When Diego said ‘sorry’

It now appears that Diego Maradona had actually 'apologized' after scoring what is probably his best goal. At least that is what the Argentine genius told a group that had met him last month to get his final seal of approval for the upcoming trip to India.

"There were five of us - Maradona's agent, the brother of national player Gabriel Heinze, two directors of Celebrity Management Group and I - and the scheduled 10-minute meeting stretched to an hour with the discussion veering to everything from Fidel Castro to Maradona's famous run that ended in a brilliant goal against England at the 1986 World Cup final," said Samik Lahiri, the MP from Diamond Harbour who is now at the heart of the organizing committee dealing with the high-profile visit.

"When it came to that goal, even before his interpreter could complete our question, Maradona was on to describing it," remembers Lahiri. "He said he was in two minds when he was upon Peter Shilton because Valdano was in a better position to score, but he realized he had to get behind the last man because he feared the class of the English goalkeeper, and knew Shilton may well have turned and narrowed the angle for Valdano," Lahiri recounted, adding: "Maradona then told us that he apologized to Valdano for not releasing the ball to him but that he had also felt he made the right choice. He said that Valdano had agreed and then, rather shockingly, Maradona told us that many in Argentina still feel he should have passed to Valdano!"

If football fans in this city and beyond are now quivering in anticipation of the Argentine legend's arrival later this week, blame it on that often-asked question. Why can't India produce top-class footballers? "It was some four years ago when the question came up again while we were chatting in this little group that had, among others, former footballers Shankar Banerjee and Manas Bhattacharya," says Lahiri. "This time, we didn't stop there but wanted to do something about it."

E-mails were shot off to some of the leading football academies of the world so that they could find the formula. "The model of a leading academy in South Africa, which has their national coach at the helm, looked impressive but when their representative visited the proposed venue and gave his wish list in terms of infrastructure, we realized the cost of project would be beyond us," said Lahiri, who has found a few financial backers to get him started.

They have finally settled for a top Argentine club's model that targets to produce 40 top-drawer footballers from a base of 1,000. "We'll identify talent from about 20 to 25 coaching centres but that's a process that will take some time to complete," says Lahiri. "It was during our exchange of e-mails that both parties felt the need for sensitization of more Indians to the beautiful game. It was then that the dream of bringing Maradona was born. It would be the big bang to draw attention."

The first few steps were taken over e-mail to Maradona's ex-wife Claudia, and then the communication hub shifted to Maradona's agents. It all culminated with a visit to Maradona's home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires early last month, only days after he was appointed coach of the national side.

Well, when you are looking for the big kickoff to a dream, what better than the left foot of Diego Armando Maradona!

Maradona’s visit to India in doubt after attacks

The Mumbai terror attack has cast a shadow over Diego Maradona’s two-day trip to Kolkata, even as the organisers claim the iconic Argentine football star’s country visit is on.

Immediately after the terrorist strike at the country’s commercial capital Mumbai, the 1986 World Cup hero’s personal manager Sebastian De Monte got in touch with the citybased Celebrity Management Group (CMG) who are instrumental in bringing the football legend to Kolkata.

De Monte inquired about the prevailing situation and whether it was “safe” to travel to Kolkata at a time when terrorists were targetting foreigners, as was seen during the attacks.

“It’s true that Diego's manager Sebastian enquired about the situation. He wanted to know what was happening in Mumbai and how safe is Kolkata... I said there was nothing to worry about. This (terrorism) is an internal problem, which is happening on an off in the country for the past 20 years. There’s nothing to worry about, I assured him and he said both Maradona and Claudia (his estranged wife) have started packing for the trip,” Goswami said.

“Afterall, the state government is in-charge of his security, what is there to worry about. Kolkata is very much safe city, with no history of terror attacks. Moreover, Maradona had been to Israel, so I don’t see any reason why he should abort touring India,” Goswami said.

According to unofficial sources, 40 per cent of the payment for Maradona’s visit has already been made long back, while the remaining is said to be despatched by Monday. The recent terror strike, has cut short England’s series. While there is question mark over the Champions League Twenty20.

England-India ODI series called off

The last two matches of the India-England seven-match one-day series have been called off over safety fears following a series of terrorist attacks in south Mumbai on Wednesday night in which around 100 people have been killed and more than 300 injured.

An England [Images] Cricket Board (ECB) statement said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had agreed to its request to postpone the remaining two one-dayers.

"The ECB today requested the postponement of the 6th and 7th One Day Internationals in the current series between India and England. BCCI has agreed to this request," England team's media relations manager Andrew Walpole said in an email statement.

"The England team will not travel to Guwahati this afternoon as scheduled and will remain in Bhubaneswar overnight pending further discussions with the BCCI," he added.

ECB Managing Director Hugh Morris, captain Kevin Pietersen [Images], coach Peter Moores, manager Reg Dickaso and Walpole held initial discussions with the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, as well as representatives from the Indian team management at the team hotel in Bhubaneswar after which it was decided to call off the last two ODIs.

A decision on the two-Test series to be played next month will be taken later on Thursday evening.

England have so far played five one-dayers and have lost all the matches to trail the seven-match series 0-5. They were also scheduled to play two Tests in Ahmedabad [Images] (December 11-15) and Mumbai (December 10-23).

Even before the tour began there had been security concerns for the ECB after bomb blasts left dozens dead in Guwahati, where the sixth ODI is due to be played on Saturday.

The teams were also supposed to stay at the Taj Hotel, one of the places attacked by the terrorists, during the second Test in Mumbai next month.

The sources said that the upcoming Champions League, to be held in three different venues of the country from December 3 to 10, is also likely to be cancelled with many of the top overseas players reluctant to tour India.

Even if the tournament takes place the matches could be moved out of Mumbai.

English county side Middlesex have already cancelled their flight to India on Thursday after reports of the attacks came out.

Gunbattles raged between terrorists and commandoes and fresh explosions rocked two luxury hotels -- Taj and Trident (Oberoi) -- after a night of terror targeting ten places in the country's financial capital killed over 100 people.

A groups of militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades burst into luxury hotels, a hospital and the CST railway station late on Wednesday and fired indiscriminately.

Should Sachin Tendulkar be playing one-day internationals?

VIEW 1

Just focus on Test cricket

During the rain-hit Bangalore one-dayer the Indian batting line-up put on a power-packed display. The only exception was Sachin Tendulkar. Playing his first game of the ongoing India-England series, he scored 11. While there’s every reason to believe that Tendulkar will better this score in the remaining games, it’s time to ask whether he should be playing ODIs at all.

A few months shy of 36,Tendulkar’s body is just not up to the rigours of the packed international schedule. Over the past few seasons, he has missed Tests and ODIs because of injury, something that was unthinkable when he was younger. The last ODI that he played was in March missing a triangular tournament, the Asia Cup, and a one-day series against Sri Lanka this year. But the Indian one-day team hasn’t really missed Tendulkar. It reached the finals of the Asia Cup, beat the strong Sri Lankan team in Sri Lanka and crushed England in the first three ODIs.

The ODI team under M S Dhoni is an explosive unit. And unlike earlier Indian teams it is an exceptional fielding side. One of the reasons for this is the team’s youth. All the players in the team are in their twenties with the exception of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, both of who turned 30 last month. So why disturb this winning combination by playing Tendulkar?

The current ODI squad should be the team that will play the 2011 World Cup. It’s difficult to imagine Tendulkar maintaining peak form and fitness in both the longer and shorter forms of the game till then. It would be much better for Indian cricket if he focuses on Test cricket where Team India has just lost two stalwarts in Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. Tendulkar is needed in the Test squad not just as a batsman but also to see through a difficult transition process.

If he sticks to playing Tests, Tendulkar would in all likelihood be able to stretch his playing career. That would be a bonus not only for Indian cricket but also for millions of cricket fans.

VIEW 2

Sachin should play on

The spotlight was on Sachin Tendulkar when he walked in to open the Indian innings. It did not stay on him for long. An ungainly 11 runs later, he was back in the pavilion. At a time when M S Dhoni’s brave young gladiators are establishing their authority, this became reason enough for suggestions that he should leave the limited overs shenanigans to the youngsters and prolong his career at the pinnacle of the sport in Test cricket. They are wrong.

Four hundred eighteen oneday matches, 16,372 runs at an average of over 44, 42 centuries and 89 half centuries. The statistics bear repeating. A man cannot reach such heights without knowing every aspect of his game. There can be no better judge of his fitness and future in the one-day game than Tendulkar himself. The way he plays his cricket shows that he is no egotist. He will not cling on when he feels that he is no longer up for it or that it is detrimental to the team. The game reveals a man’s character and his has withstood the sternest examinations.

Suggestions that his latest outing proves otherwise are premature. Sourav Ganguly might have made it his USP but the Little Master is no less adept at proving naysayers wrong. Let it not be forgotten that in the last one-day series he played against Australia in 2007-08, he was the highest run scorer from the Indian side. Of late, his game has seen a rejuvenation of sorts. He has emerged from the cocoon of cautious strokeplay he had built around himself in the middle of the decade to play with something approaching his old joie de vivre. It is heartening to the team and disheartening for opponents.

For two decades he has been at the top of the game, one of its most feared exponents. His presence is talismanic, not just for the fans watching him but for his teammates. The day that it is no longer so, he will choose to step down. Until that day, he must be left alone.

He Played From The Heart

Sourav Ganguly retires from international cricket

How will one best remember Sourav Ganguly? What will be his most enduring legacy? These are questions being asked all over the cricketing world on a day when Ganguly will wear his India colours for one final time in Nagpur. While some say that he will be best remembered for his never-say-die spirit and perhaps as India’s best ever captain, history will also surely remember him as someone who rescued Indian cricket from its deepest low: the tribulations of match fixing.

At a time when the match fixing scandal was eating into the very edifice of Indian cricket and the national side under Sachin Tendulkar was in disarray, Ganguly assumed the mantle of leadership. Fans had started to lose interest in the game and only a handful in the cricket fraternity — one of them being Ganguly — was above suspicion. To compound problems, he was soon challenged by Steve Waugh’s record-breaking Australians seeking to conquer the “final frontier”. It was a team that came to India on the back of 15 wins on the trot.

Ganguly’s initiation into Test captaincy in 2000 could not have been more dramatic. To add to his woes, India was mauled at the Wankhede in a little under three-anda-half days in the first Test of the series. Add to this the scoreline at the end of Day 2 at the Eden Gardens in the second Test: Australia having scored 445 and India reeling at 128-8, the situation looked set for Ganguly to lose the captaincy even before he had warmed up to it. Reality, however, could not have been more different. India won at the Eden match thanks to a miracle partnership between V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid and a match-winning spell by Harbhajan Singh. This was followed by a series-winning victory at Chennai. It was perhaps the best Test series ever to be played on Indian soil and suddenly to borrow the words of the man of the moment, Barack Obama, Indian cricket had a three-word mantra: “Yes we can”. Under Ganguly, nothing seemed impossible and innovation was routine.

Ganguly converted Virender Sehwag into an opener, discarding all the conventional idioms about opening the batting. It was a decision that still continues to pay dividends. Remembering the decision, Ganguly suggested in a conversation last week at the end of the Delhi Test, “In India you need quick runs at the top of the order for once the ball gets older, you can’t score fast. And if you get off to a flier the opposition will always be under pressure. Sehwag was our best bet.” He played Dravid at number six and promoted Laxman up the order, an innovation that won India the Eden miracle, and could be something we need to resort to again to get Dravid back in form. He inspired Harbhajan to become a proven match-winner in all forms of the game and motivated the team to win in adverse overseas conditions. In doing all this, his hair may have turned grey and his batting form may have suffered but the nation surely gained.

Ganguly’s personal journey may be divided into two distinct phases — the pre- and post-Greg Chappell periods. While the first witnessed near unrivalled elegance in batsmanship, the second was a more cautious and hardened phase, one in which he valued his wicket much more. While in the first, dancing down the track and hitting spinners out of the ground was routine and caressing the ball through the offside to the boundary second habit, in the second, milking the ball for ones and twos was the norm. The first phase resulted in comments like Sourav was god-like in his offside play; the second forced critics to acknowledge that he was more mature and solid after his stunning comeback in South Africa in the 2006-07 series.

The one link between the two periods was his aggression. Be it the over-thetop waving of his shirt at the Lord’s balcony after the Natwest victory in 2002 — something that he gets slightly embarrassed about when reminded of — or making Steve Waugh wait for him at the toss in the 2001 series or his valiant counter-attack en route to scoring a series-defining century at Brisbane in 2003, aggression and confidence have been his defining traits.

In retirement, too, Ganguly stands out. Even in his final Test match at Nagpur, Ganguly scored a flawless 85. Giving it up before critics call for his head, despite knowing full well that he could have continued for some more time given his current form, he remains someone who has always exceeded expectations and fought his way out of trouble. In fact, it is this ability that endears him most to the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

In commenting on his legacy, one is forced to acknowledge Ganguly’s ability to surprise one and all. You may not trust him with your life if you apply the parameters of reason and rationale, but you can certainly bank on him if you think with your heart. And who better to tell us than Ganguly that modern competitive sport is more often than not played from the heart and not in the mind.

Indian beats Australia, leads series 1-0

Disastrous! That's how Australia's performance in the Mohali Test can be described in one word.
With winning the match ceasing to be an option after India set them a mammoth 516, the least they could have done was play sensibly to ensure a draw, which would have given their otherwise vapid performance in the match a semblance of respectability. But therein lay their failure as a team.

Paceman Zaheer Khan captured three wickets in four balls Tuesday as India completed a comprehensive 320-run victory in the second cricket test against Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

Score: Ind inn 1: 469-all out

Aus inn 1: 268 all out

Ind inn 2: 314-3 (Dec)

Aus inn 2: 195-10

Score card: The worst Olympians

India is the worst-performing Olympic country, with only 17 medals in its kitty so far, says Foreign Policy. A games participant since 1900, India ranks behind Nigeria, a country with an economy one-twentieth India’s size, in total medals. But we can take heart from the fact that there are others not so ahead of us.

VENEZUELA
Venezuelans have brought home only 10 medals, which is as many as Trinidad and Tobago, despite winning their first medal in 1952. Georgia, which first medaled at the 1996 Games, has outpaced the Bolivarian Republic. Venezuela has taken home only one gold, and the only Venezuelan woman to earn a medal is Adriana Carmona, who won the bronze for tae kwon do in Athens in 2004.

ISRAEL
The Jewish state won its first medal in 1992, and since then Israel remains tied with Uganda in the medal count, which stands at six. Of the other countries that first reached the podium in Barcelona, Israel has been outdone by Croatia, Slovenia, and Lithuania. All this is despite the fact that Israel has had a recognized Olympic committee since 1952.

TAIWAN
With 15 medals in all, Taiwan ranks with Mongolia, whose economy is one hundredth its size. Taiwan has half the medals of Ethiopia, which, like Taiwan, won its first medal at the 1960 Games. Taiwan’s Olympic status has always been contested. For years, China boycotted the games to protest Taiwan’s participation. In 1979, Communist Party leaders got the IOC to agree that Taiwan had never been a recognized Olympic country and that it would have to compete as “Chinese Taipei.” Taiwan must march under a special Olympic flag and may play only the “National Flag Anthem” on the few occasions when its athletes reach the podium.

PERU
Peru, with four medals, stands with Zimbabwe and Moldova, the biggest losers in Africa and Eastern Europe, respectively, as a top Olympic washout in its region. Peru took its first medal in 1948. Jamaica—whose economy is one-tenth of Peru’s—has won 10 times as many medals. Reason? Poverty and lack of infrastructure. Ten years ago, over half of Peru’s team was malnourished. In May 2008, President Alan García, proffered Lima as the host for 2016 Olympics, along with Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Doha and Tokyo. The deadline for applications had passed nine months earlier, and competing cities were already raising funds. García announced later that he’d like to play host in 2020.

Gene doping: New threat in sports

The newest—and perhaps most troubling—trend in the world of athletic enhancement today seems to be gene doping, says a Newsweek article. Gene doping involves modifying an athlete’s DNA, or having them inject or inhale foreign DNA, to make them bigger, stronger and faster. “It’s harder to detect than most drugs, which makes it all the more desired by cheaters looking to prosper,” says Jamie Reno, author of the feature.

The issue assumes increasing importance as newer instances of players’ suspension on doping charges come to light. Officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ensured unprecedented steps to keep the Beijing Olympics clean. The number of tests for banned substances performed at these Games was the most ever.

With gene doping, a person’s genetic makeup is actually changed by injecting genes into muscle or bone cells, creating proteins that then enter the tissue or blood. The article cites a German TV report on the availability of gene doping in China, which aired just a few days before the Olympics, and stunned anti-doping experts. It involved a reporter, posing as an American swimming coach, meeting a doctor who is the head of the gene-therapy department of an unnamed Chinese hospital. The hidden-camera report shows the doctor, with his face blurred, offering gene-therapy treatment to the undercover reporter in return for $24,000.

The TV programme wouldn’t have come as a surprise to scientists studying gene doping, like Dr. Ted Friedmann, director of the Center for Molecular Genetics at the University of California. “I don’t know how it was arranged, or what level of hospital this was, but it supports the idea that the world of athletics is very aware of gene doping and already pursuing it,” says Friedmann, who is the president of the American Society of Gene Therapy, and working closely with WADA to find ways to detect gene doping and, ideally, prevent it from becoming rampant.

The article quotes Friedmann as saying that WADA has established a research programme that plans to design new tests for gene doping, based on technologies developed around the Human Genome Project. Friedmann believes there are effective ways of testing tissue, blood or urine to see if the body has been genetically altered.

The issue, however, assumes some grey shades as well. For instance, as gene therapy becomes more commonplace in medical treatment, many athletes may undergo such procedures legitimately, and that will show up on any test. Friedmann says these athletes should be allowed to apply for an exemption.

THE LAST DANCE

WHILE GRACE and timing were the hallmark of Sourav Ganguly’s cricket, I'm unsure if his decision to ride into the sunset was true to those qualities.

The boy from Behala who galvanised the Indian team at the start of the new millennium announced in a very off-handed manner in Bangalore yesterday that the four-Test series against the visiting Australians will be his last in international cricket.

It wasn’t befitting a man who never went down without a battle. Probably, at 36, there’s no fight left in his stomach after having to prove his credentials to those who run Indian cricket over and over again. Or perhaps the fuel indicator is just hovering over the E mark and there’s just enough in the tank to take on the Australians before he puts his feet up.

“Before I leave, I have to make an announcement,” said Ganguly as a postscript to the pre-match press conference. “This is going to be my last series. I have decided to quit. These four Tests are going to be my last.” he said betraying his emotions.

“I have spoken to my team-mates that these four Tests would be my last matches. Thanks for all the support, hopefully I will go out on a winning note.”

Those in the know say that the BCCI was all set to bring down the curtain on Ganguly’s career after the second Test at Mohali. But the former skipper bargained hard for the entire series.

MORE PRESSURE


BY MAKING the decision public he may have only added more pressure on himself to bow out on a high and if the scene gets awry for India against Ricky Ponting’s men, the BCCI may not wait till Nagpur, which ironically was Ganguly’s Waterloo as the captain of Team India in 2004.

We pray this is not the case but we’re unsure who writes Ganguly’s script. Mere words will not do justice to a career that was as heroic as it was tragic.

For a teenager who reportedly dragged his feet to ferry drinks during his maiden tour of Australia in 1992, Ganguly emerged four years later to score a sublime hundred on debut at Lord’s amidst a smearing campaign that he was in the team courtesy Jagmohan Dalmiya.

This wasn’t going to be his only comeback as we all know it too well.

As his career progressed, Indian cricket regressed under Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar’s leadership. The Board finally offered captaincy to Ganguly in 2000.

It was a difficult time. Tendulkar had stepped down as the captain and the match-fixing scourge was about to raise its ugly head. With Kapil Dev at helm as the coach, it was a coronation under fire for the Prince of Kolkata. Six months into his term, the winds of change started to blow and a young unassuming Ganguly-led squad, much like the one that won the Twenty20 Championship in South Africa last year, reached the final of the mini World Cup in Nairobi.

Ganguly went on to add steely resolve to the group and the Indian team started to win Test matches and one-day games abroad frequently. In John Wright, he had a perfect coach to complement him although the relations wasn’t exactly hunky-dory.

Ganguly’s slide started in 2004 following his withdrawal from the Nagpur Test citing a hamstring injury. That he had a showdown with Shashank Manohar, the current BCCI president, over the nature of the pitch was no secret and that is when he lost a few friends in the team.

The arrival of Greg Chappell and his subsequent spat with the Australian for whom he had batted, added a bitter and painful twist to his career. He was banished to wilderness.

‘GANGULY’S DECISION WON’T AFFECT KKR’

While Sourav Ganguly has announced his retirement from cricket, his Indian Premier League (IPL) team — Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) — don’t believe they need to worry too much about his participation in the second edition of the BCCI-backed tournament at the moment.

“There is no reason why it should (affect Ganguly’s IPL commitments),” KKR’s team director Joy Bhattacharya told Mumbai Mirror yesterday. “The only thing is that he will have to find a way to stay fit. If you are not playing cricket, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to stay fit. But I think he is professional enough to manage that.”

Bhattacharya also said that Ganguly had not spoken to team owner Shah Rukh Khan or him regarding his IPL participation or commitments. “At the moment, I think we just have to give him some space at this time.” The fighter in him saw him staging a dream comeback facilitated by Dilip Vengsarkar taking over the selection committee in 2006. Ganguly batted with gusto to score heavily in both form of the games and in every possible condition on offer.

POOR SERIES

A POOR series against Sri Lanka, primarily because of inappropriate preparation and fitness, once again brought his career on the brink. But with another change in the selection committee and yet another lifeline thrown at him, Ganguly was back but with murmurs that he had struck a deal with the BCCI for a ‘dignified’ farewell.

A match-winning hundred followed by the announcement to quit would have been more apt for the man who along with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman changed the face of Indian cricket for good.

Sex and sport

It`s an irresistible mix and one that Olympians are no longer shy of using to fund their sporting careers.


American Olympic swimming champion Amanda Beard posed naked in Playboy magazine last year and at Beijing stripped off for an advertising campaign to protest against fashion furs.

Image: Olympic swimmers (Left to Right) Amanda Beard, Michael Phelps, Jenny Thompson and Natalie Coughlin pose on 24 August 2004, during a photocall in Athens.





British athletes triple jumper Phillips Idowu, cyclist Rebecca Romero and swimmer Gregor Tait were photographed naked in sporting poses for a sports drinks advertising campaign.

Female beach volleyball players are first to admit that wearing bikinis has helped boost their popularity - and envious male players have joked about following by playing bare-chested.

Image: US Women`s beach volleyball players Misty May Treanor (L) and Kerri Walsh pose for pictures with US President George W Bush.




`In this competitive marketplace you have to separate yourself from other athletes and the taboo of posing for Playboy or modelling has started to wane,` Richard Deitsch, associate editor at Sports Illustrated`s website, said.

`People hardly batted an eyelid when Amanda Beard (above) appeared in Playboy but 10 or 15 years ago this would have caused much more of an uproar in the (United) States.`

With the Beijing Olympics underway featuring over 10,500 athletes in perfect shape, websites galore are carrying photo galleries and lists of the hottest Olympians.




Playboy spokeswoman Lauren Melone said they have published a special spread of Olympians who have appeared in the magazine over the years such as Athens gold medallist Beard, four-time Olympic high jumper Amy Acuff and figure skater Katarina Witt (above).

Dara Torres, the oldest US swimmer at 41, has appeared in a sexy photo shoot in Maxim magazine.




Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice (seen here) was featured on the front cover of men`s magazine FHM as well as posing for some underwear advertisements with her former boyfriend, fellow Aussie swimmer Eamon Sullivan.

Leryn Franco, 26, a javelin thrower from Paraguay, is competing in her second Olympics at Beijing, thanks to her second career, modelling.

`Modelling is a way for me to continue with my sport, the hours are flexible, and you can earn good money through photographic modelling and the catwalk,` Franco said.




But Deitsch said for hard-core sports fans the appearance or sex appeal of an athlete might make them more interesting, but only if they were winning at their sport.

He said two good examples of sports stars who had used their looks to build a brand were English footballer David Beckham and Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova (seen here).

`Ultimately it does not get away from the fact that you have to be an athlete first and a beauty second,` he said.

`But when you have someone who is fantastic at both, then you are looking at a global brand.`

Tendulkar tops Warne’s list

India’s Sachin Tendulkar tops the list of world’s best 100 Test cricketers named by legendary spinner Shane Warne in his book ‘Shane Warne’s Century’, which also features as many as 10 other Indians. Warne’s list from among cricketers whom he had played with or against also includes Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and Ravi Shastri.



The list in Warne’s book released on October 2 is almost identical with the one ‘The Times’ newspaper published last year.

The legendary spinner describes Tendulkar as a “genius” and “best in the business”, one who has an amazing discipline, and puts the Indian ahead of West Indian legend Brian Lara.“I have found it difficult at times to deceive Tendulkar because he reads length and spin so quickly,” said Warne in the book.

Ganguly, who is in the Indian Test squad to play against Australia in the four-Test series starting on October 9, features in the 96th spot of Warne’s list.

Warne shared a love-hate relationship with Ganguly. The two have had a few runins, the latest being during the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League, where they involved in a war of words and were both fined 10 percent of their match fees.

Still, Warne considers Ganguly as an intelligent cricketer with interesting ideas on all subjects and one who has his own way of doing things.

“But he did have the knack of rubbing opponents (and even teammates when he went to Lancashire) the wrong way without seeming to try very hard. If this was part of a deliberate strategy, then he got it bang on at times.

“He would also be late for the toss and then walk off on his own without waiting for Steve Waugh, our captain. To be a minute or so behind because an issue crops up is one thing, but more than that is just taking the Mickey,” Warne wrote of Ganguly.

Besides Tendulkar, the top five include Brian Lara in second spot, followed by Curtly Ambrose, Allan Border and Glenn McGrath.

The list of 100 best cricketers also features nine Pakistanis, eight Sri Lankan players.

Return of the King

Shocking it wasn’t to see Roger Federer eagerly await the descent of Andy Murray’s desperate lob, fire off one last overhead, sink to his knees and roll over onto his back, a United States Open champion for the fifth straight year. Surprising? Well, yes, to be honest, a little bit, because this was the Federer who had not won a meaningful title this year, who was blown out in March on a California hardcourt by Mardy Fish, who was beaten in July by Gilles Simon, who was a dispirited Olympian last month while losing in singles to James Blake in Beijing.

Here in New York, Federer’s game freshened with the late-summer weather. He said he would have preferred the chance to even a score with Rafael Nadal, but something tells me Murray’s first Grand Slam final, a jittery 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 trouncing on Monday, suited Federer just fine.

The reverberation of the Orlean’s classic Still the One applied only to his standing in New York; Nadal still holds the top ranking. But with 13 Grand Slam titles back in the race with Pete Sampras, as Federer said he is again being primarily measured against the history book.

Fascinated by Federer’s pursuit of Sampras and by Nadal’s of Federer, I might have watched more tennis this year than any other American, with the exception of Bud Collins, beginning with a 5 am wakeup for Federer’s straight-sets loss to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Later, the expanded programming at Tennis Channel brought the exotic clay-court locales of Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Hamburg and Rome into my den many a spring morning. I took a late train to Boston one Saturday night for an NBA finals game the next night in order not to miss what turned into Nadal’s astonishing rout of Federer in the French Open final. I might have missed a stroke or two of their daylong Wimbledon epic.

The pop psychologist in me came to believe that Nadal methodically wore out Federer in the spring, sapped his belief in strokes that were magical for four-and-a-half years. Nadal would spot Federer a break of serve, sometimes two, and still win the set.

He had an attitude of defiance, an air of indefatigability, and that is why the most startling tennis sight of all in 2008 came on Sunday, when Nadal bent over after a long rally that ended with a Murray volley into the open court, setting up match point.

How strange and, yes, sad it was to see Nadal so spent (and how uplifting to see him sign balls and programs on the way out) with the finish line of his marathon just ahead.

It reminded me of what John McEnroe said on Saturday after Federer had taken out Djokovic, who did not help himself by making the crowd a second opponent. “You realize he’s only 21,” McEnroe said of Djokovic, “the way you realized the last few months that Federer is human.”

We know these athletes are not machines, but we sometimes forget the baggage they carry into the office. Federer made domination of the men's game look easy, but that was always destined to change.

“He always said you can’t always be 2,000 points ahead,” Robert Federer, the champion’s father, said, stepping out of a Champagne celebration in the locker room. For Federer and his entourage, this might have been the sweetest of all 13 titles, given the growing news-media concern that the family mistakenly interpreted as criticism.

“Crazy people” were calling, Federer said, telling him he needed psychological help. In his own affable way, Robert Federer lumped reporters and the former Open champion Mats Wilander into that group.

“Some of you guys were writing negatively of him, saying Federer was gone,” Robert Federer said. “Wilander also said that Federer would never win another Grand Slam title. Federer proved them all wrong today.”

Federer and Nadal, with help from Djokovic, proved something else these past few months: Americans do not need an American in the mix to appreciate what this sport has to offer.
This Grand Slam season concluded with Federer’s telling Mary Jo Fernandez of CBS, “Tennis is in a great place right now.” He meant the men’s game, currently blessed with three gifted players, charismatic in their own way. The talented Murray could make it a foursome if he can build on his breakthrough here.

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic made their countries proud with a good show in Beijing. They raised the sports profile and its television ratings across the long year, which, believe it or not, continues on into fall with the Davis Cup semifinals (United States at Spain) and the European indoor season.

No wonder the leading men have banded together, spoken out for more rest and less of a grind. For longevity’s sake, they could use some extra time off, a few distractions from tennis.

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

1
The number of players in 84 years, since Bill Tilden, to capture five straight US Open titles. Federer also became the first player in history to win two Grand Slams (Wimbledon being the other) five consecutive years.

3

Titles won by Federer this season: Estoril, Halle and US Open. The last player to win the US Open without winning a hard court title during the year was Pete Sampras in 2002.

4

Men have the distinction of reaching 17 Grand Slam finals, with Federer becoming the latest to accomplish the feat. The others are: Ivan Lendl (19 appearances, won—8, lost—11); Pete Sampras (18,14,4); Rod Laver (17,11,6).

6

Successive years that Federer has extended his streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title. Pete Sampras (1993-2000) and Bjorn Borg (1974-1981) are the co-leaders with eight straight years of winning at least one Grand Slam crown.

12

Times Federer has tasted defeat in singles tournaments this year. The last time his losses reached double figures was in 2003

13

Grand Slam titles bagged by Federer. He became the second highest title winner after Pete Sampras’ tally of 14 championships. Federer has so far won three Australian Opens, five Wimbledons and five US Opens.

34

Consecutive matches won by Federer in the US Open. The last time he lost at this championship was in 2003 to David Nalbandian in the fourth round.

10

Opponents he has had to beat over the last five years to win 13 of his 17 Grand Slam finals

4

Grand Slam finals lost to Rafael Nadal, thrice at Roland Garros and one at Wimbledon this year

6

Number of times Federer and Nadal have come face to face in Grand Slam finals. In head to head clashes, Nadal is way ahead of Federer winning 12 of the 18 times the duo have met which includes a dominating 9 out of 10 wins in clay courts.

GRAND SLAM TITLE WINNERS AT 27

Roger Federer, at 27, became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam since Andre Agassi (32) captured the 2003 Australian Open. Federer is the 17th player in the Open Era (since 1968) to win a Grand Slam singles title at the age of 27. Here are the players 27 and older with at least one Slam title:

Grand Slam titles at 27 and older

Andre Agassi 5

Rod Laver 5

Ivan Lendl 4

John Newcombe 4

Ken Rosewall 4

Jimmy Connors 3

Pete Sampras 3

Nadal is the only player to take Federer to five sets, in the last two Wimbledon finals. Nadal is also the only player to beat Federer in straight sets, at the French Open this year. Rafa conceded only four games to hand Federer his worst Grand Slam rout.

Federer’s Grand Slam finals:

Won 13, lost 4

2003 Wimbledon: Beat Mark Philippoussis, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (3)

2004 Australian Open: Beat Marat Safin, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2

2004 Wimbledon: Beat Andy Roddick, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

2004 US Open: Beat Lleyton Hewitt, 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

2005 Wimbledon: Beat Andy Roddick, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

2005 US Open: Beat Andre Agassi, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1.

2006 Australian Open: Beat Marcos Baghdatis, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2

2006 French Open: Lost to Rafael Nadal, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

2006 Wimbledon: Beat Rafael Nadal, 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3.

2006 US Open: Beat Andy Roddick, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

2007 Australian Open: Beat Fernando Gonzalez, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4

2007 French Open: Lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

2007 Wimbledon: Beat Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2.

2007 US Open: Beat Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4

2008 French Open: Lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0

2008 Wimbledon: Lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7

2008 US Open: Beat Andy Murray, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

Vijender Kumar

CLOSE friends, relatives, most of a village and hundreds of fans welcomed boxer Vijender Kumar, wrestler Sushil Kumar and other members of the Indian contingent back home on Monday night.

Loud cheers, garlands, eager fans and policemen surrounding them — this was the scene at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. It seemed that almost everyone from Najafgarh and Bhiwani (in Haryana) had gathered there to receive Sushil and Vijender.

As the winners stepped out, the fans started playing the dholak, bursting crackers and showering flower petals on them. As the heroes made their way toward the cars waiting for them, it became increasingly difficult for the police to manage the crowd, with people jumping over the barricades to congratulate the winners.

Wearing that bronzed look — and the medal — proudly, Vijender was taken aback by the reception. “It’s unbelievable — the way people gathered at the airport to receive us. I finally feel like a star. It’s great to be back home and I’m happy to meet my father, who’s come all the way from Bhiwani to receive me. But I’m tired and hope to get some time to relax and be with my family,” he said.

Tiring it was, certainly, but the Beijing Olympics and his stay at the village there was also an emotional experience for Vijender, and for more reasons than the medal. “I enjoyed every minute of the Olympic games. My heart broke when I was leaving the Olympic village — I made a lot of friends there and I’m going to miss them a lot,” he said, adding, “One of my special friends gifted me a green friendship band, which I wore on my right hand before I left for the Beijing airport.” Of course, that’s not the only gift in store for him, his friends Rampal and Bunty, who came all the way from Punjab, have gifted him a car! “I’m so glad to see my friends. I was surprised when they told me that they’ve gifted me a car. I’ve decided to take all my friends out in it and will have a big party soon,” he grinned. Being quite easy on the eye, all the focus is going to be on him for a while, but Vijender says that sports other than cricket will benefit from the attention. “I’m sure that after winning this medal, boxing will soon become one of the most popular sports in India,” he said.

Nadal gets gold before crown

Rafael Nadal clinched a golden treble to wrap up the Olympic tennis tournament on Sunday, overcoming Chilean Fernando Gonzalez to add the Games men’s singles gold to his French Open and Wimbledon crowns.

The unstoppable Spaniard won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to mark his impending rise to the top of the world rankings with his country’s first ever Olympic gold medal in tennis. “It’s very difficult to win this because you only have one chance every four years,” Nadal, who replaces Roger Federer as world No. 1 on Monday, said. “I played almost a perfect match.”

Before Nadal’s fireworks, Russia’s Elena Dementieva enjoyed the biggest moment of her career when she won the women’s singles gold medal against compatriot Dinara Safina.

Dementieva battled back to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Vera Zvonareva made it an all-Russian singles podium by beating China’s Li Na 7-5, 6-0.

American Venus Williams claimed the third Olympic gold medal of her career when she and sister Serena thrashed Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-0 in a onesided women’s doubles final.

While Dementieva and Safina served up a compelling battle of wills, it was Nadal who everyone had come to see — apart, that is, for the flag-waving Chilean fans who cooked up a Davis Cup-type atmosphere on Centre Court.

From the start Gonzalez did what he does best, pounding forehands across the net. Nadal munched them all up and fizzed them back from all angles.

Nadal sealed the first set after a 37-minute masterclass of blurring movement and power.
Gonzalez traded blows with Nadal in the second set, standing toe-to-toe with the raging bull over the net, and his big chance came at 6-5 when he had the Spaniard in trouble at 15-40.

On his first set point he played a perfect point but with the court gaping, put a simple backhand volley wide. He then offered up a forehand gift and his moment had passed. Nadal stormed the tiebreak and muscled 5-2 ahead in the third set.

Gonzalez saved three match points but the insatiable Nadal sealed it on his fourth. “It looked easy, but when you’re tired you get a little dizzy,” Gonzalez said of the volley, neatly summing up the effect Nadal has on his opponents.

Rafa deserves top spot, says Federer

Roger Federer said Rafael Nadal “totally deserves” the No. 1 ranking, paying warm tribute to the Spaniard who takes over the top spot on Monday. Federer, who grabbed Olympic doubles gold with partner Stanislas Wawrinka, said Nadal had played his way to the top and admitted he was now dominating the sport. “I’ve known for over a week now about the number one ranking. But it’s fine. Rafa played great to get it,” Federer said. “That’s what I expected and hoped for many years ago when I got to No. 1, that if ever somebody were to take it away from me, he would have to play an incredible tennis schedule, win the biggest tournaments, dominate the game basically, and then like this he can take No1. I didn’t want it to happen that I would play completely bad and somebody would pick up number one in the world. So I think Rafa totally deserves it.”

After Eight

Thirty-six years is a long time for an Olympic record. But that is how long swimming legend Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games has stood. On Sunday, Spitz’s record was broken by fellow American and swimmer Michael Phelps when he powered the US team to a gold in the 4x100-metre relay. Phelps’s tally of gold medals now stands at 14, which is also a record.

Questions will inevitably be raised now whether Phelps is the greatest Olympian ever. If you go by numbers alone, Phelps is way ahead of the other greats like Spitz, Carl Lewis and Paavo Nurmi who had all won nine golds. And there might be more since Phelps plans to take part in the 2012 Games. But just as it is difficult to compare performances across disciplines, so it is to compare between eras. The training, schedules and incentives have all changed since the days Spitz competed. The swimming pools are different, so are the new corset-like suits.

What is more important is the ability of Phelps to reach the heights that he has in a system which is focused on sporting excellence but does not force athletes to perform. As a seven-year-old, Phelps joined a swimming club in Baltimore where he quickly showed amazing potential and was taken under the wings of coach Bob Bowman. Spitz, too, began at a local club at Santa Clara in California. Local clubs, along with schools and universities, are the backbone of America’s sporting success. Athletes from several other countries also train in American universities as did Serbia’s Milorad Cavic, who came second to Phelps in the 100-metre butterfly event. There are poorer countries that are following this model. The fastest man on earth — Jamaica’s Usain Bolt who won the 100-metre sprint in record time — along with a host of other top-class sprinters such as Asafa Powell train at the island’s University of Technology on a scholarship programme.

India must borrow a leaf from such schemes. While we could look at China’s example of focusing on a few disciplines, we must build up an institutional structure that is not dependent on the government. Some of the Indian boxers, who are doing so well in the Olympics, learnt their boxing in local clubs before getting sponsorship from private trusts. There is plenty more such sporting talent waiting to be tapped.

EIGHT-OMIC WONDER

Michael Phelps has dreamed of a lot of things, written down a lot of goals ever since he started training under Bob Bowman in the 200m butterfly event at the age of 15. This was the biggest one he had ever written down. So big that the world just kept convincing itself for 32 years that it was impossible to achieve; so big that the Water Cube forgot about everything else here these past nine days.


On Sunday, Phelps was set to write the punchline of his fairytale. He was itching to break Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals at an Olympics, and all roads led to the Cube.

‘The dream’ loomed large over the city’s landscape as people rushed to reach in time. Hundreds milled outside the security check point, looking desperately for tickets. They were selling all right, at four times the normal price. It was like no other Sunday.


Inside, fans had occupied the seats long back in anticipation, fanning themselves, sipping iced tea and simply waiting, eyes glued to the clock. At exactly 10.30am the wait came to an end. The buzz turned into a roar as Phelps trooped in with his teammates and stretched for a while at the 4x100m relay medley starting point.



Eight years after he became the youngest man to set a swimming world record in 200m butterfly Phelps was ready to stroke and glide again, in the event he loves the most the butterfly, like always the third of the four styles in a medley.


Aaron Peirsol gave USA the lead in the first leg, the backstroke; Brendan Steven stayed an inch ahead in the breaststroke and then dived in Phelps. The noise level at the pool could have matched one at an Aerosmith concert.


Phelps has a rare body, his upper torso much longer than his legs. His arm span of 201 cm is 7 cm more than his height. Those arms got down to work to create history, in a beautiful rhythm. The crowd cheered every stroke, every move, every ripple in the sparkling blue at the Cube.



He was way ahead of the rest and soon as he touched the pad, the chanting began. Jason Lezak just went for it, leaving behind a splashing trail. As he turned for the second 50m, one could see Phelps cheering him on, arms swinging wildly, the dream coming closer. It soon turned into a reality and Phelps hugged them all, tightly. Not letting go, feeling his dream, living his dream.



Mission accomplished, the pool’s water now a tranquil blue, Phelps said later at the press conference: “I just saw mum for one minute, we just hugged, she started crying, and I started crying, and then my sister started crying. It’s been a fun week.” The Aquaman was human again.

400M IND MEDLEY Cruises to the finish line in record time of 4:03:84, bettering the previous mark of 4:05:25

4X100M FREESTYLE RELAY Team USA takes the gold, setting a new world record time of 3:08:24

200M FREESTYLE Shatters previous world record time, clocks 1:42:96 on the way to gold

200M BUTTERFLY Another gold and another record-breaking performance with 1:52:03

4X200M FREESTYLE RELAY Team USA dominates the field with a time of 6:58:56. Phelps bags gold No. 5

200M IND MEDLEY Shaves 0.57 off the previous world record to win the race clocking 1:54:23

100M BUTTERFLY His toughest race by far, Phelps wins the race by a hundreth of a second, with a time of 50.58

4X100M MEDLEY Team USA ensures Phelps bags gold No.8 as they set a new world record of 3:29:34

Bolt and beautiful

Usain Bolt was dancing around the starting lineup when it all began, at 10.25 pm (IST) here on Saturday night.

He was playing the role of Mr Showman. Slow clapping turned into a loud roar when he did that sling special, taking the aim from his shoulders towards the crowd. The beat of the drums got the feet tapping as heartbeats bounced with the loud thump. The Fastest Man In The World was getting ready for the big show.

Five minutes later, as the starting shot was fired, it all became a blur. And then you saw the man, looking over his shoulders, twice, before crossing the finishing line and thumping his right fist into the chest and then gliding along like a free bird, a free soul. 9.69 seconds! That was all it took for the Jamaican to cover the sacred 100 metres. It’s what the sprinters swear by. It’s what the 80,000 inside the Bird’s Nest had waited for since early evening, They all exhaled together, shaking the steel marvel in unison.

It was incidental that Bolt had clipped .03 seconds off his world record. He had slowed down in the last 15 meters, reveling in his own superhuman speed. It was arrogant. It was awesome. Such effortless win has not been seen in the ‘super dash’ since Ben Johnson, muscles bulging, eyes yellow with steroids, barged past the field and raised that naughty finger to silence the world in 1988. But that was an aberration. A blot. This was Bolt. ‘Lightning Bolt’. He raised both is arms and ran from the finishing, gliding like a kite, not bothering to look behind. He stopped when he saw that Jamaican flag in the stands and stood like a champion, legs wide spread, soaking in the adulation.

In the victory run, he stopped towards at the world record board, and kneeled in satisfaction. The flash of the cameras bounced off him. He was not tired, just delirious. So was everybody as the soulful beat of Reggae filled the stadium. It was party time at the Nest.

But where were the others? The gladiators? Well, Bolt was the last off the blocks but once he surged ahead, the others just melted in the cauldron. Richard Thomson of Trinidad and Tobago took the silver in 9.89 seconds, 0.2 seconds off the superman while USA’s Walter Dix, dreadlocks flying, came in third at 9.91 secs.

Asafa Powell, Bolt’s teammate whose record Bolt broke in New York on May 31 this year, was third fastest off the blocks. He trooped in fifth at 9.95 secs. And Tyson Gay? He became a footnote on the night that mattered most. He failed to qualify for the final.

Jamaican RUN

Usain Bolt of Jamaica produced a stunning performance to win the men’s 100 metres Olympic title here on Saturday in a new world record time of 9.69 seconds. The 21-year-old beat home Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago (9.89secs) while Walter Dix of the United States was third in a time of 9.91 secs. “I felt the world record earlier on,” said Bolt, the first Jamaican to win the title. “I came here just to win and I did just that. I didn’t even know I’d broken the world record until I did my victory lap. “Now I’m just concentrating on my two races coming up. I came here prepared and I’m going to try and do it the (100 and 200m double).”

Dr Herb Elliott, Jamaican team chief doctor, immediately moved to scotch suggestions that the youngster was doped. “I don’t care about the rumours. He’s been tested over and over again,” said Elliott. Bolt’s compatriot, and former world record holder, Asafa Powell came fifth as six of the eight finalists finished under 10 seconds, a record for the Olympic final, which also equalled the 1991 world final in Tokyo when six men also dipped under the 10 second barrier.

Powell, who again failed on the big stage, paid handsome tribute to his compatriot who could well go on and add the 200m title later in the Games. “He is the best ever sprinter and I’ve said that before,” said the 25-year-old. “He has run 9.69 and got the gold so he is definitely the greatest. It was a spectacular performance and he was definitely the best here. He could have run faster if he had run straight through the line.” Powell admitted he had run out of steam. “I was feeling good but I didn’t feel it in my legs. They died on me.”

Bolt, who bettered compatriot Don Quarrie’s silver medal from the 1976 Olympics when he ironically finished second to a Trinidadian in Hasely Crawford, was headed by Thompson for the first part of the race but there was no contest once he got into his stride and went clear away from the field.

So commanding was his lead he eased up well before the line and held out his hands in celebration. Behind him Thompson showed the same impressive form the 23-year-old had displayed during the earlier heats to hold on to second and was left in awe of the winner. “It feels good to be here, to be part of history,” said Thompson. “It was good to finish behind him (Bolt) because there’s no way anyone on earth could have beaten him tonight. “To finish second to him that is a great accomplishment in itself. Usain is a great athlete. It was just a matter of time before he proved himself on this stage.”

Dix, also an Olympic debutant, came on strong in the final metres to overhaul Powell, who lost out on fourth place to surprise package Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles.

Both Dix and Martina admitted that Bolt was just in another world. “That was the greatest race ever,” beamed 22-year-old Dix, who will take on Bolt again in the 200m. “I can’t be more satisfied with third place. He (Bolt) broke the world record, you can’t ask for more.”

Martina, who showed championship credentials with fifth and seventh in the 100 and 200m at last year’s world championships, said Bolt could take the time down even further. “Everyone could see what he did, he didn’t even push through the line. Its an amazing time,” said the 24-year-old. World champion Tyson Gay, out of action for just over a month after suffering a hamstring injury before the Olympics, exited in the semi-finals earlier on Saturday, when he finished fifth.

Shooter Bindra wins India's first solo gold

Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold medal on Monday with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the men's 10m air rifle.

Bindra had been fourth after qualifying but had a brilliant final round and the Indian, the epitome of tranquillity, hit a near perfect 10.8 on his last shot to pull in front of Henri Hakkinen of Finland, who fell to bronze with a poor final shot.

That late stumble by the Finn allowed China's Zhu Qinan, the defending Olympic champion and heavy favourite, to salvage a bitter day with silver. Zhu sobbed uncontrollably on the podium and again at a news conference.

"I can't describe how happy I am," the ever-calm Bindra told journalists. "It's the thrill of my life. That's about it. It's hard to describe. I just went for it. I knew I was lying in fourth. Thankfully it went my way and I just went for it."

Zhu suffered a lapse in concentration in the qualification earlier when he had to rush his final shots to make the time limit, dropping to second behind Hakkinen ahead of the final.

"I was under tremendous pressure and at times I felt really agitated," Zhu said just before stepping on the podium and breaking down in tears. "But I tried my best."

Moments later at the news conference Zhu was crying harder.

"I've been through a lot of hardship and shed a lot of tears in the last four years, there have been successes and failures," he said. "After 2004 my only aim has not changed. I had so very much wanted to be a champion at the Beijing Olympics."

He added: "In the last two rounds I made several mistakes because I had used up all my physical and mental energy."

Bindra, who faced criticism for failing to deliver on the great promise he showed as a child, said he was not thinking about making history in India with a first individual gold medal. In fact, he said, he was "not thinking about anything".

"I was just trying to concentrate on shooting," he said. "I wasn't thinking of making history. I was two points behind the leaders. I was just trying to shoot good shots. I wanted to shoot well and shoot aggressively. And that's what I did."

His 10.8 of a possible 10.9 on his final shot sparked loud celebrations from group of fans from India.

Hakkinen, who was even with Bindra before his mere 9.7 on his last shot, said that crucial shot felt like the nine before it.

"It just wasn't my turn," he said. "It shows that shooting is a sport from the first to the final shot. Every one counts."

Randhir Singh, Indian Olympic Association secretary-general and former shooter who was present at the range, was stricken by nerves as the competition reached its climax.

"I haven't prayed so much in my life. With the second last shot they tied together and then he (Bindra) shot a 10.8. It couldn't have got better," he told Indian television.

Bindra won the 2006 world championships and finished seventh in Athens four years ago.

BHAJJI-SREE SLAP EPISODE

Cricket’s angry young man in Telugu film?

The buzz is that Sree Santh is set to sign a film with four top actresses

IF Bollywood can get its manicured fingers into cricket, why shouldn’t a cricketer drop his bat and ball to grab a role in films? It’s been done before, of course, with disastrous consequences. But who’s to tell that to Sree Santh, who has been pretty vocal about his route to stardom via the silver screen? According to a source, Sree Santh is about to sign a film. The buzz is that he will be playing the lead in a Telugu project (eat your heart out, Bollywood) with four actresses in it, including a top south Indian star. The story is about a cricketer who turns into a star.

The angry young man of cricket, Sree Santh, for whom this script might have been written, should be most comfortable with his debut. The producer has asked the Team India paceman, who is also part of Preity Zinta’s Mohali team, for just 15 days to shoot his scenes. Sree Santh’s response is awaited.

The star player, notorious for doing a jig on the field each time he claims a wicket, should be a treat to watch on screen. According to the source, the news of the Telugu film was broken by Sree Santh himself. “He drove his new SUV on to the sets of an ad film that MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma were shooting and took his teammates for a long drive. When they got back, Sree Santh was heard telling them how excited he was about the film. He also told them that he will be signing the film very soon,” added the source.

‘Sree Santh does a lot of drama on the field’

What repercussions will the Harbhajan-Sree Santh spat have in the Indian dressing room when the team reassembles for Tests and Onedayers? No one is willing to take a call as yet on the situation. On Monday, there were mixed reactions from some high-profile Indian players and representatives of the BCCI following the 11-IPL match ban on Harhajan.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said: “It’s not going to affect the spirit of the Indian players. After all, they are all professional players and they are aware of their responsibility. And what Harbhajan did on the field was nothing but irresponsible behaviour.’’

But there are players in the team who actually don’t know what impact this tiff will have on the dressing room. “At this point, we cannot really say how the dressing room is going to behave, but I guess the dust is going to settle down with time. What Harbhajan did was completely wrong. But as far as our knowledge goes, he does not react like this till he is provoked,’’ an Indian player told TOI on conditions of anonymity.

“Sitting from here I am not in a position to comment much. But it’s really sad the way this incident has unfolded. Probably, this embarrassment could have been avoided if Harbhajan had controlled his anger till the teams reached the dressing room corridor. But Sree Santh’s behavior in the IPL match against Team Jaipur was also not good. He provoked Mohd Kaif in the match and made faces. This is quite unacceptable when you are part of the Indian team. He does a lot of drama on the field,’’ another player quipped.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said: “Probably, too much is at stake for the players and that is why they want to give their 100 per cent on the field. In the IPL, they are not only playing for themselves but also for their teams. There is passion and if someone decides to cross the line, that cricketer needs to be corrected,’’ IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said.

However, there are also players who believe that Harbhajan is a proven player in the team and if he misses out a couple of crucial Test or One-day matches, it may cost Team India.

Bhajji banned

Monday was pay-up time. Bad Boy Bhajji was banned for 11 IPL matches for slapping Sree Santh

The IPL has banned volatile off-spinner and Mumbai Indians’ stand-in skipper, Harbhajan Singh, for 11 IPL matches after finding him guilty of physically assaulting fellow Indian cricketer and Team Mohali bowler Sree Santh after an IPL game on Friday evening. According to IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, Harbhajan has also been fined 100% of his match fee for his conduct on the field.

The ban implies that Harbhajan stands to lose as much as Rs 3 crore as he will only be paid for the two matches that he played in the T20 league. Sree Santh too was given a warning on the basis of his behaviour in previous matches. Harbhajan’s attack, however, was found to have been ‘‘unprovoked’’.
There could be further trouble for ‘‘bad boys’’ Harbhajan and Sree Santh as BCCI too has launched a probe into the spat which will examine the backdrop to the assault.

Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput was also found guilty of ‘‘conduct flouting the spirit of the game’’. ‘‘It’s a Level 2 offence. He was fined 50% of his match fee as well. In the video footage, Lalchand was standing right behind Harbhajan and he could have stopped the incident from happening. He didn’t take any step to restrain him from behaving like that. Instead, he stood there and was found laughing in the tape,’’ a top BCCI official told TOI.

The ugly incident between Harbhajan and Sree Santh occurred a few minutes after the Mumbai team lost to Team Mohali. Images of a profusely weeping Sree Santh were aired on TV after the fiasco. Footage made available to the match referee Farokh Engineer shows Harbhajan shaking hands with Team Mohali members after the match.

Said Modi: ‘‘Then, the video shows Harbhajan slapping Sree Santh instead of giving him a handshake. I would like to make it clear to all players that the cricket board is not going to spare anyone who crosses the limit.’’

Modi added that Harbhajan had accepted he slapped the pacer under no provocation and the match referee states this in his report.

‘‘As a penalty for the Level 4.2 offence committed by Harbhajan Singh, we hereby order that Singh be banned for the rest of the league matches of the first IPL event,’’ he said while announcing Engineer’s verdict here in a city hotel on Monday, after the IPL inquiry committee examined the footage of the incident and consulted representatives from both teams.
‘‘Harbhajan Singh will also be fined 100% of his match fee that may have been paid or may hereafter be paid to him in respect of the remaining matches only. That does not take into account any of the two earlier matches (prior to Friday) that he may have played,’’ Modi added.

Engineer, who conducted the hearing, said: ‘‘Harbhajan accepted his guilt. It can happen to any cricketer and I am glad that Harbhajan knows where he has gone wrong.’’ The former Indian cricketer then announced: ‘‘Sree Santh has been warned to behave well on the field.’’
Later, while addressing the gathering, Harbhajan hugged and shook hands with the Kerala fast bowler.


Bhajji on the bench

Harbhajan banned for 11 IPL matches. He’s effectively out of this year’s IPL
Fined 100% of fees from third match on. In all, Bhajji will lose almost Rs 3 crore
Punishment from BCCI likely too. Advocate Sudhir Nanavati to submit probe report to BCCI chief Sharad Pawar within 15 days Sree Santh warned to watch behaviour
Mumbai Indians manager Lalchand Rajput fined 50% match fee for not stopping Bhajji

‘It was like a WWF punch’


After the slap, patch-up efforts. Team Mohali sources said on Sunday that after the ugly dust-up on Friday night during an IPL tie, Harbhajan had requested Sree Santh not to lodge a complaint. However, Mohali took the initiative to registering the case with the IPL governing council.

Sree Santh, on his part, wants to get on with the game. “I was not expecting this from Bhajji bhai. It was like a WWF punch and I was so shocked that I started crying. I have to forget this incident. I am not a kind of guy who will nurse ill feelings about my teammates. I was hurt then. But now, I want to just think about the game,” he said.

About the hearing process, Shah informed, that video footage of the post-match proceeding would be made available during the hearing which will be IPL chairman Lalit Modi and the BCCI legal counsel. From Team Mumbai, coach Lalchand Rajput will be present along with Harbhajan and team manager. Mohali team’s CEO Niel Maxwell and captain Yuvraj Singh will accompany Sree Santh.

Shah also reiterated: “A bad precedence will be set if Harbhajan is allowed to get away. It’s a serious allegation. They have taken the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge. You can’t assault another player. You just can’t cross the line. Now that Harbhajan has done it, he has to face the consequences. At the end of the day, you got to have discipline in the game.”

Aussie media gleeful:

Meanwhile, Australian media reacted with glee. The Courier Mail published a photograph of the temperamental Indian, titled "What a slapper!" It was a file photograph of Harbhajan in Team India colours -- his arms spread wide and tongue out in a wild celebration.
The "Sydney Morning Herald" too took note of the event and remarked, "The IPL was supposed to divide the cricketing world. Instead, it's bringing an end to racial hostilities. All they need to do now is get Harbhajan Singh to stop slapping his fellow Indians around."
"Singh slap shocker" screamed a headline in the "Herald Sun", which said how the spat "rocked" the IPL.

Harbhajan needs counselling, so does Sree Santh

THE Harbhajan-Sreesanth clash has given the IPL governing council an excellent opportunity. An opportunity to show the cricketing world & especially its skeptics, that underneath all its million dollars & the glamour, the fanfare & the uninhibited commercialisation of the sport, rests a pure cricketing soul.

Harbhajan has committed a very serious offence. Slapping or punching an opponent in a non-physical contact sport, is as bad as it can get.

The eyes of the world are on the IPL governing council as they meet on Monday to tackle a very serious disciplinary issue involving one of the stars of the IPL.
The timing of the incident is such that the council’s decision will almost define the credibility & the stature of the IPL in the sporting world.

Having said that, lets also spare a thought for Harbhajan. If Harbhajan gets banned for a period of time (which seems the most likely penalty) its important, that after that, Bhajji is not left alone in the wilderness to sort out his own problems.

The BCCI should in a way, feel responsible for what Bhajji has become today.

I believe Harbhajan needs counselling. The BCCI should take it upon themselves to arrange prolonged sessions of serious counselling for Bhajji. This will ensure that he returns to serve Indian cricket a healthier human being.

A few years back, Cricket Australia had turned guardian to one of their most talented young cricketers when he had a problem with alcohol. That young man now leads Australia with distinction and has turned out to be one of the greatest batsman ever.
And yes, while Bhajji is going through those sessions may be Sree Santh also could help himself to a few.

Hope this issue is quickly & appropriately dealt with, so that we can get back to enjoying the cricket.

BHAJJI POW GONE SOUR

‘Harbhajan should have controlled his anger’

Even as Indian cricket woke up to another controversy, there were conflicting reports from both camps. A Mumbai Indians player, on condition of anonymity, conceded that Harbhajan Singh did indeed take a swipe at Sree Santh.

“Everybody knows Sree Santh is no saint. His on-field antics are well known. When the Mumbai Indians were fighting a losing battle, Sree did not desist from riling the tailenders. He also taunted Harbhajan when he had come out to bat. And when Sree approached Bhajji at the end of the game, the off-spinner could not control his frustration and swung out at Sree. It was just a spur of the moment reaction and should not be blown out of proportion.’’

But a Team Mohali cricketer, who played a leading role in the team’s win defended Sree Santh. “Harbhajan ought to have controlled his anger. We all know how hot-headed Bhajji paaji is. It’s one thing to take on the likes of Andrew Symonds and Ricky Pointing but it’s totally unacceptable to use one’s hand on a fellow-player. Sree is an emotional and demonstrative person. It’s not the blow, but Bhajji’s behaviour which brought tears to Sree’s eyes.’’

What people say about this:

The inquiry date has been fixed as Monday in New Delhi. We are not going to sweep things under the carpet. The complaint has to be carefully examined.

Farokh Engineer | MATCH REFEREE

The IPL is BCCI’s domestic tournament and it is the supreme authority to take appropriate action in this regard
—ICC SPOKESMAN

It looks like a serious matter the way it’s being shown on television channels. In any tournament it should not happen, it’s unfortunate what happened

Lalit Modi | IPL COMMISSIONER

As Modi said the process has been put in place. Like Modi said an ICC code of conduct will be applicable

IS Bindra | IPL GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER

The team has made a decision after much consideration. It is not something we are not proud of, but one which we have taken in the interest of the game.

Neil Maxwell | CEO OF TEAM MOHALI

Nothing much, nothing really happened, whatever has happened should stay on the field. Like an elder brother, he has been supporting me from day one in the Indian team. At the end of the day we are playing for the same country. I was upset because I am an emotional person. And whatever happened on the field, it’s between me and him and it’s a very old thing.

Sree Santh

We are just like brothers. There are a lot of things that happens in a family. And we are part of one family. So I think the thing which has been hyped so much — we have sorted out between us. So, we should stop now.

Harbhajan Singh

I don’t think any such thing happened and it should not be blown out of proportion by everybody. Harbhajan is my son and so is Sree Santh. At the end of the day, they have to play together for the country.

Avtaar Kaur | HARBHAJAN’S MOTHER

This is the most difficult period in his career

Savitri Devi | SREE SANTH’S MOTHER

These players should have been disciplined a long ago.Because they were not they are doing these things. Cricket isn’t played with body language, it is played with bat and ball.

S Venkatraghavan | FORMER INDIA CAPTAIN AND IPL MATCH REFEREE

Bhajji fry: It was waiting to happen

Just before a boxing bout, the contestants warmly shake hands; then, they go about breaking each other’s noses and bones. In soccer, the niceties are usually left for the end; during the playing time, though, almost anything is seen as par for the course.

This artificial show of player-camaraderie hit an amazing high on Friday night in a game apparently played by gentlemen for gentlemen: even as the victors and vanquished were ruefully shaking hands, Harbhajan Singh punched (yes punched in true WWE style, not slapped!) India team-mate but IPL rival S Sree Santh.

The stand-in Mumbai India captain, of course, explained the entire thing as no big deal. “A lot of things happen in a family,’’ he explained to reporters. Yeah, right. “We have sorted it all out. And everything is fine now,’’ he added. Of course. Just like it is between him and Symonds, or him and Ponting, or...A visibly shaken Sree Santh too agreed that everything was normal. As if he had a choice, especially with Big Brother Tendulkar watching and Team India’s harmony at stake. What all this means, however, is that everything was not normal between the two before the family battles hit national television in the form of tears.

The question is for how long have these wounds been festering between these two highly volatile players? Indeed, what riled Harbhajan so much that he couldn’t keep his fist to himself ? Or worse, has he become a chronic case?
Sree Santh is no cry-baby himself. He loves to needle opponents, and often succeeds, like a true fast bowler. If nothing, he infuriates them with his tantrums and theatrics on the field; interestingly, he is not particularly popular among his own mates either.

Harbhajan, on the other hand, is a feisty off-spinner; he even has a record that would make a serial offender proud. In fact, well before he was glorified as turbanator, he had shown traces of indiscipline too, if not streaks of violence. As he was not curbed in the formative years, he has grown into a monster now.

As Team India player, he made so many visits to the match referee’s loo that everybody agreed he had verbal diarrhoea. Here too, his various captains failed to rein him in. Eventually, during the last tour Down Under, he outdid himself. Wittingly or not, he almost started a diplomatic row between India and Australia. Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden claimed he had made racist taunts; Harbhajan denied it and escaped mainly because his friend Sachin Tendulkar stepped in. Today, even Sachin is backing out.

The BCCI officials are up in arms now. They have slapped (no pun intended) him with a show-cause notice and according to all indications, he will be banned for a considerable number of matches. There will be efforts to ensure he doesn’t lead Mumbai in their Sunday game, a day before the hearing. But is it too little, too late? Has the damage already been done? Harbhajan, according to sources, is contrite and is leaving no stone unturned to avoid a ban. The BCCI, or more precisely, the IPL will condone him at their own risk. Otherwise, Twenty-20 will end up becoming slanging or slapping matches.

(The article was written before Harbhajan was nailed by video evidence)

He asked Hayden


He asked Symonds



He asked Kaif Too

Atlast He got it from Harbhajan