I am a huge sport buff. Can watch or follow anything from Snooker to Golf but not an exception because it all started with Cricket. Test series win over England and West Indies in seventies worked as a power booster for Indian Test team. Then fifty over format enter the scenario with Carry Packer series. Indian team was a mere spectator during 1975 and 1979 world Cup (Prudential Cup). Only thing I can remember from 1975 is Gavaskar’s 36 not out from 60 over (amazing). 1979 world cup was no better than previous one. Then came 1983, India survived group stages, thanks to 175 by Captain Kapil Dev. Semifinal, India beat England, there was a gem of innings played by Sandip Patil. Finally the judgment day, 1983, 25 June, India to play West Indies, winner of previous two World Cup. Something like David verses Goliath. I was in Mumbai and staying in I.I.T. India bundled out with 183 runs. Sometime during West Indies innings, live telecast interrupted. Before that I just able to glimpse a ball that bowled Gordon Grinidge and bowled by Balwinder Singh Sandhu, it was one of the best in-swinger I ever seen. When the live telecast revived by then Vivian Richards already departed. Clive Lloyd injured batted with a runner and finally ended with Michael Holding, West Indies bundled out with 143 runs on the board. That win means India going to keep the Prudential Cup forever. That was a huge power booster for Indian Cricket and today they are one of the top three team in the world.
Other sport that fascinated me is football, early days it was East Bengal and Mohan Bagan, slowly and steadily I fall in love with this game specially club football from England, Spain and Italy. In those days I was backing Liverpool Football Club but I do not know somewhere in the 1990’s I started following Manchester United and still I am loyal to them. Back home, Indian football is not in good shape. Why the football never got a power booster? When 1950 Indian football team qualified for World cup, shame that they never able to participate because that time the team used to play without shoe, in bare foot and it was against the rule and guidelines laid by FIFA. Is our sport ministry was that poor? It was not a question of wining but by playing World Cup in Brazil along with South American and Europeans giants would have been a power booster itself and our football also would have walk in the same path along with cricket. Jarnail Singh, P.K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami (played cricket and football), Thangaraj etc. were the few Indian football greats. Given chance they would have been conquered the world too.
With football world Cup going on in South Africa, I just wonder if in future we will going to have a team like 1950’s, of course we do not expect a bare footed dare devils like 1950’s, because kits will be no problems any more.
Last comment, until now this is the worst world cup (game and skill wise) I ever seen.
Other sport that fascinated me is football, early days it was East Bengal and Mohan Bagan, slowly and steadily I fall in love with this game specially club football from England, Spain and Italy. In those days I was backing Liverpool Football Club but I do not know somewhere in the 1990’s I started following Manchester United and still I am loyal to them. Back home, Indian football is not in good shape. Why the football never got a power booster? When 1950 Indian football team qualified for World cup, shame that they never able to participate because that time the team used to play without shoe, in bare foot and it was against the rule and guidelines laid by FIFA. Is our sport ministry was that poor? It was not a question of wining but by playing World Cup in Brazil along with South American and Europeans giants would have been a power booster itself and our football also would have walk in the same path along with cricket. Jarnail Singh, P.K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami (played cricket and football), Thangaraj etc. were the few Indian football greats. Given chance they would have been conquered the world too.
With football world Cup going on in South Africa, I just wonder if in future we will going to have a team like 1950’s, of course we do not expect a bare footed dare devils like 1950’s, because kits will be no problems any more.
Last comment, until now this is the worst world cup (game and skill wise) I ever seen.
!!!Missing the power booster? Blame it on Rio? Excuse me why Rio? Blame it on shoe or poverty!!!
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