Short biography of Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was born on January 11, 1973 in a Maharashtrian Deshastha Brahmin family in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

His family later moved toBangalore, Karnataka, where he was raised. Dravid's father worked for a company that makes jams and preserves, giving rise to the later nickname Jammy. His mother, Pushpa, was a professor of Architecture at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bangalore.Dravid has a younger brother named Vijay. He did his schooling at St. Joseph's Boys High School, Bangalore and earned a degree in commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore. He was selected to India national cricket team while studying MBA in St Joseph’s College of Business Administration.

 He is a former Indian cricketer and captain, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.

He is also useful wicketkeeper.  He started playing cricket at the age of 12 and later represented the state team at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels.

With his technical efficiency and stylish strokes, he soon became a pillar of the Indian cricket. Initially, he was considered good for only Test cricket but later, he proved himself to be very useful in One-Days too.

He was in brilliant form in 1999. He was named 'Widen Cricketer the year' in 2000. For his sheer consistency, Dravid has few equals. He is maintained a Test career average of over 50. His promotion as the ice-Captain was widely acclaimed. He was in a very good form during the cricket World Cup 2003 and scored very consistency.

As of October 2012, Dravid is the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis, and is only the second Indian cricketer, after Tendulkar to score 10,000 runs both in Tests and in ODIs and he holds the record for the most number of catches taken by a player (non-wicket-keeper) in Test cricket, with 210.

In August 2011, after receiving a surprise call in the ODI series against England, Dravid declared his retirement from ODIs as well as Twenty20 International (T20I), and in March 2012, he announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket. He appeared in the 2012 Indian Premier League as captain of the Rajasthan Royals. Dravid made his Ranji Trophy debut in February 1991, while he was still attending college.

For his consistency and temperament Dravid is dubbed as 'The Wall'. The book traces the illustrious career of one of cricket’s all time greats. It examines the various attributes of the man who started his cricketing career in 1996 and finished it as a legend.

This book is a tribute to a man who has retained his humility and graceful conduct while still scaling incredible heights in his profession, a man who is appreciated both by his own teammates as well as the opposition. He is not just respected as a player, but also as a person.
The book contains reminiscences and tributes from his teammates, mentors, seniors, peers, and opponents. It also includes some exquisite photographs that have captured various moments in Dravid’s life.

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Short biography of Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma was born on 2 September 1988, in Delhi (India). He is an Indian cricketer. He is a right arm fast –medium bowler. At the age of 18, Sharma was called to join the Indian squad for the tour of South Africa in 2006–07. In reference to his height and lean physique in his Under-19 days, the bowler was nicknamed Lambu.

Ishant Sharma started his career with domestic cricket. Ishant plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and has taken 21 wickets in four first class games. Ishant first toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07. In May 2007, he was selected in the test team for the Bangladesh tour and played as a replacement for the fast bowler Munaf Patel.

On 10 February 2008, Sharma bagged four important wickets in the 4th ODI of CB Series against Australia. He ended the match with figures of 4/38 and named man of the match^. He scalped two important wickets on 18 February 2008 versus Australia in the 7th ODI of CB series.

In 2011, he became the fifth youngest player to take 100 Test wickets. Against South Africa in 2013, Ishant Sharma became the fifth quickest Indian to grab 100 ODI wickets.

Although he had little success, the management retained him for the third Test match at Perth. On the fourth day of the match he bowled an exceptional spell to Australian captain Ricky Ponting that resulted in his wicket and helped India claim victory^.He used the pace and bounce of the WACA wicket to trouble the batsmen. In the following test played in Adelaide he picked up two wickets and impressed everyone with his bowling. He finished the tour of Australia with figures of 6/358, an average of 59.66 and a strike rate of 101.0.

On 10 February 2008, Sharma bagged four important wickets in the 4th ODI of CB Series against Australia. He ended the match with figures of 4/38 and named man of the match^. He scalped two important wickets on 18 February 2008 versus Australia in the 7th ODI of CB series.

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Short biography of Baichung Bhutia

Indian footballer, Baichung Bhutia was born on December 15, 1976 in Tinkitam, Sikkim. He is considered to be the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is currently the captain of Indian team and plays for Mohun Bagan Club.

 He got his basic education at St. Xaviers School, Pakyong, East Sikkim. Since the very beginning he showed his serious interested towards the game of Football, and encouragement from his uncle Karma Bhutia helped him move forward towards his destiny. He went on to play for several school and local clubs in his home state of Sikkim.

 Due to his extra-ordinary capabilities in the game of Football, Bhutia got a scholarship from Tashi Namgyal Academy, a well known school in Gangtok at the age of 9.

In 1993, at the age of sixteen, he left school to join the professional East Bengal Club in Calcutta. In 1995, he moved to JCT Mills, Phagwara, which went on to win the India National Football League that year. Bhutia was the top scorer in the league, and was chosen to play in the Nehru Cup. He was named "1996 Indian Player of the Year" and has won numerous other awards since then.

Baichung Bhutia is probably the most famous and popular Football player India has ever produced. Also known as the “First Poster Boy of Indian Football”, Bhutia has contributed a lot to make the game popular among the young crowds of the nation even in the places where the game of Football has not been much popular.

In 1997 he returned to East Bengal, and became team captain in the 1998-99 seasons. Baichung Bhutia has the unique distinction of scoring the only hatrick in the Derby Clashes between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, when he registered the same in East Bengal's 4-1 triumph in 1997 Federation Cup Semi Final. . He continued to play for East Bengal till the end of 2005-2006 seasons. In 2006, he joined Mohun Bagan AC and has remained with them since then. He has recently renewed his contract for a further two years from 2008 to 2010 with the Mohun Bagan. He played in the Goal 4 Africa match held in the Allianz Arena, Munich on 12 July 2008 for the Edu team led by Clarence Seedorf and scored twice.He scored twice in the AFC Challenge Cup against Turkmenistan. He was also selected as the most valuable player of the tournament.

Bhutia has been honored with Indian Player of the Year award twice in the years 1995 and 2008. In the year 1999 he was bestowed upon the Sikkim State Award, and Arjuna Award. In the year 2008, he has been conferred upon the Padmashree Award.

Bhutia comes from a Buddhist Bhutia background but is, by conviction an atheist.

He married his longtime girlfriend Madhuri Tipnis on December 27, 2004 in his native village of Tinkitam in South Sikkim.

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Short biography of Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar,in full Sunil Manohar Gavaskar,by names Sunny and the Little Master was born on 10^th July 1949,Bombay,India.He is an Indian former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for the Bombay cricket team and Indian national team.Gavaskar was widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history.

Gavaskar skillfully captained the Indian team in 47 Test (international) matches and dominated the game during a career that spanned 16 years and 125 total Test contests.

Gavaskar was instigated into playing cricket in Bombay under the guidance of his Test-playing uncle, Madhav Mantri.

Gavaskar was widely admired for his technique against fast bowling, with a particularly high average of 65.45 against the West Indies, who possessed a four-pronged fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history.

India won many tournaments during his leadership like - the 'Asia Cup' and the 'Benson and ledges World Cup'. He was also the senior member of India's World Cup earn in 1983.

He was awarded the Arjuna Award and Padma Bushan in 1975 and 1980, respectively. He has also written some popular books on Ticket like Idols', 'Runs and Ruins', 'Sunny Days' and 'One-Day Wonders'.

He is the only Indian to have scored two centuries in a Test match on three occasions. . A superb driver and cutter of the ball, Gavaskar was the first player to score 10,000 runs in Test matches. He was also an excellent fielder, with 108 catches during his career; he was the first Indian apart from wicket keepers to reach the landmark of 100 catches.

After his retirement in 1987, Gavaskar put his immense cricketing acumen to great use as a popular columnist for some of the leading Indian newspapers and magazines and as a widely respected television commentator. He was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 2012 Gavaskar was awarded the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for Cricket in India.

On 28 March 2014, Supreme Court of India, appointed Gavaskar as the Interim BCCI President primarily to oversee 7th Seasonof Indian Premier League. The Court also directed him to relinquish his job as a Cricket Commentator. He was named one of the Wisden cricketers of the year in 1980.

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Short essay about Superstitions

There are many natural events which are said to be due to supernatural forces. This belief in supernatural forces is known as Superstition.

The dictionary definition of superstition is 'credulity regarding the supernatural, irrational fear of the unknown or mysterious, misdirected reverence'. It is not altogether satisfactory, because it fails to lay due emphasis on the disastrous results of superstitious beliefs and practice in the lives of a vast number of people throughout the world -- even today. Superstition can do nothing, but harm. It can destroy the lives of those over whom it gains a stronghold.

If we wear an iron bangle in our right hand, we will not feel afraid or scared (frightened). Even in our sleep we will enjoy peaceful dreams. There will be no disturbance. If a student eats curd or pudding while going to the examination centre, his paper will be easy and his success in the examination will be a sure shot. It is all an idea of a silly mind. No one can reason out. If we try to bring round to our scientific view, the people will give a hearty laugh making us an ass. We will have to cut a sorry figure. In our heart of hearts we know that we are cent-per-cent correct, but we lack the courage to stick to our guns.

Today we have learnt the scientific explanations for many natural events. But we are yet not free from the chains of superstitions.

 Superstition is no more than eccentricity -- at worst, a dangerous threat to serene and untrammeled living. Most of it belongs to our dim ancestry, and as the human race evolves, so will superstition decrease, and, in the end, disappear.

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Short biography of Lasith Malinga

Separamadu Lasith Malinga was born on 28^th August 1983 in Galle, Srilanka. He is a specialist fast bowler with a unique round-arm action and world T20 wining captain in 2014. Sometimes he is referred to as a sling action, which leads to his nickname, "Slinga Malinga" and conversely, his bowling style being nicknamed "Malinga the Slinga"

He is known for his ability to take consecutive wickets: he is the only bowler in the world to have two World Cup hat-tricks, the only bowler to have taken three hat-tricks in ODIs and the only player to have taken four wickets in four consecutive balls in any form of international cricket.

His fastest ball was clocked at 155.7 km/h (96.8 mph) in 2011, which is still tied for the 4th fastest speed amongst active bowlers (shared with Dale Steyn) as of 3 January, 2015.

Malinga is also a clever exponent of variation of pace. Malinga announced his retirement from Test cricket in April 2011 with the aim to extend his career in the shorter formats, and is determined to play World Cup 2015. The decision turned out to be a correct one.

Malinga was the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and was part of the team that made the final of 2007 Cricket World Cup, 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. He played a significant role in Sri Lanka reaching the final in two World Cups and two ICC World T20s.

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Short Biography of Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly was born on the eight of July 1972 in Kolkata. His father is a wealthy businessman. He had a happy childhood.

Sourav Ganguly was the Captain of the Indian cricket team. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-handed medium-pace bowler.

 He had a happy childhood. He played for West Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. His international debut was against the West Indies in 1991-92. He is fondly called as the Prince of Kolkata.

He got the name Bengal tiger partially due to his place of birth and partially due to the way he would pounce on the ball.

Ganguly’s entire cricket career can be divided into pre 2003 and post 2003. In the build up to 2003 Ganguly made an enormous 183 runs against Sri Lanka in the World cup of 1999; 278 runs and six wickets in the Pepsi cup. He was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1998 and in February 2000 after the match fixing scandal he was named the captain of the Indian cricket team.

Sourav Ganguly has risen like the Phoenix from the ashes. He was extremely successful during the Sahara Cup against Pakistan n Canada. After Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly was appointed as the captain for the Indian cricket team.  As captain of the Indian team Ganguly led India in 49 Test Matches, winning 21 of those, including 12 that were played outside India. He was fearless, and intelligent enough to battle brains with the world’s best.

                                                                           

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