Man Utd play a Champions League Final - 26th May 1999

(This was written in July 1999)

It had always been my dream to watch United play a European Cup final, from the heartbreaks against Monaco and Dortmund, we had finally beaten Inter and Juventus (What a game, that was!) to reach the holy grail. I had waited for this day for 14 years – ever since I saw Norman Whiteside score the only goal in the 1985 FA cup final for 10-man United to beat Everton.

I had looked forward to the match for over a month and couldn’t think of anything else for three days before. Finally the time came, the match was on ESPN (God bless them) at 12.30 in the morning here in India. My whole family had stayed out of my way cause I was on tenterhooks – WE HAD TO WIN TODAY!!!!

The match started at the fabulous and grand Camp Nou in Barcelona, I had settled into my ‘lucky seat’, in my United shirt and shorts to start the most important 90 minutes of my life. The game began pretty unimpressively – Giggs on the right and Beckham in the middle – I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t agree with Alex Ferguson (the cheek of me). Then Basler scored, the remote dropped from my hands, my wife looked at me – too scared to even say one word. I told her “We will equalise” – I was trying to convince myself too.

I watched most of the rest of the match either praying or abusing german players or cheering the united players. At half time, I just paced up and down waiting for the second half, looking to the ceiling and saying PLEASE GOD – JUST ONE GOAL, JUST ONE GOAL. My wife decided to go and try to sleep.

The second half began with no changes to the United line-up – I couldn’t believe it. Surely we needed to shake it up a little. Nothing changed , United kept trying and United couldn’t make it happen. Mehmet Scholl hit the post and Schmeichel saved a couple of shots, Jancker hit the bar! Was God saving United for something?

I had tears in my eyes and beads of sweat rolled down my forehead – the dream was coming to an end, we would have to wait for another year before we even got a chance to reach here and god knows how tough it is to reach here.

PLEASE GOD – JUST ONE GOAL!

The clock turned to 90.00, United have a corner, surely they could scramble a goal. PLEASE GOD – JUST ONE GOAL! I don’t think I remember how the goal was scored (though I have seen it 2,977 times since then) BUT we had scored. I let out a short but loud yelp, UNITED!!!! My wife woke up, but she didn’t come to the TV room. Then IT happened, Solshaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!! This time my scream was trapped in my throat. I was on my knees bending in reverence to the greatest sporting comeback EVER!

Alok called at this moment and I could barely speak into the phone...... I was sobbing and hysterical. “I have just never seen anything like it” . “I have just never seen anything like it”!!!

I saw the celebrations through tears and sobs OF JOY.

MANCHESTER UNITED – CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE AGAIN. Oh yes – We’d done the treble too.

Tuff Enuff United

Here's another one about sports - cricket this time.. This may be getting boring and somewhat repetitive for you as a reader (making a very big assumption here - that you have read more than one posting in my blog). But the reality for me is that I have learnt so many of my "life's lessons" from sport.

I had the most exciting summer of my life in 1987 or was it 88, the year is not that important.

I had my cousin, Rajan staying over for that summer and between alok, him, venkat (alok's friend), anurag (another cousin) and myself - we just had the greatest time. We played every sport possible - indoors and outdoors and did much else that need not be mentioned here. Tennis ball cricket, stick hockey on the chhat (terrace), cricket in the backyard, tennis ball football in the bedroom, 5-man tennis-ball football in the passage (its impossible to explain how this worked in words), regular football / cricket in the park, Street cricket, frisbee football, rugby with a football..... We tried and enjoyed everything !

The concept of tennis ball cricket was very new at the time..... So we got together and organised a tournament and invited teams from other areas too. I think we got about 4 or 5 teams. We called our team "Tuff Enuff United".

All the matches are a blur and have now merged into each other in my head and I have the brightest memories from this little one-week tournament - our own World Cup.

All 4 of the other members on my team were better than me (only because they were older!) And I was the passenger.... So the few times that I did something spectacular sticks in my head well. I remember playing one game just after it had rained, with puddles and slush all over the ground... Taking a catch with a full-length dive to my left is a vivid memory. I landed splattered in a huge puddle (almost a little lake I thought at the time)... Drenched head to toe in muddy water yet felt like a million bucks!

Another time in the semi-final, we were chasing a really low score and all 4 of the 'senior' members of the team were out and we needed 7 runs to win... I was alone in there - stressed and trying hard to concentrate. Seems really funny now, but I was convinced it was life-defining at the time. I was repeatedly singing the Duran Duran song 'Meet El Presidente' to myself to stay focussed. It was tremendous - calming my nerves. Bowler bowled a no ball and I hit a 6 over covers to win the game - on top of the world. Couldnt sleep for days because of the excitement.... Such are the simples joys of a simpler time. Made me understand the importance of mental discipline and concentration, being single-minded and focussed is so crucial to getting things done.

We went on to win the tournament.. World Champions - errrr, sort of.

Fever Pitch

This was a long time back.. I was in Class 9 in Modern School, Vasant Vihar in Delhi

I used to play in this Football league called DIFL in delhi... was great fun.. the first organised tournament I ever played in... We had a match against another team and i just dont remember for the life of me who the other team were.

The night before the match, I had a 102 fever and there is no way I should have played the next day, but I did. Very little bravado, a lot of youthful stupidity.

Strangely, as it often happens, the adversity brings out the best in us. I was never a particularly good footballer but I played out of my skin that day and enjoyed myself so much.... scored the first goal within 16 seconds of the start. My friend Sidharth Yadav and I were the only 2 players on the pitch who touched the ball before I scored. It was an exhilarating feeling and one I will never forget in my life.

I was fortunate enough to score another one in the second half and we won 3-0.

I dont remember whether I fell ill after or felt worse... I do remember that one hour of exhilaration and ecstacy.... lesson learnt... enjoy the moment... you'll always remember the moment and not the aftermath!

The day "Indian Pride" changed forever

25th June 1983 - For most Indians, especially cricket fans (which is most Indians), that day will remain etched in memory as the most glorious EVER.

For years and years, we asked each other WHERE WERE YOU when Kapil Dev lifted the Prudential Cup on the balcony of Lords?

I was in London, BUT not at Lords and not even anywhere watching the match... I was 11 years old and with mom, dad and alok. We were shopping around London - fortunately we were shopping for a VCR... fortunately because that meant we were going into electronic stores which had TVs and the match on!

I will not profess to remember moments from that day, I was way too young... but I do remember a buzz around. I could sense that something of a big deal was gong on around us and all the Indians we saw seemed to be excited.... I do remember some moments (maybe what I remember is from the 5000 times I have watched replays of the match)....

Sandhu getting one to come in to get Greenidge... Perplexing...

Kapil Dev running 40 yards, looking over his shoulder, taking Viv Richards' catch... Richie Benaud says, "Good Shot" and then quickly changes it to "Not SO Good"....

Clive Lloyd being caught by Kapil again..... Richie Benaud goes "He's GONNNNNNE"... words that bring goose-pimples to me even as i write this

Dujon playing-on Mohinder Amarnath and then banging the pitch in frustration and disgust..... and of course, the final moment when Holding was LBW to Amarnath... and all the Indian players gleefully running towards the pavilion in triumph, relief, joy, disbelief, excitement, pride - all rolled into one heady concoction!

Moments such as this happen very seldom in history and leave you wondering where was I when India won the World Cup for the first time?