Look at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Cricket. When it was first conceptualised, it was termed a young man’s game. But if anything, starting from Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Anil Kumble, to Michael Hussey, Brad Hogg and Zaheer Khan, many a veteran has debunked this theory, writes N. Sudarshan.
Two years ago, Viswanathan Anand, one of the most articulate of Indian sportspersons, when asked about age as a factor vis-à-vis sporting performance had this to say: “It clearly is. But since it’s not something you can change, I don’t keep thinking about it. It’s more for the observer than the player.”
Now look at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket. When it was first conceptualised, it was termed a young man’s game. It was deemed cricket’s opportunity to shed the tag of certain laziness which was always associated with it. But if anything, starting from Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Anil Kumble, to Michael Hussey, Brad Hogg and Zaheer Khan, many a veteran has debunked this theory. An observer, like Anand said, has always been stumped. But the player has indeed revelled.
Much of the awe expressed at veterans performing as well as they have stems from a few assumptions one makes. Shorter the format, fitter the player needs to be is a truism. But why can’t a veteran do this? Tennis, the most athletic of sports, has 30-year olds (even 40-year-olds if one considers Leander Paes) faring like never before. The belief that a senior cannot keep up with the newest advances in fitness is a myth that has been bust. A veteran has proved more adept at absorbing modern-day techniques than many.
If anything, the shortest of formats has given a new lease of life for those bowlers like Ashish Nehra, who admittedly no longer have the stamina to last a Test match, but can be infinitely more effective in T20s. In fact, one might even be tempted to ask as to how many in the Indian team can run like the 34-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Or display lightning quick reflexes behind the wickets like only he does?
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Denne historien er fra May 7 2016-utgaven av Sportstar.
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Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
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Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
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The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
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It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
