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Draw spells more trouble for Anand
Sachin, not me, is the little master
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Total recall: Build-up, drama, emotions, parting knock and the perfect farewell
‘IOC-IOA dispute to end soon’
IPL-style wrestling may debut next year
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Draw spells more trouble for Anand
Chennai, November 18 It turned out to be another tame affair after two back-to-back losses for Anand as Carlsen gave nothing away in yet another closed Berlin defense as black, while the Indian went for an early deviation from previous games. With just five games to go in the 12-game match, Carlsen retains his two point lead with the scoreline now reading 4.5-2.5 in favour of the Norwegian. The clock is now ticking away for Anand as the Indian needs at least two victories in the next five games to level scores. Carlsen's Berlin defense has already given too many headaches to team Anand and today it was no different. No matter what approach Anand chooses, the Norwegian is always spot on in getting exactly the kind of positions he likes. Anand went for a knight capture on the fifth move to get a position akin to the Ruy Lopez exchange. The better pawn structure is guaranteed to white in these setups but black gets sufficient counter play with the nature of the position remaining close. Anand probably wanted to avoid serious complications he has been facing in the endgames in the last two games and hence a better structure guaranteed him level endgames should they arise. By move 10, two minor pieces had changed hands giving the impression that Anand probably had a slight pull but not much to carry on. Carlsen, to his credit, yet again came with right manoeuvres to ensure that the position always remained close to equal. On move 15, Anand pushed his king rook pawn to open up one file on the king side but his plan boomeranged as Carlsen, after temporarily allowing a foray on the seventh rank for the white rook, neutralized the optical initiative with timely exchanges. Both rooks and another minor piece was off the board almost in a blitz and all that remained was a queen and knight endgame with no chances for either side. — PTI
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Sachin, not me, is the little master
It is not me but Sachin Tendulkar who deserves the title of little master. And a little genius too ! It was indeed an emotional moment for me to see Tendulkar walk into the sunset of a phenomenal career which doubt can ever be surpassed by any cricketer. It marked the end of an era and what the 'Little Genius' has achieved will serve as an inspiration for the younger generation.
There is no other cricketer whose career I have followed with such fascination and interest and I think Indian cricket owes a lot to him. India should thank Tendulkar for inspiring a new generation of great talent in the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Because if there is one man who has inspired Indian cricket to new heights, it is this little fellow. Today, the young talent in Indian cricket only has Tendulkar to thank for their rise as he inspired them with his determination, concentration, confidence and greatness. To have dominated the cricket arena for 24 years speaks volumes of his passion for the game and his dedication. He is a true role model for the younger generation not only for his cricketing exploits but also for his conduct off the field. I must confess that when Tendulkar walked out for his farewell Test match in Mumbai and after having seen the love, respect and adulation showered on him, I was moved to tears. Tears, because this is the last time we will get to see his exquisite batting live, because I feel he decided to retire because off those people who felt the time had come for him to go from the new Indian team and because I honestly believe he could have played on for another two-three years. I have had the opportunity to meet up with this little master thrice. The last time was when the late Raj Singh Dungarpur invited me and my family to Mumbai for the Cricket Club of India silver jubilee celebrations. I appeared on a television show and to me it came as a shock to hear some people question Tendulkar's future in the Indian team, his fitness and form and if he should retire. This was about 10 years ago and I remember saying then 'You have a jewel don't spoil it, it is important for Tendulkar to be part of the Indian team and let him play as long as he wants and let him decide when he wants to hang up his boots.' It is a matter of pride for me that I was not wrong because Sachin went on to create new records and set new benchmarks in batting which I don't think will be bettered for years to come. There is no doubt about Bradman's class or caliber but Tendulkar stands out with his consistency, determination and run scoring feats in the last 25 years. He has shown what one can achieve with sheer hardwork and passion and he became the best by consistently performing in any format. Today we talk about batting problems in Pakistan cricket and what can be done to resolve them. My advice to our players would be to just watch the videos of Tendulkar bat over the years and realise that nothing is impossible in this great sport. Watch how he adjusted his technique to the changing times and trends in cricket. Technique is paramount in batting but mental strength and a strong will is far more important and Tendulkar has always displayed these qualities. After his half century in his final Test, I feel sad that he has decided to retire. To me if anyone deserves the title of little master it is this fellow. I would like to congratulate Tendulkar for playing his 200th Test and wish all the best and success along with his family members. To me there is no doubt that whenever anyone talks about cricket, Tendulkar's name would figure on top. Tendulkar might have played for around 24 years and but his legacy will be preserved forever. For me, one of the most cherished moments of my life is when the Indian team came to Pakistan in January, 2006 and they were invited for lunch to the country club by Mr Arif Abbasi. It was Tendulkar who presented me with a souvenir plate on behalf of the Indian cricket board for having done well at the CCI in Mumbai. That plate stands proudly upfront on my mantelpiece of awards. — PTI (Hanif Mohammad
is a former Pakistan batting great) |
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Total recall: Build-up, drama, emotions, parting knock and the perfect farewell
Mumbai, November 18 The last six days packed drama, stirred emotions. Sad that the match was no contest. A look back at the last six days. November 12
All eyes are on Tendulkar -- the Tendulkars, in fact, as son Arjun joins the Indian team nets. This excites the journalists and the photographers. Sachin is relaxed like never before, but he’s still an uncompromising father. Arjun get Amit Mishra to edge one ball and celebrates — Sachin tells him to cut it out and go back and bowl; Ishant Sharma marks Arjun’s run-up, and Sachin tells Arjun to stop the show, turn around and bowl. Tendulkar is a doting father, yet tough. Mediapersons are thrilled. There’s little thrill outside, though. There are queues, but it’s only the people who bought the tickets online redeeming their vouchers. There’s a clutch of fans, but most of them are only passers-by arrested and transfixed by the sight of the cameras. November 13
Again the morning nets for the team, the last nets for Tendulkar. Reporters write their drafts well — noting the time he craned his neck left, then right, noting when he stepped into the nets, when he advised Cheteshwar Pujara on how to deal better with the outswinger.
The stage is set up for him —indeed, the series was set up for him, and the ground is, too. Posters carrying the details of the master’s 51 Test centuries are being pulled up by the ropes, to be arranged in a ring near the roof the stadium. There’s a problem, though — photos of Virat Kohli overshadow those posters. Kohli’s photos are part of an advertisement that reveals how he keeps his skin white and fair and lovely. Tendulkar overshadowed by an ad? This can’t be. Kohli’s photographs are pulled down. The media want a photo with Tendulkar. He obliges, smiling and smiling at all. There’s a scrum when the photographers pose with him — the poor little man seems in danger of being crushed. Yet he smiles. He’s been calmness personified — his mother-in-law says she’s never seen him more relaxed than now. Outside the stadium, there’s little buzz. Where are the fans? Where is the frenzy? The answer — the real fans, who live in the suburbs, in unfashionable addresses, can’t buy the tickets. Only 5,000 are made available, online. The website crashes. Do the sport’s administrators care? No. November 14
Match day. Little excitement or frenzy outside the ground — only joggers on the Marine Drive, 18 OB vans, cameras causing the handful of fans to make a noise, enabling the reporter to tell the live audience that excitement is electrifying the air. A Tendulkar stamp is released, he’s felicitated by all. Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bowl first. The crowd doesn’t like this — they don’t care about strategy, whether India win or lose, they only care to watch Tendulkar bat. But the West Indians are brittle. They collapse; 12 wickets must fall in the day for Tendulkar to bat. It happens at 3.31 pm. Tendulkar comes in, down the 34 (yes, that’s the number!) steps, takes five minutes to take his guard and face the first ball. The occasion is huge, his mother, wife and son are there at the ground. This has never happened before. But he’s nerveless. He succeeds and is unbeaten at the day’s end! The giant screen shows his nervous mother and brother as he bats — probably with the intention of making his eyes well up, to make him miss the ball. Pujara lets him play 10 of the last 12 balls of the day. Yet Tendulkar survives. Sadly, there are lots of empty seats around the stadium. November 15
Greater excitement in the morning outside the ground, even at 7 AM, for Tendulkar will resume his innings on 38. Tendulkar comes to the middle, bows to the pitch in veneration, is masterful, calm. He hits a beautiful straight drive, a delightful cover drive. The West Indies bowlers are unable to unsettle him, despite some hostile posturing by Tino Best. His last Test century came nearly three years ago; he’s been in bad form. Yet, a century beckons —it seems to be destiny. But then he attempts another of his deflections, Darren Sammy catches him in slip. Out for 74. The crowd loses its voice, Tendulkar gives the pitch a last wistful look and walks off. Wife Anjali seems heartbroken, mother Rajni distraught, the fans forlorn. A 72-year-old who travelled from the US, to be in Mumbai for only four days for this innings, says: “I wanted to see this, I don’t know how long I’ll live…” The Tendulkar show is over. November 16
The match ends 47 minutes past 11. This is the end of the road for Tendulkar. The West Indians are unable to fight. Dhoni had wanted Tendulkar to take the last two wickets, but the master said no after two overs. Later Ravi Shastri invites someone or the other to “facilitate” Tendulkar. It’s actually West Indies who facilitate Tendulkar’s wonderful, fairytale farewell — they’re so hopelessly inept.
Tendulkar barely touches the ball today, he had nothing to do to make the team win today. Then he speaks for 20 minutes and 30 and melts hearts and makes people cry. He speaks of everyone Indian custom holds dear — mother, father, aunt, brothers, sister, wife, children, guru, friends. It’s a speech straight from the heart. He thanks his teammates, doctors, curators, reporters, photographers, the fans and many others. Women cry, tough-looking men weep. Cynical journalists have tears in their eyes. “Had to fight back tears,” says the man who interviewed the 15-year-old Tendulkar in the February of 1989. Tendulkar is carried by his team around the ground. He bids his final farewell to the sport by bowing down at the pitch, in privacy, having told the TV cameras and all the rest to leave him alone for a bit. Tendulkar is practically canonised — named the Bharat
Ratna. November 17
Tendulkar wakes up early, at 6.50, because that’s when he’s been waking up when he’s playing the game. Then he realises that he doesn’t need to quickly shower, get ready and leave for the ground. He realises he’s unemployed — his sporting life is over. He makes himself a cup of tea, has breakfast with his wife, and then responds to the text messages he’s been getting. In the afternoon, he comes down to a south Mumbai hotel to meet the media. Outside, the handful of cops are thrilled. Inside, in a hall on the 33rd floor of the hotel, there seem to be about 1,000 journalists packed like sardines a box — the number was closer to 200, actually. Tendulkar smiles through the shambolic event — the interaction is chaotic, for the moderator is clueless about how to conduct a live event. Tendulkar grants personal interviews only to a very few TV channels. He has nothing to add, there are no ‘different’ questions, but this exercise must be done because TV channels are commercially lucrative to his management team. Tendulkar is no more a cricketer. He’s a Rajya Sabha MP and now a Bharat Ratna. But he also remains a massive commercial property for his management. Tendulkar’s post-cricketing life begins. |
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An infinity of records
Austin, November 18 Starting from pole, the 26-year-old German was again in a class of his own, taking the chequered flag 6.2 seconds clear of Frenchman Romain Grosjean in a Lotus. Vettel’s Australian team mate Mark Webber finished a close third in the penultimate race of his grand prix career and last in America. The champion, who clinched his fourth straight title in India last month, is now one step away from equalling compatriot Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 wins in a season after collecting his 12th of the year. Next weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix is the last race of the season. “I’m speechless,” Vettel told his team over the radio on the slowing down lap after his first victory at the Circuit of the Americas. “We have to remember these days. There is no guarantee they will last forever,” he added, his victory coming a day after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner celebrated his 40th birthday. “The car was fantastic. It was a bit tight at the start, Romain had a good start and I didn’t know if it would be enough,” said Vettel, who made his F1 debut at Indianapolis with BMW Sauber in 2007. “We had good pace though and could control the gaps for eight wins in a row.” Vettel had already equalled Schumacher’s mark of seven successive wins in a season at the previous race in Abu Dhabi. The all-time record of nine in a row was set by Italian Alberto Ascari but over two seasons in 1952-53. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, last year’s winner for McLaren, finished fourth for Mercedes with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso fifth and Nico Hulkenberg sixth in a Sauber. Finnish rookie Valtteri Bottas took the first points of his Formula One career with eighth place for struggling Williams behind McLaren’s Mexican Sergio Perez, who is leaving the team at the end of the season. Nico Rosberg was ninth for Mercedes and Jenson Button 10th for McLaren. Sutil crash
In a race with few thrills and spills, Force India’s German Adrian Sutil was the only retirement when he spun and crashed into the barriers on the opening lap. The wreckage brought out the safety car for the first time at the circuit. Starting from pole for the second year in a row, Vettel did not turn a wheel wrong the entire afternoon and while his margin of victory was not nearly as massive as in Abu Dhabi, the German rarely had a hint of a challenge in his rearview mirrors. — Reuters Seb’s record run
US Grand Prix
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‘IOC-IOA dispute to end soon’
Patiala, NOVEMBER 18 Ajit M. Sharan, Secretary of the Sports Ministry of India, who was at NIS, Patiala, to take stock of the facilities at NIS and interact with the India campers and diploma students, said he was confident that India players will be able to compete under the IOA banner next year as both the bodies have assured the Sports Ministry that the issue would be resolved shortly. Sharan said once the issue was resolved, it would certainly be beneficial for the Indian sportspersons. The secretary said that the ministry was focusing on utilization of the available infrastructure, management of the top athletes and grooming youngsters for better results in the forthcoming Asian and Commonwealth Games. Satisfied with the infrastructure for the national campers, Sharan said upgrade was required in the academic wing, including use of visual aides for proper teaching. However, he informed that the India campers have expressed some concerns over increasing their daily diet money in the wake of inflation and the ministry would soon resolve the issue since the demand was justified. Meanwhile, the secretary informed that the government was planning to establish two national institutes — National Institute for Sports Coaching and National Institute for Sports Medicines and Sciences — in order to uplift the standard of sports in the country. “We have already received some reports regarding various sites, but I am not convinced since we need to go in much more detail for setting up these institutes. Therefore, we have sought detailed project reports from all the officials and will finalise the place only after considering all the factors,” he said.
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IPL-style wrestling may debut next year
Kolkata, November 18 “The IWL is very much on and we would make an official announcement once we finalise the franchises,” Singh said on the sidelines of the 58th Senior National Wrestling Championship that concluded here today. A minimum of six franchises are needed to start the tournament and as of now four have shown interest, Singh added. It’s learnt that the league drew interest from states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra — PTI
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Defending champion Viswanathan Anand could not break through the defenses of challenger Magnus Carlsen and had to be content with a draw in the seventh game of the World Chess Championship here today.
