Rahul Pathak

Rahul Pathak's picture
Rahul Pathak
Sports Presenter | Qatar
Biography
Rahul Pathak has been a member of Al Jazeera English sports team since the channel was launched in 2006. He anchored the channel's coverage of the World Cup in South Africa and the Beijing Olympics. He's also covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup, as well the 2011 Copa America in Argentina.

Latest posts by Rahul Pathak

By Rahul Pathak in Americas on July 8th, 2011
Argentinian and Colombian fans enjoy Santa Fe [AFP]

We're coming to the end of the group stages of the 43rd Copa America and its become apparent to me that there are two Copa Americas running concurrently alongside each other.

The first one for those living in Buenos Aires is a rather sad, low-key affair.

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By Rahul Pathak in Americas on July 5th, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

It is a freezing cold but sunny July morning. Two teams of five-year-old boys play on a dusty pitch, watched by a small but enthusiastic crowd of parents and children.

By Rahul Pathak in Americas on June 30th, 2011
Photo by EPA

Recently the world saw the sadly familiar face of Argentinian football violence.

River Plate fans running riot outside the Monumental stadium following their team's relegation, is not the image the organisers of the Copa America wanted to see beamed round the world just days before the country is due to host its first tournament since 1987.

The final is due to be held at the Monumental on July the 24th.

But the ugly scenes prompted some to call for the game to be moved to another venue.

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By Rahul Pathak in Europe on June 11th, 2011
Viv Richards destroying another bowling attack [GALLO/GETTY]

While on my holidays back home in the UK I was lucky enough to catch a new documentary called Fire in Babylon.

It tells the story of the all-conquering West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s, who not only thrashed any team unlucky enough to play them, but were a great source of pride to those from the Afro-Carribbean community, both back home and in places like England.

The film had a special resonance for me as many of the greats that played in this side, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Clive Lloyd, were the names I grew up with as a cricket-obsessed youth in the 1980s.

I grew up with the notion that the West Indies were simply the best, not only that but also probably the best there had ever been.

They set the benchmark when it came to fitness, professionalism, ruthlessness - and of course attacking batting and fast bowing, very fast bowling.

By Rahul Pathak in Asia on April 5th, 2011

File 20346

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By Rahul Pathak in Asia on April 1st, 2011
Photo by Reuters

Superstar, Genius, God… all words that at some point have been used to describe Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.  

While most cricket fans around the world are aware of the huge popularity of the "Little Master" it's only when you come to India that you realise the near religious devotion the one billion strong Indian public has for the man from Mumbai.

And when you're in Mumbai you can take that devotion and multiply it by a thousand. If Sachin (no one calls him Tendulkar round here) scores his 100th international hundred to help India win the World Cup final against Sri Lanka then this city may well spontaneously combust.

By Rahul Pathak in Asia on March 29th, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

A no-fly zone, a city in lockdown and worst of all, V.I.P.s and V.V.I.P.s - and probably the odd V.V.V.I.P. - can't park their private jets at the local airport.

All this for a cricket match.

Fortunately for me, this isn't the cricket match I'm covering.

While India and Pakistan lose their collective heads over the mela in Mohali, I'm in the rather more relaxed surroundings of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital.

Don't get me wrong, this is a country hugely excited about the World Cup, but it's an excitement tempered with a more chilled-out attitude, more akin to people from the Caribbean than the sub-continent.

As Colombo says goodbye to the World Cup, they do so in the knowledge that this has been a much happier experience than the last time they co-hosted this event in 1996.

Tags: Sri Lanka
By Rahul Pathak in Asia on March 25th, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

The sudden departure of England all-rounder Michael Yardy from the Cricket World Cup because of depression has brought into sharp focus the huge pressures that are placed on international cricketers, and the resulting stigma and ignorance that is still attached to the issue.

I was at a press conference given by the Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene when he was asked by an Indian journalist why it was that South Asian cricketers were so much tougher than their English counterparts, who kept pulling out of tours for mental health reasons.

This was also a pointed reference to Marcus Trescothick, another England player who withdrew from the 2006-07 Ashes Tour for stress-related issues.

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott was also initially scornful of Yardy's departure saying that it was his critical comments of Yardy's bowling that had upset him.

By Rahul Pathak in Asia on February 6th, 2011
Photo from GALLO GETTY

Over 50 hours of testimony and argument, thousands of documents, countless witnesses. The sum total? A minimum five year ban for three Pakistan players convicted of corruption.

Was this the strong message the International Cricket Council (ICC) wanted to send out?

Speaking on Sunday the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said:

Corruption in our game will never be tolerated and, once again, I reiterate our zero-tolerance approach.

By Rahul Pathak in Europe on January 31st, 2011
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

"So, as it stands - where do you stand on where <insert player's name here> stands right now?” 

A typical exchange between a presenter and correspondent on Transfer Deadline Day, or as one of the UK's more excitable sports broadcasters calls it - TDD.

Ever since it was introduced by FIFA in the 2002-03 season, TDD (that's what I'm calling it from now on, too) has become the most exciting, entertaining day in the football calendar. 

It's more exciting than pretty much every World Cup final since 1990 (I'll admit 2006 was pretty exciting).  What's more, we get two of them, the end of the pre-season transfer window and the mid-season transfer window.