I feel privileged to have been born in an era that has witnessed some grand sporting spectacles. I’ll just list a few of them below…mostly events that I’ve seen actually and about sports that I’m passionate about.
1. Sachin go past 194:I remember watching Saeed Anwar bludgeon India in Chennai…since then I’ve only wanted one man to break that record. And he did it today.
The 200 was merely a by-product…for me and millions of Indians, it was imperative he pass 194.
RESPECT!!
2. Sir Alex knocking Liverpool off their fucking perch:When Sir Alex joined United, his first job was to “knock Liverpool of their fucking perch”. The Scousers were then the ultimate team in England…and United were the underdogs. Fast forward to today and we are level on 18 league titles though lagging in European Cups.
But we’ll get there too…soon enough.
3. Manchester United do the Treble:We beat everyone that came in our way…in England and Europe. We played some champagne football (8-1 Nottingham) and some horrible stuff as well (3-0 to the Arsenal).
And we always scored in the dying minutes…always.
4. Ryan Giggs breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s record for United:When he walked out on that rain-soaked pitch in Moscow, he became United’s most capped player. And no one has deserved to break Sir Bobby’s record more than Giggs.
Pure class…pure passion…pure professionalism.
Ryan Giggs for Knighthood!!
5. Leander Paes winning the Bronze at the Atlanta Olympics:For a nation of 1 billion, our performance at the Olympics has been dismal. Until Leander came along and showed how it was done. I don’t remember much about this match except that I saw a young man play with pride and passion for his nation. And he’s been the same till now.
Sania Mirza should learn a few things from him.
6. Zinedine Zidane’s headers: Three bullet headers separated by 8 years in time. Two hit the back of the net and one hit the front of the chest. All had one hallmark…Zidane’s class and power.
7. Roger Federer go past Pete Sampras:I honestly feel they should simply put Federer into the final of every Grand Slam. And then make the rest play to decide who should play him in the final.
8. Michael Schumacher win 5 straight Championships: The ultimate driving machine. The Rain Master. One of the finest exponents of wet race driving. A true symbol of German efficiency.
And now he’s back at the age of 41…
9. India beating Australia in Australia:
When India went Down Under in 2003-04, everyone predicted a white-wash. I was sure of an absolute rout. But we bucked the trend. We refused to lie down and let them roll over us.
10. Liverpool vs. AC Milan 2005 UCL Final:
AC Milan were 3 goals to nil at half time. Liverpool were down and out. It seemed a matter of how many more...
And then came 6 minutes of madness…
