Sport
When god said goodbye
Subhash Rajta

2013 had its share of the good, the bad and the ugly but Sachin’s adieu dwarfed everything else

Farewell, so long: Cricket fans, not just in India, but across the globe will miss Sachin Tendulkar, who had a long innings of 24 years

THE little big man, after living his life within the hallowed
"22 yards" for 24 years, finally bid adieu.

So huge was the occasion, as was evident from the overwhelming interest that his farewell series against West Indies generated, a difficult-to-sell contest otherwise, that 2013 will always be remembered as the year when India's most-loved sporting icon retired. The fact that the Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the land, was conferred on him within minutes of his leaving the field for the last time, shows the kind of influence he has had on his countrymen.

Another story that struck a chord with sports lovers was scripted by someone who started out almost at the same time as Tendulkar but is not yet ready to hang up his boots. The tenacious Leander Paes won yet another Grand Slam event this year, taking his count to a whopping 14 titles. Paes is now the oldest, at 40, to win a Grand Slam tournament in the Open era. The grand ‘old man’ of Indian sports is still hungry for more medals.

Well, if these forever-there veterans warmed up our hearts and left us teary-eyed, the youngsters swelled our chests with their exploits at the world stage. And leading India's charge were the wrestlers, wining an unprecedented three medals at the World Championships, two in freestyle, thanks to Amit Kumar (55kg) and Bajrang (60), and the first ever in Greco Roman, by Sandeep Tulsi. With two Olympic medallists in Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt and three in the World Championships, India's wrestling is in the pink of health.

Equally impressive and unprecedented was PV Sindhu winning a bronze medal in the badminton World Championships, becoming the first Indian woman to win a singles medal at this stage. Following Saina Nehwal's bronze in the London Olympics, there couldn't have been better news. Besides, the successful launch of the Indian Badminton League this year promises to make the sport more lucrative and attract more talent.

But the news from the world of badminton wasn't all good. Jwala Gutta, who also has won a medal in the World Championships, was in the danger of being banned for life by the ham-handed and bullying officials of the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Her offence didn't merit the punishment the BAI recommended — she had only protested when the opposing team replaced an injured player at the last moment during a match in the Indian Badminton League. Jwala, though, isn't one to be cowed down by threats —she promptly went to court against the BAI threat.

Champions Trophy: For a team that’s often accused of not being half as good abroad as at home, winning the Champions Trophy in England was no mean feat. The thumping victory, where they remained unbeaten throughout, showed that this young side doesn’t need home conditions to take on and prevail over the best in the business. Unfortunately, the current South African tour has opened up the wounds that appeared to have healed post-Champions Trophy triumph.

Hockey bronze: Against all odds and expectations, India’s women hockey team surprised everyone by bagging a bronze in the Junior Hockey World Cup in Germany. What made it pretty special was the fact that most of the girls came from small towns and villages, with four of them from Shahbad hockey academy. And the fact that it was India’s first medal after a considerable time at the world stage made it look even brighter.

Sports officialdom touched a nadir, predictably, in cricket. The spot-fixing scandal in the IPL put players as well as administrators in the dock. The arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players (S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila) and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyyapan — son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is also the owner of the team — showed the extent to which rot has set in in Indian cricket. The weird drama that played out in the BCCI, starting from Srinivasan stepping aside until he reclaimed his throne, smacked of self-interest above everything else. Shamefully, despite his multiple conflicts of interest, Srinivasan refuses to move away from the BCCI.

The desperation of the officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to stay at the helm, despite the country being already suspended from the Olympic fold and at a serious risk of being derecognized because of these officials, was equally repulsive. It was only under pressure from both the International Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry that the power hungry officials relented and gave in to the legitimate demands of the world body. In short, Indian sports had a rollercoaster ride in 2013.

Winning moments: P. V. Sindhu won a bronze in the World Championships; Sandeep Yadav (L), Bajrang (C) and Amit Kumar won medals at the World Wrestling Championships; Leander Paes (R) and Radek Stepanek won US Open Men’s Doubles’ final

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