NEW DELHI : Some stellar performances by seasoned veterans and promising youngsters continued to raise the bar in Olympic sports but there was heartbreak in equal measure when corruption scandals blighted India’s favourite obsession, cricket, in a see-saw year for the country’s sportspersons.
There was the usual administrative wrangling in some sports but all that was thrown into the backburner by a hectic schedule which included Commonwealth and Asian Games.
On the cricket field, the courtroom drama surrounding IPL spot-fixing scandal, which made N Srinivasan a BCCI President-in-exile, hogged daily headlines, a sad commentary on the state of a game for which India is a spiritual home and biggest money-spinner as well.
If the scandal left followers of the game disturbed, they were in for a huge shock when Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket in the last week of the year.
It was a bolt from the blue given that ‘Captain Cool’ hardly dropped any hint of the “strain” of playing all three formats, which he cited as the reason for bidding adieu to the five-day game.
On the brighter side, India found itself back in the Olympic fold after the International Olympic Committee lifted the ban on the IOA in February. This was after the IOA successfully conducted fresh elections in which N Ramachandran took over as the body’s new President.
Heartwarming tales also emerged from the Commonwealth and Asian Games arena where Indian athletes came up with sterling performances. The ones who stood out most notably were the celebrated wrestling duo of Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, pistol shooter Jitu Rai and boxer M C Mary Kom.
The year began with the cricket team continuing its dismal away run by going down to a lower-ranked New Zealand in a Test series.
But the IPL razzmatazz a couple of months later ensured that the poor result was quickly forgotten. However, the spot-fixing and betting scandal that gripped the glamorous league was so enormous that the impact of it is being felt even now.
The BCCI was forced to postpone its AGM owing to adverse observations from the Supreme Court after an inquiry committee appointed by it came up with an explosive report which indicted high-profile names such as Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who also happens to be Srinivasan’s son-in-law.
The frenzy surrounding the IPL scandal was offset by India’s reasonably good show in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
It was first big event in which the athletes took part after IOA’s suspension was revoked and perhaps it was the high of competing under the national flag once again that the country pulled off a creditable fifth-place finish with 64 medals, including 15 gold.
India managed to clinch a top-10 finish in the Asian Games as well, signing off eighth with 57 medals, including 11 gold.
There was some good news from the cricket field as well when Rohit Sharma broke the record for the highest individual score in ODIs, against Sri Lanka. Rohit’s epic innings of 264 on the hallowed Eden Gardens turf was a stuff of legends.
The year was also the first time since 1989, when an Indian cricket team’s list didn’t have Sachin Tendulkar’s name in it.
It was also the year that probably saw the end of another glorious bunch of Indian cricketers, who had played with distinction over the last decade.
Sehwag, arguably the biggest impact player after Tendulkar, probably might not play for India again after being overlooked from the 30-men probables for the 2015 World Cup.
Similarly, it looks like the selectors have ‘shut the door’ for good on Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir.
Outside India, world cricket was left shocked and heartbroken following the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.
While Rohit’s innings will always be remembered, the tragedy that snatched away Hughes, aged 25 at the time of his death, will never be forgotten.
But what didn’t change was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s poor away record as Test captain with India losing series in South Africa, New Zealand and England. India also lost the World T20 finals to Sri Lanka. (AGENCIES)
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