Sportskeeda First Edition Magazine

Sp rtske da

November, 2009 First Edition

Page no. 3

Indian

Baseball

Superstars

Page no. 23

A Tribute

to the

legend

Page no. 25

Del Potro’s

amazing

season

www.sportskeeda.com

Contents

India’s First Baseball Superstars 3 (It’s a home run not a six) Formula 1 New Regulations 4

(F1 Rulez! F1 Rules!)

SuperCross India 6

(Is it a bird? Is it a kite? No its

SuperCross)

ONGC I-League 8

(Mind your own football)

Interview with a Cager 12

(3 points someone)

Future Perfect 15

(Old, Older, Oldest)

Yamaha’s Day 21

(Roooooosi the new Zooooooom!!)

Remembering David Shepherd 23

(Grave loss to Cricket)

Del Potro’s amazing season 25

(World is not big enough for three of us)

SirAlex: 23 years at ManUtd 27

(Alex United)

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8

27

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hat is a keeda? As a literal translation, it means an insect, but there is

a higher- moral translation of this word. It means an unending

passion/ addiction/ love/ interest for a tangible or intangible thing

close to ones heart. Sports in India is still something that we love to ignore

(except maybe one or two like cricket). But there is a significant amount of

interest towards sports from a young generation looking out for something

exciting. Obviously, the best way to justify this keeda would be to pursue ones

hobby and actually play but there should be other avenues to pursue this

‘keeda’. With the explosive growth in blogging in the last few years, more and

more people are looking to express their ideas and emotions.

What SportsKeeda.com strives to do is to bring this community of passionate

sports fans together and to give them an audience. It invites sports fans with

the ‘keeda’. We have a great open forum where passionate fans go against and

for towards each other’s opinions. It already has 19 different sports tagged in

the website. What Sportskeeda.com intends to do is to show the whole world

that the Indian sports scene is alive and kicking and that there is an entire

untapped audience for sports, be it football, hockey, athletics, basketball,

motorsports etc which has been ignored since time immemorial. That the

Indian sports fan will not be held at the mercy of some publication which gives

sports a step motherly treatment. That blogging can be an enabler to generate

more interest towards sports in India. This is our unending vision and this

inaugural magazine is a significant milestone in a journey which has just begun.

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November, 09 Editor’s Page

Sportskeeda

Finally Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel

were chosen as the winners and were

sent to America for further training

Getting to Know India’s First

Baseball Superstars

or quite some time, America has been casting its network towards the more populous east. Korea and Japan have responded well to America’s baseball

charms and the Yankee land more-or-less has captured the big audience in China by signing Yao Ming for the NBA.

While India along with the rest of the world is trying to cash-in on the tremendous potential for cricket in the States, America has in cast its nest in India in the hope of unearthing a Yao Ming like baseball pitcher. They launched their “Million Dollar Arm” search all over India and 37,000 turned-up to participate. Finally Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel were chosen as the winners and were sent to America for further training.

For Pirates’ management team of Neal Huntington and Frank Coonelly, it is a significant moment as Rinku and Dinesh are the first non-Americans they have signed.

They both must feel vindicated with MLB.com having only good things to say about their India signings, “the 6′2″ Singh throws 89-90 mph and has a split-finger changeup pitch, [while] the 5′11″ Patel throws a circle change and can reach 91-92 mph with his heater” America and Pirates will hope that they can tap into the riches India has to offer–both economically and in providing a pool of talent.

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Sportskeeda November, 09 Baseball: It’s a home run not a six!

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FIA’s original 2010 Formula 1 regulations explained

IA had tried to spice the rules for next year by proposing a budget cap, which failed. A recap of the regulations that were proposed by FIA, many of which were later scrapped due to the FOTA threat of a rival series launch:

This is what it looked like - Mid race Refuelling Banned: So lightening short pit stops for tyre only changes are back! Bit of history - Refuelling was brought back into F1 in 1994 season. Why? The reason was Williams had created a car that was whole seconds quicker than the opposition at most circuits. It was the norm at this time (1992 & early 1993) to see the Williams cars claim the front row of the grid & disappear in the horizon at the race start. Thus the FIA began pushing for the reintroduction of refuelling in the hope it would cause more changes in the running order. Come the start of the 1994 season Williams’ performance advantage had been completely eroded anyway. The refuelling ban also takes away the fun to see some drivers running away with their refuelling rig still attached!

Car Weight: Increased

Minimum car weight has been increased to 620 kg (previously 605 kg).This will address the issue of weight imbalance in KERS fitted cars. Actually, the placement of KERS on side of the car caused weight distribution issues and hence compromised the cars traction and cornering speeds on slow speed circuits. With minimum weight increased, the KERS teams can play with the ballast and balance the car as per the individual circuit. Pre race selection: Qualifying will now be contested on low fuel (Q3 previously contested on race fuel) Heating devices totally banned: Tyre warmers & blankets are now banned along with existing banned heating equipment. Brawn GP better find a way to heat their tyres on the race track as this has been their biggest excuse for performance loss in 2009.

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November, 09 F1 Rulezz ! F1 Rules !

Sportskeeda

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Sportskeeda

The Author

Mayank Grover: Rally

Enthusiast, F1 fanatic

Two more cars on the grid: Maximum number of teams allowed competing in the championship raised to 13 (from 12).Let me do the complicated math here – 26 cars? Stewards can play Gods now: Stewards can now drop a driver any number of grid positions at a driver’s next race if he is involved in a racing incident. (previously drivers were dropped 10 grid places) Kinetic Energy Recovery System – totally redefined: a) When a car is traveling above 300 km/h, KERS usage is disallowed. b) KERS energy storage media (battery or flywheel) must be located behind the driver and in front of the engine c) Rear brake pressure may be reduced by use of a valve during KERS use d) Carbon Dioxide cannot be used anymore i.e Tyres must now be inflated with only air or nitrogen. Budget Cap & KERS: Teams can avail of a voluntary £40m (may be raised) budget cap, offering them greater ‘technical freedom’. Technical freedom offered to budget-capped teams is as follows: Testing: No limit on testing mileage or dates. Non-capped teams: Testing limited to 15,000 km between 1 January 2010 and first race week. Wind Tunnel:

No restrictions on wind tunnel scale or speed. Non-capped teams: Restricted to 60% scale and 50m/s rolling road speed.

Engine count for the season: No restriction on use of engines during a season. Non-capped teams: Allowed eight engines per season. Gear Box limit: No restriction on use of gearboxes during a season. Non-capped teams: Would be only allowed to run with four-race gearboxes. Front Wing: Moveable front wing allowed moving 10° any number of times per lap & moveable rear wing permitted, controlled by driver. Non-capped teams: Only allowed 6° movement twice per lap & rear wing has to be fixed. Engine RPM restriction: No restriction on engine revs. Non-capped teams: 18,000 rpm limit. KERS power output allocation: KERS will be twice as powerful, producing over 160 hp of boost for 6.67s per lap. Non-capped teams: KERS generated power limited to 80 hp for 6.67s per lap. Two wheel drive and 4 wheel drive: Four-wheel drive permitted & KERS permitted to drive all four wheels. Non-capped teams: 2 wheel drive transmission permitted & KERS can only power the rear wheels.

November, 09

F1 Rulez ! F1 Rules !

5

National SuperCross Bike racing Chhattisgarh

aipur 5th Oct 2009: Strong men were seen on strong machines displaying controlling skills, riders took their bikes as high as 50

feet into the air through bumps as Chhattisgarh Played host to the National SuperCross Bike racing 2009 on 3rd & 4th Oct 09. The event was staged at Govt. Science College ground, Raipur, the Capital of Chhattisgarh. Organized by Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association in technical association with Sportstrek under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India’ FMSCI, promoted by Dept. of Sports and Youth Welfare, Govt. of Chhattisgarh & Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, riders from various parts of the country had accumulated to strive for the honors. All dressed in their safety gear, riders were a pleasure and thrill for the 30,000 plus spectators who had come to cheer along with placards. The audience was thrilled to be a part of this speed event over an artificially prepared course consisting of a series of obstacles. It was all about riding at high speed on a specially-laid out track The riders had to negotiate

serpentine bends while doing several laps. Chhattisgarh is capable of organizing such events and in future, the Govt. will provide more support to promote adventure sports & tourism in the state”

said Mr. Brijmohan Agrawal Minister of Tourism & PWD.

emonstrating thrill and courage, riders performed amazing stunts. As the event took off, there was

lots of applauding from the crowd as they were thrilled to see the spectacular, breath taking event. As

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November, 09 Is it a bird ? Is it a kite ? No its Supercross!

Sportskeeda

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much as the spectators enjoyed the event, the competitors were more charged competing and displayed moment-holding performance on several occasions. TVS Racing team added glamour to the show, exhibiting their skills at high speed, their braking ability over bends and controlling their machines superbly in the slush. Half a dozen riders from Chhattisgarh along with some of the best riders of the country participated in the event. But it was KP Aravind from Bangalore, who walked away with the winners’ trophy. Aravind, who has taken part in many national and international championships, appreciated the efforts of the organizers and cheering crowd. “It takes a combination of fitness, strength of a rider and good engine of the bike to win a championship” said Aravind Riding a TVS RTR 125 FX, Aravind extracted the maximum from his well-prepared machine to emerge triumphant in the event and be the star performer. He was always under pressure as he went around the specially-laid out course, but to his credit he did well to overcome a strong challenge from his TVS team mates H K Pradeep & Pramod Joshua. The young TVS Racing rider was awarded the best rider of the day in this glamorous and thrilling event.

verall there were five classes. In the Foreign open class (Motorcycles up to 450 CC)

Category, KP Aravind from TVS Racing team Bangalore was the man who made the most use of the lively environment with his TVS RTS 250 FX. He won the first place followed by HK Pradeep and Pramod Joshua, both from TVS Racing team. While in Novice Class (motorcycles up to 165CC), R Natraj and Sudeep Kotegar, both from TVS Racing team, Bangalore stole the show being on position 1st and 2nd respectively. Pravin Sangumare from Nagpur finished third place with his 135 CC bike. t was also heartening to watch the local Chhattisgarhi riders in Chhattisgarh Class (Motorcycles up to

165 cc). Pravin Yadav proved a cut above all in on his Pulsar 150 while Sanjay Minj won the second slot with his RX 100. Rajesh Chakravarty finished in third position riding on Hero Honda Glamour. The riders from Chhattisgarh showed promise of developing into champion riders. In the Indian Expert Class C, TVS Racing team biker Vishal Barguje secured the first place while Snehal Chavan clinched the second position. The third position went to R Nataraj of TVS Racing team. The event went off with precision timing and it was not surprising that it was applauded not only by the participants, but also spectators. In sum, it was a perfect outing for both participants and spectators. Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association’s meticulousness ensured there was nothing to complain about. The Spectators were totally entertained and went back cheering the daredevils while few wished they were a part of it. Ujjwal Deepak Secretary General, Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association. O

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November, 09 Sportskeeda Is it a bird ? Is it a kite ? No its Supercross!

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I-League in India

Sportskeeda

f I ask you what does EPL stand for or what does La Liga and Serie A mean ,

everyone will give me the correct answers in a flash. But does anyone know what does the I-league stand for? Have you heard the term before? I am sure I will not be getting many answers. There may be some of you, who know exactly what I am refering to, there may be some, who by guess work will get the right answer….and there may be those for whom the word is greek. So for people who are clueless, it is nothing but the Indian league referred to as the ONGC I-League. Most of us know almost everything about the EPL, La Liga and the Serie A….but what about the I-League. So here I am, trying to give everyone a brief insight of India’s own football league, the history of the league and the various teams involved in the fight to be called the best team in India.

I-League The top tier of the Indian football system is the I-League. Sponsored by ONGC, it started in 2007-2008 when it replaced the National Football League. Because the NFL was deteriorating, AIFF took the decision of relaunching it

under the banner of the I-league. Some changes were introduced in this new format. The most important ones are listed below. Each team was allowed to have 4 foreign players, with the restriction that only 3 of them would be allowed to play in the match. Each team was required to register a minimum of 14 professional footballers. It was mandatory for each team to have an u-19 development setup. The first season saw 10 teams go head to head. It went all the way to the wire with Dempo, the defending NFL champions, winning the inaugral season in the end, based on goal difference. The second season saw the number of teams being increased to 12. Churchill Brothers who finished second in the first season, came up tops this time around. Currently the third season is in progress with around 7 matches gone.

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Sportskeeda November, 09 Mind your own football : I league

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Teams in I-League 2009-2010 :

Quality

ne of my friends asked me last week during the Pune-Mumbai match” You

can never compare this with club football in England, Spain or Italy. It is light years apart “. Yes I agree, in terms of quality what he said is right. Someone who is accustomed to watching club football on a regular basis will feel the same. That does not mean that the league lacks quality. There is great talent on show. Indian internationals like Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Antony Pereira, Subrata Paul and foreigners like Ranty Martins Soleye and the league’s best player Odafe Onyeka Obolie of Churchill Brothers. However the important thing here is the passion, the commitment and the heart with which they play is the same. When the players put on their jerseys, they go out onto the field and give it their all. It doesn matter, if you are playing for Churchill or Pune or for Manchester United. What matters is you are playing football. You are playing to win. We as fans need to back them. Remember the days when you used to represent your class, your school or your department. You will then understand what I am trying to convey. Football in India needs to be looked upon differently from the grass root level. The good news

Churchill Brothers SC

Goa

Dempo SC

Goa

Sporting Clube De Goa

Goa

Salgaocar SC

Goa

Mohun Bagan

Kolkata

East Bengal

Kolkata

Chirag United

Kolkata

Mahindra United

Mumbai

Air-India

Mumbai

Pune FC

Pune

JCT FC

Phagwara

Shillong Lajong FC

Shillong

Viva Kerala

Kochi

Mumbai FC

Mumbai

O


It doesn matter, if you are playing for Churchill or Pune or for Manchester United. What matters is you are playing football.

9

During the Dempo game in Pune, the crowd startd chanting “ Pune Pune Pune Pune Pune ” and “ Who are we …..PFC ”. Believe me, I had goose bumps.

here is that the picture is improving day by day. Clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool are slowly trying to make their presence felt in India. Remember one thing the EPL, the La Liga did not emerge one fine day all of its own. It started small and has now reached the top of club football. It is a journey. A journey that starts small, but surely ends big.

Support was shocked to see empty stands in Balewadi the other day, when I had gone to watch

Pune play against Dempo. Everywhere you go people are talking only about football. Sadly, the seats in the stadium were not reflecting this fact. People set their weekend schedules so that they will not miss their weekly action of the EPL. They stay awake till early morning to cover the Champions League. All I could ask myself is” where is everyone??? “. Talking about Pune there are some many

clubs here. There are various divisions in club football. Even if the guys who play for these clubs come over, the stands will no longer be empty. Schools should encourage their students to go ahead and watch the game. They will learn so much by just watching a game of football. They will get to see the Bhutia’s, the Chhetri’s and the Subrata Paul’s of Indian football. Home support is always referred to

as the 12th man in a game. Nothing can be more motivating for a team, than the crowd getting behind them. Soccer fans will be well aware of the famous Anfield crowd and the European nights in football. What is it that makes them so special? It is the atmosphere, the atmosphere that is created by the home fans. All of us dream

of going and watching a game at one of the churches of football someday. Why not live part of this dream. During the Dempo game in Pune, the crowd startd chanting “ Pune Pune Pune Pune Pune ” and “ Who are we …..PFC ”. Believe me, I had goose bumps.

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People were howling, shouting, abusing the referee and what not. You need to be there to feel it, to live it. Two months ago, if you had asked me about the I-League I would have been on the other side of the fence. But now, I know almost everything about the league. I follow the league and I love this league. I reach the stadium two hours prior to kick off. We have all seen players training prior to the match on tv, but seeing it in real is something completely different. The way I look at football in India has changed over the last month or so. All thanks to Pune Football Club. They have changed my outlook. It is high time you change your’s too. As they say better late than never. I do not know where this article will help change your mindset or not. Hope it does. One thing is for sure, you will one guy sitting in the D stand of the Balewadi stadium in Pune, way before anyone else turns up. Me.


Chhetri on the Move !

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divya singh

singh

Sportskeeda November, 09 F1:

SportsKeeda had the opportunity

to interview India’s former Basketball Captain Divya Singh. She lead the women’s National Team for India at 2006 Melbourne Common Wealth games. Currently persuing PG in Sports management at University of Delaware and is also an assistant women’s basketball coach in the same university. Divya Singh is from a family where basketball runs deep. They are 5 sisters in which 4 of them represent Indian national team including her.

Sportskeeda

November, 09 Three Point Someone

Interview with

Former India

Basketball Captain

Divya Singh

You are in the national basketball team, PG in sports management and now also a basketball coach. Tell us how you managed all this? Well, when I came to USA I was playing for Indian team as well as Delhi team, to tell you truth first of all I did not like to stop playing and get in to studies again. But for future of basketball it was important to think differently. Still I am doing my PG, and 8 months are left, I am getting very excited to go back to India and start working. The course I’m doing here is a challenging course. It includes all the aspects of sports management from marketing to media. Also working with women’s Basketball team of University of Delaware is one more life time experience and I believe what I’m learning here would pay a fruitful result to improve basketball in India. Your future plans and aspirations? First of all, I think to start working with basketball federation of India, secondly take the game to every corner with campaign and camps including top basketball players. What I believe is players are our assets which we should focus on first. I m not sure how long it going to take but I am very sure that if millions of kids who

play in the school or colleges are going to welcome basketball if we present them in a good way. What is one thing that you will like to bring from US to improve Basketball in India? I wish I could bring

everything, but to be more precise I think, professionalism is a key factor to make everything up to the mark. If we become professional, its not very hard to get our goal, it can take little time though to set up. I love American professionalism. NBA has shown interest in India with “Basketball beyond Borders” events and then JD Walsh conducting various workshops. Do you see them making any headway? I feel NBA’s name is working, I am not keeping check for what are they doing in India right now but when I came to India in the summer break I went to Mumbai for ‘’hoops school’’ conducted in American school, Mumbai where Baron Devis came to help the clinic. Also they organized an event at a huge mall and I must say people were getting attracted, kids were playing basketball and youth were enjoying. All these are positive signs of NBA’s initiatives. For JD Walsh I must say he is doing a great job. I am looking forward to talk to him. What is the key to Basketballs future in India? Govt. spending, corporate sponsorship or Club culture? Divya : I think Indian should start club culture or start a league to go to next level. It’s not doable to get money

I wish I could bring everything, but to be more precise I think, professionalism is a key factor to make everything up to the mark.

Sportskeeda

November, 09 3 point someone

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We should change things according to this generation; we should see that they enjoy NBA. We cannot be that big now but we should start changing the way we organize things in India.

What is the key to Basketballs future in India? Govt spending, Corporate sponsorship or Club culture? I think Indian should start club culture or start a league to go to next level. It’s not doable to get money without having a league. I’m sure it’s not that hard as people assume in the land of cricket. We have to make money to make this game famous. Govt part is non profit, and it’s going on from many decades. We should change things according to this generation; we should see that they enjoy NBA. We cannot be that big now but we should start changing the way we organize things in India. Is cricket a restraining factor for basketball in India? Not only basketball, every sport! But they have work really hard to get to this position. Good thing about cricket is that they apply what is good and trendy for today. What all improvements would you like to see in BFI (Basketball Federation of India) There are list of things but I would not like to mention, they are doing what they know and I hope I can go and add things to their present work culture.

Sportskeeda

November, 09 3 point someone

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Coming soon Blogging competition

Register at Sportskeeda.com for more details

Quiz 1: Identify the Sportsman

Send your answer to

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*A draw will determine the winner *The winner’s name will appear in the next issue

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mailto:[email protected]

ndian cricket has been through a golden phase for the past year or two. In fact, we have moved on

as a nation since the world cup debacle in 2007. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been prodigious over the last two years since he took over the reign of captaincy first from Rahul Dravid and later from Anil Kumble.

But, after the first round exits in World T20 championship and Champions Trophy in South Africa, questions arise as to whether we have really moved on from those debacles and whether we have become stronger and fervid in our pursuit to claim the World Cup which starts in another 18 months time.

Has the Indian team stumbled upon a block which it is not able to come over? Why have we not actually found sound batsmen with good techniques in the past year or two? Why have we not developed better spinners and fast bowlers to tackle different conditions around the world?

To put facts straight, we have not evolved as a team over the past two years when the team has slowly gone on to reach the top of ODI rankings. We’ve been playing around with the same Gambhirs, Tendulkars, Sehwags and Yuvrajs. The same holds good with the bowling unit. We haven’t actually explored outside the likes of RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan.

Supreme teams are not built by a few men, but by a huge set of characters who can respond very well in different scenarios. Some of them can play diverse roles and can even substitute bigger names as well. All in all, a team needs to be robust if it has any

dream to claim itself a highly invincible unit.

THE WALL’S INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION

One of the more surprising inclusions in the Indian team,

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Sportskeeda November, 09 Old , Older , Oldest

FUTURE PERFECT?

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One of the more surprising inclusions in the Indian team, recently, has been Rahul Dravid. For starters Dravid’s selection, emotionally a sensational decision, was nothing more than a ludicrous decision.

recently, has been Rahul Dravid. For starters Dravid’s selection, emotionally a sensational decision, was nothing more than a ludicrous decision. Selectors must have had the guts to make the same set of young players play on the bouncy tracks of South Africa in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. To select Dravid for just a tournament to counter bounce, was a thought process that has taken Indian team a step back.

Amidst all this I am not against Rahul Dravid, the player. Dravid’s commitment to the Indian team goes beyond these blogs and books written on him. But, the real villain in this circus has been the selectors who recalled Dravid for just one tournament and dropped him right away. It’s as if a husband is disinterested with his wife for a few days and hence is looking for someone else who can make him happy. After a few days, when his own wife makes

him happy, he dumps the other woman who kept him happy for that brief period! Let’s better give Dravid the respect he commands.

Once Dravid was selected, a legend like him cannot be dumped within a few days. He has performed reasonably well in almost all matches and dropped the anchor on most occassions. As far as I can see, through my television set, Rahul Dravid performed his role to perfection. In such a scenario, why should Dravid be dropped? If performance is not the only criteria to select a player, then why should Dravid be selected for South Africa? Don’t players like Subramaniam Badrinath and Robin Uthappa deserve a chance to represent India?

Selectors might not see a place for Dravid once Sehwag and Yuvraj come back. But, wouldn’t it be prudent if the selectors went on to play a younger group of players thrusting more responsibility on them than selecting Rahul Dravid for South Africa and later dropping him when Australia is touring India.


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In fact, a big reason for India’s downfall in England and South Africa this year is because we missed three big guns in Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer.

THE NEED FOR FRESH LEGS

Indian cricket needs fresh legs and not old ones, at least in ODI and T20 cricket. We started off very well with this plan early in 2008, but somehow went down again with the selection and exclusion of Rahul Dravid. It’s time that we start rotating our players to prevent any burn-out again. In fact, a big reason for India’s downfall in England and South Africa this year is because we missed three big guns in Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer.

These three players have had a tremendous impact on the game, whenever they have played. In fact, on

most occasions, these three have decided the fate of the game. Dependency is one element that always lie with normal and ordinary teams. These teams would never become world-beaters, because only one or two

players in their team are world beaters and they cannot provide the same impact togather as a team.

Independency is the only factor that world-beaters rely on. Australia proved this yet again in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. The likes of White, Watson, Siddle, Johnson, Ferguson and Paine have showed the way as to why Australia still remains a team to be


17

beaten. India also needs to get this independency element flowing.

It is not as if India lacks talent, but some selections lie in the hands of administrators and marketing gurus. Would the same number of people watch Indian team play if Tendulkar and Dhoni rest for a particular series? Would the public accept such selections? Wouldn’t there be a backlash against such selections?

It is very difficult for Indians to accept the rotational policy, but it’s time the selectors and administrators understood and put this concept in place. 2011 World Cup is just a year and a half away and we just cannot keep playing with the same set of tired souls. We must definitely look into new players and some players who we have invested heavily in the past.

ROTATIONAL POLICY – BOON OR BANE?

Robin Uthappa looks an exciting option to be tried on the international scene again. Gambhir, Tendulkar and Sehwag can be rotated time and again along with players like Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund.

It is not as if we bring in players like Mukund and Vijay straight against Australia and South Africa. We do play a few low profile but important matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the near future. And yes, we might also travel

to Zimbabwe soon. Such players can be experimented time-and-again for the opening slot. This would only help players like Tendulkar (slowly phasing out of cricket) and Sehwag (still recovering from his shoulder injury).

The middle order also needs a revamp. It is not as if the current set of players is under performing. But, it’s important to give some players a break. There is no player in the current set up than Badrinath who deserves a chance to play for Indian team. Badri, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Pujara need to be pulled into the team over the next few months. The team might not look settled. The same team might as well lose a few games. But, on the long run, the results will start to show, only positively.

Dhoni would definitely

love to rest in the middle of a hard fought

season. Dinesh

Karthik and Wriddhiman

Saha have somehow got the better of Parthiv Patel

recently. Even Naman

Ojha is in the limelight more than Parthiv nowadays. Some of these keepers can do good, if selected and used instead of Dhoni for a few matches in between. Just look at how

Sportskeeda

Sportskeeda

November, 09 Old , Older , Oldest

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Harbhajan never looked like Harbhajan during Champions Trophy. May be, he did not get any support from the pitches on offer at South Africa. May be he was never in good form at South Africa. India’s lead spinner would also love to have extra support added to him if players like Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja are kept in loop for most of the selections in the near future.It is very important to have a variety in the spin bowling department,.

Ricky Ponting has become since his rest post Ashes. He was rested for 2 T20Is and 4 ODIs in England and once he came back, he has been among the runs (A couple of good hundreds and the Man of the Series awards @ Champions Trophy).

Lastly, the pacemen need to be looked after very well. Ishant has been awful to say the least. Selectors might prefer to make him sit on the bench for this series than play him on dead tracks against a world champion side. Ishant is a big asset for India. Over

the next few years he might well become one of India’s greatest fast bowlers. But right now, the situation isn’t rosy. He has been bowling hard over the last few months and has lost his brilliant wrist position and pace. These things can definitely be controlled and it is only time before when Ishant Sharma would start again to trouble batsmen all over the world. But, it is important to leave Ishant out and give him the space out in the darkness to stage his comeback.

What has happened to a upcoming fast bowlers like Dhawal Kulkarni? If people remember, Kulkarni was selected for the India’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. And that was the end of it. Dhawal, since then, has been playing only for Mumbai back in the domestic arena. India has also invested in the likes of Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar. Munaf and

Praveen are excellent bowlers who would generally have

greater control over things while bowling. Sreesanth, on the other

hand, can be breathtaking with his swing. An in-form Irfan Pathan, is an automatic selection. While others cannot contribute with the bat, Irfan’s batting has seldom failed. All he needs to worry is about his swing, his control and his speed. While this bowling unit looks montonous with the same set of fast-bowlers, the inclusion of Sudeep Tyagi give us the breathe of fresh air.

Tyagi is a great prospect. Tall and lanky, Tyagi can be quick and deceptive with his swing and speed. In fact, his bowling map match with Ishant

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November, 09 Old , Older , Oldest

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Sharma’s bowling map. He might well be a like-for-like replacement for Ishant. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is another upcoming fast bowler who can be given an opportunity in the near future. Kumar has been consistent over the past season or two and has not done anything wrong to not get selected. This 18-year old is another good prospect and a fresh face India might look forward to see.

When Zaheer would make his comeback, the bowling unit will only become even stronger with so many fast bowlers fighting for two or three spots. It is very important for the selectors to have a clear road map for the future if they dream of winning the 2011 World Cup.

Having a bigger pool of players who are equally talented will only increase the competition for the eleven elusive spots in the Indian team. It is always a happy situation for the captain, coach and the selector when the team has 7 or 8 players fighting for 3-4 places. The complacency factor will fly out of the window and the competitive nature

of the game within the team will grow. This would also help the team to win more matches against other opponents also.

The future of Indian cricket does not lie with a Rahul Dravid or a Sachin Tendulkar. They have done their bit over the past 15 years. Now it’s the time for the change. The change that would call for rotation of players. The change that would enable lesser injuries to players. The change that would make life ever so competitive for an already competitive Indian team.

The toughest match to win is, winning against oneself, be it the fight within you or the fight within your team.


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unday, 25th of October 2009 will go down in

history as a unique and one of the greatest days for Yamaha Motorsport. It is the day on which Yamaha managed to win both the driver’s titles in motorcycle racings premiere classes, viz. MotoGP and Superbikes.

Valentino Rossi managed to finish third in a

Malaysian GP where the rains showed up at the very last minute for the

MotoGP class and wrapped up his title with one race to go in Valencia.

Just a few hours later, Ben Spies finished Race 2 of the last round of WSBK in 5th place, and more importantly for him, Noriyuki Haga did not win, thus allowing him to clinch his and here is the surprising part- Yamaha’s first title in that series.

Vale’ won his 9th (yeah thats right-9th) title in motorcycle racing and his 7th in the premiere class (500cc+MotoGP). He might just have come closer to people actually recognizing him as THE greatest man to have ever raced motorcycles after this win. This is his 4th title

for Yamaha, his most for any manufacturer (He won three for Honda- 1 500cc and 2 MotoGP, and two for Aprilia- 125cc and 250cc).

He has been a significant signing for Yamaha especially because of the fact that they were always a distant second behind Honda in the championships before his arrival. Rossi not only could ride the bike fast, but he brought along with him Jeremy Burgess and others from his previous setup and helped immensely in developing the YZR-M1, Yamaha’s MotoGP contender.

In his earlier seasons with the factory Yamaha team, he was the sole fighter on the track and the distinct lack of support from his teammates was apparent and he was mostly fighting hard to stave off rivals from Honda

S

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November, 09 Rooooooosi the new Zooooooom !!

Valentino Rossi + Ben Spies = One hell of a day for yamaha

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especially. This could be essentially attributed to the Honda RC211V’s early superiority over the M1 and partly to the lack of quality teammates. Although Colin Edwards is a great rider in his own right, he never would turn up for more than a couple of races a season.

But over the years, the M1 has seen greater development and the levelling out of the field due to the 800cc class restrictions. In no small measure could this also be attributed to Rossi’s development efforts. But this season, his primary rival was his own team mate Jorge’ Lorenzo. The rookie Spaniard has been sensational and things could have been different for him had luck been on his side. Time and again though, Rossi has shown tremendous mental strength over the course of a season especially with his mind games against Se’te’ Gibernau in his first two years at Yamaha and against Casey Stoner two seasons ago. But it was much friendlier this

time round and the now veteran of MotoGP has another reason and another of his unique methods of celebrations to offer us all. If it had been the ‘doctor’ act before, this time round it was the egg. According to Rossi, this is the rationale behind his celebrations-” In Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken – 30 years now – but I have made another egg! That’s nine!”

If it was rivalry against a younger teammate for Rossi, it was the exact opposite for Ben Spies. He had to fight off an experienced adversary who was an old faithful to his current team in the form of Noriyuki Haga. In his rookie year itself, the reigning AMA Superbike champion won the WSBK title. ‘Nitro’ Nori was actually in the points lead before coming into the last round at Portimao. He crashed out on

lap 7 of Race1 which Spies won. This made matters easier for the Texan who had to just finish sixth or higher if Haga won. The rest as they are history and we have a rookie champion in WSBK. One surprising fact is that this is Yamaha’s maiden WSBK title. Especially hard to fathom because over the years, their YZF-R1 street bike has outperformed the CBR and the Ducati 998. But this year Yamaha took the title in stunning fashion.

What made the titles special for this great Japanese manufacturer is that they came on the same day, don’t know when has that happened to any other team. I mean Honda and others might have won both the premiere titles in the same year previously, but actually whether anyone managed it on the same day, I don’t know!!!

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REMEMBERING

DAVID SHEPHERD:

A LEGEND

David Shepherd was one of those cricketing personalities who with his honesty, integrity and perseverance took the game to high sporting standards

t was a dull day for me yesterday and nothing was in its place, I was not feeling happy and well

when I came to know about the sad demise of the great “David Shepherd”, it was more pain. All my life I have grown seeing this “Legend” of an umpire on the Cricket field with his near perfect umpiring expertise and rather the odd Nelson jig which has

always been his signature move. His demise was a shock. David Shepherd was one of those cricketing personalitites who with his honesty, integrity and perseverance took the game to high sporting standards. With his roly poly appearance and with his jovial behaviour Shepherd was always a treat to watch. Shepherd holds the distinction of officiating three World cup Finals at Lahore, Lord’s and Johannesburg. Shepherd officiated in 172 ODIs and 92 tests between 1983 and 2005. Shepherd started his cricketing career with a bang as he scored a hundred

at his First class debut for Gloucestershire against Oxford Universities but his career as a player was never set rolling although he scored 12 centuries to prove his mettle with the bat. Shepherd turned to umpiring in 1981 and later in 1985 he had his first assignment at the

International level and since then he has always been a favourite. Shepherd can be thought of sometimes a taskmaster where in one could see his displeasure or discomfort for excessively appealing bowlers. I personally have seen him frown for some appeals where even the bowlers knew that it was’nt out and still went on appealing and the look on Shepherd’s face used to say it all. Throughout his career he maintained good record and arguably maintained

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Good bye Dave…

very high accuracy. Never one could ever think of Shepherd give a wrong decision. He was a strong willed man and knew what his job was. Standing in three consecutive finals is not an easy job and when one does that job with no hassles; it speaks a lot about the person’s credentials.

But towards the end of his career somewhere in 2001, he was criticized for overlooking “Saqlain Mushtaq’s” no balls which earned him wickets which made Shepherd think of resigning, such was his level of commitment. Letters from friends and relatives and continuous pleading from well wishers made him revert his decision.

Even when he was standing in his last match at West Indies his professionalism was honoured by none

other than Brian lara who presented him with a cricket bat. Also he was always looked and honoured as a gentleman who knew his job pretty well. But the most striking part of his personality was his famous “Jig” whenever the Scoreboards showed: Nelson” (i.e 111 or its multiples). The entire English crowd would wait for the scoreboard to show Nelson and would instantly enjoy the famous jig. The crowds loved him, the commentators loved him and so did the Purists. He was not after introducing “Technology” in the game initially but later accepted that it cannot be ignored. Cricket has lost its old statesman and one of the Umpiring Greats.In short he was education for all the new age

umpires who have followed him and try to match his level of expertise and sportsmanship. It was a pleasure to write about a Legend and I offer my condolences to his family and ask the Supreme lord to give strength to his friends and family during these testing times. May his soul rest in peace.

Dave, We shall always miss you and your famous “Nelson”..

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November, 09 F1:

November, 09 Grave loss to cricket

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Del

Po

tro

’s a

maz

ing

seas

on

ouple of months back, common opinion said that Juan Martin del Potro was

not good enough to stay with the big five. Such ideas have been sent to hibernation. Having caused the biggest upset of the tennis season by halting Federer’s sixth consecutive attempt at the US Open, Del Potro is clearly a threatening prospect in contemporary men’s tennis. Not only is he not going to relinquish his number five ATP singles ranking anytime soon, he is also looking at bettering upon it. Depending on how he does in Shanghai, Juan could be knocking at the door of Murray’s number four slot. Rankings should be the least important of things on Juan’s 2009 agenda. He started the year by winning at Auckland, and followed it up by reaching the quarter finals of the Australian Open. There, he got demolished by Roger Federer and a lot of people questioned his drive and potential to succeed. Juan kept insisting he just needed time, and he was right. A few months later he reached the semi finals of Roland Garros. He again fell to Federer, but this time it was in an epic five setter. Del Potro struggled at Wimbledon and was upset in the second round by an unstoppable Lleyton Hewitt. By this time he had gone up to number five in the world, but heading into the hard court season where he had points to defend and prove. He defended the Legg Mason Classic, beating Andy Roddick in a pulsating three setter, and moved rapidly onto

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If you are looking for an X

factor in DelPo, his sense of

judgement, anticipation

and timing of the baseline

shots put him in a different

league

Toronto. Here he lost to Andy Murray in another tight three setter final. Del Potro made the decision to pull out of Cincy, sighting fatigue. This turned out to be one of the smartest decisions in his career. Well rested and confident, Juan Martin stormed through his US Open draw, crushing Rafael Nadal on his way to the final. Here, he met Federer once again. This time, the man was ready. He came from two sets to one down to post the biggest win of his career. Juan Martin Del Potro beat Roger Federer to claim the US Open title. Tennis had a new champion!

He lost early in Tokyo to a qualifier, but was clearly battling fatigue and injury. Though Del Potro is clearly feeling the physcial and emotional strains of his amazing season, wins in Shaghai or London would probably boost his ranking. If he could finish inside the top four this year and hang onto it till Australian Open, Del Potro’s draw would be far more favourable than a five seeding would be. Of course, he probably doesn’t want to be thinking

this far ahead. Nobody wants to put too much pressure on the young man. DelPo, as I like to call him, is now 21 years old and only seems to be improving. Having won a Grand Slam

title should give him a lot of confidence to carry on with his style of play. His game looks decent though he plays a power-game from the baseline. Of course he may look more gracious if he learns to volley well.

If you are looking for an X factor in DelPo, his sense of judgement, anticipation and timing of the baseline shots puts him in a different league. And to top it all, the composure he has shown for someone his age, pushes him a notch ahead of Novak and probably even both the Andy’s. Juan Martin has had the season of his life this year. The future only looks brighter.

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23 years ago, November 06 1986, a man walked into Old Trafford. This man was handed the mantle at Manchester United with the responsibility of getting its glory days back. It was going to be a historical day. A day when Sir Alex Ferguson started his journey at Old Trafford. A journey that has completed 23 years and still counting. Prior to his appointment, the English league was being dominated by Liverpool. The Scot had conquered everything in Scotland. He had inspired Aberdeen to break the domination of Celtic and Rangers in Scottish football. He was brought in to do the same here in England. Break Liverpool’s domination.

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Sir Alex Ferguson Completes 23 years at Manchester United

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November, 09 Alex United

Start Sir Alex had a tough opening few years at Old Trafford. United were struggling when he took over. The players lacked discipline and there were questions over their fitness levels. He managed to set things right as United climbed up the table to finish 11 th. The bright point was the 1-0 win at Anfield. A win that proved costly for Liverpool as they lost their grasp on the title. It was a sign of things to come. Steve Bruce, Viv Anderson, Brian McClair and Jim Leighton were brought in by the Scotsman the following season. It paid off as United finished second behind Liverpool that year. Things started to drift apart as United slumped to 11 th place in 88-89.

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First title Sir Alex was brought in to do just one thing, win the league. Inspite of doing well in the League Cup and Cup Winners Cup the league title still eluded him. Sir Alex felt that there was one player missing, who would make the difference. That’s when he brought in French striker Eric Cantona. He had finally found his missing piece, as Cantona and Mark Hughes ended the drought at Old Trafford. United were crowned the first Premier League Champions. The 26 year old wait was finally over. The Treble Back to Back titles followed in 92-93 and 93-94. Sir Alex decided to rebuild his team. In the process he created his first team at United. Roy Keane was brought in to replace Bryan Robson. Cantona had a horrid 95 season as United lost the title on the last day of the season. Andy Cole was also brought into to bolster the attack. It was now time to bring in the “ Fergie Fledlings “ . Gary Neville, Phil Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt headed by Welshman Ryan Giggs. The fact being that Sir Alex turned up at Giggs’s house to sign him as a youngster on his 14th birthday.

United were quickly written off by the media as they felt the youngsters could not possibly win anything. How wrong they were. The young guns along with Cantona fought back from 14 points down to win the league on the last day. It was number 4 next year. However Cantona the man who inspired United to 4 league triumphs retired. Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist joined United. Sir Alex had finally rebuilt his team. 1999 was a magical year for United and Sir Alex. Down and out in the semi-finals of the Champions league against Juventus, it was captain Roy Keane who inspired them to victory.

Inspite of major signings of Paul Ince and Gary Pallister and a great start to the 89-90 season, United started to slump in form. If things were to continue the way they were, it would not be long before Sir Alex would lose his job. Then came the match against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. A defeat here and a sack was certain. Defying all odds United managed to get past Forest and in the process gave Sir Alex his first major trophy as manager, beating Crystal Palace in the final. That match against Forrest saved his Old Trafford career.


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Staring defeat in the Champions league final against Bayern Munich with only minutes to go, goals from Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solsjaer in injury time gave Sir Alex his first European triumph. The team had created history.

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Again in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, it took a wonder goal from Ryan Giggs to get past Arsenal. Staring defeat in the Champions league final against Bayern Munich with only minutes to go, goals from Sheringham

and Ole Gunnar Solsjaer in injury time gave Sir Alex his first European triumph. The team had created history. An unprecedented treble – Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League. A hattrick of titles accompanied the treble. Ruud Van Nistelrooy was brought in along with Fabian Barthez. 2001-02 season was tipped to be Ferguson’s last year in change at Old Trafford. However it wasnt to be as Ferguson signed a three year extension to his contract. Rio Ferdinand was bought from Leeds United in a record British transfer. The 8 th premier league title in 02-03 was a remarkable season. With 2 months left to go, United were trailing Arsenal by 8 points. Arsenal’s form dipped at the wrong time and United completed a

great comeback giving Sir Alex his most satisfying title triumph. Time to rebuild again The next 4 years were part of a rebuilding process. It started in 2003 with the arrival of 19 year old

Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo. A player who 6 years from then was going to crowned the world’s best player. Next followed English sensation Wayne Rooney. Edwin Van der Sar and Park Ji Sung followed. It was during this time that Roy Keane decided

to retire.

Defenders Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra joined the team in the January transfer window. Michael Carrick was signed as a replacement for Keane. Sir Alex had almost formed his second team at Old Trafford. With Van De Sar in goal, a solid back four in the form of Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville and Evra, a midfield marshalled by Scholes and Giggs and a attack comprising of Ronaldo and Rooney, things had never looked better.


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11 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 8 Community Shields, 2 UEFA Champions League, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup

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The last missing piece was the transfer of Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich. He was brought in for one reason. To aid United towards another European triumph. The following year the team gave him what he wanted. His second European crown. A season in which they almost completed their second treble. 06-07, 07-08, 08-09 made it 11 Premier league titles. Departures of Ronaldo and Tevez and with Giggs and Scholes nearing the end of their playing careers, the process of rebuilding has started again. Whenever he has rebuilt his team, Sir Alex has always done something special. His first team achieved greatness, his second team went further ahead, and it is time now for his third. Who would bet against it???

The only thing that can stop him is his age. But he wants one thing more before he retires. Another European triumph. What he has achieved here at Old Trafford is astounding. He is the second longest serving manager in United history after Sir Matt Busby. He holds the record for most Manager of the Year awards in British football history. He is only the third British manager to win the European cup on more than one occasion. But his greatest achievement is something else. In 1994 on a freezing January night at Anfield, following their maiden league success, Sir Alex’s team visited Liverpool. A banner read “Come back and sing“ Ooh Aah Cantona “ when you’ve won 18 “ . That is exactly

what Sir Alex and his United team did last week when they visited Anfield. They had come back after equaling Liverpool’s 18 titles.

A master tactician, Sir Alex has undoubtedly been the greatest man manager. During his time at Old Trafford, he has handled players like Cantona, Keane, Ronaldo and Rooney which is no small feat. People say that Sir Alex would have saved Paul Gascoigne’s career had he joined United. One more thing that he has always maintained throughout his stay here at Old Trafford is that no one becomes bigger than the club. No one, not even himself. I just dread the day he will hang up his boots. The thing I will miss the most is his peculiar celebration after a goal. I

have still not understood his childish jump and the pump of his fists. All I know is that it brings a big smile on my face every time I see it. Someone once said Sir Alex has “no managerial ability“. Another banner said “Three years of excuses and its crap. Ta ra Fergie “……Do you want to know what was his reply…… 11 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 8 Community Shields, 2 UEFA Champions League, 1 Cup Winners Cup, 1 Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson, I salute you.

November, 09 Alex united

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