NO MATTER how and where you move on in life, there will always be a dark mark of your digital footprint in the cyber space. These footprints possess the ability to bite you back, something which young England pacer Ollie Robinson has found in the most brutal manner. His racist and sexist tweets, posted way back in 2012, have come back to haunt the bowler leading to his suspension from international cricket after an impressive Test debut last week. The England and Wales Cricket Board has adopted a no-nonsense approach while dealing with the sensitive matter despite genuine remorse shown by Robinson. One feels really bad for the youngster for the suspension pending an investigation. However, it also brings to fore what the future holds for the ‘social media generation’, as Indian offie Ravichandran Ashwin has preferred to call them. The platforms prod one to express one’s mind without any inhabitation. But very few realise the pitfalls associated with the expressions. There will always be the other side of a debate and youngsters often forget the etiquette required to use social media. The Robinson case proves it in a vivid manner.

 

WHAT was turning out to be one of the worst World Cup qualifying campaigns in many years was turned into a delightful result by the Indian football team. Beating Bangladesh 2-0 in Doha, the Blue Tigers notched their first win the qualifying campaign after a long time. And once again, the architect of the satisfying victory was skipper Sunil Chhetri, the talisman who has been relentless in the country’s service for over a decade. But for Chhetri’s brilliance India were struggling to cope up with the demanding nature of football. One shudders with the thought of the legend hanging boots in the near future, for, there is no player who can match Chhetri’s calibre. His contribution to Indian football is unparalleled as is his individual record of 74 international goals which took him past Argentine great Lionel Messi. Indian football will remain in debt of Chhetri’s inspiring leadership for last 10 years even as the search for new stars continues in the domestic leagues. But then, this has remained the larger story of Indian soccer. It was always scripted by individual brilliance of a few dedicated champions. Collectively, Team India still has miles to go.