Anand stronger than Sachin in Ratna battle

One of the hot contenders for the prestigious award is playing the world championship match in a vastly different sport in Chennai. And, he has an army of advocates with a water-tight case. If at all the present central government or the subsequent one next year decides to give away the country’s highest civilian honour to a sportsperson, who should be the choice? Tendulkar or Viswanathan Anand?

 

Former national chess champion Praveen Thipsay said the award should only be given to a person who has done extraordinary service to the society. “At the same time, if the government decides to open the door to sportspersons, I would like Anand to get it first because I believe the chess champion’s achievements are greater than Sachin’s. 

 

“We shouldn’t forget that chess is played in almost all countries and, as a result, the competition is unbelievably tougher,” he added.

 

Former national table tennis champion S. Raman said Anand revolutionised chess in India. “We not only had icons in cricket such as Gavaskar and Kapil but also a great achievement, the 1983 World Cup, before Sachin. What did we have in chess before Anand? A huge wall that separated the Soviet masters from the other players. Anand rewrote chess, it’s impossible for any Indian to match his contribution,” he added.

 

The articulate Arjuna awardee pointed out the global profile of chess and cricket. “Sachin, for whom I have utmost respect, excelled at a game played only in a handful of countries. On the other hand, Anand mastered a truly global sport in which we had no history,” he said.