Sports India

India coach John Wright says Harbhajan Singh is likely to return to the side for the second Test against Pakistan starting on Wednesday.

The off-spinner made way for a third seamer in the drawn Mohali Test, but he has a fine record at Calcutta.

“Conditions suit us here and Harbhajan has a good chance of making the side.

“He has done well at the Eden Gardens and likes bowling here,” Wright said of Harbhajan, who has 29 wickets at an average of 18.8 in four Calcutta Tests.

Harbhajan’s bowling action had been under scrutiny but was recently cleared under new regulations introduced by the International Cricket Council.

Wright revealed leg-spinner Anil Kumble would be retained, with a paceman - possibly Zaheer Khan - to step aside for Harbhajan.

“I don’t think we’ll go with five bowlers,” Wright added.

“Traditionally we have always played two seamers and two spinners here and it has worked for us.”

The New Zealander said India needed to develop a “killer instinct” after dominating the first four days in Mohali only to draw.

“We could not get the killer blow in,” he noted.

“Mohali has to make us more hungry. If you want to be a top side, you have to get the job done.

“This is an area where we are still learning. If we want to climb the list we’ll have to have the killer instinct.

“This is what I look for and want from the team.”

Pakistan need to bring Afridi in for Younis Khan - the Calcutta wicket will suit spinners and he might do well

Pakistan started the final day’s play just 53 runs ahead with four wickets in hand, but avoided defeat thanks to a gutsy century by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and resolute batting by all-rounder Abdul Razzaq.

“It was disappointing to get into a situation where we had an opportunity to win and could not achieve that,” Wright added.

“In India-Pakistan contests, players always seem to find that little bit extra, but it came on the last day from the Pakistani batsmen.”

Fifth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Todd Woodbridge of Australia crashed out of the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament at Indiana Wells, USA but Leander Paes kept the Indian hopes alive as he and his partner, Nenad Zimonjic of SCG, made it to the second round of the doubles event.

The Indo-Australian pair of Bhupathi and Woodbrige began on a promising note as they easily pocketed the first set but Yves Allegro of Switzerland and Michael Kohlmann of Germany came back strongly to win the tie 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), according to information received.

Later sixth seeded pair of Paes and Zimonjic were also streched to three sets but they prevailed over Julian Knowle of Austria and Petr Pala of Czech Republic 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

They will now meet the winner of the match between Nikolay Davydenko of Russia/ Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia and the Belgium pair of Xavier Malisse/Olivier Rochus.

India’s Jyoti Randhawa carded a three-under 69 in the last round to finish joint 12th (top among the Indians) in the Qatar Masters as Ernie Els turned on his final day magic for the second time in as many weeks with a seven-under 65 to clinch the title by one stroke, in Qatar, on Sunday according to news agencies.

Swede Henrik Stenson, leader after three rounds, stumbled on the back nine and then despite a heroic charge just failed to catch up with the champion in the event joint-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

Randhawa finished best among the Indians, jumping from tied 22nd to tied 12th, to add to the joint 11th he had in Dubai last week.

Jyoti, accompanied by his wife, Tina, had a two-under for the front nine and then had three birdies on the return journey, but there were also two bogeys, including one on the tough par-3 17th for a day’s score of 69.

Arjun Atwal seemed to be in contention despite a borrowed driver and a new putter, after he discovered the two most valuable clubs missing just before the start of the second round.

He however faded on the last day with a three-over 75 for final round. From six-under, he fell to three-under 285 and a tied 20th place after being tied for sixth at the end of 54 holes. He had just one birdie and four bogeys on a disappointing day.

Jeev Milkha Singh also got his best round of the week on the final day, a three-under 69, and that carried him from tied 50th to tied 27th. He had five birdies and a double bogey that has become almost customary for him.

Despite the newfound popularity of tennis ace Sania Mirza and Formula One race-kid Narain Karthikeyan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar still calls the shots among youngsters. Here’s why…

* Sachin is the youth icon : ‘Sachin… aur kaun? ‘ That’s the general buzz. Because Sachin is a survivor. “Very few people, like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin, are able to sustain their performance over a number of years,” says physical fitness trainer Tshering Dorji. For Arvind Bhullar, student: “Sachin is an icon because he has ruled cricket and our hearts for 15 years now.”

* There isn’t another youth icon : “Sania is no icon. She’s popular now because of media hype,” says Arvind. What of F1 man, Karthikeyan? “Unlike Sachin, who has come a long way, Karthikeyan has miles to go. In any case, motorsport doesn’t have much of a fan following in India,” says Ferdinand Soreng, student at the Delhi School of Economics.

* Sachin is an advertiser’s delight : Sania and Karthikeyan have the looks, says Gen X. But do they have enough brand equity for advertisers? “Of course not. It’s nice to have a variety of faces on TV, but only Sachin has the mass appeal to sell a product,” says Kanika Mehra, a student at Hans Raj. Adds Lalit Tiwari, a call centre exec: “In marketing, he who can sell rules. Sachin rules.”

* There isn’t another advertiser’s delight : “Admittedly, Sania is an achiever too, but she doesn’t have mass appeal. How many people remember the brands that Sania or Karthikeyan endorse?” asks Navdeep Marwah of Kalindi College. Prateek Patil, a computer management student in Pune, feels that ad-makers want Sachin even when they know he can’t leverage the product. “Because viewers will atleast relate Sachin to the product even if they don’t buy it. Sania and Karthikeyan, on the other hand, might need an introduction in ads, explaining who they are!”

* Sania & Karthikeyan have competition : As Hemant Kumar, a call centre exec, puts it: “Winning a WTA tournament or getting to drive in F1 doesn’t mean you’re the best. The challenge lies in being a world-beater – and that’s what Sachin is.” Kanika feels that media exposure more than achievements has brought Sania and Karthikeyan into the limelight. “How else is Karthikeyan famous when 90% of Indians don’t follow motorsport?”

* Sachin is above competition : “Sachin has proved himself to be a batsman par excellence worldwide. No one comes close to him,” says Tshering. Ferdinand’s logic is that Sachin is not only a cricketer, but what most sportsmen dream of becoming. “How can anyone give him a run for his money?”

Advantage Sachin

Prahlad Kakkar: “Sachin is a good brand ambassador, and gets a 10/10 rating from me. The face matters in advertising; in that sense, Sania and Karthikeyan are of no consequence.”

Alyque Padamsee: “How many people follow tennis or F1? Cricket is not only followed, but also remembered by the average Indian. The primary motif of an ad is to leave an impact, if not about the utility of the brand then atleast about the ambassador associated with it. So, Sachin rules.”

Anil Thakraney: Sania and Karthikeyan might make the headlines today, but Sachin is still the ad world’s choice. He is bigger than the brand and that is what advertising believes in. If the viewer sees 10 ads telling him how different soaps can make him feel like a star, he’ll use the soap that Sachin uses.”

The Eden Garden’s pitch, true to its nature, will be a good batting surface with bounce, curator Mr Prabir Mukherjee, who is also member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Ground and Pitches Committee, said here today.
He went on to add that as usual, towards the last two days, the spinner will be able to utilise the roughs that are created. And that could be good news for Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
But what cricket fans will actually wait for is a century from Sachin Tendulkar, his world record 35th, and the Eden pitch looks ideal for that feat. And if he gets just 27 runs , it will be another personal milestone of 10,000 runs.
Asked whether the threat of inclement weather is worrying him, Mr Mukherjee said unless and until there is very heavy rainfall, the Eden Gardens pitch and outfield will not be affected. “I am not really worried about short bursts of rain,” he said.
Asked whether there was any special instruction or request from the skipper Sourav Ganguly, Mr Mukherjee replied in the negative. “Sourav always says that Prabirda knows what to do,” he added. With overcast conditions threatening rain this afternoon, Mr GC Debnath, director Alipore Met Office, said that there was possibility of rain in the next 24 hours. He added that possibility of thunder squalls could not be ruled out over the next few days. The rains, however, will mostly
hit the city towards late afternoon or evening.

Ticket sales
Though not really very encouraging, the ticket sales for the match has improved a bit over the past two days. Tickets worth nearly Rs 40 lakh have been sold, according to Mr SK Kalyani, the treasurer of the Cricket Association of Bengal.
However, for some CAB officials, the demand for tickets were not encouraging. Even many affiliated clubs have not picked up their full quota of tickets.

The father of rising star Sania Mirza wonders if short dresses worn by tennis players stop many Indian parents from letting their daughters play the game.

“Many Hindu, Muslim and Christian parents have told me that the tennis dress is working as a deterrent against sending their girls to the court,” Imran Mirza told The Asian Age newspaper in New Delhi. “Is there a possibility of changing it to suit our needs?”

His 18-year-old daughter is the latest sports sensation in India, a conservative country where female stars are rare in sports.

In an outstanding start to this year, she scored upsets in the Australian Open and Dubai Open.