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Showing posts from December, 2022

Enough of Being a Cricket Fan

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Excess of anything is bad. And here we are talking of a poisonous combination of excess amount of cricket and excess amount of money; all in one ecosystem.... I have always loved following cricket as a sport; but, in recent times, my interest has reduced substantially because of the excessive amount of cricket being played by our teams. I have got no qualms in admitting that as a sporting nation our priorities are definitely misplaced. The most crazily followed sport in India is Cricket. Indian cricket is driving the world cricket today. But let's ponder, what exactly is world cricket ? A game played by England and its former colonies. Not even 10 out of 190+ nations play serious cricket with a domestic cricketing structure. A few cosmetic names have been periodically added from time to time in this list of 10 odd nations; basically to give an impression of adding footprints of cricket as a sport. So, in a game played by just 10 nations, we excel. And drive the sport with the power...

FIFA WC 2022 Finals : Whispers of a History in Making

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FIFA WC 2022 Finals : Whispers of a History in Making I am not a passionate football lover. Our love for football may have various contours. But most of us casually follow all the big leagues - EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1.... And for most of us, this interest is rekindled primarily to follow some of the superstars of the game; like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane and a few more.  And among this melee of super stars in last decade or so, no one has inspired more viewers and generated more interest worldwide than the duo of Messi and Ronaldo.  Who is better, is for history to decide. The legend of Pele got created not in his formative years in 60s. He was a rollicking footballer in 60s, but legends are made generally after you retire. Ditto with Diego Maradona. So when Messi and Ronaldo hang their boots, a lot more will be written about them.  It's like the Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi in 9...