The year 2022 was writ large and abuzz with sporting events aplenty from different nooks and corners of the world. I would like to particularly single out 3 remarkable days which are all Sunday showdowns apparently from 3 different fields from the sporting calendar that hold a special place in the heart. Incidentally 2 of these took place in the perennially loved sporting city of Melbourne in Australia with the third being a masterpiece from the Middle Eastern region of Doha in Qatar. Also 2 of these were Grand Finales and the other just a group stage encounter but totally worth it's weight in gold.
The sports in question happen to be cricket, tennis and football. Cricket is a sport that I have followed since perpetuity by constantly keeping a tab on the different series taking place in various parts of the world. Tennis as a sport has largely been about viewing the Grand Slams and a little bit of the big ticket Masters events. Also I've keenly followed the progress of three of the most influential tennis players not just of this generation but of all time viz Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. When it comes to Football, it's about largely being in sync with club events such as Premier League, Champions League etc. but more importantly about keeping track of major country events such as Euro, Copa America and especially the World Cup that takes place once every 4 years.
The year of 2022 produced some vintage rippers from these 3 historical sports. The uncanny but common theme prevailing across these three memorable matches is the fact that they all looked like being just another typical sporting match up with sudden twists and turn of events resulting in a multitude of ebbs & flows effectively culminating and eventually catapulting these matches into virtual all time classics and going down the annals as contests to recollect for a lifetime.
The architects engineering these rip snorters happen to be celebrated names from these 3 sports viz Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and Virat Kohli. Ironically they even happen to be born in back to back years of 1986, 1987 and 1988 respectively. Their exploits in the sporting battle under immense pressure also addresses the adage of "Class is Temporary, Form is Permanent" in a resounding manner. They were all under the hammer faced with extreme adversity and that is when they perfectly exhibited their caliber paving way for their fans to go into raptures and capping off a win to cherish for eternity.
Thus, an ode to three heart thumping chest pumping spine chilling tearjerkers that truly define the character of what could be termed as sporting blockbusters of 2022 includes the following:
1) Tennis - Australian Open Final - Rafael Nadal defeated Danii Medvedev - Sunday, 30th Jan 2022 - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
2) Cricket - ICC T20 World Cup Group Stage - India defeated Pakistan - Sunday, 23rd Oct 2022 - Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia
3) Football - FIFA World Cup Final - Argentina defeated France - Sunday, 18th Dec 2022 - Lusail Stadium, Doha, Qatar
1) Sport: Tennis, Event: Australian Open Final, Architect: Rafael Nadal
Even before the start of a ball being hit by a racquet, the whole tournament was mired in controversy with defending champion and 9 time winner Novak Djokovic barred from participating due to vaccine reasons. This paved the way for Rafael Nadal to up his game and reach the final yet again. For starters, this had been historically Rafa's worst performing Grand Slam and he had come a cropper many a time losing agonizing finals to his nemesis Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the past. In the final was looming large the lanky Russian Medvedev who had just beaten Novak Djokovic in the previous Grand Slam final contested which was the US Open of 2021 thus preventing Nole from winning all 4 Grand Slams in the same year and also establishing that the Big 3 remained tied at 20 each in the Grand Slam race. Medvedev was clearly the favorite for this contest and he got the ball rolling right from the beginning ambushing Nadal from the word go. Having taken a 2 set lead and with a break in the third, it all looked more or less a formality before the beast mode being activated all of a sudden by the rampaging bull from Spain. Nobody knew from where Rafa got the energy to fight but what happened in the next couple of hours was sheer herculean brilliance from Nadal as he staved up point after point taking the match to a decider and finally sealing it 7-5 in the fifth set. Rafa was overcome with emotion with the turnaround being absolutely astonishing. Rafa also eclipsed the Grand Slam count to become the first man to go to 21 Grand Slams in a bitter sweet title triumph putting all past demons to rest and exceedingly elevating his fighter ship qualities to a zenith level perhaps that could sparsely ever be comprehended. Rafa Nadal would no doubt go down as the greatest clay court player ever to have donned the game but this win in a surface not supposedly his favorite and the manner of victory virtually rising from the Ashes will go down seemingly as one of his sweetest and perfectly epitomizes the hallmark of a champion showcasing the art of what a fightback and comeback is all about.
2) Sport: Cricket, Event: Ind vs Pak T20 World Cup Group Stage, Architect: Virat Kohli
India vs Pakistan clashes always attracts the eye balls and this one was billed to be a biggie and turned out to be a bombastic blockbuster. The Melbourne Cricket Ground which is one of the oldest and biggest stadiums in the world was all ecstatic having packed an audience of over 90000 cheering on for their respective teams. The 'G' as you call it was witnessing an India vs Pakistan World Cup game after 30 years since the 1992 ODI World Cup and the excitement was palpable with it being a showdown one just couldn't resist. Coming to some background information, India had an enviable winning record against Pakistan in World Cup encounters having won 12 out of 13 previous contests before this one. It was actually 12 wins on the trot for India but however Pakistan had finally broken the deadlock by literally tearing apart this unsavory record by recording a win in emphatic fashion through a commanding 10 wicket romp of their opponents in the last World Cup of 2021. The World Cup hoodoo against India which was plaguing them for so long had been arrested and Pakistan seemed to be on top once again for large portions of this game. After scoring a respectable 159, they had India on the mat by ripping through India's top order and placing them in a precarious position of 31/4. Kohli and Hardik did try to salvage the ship through a steady partnership but the required run rate was just oozing beyond acceptable levels. India needed an almost improbable 48 to win off the last 3 overs when Virat Kohli suddenly activated God Mode. His dispatchment of back to back sixes off Rauf was some of the cleanest hitting ever witnessed. Ashwin finally hitting a straight boundary off the last delivery to signal an Indian victory had the crowd go into euphoria and dancing in delight. India had pulled off a victory of unparalleled proportions which looked way beyond the bridge at one point but one man Virat Kohli through his sheer will and magnificent batsmanship made it happen. With just this one knock, Virat had avenged all his detractors who had called for his axing by constructing a T20 knock for the ages in such a high pressure taxing environment. Though this was only a group stage game, this victory would rank as one of India's finest ever in the T20 format and one to savor for a long time to come.
3) Sport: Football, Event: Arg vs Fra FIFA World Cup Final, Architect: Lionel Messi
The FIFA World Cup of 2022 was the 22nd edition to have been staged with its existence going back almost a century back to 1930 when the initial World Cup was held in Uruguay. It was the first ever World Cup to be held in an Arab nation and just the second World Cup to be held in Asia. This was also the first World Cup ever to be conducted during the end of the year with almost all World Cups prior to this being staged around the middle of the year. The event courted a lot of controversy for some of the event handling but ended up being a World Cup to remember especially with so many smaller known unfancied teams toppling big giants of the game. The final was perhaps a testimony to signify that the best had been reserved for the last and boy oh boy what a game of epic proportions it eventually turned out to be. That however wasn't the case for more than 3/4th of the game with Argentina literally dominating the field of play and what looked like a resolutely comfortable victory for Albiceleste turned out to be an almost absolute nightmare at the end. The peaks and troughs foreseen right from when France were 0-2 down to equalizing at 2-2 before taking it to extra time only for Argentina's talisman Lionel Messi to get the lead back again at 3-2 only giving away immediately to a late penalty scored by Frenchman Mbappe completing a terrific hattrick to make it to 3-3 and then once again the drama of the penalty shoot out which Argentina finally managed to scamper through was all jaw dropping stuff of the highest order. Those last 45 minutes of the game was not just intense but also insane with fans shuffling for breath not knowing what was going to happen next. It was breathtaking to witness the sea of events which just kept going berserk all over the place. It felt like this game should really have not had a loser but in the end it was heartbreak for France and pure ecstasy for Argentina who had reclaimed the World title after 36 years making Buenos Aires go in to a frenzy. Argentina also managed to avenge their defeat to France who had knocked them out in the previous World Cup of 2018 in the pre quarterfinal stage. In the end Football was the winner and the entertainment that was got to witness was monumental to say the least. Lionel Messi capped of his career with the one silver lining that was missing in his kitty and the one that he so badly wanted viz the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy. This also enabled him to match the feat of his illustrious countryman Diego Maradona who last won the World Cup for their beloved country way back in 1986. The final held on 18th December 2022 was one of the last sporting events of the calendar year and it was a treat for everyone to witness this rip roaring sporting spectacle.
2022 was certainly a year for the sporting fraternity with plenty of highs and lows. There were many memorable moments and a plethora of records that had been smashed over the course of the year. The 3 matches picked to represent their respective sports not only act as testimony to the greatness produced but also stand as true torchbearers that will testify the leap of time.
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