SportsMaddy

I have fond memories of the 33 rd  National Games in Guwahati. My city was decorated like a bride. A well maintained traffic system, clean roads and a plethora of sportstars in the city. It was more of an extended celebration for most citizens. And more recently, the first season of the ISL, Guwahati  had never seen something so grand. Be it the football stars or our very own Bollywood heroes, people thronged to the stadium to have a glimpse of them. Even my friends in Delhi have similar memories of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Come October 2017, the country is set to experience one of the biggest sporting extravaganza it has ever seen. India is all set to host the 17 th  edition of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Let’s put the grand event is numbers – It started in 1985 as the FIFA Under-16 World Championship in China. Then it became known as FIFA Under-17 World Championship and finally the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Unlike the FIFA Men World Cup that has been dominated by

Since 2008, my loyalties might have changed more than a couple times when it comes to various interests   but not for a single time when you talk of the biggest money spinner in cricket. Ever since the first edition of the IPL began in 2008, the one team that got me cheering for them has been RCB. Initially for the likes of Dravid and Kumble and now of course, King Kohli and his brigade. With Abu Nechim playing in their jersey till last year, there was that added Assamese sentiment too   Their batting has always been their mainstay and the crowdpuller and bowling their Achilles heel. But with some really interesting and calculated signings this year, they hope to find a cure to their Achilles Heel. Tymal Mills is a proven death bowler and it would be really interesting to see Aniket Chaudhary bowl. A left arm tall fast bowler can create awkward angles that can unsettle the best in the world. I personally feel they are a much balanced unit this year. Chahal was anyway their go t

Andy Flower’s name goes synonymous with Zimbabwean Cricket. His batting and wicket-keeping skills were never in doubt, he being the Zimbabwean record holder for most Test and ODI career runs speaks for itself. Much more than that, he was the face of Zimbabwean Cricket.  Zimbabwean cricket is in shambles today but there was this Golden-Era of Zimbabwean Cricket when they had the firepower to tumble any cricketing powerhouse. Andy Flower, together with younger brother Grant was the mainstay of their batting during that era, often compared with the Waugh brothers of Australia. His batting heroics scaled heights during the era and he was considered one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen of all time. However, off the field controversies rocked his career towards the end. He however came back to cricket with a bang being the coach of the England national cricket team and taking them to Ashes glory. From a great batsman to the coach of the World No 1 Test team, he has indeed come a long way