Manu Bhaker winning India’s first medal in the Paris Olympics was such a heartwarming moment. When the Indian tricolour goes up, the chest swells with pride. She didn’t let the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics get her down. Instead, she worked harder and was rewarded with a medal this time.
Speaking of the Tricolour, it is so disgusting to see some people deface it by putting their company or institution’s name on it. They are Indians but not Indian passport holders, so perhaps they do not understand the importance of the flag. Their wholehearted support for the Indian team is most welcome and much appreciated. And hopefully, they will devise a flag of their own that will be easily recognisable and not deface the Indian tricolour.
ALSO READ | Paris Olympics 2024: Manu mania grips the world, from France to India
It was disappointing to see that the ICC turned a blind eye to this during the last two World Cups and did not do anything about it. The TV production companies are now aware of the insensitivity of this and rarely, if ever, show the defaced flag. Also, because the name on the flag is that of a company, that amounts to ambush marketing. For the UK and USA flags, it is different as those countries and their citizens may not be concerned about the defacing of their country’s flags. But the Indian government is pretty clear that the flag cannot be tampered with at all. Hopefully, good sense will prevail, and next time around, these Indian team supporters will attend the game with their own designed flag, which I am sure will become popular and recognised all over the cricketing world.
Last week also saw two of India’s greatest sportspersons, Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. That was another chest-swelling moment for India and Indian sports. Both have not only been fabulous tennis players but also great role models. They have been India’s unofficial ambassadors wherever they played and have won millions of friends for the country. Both are wonderful speakers too, gracious and witty to boot, which makes listening to them such a pleasure. Well done, both of you, and may you continue to serve the game for a long time.
The Major League Cricket, where I had the pleasure of commentating, has a new winner, with the Washington Freedom franchise winning the trophy. For some reason, the crowds were not quite there this time around. Maybe it was viewer fatigue because of the ICC T20 World Cup preceding the tournament. The cricket was also not of the same high quality as last year. Maybe, because there were too many ordinary players there. The international stars who play in various T20 leagues around the world also seemed a little casual.
This makes one feel that while nobody wants the players’ source of income to be curbed, it is worth considering if players should be restricted to playing in, say, three leagues. The whole world agrees that the IPL is the best and most competitive tournament because of the talent pool it attracts from all over the world. So maybe a player should be restricted to the IPL and two other leagues of his choice. It is also a bit strange to see players who play for one franchise in the IPL playing for the team of another rival IPL franchise in the other leagues. It is perfectly understandable if the franchise they play for in the IPL does not have a team in the various countries’ T20 leagues, but it does seem odd to see them wearing the jersey of a rival IPL team franchise in the other leagues.
Anyway, that’s something for more knowledgeable people than me to think about and, if required, do something about it.
For now, I am just basking in the warm glow of Manu’s medal and the induction of my good friends Vijay and Leander into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Comments
SHARE