Sunday, November 1, 2009

Basketball Offense

Over the years, as shooting, passing, and dribbling have become more sophisticated, offensive alignments have changed. They probably will continue changing in the future. Rule changes often dictate this. For example, take the three-point shot. This is changing the philosophy of a lot of coaches. Previous to the three-point shot, big men were dominating The Game. Teams constantly looked for ONLY a close-in shot. As a result, most defenses packed tight in back.

The three-point shot is changing all this. This new rule has opened up The Game. Defenses must come out. It is quite common to see coaches using 3 and 4 guard offenses. Some of them even have their offensive teams and defensive teams, substituting freely to suit the particular need. Fundamentals, however, remain much as they were 40 years ago. Things that worked then, still work today.

The terminology used to describe offensive alignments are different than they were 40 years ago. Some team offenses have evolved so that every player must be Able to play at any and all positions. The flex offense is an example. Yet, type this offense is over 30 years old. Us old timers called it "the shuffle." In either offense, the center often finds himself out at a guard position. This type offense is well suited for today's rules, however, adjustments are made to fit the abilities of available players.

High school coaches always have to adapt. College coaches simply recruit the players to fill a void. Regardless, the level of play, specialized players still perform specific roles within the context of the total team.

In this chapter I would like to define the responsibilities of every offensive position on the court. Then, show you how to prepare yourself mentally, so you can get the best out of your position. After that, we will learn the importance of playing offense as a team, not as a collection of individuals.

The Point Guard

The point guard runs the offense and watches the backcourt. His role is so important to the team that he is really an extension of the coach on the floor. He must have these qualities:

He must have an instinctive knowledge of The Game.

He must be a good ball handler.

He must be a good passer.

He must possess speed and quickness of foot.

He must be a good dribbler with either hand.

He Must Be Able to play good hard-nosed defense.

He Must Be Able to hit the outside shot when left open.

He Must Be Able to penetrate and dish off.

He must be Able to read defenses.

Above all, his ego must not be inflated so that it Interferes with his basketball judgment. Normally, the point guard receives little publicity for his end play; but, his coach and teammates know his value to the team.

The Off-Guard

The off-guard is also referred to as the # 2 guard or shooting guard. He is generally the better shooter of The Two Guards. The qualities that he needs to possess are:

He must have an instinctive knowledge of The Game.

He must be a good ball handler.

He must be a good passer.

He must possess speed and quickness of foot.

He must be a good dribbler with either hand.

He Must Be Able to play good hard-nosed defense.

He Must Be Able to hit the 15 to 20 foot shot with consistency.

He Must Be Able to penetrate and dish off.

He must be Able to read defenses.

He must know how to move without the ball.

He must be a student of the offense so that he can step in and run the offense if the point guard is being overplayed, or must leave The Game.

His ego must not be inflated so that it Interferes with his basketball judgment. Normally, the off-guard's job is to put points on the board and help his teammates to score.

The Center

The center, along with the point guard, is easily the most important player on the team. Normally, he is the tallest player on the floor. The qualities he must possess are:

He must have quickness.

He Must Be an aggressive Rebounder and lead the way in blocked shots. He needs to be a little arrogant with a streak of meanness. He is the king of paint. He must evidence by his manner and actions that this territory is his.

He must be a dependable scorer at short and mid range. He must be adept at the power lay-ups, with and without shot fakes, from both sides of the basket. He needs to develop a short hook and jump shot.

He must have defensive leadership, always talking to his teammates.

He must be a good passer and be Able to see the floor and hit the open man if his shot is not there.

He must be Able to read how he is being Defended and to take advantage of this when he is posting-up.

He must have strong hands, good upper body strength, and good jumping ability.

The Small Forward

The small forward is the most gifted player on the team. He should possess the following characteristics:

He must be quick and fast.

He must be an adequate Rebounder.

He must be a good passer.

He Must Be Able to play defense anywhere on the floor.

Most of all he must be a good scorer, capable of shooting from anywhere from the wings, around the key, and under the boards. The best of these, can score at will, and simply take control of The Game with their exceptional athletic abilities.

He must run the length of the floor on fast breaks.

The Power Forward

Like the point guard, the power, or strong forward, does not receive much recognition. Usually, if he's doing his job well, his role as the player doing the "dirty work" is taken for granted. He must possess the following:

He must be a solid Rebounder, both offensively and defensively. Along with the center, the power forward controls the area inside the key. Many of their characteristics should be similar.

He must be an adequate passer.

He must be an adequate scorer.

He must be a "gutsy" dribbler and a hard driver.

He must be a good runner and Able to go the entire length of the floor on a fast break.

He must stand up to the opposition at both ends of the court. In basketball parlance, he is known as the "enforcer."

The Sixth Man, or Role Player

At all levels of basketball, the sixth man has become something of an elite figures. He is the guy who has set aside his ego so that he can come off the bench at a moment's notice and fall right into the flow. He's Able to do whatever is necessary to help his team win.

Sometimes his role calls for him to score, play exceptional defense, or a combination of the two. Sometimes, he is meant to add Rebounding strength.

Whatever he's capable of doing, the sixth man is an important component to The Game. He satisfies his coach's quest for an advantage, particularly when The Game is close. He's a spark plug, capable of picking up the tempo when play gets sluggish.

Since he does not start The Game, the sixth man must study The Game-time and mentally prepare himself so he is Able to adjust to flow of The Game The moment he steps on the floor. More than anything else, he gives his team quality minutes when he plays. His coach, then, must know the sixth man's capabilities and limitations. Furthermore, he must know how long the sixth man can deliver these quality minutes before losing his effectiveness to the team.

Mental Preparation

Give or take a few percentage points, basketball is 80 percent mental preparation and 20 percent physical. Sure, God packs more ability into some player's 20 percent than others. But, from the mental preparation aspect of The Game, the percentage is equal.

There are as many ways to prepare mentally for a basketball game as there are players. A few of these follow:

Some players go into a deep silence before a game, preferring to focus on the upcoming game.

Some enjoy jabbering to everyone in sight, listening to music, and staying loose.

Others choose somewhere between the first two.

As long as it helps you to play well is all that counts. Your mental preparation should be to your own taste. Use one that works for you.

After preparing yourself mentally for a game, the concentration needed for actual play is another matter. Basketball is such a fast paced, emotional game. Decisions are made in split seconds. A player can lose his concentration at anytime. To Play The Game Effectively, you must block out everything around you, except the following:

The action on the court.

Your coach's plan for that particular game.

Once you have your game face, be all business on the floor. Never let an official or an opponent upset you. This breaks your concentration. This is often called, "Playing under control."

Stay cool and be a "team player". We have all seen teams with one dominant player who goes for the bucket every time he gets his hands on the ball. Oh, he may get his points in The Game, but, his teammates will not. More likely, than not, the team, scorer included, loses.

The point is you can maintain a respectable scoring average. At the same time, you can help your teammates maintain theirs and win The Game. Remember to play as part of the team. Stay cool! Stay calm and concentrate. You will get your points in the course of a game.

Monday, September 28, 2009

'Lightning Bolt'

"Usain Bolt" (born August 21, 1986) is a Jamaican sprinter. He holds world and Olympic records in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, with times of 9.69 seconds and 19.30 seconds, respectively. He is the first man in history to break both world records at one Olympics, and the first man to Win both the 100 and 200 meters events at the same olympics zinc Carl Lewis in 1984. His name and achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname 'Lightning Bolt'.
As a child, Bolt first became interested in sport through but his speed meant Cricket Coaches urged him to his Focus on track and field instead. By 2001 Bolt had Won Silver medals in high school and regional competitions in the 200 and 400 meters sprints. He made his first Impact on the world stage at the 2002 World Junior Championships, winning Gold in the 200 meters and the additional two Silver medals for part of Jamaica's Relay Team. This made him the youngest Gold medallist in the history of the competition. Bolt gained more medals in the 200 meters in 2003 with record breaking performances in both the World Youth Championships and the Jamaican High School Championships.
He became the first Junior sprinter to Run the 200 meters in under 20 seconds, breaking Roy Martin's World Junior record by two tenths of a second with 19.93 seconds in 2004. Injuries caused him to Miss Much of the 2004 and 2005 Track and Field Seasons. The 2006 Grand Prix in Lausanne saw a return to form with a new personal best of 19.88 seconds. Bolt gained a Silver and three bronze medals in international competitions that year. Bolt improved in the 2007 season, beating Don Quarrie's 200 meters national record with its intention of 19.75 seconds and winning Gold in his debut with 100 meters 10.03 seconds. He Won Silver at the 2007 Osaka World Championships, second to track rival Tyson Gay.

Bolt had a record breaking season in 2008, beating Asafa Powell's 100 meters world record with 9.72 seconds in May. He also improved the 200 meters with Jamaican record 19.67 seconds in Athens. Bolt had his most successful Olympics to date at the 2008 Beijing Games, winning two golds and breaking both records 100 and 200 meters. His time of 9.69 seconds makes him the first sprinter to Run 100 meters below the 9.7-seconds without wind assistance.

Early life

Bolt was born in Trelawny, Jamaica, on August 21, 1986. As a child, he was successful in the annual, national primary schools' meeting for his Parish, and enjoyed playing Cricket, specialising in Fast Bowling. Upon his entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, his coach noticed Cricket Bolt's speed on the pitch and urged him to try track and field events. Pablo McNeil and Dwayne Barrett coached Bolt, encouraging him to Focus on Improving his energy his Athletic abilities. The school had a history of Athletic success with past students including Michael Green. Bolt Won his first annual high school championships medal in 2001, winning the Silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 22.04 seconds.

Performing in his first Caribbean national event, Bolt clocked a personal best of 48.28 seconds in the 400 meters in the 2001 CARIFTA Games, winning a Silver medal. Also, Bolt Won a Silver medal in the 200-Meter dash - finishing in 21.81 seconds. He made his first appearance on the world stage at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Running in the 200-Meter event, he failed to qualify for the finals, but he still set a new personal best of 21.73 seconds. In 2002, Bolt Won both the 200-Meter and 400-Meter High School events in the Championships, CARIFTA Games, and Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships. He set championship records for both 200 meters and 400 meters in the 2002 CARIFTA games with 21.12 seconds and 47.33 seconds respectively. He continued to set records, with 20.61 seconds and 47.12 seconds finishes at the CAC Junior Championships.

Rise to prominence
The 2002 World Junior Championships in front of a home crowd in Kingston, Jamaica, offered Bolt a chance to Showcase his Talent on the world stage. By the age of 15, he had grown to Tall, and he physically stood out amongst his peers. He Won the 200 meters, in a time of 20.61 seconds, a new personal best. As a member of the Jamaican Relay Team sprint, Bolt took two Silver medals and set national records in the Junior 4x100 meters and 4x400 meters with 39.15 seconds and 3:04:06 minutes, respectively. Bolt's 200-Meter Win made him the youngest World Junior Gold-medallist ever. The flow of medals he continued for another Won Gold at the 2003 World Youth Championships. He set a new championship record in the 200 meters with 20.40 seconds, despite a 1.1-m / s head wind.

Bolt turned his main Focus to the 200 meters and equalled Roy Martin's World Junior record of 20.13 seconds at the Pan-American Junior Championships. In his final Jamaican High School Championships in 2003, he Finished the 200 meters in 20.25 seconds, beating the previous record by a margin of 0.57 seconds. In the 400 meters, he crossed the line in 45.30 seconds to Beat the old record of 46.17 seconds. As the reigning 200-Meter Champion at both the World Youth and World Junior championships, Bolt hoped to take a Clean sweep of the World 200-Meter championships in the Senior World Championships in Paris. However, he was not Able to compete because of a bout with conjunctivitis before the event. This ruined his training Schedule, causing him to withdraw.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Birth date: February 5, 1985

Birthplace: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height: 184cm

Playing position: Left / right Winger, striker

First club: Sporting Lisbon

Career debut: 1999 vs Moreirense

Current club: Manchester United

International team: Portugal

International debut: August 20, 2003 vs Kazakhstan


Cristiano Ronaldo Biography



Cristiano Ronaldo started playing competitive football at 8-year-old for amateur club Andorinha, and then for local team CD Nacional when he was 10. He then move to one of Portugal's largest football clubs, Sporting Lisbon in 1996. Ronaldo trained in the youth team before playing his first senior game for Sporting in 1999 against Moreirense, a double and scored on his debut.

Ronaldo played for Portugal's youth side in the UEFA U-17 Championships and drew attention internationally. Liverpool under manager Gérard Houllier back then was reported to have interest in signing Ronaldo, but it was Manchester United that made the move in 2003 to fill the void of departed David Beckham. Ronaldo's signature came after Sporting Lisbon beat Manchester United 3-1 in a friendly, on the way back to England the United players spoke enthusiastically about the young Winger and suggested manager Sir Alex Ferguson to secure his signature, which they did. Ronaldo made his memorable debut for Manchester United as a substitute against Bolton. His 30 minutes performances created hype with United fans and the English media with his dazzling dribbles.

Ronaldo's first two seasons at United received mixed reviews; Despite praised for his skills, Ronaldo was often being criticized for lack of consistency and poor decision making on the field. However his consistency level has been greatly since the 2006/2007 season, which saw him becoming one of the best player in EPL.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his senior debut for Portugal shortly after being signed by United in a match against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has become one of the key players for Portugal since then. The controversial moment of Ronaldo's career was in World Cup 2006, where he was alleged to influence referee to send off his Manchester United team mate and England striker Wayne Rooney in their quarter finals Clash.

Ronaldo was being used as the scapegoat for England's defeat in the World Cup and the hatred towards him had prompted his intention to leave England and Manchester United. In the end United managed to keep him, and Ronaldo had a wonderful season in the Premiership against all odds.
Ronaldo won both the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year Award in 2007. He is the first player since 1977 to bag the double in the same season. Ronaldo was also voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association for the same year. Ronaldo's performance was crucial to help Manchester United securing their first Premiership title in 4 years in the 2006/2007 season.

Ronaldo was the top 3 finalists for both the FIFA World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year awards in 2007. The eventual winner however went to AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker, Kaka instead.

Ronaldo continued his fine form in the 2007/2008 season, netted in 40 goals in all competition (31 in Premier League), and was again voted as the PFA Player of The Year and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year. His performance contributed to United's double for the season, winning the Premiership in Succession as well as bringing home the UEFA Champions League trophy.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Lionel Messi

Full name: Luis Lionel Andrés Messi
Birth day: June 24, 1987
Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 67 kg
Club: FC Barcelona
Position: Forward
Debut: 17 November 2003

Lionel Andrés Messe (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player. Lionel Messe started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.


In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messe made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messe made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1).


With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve team players were called upon, and Messe became a regular feature of Barça squads. On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona - against Albacete when Messe was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old.

He was offered the chance to play for the Spain national football team, but declined, prefering to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in a U-20 friendly match against Paraguay. Lionel Messe wearing FC Barcelona's colorsIn June 2005 he starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship played in The Netherlands. Messi picked up the Golden Boot as top Scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel has already drawn comparisons with Diego Maradona, arguably the best football player of all time.
On September 25, 2005 Messe obtained a Spanish citizenship and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled up all of their quota of non-EU players.

Messi's first outings in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on Sept 28 against Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful. On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, over Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski In September 2005, Messe was given an improved and extended contract until 2014.

Steve Waugh

Stephen Rodger Waugh (born June 2, 1965, Sydney, Australia) was the captain of the Australian Test cricket team from 1999-Jan 2004. He is the most experienced Test cricketer in history, making 168 appearances.
Making his debut as an all-rounder complementing his batting with aggressive medium pace, Steve came into the Australian ODI and test teams in the summer of 1985-86 (against New Zealand and India respectively), at one of the lowest ebbs the Australian team had reached with a succession of series losses. He proved crucial in both fields in Australia's surprise win in the 1987 World Cup. At the time, he was dubbed the 'Iceman' for his cool bowling at the death, helped along by a very effective 'back of the hand' slower ball which would force the batsmen to mistime the stroke. One other aspect of Waugh's bowling was that he could bowl yorkers and bouncers with the same action, a trait he shared with Wasim Akram and Abdul Razzaq.

His batting began to deliver on its promise when Australia regained the Ashes in 1989, with his first test century finally arriving after a succession of scores in the nineties. However, a run of poor form led to his being dropped from the Australian side in 1991, ironically to be replaced by his twin brother Mark Waugh.

Returning to the team against the West Indies in 1992-93, Steve built a reputation throughout the 1990s as perhaps the most solid batsman in world cricket. Lacking the attacking flair of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, his reputation for strength of will saw him make many centuries for his team, often under pressure and batting with the tailenders. Like most Australian players, he has an array of strong off-side shots. His trademark shot against spin bowling is the "slog sweep" which he gradually developed later in his career (during the 1998 commonwealth Games specifically)-theoretically technically unsound, it has proven highly effective against the spinners and even against faster bowlers at times. Waugh rarely played the "hook shot" and is therefore regarded as vulnerable to short-pitched bowling, a theory that has been widely tested by his opponents. Despite looking ungainly when facing it, he is rarely dismissed through it.
Waugh's ability to continue to play despite a back injury that largely prevented him bowling further enhanced his reputation. Waugh, along with the bowling of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, provided perhaps the major foundation upon which the Australian team rose to become what was widely regarded as the best team in the world by the mid-1990s. Waugh took over the captaincy of the one-day side in 1997-98, as planning began for the 1999 World Cup. Producing several reasonable scores in a side struggling early, Waugh saved his best for two crucial games against South Africa, scoring 120 against South Africa in the last game of the "Super Six" to ensure Australia's progression to the semi-final, and then 56 in the semi, which was tied.
Upon the retirement of Mark Taylor in 1999, Waugh assumed the test captaincy, and turned an already successful side into a dominant one that in many cricket watchers' views ranks with Sir Donald Bradman's 1948 Invincibles and the West Indian teams of the 1980s as one of the best cricket teams of all time. Steve Waugh's ruthless approach has led to a succession of drubbings of hapless, outclassed opposition and a record run of 16 consecutive Test match wins, easily eclipsing the previous record of 11 by the West Indies. His 57 matches as captain is the fourth highest, and Australia's 41 victories under his leadership is the most of any Test captain.

In 2001, Waugh became the sixth batsman, and second Australian after Andrew Hilditch to be given out handled the ball. Waugh lost the one-day captaincy, and indeed a spot in the one-day side, in 2001-02, but in typical style, declared that he wished to regain a place in the team - a wish he never achieved.

Waugh departs from the distinctly Anglocentric, ockerish, and politically conservative traditions of Australian cricket in his interest in India. Waugh helps to raise funds for a leper children's colony, "Udayan", in Calcutta. Whilst hardly a novel thing for a celebrity to do, it is highly novel for an Australian cricketer. He reportedly also encouraged his players to learn about and enjoy the countries they visited and played in-presumably partly to reduce the siege mentality of some previous Australian teams playing in south Asia, but also seemingly for a genuine desire to use cricket to build bridges.

Waugh is a keen photographer and has produced several "tour diaries" which feature his images. In his latter years as a cricketer, he has written for a number of newspapers. He insists on writing them himself rather than with the assistance of professional journalists.

Waugh is married to Lynette and has three children.Steve Waugh retired from international cricket, after the fourth test against India on 6 January, 2004. Steve saved the Australian team from defeat in his final test by an innings in which he scored 80. A record number of fans and spectators bid farewell to Waugh at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
He is also a prolific author and his ever expanding series of tour diaries and thoughts provide an insight into the mind of Steve Waugh

Dhoni

Full name: Mahendar Singh Dhoni
Born: July,7 1981, Ranchi, Jharkand
Also known as: Mahi
Major Teams: India, Asia XI, Jharkand, Chennai Super Kings
Batting Style: Right-hand batsman
Bowling Style: Right-hand medium bowler
Fielding position: Wicket Keeper

Born to Pan Singh and Devki Devi in 1981, Mahendra Singh Dhoni or 'Mahi' was the youngest of three children. His father, the MECON employee, moved to Ranchi from Almora (in what is now Uttarakhand), and Mahi's brother Narendra Jayanti and sister have also made their homes in Ranchi.

Though he lists among his childhood Sachin Tendulkar Idols, young Mahi was actually the Goalkeeper for the football team in his school (DAV School, Ranchi), and he was likewise excellent at badminton. In fact, he was selected for the district and club level in both these sports. But all that changed when his football instructor Mr KR Banerjee sent him to play cricket for a local club.

He had not really played cricket until that time, but Mahi provided immediate evidence of his Wicket-keeping skills and became the regular keeper for the Commando Cricket Club (1995-98). Based on his cricket club performances, he was picked for the 1997-98 Vino Mankad Trophy U-16 Championship and did very well indeed. Football's loss became cricket's gain thus, Mahi and made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in 1999-2000 as an 18-year-old, coming through the ranks of the Bihar and East Zone U-19 squads.


Today, Mahendra Singh Dhoni typifies savage Batting Wicket keeping and athletic on the cricket field, while off it, his rugged handsomeness, natural sense of style and easy smile have earned him a vast fan base, a large percentage of it female. Ask him how he handles all the female adulation, and his typical response is to grin and, "I do not know much about it. Why do not you ask the girls?" Shy guy!

But there's nothing shy about his approach to cricket. "I feel we [Cricketers from small towns] are Tougher than players from meters. In Ranchi, there were no Academies, Gyms good, or high-profile coaches, so we had to learn cricket the hard way. But I never wanted to be anything but a sportsman, "he says. The same determination is evident in his approach to Batting. "Mind, strategy and attitude are important. You can not let anything affect you during the match. You have to improve your own game to stay ahead in this world," is his dictum.

There's fire in that belly, and the world can not get enough of it! Like his role models and Adam Gilchrist Tendulkar, Mahi himself has become an inspiration for millions of young Indians. His message for them: "Never give up."

Friday, April 10, 2009

Kapil Dev

Full Name: Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj
Born: January 6, 1959, Chandigarh
Major teams: India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm fast-medium

Achievements: Captained India to World Cup victory n 1983; broke Richard Hadlee's record of 431 wickets in Test cricket; first ODI century by an Indian; only cricketer to score 4000 Test runs and take 400 wickets; named Indian Cricketer of the Century by Wisden Kapil Dev is widely regarded as one of the finest all-rounders the game has ever seen. Kapil's all-round capabilities catapulted the Indian team to the pinnacle of success and it was but natural that Wisden named him the Indian Cricketer of the Century. Kapil made his international cricket debut against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1978-79 and immediately shouldered the responsibility of spearheading India's pace attack. For a long time his name was synonymous with pace bowling in India and his feats inspired a generation of youngsters to take up fast bowling. Of all his achievements, the World Cup victory in 1983 was a defining moment for cricket in India. As India captain, Kapil played an instrumental role in the country's success. Against Zimbabwe when India was reeling at 17 for 5, Kapil plundered the Zimbabwe attack to bail India to safety. With India's World Cup triumph the One Day game caught the fancy of the Indian masses

Sun of Cricket

Sunil Gavaskar (July 10, 1949 at Bombay, Maharashtra), nicknamed Sunny, was a cricket player during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. He is considered one of the greatest opening batsmen in the sport's history.

He made a spectacular Test debut in 1971 scoring 774 runs in his first test series against the West Indies helping India win for the first time in the Caribbean. From then until his retirement in 1987 he was a mainstay of the Indian batting line-up. In 1983 Gavaskar broke one of the oldest and most prestigious records in the game: Donald Bradman's 29 test centuries. As of 2004, Gavaskar still holds the record for the most number of Test centuries (34) and is the only player to score centuries in each innings three times. Gavaskar was also the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs and held the record for the most number of runs until it was broken by Allan Border.

Gavaskar was captain of the Indian team on several occasions in the late 70's and early 80's though here his record is more mixed. Often equipped with weak bowling attacks he tended to use conservative tactics which resulted in a large number of draws. Still he had several successes as captain especially a 2-0 victory over Pakistan in 1979 and a victory in the World Championhip of Cricket held in Australia in 1985. On the downside there was a heavy defeat against Pakistan in 1982 which cost him the captaincy for a while.

Overall he played 125 test matches and scored 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12. He scored 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries with a highest score of 236 not out.

His solid and defensive style of play was less suited to the shorter form of the game, at which he had less success. He famously scored an ignominous 36 not out carrying his bat through the full 60 overs in his ODI debut against England in 1974. Overall he played 108 ODI matches and scored 3092 runs at an average of 35.13 with one century and 27 half-centuries and a highest score of 103 not out.

He was named Wisden cricketer of the Year in 1980 and has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. He has served as the Sheriff of Mumbai and is now a writer and commentator. He has written an autobiography, Sunny days. His son Rohan is also a cricketer who plays at the national level.

Ravi Shastri

Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer. He was an all rounder who batted right handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years. He started his career purely as a bowler but gradually became more of a batsman who could bowl.

As a batsman, he was essentially defensive with the "chapati shot " (a flick off the pads) being his trademark shot, but could raise his strike rate when required. Due to his above-average height (he stood 6 '3 tall) and an upright stance, he had a limited number of shots against fast bowling, but was able to put the lofted shot to good use against spin bowling. Shastri played either as an opening batsmen or in the middle order.

The highlight of his career was when he was elected the Champion of Champions in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. In the same season, he equalled West Indian Garry Sobers's record of hitting six sixes in an over in first class cricket. He was regarded as a potential captain, but his image outside cricket, injuries and tendency to lose form at crucial times meant that he captained India in only one Test match.

In domestic cricket, he played for Bombay and led them to the Ranji Trophy title in his final year of playing. He also played four seasons of county cricket for Glamorgan. He was forced to retire aged 31 due to a recurring knee injury. He is now a noted TV cricket commentator. He also temporarily coached the Indian cricket team for their 2007 Bangladesh tour. Ravi Shastri was named the Celebrity Torchbearer for the Oman Leg of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay.