Sports India

Long jumper Anju Bobby George’s performances have not been encouraging of late. That has put India’s ace athlete in a spot.

It has not only affected her world ranking, but now her chance to be among the top seven athletes for the fourth edition of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Finals (to be held in Stuttgart (Germany) on September 9 and 10) is also dim.

According to latest IAAF world ranking, with 1237 points, Anju is down the ladder from fourth to seventh spot. Winner of bronze in the last edition of the IAAF World Athletics Finals, Anju, this year, hasn’t accumulated enough points to gain automatic qualification.

As per the new IAAF scoring system, the top seven athletes with maximum points — earned from participating in the IAAF World Athletics Tour (WAT) which includes IAAF Golden League and Super Grand Prix meets — will be eligible for the Finals.

In the last two editions, overall IAAF ranking had been taken into consideration for participation in the competition.

Her Athletics Tour ranking now is a tied 18th (with four others), with six points. Incidentally, Russian Tatyana Kotova who tops the IAAF world rankings list, is among them.

Lyudmila Kolchanova (Russia), Sachiko Masumi (Japan) and Olga Kucherenko (Russia) are the three others tied with Anju.

Last May, Anju earned six points from her seventh-place finish in the Doha Super Grand Prix. Since then she hasn’t participated in any of the Grand Prix Meets.

Anju, it is learnt, is not focusing on the European circuit, but the Doha Asian Games.

Undaunted by the growing competition for the spinner’s slot in the Indian Test squad, Harbhajan Singh says he just focusses on giving his best every time, instead of worrying about losing his place to a rival.

The ace off-spinner, considered an integral part of Team India till not very long ago, was dropped for the first two Tests against West Indies in the recent series but came back strongly with five-wicket hauls in the last two matches.

Harbhajan said increased competition only brings out the best in him and as a senior, he does not worry about any threat.

Asked specifically if the presence of another off-spinner in Ramesh Powar was putting additional pressure on him, he said, “I don’t feel any threat due to Powar. Every player has to perform on the ground to book his place in the Indian team.

“When I play, I always try to give my best and if I keep any threats in mind, I will not be able to deliver the results at all,” he told PTI in an exclusive interview here today.

“Since I am an established player, I don’t have to worry about any threat. But obviously in case of competition, players always perform to their best, which is good for the team.”

Harbhajan spoke at length on a variety of topics, ranging from Sourav Ganguly’s comeback to India’s preparations for the World Cup and his marriage plans.

The Indian selectors today picked fully fit Sachin Tendulkar and southpaw Dinesh Mongia in the 15-member squad for the Tri-series in Sri Lanka, with the third team being South Africa, starting from August 14.

The team: Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (WK), Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel, Dinesh Mongia and S Sreesanth.

It must be like a dream for Dinesh Mongia. A surprise recall to the Indian squad for the Sri Lankan tri-series next month means he gets one more chance, perhaps his last, to redeem himself and cement a spot permanently in the Indian one-day squad. Sidelined for over a year and virtually out of the Indian cricketing establishment’s radar till yesterday, the 29-year-old Punjab all-rounder must himself be as surprised as several of his countrymen at his recall.

One of the more controversial selections in recent times, the southpaw’s impressive performances on the county circuit has influenced the selectors’ decision to opt for him ahead of specialist batsmen such as Robin Uthappa or Venugopal Rao. Besides he is a leg-spinner in the squad which already has two specialist off-spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar.

As Kiran More, the chairman of the national selection committee put it: “Mongia’s left-arm spin will be useful. He can bat, bowl and field well.” The last attribute could have swung things Mongia’s way when pitched against some of the others who might also have been in the fray.

There will be several questions raised about his selection in the coming month before the tri-series and the onus is now squarely on Mongia to prove his detractors wrong. Two sparkling seasons in England coupled with stupendous performances in the domestic circuit must give him the necessary confidence to perform well on his international return.

There is no doubting his talent or his gritty and determined nature. His first-class record is staggering. In 117 matches, he has notched up 8,003 runs with 27 centuries and 28 fifties for a highly-impressive average of 50.33 with a highest of 308 not out. He has turned in quite a few sterling all-round performances for his county, Leicestershire, especially with the bat in recent times and all this points to him being in prime form.

The selectors hope he will add depth to India’s batting which was found woefully wanting in the Caribbean, especially in the one-dayers which the team lost 1-4. There was a heavy dependence on Dhoni to accelerate the scoring rate and when he failed, India failed too. Mongia, like Dhoni, has the capability to step on the gas in the end-overs and the selectors must be hoping he will repeat the cameos he has so often scripted on the county and domestic circuit.

His international career, so far limited to only instant cricket, has been one of highs and lows. He has turned in a few brilliant performances but he has not yet lived up to his potential. In 51 one-dayers since his debut against Australia in 2001, Mongia has managed only 1,073 runs with one century and three fifties for an average of 27.51, which, many may consider as not being quite up to scratch.

However, in his defence, it must be said that he has primarily come lower down the order, at numbers five and six, where he has been forced to push the scoring right from ball one. His strike rate bears noticing and at 73.39, it is indeed creditable.

His bowling too, at the international level, has yet to reach effective levels. He has captured just eight wickets and his economy rate of 5.55 will not have many batsmen sweating. But in England this season, he has turned his arm over very effectively in the one-dayers and on Sri Lankan pitches, his slow left-armers could just prove useful in stifling runs if not in taking wickets.

That he has matured over the years is clearly evident from his performance in this year’s county season. A splendid 129 not out against Pakistan for Leicestershire underlines his class and ability. In the longer version of the game, the Punjab southpaw averages 57 with three centuries while in one-dayers, his bowling has proved effective as his ten wickets for a mere 18.6 indicate, statistics that may have induced the selectors to opt for him.

In Sri Lanka, India will be up against fast bowlers of the calibre of Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga. Similarly, the track-record shows that Lankan spinners such as Jayasuriya, Upul Chandana and Dilshan Tillakaratne have proved very successful in choking up the runs and piling the pressure on batsmen. The selectors and Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, will be hoping that Mongia’s experience on the county circuit will prove useful in countering the fast bowlers while his leg-spin will help in containing runs.

It is a gamble the selectors have taken and if Mongia fails, they will come in for a lot of flak. Mongia’s career too could come to an end. Given the Indian cricketing establishment’s recent emphasis on youth which has seen stalwarts like Anil Kumble and V. V. S. Laxman sidelined, Mongia must know at the back of his mind that he has been gifted one last chance to prove himself at the international level.

The onus is now on the Punjab southpaw to perform. If he succeeds, he can enjoy a fresh lease of life at the highest level of the game. There is no doubting his talent, commitment and determination. The question is - will he able to replicate his stupendous first-class form in international cricket as well? On the answer depends Dinesh Mongia’s future in international cricket.

While Robin Uthappa and Venugopal Rao make way for them.

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Yesterday Indian team was announced for the forthcoming Triangular Series by Cricket Board Secretary Niranjan Shah after a one and a half hour meeting of the five-member selection panel. For the meeting were present Niranjan Shah, Kiran More, Rahul Dravid and John Gloster who selected the team for Lanka.
Sachin Tendulkar who was out for months because of the shoulder injury found his way back into the team, who was declared fit two days back. While Dinesh Mongia who was selected in the team after an impressive performance for his county side with both batting as well as bowling. He had played his last one-day international against Pakistan in New Delhi in April, 2005.
Opener Robin Uthappa and middle-order batsman Venugopala Rao were left out of the squad after disappointing performance in the Caribbean against West Indies. Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, also seeking to make his way back into the team through the county route, was ignored despite a decent performance for Worcestershire.
More justified Kumble’s exclusion by stating that the selectors had some plans in mind for the bowler’s comeback. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, currently testing himself out for Northamptonshire in English county, continued to find himself out of favour.
However, Chief Selector Kiran More said that the selectors had a “right plan” in mind for the experienced spinner to make a comeback to the shorter version of the game. While on Mongia he said, “Mongia can be useful as a left-arm spin option since both Harbhajan and Powar are off-spinners.” And further said, “We also considered Zaheer Khan but he did not fit into our plans. We have taken his performances in county and domestic matches into account. He can always come back to the team.”
The Sri Lanka bound team will undergo a fitness camp in Bangalore from July 25 to August 1 followed by a cricket skills specific camp from August 6 to 10. The team will leave for the Sri Lankan capital on the night of August 10.
Team: Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd Kaif, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia, M S Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, R P Singh, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar.

Rahul Dravid happy with team selection
Mumbai (PTI): Indian captain Rahul Dravid today said that he was happy with the selection of the team for the upcoming cricket tri-series starting in Sri Lanka
next month. “Yes, I am happy with the team,” Dravid told reporters at a Bank of Baroda function of which he is a brand ambassador.
Asked if he was happy with the induction of all rounder Dinesh Mongia, Dravid said he would not comment on individual names but overall he was happy with the selection of the team. The tri-series, also involving South Africa, is slated to be played from August 14 to 29
in Colombo.

Sania Mirza beat Finland’s Emma Laine 6-1, 0-6, 6-1 in the second round to set up a quarterfinal clash with top seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the $175,000 Cincinnati Open here on Wednesday. This will be Sania’s first quarterfinal appearance of the year.

She won a seesaw battle against the Finn, who made a dramatic comeback after being a set down to blank her opponent in the second but eventually ran out of steam.

Good start

The ninth-seeded Indian made a confident start and was helped to some extent by the errors committed by her opponent who double-faulted four times in the first set. Sania smashed 27 winners compared to the 12 by Emma to run away with the opener for the loss of just one game.

After such a dominant start, Sania was expected to walk away with the match in the second but that was not to be as Emma raised her game. She held serve and broke the Indian, who committed two double-faults, and went on to clinch the set.

Sania was at her aggressive best in the third, hammering three aces and 29 winners — in addition to breaking Emma thrice — to seal a quarterfinal berth. The match lasted a little more than 90 minutes.

Shikha-Maureen duo loses

Among the other Indians in the fray, Shikha Uberoi and her Canadian partner Maureen Drake were beaten 6-0, 1-6, 3-6 in the doubles second round by top seeds Maria Elena of Italy and Argentina’s Gisela Dulko.

Shikha and Maureen made a solid start but could not sustain the tempo against the top-seeded pair.

In the RCA Championships at Indianapolis, Wesley Whitehouse, a 27-year-old South African ranked 512th in the world, upset former World No. 1 Marat Safin 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.

Whitehouse, who has battled a series of injuries since turning pro in 1997 and had won only one ATP Tour match before making the Indianapolis event as a qualifier, won 87 per cent of his first serve points in each set.

“I’m obviously playing very well. I have been, for the last two to three weeks,'’ said Whitehouse, who had to win three matches to reach the main draw.

Whitehouse, the 1997 junior Wimbledon champion, has never been ranked higher than 214th. “Last year, I was ready to quit. I just feel all my work is paying off,'’ Whitehouse said.

Safin fell to 12-12 in singles this year. “He was serving well,'’ said Safin, who was seeded 16th after making the tournament as a wild card. “I have to work on a lot of things.'’

Next up for Whitehouse is top-seeded James Blake who beat Danai Udomchoke of Thailand 7-6(5), 6-4.

Easy for Haas

Two other wild card entries — fifth-seeded Tommy Haas and No. 9 Xavier Malisse — progressed with easy wins. Haas defeated George Bastl of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3, while Malisse used a strong serve to beat Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 7-6(4), 6-1.

“This is all a build up to the U.S. Open,'’ said Haas, making his first appearance in the event since losing in the 2002 semifinals to eventual champion Greg Rusedski.

“It is hot here, and then we go to another city (Los Angeles) where it is also hot,'’ said Haas, the German who is on track to have his most successful year since being sidelined for more than a year by two shoulder surgeries.

The victory gave him a 31-12 record this year, including tournament victories at Delray Beach and Memphis, and he is only two matches short of his victory total for all of last year. He’s 21st in the ATP rankings.

“I really feel like I’m in my second career,'’ said Haas, who climbed to the No. 2 world ranking in 2002 before being hit by a series of injuries. “If I’m healthy, I’m tough to beat under these conditions (heat and hardcourts),'’ he said.

Srichaphan beats Arthurs

The eighth-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan won an opening match for only the sixth time in 18 tournaments this season when he battled past Australian qualifier Wayne Arthurs 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4 in two hours and 11 minutes.

Arthurs fired 25 aces to Paradorn’s 15, and the Thai took his only break opportunity in the final set. Arthurs missed his only break point in the second set.

The sixth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, ranked 22 in the world, was upset by Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark 6-3, 6-3 for the second time this year. Carlsen, 101 places below him in the rankings, saved 10 of 11 break points while winning 83 per cent of his first serve points.

The results:

At Cincinnati (WTA Cincinnati Open): Second round: Sania Mirza bt Emma Laine 6-1, 0-6, 6-1; Amy Frazier bt Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1; Katarina Srebotnik bt Yuan Meng 7-6(3), 6-1; Patty Schnyder bt Abigail Spears 6-1, 6-0; First round: Vera Zvonareva bt Tatiana Golovin 6-3, 6-0.

At Indianapolis (ATP RCA Championships): Second round: Gilles Muller bt Paul Capdeville 6-2, 6-3; Xavier Malisse bt Lee Hyung-taik 7-6(4), 6-1; Tommy Haas bt George Bastl 6-3, 6-3; Kenneth Carlsen bt Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2; Nicolas Mahut bt Thiago Alves 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Paradorn Srichaphan bt Wayne Arthurs 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov bt Benjamin Becker 6-3, 5-7, 2-1, retd.; Igor Kunitsyn bt Lars Burgsmuller 7-5, 6-2; Wesley Whitehouse bt Marat Safin 6-1, 6-4; James Blake bt Danai Udomchoke 7-6(5), 6-4.

At Stuttgart (ATP Mercedes Cup): Third round: Nicolas Lapentti bt Diego Hartfield 7-6(5), 6-2. Tomas Berdych bt Diego Junquiera 6-1, 6-4; Oliver Marach bt Stefan Koubek 6-4, 6-4.Second round: Florian Mayer bt Gilles Simon 7-6(3), 6-2; Juan Monaco bt Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 1-0, retd.; Stefan Koubek bt Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6(6), 6-2; Oliver Marach bt Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2; David Ferrer bt Jiri Novak 6-3, 6-1; Stanislas Wawrinka bt Bjorn Phau 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3; Simon Greul bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4; Jose Acasuso bt Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-6(2).

At Amersfoot (ATP Priority Telecom Open): Second round: Nicolas Massu bt Juan Antonio Marin 6-4, 7-6(2); Carlos Moya bt Fabio Fognini 7-5, 6-3. Guillermo Coria bt Sergio Roitman 7-5, 4-6, 6-2; Agustin Calleri bt Daniele Bracciali 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-0.

At Palermo (WTA Palermo International): Second round: Tathiana Garbin bt Anna Smashnova 7-5, 6-3; Roberta Vinci bt Klara Koukalova 6-2, 7-6(6); Aravane Rezai bt Michaella Krajicek 6-4, 6-3; First round: Julia Schruff bt Flavia Pennetta 6-1, 7-5.

INDIAN teen sensation Sania Mirza on Wednesday reached her first quarterfinals of the year at the Cincinnati Women`s Open by beating Finland`s Emma Laine 6-1, 0-6, 6-1.

After an early exit at Wimbledon, the world no 40, will now face defending champion Patty Schnyder, who defeated Abigail Spears of US 6-1, 6-0.

Mirza improved her record for the year to 9-13. She was seeded ninth and handed a better draw after third-seeded Daniela Hantuchova withdrew injured.

Pvt. Shahar Peer, like other 19-year-old Israelis, is serving in the army and has mastered the art of marksmanship. But for the past year, she has been making headlines for her work with the tennis racquet rather than the rifle.

Peer, ranked 25th, is one of the top women pro tennis players in the world. Local fans can see her compete July 24-31 at the Bank of the West Tennis Classic at Stanford University’s Taube Stadium.

“I learned to be a good shot with a rifle and am proud to serve my country in the army,” said Peer. “Being an athlete I do not get into combat, but I am prepared to do whatever the army wants when needed.” Her compulsory duty in the army ends October 2007.

Last May, she became the first Israeli-born tennis player to reach the fourth round of the French Open tournament.

Being an athlete on the women’s tennis circuit does not make an Israeli immune to political pressure. Indonesia recently refused to send their team to Israel for the Fed Cup in protest of “the Israeli action against Palestinians.” The International Tennis Federation awarded a forfeit to Israel, which will advance to World Group Two competition in 2007.

Peer became a household name in Israel and elsewhere when she won the Pattaya City tournament in February and the Istanbul and Prague tournaments in May. In Prague, Peer’s feisty play upset higher seed Anna-Lena Groenfeld and top-seeded Anastasia Myskina of Russia in the final round. She also won the doubles title in the same tournament teaming with Marion Bartoli of France.

At the French Open, seeded No. 21, Peer took former French Open winner Martina Hingis to three sets, losing 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

“I was not sure how to play Peer. She is very tough to beat and you have to outwork her in order to win,” Hingis said after the match.

Born and raised in Maccabim, Peer took up tennis at age 6 but never imagined she’d be playing professionally.

By age 14, Peer won the prestigious Orange Bowl 14’s title in 2001 and became the first Israeli to win the Australian Junior Open in 2004.

Peer’s father, Dovik, goes with her. “My father has the opportunity of traveling with me whenever he can. I don’t really feel homesick, as I am close with other players on the tour,” she said.

One of her close friends on the tour is Sania Mirza of India, a Muslim. Mirza and Peer played doubles for a few tournaments, which drew criticism from Muslims in India.

“Sania and I are friends. I don’t think when we play doubles it should have anything to do with politics.”

Although not overtly religious, Peer feels bonded to her Jewish roots through family celebrations and her work with the Israel Tennis Centers. “When I was young, I would stay with many Jewish families around the world in fundraising events for Israel Tennis Centers and traveling in junior tennis. I learned about how being Jewish is celebrated throughout the world.”

Peer is the 10th seed at the tournament and aims to win her fourth title this year. Tickets range from $18-$55

Top seed and defending champion Patty Schnyder of Switzerland crushed American Abigail Spears 6-1 6-0 to storm into the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open.

After needing three sets and a tie-break to see off Lilia Osterloh in her opening match on Monday, Schnyder, the world number eight, needed just 53 minutes to dispose of the qualifier.

Schnyder will next meet ninth-seeded Sania Mirza of India, who advanced with a 6-1 0-6 6-1 over Finland’s Emma Laine.

Schnyder, who has not won a title since winning in Cincinnati a year, raced to a 3-0 lead before allowing Spears a brief moment of hope claiming her only game at 3-1.

After that the veteran Swiss swept through the next nine games to keep her title defence on track.

“I knew I had to work on some things after the first match, I didn’t expect such a big difference after just one day,” said Schnyder.

Fourth seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia tamed China’s Meng Yuan 7-6 6-1 to reach the last eight while American Amy Frazier rolled to a 6-3 6-1 win over eighth-seeded Argentine Gisela Dulko

Russia’s Vera Zvonareva swept past French seventh seed Tatiana Golovin 6-3 6-0 in the day’s only first round contest.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid on Thursday said he was happy with the selection of the team for the cricket Tri-series starting in Sri Lanka next month.

“Yes, I am happy with the team,” Dravid told reporters on the sidelines of a Bank of Baroda function.

Asked if he was happy with the induction of all-rounder Dinesh Mongia, Dravid said he would not comment on individual names but overall he was happy with the selection of the team.

The Tri-series, also involving South Africa, is slated to be played from August 14 to 29 in Colombo.