Satire: Sachin Tendulkar retires from International Cricket

In a shocking turn of events which has left millions of Indians in a mixed state of emotions, Sachin Tendulkar has decided to retire from cricket.  Everyone, including the media and the pan-wala right at the edge of the road seems to be talking about this sad turn of events.

In a news conference called right next to his lavish home in Mumbai, Sachin said:

“I am pretty happy to announce that I have retired from the game of cricket but I will continue to play the Googly and bouncers as a member of Rajya Sabha. I have become bored of playing on the same pitches again and again, so I thought it’s only wise to move on to a new pitch in New Delhi where  I can compete with new rivals.”

Sources have confirmed that the real fans are happy to see Sachin move onto a new phase, but a section of the media and the population in general has been deeply affected by his decision. Here is some talk that has been going around the media and cricket circles, revealed exclusively for the readers:

TV Channels:  There can never be another Sachin, as his retirement speculation and criticism for lack of runs scored was what had sky-rocketed our TRP ratings. How will we earn money and fame now?

Cricket Fans ( Anti-Sachin) :  There can never be another Sachin as his age and no shows were what helped us spice up our lunch and tea-time gossip. How will we pass our time or claim to be an expert who knows everything now?

Critics ( Anti-Sachin Reporters ): There can never be another Sachin, as we will have no one to criticize or pass our judgments about which helped us increase our Facebook or Twitter followers. How will we get our salaries now?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: There can never be another Sachin, as his retirement rumors had kept the focus of the blood sucking journalists away from my captaincy in One Days and Test Matches. How will I dodge them now?

Virendra Sehwag: There can never be another Sachin, as the comparisons made between him and me, despite me not scoring runs so many times, have been the shining points of my career. How will I  keep up with my fame now?

Real Sachin Fans: There can never be another Sachin as not only was he the greatest batsman to ever play, but he also was the sole reason we started watching cricket in the first place. How will we ever fall in love with cricket now?

All in all ,no matter who we are, to its ardent followers in the country, cricket will never be the same when Sachin retires.

DISCLAIMER – This is a satire and not real news.

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy

ONE BRICK AT A TIME : Journey of Andy Murray from Choker to the US Open Champion.

Since 1936, No British man had ever won a Grand Slam.

Many  British players (male) tried but failed to repeat this attempt. When Andy Murray started playing, people had high hopes from this young player until reality struck them. Whenever he lost, he was the Scot who didn't have it in him to win a Grand Slam and whenever he won, he was the proud British.

Fast forward : 10 Sep'2012 - Andy Murray defeated  Novak Djokovic ( the best hard court player in the world ) in an epic 5 set match : 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.

Who would have thought this was possible? John McEnroe had already declared Djokovic as a huge favorite before the finals even started and so did many others. But then how did this 25 year old Brit/Scot achieve the impossible?

"One brick at a time" - That's what I have always believed in. And today's victory reaffirmed my belief.

After  being labeled as the best talent to have never won a single Grand Slam, here he is standing tall and proud with his first US Open title. It all started when he hired Ivan Lendl as his coach. That was the first brick he took out from his goal. He turned Andy Murray from a Boy to a Man. Murray's Australian Open Semi Final  loss in 5 sets was just the beginning of the process of making the diamond shine even in the darkest of the moments. Match by match, Lendl started to work on the mental aspect of his prodigy urging him to go for his shots and become the aggressor in the matches.

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” -Winston Churchill. And that's what became evident in the matches Andy played. Voila, he reached his first Grand Slam final of the year and everything changed for him that day. The world saw an emotional teary eyed Andy in the speech ceremony. He fought hard, he tried and he cried in front of his home crowd which showed how much it meant to him playing in the finals.

From that moment, we saw a different Murray who two weeks later stepped on the same court to start his crusade of winning his first major title of his career: Olympic Gold. The manner he did it surprised many as he defeated Roger Federer ,arguably the greatest player  in tennis history in straight sets.  Federer said afterwards that Andy Murray had this coming since long.

It was not just another Gold Medal for Murray, it was a testimony of the hard struggle he had to go through to reach  that stage. It was a moment which made him believe in himself more than ever. It was a gold medal which took off tremendous pressure off his shoulders as the lone Brit trying to do the impossible.

The result of the Olympic Gold was evident as it propelled him to reach his 5th Grand Slam final. This time, history was to be repeated today. Lendl who won his first Grand Slam in his 5th final, so did Andy Murray. From choker to the winner of a Grand Slam,  Andy Murray relived his coach's life right in front of Lendl's eyes.

The biggest lesson for me from Andy Murray's victory is the way he has ascended the stairs to achieve his dream. It's not a Cinderella story by any means. It's a story of a man who has worked hard enough to encounter failures over and over again to only make him stronger than before and work even harder to achieve his dream. In adversity, the true character gets built and that's what he has shown to us.  He has been able to achieve his dream by taking small steps one by one  after years of hardships: 4 Grand Slam finals loss, 10 years of hardships, always being criticized by media and people, disappointments and disappointments over and over again. 

There are moments in our life when we think it's not possible to overcome destiny or to overcome the obstacles we face or to overcome the repeated failures that we have encountered. What we do is blame others for the outcome and stop trying?  Imagine if in the presence of Federer, Nadal & Djokovic : Andy Murray would have given up his hopes, dreams, ambition?Instead of getting awed by the obstacles, break down your goals in small steps if you want to achieve it., toughen up mentally to show your true potential rather than getting bogged down by others - The way Murray did.

Ivan Lendl, Training, Wimbledon Final, Olympic Gold and now  after today, 4 hours 54 minutes of battle, Us Open Champion - Andy Murray.

"ONE BRICK AT A TIME" guys. That's all from my side.

For any questions or feedback, You can contact me at apekshaha@gmail.com

The Mysterious Loss of Roger Federer at US Open.

Today Tomas Berdych defeated Roger Federer in 4 sets at  US Open. Although most people think that Berdych played well but fedfans will agree with me, Federer looked out of sorts today. 

These are main three reasons in my book why Federer lost the  match today:

Walkover by Mardy Fish: Just like last year when Djokovic got a walkover in French Open and ended up losing, Federer also ended up with the same fate. He was completely out of sorts and looked unsettled right from the start. He failed to maintain the lead in the first set and since then Berdych was all over him except the latter half of the third set. It was clear that 4 days break actually had taken away his timing and he was not the vintage Roger we were used to seeing. He did give us glimpses but was not consistent today.

Unforced Errors: He did 40 unforced errors as compared to 21 of Berdych. Not only this, today he came to net very less as compared to his previous matches. Just a mere 30 times as compared to 40+ times he came in his previous matches.

Andy Roddick Effect: I know this might be contentious but I think and strongly believe that Roddick's retirement might have an effect on him coming out rattled and not focused towards the match. If a close rival who started his career at a similar time like you, someone with whom you have shared memories and epic battles, someone who has been player of your generation finally retires, it does make you a bit somber and reflect back on those past days. I think Roddick's emotional exit did have an impact on his mind and it was clear the erratic way he was playing today.

Nevertheless I still believe that the champion he is, he will be back strongly. He has always said he is a very positive person and I am sure he will go back and reflect back upon this loss to inspire him back to win his 18th Grand Slam.

"There maybe tough moments maybe for, you know, an hour or a couple of days potentially, but life goes on and you get a second chance." - Roger Federer

A Mother, A Champion, A Role Model - Kim Clijsters bids adieu to Tennis.

"You don't have to hate your opponent to beat them."

No wonder  Kim Clijsters has been the most popular player on WTA and every player can vouch for that.

With her defeat today at US Open, it marks an end to an illustrious career which included 4 GS titles for this nice and humble Belgian.

She was an incredible player no doubt before her retirement as well in 2007. But for me, the highlight remained her awe  inspiring win at US Open 2009 and US Open 2010. It was not just another Grand Slam  wins but it also was an embodiment of the spirit with which it was played by her.

Most of the critics had run her down as the favorite in the presence of Serena Williams and other  notable opponents. In our society, a female when she becomes a mother, she is normally considered to be out of the league as she can lose focus, may not have the same energy and stamina to do anything physical. Consider it a dogma in our society but women who have a baby may not be considered the favorite for any top achievements in life.

What Clijsters achieved in the wake of her return from motherhood in the world of tennis and winning 3 major Grand Slams was a reminder to everyone that people should be judged by their ability and hard work. Her win was inspiring to every mother out there to move on and live their dreams. Her win  created a belief in the minds of people to pursue their dream career even when they return back from absence (maternity or paternity leave)

Kim Clijsters inspired every girl to follow their dreams and at the same time also enjoy time with their family.  In this male dominated society, she was one of the examples where husband played a crucial role in balancing the life to enable her to become the US Open champion in 2009, 2010 and Australian Open champion in 2011.

Even today on her retirement, Kim Clijsters will always be a role model to women out there for her determination, hard work and above all her humility in the wake of the tough competition and jealousy prevalent in today's world. She taught us to be classy in the presence of obstacles, to make friendships even with your rivals, to be strong in adversity, to be a champion and still be a great mother, to be inspiring in times of personal tragedy and to be humble in defeat.

I wish her luck for her next phase of life and even though she retired today, she will always have a special place in our hearts. "Kim - You are a true champion and a role model to everyone of us out there."

In the end, I will end with her thoughts:

 "One of my biggest dreams came true in 2005 by winning here and every time I came back I was always inspired by the energy and played some of my best matches here. I feel like it was perfect place to retire and I just wasn't wish it was today...I do look forward to having the next part of my life coming up."  

Also:  Roger Federer & US Open: "The Case of the Wounded Tiger"

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com, http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA or http://on.fb.me/pouTOy