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DAKSHIN DARE

A gruelling test of man and machine in a 2,000-km race

SEPTEMBER 2017 VOLUME 8 NO. 9 ` 100

EXCLUSIVE

ACE IN THE PACK The importance of Ajinkya Rahane in the Indian cricket team BLUES BLOOM IN ENGLAND

THE WOMEN’S CRICKET TEAM ASSERTS ITS IDENTITY IN THE WORLD CUP

A NOBLE TOUCHDOWN SAILEN TUDU IS A MAN ON A MISSION

AFGHAN SPRING

Cricket is uniting a war-torn nation and giving it a new identity

BENDING IT IN KASHMIR A silent football revolution is underway in the Valley

INDIA

SEPTEMBER

2017 | VOLUME 8 | NO. 9

CRICKET

26 Mr. Dependable

The indispensability of Ajinkya Rahane in the Indian cricket team

By Chetan Narula CRICKET

34 Women Warriors

A stellar World Cup campaign puts the spotlight on Indian women’s cricket

By Vimal Kumar MOTORSPORT

41 Engines Roar Down South The tricky terrain and the pouring rain made the Dakshin Dare a tough rally

By Bharat Seth ASIAN ATHLETICS

51 Gold Rush

Indians strike it rich at the Asian Athletics Championships

By Tanmoy Mookherjee FOOTBALL

54 A People’s Movement

In Kashmir, the youngsters are bending the ball in quest of a better life

DEPARTMENTS 06 Inbox 08 Leading Off 14 Scorecard 16 Sports Science 18 For The Record 20 Gaming 21 Gear 22 Perspective 24 Tweet Talk 25 Faces in The Crowd 96 Point After The criteria for the national sports awards needs a massive overhaul

By Sukhwant Basra

THE LYNCHPIN Whether he has to hold the fort or go guns blazing, Rahane is the man for the job.

By Jasvinder Sidhu RUGBY

60 Making A Difference

Sailen Tudu is scripting alternative rugby history with his adivasi team

By Sujit Bhar CRICKET

66 Captain’s Choice

Ravi Shastri’s appointment as head coach has brought back the smiles

By Jasvinder Sidhu BASKETBALL

76 In Search Of A Star

The NBA Academy is betting on 21 youngsters to make it big

By Vaibhav Raghunandan CRICKET

82 Rising From The Ashes

Afghan cricket lives on hope in the midst of gunfire and political unrest

By Shantanu Srivastava TENNIS

90 Genius At Work Roger Federer, 36, won his 19th Grand Slam title in an imperious manner

By L. Jon Wertheim

COVER: Ajinkya Rahane Photography: Sameep Singh Styling: Aastha Sharma Hair: Rashmi Shastri Makeup: Pooja Dhakan Photograph by Punit Paranjpe/ AFP/Getty Images

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED INDIA

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INBOX

The piece on P.V. Sindhu on FOR JULY–AUGUST 2017 the occasion of her being awarded as Sportsperson Of The Year showed just how hard she works.

If there is one thing that sets her apart from the rest, it’s her perseverance. I personally take inspiration from her because despite her young age, she continues to show the maturity of a seasoned veteran. She is a delight to watch on-court.

COVER

I would like to congratulate the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED INDIA team for the special issue, which celebrated the achievements of sportspersons. I followed the awards on social media, and it seemed like an amazing occasion. It was also great to see our Paralympians get recognition.

Anmol Singh, Delhi

Sam Mathews, Goa

The story Willow Bridge Over Troubled Waters was superb. While the Kashmir issue is nothing new, we hardly get to read about how it has impacted the industry there, especially the bat manufacturing industry. It was heart-warming to read how Hindus and Muslims came together to protect their livelihood and how they are working hard to protect the famous willow forests from disappearing.

Pranav Pandey, Karnal

Ankit Dubey, Hisar

CONTACT

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

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Sumil Chinnaswamy, Chennai

PAGE

84 The story Made In France, Conquering Europe was wellwritten. The piece not only highlighted Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s great success as a manager in such a short period, but also touched upon the issue of how clubs are choosing to discard managers within short periods of time.

Vivek Varughese, Palakkad

LETTERS E-mail SI at siindia@emmindia.com or sportsillustrated@emmindia.com. Letters should include the writer’s full name, address and phone number and may be edited for clarity and space. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS call 0124-3083590/616 or email circulation@emmindia.com Download the digital copy on magzter.com, zinio.com

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

A SHISH C H AW L A (SIN D H U); C L I V E R OSE /G E T T Y IM AG E S (ZIDA N E); JA S O N MIL L ER /G E T T Y IM AG E S (D U R A N T )

The story on the Kohli–Kumble spat, A Case Of Misplaced Priorities, bluntly brought to light the issues that remain hidden under the surface in the Indian national cricket team. We cricket fans often get lost in the matches, but rarely get to know about the issues plaguing the dressing room in detail. Let’s see how Ravi Shastri performs in his second spell as coach. Also, it is clear that the BCCI is yet to rid itself of all the corrupt officials.

The sooner they do that, the better it will be for the game.

I enjoyed the story on Kevin Durant. While basketball isn’t followed by many in the country, it is a growing sport.

As a basketball fan in India, I usually visit various websites for my dose of NBA stories. It was nice to read one in a magazine that I pick up every month.

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Leading Off

It Was All Yellow ■ Race leader Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team SKY rides in the peloton in the 203.5-km 11th stage of the 2017 Tour de France from Eymet to Pau in France. Froome won the toughest cycling race on the planet for the fourth time.

PHOTOGRAPH BY

BRYN LENNON/ GETTY IMAGES

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Leading Off

Getting Back Up ■ Gary Corcoran and Larry Ekundayo of Great Britain exchange blows during their WBO Intercontinental Welterweight Championship bout at the Copper Box Arena in London, U.K. Corcoran came out on top in a split decision, and now has a 17–1 record.

His only loss came against Liam Williams last year and he has won two bouts since then.

PHOTOGRAPH BY

BEN HOSKINS/ GETTY IMAGES

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Leading Off

Looks Like Fun ■ Riders in action during the SideCar Cross World Championship in Iffendic, France. Etienne Bax and Nicolas Musset won the championship with 324 points, while Valentine Giraud and Elvijs Mucenieks finished second with 304 points.

PHOTOGRAPH BY

JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/ GETTY IMAGES

For The Record

Gaming

Social Media

Faces In

India’s U-17 WC Hopes

Getting Started

The Shastri Debate

The Crowd

18

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Slam Bunk

Yeah, we know it’s not real, and by acknowledging it, pro wrestling is adding fans and gaining respect BY DAN GREENE

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my timeline suddenly filled with . . . wrestling?

This is not a phenomenon specific to the Twitter verse.

In recent years pro wrestling discussion has steadily seeped into mainstream media in unexpected ways, with surprising staying power. SI.com now runs weekly wrestling features and interviews while regularly spotlighting viralworthy in-ring moments. Last August, ESPN.com launched a WWE-focused vertical, almost a year after it began devoting weekly SportsCenter

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

segments to interviews with wrestlers. Other outlets, including The New York Times, are giving more frequent space to the subject as well.

Stars like John Cena have gone Hollywood. Suddenly pro wrestling—the scripted pseudo-sport long dismissed by virtually everyone but its fans—is seemingly everywhere. What gives?

Even as one of those timeline-flooders, I agree it’s a fair question. After all, this is not necessarily one of the industry’s cyclical boom

periods, when its product aligns with the zeitgeist (the gaudy gloss of the 1980s, the irreverence of the late ’90s) to catalyse crossover appeal.

While WWE is financially strong and gleefully touts its social media following—it has 9.34 million Twitter followers, more than either Major League Baseball or the NHL— traditional metrics are in decline. Last Memorial Day its flagship show, USA Network’s Monday Night Raw, drew the second-lowest Nielsen rating in its 24-year history, with a

E T H A N MIL L ER /G E T T Y IM AG E S

A WARNING FOR uninitiated social media trawlers: Aug. 20 was WWE’s SummerSlam. If this seems irrelevant to you, perhaps you can relate to this scenario instead: You were spending yet another evening on Twitter, scrolling away your ennui, when the accounts you follow for sports and news suddenly started posting about superplexes. Soon you realised this was a full-scale invasion of the bodyslammers.

You were left scratching your head. Why, you wondered, is

STRONG ARGUMENT John Cena, who has crossed over into the movies, is one of WWE’s mainstream stars.

PAU L K A N E /G E T T Y IM AG E S (W W E); A RR OYO M O REN O/G E T T Y IM AG E S (IS CO); A L B EL LO/G E T T Y IM AG E S (K R O M OWIDJ OJ O); JA N K RU G ER /G E T T Y IM AG E S

substance available on the topic. It helps that those who came of age while wrestling experienced previous surges in popularity have grown into positions of editorial influence: A 12-year-old who watched Hulk Hogan slam Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987 is now 42, while a 16-year-old who idolised the beer-swigging Stone Cold Steve Austin a decade later is now in his or her mid-30s. And with the rise of social media, it is easier (and more socially acceptable) than ever for those who once congregated on obscure message boards to announce their fanaticism in front of everyone, including those who gauge the appetites of the public.

It helps too that the industry has long since dropped the pretence of kayfabe—the internal insistence that the

66 Real Madrid scored in 66 consecutive games when e they found the net against Manchester United in the 2–1 up UEFA Super Cup o win with Isco scoring the winner.

22.93

1.75; in 1999, for example, that number regularly topped 6.0.

Still, even on bad nights, Raw typically draws nearly three million viewers, making it one of the mostwatched shows on cable. (For comparison, NBA telecasts on TNT averaged 1.5 million in 2016–17.) Yet “sports entertainment”—WWE’s self-styled branding—traditionally found itself without a natural media home, outside the purview of media covering either sports (such as SI) or entertainment (such as SI’s sister publication, Entertainment Weekly).

Millions watched, but hardly anyone else noticed.

But with the Web’s insatiable thirst for clicks, outlets discovered a well awaiting a tap. Wrestling pieces draw consistent, low-cost traffic as underserved devotees flock to the newfound

show is nonfiction. Coverage is in turn no longer dogged by questions of legitimacy, nor is fandom as ridiculed by you-know-it’s-fake-right? snark. That allows the kind of open appreciation of the form depicted in Netfl ix’s acclaimed new series GLOW, or a recent New York Times short documentary titled The Aria of Babyface Cauliflower Brown, in which an indie wrestler by that name articulates a convincing argument for wrestling as performance art. Wrestling is now a show that lets the world know it’s a show.

This is not to say its cultural incursion is all good news. In May, The New York Times Magazine ran an essay titled “Is Everything Wrestling?” that examined American society’s growing resemblance to the form: politicians’ and cable TV hosts’ embrace of base confl ict, the contrived unreality of celebrity gossip, the pervasive “insistence on telling a great story with no regard for the facts.”

More recently, basketball’s proudest and loudest father, LaVar Ball, reportedly admitted to Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson that his public hubris was an act to build his family brand, reminiscent of how WWE honcho Vince McMahon’s on-screen antagonism helped earn his company millions.

All of which calls to mind a plea paraphrased from one of wrestling’s perpetually hapless referees: Please, everybody, let’s keep the performance in the ring. ±

Ranomi Kromowidjojo is the first woman to clock a time of under 23 seconds in the women’s 50m freestyle—a new orld record of 22.93 world ecs. The previous record secs. as held by Sweden’s was arah Sjostrom, with Sarah a time of 23.10 secs.

3 Cheteshwar Pujara scored his third consecutive century (133) against Sri Lanka in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

15

SCORECARD

Sports Science

Healing From The Inside When it comes to fitness, nutrition is as important as your training regime, if not more. Here are some superfoods to consider BY SHAYAMAL VALLABHJEE

16 /

incorporate into our nutrition plan. You should bear in mind that even if you are consuming quality supplements, it isn’t a substitute for quality food, which is something Herbalife actively advocates as its healthy, active-life mantra in more than 90 countries.

LEMON & SEA SALT Let’s kickstart with these two simple ingredients. Lemon, besides being a wonderful detoxification aid, has the purest concentration of negative ions compared to any other fruit.

These ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness and more mental energy. It’s best to infuse freshly-cut lemon wedges in water to unlock lemon’s potential. Similarly, sea salt is the easiest swap you can do in your kitchen. Replace your table salt with Himalayan Sea Salt. It’s packed with live trace and essential minerals from the earth.

HEMP This contains 20 amino acids and is a complete source of plant protein. It is also nature’s most abundant source of essential fatty acids and has a perfect 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Shelled hemp is best eaten raw and should not be heated. The heat will denature its active amino acids.

GARLIC The enzyme released from garlic triggers the pro-

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

duction of hydrogen sulfide, which acts as an antioxidant.

This is the reason why garlicrich diets have proven beneficial in fighting many types of cancer. The best way to unlock its power is to crush the garlic bulbs and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. It’s also best to avoid heating these crushed bulbs.

KEFIR One of the most powerful probiotics in the world, a small kefir drink could contain

between two to three million live bacteria strains, making it essential for gut health. I’m a big advocate of kefir simply because with the amount of pesticides and chemicals in our food, this little drink could protect us from infection.

CORDYCEPS This time-honoured superfood first originated in Chinese medicine more than 5,000 years ago. It’s a form of fungus that grows on the back

SHI VA N G I K U L K A RNI

SPORTS SCIENCE is the study of performance and all the variables that contribute to the marginal gains that improve an athlete’s performance. Whenever someone asks me about these variables, the subject inadvertently veers towards supplementation, and whether or not we can trust the source of these supplements.

Having worked with professional athletes for close to two decades, I am amazed at how many athletes question the source of their supplements but are completely ignorant when questioned about the source of the food they ingest.

Most professional athletes train twice a day and eat between five to seven meals in a day, yet they have not deduced that the quality of their food impacts their healing, recovery, performance, psychological and emotional well-being.

This realisation sent me down a path that made me question not only the source of the food we eat, but also the most adequate preparation method that helps unlock the true potential of superfoods.

I have also worked closely with the nutrition experts at Herbalife, which creates some of the world’s leading sciencebased nutrition products, to help decipher how natural and botanical ingredients can help you get the nutrition you need.

I’m going to focus on six food items that we should

I’ve been working out regularly for more than a year, yet have not managed to make sufficient strength gains. What can I do?

—VIKRAM AHUJA, Bhopal It’s quite common for weekend warriors and regular gym-goers to stagnate in their progress.

The most common reason for this is that they don’t follow the “Principle of Progressive Overload” (10 percent) and the “Principle of Periodisation.” Progressive Overload means that the individual needs to constantly increase his weights or rep count by 10 percent per week to ensure continuous improvement. Periodisation, on the other hand, is about working in cycles that incorporate sufficient rest to allow the muscles and the body to recover—it allows you to plan your peaking strategy. With all the professional athletes I train, we ensure that all of our training fits into a periodisation cycle that factors in our competition cycles as well.

of caterpillars at an altitude of 3,800 metres above sea level.

When fully grown, they can consume up to 80 percent of the caterpillar and weigh between 300 to 500mg.

These amazing fungi are known to improve stamina and athletic performance, apart from being linked to improved immunity and lower respiratory track infection.

They aren’t easy to find, but if you can get your hands on them, they could be very beneficial to improving your overall performance.

AMARANTH This gluten-free grain was the major source of protein for the Aztecs. Amaranth is a very tall plant with broad green leaves and vividly bright purple, red or gold flowers. Did you know that amaranth can be consumed as leaf, cereal grain or grain flour? With so much emphasis

on gluten-free diets, this grain is a wonderful substitute for traditional wheat.

Its benefits include lower cholesterol and better immunity, while it can also aid in better digestion and reduced inflammation.

When an athlete is training, his or her body’s immunity drops significantly, making him or her vulnerable to infection. Even a minor infection can derail training and risk an entire competitive season.

That’s why the quality of the food we eat is vitally important. Focusing on just a few simple changes in your diet could help yield wonderful performance results. ±

Shayamal Vallabhjee is a sports scientist, EQ consultant and cricket expert. He is a Herbalife Consultant—Fitness and Education and has trained elite athletes, filmstars and advises many teams and corporates.

Are there any supplements to help me recover quickly post my training?

—MOHD. YUNUS, Mumbai Protein is probably the most vital ingredient for muscle synthesis. I personally prefer the Herbalife Formulae 1 or Herbalife 24 for athletes, as it has been formulated for that usage.

I don’t generally recommend supplements for amateur athletes or people who’re not training competitively for professional sports. I prefer to focus on eating clean and sleeping well. In addition to focusing on quality food, it helps build discipline, which is an integral part of achieving your goals.

I compete in athletics and I always get a catch in my hamstrings. How do I stretch them better?

—PRAKRITI KUMARI, Asansol The hamstring injury is probably the most common muscle injury amongst sprinters.

More than stretching it, you need to focus on eccentrically strengthening and stretching it.

My favourite eccentric hamstring exercise for athletes is the Nordic Hamstring Curl. Start slowly with just one to two sets of two to three repetitions and build up from there. It’s going to be a fabulous addition to your strengthening regime that could potentially yield good results.

Have a nutrition, fitness or sports question for Shayamal?

Write to us at SIAdvisor@emmindia.com.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

17

SCORECARD FOR THE RECORD

Young Blues Out To Win With Their Attitude

With barely a month to go for the Fifa U-17 World Cup, India coach Luís Norton de Matos believes the hosts have what it takes to make a mark BY GOVINDAN KISHWAR

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

general. “One of the best moments was the match against Benfica,” Rahul says. “We did not win, but we got such good feedback. We were told ‘you guys are special, you are so fast’, and if we work hard, we will achieve our goals.”

That match against the Portuguese side saw India fall behind 0–2, only to score two late goals for a 2–2 draw. But at the time de Matos was barely a couple of months into his role as head coach, having taken over in March, and now the 63-year-old, who Sarangi says is a “good person”, has had the time to evaluate his squad and knows that these players need some direction.

“For me, the emotional intelligence is very important in football.

When I came, I wanted to be a leader, in the sense that I guide the players, but not a chief, because a

The match against Benfica saw India fall behind 0–2, only to score two late goals for a 2–2 draw

chief gives orders,” he says. “You have to keep the confidence of the players high. They used to play very directly. Indian players are like Portuguese players when it comes to controlling the ball. If we have the ball, we are calm, we are not running around chasing it. A pianist needs a piano to play, and a footballer needs a football.”

As de Matos prepared to leave, he paused, and reminded everyone of the “importance of this tournament” and the importance of “standing by the team.” Obvious things, one would think, but he went on to explain that this would be the start of something exciting. For a country whose senior team managed its best FIFA ranking in 21 years, climbing to 96th in July, de Matos’s boys could be the ones to take it further in the coming years. ±

CO U R T E S Y O F A IF F

AS LUÍS Norton de Matos was nearing the end of an extensive Q&A session, the India U-17 national football team coach was asked a question everyone had managed to avoid until then—can India manage even a point?

While the question is by all means awkward, it is relevant too.

The hosts have been drawn with the U.S., Ghana and Colombia in the group stage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup that kicks off in New Delhi on Oct. 6. De Matos could have gone with an ‘of course’, packed up and left, but the Portuguese instead emphasised once again what he had been saying all along, that as long as the players give their all on the pitch, as long as he knows they delivered a “good performance”, the result would be an afterthought.

“I know our possibilities (against other teams) are small. When I saw the draw, I know in each match we have little chance. But our mentality is we will win, because even if we lose, we should win with our attitude,” he said after taking a moment to think. “I want to congratulate them for giving their all. Even a draw can be a good result, but we don’t play for a draw. We have a responsibility to prove that Indian footballers in two to three years can play at the same level as the best teams.”

Now, while the latter part of the statement seems to be a bit of a stretch, there is no doubt about the fact that the players are enjoying themselves. At the presser de Matos was flanked by two players who could prove to be the difference for India—forward Shubham Sarangi and midfielder Rahul K.P.—and they do a better job of illustrating just why there is reason to be excited about not just this India team, but the future of Indian football in

HOMEING HOME E IIN NG IN

SAY WHAT?

Who said what in the world of sport to make us laugh and make us cry “What is today’s date? I have a maths test in two days. I’m not good at maths, it’s tough being at college and doing all this, so thank you to my algebra teacher.”

—U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who matched his idol Michael Phelps’s record medal tally of seven gold medals in one world championship in Budapest

PARUPALLI KASHYAP

RAMKUMAR RAMANATHAN

The 2014 Commonwealth Games champion returned to form, finishing runner-up at the recently-concluded U.S. Open Grand Prix Gold. Kashyap, who has struggled, owing to a long injury lay-off, went down to compatriot and friend H.S. Prannoy in the final 15–21, 22–20, 12–21.

The 30-year-old shuttler beat top seed Lee Hyun en route to the final.

This year is turning out to be one of the best for Ramanathan, who attained a career-high ATP ranking of 168 with a string of positive results. The 22-year-old from Chennai earned 48 points to jump 16 places following his second ATP Challenger runner-up finish of the season at the Winnetka event in the U.S. He is the highest-ranked Indian player in singles now.

“I don’t think age matters because it’s all about experience. I still feel like 20 although I have crossed 30.”

—Olympic medallist and professional boxer Vijender Singh says he banks on his agility and training to bring down his rivals

“What is the purpose of us being here? It is doing the right thing and winning in the right way—and sometimes doing it the right way and standing by your values is very tough. And it was today. I feel terrible.”

—Mercedes chief Toto Wolff delivered an emotional explanation of his team’s racing philosophy after Lewis Hamilton allowed teammate Valtteri Bottas to pass him at the final corner for third place at the Hungarian GP

“The remarkable series has come to an end. My body has its limits, and I have to respect that and be grateful for all that I have achieved so far.”

A L E X L I V E SE Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (K A SH YA P); P U NI T PA R A N J PE /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (R A M A N AT H A N); WA RREN L I T T L E /G E T T Y IM AG E S ( T H A PA); CO U R T E S Y O F F O R C E IN D I A (DA RU VA L A)

—Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic announcing he will miss the rest of the season due to elbow injury, ending his streak of participating in 51 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments

OUTSIDE EDGE By Satish Acharya SHIVA THAPA

JEHAN DARUVALA

Thapa continued his brilliant run of form to clinch one of the five gold medals won

by Indian boxers at the 48th Grand Prix Usti Nad Labem in the Czech Republic.

In total, Indian pugilists won eight medals at the event. Thapa clinched a dominant 5–0 victory over Slovakia’s Filip Meszaros to record another moraleboosting triumph ahead of the World Championships.

The Force India Academy driver enjoyed a strong weekend at the SpaFrancorchamps circuit in Belgium, finishing just outside the podium in all three races of Round 6 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. But he got three podiums in the rookie classification—second in Race 1 and 3 and winning Race 2, impressing in his maiden F3 racing season.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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SCORECARD GAMING

Gaming 101

The video game industry is one of the fastestgrowing in the world. However, getting into gaming can be intimidating. Many find it too complicated or hard, but here are some of the best games to get you started

FORZA HORIZON 3 When it comes to racing games, Turn 10 Studios probably do it best. Horizon 3 is a perfect mix of arcade handling and realism. The difficulty level too can be fine-tuned to suit your skills, while car customisation ensures you don’t need to know the nitty-gritties of a car to find a perfect fit. Available on: Xbox One and Windows 10

BY TEAM SI

GRAND THEFT AUTO V The controls may take time to get used to, but the scale of what you can do in the open world is reason enough to make this your first foray into gaming. While there are plenty of side activities, if they don’t hold your interest, you can always do what GTA does best, chucking grenades out the car window. Available on: All major platforms.

WITCHER III: THE WILD HUNT The third installment in the Witcher series is perhaps the best way to get into role-playing games (RPG). While the game is one of the most beautiful out right now and is packed with a meaty campaign, what makes it the ideal first RPG for a newbie is how forgiving the game is at lower difficulty levels, allowing you to get the hang of things before you truly begin to test yourself. Being an RPG, the Witcher is also a great way to understand the complexities of RPGs, which, with time you will realise is not as hard to grasp. You’ll be mixing potions and crafting weapons like a pro in no time. Available on: All major platforms.

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

WITCHER III: THE WILD HUNT The third instalment in the Witcher series is perhaps the best way to get into role-playing games (RPG). While the game is one of the most beautiful out there and is packed with a meaty campaign, what makes it an ideal first RPG for a newbie is the forgiving nature of the game at lower difficulty levels, allowing you to get the hang of things before you truly begin to test yourself. Being an RPG, Witcher is also a great way to understand the complexities of the genre, which is not hard to grasp. You’ll be mixing potions and crafting weapons like a pro in no time.

Available on: All major platforms.

SCORECARD GEAR

Work And Play

With laptops closing the gap when it comess to Cs,, power compared to full-fledged desktop PCs, here is the perfect combination for gaming,, and a bit of work, on the go

BY TEAM SI

TURTLE BEACH STEALTH 350VR

HP OMEN 2017 This behemoth of a gaming laptop will crush anything thrown at it. The top-of-theline model is equipped with a seventh generation Intel i7 CPU, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, a one terabyte hard drive as well as 256 GB SSD. However, the icing on the cake is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB graphics card, which will ensure buttery-smooth frame rates even of the most demanding games. ` 79,999-180,000

XBOX ONE CONTROLLER Microsoft’s Xbox One console has faced a fair bit of criticism, but one thing it always does right is its excellent controller. No matter the genre, the controller is the perfect companion with its precise thumb sticks, responsive buttons and excellent triggers.

The controller can be used with a Windows PC as well in case you want to take a break from that excel sheet. ` 4,599

Be it the roar of the crowd when you score a beautiful goal in PES or FIFA or the sound of footsteps in an intense shooter, good sound quality goes a long way in immersing yourself in a game. The Turtle Beach Stealth 350 VR is the perfect pair of headphones for it. With 50mm drivers and a removable microphone, you can even use them on the go for music and the over-ear lightweight design ensures they don’t feel cumbersome even during long hours of use. ` 4,500

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SCORECARD PERSPECTIVE

The summer of 2017 threw up plenty of surprises as another world-record transfer dominated the first half of football’s trading season. In the first of a two-part series, we look back at some of the biggest talking points of the transfer window until now B Y G O V I N D A N K I S H WA R

“The life of an athlete is made by challenges. Some are given to us. Others are fruits of our own decisions to keep the light that illuminates our career, which is intense, but short. Barcelona was much more than a challenge, it was the dream of a child who played with those stars through the video game.”

— Neymar, following his move mov o e to PSG

THE END OF MSN

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Appearances ces

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UEFA Champions League 2014–15 La Liga

6 2014–15, 2015–16

Copa del Rey

2014–15, 7 2015–16, 2016–17

Supercopa de España

2013

FIFA Club World Cup

2015

“On a country owns a club, everything “Once verything possible. It becomes very difficult is p fficultt tto o respect the Financial Fair Play because resp you can have different ways, orr different interests for a country to have such a big inte player represent a country. It’s play s beyond calculation and beyond rationality.” calc ality.”

—A Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager, on N Neymar’s transfer fee

EASE INCRRECORDEE IN ER F SF TRAN

D PAID UNITE PAUL R E T HES FOR MANC,000,000 2016 5 N I 0 €1 POGBA

*A L L S TAT S A S O F AU G . 4 , 2017.

S TAT S: T R A N SM A RK T.CO.U K

NEYMAR AT BARCELONA

The biggest move of the season was Neymar’s decision to leave Barcelona following four hugely successful years. The Brazilian was part of arguably the best attacking trio in history comprising Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar (MSN).

It turned out to be quite an ugly saga, as Barcelona did not expect any club to have the financial muscle to afford Neymar’s release clause of €222 million and meet et UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations at the same time. When PSG SG did meet the clause, the La Liga initially refused to accept the payment, with president Javier Tebas calling g PSG “financial dopers.” p

A L E X C A PA RR OS /G E T T Y IM AG E S (M SN IM AG E); MIK E E G ER T O N - EM PI C S /G E T T Y IM AG E S (N E Y M A R WI T H T R O PH Y ); RYA N PIERSE /G E T T Y IM AG E S (W EN G ER); AU REL IEN M EU NIER /G E T T Y IM AG E S (N E Y M A R P S G)

Money Talks

PREMIER LEAGUE ON BUYING BINGE AGAIN

IN 2017

TOP FOUR EPL BUYS

B O B L E V E Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (LU K A K U); T H A N A N U WAT SRIR A S A N T/G E T T Y IM AG E S F O R I CC (M O R ATA); NIL S PE T T ER NIL SS O N /O M B REL LO/G E T T Y IM AG E S (M EN DY ); M A RK M E T C A L F E /G E T T Y IM AG E S (L AC A ZE T T E); EMIL I O A N D RE O L I /G E T T Y IM AG E S (M US ACC HI O ; R O D RI G U E Z); M AU RIZI O L AGA N A /G E T T Y IM AG E S (B O N U CC I); F R A N C E S CO PE CO R A R O/G E T T Y IM AG E S (K E SSIE); M A R CO R OSI /G E T T Y IM AG E S (B I G L I A); A L E X L I V E SE Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (C A L H A N O G LU); M A R CO LUZ Z ANI /G E T T Y IM AG E S (CO N T I); L AU REN C E G RIF FI T H S /G E T T Y IM AG E S (SILVA); G R A PHI C BY V IJAY END R A

As always, Premier League clubs are again the biggest spenders in Europe, forking out nearly £900 million to strengthen their squads. Their financial might is hard to compete with, but are they getting their money’s worth?

SPENT

2

ÁLVARO MORATA STRIKER CHELSEA £58M

£896m

3

237

198

£410m

£614m

Average/player

174

228

£470m

BENJAMIN MENDY LEFT-BACK MANCHESTER CITY £51M

ROMELU LUKAKU STRIKER MANCHESTER UNITED £76M

NO. OF PLAYERS IN

641

£302m

ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE STRIKER ARSENAL £47M

4

Premier League £5.15m

La Liga £1.27m

Serie A £0.95m

Bundesliga £2.07m

Ligue 1 £2.06m

It is evident that the Premier League has brought in the least number of players, but has spent nearly a third more than the next biggest spenders. The Italians sure know how to drive a hard bargain. It must be noted that the French League would have been the thriftiest had it not been for Neymar’s sensational move to PSG.

ITALIAN REVOLUTION RICARDO RODRÍGUEZ LEFT-BACK

LEONARDO LEON BONUCCI BONU

££15.3m 15.

5.3m 3m m

CENTRE-BACK CE ENT NTRE

£35.7m £3 35.

5.7m 7m

FRANCK FRA KESSIÉ KES MIDFIELDER MIDF MI DI DF £6.8m £6 6.8 8m

MATEO MUSACCHIO CENTRE-BACK £15.3m

ANDREA CONTI RIGHT-BACK £21.25m

LUCAS BIGLIA MIDFIELDER £14.45m HAKAN HA CALHANOGLU CA MIDFIELDER M MI D ££18.7m £1 8

ANDRÉ SILVA STRIKER £32.3m

The last time A.C. Milan won the Serie A was in 2011. They have failed to make the topfour since 2013. Now, after four years of mediocrity, the second-most successful club in Europe is backed by Chinese investment. They have gone on a shopping spree to assemble a squad capable of making them the top club in Italy and Europe once again.

SEPTEMBER SEP S SE SEPT EPT EP E PTT E P EM EMB EMBE MBE MB M BE B E R 201 2 20 2017 01 17 7 / S SPO SP SPORTS PO P ORT RTS R TS T S IILLU ILL IL ILLUSTRATED LLU LLL LLU U ST S TR STRA STR TTRA RA R ATE TE TED ED D /

23 23

SCORECARD TWEET TALK

Mixed Bag Many predicted Ravi Shastri would replace Anil Kumble as India coach, but not everyone is happy with the outcome BY PRIYANKA SHARMA THE DRAMA unfolded.

Ravi Shastri was appointed the new head coach of Team India, replacing Anil Kumble, who resigned from his post after the ICC Champions Trophy following a reported fall-out with captain Virat Kohli. The appointment wasn’t too surprising as Shastri shared a good rapport with Team India members, especially Kohli, and BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee stalwart Sachin Tendulkar favoured the cricketer-turned-commentator’s candidature. It was reported that Tendulkar played a big role in convincing Shastri to apply for the post. Shastri’s previous stint with India as the team director from 2014-16 had

been fruitful, which must have made his case stronger.

Expectedly, the development sent the social media into a frenzy. While the cricketing fraternity welcomed the former India all-rounder at the helm of affairs, many had expected the development sooner or later. Twitter was flooded with congratulatory messages, some trolling and a lot of predictions about the team’s future.

Some chose to go with the flow,

hoping the best for Kohli and his boys.

“Congratulations @ ImZaheer @RaviShastriOfc & #RahulDravid. Best wishes for a successful tenure with #TeamIndia @BCCI,” tweeted Suresh Raina (@ImRaina), wishing Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan too for their appointments as batting and

bowling consultants.

With Kohli’s reported fallout with Kumble leading to the latter’s exit, many fans weren’t too happy with the BCCI’s decision. “Team India Gets Its Manmohan Singh. Ravi Shastri appointed as new Team India head coach. Boys played well to keep legend Anil Kumble out,” was the sarcastic response from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s parody account, @SirJadeja.

Another user @DennisCricket_ added: “I actually can’t think of any actual area where Shastri outshines Tom Moody except for maybe power grabbing and manipulation.”

There was criticism for Kohli too, who was called egoistic. @yesvinay wrote: “Ravi Shastri new coach. Virat gets what he wants. BCCI and CAC dancing to the tunes of egoistic captain.

Can happen only in India.” @Ra_Bies added: “Just after Ravi Shastri is appointed as coach of our cricket team, he announced that beer & vodka shots wd be served during the drink breaks.” ±

INSTAGRAM

All Action and All Play

Manchester’s King finds his Kong, Bolt wins yet again and Pogba makes Messi laugh

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Chiselled To Perfection Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been one to hide his arrogance, captioning this picture “King and Kong” @iamzlatanibrahimovic

Just A Friendly Manchester United lost a friendly to Barcelona 0–1. But that didn't stop Paul Pogba from joking with Lionel Messi @paulpogba

G U RPREE T SIN G H / HIN D US TA N T IM E S V I A G E T T Y IM AG E S

Gold Standard Usain Bolt was in high spirits ahead of the World Championships, posting this picture at the Monaco Diamond League @usainbolt

SCORECARD Jafreen Shaik | Hyderabad | Tennis The 18-year-old hearing-impaired player is one of the rising stars in Indian tennis. Following in the footsteps of her mentor, Sania Mirza, the two-time national champion is scaling new heights. The latest being making it to the Indian team for the Deafl ympics in Turkey. She is a protégé of the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in Hyderabad.

Ritika Thakar | Nagpur | Badminton The 16-year-old launched her senior international campaign in style, capturing twin titles at the Ivory Coast Future Series International Badminton in Abidjan. Thakar, the youngest participant, beat compatriot Simran Singhi 21–13, 21–19 to win the women’s singles title. Later she paired with Singhi to win the doubles title.

Mahak Jain | Indore | Tennis Jain impressed in the Wimbledon Juniors first round against Lea Boskovic of Croatia, winning 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–4. The 16-year-old could not progress further but showed commendable maturity. Earlier this year, Jain won the ITF Grade 3 tournament in Chandigarh before defeating top seed Zeel Desai for an ITF Grade 2 junior title in Delhi.

Ruhaan Alva | Mangaluru | Motorsport The 10-year-old tasted success at the Italian Easykart Championship, clinching his second title in Italy and a third-place finish in Rounds 4 and 5. Alva, supported by Italian kart manufacturer Birel Art, is currently placed fourth in the championship standings. Alva finished first in the Mini 60 category in Castelletto on his debut in May 2016.

Tvesa Malik | Gurugram | Golf Barely a month after turning professional, Malik got her fledgling career to a flying start with a win in the seventh leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2017. The 21-year-old from Haryana held her nerve on the back nine and holed a late birdie on the 15th to emerge victorious by one shot over the more experienced Gaurika Bishnoi.

Ashutosh Tiwari | Noida | Tennis A trainee at the Zeeshan Ali Tennis Academy, Tiwari has been in great form recently, claiming a win and finishing runner-up at the AITA Championship Series tournament in Bengaluru. Tiwari, who started playing tennis at the age of 10, also reached the quarter-finals at the India ITF Junior-1 in Guwahati earlier this year.

UPDATE

Urs On Right Path ■ After Aditi Ashok, another player from Karnataka is creating ripples in Indian golf.

Pranavi S. Urs, a Class VIII student, fi nished as the top-ranked amateur, and fi fth overall, in the recently concluded seventh leg of the Hero Women’s Golf Tour. Urs aggregated 225 at the Eagleton Golf Course.

This year, she participated in the Queen Sirikit Cup and Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open, where she finished 19th and 18th, respectively.

She also won the AllIndia Ladies Amateur Championship in February and was runner-up at the International Junior Golf Championship team event in April. She won the Category B title at the All-India Ladies & Junior Girls Faldo Series golf tournament. She was also a runner-up in Category B at the 8th Albatross International Golf Championships 2016.

Nominate a Name Now j To submit a candidate for Faces In The Crowd, e-mail us at siindia@emmindia.com or sportsillustrated@emmindia.com.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

Batting C R IC K E T

Simplified Playing an aggressive brand of cricket is the new mantra for Team India under Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane is an important cog in the captain’s intent of dominating the opposition

By Chetan Narula Photograph by Sameep Singh

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AJINKYA RAHANE

Rahane is equipped with solid technique and aggressive intent, but he can drop anchor if the situation demands

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O N O P E N I N G S P R E A D S W E AT S H I R T: T H E S O U R C E ; D E N I M : Z A R A ; W R I S T B A N D : T H E B R O CO D E

AFTER THE CLOSE of the fi rst day’s play in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Ajinkya Rahane walked into the press conference a relieved man. His relief was easy to understand. He had scored his fi rst Test century in just over 10 months—the last one was in October 2016 against New Zealand in Indore. Since then, he had played in nine Tests with a highest score of 82 in February this year against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. Simply put, this was the longest he had gone without raising his bat in exultation in his Test cricket career.

“It was an important hundred. Even though I didn’t get a hundred in nine Tests, I knew that when I got the next one it would be a big one,” said Rahane, shrugging off any hint of self-doubt after scoring a classy 132 in the fi rst innings at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Rahane’s words might be reassuring, but it’s important to reflect on the temporary loss of form that the Mumbai batsman experienced for the fi rst time in his Test career. When he notched up his highest Test score of 188 against New Zealand last autumn, Rahane touched the zenith of his career until that point.

It reflected in his fi gures. Barring his maiden Test in Delhi in 2013, he has excelled everywhere, in varied conditions, both at home and overseas and against all opposition. You couldn’t put a finger on any one particular failure, because there were none. From Durban to Wellington, from Lord’s to Melbourne, from Fatulla to the Caribbean, he had scored runs everywhere. At the end of that cycle, Rahane managed to lay the ghost of his horrendous debut to rest with two centuries against South Africa in 2015 in Delhi. At that point, he had already scored 1,619 (22 Tests) of his 2,809 career runs (40 Tests) so far. But it wasn’t an easy ride.

Rewind to the end of 2013, when India travelled to South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar had walked into the sunset and India had a completely new batting lineup. There were high expectations from Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay. Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli were already hailed as replacements for Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar. Rohit Sharma, as always, was much talked about.

Rahane was also in the mix.

In a team brimming with exciting talent, Rahane and Pujara were the workmen. But the conditions in South Africa and New Zealand have often put far more experienced players under pressure. Even as Rahane’s more established teammates ran into trouble, he went from strength to strength. Both in South Africa and New Zealand, he batted at number six, below Rohit. He scored 371 runs from eight innings, Rohit got less than half his tally.

A few months later, when India decided to play fi ve bowlers in England, Rahane moved ahead of Rohit in the pecking order.

It was perhaps a turning point for the batsman. High on confidence, Rahane scored a glorious hundred at the hallowed Lord’s and led India to victory on a challenging wicket. It led former England spinner Graeme Swann to call it “the best innings in recent times. There is no way Rahane has batted on a wicket like that (before) and yet, he scored a brilliant hundred. He is already the standout player of the series.”

India lost that series 1–3 and, even though he couldn’t carr y his form through the rest of the series, Rahane had grow n in stature. He was no longer the new kid on the block, waiting for his chance. He had arrived to stake his rightful claim. But there is always the next step to conquer, which is the hallmark of a good player. Landing in Australia, he revealed a new facet to his game based on the team’s strategy of attack.

ISH A R A S . KO D IK A R A /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

REGAINING TOUCH Rahane scored his ninth century against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground after a prolonged dip in form.

When Kohli is in the zone, he is rarely outscored. This is precisely what Rahane did in Melbourne even as Australia sledged him liberally and Mitchell Johnson employed the short-ball tactic. While Kohli dropped anchor, Rahane kept the runs flowing. And it worked, because the Australians were expecting exactly the opposite. After that scintillating knock at the MCG, Rahane graduated from being a workman to a frontline soldier. The Mumbai batsman still rates it as his best century.

I

F THERE IS one deficiency in Rahane’s supreme record, it’s his inability to maintain a consistent spell of scoring throughout a series. This is one aspect in

103

which Kohli, Vijay and Pujara are ahead of him by some distance. He is equipped with solid technique, possesses brilliant footwork, Runs scored by Rahane aggressive intent and can drop anchor if the against England in July situation demands. It should be enough to 2014 powered India to their first win at elevate his status as a special batsman, yet Lord’s in 28 years. he doesn’t figure in debates in comparison to, say, Kohli or Pujara.

Like most debates, this one too serves only a limited academic point. Categorisation usuRuns the right-hand ally doesn’t impact the performance of the batsman has scored players concerned; it only serves to shape a in 40 Test matches storyline of their times. They help to shape so far. The 188 runs a narrative and build a perception. In every against New Zealand in sport, in every era, it’s usually one hero who October 2016 remains towers over the rest of his contemporaries. his best innings.

And cricket is no different.

You see this in the disparity in reverence for Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath.

You see it in the deity worship of Tendulkar and the secondary position accorded to Dravid, even though The Wall remained the epitome of batsmanship in the most hostile conditions. It’s evident in how Brian Lara built an aura around himself that no other West Indies batsman could break through.

You see this in Ricky Ponting also even when the Australian team was overflowing with talent like Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist—both legends in their own right. To that extent, it explains why Rahane isn’t part

2,809

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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AJINKYA RAHANE

47.61 8

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

his limited-overs aspirations.

Cut to the fi rst One Day International (ODI) in Dharamsala against New Zeala nd in Oc tober 2016. Rohit was out of the team due to an injur y. As India began their 191-run chase, an intriguing graphic came up on television. It reflected Rahane’s international career up to that point: 2,209 runs in 29 Tests at an average of 51.37 and 2,093 runs in 67 in ODIs at an average of 33.22. “He has been impressive in Test cricket wherever he has gone,” said Sanjay Manjrekar during his commentary stint. “But the ODI numbers are surprising. He would like to improve on those,” added fellow commentator Simon Doull.

Rahane is India’s Mr. Dependable in Tests, but the same cannot be said in the shorter formats. He made his debut in 2011 on that ill-fated tour of England and failed to nail down his spot in the playing 11. There are two reasons for this. First, his inconsistency prevented him from getting a steady run as opener. Since his debut, he batted at the top for nearly a season, until the home series against England in 2012–13. From his debut up to 2013, when he was moved down, he could manage only 404 runs in 16 matches (averaging 25.25). In contrast, Dhawan secured the opener’s slot with his initial display. Later, the team management decided to push Rohit up the order. With

M A N J U N AT H K I R A N /A F P/ G E T T Y I M A G E S (KO H L I , R A H A N E); J E W E L S A M A D /A F P/ G E T T Y I M A G E S (R A H A N E B AT T I N G); O N T H E FA C I N G PA G E P H O T O G R A P H B Y S A M E E P S I N G H ; B L U E T-S H I R T: M A R K S A N D S P EN C E R ; L E AT H E R B A N D S : T H E B R O C O D E ; WAT C H : F O S S I L

of the contemporary celebratory tale.

But the cold numbers narrate a different story. Rahane averages 69.66 in South Africa, 54 in New Zealand, 33.22 in England, 57 in Australia, 98 in Bangladesh, 45.22 in Sri Lanka and 121.50 in the West Indies. He is the only current Indian batsman to cross the 90-run mark in an innings in every country the team has visited since 2013, scoring six centuries. In fact, six of his nine Test hundreds have come overseas and he averages 53.44, which betters Kohli’s overseas average of 45.13.

Ironically, this is where the ‘against’ argument gathers pace. In Australia in late 2014, reeling under criticism for his performance in England earlier that year, the Indian captain dominated the Johnsonled attack with four consecutive hundreds.

Kohli kept cranking out the runs. It was Rahane’s Test average is similar to what he does in limited-overs the third highest among cricket, latching on to good form and reactive Indian cricketers, peating the process every time he goes out behind Pujara (52.65) to bat, decimating the opposition bowling. and Kohli (49.55). He has In comparison, Rahane has shown glimpses scored nine centuries of his form all around the world, but has not and 12 fifties in his Test career so far. been able to sustain it through the duration of an entire Test series. He has not pummelled the opposition into submission. This is one chink in his batting. Until he starts Catches that Rahane doing that, Rahane just might remain an pouched against Sri afterthought in any debate about India’s Lanka at Galle in August current batting lineup.

2015—a world record With a run of 13 Tests at home, Rahane in Test cricket by a had the perfect opportunity to prove the fielder and it remains critics wrong. But it coincided with stunning unbroken till date. loss of form when he scored only 63 runs in three Tests against England. In a way, it was an extension of this uncertainty over

TAUSEEF M US TA FA /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

MAKING A MARK Rahane has become one of the most dependable batsmen in the Test side, but he is yet to cement his place in the ODI squad.

Unlike Kohli, he rarely utters a word in anger, yet his eyes display enough aggression SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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AJINKYA RAHANE

two double hundreds in successive home seasons, Rohit has cemented his place in the ODI side.

T

HE THEN CAPTAIN M.S. Dhoni tried to slot Rahane in the middle order, giving him the No. 4 position, his usual batting slot in Tests.

However, he could manage just 703 runs in 21 matches (averaging 37). He held on to that slot until the 2015 World Cup. This is where the second reason becomes apparent. The Indian lineup in ODIs was flexible and Dhoni liked to keep it that way. Beyond the two openers and Kohli at No. 3, the former skipper liked to use the options available to him according to the match situation. This sometimes resulted in situations where Rahane was scheduled to bat at No. 4, but was denied the chance since quick runs were needed or a finishing touch was required.

Rahane takes time to settle before unfurling Runs scored in the his attacking shots.

2008–09 Ranji season The mindset needed to bat at No.4 in ODIs— make him only the supporting the middle order and propping up 11th batsman to cross the lower order—is missing in his style of play. the 1,000-run mark He is better suited in the top order and, with in a single season in change in ODI captaincy, the team managethe longer format of ment accepted that it’s his best batting spot. domestic cricket.

Even then, 143 runs in fi ve matches against New Zealand meant he didn’t make the most of his biggest chance. The drop in confidence was visible subsequently in the England series.

Indian to score four The Australia series at home provided a consecutive halfwelcome distraction in that sense. Kohli was centuries in a bilateral out injured in the last Test at Dharamsala and ODI series when he Rahane was given charge of leading the side. scored 60 against Never mind his quiet demeanour, there is a the Windies at the Sir steely grit about the vice-captain, one that has Viv Richards Stadium seen him excel in different overseas condiin Antigua on July 3. tions. Unlike Kohli, he keeps his thoughts to himself, rarely uttering a word in anger, yet his eyes display enough hostility to intimidate the opposition.

Throughout the fourth Test, Rahane was on the money. It started when he picked the team. “I told him its his Test and he said he wanted five bowlers. Kuldeep Yadav was the X-factor and it was a great call,” said Kohli after the 2–1 series win. Yadav destroyed the Australian batting in their first innings as the visitors faltered despite Smith’s hundred and the advantage of winning the toss.

1,089 9th

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In the fourth Test against Australia, Rahane was on the money right from the start and that reflected in his team selection

P R A K A S H S I N G H /A F P/ G E T T Y I M A G E S

I

T REMAINS RAHANE’S biggest contribution in the 13-Test-long home season.

It puts the spotlight back on his performance on Sri Lankan soil. Throughout the three Tests, India played with five bowlers with Hardik Pandya coming in as an all-

rounder. Going into a Test match with five bowlers signifies the confidence that the team management has in five batsmen. It is all about the responsibility of putting big runs on the board to provide a cushion for the bowling attack. It is a prerequisite for a five-pronged bowling attack. When such decisions are made, parameters like conditions and reputation of the opposition are thrown out of the window, because it puts the onus on the five batsmen to deliver the goods. Against this backdrop, Rahane’s ninth Test century was an example of batsmen understanding their responsibilities.

“This pitch is expected to take turn from day three, possibly day two,” said Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal ahead of the game. On the first day, however, it was a batting beauty. India’s run rate on the

P U N I T PA R A N J P E /A F P/G E T T Y I M AG E S

AGILE FIELDER When Rahane is not scoring runs, he is saving them with his athletic fielding; he is blessed with a safe pair of hands that makes him valuable in the close cordon.

first day bears this out. It could be seen in the ease with which K.L. Rahul scored his sixth consecutive half-century and the serenity with which Pujara continued batting to score another century to mark his 50th Test appearance.

The pitch might have been flat and the Sri Lankan bowling might have lacked the sting; yet, going from 101 for one to 113 for three in a span of 11 overs had the potential to cause a few jitters in the dressing room.

But there was Rahane to contend with. All those hundreds he scored in every part of the cricketing world had helped to build a wall of faith around himself. However, this hundred

was different, if only because there was a small measure of doubt that might have crept in due to the long lean patch.

None of it mattered when he stepped onto the field. He had missed out in Galle, thanks to the brilliance of others. But this was his chance. And the setting was perfect for the two batsmen in the lineup who have a workmanlike approach to scoring runs.

At one end, Pujara was wearing down the Sri Lankan bowling, like he always does, while Rahane decided to play his natural game. There is a certain aggression to his batting that eventually bubbles to the surface. He didn’t let the run rate go down at any point despite not rushing headlong into the opposition’s bowling attack. His century at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground can be split in two parts: the fi rst 50 coming from 83 balls and the second one in just 68 balls. “My mind was completely blank coming into this innings. I wanted to take my time initially, but we thought if we could dominate, if we could change the momentum, they would be on the backfoot straightaway and that’s what happened. It was like the same thinking that was in Australia (2014–15) in the partnership with Kohli. I wanted to dominate them and that’s what we did,” said Rahane.

Rahane’s words reflected how he has regained the very instinct that made him India’s most valued batsman over the past four years. And now, as India get ready for their overseas touring cycle with visits to South Africa, England and Australia, he will be eager to take up the mantle of Mr. Dependable with renewed vigour. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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CRICKET

OUT OF THE The Indian women’s cricket team won plenty of hearts with their World Cup campaign. However, unless there is a change of mindset, they risk being relegated as an afterthought once again

H

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

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By Vimal Kumar Photograph by Harry Trump/ Getty Images

STAR TURN The women’s cricket team has seldom garnered much attention from the fans despite the popularity of the sport itself. That might change in the future.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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WOMEN ’ S CRICKET

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

were playing South Africa or Australia in a Test series?” says Tarak Sinha, who served as coach of the national team in the early noughties. For the women’s game to grow in India, proper scheduling is necessary to ensure they get the right exposure.

D

EEPTI SHARMA WAS the most successful bowler for India (12 wickets) and also among the top five run-getters for her team. The 19-yearold was fortunate that she had an Ajit Tendulkar-like brother in Sumit. “It’s not easy to support girls during their formative years. I had to quit my job to focus on her career,” says Sumit. Over the past 15 years, most cricketers (male) have been from small towns. But there is no dearth of talented girls either in the smaller cities.

Facilities for players remains a big concern.

“I started my own academy for Deepti near my home in Agra. The intent was to provide her with the best of facilities without wasting too much time commuting. In six months, we registered nearly 40 girls in different age groups,” he adds. Cases like these, however, are one-off, and not every aspiring cricketer, or any sportsperson, for that matter, will have a well-wisher willing to go to great lengths in order to help them realise their dreams. This is where the

GUNS BLAZING Harmanpreet (left) scored a blistering 171 (not out) in the semi-final win over Australia. It has been hailed as the best-ever knock in women’s cricket. old argument of grassroots development being crucial to any sport comes into play.

Although there is talk of supporting women’s cricket at the grassroots level in domestic cricket, the harsh reality of Indian sports, and not just women’s sports, is that there is hardly any fan following for domestic games, irrespective of gender.

India is a star-obsessed country and as a result, even an important Ranji Trophy fi xture struggles to garner following from the local fans. However, the moment there is a star player in the team we see crowds gathering for autographs and selfies. “If that indeed is the case, then we need to promote someone like Harmanpreet Kaur, who has become a household name after her unforgettable 171 not out against Australia in the semis,” says Shubhlakshmi Sharma, who has represented India in 29 matches in different formats.

“Perhaps, in this country people love cricketers more than cricket. And cricketers means stars like M.S. Dhoni or Kohli.

S T U F O RS T ER /G E T T Y IM AG E S

the majority wouldn’t have known that the ICC Women’s World Cup was taking place in England this year. Amidst all the stories circulating regarding a fracture in the relationship between the men’s team captain, Virat Kohli, and head coach, Anil Kumble, along with the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, few would have been aware that the Indian women’s team was participating in the World Cup. Even after four consecutive wins by the Women in Blue in the preliminary stages of the tournament, the fans were slow to take notice. Yet, within a month, in a remarkable turnaround, hundreds of mediapersons were jostling for one-on-one interviews with the same players during the felicitation ceremony organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The profile of the Indian women’s team underwent a monumental transformation between June 24 and July 23.

“It would have had the same impact had we won the trophy. But, as Kapil Dev (1983 World Cup-winning captain) told me during my commentary stint with him, the popularity of women’s cricket is bound to increase,” says former India player Reema Malhotra, who has played 41 ODIs for the national team.

The closely-fought final, which England won by nine runs, had the highest peak television audience for cricket this year in the U.K., while in India it achieved the highest-ever rating for a women’s sports event. According to Aarti Dabas, head of media rights, broadcast and digital at the International Cricket Council (ICC), there is no better time for women’s cricket in India.

To a great extent, the euphoria over the World Cup performance is justified but it shouldn’t be forgotten in haste that the scheduling of the tournament also played a crucial role in making it relevant for the majority of cricket fans in India. Even when Kohli’s team was not playing the best of opponents (Windies), there were few takers for the early phase of the Women’s World Cup. Call it sheer coincidence, but once the men’s team was back from its Caribbean tour, the focus shifted to the women’s team. It helped that captain Mithali Raj’s girls were in the mix for a semi-final berth. “Scheduling is a very significant factor. How many would have followed women’s cricket if India (men)

Apart from Harmanpreet, I believe the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti could be crowd-pullers,” says Snehal Pradhan, another former India player who now writes on the game.

Not too many people were aware that captain Raj was on the verge of a special record during the World Cup, so too was her long-time teammate, Jhulan Goswami.

Cricket fans love their statistics and the performance of cricketers became a talking point on social media when Raj became the highest run-getter in ODI history and Goswami became the most successful ODI bowler of all time.

P

A D RI A N D EN NIS /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

ERHAPS IT IS unfair to compare the wages of India’s women players with their Australian counterparts, since Australia’s top male players earn significantly more than their Indian counterparts despite the BCCI’s riches.

Yet, the numbers offer an interesting per-

spective. Cricket Australia’s new MoU, which includes female players for the first time, will see the members of the national team receive an 80 percent increase in their payments, with the base rate going up from AUD40,000 to 72,076 in the first year. Similarly, the state players will benefit immensely, as they could make close to AUD36,000, which is approximately the minimum wage in Australia.

“Our players receive `3,500 per day for a first class or List-A match, and half that amount for T20s. This figure was revised in 2015-16. It used to be `2,500 per day.

At best, a player can earn around `80,000 per annum and in the worst-case scenario `20,000. Who would want to be a professional cricketer in such a scenario?” asks Pradhan, who has played six ODIs and four T20s for India.

All this makes for grim reading, but there is always room for reform. “We need to be a bit patient. Remember, even men’s

FEW WERE AWARE THAT RAJ WAS ON THE VERGE OF A RECORD DURING THE WORLD CUP, SO TOO WAS HER TEAMMATE, GOSWAMI

cricket had to go through a phase where money was not that big,” says Malhotra, who was part of the World Cup runners-up team in 2005. The players are also hopeful that once the BCCI adopts the reforms mandated by the Lodha Committee in totality, a players’ association and a female member in the Apex Council will help strengthen the women’s game.

Some former players have also argued in favour of a women’s corporate trophy.

Apart from job opportunities for cricketers, it might give rise to healthy competition against Railways’ dominance. For the record, 11 out of the 15 players in the World Cup squad were from Railways. As a result Railways have become, to an extent, a nursery for Indian women cricketers.

“Everyone must understand that like in tennis and badminton, this (women’s game) has a different format. Now that our team has done so well, I am confident that they will get financial security,” says former India captain Diana Edulji, an icon of women’s cricket. Despite the lack of proper infrastructure or finances, the success of the women’s team has once again underlined the importance of love and passion for the sport. In many ways, their stories are similar to those of Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Sindhu, Malik and SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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to a lack of exposure. Instead of putting them in camps, what is required is improvement in match temperament, which can only be achieved by playing more competitive matches,” asserts Edulji, now 61.

Although former BCCI president Anurag Thakur seemed enthusiastic when it came to the future of women’s cricket, nothing significant was achieved during his tenure except that for the fi rst time a central contract system was introduced for women players. It’s a different story that the men’s contract fees have been increased twice during the same period, while the women’s contracts seem to have been cast in stone. Discrimination doesn’t stop here. Fifteen to 25 male players are

CONSISTENT PERFORMER Raj scored a century on her ODI debut in 1999 and has been a mainstay of the women’s team. She has also won the Arjuna (2003) and Padma Shri (2015) awards. contracted by the BCCI at any given time, but only 11 female players were given a central contract.

More than anything else, former players are unanimous in their views that the revival of Under-16 tournaments at the domestic level needs urgent attention.

Millions of young cricketers take to the game seriously because they have access to infrastructure and tournaments in different age groups across the country. The

S T U F O RS T ER /G E T T Y IM AG E S

Dipa Karmakar. After overcoming all the hurdles along the way, once these players achieved something worthy in their chosen sport, life changed forever.

Of course, the BCCI must be credited for the fact that they it wait for the result of the finals to announce huge cash awards for the team. However, this one-off bonus is not going to ameliorate the pathetic state of women’s cricket in India, which can be attributed to the BCCI’s chauvinistic attitude. The hurtful taunt of former BCCI president N. Srinivasan of Edulji is just one example. According to a story published in the Indian Express (Jan. 31, 2017) Edulji was taken aback by the arrogance of Srinivasan, who snubbed her by saying: “If I had my way, I won’t allow your women’s team to play cricket.”

The former India captain recalled that unpleasant conversation and pleaded for a chance for the players to prove themselves. Srinivasan apparently told Edulji, “I’m not interested, we have no choice but to run it, so we are running it for the sake of running it.” If Edulji’s claims are correct, it probably sums up the overall attitude of the BCCI’s top brass. As luck would have it, Edulji was appointed by the Supreme Court to the four-member committee which is still involved in running the affairs of the BCCI. And it is possible that the alacrity shown by the BCCI in giving cash prizes to the team has much to do with Edulji’s presence in the Committee of Administrators (COA).

“To start with, we need somebody like Rahul Dravid, who has been doing excellent work for the national team. Do we have replacements for Raj and Goswami?

We need a strong reserve bench like the men’s team,” says Edulji. She has a point.

The men’s team lost a World Cup final against Australia in 2003 but eight years on, they won it in 2011. Six players from the 2003 team were part of the 2011 side.

The exposure to playing under intense pressure, and in challenging conditions, helped India win a world title after a gap of 28 years. If only Raj and Goswami had the same kind of exposure, they too could have been part of a World Cup-winning team after reaching the final in 2005.

“We didn’t lose the final because of a lack of talent or calibre. I feel it was due

SPOTLIGHT 1.1

million In the U.K., the Women’s World Cup final telecast on Sky Sports had the highest peak audience for cricket this year.

N A RIN D ER N A N U/A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S; C L I V E B RU N SKIL L /G E T T Y IM AG E S (SIN D H U)

The final enjoyed the highest-ever rating in India forr a women’s sportss event. It was watched by 126 million people. same cannot be said for the women. A lot of former players are asking for the revival of the Under-16 format, which is considered the backbone of the game. Prior to its merger with the BCCI, the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) had a solid Under-16 tournament until 2006, which fed the Indian team with talents like Raj and Goswami.

“It is pretty obvious that the strength of male cricket in India is junior cricket.

The World Cup was watched by 156 million In Indians; 80 million was rural reach.

T television The ratings of the ra final in India fi eclipsed those of e P.V. Sindhu’s title P clash at the Rio c Olympics in 2016.

O

Similar structures for women need to exist. Considering that Mandhana made her debut at 16 and Deepti at 17, there is certainly a case for a tournament like that,” argues Pradhan. An Under-16 tournament also gives a fair indication of the real strength of women’s cricket, since the most dominant domestic team, Railways, in every other age group, cannot field a team in this category. Players can only be recruited by Railways once they turn

A FORMAL STRUCTURE MUST BE PUT IN PLACE. THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR TOURNAMENT FOR SCHOOL AND VARSITY CRICKET

180

million

people around the world watched the World Cup.

18. The BCCI can also ask its state associations what they have done to promote women’s cricket and what they intend to do with the huge grants they receive each year. After all, what is the real power and duty of any association? The time has come to demand greater accountability from the most powerful and the richest cricket board in the world.

Of course, it is impossible to replicate the domestic structure of various tournaments in men’s cricket like the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which cater to all formats of the game. Yet, a formal structure must be put in place; at least one major tournament for school and varsity cricket should be part of the women’s cricket calendar.

Setting up the domestic structure in its SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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WOMEN ’ S CRICKET

entirety may not be feasible at the moment, and as a result Raj’s suggestion to introduce a women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) seems an obvious and logical step.

What is stopping the BCCI from taking a leaf out of its hugely successful book? The success of the IPL has led to countless other franchise-based leagues being launched in India, with an eye on the money-minting bandwagon and as a result it is obvious that India has a readymade television audience for a sport that is its crème de la crème.

Those who watched the women’s fi nal at Lord’s will tell you that among the 26,500 fans—capacity crowd for the final—Indians were not in a minority.

Needless to say, sports channels are watching the prospect of a women’s IPL. They can no longer be dismissive of its commercial viability, especially after seeing the staggering ratings for the fi nal.

The surprise success of the Pro Kabaddi Leag ue (PK L) has encouraged many broadcasters to believe that the time is right for a WIPL. “Like kabaddi, one needs to ensure highquality coverage. If one can create a great visual product then, naturally, sponsors will come and would like a consistent platform to associate with. Who wouldn’t want a sustained audience for a WIPL,” says Neeraj Jha, one of the senior vice-presidents at Ten Sports. “Until you try, you never know how much potential this concept has.”

While the BCCI never misses an opportunity to cash in on men’s cricket, organising a series in the smallest window available on the calendar, sadly, at the time of going to press they are yet to plan the next series for the women’s team. This lack of exposure to regular competitive matches has resulted in some very talented players becoming stagnant in their peak years.

According to former India player Shanta Rangaswamy, there was no international series from 1977 to ’84 and then from 1986 to ’91. This meant India couldn’t participate in the 1988 World Cup in Australia, because

WCAI officials had a run-in with the then Sports Minister, Margaret Alva. The next World Cup is four years away (New Zealand, 2021), but the first hurdle is to find enough players who are good enough for the next high-profile tournament—the 2018 World T20 in the West Indies.

R

EGARDLESS OF ALL the criticism aimed at the BCCI, it must be conceded that of late the board has been taking some fine steps. The appointment of Tushar Arothe (just a few months ahead of the World Cup) as head coach now appears to be a masterstroke, though very few are singing his praises as they would have for the Anil Kumbles or Ravi Shastris. Additionally, the presence of a fielding coach and masseuse have reduced the burden on the head coach and players.

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It’s also not true that there is suddenly an unexpected surge in the interest levels in women’s cricket after the hype of the World Cup. Before, a Women’s Cricket League T20 (WCL)—an inter-college talent hunt tournament—was organised in Delhi in March. During the prize distribution ceremony, Dronacharya awardee and former coach Sunita Sharma, who has been instrumental in the formation of the WCL, said: “The students are lucky to have the WCL. More such cricket tournaments at the school, college and state level should take place.” In hindsight, it now looks like a dream project.

The early signs are promising and there is no doubt that the performance in England has finally brought the women’s game into the limelight. The right moves need to be made henceforth to ensure the light stays focused in their direction. ±

SH AU N B O T T ERIL L /G E T T Y IM AG E S

THE BCCI NEVER MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY TO CASH IN ON MEN’S CRICKET. SADLY, THEY ARE YET TO PLAN THE NEXT SERIES FOR THE WOMEN’S TEAM

POTENTIAL EVIDENT The success of the IPL has led to the formation of franchise-based leagues in other sports. There are calls for a similar platform for women’s cricket.

THOSE

WHO DARE

SPECIAL FEATURE

Since its inception in 2009, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare has become a vital part of the Indian motorsports calendar and the definitive rally-raid event in South India. The 2017 edition was the best yet, with close shaves, rainfall and a competitive grid making for spectacular viewing

By Bharat Seth Photographs by Rounak Modha & Anshuman Ar ya for SI India

THE MARUTI SUZUKI Dakshin Dare began in 2009 as the dream of a humble rallyist who wanted to bring a world-class rally-raid event to the south of India and showcase the beautiful terrain and the racing DNA of the region. What started with only a handful of endurance cars and short competitive stages in what is now known as the Ultimate category, has blossomed into a definitive event on any rally driver’s calendar. The Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare went on to become what the competitors called “the fastest cross-country rally in the country.” The rally entered Maharashtra for the first time this year, with competitors getting a chance to test their ability in the fast and winding stages in the Western Ghats.

Even as engines roared at the ceremonial flag-off, there was already talk of who the top contenders would be. Team Maruti Suzuki with Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik in their Maruti Suzuki

Grand Vitara and Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya in their Maruti Suzuki Gypsy were favourites, owing to their brilliant performances in the past few editions. Rana came in as the defending champion and Sharma has made it to the podium three times in a row. In the bike category there was no doubt that the fight for top honours would be between R. Nataraj and Abdul Wahid Tanveer. The latter is only the third Indian to qualify for the coveted Dakar Rally.

While all eyes were on the pros, the heart and soul of rally-raids in India have been the privateers and the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare is no

different. The top 10 boasted of a strong lineup of Vitaras with Sanjay Aggarwal, Gaurav Chiripal, Harpreet Bawa and Philippos Matthai all planning to capitalise on the raw power of their vehicles. That said, the narrow sections of the Western Ghats through the forests of Belgaum and Bhor would mean the agile and evergreen Gypsys would definitely be in contention. Enter Samrat Yadav.

The fi rst leg would provide an insight into the strategy adopted by the competitors as each leg comprised one loop running multiple times as super stages. Defending champion Rana of Team Maruti Suzuki said, “The first loop will be as good as a recce, giving us the opportunity to push all-out in the next two runs.” However, as luck would have it, Rana suffered three punctures in the first two stages, ending the day third overall, with his teammate, Sharma, in second place. But it was Yadav, who led the timesheets by over a minute.

This leg would also turn out to be catastrophic for a few podium contenders. The unexpect-

edly harsh terrain of the windmill farms was compared to the brutal tracks of the Raid de Himalaya by a few competitors, leaving a handful of them stranded. Aggarwal bowed out with a failed axle, while Matthai went off-track and was unable to resume.

What was expected to be an easy outing for the experienced participants soon turned into an intense battle. By the end of the second leg, which was comparatively smoother with broader tracks, Yadav, with his “all-out attack” approach, extended his advantage by over three minutes. Sharma and Arya were in third place, waiting to pounce on any mistakes by those ahead. In the bike category, Nataraj had taken the lead from Sanjay Kumar, with Tanveer also leap-frogging him to finish the day in second place.

Rana isn’t known as the king of cross-country rallying in India without reason. His cool demeanour and gritty attitude have earned him 10 Raid titles. He has also picked up top honours in

SOME STAGES WERE EXPECTED TO BE AN EASY OUTING FOR THE VETERANS, BUT THE DARE IS NO SLOUCH AND LEFT MANY STRANDED. FOCUSSED The challenging terrain and the rain made sure the drivers were at the top of their game every step of the way.

43 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SEPTEMBER 2017

SPECIAL FEATURE

THE SUPER SPECIAL STAGES MAKE FOR A GREAT SPECTACLE FOR THE LOCALS AND DO WONDERS TO PROMOTE THE SPORT.

THE CHALLENGE Yadav (top), driving a Gypsy in the T1 class, got off to a flying start that put Rana under pressure.

44 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SEPTEMBER 2017

the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare.

As a result, he came into the rally as the defending champion of all three. As expected, Rana was chipping away at Yadav’s lead. The latter, under pressure, overcommitted going into a turn and was on two wheels, only to regain control and keep himself in contention. By the end of the third leg, Yadav lost time and that pushed Rana to the top of the provisional classifications by one minute and 13 seconds. Sharma and Arya were safely in third, while in the Ultimate Bikes, Nataraj and Tanveer continued to post similar times, maintaining their positions.

As the rally traversed Karnataka and entered Maharashtra, the characteristics of the stages and the surroundings changed completely. The barren landscape of the windmill farms made way for the lush green Ghats of Maharashtra. Gravel, rocks and dirt tracks turned into broken tarmac. Torrential rain made things even more interesting as each corner became a potential point of no return. The crucial fourth leg began in wet conditions. The transport from Belgaum to the start of the Kudremani Forest ran a distance of 24 km, giving the competitors just enough time to strategise their gameplan for the wet conditions. The rally was also running through what was considered the most beautiful section of the event—the sprawling green Ghats and thick forests along the canals. In the rally circuit, Maharashtra is known for

tricky corners over crests and, with the heavy downpour not giving way, the stage would turn out to be an interesting one.

A

S SWEAT DRIPPED down Yadav’s forehead, you could literally feel his intensity— seeing Rana start ahead of him. He knew his Gypsy would be at an advantage on the narrow tracks and this was his best chance to gain ground on Rana. However, in the brutal world of rallying there is a thin line between a great turn and a silly mistake, and with the wet conditions, this line became even thinner, making it a tricky situation to be in for the drivers. At one point, Yadav was recorded coming into the time control one minute and 25 seconds behind Rana, meaning he had made up 35 seconds in the first stage of the day. With two more stages to go, Yadav and Najeeb had their eyes set on the overall lead.

While the nature of the sport is dangerous, and the competitors are there to set the tracks on fire, safety is paramount. At the service park after

the first stage of day four, there was a request by the competitors to cancel SS 12 and 13 due to safety concerns. The conditions continued to deteriorate with increasing rain and mist, reducing visibility. After a quick recce of the stages by the officials and stewards, they were indeed called off.

The super special stages make for a great spectacle for the locals and do wonders to promote the sport. This year the rally would run two such stages, one in Chitradurga and the other at the end of the fourth leg in Kolhapur. Himanshu Arora and Chirag Thakur, who had made heads turn in the Desert Storm earlier this year, clocked the fastest time in their Gypsy, finally gathering some momentum after a difficult start to the rally. On two wheels, Nataraj continued to clock the fastest times and entertain the crowds as he wheelied past the finish line. Rana said at the end of the rally that he had to push hard and go beyond his limit right till the end. With a 38-second gap between him and Yadav the fight was on. In the bike category, Nataraj led

ON THE PODIUM ULTIMATE 4W Driver/Co-driver Suresh Rana/Ashwin Naik Samrat Yadav/S.N. Nizam Sandeep Sharma/Karan Arya

Timing 10:11:26 10:14:52 10:24:17

ULTIMATE BIKES Rider R. Nataraj Abdul Wahid Tanveer Sanjay Kumar

Timing 6:12:38 6:15:37 6:26:53

TSD Driver/Co-driver Subir Roy/Nirav Mehta Karthick Maruthi/S. Sankar Anand Raghu Nandan/M. Prakash

Total penalty 0:12:20 0:12:45 0:12:49

SPECIAL FEATURE

RANA OF TEAM MARUTI SUZUKI SAID THAT HE HAD TO PUSH HARD AND GO BEYOND HIS LIMIT RIGHT TILL THE END. TIGHT The TSD format was a closely fought affair with a mere 29 seconds separating the top three.

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by two minutes and knew that he had to keep it clean as the bikes ran only one loop through the 70-km stage.

As the competitors arrived at the start line of the fifth leg, the tension was nail-biting. Rana made a mistake and went wide, only to recover quickly and manage to keep up the pace by capitalising on Naik’s experience of navigating in Maharashtra. Yadav was determined to take on Rana but he had pushed his car hard over four days. He had a sinking feeling as he heard a rattling sound three kilometres into SS 15, the penultimate stage of the rally.

After five days and 2,200 km, Rana and Naik of Team Maruti Suzuki kept Yadav and Najeeb at bay. Sharma and Arya, also of Team Maruti Suzuki, were back on the podium for the fourth year running. In the Ultimate Bikes, Nataraj held on to take the title, with Tanveer following a close second, well ahead of Sanjay. Aishwarya Pissay was not only the top female rider, but also achieved her target of beating the boys to the podium in the 166-200cc bike category.

The event also runs an endurance category based on the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format. The objective of any team in this format is to drive through each segment of the course in a specified time regulated by a specified average speed. This format puts the navigators to test, with ongoing calculations

and corrections through the day. The team that manages to do so most effectively is crowned as the champion combination.

Typically, the regular rally tracks run through country roads, forests and state highways making navigation extremely tricky. Veterans Jagmeet Gill and Changan Sen of Team Maruti Suzuki, driving a Vitara Brezza, made a couple of uncharacteristic navigation errors, thereby enduring a 10-minute penalty which almost took them out of contention.

As the rally progressed through Karnataka and Maharasthra, Gill and Sen started gaining ground. However, their mistakes on the fi rst day would prove too costly. On the other hand, Team Maruti Suzuki with Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta driving a Maruti Suzuki Swift took the lead in the fi rst leg and never looked back. They clinched the top spot from teammate Karthick Maruthi, who came in second, 25 seconds behind, clocking a penalty of 12 minutes and 45 seconds.

Privateers Raghu Nandan and M. Prakash, driving a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dezire, completed the podium, clocking an overall penalty of just four seconds more than Maruthi.

In the end, the top three were separated by merely 29 seconds. ±

A GROWING FRATERNITY

As the popularity of rally-raids continues to grow, it has attracted new talent, which in turn has broadened the appeal of motorsports beyond its traditional base By VIVEK MUKHERJI

I

n Indian motorsports, 1999 is an important marker. It was the year when the first Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya was organised, making it the first cross-country rally in India since the demise of the Great Himalayan Rally that started in ’83 and ran until ’89. Though in the following years, rallies like the Great Desert Himalayan tried to recreate the charm and hype of the original version, they did not survive for long due to dwindling sponsor and participant interest. It was also a time when the traditional rally format was getting shorter the world over.

However, there was always space for a long-distance rally that placed a premium on endurance rather than outright speed and followed the progressive format, where the rally halted at a new bivouac every night. That’s where the Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya stepped in to fill the gap.

Once the adventure and appeal of the Raid caught on, it was just a matter of time before more variants of this format of rallying cropped up. The Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm followed the Raid after a few years. If the mighty Himalaya formed the backdrop of the Raid, the Thar desert in Rajasthan and the salt flats of Kutch, Gujarat, were the playgrounds for the Storm.

By 2003, these t wo rallies had become one of the most

eagerly-awaited events for motorsports enthusiasts and left impressive footprints in North and West India.

But there still remained a glaring omission. South India, which for long has been the hub of motorsports in the country, didn’t have its version of a cross-country rally. For competitors from down south, taking part in the Raid and the Storm posed huge logistical challenges in shipping the men and machines to North and West India. Finally, in 2009, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare plugged the need for a quality crosscountry event in southern India, much to the delight of motorsports enthusiasts from that part of the country.

Just like its predecessors, the Dare too started with just a handful of participants in the car and bike categories.

But in a span of nine years, it’s running

to its maximum limit in terms of entries, proving the point that if there is a good motorsports event, participants will line up from different parts of the country.

In this short span of time, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, which has been traditionally flagged off from Bengaluru, has made impressive forays into Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa. This year the Dare further expanded its horizon by including Maharashtra to complete the Deccan sweep.

The uniqueness of these three crosscountr y rallies is that they of fer a chance to both professional rally drivers and amateurs to compete on an equal footing. The further inclusion of the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format that doesn’t involve expensive vehicle modification gives the novices a good opportunity to drive in a competitive environment. Several driv ers, who are now competing in the Extreme and Ultimate categories, have graduated from the ranks of the TSD class. Some of them have even finished on the podium in just a few years after graduating to the higher category.

The simplicity in entering the TSD category has encouraged families to become part of the motorsports fraternity. This in turn has broadened the appeal of the sport beyond its traditional fan base. In short, cross-country rallying is a winwin situation for everyone. ±

SEASON AHEAD Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya

With the conclusion of the ninth edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, Team Maruti Suzuki is gearing up for the 19th edition of the world’s highest rally-raid― the Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya. The event is scheduled to be flagged off from Manali on Oct. 6 and will end in Leh on Oct. 14, 2017.

Maruti Suzuki Autoprix 2017 (Season-1) The action begins right here. The MARUTI SUZUKI AUTOPRIX (Season-1) is bigger and better than anything before. The track layout along with innovations like Dual Start and Crossover Bridge that will allow two cars to race at the same time promise to make the MARUTI SUZUKI AUTOPRIX 2017 (Season-1) a challenging affair and will test the race craft and vehicle manoeuvring skills of the participants to the hilt. With a pan-India footprint, the championship will travel to eight cities Overall across four zones of Winner the country, taking New Swift Zxi motorsports to the masses.

The 2017 championship will be spread across the country. South, West and North zones will host two city rounds each, while the East zone will have one.

Bengaluru Pune

22-24 Sept. 2017 West (Zone 2)

Coimbatore

27-29 Oct. 2017 South (Zone 3)

Chandigarh

17-19 Nov. 2017 North (Zone 1)

Indore

1-3 Dec. 2017

Gurugram

15-17 Dec. 2017 North (Zone 1)

Guwahati

5-7 Jan. 2018

West (Zone 2) East (Zone 4)

Noida (Finale) 27-29 Jan. 2018

WINNERS (CASH PRIZE & TROPHY) Best Amateur, Fastest Lady Driver, Overall Fastest

CHAMPIONSHIP

CATEGORY WINNERS

Category:

Category Winner (6) `1,00,000 each

Upto 1,100cc From 1,100cc upto 1,400cc From 1,400cc upto 1,650cc Over 1,650cc 2-Wheel Drive Open 4-Wheel Drive Open

8-10 Sept. 2017 South (Zone 3)

Runners-up (6) `70,000 each Second Runners-up (6) `30,000 each

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ODISHA AIMING TO KICK ON

The Asian Athletics Championships showed what can be achieved with good planning despite the race against time

W

ith Bhubaneswar hosting a super Asian Athletics Championships, Vishal K. Dev, IAS, Commissionercum-Secretary to Government, Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, looks back at a milestone event for the state.

What feedback have you received from the sporting fraternity?

The successful hosting of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships has signalled Odisha’s emergence as a strong force in the global sports arena.

The response has been overwhelming.

When Jharkhand (Ranchi), which was to host the event earlier, pulled out at the last minute, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was in deep trouble and the country’s pride was at stake. It was at this crucial juncture that Odisha took up the challenge to roll out the red carpet to host the championships.

Today, the president of the AFI acknowledges that the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships were the best championships ever hosted, which has raised the bar of the Asian Athletics Championships. To hear from Lord Sebastian Coe, president, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), that the infrastructure and facilities at the Kalinga Stadium are ‘world-class’ and Odisha has proved its mettle in successfully organising the championships in just 90 days was gratifying. The sporting fraternity of Odisha is elated with the infrastructure development and facilities developed at the Kalinga Stadium, which will not only give exposure to our budding talent but also serve as an opportunity to learn and better prepare for national and international events. Overall, it was

an enriching experience for all.

Are you happy with the turn-out?

Definitely. With representation from 42 countries and more than 850 participants (600 athletes and 290 officials), this was the largest-ever contingent participation in the history of the Asian Athletics Championships.

Participation of countries like Pakistan and Iraq was an added bonanza as the teams got visa clearance at the last moment.

organisation of the championships and is fully geared up to host more such events. The state government is committed to promoting sports, tourism and industrial growth and is constantly working towards the development of infrastructure to meet world standards.

What were some of the standout performances for you from the Indian contingent?

First, congratulations to the Indian contingent for their historic performances and topping the medals tally with 29 medals (12 gold, five silver and 12 bronze), their highest-ever medal haul. Govind Lakshmanan turned out to be the most successful Indian athlete, winning two gold medals in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events.

The performance of the world junior record holder, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, was also outstanding. Though he struggled in his initial attempts, he found form to clinch gold with a final throw of 85.23 metres. Odia athletes Dutee Chand and Srabani Nanda also performed well and bagged two bronze medals for the team. India fittingly wrapped up the championships by winning gold in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay races to send the packed crowd into wild celebrations.

What were the highlights, in your opinion?

The 90-day challenge which Odisha took up, the completion of two new world-class synthetic tracks, high-mast floodlights, three lakh sq. km of grass turfing, renovation and refurbishing of the entire stadium as well as decking up the city for the event in a record time, are Vishal K. Dev, Last, what are the next big worth mentioning. The large IAS, Commissioner-cuminitiatives for the board? gathering of spectators at Secretary to Government, the events was also a one of Sports and Youth Services Next, we are all set to host Department, Government the men’s Hockey World its kind in the history of the of Odisha League Final in December athletics championships.

2017 and the men’s Hockey The coverage by the media World Cup in November caught the public’s attention.

December 2018. Further, a highThe icing on the cake was performance athletics academy will the Indian team topping the soon be set up at Kalinga Stadium medals tally. to provide world-class coaching and integrated sports services to How do you see the budding sportspersons in tourism board coming the state. Aspiring to convert forward in organising Bhubaneswar into a major more such events in the sports city, we are keen and willing future? to host international competitions The Odisha Tourism such as the Commonwealth Department (OTD) played Games and Asian Games. ± a vital role in the smooth

RICH HAUL AT H L ET I C S

Despite the absence of some top continental athletes, the Indian contingent garnered plenty of positive takeaways from the Asian Athletics Championships

By T Tanmoy M Mookherjee kh Photograph by Sports and Youth Authority

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SUPER EFFORT

Finally, Sudha was able to break the jinx by claiming gold in the 3,000m steeplechase in front of a packed stadium.

Athletics Championships in August, and the gold medal winners did themselves a huge favour by ensuring an automatic berth at the biennial event. With numerous past champions giving the competition a miss, having already qualified for the World Championships, the field might have lacked a certain vigour. Though the absence of the majority of the Asian Olympic medallists was conspicuous, the participation of the 2012 discus throw silver medallist, Ehsan Haddadi, the Rio Olympics hammer throw champion and Tajikistan’s only Olympic medallist,

Dilshod Nazarov, and Syrian high jumper Majd Eddin Ghazal, who went on to win his country’s first ever Asian Athletics Championships medal, were some of the bright spots at the meet.

As expected, Nazarov continued his domination in the men’s hammer throw by winning his fifth Asian Championships gold on the third day of the competition, while Ghazal gave war-torn Syria something to rejoice about with his bronze medal. He went on to repeat his performance at the World Athletics Championships, giving Syria its first-ever medal in the biennial event, making it one of the most celebrated stories to come out of London.

The colourful opening ceremony highlighted by the performances of the region’s foremost artists that was witnessed by International Association of Athletics

S OJA N PHIL IP S , A FI (S U D H A SIN G H); SP O R T S A N D YO U T H AU T H O RI T Y (2)

OR THE FIRST time in history, India topped the medals tally at the Asian Athletics Championships. The Indian athletes came away with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals to firmly establish themselves as the top dogs in the 22nd edition of the continental championship at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. With 12 gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals, India trumped the likes of China, Kazakhstan and Japan.

But it might be prudent to remember that these traditional powerhouses in athletics didn’t send their A-squads because of the World Athletics Championships, which were held in London a mere couple of weeks after the Asian meet.

Despite the rich medal haul, the meet also highlighted the yawning gap that exists between India’s top athletes and those who compete at the elite level in the World or European Championships. The most telling moment that reflected this reality was the look of disbelief on the face of the legendary P.T. Usha when her ward, Tintu Luka, collapsed 150m into the final lap of the women’s 800m, stunning the packed stadium into silence.

At that point of time, it seemed the host country’s campaign would end in a pall of gloom after beginning on a promising note.

For a fleeting moment, at the end of the race, it seemed Archana Adhav made up for Luka’s DNF, but her joy turned into disappointment as the judges ruled that she had pushed Sri Lankan runner Nimali Arachchige, who was awarded the gold medal.

But the remaining Indian athletes on the final evening of the four-day extravaganza gave much to cheer for. World junior javelin record holder Neeraj Chopra lived up to the pre-event hype when he claimed gold with a meet record of 85.23m in his final attempt, while Davinder Singh Kang finished third to take bronze. Chopra’s first gold in the senior category at the continental level further emphasised the fact that he is one of the few genuine world-class talents in Indian athletics.

The Asian Athletics Championships was the last chance for Indian athletes to secure participation in the IAAF World

S OJA N PHIL IP S , A FI

NEERAJ CHOPRA LIVED UP TO THE PREEVENT HYPE WHEN HE CLAIMED GOLD WITH A MEET RECORD OF 85.23M Federations President Lord Sebastian Coe marked a great start to the championship, which was made even better by the performances of Manpreet Kaur and G. Lakshmanan who won gold in the women’s shot put and men’s 5,000m respectively.

Discus throw favourite and double Asian champion Vikas Gowda, however, surrendered his title to his long-time nemesis and London Olympics silver medallist Haddadi, giving the Iranian his sixth Asian Championships gold. Heavy showers disrupted the proceedings of the evening session on the second day, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of the fans as the Indian contingent continued to lead the medals tally.

There was plenty to cheer for the home crowd as Indian athletes clinched gold medals in the 400m and 1,500m events in both the men’s and women’s races.

Nirmala Sheoran broke into the lead at the last turn and stayed there until the

end in unrelenting rain to take gold in the women’s 400m, while men’s national record holder Muhammad Anas emerged in the lead at the fi nal turn and held off stiff competition from compatriot Rajiv Arokia to make it an Indian one-two in the men’s 400m final. Middle-distance runner Ajay Kumar Saroj caused a big upset in the men’s 1500m by beating Qatar’s Asian Games bronze medallist, Jamal Hairane, convincingly and in the women’s 1500m Chitra P.U. dominated the field after a spectacular flourish on the fi nal lap.

A

ce Indian sprinter and local favourite Dutee Chand settled for bronze in the women’s 100m behind the Kazakhstan duo of Viktoriya Zyabkina and Olga Safronova in an intensely-fought final sprint. But there was no such glory for another local boy and national record holder, Amiya Kumar Mallick, who was disquali-

fied from the third semi-final of the men’s 100m after making a false start. Mallick had been part of another disqualification in the morning session on the second day when he passed the baton outside the exchange zone in the final turn of the men’s 4x100m semi-finals. The men’s 100m final had a surprise in store as Hassan Taftian of Iran came from behind in the last half of the race to clinch gold by a hundredth of a second, ahead of defending champion Femi Seun Ogunode of Qatar.

After finishing runners-up on three occasions in past Asian Athletics Championships and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Sudha Singh broke the jinx to stamp her authorit y on the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, taking gold in front of a raucous crowd on the third day. The women’s sprint relay team to some extent made up for the disappointment by the men. The two Odia girls, Srabani Nanda and Chand, combined with Merlin Joseph and Himashree Roy to secure India third place. The Indian 4x400m relay teams ended the competition with gold medalwinning performances in both the men’s and women’s races to add to Chopra’s first major triumph at the senior level, while Lakshmanan did a continental Mo Farah by winning the 5,000m and 10,000m distance double. Swapna Barman won the gruelling heptathlon event ahead of compatriot Purnima Hembram, who finished third to give India a strong fi nish even as the Chinese athletes took home a clutch of medals on the fi nal day of the four-day competition.

The event also put Odisha in general, and Bhubaneswar in particular, on the Asian athletics map when it pulled off the near impossible by putting together the event in just 90 days after Ranchi pulled out at the last moment, making it only the third Indian city after New Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013) to host the prestigious event. The entire city was decked up for the event, much to the delight of the participants and visiting dignitaries. The most enduring legacy of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships is that the state government has signed an MoU with the IAAF to set up a high-performance training academy in Bhubaneswar. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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FOOTBALL

A Revolution In The

V a ll e y For Kashmiris, MEHRAJUDDI DIN WADOO OO is their most popular football icon who is now helping to sow the seeds of a movement that will help the younger generation bend the ball in their quest for a better life, away from the shadow of violence Byy Jasvinder Sidhu Phot Ph otog ogra ogra raph ph by Sh Shau aun un Ro Roy/ y/IS ISL//SP ISL/ SPORTZ ORRTZZPPIICCSS

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Like young Fareez, who inherited football from his grandfather, Wadoo got introduced to the game in the early ’90s by his father, Mohammed Sultan, when he was eight. It was a time fraught with brutal militant violence in the Valley.

“Football was always the most loved game here. My father played for a local club and represented J&K in the Santosh Trophy.

In those days, the local teams enjoyed huge fan following and thousands would turn up for the matches,” says Wadoo. “Of course, at times, when violence flared up, football suffered because people couldn’t come out to play or watch.”

Even in the troubled ’90s, Wadoo’s obsession with training and playing pushed him to seek out greater goals on the pitch. Turning out for J&K in the U-21 tournaments attracted the attention of talent scouts of various clubs like Mohun Bagan and Sporting Clube de Goa, among others. Despite offers from bigger teams, he settled for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the 2002–03 season of the National Football League—the precursor to the I-League. For Wadoo, settling for a smaller team was a sign of his footballing acumen as it would give him a better chance to spend more time on the pitch rather than warming the bench of a bigger team.

V I P I N PAWA R / I S L / S P O R T Z P I C S

WELVE-YEAR-OLD Fareez Ahmed, a Class VI student of DPS Srinagar, fidgets nervously standing next to his grandfather, Nazeer. They are among more than a hundred kids and parents whose gazes are fi xed on a well-built, bearded man. They wait anxiously for him to announce the fi nal selection for the Under-13 football camp to be held at the Synthetic Turf Football Stadium in Srinagar.

“He is my grandson,” says the old man, pointing at anxious Fareez. “He is interested only in football; that’s why I am here.” The boy inherited his love for football from his 67-year-old grandfather, who was a club-level footballer in his prime, at a time when Kashmir epitomised eternal romanticism. “His school doesn’t have a team, but he still wants to play football because it’s in our blood. I am happy that he is not interested in cricket like other kids in his school.”

Fareez is quiet as his eyes remain fi xed on Mehrajuddin Wadoo, K ashmir’s football icon. He is conducting the selection trial. “I don’t think I’ll be selected,” Fareez tells his grandfather in a hushed tone. “Our batch had many good players who were better than me.”

Young Fareez symbolises hundreds of youngsters in the Valley who look at football not just as a sport, but ROLE MODEL as a lifeline to escape the latest cycle of vicious vioWadoo is an inspirational lence that has taken over figure for a generation of young the streets of Kashmir since Kashmiris for his achievements the killing of Burhan Wani, on the football field and they the commander of terror dream of emulating him. outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, by security forces in July 2016. For these youngsters, the beautiful game offers a getaway from dreary curfews and frequent security restrictions that have ruptured any semblance of normal life in the Valley.

For the past two or three generations of Kashmiris—both Muslims and Pandits, who undertook mass exodus from the Valley in the mid-1980s—militant violence and the iron-fi sted response of the security forces have been the two constant, and often interweaving, narratives that have dominated their lives, except for a few false dawns of promised peace. But even as the criss-crossing currents of Kashmir’s narratives, competing agendas and the lack of political headway created a dark vortex that sucked in countless lives, the 16-oz ball represents a buoy in the turbulence that has helped many to swim against the tide to a future of hope and peace. “In my career there was not a single instance when I had to stop playing because of disturbances,” says Wadoo. “I used to live in Rainawari and was very fortunate to have a playground in front of our house. Even during strikes or curfews, there were no stoppages in play for me.”

Within t wo years of his club debut, Wadoo got called up by Mohun Bagan to become a regular member of the playing 11. Donning the famous maroon and gold jersey was a dream come true for the young Kashmiri. In 2005, he debuted for the Indian national team, playing as a dependable right-back for the next six years in the blue jersey. Even 15 years after his first game for

from undesirable inf luences.

Now, the J&K State Council is setting up a football academy in Srinagar, which is a ver y good development.”

In Kashmir, football has deep roots, dating back to 1891 to a delightful backstory. In some ways, the upcoming football academy for children marks the metaphorical turn of the wheel.

The credit for sowing the seeds of football goes to a doughty British headmaster, Tyndale Biscoe, who founded the Mission School in Srinagar. After one of his trips to Mumbai (then Bombay), Biscoe returned with a football in tow with the idea of introducing the students to a new game.

Little did Biscoe know that it would turn out to be a herculean task to get the kids to play with the leather ball. Remember, this was a time when deep-seated orthodoxy ruled the lives of Indians across the country.

When Biscoe assembled the motley group of boys after school hours for a game, they refused to play because leather was considered ‘impure’, especially by the Brahmins. But the bull-headed headmaster was not ready to cave in to such sentiments. Sensing that the students might run away, he tasked the staff members to shepherd them to the field and asked them to carry sticks to deter the reluctant boys from deserting the pitch.

At 3 pm sharp, Biscoe placed the ball in the centre of the field and when

TAUSEEF M US TA FA /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

“Football was always loved here. Of course, at times, when violence flared up, the game suffered because people couldn’t come out to play or watch.”

HAL, Wadoo remains a sought-after player in the Indian Super League (ISL). And he is not just making up the numbers. In ISL2, he was voted the best right-back in the tournament. It’s not difficult to understand why he is an icon for the football-mad Kashmiris. His resumé boasts four Federation Cup and IFA Shield titles, two Nehru Cup wins, two SAFF Cup victories and an ISL trophy with Chennaiyin FC in 2015.

“To be honest, even when things were pretty bad here, no one ever told me not to play for the national team. Football has a special place in the hearts of the Kashmiris,” says Wadoo. “People want their children to play the sport so that they can be kept away

he blew the whistle, all hell broke loose. In the ensuing mêlée, the leather football hit a Brahmin boy in the face. A stunned silence descended on the ground as the boys stopped playing. But the wily Biscoe was having none of it. He instructed one of his staff members to frogmarch the boy to the Jhelum river which flowed close to the school. He reasoned that a bath in the river’s water would wash away the ‘sins’ of playing with an ‘impure’ ball. It worked. The headmaster not only outwitted the students, he also managed to slay orthodoxy to lay the foundation of football in the Valley.

The game that started with a bunch of reluctant children is now poised to shape the future of the coming generations at the academy.

As the popularity of football spread among the people, it started prospering under royal patronage though it remained confi ned within the boundaries of the state. It was not until 1964, when the J&K team led by S.A. Hameed made its Santosh Trophy debut that people outside the state learned about football in Kashmir. Wadoo might be the most popular footballer from the state, but J&K has intermittently produced quality players who have played SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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SPORTS IN THE VALLEY

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who were part of the CRPF’s programme, got selected by Sociedad Deportiva Lenense Proinastur to play in the third division of La Liga for six months.

With t wo clubs from J&K—Lonestar Kashmir FC and Real Kashmir—playing in the second division of the I-League, it has given the much-needed competitive boost to the game in the state.

“To have two clubs playing in the I-League is a very positive development. The people can ident if y w it h t he clubs from the state, which creates a dedicated fan base. Professiona l football anywhere in the world is driven by the passion of the fans,” says Wadoo, who knows what it’s like to play in front of partisan fans packing the stadium to the rafters during his stints with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. “There is a lot of football talent here. You can see that more than 100 kids turned up for the trials to select just 13 players for the camp. It tells you a lot about the passion for football.

We need to have more football grounds and coaching facilities.”

There is a streak of optimism among football lovers about the few small steps that the state government has taken to develop the game in the Valley. “These steps taken by the Sports Council will play an important role in the growth of a new generation of players,” says Nazeer. “True, there is a fair amount of unrest here, but people are still coming out to play. And that’s a good sign. Parents want their kids to play football.” Wadoo feels that if the current momentum is maintained, more Kashmiris will turn out for the big clubs in the next five years. “I won’t be surprised if more players from the state play for the top clubs and even the national team in the next four to five years,” says Kashmir’s football icon.

Only time will tell which way the ball will bend, but for now the growth of Kashmiri football is one of the few feel-good stories to come out from the Valley, which is in the grip of pervasive grimness spawned by violence. ±

S A N D E E P S H E T T Y/ I S L / S P O R T Z P I C S

for some of the biggest clubs in India and in national colours. Amongst his contemporaries, Ishfaq Ahmad and Wasim Feroz stand out, with the former turning out for Dempo, Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, Kerala Blasters and Pune City in an impressive career spanning over a decade and a half.

If one turns the clock back by three decades, the name of Abdul Majeed Kakroo leaps out from the pages of Kashmir’s football history. The well-built defender was a member of the Indian squad that played in the 1984 Asian Cup before donning the captain’s armband for the national side in ’87. “Despite all the existing problems in Kashmir, despite the lack of proper coaching facilities and infrastructure and a host of other issues, we have managed to produce some renowned footballers. Kakroo is a towering figure in our football,” says Mohammad Nazeer, former FIFA referee. “Apart from Wadoo and Ishfaq, there are others like Kamaljeet Kumar and Arun Malhotra—both from Jammu—who are taking the legacy of the game forward.

The presence of players from the state in the ISL has kindled a fresh spate of interest OUT OF THE SHADOWS among the youngsters. They see a future through football, Over the years, apart from Wadoo, Kashmir has also produced they see a better life...” players like Ishfaq (right), who In Kashmir, the central has played for some of the top security forces and the local Indian clubs. population are pitched at the opposing ends of a deep divide that often has violent repercussions. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal , in the past seven months a total of 208 lives were lost in the Valley that includes 39 civilians, 43 security personnel and 126 militants. In this hostile environment, winning the hearts and minds of the local people remains an enviable challenge for the security forces. After all, it’s the goodwill of the common people that wins the war against militancy. In a place where the local population and the security forces share so little common ground, football is the via media for meeting of minds, no matter how tenuous it might be.

The Central Reser ve Police Force (CRPF) launched a talent hunt programme a few years back to identify and train youngsters in order to wean impressionable minds from the influence of militants. After initial apprehensions about the sincerity of the CRPF, the locals tentatively embraced the initiative. The tangible proof of this goodwill became apparent in January 2017, when Basit Ahmed and Mohammad Asrar Rembar, both 18,

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Change Maker The RU G BY

For Sailen Tudu and his fellow adivasi travellers from rural India, the road to redemption passes through lush green rugby fields in the form of the Adivasi Rugby Club

By SUJIT BHAR

Photographs by SI IN DI A

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THE BALLMAN

Sailen is devoting the best years of his life to promoting rugby among the tribal community.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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SAILEN TUDU

The game of rugby is said to have been born in the womb of impetuosity, delivered by a boy, William Webb Ellis, who refused to be cowed down by the rules of football, picking up the ball in his arms and running with it. It happened in the latter half of 1823 at a school game at Rugby School, in a town called Rugby, in Warwickshire, England.

That’s how it has been recorded for posterity. Call it a myth, call it innovation, call it whatever you wish.

But one thing is certain: Rugby was a path-breaker.

So, it seems to have remained, too, in Kolkata. The sport, a somewhat foster child of football, has branched out in directions that few would have envisaged in the past. Imported by the British in the latter half of the 19th century, played with gusto by their armed forces and later by the Irish, the Scots, the Welsh, the Armenians and a privileged few of the natives, rugby today receives booming membership from the fringes of society.

A significant percentage of rugby players in Kolkata and neighbouring districts today represent the ambitions of the have-nots and the adivasis or tribal people. Teams of street children CLUBBING HARD and people far removed from mainline The Adivasi Rugby civility by the rulers of this acutely Club provides the race- and caste-conscious country for underprivileged a gateway to a better life. centuries seem to have found in the sport a vehicle to carry them out of poverty, illiteracy and social neglect.

Quite like Webb Ellis, they refuse to be cowed down by social straitjackets. And how they have succeeded. This success is today reflected in great detail in the formation of the first and

A significant percentage of rugby players in Kolkata and neighbouring districts today represent the ambitions of have-nots

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

only Adivasi Rugby Club of the country. The pioneer is Sailen Tudu, a Santhal from Jungle Mahal, a tribal belt of Jhargram, Bankura, in West Bengal. This is the story of a 27-year-old who has received laurels and plaudits in his endeavour to earn for himself a better life.

H

ailing from a village called Dhangam, 60 km off Bankura town, Sailen accompanied his father, Sudhir, to Kolkata as Tudu Senior arrived to join the state police force as a constable. And, like most tribal children of India who have had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the abundance of civilisation, Sailen quickly took to two things: studies and sport. His father being with the police helped: he got to see rugby, because the

THE TRIBE OF THE FAITHFUL The youngsters who are now the face of the Adivasi Rugby Club

MALA SAREN AGE 23 Barikul, 60–70 km from Bankura town.

TRIBE Santhal.

Studying for a B.A. degree with Bengali Honours.

She got interested in rugby when she saw a demo of ‘touch rugby’. “I was an athlete, doing the 3,000m steeplechase. My father is in the police, so got to see rugby and was attracted to it. Now I am fulltime in this sport,” says Saren. She now revels in the atmosphere as touch rugby gave way to tough rugby.

TARA KISPOTTA AGE 22 Bero village, 70 km from Ranchi town.

Now at Santragachi, in Hooghly district of West Bengal, with her parents.

TRIBE Oraon.

She was forced to abandon her studies because of her circumstances—her father is a daily wageearning labourer and they just about eke out a living. “I was introduced to this game by a didi and I was hooked,” she says. She has represented the CC&FC in the inaugural women’s nationals since joining the club.

BASUDEV SAREN AGE 23 Baskona, 80 km from Bankura town.

TRIBE Santhal.

He has been lucky to have a father who works with the Railways. He has completed a diploma in electrical engineering. He is a partner in Tudu Fitness and wants to be a fi tness trainer rather than using his diploma for a simple job. One of fi ve brothers, he has made a future for himself, having climbed a long way from his initial position. Luckily, again, he has a fall-back option too, with many in his family being into agriculture. All that may be true, but his calling remains rugby. The Adivasi Rugby Club remains close to his heart.

police have a good team. Of course, he played football, but rugby was his calling and he shone.

He was quickly spotted, playing for the Calcutta Police Club in 2003-04 before moving to Paul Walsh’s Jungle Crows, an NGO that provides opportunities to those on the fringes.

Sailen continued his studies, meanwhile, at Chetla Boys’ High School (in south Kolkata), graduating in his sporting activity

SAMHIT MURMU AGE 24 Keshipur, 20 km from Purulia town.

TRIBE Santhal.

As an engineering student, he studied computer science. Having secured his future, rising from a poor background, he went back to his passion, sports. “One day, I had gone with Basudev to see the practice session of a rugby match. And I was fascinated. I played cricket for my college, which I still do, but now I am leaning towards rugby.”

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

63

“I have not been able to register my Adivasi Rugby Club as a society because of some legal hurdle or other and I had this huge responsibility.”

as he was selected for the India Under-19 team to play against Pakistan and Brunei. He shakes his braided hair strands as he recalls for Sports Illustrated India his escapades. His ta lent had outshone t he confines of this city, and “In 2008 I got a scholarship to play rugby and study in the U.K. That was one dream GIRL POWER Sailen has been singularly come t r ue for me. Of f I successful in getting went to Hartpury College tribal girls to take up the in Gloucestershire, where I game seriously. earned a sports diploma and B.Tech in sports discipline and excellence in rugby,” says Sailen. “I studied there for two years and also got the opportunity of being around for another year for a sports coaching degree.”

From an interior Santhal village to a university in the U.K, it has been a long journey for Sailen. Interestingly, and happily so, this has been only half his story so far. “It has been an incredible journey for me,” he says. “I had never dreamt I would come this far. Now I want to give back to my community something, some of the hope that might rub off on

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them from me and my success.”

When Sailen returned in 2011, he decided to start an Adivasi Rugby Club. “I travelled to all the places where there are adivasis—to Andul near Santragachi, a little distance from Kolkata, Uttarpara and to schools in villages where there is an adivasi population. Wherever I go, I carry with me a rugby ball. That’s all you need to get the eyeballs and for me to start an impromptu demo,” says Sailen with a smile.

First, of course, he travelled back to his own village, and to his old school, Dhangam High School, “my grassroots.”

He quickly picked up a cache of rugby converts there before striking it rich at a neighbouring village’s Pandit Raghunath Murmu Abasik School—200 kids. “That the school has a hostel attached helped, because the children were able to divide time between studies and sport,” says Sailen.

His efforts received help from Rugby India, whose development officials and coaches were around with sporting aid.

That’s how they landed in Siliguri, and in Jalpaiguri district, especially in a tea estate in Saraswatipur. By then 100 girls had come into the fold of this adivasi development scheme.

SAILEN TUDU

“The demos work like magic,” says Sailen. “In Siliguri I got 20,000 kids interested, all converts from different sports, in just a week! That was amazing. It was a great show. There was a match with adivasi girls from Santragachi and Siliguri as well as from the Saraswatipur Tea Estate. The girls were children of tea estate workers. I had fi rst seen girls play in Pune, under the tutelage of Babis Barucha, and I believed these adivasi girls could do well.”

M

eanwhile, his own fortunes were taking a dip.

He may have had diplomas and degrees from the U.K., but he needed to earn. “There are so far no jobs in the Army for rugby players. I could not get a job with the police, nor with the Railways.

My confidence was falling. I had not been able to register my Adivasi Rugby Club as a society because of some legal hurdle or other and I had this huge responsibility of so many kids with hope in their hearts.”

That’s where Tudu Fitness came in, the fitness training programmes he conducts at a personal level. This keeps him going, keeps his morale high. And he has his hands full. He has to make ends meet with his fitness programmes, and he has to get his Adivasi Club properly registered as a society so he can receive funding from well-wishers. “I have been assured by some lawyers that this will be done soon,” says Sailen. Then he will be after the development of another angle of his tribal roots: culture.

“Rugby has been a vehicle of expression for our hopes and aspirations,” says the path-breaking rugby player. “The sport has shown that wherever you come from remains unimportant if you are desperate to go ahead in life. It gives you the opportunity. At the same time, our music, our dance forms, our fantastic dresses, they are losing out, fading out. I will try to give them a stage too, once I settle down.” Going by his track record of promoting rugby, there is little doubt that he will succeed in this as well. ±

PRO RUGBY IS THE WAY TO GO The conditions are ideal to launch a league in the country

O

ne way to promote rugby in this country is, of course, to create a pro league. With the Indian Premier League having revolutionised the way we have been watching cricket over the years, and then so many other disciplines following this route to success, rugby can hardly lag behind.

Noomi Mehta, Rugby India chief, says the process has started, “though the gestation period should be around 12–24 months. It’s not a question of if, it’s about when.

And let me tell you, soon enough.”

Rahul Bose, Bollywood and rugby star, believes rugby is a sport “made for TV, especially sevens rugby. I don’t see any reason it cannot take off in the next maybe 24 months. We have to find a place in the world rugby calendar for that. Even at this point I have at least two sponsors ready to take up pro rugby.

“Look, if kabaddi can be professionalised then rugby is a cinch. Frankly, what does rugby need, anyway? It does not need expensive equipment, just a ball and two sticks on either side. It’s a great sport to be in, to be motivated by.”

Two things are holding it back, so to say. The first is a spot on the international calendar, “so we can find a time window for the marquee players. They would be the draw,” says Mehta. The second is playgrounds. “I guess we can easily arrange that in all major cities of this country.” With sponsors willing to invest in the game, it’s just a matter of time before pro rugby makes its debut in India.

—S.B. SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

65

CRICKET

A BALANCED

EQUATION The vibes between Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri are good, the chemistry strong and the results excellent but the durability of the bond between the captain and the coach is yet to be tested

By Jasvinder Sidhu Photographs by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

W

ITH THE SUN beating down, and the air humid, it was a typical Sri Lankan summer day. On such a day, just ahead of the second Test, the Indian team was in the middle of a hectic practice session at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground. There was no let-up in the intensity as the players went through the drills despite winning the ďŹ rst Test by a massive margin of 304 runs.

Assistant batting coach Sanjay Bangar

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was in the middle of an intense throwdown session with Shikhar Dhawan, who scored an imperious 190 in the ďŹ rst Test.

A little distance away, in one of the nets, bowling coach Bharat Arun was working with Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. In another part of the practice ground, fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar was setting up drills for the players after they were done with their batting and bowling sessions.

Amidst all this hustle and bustle, head coach Ravi Shastri, sporting a blue Team India T-shirt and shorts, had his eyes on

SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

67

captain Virat Kohli. The batsman, instead of honing his trademark cover drive, was bowling right-arm medium pace for a change to left-handed opener Abhinav Mukund. Undoubtedly, Shastri enjoys a comfortable equation with Kohli—something that any captain would relish.

In fact, the rapport between the two could easily be described as one that people usually share with their closest friends.

Naturally, given the backdrop of Shastri’s appointment after Anil Kumble resigned as coach following his rift with Kohli, it set a lot of tongues wagging. Many critics have uncharitably gone to the extent of labelling Shastri’s appointment a case of nepotism.

He is drawing a monthly salary of `55 lakh because of his proximity to Kohli, they say, completely overlooking his cricketing credentials. The truth, however, is different.

Most of the team members enjoy a very comfortable equation with the man who has always played a vital role in Indian cricket over the years due to his excellent man management skills.

This is not the first time that the veteran of 80 Tests is facing criticism. Even during his playing days, Shastri was often called a ‘slowcoach’ for the sedate pace of his batting. That he could hit massive sixes was often glossed over. He was often booed by the crowd for his slow run scoring even when the situation demanded prudence over bravado.

C

RITICISM NOTWITHSTANDING, THE question that needs to be asked is: what exactly is his role as the head coach, given that he has a platoon of support staff at his disposal? “My role is to be in charge of the entire support staff and to make sure we get the boys in a great mental space to go out and express themselves with nothing else on their minds, to go out and play the brand of cricket that you saw India play in the last three years—fearless and positive,” says Shastri.

So, how does he manage to get the players in a great frame of mind? Are there group sessions where he gives them a pep talk or does he conduct one-on-one sessions with the players? What is Shastri’s secret sauce?

“That’s a skill, that’s why I am here (head coach of the Indian team) and you are there (in the press box),” responded a visibly upset Shastri at a press conference during the

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second Test. “I have been a manager...team director...it’s the same role...I don’t have to change anything. Being in touch with the game without a break helps. I don’t think at this level any coaching is needed, it’s only about finetuning. At times, a player might just get into an odd bad habit, that is what you work on and iron out the flaws.”

Does that mean coaching is not needed at the highest level; instead, a person with good fi netuning skills is a better, option to keep the team in a happy space. This is something former coach Kumble failed to provide and became overbearing because he was a strict disciplinarian, instead of being a man manager. “What is the use

of millions of rupees that we’re earning if we can’t go out to enjoy when we want?

An 8.30 pm curfew was irritating,” said a player. It seems things have calmed down with Shastri’s appointment. Everybody, from the captain to the juniormost member of the team, has positive things to say about Shastri. “Ever since I have come here, Shastri sir has been motivating me. He is always there to discuss things. He gave some important tips before the first Test.

It has been a very good experience,” said Kuldeep Yadav, who burst into the limelight during the Dharamsala Test against Australia with his Chinaman bowling to claim four wickets for 68 runs.

ANALYSIS

However, the man who refused to accept India’s top match-winner as the coach describes the situation slightly differently.

“I think it’s just another Test match for us.

Inside the dressing room the atmosphere is absolutely the same as before,” Kohli said ahead of the second Test in Colombo. “We have been doing exactly what we’ve done in the past two years on a consistent basis.

We’ve gone out there and focused on the game. That’s all you think of doing and that’s all we’re going to do.”

expected to perform their roles. For the time being, the ominous run of form that the Indian players have struck since last year, accentuated further by playing in the familiar conditions of the sub-continent, seems to have cast a warm glow on the new equation between the captain and the coach. But the real strength of the captain–coach relationship will be tested in far tougher conditions and against tougher opponents like South Africa and England when India embark on their long away season later this year.

matches for what they are and we want to win everywhere,” says the captain. “There is a kind of energy that I can sense in the team and the team believes in it as well.

We have to think of winning Test matches irrespective of the conditions or the type of pitches we will be playing on. We want to build a winning habit that can be carried forward in the future as well.”

Kohli remains the backbone of the Indian batting lineup. He is unlikely to get any stick if he maintains his current form

ISH A R A S . KO D IK A R A /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (KO H L I , SH A S T RI , SH A RM A)

ROLLICKING START India’s dominant performance in the Test series triumph over Sri Lanka was encouraging; however, the team’s mettle will be tested against tougher opponents on foreign tours.

DOES THAT MEAN COACHING IS NOT NEEDED AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL? INSTEAD, A PERSON WITH GOOD FINETUNING SKILLS IS A BETTER OPTION TO KEEP THE TEAM IN A HAPPY SPACE Now that the Kohli-Shastri combination has carried out a 3–0 whitewash of Sri Lanka, is it safe to say that a new era has dawned in Indian cricket? An era when the captain is the king and the head coach plays a limited role. In Sri Lanka, it became amply clear that the captain was the man in command and the coach was willing to play along, though Kohli said that it’s a team game where different members are

When asked about the South Africa tour, Shastri was at his diplomatic best.

“I am not going to get ahead of myself by talking about South Africa. I live in the present but the rules are the same—go out there and play your brand of cricket and win.” But Kohli was more forthcoming.

“Honestly speaking, we are not looking at Test matches or Test cricket as home or away series anymore. We are looking at Test

with the bat on foreign tours. Hopefully, Shastri’s positive influence in the dressing room rubs off on his captaincy, tempering his over-the-top aggression on the field and life beyond the boundary rope. Kohli has the kernel of a team that is capable of scaling great heights. These are early days, only time will tell how the latest power equation in the Indian dressing room pans out. Till then, keep fi ngers crossed. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

69

SPORTSPERSON of theYEAR Charity Gala

Sports The Biggest

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By Team SI

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

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#SportsIsHope

PRIDE OF THE NATION P.V. Sindhu receives the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year award from Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard, and Herbalife Country Head Ajay, Khanna (right), in the presence of Magic Bus founder Matthew Spacie (left).

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#SportsIsHope

THE MARUTI SUZUKI Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year Awards, held in July amid glitz and glamour at the ITC Grand Central, Mumbai, brought together the best of sporting glory. It lived up to its goal of celebrating the achievements of the country’s sporting stars, besides giving hope to aspiring athletes and passionate fans.

With the awards being graced by some of the most prominent names in Indian sports, the atmosphere was electric and set the tone for the evening. Hosted by popular television celebrity Shibani Dandekar, the highlight of the show was shuttler P.V. Sindhu, who was honoured with the Sportsperson Of The Year award for an outstanding 2016 that was topped by an Olympic silver medal.

Sindhu, who was accompanied by her father P.V. Ramana, looked elegant in a black dress.

Sindhu’s mentor, Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand, was accompanied by wife P.V.V. Lakshmi. Gopichand’s gentle demeanour added to the charm. In an emotional moment, Sindhu was the one to hand over the award for Coach Of The Year to Gopichand, along with popular Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu.

In yet another example of sports bringing out the best in a person and making them fight for what they believe in, para athlete Deepa Malik recalled how a story on her published in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED INDIA’s May 2012 issue made her rethink her retirement. She then went on to achieve her career’s biggest success at the 2016 Rio Paralympics—a silver in shot put. Malik received a standing ovation for her unwavering determination, and was bestowed with the Inspirational Athlete Of

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STARS GALORE From left: Bollywood actors Angad Singh Bedi and Richa Chadda with Paralympian Deepa Malik and Jio Media Services Product Lead Taskeen Nadkar.

THE MARUTI SUZUKI SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS WAS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, SHOWCASING THE BEST QUALITIES SPORTS HAS TO OFFER OFF THE FIELD

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SPORTSPERSON of theYEAR Charity Gala

THE EVENT SAW A HOST OF CELEBRITY GUESTS SHARING LAUGHS AND WITNESSED SOME TRULY INSPIRATIONAL ATHLETES NARRATING THEIR EXPERIENCES FROM THE WORLD OF SPORTS

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#SportsIsHope

The Year award in the presence of her parents. Her father, who successfully fought cancer, expressed how proud he was to see his daughter bring glory to the country.

Paralympians Devendra Jhajharia, Varun Bhati and Mariyappan Thangavelu too joined Malik and the trio was bestowed with the Editor’s Award For Excellence.

Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra was at his wittiest best when he said he was too young to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. “I was never athletic or competitive, but I had one talent and my talent was working hard.

That’s what I did in the last 22 years. You have given me this when I am young and, hence, an opportunity to cherish it,” the 34-year-old Bindra said on a lighter note.

K. Arumugam was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Sports award for his One Thousand Hockey Legs initiative, while Milind Soman’s mother, Usha, received the award for Community Development Through Sports on behalf of her son.

Other awardees included Shiva Keshavan (Extreme Performer Of The Year), Gaurav Gill (Athlete Of The Year), the junior men’s hockey team (Team Of The Year), and the indomitable Milkha Singh (Living Legend).

Promising India cricketer K.L. Rahul, who made a mark in the Test series against Australia, was bestowed with the Gamechanger Of The Year award. Although Milkha Singh and Rahul couldn’t attend the awards cer-

AN EVENING TO REMEMBER The presence of stars such as Abhinav Bindra and Shiva Keshavan (left), Bhaichung Bhutia (below) and cricketer Pragyan Ojha added grace to an event that lived up to its promise of making sports a way of life for all.

emony, they sent kind words through video messages, highlighting the deep impact and respect of the Maruti Suzuki Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year awards.

The event hosted some exceptional guests, including Indian football great Bhaichung Bhutia, star boxer Amir Khan, doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta and cricketer Pragyan Ojha. Bollywood actors Taapsee Pannu, Angad Singh Bedi and Richa Chadda added an extra dose of glamour to the event. It was a gala evening made even better by an inclusive and dynamic performance by Varun Venkit of Taal Inc. The awards underscored the importance of sports as a prime medium for community development and enrichment, thanks to principal charity partner Magic Bus. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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Basketball

Leaping For A

SLAM DUNK Even as the NBA is gaining in popularity, India is yet to churn out world-class basketball players. Now, one bullish coach and his wards are hoping to change the status quo

By VAIBHAV

RAGHUNANDAN

Photographs by ROANNA RAHMAN M. Shanmugam vividly remembers the first time he played basketball—a game he picked up on someone else’s whim. He also remembers that despite the hassles of playing sport and the expenses involved, his father, Murugan, a fruit vendor in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, always encouraged him to do what he wanted with his life. A volleyball player at the MDT Higher Secondary School, Shanmugam picked up the game at the behest of his PT coach, Ravi Shankar. “My height was good,” he says. Under his PT teacher’s tutelage, Shanmugam refined his skills and eventually won himself a place at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Salem. He chose basketball, but he grudgingly admits that it was probably the other way around.

Mohammed Ibrahim Ali was always too tall for his age. For a 13-year-old, being over six feet tall was not always fun. He would hit his head against door frames, people used him as a stepladder and, worst of all, friends were hard to find. Ali’s father, Barkat, owns a fast food joint near College Street in Kolkata. Every day, after school on his way back home, Ali would stop by a local club and watch basketball games. For a tall, well-built teenager, hoops were more of a solace than ecstasy. Seeing his son’s passion, Barkat enrolled him in a local club to learn the game. That was three years ago.

Amaan Sandhu is 6'9'' and 120kg, and it can be said that he was born with the basketball gene. His family pedigree offers further confirmation. Sandhu’s father, Gursharanjeet, captained an Indian team in the 1990s, and his mother, Rajinder, was a national-level player. Sandhu’s sister, Akarshan, played for India’s U-19 women’s team. Basketball was an obvious choice for him, growing up in Mohali. He was free to play anything, but basketball came naturally to him.

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THREE R ANDOM STORIES and three diverse kids, united by basketball. At the NBA Academy India in Greater Noida, the three are part of a batch of 21, looking to redefi ne hoops in India.

BUILDING THE HOOP DREAM

The fi rst part of the morning session is a shooting assessment. On the walls around the court at the NBA Academy hang posters of NBA superstars such as Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and James Harden, dwarfi ng the youngsters.

Shooting assessment requires every player to register 10 attempts from anywhere outside the three-point line. A lanky six-footer is on the mark.

He makes the fi rst three of his attempts without even a nick on the ring. The fourth bounces off the board and drops in safely. After each shot, he runs to another predetermined mark along the arc as a teammate passes him the ball. He is fi ve for fi ve.

And then he misses two in a row. He slaps his thigh in frustration, and on the cheek for good measure.

He gets in the next two out of three. Seven off 10, a brilliant bit of shooting by any standard. Not for him, though—he looks distraught, almost in a trance of pain.

For Sejin Mathew, every shot is a step closer to his dream and a miss is almost like abject failure.

These are the odds he plays with all the time. Seven out of 10 is good, but eight is better.

The only Keralite at the academy, Mathew is shy.

Even a simple question like “Who’s your favourite player?” hardly elicits any response. The shyness is almost a response to the competitive spirit.

Even on-court, his languid style masks a strong physical presence.

The only time Mathew breaks guard is when the conversation tilts towards Kevin Durant and how he may be visiting the academy. Mathew idolises Durant, and, to be fair, could end up looking like him in a few years. He smiles big, thinking about the prospect of meeting his idol, the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the NBA. These are the small margins of their success. This time last year, Mathew was at the Kerala Sports Council hostel, watching Durant on television. Now, thanks to his own talent as a player, there is a chance they could shake hands.

India has long been the sandbox for the NBA, which has organised close to 1,500 grassroots events around the country since 2008. Superstars such as Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol have come visiting. The 2015–16 season saw TV viewership touch 140 million but in the seven years of its unbounded, energetic engagement, player quality has still lacked that elite edge. Indian prospects in the NBA have been few and far between.

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There has always been interest in basketball among Indians, however, it is now that efforts are being made to find a star capable of making it big

The pioneer was Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first India-born player to be drafted in the NBA when he was picked by the Dallas Mavericks as their 52nd pick overall in 2015. A second, Palpreet Singh Brar, was drafted by the Long Island Nets last year, before being released. Before Bhamara came Gursimran Bhullar, a Canadian-Indian, the fi rst of his descent to play in the league. The common thing among the trio was their size.

But now the NBA is looking beyond the size template in India. Having conducted extensive scouting camps over six months last year, they fi nally have a roster of players to groom and trim for the NBA. The scouting camps were held across six cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ludhiana and Kochi) and additionally, the scouts picked up players from national-level tournaments to get a batch of 40 kids in Greater Noida at the Jaypee Greens facility for the fi nal roster. Twenty-one out of the 40 now remain.

Shanmugam is the fi rst in his family to play any sport. His elder brother is in college and their mother is a homemaker. At 16, he is six feet tall, not a giant by any standards, but makes up for the lack of natural physicality with tenacity, skill and grit. Appropriately then, his favourite player is Oklahoma City Thunder’s Westbrook, the man who broke the long-standing

NBA Academy

NBA record for triple-doubles last season.

Like his idol, Shanmugam is a point guard with a tendency to push his authority on other players. In a subsequent screening drill, he allows his opponent minimal space and is on his shoulder constantly, till the coach tells him to back off a bit and allow the play to continue. He demands the ball constantly, almost hogging it, but makes it count when he has it.

When the session is over, Shanmugam is one of the four players who are put through the punishment drill.

The reasons for the punishment are a bit obscure, but the drill isn’t. It is a clear set of instructions to be enacted to perfection, else repeated. The quartet do sets of German drills on the floor, timed by a coach. The time limit is two minutes for a full repetition. After three hours of being on the floor, they are struggling.

After each repetition, Shanmugam collapses on the floor, his chest heaving. As soon as time is called, he is up and running again.

On and on they go, for what seems an eternity. Throughout the drill, the coach, Jacques Van-

SWEATING IT OUT The players at the NBA Academy don’t have it easy with ‘punishment drills’ putting them through a grinder from an early age.

descure, is screaming at them, his booming voice echoing off the walls of the closed gymnasium. The voice has been a background chorus during the entire training session but right now during the punishment drill, it is at its apex.

TRIALS BY FIRE

“As a coach, I have failed today,” says Vandescure.

“If you have to scream then as a coach, you have failed.” He is glad to talk despite having spent the better part of a three-hour training session screaming at the top of his lungs. When he speaks, his voice is surprisingly soft.

Vandescure has been a professional NBA scout and has coached youth programmes across Africa in his two-decades-long career. He is the head of player development at NBA India. “Many things in basketball are a little overrated, such as the age and size of a player. You’re never too late or too short to start.

With this bunch, we are focusing on the fundamentals,” he says.

Vandescure highlights how repetition and constantly drilling the SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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NBA Academy

players is the only way he expects these teenagers to become elite athletes. He constantly talks about discipline and the inculcation of it being the prime facet of athletic endeavour.

It could be a placebo, but the players at the academy already feel like they’ve learnt more here than anywhere before. This goes for a range of them, those who were part of national camps and elite coaching before, those who were part of SAI academies and clubs. The testimonies remain the same.

For Ali, the 13-year-old from Kolkata, there is no doubt that the NBA Academy is far better than any other training facility he has ever been to. The difference is obvious. “This is international training,” he says simply, flashing a toothy grin that betrays his youth.

For Vandescure’s bad cop, there is Ray Farrell’s good cop. Farrell, the academy’s technical director, never raises his voice, not even during the sessions. Instead, he lauds the work of his support team and is full of praise for his wards.

A basketball coach for over three decades, Farrell has experience of grooming players from their teens, having been in charge of university and high school programmes throughout the U.S. in his long career.

There are no differences between teenagers across the world, cultures apart, in his opinion.

“It is a strange conundrum for us,” he says, “At one end, we know that these kids have to be pushed to do the extraordinary, and so we drill them accordingly.

They are a generation that others will look up to. The first of their kind. At the other end, they are just kids.

So, they behave like kids,” he says. “We have to tailor our expectations accordingly.”

The youngsters at the NBA Academy hail from varied backgrounds, from small towns as far-flung and obscure as Guna, Roorkee, Durg, Tirunelveli and more well-known yet unassuming cities like Varanasi, Nainital and Thiruvananthapuram. In fact, just seven of the 21 are from major metropolises.

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COMMON BOND Twenty-one of the best from varied backgrounds were selected to pursue one common goal at the academy.

The opportunity to play at the academy and be marked as a future prospect for the NBA is a big deal.

Most of the trainees admit to being overwhelmed by it for a certain amount of time.

Almost all of them picked up the nuances of the game watching their idols on-court through YouTube videos or early morning NBA playoffs. Sandhu had the privilege of having hoopsters in his family but despite that, any instruction would only come when he asked for it. His father knows that this opportunity is a real privilege. “He told me to relish it and enjoy it. When they were playing they didn’t have access to facilities like this. ‘Don’t pressure yourself. Learn every day’,” says Sandhu.

This sudden access to excess can also be a bit overwhelming. A lot of them came through training and playing on obscure, half-baked facilities. Here within the confines of a top-class, high-end gymnasium, fear of failure is replaced by a feeling of ecstasy. This is it, the high point of their lives.

Vandescure remembers how he coached this feeling away. “I told them that when they are in bed, they can think this is a dream. When they are on the court, I will make it hell.”

A stickler for routine and discipline, Vandescure is also the brains behind one of the most stunning player developments in recent years—that of Joel Embiid. The Cameroonian was a participant in a Basketball Without Borders camp in Johannesburg, where Vandescure was the coach, and was taken to the U.S. In 2014, Embiid was the third overall pick in the NBA draft, and was one of the star rookies of the season, averaging 20.5 points for the Philadelphia 76ers. “There could be an Embiid here too,” Vandescure says.

For all the dream-flashing, in reality Vandescure is a pragmatic man. He understands that not every one of these 21 is going to make it to the top rung of the basketball ladder. He understands that even one of them making it would be an achievement. He also knows that a significant number probably won’t play the professional game for too long either. And so, the drills, the extensive coaching, the constant screaming, and the enforcing of discipline are actually directed towards a higher purpose.

“The idea of this isn’t just to produce good basketball players. It is to produce good citizens,” he says. “Each and every one of them will be drilled to understand

“The idea isn’t just to produce good players. It is to produce good citizens.

Each will be drilled to understand they can achieve what they want.”

that they can achieve whatever they want in their lives.

There is no barrier. And the hope is that they work as hard, no matter what they do.”

Keeping this in mind the, NBA Academy, has also ensured each of the youngsters gets education. They have been enrolled in the Jaypee Public School, a short walk from the academy campus. Two of the 21, (Mathew and Arvind Kumar) are in college, and are enrolled in correspondence courses in universities of their choice.

If basketball doesn’t pave the way to a future, it is being ensured that it provides them a foothold for whatever comes next.

“I don’t know how I will do. There is enough time to find out,” Shanmugam says calmly. “On the other hand, just being part of this means that my skills have improved by leaps and bounds.” Despite the epic ‘lifting of the bar’ in terms of his game, Shanmugam remains grounded. “I can apply for a job via a sports quota and prove my worth. I’m sure this stint at the academy will mean that I am head and shoulders above everyone else,” he says. It is hard to argue with that logic.

It isn’t bad to have dreams. But a dose of reality always helps to keep you grounded and sweating it out on a daily basis. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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AFGHAN CRICKET

SPRING

I the In thh midst id t off gunfire, fii shelling h lli andd siege i bby extremist t it groups, Afghanis looked for a future beyond the dark times.

They found it in cricket

By Shantanu Srivastava Photograph by Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

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CRICKET

“When we started, we had nothing.”

IT’S A STATEMENT HEARD

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Sixth of seven brothers, Rashid took to cricket like most Afghanis do—after watching Indian and Pakistani superstars on television. A certain Shahid Afridi caught his fancy and prima facie, Rashid modelled his action on the quick-arm release of the Pakistani bowler.

“No, no, my action is completely natural. It is not modelled on Afridi's. I hurry through my action, which doesn't give much time to the batsman to read my googly,” Rashid clarifies.

Rashid grew up when America was spraying bombs across Afghanistan, hunting down Al Qaeda operatives. That cricket caught his fancy at all is astounding.

“I used to play cricket on the streets with a rubber ball with my brothers and friends. Then, they left the sport but I continued to pursue it. I joined a club in Jalalabad, and things moved from there.”

Things surely have moved at a frenetic pace for him. Since his debut against Zimbabwe in October 2015, he has played in each of the seven ODI series that Afghanistan have played—winning six of them. However, it was his performances in T20 internationals that drew people’s attention. Rashid finished the inaugural Desert T20 challenge in the UAE with nine wickets—the most in his team and second-best overall, and a barely believable economy rate of 3.61 runs per over, easily the best of the lot.

GA RE T H CO PL E Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (R A SHID); PAU L K A N E /G E T T Y IM AG E S (N A B I); PAU L A B R O N S T EIN /G E T T Y IM AG E S

countless times before. It, however, feels different when Moha mmad Nabi says it. His husky voice has an earnestness that comes from wisdom earned the hard way. The rugged tone and perceptible wryness take you back 25 years to Kacha Garhi refugee camp in Peshawar, where he ran around with a tape-ball clasped firmly in his sevenyear-old hands. “We just had junoon (obsession).”

The story of the recentlyconcluded Indian Premier League (IPL) is pretty much about this junoon. When the chroniclers of IPL history sit back to reflect, they might as well dedicate a paean or two to two men who encapsulated the dreams of a ravaged nation.

“IPL is big for the entire country, not just these two players,” Lalchand Rajput, coach of Afghanistan’s naBIG STAGE tional cricket team, says. It’s March 7 when we meet—alAfghanistan cricketers like most a month since the two Rashid (top) and Nabi (top right), have been picked by defendhave paved the way for more ing champions Sunrisers players from the region to dream Hyderabad, and Rajput, of a bright future, away from war who took over in June 2016, and hardship. is visibly enchanted by the Afghani junoon.

“The players are talented, but temperamental. They need to improve their shot selection, and understand the game better. But the thing that stands out for me is they never shy away from hard work. I was moved to hear the back stories of some of them.”

One can attribute this junoon and natural industriousness to their tortured past, but the love for the gentleman’s game has alleviated the sufferings of a country whose air reeks of gunpowder and the stench of rotting dead.

On April 13, the United States of America dropped the GBU43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, popularly known as the Mother of All Bombs (MOAB), on Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, targeting Islamic State (IS) hideouts. Rashid Khan, the teenaged wonderboy and toast of IPL 10, comes from this region. His family resides in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar.

inch is scaled to approximately 65 km.

Tarakhal’s sense of geography, though not entirely accurate, is passable.

“This entire area is Pashto. Pashto you know? Pashtuns are nice people, honest people, brave people. This was all Afghanistan,” he continues. “You know Shahid Afridi? Umar Gul? Junaid Khan? They all come from this area.”

“This area,” that Tarakhal refers to, is the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the north-western border of Pakistan. North of “this area,” on the other side of the Khyber Pass, the brave, mercurial and occasionally violent Pashtuns are living a pipe dream.

They hurl the hard ball as fast as they can. They swing the bat as hard as they can. And they fire Kalashnikovs when they please. They fired on Feb. 26, 2015, when their boys trumped Scotland at the World Cup. They fired in October 2015, when their team became the first Associate to beat a Full Member in a bilateral series. On Dec. 27, 2015, when they broke into the ODI rankings top 10, they fired again. Eleven days later, in Helmand province down south, the Kalashnikovs were back in business.

The gunfire, meant to celebrate Afghanistan’s series win over Zimbabwe in Sharjah, killed a teenager.

It’s the winter of 2016-17 and Tarakhal is in India with an Afghanistan A team that is playing Zimbabwe A in front of empty stands. Occasional trespassers, sensing a cricket match that is not domestic is in progress, stop by for autograph and selfie requests from players they don’t recognise.

It’s a match of little importance to anyone other than the sprightly Afghanis and the nervous ground staff at Greater Noida’s Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex that has recently been named Afghanistan’s ‘home ground.’

Tarakhal is a man with little, sparkling eyes, and watching him traverse the lush grass banks in a crisp business suit makes him look like a football manager ready to bark instructions from the sidelines.

“Pashtuns you know? They celebrate with gunfire. Yeah... they fire.”

Tarakhal’s sheepishness carries a tinge of remorseless humour.

Maybe pride. As a resident of Kabul, Tarakhal is no stranger to gunfire. When the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, Tarakhal’s family, like millions of others, crossed the Durand Line and settled in a refugee camp in Peshawar. Tarakhal was born in one of those camps. He was two when the family moved back to Kabul.

SH A H M A R A I /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

THE GAME HAS ASSUAGED A COUNTRY WHOSE AIR REEKS OF GUNPOWDER AND THE STENCH OF THE ROTTING DEAD Afghanistan won the trophy and landed in India for a series of ODIs and T20s against Ireland. In the second T20, Rashid picked five wickets for three runs to fashion a dramatic, rearguard win for Afghanistan and walked away with the Player of the Series trophy. His figures from the match (2–1–3–5) are the third best in T20 cricket, and no bowler had ever taken five wickets in a T20 international in two overs, making him the fastest to grab a fiver in a T20 innings.

“I still remember the day I was picked for IPL. We were in Zimbabwe, the entire team was sitting in front of a television set to track the auction. I was really happy to get selected,” Rashid says.

For Nabi, though, the selection came as the comeuppance of a youth spent in search of a cricketing oasis.

“Things were very different when we started. We had nothing,” Nabi remembers.

It is not often that Nabi slips in this reminder, but his deep breaths and pensive, reflective tone speak of a mind that keeps racing back to hard times he has conquered. The journey has been rough, but not lonely.

T

HIS IS KABUL. This is Jalalabad. This is Torkham. And this

is Peshawar.” The precision in Rohullah Tarakhal’s voice, manager of the Afghanistan A team, is striking as he arranges shells of freshly peeled pistachios on the coffee table. Each shell denotes a city. Each city is separated by two inches. Each

K

HALIQ DAD NOORI, the coach of Afghanistan’s A team, gets

prickly at the mention of the popular 1992 refugee narrative.

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85

CRICKET

in the refugee camps of Pakistan,” Noori, who hails from the northern province of Baghlan, says. What, however, troubles him most is the apparent stepmotherly treatment given to Allah Dad—his elder brother—in comparison to Taj Malik, currently the vicechairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), and, more important, considered by many as the pioneering crusader of cricket in Afghanistan.

“Taj Malik did a good job, but he is not the only contributor to our cricket.

The reportage so far has not been balanced,” Noori says.

To find balance, and to ascertain the accuracy of Noori’s assertions, we must travel back in time. The year was 1980, and the Soviet Union had rolled its tanks into Afghanistan and Allah Dad Noori, then seven, migrated to Pakistan with his parents. For 15 years, the family, which gradually extended to 10 kids, stayed in Peshawar. Allah Dad, the eldest, and others found the game of cricket similar to an Afghani sport called thope danda, and began to learn it from local boys.

Around 1990-91, Allah Dad started playing club cricket in Peshawar.

He got himself registered with the Don Cricket Club and, not surprisingly, showed a natural liking for fast bowling.

The year 1992 saw the rise of a strapping young man who bowled with a whippy action and made the ball talk. When Wasim Akram swung Pakistan to World Cup glory Down Under, the ripple effect galvanisedAllah Dad to cross the Khyber Pass and approach the Afghanistan Olympic Committee (AOC) in Kabul to register a cricket body, only to be turned away by typically callous officials.

He tried his luck again the following year. He was rebuffed again. Finally, in 1994, the AOC relented and the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) was born.

Before the end of 1996, around the time the Taliban seized control of Kabul and imposed its interpretation of Islamic law, the ACF organised a six-team BBC Cup in Kabul. Legend has it that somehow Wisden got wind of it, and the venerable timekeeper of the game’s history ensured the ICC affiliate membership form reached Allah Dad Noori.

The ICC accepted Afghanistan’s application and the country became an affiliate member. In 2003, Afghanistan became a member of the Asian Cricket Council and in 2005, Noori’s ACF earned ICC recognition. ODI status followed four years later.

THE STREETS OF AFGHANISTAN SAW SOME JOY WHEN THE NATIONAL TEAM QUALIFIED FOR THE 2015 WORLD CUP

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

N O O RU L L A H SHIR Z A DA /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S ( T O P); A A MIR Q U RE SHI /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (PL AY IN G D RU M S); JAV ED TA N V EER /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S

86 /

“We didn’t have anything then. There was no team, nothing.

Boys in villages and suburbs did play cricket on muddy grounds that had no concrete pitches. The structures were simply not there,” says Nasimullah Danish, the then chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board. Then, 9/11 happened and on Sept. 20, 2001, the US declared its global war on terrorism.

During those years, Allah Dad paid 3,000 rupees a month to hire a pitch in Peshawar Medical College where he conducted trials. Young men from the refugee camps, who had grown up on the staple diet of tape-ball cricket, turned up to be counted.

Nabi, who would go on to captain Afghanistan and become its most capped player, was one of them.

“I was too young when we moved to Peshawar and I don't

GAINING GROUND

CO U R T E S Y O F A L L A H DA D (A L L A H DA D); SH A H M A R A I /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (1985 – 90); A RIF A L I /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (19 95 –2000); M A SS O U D H OSS A INI /A F P/G E T T Y IM AG E S (2005 –10); I A N JACO BS /G E T T Y IM AG E S (2010)

1880s–1980s Cricket in Afghanistan, it is said, was first played in the country during the Anglo-Afghan wars. By some accounts, it received royal patronage from Amanullah Khan, who ruled the land from 1919 to 1929. However, it was only around 1980 that it began to grow, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and left it in turmoil, forcing millions to migrate to Pakistan.

remember much, but REACHING OUT I wanted to join a club Allah Dad (second from right) bea nd play cr icket. My gan playing cricket around 1990 parents tried their best to in Peshawar, and registered stop me from playing crickhimself with the Don Cricket et, but I understand their Club. Soon enough, he was reasons now. Cricket really had no future back then. I making a name as a pacer. joined a club secretly and started learning the game.

Then Under-17 trials took place in Kabul and I was selected,” Nabi recalls.

There is, however, a little catch. There was nothing official about the teams that Noori led, simply because the ACF was not yet an ICC-recognised body.

“It was not a national team. The ACF was not registered by ICC,” Danish explains. Simultaneously, the stocks of a young Taj Malik, who was orchestrating a mini cricketing revolution in Peshawar, began to rise, and soon the inevitable power struggle ensued between him and Noori.

M

ALIK WAS nine when, in 1986, he became a refugee. His

father, who had fought the Soviets as a mujahideen for eight years, got a television set in the camp, and the cricket bug caught up with the family.

By 1998, Malik had formed an Afghanistan ‘national’ team in Peshawar and started participating in recognised club-level tournaments. Three years later, Malik met President Hamid Karzai and persuaded him to re-establish the ACF, which was headed by Allah Dad. He entered the Afghanistan cricket fold as a national coach, and held office for eight years.

Meanwhile, the cracks in the relationship between Allah Dad and Malik were beginning to take the shape of fault lines, and after Afghanistan’s dismal run at the ACC Trophy in Malaysia in 2006, Allah Dad was shown the door.

In 2009, Allah Dad objected to Malik’s eight-year unopposed tenure at the ACF, and the AOC, that still controlled the cricket body, called for elections. Allah Dad cantered to a rousing 19–1 win. Unsurprisingly, Malik called the polls rigged and once again approached Karzai for intervention.

1985–1990 Afghani refugees in Pakistan, where cricket was popular, began learning the sport from the locals. Cricket was similar to a sport called thope danda in Afghanistan.

1990–1995 The Afghanis took a liking to the game, and this grew when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992. The Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) was formed in 1995.

1995-2000 During this time, individuals like Taj Malik and Allah Dad Noori (pictured), former captain of the national team, began pushing the federation for more exposure.

2000–2005 Once the Taliban, who banned most sports, began to warm to cricket, the ACF became an affiliate member of the ICC in 2001, and the team travelled for its first tour to Pakistan.

2005–2010 Afghanistan won their first tournament in 2007, the ACC T20 Cup. They shared the trophy with Oman after the final ended in a tie. In 2010, they beat the UAE to qualify for the World T20. They won the Intercontinental Cup in December 2010, a first-class ICC tournament.

2010–present Finished runners-up in the World T20 qualifiers in March 2012. In 2013, Afghanistan were recognised as an associate member of the ICC, and in October that year they qualified for the 2015 World Cup.

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taking care to mean each word he speaks.

“I urged the President to dissociate ACF from AOC, and rechrisThe past has been excruciating, but the future holds promise. ten it as ACB,” he recalls. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) On May 25, the ACB held high-profile IPL-style auctions for its was thus formed, and Omar Zakhilwal, currently Afghanistan’s six-team Shpageeza Cricket League. Into its fourth edition now, ambassador to Pakistan, became its first president. the T20 league is a massive hit in Pashtun badlands. The curThings, however, have moved on from those early days of rent edition of the league, to be held over July 18–28, will mistrust and maleficence. The ACB, feature players from Pakistan, Zimbabwe, the West Indies despite sporadic power struggles inA WAY FORWARD and Bangladesh. herent to sub-continental officialdom, After repeated efforts by players The transformation has been quick enough to turn young is one of the few functional institumen like Tarakhal philosophical. Peering through his wintions of the country. The back stories and officials, the Afghanistan dow at a cluster of hutments, the tiny-eyed Tarakhal notes, of modern Afghan heroes, however, Olympic Committee recognised “Afghanistan is like India.” continue to enthral. their potential in cricket, and It is late winter when we speak, and the rising vapours with that, slowly, came better of sencha (Afghani green tea) that he stirs add a heavenly SGHAR STANIKZAI IS not known facilities to train. for his oratory. But when the skipper of Afghanistan’s national cricket team speaks of his people, the polished façade of correctness takes a rare backseat.

“Cricket means a lot, really. It’s the only thing that brings a smile to the faces of our people. They have suffered a lot over the years, and every little milestone that our team achieves brings immense happiness to them.

“When we returned to Kabul after beating Zimbabwe in 2016, the scenes at the airport were simply unbelievable. The distance from the airport to the ACB office can be covered in barely 15 minutes, but that day it took us over four hours to navigate through the fans.

“And you know, even women had come out to welcome us. In our society, it’s not very easy for them to attend such events, but that’s what cricket means to Afghanistan.

“If there’s one thing that makes the entire country chant ‘Afghanistan Zindabad’ in unison, it is cricket.”

Nabi puts things in perspective: “We never thought of coming this far. We never thought of playing alongside the stars we have watched on TV, leave aside playing in the IPL. aroma to the misty morning.

“We had no grounds, equipment, teams, tournaments, board.

“The people are the same. They dress differently, the traffic Absolutely nothing. We just had junoon.” is more in India, the cricket infrastructure no doubt is better in In more ways than one, Nabi and Rashid represent the genIndia, but still the two countries appear more similar than differerational change in Afghanistan cricket. While one is among ent. Someday, we would love to host India in Kabul.”

Somewhere, in the din of a suburb yearning to break free the first cricketers to don an Afghan jersey, exemplifying, in the from its slumber, the pistachio shells on Tarakhal’s coffee table process, where ‘junoon’ can lead you, the other is a testament of have ceased to depict boundaries. Kabul has merged with the game’s immense reach and transformative capabilities.

Jalalabad, which is now touching Torkham, which has effectively Nabi’s family is now settled in Kabul, busy with its construction consumed Peshawar. The scent of sencha that engulfs the badlands business, while Rashid’s is into electronics trade in Jalalabad. The memories of a troubled past have been tucked under the frames may well be the nectar of cricket. The spring has arrived, and in of fortune and recognition that have taken their time coming. the dry chill across the Khyber Pass the Pashtuns have found “We never thought we would come this far,” Nabi says slowly, the summer within. ±

A

“NEVER THOUGHT OF COMING THIS FAR. WE NEVER THOUGHT OF PLAYING ALONGSIDE STARS WE WATCHED ON TV.”

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Eighth

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

T E N N I S

ER

It’s easy to marvel at the grace of Roger Federer, who didn’t lose a set (and barely broke a sweat) in his record-setting romp at Wimbledon. But what’s more amazing—and more vital—is all his hard work behind the scenes

BY L. JON WERTHEIM Photograph by

GLY N K I R K/A F P/GET T Y I M AGE S

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the highlight is dying and the reel is dead, but, at least figuratively, this was a shot for the highlight reel. It was late in the first set of the Wimbledon men’s final when Roger Federer, who turned 36 last month, went all out. Dashing across what was left of the Centre Court grass, Federer caught up to the ball beyond the baseline, coiled his arm and flicked ˘ilic´, an angled backhand. His shot hummed past the opponent, Marin C before kissing the court near the sideline. It was still another he-didnot-just-do-that bit of shotmaking for the Federer compendium. The crowd went wild. As it always does.

Barely a minute later, Federer played another critical point. This one featured no magic, no obvious display of his lavish talent. This time he tacked between offence and defence, stubbornly refusing to give ground, patiently and steadily driving the ball deep into the court—grinding, ˘ilic´ capitulated and committed a forehand in tennis locution—until C unforced error. There was no frothing from the commentators, no oohs or ahhhs or other sonic rewards from the fans. Still, this point mattered just as much as the previous one, and it was perhaps more central to the plot.

This interval encapsulated one of the great truths of tennis, sports, life. For all the gushing—not wrongly—about grace, it’s often another one-syllable gr word that is just as responsible for success: grit. We fi x our gaze on the bells and whistles of talent, not the effort to extract it.

We’re so seduced by the outcome that it distracts us from admiring the process. Grit is the real engine of greatness. Grit balances elegance and lavishness. Grit is what enables the winners to alchemise their native gifts into results.

It has become a voguish concept, grit has. It’s easy to discuss and harder to define. In her best-selling book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth lands here: “[Grit] is a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal.” Duckworth even goes so far as to put forth an equation: “Talent × Effort = Skill.

Skill × Effort = Achievement.” In writing her book, Duckworth studied everyone from elite Army units to National Spelling Bee winners to Warren Buffett. She could just as easily have focused her research on tennis, and specifically the 2017 Wimbledon champions.

Already considered the GOAT of men’s tennis, Federer added to his credentials at the All England Club.

A ridiculous 14 years removed from ˘ilic´ his first title there, he defeated C 6–3, 6–1, 6–4 for his eighth championship as well as his 19th career major, padding his lead over Rafael Nadal’s 15. Federer did it without

dropping a set, the first man to accomplish that on the grass in 41 years.

Federer’s talents for manipulating a tennis ball are—and have always been—abundant. When he plays, almost reflexively he draws comparisons to art and music. He is alternately a maestro, a virtuoso, an impresario, a pointillist, a stylist. To quote the sign of one fan attending a Federer practice session last week, quiet: genius at work.

But if Federer is an artiste, so, too, is he an artisan. He’ll go in the basement and tinker with his game, adding new elements and testing new equipment. His switch to a larger racket this year has allowed him to take bigger cuts on his one-handed backhand. During play, perhaps more than ever, he’s happy to slog through points with persistence, willing to prolong rallies and hit as many balls as necessary to prevail, aesthetics be damned.

His mental state during competition also epitomises grit. Without histrionics or drama, he pushes through the inevitable lapses. “Roger Federer’s best trait is the same exact best trait of Rafa Nadal— with two totally different personalities,” says Paul Annacone, a longtime Federer coach (and a colleague of the writer at the Tennis Channel). “He

VENUS HAS GONE FROM BEADED PRODIGY

TO THE MORAL AUTHORITY OF WOMEN’S TENNIS, ROUNDLY ADMIRED AND ADORED

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

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Battle of Wills

SH AU N B O T T ERIL L /G E T T Y IM AG E S

While Venus (bottom left) showed she could still be dominant at 37, she couldn’t conquer a newly resolute Muguruza in the final. doesn’t let the emotion of the moment, pro or con, sway him. He has this incredibly short memory.

What just happened doesn’t matter. Roger hits an incredible shot—or he makes a mistake. Doesn’t matter. He just moves on without a huge amount of emotion and just plays the next point.”

Granted, Federer seldom calls attention to his doggedness, what in Switzerland would be called sitzfleisch. He performs in silence, not grunting or moaning. He seldom sweats or snarls. While peers complain about the rigours of the circuit and demands of travel, Federer—blessed with the means to afford private planes—flies around with his wife, Mirka, and their four kids and talks proudly of being “a citizen of the world.” He doesn’t exude stress.

So it is that we don’t always see the sacrifice his success requires. We don’t see him decline to go skiing, for fear he might tweak his knee or land on his right arm. We don’t see him monitor his diet—save the balls of Swiss chocolate scattered

throughout the home he rented for July in Wimbledon Village—to maintain his 187-pound playing weight. We don’t see him hold “training blocks” during the season on the back courts of hotel complexes in Dubai. There, in striking anonymity and searing heat, he goes through elaborate stretching and flexibility routines with his longtime trainer, Pierre Paganini, in the mornings. In the afternoons he hits with players who have differing skills and styles, rotating them in and out, as a champion boxer would sparring partners.

The yield on this investment—the payoff of this grit—has never been more apparent. Federer isn’t just competitive, and he isn’t just winning.

He is playing at the dizzy ingly high level that he displayed when he was in his supposed prime. “Honestly,” he says, “I’m incredibly surprised how well this year is going, how well I’m feeling, how I’m managing tougher situations, where my level of play is on a daily basis.”

Call it a revival of will and grace.

A

fter studying Federer, Duckworth might want to turn to an exemplar of grit in women’s tennis. At 37, Venus Williams has more than a year of seniority on even Federer. (For perspective, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters have been enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame; both are 34.) No matter. A full two decades since she made her Wimbledon debut, a full 17 summers since she first won Wimbledon, Williams presses on. And the reason is simple: a coupling of passion and persistence. “I love what I do,” she says. “I still like the challenge of being better today than I was yesterday.”

Venus entered the tournament as a contender, if not a favourite. Her reputation, especially on grass, preceded her, while her power, speed and competitive instincts have endured. She also benefitted from the SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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absence of the 2016 champ, the player who has beaten her in seven major finals, most recently January’s Australian Open. . .who also happens to be her kid sister. With Serena Williams out of action, deep in the third set of her pregnancy, Venus’s odds at Wimbledon improved dramatically.

Optimism was dashed, though, days before the tournament, with the publication of a police report that on June 9, Venus had been involved in a two-car auto accident in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A 78-year-old passenger in the other vehicle died after the collision, and his family was bringing a civil suit against Venus.

Venus soldiered through her first match but without her usual mirth.

Asked about the accident in her postmatch press conference, she said, “There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and—yeah.

I’m completely speechless. It’s just—yeah, I mean, I’m just. . . .”

In her operatic career, Venus has won on the grandest stages. She has suffered the death of her older half-sister Yetunde Price, who was killed in a shooting in Compton, California, in 2003. She has lobbied for equal prize money. She has for a decade battled the effects of Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune une disease that causes chronic

The Swiss m master won the title without dro dropping a set

2 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis b lippoussis 77–6, 7–2, 7–6

2007 bt Rafael Nadal 7–6, 4–6, 4–6 7–6, 2–6 6–2

2004 2 bt Andy Roddick b ddick 4–6, 7–5, 7–6,, 6–4 4

2009 Roddick bt Andy A 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, 7 3–6, 16–14

2005 2 bt Andy Roddick b ddick 6–2, 7–6, 6–4 6 4

2012 bt Andy Murray 4–6, 4–6 7–5, 6–3, 6–4

2006 2 bt Rafael Nadal b adal 6–0, 7–6, 6–7, 6 7, 6–3

2017 bt b Marin Čilić 6–3, 6–1, 6–4

In an era of specialists, s you’re either a clay court specialist specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hardcourt specialist... or you’re Roger Federer.

Jimmy Connors

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

A L E X L I V E SE Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (PHIL IPP O USSIS); A L E X L I V E SE Y/G E T T Y IM AG E S (R O D D I C K 200 4); PHIL CO L E /G E T T Y IM AG E S (R O D D I C K 2005); C L IV E B RU N SKIL L /G E T T Y IM AG E S (N A DA L 2006 , M U RR AY; F ED ERER C U T O U T ); RYA N PIERSE /G E T T Y IM AG E S (N A DA L 2007 ); PAU L G IL H A M /G E T T Y IM AG E S (R O D D I C K 2009); DA NIEL L E A L- O L I VA S - P O O L /G E T T Y IM AG E S (C˘ IL I ´C)

FEDERER’S SUPER EIGHT T

fatigue and muscle soreness. She has grown from beaded prodigy to the moral authority of women’s tennis, from a polarising teenager to a woman in full, roundly admired and adored. At this moment, she did something few had ever recalled seeing, at least in public. She broke down; tears flowed unrestrained. A moderator jumped in: “Can we just give her a minute, please. Do you want to take a minute outside? Shall we?” We shall.

Venus collected herself. And she, well, gritted through both the interview and then the rest of the tournament. She won with power. She won with poise. She won blowouts. She won battles. She beat veterans. She beat three straight opponents born in 1997, the year of her first Wimbledon. Midway through the tournament, video from the accident surfaced, strongly suggesting that Venus was fault. By then her joy, and her signature not at fau

the GOAT Tote

A ELT C- P O O L / G E T T Y IM AG E S (W I T H T R O PH Y ); C L I V E B RU N SKIL L /G E T T Y IM AG E S

With his 19th Grand Slam championship—and second of the year—Federer left no doubt about his place in the men’s tennis pantheon. postmatch twirl, had returned.

In the fi nal Venus faced 23-year-old Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain. A natural athlete and violent ball striker, Muguruza is capable of Mugu-ruthless tennis. She is also capable of enigmatically vacant play. Two years ago she reached the Wimbledon final, falling to Serena. A few months later, deep in a slump and losing another match, she was picked up on court mikes telling her coach, “I don’t want to play anymore.” Last year Muguruza took down Serena for the French Open title and seemed poised to become the next star. She then went a full year without reaching a tournament final, much less winning another major. “Handling success is something I had to learn to do,” she says. “It’s not easy.”

Duckworth writes of the “rising to the occasion form of grit,” elevating yourself at the most critical junctures. On July 15, Muguruza did precisely that, meeting the moment and embracing it lustily.

Facing double set point in the 10th game of the match, Muguruza called on her tenacity to win a

ferocious 19-shot rally. As if flipping a circuit breaker, Muguruza didn’t lose another game, blasting away and returning Venus’s serve as if it were propped on a tee.

After taking the title 7–5, 6–0, Muguruza was asked what she had discovered about herself at Wimbledon. “I’ve learned that it’s very important to find organisation,” she said. “To go through a Grand Slam, two weeks is so long. You have to economise your energy and fight when you’re out here, recover, train well. . . . There are a lot of things that aren’t [individually] so important. But put together, they make everything work.”

It all leaves women’s tennis in a curious place. The vacuum created

by Serena is a considerable one. The player who entered Wimbledon ranked No. 1 (Germany’s Angelique Kerber) has yet to win a tournament in 2017. The player who left Wimbledon ranked No. 1 (Karolina Pliskova, a Czech) lost in the second round. The most accomplished player not named Williams (Maria Sharapova) hasn’t played a major in 18 months because of a doping suspension and a thigh injury. Muguruza might be best positioned as the sport’s one authority figure. “I feel like a completely different player [now],” she says. “I am committed.”

Federer’s commitment has never wavered. He’s still flourishing, still passionate and persistent. Here we are in 2017, and Federer has won two majors and the 31-year-old Nadal—Federer’s comparably gritty foil—has won the other. More than a decade into their rivalry, they are one-two in ranking points this year. It’s all a reminder that potential is one thing. Realising it is quite another.

It was around 7 pm on July 16, when Federer—still working his way through his media assignations, three hours after the match—addressed this very point. “Yes, I was blessed with a lot of talent,” he says. “But I also had to work for it. Talent only gets you that far.”

The rest? That’s grit. True grit. ± SEPTEMBER 2017 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /

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POINT AFTER

A Season Of Farce ´ BY SUKHWA NT BA SR A THE NATION’S HIGHEST sporting awards always had

an almost divine halo for the junior tennis player that I was. For the hard-nosed cynical journalist that I morphed into, I see them as a personification of all that’s wrong with Indian sport. From the outside, it’s still possible to cling on to

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SEPTEMBER 2017

Do the national sports awards selection criteria need a massive overhaul?

Join the discussion on Twitter by using #SIDebate and following @SITweetsIndia

The writer is the former national sports editor of Hindustan Times and was a member of the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards selection committee in 2015.

I M A G E CO U R T E S Y O F S U K H WA N T B A S R A

some semblance of credibility of the awards process. But once you have seen it from within, it’s impossible to get over that wadethrough-the-cesspit that Indian sports governance is. I was a member of the selection committee for the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards in 2015 and this is my story of what I witnessed.

As per the present setup, 12 people get together in a hall at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) offices, tucked behind the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, to mull over the sporting success of the past four years. On the face of it, the committee looks reasonably balanced but in the thick of it, as I discovered, it’s just loaded in favour of government-backed athletes. After all, the government decides just who the selection committee members are. To start with, there is a silly marks system to determine the winners. On the face of it, that sounds logical. In the doing of it, one realises that someone with limited knowledge of sports, but adequate adeptness at babugiri (pen-pushing), is the author of this procedure. A mammoth 80 percent of the marks are given for performance at the Olympics, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. That too might appear logical to some, but most professional sports need not figure in these multidiscipline jamborees.

For instance, an Indian footballer hardly has any chance. Look at tennis and things get even more convoluted. An Asian Games medal carries more weight than a Grand Slam win for getting a national award. Yuki Bhambri may have been ranked as high as 88th in the world, but he still doesn’t have an Arjuna in hand.

While Saketh Myneni, with his best ranking of 137, got one this year. Myneni has a mixed-doubles gold from the Incheon Asian Games. Rohan Bopanna, who has been ranked as high as third in the world doubles rankings, also hasn’t figured in the list. Tennis and professional golf tour wins just don’t figure in the criteria.

Thankfully, the sports ministry is mulling over revamping the criteria for selection. The proposed system will allow the committee members to throw names in the hat of those who might not have been nominated in the first place by their federations.

As a member of the committee, I was shocked to find that there is little one can do. After all, if it’s about collating cold numbers based on a trite formula, then what’s the point in having domain experts? Their only play is in case of a tie in marks! To put former judges in charge may sound logical but my experience showed that they just interpret what’s written as gospel; they won’t budge from the black and white. But what got my goat was the

Before the meeting, there were lobbying calls from supporters of those in the fray even as no one is supposed to know. Some members were even offered material inducements

wheeling-dealing. I was approached by another committee member to support his candidate and in return he would support mine! Before the meeting, there were lobbying calls from supporters of those in the fray even as no one is supposed to know.

Some members were even offered material inducements. The ‘sportspersons of eminence’ clause seemed to be read as those pliable by the authorities. I overheard one such person asking the SAI Director General for a favourable posting. That person nodded in vigorous acquiescence every time the officer opened his mouth subsequently. Apart from the selectors, there are a host of other ministry flunkeys hanging about the room. They offer unsolicited counsel. In fact, one junior officer was even able to convince the members to vote for one candidate at his insistence even though he was never meant to be there, let alone voice an opinion. With the presiding judge deciding that a show of hands would suffice to quell dissent, there was little that one person could do.

The bios of the athletes to be scrutinised were shoddily compiled and there was no understanding amongst the ministry sidekicks that events other than multi-disciplinary games could matter far more in a sport like golf. In the end, it was about wading through silly numbercrunching in an effort to avoid silly court cases by following even sillier criteria.

The silliness of the awards continues into the ceremony. While dignified in the eyes of some, the entire process is tedious and boring. The applause was cursory and even as the first two rows were reserved for babus and their kin, parents of the winners struggled to find space. It’s terribly difficult to get into Rashtrapati Bhavan and it turns out to be a very small gathering. Now, imagine the same function in a packed stadium.

The ceremony was summed up by the terrible high tea served later. And just like the ceremony, and the selection process, even the kebabs were bland. The awards ceremony should be aired from its stuffy exclusiveness and made more accessible.

The least they can do, of course, is to figure out the kebabs while sacking some cooks who pretend to feed the President. ±