The World Paralympic Championship is taking place in Lyon, France. Devendra participated in the Javelin throw event and notched a personal best of 57.04 meters. This medal is a milestone for the country and winning at such a high level was always a dream for Devendra since his childhood.
He said, "Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer, die and then rise again on six miles of trails through a park." Devendra lost his arm in a severe life threatening accident and he suffered from the tragedy. As he implied in the above statement he certainly rose out of those ashes of suffering to achieve something great for himself and the country.
The president of the Paralympics Committee of India, Sultan Ahmed, announced that Devendra will get a cash prize of 5,00,000 rupees. Devendra is from the state of Rajastan and he is also an employee of the Indian Railways.
Sunil Chhetri just returned back to India after ending his contract with the Sporting Clube de Portugal (side B). The Indian captain wasn't getting enough playing time so he didn't want to waste a year sitting on the bench.
He decided to join JSW, the newly formed I-league club in Bangalore, they did a great job attracting Chhetri and signing a two year contract with them. It is a good PR move by the club which will bring much needed attention and garner support from the Indian footballing fans. Chhetri said, "I met the people at JSW a few months ago and the first thing that struck me was the passion behind all the planning. I want to play for a club that’s clear about its vision and I saw that in JSW. I know I am coming from a champion team but that works as more motivation here".
It is somewhat of a let down knowing that the figure head of the current Indian football isn't able to land a real place in a club abroad. Chhetri had a stint a couple of years back with the Kansas City Wizards, an MLS club in the US, but he couldn't fit in with the physicality of the game in the US. The stint in Portugal was in the second tier club yet it wasn't fruitful. India has been having a hard time producing players who can play abroad, but there are a bunch of upcoming players in India who might have a shot at playing abroad.
Here are the potential candidates who might end up playing abroad: 1) Syed Rahim Nabi:
Nabi was picked as AIFF's Player of the season and he is arguably the best offensive player India has to offer currently. Recently he has been garnering interest from abroad and was invited for a trial with the DC United from the MLS. The likelihood of him being selected is not too high at DC mainly because DC has some good talent in Pontius, Deleon and recently acquired Luis Silva from Toronto. The only way DC would pick Nabi is if they can see him as a substitution player for one of their offensive players. Nabi is a very versatile player and he has the experience and capability to play any one of the offensive positions. He is 27 years old and is at the prime of his career so lets hope he finds a spot abroad soon.
Nabi said, "DC United has seen my video clips and apparently that has evoked a lot of interest. It has been a childhood dream to play abroad. I will give my best in the trials so that i can grab a contract."
2) Moirangthem Gouramangi Singh:
Singh is actually the best defender on the Indian team. He is physically strong and can probably hold his own abroad in the leagues in Australia, U.S, and New Zealand. He had a trial with the Melbourne Heart a couple of years ago, there were reports that he impressed the coaching staff but they didn't end up giving him a spot over their local talent. He is currently one of the highest paid players in the I-league so may be he doesn't see the need or have too much of a desire to play abroad.
3) Subrata Pal:
Pal is the current Indian national goal keeper. He is a talented 6'1'' goalie with many years of experience in the I-league and the Indian national team. He is only 26 years old which is very young for a goal keeper, if Pal can stay physically fit he can possibly play into his mid 30s. He has a lot of potential if he gets picked up by a team abroad and is groomed correctly. A few years ago he had a trial with the Vancouver Whitecaps but it didn't pan out for him. During the 2010 Asian Games he was pretty impressive and garnered a lot of attention from the Asian fans, the Japanese press jokingly called him Spiderman. If he works hard and improves his game a little bit more it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets picked up by a team abroad.
4) Jeje Lalpekhlua:
Jeje is currently 22 years old and is one of the young guns of Indian football and most likely the face of Indian football after Sunil Chhetri. He falls in the mold of players who have had good training instruction from his late teen years, his predecessors (Chhetri, Nabi, Gouramangi, and Pal) all probably wish they had the guidance Jeje and his peers received in their teens. He was part of the first Indian Arrows team and was their offensive spearhead, at an age of 20 years he competed with the best of the Indian footballers and held his own and managed to keep the Indian Arrows competitive in the I-league.
Out of all the players mentioned above in the article I think Jeje has the best chance to play abroad. He is strong, talented, was trained and taken care of professionally by the AIFF. He played for Pune FC for the past two years and just recently signed with Dempo SC. He had a bit of a set back over the last couple of years when he got injured, but he is recovering properly and will be back soon hopefully as a much better player. 5) Brandon Fernandes:
This 19 year old mid-fielder from Goa is projected to be one of the stars of Indian football. He was scouted at a very young age and received an opportunity to train with the African Soccer Development (ASD) academy in Cape Town, South Africa. Brandon is known for his brilliance with passing, field vision and his very advanced free-kick technique. He played for the India's U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-19 teams.
He recently got invited for trials with the Reading FC (Premier League club) and the Leicester City FC (Champions League club). He apparently did well during those trials but there hasn't been any word if he was picked by either teams for their developmental teams. It would be a really great opportunity for him to get picked by these clubs because they have a history of developing players to their full potential. It would be an amazing boon for Indian football as well because many more kids will gain confidence from Brandon's forays into the European footballing world.
Brandon represents the next generation of Indian footballers who (unlike Jeje's peers and predecessors) are receiving training and guidance starting in their mid-teens. The U-16 team for example has been traveling abroad more extensively and playing their peers from other countries. This gives them more exposure to the outside world and footballing cultures. Part of the challenge in playing abroad is to thrive in the local cultures and adjust to local personalities.
Here is a small clip of one of Brandon's goals:
I will keep you all updated in case there are any new developments in regards to Indian players getting opportunities to play abroad.
Here is a good article written by the Press Trust of India about the new IBL auction:
Success of IBL auction proves growing popularity of sport, says Badminton Association of India
The grand success of Indian Badminton League's (IBL) inaugural players' auction has proved the growing popularity of the sport in India, said BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta.
Das Gupta was delighted with the outcome of Monday's auction where six franchisees picked up 60 players.
"A generous amount has been spent on Indian players by the franchisees, which is a very positive sign for the Indian players and the sport as a whole. Other than auction money the players would also be getting endorsement deals," Das Gupta said.
While world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, who was bought by Mumbai Masters for USD 135,000, was the most sought-after player India's shuttle queen Saina Nehwal was not far behind as she commanded a price of USD 120,000 from Hyderabad HotShots.
"Today's auction reflected a healthy and exciting competitive streak among the franchisees and shed light on their game plan. The IBL auction has set the ball rolling for what promises to be an inimitable experience in sports entertainment," said Das Gupta, who is also the chairman of IBL Governing Council.
"BAI's support has ensured that the IBL takes off well. The players will benefit tremendously in terms of value," Das Gupta added.
Chief national coach, Pulella Gopichand, who present at the auction held at a city hotel here, appreciated the efforts of IBL organisers.
"The BAI president and IBL team has to be commended for bringing this wonderful event and hope the money which the players earned will only go to motivate them further in proving their performances," he said.
Among other notable Indian players, Asian junior champion P V Sindhu (USD 80,000) went to the Lucknow Warriors, London Olympic quarterfinalist P Kashyap (USD 75000) was picked by Banga Beat, the Bangalore Team and emerging stars like B Sai Praneeth and Guru Sai Dutt commanded a price of USD 40,000.
