Cinderella Man

After a rather long spell in hibernation, I have resurfaced to doff my hat to the ever effervescent Anil Kumble. A legend whose commitment to his team has been unquestioned throughout his two-decade cricketing career. Images of a heavily bandaged Kumble in Antigua in 2002 after fracturing a jaw, or that of a scorecard reading 10/74 against his name in Delhi in 1999 remain etched forever in the memories of the Indian cricket fan. “Jumbo”, as he is fondly called has enjoyed a stain-free cricketing career; and for someone who has played international cricket for as long as Kumble has, staying away from controversy is no mean achievement. Even Sachin Tendulkar cannot boast of such an accomplishment (after the infamous ball tampering incident in Port Elizabeth in 2001, or even the customs duty waiver on his Ferrari). In fact, Rahul Dravid once remarked that Anil Kumble is the kind of guy who you would want your sister to marry.

Kumble’s participation in the IPL, as well as that of the many golden oldies such as Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Gichrist, Jayasuriya, Hayden etc. was seen with a lot of skepticism, particularly with respect to the fitness and agility that this form of game demands. But just one week in to the tournament most of them showed that they are up to speed with the younger lot, and by the end of the tournament they had outperformed the youth on all counts by a mile – Hayden being the top run scorer, Kumble being the second-highest wicket taker (at a much superior economy rate than RP Singh, the highest wicket-taker), and Adam Gilchrist effecting the most dismissals in the tournament.

Kumble’s job at the helm of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after the departure of the much hyped (in my opinion overrated and overpaid) Kevin Pieterson was onerous to say the least. After all who would have given both Deccan Chargers and RCB any odds of making it to the finals? But Jumbo took up the challenge, just like he has done over the past two decades while providing yeoman service to the Indian and cricket team; and just like always, he didn’t disappoint this time either. In fact, he led from front – he emerged as one of IPL’s most lethal bowler and one of shrewdest captains. Bringing himself on to open the bowling against Adam Gilchrist was just one such masterstroke. All-in-all, Kumble emerged as the modern day Cinderella Man.

Those who remember Ron Howard’s depiction of James J. Braddock in the 2005 film Cinderella Man, will probably appreciate the uncanny similarities between the circumstances in the biographies of both these legends. Braddock’s unceremonious expulsion from professional heavyweight boxing coincided with the Great Depression in the 1930s, while Kumble unconvincing retirement from international cricket coincided with the deepest recession since the Great Depression. Braddock fought poverty and persistent injuries to revive a flagging career, while Kumble fought obtuse selectors and age to revive a declining career. Most of all, the people of America in the 1930s, and the people of the sub-continent today were looking for an inspiration to stimulate the otherwise gloomy conditions. Both, Braddock and Kumble provided that impetus to the people – Braddock represented the hopes and aspirations of the American public coping with the Depression, and it is my hope that Kumble’s heroics do the same to the people of the sub-continent.

Braddock’s story might have had a perfect ending with him winning the world heavyweight championship, the unfathomable batting display by the RCB middle order ensured Kumble’s would not. Alas, Kumble ended up as a victim of the biggest limitation of team sports – that individual heroics are often overshadowed by the collective idiocy of a few people.

Who is the greatest active sportsman?

The turn of events over the course of the week has all but prompted me to come out for a second innings at blogging. If this couldn’t have, then I don’t know what would have enticed me into it ever again! What I am referring to is the showdown between the two best players of modern day tennis, and the beginning of the campaign of an athlete who might create a huge splash, literally, at next month’s Olympic Games.

However, this blog is not just about eulogizing the feats of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Michael Phelps. It is my quest to find out who is the greatest active sportsman today. And to complete the list of candidates I include Tiger Woods. For the purpose of this piece I have only considered individual sports, and not team sports for the obvious reason that in team games so many variables are in play to supplement and complement the individual performance. So, all the Tendulkar, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho fans can sit down again – we can discuss that over coffee some other day.

I like to start with wishing a speedy recovery to Tiger Woods and hope to see him in action soon. The fact that when Tiger Woods lifted the 2001 Masters, he become the first player in the history of one of the oldest sport in the world to hold all four major championship titles at the same time speaks volumes of the accomplishment. On two other occasions three titles were held at the same time, but never have all three been held at the same time. The fact that he was the fifth player in history and the youngest ever to have achieved a career grand slam becomes redundant, and a mere statistic. The only major feat that perhaps eludes him is the record for maximum Major titles – 14 compared to 18 won by Jack Nicklaus. Considering he is just 32, and given the form he is in, it is just a matter of time. And yes, he is the richest sportsperson ever in terms of prize money and endorsements combined. He is on the verge of being the first sportsperson to touch the billion dollar mark.

Moving on to the next sports icon is the remarkable 23-year old Michael Phelps who is already participating in his third Olympics; and they say that he will peak only at the 2012 London Olympic Games! Sample this for achievement – 17 World Championship Gold Medals, 6 Olympic Gold Medals and 20 World Records. I repeat he is just 23 years old and maybe not at his peak yet! At next months Olympic Games he will aspire to win eight gold medals and better Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals at a single Games.

Phelps did miss out on the record for the maximum gold medals won in a single edition in 2004, but he did equal the record for the maximum medals won at a single edition. What spoke volumes about his persona, and also made him a darling of the crowds was his last minute decision to let his buddy and rival Ian Crocker swim in his place in the 4 x 100 medley relay so that Crocker got the elusive Gold Medal at the Games. The U.S. medley team went on the win the event in record time, and Phelps also got a medal for that race since he had competed in the heats of that event. However, it went down as one of the most touching events of those Games. Next month all eyes will be on Phelps to see whether he can achieve what only one man has achieved to date, or something that no other man ever has. To put things in perspective, Mark Spitz said that if Phelps matched his record of seven gold medals, it would be like the second man on moon, but if he got to the magical eight gold medals, it would be like the first man on Mars! Whether Phelps lands on the moon or the Mars will be seen next month, but one thing is for sure, he is definitely not meant to be on planet Earth.

The next nomination is perhaps the most debatable following the turn of events throughout this year. The opinion as to who should be considered as the best in the sport of tennis right now is divided. With back-to-back wins over Roger Federer in the French Open and Wimbledon finals, and thereby becoming the first person since Bjorn Borg to win both the titles in the same year, Rafael Nadal has a valid claim to be part of this elite group. However, sample this – twelve Grand Slam singles titles, four Master Cup titles, appearance in ten consecutive Grand Slam finals and a record 232 consecutive weeks (and still counting) as the number one ranked player in world tennis, is consistency personified by Fedex. As against this, Rafa still has a long way to go with five Grand Slam titles, and no idea yet about what it feels like being the number one tennis player. He might well be breathing down Federer’s nose for the number one slot, but it is still to be seen whether he can get there, and if he does, how long can he stay there. 232 weeks? Maybe not. A lot of people started writing Federer’s obituary this year and said he is over the hill with a loss of form or perhaps motivation. However, what they forget is that Federer had been diagnosed with mononucleosis, which generally takes months to fully recover from, but the champ was back in action in a matter of weeks. Rafa may have started his realistic quest for the number one crown, but he still quite a way from displaying the dominance that Fedex has in the past few years. Until then this mantle deservedly remains with Roger Federer.

What is common amongst these three gentlemen (let's forget Rafa for the time being) is that they have had this aura of invincibility surrounding them, and with any adversity they have only come back stronger (and that is also what I expect Federer will do). And this could well be the differentiating factor for determining the ranking – who has had a greater degree of that aura. Another thing in common between them is their dignified presence, both on and off the field – and this is where I would rate Fedex slightly higher than Rafa. Many might argue that aggression and emotion are vital ingredients of modern day sport – and Rafa’s demeanour off-court has been as impeccable as that of Fedex, but it is Roger Federer that one sees as the ambassador of the sport. That said, each one of them, especially Woods, Phelps and Federer, all of whom have been around for quite a while now, have done remarkably well to steer away from controversies in this age of media which “creates” controversies out of thin air!

Now its time to rate the best of the best. Atleast for a month, and to be fair to all three of them I would put Phelps at third place till the end of the Olympics. If he manages the seven or eight gold medals – he is undisputedly the greatest active sportsman. Until then, it’s between Woods and Federer. While Woods has failed to be as consistent as Federer in winning titles, he has done what Federer hasn’t – held all four major titles at the same time. Federer is far from that given that he has not even won all four Grand Slams. All in all, my rating (pending outcome of the Olympic Games – where Fedex and Rafa are likely to showdown for being the undisputed King of Tennis; and also the result of Phelps’ search for unchartered territory) stands as follows:

1. Tiger Woods
2. Roger Federer
3. Michael Phelps

The IPL Saga

Now that the dust has settled on the initial hoopla over the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket aficionados around the world are passing their verdict, and I thought to myself – “why should I stay behind!” The verdict is as varied as revolutionary to trash. But instead of doing just a boring analysis of the format itself, I will also try to weigh what the critics have said so far. In essence, I will criticize the critics! Other than that I will of course offer two cents of my wisdom too.

I would like to begin with the most amusing section of critics here, the Brits, who are the self-proclaimed guardians of the game. They believe that T20 being a British invention, the ECB should have been the deserving pioneers of such a tournament. But aren’t we in a world where only the fittest survive? In such cut-throat competition, first movers will always have the advantage, and most importantly – the ECB invented this version way back in 2003, and I believe that if in five years you can’t come up with such an idea, you never will!

Moving on, we have section of purists. Most vociferous of the lot, this clan believes that this is slam-bang version of the cricket is not good for cricket’s health because technique, class and elegance go for a toss. Indeed, the Twenty20 format involves a lot of unorthodox play but it tests the true temperament of a cricketer in his ability to adapt to situations. Same was the apprehension about limited-overs cricket when it was introduced, but as far as I believe it has done no harm to test cricket. Rather it only infused life into an otherwise dull cricket and got youngsters hooked on it. Mind you, it was the inception of limited-overs cricket that led to the rapid decline in dull draws in test matches. And now that we are close to the halfway stage in this IPL, it has been quite evident that T20 is more tactical and requires more shrewd decisions by captains alongwith a dynamic approach as, unlike the longer versions of the game, there is no looking back – One over can mean a point of no return.

With the sheer amount of cricket being played today, the passion and enthusiasm amongst cricket lovers was somewhat dwindling. T20 has given the much needed spice and vibrancy to bring back the crowds. It has removed the boredom and monotony that was creeping into the game. It has also brought in more followers and more value for money for the public at large.

One of the key issues facing the ICC today is that cricket is not such a global sport after all. Today cricket has only ten test playing nations and a handful of associate nations trying to fill in with part-time players. You cannot call such a sport truly global. It does not even feature in the Olympic Games. The fact is that test cricket requires such high level of skill and talent that it would take decades to nurture a strong test cricket playing nation. Remember how long it took before India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan became a force to reckon with? Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are still struggling. T20 is the answer to this predicament. History testifies that new teams have become competitive in one-day internationals much quicker than they could in the test arena. T20 will only shorten this gestation period and entice more nations to nurture their cricketing talents. If ICC wants cricket to become a global sport, T20 is the answer; if ICC wants cricket to figure in the Olympic Games, T20 is the answer - and IPL is the vehicle.

Why I say IPL is the vehicle because the IPL has managed to do what all other ventures in different formats have failed – to bring in best talent from across the globe playing with and against each other. Never before has cricket witnessed this with such success. Who would imagine, just a couple of months earlier the same Matthew Hayden who wanted weed out Harbhajan Singh, is today batting for him when the latter is embroiled in another controversy? Most cricketers have gone on record saying it is an exhilarating experience to share the dressing room and experience of players who have been rivals for most of theirs cricketing careers. So what we can now see, though as an unexpected outcome of the IPL is fresh strategies, novel ideas and different approaches as a result of this potpourri of decades of cricketing experience.

Well there may some winners and some losers in the IPL, but there is no doubt that the biggest winner will be the game of cricket, and in turn the money paying billion odd enthusiasts across the globe.