Abstract

• Sometimes trying is succeeding.
• The greatest leap is the leap of faith.
• When your heart wants something badly, you can’t listen to the mind.
• I live to enjoy the journey; because the destination will last but only a moment, whereas the journey lasts a lifetime.
• God, give me the courage to do what I must; and the intellect to not do what I shouldn’t.
• Pink Floyd: Don’t give in without a fight.

My favourite sports personalities

In this post I will talk about the people in sports that I have most admired in my life. I will divide the list of people I like based on the sport they belong to. As an Indian, it is obvious that I should start with Cricket.

Cricket:

Sachin Tendulkar- I started watching cricket from the 1992 world cup. That was the first world cup for the young star Sachin. Those days, Sachin was called “The little big man from Bombay”. He was the favourite among the commentators. Though India didn’t do well in that world cup, Sachin’s performance was well noted by the world. He was marked as a star for the future. And what a star he has been since then..

Mohammed Azharuddin- Despite the match fixing allegations and other scams, I have always enjoyed watching Azhar play. Not just his batting, but also his fielding. He was India’s best fielder for a very long time. I would really love watching him run between the wickets- he was such a wonderful judge of runs. He would almost never get run out.

Steve Waugh- I like Steve Waugh for his never say die attitude. He is one man you can trust to bat for your life. I cannot remember having seen a better fighter in world cricket.

Sourav Ganguly- To me, The prince of Calcutta was the best ever captain of India. The 3-4 odd years that Dada and John Wright were together, was the time I loved watching Indian cricket most. It was a time when the Indian team was characterized by determination, courage and a bit of arrogance. The Natwest Trophy final will remain etched in my memory. Apart from his captaincy, Dada is a fine batsman too and is a delight to watch when in full flow. If there is something more remarkable than his batting and his captaincy, it must be his grit & determination which he showed in ample quantities by making a successful comeback to the national side against all odds.

Tennis:

Michael Chang- He was never a very successful player. I think he won a couple of grand slams, but that was about it. I doubt if Chang ever made it to the No.1 spot in the ATP rankings. What I loved about this guy is that he never gave up. He would chase down every ball. You would hardly see any winners hit by his opponents. Chang would invariably reach every ball in this side of the court.

Formula One:

Frank Willaims- Though he is not a driver, I have been really impressed by this guy’s passion for racing. This has not been the easiest of times to lead an independent team in F1. The past decade has seen more than half a dozen independent teams exiting from the sport as manufacturers started to show their money power. At the end of 2006, most F1 pundits wrote Williams off, stating that it was only a matter of time before the team was sold off to another manufacturer. But old Franky stuck it out though the bad times. Today he has been finally rewarded. His team is fighting in fourth place in the world championship and also has one of the most promising stars of the future- Nico Rosberg- in its ranks.

Fernando Alonso- His reputation may have taken a beating after his unceremonious departure from McLaren last year, but Fernando Alonso remains my favourite driver on the circuit. 2005 & 2006 were the best years F1 has had in a long time. The battle of Alonso Vs Schumacher was just too good- especially in 2006. Even the mathematically closer 2007 championship did not match the intensity of the 2006 battle. If one were to ask Michael Schumacher to tell off the record, who is the best F1 driver at present, I am sure he would say its Alonso.

Basketball:

Michael Jordan- I watched basketball for 2-3 odd years around the years 1996-99. It was Bulls Vs Jazz in the NBA playoffs finals. It was my introduction to basketball, and I loved this guy, Michael Jordan. He was in complete control of whatever he did. He was cut above the rest. And the commentators were saying that this guy was actually making a comeback after a few years of sabbatical from the game. It was amazing. Come crunch time in a game, and Jordan was the man to give the ball to. His fadeaways and slam dunks are legendary. Unfortunately for me, my love for the game faded away as soon as Jordan left the Bulls and the game itself for a few years.