Another chapter in my Squash Appreciation class

So today, an Indian champion from Kolkata, arguably the best the country has produced will pick up his  racquet to play a tournament final against a fan favorite and the best ever in his sport produced by the paradise country - Switzerland. Before people start scratching their head wondering where on earth is Leander Paes playing Roger Federer in a singles finals today, allow me to submit that the matchup being referred to here is the next best thing possible, and definitely one that's a lot more evenly matched contest ! :)

Squash is back to its new swanky home in India -the lush green lawns at the CCI, Mumbai. For a city that's woefully deprived of high quality sports action , this annual stop by the stars of the squash world is a breath of real fresh air! And this, the 2nd edition of the tourney has added lot more cheer to the Indian public when compared to the inaugural edition. After a flurry of great contests and joyful upsets on the way, the grand finale is set up with Saurav Ghosal locking horns with the Swiss charmer Nicolas Mueller later in the day today. The semis yesterday saw plenty of skills, technique & tenacity on display with all 4 semi finalists giving it their best.

Mueller got the better of the tournament giant killer - Ramit Tandon. This young indian had given it his all to upset the top seed Spainiard Borja Golan in the quarters and was unfortunate to be carrying a hip niggle into the semis. Injury breaks and multiple stretches though did not dampen the fight in the young man who gave it his all and gritted through the match, despite the experience and skills of the Swiss man being an obvious bridge too far for the Indian to handle on the day.

The 2nd semis was the marquee matchup of the day ( probably of the tournament). The indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal, in a rich vein of form off late up against  Mr.'Hammer Of Thor' - the towering Egyptian - Omar Mosaad.
Did hear atleast a couple of remarks from the regular 'squashers' around me on the height difference and the imposing challenge that the Egyptian posed. And true to the thoughts, game 1 went by the looks,- the tall guy steamrolling the Indian. The little BIG guy from Kolkata though, showed the power of the blue patch that he's experiencing for the past couple of months, rattling of the next 3 games to win the match. It was a contest that was a test of mental toughness as much as one of skills. With plenty of ref calls being contested, the Egyptian brought out a number of gasps from the audience courtesy his raw power ! The power incredibly going up few more notches in the rally immediately after a heated argument with the refs. The marker, meanwhile was playing with fire going absent minded on atleast 2 occasions and incorrectly calling out the score further fuelling the egyptian's fury! Amidst all this, Ghosal's game was a testament to his experience and focus as he continued to do what he can do best to ensure his path to the finals.

Few points though struck a clear chord through the day while watching the matches. One being the undoubtable brotherhood that exists between the players. A game that by design demands playing it tough, contesting calls and flaring tempers is bound by guys who have genuine respect for one another. Right from the toss upto each point during the game theres a clear trust between the players to take calls that is fair. Plenty of moments stand out - Both the semi victors gushing in praise of the vanquished quoting the past wins and achievements, the loser conceeding a point won even at match point and the winner specifically calling that out later asking for the crowd to cheer the spirit shown by the loser then, the no airs bonhomie shown by the Indians - Saurav & Harinder to guide their younger mate through the semis even when saurav had his own tough contest to prepare for.

Final point though will be on the sport itself. To the casual eye, this is a sport that looks a bit of a drudgery at times, a little low on variation perhaps and a test largely of stamina. That was honestly my impression till probably a year and half back. Once you live the game though and watch a few high profile contests from close quarters, one realises that this is a game of infinite possibilities - a genuine contest that thrives on skills, precision, patience, power, mental fortitude and of course superior fitness being an unalterable must-have in order to succeed!

With Indians doing so well in the sport and the buzz among the young kids being an obvious one to see, wishing that we see the emergence of many more young champs in the sport and also plenty more such avenues like the CCI Open for the champs to display their skills to an audience willing to lap 'em all up ! 👍👍

Welcome onboard Bops!

8th June 2017 proved to be a happy day for Indian sports. A day when a name was added into the exclusive, now 4 member, list of Indian grand slam winners in Lawn Tennis.

It was a case of 2nd time lucky for the  man hailing from the blissfully quaint hill station of Coorg. Rohan Bopanna had a successful run of results with his Pakistani partner Aisam Qureshi, which included a shot at the Mens Doubles title at the US open in 2010. But the crown eluded him then. Grand slam glory was destined for him on 8th June 2017 partnering Gabriela Dabrowski at the clay courts in Roland Garros. Mixed Doubles may well be considered a lesser sport, but this by no means reduces the sheen of his achievement. By winning the French Open Grand Slam at 37 years, an age that could easily be considered old in the physically demanding sport that tennis is, Rohan has given a fine example of the merits of never losing hope and keeping it going till success is attained. Moreover, by some quirk coincidence, this win almost serves as a worthy commemoration of the day that started it all for Indian wins at the sport's highest level. It was 7th of June 1997 when Mahesh Bhupathi, widely regarded as Rohan's mentor and now India's Davis cup captain/coach, won the French Open Mixed Doubles title partnering Japan's Rika Hiraki, gifting India its first grand slam title ever. 20 years to the day his protégé repeated the feat winning the title in a closely fought contest to lend a cheer to scores of Indian sports aficionados.

While we revel in this success, diehard tennis fans in India continue to await the day when the hitherto unheard of  is achieved by an Indian in  world tennis i.e success in singles at the top level. A taste of which came 21 years back on a shiny day in Atlanta when a young man brought individual Olympic glory for India. That 'young' man continues to delight us today with his awe inspiring control at the net and fitness at an age when top level sport is out of bounds for most, if not all, ordinary souls.  

Here's wishing that successes such as these and the presence of such 'young men' inspire our Gen Next to strive and forge ahead at the topmost level of this fascinating sport.

Going Gulzar on Badminton .....

Ek Akela iss shehar mein ...... Raat mein aur dopahar mein.....

Thus go the words of a timeless classic made immortal by the redoubtable pristine brilliance of an amazing poet and sung by d legendary voice of Bhupendra Singh. Over the decades, these lines have soothed many a lonely heart and helped them wade through the streets while trying to find their true calling.

The song gains relevance in an article meant to be a write-up on sports because of the feeling one goes through traditionally while tracking a non cricket sport in this 1 sport religion country of ours. Though maybe entirely unintended, it is the brilliance of these lines so beautifully written by Mr.Sampooran Singh Kalra that probably helped define the feelings of an Indian badminton fan to the fullest. Lonely pursuit all day and night to keep track of scores, watch the matches, When obliged with coverage / working live stream links i.e, trying to analyse and make a meaningful assessment, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the game - All of this largely ...Akela !

The advent and popularity of social media, ushered in a new dawn of sports viewing and living the passion. Geography, timezone, coverage , all are a lot more immaterial now. Irrespective of the time of the day, there is someone out there following the sport with equal vigour and analysing the game threadbare to help give one the joy of company! Probably the great man that he is, Gulzar knew this well ahead, and hence wrote a modified version of the same song to match this as well .....Do Deewaane Sheher Mein ... :)

Viewer aside, another reason this song becomes relevant is the main characters in this saga of our sport's love, the ones right in the thick of action, Our heroes - The members of the national badminton team.

For long, very long in fact, the badminton crazy fan in India was resigned to the fact of being happy with the odd solo success. Hunting in packs on a sports field, least of all a badminton court,  was something that Indians for sure never managed well. A brilliant win by 1 of our champs would necessarily be negated by a logic defying loss by another. A win against best in the world on day 1 could easily be followed by a loss against someone who wouldn't hold a chance given another day.  Similarly, our quota of success in doubles was more than taken up by our friends playing the outdoor court racquet sport. The poor cousins playing doubles in the indoor court racquet sport would be left to win d lower rung events at best.

The winds of change are blowing thick and fast now and its quite evident to witness. The difference in the viewer perception to the matches makes the changes very apparent. Loads of positivity in the air about player performances irrespective of the result. People actually sit up today to take notice of the talent on display with a strong inner belief that results will come tomorrow, if not today. And for sure the results are coming as well, some beyond expectations of even the ardent optimist among the fans. With the talent in display the average Indian sports fan has begun to enjoy the game beyond the pressures of winning / losing and the same is also rubbing off on the players.

Strategically as well, there's been a lot that's fit in perfectly for India. New coaches, existing mentors ably supported by past players have built an ecosystem of excellence that's largely unheard of in Indian sport. If one were to one go through the annals of Indian sport, it would be a tough challenge to come up with instances where kids as young as 16 are thrown into the cauldron and made to compete against the best in the world. While it's tough recognising a kid with a world beater talent and its tougher being able to be develop it at the right time under the tutelage of the right people, But the toughest is to give the kid the highest level exposure at this young an age and yet supported to make him thrive. Indian sports are replete with examples where whizkids have been lost due to one or all of the above not happening. This is changing in Indian badminton today. We appear to have successfully done a 'Çhodd aaye hum woh galiyaan' on those days of self-doubt and low expectations.

The badminton ecosystem today represents a cooker. Not one filled with pressure, but one that's simmering with array of talents made up of the multiple ingredients waiting to explode onto the global scene. It has already blown multiple whistles thanks to the people on the top, but the real story of our dominance would be when the cooker bursts and fills the sport at all if its levels and disciplines with its colour and aroma. The world sure is starting to get the taste off late, more so this week, but the real taste of the pudding will come when the highest levels of the sport are bagged. For this to happen, the efforts to stay on the long winding road to success needs to be constantly maintained ! To borrow from the great man again  -

In umr se lambi sadako ko, Manzil tak pahunchte dekha nahin

Bas daudte phirte rehete hain, Humne to theherte dekha nahin .......