Sports : life magnified

With India’s population, it surprises many that India is not a force at the Olympics. R.J.Elliott wonders the same in a comment in Aaman’s recent article:

I’ve always found it a bit baffling that India, with over one billion citizens, doesn’t seem to have much success in either the Winter OR the Summer Olympics…and that they don’t seem to have many (any?) nationals playing at the professional level in the US in any of the four major American sports. Surely there is a 7-foot 6-inch Indian fellow out there who would like to make millions playing in the NBA. Or a 35-pound Indian who would make a good offensive lineman in the NFL. But where are they?

Winter Olympics

Most commonwealth nations have performed poorly at the Winter Olympics. Apart from Canada who had won 31golds and was at number 10 in the all time Winter Olympic medal table before the games started, Commonwealth nations have had little to show. Poor performances at the Winter Olympics is not an India specific or South Asia specific phenomena.

Great Britain have won 8 golds in all, and among them are medals from an era when not many nations competed in the Olympics. Australia hadn’t won a medal before 1994. Australia loves its sport passionately and evidence of that is its improvement in the Winter Olympics. 40 athletes are competing for Australia at the Torino games, almost double the size in recent times. However, I might add that the latest gold medal winner for Australia, Dale Begg-Smith, is Canadian born.

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Arjun Atwal’s performed impressively at the Buick Invitational. He again showed improvement is required in finishing off tournaments. That will hopefully improve in the future. The Telegraph, Calcutta, reports:

Arjun Atwal came close to winning his maiden PGA Tour title, but in the end finished tied fourth after missing three close putts in the last three holes of the $ 5.4 million Buick Invitational at the Torrey Pines.Atwal (71) missed a four-footer on the closing 18th and was shut out of the three-way play-off which was won by Tiger Woods, who himself birdied the 18th to get into extra time.

With his victory in the Corus Chess Championships, Anand becomes the first player to win the tournament 5 times. He also becomes the 4th player ever to break the 2800 barrier in the ELO rating points. Anand as a chess player is a constantly improving genius as indicated by his ELO. More here.

Sri Lanka inflicted a defeat on Australia. Not many were giving them a chance in the VB series after their performances versus India and New Zealand.

Bengal courtesy Deep Dasgupta and Laxmi Ratan Shukla look all set to go into the Ranji Final. So do Uttar Pradesh.

The India-Pakistan match meanwhile turned into the Afridi show yet again yeterday. The essential point in this match is there is a lot of time left. Two things are very vital from now on - whether the Indian batting puts up a total or collapses, what the effect of the spinners is from the 3rd day evening session onwards.

India has 110. At 3 and half runs per over then can reach 425. Accelarting tomorrow, they can reach the score of Pakistan. Then a performance by Kumble and Harbhajan (provided the pitch provides support) can lead to a change in scenario.

India may have to chase around 200-250 in the last 2 sessions or so. Could be a mouth watering prospect.

On the other hand the Indian batting can collapse and we can see a Pakistan victory.

There is a lot to unfold still in this match

The National Football League starts today. Be sure to catch the action on Zee Sports!

Okay the Indian Cricket board is a circus. There are no two ways about it. If years of neglecting domestic cricket made me feel dismayed earlier - the current fiasco puts what a pathetic mess the Indian board is more on my face than ever before.

It is clear Dalmiya backs Ganguly. He does not get sacked. It is also clear Chappell being sacked would mean financial loss to the board (he is not foolish enough to sign the coach’s contract without financial security). So what do they do? They retain both people who have serious differences to try and put the Indian team forward. How can they sort the problems of the team when they cannot sort their own problem and divide the team rather than unite them? Why would the board care. The Dalmiya faction wants to stay at the helm while the Pawar faction is tyring to achieve the same objective.

Harbhajan Singh is being asked to summon before the Punjab Cricket Association. I doubt if the Punjab Cricket Associaiton is not opposed to the Dalmiya faction.

On a more humorous note from across the border - Inzamam who refused to go for the super series earlier sighting it would effect his preparation for the series vs England (actual reason being he did not want to be 12th man”), now says he will play in the match for his country after Tendulkar has opted out.

Now Harbhajan has spoken in favour of Ganguly.

This is the point where I think problem is bound to become bigger.

Ganguly said team mates should shut up yesterday. I do not support the statement as its the players who will have to deal with the issue the most.

First Ganguly came out in the media. Then Tendulkar made a remark in the media that whatever happens in the dressing room should remain there. Now Bhajji comes out in the media.

Speak with the BCCI and state your stands. Dont be out of it as Ganguly said. Be in it. But please dont go to the media and make it a bigger circus.

Please.

Also Sambit Bal earlier and Sidhu today (On NDTV Programme Cricket Controversies) remarked on how the BCCI is more responsible than any one and has their own vested interests for leaking the matter (The Dalmiya faction).

I am not an expert into the founding principles of the BCCI but I feel now there should be a serious enquiry into its structure and the current structure should be dissolved - with Indian cricket starting anew.

My answer to the question asked by fellow Indian fan Arjun here.

There is a lot of stuff Indian cricket needs. The thing is if the National team is in such a state and the board election process is such a mess one can imagine how the Indian cricket really is over all.

There are so many associations and each one has its own share of mess no one knows about.

Indian cricket is a reflection of the politics of the country at large in fact.

The domestic matches give no money so neglect them. The poor do not have any money so they do not have much of a say like wise as they cannot bribe the officials. Thankfully the poor can still cast their vote in India - Indian cricket fans are thus in a worse state in this regard.

I said some months ago, before I started this blog, that Ganguly should have retired from tests after the series win in Pakistan. The guy had achieved what no other Indian captain had - defeating Pakistan in Pakistan. It could not get better than that. It indeed went a lot worse. Ganguly has done his legacy no good and its really sad on the scheme of things currently.

I would like Ganguly to play in the Indian one day squad come world cup 2007. Why? Because it would be good for the team to have a player with his agression and his one day match talent in the squad. If it was a perfect world where back room groupisms and comments to the media of what happens in the dressing room were not made public, I doubt despite the bad form of Ganguly if he would denied a 2007 world cup place. Right now there is legitimate doubt.

The question every one is asking is will this episode harm Indian cricket. Is this a depressing turn of events in Indian cricket. It is depressing. But if you look at the results from the post India’s tour of Pakistan, nothing has gone right for Indian cricket.

India has lost almost every series, tournament. So this is the nadir. This is as low as it gets. Things can only improve from here and the firm stance of Chappell, a person known for having his own mind always, I believe can indeed be a catalyst.

This incident brings a ray of light to Indian cricket again and is not some thing which will harm it.

I watched the full match and was quite impressed by what I saw. I have always been a fan of the Mirza forehand but the back hand was not too bad either in the match. Mirza always hits a lot of winners but I did not expect her to hit so many versus Sharapova. The fact that she could match Shrapova for power, break her, take games into 40/deuce was over whelming as an Indian sport fan.

So how a score line of 6-2/6-1?

The thing called experience. Mirza was horrible on the second serve. She tried to play it safe after a fault and Sharapova would attack the weak second serve. Also, the unforced errors, though much lesser than the previous games, were a bit more that feasible to win games.

This are not huge errors and can be minimised. I definitely think now than Mirza is a top 10 player in the making. Mirza is going to play in the Sunfeast Open in Calcutta from September 19th. I will go ona weekday and on the finals Sunday for the tournament, which promises to be a treat for tennis fans.

We all know it is highly unlikely Mirza will defeat Sharapova today. Sharapova is 18, like Mirza but as far as achievments and accomplishments are concerned, there is a world of difference. Sharapova finished the year in the top 50 in 2003 (rank 32) when she was 15 and a half! Mirza ended 2003 ranked 399.

That is just the beginning of the story. Sharapova has been world number 1, she is a phenomenal player and overpowers her opponents. She has already won a Wimbledon and it would surprise many if she does not go on to win many more grand slam titles. In short, Sharapova is a tennis superstar and has the potential of becoming a legend.

Sania Mirza is a path breaker in her own right. No Indian female tennis player has been competitive at any serious professional level before. They have been stranded in the challengers. This is not related to talent in the country but the lack of infrastructure and financial restraints tennis players in the country face. The fact that there had been no past female tennis player to look upto in the country made it even more difficult for a female tennis star to come up from the country.

In 2005, Mirza, some one who has a superb win-loss record all through her career from the junior level onwards, has a 25-15. Sharapova has a 43-7. Do fans expect Mirza to beat Sharapova? Nah.
But because it is a first in Indian female tennis that a player has reached this far in a grand slam every one will be keyed up.

I have been followed tennis for 13 years from the age of 9 like it has been with most sports and have never seen any Indian reach ahead of round 2 in singles in the grand slams. Leander Paes was talented but too agressive which meant too many unforced errors. I have only heard the tales of the Krishnans and the Amritrajs. Finally there is a tennis player whom we Indian fans can call their own.

Sania Mirza will face fairly unknown Italian Maria Elenea Camerin in round 2 of the US Open. Mirza had a rugged start in round 1 with loads of unforced errors. Compared to that, Camerin surprised one and all by defeating 21 seed Danira Safina in round 1.

Camerin is an even match for Mirza. She is currently ranked a lowly 81 but has been as high as 41 finishing 2004 at 43. However, she has never been past round 2 in a grandslam in 13 appearences. Mirza has already bettered that in her first year at the highest level.

But Camerin is slightly more experienced at the age of 23 having been in the top 120 or near about since 2001. Mirza kept her cool against a much more experienced player in round 1.

It is an even matchup and Mirza would not mind facing Camerin instead of Safina.

India continues to deliver splendid results in chess. Reports NDTV:

Sahaj Grover created history by winning the gold in the Under-10 section of the World Youth Chess Championships that concluded here.

N Srinath got a bit lucky on the final day and also won the gold medal in the Under-12 section after losing his last round game against So Wesley.

Along with the gold and glory, Sahaj also became the youngest ever Indian to win any World Championship, breaking the 1996 record set by current World Junior Champion P Harikrishna.

But can such amazing talent prosper in the wake of what happened to Humpy a few days ago? When a young boy starts taking chess seriously in the country, he has Vishwanathan Anand as his idol, some one who had no peers to look at. He has done to Chess in India what Tiger Woods has done to golf in the world.

He did not have much to fall back on. At least the scenario is much better than it was back then. The young chess players have to think this way and have to battle on.

Bank of Baroda ditching Konery Humpy in the last moment and stripping her off their sponsorship is a shocking latest development. Found out regarding it via an entry in Prem’s blog.

Sponsors in Indian sport only run towards the top cricket stars in the country, a few international stars who have already established themselves. Promising players have to slug it out and worry about money as much as they have to do about enhancing performances.

Tennis players always find it tough and often live by the week, trying to get sponsors to travel, play in challengers all round the world, hire international coaches/trainers and improve ranking points.

Chess players are facing a similar problem. Training and getting ready for international challenges is expensive. Only after honing skills and talent for years does can a sports person aspire to be a champion.

If a company sponsors a player in the formative years, it can reap huge rewards when the player succeeds in the future. Imagine a sponsor who would have helped Sania Mirza’s career during her initial journey in tennis.

Humpy is an extra ordinary talent, having won at various levels of competition internationally. She is the world no. 4 women’s chess player. Surely Bank Of Baroda should have thought better than part ways with her at such a crucial stage in her career.

Humpy is not an also ran and the 20 lakhs she wants, I am sure will be availed some how in the next few days. But it only shows how pathetic the scenario is for sportspersons in the beginning and initial stages of their journey in India. And do not single out cricket. Even cricketers, domestic and upcoming struggle with finances, international training opportunities. Only after players reach the top do the spnsors really come in.

I do not understand why a cricket legend like Wasim Akram has to be put into the role of Sports News Reader by ESPN on Spotscenter India. Asking cricketing gyan from an expert is good. Asking him to tell us the latest news is not only underutilising the expert, it is also misutilising him.

Also, I liked the earlier look of the show where 30 minutes of sports news, mainly India centred was presented in English. I would ideally like a 60 minute show, much like Sportcenter USA used to be (whatever I managed to watch while it was broadcast in India before it was stopped 3-4 years ago) but a 30 minute English show was not bad.

The current show in hindi is some thing I am put off with. Not because I am against regional languages. But alternate news shows in hindi was some thing which was a better option according to me. Right now Sportcenter is almost unwatchable. The news ticker which they introduced a few months ago in the English version was a novel addition, much like USA Fox’s Sportsline (which was similar to Sportcenter USA - a one hour show stopped in India a few years ago) but over all the show Sportenter India will be less watched by me, even though I rarely used to watch it, even in English.

A lot of work and fatigue coupled with sporting reflections not coming in a time when the Open is being played in Golf, Davis Cup quarters are going on, Formula 1 (I am very off post Indianapolis) and most importantly a sports burn out due to the millions of Ashes stories in the past two months have meant 2 days without any posts.

However I must write before possibly a landmark moment in the life of Suresh Raina. He has shown all the right signals with explosive knocks in all the opportunities he has had, whether its the under 19 world cup or India A or the likes. After the training camp, he is one of the few players who have apparently impressed Chappell and the people that count the most. Writes The Telegraph:

Meanwhile, one learns 18-year-old left-hander, Suresh Raina of UP, is a hot contender for a middle-order berth.

A middle order packed with ’star’ players. So how can Raina even think of finding a berth is the common argument. Well then no one would ever find a place, even if that specific player is good enough. The guy is untried, untested. I have supported him from the time of the under 19 world cup.

Here is hoping many good things lie ahead for the 18 year old man.

{Update} Raina has got selected in the Indian one day squad.

Its a day which will see substitutes used for the first time in limitied overs internationals. It is also another day for the sprinters in letour. I focus my attention on some less publicised but important stories which are accomplishments in their own right from Indian sports.

First the new Government gun law which frees shooting in the country.

The order issued by the Union Commerce Ministry — makes air rifles and pistols, the rudimentary weapons for all beginners, easily accessible. So long, it was a procedure restricted to a few and bound in red tape. This comes as a big relief for the shooting fraternity for whom trying to own a weapon had been an ordeal. A shooter first needed to finish among the top 25 at a national meet and later — after endless paperwork — obtain an import licence to get a foreign-made weapon. Now, all one needs to do to own an air weapon is register with a rifle club or state/district association.

This is indeed a landmark step in Indian shooting. My musings on the apathy of infrastructure in Indian shooting a few days ago weren’t necessary after all. Shooting is progressing well in the country with moves done to draw the crowds and bring in more shooters as well. The future of atleast one sport is very bright in the country.

The Hindu reports on the National Junior Aquatics meet day four where Veerdhaval Khade of Maharashtra created two new records before emerging the fastest swimmer of the 32nd Junior National Aquatic Championship, which passed into the fourth day on Wednesday. And it is not the only place Indian juniors are doing well. India entered the semis of the Junior Hockey World Cup as well.

Prasad, an intellectually challenged child needs support in the form of sponsorship. It is a pity people arent aware of this more. If any one is reading this blog and can help Prasad, please contact Hindu, get in touch with the guy’s father and do the requisite.

Some thing which bewilders me : I have read The Sportstar magazine for 13-14 years now and take pride int he fact that it maintains the price of Rs. 10. Why the online edition for Rs. 90!?

Off for breakfast, and then work. Hopefully will catch the letour and the one day match.

One after the other former Indian test players are dying which is an unfortunate coincidence. After the recent demise of Eknath Solkar, Baloo Gupte has now passed away.

Gupte played 3 tests for India with an ordinary record but, as cricinfo reports:

He was a colossal presence in the domestic circuit, when he played for Mumbai, Bengal, and Railways, and one of the leading wicket-takers in the Ranji Trophy of his time (he finished with 255 Ranji wickets at 23.47). His 9 for 55 for West Zone against South Zone in the 1962-63 Duleep Trophy final is still the best in the competition. He ended with 417 wickets in 99 first-class games at an average of 24.88, including a staggering 26 five-wickets hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.

Gupte spoke with cricinfo a few years ago and here is a rare interview with the man.

Condolences to his family.

The 3rd stage of the tour de France was controversial with the disqualification of McEwen, Gerrard continues to remain in the limelight and more newsprint and web pages are being devoted to this than ever before, partly because of the fact no other major football news exists.

Similar to the Gerrard scenario is the case with Indian cricket frenzied media. So we know now that an arbitrator will be announced soon by the ICC on the Ganguly ban and the other players slated to join the fast bowlers today, will indeed, join the fast bowlers today at the camp. Makes you think not much is happening in Indian sport either. Right?

Well the DDCA has not hosted an official AGM for the past three years apparently because they were building a new stadium - so not much happening with the Delhi Cricket Association indeed!

All is not that gloomy though. As Telegraph Calcutta reports:

Tamil Nadu’s S. Shanthi set a national record in women’s 3000m steeplechase on the second day of the 45th national and inter-state senior athletics championship here on Monday. The 24-year-old, who had won the 1,500 silver on Sunday, came home in 10 minutes, 44.65 seconds at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. He thus erased the 10:52.12 mark of Karnataka’s L. Manjula, set in New Delhi in March 2004

Certainly no where near the world record mark but its nice national marks are being broken.

There will be inspection of the Netaji Indoor Stadium for the WTA tour meet to be held in Calcutta, the biggest tournament of its kind in my city. I have been to a few Davis Cup matches but this should be a slightly better experience.

David Johnson, the former Karnataka pacer, is going to get a benefit match on July 17th , the teams captained by Dravid and Sehwag. David Johnson who? Ask Michael Slater. The man played 2 tests taking 3 wickets. Among them was the wicket of the Aussie. The ball was miles outside the off stump but of course Slater had to slash at it leading him to be dropped from the team before making a brief unsuccessful return to the team.

The trend of benefit matches is surely catching on in the country with one for Kanwaljeet Singh in which all major players played including Sachin Tendulkar played. A benefit match is a nice gesture from a player’s colleagues, so to say, not just in spirit but financially as well. The sporting life span is short and once you are out of the sport, money is not that easy to come by if you are not one of the top notch players.

So will Ganguly get his ban lifted and where will Gerrard go if indeed it is true he is going out of Liverpool, which looks like a certainty now? Who will finally get the Olympic bid? We leave this and many more important stories to the media to ponder on for the moment.