Ben will be a great Batman, but I won’t play Robin: Matt

Ben will be a great Batman, but I won’t play Robin: Matt

    He’s almost done with his India trip when we speak to Matt Damon. The Bourne Series actor’s hush-hush visit — most of the Indian media was expecting him in September — saw him visit Pondicherry, Chennai and Bangalore to check on the projects of the organisation he co-founded, which works towards providing clean water and sanitation to villages. “I’ve just been meeting people in those communities and hearing their stories,” says Damon, adding, “I love it here in India. I am actually driving in Mumbai right now. I haven’t been here in 10 years. It’s incredible to be back. Last time, I visited Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi.”
WON’T PLAY ROBIN TO
BEN’S BATMAN Damon and Ben Affleck go back a long way. They both wrote the screenplay for and acted in Good Will Hunting in 1997, which won them an Oscar for Best Screenplay. “Good Will Hunting is probably my favourite role, just because we wrote it, and it put both Ben and me on the map. That will also be the one role that’s nearest and dearest to my heart.”
    Sixteen years later, he still has his buddy’s back. While the studios’ decision to sign Affleck on as Batman has brought on a meltdown on microblogs and prompted some overzealous fans of the franchise to send ‘Make it illegal for Ben Affleck to play Batman’ petitions to the White House, Damon thinks the actor will be “terrific” in the role. “I know there are a lot of people grousing on the internet. I just think it’s kind of funny. You know, he’s not playing King Lear. It’s Batman! Certainly within his skill set. If anybody saw Argo or The Town, and all the work he’s been doing lately, it’s way more nuanced and interesting and way more difficult than Batman! Batman just sits there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kinda gruff voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging part of the role. Ben will be great at that.”
    But as perfect — and obvious — as it would be for Damon to then play Robin to Ben’s Batman, the actor laughs it off. “I am a little older than Ben. I never saw Robin as older than Batman. Somebody sent me a picture actually (of his face photoshopped on Robin’s body and Ben’s on Batman’s). It was really funny. But it’s safe to say I won’t be Robin.”
LOVE SPICY INDIAN FOOD “I’ve been eating nothing but Indian food since I landed. I love it! That’s kind of a luxury for me, eating all the local food,” he says. As he struggles to pronounce the names of dishes, he declared, “I just love anything that’s curried. I love spice too. I like it a bit hot.”
BROKE UP WITH OBAMA When he isn’t involved in several of his philanthropic projects, Damon’s busy being one of the most politically vocal celebs in Hollywood. “Obama broke up with me,” he said recently, while expressing displeasure over the US president’s policies, while in an earlier interview he’d been quoted as saying, “You know, a one-term president with some b***s who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better”.

Matt Damon

Morphed picture of Matt Damon as Robin and Ben as Batman

Matt Damon

Kritika Kapoor

    He’s almost done with his India trip when we speak to Matt Damon. The Bourne Series actor’s hush-hush visit — most of the Indian media was expecting him in September — saw him visit Pondicherry, Chennai and Bangalore to check on the projects of the organisation he co-founded, which works towards providing clean water and sanitation to villages. “I’ve just been meeting people in those communities and hearing their stories,” says Damon, adding, “I love it here in India. I am actually driving in Mumbai right now. I haven’t been here in 10 years. It’s incredible to be back. Last time, I visited Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi.”
WON’T PLAY ROBIN TO
BEN’S BATMAN Damon and Ben Affleck go back a long way. They both wrote the screenplay for and acted in Good Will Hunting in 1997, which won them an Oscar for Best Screenplay. “Good Will Hunting is probably my favourite role, just because we wrote it, and it put both Ben and me on the map. That will also be the one role that’s nearest and dearest to my heart.”
    Sixteen years later, he still has his buddy’s back. While the studios’ decision to sign Affleck on as Batman has brought on a meltdown on microblogs and prompted some overzealous fans of the franchise to send ‘Make it illegal for Ben Affleck to play Batman’ petitions to the White House, Damon thinks the actor will be “terrific” in the role. “I know there are a lot of people grousing on the internet. I just think it’s kind of funny. You know, he’s not playing King Lear. It’s Batman! Certainly within his skill set. If anybody saw Argo or The Town, and all the work he’s been doing lately, it’s way more nuanced and interesting and way more difficult than Batman! Batman just sits there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kinda gruff voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging part of the role. Ben will be great at that.”
    But as perfect — and obvious — as it would be for Damon to then play Robin to Ben’s Batman, the actor laughs it off. “I am a little older than Ben. I never saw Robin as older than Batman. Somebody sent me a picture actually (of his face photoshopped on Robin’s body and Ben’s on Batman’s). It was really funny. But it’s safe to say I won’t be Robin.”
LOVE SPICY INDIAN FOOD “I’ve been eating nothing but Indian food since I landed. I love it! That’s kind of a luxury for me, eating all the local food,” he says. As he struggles to pronounce the names of dishes, he declared, “I just love anything that’s curried. I love spice too. I like it a bit hot.”
BROKE UP WITH OBAMA When he isn’t involved in several of his philanthropic projects, Damon’s busy being one of the most politically vocal celebs in Hollywood. “Obama broke up with me,” he said recently, while expressing displeasure over the US president’s policies, while in an earlier interview he’d been quoted as saying, “You know, a one-term president with some b***s who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better”.

Matt Damon

Morphed picture of Matt Damon as Robin and Ben as Batman

Matt Damon

Taking a break from cricket

Taking a break from cricket     Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Munaf Patel, MitchellJohnson, coach Robin Singh and Chief Mentor Anil Kumble bowled fans over at an exclusive ‘Meet and Greet’ event organised by DHFL, one of India’s leading housing finance company, in Mumbai.      As the associate sponsor of the Mumbai Indians team for the second successive IPL season, they had organised ‘Khelo Mumbai Khelo,’ ‘Dare to Cheer,’‘DHFL Commentary Box’and ‘Meet & Greet Mumbai Indians’ contests over a period of one month across the country.  Kapil Wadhawan, Chairman and Managing Director of the company, said “The Bowled Over evening brings on board the ardent supporters of Mumbai Indians. It is also a matter of great pride for us to associate with one of the world’s most valuable sports team brands,Mumbai Indians,for the second successive IPL season.”  Mumbai Indians is ranked 146th amongst the world's best 250 sports team brands according to the assessment of brand values of all major sports teams worldwide done by a Londonbased brand va l u at i o n firm. Anil Kumble and Munaf Patel Dwayne Smith and Aiden Blizzard Mitchell Johnson Manpreet Singh Kochar, Head- Marketing, DHFL, and Anil Sachidanand, President, DHFL Robin Singh Rohit Sharma awards a fan

Sports should be the bridge between India and Pakistan

Sports should be the bridge between India and Pakistan

...says Unmukt Chand, captain of the U-19 Indian cricket team, emphasising that sports should be separate from politics

    The tension between India and Pakistan at the border has affected sports and cultural events involving the two nations. Unmukt Chand, captain of the under-19 Indian cricket team, which won the ICC World Cup last year, says that the current issues at the border are very sensitive but sports should be kept away from them. “Cricket and other games are like religion for the people of both the countries. There are a lot of emotions attached to sports. These are sensitive political issues and should be kept away from sports,” he says. Unmukt stresses on the importance of sports to better the ties between the two nations. “Instead, sports should be the bridge to improve the ties between both the countries,” he adds.
    Born and brought up in Delhi, the 19-year old boy is disappointed with the progress of the case of the Delhi gang-rape victim. “After the incident in Delhi, a lot of things have come to light. It’s great the way the youth has come forward to seek a solution to the problem. Rules should get stricter in the country,” he says.
    In 2012, he was involved in a controversy when his college — St Stephens College, Delhi — barred him from taking his second semester exams due to low attendance. Unmukt had at that time been playing for the country. He was cleared to take the exam after authorities of the University of Delhi intervened. “I just took my third semester
examination and am gearing up for the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy,” he says.

Unmukt Chand

Mumbai play it safe,set up semis date with Services

Mumbai play it safe,set up semis date with Services

Mumbai: Our batsmen lacked application.They just threw their wickets away, Baroda vice-captain Ambati Rayudu lamented at the end of Day 4 of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Mumbai,at the Wankhede,on Wednesday.The talented right-handers grief,after top-scoring with 89 not out (151 balls,15x4,2x6),in his teams first innings total of 271,was understandable.After all,the wicket was flat,a factor responsible for Mumbais scores of 645 for 9 declared and 171 for 1.
With nothing at stake and the semis spot against Services (starting Jan 16,venue undecided) sealed,Mumbai refused to enforce the follow on,despite having a first innings lead of 374.At stumps on Day 4,the hosts were ahead by 545 with nine wickets intact.Hiken Shah,after being dropped by Ketul Patel on 17 and by skipper Yusuf Pathan at slip on 54,was unbeaten on 65 (104 balls,6x4,2x6).Giving him company was opener Kaustubh Pawar,batting on 70 (147 balls,6x4,2x6).
Wasim Jaffer,needing 110 runs to overtake Amol Muzumdars run tally of 9105 runs,became the second batsman in Ranji history to cross the 9,000-run mark,before falling lbw to Rayudu for 33.
Wednesday belonged entirely to Rayudu (lucky to survive a dropped catch by Agarkar at mid-wicket off Dabholkar on 33).He displayed exemplary technique against spinners.Twinkletoed footwork and a quick eye were his allies as he struck boundaries over extra cover and mid-on against Mumbai left-arm spinners Vishal Dabholkar and Ankeet Chavan.
His overnight partner,Pinal Shahs patience ran out 51 minutes into Day 4 as a flashy drive off Dabholkar flew to Hiken Shah at second slip and Shah completed a juggling catch.
Rayudu needed to counterattack and he did it with a six off Chavan over long on.But Mumbais highest wicket-taker this season dismissed Gagandeep Singh Natt caught sharply by Pawar at forward short-leg.
It prompted Rayudu to be more adventurous and farm the strike.He did both effortlessly and it prompted the two spinners to bowl a negative over-the-wicket line outside leg-stump.
With over 600 runs on the board and the opposition struggling,these were baffling tactics.

SEMIS LINE-UP (JAN 16-20 )

Mumbai vs Services (Likely venue: Delhi) Punjab vs Saurashtra (Likely venue: Rajkot)

Ambati Rayudu (right) was the lone shining light for Baroda on a grim day at the Wankhede,on Wednesday

PUJARA: THE SUITABLE BOY

PUJARA: THE SUITABLE BOY

In Troubled Times,A Steady Bat At The Top Might Be Indias Answer

Mumbai: In todays mad world of six-hitting cricket,where strike-rates determine the value of a batsman in the shorter formats,somebody like Cheteshwar Pujara doesnt easily fit in.That is,unless of course,your team is in deep trouble,unable to last the stipulated 50 overs,and is desperately seeking someone to hold ground at the other end.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
In the last two years,Indias batting in ODIs a format in which theyre currently world champions has mostly revolved around domineering individual displays,be it Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwags double-hundreds,Virat Kohlis run-glut in Sri Lanka,or MS Dhonis feverish down-the-order attempts to revive an innings gone wrong.Barring a Yuvraj Singh or a Suresh Raina coming good on odd occasions,the teams fortunes have suffered immensely for lack of that one dependable anchor in the middle-order,someone who is not enamoured by the six-hitting trend.
To stand there till the job is accomplished,and to do it consistently,takes a lot more than just good technique or perseverance.Rahul Dravid used to do it and that is one of the key reasons for Indias rise in the 50-over format.It may not be a coincidence that Dravid retired from from One-dayers two years ago.
Pujara promises a similar ability to absorb the shocks.Like Dravid,he loves to play within his limitations,has technique to adjust to all formats and can even strike well on both sides of the wicket.On Wednesday,for example,in his unbeaten 261,he played the sweep,the lofted drives and even the reverse sweep with lan.
He has been included in the One-day team at the cost of Indias most feared top-order batsman Virender Sehwag.But an antidote to the Sehwag-like blitzkrieg that fans usually enjoy is perhaps what India badly at the moment.
Hes the sort of batsman who normally has a Plan B in place, says former batsman Aakash Chopra,who spent good time with Pujara at the Kolkata Knight Riders.Hes like the driver wholl quickly move to first gear and go further.Depending on the situation he can be aggressive too.You look at Virat or Raina or Dhawan,theyll start in Gear Three and stay there, he explains.
Pujara may not be the kind of batsman wholl help the team chase 350.But if youre batting in dire conditions chasing a tricky 240 or 260,he can be Indias go-to man.Unless its the subcontinent where placid pitches rule,350-odd scores are a dream in most overseas conditions and that is precisely where a batsmans ability to construct an innings comes into play.
Batsmen who are high on technique dont normally attract eyeballs in the shorter formats,which is a very wrong way of looking at things.But they are needed in shorter formats too,especially in tough conditions or against top bowling sides, says Chopra.
Right now,in a line-up that boasts of batsmen who can single-handedly change the course of play with sheer aggression,theres plenty of space for a Pujara to lend that bit of sanity.
The losses against Pakistan in the recent ODI series were largely a result of Indias failure with the bat.For a Dhoni or a Yuvraj to come and wallop,they need one man to hang around at the other end,stemming the fall of wickets.
Now that Pujara is in,it will be important for Dhoni to ensure he gets to bat within the top four.Either ahead of Virat Kohli,or just after him.And the think-tank will have to remain patient with Pujara till he settles down.Once he does,the solidity that his batting can lend is bound to change Indias prospects in the 50-over format.

MEN WHO MATTER

Virat Kohli The Aggressor

His verbal barrages have often left him embarrassed.But theyve also shown an aggressive side to him that India need to nurture.The recent low-scores notwithstanding,he remains a good batting asset.To allow him to persist at No.3 or 4,depending on how Pujara fits in,is what India need to do for a prolonged period.He needs to be given the freedom to bat the way he enjoys for the team to derive the best out of him.

MS Dhoni The Anchor

His unbeaten 89-ball 54 at Eden,against Pakistan,was perhaps the only refreshing element in Indias batting in that match.The rest of the top-order collectively crumbled for a mere 75 runs.Post that Eden loss,many felt that Dhoni shouldve come out to bat higher up the order.The skipper,who averages a neat 52.29 in ODIs,batting at No.5 or below,has his task cut out.To play the role of an anchor,who can also score briskly,is what Indian top-order needs right now.

THE NEW MAN IN: Cheteshwar Pujara