This one is about sports,which is close to my heart.With the world cup on,its the right time.My favourites,the Azzuris, are in the semis and looking good (for those who dont know,the Italian team is called that,for their azure blue jersey)
I am sick and tired of hearing paens sung for Brazil in Calcutta, and very happy at their exit.Everybody goes into raptures talking of them, as if the other teams are children of a lesser God!
But I will first tell you why I like the Italians so much.
The game of football can be won in two ways.One way is to score more goals-as the "godlike" Brazilians and most teams try to do.The other, and in my opinion,more subtle way is to concede fewer goals.The Italians,past masters at this,exempify the philosphy that defence is the best offence.
This philosophy of theirs,so different,is what I find most endearing.I always appreciate and like doing things in a way different from the rest.
While others find the sight of a striker tearing defences apart to be a spectacle,the sight of the impregnable Italian citadel,parrying thrust after thrust,and making the strikers look helpless,I find most appealing.
Moreover the way they go about their business,so low profile,without any airs is a refreshing sight today.Not like the hyped up mediocre English,the overly jingoistic Germans or the misplaced swagger and bluster of Brazil and Argentina.And yet they are one of the great footballing nations with 3 WCs.
My viewpoint extends to cricket as well.I have come to admire and appreciate Rahul Dravid more than Sachin or Sehwag.
It is thus no surprise that despite all his acheivements,Dravid continues to live in the shadow of his flamboyant counterparts.
Not many understand the importance of his grit,technical excellence and doggedness.Perhaps his sublime matchwinning innings on a spitfire pitch against the WI can change that,but I doubt it.One swashbuckling innings from one of the others and he will be forgotten,relegated to the footnotes,as always.
One more thing leaps to my mind-chess.
There are attacking masters like Alekhine,Tal and Kasparov whose brilliance is appreciated by the general public,me included.But there are those masters of positional play capablanca,Ruy Lopez,Steinitz whose names riddle the books of chess,about whom most dont know much.But I have come to know this much ,from my friends who play it well,that it is more difficult,for their style out maneouvres you and squeezes you for space on the board,simply by solid positional play-somewhat like getting throttled to death.
The point I want to make is that we Indians in general are awed more by flamboyance and flair than by efficiency and efficacy.We go for the glister rather than the gold-that is the only thing that can explain my observations.I am eagerly waiting for the backlash that my comments will surely generate:)
I am not finished with sports yet.But this will suffice for now,more later.
I am sick and tired of hearing paens sung for Brazil in Calcutta, and very happy at their exit.Everybody goes into raptures talking of them, as if the other teams are children of a lesser God!
But I will first tell you why I like the Italians so much.
The game of football can be won in two ways.One way is to score more goals-as the "godlike" Brazilians and most teams try to do.The other, and in my opinion,more subtle way is to concede fewer goals.The Italians,past masters at this,exempify the philosphy that defence is the best offence.
This philosophy of theirs,so different,is what I find most endearing.I always appreciate and like doing things in a way different from the rest.
While others find the sight of a striker tearing defences apart to be a spectacle,the sight of the impregnable Italian citadel,parrying thrust after thrust,and making the strikers look helpless,I find most appealing.
Moreover the way they go about their business,so low profile,without any airs is a refreshing sight today.Not like the hyped up mediocre English,the overly jingoistic Germans or the misplaced swagger and bluster of Brazil and Argentina.And yet they are one of the great footballing nations with 3 WCs.
My viewpoint extends to cricket as well.I have come to admire and appreciate Rahul Dravid more than Sachin or Sehwag.
It is thus no surprise that despite all his acheivements,Dravid continues to live in the shadow of his flamboyant counterparts.
Not many understand the importance of his grit,technical excellence and doggedness.Perhaps his sublime matchwinning innings on a spitfire pitch against the WI can change that,but I doubt it.One swashbuckling innings from one of the others and he will be forgotten,relegated to the footnotes,as always.
One more thing leaps to my mind-chess.
There are attacking masters like Alekhine,Tal and Kasparov whose brilliance is appreciated by the general public,me included.But there are those masters of positional play capablanca,Ruy Lopez,Steinitz whose names riddle the books of chess,about whom most dont know much.But I have come to know this much ,from my friends who play it well,that it is more difficult,for their style out maneouvres you and squeezes you for space on the board,simply by solid positional play-somewhat like getting throttled to death.
The point I want to make is that we Indians in general are awed more by flamboyance and flair than by efficiency and efficacy.We go for the glister rather than the gold-that is the only thing that can explain my observations.I am eagerly waiting for the backlash that my comments will surely generate:)
I am not finished with sports yet.But this will suffice for now,more later.
1 comment:
well!!! its Azzuris all the way!!! great game there.. did ya see that??? by way is there an exclusive post on tennis ;) ?
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