The Indian hockey team seemed like meek lambs that were thrown straight into the lion’s pit. The team has not been able to withstand the onslaught of the Australian players and their opponents went on to score goals after goals unopposed while the Indian hockey team functioned without purpose and hope.

Several theories have been making the rounds now that dissections of the performance of the Indian hockey teams in the Commonwealth Games are what are being talked about. These theories mostly circulate around the inability of the Indian hockey team to deals with better and faster opponents, rarely touching the mental toughness of our players.

An open debate was thrown open by Chief coach Jose Brasa especially after India’s phenomenal victory against Pakistan about the fact that the team required a sports psychologist who could help the players deal with the pressures associated with this game,

“You ask any player… they would say they don’t need a psychologist. But the reality is that there’s no team in the world which does not have a sports psychologist.” Brasa had said.

Dr BP Bam who is currently the mental conditioning coach of the India shooting team and who has in the past worked with India’s top cricketers has had a brief discussion with the hockey team players and felt that they are very much in need of a full time sports psychologist.

“I had been offered the job to tour with the hockey team but there were some constraints and I could not take it up. But the hockey team does need one. The players have a lot of stress do deal with and also they sometimes find it hard to segregate the pressures of playing for India and focusing on their game. The players need proper guidance sometimes and that can only be done by a professional,” Dr Bam said.

India’s former goalkeeper and coach AB Subbaiah said: “Our teams urgently need a psychologist. Mental toughness should be our foremost concern right now. The players need to perform consistently at the highest level and only an expert can instill that confidence among the players,” Subbaiah said.

The decision taken by the board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to give Team Kochi a 30 day breather was not taken very well by everyone. Several members feel that no resolution is available for this situation unless Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd (RSWPL) which is one of the members makes a climb down from the aforesaid position of 25 per cent equity.

Sources have confirmed that there is not going to be a compromise between the partners of the Team Kochi consortium. The partners are also not keen on working with RSWPL after the turn of events.

“They’ve been creating controversy after controversy, the latest one being taking the name of Sunil Gavaskar. It has further strengthened our belief that these people are not capable enough to handle the team. There was no need drag a man of Gavaskar’s stature into this.”

However RSWPL was pleased with the decision and Satyajit Gaekwad said “We wanted 10 days time and the BCCI gave us 30 days. We’re confident of resolving the matter”. However Satyajit Gaekwad has firmly indicated that Rendezvous would not step down from its claim of 25 per cent equity in the team.

Shashank Manohar has received a letter from RSWPL claiming that some of the investors in Team Kochi are willing to comply with their 12.5 per cent equity paid part; however investors have shot down these propositions and the claims made by RSWPL in the letter.

“If it was the case, we would fall in line immediately. If Parinee or Anand Shyam has actually agreed to their proposal, there would not be a dispute,” said the sources.

According to the MoU, Memorandum of Understanding with BCCI, RSWPL has 10 percent state of which 5 per cent is paid. A company called Kochi Cricket Pvt Ltd was formed a few months back in Maharashtra and only Rendezvous has to take the share from the company yet.

The receipt of a letter from RSPWL with the claims has been confirmed by an IPL governing council member but there has been no validation from the investors. However most investors’ have met top board officials and expresses their unwillingness to work with Rendezvous.

The actors of ‘Peepli Live’, like Raghubir Yadav and others have come forward to support Amir Khan, their producer, and have stated that director Anusha Rizvi was actually trying to gain publicity by pulling the movie into a controversy, the subject being farmer’s suicide.

Rizvi, has written and directed the movie along with Mehmood Farroqui, her husband who  worked with her as the co-director. Both said, after the ‘differences’ with Aamir over credits they decided to stay away from the movie.

But the actors have supported Aamir and say Rizvi is trying to gain publicity.

The veteran actor Raghubir Yadav said, “Whatever Rizvi is doing is only for publicity. The initial budget of the film was Rupees two crore but Amir increased it up to Rs.10 Crore. He also took the initiative to showcase the movie in Berlin and Sundance film festivals”.

In the movie Yadav played a role of the Protagonist’s brother, Budhia, and the movie also had a host of theatre actors.

The famous track of the movie, Mehngai Dayain was also sung by Yadav.

Rizvi also reportedly said that the song’s length was trimmed by Aamir against her wish.

Yadav also said, “The controversy over the length of the song is illogical because it was difficult to fit it into the movie but Aamir decided to keep it in the movie despite the problem in editing”.

The Bhai Thakur, a local politician’s role played by the actor Sitaram Panchal and he has also supported Aamir and said that the reason behind Rizvi’s reaction is that her ego has been hurt.

“The whole controversy is a non-issue. Her ego is hurt because it is Aamir’s name which is coming in the media. With the controversy she wants her share of limelight,” Panchal said.

The character of a TV journalist played by Nowaz, said, “I am very much surprised with her attitude because Aamir was professional at every level. He never interfered in the execution of the film but lent his help whenever he thought it was important for the betterment of the film.”

Rizvi had also said that the credit for the movie wasn’t given to people who were worthy and is now being bragged as Aamir’s Movie.

Repeated attempts were made to contact the director but she could not be reached.

Getting to see Big B and Junior B together in a movie is going to be rare. It’s going to be either one of them working in a film but not the two of them, not until something really worth while comes up that requires them to come together.

It’s Ram Gopal Varma’s next directorial venture, ‘Department’, where we can see the father and son duo together in a film but not in the role of father and son. After ‘Department’ it would take a long time for them to share a frame.

Balki who is close to the family has also changed his plans of casting the Big B and Junior B together. Balki had plans of casting both together after ‘Paa’ but gave up the idea.

There are further more changes in the plans and even though Balki was keen on starting his new film with Big B, it’s Junior Bachchan who will be in the next venture. Before starting the project with Big B, Balki will be directing a movie with Abhishek.

A source says, “It was felt by both the Bachchan family and Balki that whatever Big B and the director do together next, would have to go into territory that would take them beyond ‘Cheeni Kum’ and ‘Paa’.  Though Balki has cracked a terrific idea involving a mature autumnal couple’s relationship, he still feels he needs to work on the subject to make sure that the Big B’s presence would be justified a third time around in the director’s repertoire.”

Meanwhile Balki came up with an idea and he quickly illuminated the idea for Abhishek Bachchan.

Abhishek’s film now goes under production before that of Amitabh Bachchan’s.

Balki confirmed this by saying, “Yes I am going ahead with a film that will star Abhishek alone. Then I’ll be going ahead with the film starring Amitabh. I am not planning to cast them together.”