Sports Confidential: Diwali, release

Diwali, release

R Ashwin skipped the final session of the final day of India's preparatory camp in Mumbai as the spinner flew back to Chennai to celebrate Diwali with his family. In Tamil Nadu, the first Diwali post wedding is a special occasion for couples and Ashwin didn't want to miss it despite the tight schedule. Meanwhile, after the camp was over, Umesh Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane let their hair down by watching the latest Bond movie, Skyfall.

Grappling with politics

Yashvir, the long-time coach of Sushil Kumar, finds himself sidelined again. The only Indian to have been given the Coach of the Year award by the world wrestling body, FILA, Yashvir is not on the panel of coaches for the upcoming camp at the SAI training centre in Sonepat, scheduled to begin on November 5. Instead, he will be supervising trainees at the Delhi-government run facility in Bawana. A Delhi government employee, he has been transferred to the Bawana facility allegedly on Sushil's father-in-law Satpal's instructions. Satpal is a deputy director in the Delhi govt's education department.

Second Coming

Thirty five years after he brought Kolkata (Calcutta back then) to a standstill, Pele is likely to visit the football-mad city again on December 8. The legend has been invited to play an exhibition football match at the Salt Lake Stadium, alongside the 1994 World Cup-winning captain Carlos Dunga. In the past couple of years, footballers such as Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi have visited Kolkata. None of them could, however, stir the same passion as Pele did in 1977. Will he do it again?

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