Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
25 July 2010, 12:35 AM IST
It would be a travesty to surmise that Muttiah Muralitharan’s transformation from ordinary to extraordinary took 18 tumultuous years; the fact is he reached that port a long time ago, unobtrusively and without any fanfare, as you’d expect him to. Along the...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
11 July 2010, 05:48 AM IST
As the moment of deliverance arrives, the big question is not if Holland will really be crowned champions, as Mani the Parrot has predicted; at least half the world is grappling with a far more disturbing thought: what do we do when the clock strikes midnight...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
10 July 2010, 08:26 PM IST
As the moment of deliverance arrives, the big question is not if Holland will really be crowned champions, as Mani the Parrot has predicted; at least half the world is currently grappling with a far more disturbing thought: what do we do when the clock strikes...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
20 June 2010, 08:36 AM IST
Arguably, football mimics life more than any other sport: its 90 minutes of action, often nervously or happily stretching beyond too, condense virtually every twist, turn and emotion that you are likely to experience in your journey.
The element of...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
13 June 2010, 06:51 AM IST
Let's just call him the modern Midas: everything he touches, turns into goal.
By that count, of course, Argentina ought to have been gleefully sitting on a pile of goals after their opening match on Saturday; but, in the end, they had the cushion of only...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
30 May 2010, 02:12 AM IST
What's the score," asked this young, loud kid, at a gaming arcade in suburban Mumbai on Friday evening. "What score," countered the older one, clearly surprised by the bouncer.
"India's match, of course," the first one thundered,...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
15 May 2010, 03:53 AM IST
St Lucia: On an overcast, rain-threatened day, Pakistan decided to slip into their familiar garb of a cornered animal: attacking like their lives depended on it, they clobbered the Australian bowlers, pounded their batsmen until it looked like the...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
06 May 2010, 02:15 AM IST
Bridgetown: About three years ago, a little house behind the New Empire Club was brought down in a blaze of hope and promise: the government, ostensibly driven by shame, promised to build a grand structure in its place, befitting the man who once resided...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
01 May 2010, 06:25 PM IST
St Lucia: The Indian team might have flown over the proverbial Seven Seas to arrive in beautiful St Lucia; it might have been trapped in a hazy, sleep-induced world in the clouds too, for well over 24 hours, to complete its journey across the globe.
All...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
24 April 2010, 10:57 PM IST
For once, there won't be a smile on Lalit Modi's face when dusk begins its customary retreat into darkness.
After all, when the umpires call play at tonight's grand finale, it will not merely signal the start of yet another match; it will also mark the...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
18 April 2010, 02:29 AM IST
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Indian Premier League seemed nothing more than a Laughs, Sixes and Dhoka extravaganza; now, with barely a few days left for the curtain to go down, it has accelerated into a full-blown Love, Sex and Dhoka saga. It is, of course,...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
17 April 2010, 11:22 PM IST
March 11, 2005: It was a typically cool, wintry morning in Mohali. India were playing Pakistan in the opening Test and the mood was jovial and upbeat, if just a little charged, in the stadium. At about 11am, PCA chairman IS Bindra’s aide entered the...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
10 April 2010, 11:06 PM IST
About a week ago, Mumbai Indians had all their noses in the air and, at least, one foot firmly in the semifinals: after comfortably winning almost every match, they even emerged as the favourites in virtually every book.
They needed just one more victory...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
03 April 2010, 11:14 PM IST
Every bowler’s worst nightmare finally came true: on a humid Saturday evening, and on a perfect sleeping beauty, one batsman after another went on the rampage to literally set the Chidambaram Stadium on fire.
In the end, it was nothing but a massacre;...
Posted By
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
02 April 2010, 08:12 PM IST
Sport is a funny game; Indian fans are funnier, if not crazier. By now, all the players, especially cricketers, should know this.
Someone has to merely score a smashing hundred and he is promptly likened to Tendulkar; another has to bowl a little quick,...
Bobilli Vijay Kumar is TOI's National Sports Editor. He writes a weekly column, mainly on cricket; he has many interests, though, going way beyond sport itself: you can't keep him out of a movie hall or away from Floyd or Doors. He loves to cook and show off his French; he can play a tune or two on the guitar too. His current fancy, though, is salsa.
The views expressed in Between the Lies are the author´s own.
