THE “SICKS-PACK” FEVER: AN INSIGHT INTO THE DRUG-FILLED, STEROID-ABUSED WORLD OF BODYBUILDING…

Bodybuilding refers to a process of body modification and shaping that is done through intense physical exercises, most notably weight training/weightlifting and incorporating dietary changes in order to sculpt one’s body in the desired way. Both bodybuilding and weightlifting are today recognized as official sports, but their history can be traced back to as early as the 2^nd century. Man’s fascination with physical abilities can be found in numerous ancient writings. Greek sculptures depict lifting feats and progressive resistance training dates back to ancient Greece when wrestler Milo from the magna Graecian of Croton in southern Italy is believed to have trained by carrying a newborn calf on his back everyday until it was fully grown. The Greek physician Galen described strength-training exercises using the halteres – an early form of dumbbell used in 2^nd century Greece. Initially, stones were used for lifting until they made way for dumbbells which were joined by the barbells in the latter half of the 19^th century. The earliest barbells had hollow globes which could be filled with sand or lead shot until they were replaced by the plate-loading ones that are used till today.

The 1960s, however, saw further transitions through the introduction of various kinds of exercise-machines into the slowly emerging concept of gyms and bodybuilding really grew in popularity throughout the 1970s following the release of the bodybuilding movie “Pumping Iron” and the subsequent popularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bodybuilding has been a constantly-evolving field. But, what started out as a form of training aimed primarily at strength-enhancement, has today, gone on to become a drug-abused racket. Ever since bodybuilding became a profession, stakes have become increasingly high, and in an attempt to make money, people have gone on to take almost insane measures in order to make it big in the industry. The late 1960s saw the first use of anabolic steroids beginning from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva and Lou Ferrigno and continued into the 70s, 80s and eventually the 2000s with men like Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman and Markus Ruhl. Bodybuilders such as Greg Kovacs, Paul DeMayo and Victor Richards attained mass and size that were never seen previously. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) move to introduce doping tests did nothing to improve matters as bodybuilders across the world continued abusing steroids.

But, it doesn’t stop there. Bodybuilders go to the extent of injecting artificial hormones into their system in order to increase muscle hypertrophy which refers to an increase in muscle size through an increase in the size of its component cells. Some bodybuilders artificially inject testosterone into their systems. These have drastic effects on one’s body and health and lead to conditions such as hepatotoxicity which refers to a chemical-driven form of liver damage and gynecomastia, which refers to an abnormal development of large mammary glands in males that lead to breast enlargement. Some of the other ill-effects include formation of acne, baldness and a decline in the body’s natural production of testosterone that leads to a condition called testicular atrophy in which the male reproductive organs (the testes) diminish in size and are accompanied by a loss of function. Use of other performance-enhancing drugs such as the human growth hormone (HGH) can lead to acromegaly. Acromegaly refers to a condition in which the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone which leads to gigantism, enlargement of the hands, feet, bones of the head and chest and even heart problems.

Several bodybuilders have paid hefty prices in the past for going overboard. Perhaps the best, and most famous example would be of that of Greg Valentino, widely known as the most hated man in bodybuilding. Valentino is an Italian-American bodybuilder whose bicep muscles are believed to be the world’s biggest. Valentino has been bodybuilding since the age of 14 for almost 30 years now.  His arms measured a ridiculous 28 inches and continued growing. Valentino is believed to have taken Synthol which he refuses though he later admitted in an interview of having taken equipoise and propionate. Valentino was arrested and eventually paid the ultimate price when his arms exploded while working out. There have been instances where some bodybuilders couldn’t brush their teeth due to the size of their biceps while some others used long spoons to eat.

These men have gone one step too far and brought about a frightening aspect to the sport and put its future in jeopardy with several health experts questioning its damaging effects. It is very unfortunate because weightlifting essentially is an art. When done the right way, it does have several health benefits such as improved cardiovascular and muscular strength, aids in long-term fat loss, increases the body’s basal metabolic rate and can even prevent osteoporosis. Just like any form of exercise, it can elevate mood and help fight depression along with numerous other health benefits.

But, it has been human nature to exploit and overdo things and man has forever paid a price for it. And no matter how many times he has paid a price, man continues to exploit. In a bid to make money and create an image for themselves, these men have pushed the boundaries of sanity and have fallen. What is essentially an art has today gone on to become one of the most loathed professions. One must realize that it is not humanly possible to go against nature and must learn to stick to his boundaries. As the old saying goes – “To err is human, but when the eraser wears out ahead of the pencil, you’re overdoing it.” (Josh Jenkins). 

THE SQUARED CIRCLE: PINFALLS, SUBMISSIONS, VICTORY AND DEFEAT - THE WORLD OF PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING!!!

Professional wrestling is a beautiful sport. With a rich history, it has gone on to enthral and entertain fans for decades now. What is it about wrestling that makes it so unique and popular? It is, after-all, a fight between two men. But, there is a certain hidden element in the sport that has allowed it to sustain its popularity among fans. Well, for starters, it is the one-and-only spectacle in the world that combines theatre with athletics – hence the term sports entertainment. It indeed takes some special talent to keep fans interested in a product that is primarily based on fighting.

Wrestling, as most people now know is scripted. The matches are choreographed and the results are pre-determined. Wrestlers typically portray characters in the ring with most feuds having a hero and a villain who, in wrestling jargons are known as face/babyface and heel respectively. Gone are the days when people used to think that the violence associated with the sport was real. Today’s fans are well-informed and know that what they witness on-screen is merely a story. There were times in the past when wrestlers used to remain in character off-screen too. Wrestling companies all across wanted to keep the fact that it was worked a secret. Breaking character was considered a grave offence and employees who broke that code were dealt with severely by their companies. But, thanks to the internet, this secret has long been out. Fans have learnt the nature of the industry and there is now a very thin line between  kayfabe and real. It should no longer come as a shock to any wrestling fan to see two people beat each other to a pulp in the ring have dinner together outside of it.

But, professional wrestling, till date, has not been viewed as a serious form of sport by many due to the fact that it is worked. Though people who hold such notions are ignorant of the technicalities of the industry, it is hard to blame them because not until long ago, wrestling was still thought of as real.  Wrestling fans, just like in any other line of entertainment, are hard to please. Nobody accepts a meaningless feud. Every feud needs to have a solid story to back it up. A gripping story, over-the-edge promos and, most importantly, a great match are all that it takes to make a feud memorable. Simple as the sequence may sound, however, it is easier said than done. Who doesn’t like a great story? A great story to begin with followed by some exciting promos that develop and help the story advance is half the job done. Promos are of crucial importance because some rivalries take months to build, but promos are what keep the audience’s interest in the program sustained. It is no wonder that wrestlers with great mic skills are so popular. Some of the most popular superstars ever are not the greatest ring technicians, but they carried their companies on their shoulder simply because they created magic with the mic. They single-handedly sold arenas across the world and were revenue-generating wonders for their companies because they were entertainers.

 And then comes the most important part of it all – the wrestling. The storytelling doesn’t happen only through promos, the matches sell stories as well. It is the story that makes or breaks a match. This is one of the toughest aspects of wrestling because in around 20 minutes, a great story has to be narrated. Every match needs to have a beginning, middle, and an end. If wrestler A comes to a match with injured ribs, then a meaningful story would naturally involve his opponent attacking his ribs to weaken him and set up the finish. A great story would ideally involve an exciting start with high-intensity moves to get the fans warmed-up and interested in the bout following which the action slows down with the focus being more on technical, mat wrestling in order to conserve the fans’ energy, and towards the end, really pick up steam that would send the crowd into a frenzy. Similarly, the distinction has to be drawn between the face and the heel. The face would always abide by the rules, listen to the referee whereas the heel cheats to win, breaks rules, relies on distractions to take advantage through illegal moves, etc. Unfortunately, today, storytelling in the ring seems to be a lost art.

Wrestling, in a lot of ways, is a funny sport. Since the results are pre-determined, the greatness of a performer is not measured through his/her win-loss record which is how every other sport operates. A great wrestler is one who looks good even in defeat and, more importantly, makes his opponent look just as great. There are some average in-ring performers who, all of a sudden, almost magically seem to be a lot more talented than they were seen as up until then. But, the credit goes to their opponents who made them look great.

Wrestling has seen many transitions over the years. While in the past, people used to cheer for the good guy and boo the bad guy, today’s fans are a lot smarter with regard to their choices. They cheer/boo a wrestler based on how talented he/she is and not on the basis of the character portrayed. Wrestling, just like cinema, brings out various emotions in the fans. It has, however, lately become a fad to be the bad guy. Being the villain is suddenly seen as cool and wrestlers seem to prefer negative roles. Fans are tired of seeing the hero who is always nice to people, never hurts people and abides by the rules. They want to see characters that are more believable and show more human emotions and do occasionally snap at others and show selfish, mean tendencies. It is the bad guy who brings out all sorts of emotions in the fans – happiness, sadness, grief, anger, hatred, love. It is now proven that it is impossible for a hero to bring out the kind of plethora of emotions that the villain can.   

However, one has to be careful while playing a heel character. The primary role of a heel is to make the fans despise him but attempts to do just that have led to some ugly, controversial incidents in the past. The best example of that would be the case of Muhammad Hassan. For those who don’t know, Muhammad Hassan was a Middle Eastern-American gimmick played by Italian professional wrestler Mark Copani. His character primarily focussed on him trying to prove the stereotypes from the 9/11 attacks wrong and fighting against the anti-Arab prejudice. During one particular episode of WWE Smackdown, Hassan, who was feuding with the Undertaker at the that time, began praying on the ramp and summoned five masked men who were dressed in black shirts and ski-masks. Armed with clubs and a piano wire, they marched down the ring and beat the Undertaker and choked him out following which Hassan’s manager Daivari, whom the Undertaker had just defeated, was carried out of the ring. The event was taped and three days later, just mere hours before it went on air, the London bombings took place. With insufficient time to edit the segment out, the episode went on air with an advisory warning appearing several times during the broadcast. The angle drew nationwide attention through various media reports and the United Paramount Network (UPN) said that it did not want the Hassan character on its network that week. Following this decision of the UPN, the WWE decided to have the segment on their official website where Hassan claimed that due to his being an Arab-American, the people of America automatically assumed him to be a terrorist which was unfair. Though he was still in character, he made a reference to the real-world coverage of the incident by the media. The UPN then pressurized the WWE to keep Hassan off their network and he was subsequently released from his WWE contract on September 21, 2005. In another incident, WWE superstar The Miz once, in an attempt to draw heat from the fans in order to further solidify his villainous character, interrupted the American national anthem during one of WWE’s house shows to which the National Guard members in attendance took offence. David Finlay, a trainer and agent at the time, who authorised this move, was eventually dismissed from his post and though he justified his move as an attempt to make the Miz character more hated, took responsibility for his termination.    

What is an even more adored character, however, is the anti-hero. The anti-hero is the exact same as the angry-young-man that we have all become so familiar with. The anti-hero typically behaves like a villain. All his actions are heelish, yet he gets cheered by the fans. The anti-hero is anti-establishment, questions the rules, breaks them and constantly defies his boss. It has become so uncommon these days to see people not complaining about their boss at work. People have so many frustrations at work that it is indeed no wonder that they love a character that defies his boss and gets away with it all the time. It is the deeper emotional connect of the fans that makes the anti-hero so adorable.

Wrestling today has become an area of academic study. People have written articles, essays, theses and dissertations examining the cultural significance and role of wrestling in modern society. Wrestling has, for long, fulfilled the roles of theatre and literature. Wrestling’s portrayal of the classical hero, and themes such as revenge, vengeance, tragedy and the depiction of the hero’s struggle towards achieving greatness, overcoming obstacles in his journey and defying odds to emerge triumphant are age-old themes portrayed by theatre and literature. Theatrical elements such as lighting can play a crucial role in wrestling. Which wrestling fan can ever forget the chills down the spine that is felt when the lights go off for the legendary entrance of the Undertaker? Characters and storylines are supposed to be reflecting the current attitudes, beliefs, concerns, and conventions of society. Wrestling, now, has garnered largeprominence in mainstream culture. It has become an area of journalistic criticism with several newspapers and newsletters giving coverage to the sport. Wrestlers have gone on to be a part of movies, writing, politics, business, etc. Similarly, celebrities from other sports and modes of entertainment have got themselves involved with wrestling for brief periods. Several movies and plays have been produced regarding the industry, the most famous being the 2008 film “The Wrestler” which garnered several Oscar nominations.

However, once it became apparent that professional wrestling was worked and that the results were stage managed, it was seen as a cheap form of entertainment for the uneducated working class, which is unfortunately, an attitude that exists to a certain extent even today. However, perceptions of the sport have started to change. The French theorist Roland Barthes was among the first to state that wrestling was worthy of deeper analysis in his essay ‘The World of Wrestling’ from his book “Mythologies”   published in 1957 in which he states that wrestling should be looked at not as a scamming of the ignorant but as a mode of theatrical performance where the function of the wrestler is not to win but to go through the motions that are expected of him to provide the fans with a theatrical spectacle.

However, just like any other line of work, professional wrestling has its share of hazards. Inspite of its scripted nature, pro wrestling has a highly masculine side to it due to the extreme levels of violence and aggression that constitute the nature of the sport. The moves performed in the ring are done with extreme care and caution and take years of practice and professional training to be executed safely, Even so, a stunt gone wrong can lead to very serious injuries, and in extreme cases, even death.  However, inspite of all the criticisms, wrestling has gone on to entertain fans for decades and will hopefully continue to do so.

 AND THE BEST PART OF IT ALL-IT IS A WELCOME CHANGE FROM THE CLICHÉ TRIUMPH OF THE GOOD OVER THE EVIL, BECAUSE AS OFTEN AS THAT HAPPENS, THE DARK SIDE PREVAILS….

AN INSPIRATIONAL CAPTAIN

As the Indian team recovers from yet another embarrassing defeat at the hands of England, and several fingers pointing at M.S.Dhoni, I can’t help but think of the days when Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian side. Several comparisons have been made between the two, with many claiming that Dhoni is a better leader than Sourav. That, however, was until 2011, when Dhoni was still quite a stranger to defeat. Following the 2011 World Cup win, however, luck seems to have deserted him. He is no longer the old, confident skipper who inspired his team to fight till the end. Dhoni seems to be a shell of his former self. He seems to have lost that magical touch that made him such a charismatic and inspirational leader. He is clueless on the field and his field settings indicate a negative mindset. He seems to be defending rather than attacking.

This is where the difference between Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly seems to become very evident. Sourav was never negative. Sure, he too knew what it was like to lose. But, his will never left him. Defeat did not steal away his confidence. It did not change his mindset. It did not make him negative. He did not change the way he led his side. Sourav was a fighter through and through. While under attack, he knew of only one form of defence – counter-attack.  The Indian team never had a reputation of being a fighting team. That was until the arrival of Ganguly in the captaincy scene. Ganguly took over the captaincy of the Indian cricket team in 2000, at a time when Indian cricket was marred by several controversies, including match-fixing scandals. The team lacked experience and there weren’t many who really stood out in terms of talent.  He had a raw team, which he moulded into a good one, which is a sign of a great leader. He had excellent man-management skills and is known to have nurtured the careers of several young players. Sourav was known to constantly speak in the field. He kept speaking words of encouragement. He was an active captain who kept himself involved in the game and was constantly seen to be making changes in the field.  He made things happen and did not wait for them to happen – again, signs of a great leader.

Ganguly was heavily criticised throughout his career for his arrogance and aggression.  Since a young age, he had had a reputation for being proud and arrogant, showing signs of aggression that were considered abnormal or unusual of an Indian cricketer. However, it was this aggression of his that eventually helped him cement his legacy as India’s most successful captain ever. Ganguly’s pride was evident even during his early days when, as a youngster in the Indian team, he was once asked to carry his senior’s bag to the dressing room. A proud Ganguly refused to carry out the task, saying that he was there to represent his country and play cricket and not do menial jobs. He knew what he wanted. He knew his purpose and goal. He was very clear and bland in his views and did not give in to any pressure. He did not care what opinion others held about him. He did what he considered to be the best.

Sourav was also known to be a man of immense self-confidence.  In a particular game, while his team was defending a rather low total, the opposition needed just a few runs off the final over to win the match. The over was being bowled by a specialist fast bowler. After the first couple of deliveries, Sourav walked up to the bowler and asked him to leave the field, citing injury as the reason to the umpire. The bowler did as told, and Ganguly, a batsman, took the ball in his own hands and bowled his team to victory. It was this self-confidence that translated itself so effectively into success. He created the same self-belief in his team as well.

Dhoni, in his initial days as captain, did seem to possess similar qualities. But, he has been taken aback by defeat. He has changed his approach. He has become rather listless and seems to be totally cut-off, waiting for something magical to happen. Sourav never did that. He continued to believe in himself and his team. He continued to inspire and continued to lead from the front and show the rest of the team the way. He was a truly inspirational captain.... 

A PLACE WHERE EVIL PREVAILS

I know that a lot of people may, after reading the title, wonder what I’m talking about. Is there any such place where bad, twisted people are triumphant, are liked, and sometimes even adored, a place where they are cheered for? It certainly can’t happen in the movies. Oh, wait…..  Am I forgetting something? Yes, of course. This is a sports blog. How do movies get a mention here? Where then, or what is this place? Well, actually, there is such a place. Yes, a place where evil is liked, is cheered for, is adored. The sport of professional wrestling provides exactly such a spectacle. Which is why, I think it is one of the most creative and unique concepts ever.

Professional wrestling is a unique spectacle. A spectacle where we see victory, triumph, defeat, revenge, vengeance, tragedy.  And all this, through the form of a sport – wrestling. It is a story which is narrated through the form of a sport. Wrestlers portray characters. A positive character is known in wrestling terminology as a ‘face’, and a wrestler portraying a negative character is known as a ‘heel’. And here’s the uniqueness of the sport. The heel gets cheered for more often than the face. Crazy as it sounds, the main reason for this is that people are tired of the triumph of the good over the evil stuff that they have grown up listening to. People’s interests keep changing, and this most certainly is a welcoming change. They want something that is less fictional and more practical. The triumph of the good over the evil happens in stories. In real life, of course, there is no such guarantee. Wrestling storylines are more realistic, something that the people can connect to better.

A face character does not have much to experiment with. All that he can do is to be honest, persevering, hardworking, and rule-bound. The heel, on the other hand, is a far more dynamic character. The heel is not honest. He isn’t rule-bound. He takes the easy way out. He cheats to win matches. And he constantly tries to find innovative ways of getting himself out of a situation. And the more he innovates, the more interesting and entertaining his character becomes. And that is what the fans seek – entertainment. The heel is obviously the more entertaining character. So, why does it surprise anybody that he is loved by the fans, and is cheered the loudest?

Also, by way of his dynamic nature, he brings out a variety of emotions in the fans. He constantly cheats, resorts to escapism, and in doing so, gets to the fans’ nerves. He brings out happiness, sadness, gloominess, anger, frustration, jealousy. He relates more to the fans. It is the bad man who does it all. He is the cool guy. He is the loved one, he is the hated one. Why, he even wins. Wrestling is where evil is loved. Wrestling is where evil prevails.

FINALLY, AN INDO-PAK SERIES!!!...

I don’t know if others share my sentiment, but I, for one am rejoicing at the news that we finally have a cricket series with our age-old rivals, Pakistan. It is one of the most intense rivalries in all of sports. There is something in an India-Pakistan match that gives people an adrenaline rush. At no point of time in any situation does one find the kind of excitement that surrounds an Indo-Pak match. The decibel levels in the stadium are deafening and just the atmosphere gives fans an impression that they are about to witness something special.

A rivalry that is perhaps even greater than the Ashes, matches contested between the two countries are of high intensity and the atmosphere from start to finish is extremely tense. Players of both teams find themselves under additional pressure in such matches and the expectations are phenomenal. A defeat for either side is unacceptable for the respective fans and players face serious repercussions for underperforming. An ordinary match with nothing much to lose for either side is made into a larger-than-life encounter simply because of the teams involved. Most Indian fans vote for Pakistan when asked who their favourite team is who they would like to see India take on. Probably, the best phrase to describe the atmosphere and the attitude of the fans is ‘excitement personified’.

However, Indo-Pak cricket has a dark side to it. Amidst all the excitement and passion, the stakes are so high, that a loss for either side, which is inevitable, is often met with communal violence in retaliation. It is indeed acts of such foolish nature that have contributed to decreasing confrontations between the two countries on the field. Numerous such instances have occurred in the past, with some people even losing their lives in the process. Such acts of immaturity and foolishness ultimately affect the game of cricket and its loyal, enthusiastic fans, whose thirst for the game is never quenched. However, it was the 26/11 attack in 2008 that served as the final blow as India severed all cricketing ties with Pakistan. Pakistan’s tour of India in late 2007 was the last time the two played in a bilateral series. Since then, they have met only in world tournaments and other multi-nation series, such as the Asia Cup.

However, after much consideration and numerous talks, the two cricket boards have finally agreed to resume cricketing ties as Pakistan tour India for a brief limited-over series between December, 2012 and January, 2013, with the first encounter scheduled for Christmas Day. So, let’s hope that at least this time around, fans of both sides take this in the true spirit of a sportsman and accept defeat gracefully. This upcoming series is being viewed by many as a revival of Indo-Pak cricket. So, on an occasion when Indo-Pak cricket is reborn, let’s all celebrate and hope that this great tradition lives on……    

END OF THE PONTING ERA…

As any ardent fan of cricket must now be aware, Ricky Ponting has finally called it quits. Ponting’s retirement is bound to have its consequences on an Australian team that has not yet passed the restructuring phase, following the retirements of other greats such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. They are undoubtedly beginning to find their way but are yet to reposition themselves atop the cricketing ladder as the most feared and successful side in world cricket.

Ponting’s retirement, though expected, was rather quite abrupt. Perhaps, a string of failures with the bat was the main motivating factor. Somehow, the Ponting of the last couple of years was not the Ponting of the old. Ask anybody who has closely followed his career and they would tell you that the first thing that came to their mind was his style. Perhaps the greatest Australian batsman since Sir Don Bradman, Ponting’s batting was a treat to the eyes. Always actively moving about in the field, he was oozing with elegance and class. By the tender age of 17, he was easily the best player in his country. And add to that he was an excellent fielder. That is one aspect of his game that has largely gone unnoticed. When people saw Ponting, the batsman, they often tended to forget as to just how great a fielder he was. His athleticism was beyond what words can describe which made it almost impossible for batsmen to get their drives past him in the covers area. He had a safe pair of hands which also made him a reliable veteran in the slip cordon. But, that is not all. Ponting’s aim was top-class. He could hit the bull’s eye with just one stump in sight from almost any corner of the ground. No cricketer in history has been able to disturb the woodwork with a direct throw as often as Ponting. He forced batsmen to think numerous times before even stepping out of the crease to take a run with his sheer brilliance on the field.

If Ponting tasted success as a batsman, his success as a captain was no less. Here’s a look at Ponting’s captaincy record in all formats of the game –

·       Most victories as ODI captain: 162

·       Most victories as Test captain: 48

·       Highest victory rate as ODI captain (minimum requirement – 20 matches): 75.74%

·       Most World Cup wins as captain: 2 (shared with Clive Lloyd)

·       Most consecutive Test victories as captain: 16 (shared with Steve Waugh)

·       Undefeated as captain in World Cups: 25

Ponting’s journey as captain, however, wasn’t as rosy as his record suggests, with several people questioning his position and labelling him a poor leader. Not many had faith in his leadership abilities in spite of the results that he produced on a consistent basis. What was perhaps even more unfortunate was that Ponting did not enjoy the support of his own countrymen. Former Australian batting great Ian Chappell called Ponting a disaster as captain. People have also called him overly aggressive and extremely snobbish at times and deemed him unfit to lead the Australian side. Additionally, Ponting, much like many of his team-mates, was not considered to be a great sportsman. After a controversial Test match against India in the Sydney Cricket Ground in January, 2008, that saw some of the ugliest incidents on a cricket field, people questioned his integrity and demanded that he step down as captain. Along with poor umpiring, Australia cheated to win the Test, showing absolutely no sportsman spirit whatsoever, with Ponting being blamed for adding significantly to the mess.

However, all said and done, Ponting still stood tall as Australian captain and continued tasting success in all formats of the game. He did, by way of his controversial demeanour, bring along a ton of critics. But, love him or hate him, there is no denying his greatness out there in the middle. Ponting brought a rock-like solidity to the crease that will never be seen again in Australian cricket. His presence in the middle served as a boost for the rest of the line-up to perform better. Ponting was a nightmare for even the greatest of bowlers and is widely known as the one of the most unforgiving batsmen of the modern era. To top it all, he was a team man who always played for his country. Ricky Ponting was a proud man who carried the true Australian spirit with him, wherever he went. His retirement from international cricket might have come as a relief for bowlers across the world, but for Australia sans Ponting, the going is certainly bound to be tough.

       

TIME TO GO??

Twenty-eight innings since he last scored a fifty! Fifteen since he scored a hundred! He’s 39 years old and isn’t getting any younger. The time has come for him to go and he should gracefully walk away. Does any of this sound familiar? Haven’t you heard of this 39-year-old man before? Well, if your guess is Sachin Tendulkar, you’re right. Talks of his impending retirement have been growing louder with each passing day. All sorts of reports have been appearing in the media, including some so-called talks with the BCCI and the selection committee. “A glorious two-and-a-half decade career has now come down to perform or perish”. That is the talk going around within cricketing circles and a lot seem to be agreeing to that statement.

But, does any of this sound new? Haven’t such reports appeared in the past? While he was going through a similar bad phase in 2008, the same reports appeared saying that he was 35 and well past his prime and had reached saturation point. The only difference this time around is that the figure 35 has now become 39. But, if you just for a moment stopped to take a look at what he has done in the four years that have followed, you would probably agree with the point that I am trying to come to. The period after 2008 has probably been the best of his career. He has produced some of his finest knocks during this time. Many consider the period between early 2009 and the 2011 World Cup to be his most productive one. At a time when most people would call it a day, his game was at its peak.

If that does not convince you enough, just take a look at his record post-2008. Three of his four top scores in One Day International cricket have come during that time. An unbeaten 163 against New Zealand, a 175 against Australia which, given the situation, goes down as one of the greatest innings in ODI cricket history, and a double hundred against South Africa – a feat previously thought of as impossible. Add to that an instrumental role in the 2011 World Cup victory (he finished as the second highest run-scorer of the tournament), and, who could have ever thought – A HUNDRED INTERNATIONAL CENTURIES!!!...

But, Indians and the Indian media are known to have a history of belonging to two extremes. They either hero-worship the team and its players, or, at the first signs of defeat, revolt against them, passing nasty comments and writing them off. Well, Sachin is no stranger to any of this. And, I’m sure he continues to remain as focussed as ever. After all, hasn’t he been fulfilling the unrealistic expectations of a billion people for over 23 years? It most certainly isn’t any simple feat. Time and again, he has defied logic through his sustained passion and longevity in the game. At some point of time, he is sure to regain his past glory.

And, let’s not forget that there isn’t much left for us to see of him. It is definitely no secret that he is fast reaching the final chapters of his career. One thing, however, is for sure – the day he is gone, the entire culture of Indian cricket shall change forever.  So, I guess the best thing for all of us to do is to stop pointing a finger and enjoy what seem to be the final days of a glorious international career, before he reaches the end of the road and fades into the sunset...