Sports India

Sania Mirza and Pavel Vizner of Czech Republic nipped a late challenge by Fenando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues to move into the second round of the mixed doubles event at the Wimbledon on Saturday. Sania and Vizner defeated the Spanish duo 6-2 7-5 to set up a second round clash with Czech Republic’s Leos Friedl and Liezl Huber of South Africa.

Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Samantha Stosur, who had a bye in the first round, were level with Australian Paul Hanley and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine 4-6 6-3 9-9 in a second round tie when play was suspended due to bad light. The match will be continued on Monday.

Mahesh Bhupathi and China’s Zi Yan, seeded 11th, also had a first-round bye. They will be up against Americans Bob Bryan and Venus Williams on Monday.

Sania Mirza and Pavel Vizner of Czech Republic nipped a late challenge by Fenando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues to move into the second round of the mixed doubles event at the Wimbledon on Saturday. Sania and Vizner defeated the Spanish duo 6-2 7-5 to set up a second round clash with Czech Republic’s Leos Friedl and Liezl Huber of South Africa.

Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Samantha Stosur, who had a bye in the first round, were level with Australian Paul Hanley and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine 4-6 6-3 9-9 in a second round tie when play was suspended due to bad light. The match will be continued on Monday.

Mahesh Bhupathi and China’s Zi Yan, seeded 11th, also had a first-round bye. They will be up against Americans Bob Bryan and Venus Williams on Monday.

India’s Jeev Milkha Singh was placed ninth with a par 70 score on the opening day of the UBS Japan Golf Championship here Thursday.

Kiyoshi Murota of Japan was leading the day with five under 65, and compatriots Toru Taniguchi and Tommy Nakajima with identical scorecards of three under 67 following him.

In the fourth place was Ippei Sadanobu, also of Japan, at two under while four other golfers were tied at one under par.

The other Indian, Amandeep Johl, playing on a special invitation from the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) group, shot a two over 72 to be in a joint 39th place.

Asian Order of Merit leader Jeev teed of with an excellent front nine of three under par 32, which included birdies on the sixth, seventh and ninth holes.

However, he faltered coming in with a double on the 12th and added another bogey on the 14th hole. With pars on the remaining holes he ended up with a par 70 card.

‘I was disappointed with the back nine. However, there are three more rounds to go,’ said Jeev, who competed in the US Open this month.

The tournament is being played over the 7,179-yard West Course at Shishido Hills Country Club in Ibaraki prefecture, about 90 minutes northeast of Tokyo.

Senior national coach Bob Houghton is unhappy with the poor physique of the probables in the national preparatory camp in Goa.

It has been learnt that the experienced British coach has even vented his frustration in front of his coaching staff over the short height and poor physique of most of the senior probables.

Houghton could not be contacted for comment. But one of his coaching staffs told Newsline: “He is upset over the campers’ height and built. It is not that the probables’ skill and technique have failed to impress him.

He says his style of training will help the players improve on their basics. But at the same time, he feels that the players’ height and poor built will not help them to win any international match despite being technically sound.

And this is the major reason why Houghton has called Sushil Singh, the well-built Mohun Bagan striker, from the junior Indian probables.”

It is also learnt that Houghton will travel across the country to scout for players with good physique and knowledge of the game’s basics, after the Indian probables return from their invitation meet in Canada.

The newly-appointed British coach has also reportedly asked for Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia to be a part of the ongoing camp. Bhutia is likely to join the preparatory camp after the World Cup gets over on July 9.

Gangtok is in the midst of football frenzy with just two matches left before the ultimate showdown at Berlin in 9 July. Half the town is disappointed as that their favourite teams such as Argentina, Brazil and England are out of the tournament. Some of them have pinned their hopes on the host country Germany, to lift the World Cup.
In the midst of all this, four fanatical pair of eyes have been following every move of the players with dreams to play that standard of football. They are Dawa Lepcha, Sagar Rai, Sanju Pardhan and Nirmal Chettri of Sikkim. All have represented India in various international tournaments and are the prospective bearers to carry on the legacy of Bhaichung Bhutia. They owe their share to Bhaichung too as they are the products of the ambitious “Search for more Baichungs” project launched in 1999 by the state government.
Dawa Lepcha, 18, a striker, has played for India in Nepal, Korea and China while Sagar Rai, midfielder, has donned the national colours against Nepal and Korea.
Both of them are closely observing the techniques and skills being displayed in the matches to raise their standard of play. Similarly, Sanju Pradhan and Nirmal Chettri said that they are trying to learn something new from the World Cup.
All of them agreed that the World Cup was important for them, as they will be representing Sikkim in the North-east Games next year. The eye-catching skills displayed by the players have captivated them and they are trying to imbibe them to fit their roles in the state team.
The four along with the rest of their teammates watch matches together in the sports hostel at Paljor Stadium. After every game they discuss about the matches among themselves and later with their coaches. These budding football stars from the state also voiced their concern about India’s perennial failure to make it to the football showpiece event.
When asked about their favourite teams in the present World Cup they said that all of them were out of the race now.
Since the start, boys from the state sports hostel have been rooting for Asian countries like Japan and South Korea along with Brazil, Argentina and England. Now with only Italy, Germany, France and Portugal in contention, the support of the hostel boys and the whole Gangtok is divided between Germany and Portugal.

Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who missed India’s ongoing Test series against West Indies due to his shoulder operation, has for the first time in 14 years slipped out of the top 20 of Test rankings for batsmen.

India, however, have two players in top 20. Captain Rahul Dravid, who retained his second place (842 rating points) behind Australian captain Ricky Ponting (931), and Virender Sehwag (707), though the vice-captain has slipped down one place to 13th.

Tendulkar, who underwent an operation in March, is now placed 22nd with 650 points, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced here Wednesday.

This is the first time that 33-year-old Tendulkar, who missed a few one-day series as well, has slipped out of the top 20 since 1992, though at that time these rankings were not owned by the ICC

“First and foremost, a player loses points - one percent of his rating - for each missed Test and so Tendulkar’s absence from the Caribbean (series), as he recovers from surgery on his right shoulder, obviously counts against him,” said the statement.

“But on top of that, his Test match form in the last couple of years has been well below his career peak - he averages just 28 in his last 10 Tests compared with an overall average of 55.39 - and form has an impact on a player’s rating.”

And while Tendulkar’s mark of 650 rating points may have been enough to put him in the top 20 in times gone by, it is not enough now with other batsmen scoring heavily, explained ICC.

Tendulkar, after missing the seven-match home one-day series against England, two ODIs against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, five one-dayers against West Indies and the four Tests, smashed two centuries in five days while playing for Lashings in exhibition matches in England.

V.V.S. Laxman, who scored 100 and 63 in the drawn third Test in St Kitts this week, has moved up to the 27th position.

India also has two players in the top 20 of the bowlers’ rankings. Anil Kumble slipping down one spot to eighth (732 points) while pacer Irfan Pathan, who missed the third Test, is 13th (656). Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan leads the table with 901 points.

Pathan (276) is placed fifth in the all-rounders’ list, which is headed by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (486).

Test rankings:

Batsmen: 1 Ricky Ponting (Australia) 931 rating points 2 Rahul Dravid (India) 842 3 Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 832 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) 831 5 Matthew Hayden (Australia) 808 6 Younis Khan (Pakistan) 796 7 Mohammed Yousuf (Pakistan) 780 and Mike Hussey (Australia) 780* (joint) 9 Brian Lara (West Indies) 747 10 Kevin Pietersen (England) 746*

Bowlers: 1 M. Muralidaran (Sri Lanka) 901 rating points 2 Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) 841 3 Shane Warne (Australia) 813 4 Glenn McGrath (Australia) 811 5 Matthew Hoggard (England) 780 6 Andrew Flintoff (England) 767 7 Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) 751 8 Anil Kumble (India) 732 9 Shane Bond (New Zealand) 720* 10 Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) 700

All-rounders: 1 Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 486 rating points 2 Andrew Flintoff (England) 463 3 Shaun Pollock (South Africa) 302 4 Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) 290 5 Irfan Pathan (India) 276*

* Denotes provisional ranking

The anti-cricket brigade in India is celebrating the much-trumpeted findings of a sports TV channel that their ratings for World Cup football in Germany has far outstripped that of their rival channel which is telecasting India’s rather dismal tour of the West Indies. There are some fairly obvious reasons for this trend that, to me however, looks like a one-off phenomenon. First and foremost, the timings of the two events are in stark contrast. The WC in the group stages had matches being telecast at 6.30 pm (prime time) and then at 12.30 am which meant that many could stay awake at least till half-time of the second match. Watching cricket from the West Indies has always posed a problem for Indian fans. The matches start at 7.30 pm and often go past 3.30 am This situation will be more dire during the World Cup cricket to be staged in the Caribbean for the first time from next March.

With all matches slated to be day/night affairs, the starts will be at midnight or later. It will take a very hardy fan to be able to stay up through the night and into the time of day when he normally gets ready to leave for office. One can therefore expect that viewership figures not just in India but the whole of Asia – the region that drives cricket revenue as all know by now – to be pretty low during the World Cup.

Certainly, daily newspapers will be at a huge disadvantage during cricket’s mega-event. The other big factor weighing in favour of WC football this time around is the low standard of cricket being played by both the West Indies and India. This was true during the ODI series as well, where India were trounced 4-1. Sachin Tendulkar’s absence – apart from his ubiquitous presence in the ad breaks that football coverage is mercifully free of – also has to be factored in. But the football has been entertaining with lots of goals and excitement and with the media – TV and print – going the whole hog in its run-up, the Indian public has been swept away in a wave of soccer mania.

Perhaps, if the Indian bowlers had got that elusive last wicket in the first Test and if the fourth day’s play had not been washed out in the second, more interest would have been generated. It helps, of course, that WC football comes around every four years while cricket is played and telecast all year round.

Ironically, the channel which has bagged the football rights this time was the pioneering 24-hours sports channel in India and for years enjoyed a monopoly when it came to Indian cricket, till its place was usurped by a bunch of upstart channels. While all these channels have always made a beeline for the telecast rights to Indian cricket, there are lessons to be learnt from the current scenario.

What is happening now on Indian TV is not a bad thing at all. It might teach a lesson or two to those who run Indian cricket – too much of a good thing can sometimes backfire.

Saina Nehwal will attempt to add another golden chapter to her fledgling career when she begins her campaign as the second seed in the women’s singles event of Asian Junior Badminton Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Saina’s spectacular win at the Philippines Open last month elevated her to a new high in the badminton world and the giant-killer from Hyderabad possesses the grit to become the first Indian ever to win the crown of Asian Junior champion.

The 16-year-old sounded upbeat about her chances in the prestigious championship beginning in the Malaysian Capital today.

“I just want to win this title. I know I can do it if I play to my potential. But winning the crown will not be easy, as the top seed is a Korean girl (Jang Soo Young) and also above me in the rankings. It will be a challenge for me,” a confident Saina told PTI before leaving for Malaysia along with the rest of the 12-member Indian team.

Saina reached the pre-quarterfinals of the event last time but having blossomed at the international stage since and with a Grand Prix win under her belt, she has a realistic chance of bagging the singles title this time.

The main contender for Saina, whose world rankings soared to 42 after her historic win at Manila, will be Jang Soo Young of Korea, placed three notches above her, while third seed Xing Aiying, world number 44 from Singapore, could also pose a challenge to the Indian starlet.

“It would be a good exposure for me. There are several players in the other teams who are young and performing well at the top level. They are quite fast and I would meet them at the senior level as well.

“Everybody is doing well in the team and we are expecting a good result in the team championship also,” said Saina, who has got a bye in the first round of singles.

After the euphoria of winning the Philippines Open, came the dampner, as she failed to make much impact in the next three tournaments of the Asian Circuit, but Saina is determined to return to her winning ways.

“It was a dream come true (victory at Philippines Open). I really worked hard and gave my hundred per cent in every game but I never believed that I could win it. I took it match by match, but after beating world no. 4 (Xu Huwaien) I realised that I have a chance.”

“It was the first time that I had won a big title so I got tense in the rest of the tournaments. I made lots of mistakes. After coming back I started training from that day and took note of my errors,” she said.

The Pullela Gopichand protege seems to revel in beating higher-ranked players and has already scored some big upsets in her career.

“I am not scared by them (higher-ranked players). I always play me best against them. You should have belief in yourself. I do not feel any pressure because the pressure is on them. Even when I was 9-10, I used to beat players in the 16-17 age category.”

Saina Nehwal will attempt to add another golden chapter to her fledgling career when she begins her campaign as the second seed in the women’s singles event of Asian Junior Badminton Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Saina’s spectacular win at the Philippines Open last month elevated her to a new high in the badminton world and the giant-killer from Hyderabad possesses the grit to become the first Indian ever to win the crown of Asian Junior champion.

The 16-year-old sounded upbeat about her chances in the prestigious championship beginning in the Malaysian Capital today.

“I just want to win this title. I know I can do it if I play to my potential. But winning the crown will not be easy, as the top seed is a Korean girl (Jang Soo Young) and also above me in the rankings. It will be a challenge for me,” a confident Saina told PTI before leaving for Malaysia along with the rest of the 12-member Indian team.

Saina reached the pre-quarterfinals of the event last time but having blossomed at the international stage since and with a Grand Prix win under her belt, she has a realistic chance of bagging the singles title this time.

The main contender for Saina, whose world rankings soared to 42 after her historic win at Manila, will be Jang Soo Young of Korea, placed three notches above her, while third seed Xing Aiying, world number 44 from Singapore, could also pose a challenge to the Indian starlet.

“It would be a good exposure for me. There are several players in the other teams who are young and performing well at the top level. They are quite fast and I would meet them at the senior level as well.

“Everybody is doing well in the team and we are expecting a good result in the team championship also,” said Saina, who has got a bye in the first round of singles.

After the euphoria of winning the Philippines Open, came the dampner, as she failed to make much impact in the next three tournaments of the Asian Circuit, but Saina is determined to return to her winning ways.

“It was a dream come true (victory at Philippines Open). I really worked hard and gave my hundred per cent in every game but I never believed that I could win it. I took it match by match, but after beating world no. 4 (Xu Huwaien) I realised that I have a chance.”

“It was the first time that I had won a big title so I got tense in the rest of the tournaments. I made lots of mistakes. After coming back I started training from that day and took note of my errors,” she said.

The Pullela Gopichand protege seems to revel in beating higher-ranked players and has already scored some big upsets in her career.

“I am not scared by them (higher-ranked players). I always play me best against them. You should have belief in yourself. I do not feel any pressure because the pressure is on them. Even when I was 9-10, I used to beat players in the 16-17 age category.”

Saina Nehwal will attempt to add another golden chapter to her fledgling career when she begins her campaign as the second seed in the women’s singles event of Asian Junior Badminton Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Saina’s spectacular win at the Philippines Open last month elevated her to a new high in the badminton world and the giant-killer from Hyderabad possesses the grit to become the first Indian ever to win the crown of Asian Junior champion.

The 16-year-old sounded upbeat about her chances in the prestigious championship beginning in the Malaysian Capital today.

“I just want to win this title. I know I can do it if I play to my potential. But winning the crown will not be easy, as the top seed is a Korean girl (Jang Soo Young) and also above me in the rankings. It will be a challenge for me,” a confident Saina told PTI before leaving for Malaysia along with the rest of the 12-member Indian team.

Saina reached the pre-quarterfinals of the event last time but having blossomed at the international stage since and with a Grand Prix win under her belt, she has a realistic chance of bagging the singles title this time.

The main contender for Saina, whose world rankings soared to 42 after her historic win at Manila, will be Jang Soo Young of Korea, placed three notches above her, while third seed Xing Aiying, world number 44 from Singapore, could also pose a challenge to the Indian starlet.

“It would be a good exposure for me. There are several players in the other teams who are young and performing well at the top level. They are quite fast and I would meet them at the senior level as well.

“Everybody is doing well in the team and we are expecting a good result in the team championship also,” said Saina, who has got a bye in the first round of singles.

After the euphoria of winning the Philippines Open, came the dampner, as she failed to make much impact in the next three tournaments of the Asian Circuit, but Saina is determined to return to her winning ways.

“It was a dream come true (victory at Philippines Open). I really worked hard and gave my hundred per cent in every game but I never believed that I could win it. I took it match by match, but after beating world no. 4 (Xu Huwaien) I realised that I have a chance.”

“It was the first time that I had won a big title so I got tense in the rest of the tournaments. I made lots of mistakes. After coming back I started training from that day and took note of my errors,” she said.

The Pullela Gopichand protege seems to revel in beating higher-ranked players and has already scored some big upsets in her career.

“I am not scared by them (higher-ranked players). I always play me best against them. You should have belief in yourself. I do not feel any pressure because the pressure is on them. Even when I was 9-10, I used to beat players in the 16-17 age category.”