Life

Cricket dreams know no barriers

December 18, 2011

Studies in Contrast: Umesh Yadav (left) and Varun Aaron (Photo courtesy: hindustantimes.com)

They have shown that all it takes to succeed is an idea, a dream, a lot of hard work and an element of luck. The rise of players like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Ajinkya Rahane has come as a confirmation that dreams are no longer a prerogative of the metros likes Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

A little over two decades ago, when cricket telecasts were still being produced by Doordarshan, it was hard to imagine so Indian cricketers coming from such diverse locations. The selling of TV rights to cable and satellite companies has had a huge role in the spawning of such dreams in small towns like Rae Bareily and Jamshedpur, Kochi and Cuttack, Moradabad and Gadag, Allahabad and Ikhar, Jalandhar and Ranchi.

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Match-fixing verdict: Urgent need for stringent law

November 3, 2011

An image of the cover of the News of the World issue that told us how match-fixing continues to threaten cricket.

It is a sad commentary of the times we live in that the reaction to a British Court finding two Pakistani cricketers, the then captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammed Asif, guilty of a conspiracy to cheat during a Test match in England last year has largely focussed on these players and another fast bowler, teenager Mohammed Amir. I would have liked a bit more attention to one of the most striking aspects – the cricketers being tried in a British Court.

Beyond the palest shadows of doubt, the verdict of guilty against three cricketers and an agent-bookmaker must be seen as exemplary and can send shivers down the spine of the cricket fraternity. Hopefully, cricketers around the world will rebuff bookmakers and not be lured by the glitter and glamour that appears to come along with success in the sport of their choice.

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Vettel wins millions of Indian hearts & inaugural F1 race

October 30, 2011

Sebastian Vettel screams away to victory at the inaugural Grand Prix of India at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on Sunday

Sebastian Vettel won more than the inaugural Airtel Grand Prix of India at the Buddh International Circuit here on Sunday – he won hearts of all Indians with a fitting tribute to this wonderful country by saying that the people here may have little (financially) but are much richer than those in Europe.

Red Bull Racing’s Vettel also showed what a humble champion he is by remembering IndyCar ace Dan Wheldon and MotoGP ace Marco Simoncelli who died on racing tracks in the past fortnight. Indeed, as India’s sporting legend Sachin Tendulkar waved the checkered flag with enthusiasm, there was considerable relief that the Grand Prix of India broke the shocking trend.

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