“It’s not my record; it’s a record by an India. It’s a record for India” was what Sachin Tendulkar had to say when the dust settled and the early Diwali at Mohali came to a halt. That pretty much summed up one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and his cricketing journey which carried along with it an entire generation of cricket fans across the world. But unlike many other records, this was not about Tendulkar having another of those magical days on the field. It was a celebration of all that droplets of genius that we were fortunate to be a part of during the past two decades. It was a moment that was a culmination of 19 years of hard work, dedication and unadulterated love for the sport that is his life.
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Once the dust settled on the first test in Bangalore, India seemed to have got over some of the demons of the past before moving on to Mohali to take on the world champions. Batting in the fourth innings to save a test match has not been something the Indian contingent has accomplished in some time. They have constantly crumbled under pressure and have folded within a space of 70 overs in the fourth innings. When Sehwag and Dravid fell early, the collapse seemed all but imminent.

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Apart from the one Ashes Series in 2005, it is hard to really believe that in the last couple of decades The Ashes have been the real pinnacle of Test Cricket. It was the best period in the cricketing journey of Freddie Flintoff and a shaky Australian team that resulted in an Ashes Series that was worth remembering. Otherwise, the contests between India and Australia have pretty much occupied the slot of being the best cricketing contests with pure adrenaline, great skill level and some controversies put together. There are many reasons why the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has grown into being arguably the definitive Test Series in the last two decades.

Australia and India are two nations with cultures that are quite exclusive and different. Their cultural and geographic uniqueness have shaped the cricketing contests between the two nations into battles of grit, endurance, skill and art of winning. Test cricket finds its true identity in these contests. Australia is the best team of this generation by some distance, but India is the team always cutting that distance in half. Australians love to dominate and India has always refused to lie down and submit. Even the conditions in both nations are so different from one another that Australia struggle in the dust bowls in India while India struggle with the pace and bounce down under.

Yet, there is one other great and simple reason why the India-Australia contest is the modern Ashes. Both sides simply sport the greatest players of this generation who show-off their best skills when pitted against one another. The two greatest players of modern cricket went eye-to-eye in these contests. Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar brought the authenticity of greatness and an air of immortality to the battles. Then there were the supporting cast in the form of Ponting, McGrath, Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Steve Waugh and Anil Kumble. If cricket were the silver screen, that would be an awesome collection for sheer supporting-cast.

The generation that electrified cricket is slowly giving way to a new act. As the curtain rises on the 2008 series, one cannot but feel that the curtain is falling on the careers of the heroes of the past. But instead of looking beyond the series, let us look at tomorrow. The first test at Bangalore could end up in a draw, despite all the hoopla around it. Scattered showers are being predicted for all five days and that is not good news. Add to it, the fact that India has never won in Bangalore their last 13 test matches. The signs are not good for the Indian side.

Overcast conditions would mean advantage Australia. Their steamers will love gentle breeze and cloudy skies. But if India does manage to win the toss, then they will try to bat once and bat big.

Pre-Series Blunders:

India: Dropping Ganguly out of practice matches and playing him against the Aussies is not a very clever move by a long stretch.

Australia: Dropping Andrew Symonds (Enough said)

Match Breakers:

Virender Sehwag: While all the concentration would be on the Fab 4 in the middle order, Sehwag could hold the key for India. An early onslaught and a great start would very quickly put India in driver’s seat.
Matthew Hayden: The Aussie opener loves to score big against India and you would expect that the top heavy Aussie batting line up would depend on him a lot. If he sets his mind on a big one, it could be curtains for the home side.

The Hits:

Sourav Ganguly: He is on his farewell tour and when a man knows that this will be the last chance at glory, then he is all the more determined. There is no one more dangerous than a man who has nothing to lose- Australia might find this out soon.

Stuart Clarke: Much like McGrath, he will trouble the Indians by stifling them and choking them to death.

The Misses:

Ricky Ponting: There is no reason to believe that Ponting will struggle against turn once again. If he does, then his team could find themselves in deep trouble.

Rahul Dravid: It has been long since ‘The Wall’ has got his act together. He will be playing on home turf, but might still fall over to pace and accuracy.

Turning Point:

Sachin Tendulkar: If he has a series against Australia like he normally does, then back India to win this one. If he fails, then it might not just be the turning point of this series but also face of Indian Cricket.

Win Percentage for First Test:

India- 70%
Australia- 30%

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Playing is an activity long forgotten by the current child generation of India. Yep, seeing kids play just like that is such a rare sight that now schools have started celebrating ‘Play Days’ only to encourage little pranksters to get back to their default settings and play!

But hey, no kid is willing to do that. Kyonki TV hai na? The growing influence of the idiot box on the progenies has been ignored for a long time by parents and the harm will be serious. Blame it on the work lives of the progenitors that they rely on leaving their kids with a TV program rather than a babysitter (who they always fear to be a paedophile). Or maybe it is the space crunch? Insufficient number of parks? Or perhaps, the kids are now just too lazy to stretch those muscles.
The lack of outdoor activity is leading to social, psychological and physiological problems in children. They are unable to pay complete attention, the flitting focus changes like the channels on the idiot box. Temper tantrums and eating troubles are also seen.

My personal problem is – Kids are not behaving like kids anymore; running around, going wild and having fun. Can anyone tell me where exactly is the play?
Via ibnlive

If you had been wondering from where all the heroin of the world comes, it must not be too difficult to guess. It’s from the most troubled nation on earth, Afghanistan. The country depends literally on the money that comes from the sale of homegrown opium and poppy and also the derivatives like heroin and morphine. These narcotics make way to Western Europe through the neighboring Tajikistan.

Just 13 hours ago, many afghan smugglers were killed in a shootout in Tajikistan when they were caught red handed smuggling heroin into Tajikistan’s borders. These drugs after reaching France, Germany and elsewhere, are sold at exorbitant prices. What I fear is that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan has actually encouraged the Afghan opium farmers to grow more as lawlessness has increased many folds after the Americans have entered.

Only through proper negotiations with the U.N. and afghan government can the drug route and trade be blocked. I wonder how things will go in the near future. Though listening to the news of the smugglers being shot dead isn’t a very pleasant one, it may just have the right thing to do, for the Tajik forces, whose land is being used as a transit for drug delivery to Europe.

Via: AfghanConflictMonitor

Like my many friends, I worry a lot about not having a bulky body and being thin. Most young men and adolescent boys strive to achieve the six-pack abs and bulging biceps and workout hard in gyms and fitness centers. I know people who have consumed so much of protein that their kidneys failed and even had to be hospitalized. What has been touted as a disorder found among only women, eating disorders are increasingly wreaking havoc on men and their physical and mental health.

The pressure to grow bigger and more muscular has made guys consume abnormally large quantities of protein, which causes in renal failure. However, the society still has not recognized this is a problem and has been dismissing it as a fad. In my opinion, media plays a major role in shaping our self-image and how we value our bodies, regardless of our age or gender. Eating disorders are prevalent among men and women of all ages equally. In fact, among men it is far more dangerous as the sufferers do not approach doctors nor do their family members realize it is a psychological disorder, which needs medical attention.

However, anorexia nervosa has fueled enough awareness campaigns and hence families do know if a girl has been starving herself. In a guy’s case, he would eat abnormally large quantities and still remain thin and in a quest to grow bigger, he would fall seriously sick. The media, the society and the peer groups in general have wreaked havoc on susceptible minds.

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Via: GordonMoyes

China sure will be the talk of the global town all this year. First, it was the anti-protestors stance then the earthquake and now the Olympics. Seems like they are trying a little too hard with the historical sporting event, maybe with the intention to make the world forget the demerits that the country has been laced with over time.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the absurd steps that China has taken to make the 2009 Olympics a ‘grand memory’.
1.� � � The fireworks ceremony held at a jam-packed National Stadium on August 8 was not all that it really looked like. The much touted incredible event was a mere illusion. After a controversy broke out over the issue, the game organisers admitted having used a series of illusions that even included a pre-taped footprint shaped fireworks segment.
2.� � � The venue managers were given instructions to use volunteer cheerleaders to fill empty seats in the stadium. A consequence of which was that the athletes’ families were unable to obtain the tickets for some events.
3.� � � But the most insensitive one of them all was when a seven-year-old girl was replaced because officials felt that her face was not suitable for the opening ceremony. An older girl was asked to lip-synch the Ode to the Motherland instead, which was recorded in the voice of the youngster.
4.� � � � And didn’t we hear a few days ago that the Chinese authorities have asked girls with plump legs to wear black stocking.
What do I say about the facade that is being presented to the world? I wonder what exactly China is trying to prove here.
via ibnlive

On Monday, India got what was long overdue. The Olympic Gold medal that had been eluding us all this time. Abhinav Bindra has made a nation swell with joy and ecstasy. He has done something no Indian has ever done before and we all are so proud of him.�

So what did it take for Abhinav to make history at the Olympics? Here are a few ingredients I could list down. Determination, dedication, hard work, proper guidance, coaching and equipment, to name a few. But to get that perfect blend for a Gold medal, you would need additional spices like personal investments, security, financial backup and awareness. Then only will the recipe work. �

I am in no way trying to take away any part of the glory that Abhinav Bindra has achieved but we know he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. At the age of 14, he used to drive a Mercedes. He has his personal shooting range at home. His injuries are taken care of by the best doctors in the world. His family has spent a lot to make 11th August 2009 possible. The point here is, that he has the backing that allows him to pursue his dreams and, like we saw, even achieve them. �

Being a nation of a strong 1 billion people, it’s very unlikely that there is a dearth of talent. But following the dream that Bindra did is a risk very few people can afford to take. And incidents like the one involving Monika Devi bring out the loopholes in the system time and again. If we recall our school life, we have all seen raw talent amongst us waiting to be nurtured. Now we find them working in a 9 to 5 job. Why didn’t they pursue their dream? Or should I ask, did they ever dream? �
�

Via� sify�

Blake Aldridge gave the recipe for disaster when he clearly showed to the world what a bad team mate he was at the Beijing Olympics. The incident triggered off when Aldridge made a call to his mother from the stands while competing along with partner Tom Daley in the men’s synchronized 10 m platform competition. But that much publicity didn’t seem enough for the 26-year-old who took on Daley in front of the media. First, he accused his teammate of not being able to handle pressure and then went on and on about his age, which apparently is 14 years and 82 days. Oh man, it was such a poor and tasteless performance given by Aldridge. Every word and action of his was reeking of contempt which really didn’t put him in a favorable spot in the eyes of the world.
In fact, many even noticed how Aldridge gave a cold shoulder to his mate without exchanging even a glance at the pre-event ceremony. Later, after the last dive, he didn’t even shake hands with him. Now, is that the kind of friendship and support Olympics symbolize? Definitely not. I guess this incident should be lesson enough for the other sportsperson to leave their ego behind and display some sporting spirit.
Via timesonline

Seeing Monika Devi, the Indian Weightlifter crying at a press conference in a helpless, or should I say infantile effort to emphasize her innocence in the latest doping controversy made me wonder how we comprehend the act.� I feel that she is innocent, not because of the tears she shed but because of the fact that Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) is backing her claims of innocence plus the shoddy way in which dope testing is done in India is not news anymore. In addition to that, the politics and regionalism involved in Indian sports is no secret. But does crying in front of the nation help? I seriously don’t think so, and neither do statements like ‘shoot me if I am found guilty’. You� internationally acclaimed sports people� are our national heroes and� represent our country to the world outside. You are an inspiration to thousands of aspiring sportsmen. You carry hopes of a nation whenever and wherever you perform. Can’t you remain composed for a press conference? I am sorry but you don’t have my sympathy. Rather, what you did is lamentable. And� the� feeling� was ‘pity’ in case of the infamous Kapil Dev episode. As the scenes of the conference are shown again and again on all news channels, the only two words I would utter, if at all, would be ‘poor girl’.�
The fact is, many believe that she should not have been part of the squad going to Beijing, because Shailaja Pujari was a better performer as per the trials. Monika had found the berth because of the politics involved. I guess now its déj� vu for her!

Via cnnibn