The flame of passion...

“Federer could win, but I wasn’t going to lose. If he wins, so be it. But I won’t lose.”. These were Nadal’s words to his uncle in the historic 2018 Wimbledon final when it was 2-2 during a rain break in an intense match, where Roger was looking for a record 6th Wimbledon title & Nadal was making a name in the tennis world. Roger was ruling tennis for a few years (especially at Wimbledon) and he was winning tournaments easily. Rafa was getting ready somewhere in the world to storm into the world of tennis and change everything. It was almost like god created Nadal to beat Roger, as the competition wasn't good enough! Both completely different personalities - one calm & full of talent and the other roaring with energy, almost intimidating the opponent. When opposites come together is when magic is created on court. And magic it was. There was no left-handed tennis player at that time, Rafa had a strong baseline game, was a champion on clay court and he claims his only intent...

                                                                           Image courtesy : IPL ‘There will be instances when you’ll achieve fame in several tournaments and matches, which will add pressure on you. You just have to go and enjoy your game. Whatever you’ve been doing in practice, you have to just mimic that into an actual game.’   This advice from Rahul Dravid rings in Ishan Kishan’s ears, every time he goes out to bat. Born in Nawada, Bihar, to Pranav Kumar Pandey and Suchitra Singh, Ishan Kishan started playing cricket when he was 7 years old. He was extremely talented but wasn’t serious about the sport. One day, Ishan’s coach approached his dad to tell him that his son was special, and he mus...