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New stars in
soccer galaxy Wimbledon
serves a fashion ace
Relentless Raina |
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Wimbledon
serves a fashion ace Wimbledon is undoubtedly the most popular of all Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and is, in fact, the oldest in the world. Once a tournament steeped in many traditions, it seems that in recent years the grass-court major is becoming more of a red carpet affair, with players sporting their designer outfits with ever-increasing verve. The All England Club requires players to wear "almost entirely white" clothing during matches, but that hasn’t stopped designers and players from profiting from their stage-like presence at Wimbledon. Andre Agassi initially disagreed with the all-white code, boycotting the tournament in 1991, but later gave in to the tradition - nevertheless making a statement in the process. But the glamourisation of the game has really come to the fore in recent years with players like Roger Federer, Anna Kournikova, Sharapova and the Williams sisters upping the fashion game. This year, Serena Williams strode onto court in a trenchcoat, despite the 25-degree temperatures. Williams made a stuttering start before overcoming Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi — but reporters afterwards were more interested in her outfit than her tennis. "Was it a Sixties retro look? Can you tell us about the fabric? Is it lightweight or porous?" No question was too trivial. Waxing lyrical about her warm-up attire, she said, "It’s ladylike and I’m very ladylike. It goes perfect with my personality and everything else. It’s perfect for me." Maria Sharapova performed a Wimbledon striptease all in the name of fashion. The Russian pin-up walked onto Court dressed in a cream tuxedo-style jacket and long trousers before stripping down to play in a white vest and shorts, for the first time, instead of her usual skirt. Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is familiar with daring outfits at the championships. She once played in diamond-encrusted shoes. Sharapova’s fashion ploy followed Monday’s matches of Switzerland’s Roger Federer. With the sun beating down on Centre Court, defending champion, Federer doffed his two-year-old cream blazer in favour of a 1920s Gatsby-style pale herringbone cardigan by Nike. All that was missing were his pipe and slippers. Federer extended his unbeaten run on grass to 60 matches when easing into the second round with a straight sets demolition of Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty. After much discussion at his post-match press conference about his tennis form, it was onto the cardigan. Federer, it appears, was thrilled to put aside the white blazer he had won for the last two years. "I thought two jackets was enough. Let’s move onto something a little bit different. I have a belt as well this year. It’s a little bit more easier to wear than the jacket to be honest," he said.
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Relentless Raina
JUST 21years old, Suresh Raina is not likely to forget his performance in the Asia Cup in Pakistan in a hurry. In the Indian squad probably due to the forced absence of Sachin Tendulkar due to injury, Raina knew that he had been languishing on the benches for too long and had to do something to make his presence felt. His performance in the tournament could well cement a regular place for him in the squad. And how he did it. He scored his maiden ODI hundred against lowly Hong Kong on June 25 last. His 66-ball century was only the second fastest in Indian cricketing history. This effort not only got him the man of the match award but also added a lot to his confidence. And then he went on to score 84 against Pakistan and 116 against Bangladesh in the next two games to not only grab the "Man of the Match" awards but also prove that he had it in him to play cricket at the highest level. A left-hand bat and a right-arm offbreak bowler, what makes Raina stand out even in the star-filled Indian team is his electrifying fielding. One thing which might have worked in Raina’s favour is his stint with the Chennai Super Kings in the recently concluded IPL. There he had an opportunity to play under India skipper MS Dhoni who in turn could watch Raina perform from close. The IPL must have added a lot of confidence to his skill and zeal. In the first 36 games of his one-day career he had scored a total of 622 runs from 36 games at an average of 17.27 and then in the last six games Raina scored 351 runs at an average of 87.75, only going to prove how self-confidence can help a player. His bowling skills have not been used much in the games he has played so far but it is always useful to have some additional skills. Raina has had to work hard on his cricket. Hailing from a Uttar Pradesh family where academics and not sports formed the basis of any career, he had his initial tutoring in the game at the Sports Hostel in Lucknow, which has seen the beginning of quite a few cricketing careers. He rose to become the captain of the UP under-16 team and in 2002 he was included in the Indian under-19 team for the tour of England where he made a pair of half-centuries in the "Test" matches. He toured Sri Lanka later that year with the under-17 team. Raina made his first class debut in the 2002-03 season for Uttar Pradesh in a match against Assam in February 2003 at the age of 16 but did not play another game until the following season. But his best in Ranji Trophy came in the 2005-06 season when he propelled Uttar Pradesh to the title with 620 runs in six games. It was the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, because of of injury, and captain Saurav Ganguly, because of suspension, that saw Raina make it to the Indian team for the Oil India Cup in Sri Lanka in 2005. However, the start of his international career on July 30, 2005, was disastrous. He was dismissed for a golden duck by a doosra from Muttiah Muralitharan. After scoring 37 at an average of 12.33 and with the return of Ganguly from suspension, Raina was relegated to the benches in the tour of Zimbabwe. With Ganguly being sacked after a row with then coach Greg Chappell and state-mate Mohammad Kaif injured, Raina played five matches against Sri Lanka in India mostly as a supersub but without much success. Since then he has been in and out of the Indian team, mostly as a substitute or for injury-backup. This year he was included in the Indian team for the tour of Australia but did not get a game. The success in Pakistan should help Raina to now cement his place in the squad specially given the fact that there is so much cricket to be played in the coming months. |
The Spaniard is no stranger to
the big European stage. At 19 years of age, he played the UEFA
Champions League final at Paris for Arsenal. After ending up on
the losing side the mid-field magician was in no mood to let his
chance for European glory slip by again. It was his passing
fluency and calmness on the ball that caught everyone’s eye. In
the Spanish run to the final he gathered not just confidence but
also crucial assists. His moment of glory was definitely the
penalty converted against world champions Italy. History was
against the Spaniards, who have a dismal record in shootouts at
major events, but Cesc proved his mettle as he calmly wrong-footed
Buffon to seal the win. His passing against Russia in the
semifinal had the opposition in a tizzy. It was after he came on
to replace the injured Villa that the Spanish ‘passed out’ the
Russians from the game. Age is on his side, and as his manager
Arsene Wenger has always insisted, he is a winner to the core.
Rest should soon be history.
Another Spaniard who set the
stage alight with his pace and ability to run at defenders with
utmost confidence. It would be a grave mistake to confine Torres’
achievement and contribution at the finals to the goal he scored
against Germany, as even before that he had played more than just
his part to give Spain the momentum to push for glory at the
finals. After David Villa scored his hat-trick against Russia, he
had admitted that Torres had a role to play in the build-up to all
his goals. Although Aragones substituted him in all games, at
times frustrating him, Torres never let his emotions get the
better of him. It was due to his presence that Spain were
supremely confident ahead of the final clash against the Germans,
even in the absence of the leading goal-scorer Villa. The
Liverpool hit-man had a near perfect debut season in the
premiership and now he has helped his team to European glory, the
next destination for the ‘Torrefic’player has to be the World
Cup.
The Valencia forward ended up as
the highest scorer at the finals, despite injury ruling him out of
the final. His inclusion in the starting line up had raised many
questions as people thought Guiza, the leading goal scorer in the
La Liga last season, was a better bet. But Villa proved the
confidence shown by Aragones was not misplaced as he cored the
first hat-trick of the finals against Russia. Spain announced
their intentions and Villa his prowess with great `E9lan. It is no
secret that all major clubs, including Real Madrid and Arsenal
have shown interest in the striker. He is a valued asset upfront
for any team as he has the tendency of drifting in at the right
time and is a definite ‘fox in the box’. He lurks on the
defenders’ shoulder, an ability that helps him beat the offside
trap and score when anyone else would be chasing shadows. He is
young, wily and a deadly finisher. The complete package will
hopefully be at the helm as Spain prepare for their turn in the
glorious chapters of football.
The Russian forward was
relatively unknown in footballing circles before the finals. He
had been playing his club football for Zenit St. Petersburg and
helped his club to a UEFA Cup triumph this year when they beat
Rangers 2-0 in the final. Arshavin played a pivotal role in the
Russians surprising everyone at the European championship. He was
a real live wire and his ability to play striker, or just behind
the striker and in the midfield as a winger meant the opposition
could not mark him with any precision. His defining ‘Euro moment’
was probably when he blasted the ball past Edwin van Der Sar as
the Russians stormed into the semifinal by beating the
Netherlands. He was found short on skill as Spain routed Russia in
the semifinal, but then that was the state of the entire Russian
squad. And to be fair to Andrei he deserves to call it just a ‘bad
day in office’. There is a big chance that he will leave his
current club to join Spanish giant Barcelona. It might just be the
right time and place for this Russian Czar to ascend to European
football’s throne.
The Germans weren’t their usual
best at the finals. They did make it to the final at Vienna but
not in the most convincing fashion. But one man, within the German
camp, was making a statement of intent with his own style of
football. Bastian Schweinstieger was red-carded in Germany’s
defeat at the hands of Croatia. After missing a game, the
midfielder came back with a hunger and spark not seen in the
German camp. His goal against Portugal helped the Germans to the
semis. Even in the semifinal it was Bastian who picked up the team
after scoring the equaliser with a stunning close-range goal
tapped from the outside of his foot. His free-kicks were a
definite added advantage for the Germans as he also gathered
crucial assists to pave the way for Germany’s run to the final.
He has the zeal to be a top player along Podolski, and with
Ballack there to mentor him, he couldn’t have asked for a better
midfield experience to learn from.
The ‘late goal’ wizard was
there just when Turkey needed him. After Nihat Kahveci was ruled
out of the finals with an injury, he took it on himself to make
sure that the Turkish show continued. His last-minute goal against
Croatia in extra time was miraculous in the sense that his team
had conceded a goal in the 119th minute. But people quickly
focussed their attention on their game against Germany, and how
the David versus Goliath match was a pre-gone conclusion. It
looked just that after Germany had equalised and then taken the
lead with Klose’s goal. But Semih was having none of it as he
displayed tremendous character and finesse to beat Jens Lehman and
bring Turkey back into the game. But Lahm made sure that the
Germans had the last laugh. Defeat aside, Semih embodied the
Turkish spirit at the finals. He was unfazed by the ‘minnows’
tag attached to his team and took his chances whenever he could.
It was this defiant spirit that fuelled Turkey’s fairy tale at
the finals. He has some work to do in terms of keeping his lid on
for a full 90 minutes, but the sheer exuberance of his youthful
spirit is reason enough to hail him as one of the stars of the
European show.