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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
Ravi Shastri among 11 honoured with SJAM Lifetime Achievement Award
Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri was among 11 sportspersons who were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai here on Wednesday. The others included former India women's cricketer Shubhangi Kulkarni, three-time Amateur World Champion in English billiards Michael Ferreira, Niraj Bajaj (table tennis), GM Pravin Thipsay (chess), shooters Anjali Bhagwat, Suma Shirur and Deepali Deshpande. Hockey Olympians Mervyn Fernandes and Joaquim Carvalho as well as former national badminton champion and national team captain Sanjay Sharma were also honoured with the award. While Shastri was not present at the event ceremony here at the Bombay Gymkhana, his mother Lakshmi shared the memories of his playing days including the feat of hitting six sixes in an over in a domestic match. Shastri had emulated the feat of West Indies legend Gary Sobers in hitting six sixes in an over off Tilak Raj, during a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda in the 1984-85 season. "There are many treasured memories which Ravi has given us. But I would say that the one which stands out is when he scored six sixes in an over. I was blissfully unaware of the fact that he was doing it at Wankhede Stadium," she told the audience. "I was told by my bhelpuri wala who was present there and witnessed this." "When Ravi came home, he had to immediately leave for somewhere else. I asked him what happened today. You know his style, he never wanted to say the truth to me. So he said, you want to know what I did? Then tune in to today's All India Radio for the 7:0'clock news'." She continued, "Since the bhelpuri wala was talking about it, this was running in my mind. (I was thinking) why has he (Ravi) asked me to do this? So I went, informed my husband, who was sitting in his clinic, that you better come and hear the 7:O'clock, 7.30 I think, the Maharashtrian news." Shastri's mother said her son had "Sobered Sobers". "He (her husband) said, 'why?' I said, this is what everybody is saying. So I came home, and there to my great surprise, it was being announced that he had 'Sobered Sobers' and I am quoting the banner that was put on the Marine Drive the next day." Lakshmi said 1985 was a "glorious year" for her son. "These are precious memories that I carry with me. 1985, for instance, was a glorious year for him," she said. "He started with these six sixes, then he ended up at the Benson Hedges World Championship of Cricket, where he was awarded this title, 'champion of champions', and the famous Audi car, which nobody, at least me, I didn't even know how to pronounce the name of that car." "And I'm sure many in India have not seen that, and that memory of the entire team taking a round in the Melbourne Ground," she added.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘Both D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi will…': Magnus Carlsen receives Norway Chess 2025 warning from Viswanathan Anand
Chess fans around the world are gearing up for D Gukesh's classical chess showdown against Magnus Carlsen. The reigning World Champion will face Carlsen at the upcoming Norway Chess 2025, which is scheduled to take place from May 26-June 6. Ahead of the tournament, Viswanathan Anand expressed his excitement about Gukesh's upcoming showdown vs Carlsen. Speaking during a chat organised by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai, Anand said, 'I expect a very exciting battle.' 'Both Gukesh and Arjun will not lack motivation or the determination to go after Magnus. But Magnus is highly motivated by our youngsters if I can still call them that. 'He is highly motivated by the challenge. I mean I've seen him in multiple tournaments whether it's Kolkata or the World Rapid Blitz. He eagerly looks forward to these confrontations and so we have the perfect storm.' Four Indians GM will participate in Norway; Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Koneru Humpy. Commenting on them, Anand said, 'Certainly on the men's side, Indian chess is as strong as it's ever been, even more so obviously due to the depth we have. But it's great that Humpy is still competing so successfully and that she'll be joined by Vaishali as well.' Other than Gukesh, Arjun and Carlsen, the men's Norway Chess lineup consists of Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi. Meanwhile, the women's lineup has Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie, Humpy, Anna Muzychuk, Vaishali and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. The tournament format will have the Armageddon tiebreak system. If a classical game ends in a draw, players will battle an Armageddon game to decide the winner. There will also be a confessional booth. Speaking on the innovations, Anand said, 'If you have too many in one tournament, it gets distracting also and there's kind of overload. Armageddon is good because it gives a little something to look forward to at the end of a game in case the game is ending to a draw.' 'I don't know that we have found the perfect value of an armageddon game. It used to be what, 2-1 and then it's a bit more, we're still tweaking the number. There might be some formula which will give the armageddon a bit more importance towards the overall score,' he added.
