Sports News

1952: It was a decked up Karad (in western Maharashtra) that welcomed its glorious son with a 151-bullock cart procession. The adulation would have warmed Khashaba Jadhav's heart but beyond the exultation there was very little the bantamweight wrestling bronze he won at Helsinki brought with it.

AN UNASSUMING wrestler is a contradiction. The common notion about grapplers is that they are pompous and eager to show their strength at the first available opportunity. But Sushil Kumar, the man who earned India its second medal in Beijing - and the only one in wrestling after Khashaba Jadhav in the Helsinki Games in 1952 - is one of a kind.

A PENETRATIVE four-wicket burst, a tail-end revival, a critical partnership between senior pro and debutant, the second ODI had all the ingredients you could ask for. And once again a low-scoring match produced a thriller.

THE DEVSAR Dham village on the outskirts of Bhiwani is famous for its Mata Ka Mandir and every year during the Navratras there is a huge festival in the temple, where people from all across the country visit the place to pay obeisance.

AKHIL KUMAR kept tossing in his bed all night, the loss to Moldova's Gojan Veaceslav haunting him through the night. 'Frustrating? Yes. But it was something more than just frustration. I have never felt like this before,' Akhil said on Tuesday.

INDIA HAD barely any time to pick themselves up from Monday's loss in the first ODI before they try to turn the tables in the second game. But Tuesday, which was used by both teams to have optional net practice, was not wasted.

Former All-England champion Pullela Gopichand was in for a shock on Tuesday when Sports Minister M. S. Gill failed to recognise him forcing the national coach to introduce himself.

It usually takes 30 minutes from the Main Press Centre to the Workers' Stadium. On Tuesday it took more than double the time. It was as if everyone was going to the Workers' Stadium. It seemed, the whole of Beijing was walking in a trance, each following the other.

THE ANTICIPATION Achanta Sharath Kamal and his Spanish opponent showed was simply fabulous. It was only after the match did Sharath reveal the secret behind such guesswork. 'We share the same room in Madrid,' Sharath said.

IF YOU are looking for a hero in this confident, sometimes verging on brash, Indian ODI unit, the most unlikely, and almost reluctant one, you can zone in on is Munaf Patel. But looking at the performance of the first match, he is almost the only positive the Indian team can draw from a match they will hope to forget.

ON MONDAY, as boxers at Akhil Kumar's coaching centre, the Bhiwani Coaching Club (BBC), prepared to watch the big fight, a win was not just expected. It was taken for granted.

In sport, as in life, there is no second chance. Whatever you do, no matter how hard you try, you can never undo. Akhil Kumar knew it the moment he stepped out of the ring, vanquished. He had given it his best, but the points never reflected on the board.

FOR A while the stadium was stunned into silence. All eyes focused on just one man with utter disbelief and bewilderment. And mind you it's not a race. Liu Xiang tore his number and walked out of the 110m hurdles, writhing in pain here at the Bird's Nest during the heats on Monday.

REWIND TO December 2007 when Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Chess Championship (Juniors). Then Gupta had promised, 'I will ensure that I create more occasions for you to write about me.'

MAHENDRA SINGH Dhoni has never seen a bowler like Ajantha Mendis, and even after playing him a couple of times it's not clear just what method will work against the unorthodox spinner.

IN WHITE shirts or blue, India's batsmen just can't seem to come to grips with batting in Sri Lanka. For the first time in a 50-over game cheerleaders were deployed, and as is standard in Sri Lanka, a pappara band hammered out baila tunes and Hindi film numbers but India's batsmen failed to come to the party.

THE BELEAGURED Indian team suffered a serious blow when it became clear that Virender Sehwag's left ankle injury was more severe than initially estimated and that the batsman would be returning to India soon.

A FEW days back, Bhiwani was just another nondescript north Indian town. Its unique feat of sending five boxers to the Olympics was known to only the die-hard sports fan.

WHEN ABHINAV Bindra won the historic gold in 10m air rifle, Gagan Narang was quietly watching from the sidelines, pondering over his last shot that cost him a place in the final.

SANATH JAYASURIYA, and the ankle injury to Virender Sehwag, remained India's biggest headaches on the eve of their first ODI against Sri Lanka.