Monday’s the International Day of Happiness, a day earmarked by the United Nations to spread joy and happiness since 2013. And sportspersons ensured that despite their bitter rivalries on the pitch, this was a day that was meant to be different.
Sport brings everyone together despite there being only one winner at the end of the day. But that’s not important. What is the manner in which a game is played, the rivalries that bring the best out of an individual and outcomes that last forever.
Read | When Matt Renshaw messed up with a fired up Ishant Sharma, this is what happened in Ranchi
Even in the Ranchi Test on Monday, when Ishant Sharma threw the ball wide of Matt Renshaw after the batsman gestured he was not ready to play it; it brought a smile on Australian captain Steve Smith’s face despite knowing the precarious situation his side was in.
Even on Day One and Day Three, umpires Christopher Gaffaney and Ian Gould had been in the spotlight with the former raising a finger on an appeal only to adjust his hat while the latter couldn’t stop having a good laugh after Wriddhiman Saha tumbled over Steve Smith to hold on to a catch and appeal on a dead ball.
{{/usCountry}}Even on Day One and Day Three, umpires Christopher Gaffaney and Ian Gould had been in the spotlight with the former raising a finger on an appeal only to adjust his hat while the latter couldn’t stop having a good laugh after Wriddhiman Saha tumbled over Steve Smith to hold on to a catch and appeal on a dead ball.
{{/usCountry}}And it’s not just cricket where people have had a good laugh this weekend. Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben was left fuming after he was substituted for Renato Sanchez in the 85th minute in their game against Borussia Monchengladbach. But though the veteran left the pitch expressing his dissent, fellow teammates Franck Ribery, Rafinha, Xabi Alonso and Juan Bernat were left in splits over his reaction. Well, sorry Arjen!
The Australian Open, too, had their share and put up a short 32-second video on its official Twitter handle that had tennis stars spread the joy simply by having a smile on their faces. From defending champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams to Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka, a number of tennis icons featured in the video in the unique initiative.
Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams, too, joined in the act on the micro-blogging website and posted a picture with the message: “There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy” while wishing everyone.