Display of emotions - Amalraj beats Sharatkamal and lands in trouble

Cricket is a gentleman’s game.  ICC has in place a code of conduct and there are fines and penalties – MS Dhoni could not play the Adelaide Test as he was banned for slow over rate of the team in the earlier Test.  Elsewhere in the same continent, Novak Djokovic ripped off his shirt and let out a primal scream, flexing his torso the way a prize fighter would after a desperate, last-round knockout.

 The many faces of Djokovic – photos from ‘australianopen.com’

It was an extreme long match testing one’s endurance – 5 hour 53 minute tussle that went well past the midnight to end up at 1.37 am on Monday – 30^th Jan 2012.   Djokovic’s 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 was the victor conquering  Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final yet another time.  The 24-year-old Djokovic joined Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Nadal as the only men who have won three consecutive majors since the Open Era began in 1968. Nadal was his vanquished opponent in all three. It was the longest Grand Slam singles final in the history of pro tennis and it came against Nadal, the player who built a career on his tenacity — on outlasting opponents in matches like these.

As the players waited for the trophy presentation, Nadal leaned on the net, while Djokovic sat on his haunches.  While Nadal kept his composure, a few minutes earlier, after hugging Nadal at the net, Djokovic tore off his sweat-soaked black shirt and headed toward his players’ box, pumping his arms repeatedly as he roared. He walked over to his girlfriend, his coach and the rest of his support team and banged on the advertising signs at the side of the court.

Football is a faster game associated with more violations.  When referee deems any conduct as warranting a disciplinary sanction, he would take action.  Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the game, and both players and substitutes may be sanctioned for misconduct. Misconduct may result in the player either receiving a caution (indicated by a yellow card) or being dismissed from the field (indicated by a red card). When a player is cautioned, the player's details are traditionally recorded by the referee in a small notebook; hence, a caution is also known as a booking.

There is another enchanting game – a board game at that – the  table is 2.74 m (9 ft) long, 1.52 m (5 ft) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch) high with a Masonite (a type of hardboard) or similarly manufactured timber, layered with a smooth, low-friction coating. The  playing surface is divided into two halves by a 15.25 cm (6 inch) high net. An ITTF approved table surface must be in a green or blue color.  It is the  Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart several varieties of spin to the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent's options to great advantage.

 S Raman

India has had some great players like V Chandrasekhar, S Raman, Kamlesh Mehta, Chetan Baboor,  Sharatkamal to name a few.  The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has been playing its crucial role of promoting and managing table tennis in India.  It has remained a sport where select players reign at the top considerably long.  Kamlesh Mehta managed to win 11 national titles.

Achanta Sharath Kamal  breezed in the scene; he won the men's singles gold in the 16th Commonwealth table tennis championship held at Kuala Lumpur in 2004.  He was honoured with Arjuna Award in 2004.   He won the US Open Table Tennis Men's championships held at Grand Rapids, Michigan in July 2010. He won the title defeating the defending champion Thomas Keinath of Slovakia in an epic battle with a final score of 4-3. He also won the won 2010 Egypt open table tennis championship beating Li Ching of Hong Kong in straight sets 11-7, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, thus becoming first Indian to win singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour.  Yesterday he lost – in a  fast-paced encounter A Amalraj showcased his talent for a well-deserved maiden title triumph upstaging A Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships.  In the women section,  Poulami Ghatak  defeated  K Shamini, for her seventh national crown.

More than the shocking defeat of Sharat Kamal, there was a different controversy.  Amalraj started celebrating his win wildly, first throwing the racquet and then jumping on the table pumping his arms. The referee pulled out the yellow card and showed it to him, yet Amalraj didn’t pay any heed going around the court, warranting a red card from the umpire and the referee.     Now he stands to lose 25 per cent of his prize money purse of Rs 2.1 lakh, a punishment that has been recommended to the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) by competition manager, N Ganeshan. The incident was a stigma to an otherwise pulsating final. 

Exhibition of emotions do not get you anywhere is what Amalraj would have learnt, the hard way !!

With regards

S. Sampathkumar.