“I don’t know the exact rules of wrestling. But as an athlete, I understand that if one qualifies for the finals of a competition, at least one medal is assured. As such, Vinesh Phogat should get at least silver in the Olympics.” The speaker’s name is Sourav Gangopadhyay. Everyone knows the identity. This afternoon, Maharaj appeared at a shopping mall in Rajarhat, near Kolkata, for the Hilsa festival of a multinational oil manufacturing company.
There Maharaj gave his response about Vinesh. From Sachin Tendulkar to a large section of the Indian sports fraternity voicing support for Vinesh, Sourav too has followed suit today. In Maharaj’s words, ‘If the event before the final is clearly won according to the rules, then I don’t see any reason for not getting a medal. I don’t know the exact rules of wrestling. But the basic idea is that competitors are definitely weighed before every wrestling event. That’s how Vinesh reached the finals. Then the problem is, why?’
Why it really matters, whether Vinesh will even get a medal from the Paris Olympics, will become clear on August 13. Earlier, Maharaj Aaj, while clarifying his stand on Vinesh, also praised Neeraj Chopra vs. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in the men’s javelin throw. The way Neeraj’s mother pulled the gold medalist Arshad close to her after winning the silver, that incident also touched Maharaj’s heart.
Despite not wanting to comment on Gautam Gambhir’s Team India today, Sourav opened up about the Delhi Capitals, one of the IPL teams. The capital’s franchise is looking for an Indian coach. Recently, Sourav said, “I have heard Ricky’s comment.” But nothing is finalized yet. Let’s see what happens.’
