Bleacher Report - Articles by Deepak Jain

Cricket Under Terror Attack in Pakistan

Deepak Jain — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:37:19 -0500

So, the inevitable has happened. All the cricketing nations were apprehensive about traveling to Pakistan for cricket tours citing security reasons but Pakistan was confident that nothing is going to happen.

But with this attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan all the fears have come true. Now no team will dare to go to Pakistan in near future until the situation changes drastically.

Now with Taliban being pushed out of Afghanistan by American forces, they have taken positions in Pakistan which is already termed as "Terrorist state." Now it looks like Taliban will take over Pakistan in due course, if Pakistan does not show the determination to eliminate terrorism from its grassroot level.

Taliban and other Pakistan based terrorist outfits are trying to throw tourism, sports out of Pakistan so that it becomes easier for them to capture Pakistan and start ruling in their own way as they were doing in Afghanistan.

US and allied forces took bold steps by attacking Iraq and Afghanistan to eliminate terrorism from this world but now it looks like that they have to do something more in Pakistan also to eliminate terrorism from this world which has become epicenter of terrorism.

Coming back to cricket, the World Cup in 2011 which was to be hosted by four nations in Asia is under threat. Even if we leave Pakistan, it will be very difficult for India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to put up a strong case as the whole area is affected by terrorism someway or the other.

Taliban and other Pakistan based terrorist outfits are pressing hard to create tension in India on one hand and on the other Sri Lanka is in conflict with LTTE and Bangladesh is recovering from mutiny.

Still I feel that Sri Lankan cricketers were fortunate to have survived such as brutal attack and I hope that no such incidence happens in future anywhere in the world and “Our World becomes safe heaven for everyone.”

Cricket 2009 – A Preview

Deepak Jain — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:18:13 -0500

Cricket in 2009 is going to be very interesting because after 16 long years there is real competition to top the cricket ranking with India and South Africa look set to end Australia’s domination at the top. Australia after staying at the top of the charts since the ICC introduced the Test ranking system in 2001 faces a real danger of being eliminated from the top slot. India has really emerged as the ‘Team of the year 2008’ as advocated by British media because India is the country which really challenged Australia with some scintillating cricket to challenge their supremacy. They really played good cricket throughout the year, winning quite a few matches and giving everyone run for their money. It all started when India toured Australia and had it been a controversy free series, India might have defeated Australia in 4 test match series in early 2008, but their aggression paid off and Australia lost badly (2-0) when they toured India in Oct-Nov 2008. South Africa cashed on the situation and went on to beat Australia 2-1 in their own backyard since 1992 when they last lost to West Indies. India was the one which made everyone realize that Australians can also be beaten up and they continued to beat Australia from time to time with some aggressive cricket. But unfortunately for India the year 2009 has not started on a good note as their 3 test match tour to Pakistan has been cancelled otherwise the result of which could have toppled Australia from the top of Test rankings in the start of 2009 itself. But unfortunately this is not going to happen and India will play only 2 test matches in the middle of 2009 and 3 test match series against Bangladesh in the end of 2009 thus giving them very less chance to get the top slot in cricket rankings this year. Whereas South Africa has the real chance of getting to the top of the test ranking as they host Australia in a 3 test match series which will be very interesting as it will give them ample opportunity to create history. On the other hand England has lot of cricket on hand as they play West Indies, home and away and later host Australia in 5 match series, but they need to sort out their the differences creeping in the team. Besides this, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan also play a lot of cricket and one of them may also come up with some surprising results. But above all let us not forget the Australian team who might just have the last laugh. As we all know that Australian have the best fighting spirit and they have plenty of cricket in hand in 2009 and more importantly they play their arch rivals England in 5 Test matches Ashes which might help them retain the No.1 spot in Test rankings.

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MMA in India: Roadblocks Loom, but Fan Support Would Be There

Deepak Jain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:56:16 -0500

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is spreading like wildfire all across America, Europe, and many parts of Southeast Asia, whereas people here in India are eagerly awaiting its arrival.

WWE is quite popular in India, and with the entry of Great Khali, interest is immense.

As we all know, WWE is just entertainment and not a genuine sport, whereas MMA is a legitimate sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques from all martial art traditions and cultural backgrounds, where defeating the opponent is the sole objective.

MMA matches are held in an eight-sided cage ring called the octagon. There are three modes of victory, firstly by way of knockout, secondly by submission—forcing an opponent to tap out, and, finally, by judges' decision.

It is very difficult for MMA to make inroads into India because of human rights issues. In India, the Censor Board is awfully strict and would not entertain these types of fights.

In ancient India, a lot of animal (particularly rooster fighting) and slave fighting which used to take place in front of Rulers and Emperors, and they encouraged and enjoyed the event. Nowadays also in free India, at some places animal fighting still takes place although it is prohibited.

Such brutal fighting is not tolerated under human rights codes in India, whilst the USA has taken a big step in legalizing it in the form of MMA with structured rules and regulations, but still no one can deny the fact that it will be hard to justify here.

Hats off to these fighters who engage themselves in MMA, though; they are just like soldiers fighting on the border for their country. Because a man when fully engaged in a fight does not care about his injuries but continues to fight for his prestige.

It would be a pleasure if MMA makes it to India. Seeing the likes of GSP, BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Randy Couture, etc. in action will entertain and encourage many people, but it seems a distant dream because it is just raw and brutal fighting and not allowed in India. But we hope that it comes to India soon.

Force India Gets a New Outfit

Deepak Jain — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:59:56 -0500

It is now officially confirmed that Force India has parted ways with Ferrari, who were supposed to provide them technical support up to 2010.

Now, they are on the verge of signing a new agreement with McLaren Mercedes for supply of engine and technical support for their cars in the future. Hope that with this, the future of Force India also changes for good.

The Force India drivers, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, will again try their luck on new Mercedes engines and try to make 2009 a better year.

Moreover, Vijay Mallya has replaced himself with Colin Kolles as team Principal besides being the Chairman also. Mallya, who himself has taken a keen interest in the managing and functioning of Force India, could not keep himself from out of action and has jumped straight in the helm of action to make Force India really "Force India."

He himself said "Force India is my most difficult project to date, and it has become clear that it requires more direct input from my side and greater performance accountability."

Being a shrewd businessman, he really wants to make this one count and is determined to do better next season.

The F1 circuit is coming up in New Delhi, India and Force India should sort out their act before 2010 or 2011. That way, when F1 Grand Prix comes to India, they will be in a position to put up a good show in front of the Indian public.

Sledging in Cricket

Deepak Jain — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:28:22 -0500

Sledging has always been a part of cricket, and Australia and England have been pioneers in this field.

But of late with ICC coming into action, there are more stringent punishments under ICC Code of Conduct for sledging and physical intimidation but the irony is that most of the times the players from sub-continent are made target for punishment.

In this recent incident of Gambhir and Watson, where Gambhir was provoked by Watson (God knows what he said) and Gambhir in return elbowed him in the midriff. Definitely Gambhir is guilty of elbowing Watson but what about Watson? Why did he hurl some abuses in the first place? What did the Match Referee see?

Watson was only levied 10% of his match fee whereas Gautam Gambhir has been fined for one match—where stands the logic?

Not only that but in the past also players from the sub-continent have always got a raw deal from the match referees and this incident is not an exception.

Take the case of Symonds, who got away without any fine despite provoking Harbhajan for no reason, and why has Cricket Australia left him from the present series because of his misconduct when they were on Bangladesh tour. Just think, how much the Australian team must have been troubled with Symonds that they thought of teaching him a lesson by handing him over this punishment.

What a furor was created in Symonds-Harbhajan case. A committee was set up, then a retired Judge heard the case and finally Harbhajan was cleared of charges. I don't think it was such a big issue to draw so much of attention.

Australia coach Tom Moody himself said that he feels there is more to the "gone fishing" story than meets the eye.

The Australians have been the pioneers of on-field sledging and abusing, and they have brought the game to disrepute the most. And yet hardly any action has ever been taken against its players. The likes of Warne, McGrath, Symonds, and Ponting should have been heavily punished long time back and perhaps we would not have come to this stage.

Even now if sledging is not controlled or this discrimination is dealt with appropriately, there will be more serious incidents in the future.

F1 Now a Force in India

Deepak Jain — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:33:17 -0400

India has finally arrived on the F1 stage. Narain Karthikeyan made his debut in 2005 with Jordan and became a test driver for Williams in 2006. Finally, in October of 2007, Mr. Vijay Mallya took over the Spyker team and named it "Force India."

Moreover, India has further plans to set up an F1 circuit by 2011, which will continue to boost the interest of the Indian public in F1.

Formula One has a viewership that exceeds most other sports in the world, next to only the Football World Cup and the Olympics. Popularizing Formula One in India will boost the interest, thereby generating more revenue for the sport.

The performances of Force India drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil have been dismal during 2008. Now, the final battle is between Hamilton and Massa. Whoever will hold their nerves the best will be this year's champion.

It is also the last race for Force India Drivers Fisichella and Sutil to salvage some pride and try to score a point.

Meanwhile, Narain Karthikeyan, the star of the Indian F1 dream, will be hoping to get a driver's seat next season.

Also, with the popularizing of F1 sports, some more talent is coming up, the most promising being Karan Chandok and Arman Ibrahim. We hope that they are ready for F1 by the time the circuit comes up in India.

Having a home driver would ensure home advantage and spectators' support along with popularizing the sport in the country. We hope that homegrown drivers Karun and Arman will race in 2011, assuming they are consistent enough to earn spots.

So, if and when India becomes a part of the F1 circuit in 2011 as scheduled, it would attract a lot of spectators and attention across the country. The audiences could see Indian drivers racing in front of them along with world class drivers. Formula One is becoming a true force in India.

India the New Emerging Champions

Deepak Jain — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:35:59 -0400

India now has the ability to be the undisputed No.1 in Cricket. A series win for India in the four Test series against the touring Australian side would be a big step towards becoming the best team in the world.

Despite India not being No.1 according to the latest rankings, however beating world champions Australiain the current series would see a shift in power. The present crop of Indian cricketers under the able leadership of MS Dhoni, possess all the ingredients of future World Champions which was apparent at the T20 World Cup.

India has beaten Australia number to times to prove they are a genuine threat. If India's tour of Australia in 2007-08 had not suffered due to several questionable decisions by the umpires, India might already be No. 1. India after losing the first test at Melbourne was on the verge of winning the Sydneytest, when Ponting-Ganguly controversy took place and unfortunately India lost the test.

Later India won the third test match on the bouncy track of Perth and again proved to the world that India is capable of playing in any condition and beating the best and the fourth test was drawn. If all had been fair, then India would have won the series 2-1 thereby beating Australia in their own backyard after 16 years when they were last beaten by West Indies.

Moreover, India's U-19 team is also performing exceedingly well, ensuring a bright future. They recently won the U-19 World Cup and have an ominous recent record.

With this new face of Indian cricket and amalgamation of old and new crop of cricketers, they can go a long way to prove themselves, provided they remain consistent. Indian had never been consistent which has been their biggest drawback whereas Australians had always been consistent.

If India can keep up the good work and continue beating other teams can surely be on top of cricket.