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This is an archive article published on October 3, 2010

Must watch Match ups

Dont think the Games are light on genuine sporting excitement. Ten events you should not miss at Delhi 2010.

Dont think the Games are light on genuine sporting excitement. Ten events you should not miss at Delhi 2010.

Event: Wrestling
Venue: Indira Gandhi Sports Complex

Key match-up timings: Finals of the 66 kg category on October 10,4 pm

Why you should watch: Sushil Kumar,of course. Everything this Indian wrestler,who fights in the 66 kg category,has touched of late has turned into gold.

Recently,he won the gold medal at the World Championships in Munich. Sushils advantage is that there are no Ukrainians,Romanians and Russians at the CWG.

Event:Boxing

Venue: Talkatora Stadium

Key match-up timings: October 5-13,1 pm onwards
Bantamweight final on October 13,3.15 pm

Why you should watch: Akhil Kumar bantamweight,the man who made boxing famous in India,will be defending his CWG gold medal. His likely challenger is an English teenager: 18-year-old Iain Weaver,who defeated Kumar in the Commonwealth Championships earlier this year and went on to clinch gold. Apart from Akhil,Vijender Singh,the World No.1 in the 75 kg category and the face of Indian boxing,is a favourite for gold.

Event: Hockey
Venue: National Stadium

Key match-up timings: India v Pakistan,Oct. 10,7 pm
Final on Oct. 14,11.30 am

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Why you should watch: Need we say? The India-Pakistan match is already sold out. But the sub-continental sides are not the favourites. The

smart money is on Australia,who won the World Cup at the same venue this year. But at home,India can always depend on crowd support,and hope.

Event: Shooting
Venue: Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range

Key match-up timings: Air rifle 10m pairs event,October 5,9 am

Why you should watch: Two names,Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang. The first is the reigning Olympics champion,the second has a penchant for bettering world records and is perhaps Indias most consistent medal-shooter. Bindra and Narang will team up for India in the pairs event of the 10m air-rifle.

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They were the undisputed champs at the last CWG. This time around,they have a reputation to defend.

Event: Pole Vault
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Key match-up timings: Mens pole vault final on October 11,5.35 pm

Why you should watch: Australian pole-vaulter Steve Hooker is the biggest sensation to hit the sport since Sergey Bubka. Hooker smashed the Olympic record in Beijing,with a vault of 5.96m and won gold.

At the 2010 World Indoor Championships this year,Hooker crossed the 6m mark. His personal best of 6.06m is the best vault by a person not named Bubka.

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While the gold is all but secure around the 28-year-olds neck,Delhi CWG could witness its first world record in this event.

Event: Tennis
Venue: RK Khanna Tennis Complex

Key match-up timings:
Mens singles on October 4-10
Mens singles final on October 10,5 pm
Mens doubles final on October 9,5 pm

Why you should watch: Tennis makes its CWG debut this year. True,the big guns are missing: Scotlands Andy Murray,Cypruss Marcos Baghdatis,Australias Lleyton Hewitt,to name a few.

But Somdev Devvarman,only the fifth Indian to make it to the top 100,has a sporting chance to win the gold in the mens singles.

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Watch out for Indian tenniss usual suspects: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza.

Event: Event: Aquatics
Venue: SP Mukherjee Swimming Complex

Key match-up timings:
100 m mens freestyle final on Oct. 7,4.30 pm
50 m mens freestyle final on Oct. 9,4 pm

Why you should watch:
Fifty-six medallists compete this year. Superstars include Australian Eamon Sullivan,one of the best sprint swimmers in the world and South Africas Roland Schoeman 50m freestyle and 100m backstroke.

The Australians are keen to make a big splash; Ian Thorpe announced his arrival at CWG eight years ago with eight golds. Stephanie Rice Australia,gold medalist in Beijing is missing but theres her compatriot and look-alike Ellen Fullerton to look forward to.

Event: Track
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

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Key match-up timings:
100 m mens finals: October 7,7.35 pm
200 m mens finals: October 10,8.10 pm

Why you should watch: 100m and 200m sprints are,of course,the star turns in any track event. They provide unique viewing experiences the starters gun,a blur and a winner. Blink and you will miss it. TV,of course,will give you slo-mo from all different angles.

Dont miss this just because Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell are not coming. Delhi CWG might throw up new sprint stars.

Event: Rugby 7s
Venue: Delhi University grounds

Key match-up timings: October 11 amp; 12,9 am onwards
Final on October 12,4.45pm Why you should watch: Five of the worlds top six Rugby 7s teams will play at CWG. New Zealand is looking to get its fourth straight CWG gold. England would like to scupper that plan. English rugby star,Chris Cacknell,put matters in perspective when he said a footbridge collapse isnt a disaster,its a mishap.

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Hosts India,grouped with Wales and South Africa,are the minnows. But CWG will be a great moment for rugby in India.

Event: Badminton
Venue: Siri Fort Complex

Key match-up timings: Follow it from October 4 to 14,9 am onwards
Womens final on October 14,11 am
Mixed doubles final on October 14,2 pm

Why you should watch:
Saina Nehwal. After her semi-final exit from the Asian Badminton Championships six months ago,Nehwal will settle for nothing less than gold. Team India has two goals: gold for the teamthe main rivals are champs Malaysia and Englandand gold for Nehwal. Indias medal hopes also lie with the mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju.

DID YOU KNOW

The most medals won by any athlete in Commonwealth Games history is 18 by Phillip Adams,a farmer from Australia,who competed in pistol events over six tournaments. He also competed in four Olympics from 1984 and numerous World Championships. His best result outside the Games was a seventh place at the World Championships in 1990.

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A former Belgian colony,Rwanda should not be in the Commonwealth Games. But it is,being one of only two countries with no connection to the former British Empire to have recently joined the club. The country makes its Games debut in Delhi this year. A delegation of 32 members has arrived,which includes 22 athletes and 10 officials.

Fifty-eight years separate the youngest and oldest athletes taking part in the Delhi Games. Diver Alicia Blagg,who will be representing England,is just 13 years old,while 71-year-old lawn bowler Willie Wood will be taking part in his eighth Commonwealth Games

for Scotland.

Compiled by Aditya Iyer,Shivani Naik and Jonathan Selvaraj