Archive for Sports

China wants it’s own citizens to watch the Olympics indoors!

{ August 8, 2008 @ 9:40 am } · { General/Daily affairs, Media, People, Personal, Politics/Current Affairs, Sports }
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I just read a recent report online which said how Beijing wants it’s citizens to watch the Olympics opening ceremony indoors. China wants the streets to be clear of traffic and less polluted due to which this measure has been adopted. But isn’t that unfair!! ?
This kind of opportunity is something which people will experience once in 100 years! SO many people would have made plans to watch the ceremony and their dreams have been shattered. Is showcasing your country’s abilities and grandeur only reserved for outsiders?

If i was in Beijing right now, the most exciting thing for me would be the whole hype around the opening event. Already thanks to a fake Olympic ticket scam many Chinese citizens have been denied the chance to watch any event at the Olympics. This new move would only demoralise people more. Understandably, many Chinese citizens are not excited about the games. After all if the government is going to be so rude who would be interested in the games!

There are people actually buying mini TV sets to watch the Olympics at their homes! That’s such a touching gesture..wish things were otherwise

Chennai Super Kings are still the best!

{ June 16, 2008 @ 6:23 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Personal, Sports }
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It’s soon going to be a month since the cricket extravaganza IPL has got over. But I am still proud of the losing finalists Chennai Super Kings. They played really well and the game could have gone anywhere in the last over.

I know this post is quite old and should have come earlier. My appologies for the same since i was tied up with work and could not blog earlier.

What I liked most about Dhoni was his spirits even after loosing. Immediatley after the loss Dhoni and his teammates huddled together and he pepped them up by telling them to be proud of themselves. Even after the loss Dhoni was proud of his team and never treated them harshly. Neither did he question them for the loss. Of course one cannot take anythign away from the Rajasthan Royals, they are a brilliant team. But my loyalties lie elsewhere!

Dhoni rocks and so does Chennai Super Kings! I shall continue to support them for rest of the IPL’s!

No ‘cheer’ for the cheerleaders?

{ April 27, 2008 @ 9:31 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Politics/Current Affairs, Sports, entertainment }
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it is unfortunate that some ministers in maharashtra are saying bar dancers are better than the IPL cheerleaders. i fail to get what’s their problem. at the rate we are going they will have problem with us even eating and breathing!

their dresses are not vulgar but yes they are american style. these girls are just doing their duty of entertaining people in the stadium. as long as people are happy with them then what is the problem?

i am just sick of this moral policing. for each and every thing the ministers have a standard excuse ‘it is against our indian culture’. they show such double standards. many of these ministers openly patronize bars and brothels. but no one cares a hoot about it and yet they come and meddle their noses in unwarranted affairs.

if not anything it is just going to turn off foreigners from visiting our country thanks to the numerous restrictions and rules.

Kissa Harbhajan key ‘jhapad’ kaa

{ April 26, 2008 @ 4:28 pm } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Sports }
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arghghghg…will someone just give me e break from these news channels who have been constantly harping upon the slap given by harbhajan to sreesanth yesterday. the incident took place after the ipl cricket match between punjab and mumbai yesterday.

well they say in hindi ‘taali ek haath sey nahin bajti.’ which means a clap doesn’t happen with one hand! so sreesanth has apparently provoked harbhajan and other mumbai team members. hence he has got furious and slapped sreesanth.

i don’t want to see visuals of sreesanth crying again and again like a baby! and or god’s sake sreesanth is such a baby! which man cries after being slapped even though it happened publicly in front of the media!

either ways both the players are not innocent and have been involved in controversies before. irrespective of the outcome of the inquiry committee even sreesanth should be reprimanded. he had no right to insult his opposition members.

i got the point! but why does every news channel have to keep playing the same broken tape recorder again! are channels so short on news that they ‘fill’ their on air time with such repetitions.

give me a break guys!

IPL fever catches on

{ April 19, 2008 @ 6:29 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Sports, entertainment }
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IPL or the Indian Premier League kicked off yesterday in a grand fashion at Bangalore yesterday. the new Twenty-Twenty format is aimed at attracting more viewers and more money. lets look at some of the pros and cons of such a format

pros:

1. several cities of india will compete with each other for the ultimate crown. inclusion of international players like ricky pointing, shane warne is a major plus point.

2. many young domestic players will get a chance to impress the selectors who may make them a part of the regular international squad

3. its short and sweet. in flat 90 minutes (each side) one will definitely have a result in hand!

4. cheerleaders, filmstars dancing is good in wooing crowds. so its entertainment plus good cricketing skills on display

now lets look at some of the con’s

1. Money is an important factors. many players have signed up for this format to earn quick bucks. as england bowler kevin pietersen was quoted somewhere in the media as saying the money from such formats was enough to ensure funding for his children’s education in the latter part of life

2. india is a cricket crazy nation. we have several sponsors who have come forward and supported this initiative. but apart from a few like kingfisher who already supports tennis, will the others sponsor other sports like tennis, hockey, squash in this country?

3. wouldn’t it be nice to have such a knock out format even in football in our country? similar events already exist like the santosh trophy, but they could be done on a larger scale.

4. player burnout is a major concern. already the international cricket calendar is filled with numerous events. add to it if ipl becomes a yearly event, then players will not get adequate rest and in case of injuries will not get enough time to recover

5. and finally its great to see so much money being spent for the opening ceremony like laser show, acrobats, cheerleaders, etc. but the same money can be used to upgrade existing infrastructure in the country like football stadiums, badminton courts, coaches, etc.

6. ‘doctored or tailor-made pitches’: Just yesterday in the match between Kolkotta Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers of Hyderbad the pitch was really horrible. it had so much bounce that very third player got hurt. and then the drama of a ‘power failure’. play was disrupted for half an hour thus disrupting the concentration of the players.

Deccan Chargers at that moment had a very good chance to win the game. I don’t understand why did the home team create a pitch suitable to their requirements. Can’t you play a game on a fair pitch? Is it asking for too much? By cheating and using such unfair means they can’t continue to win for long

What say guys?

I’m glad India won the CB cricket Series but…

{ March 5, 2008 @ 10:56 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, Sports }
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I’m glad India won the CB cricket Series but i thought Harbhajan Singh went overboard in expressing his joy to the camerapersons after the match. Harbhajan was seen hitting his chest and yelling out to the cameras.

After any Australian bastmen got out, the Indian players were literally jumping and pouncing over each other in joy!

And as usual the Indian media went overbaod over the team’s win. You had programmes on news channels in India like ‘Chak De India..’. Even the crickt commentators came up with such cliche lines like, ‘It’s such an amazing victory….Young team India..’

Give me a break guys, they have won a series in Australia, not the World Cup! and our commentators should come up with new lines!!

Sania Mirza wont play Bangalore Open

{ February 5, 2008 @ 10:22 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Sports }
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In a shocking decision Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has decided not to play in the upcoming Tier – II WTA event Bangalore Open. At first an injury was cited as the reason for her withdrawal. She had played the Australian Open 2008 Mixed Doubles Final with Mahesh Bhupathi despite an injury. It was the first Grand Slam final of her career.

Her managers Globosport have quoted in a statement released to the press that,”Sania mirza has been pained by the recent controversies surrounding her and decided nto to plau in India this year. Personally I am quite surprised at her decision. The best way to silence her critics would be to play at the tournament, win it especially with the William sisters confirming their participation in the event.

I agree that it is completely ridiculous to issue fatwas against her for wearing short skirts on court. No one is doubting her love for the country. Yes at times the media also has been putting her under the spotlight for every move she makes.  But as Sania knows our country is starved off idols especially woman. Hence, I udnerstand it’s very pressurizing for Sania to set out on the field and win always as expected by the billion people of our country.

 But by doing so she is sending wrong signals to the people out there. I would ask all the so-called ‘moral-policers” to leave Sania alone. We should only encourage Sania and reflect proudly on her achievements. Sania, hope you continue to play in tournaments in India, because it a honour.

Adam Gilchrist retires from international cricket

{ January 30, 2008 @ 5:13 am } · { General/Daily affairs, Sports }
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Australian wicket-keeper and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from international cricket couple of days back. He announced his decision during the last test match between his team and India. It was a sad and shocking news for the cricket fraternity. 

 In his own words, “”I have come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those important to me.” Just recently Gilchrist had broken the records for the most number of dismissals by any wicket-keeper in the world. He has scored 5,556 runs at an average of 47.89, with 17 hundreds. Apart from this  he has taken 414 test dismissals.

His retirement is certainly a blow to the Australian cricket team which has already seen the retirement of some of its top players like Shane Warne and Glen Mc Grath. ‘Gilly’ as he is fondly called has been part of 3 successive Australian world cup winning squads.

Personally it was a shock even for me to suddenly hear about this news. I loved his batting skills and will miss him seeing on the field. As they seasons come and go, but it will be really difficult to replace a player of his calibre.

The cricket world is surely going to miss you Gilly! Adieu! 

New rules By International Cricket Council!

{ January 28, 2008 @ 11:13 am } · { India, Personal, Sports }
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I got the following forwarded mail. Just thought I should share this with every one with a sense of humour:After watching the test match, someone has written some rules have to be incorporated by ICC to give the other teams a perfect clarification

(1) Ricky Ponting – (THE TRULY GENUINE CRICKETER OF THE CRICKET ERA AND WHOSE INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE DOUBTED ) should be considered as the FOURTH UMPIRE. As per the new rules, FOURTH UMPIRE decision is final and will over ride any decisions taken by any other umpires. ON-FIELD umpires can seek the assistance of RICKY PONTING even if he is not on the field. This rule is to be made, so that every team should understand the importance of the FOURTH UMPIRE .

(2) While AUSTRALIAN TEAM is bowling, If the ball flies anywhere close to the AUSTRALIAN FIELDER(WITHIN 5 metre distance), the batsman is to be considered OUT irrelevant of whether the catch was taken cleanly or grassed. Any decision for further clarification should be seeked from the FOURTH UMPIRE. This is made to ensure that the cricket is played with SPORTIVE SPIRIT by all the teams.

(3) While BATTING, AUSTRALIAN players will wait for the ON-FIELD UMPIRE decisions only (even if the catch goes to the FIFTH SLIP as the ball might not have touched the bat). Each AUSTRALIAN batsman has to be out FOUR TIMES (minimum) before he can return to the pavilion. In case of THE CRICKETER WITH INTEGRITY, this can be higher.

(4) UMPIRES should consider a huge bonus if an AUSTRALIAN player scores a century. Any wrong decisions can be ignored as they will be paid huge bonus and will receive the backing of the AUSTRALIAN team and board.

(5) All AUSTRALIAN players are eligible to keep commenting about all players on the field and the OPPONENT TEAM should never comment as they will be spoiling the spirit of the AUSTRALIAN team. Any comments made in any other language are to be considered as RACIALISM only.

(6) MATCH REFREE decisions will be taken purely on the AUSTRALIAN TEAM advices only. Player views from the other teams decisions will not be considered for hearing. MATCH REFREES are to be given huge bonus if this rule is implemented.

(7) NO VISITING TEAM should plan to win in AUSTRALIA. This is to ensure that the sportive spirit of CRICKET is maintained.

(8) THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE : If any bowler gets RICKY PONTING – “THE UNDISPUTED CRICKETER WITH INTEGTIRY IN THE GAME OF CRICKET” more than twice in a series, he will be banned for the REST OF THE SERIES. This is to ensure that the best batsman/Captain will be played to break records and create history in the game of CRICKET .

These rules will clarify better to the all the teams VISITING AUSTRALIA .

The Indo-Aus cricket controversy

{ January 13, 2008 @ 10:26 am } · { General/Daily affairs, India, Sports }
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Is Cricket still a Gentleman’s Game?

This is the question I am asking myself after the recent India-Australia which generated many controversies. The cold vibes between the players from both sides have accelerated so much that the series is being compared to the famous Bodyline series of yesteryear.

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was accused of racism and the Indian got back with accusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symmonds of the same. Things have become so bad that the India has threatened to pull out of the tour. Umpire Steve Bucknor was under fire for giving a host of horrendous decisions. He has been pulled out of the next test, thus putting a question over his future.

Not only the Indian cricket board, but also the Indian players stood behind Singh. Harbhajan was given a 3 match ban sentence. but the team decided that if he wasn’t included in the final playing squad in the next match they would boycott the match.

Even umpire Mark Benson came in for heavy criticism. Ricky Pointing at one time was clearly out, but the umpire did not think so. Pointing himself knew he was out, but he was waiting for the Umpire’s signal. Indian captain Kumble was teary-eyed during the presentation ceremony & said that they would have won the match had it not been for the umpiring decisions.

My point is hasn’t Steve Bucknor even in the past given wrong decisions and particularly when India is playing the match. Does he have some problems with the India team. The Australians have always got way with racism, ball tempering, verbal abuse allegations all in the name of aggression.

Come to think of it aren’t the Australians always in the spotlight for abuse on the cricket field allegations? The Australians over the year have been developed an arrogant and brash attitude. So is the Australian team developing into a bunch of hooligans? Is abuse, hurting another person’s confidence a method to win a match? Why do the Australians have a win-at-all costs attitude even if it means using unfair practises?

The public is justifiably angry. If the public anger turns greater, there might be chances of boycotting the Australian cricket altogether. I do not think that India is exaggerating the issue. They have every right to boycott the tour in a country where they do not have respect.