A young writer with an abiding interest in cricket has come out with a very readable book on the new stars of Indian cricket. Soumya Bhattacharya, a well-known author, has paid minute attention to the emerging talents of Indian cricket, bestowing on them some fine prose even as some of them struggle to attain the kind of consistency at international level that the preceding generation did at that level to become absolute legends of the game. What I found most intriguing in the book is an analysis of the psyche and persona of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While the legendary members of the famous quartet or quintet were known to me right from the days of their international debut, India’s greatest sensation of the new millennium is an enigma because of the lack of opportunity to study him at close quarters, apart of course from shooting the odd question at a media conference to get a glib enough answer suiting the mood of the time and the preceding events on the field. The author’s way of placing Dhoni among the greats of Indian cricket seemed to open up a nice and trendy characterisation. Now Dhoni is an original, so much so, a more difficult man to capture within the framework of any known Indian stereotype. As Mukul Kesavan wrote, “Dhoni, though, turned up on our television screens fully formed, untouched by influence, wholly, weirdly, wonderfully himself.” How do you get down to capturing the essence of such a man who is the first small town boy to go on to rule Indian cricket and do so like none ever before him. Bhattacharya has done a wonderful job of describing Dhoni, his background, his beliefs, his cricket, his style. Today, Dhoni may be struggling to live up to the image of the instinctive, nearly infallible personality who captained as he pleased in his own distinctive style and still won everything worth winning. Where we have to measure Dhoni is how he came to be where he is considering where he came from from the back of the boondocks of Jharkhand. It was almost providential that he should lead a bunch of young and inexperienced cricketers in that mad and merry world of the first ever T20 world championship and come out triumphant. That is a surprise Indian cricket is still coming to terms with it, even as it made Dhoni what he is today. The background of some of the other cricketers who came through from small towns also makes fascinating reading. What we see in Cheteshwar Pujara today is a far more rounded cricketer than what he was at the start of his career. His trials and tribulations help put light on what it takes to be one of the very few who break through into the top rungs of Indian cricket and stay there unlike the many one-day wonders who come and go, right back to the wilderness they came from, although immeasurably richer than players of preceding generations would ever have been in such short international careers. We must thank the IPL-loaded system for this. The slotting of Tendulkar’s career into three phases has also been tackled with figures to go with it. This would make good reading for those who wish to understand a man whose life may seem like an open book but who still kept most things to himself even in writing his ghosted autobiography. The author tackles the task without creating any acrimony in describing how the greatest of them all may also have tarried a bit after declining to take the finest exit route at the end of the 2011 World Cup, in which everyone in the nation was praying for a win even as 10 others played specifically to win it for the man who played Atlas to Indian cricket for so long. By his own admission, 2010 was his sweetest year and 2011 immediately brought him the greatest moment of his career in the World Cup triumph. There is a lot to read about the new stars of Indian cricket Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli. The generation shift came quite some time ago, certainly long before Sachin decided to say goodbye. It is a reference book to the future as it also contains some text from the on-going Supreme Court case into the murky affairs of the IPL. The reality of the conclusion that the promising youngsters will form a team that will be formidable at home, but remain unpredictable travellers lends a touch of percipience, but then history told us long ago that Team India would, like wine, not travel well. Source: The Asian Age
Cricket transition captured
Panasonic Engineering a Better Fan Experience with the Worlds Largest 4K LED Video Board at the Kentucky Derby
By Choi Ju-Ho: SEOUL, KOREA - Panasonic partners with Churchill Downs to engineer a better fan experience with the world’s largest* 4K LED video board, known as the “Big Board,” measuring 171-feet wide by 90-feet tall and sitting 80 feet above the ground. Panasonic Solutions for Fan Excitement: The Kentucky Derby which is known in the United States as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sport” and “The Run for the Roses”, named for the blanket of roses draped over the winner, was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 3rd. Until last year, tens of thousands of visitors to the Derby who were in the low-lying infield of Churchill Downs usually went home from the event without ever having actually seen the horses or felt the excitement of the race. This year, at the 140th running of the Derby, in front of a crowd of 164,906 people, the second-largest attendance in its history, Churchill Downs unveiled the world's largest 4K ultra high-definition LED Video Board, known as the “Big Board,” engineered by Panasonic to enhance the audience experience. The mammoth display screen, measuring the same size as three full-size basketball courts, sits 80 feet above the ground and offers a wide viewing angle for a superior fan experience everywhere within Churchill Downs. The active display area is 15,224 square feet and it is positioned midway along the backstretch and outside the dirt course to avoid being a distraction to the jockeys and horses. The display is so big that everybody at the Derby can enjoy the race from beginning to end, even those in the infield. “We‘ve enjoyed this incredible opportunity to partner with Churchill Downs to install the world’s largest, first-of-its-kind 4K video board,” said Jim Doyle, President of Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company, a regional subsidiary company of Panasonic. “The ‘Big Board’ delivers content unparalleled in its clarity and resolution, allowing tens of thousands of fans to experience the excitement and pageantry of this legendary racetrack up close and personal.” Regarding the reason behind selecting Panasonic for the project, Ryan Jordan, General Manager of Churchill Downs, commented, “The clarity and quality of the video boards built by Panasonic is unmatched. The Big Board at Churchill Downs is a vehicle to deliver engaging content to fans in a way that we haven’t been able to in the past.” Source: Article
World Cup whispers: Brazil and France have the coolest kits, but who has the worst?
World Cup whispers: Brazil and France win in the fashion stakes, no joy for Bosnia and Honduras
WHO'S GOT THE COOLEST WORLD CUP KIT? Who will be wearing the coolest kit at the Brazil World Cup? It's a vital question for the fashion conscious football fan wondering which top to fork out for this summer. Fortunately the Daily Telegraph has run the rule over the various outfits, ruling Brazil's home shirt and France's away top the best of the bunch. Australia and Greece's shirts (both home and away) get the thumbs up and there's even an honourable mention for England's red away number. ... AND WHO HAS THE WORST? At the bottom of the pile its best to avoid anything to do with Bosnia and Honduras, say the Telegraph fashion police (and that might not be a problem at your local Sports Direct). Germany's away kit also gets panned, as does Japan's luminous green second strip and Spain's change kit, which comes in black with dayglo stripes. The US home top, meanwhile, appears to have been designed for the golf course. ENGLAND WRAP UP WARM: Temperatures of 19C didn't stop England donning extra layers in the Algarve yesterday as the squad prepares for the scorching conditions they'll face in Brazil. "We did sweat testing today," said manager Roy Hodgson. "Three layers – T-shirt, tracksuit and wet top." Despite a late kick-off (6pm local time) against Italy in Manaus on 14 June, temperatures are likely to reach the mid-30s. And with humidity pushing 100 per cent, the players will need to acclimatise. Left-back Leighton Baines explained: "The logic behind layering is [to] get comfortable with that feeling of being hot and struggling". NO WATER BREAK ADVERTS ON ITV: ITV has pledged not to cash in on the sweltering conditions in Brazil during the World Cup and will not show adverts during drinks breaks. Fifa medical officers have the power to call for 'cooling periods' midway through each half when matches are played at temperatures above 32C. Fifa has told broadcasters that they can show ads during the three-minute stoppages but ITV told the Daily Mail it wanted to keep its broadcasts focused on the game.BRAZIL IS LAST HURRAH FOR RIBERY: French winger Franck Ribery has targeted victory in Brazil as he looks to bow-out from World Cup football in style. Although the Bayern Munich winger will feature in Euro 2016, which France will host, he conceded Brazil will probably be his last outing for Les Bleus on football's grandest stage. "This will be my last World Cup," he told French radio station RTL. "We have to go there to try and achieve something. Quite simply, we have to try to win." Despite a well-publicised revolt in South Africa four years ago, France are priced 20/1 with William Hill making the 1998 winners sixth favourites to reclaim the trophy in Brazil.for further concise, balanced comment and analysis on the week's news, try The Week magazine. Subscribe today and get 6 issues completely free.Source: Article
