. Messi came close to scoring in the beginning of the second half. Then Xavi  to Iniesta to Messi and boom! Messi took a couple of steps and from about twenty yards hit a vicious shot and Van de Saar was beaten. It was a sensational strike. Then another dazzling run followed from Messi who skipped around Nani and the ball fell for Villa who curled it into the net. Barcelona were Champions of Europe again.

4. Real Madrid (Apr 27, 2011) – ‘El Clasico’ is always special but this one was extra special as it was the first leg of the semi-final of the Champions League. I was at a client in Lake Forest and excused myself from meetings and went to the break room where I was joined by another football fanatic. The game was fiesty. Pepe was shown the red. Mourinho was sent to the stands. Real were down to 10 men and Barcelona took full advantage. Messi received a cross from Afellay and steered it past Casillas and Ramos. The second one was an amazing solo goal. A quick one-two with Busquets and then Messi bisected Alonso and Lass. The commentary that followed describes the next few moves and the goal perfectly – ‘Away from 2 .. 3.. 4.. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful .. A near super natural goal from Lionel Messi.. Best player in the world bar none!’

5. Arsenal (Apr 6, 2010) – It was the second leg at home. Barcelona were behind. Then Messi decided to do it on his own. First he curled a ball from outside the box into the right hand corner of the net. Then Messi passed to Abidal whose cross got deflected off the defender and fell to Perdo. Pedro gently passed it to Messi and he used his right foot to put it past the goalkeeper. Then he completed his hat-trick before half time with a perfectly executed chip over the goalkeeper. And finally the fourth goal between the legs of the goalie. The commentator’s reaction summed it up perfectly – ‘They are trying to contain him but it is an impossible task. This man is just unstoppable!’

Words cannot do justice to the skill, the enthusiasm, the agility, the vision and the unbridled joy with which Messi has played the game over the years. His is a work of art. The football pitch is his canvas and his paintings will stand the test of time. One can only admire his talent and genius. The above games highlight how good Messi has been over the years. There have been some adversities but it would be fair to say that no one brings to the table all the qualities that Messi possesses and he does it on a consistent basis. He squeezes water from stone time and again. He has a fraction of a second to make decisions with his dribbles and runs but never ceases to amaze us. Messi indeed proves that football is intelligence in motion!

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My numero uno Sports Show

What constitutes a great sports show? Is it the knowledge level and experience of the analysts? Is it the chemistry or the friction between the hosts or maybe the popularity and viewership?  Having grown up watching John Dykes cover a variety of sports and then being introduced to some in the US, there are a number of sports shows and sports talk shows that I really admire. My day used to begin with the now defunct ESPN’s Mike and Mike followed by First Take (with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless as hosts and then with Max Kellerman replacing Bayless). I also like ‘Skip and Shannon Undisputed’ on Fox. I am a fan of Papi in ‘Highly Questionable’ and admire ‘Pardon The Interruption’. Alas, I could never really figure out the random scoring system in ‘Around the Horn’. However for sheer drama, camaraderie, knowledge, fights, thrills and hilarious moments, nothing can match TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’.

Let me start with ‘Ernie, Ernie .. Lemme tell you something’. I started following ‘Inside the NBA’ with Ernie Johnson as host and Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith and ‘Sir’ Charles Barkley as analysts over a decade ago. ‘The Big Aristotle’, Shaquille O’ Neal was a welcome addition to the team once he retired. A winner of multiple Emmy awards, the show has become a fan favorite of many basketball fans. The show is sometimes controversial and not always politically correct but that is what endears the audience to the show. Whether it is ‘E.J.’s Neat-O Stat of the Night’ or ‘Kenny’s Pictures’, each segment is informative. Sometimes the hosts are too brutally honest to be on television as they don’t mince words when criticizing players. This makes for some awkward moments as well. The blooper segment ‘Shaqtin’ a Fool’ is meant to embarrass even the biggest superstars of the game.

The chemistry between the hosts takes the show to stratospheric levels. Shaq and Barkley get personal at times and Kenny and Ernie have to step in. Barkley needles Shaq about riding Kobe and Wade’s coat-tails to his championships and ‘Kazaam’ flaunts his rings. There have been many funny incidents during the show with Shaq and Barkley threatening to throw chicken wings at each other or trying to wrestle in the studio. I love Kenny’s in-depth analysis. The analysts’ knowledge of the game having featured in several all time great NBA Games is second to none. One gets to live the 80s, 90s and noughties through their stories. Barkley comes across as extremely honest in his assessment. He is loved by one and all for his candid statements. He is very self deprecating and a great sport. He has also been involved in some weird bets like his race with referee Dick Bavetta during the All Star Weekend.

With three legends of the game and an amazing host in Ernie, the show is one of the most popular on TV. The hosts are not just limited to discussing NBA. They talk about several other topics – NFL, NCAA football, March Madness and issues impacting America. Chris Webber and Grant Hill do an amazing job as supporting analysts. The hosts are not scared of criticizing the players and officials if they feel that something is amiss. I thought I would never admit this but during the playoffs when there is a lot of tension, ‘Inside the NBA’ seems to be a voice of reason. No NBA team wants to be part of the ‘Gone Fishin’ ‘ segment as each team wants to be the last one standing. As a tribute to one of the biggest X-factors that the NBA has seen, let me end the post with a shout-out in Sir Charles’ unique style – ‘GINOBILI’!

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Indian Cricket’s Routine Capitulation

It is a well-known fact that cricket in India is no less than a religion. It is the most popular sport among masses and there are crores of people in his hugely populated country who follow this sport which has its origins in England. Indian cricket has experienced considerable amounts of success over the years across all the formats. Other than winning global and continental trophies, Indian cricket boasts of holding few of the most significant individual records.

What has been haunting Indian cricket and its fans is its lack of success outside the sub-continent especially in tests which is inarguably the most important format of the game. Famously Indians have been forever known to be “Tigers” at home and have been equally infamous as poor travellers. This is owing to the difference in pitches wherein Indian pitches are mostly dust bowls aiding spinners and wickets outside sub-continent having pace and bounce assisting the fast bowlers.  The team experienced some amount of success outside the sub-continent at the start of this millennium under the captaincies of Sourav Ganguly and then Rahul Dravid. One of Ganguly’s main focus was to win outside the sub-continent and he was successful in bringing that belief inside the team.  Presence of legends like Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Laxman, Kumble and Zaheer was also instrumental in this success.

Take the example of India’s recent 5 match test series against England in England. There were hypes about India being the favourites and this being the best travelling team in the last few decades! The fact that these hypes followed a series loss in South Africa was more dismaying.  Irrespective of the hypes, fans like us were realistic and we were proved totally right. India lost the series by a huge margin of 4-1. The team management is trying to put up a brave front by projecting that all the matches were close and could have gone either way, something which simply does not matter in the final equation. A loss is a loss and the overall result says 4-1 which is no less than a huge margin! Matches getting close also essentially means that India simply could not hold its own during the big moments.

Complacency seems to have taken over logic in certain cases with this Indian team management. They didn’t opt for practice matches and the only practice match they played was reduced from 4 to 3 days at their behest. One of the reasons cited is the nature of opposition and pitches. Test cricket has been in existence for almost 150 years where one of the opponents is always playing in foreign conditions. Over decades, foreign teams have preferred practice matches where opponents have always been local domestic teams whose level of play is definitely inferior to their national teams. However irrespective of the nature of opponents, practice matches always help outside teams to acclimatise to the conditions, batsmen to find their feet and confidence and bowlers to warm up and find the right length. But this Indian team seems to be different instead preferring to have only high intensity net practice, something which hasn’t yielded the desired results. That’s one of the reason a hard task master and perfectionist like Anil Kumble was needed as the coach, someone who would have tried his best to tie all the loose ends and also provide the technical insights. But unfortunately, he was unceremoniously forced to resign paving the way for another coach who is known more for his talks and someone who was at best an average player during his playing days!

Other than the surprising approach of team management, a lot of other key issues also need to be addressed.  Our overall batting has been failing in pitches aiding seam and bounce.  The openers haven’t been giving the kind of starts that is expected to ease things on the middle order. Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have all failed consistently. More than the runs, it is the time spent on the crease which is important and the trio have horribly failed in that. Rahul finally scored a hundred in the final innings of the final test, but that is hardly a consolation. The opening slots need two fresh bloods who in the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw are readily available. The entire middle order other than Captain Kohli has been inconsistent. It is now time to look beyond Ajinkya Rahane and give Rohit Sharma a few more chances as he is a match winner on his day. Someone like Karun Nair who has been kept out even after scoring a triple hundred also needs to be given more chances. Selectors even need to start thinking about the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Shreyas Iyer, Manoj Tewari and Manish Pandey.  Wriddhiman Saha stands out among the wicketkeepers but his biggest problem has been the recurring injuries. He is definitely among the best keepers in the world but being injury prone, the BCCI and team management needs to take special care of him. Keeping with its tradition, India boasts of two of the best spinners in the world in Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja with Kuldeep Yadav as a readily available back up. For a change, India presently have a wonderful pace attack comprising Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma. Shami with his pace and variations with both old and new ball needs to be used as the strike bowler. For some  reason he is rarely given the new ball which doesn’t ensure the best use of his talent. Bhuvneshwar with his swing, Umesh with his pace and Bumrah with his pace and unorthodox action ensure a proper diversity in this attack. It is also time to move beyond Ishant now inspite of his recent improvements. 250 odd wickets in 85 matches with an average of almost 35(it was almost 39 not too long ago!) isn’t impressive at all and is quite disappointing from an experienced bowler like him. Certain hard decisions are the need of the hour. Also, the constant chopping and changing of the playing eleven needs to be stopped as it creates an element of instability.

With the Asia Cup and home series against West Indies coming up in sub continental dust bowls, there is every possibility of India winning those events very comprehensively. And with fans having short memories, the constant shortcomings in overseas series’ might again be forgotten!

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2006 AFC Championship Game – Peyton Manning is going to the Super Bowl

Can a single game define the legacy of a sportsman? Can one game change how a sportsperson is perceived by peers, the expert media, and the fans? Sometimes it is just destiny. In recent times, Goran Ivanisevic’s 2001 Wimbledon win comes to mind but that is a story for another day. Can the same be applied to a team sport?

Max Kellerman describes Peyton Manning as the greatest regular season football player and not just the greatest regular season quarterback of all time. Few would argue now that he is retired with 5 MVPs to his name. Until 2006, despite his regular season success and records, Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts would always come up short in the post season against the Tom Brady led and Bill Belichick coached New England Patriots or against a determined Pittsburgh Steelers team. In the NFL, despite football being a team game, the quarterback is the most important player and the leader of the offense and  takes the blame for most losses while also being glorified for the wins. Imagine being in Manning’s or Brady’s shoes and performing well week in and week out!

It was the 2006 AFC Championship Game between the Colts and the Patriots. The winner would go on to take the NFC Champions in the Super Bowl. In the Wild Card game, Manning had thrown three interceptions but the Colts beat the Kansas City Chiefs easily by a margin of 23-8. In the Divisional Playoffs, Manning had thrown two interceptions but scraped past the Baltimore Ravens 15-6 courtesy of 5 field goals from Adam Vinatieri. Thus Manning entered the AFC game without putting on a notable display in the postseason. Brady and his Patriots had always been the Colts’ nemesis and were already three time Super Bowl Champions. The Patriots could be forgiven if they had a sense of entitlement for the big game. Apparently, the Patriots had no weaknesses. They had the clutch Tom Brady (who will perhaps go down in history as the greatest quarterback of all time), a stifling defense and were coached by the legendary Bill Belichick. The Colts coach Tony Dungy and Manning had a lot on their plate.

On that January afternoon, I was in Denver with my friends and we switched on the TV set almost resigned to the fate that the Patriots would beat the Colts again. The game was being played at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The ‘house that Peyton built’, the Lucas Oil Stadium did not exist then. We were rooting for the underdogs – Peyton and the Colts. The game began and in the 1st quarter, the Patriots’ running back Laurence Maroney fumbled the ball but it was luckily recovered by their guard Logan Mankins for a touchdown in the end zone. New England was up 7-0 after the PAT. It was an ominous start to the game for Indianapolis.

With about a minute left in the first quarter, the ex-Patriots and the new Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri scored a 42-yard field goal following a Colts drive that came up short. The Colts were finally on the score board. The score was 7-3 in favor of the Patriots. In the second quarter, Corey Dillon rushed for a touchdown and the Patriots were up 14-3. All the Colts fans probably had the same sinking feeling that they had become accustomed to during the postseason. Well if that was not enough, things were about to get even worse. On the next Colts drive, Asante Samuel stepped in front of the Colts receiver and Manning’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. With the Pick 6, the Patriots had a comfortable lead of 21-3. Manning and the Colts were imploding again. No team had ever come back from an 18 point deficit in a Championship game. However, the Colts were able to drive 80 yards and a Vinatieri field goal made it 21-6 at the half.

My friends and I were hoping against hope. Trailing New England by 15 points at halftime was one of the worst possible scenarios. We were wondering what the mood would have been in the Colts dressing room. The Patriots defense must have been very happy with the result. Then the second half began. Wonder what the pep talk was during halftime but the Colts scored a touchdown in the opening drive. Then they forced the Patriots to punt. In the ensuing drive aided by some smart plays by Dallas Clark and Dominic Rhodes, they made it to the 1-yard line. Manning threw a touchdown pass to Klecko and then his favorite receiver Marvin Harrison coverted on the 2 point play. The score was tied at 21 apiece!

Then Hobbs returned a kick for 80 yards. Brady threw and it was brilliantly caught by a leaping Gaffney who was pushed out of bounds and it resulted in a touchdown. Patriots took the lead again 28-21. Then in a carbon copy of the Mankins touchdown in the first quarter, Rhodes fumbled the ball but it was recovered in the end zone by the Colts center Jeff Saturday for a touchdown. The score was tied 28-28. A Gostkowski field goal was answered by a Vinatieri one. The score was tied again 31-31. Gostkowski was clutch and the Patriots were up 34-31 with 3:49 on the clock.

A Colts punt was followed by an amazing play by Bob Sanders who jumped right in front of Troy Brown which prevented a first down on 4th and stopped the Patriots from extending the lead. When Manning started the next drive with 2:17 left and down 31-34 after the succesive punts, we were hoping for a miracle. It was perhaps going to be his greatest drive ever, a career defining one and under extreme pressure. First he threw a pass to Reggie Wayne for a first down. The next pass to Fletcher with 2:12 left was incomplete. 2:08 left on the clock and Manning under pressure looked down the field and threw a lovely pass to Fletcher for 32 yards and he stepped out of bounds to stop the clock. 2:01 left on the clock. A beautiful short pass to Wayne who scooped up the ball when tackled but managed to catch the ball. A flag on the play gave them a few more yards. 1:53 to play. Addai got a few yards. 2nd and 6. Another Addai run. A couple of yards gained. New England called a timeout and the next play Addai rushed in for the touchdown with a minute left in the game. Colts had their first lead in the game. 37-34 to the Colts. Vinatieri’s PAT made it a 4 point game which ensured that to win the Patriots would have to score a touchdown and a field goal could not tie it. The Colts had scored 32 points in the second half.

It was Brady time. Brady lives for such moments. He thrives in them. Patriots always win the close ones. The writing was on the wall. The Indianapolis defense was determined though. An incomplete pass by Brady. 2nd and 10 with 49 seconds to go and Brady passed for 19 yards. The next play resulted in a 14 yard gain. Manning had his head down – possibly praying. It looked improbable that Brady could be stopped. Then the unthinkable happened. Brady threw a pass and it was intercepted by Marvin Jackson and the Colts won the game 38-34. One of the greatest games that I have watched and Peyton Manning was going to the Super Bowl!

NFL owns the rights to the following video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZG1WpsOB4E

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That moment when the “Lightning” struck again

The Summer Olympics and the Football World Cup are widely acknowledged as the greatest shows on earth. Both are held once in every four years and fortunately for the fans, they don’t happen during the same year.  While the World Cup lasts around a month, the Summer Olympics has a fixed duration of 16 days. Crazy sports buffs like us eagerly await the arrival of these sporting extravaganzas.

More than 25 sporting disciplines are held in the Olympics where athletes give their all in trying to win laurels for the respective nations. One of the events which captures the most attention across the world is the Men’s 100m dash in athletics. Personally having been a 100m athlete during my academic days, this event carries an extra significance for me. Or to put it into perspective, I wait for those astonishing 10 seconds every four years and whole heartedly cheer for the person whom I want to win. I have been a huge fan of Usain Bolt ever since I witnessed his world record exploits in both 100 and 200m during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He even bettered his world record performances in both the events during the 2009 Berlin World Championships wherein his 100m was clocked at 9.58 seconds whereas the 200m was clocked at 19.19 seconds. Just Superhuman, isn’t it! Both the records still stand and I don’t see those surpassed that easily in the near future. “Lightning Bolt” as he is famously known, received a bit of a setback in the 2011 World Championship where he lost the 100m title due to a false start, to his Jamaican compatriot and rising star Yohan Blake. He did make some amends by winning the 200m title. But considering his supreme high standards and sky high expectations where every time he was expected to break a world record, this was a sort of disappointment for fans. The world didn’t have an aura of doubt that he would have won the 100m had it not been about the unfortunate false start.

However, in the countdown towards the Olympic 100m finals Bolt had to overcome few injury concerns along with losing to Blake (fondly known as the Beast) during the Jamaican Olympic trials at both the 100 and 200m. Added to that the Beast was in touching distance of the Lightning’s 200m world record by clocking 19.26 seconds which was the second fastest 200m in the history, just narrowly behind the world record of 19.19 set by Bolt. Blake performed better during the 100m heats and semis in the run up to the Olympic finals. Even the controversial Justin Gatlin who was making a comeback from suspension clocked better in the heats. Personally, I wasn’t reading much into the heat timings as Bolt has always been known to be strategic in those by winning the races without exerting much. He normally reserves his best for the biggest of occasions and that is what was giving us hope along with flavours of some apprehension.

Needless to say that nerves were prevailing over us before the finals. Being in India, the race was scheduled during its midnight hours. I initially wanted to have a short nap after dinner and fix my alarm clock to wake me up before the race. However, the excitement in me decided something else and I cancelled my plans of having the short nap! I continued watching the other events live in the run up to the exciting race. London was cold and it was heartening to see both Bolt and Blake warming up together in the practice tracks and cracking jokes among each other! The countdown was getting bigger and bigger until the race time arrived. All the 8 athletes lined up in their respective tracks. Other than Bolt and Blake, there were other established names like Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell to name a few. Anybody among them had the potential to win with Blake being termed as the favourite due to the recent performances. Each athlete was introduced to the spectators inside the stadium and in turn the world with the loudest cheer reserved for who else, but the Lightning! For a change, everyone waited eagerly for a deadly strike from the Lightning! Bolt after getting introduced released his trademark imaginary arrow towards the audience from his imaginary bow, something the entire sporting world got very much used to. After taking his mark, typically he put his finger on his lip requesting silence from the vocal spectators followed by a short prayer and finally his finger pointing towards the Almighty sky. The race was to begin.

The starting gun was shot and all the competitors were off their blocks. A good start is always important to gain advantage especially in a 100m start where the show ends in little less than 10 seconds giving almost no scope to recover. And Bolt due to his imposing height has never been the fastest off the blocks. The trend continued and other competitors turned out to be faster than him immediately after the gunshot. Blake and Gatlin had impressive starts and both started forging ahead till around the 30m mark. But true to his reputation, Bolt started gaining momentum and leapfrogged other competitors and almost caught up with both Blake and Gatlin after almost 40m, with Blake maintaining a slender lead. And that’s where the race took a pleasant turn. The Lightning continued gaining momentum around the 50m and 5 seconds mark and leapfrogged the Beast around the 60m mark. And that was the time I was almost relieved as deep in my heart, I knew that it was literally impossible to beat this legend once he takes a lead during any race. He didn’t allow any further chance to his opponents and continued increasing the small gap he had established over his compatriot. The win being assured, he slowed down a bit in the last 2 metres and triumphed by raising his hands.  Blake and Gatlin came second and third respectively. And in spite of slowing down at the stretch, Bolt clocked an astonishing 9.63 seconds which was again a new Olympic record surpassing the 9.69 he had set four years earlier in Beijing. What a triumph it was again proving that legends reserve their best for the last. Blake too had an impressive timing of 9.75 seconds but at the end of the day, nothing can be sufficient to beat Bolt on big occasions. True to a lightning, he just swept his opponents with his speed and tactics. Such joy it was. Post the race, it was again a great sight where both the Jamaican runners acknowledged the cheers from the capacity crowd with their national flag wrapped around their bodies. Like the 100m, the duo again made it a one-two for Jamaica in the 200m few days later with Bolt of course securing the gold. They also anchored a Jamaican win in the 4 by 100m relay with a world record timing. This essentially ensured a repeat of Bolt’s triple gold medal winning effort 4 years earlier, something which he again repeated 4 years later at the Rio Olympics.

Bolt finally called curtains on his glittering career during the 2017 World Championships in London. By that time, he had won 8 Olympic Golds[1] and 11 World Championship Golds. The standout has been 100m and 200m golds in 3 consecutive Olympics, something I don’t see being matched in the next 100 years. Added to that he retains the world records in 100m, 200m and 4 by 100m relay.  I have watched all his winning efforts in the Olympics and World Championships live. But his 2012 Olympic 100m win has given me some unparalleled joy. From braving injury concerns to not being in the best of forms to competing against other great runners, he again came out to be a phenomenon.

Bolt, the Lightning is the one and only contender for the GREATEST OF ALL TIMES(GOAT) title! I don’t expect anybody else to come even close during my present lifetime.

 

Click here to watch this historic moment: https://youtu.be/2O7K-8G2nwU

 

 

[1] Unfortunately, Bolt’s Olympic gold count decreased to 8 from 9 as the Jamaican relay team were stripped of their gold medals after a blood sample taken from Nesta Carter – one of Bolt’s teammates in the relay – after the race, was tested again nine years later and proved to be positive for a banned substance

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Italia Catenaccio

Dirty, defensive, boring, unattractive ! That’s how football defending is perceived among many fans ! In reality, attackers get all the attention.  However, defence can keep a team in the game for as long as possible on a day the attack is having it bad.  Or even if the attack scores numerous goals, it will just require conceding one more than the goals scored to lose a match! A draw can be savoured by a team having a good defence and a bad attack which is not necessarily the other way round.   A successful team is built around a very solid defence. And it has been seen that teams winning bigger tournaments have relied on a compact defence and the effective role of defensive midfielders.

I have always enjoyed watching good defensive skills. It requires as much finesse and artistry as scoring spectacular goals or executing defence splitting through passes. I find it almost as attractive as free flow attacking novelties. For this reason, I have always been a fan of the Italian football team which has always been built around a water tight defence.

Catenaccio or The Chain is a tactical system in football with a strong emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means “door-bolt”, which implies a highly organised and effective backline defence focused on nullifying opponents’ attacks and preventing goal-scoring opportunities [1].Italian defenders were technically way ahead of many other countries in the post-war period, and in particular from the 1950s, when Italian clubs developed sophisticated training methods and disciplined rules and regulations concerning player behaviour[2]. Although pure catenaccio is no longer as commonplace in Italian football, the stereotypical association of ruthless defensive tactics with the Serie A and the Italian national team continues to be perpetuated by foreign media, particularly with the predominantly Italian defences of A.C. Milan of the 1990s and Juventus F.C. from the 2010s onwards being in the spotlight.

Having started watching international football regularly from late 80s, I missed watching the defensive art of Gaetano Scirea, Claudio Gentile and Giuseppe Baresi, some of the great Italian defenders who winded up their careers by late 80s. I try to make it up by watching some You Tube clippings and even a limited exposure is good enough for me to admire their amazing defensive skills, with Scirea being the standout. In the last 28 years, I had the fortune of watching some great Italian defenders representing both the Italian national sides and Serie A clubs. My initial live viewing of Italian defence was luckily exposed to the Italian cum AC Milan back four of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, Mauro Tassotti and the peerless Paulo Maldini. These all-time greats seemed to make their defensive screens as strong as the Berlin wall while fans watched their impeccable skills with all astonishment. Their high tempo pressing defensive game was one of the primary reason’ of Italy’s Runners Up performance during the USA’94 World Cup (they were also supported by Antonnio Benarrivo and Luigi Apolloni). They also helped AC Milan win the prestigious Champions League in 1989,1990 and 1994 with runners up performance in 1993 and 1995. Also with consecutive Serie A titles, AC Milan during then was by far the best club in the world. Baresi was among the greatest centre backs of all time while the versatile Maldini was as good in the centre back as he was in the left back position.

Baresi retired during mid 90’s but that was the time two other greatest defenders of all times came into prominence. One was Alessandro Nesta who ultimately became my all time favourite defender and Fabio Cannavaro. Both were centre backs and were known for their artistic tackles, elegance on the ball, distribution and tight marking of opponents. Their contributions to the Italian national squad culminated into a crowning glory in 2006 when Italy won the World Cup for the fourth time. Nesta was unfortunate to have missed half of the tournament through injury which enabled skipper Cannavaro to lead the defence for the remaining part of the tournament. He was ably supported by Marco Materazzi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabien Grosso and the tough tackling central midfielder, Gennaro Gattuso. Cannavaro’s impregnable performances earned him the nickname “Muro di Berlino” — the Berlin Wall. He had such an assured presence and with arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers of times Gianluigi Buffon manning the goal, it became literally impossible for opponents to score against the Azzuris. That World Cup win gave immense joy to many purists mainly because of the elegance of the Italian defence which performed like a well-oiled machine throughout.

Italian defence continues to go strong due to which scoring in Serie A still isn’t a cakewalk inspite of its dipping levels. The goal scoring skills of CR7 will now be put to ultimate test as the Serie A defenders are not expected to give him free space and favourable angles required for clear view of the goal. The performance of the present Italian team which didn’t even qualify for 2018 World Cup has been utterly disappointing, but it still retains its reputation of having one of the best defensive systems presently manned by Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonnuci.

The modern Azzurri, regardless of who is coach, can defend as a unit and as effectively and intelligently as ever without having to put 10 men behind the ball so their approach does not necessarily compromise the spectacle. Italians see defending as an art and the key to success. Any defender from a young age would take as great a pride in keeping a striker quiet as would someone who has scored a hat-trick. And because of this quality, my admiration for this legendary footballing nation will continue to grow.

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catenaccio

[2] https://theconversation.com/dirty-defensive-boring-italys-football-reputation-is-undeserved-27487

 

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My Favourite Messi Moment

Lionel Messi doesn’t need any introduction. He is simply a phenomenon! This little genius is arguably one of the greatest footballers ever to have played this beautiful game (if not the greatest). Born in Rosario, Argentina he shifted to Spain in 2001 to join the Barcelona Youth Academy. He shot into fame from 2005 when he was only 17, the time he started becoming a regular in the super strong Barca starting line-up. I have started following his career ever since.

My all-time favourite has always been a chap by the name of Diego Armando Maradona who according to me is the “Football God”. However, Messi comes a close second in my all-time favourite list. The reason partly stems from the fact that I have been a diehard fan of the Argentina football squad ever since Maradona’s unforgettable exploits in 1986. Just to put things into perspective, I might even support the Argentina football team in case they play against the Indian Cricket team (albeit in a fantasy world!). The other reason for being a Messi fan is his incredible footballing skills which according to me can be matched only by the Football God. His speed, stamina, creativity, ability to surpass the best of the defenders and incredible scoring abilities have always left me and millions across the globe awestruck. His performances for his club Barcelona and Argentina have been simply scintillating. Even his diehard critics couldn’t help but applaud a few of those performances.  This has made him arguably the biggest star of this sporting generation. However, in spite of all the stardom, he has always remained humble both on and off the field, displaying the qualities of a good human being.

Needless to say that there have been multiple Messi moments for me during the last decade or so. Choosing one among those is a herculean task to say the least. Those blistering runs, beating defenders with pace, creativities with surgeon like precisions and the breath taking goals with his trademark left foot makes it too difficult to choose one among the many moments. We all were waiting eagerly for the 2014 World Cup final where courtesy a Higuaín jolly miss, Messi was deprived of his and our biggest moment, something that couldn’t have been surpassed by any imagination!

One moment which I fondly remember is during the 2014 World Cup during Argentina’s group match against Iran. This was a world cup where all the Messi and Argentina fans were eagerly waiting for. Reasons for the same was twofold. One, that Messi hadn’t won any World cups whereas as an individual he has deserved it the most. Second, Argentina hadn’t won a major trophy since the 1993 Copa America. Argentina had won their first league match against Bosnia where they found the net twice, one through a Bosnia own goal and the second with the genius’s trademark left foot. All Argentine fans were full of optimism as a winning start was made and equally importantly, the genius had scored.

Argentina raided the Iranian goal with barrage of attacks from the likes of Messi, De Maria, Aguero and Higuain. However, frustratingly for all of us they just couldn’t score. The primary reason for failed attempts was the incredible defending by the Iranian defenders cutting down spaces for the Argentine forward line. Other than the goalkeeper, all other 10 Iranian players dug deep into their halves to thwart the famed Argentine attack. It was simply a lion hearted defending by the Asian giants. Argentina continued to fail from scoring till the closing stages of the game.  We were simply getting frustrated. With full respect to Iran, how could the giants of World football not win against the perceived minnows !  We almost resigned to the fact that an additional point (and not 3) will be gathered by Messi and his team in spite of having almost 70 percent of possession! But this was more about pride. Just when we were almost winding up during the midnight hours in India, in came the moment during injury time!

The master takes up possession 30 yards out on the right wing, level with the right-hand post. We took a deep breath still in anticipation. He takes a step forward, and a touch inside, then curls a stunning shot into the top-left corner! Unstoppable! Poor Iranian goalkeeper who was incredible throughout the match had no chance! It was simply mesmerising. Deft footwork, great exploitation of available space and an unforgettable curve with precision. The mark of a genius! But as their coach Alejandro Sabella said “When you have Messi, anything is possible.” Looking at the replays time and again, it was impossible to stop this effort. The angle and the curve was so perfect. Added to the fact was the entire Iranian team were defending inside their own box. The best attack in the competition failed to breach the Iranian fort until the end of regulation time. That is when the golden left foot intervened giving us that moment of joy which can never be forgotten.

A draw against Iran would have been embarrassing for Argentina. The football God Maradona described this Messi moment as a “divine intervention”. This tribute by the maestro said it all!

Watch the moment:

https://youtu.be/XMnGE-FcIqc

 

 

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The Royal Troon Shootout – Stenson vs Mickelson

My love affair with Golf started while watching the 1997 Ryder Cup (Valderrama, Spain) where Seve Ballesteros’ Europeans just about managed to hold off the challenge of Tom Kite’s Americans. Though I have watched a lot of golf over the next two decades, nothing would prepare me for the famous duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at the Royal Troon in 2016. I remember waking up early on a Sunday morning in California to watch the drama unfold on the final day of The Open Championship and I was thoroughly entertained.

Phil Mickelson who had doubts that his game was not suited for links golf had surprisingly won the 2013 British Open with a brilliant display on the final day. In 2016, he started with a first round for the ages and scored a 63. It could easily have been a 9-under 62. After the second day, Phil ‘the thrill’ Mickelson led Henrik Stenson by a shot. Phil was 10-under to Stenson’s 9-under. After the third round, Stenson was 12-under and led Mickelson by a stroke. The stage was set for a matchplay or a shoot out. The third placed Haas and the fourth placed Johnston were a further 5 and 6 shots behind the second placed Mickelson.

Stenson (68-65-68 = 201, -12 to par) and Mickelson (63-69-70 = 202, -11 to par) were deservingly paired for the final round after destroying the field. On the first hole, Phil hit a brilliant tee shot and hit the fairway. A great second shot from Phil landed inches from the hole. Stenson had a bad birdie shot and ended up bogeying the hole while Mickelson birdied it and now Mickelson was leading The Open after the first hole on the final day. (Mickelson -12, Stenson -11). Stenson brilliantly birdied the next two holes while Phil could manage pars. Stenson regained the lead after three holes (Stenson -13, Mickelson -12). Stenson had a third consecutive birdie on the fourth hole but could only watch as Mickelson eagled the hole with a brilliant putt. Evens Stevens: Stenson -14, Mickelson -14. I had my heart in my mouth.

Both men managed a par on the fifth hole and matched each other’s birdie on the sixth. After six holes they were tied at 15-under. They had matching pars on the seventh but Stenson brilliantly birdied the eighth while Phil managed a par. They both had pars on the ninth hole. The score read Stenson -16, Mickelson -15. Each man finished with a 32 over the first nine holes with jaw dropping shots and precision putts.

Both Stenson and Mickelson birdied the tenth but Stenson missed a putt and bogeyed the eleventh. They were back even at 16-under after eleven holes. By now, I was just biting my finger nails and it could very well have been my breakfast, lunch and dinner combined in one. A few quick restroom breaks would happen only during commercial breaks. I did not want to miss their body language – in a way each man was daring the other to play better than himself while each was playing at a level which was out of the world.

By now, all bets were off. They matched each other with pars on the twelfth and the thirteenth hole. Then Stenson took the lead for good in the fourteenth but it was not a given. He birdied the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth with some amazing long distance putts while Phil could only manage to birdie the sixteenth. These two master craftsmen were providing a spectacle. The golf world was at the edge and applauding the feat of two amazing sportsmen. (Stenson -19, Mickelson -17 after sixteen). Stenson held his nerve on the seventeenth. This was a very crucial hole because Mickelson was a 5 time major winner whereas Stenson was seeking his first major. On to the final (eighteenth hole), Stenson put the icing on the cake with a birdie. The score read Stenson -20, Mickelson -17 with Holmes finishing third 14 shots behind Stenson and 11 shots behind Mickelson!

Henrik Stenson claimed the Claret Jug for his first major in a thrilling final round. Stenson ended up with a 68-65-68-63 (20 under) and Mickelson with a 63-69-70-65 (17 under). Just to put this in perspective, Phil Mickelson had a bogey free 6-under 65 with 4 birdies and an eagle after starting the day trailing by 1 and still lost. Stenson scored an 8-under 63 with 10 birdies and 2 bogeys. The level of shot making was insane. People always talk about the Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson ‘Duel in the Sun’ but in terms of quality play and drama this one was a shade better. It had to be seen to be believed and it appeared as if even the Gods were watching in admiration from above!