Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, 2019 Indian Premier League Final

Vinesh Phogat crashing out of Rio Olympics

From seeing India losing the 2014 World T20 final to the Indian Hockey team’s exit from the Asian Championship, the decade has been a mixed bag for me. But it was that evening of August 17, 2016 that seemed a tad more hard to fathom when a girl less than a month older than me had to bid an abrupt goodbye to the biggest stage she could ever dreamt to represent India in. A round away from securing an Olympic medal, Vinesh Phogat was stretchered off after suffering a knee dislocation during her quarterfinal bout in Rio. After China's Sun Yanan secured the first point, Vinesh roared back but Yanan hit back with a single-leg takedown to earn two points. In the process, though, the Chinese pinned the Indian down in an awkward position which forced her to forfeit the bout 1-2. Sitting in an airport lounge, on my way back home from Bengaluru, I suddenly stood up from my couch in disbelief, only to realise that it was all but over. It was only a week before I started my professional journey as a journalist with SportsCafe, after which I went on to witness many heart-breaking moments in sports, but somehow, in the subsequent years, nothing has been able to disturb me as much as Vinesh’s injury did. 

England vs New Zealand, 2019 World Cup Final

Not taking away anything from Eoin Morgan’s England side or Lord’s itself, 14th July of 2019 will always remain a day I, being a die-hard New Zealand cricket fan, wouldn’t want to look back on. But if cricket means the world to you, to deny the importance of one of the biggest moments in the sport would be impossible. The Black Caps were favourites to win the World Cup in 2015, but their loss at the MCG final hadn’t left me shattered then. But the story was different in 2019 as New Zealand were seen as underdogs once again. Why am I saying this? Well, the day their league game against India at Nottingham was washed out, voices screamed of Kane Williamson’s team dodging a shameful slaughter. But on semifinal day, in Manchester, those voices turned silent as the Kiwis walked over Virat Kohli and co. to reach the final. And once again, they were favourites. But fate has its own way to keep command over things. How else would you explain Ross Taylor’s faulty dismissal or Trent Boult dropping Ben Stokes, and finally the Dharmasena-Erasmus duo gifting an extra run to England? But all of that meant nothing at all when Morgan and co. lifted the cup despite scoring the same number of runs as the Kiwis, owing to a godforsaken rule that’s non-existent on today’s date, and all I had to keep me going were Jimmy Neesham’s tweets. Perhaps New Zealand are better off being the underdogs, as I remain their strangest, most hopeful/helpless fan.

Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon 2019 Final

If the loss to Djokovic in the semi-final of the 2010 US Open was a slap in the face, and the subsequent choke in the semi-final of the same tournament in the very next game was a sucker punch in the gut, then the defeat in the 2019 Wimbledon Final was a stab in the heart with a sword made of Valyrian Steel. 8-7 and 40-15 in the fifth set with two championship points in his racket, having served back-to-back aces, Federer had no business losing that match. I’d already pictured him lifting his 21st and was bracing myself to let out the ultimate cry of joy. But then, the impossible happened; or rather, history repeated itself, I should say. It was the three-peat I never wished for and most certainly the one that keeps me awake at night till date. It was also the moment when I realized that Roger will certainly never win another slam. Heartbreaking would be an understatement, for I wished I never knew about the existence of this sport called Tennis. But life moves on and well, the child in me, despite knowing the truth, would definitely be silly enough to once again believe that Roger will win Wimbledon next year when the tournament beckons me. 

Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United

Every Manchester United fan, barring none, knew and dreaded the day that Fergie announced his retirement. But in their hearts, they never believed it would happen. How could it? An entire generation of United fans, and rivals, knew nothing but him standing, screaming, and chewing gum on the sidelines of the Old Trafford pitch. But that day did arrive and even though fans were given a lot of processing time, it did not make that final day at Old Trafford any easier. Even lifting a THIRTEENTH Premier League trophy could not slow down that sinking feeling that the Scot would not be there for the next season. The game at The Hawthorns gave us one last look at him but the thought of him leaving did not register with United fans for at least a couple of months. And as ridiculous as some readers might think this is, a whole bunch of United fans felt orphaned in a footballing sense once the realization came about. It may sound absurd, especially to rival fans, but every United fan, to a man, still feels the hurt, not because of the results, of not having the Great Elder of Old Trafford on the sidelines even today.

Abdelhak "Appie" Nouri and the cataclysmic reminder of life's fragility

Remember that Ajax team last season? The one filled with hope and gorgeous football and those young, and fearless players?? Ones that made you believe that they could beat everyone and then go on and win the damn thing. And they did it with homegrown men Matthijs De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong leading the charge. Men born in the art of playing beautiful football because, in this pragmatic and efficient world, we needed that. And yet, they played without their best one. Without Abdelhak "Appie" Nouri. Without the pearl of Ajax's academy because he may never speak again, let alone walk. One Google search will tell you everything but it won’t tell you just how mesmeric he was. It won’t tell you how talented, at 20, he was. They say a talent is always over-exaggerated and yet for Nouri, even that's an understatement. He wa...is, one of Ajax's best and that's a statement. Youtube him and see. Watch videos of him playing, any video. Mute the music, ignore the overdramatic intros and let football run the show. Watch as Nouri beats three, four grown men and makes it look nonsensically easy, as the ball falls in love with him and then wonder, just what might have been. But what makes it even harder is the fact that at 20, Nouri's life was all but over. At twenty years old. Let that sink in for a moment, will you?

India vs Bahrain, AFC Asian Cup 2019

Two minutes to go, a sea of blue going berserk on one stand of the Sharjah Stadium which had a little over than 11,000 supporters (mostly Indians). The Indian football team was moments away from a knock-out berth in the AFC Asian Cup, the first time in their history. Yes. We needed a point, that’s all. Bahrain was a much improved side on paper, but it didn't matter, the ‘Blue Tigers’ were still oozing with confidence thanks to the adrenaline gained following their historic 4-1 win over Thailand and the never-say-die-attitude shown during the defeat against the hosts UAE in Dubai. A few minutes of stoppage time was what separated India from their greatest feat in the 21st century. But after a few players clogged inside India’s box, with an attempt to regain possession, the Indians tried to clear it away and restrain Bahrain from shooting for glory and spoiling India's party. Out of the blue, the referee raised his hand and pointed to the spot, and the worst fear had indeed come true. Indian midfielder Pronay Halder’s challenge was illegal, the penalty was inevitable. The strike could have missed the target or the goalkeeper could have fisted it away, but it went in. Along with it, flew away the hopes of a billion Indians. A wait for four years? Would that console everyone who were glued to the Television sets all night? I guess not. You get knocked down in life, that happens, but what’s more important is picking yourself up. Well done boys.