Sachin Tendulkar inspired me to stage comeback: Sardar Singh

Agencies
September 16, 2018

New Delhi, Sept 16: Hockey star player Sardar Singh, who recently hung up his boots, has revealed that master blaster and former Indian batsman great Sachin Tendulkar had motivated him to make a comeback after he was ignored from this year's Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Australia.

Addressing media here on Saturday, post his retirement, Sardar recalled, "When I was left out from CWG, I called Sachin paaji. I was feeling very distraught. I asked him that what he used to do when he scored 0. He bucked me up and said that people criticise a lot on your bad performance. He spoke to me for a long time and told me to forget all criticisms, analyse my performance by watching old videos and play your natural game. It has helped me a lot in the last four to five months."

Calling Sachin as his inspiration, Sardar said that his pep talk with the master blaster helped him to bounce back and rejuvenated his confidence.

In July, Sardar had led the Indian hockey team to a historic silver after losing to powerhouses Australia in the finals of the Champions Trophy in Breda, The Netherlands, via a 3-1 penalty shootout.

Commenting on his retirement, the 32-year-old said it was a hard decision. He said, "I took this decision after consulting with my coaches, senior players, family and friends. I'll miss the dressing room and the time spent with the team. But it had to happen one day. It's time to spend time with my family. Special thanks to all for your support."

Asked which match was memorable for him, Sardar replied, There are so many of them, in CWG and in World Cup. We lost to England in the 2012 Champions Trophy. But, it was the best tournament for me. I learnt a lot."

He credited Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra for reviving Indian hockey and lauded his teammates' professional attitude in playing matches fearlessly.

Acknowledging that the entry of foreign coaches like Roelant Oltmans and Barry Dancer had made an impact in the fitness of the Indian hockey team, Sardar further said, "After they came, our fitness and performance improved drastically. It reached to a high standard and we are now very competitive in all tournaments."

Quizzed on India's disastrous performance in this year's Asian Games, the hockey star replied, "It is a part of the game. We were well prepared. We had training sessions. Unfortunately, we could not make that count. Hope we can now make a comeback."

The Indian hockey team put up a mediocre performance in the Asian Games and had to settle for a bronze, after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in the match.

The former captain believed that he left the squad in good shape and added that the team has to address some concerns to be medal contenders in big tournaments.

Sardar went on to say that he will play in European leagues and will tie-up with best foreign clubs to bring in good coaches for the Indian hockey team.

Born to a humble farmer's family in Sirsa district of Haryana, Sardar played his first international match with the junior national team during India's 2003-04 tour of Poland. He made his senior India debut in 2006 against Pakistan at the bilateral series and also led the Indian team at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

He was awarded player of the tournament in the 2012 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, 2012 London Olympics Qualifiers and 2010 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. In 2010, Sardar was included in the 2010 and 2011 FIH All-Star Team and won the Asian Men Player of the Year 2012.

The 32-year-old was conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2017 and was earlier awarded the Padma Shri in 2015. He is currently employed with Haryana Police as Deputy Superintendent.

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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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