SPORTS IS LIFE
Recap — 4 Best Sporting Moments of 2021
A Sporting Saga
Sports is entertainment. Sports is a disappointment.
Sports is adrenaline. Sports is tranquility.
Sports is passion. Sports is apathy.
Sports is patriotism. Sports is treachery.
Sports is laughter. Sports is tearing.
I am feeling down and out. Insomnia has been on top of its game for the last couple of nights. I am an underdog, dejected. I need a victory, desperately.
I need wet eyes, joy, pride, rage, pumping heart, and peace. All bundled up together. I need FUCK YOU! moments, lots of them.
I need my safe haven. So, I am going to do what I always do. Take a trip down memory lane and re-visit my favorite sporting glories.
These are my top 4 picks for this year.
The expectation on this G.O.A.T. was immense to win almost everything in Tokyo Olympics. She was top-notch in national trials and national championships. It looked as if all the stars were aligned for her to repeat her feat in Rio.
So, was I disheartened when Simone Biles withdrew from the team finals? Hell, yes! But, I also felt proud of her. Her stature at that moment was beyond exemplary. She stuck with her team, from being a chieftain to a cheerleader for her team, as her mates kept churning medals after medals. The ones that had her name written had destiny played out a little differently.
In India, we have a saying. ‘Chota patakha, bada dhamaka’ (small cracker, big bang).It is loosely synonymous with ‘big things come in small packets’.
Respect! More power to you, girl. And to everyone suffering from mental health issues.
Does the name Ahmed Hafnaoui ring a bell? No. This 18-year-old boy from Tunisia was seconds away from not even qualifying for the final bout. He walked out last, relatively inexperienced (experience my ass), fought alone and hard he fought, with the titans, in the last lane, won in humility, alone, looking surprised at the board, numb for a moment, then, boy or boy did he explode.
What a celebration! What emotions! Fuck yeah, champ!
You earned it.
You might be world number one. Heck, you might be the greatest ever. But, when on the other side of the net you have a titan, on a turf he has made his own, you would double guess your chances. What a setup for a stunning semi-final on that summer Friday evening in Paris.
Please do not mistake me. I am a hands-down Rafael Nadal fan. But, for a selfish reason, I wanted him to lose that evening. You see, I want to watch a man win the golden slam in my lifetime. But, the king of clay was making things difficult for both Novak Djokovic and me.
The Spaniard was in a ferocious flow right from the start. Haring from left to right, baseline to net and back. The Serbian’s dream of winning a golden slam was slipping away at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, Novak was 5–0 down in the first set.
Then, something incredible happened. As if the energy drinks got high and started to feed electricity instead of electrolytes in every inch of Novak’s body. The two men matched toe to toe, shot for shot. I had goosebumps then and now.
As if Achilles was against himself. What would Apollo decide? To whose heel will he guide the arrow?
The evening kept throwing surprise after surprise. Understanding what was going on in Roland Garros, even the local authorities lifted the 11 PM curfew and allowed 5000 people to continue witnessing something incredible.
After 4hrs and 11 minutes (4 sets and not 5, mind you), Novak triumphed, shattered but triumphed. He just played one of the best matches of his life. The dream of the golden slam was alive.
Nadal was graceful in defeat. I promise I will never wish for him to lose in Paris, ever again. And god willing, I will be there when you lift that trophy in 2022.
India and Australia are the world’s biggest test cricket-playing nations. Two countries passionate about their cricket.
Mighty Aussies are almost impossible to defeat in their backyard. India has never beaten them in Australia in a Test Match Series except once in 2018. Aussies went down that time because their two prime players were on a year-long ban for cheating. The yellow jerseys were not playing their full-strength side.
Earlier this year, India was back down under. For a four-match Test Series. The series poised at 1–1 as both the teams headed to Brisbane for the last and final test. The series was up for grabs.
But, the tables had turned this time. India was playing their third-best XI. The Indian captain had gone back home on paternity leave. A majority of our players were injured.
Australia was playing a full-strength team. Undefeated in Brisbane since 1988. It was their fortress. Stage set to revenge the 2018 loss.
The cricketing world always had a love-hate relationship with the Australian cricket team. If you want to defeat the Aussies, you have to be on top of your game and earn it. They will never make it easy. They are just fucking pain in the ass.
They were the favorites.
And then, the final day of the series arrived. As the sun lightened up the Gabba (nickname for Brisbane cricket field), India walked in to bat. They needed 324 runs to win. Australia needed to get ten batters out. If neither of them happens by 6 PM, the match will draw.
The Australian bowlers (pitchers in baseball) were fast and ferocious, spitting venom, the ball swinging on both sides, like a pendulum. Indian batters were finding it difficult to connect the bat with the ball. Things were looking grim for Indians.
But, a young man, in his third test match, had different plans. Shubham Gill kept his cool and the scoreboard ticking, ensuring that he did not get out. He launched a counterattack and contributed 91 runs in a hurry. He played an innings of a lifetime.
Wait! was India playing for the big prize? They had to be crazy. Just defend and do not lose ten batters before 6 PM, I advised via telepathy. We will go back home with series tied 1–1. That is a good result considering that we are playing with our third-best team.
But one needs to be crazy to believe in miracles.
After Gill and Rahane got out in quick succession, India still needed 161 runs to win with seven batters left. Out walked Rishabh Pant. He had Cheteswhar Pujara as his partner who supported Gill throughout the morning, taking body blows all over. But, Pujara stood tall, like a wall between Australia and victory. When he got out with exact 100 runs to win, it looked like game over for India. You see, scoring 324 runs on Day 5 of a test match is considered impossible. The history of the game supports only a handful of such miracles. But, Pant (touted as the next big thing of Indian Cricket) had different plans. The series was on the line, yet, he played with flamboyance. As if this younger generation knows no fear of failure. It was crazy scenes in the stadium. The commentary from the television commentators was thrilling, edge-of-the-seat stuff.
At 5:38 PM Australian Standard Time, 22 minutes before the match scheduled end time, Pant hits a glorious drive down the ground. My screams pierced the silence of the night (it was past midnight in the States). I jumped, cried, fist-bumped the walls.
The fortress got breached. The mighty Aussies have finally defeated at the Gaba. It took a third-strength Indian team, packed with youngsters, to change the history. The fearlessness of youth! They were not afraid of losing, but a draw was never an option for them.
Here is what the Australian coach said after the defeat. Well said, mate.
We won 2–1. The trophy was coming home. The heart was bleeding blue (color of Indian jersey). I just witnessed one of the greatest test matches ever.
Well, it will be in my top three when I hang up my boots.
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