India had clearly come to the Ireland series with a lot of redundancies in their squad and the management had a tough job to put all of them to test in the two-match T20I series. Hence, some massive change after the first T20I was expected and KL Rahul finally got his chance top of the order following a blistering IPL campaign. And the Kings XI Punjab man didn’t disappoint as he fired a 36-ball-70 to provide India the perfect start, building a 106-run partnership with Suresh Raina. Things are finally looking for Rahul after a disastrous 2017, where recurring injuries followed by patchy form stopped him from reaching the potential and the management hardly pursued with him. But, on Friday, Rohit Sharma was pulled from the opening slot and Shikhar Dhawan was benched to give Rahul the time and opportunity he deserved and the 26-year-old grabbed it with both the hands. While India now has the dilemma with openers ahead of three-match T20I series against England, it is a headache they will be happy to deal with.

Moving away from cricket, the only other sport where India has shown unparalleled domination at the international level is Kabaddi. India have won the final of the Kabaddi Masters and all their opponents, Pakistan, Kenya, South Korea, and Japan, have failed miserably to pose any sort of challenge to the World Champions. But, the more important development in their campaign has been the influx of new faces who have taken on the mantle from the experienced few, and brilliantly. The likes of Anup Kumar and Manjeet Chhillar, and many others were not selected for the six team tournament in Dubai, with India seeing vibrant Pardeep Narwal, Rishank Krishna Devadiga, Girish Maruti Ernak, and Monu Goyat coming to the fore. Led by Ajay Thakur, India have hardly been bothered even when the likes Rahul Chaudhari and Surender Nada have gone cold at times in the Kabaddi Masters. 

If hubris brings one’s fall from greatness, then Argentine legend Diego Maradona is that virtue personified. Amidst the lackluster display by Argentina in the ongoing World Cup, the only Argentine who had kept the audience and the TV viewers entertained is Maradona. Getting the best seat in the house for being the VIP that he is, Maradona made it evident that he is enjoying many more luxuries than just the vantage point. His animated gestures and praying style has kept the social media busy and buzzing during the World Cup days and according to some reports, Maradona even makes about 11,300 Euros per match that he attends at the World Cup. However, the fun part pretty much ended in Argentina’s last group stage game against Nigeria, when the legend was seen making an obscene gesture at the Nigerian fans sitting below after Marcos Rojo scored the winning goal that took them to the knockouts. If that wasn’t scandalous enough, a clip got viral soon after the game that saw Maradona being carried to the hospital by his staff, which was later reported for drug overdose.

A curse can never be good; heck, it isn’t even bad but always ugly. And the defending champions going out of the World Cup is a curse that is pretty much alive. The last time a country had won back-to-back World Cups was back in 1958 and 1962 when Brazil, with Pele and Garrincha at the helm, ruled world football. And after the domineering fashion in which Germany had won the World Cup last time by dismantling every team, and then seeing their B side winning the Confederation Cup last year, they were more than expected to retain the coveted trophy. But, the curse could not be undone. Since 1998, every country, barring Brazil in 2006, that has gone on to win the World Cup in the previous edition has eventually seen themselves exiting in the group stages of the next tournament. While 1998 winners France were the first to be shocked, Italy, Champions in 2006, went out of the group stage in 2010 after managing just a draw with New Zealand and Paraguay. Spain were the winners in 2010 and were out of the 2014 WC in group stages after losing to Netherland and Chile. Germany had won in 2014 and went out in the group stages after losing to Mexico and Korea, a result no one had thought in their wildest dreams. While many might question the placement of this curse, the reason that it is ugly is that it robs football fans the opportunity to watch the best in the world fight it out when it really matters.