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| SPORTS TRIBUNE |
In
the news Senna’s
legacy lives on |
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(W)right choice for India The
Indian cricket team brought much cheer to the country with the help of 'videshi' support and back-up but no one is complaining about the 'foreign connection' now. In the performance that led to champagne flowing in the dressing room, the back-up staff had a distinct role to play. Coach John Wright from New Zealand, physio Andrew Leipus and physical trainer Gregory Allen King from South Africa and computer analyst Ram Kishan deserve praise in equal measure. The contribution of former New Zealand captain and opener John Wright can never be underestimated. Today if the Indian team stands on the threshold of greatness, the credit goes to the players as well as the coach. He has moulded individuals into a team which can surmount all odds. That the players respect him is evident. His 'keeping in the background' style has impressed everyone. After the win at Multan he came to face the cameras reluctantly. He wanted the spotlight on the players. Even when it was certain that India would romp home at Rawalpindi, Wright in his modest style said, "we have to go out and do the job there". As victory finally came at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and the team went into the now-famous huddle, the coach stayed back in the dressing room. An indulgent smile played on his lips as euphoria surrounded the team which had finally tasted series success. Player after player has come out thanking Wright for the right advice. Balaji and Pathan acknowledged his immense contribution towards moulding them as India's strike pair. In the madness that surrounds cricket in India, John Wright’s is a dignified and calming influence. John Wright took over as the coach in 2000 after a four-year stint with English county Kent. He had to compete with Australians Greg Chappell and Geoff Marsh for the post. Some questioned the need for a foreign coach when there were so many former Indian players around. Through the 1990s Indian greats Bishen Singh Bedi, Ajit Wadekar and Kapil Dev had coached the national team, which promised much but delivered little. Then came the Wright choice. Individualism was out and teamwork became the watchword. Fielding and physical fitness were stressed upon, a far cry from the days when a player reportedly told the then national coach that he had joined the team as a cricketer and not as a wrestler. The team now undergoes intense training for running between the wickets. In all this
preparatory exercise support of Andrew Leipus and Greg King has been stupendous. The fitness of the players in the team, from Sourav Ganguly to Ashish Nehra, is something to be proud of. Rahul Dravid's marathon knock at Rawalpindi was possible due to the fitness work of the South Africans. Wright's efforts to see India do well in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa paid off as India finished runners-up behind Australia. As his initial contract with the BCCI came to end the 'big three' of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, skipper Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, insisted that Wright be retained. Now is the time to give Wright and other support staff an extended contract till the next World Cup in 2007. Then only can he work out strategy and game plan on a long-term basis. |
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Rahul bats and talks straight Rahul
Dravid is a player of exceptional qualities — he bats straight, as he did at Rawalpindi, he walks straight, thinks straight, talks straight and acts straight. His only interest is 'service to the team' and in view of this feeling, he declared Indian innings closed at Multan's first Test, which India won against Pakistan. If Dravid is 'The Wall', then Sourav Ganguly is a skipper endowed with foresight, vision and judgement. Whatever his detractors may say, he is the first Indian captain who gives back as good as he gets. Between themselves, Dravid and Ganguly have built 'Team India' and, for the first time, it is a harmonious unit without a discordant note from west, north, south or east. India lost the Lahore Test as batting did not flourish but India built a mountain on Dravid's double century to win the third Test untroubled in Rawalpindi. For the first time India won the series 2-1 in Pakistan since Pakistan entered international cricket in 1952. Much has been said for and against Dravid's declaration as his decision stood between Sachin Tendulkar and his double century. Wrong or right, it was a decision made in the interest of the side. Like Dravid, Tendulkar is fired by enthusiasm. He is on firm road to rewriting almost all batting records. At 30, he is already the senior-most in the team. He made his debut in Pakistan in 1989-90. Tendulkar stands tall in world cricket. The India-Pakistan series has provided a further boost to the game. But the international panel of umpiring was a distinct failure. Players were dissatisfied with the decisions and slow motion replays showed them as 'villains'. Both sides had grievances against the umpires. Steve Bucknor is a jolly good fellow. But somehow, he and Indians have drifted away from each other. In 1992 on a historic tour to South
Africa, 'third eye' was introduced at the behest of Dr Ali Bacher. Tendulkar became the first victim (run out) in the Durban Test. When Indians appealed against Jonty Rhodes,Bucknor refused to give him out and declined to consult the third eye. 'It was below his umpiring calibre to consult third umpire', he said. Rhodes made the most of it and prevented India from winning the Test. Later, Bucknor saw the replay. Rhodes was out by a yard. Since then there has not been much love lost between Bucknor and the Indians. But Indians have to learn to endure him because he is interested in completing 'century of Tests' and he reaches retirement age only in 2007. In 1946 Vijay Merchant was captaining the team in place of Pataudi (senior) in England. An English umpire was guilty of making many mistakes. Merchant wanted to write an unfavourable report. He consulted Pataudi, told him: "Vijay, frankly, don't make an unfavourable report. Even in England these things get leaked out and your report will ultimately reach the umpire concerned, and in case he is umpiring in any of our future matches — particularly a Test match — he might do untold harm to us. I would advise you against it". A youngman was sitting intensely with pads on and his bat around him. A senior pro gave him a 'valuable hint' to be polite to the umpire. The youngman told the umpire 'good morning'. "Thank you", said the umpire, adding that : "One more decision, I would have achieved a century this season". Bucknor needs 11 more to complete his century. Maybe, he will get some Tests in which India is figuring. |
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The
whole world prayed for controversial football idol Diego
Maradona, who suffered his second heart attack in four years. In a poll run by football governing body FIFA in
2000, Maradona tied with the legendary Brazilian Pele as the greatest footballer ever. He blended the great with the ugly. He bamboozled the opposition and stole the hearts of the fans in 1986 World Cup but went home in disgrace in1994 as he was thrown out after testing positive at the World Cup in the
USA. His roller-coaster career, which included 34 goals in 91 matches for Argentina, began in 1975 and finally ended in 1997. |
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Senna’s legacy lives on
Ten
years after his tragic death at Imola, the legacy of Ayrton Senna lives on from the Sao Paulo slums to the streets of Monte Carlo. The San Marino Grand Prix will be one of remembrance as Formula One returns, possibly for the last time, to the Italian circuit. Imola 1994 was a watershed for Grand Prix racing, shocking the world and robbing the sport of a three-times world champion still considered by many to be the greatest man to have graced a racetrack. ‘’He was the one driver so perfect that nobody thought anything could happen to him,’’ said former McLaren team-mate Gerhard Berger after a terrible weekend that also claimed the life of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger. ‘’He was the only driver I respected,’’ declared four-times champion and old rival Alain Prost. All will remember a hugely talented driver and may wonder, as many have over the last decade, what might have happened had Senna lived. One can only imagine the battles the two might have had. Senna was 34 and at the height of his powers just as the 25-year-old Schumacher was emerging with Benetton. Could Senna, whose record of 65 pole positions still stands, have equalled Juan Manuel Fangio’s record of five titles before Schumacher did in 2002? Their rivalry might even have matched the intensity of that between Senna and Prost, a feud fuelled by hugely controversial title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990. ‘’He felt that there was a part of Formula One that was prepared to win at all costs,’’ said McLaren boss Ron Dennis, whose cars took Senna to his titles, when asked what the Brazilian had thought of Schumacher. Whatever the conjecture, it only heightens the mystique of an absent champion whose charisma, intelligence and talent combined the spiritual and the sporting to a rare degree. His terrible crash at the Tamburello corner led to big improvement in safety.
— Reuters |
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Lara’s feat Indeed it was heartening to learn that Brian Lara, Captan of West Indies cricket team , scored 400 runs in the Test match against England to become the highest scorer in an innings, Garry Sobers record was broken by Mathhew Hayden of Australia who scored 380. Now Lara had broken Hayden's record. Well done, Lara ! Subhash C. Taneja,
Rohtak Caribbean drubbing England earned plaudits for clinching the Test series against West Indies. Their 36-year wait to win a Test series in the Caribbean ended as they drubbed their rivals in the first three Tests in quick succession. Actually England owe their historic victory to their attack quartet comprising Harmson, Jones, Flintoff and Hoggard who took turns to rattle and shake the West Indian batsmen. The unheralded medium pacers bowled their hearts out, trouncing West Indies. The series, which was expected to be highly competitive, turned out to be lopsided. It was surprising to see how the team that successfully chased the highest total in the fourth innings against the mighty Aussies, came cropper against the mediocre England side. However England's fantastic series win cannot be belittled. Tarsem S Bumrah,
Batala Indian win The Indian cricket deserves plaudits for clinching the one-day series against
Pakistan. By winning the last two matches in Lahore, they proved that they were irresistible. Hats off to Rahul Dravid, Kaif and Yuvraj who were the real heroes of the incredible Indian victory in the one-dayer at Lahore. When India were reeling at 98 for 4 they showed fine batting display and not only salvaged the team from this crucial juncture but also kept the series alive. In the final match, the brilliant ton by Laxman and Irfan Pathan's outstanding bowling broke the backbone of Pakistan. By claiming eight wickets in three matches Irfan has proved his credentials. Tanya Jaswal,
Chandigarh |
Football-loving Argentines showed support and prayed for the star who lifted the World Cup in 1986 for Argentina for the second time. Maradona will forever be remembered as much for his sublime skills as his infamous Hand of God' goal against England in the quarterfinals.
Would Ferrari’s six-times world champion Michael Schumacher, now heading for his fourth win in a row to match the best start of his career in 1994, have been the same record-breaking phenomenon that he is today?