Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa – two of India’s top squash players – said that the country needs to organise more tournaments, have more venues and improve the training facilities to produce fresh players.
“India needs more venues, better infrastructure and spectatorship. The international venues are fantastic. It gives you a feeling of being a rockstar as you are watched by so many people. The New York and Manchester courts pump up my adrenaline,” said Ghosal.
He felt the difference when he went to England to train with Malcolm Willstrop in 2005. “There are more players to train with in England. The support staff and physiotherapists are far advanced than in India,” he added.
Chinappa, India’s No. 2 woman player, seconded Ghosal and said that the need of the hour was a structured programme in India. “Having good courts won’t serve the purpose. India needs a system in place. Saurav, Dipika (Pallikal) and I did not have any system,” she said.
Chinappa asserted how she had to struggle to get sponsors. “Squash is an expensive sport and one cannot make money out of it unless he or she is in the top 10. There should be more tournaments and players from all categories should be supported,” she added.
The duo recently won the NSCI Squash Open in Mumbai and along with Pallikal will begin their campaign in the Hong Kong Open starting on December 3.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Sport> Report / by Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya / Place:Mumbai, Agency:DNA / Tuesday – December 04th, 2013
Rohan Bopanna (left) and Somdev Devvarman at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy on Monday. / Photo: V. V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman trained at the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy (SMTA) on Monday with the objective of putting up a better showing in 2014.
“Yes, having entered a Grand Slam final once, I know what it takes to be there. So, it is a question of taking more steps to realise my dream of winning one,” said Bopanna before his long training session as part of the 10-day camp organised by the Indian Tennis Players Association, under the supervision of American coach Scott McCain.
“It is obvious that the sport is getting tougher every year and you have to raise the bar constantly to be in the elite group, and so we are here for off-season training. I have had eight different partners in the recent past, and the focus has been on constantly improving.”
“I have decided to re-combine with Pakistan’s Aisam Qureshi for next year. Having grown together on the circuit from the Challengers, ITFs and ATP events, we know each other’s game pretty well and hope to improve our record,” said Bopanna, who reached the US Open men’s doubles final with Qureshi in 2010.
“We also complement each other very well. We know our strengths and weaknesses and can sort out many issues quickly — on and off the court. It is not ideal to keep changing doubles partners if you want to stay at the top,” he pointed out.
“It is great to be here at this wonderful academy which has all the facilities. I love the quiet ambience here,” he said.
“Most tournaments are now held on synthetic surfaces, though I love to play on grass. But having decided to completely focus on doubles now, my aim is to work hard, believe in myself and keep improving,” Bopanna signed off.
Oozing confidence
Meanwhile, Devvarman — back after a break because of surgery — is also oozing confidence ahead of the Chennai Open this month.
“It was quite tough to overcome the break. Hopefully, 2014 will be much better for me if I do the right things at the right time.
It is great to be here with the other leading Indian men’s players,” he said.
“Right now, I am completely fit and eager to improve my ranking.
“The motivation is always there and my target right now is to keep working hard, beat the tough guys and come closer to my career-best ranking of World No. 62,” he concluded.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / by V.V. Suhrahmanyam / Hyderabad – December 03rd, 2013
Seasoned champions Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa won the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively at the NSCI Open Squash Championships on Saturday.
Joshna Chinappa
Ghosal lived up to his top billing and posted a 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 victory over Ravi Dixit to pocket a winner’s purse of Rs 150,000.
Chinappa also had a relatively easy finale, beating fourth seed Urshavi Joshi 11-3, 12-10, 11-9 in the women’s category.
source: http://www.mid-day.com / Mid Day / Home> Sports / by A Correspondent / Mumbai – December 01st, 2013
Elated with her highest ever world ranking of 24, reigning national squash champion Joshna Chinappa wants to end the year with an improved show at the Hong Kong Squash Open.
The 27-year-old who was recently conferred with the Arjuna Award has taken giant strides after her comeback from a career threatening knee injury last year which saw her rapidly dropping in rankings to 72.
“The injury cost me a lot of time and brought down my rankings. But, since it has been great journey. I’m happy to achieve my best career ranking of 24 and I want to improve it further,” said Joshna, who will be the top draw among the women in the third edition of NSCI men, women and double squash championship that starts here on Wednesday.
“To get the Arjuna Award was nice. But when I went to Delhi to actually receive it was like another level,” she said. Joshna has been training in Mumbai from the last fortnight under former India men’s no. 1 Ritwik Bhattacharya and physical trainer Ahmed Yusuf. The duo helped her get in better shape during rehab as well.
“I have been in Mumbai for the past two weeks to train with Ritwik and do physical training with Ahmed Yusuf. I am enjoying my game.
“This tournament coincided with my stay here so I decided it to play here to be well prepared for next month’s Hong Kong Open,” said Joshna, who is the top ranked Indian woman player after Dipika Pallikal (12) who trains in Australia.
Disappointed with squash missing out again from the Olympics, Joshna wants players to look ahead.
“It is very disappointing. Squash wasn’t a less deserving sport for the Olympics. But we enjoy it and will keep pushing for it.
“I am looking forward to winning medals for India in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games,” said Joshna who along with other top players had actively campaigned to make squash an Olympic sport but lost out to wrestling at the last stage.
Some top Indian players including Saurav Ghoshal, Ravi Dixit, Deepak Mishra besides Joshna will be in action.
source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> Sports> Tennis / by Irfan Haji, Age Correspondent, Mumbai / November 27th, 2013
From hiring a personal coach, to changing his technique and mindset, to losing weight – Robin Uthappa chats about his plans for a comeback
On April 23, Robin Uthappa watched Chris Gayle annihilate Pune Warriors on his way to a record-breaking unbeaten 175 from the best spot at the Chinnaswamy Stadium: behind the stumps.
Dressed in a plain white v-neck t-shirt, Uthappa looks fit – not something that could be said of him through his career. We’re sitting in a coffee shop at the team hotel in Bangalore. He orders a fresh strawberry juice; when told that it’s not available, he opts for sweet lime with ice and no sugar.
Most T20 performances are soon binned from the memory but Gayle’s assault, the highest individual T20 score, carried a personal meaning for Uthappa.
“It was reconfirmation of all the things that I am doing,” he said. “I have been working on coming to terms with making peace with myself about my own game, about the confidence I had about my own game. Watching him broke a lot of barriers for me.
“You could achieve whatever you want to achieve, the way you want to achieve it. If you believe that you can actually do it, just persist with that belief and work hard towards it. It is gonna happen. The world is going to see it.”
Last July, Uthappa found himself in Belgium, in a contemplative mood. He had decided to be on his own to sort out his life. He was 12th on the run charts in IPL 5 – a season when Pune Warriors finished last. Uthappa felt he had had a “decent” domestic season with Karnataka. But he had not played for India in an ODI since July 6, 2008. His last international appearance had been in the rain-affected T20 in South Africa, before the IPL in 2012.
“I went alone for ten days on a holiday,” Uthappa said. “I was at a bus stand in Belgium and I called him up. ‘Sir, I want to work with you. I want to fix my game.'”
The man he called was Pravin Amre, the former India batsman, who coached Mumbai to three Ranji Trophy titles in five seasons. Amre had helped Uthappa make a small technical change during the IPL in 2012. The suggestion had worked well and in July that year, Uthappa hired Amre as his personal coach.
****
In 2011, Uthappa had been restless. Self-doubt gnawed at him from the inside.
“I saw myself as an aggressive batsman. At the beginning of 2011 I realised I was not channelising all my energies into the game. I needed to bring back my focus and passion and love for the game. To some extent I wasn’t playing the game for what I actually started playing it for. I told myself I wanted to fall in love with this game again rather treat it as earning money, making a living or as a profession.”
He considered the things he could control. “Probably the first thing is my body. I have never shied away from going to the gym, training hard or pushing myself. I can very confidently say I am one of the strongest guys in the country right now, as far as fitness is concerned,” Uthappa said.
One of his best friends, Sheethl Goutham, recommended a nutritionist. “I got more disciplined about food. I have more knowledge and understanding about what I should eat and shouldn’t eat. That discipline started dripping into my game as well.”
With three months to go for the 2012-13 domestic season, Amre pointed out that Uthappa was carrying plenty of extra weight on his upper body. Uthappa did the hard yards and came back 20kg lighter. “It showed me his passion to improve,” Amre said.
Once he was hired as Uthappa’s personal coach, Amre started with a Powerpoint presentation where he focused primarily on the basics of batting. He told Uthappa that he would have to flush out whatever he had learnt over 17 years. “Eighty percent of a player’s success is mental, 15% is dependent on his skill sets, and 5% is fitness,” Amre said.
Amre would make many trips from Mumbai to Bangalore and both men would be seen at the National Cricket Academy. Amre also took Uthappa to the maidans of Mumbai, where he got used to batting without a sightscreen.
Amre noticed a lot of bottom-hand play and wanted Uthappa to correct his grip. “With that grip he played for India and cleared the ground. It was not that it was wrong, but there was so much room for improvement,” Amre said.
In the nets they worked on methods that were more correct technically, more compact. They worked on a series of skills in sequence – proper stance, pick-up, down-swing, the impact point, follow-through.
One of the major technical changes Amre suggested was for Uthappa to modify his stance. Uthappa was not convinced, but Amre persisted and pointed out that it would help him adapt his game better to different pitches.
“I had a very closed and upright stance,” Uthappa said. “I used to play so much on the up that I would not have control over my shots, especially against the fast bowlers when it came to drives square of the wicket or even in front of the wicket. With the wider stance, I am now more flexed. It helps me to be more on top of the ball and also read the trajectory of the ball.
“I feel more technically sound than I have ever been. I am playing the new ball with ease. I am dominating, am able to score runs, get off to good starts, build a solid foundation.”
For the first time in ten years of domestic cricket Uthappa faced about 1200 deliveries a season. He did not count them but Amre told him. “I have never been known as that type of a batsman,” said Uthappa, who scored 683 runs in nine matches.
He said it not matter that he made only one century. “I saw the difference because I enjoyed just being there at the wicket. Occupying the crease was so much fun. Middling the ball became the definition of domination for me.”
Before the Ranji Trophy last year Uthappa toyed with idea of skipping the entire season, because he didn’t think he was quite ready. He ended up playing and finished as the second-highest run scorer in his team.
“It showed me that even though I was 60% ready and not completely sure of everything I was doing, I came out as good as any. That gave me a lot of confidence, which spilled into the Ranji one-dayers.
“I got two hundreds and two fifties. And in a couple of games, I got out on 49 and in one I retired on 48. I was the top-scorer in the country in domestic one-day cricket.”
When he made a 33-ball 24 against the Australians in Chennai he knew he was getting to the point he had desired. “Man, I loved that innings. I just knew… it was just a confirmation for me again that this is the level of cricket I am meant to play. And I know I will play that level of cricket. And I know that everything I am doing will take me to that level of cricket again. It is only a matter of time.
He is 28 now, still confident that age is on his side. He says he can afford to overhaul his technique and mindset and continue to stay confident.
“I am very, very sure about my processes. I am very confident about the work that I am doing. I know I have compromised on being my aggressive self, but I know I have done [it] for a good solid scientific reason.”
In June this year, immediately after the IPL, Uthappa moved to Mumbai to fine-tune the changes to his technique and to break some “physical and mental barriers”. In July, he scored a triple-century in the Safi Darashah Trophy, playing for Karnataka State Cricket Association XI against Jharkhand. He was part of the India A side that played against visiting A teams from New Zealand and West Indies, and scored one century before hamstring tendinitis in his left leg curtailed his progress.
According to Amre, Uthappa is now able to hold the shape of his bat and has improved his balance while playing his strokes. “The whole idea of him hiring me was to make him a complete cricketer who can perform well in all formats. That is my goal,” Amre said.
“I am,” reads a tattoo on the inside of Uthappa’s right arm that he got inscribed in Singapore earlier this year. “It is an affirmation to myself. It is an acceptance of myself in my truest form. I wanted to get something which reminds me of the direction I’m in and the direction I want to be going in.
“I’ve made some hard decisions in the last one-and-a-half years. And I’m bloody proud about the decisions I have made because I know I am heading the right way. I know who I am. This is the person I have always wanted to be.”
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
source: http://www.espncricinfo.com / ESPN Cricinfo / Home> Features / by Nagaraj Gollapudi / November 28th, 2013
Robin Uthappa is known for his aggressive acts at the crease with a hefty willow in hand, but what he showed last season for Karnataka was anything but that.
Under Praveen Amre’s tutoring, the opener opted to build his innings brick by brick rather than blast his way and in the process lost out on forcing the issue which had made him popular with his fans.
This season, however, the right-hander promises a return to his former self, having missed the first two of Karnataka’s Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy encounters due a hamstring injury. “I had a hamstring in my leading leg. It was a problem that I have had to bear with since the beginning of IPL (Indian Premier League),” said the opener ahead of his first Ranji match this season. “I took cortisol injections three days before the match against New Zealand ‘A’ (where he scored a century) and I expected that to keep me going for a few months but because of the hot and humid conditions in Visakhapatnam, I was done at the end of that match. I needed to give my body the break it required.”
He further explained: “I am a lot more mature now and I realise that I need to listen to my body more. I am very disappointed that I had to go for the treatment when I was so close to making the Indian team once again but in retrospect, I had to get it done now before it became worse,” the 28-year-old remarked.
The return of Uthappa, while brilliant for the team’s chances of resuscitating their campaign, creates a few problems for Karnataka. His arrival forces Mayank Agarwal, who has been in good form, to play down the order. “I guess the team missed me,” Uthappa said in jest when asked about the teams batting performances so far.
Further explaining his state of mind last season, Uthappa said: “I was also low on confidence last season since I had changed my style and I think it was all very mental. After my injury (during the recovery period), I had time to work on the mental aspect of my game and now I can say that the Robin of the old is back. I am raring to go.”
Perhaps, Uthappa should consider adding a ‘HERE’ at the end of the ‘I AM’ tattoo he has inked on his right forearm.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by DHNS / Nagpur – November 20th, 2013
International Hockey Player Mallamaada Ponnamma inaugurated a five-day South Zone Inter-university Hockey Tournament 2013-14 for women, jointly organised by the Mangalore University and Field Marshal K M Cariappa College at Sai Stadium in Madikeri, on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Appachu Ranjan said that students should show interest in sports, especially in ruaral sports like hockey and should try their level best to represent State and nation. There are good sportsmen in Kodagu, but they have to try to reach higher levels, he said. Mangalore University Physical Education Department Director Dr H Nagalingappa said that hockey players from 18 universities in five States of South India have participated in the tournament and four more teams are expected.
Comfortable win on day 1
Teams from Thiruchanapalli Bharathidasan University, Madras University, Kannur University and Calicut University have begun their journey with comfortable victories on day 1.
In the inaugural match, Thiruchanapalli Bharathidasan University registered a huge victory against Pondicherry University team by 7-0 goals. A Vijitra of Bharathidasan team achieved a hatrick by reaching the ball into goal post thrice at 11th, 12th and 29th minute of the match. She got good support from R Sridevi who hit 2 goals and from P Anita and M Malini with one goal each.
Madras University team proved better against Kerala University by 2-1 goals. For Madras University team, S Kansimezi shined with 2 goals- in 18th and 41st minute of the match.
Mexina T Mathew hit the lone goal for Kerala team. The first day of the tourney witnessed another one-sided match where Kannur University beat Ananthpur GNT University by 6-0. N K Princi of Kannur team achieved second hatrick by hitting goals at 4th, 36th and 38th minutes of the match. V Shalini, C V Varsha and P Neeta hit one goal each.
Calicut University pulled Thirunelveli University team into floors as it registered an easy victory by 5-0 goals. For Calicut, Meghana hit 2 goals and Nimmi Rajendra and T J Siji registered one goal each, while another goal was through goal group.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Madikeri – DHNS / November 19th, 2013
Fit-again Robin Uthappa will return to the Karnataka Ranji Trophy squad for their away matches against Vidharba (at Nagpur from Nov 21-24) and Odisha (at Cuttack, Nov 28 to Dec 1).
The opening batsman, who missed Karnataka’s first two outings owing to a tender hamstring injury, comes in for Stuart Binny, who injured his right knee during the game against Gujarat last week at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
The all-rounder is expected to be out for two games. Also missing from the squad is original skipper Vinay Kumar, who has been called up for India duty.
Wicketkeeper-batsman CM Gautam will lead the squad in Vinay’s absence. Medium-pacer Ronit More has been selected as Vinay’s replacement.
The squad: CM Gautam (captain & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Robin Uthappa, Rahul KL, Kunal Kapoor, Manish Pandey, Ganesh Satish, A Mithun, Sharath HS, S Aravind, Appanna KP, Karun Nair, Samarth R, Abrar Kazi, Ronit More.
Batting coach: J Arun Kumar. Bowling coach: Mansur Ali Khan.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Domestic Cricket> Kunal Kapoor / by Sunil Subbaiah, TNN / November 18th, 2013
“I am very happy to team up with Aisam again. We have had a reasonable amount of success previously and look forward to a lot more this time around,” says Rohan Bopanna in this interview with Kamesh Srinivasan.
It has been a memorable season for Rohan Bopanna. For a while, he made it to a career-best No. 3 ranking in doubles. He, along with Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, frightened the all-conquering Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, in a thrilling five-setter in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Bopanna, 33, did raise hopes of making the season-ending World Tour Finals in London, when he won the Tokyo event, partnering Roger-Vasselin, to bag 500 ATP points. But in the end he could not make it.
In a season in which he competed with eight partners, Bopanna had done well to win two titles. Now he has decided to team up again with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan for the next season, and is confident of doing very well in the professional Tour.
Though close to Mahesh Bhupathi, with whom he competed in the London Olympics and made the final of the World Tour Finals in London last year, Bopanna has a healthy respect for Leander Paes as well. The ace doubles player spoke to Sportstar.
The excerpts:
Question: How happy are you with the way the season progressed, taking you to a career best rank of No. 3?
Answer: Reaching my career best of No. 3 and making the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time have to be the highlights of this year! Though winning an ATP 250 and a 500 title was also a great feeling. It was a tough year but I am happy with the way it eventually turned out.
The end of the season was not great, and you have not been able to make the World Tour Finals in London, after having enjoyed such a brilliant finish last year with Mahesh Bhupathi…
Yes, compared to last two seasons, this year did not end the way I would have liked to… qualification for the London Masters. A regular partner would have helped me to qualify for the London Masters. I was playing with eight different partners and that made qualification that much harder. Edouard and me had an excellent second half of the year playing eight tournaments together but this was not enough for me to qualify for the Masters.
Your ranking has slipped out of Top-10.
My ranking this year has fluctuated mainly because of change in partners. Going forward next year, I will be playing with Aisam and we will be seeded in all the tournaments. So the drop in the rankings will not have much of an effect next season.
Despite playing limited tournaments together, you and Roger-Vasselin came very close to making the World Final. What is the reason for the split?
Yes, we did have a good run playing together! We chose to separate as both of us are professionals. His main focus is singles and mine continues to be doubles. Playing with him is not easy as we never practise together but only warm up just before matches and then start playing tournaments. Also, my schedule was based on his schedule, for example post Wimbledon, Edouard played a few ATP 250 events in the USA and decided to take a break and rest during an ATP 500 (Washington) and an ATP 1000 (Montreal) events, and I chose to play with a different partner. As a professional, I am trying to improve every day as a player and as a team and regular practice with the partner plays a major part in the combination trying to win a Grand Slam. Hence I wanted to play with an established doubles player for 2014. Edouard is a fantastic guy and he completely understood this decision of mine.
About your spell with Mahesh this season and why both of you decided to play separately with other partners?
Hesh had indicated that he wanted to play fewer tournaments and was looking to retirem next year. Post French Open, we decided to split and find new partners for Wimbledon. Hesh and I did very well in the ATP scoring format but struggled in the normal scoring format, so we decided to try different partners, to see how it goes, and it actually paid off for us in Wimbledon.
What had prompted you to partner Rajeev Ram?
I asked a few players who were ranked in the Top-30 but unfortunately everyone had their partners already set and the options were very limited. Rajeev and I had played together before and had reasonable success. Unfortunately post Indian Wells, Rajeev lost a few points and his ranking dropped. This made it impossible for us to qualify for tournaments on clay, prompting me to look for other options. As it turned out Mahesh was looking for a partner at the same time and since we had played together before, it was an easy choice to make.
How do you view the return of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi as your partner after a two-year gap? Are you confident that both of you can recreate the magic and possibly win a Grand Slam?
I am very happy to team up with Aisam again. We have had a reasonable amount of success previously and look forward to a lot more this time around. We have a great understanding of each other’s game and the experience of playing with different partners has only helped both of us improve our individual games.
About your support staff.
These guys are the most important people in the circuit and in my career. My coach, Scott Davidoff, has played the sport and been coaching in the ATP circuit for many years. Scott specialises in coaching doubles. So, his knowledge has really helped me transform my game. He has helped me to become a more complete player over the last few years… making me focus on my strengths. He makes sure that I am training almost every day on my serves and volleys which are the main components of a player aiming to win doubles titles at the highest level.
My trainer, Yash Pandey, hails from Mumbai and has been with me for a year and half. Now Yash is the one keeping me healthy and fit, making sure I am well warmed up before practice and getting my stretches done at the end of the day with a recovery massage and making sure I am fit and ready for matches. These guys play a major role in my success.
Travelling around the world after marriage is tough. How has your wife taken it?
Travelling around the world as a professional is lonely and it is not fun as people think it to be. But these days playing at the highest level in the best of tournaments and having a coach, trainer and my wife with me is a major boost for sure.
Supriya enjoys travelling, especially since it is our first year together. She has always loved travelling and enjoys seeing new places. Also, watching me in action live instead of having to follow my scores online is an added incentive as it helps her understand the level of commitment required from a professional athlete to make it to the highest level. She is a psychologist by profession but at the moment she is being a very supportive wife and giving me all the courage and not worrying about herself and letting me live my dream. I can’t thank her enough for that.
What are your targets for the next season?
The target for the next year is to be a consistent contender at every tournament that we compete in. Grand Slams are the main aim, of course. Qualifying for the London Masters at the end of the year is another goal that I personally want to achieve. Career-wise, getting back to the Top-5 rankings of the world would be my priority.
How keen are you to play the Davis Cup against Chinese Taipei in Indore?
I have always said that I am available to represent my country in the coming Davis Cup ties. We will have to wait and watch whether they select me or not.
Indian tennis looks healthy now as many players are travelling around the world to become better professionals, and players like Divij Sharan and Purav Raja have made the breakthroughs.
It is fabulous to see Indian tennis looking up and the future looks very bright. I have always told the boys to believe in themselves because as long as they keep working and training hard the results will come their way. I think after Purav and Divij won a title together it has given them a taste of the ATP world and the belief in their abilities to continue playing at that level.
Paes’s achievement at the age of 40…
Playing continuously for number of years has taken a toll on Hesh and Paes. Tennis at the end of the day is an individual sport and it depends a lot on how the player handles his diet, fitness etc. Playing at the highest level involves a lot of travelling, staying away from family for long duration… it is quite strenuous. For Leander to win the U.S. open at 40 is a fabulous achievement and there is no doubt about his effort and commitment.
It may be too early to ask, but do you foresee competing in the Rio Olympics with Leander Paes?
It is indeed very early to be talking about Rio, especially with tennis being such an intense sport. But yes, there is always a possibility.
source: http://www.tssonnet.com / (www.sportstaronnet.com) / Sportstar (Publisher of The Hindu) / Home> Tennis> Interview / Vol.36, No.47, November 23rd, 2013
Growing up, I watched my dad following cricket devotedly. I distinctly remember my father pointing Sachin Tendulkar to me, saying he was an upcoming player and would do well.
Cricket could easily pass off as a religion in India and whether you like it or not, the sport grows on you at a very young age when you see it being played by everyone, whether it’s in school, parks, on the road etc., It has been the same in my case too, so much so I still absolutely love playing cricket when I find the time.
Since the age of 13, I really started following cricket and, of course, Sachin who had become a national icon by then. The stuff, which caught my eye, was definitely his straight drive and the manner in which he moved swiftly and the ease that he hit the ball with.
Sachin is an iconic figure according to me. At such a young age he was a revelation not only on the field but also off it with the maturity in which he conducted himself during his interviews.
Playing a professional sport myself, when I read about the amount of hard work and hours of training that Sachin put in practicing to become a professional athlete, I get motivated. I was motivated to see that even a quality player like him would put in so much of time into his sport. It just goes to show that there are no short-cuts.
I remember meeting Sachin in Bangalore for the first time, when he had come to open a sports bar, which I was invited for among few others. I got to spend some time and have dinner with him and it was an honour to see how humble and down to earth he was.
Sachin is a sportsman known worldwide; I remember seeing him at Wimbledon few years ago and even met him once at the stadium as he had come to watch Roger Federer play. To just have him watching our sport was a fabulous feeling.
I would most definitely remember the innings he played in the Sydney Test match in 2004 when he was 241 not out. He was so well composed and delivered a quality innings.
In a regular scenario, time just passes by. But two minutes spent talking to Sachin Tendulkar was such an honour which I will always cherish.
I am certain he will be not forgotten easily and will be spoken about in many years to come for sure. Sachin is an icon in so many ways that no matter what he takes up I am sure he would be supported, respected and loved for it.
— As told to Sudatta Mukherjee
(Rohan Bopanna is a tennis player and currently ranked third in the world in doubles rankings. In 2010, Bopanna along with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, popularly known as the ‘Indo-Pak Express’ finished runners-up in doubles at the US Open.)
source: http://www.cricketcountry.com / CricketCountry.com / Home> News & Features / by Rohan Bopanna / October 28th, 2013
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