The lady in the room

The build-up to this year's Australian Open final was perfect. Nadal and Federer faced off in a semifinal which was a semi-classic. And as usual Nadal triumphed that too in 4 sets. And in the final he met the Djoker to avenge his six previous defeats in the final . This is exactly what I had expected. Well not exactly because a Nadal-Murray final would have ensured Nadal his 11th slam. But then who would want a Grand Slam final to get over in less than three hours. During the morning of  the final (which was a Sunday by no coincidence) I kept myself busy reading any article in any form which remotely mentioned 'Nadal' or 'Australian Open final'. Like how Arnold Schwarzenegger readies himself for the final battle by smearing himself with mud in that cult classic 'Predator', I smeared my imagination with some astonishing rallies which Nadal wins. Amidst all this I sensed some tension in the air which for the time being lets assume was just my anticipation for the match.

The match started off in a tight manner with the mouth watering aroma of the food being cooked by my wife in the background. Nadal struck the first blow by breaking Djokovic's serve. And Djokovic retaliated by breaking his racquet in frustration. Ah! It was a great sight for Nadal fans as Djokovic showed early signs of  breakdown that have cost him matches in the past. And as if it couldn't get any better, my wife announced lunch was ready. I am not sure what the menu was as all my senses were hijacked by the match, but it was really tasty. I just wondered how lucky a man could get on a Sunday. The first set concluded without any further drama with Nadal safely securing the set.

My wife doesn't follow tennis. But when her husband is jumping all over the room singing praises of Nadal instead of serenading her, you can't blame her for supporting the Djoker. And pumped up by the new found support of my wife, Djokovic got his rhythm back. He started taking advantage of Nadal's second serve and was thrashing winners all over the court. This combined with the unbelievable retrieving that Nadal was doing from the baseline, was producing some out of the world rallies. But throughout the set Nadal seemed to be a step behind Djokovic and a double fault from him gifted the set to the Djoker.    

The third set was a total disaster. Djokovic continued from where he left in the second set and Nadal was being overpowered in all departments. I have never seen Nadal being so outhit before. I was transfixed to the television, intently following a crucial rally when all of a sudden Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai appeared on screen serenading in some strange language (which was supposed to be Tamil) in Machu Picchu. I instantly blurted out WTF !! (to be read as 'What the hell' for sake of censorship ) Then I realized my wife had changed the channel using the remote control. I shouted at her (in reality I pleaded with her) to change back and the following conversation ensued -

"You have been watching this all day without helping me in household work. I had to prepare breakfast, lunch and also clean the house all alone. For sometime let me watch something that I like. It won't hurt you to take a break."

Now I realized what that tension in the morning air was all about.

"This is a live match and I want to watch each and every point. Don't you see the high quality of tennis on display. I have been waiting for this match all week."

"So you haven't been waiting to spend time with me you dumbhead. Ok answer me frankly  - Do you like me more or Nadal ?"

Huh! When will women ever change? Why do they always ask the right question at the wrong time? Anyways out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the scorecard from my laptop. Nadal had been broken twice and there was no hope left for him in the set.

"Archana, how can you ask such a stupid question. You are the most important person in my life and why do you compare yourselves with Nadal. To me he is just an amazing tennis player and nothing more than that."

"Hmm... whatever. I would be happy if you spent your time playing tennis rather than just watching others play."

"After seeing such high quality tennis, I don't want to insult the game by playing it myself."

"Nonsense!! When will you ever listen to me rather than blabbering like this."

So our conversation ended abruptly and we continued watching some tamil movie. After sometime the temptation to know how the match was progressing was unbearable. And I couldn't track the score online too as the internet got disconnected. For a long time now my wife was immobile and speechless. Suspecting she had fallen asleep, I went around her to confirm. Then slowly I pulled the remote out of her hands and changed the channel. And what a moment I had chosen for this stealithy act! Nadal was down 0-40 of his own serve with Djokovic leading the set 4-3. If Nadal had lost this game the match would have been all but over. But Nadal dug in deep as he always does and raised his level of tennis to save all the break points and went on to win the game. The fourth set went to a tie breaker were Nadal finally overcame the dominant Djoker to win it. If only my wife was awake to see the supernatural skills displayed by these players, she would have agreed to my view of I shouldn't playing this game.

So now I was all charged up to watch the final set when something unexpected happened. My wife woke up! Should I change the channel or just continue watching the match? I was really terrified. Summoning all my courage and given the fact that the damage has already been done, I just continued to watch the match. Though she never uttered a word, I was sure she was simmering with anger inside. More than ever I wanted a Nadal victory so that I can take something positive out this day. As if answering my prayers Nadal broke Djokovic's serve. But my happiness was short lived because the Djoker broke back. I wanted to vent out my anger but thought it might not go down well with lady in the room who was now watching me intently. The pressure from different quarters was just too much to handle. Now I just wanted the match to get over soon and no longer cared who won. Another prayer got answered. Unfortunately this time by the Djoker as he broke Nadal's serve. And without further drama Djokovic sealed the set and the match. I immediately switched channels, grabbed my jerkin and went out for a walk pondering whether my wife will allow me to watch the French Open final between the same two guys in the month of June...     

Déjà vu !

Déjà vu (noun) :
1. a feeling that one has seen or done something before.

So the Indians have successfully completed another whitewash. This time it is Down Under. And this time the Indian team have really sunk rock bottom. Only some massive unloading might help the team to rise back. But the replacement cargo isn't half as good as the old ones. Well moving from shipping parlance to pure cricketing terms, the future of the Indian test team looks very bleak. Shewag knows to bat only way and clearly that way is leading him only to the pavilion. Dravid has been clean bowled every other time he has been at the crease. Laxman has suddenly realized he is 38 years old and his feet refuse to move. Tendulkar seems to be lost in pursuit of the landmark we all know of. Dhoni is of the 'esteemed' view that tweaking our game to overseas conditions is a waste of time as the majority of our tests are played in the subcontinent. And the bowlers... well looks like they are contemplating early retirement.

And as expected criticism flew from all corners. The media was busy writing the obituary of the seniors. The veterans blamed the IPL and other commercial endeavors of the players for their lack of commitment. The average Indian fan hasn't still recovered from the shock of the appalling defeat. But the Indian team didn't allow any of these criticism to affect their losing streak. Some made brave gestures like showing the middle finger. And some others challenged the Aussies to a revenge series in India. So it looked like the Indians were sticking together as an unit even under such intense pressure. But one 'respectable' media house tapped into the phone conversations of our players and this what they had to say in private -      

MS Dhoni -  "I hope Anna Hazare goes on another fasting while we return to India. Then the media won't bother us."

Virendar Shewag - "My wicket is precious. I should preserve it by batting down the order."

Rahul Dravid - "I should probably take a break from international cricket and play Ranji trophy matches to strengthen my technique."

Gautam Gambhir - "My place in the team is secured as I will replace Dhoni once he gets sacked from the  captaincy."

VVS Laxman - "The bench strength is so poor for anyone to replace me. Hail the Indian domestic system!"

Sachin Tendulkar - "I should get atleast two centuries when India tours Australia next in 2014." 

Yuvraj Singh (back in India) - "Lucky I was injured to be not picked for this tour!!"

Virhat Kohli - "Will they blame IPL for the team's poor showing? Will I be banned from playing for RCB?

Ravichandran Ashwin - "I was stupid to combine my honeymoon with the Australian tour. Now will BCCI reimburse my honeymoon bills as promised."

Zaheer Khan - "I will be better off as a bowling coach than a bowler as did Venkatesh Prasad. Let me propose this to the selectors."

Ishant sharma - "The BCCI has announced a post retirement pension plan for those retiring voluntarily. I should better opt for it."

Sourav Ganguly (from the commentary box) - "Will they sack Dhoni and ask me to lead the team? Or will they consider me for the No.6 position? Anyway the team deserves this for the injustice they meted out to me. "

An ode to the human spirit

Okay. Now I completely comprehend the bigger universal appeal sports enjoys over academics. Both these fields have been peppered by many a men who have time and again displayed astounding skills and an indomitable, indefatigable spirit to overcome adversity. The Einstiens, Edisons and Newtons have shown what ingenuity and creativity the human mind is capable of. The ideas they conjure up in those lofty grey areas have continually helped in the advancement of the human race. In a similar way the Sachins, Anands, Federers and Nadals apart from displaying their unique talent have also exhibited amazing mental fortitude and the highest level of competitive spirit. But in an era of instant gratification, sports heavily scores over academics because it involves live and streaming display of the primordial instinct of survival of the fittest. And one such display was the epic battle(it literally was one) fought out between Isner and Mahut on Court 18 of Wimbledon for 11 hours and 8 mins over three days!!!  

Frankly I didn't get to watch a significant portion of the match courtesy FIFA world cup which has flooded all television channels with football matches. But a scorecard which reads 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68 conveys all the missed action and drama. I can't fathom what kept these guys consistently inspired considering the fact that it was only the first round of the Wimbledon, both the players didn't have any pride at stake and at the end of this epic marathon one man's effort was going to be in vain (And the winner Isner lost the next match in 74 minutes!!). It surely wouldn't have been the urge to win the Wimbledon championship or the adulation they were recieving from the spectators. Infact after some point they would have been impervious to their surroundings. The  one and only motivating force would have been the human mind which gets an orgasm everytime it is faced with adversity and the unrelenting human spirit which has taken our civilization so far. Interestingly almost exactly two years ago Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played the Wimbledon final which is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match ever. Luckily I got to see the entire match live and what a match it was! I was relatively new to tennis those days and didn't know the nuances of the game. But it didn't matter because after some time tennis was side-lined and it was two supreme champions testing the elasticity of the insurmountable human spirit. The quality of tennis was always on the ascent and it seemed like the two players were conduncting a symphony on grass. 

The above two instances are only a small subset of a sample space that boasts many such hair raising experiences. Even now the thought of 'Operation Desert Storm' (Sachin's exploits in Sharjah and not that of U.S against Iraq) gives me goose-bumps.  And add to this list the way Vishwanathan Anand won the FIDE chess championship this year after a 40-hour road travel and losing the opening match. (All this makes me regret the way I treated sports and games with disdain in my school and college days. This was owing to my physical disability (read as "overweight") coupled with my pre-concieved notion that academics was superior to sports.)  For all the despiseful things that we humans keep doing to the earth's habitat and its habitants, that grey matter within our skull and its far-reaching capabilities displayed by some of our fellow scientists and sports-persons makes me to yearn to be born a human being if I have another chance.