Sushil Kumar is one of my favorite athletes. In a land of sporting mediocrity, he shines like a lone star. A double Olympic medalist, he is a beacon to the burgeoning flock of wrestlers that form the mainstay of Indian hopes at any sporting meet. The mat has brought laurels to others like Yogeshwar Dutt and Amit Kumar who have followed in the steps of this soft spoken champion. What is remarkable about Sushil is that he steals the limelight only in the arena. Once he is off the mat, there are no flash lights, no shenanigans till the next available opportunity to ply his trade. The Glasgow games brought him another gold following up on his yellow metal performance in New Delhi. For someone to have performed at the biggest stage consistently, he is surprisingly short of the tantrums that most other famous Indian sportsmen throw. The Indian wrestling community looks in fine fettle and Rio should bring in more podium finishes than London if they grapple true to form under the leadership of this deserving fighter. Enjoy the adoration this Canadian wrestler shares with me for the Haryana lad.
Sri Lanka is generally a fortress. To win a test series on the dust bowls of Colombo and Kandy takes more than just cricketing skill. That Dale Steyn bowled the Proteas to thrilling series win over the tigers is testimony to the genius of the fast bowler. The grit shown by the South Africans to draw the second test after winning the first should put to shame another team that drowned in ignominy trying to protect its thin lead. Hashim Amla has had a cracking start to his test captaincy and has shown that he is not averse to taking a few bold decisions to win tests unlike a lot of the current crop of skippers. He also got a fine ton to prove that he certainly is going to lead by example. The Saffas are back to the numero uno position in the test rankings and if this recent performance is anything to go by, they are not going to let their grip loosen any time soon.
King Kallis bid adieu to cricket while being with the rhinos. Jacques boasts of numbers that would put any batsman or bowler worth his salt in green envy. Is he better than Sobers? I would say so. The great West Indian didn't have to push his body as much as South African needed to. Kallis scored runs in seaming conditions and took a bundle of wickets on the flat decks of Asia. There are few better slip fielders and some of his catches in the outfield are stuff of legend. He would hang his boots with just one regret, that of not leading his side to a major ICC trophy. He gave up on his dream to play one final world cup and in that showed honesty and courage that most sportsmen cannot muster. He has been the leading light for a generation of all rounders and will always find a place in the pantheons of greats.