A personal appreciation

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: When I was sick I didn’t want to die. When I race I don’t want to lose. Dying and losing, it’s the same thing.

— Lance Armstrong

With ‘sport’ central to national lives and emerging into sustained symbols of national unities across the world, players are some of the most written about and sought after people.

And among these special men and women there are some who defy laws of science, make a joke of modern techniques and infrastructure, reduce critics to silly novices and in the process prove that raw talent and determination, more than anything else, still reigns. These icons are special for they continue to inspire, to amaze, to startle, to enthrall and to top it all, continue to win laurels for their nation. Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly are such icons. And here, as in many other spheres, they are in real elite company with legends such as Andre Agassi, Zinedine Zidane, Lance Armstrong and the like.

It is established that Saurav Ganguly is no Sachin Tendulkar. In fact, Sachin is unrivaled and chances are cricket will never see another Sachin within the next decade or more. Saurav, by contrast, wasn’t born with greatness. For him, India has never stood still. Unlike Sachin, he is dispensable on occasions and when he is indeed dispensed with only Bengal mourns for him. Andre Agassi, similarly, was never a Roger Federer or even a Pete Sampras. Yet when Agassi played Federer, entire stadiums were seen praying for a miracle. Agassi, unlike Federer, had the unique distinction of plummeting to 140 or so in the world rankings and then staging a miraculous comeback. It is the stories of these fairytale comebacks — full of romance and passion as they are, that make these men special. Zinedine Zidane is another such icon. He is no Pele and had to face serious flak when the French were knocked out at the preliminary stages of World Cup 2002. However, like Saurav and Agassi, he proved the entire soccer fraternity wrong when he guided France to the final of World Cup 2006.