Probably the most charismatic captains ever! Probably the most popular Indian cricketer of the last decade(No one other than Sachin ever comes in the league of his popularity.In fact he was a demi god in West Bengal)! Probably India's best captain ever! Certainly the most gritty sportsman India has ever produced.
Saurav Chandidas Ganguly announced that the series against Australia is going to be his final series in international cricket.The retirement of Dada , his affectionately called by his colleagues and fans marks the beginning of the end of an era which will culminate(hopefully thats still some distance away) with the retirement of all of the three pillars of Indian batting of the last decade.
1995-2000
Making his ODI debut in 1991 in Australia,he was described too arrogant and a brat with the worst of attitudes and dropped.5 years of churning out runs in the domestic circuit,he was finally selected for the test team to the tour of England in the summer of 1996.And a dream debut it was! On June 21 In his first test at Lord's, he scored an imperious century and followed it up with another century in the very next Test at Trent Bridge, on July 4.Overnight he became a superstar and Kolkatta finally got their GOD.
That began a journey during which he achieved amazing heights with the bat and sometimes with the ball too.Some of his stellar performances in the early part of his career was the 124 against Pakistan in Dhaka to chase 317(the highest chase during that time) and the majestic 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in 1999.And who can forget those amazing run of his in Toronto.Ball or bat he was simply outstanding.It was also during this time that the perhaps the greatest ODI opening partnership of all time of Sachin and Saurav was formed(October 1996 against SA) which went on to break all sort of records.
Known for his gift of timing,Rahul Dravid once appropriately said "on the offside first its god,then its Saurav".When in full flow he was a delight to watch.And his fighting spirit was established even during the early days of his career.And it was this leadership quality that made him a possible candidate for captaincy within 5 years of international cricket and his years of captaincy will always be remembered as a Golden One.
(Contd)
Euro 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I was lucky enough to be a complete free bird during the Euro 2008 and saw all(almost all) the matches live.....And believe me it was some experience....Some of the most attacking football was at display once again proving why it is called the "Beautiful Game".....
Spain rightly became the champions after playing some breathtaking football except the one match against Italy(which I think was the worst match of the tournament...Italians were rightfully thrown out for playing utterly boring football)...David Villa,David Silva and Xavi were fantastic...Casillas was as usual amazing.....Fernando Torres rounded up a low profile tournament with a spectacular goal in the final.....And then Super Sub the supremely talented Cesc Fabregas......Whenever Aragones needed inspiration he brought in Cesc and he delivered....
But for me the team of the tournament was Russia....After a disastrous opening match(where they were hammered by Spain) and a less than mediocre performance in the next.....they played amazing attacking football against more fancied teams like Sweden and Holland.........A special mention for Andrei Arashavin......Mind blowing.....Breathtaking...Spectacular.....I dont have words to describe how he inspired the Russian team on the whole.....
And the game of the championship was the Semi Finals between the Turks and the Germans.....What a match!!!! A severely depleted Turks hit badly by suspensions and injuries continued that unbelievable comeback form but just lost out to a late Philip lahm goal(Previously they beat the Czechs and Croatia in 2 mouthwatering encounters that had turkey performing last moment miracles!!)....
After a lackluster Euro 2004 which had a utterly defensive Greece stifling the opponents....this Euro was characterized by some mesmerizing skills and flamboyance.......
Criteria
Sunday, September 14, 2008
So what were the things in my mind when I wrote the greatest sporting moments...well heres a tentative list of criteria which I followed(there could be some events which were just too close to my heart)
1) The occassion......I always consider sports to be a collage of several little occasions and a greatness of sport depends on the greatness of such small occasions..
2) The importance of the moment to the team or the individual......What that moment meant to the team or the individual (whether in loss or victory)
3) The level of opposition...
4) The sheer quality of performances....
5) The spirit with which the game was played and how it effected the psyche of the countries whose players were involved....
But there were several other events which I have included just because of the sheer admiration of the player involved!!!
1) The occassion......I always consider sports to be a collage of several little occasions and a greatness of sport depends on the greatness of such small occasions..
2) The importance of the moment to the team or the individual......What that moment meant to the team or the individual (whether in loss or victory)
3) The level of opposition...
4) The sheer quality of performances....
5) The spirit with which the game was played and how it effected the psyche of the countries whose players were involved....
But there were several other events which I have included just because of the sheer admiration of the player involved!!!
Greatest Sporting Moments(contd)
Finally i write the greatest sporting moment.What took me so long?? Well actually I was stuck up on two great events and couldnt decide which should be classified as the greatest and finally i decided that both of the sporting moments deserve a mention......So here are my 2 greatest moments ever in sports history that I have been witness to...
1) ASHES 2005 England claim the Ashes in 18 long years.
The Ashes of 2005.....forget what it meant to the English cricket and English sport in general.....forget it literally shattered Aussie domination on the sport.......forget that for the first time in a decade cricket took the front page headlines away from football in UK......forget every other thing associated with that series.......Even on the basis of sheer quality of cricket it was unbelievable....Extraordinary would be an understatement....the drama...the excitement...the batting ...the bowling..the fielding....who the hell says test cricket is boring....Every moment of that series was amazing...I am going to make an entire new entry in this blog to describe that series.....just wait for it!!!
1) Wimbledon Final , Nadal beats Federer ,July 6 2008
This particular moment will require 2 separate entries to full describe it.....Heres an outline....The greatest player ever...5 time Wimbledon champ losing against a player who by his own admission is not at all comfortable on grass.....The greatest Wimbledon final ever........the longest lasting final ever......the last point played in virtual darkness...That was not sport....That was like watching two heavenly descendants playing on the earth and we mortals simply witnessing it.....I was glued to the TV sets for the entire 8 hours the match lasted including the rain breaks......And believe me I was on the edge of my sit for the entire 8 hours....I could only imagine the tension in the arena....and especially tension on that 2 great men...And despite that numbing tension the two produced arguably the greatest 8 hours of tennis that the world has ever seen or will ever see......
Greatest Sporting Moments
Saturday, September 6, 2008
4) Sachin Tendulkar,Diana Memorial Match,Lords,July 1998
There will always be questions asked on who is the greatest batsman after Sir Don.But at Lords on July 18 1998 playing for ROW XI against bowlers of quality like Donald,McGrath,McMillan and Kumble Sachin scored a match winning century some answers were given.So what was so great about a Sachin century in an "unofficial" match? Well it was the occasion,the atmosphere,the moment.Great players are generally defined depending upon how they rise at great moments.At Lords,the birthplace of cricket on a "solemn" occasion amidst the best of players of his times, in front of an emotional crowd, the scene was set for something spectacular and spectacular it was!
3) Michael Phelps,Beijing,Olympics 2008
Ask a sportsman what is his greatest fantasy? 99 out of 100 will say its a olympic medal.They literally put their heart and soul just to win a medal.And heres a guy who has won 14 golds and 2 bronzes over two Olympics including a record 8 in a single Olympics beating the record of another legend Snitz.
2) Zinedine Zidane against Brazil,Paris 12-7-1998 and Frankfurt 1-7-2006
There are few sportsmen who are as popular as Zizou was in France.And he deserved it!!
In final of the 1998 world cup, Zidane scored 2 super goals to impress a shocking 3-0 victory over favourites Brazil and bring France its first ever World Cup.His popularity can be guaged from the fact that the entire Paris had hoardings that read"Zidane For President".In a country notorious for racism,Zidane transcended all to emerge a national hero.
But to me his single handed demolition of Brazil in the QF of 2006 WC was an even better performance.At 34,coming out retirement to take France into the WC and then inspiring them to the finals,Zidane was magnificent against Brazil.His dribbling and magic with the ball left the Brazilian players dumbstruck.He was literally toying with the football making the rest 21 players on the field look mediocre as well as blessed to witness greatness from so close!
contd...
There will always be questions asked on who is the greatest batsman after Sir Don.But at Lords on July 18 1998 playing for ROW XI against bowlers of quality like Donald,McGrath,McMillan and Kumble Sachin scored a match winning century some answers were given.So what was so great about a Sachin century in an "unofficial" match? Well it was the occasion,the atmosphere,the moment.Great players are generally defined depending upon how they rise at great moments.At Lords,the birthplace of cricket on a "solemn" occasion amidst the best of players of his times, in front of an emotional crowd, the scene was set for something spectacular and spectacular it was!
3) Michael Phelps,Beijing,Olympics 2008
Ask a sportsman what is his greatest fantasy? 99 out of 100 will say its a olympic medal.They literally put their heart and soul just to win a medal.And heres a guy who has won 14 golds and 2 bronzes over two Olympics including a record 8 in a single Olympics beating the record of another legend Snitz.
2) Zinedine Zidane against Brazil,Paris 12-7-1998 and Frankfurt 1-7-2006
There are few sportsmen who are as popular as Zizou was in France.And he deserved it!!
In final of the 1998 world cup, Zidane scored 2 super goals to impress a shocking 3-0 victory over favourites Brazil and bring France its first ever World Cup.His popularity can be guaged from the fact that the entire Paris had hoardings that read"Zidane For President".In a country notorious for racism,Zidane transcended all to emerge a national hero.
But to me his single handed demolition of Brazil in the QF of 2006 WC was an even better performance.At 34,coming out retirement to take France into the WC and then inspiring them to the finals,Zidane was magnificent against Brazil.His dribbling and magic with the ball left the Brazilian players dumbstruck.He was literally toying with the football making the rest 21 players on the field look mediocre as well as blessed to witness greatness from so close!
contd...
Greatest Sporting Moments
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Heres my list of the greatest sporting moments that I have been witness to (there may be many moments which I was unfortunate not to have witnessed it)
10) India vs Pakistan Jan 1999,Chennai,First Test Match
The first Indo-pak test series in 10 years.After watching a masterclass by Sachin tendulakar go in waste as India lost,the entire Chepauk crowd rises and applauds as the Pakistan team takes a victory lap.Sport once again proved how it can bring people nearer.
9) Michael Schumacher becomes World Champion,Susuka,Japan 2000
After 19 years Ferrari produces a world champion,Michael Schumacher and for 5 years dominated the sport like none.
8) Pete Sampras U S Open Champion,Flushing Meadows,New York 2002
In his final U S Open(In fact his final professional match) Pete Sampras becomes the U S Open Champion in front of an emotional New York crowd to bid good bye to tennis.
7) Abhinav Bindra becomes India's first individual gold medalist in Olympics,Beijing,2008
After years of wilderness in Olympics sports(barring the hockey succeses) India finally gets an individual gold medal.
6) Sachin's two gems:The Sandstorm and The Happy Birthday,Sharjah,April 1998
Two glorious knocks, one to propel India into the finals (fighting a sandstorm) and the other to win the tournament(on his birtthday) were much more than a masterclass against the best team in the world.They defined Indian cricket of the 90s.It was a one man team whose fortunes and so were a billion hopes solely depended on a 5 feet 5 inches tall superman.
5)Very very special Laxman,Second Test,Eden gardens,2001
1-0 down,following on,4 wickets down against a rampant Australian team on the look out for a world record for most number of consecutive wins.You can't imagine a recovery.But Laxamn in company of Rahul Dravid achieved a feat that in history of test cricket will be unsurpassed.
to be contd.............
10) India vs Pakistan Jan 1999,Chennai,First Test Match
The first Indo-pak test series in 10 years.After watching a masterclass by Sachin tendulakar go in waste as India lost,the entire Chepauk crowd rises and applauds as the Pakistan team takes a victory lap.Sport once again proved how it can bring people nearer.
9) Michael Schumacher becomes World Champion,Susuka,Japan 2000
After 19 years Ferrari produces a world champion,Michael Schumacher and for 5 years dominated the sport like none.
8) Pete Sampras U S Open Champion,Flushing Meadows,New York 2002
In his final U S Open(In fact his final professional match) Pete Sampras becomes the U S Open Champion in front of an emotional New York crowd to bid good bye to tennis.
7) Abhinav Bindra becomes India's first individual gold medalist in Olympics,Beijing,2008
After years of wilderness in Olympics sports(barring the hockey succeses) India finally gets an individual gold medal.
6) Sachin's two gems:The Sandstorm and The Happy Birthday,Sharjah,April 1998
Two glorious knocks, one to propel India into the finals (fighting a sandstorm) and the other to win the tournament(on his birtthday) were much more than a masterclass against the best team in the world.They defined Indian cricket of the 90s.It was a one man team whose fortunes and so were a billion hopes solely depended on a 5 feet 5 inches tall superman.
5)Very very special Laxman,Second Test,Eden gardens,2001
1-0 down,following on,4 wickets down against a rampant Australian team on the look out for a world record for most number of consecutive wins.You can't imagine a recovery.But Laxamn in company of Rahul Dravid achieved a feat that in history of test cricket will be unsurpassed.
to be contd.............
Michael schumacher......the demon
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Well if there is a champion who is hated by as many people as he is worshipped,Schumi tops the list................
Well yu cant blame those detractors.The tactics he has uses many times are often bordering gamesmanship and cheating.Remember that stalling of the car in the final qualifying moments to hamper alonso at monaco.......That questionable duel with alan prost which won him the championship in 1994.....his squirmishes with damon hill......the infamous lunging at jaques villenueve in spain in 1997 which cost him the title.......that controversial last lap victory after rubens slowed down at the last lap.......the list can be endless.....
He has even not been shy to get physical ....remember..... that confrontation with david coulthar at spa in 1998 where he took the scot by his collar.....
But thats Schumi.......just read out my next post to know why he still is my favourite sportsperson!!!!
Well yu cant blame those detractors.The tactics he has uses many times are often bordering gamesmanship and cheating.Remember that stalling of the car in the final qualifying moments to hamper alonso at monaco.......That questionable duel with alan prost which won him the championship in 1994.....his squirmishes with damon hill......the infamous lunging at jaques villenueve in spain in 1997 which cost him the title.......that controversial last lap victory after rubens slowed down at the last lap.......the list can be endless.....
He has even not been shy to get physical ....remember..... that confrontation with david coulthar at spa in 1998 where he took the scot by his collar.....
But thats Schumi.......just read out my next post to know why he still is my favourite sportsperson!!!!
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