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Don't mind being called arrogant: Vinesh Phogat

Agencies
January 21, 2019

New Delhi, Jan 21: Stubborn by her own admission, trailblazing Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat doesn't mind being called arrogant for it since the attitude comes in handy to intimidate rivals on the mat.

Speaking to PTI in an exclusive interview, India's first woman wrestler to claim an Asian Games gold medal dwelled on the perceptions about her, life after marriage to fellow grappler Somvir Rathee and her Olympic dreams. 

"I am very stubborn, since childhood. If I feel something is right, even if that is wrong, I will be very stubborn about that and I make sure people agree with me even if I am wrong sometimes," she laughed. 

But would she call it a virtue, to be steadfast even if wrong? 

"If someone explains with love and proves that my thought process is wrong and I also start to realise that, then I concede and step back," she said. 

And what about the perception of being arrogant for being so headstrong? 

"Yes people say that (arrogant) but I know what's inside me. And if it helps me on the mat, I don't bother," she said. 

"It helps me on the mat. People say it's over-confidence but for me it's belief. I don't get intimidated and your opponent also notices the body language. Some people work on it but for me it's God gift," she added.

The 24-year-old Commonwealth Games champion recently got married and is now determined to end the stereotype of women's career getting affected by their marital status.

"People say that after marriage, we lose spark and fire but I want to break this myth. I want to take this fear out of girls that marriage is a barrier. I want to be an example, so I decided to marry early," Vinesh said.

"Of course you need support of your partner. There are a few in our society who do not believe in (love) relationships (without marriage) so they will ask why don't you get married and some will say why marry so early? Now Olympics is a major competition and I have all the support of Somvir," she said.

Vinesh, the first Indian athlete ever to be nominated for Laureus World Sports Award, also insisted that the mindset of Indian wrestlers have greater self-belief. 

"I feel India have 4-5 strong contenders, who can beat any wrestler in the world. I won't take names but we can win 2-3 Olympic medals. The mindset has changed," she asserted.

"Earlier people used to just look for participation or win a round at the Worlds but now medals are a possibility for all. I know these girls. After Sakshi's bronze, girls are now targetting gold at Olympics.

"We have started becoming technically smart while earlier we just played a power game, it's giving results." 

The significance of getting a nomination for the prestigious Laureus awards has still not dawned on the Haryana grappler.

"Honestly I still don't know what this nomination is about. I just know that my name has been put for voting. I had not even heard of Laureus. And if no Indian athlete has been nominated before, I can only be proud of it.

"...it's definitely huge for wrestling in India because it is still struggling for recognition," said Vinesh, who is competing for the Mumbai Maharathi in the ongoing edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL).

The winner of multiple international medals says her comeback from a career-threatening injury, sometimes has even her amazed.

"I have seen athletes struggling so badly after suffering injuries. Sometimes I get shocked to see what and how I have achieved this success. It's nothing but God's grace." 

Will she not give credit to her own hard work? 

"It's not just hard work because innumerable athletes do that. This is something which I don't know. I beat even the formidable Japan wrestlers after injury, it's God's grace only." 

Vinesh said Somvir has played a huge role in her success.

"If Somvir was not there, Vinesh would not be what Vinesh is today. He is one person who has contributed to my success more than my family. The way he motivated me, no one did. I believe more in him than myself.

"He has videos of all my opponents in his phone. He knows them all, who attacks better, whose defense is solid. He devises strategies for me. He is more focussed on me than on himself. He has lot of belief in me," she explained.

How did this bond develop? "I don't know," she laughed. 

"I just know that there is trust." 

Vinesh happily noted that there is lot of improvement in system and credits WFI President for that.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

London, Jan 11: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 win has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting event in the last twenty years.

The moment featuring Tendulkar has been described as "Carried on the shoulders by a nation".

On his sixth attempt at the World Cup and with India not having won the competition since 1983, Tendulkar finally became a part of the team that lifted the coveted trophy. Carried on the shoulders of the Indian team, he made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city.

The 2011 World Cup was also the first time, in which a host nation ended up winning the trophy.

Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other cricketer to feature in the list. In 2005, England managed to defeat Australia in an Ashes Test, but Flintoff chose to first shake hands with Brett Lee rather than celebrate with his side.

Matthias Steiner (weightlifting), Natalie du Toit (swimming), Sky Brown (skateboarding), Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (triathlon), Xia Boyu (mountaineering) have been nominated in the list.

Female tennis stars also feature in the list for coming up with an equal play, equal pay campaign. After pressure from Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that female tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men's.

German international footballer Miroslav Klose was playing for Lazio in Italy's Serie A in 2012 against Napoli when he rose for a ball in the early moments of the game.

The ball came spiraling off his hand and skirted into the back of the net and a goal was awarded. While most players would carry on as if nothing had happened, Klose was honest with the referee and admitted that he handled the ball.

As a result, he also finds a place on the list.

The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way.

This campaign has shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.

The winner will be decided on the basis of public voting. It has already started, and the final date to cast the vote is February 16.

Finally, the result will be declared on February 17.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

Islamabad, Aug 7: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, known for his blistering deliveries on the cricket field, recently baffled many with a deadly off-field bouncer by claiming he is willing to eat grass if it enabled an increase in budget for his country's Army!

"If Allah ever gives me the authority, I will eat grass myself but I will increase the budget of the army," said Akhtar in an interview with ARY News.

The 'Rawalpindi Express', considered the fastest bowler in history said he does not understand why the civilian sector cannot work in collaboration with the Armed forces.

"I will ask my army chief to sit with me and make decisions. If the budget is 20 per cent, I will make it 60 per cent. If we insult each other, the loss is ours only," the once feared fast-bowler said.

Akthar had also claimed to ARY News interview that he was willing to take a bullet for his country and had turned down a county stint just because he wanted to fight the 1999 Kargil War.

Ties between India and Pakistan have been strained in the recent months over several issues, the latest being Pakistan's attempt to broach in the UNSC the issue of Kashmir on the first anniversary of the India's move to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and to split the erstwhile state into two union territories .

Pakistan also has not been in a good financial position and under prime minister Imran Khan, himself an all rounder cricketer, has added nearly USD 22 billion, that is 35 per cent to the nation's international debt pile in the last two years, according to an Asia Times report in July.

While Pakistan recently received USD 1.39 billion from the IMF to cushion the economic shocks caused due to COVID-19 outbreak, Akthar had a few months ago proposed that a joint cricket match be played between India and Pakistan to raise funds to fight the coronavirus. The suggestion that was put down by cricketers in India.

Meanwhile the 'Pindi boy' whose deadly pace and bounce was once dreaded by batsmen had recently taken to Twitter to deny former India cricketer Virender Sehwag's claim of sledging him.

Sehwag along with other Indian crickerters such as Harbhajan Singh and even Rahul Dravid had been at the receiving end of Akthar's sledging and antics during their playing days.

"Yes, totally self made story by him. Mujhe yeh bol k bach k jana kidhar tha us nay," Akthar tweeted to a report in which Sehwag claimed that he had sledged the 'Rawalpindi Express' by telling him that Sachin Tendulkar was his father.

During an awards ceremony Sehwag had recounted that fed up with Akthar's sledging and retaliated by telling him to say the same things to Tendulkar, who smashed the 'Pindi boy' for a six. Sehwag quipped that he told Akthar then that "Baap baap hota hai".

In the recent ARY interview, asked about the allegation made against him by former India cricketer Virendra Sehwag that he makes pro-India comments for greater following on social media channels, Akhtar said, "I cannot talk on the basis of hate." 

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News Network
May 18,2020

Karachi, May 18: Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan believes it is at least five years too early to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as the Indian skipper has proven himself in "every kind of situation" and the latter has not.

"Virat Kohli is far more experienced than Babar. He has at least five years more experience of top cricket and he is at the peak of his career," said Younis, Pakistan's leading run-getter in Tests.

"Kohli has far more exposure than Babar and he has been in every kind of situation and proven himself. No one gets 70 international centuries like that and this are proof of his class and abilities. He has scored runs in every situation and all opposition."

Younis said said Babar still has a long way to go.

"Babar has been in top cricket for just around five years. He has got a very impressive batting average across all three formats and he is getting better by the day.

"You see him batting and you can see he has got the same qualities that Kohli had at the start of his career."

Besides amassing 70 international hundreds, 31-year-old Kohli averages more than 50 in all three formats. The India skipper has scored more than 20,000 runs while 25-year-old Babar has 6680 runs across formats though the Pakistan limited overs skipper has played significantly lesser number of games.

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