SAINA NEHWAL - INDIAN CHAMPION

Hello,
With the Indian cricket team going out of the world cup without a fight and Jeev Milkha Singh struggling for form I had thought it would take a long while before I wrote about an Indian Champion.
It is my mistake that I missed writing on Suranjoy Singh who gave India its first Asian championship gold in 15 years. Thokchom Nanao Singh and Jai Bhagwan who got silver medals and Jitender Kumar (54kg) Vijender Singh (75kg), Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Paramjit Samota (+91kg) who won bronze are the unsung heroes in the Indian Sporting arena.
The country’s boxers rounded off a 27-year best performance in the elite event in Zhuhai, China ending the campaign with a gold, two silver and four bronze medals. The team was placed third in the overall standings behind host China and Uzbekistan.
Coming back to my search for an Indian Champion. Saina Nehwal has finally delivered. She was always at the rim of the steep incline to being called the best and she has shown tremendous character in working hard to finally reach there. Victory in Indonesia Super Series badminton tournament is the first ever Super Series win by an Indian and she can now proudly step on the pedestal that was till now reserved for our All England heroes Prakash Padukone and Gopichand.
The BAI, a very poor cousin of the BCCI, has announced an award of Rs. 2,00,000/= peanuts when compared to what BCCI distributed to schools in South Africa (Rs. 5,30,00,000/=) during the IPL. Does this raise a question about loyalty to the nation?
But it has always been like this in India. A politician can donate a gold crown with diamond studs worth Rs. 4,00,00,000/= at Tirupati Balaji when he just has to step out of his house and see people who do not get a single meal every day.
The focus is wrong and till we get it right we shall continue to be a nation without many heroes.
Regards,
Manoj

IPL 2009 - FINALS

HELLO,

LAST YEAR WHEN RAJASTHAN ROYALS WON THE IPL2008, SHANE WARNE WAS SAID TO BE THE BEST CAPTAIN THAT AUSTRALIA DID NOT HAVE.
THIS WAS POSSIBLY CORRECT AS HE HAD A CONSISTENT WIN RECORD. HE WAS NO DOUBT SUPPORTED BY THREE FABULOUS PLAYERS - SHANE WATSON, SOHAIL TANVEER AND YOUSUF PATHAN. THIS YEAR HE DID NOT HAVE THEM BUT HE WAS ABLE TO GENERATE EXCITEMENT AND HOPE TILL THE VERY END. HIS ABILITY TO BRING ORDINARY PLAYERS TO PERFORM AT 200% OF THEIR ABILITY AND A NEVER SAY DIE ATTITUDE DOES MAKE HIM THE APT CANDIDATE FOR THE TITLE 'THE BEST CAPTAIN A COUNTRY NEVER HAD'.
HE IS A COLOURFUL CHARACTER AND HAS LIVED LIFE ON THE HEADLINES.
ANOTHER CANDIDATE WHO HAS ALWAYS LIVED IN THE SIDELINES BUT HAS PROVED THAT HE IS ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR THE TITLE IS ANIL KUMBLE. WITH SEVEN WINS OUT OF NINE MATCHES HE HAS SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FACT THAT IN IPL2008 THEY WERE AT TH BOTTOM OF THE LADDER AND IN IPL 2009, BEFORE HE TOOK OVER, THEY WERE MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, HIS LEADERSHIP IS WORTH PRAISE.
ADAM GILCRIST IS AOTHER PLAYER WHO WILL VIE WITH THEM FOR THE TITLE. AFTER ALL FROM NO8 IN 2008, HE HAS BROUGHT THE TEAM TO THE FINAL IPL 2009 ON THE STRENGTH OF HIS OWN PERFORMANCE. HE IS TRUELY A LEADER WHO LEADS BY EXAMPLE.
ONE PERSON WHO SAW HIS HALO SLIP A BIT IS MS DHONI. HE LOST A FEW MATCHES ANDTOOK SOME DECISIONS WHICH CHANGED THE COURSE OF MATCHES AGAINST HIS TEAM. THREE CAPTAINS WHO PROVED THAT THEY CAN NEVER BE GOOD AS CAPTAINS ARE SACHIN TENDULKAR, YUVRAJ SINGH AND VIRENDRA SEHWAG.
TOMORROW WE HAVE THE FINALS AND RP SINGH, ANDREW SYMONDS, GIBBS, OJHA AND ADAM GILCHRIST HOLD THE KEY FOR DC WHILE ANIL KUMBLE, RAHUL DRAVID, KALLIS AND ROSS TAYLOR ARE THE KEY PLAYERS FOR RC.
NOW THAT MY TEAM RR IS NOT IN THE FINALS, MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN.
BEST WISHES TO BOTH TEAMS,
MANOJ

SECOND INNINGS - REINCARNATION OF MOHAMMAD AZHARUDDIN

HELLO ALL,
YESTERDAY WE SAW THE WIZARD OF THE LEG SIDE - A MICHELANGELO IN THE MIDST OF HOUSEPAINTERS, START HIS SECOND INNINGS ON A DIFFERENT PITCH.
VERY RARELY DO PEOPLE GET ANOTHER CHANCE IN LIFE. SECOND CHANCES ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BASICALLY GOOD. WITH AZHAR MY GUT FEELING THAT HE WAS SUCKED INTO THE MATCH FIXING.
HE CONTINUES TO SHOW RISK TAKING ABILITIES BY PUTTING UP HIS T SHIRT COLLAR ON NATIONAL TELEVISION AND I AM SURE HE IS STILL SUSCEPTIBLE TO QUICK GET RICH SCHEMES.
AZHAR IS THE GUY WHO HIT THREE CENTURIES ON THE TROT (AFTER DEBUT) AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FOURTH IF HE HAD A MORE MATURE PLAYER AT THE NON STRIKERS END AT EDEN GARDENS. I WAS THERE AT THE GROUND THAT DAY AND SAW HIS FACE DROP WHEN HE WAS BERATED BY MOHINDER FOR TRYING TO PLAY AGGRESSIVELY AFTER REACHING HIS FIFTY.
TWO SENTENCES WHICH WILL ALWAYS BE ETCHED IN MIND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AZHAR ARE 'MIYA, CAPTAN BANOGE?' ASKED BY RAJ SINGH DUNGARPUR AND 'MAINE MATCH BANAYA' REPORTEDLY TOLD BY AZHAR AFTER HE WAS ACCUSED ON MATCH FIXING.
A NOTED CRICKET WRITER ONCE SAID, "IT'S NO USE ASKING AN ENGLISHMAN TO BAT LIKE AZHARUDDIN. IT WOULD BE LIKE EXPECTING A GREYHOUND TO WIN THE LONDON DERBY!'
BRAVO AHZAR ON YOUR 100TH TEST MATCH. LET US HOPE YOU HIT CENTURIES IN YOUR SECOND INNINGS AS WELL.
BEST WISHES TO MY HERO OF THE LEGSIDE
MANOJ