Sports India

West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty Monday asserted former Indian cricket board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya had not leaked an e-mail that led to the ultimate downfall of former captain Sourav Ganguly.

A day after dubbing Ganguly an opportunist who switched camps, the Bengal minister defended Dalmiya in the state assembly lobby maintaining, “I can say with full responsibility that the person he (Sourav) has made the allegation against did not leak the mail.”

“Sourav’s allegations are not true,” he said of the e-mail from coach Greg Chappell that questioned Ganguly’s form and temperament.

Adding a twist to the ongoing Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) election drama, Ganguly Friday pointed an oblique finger at Dalmiya for the Chappell e-mail leak while openly supporting Dalmiya’s rival in the CAB polls.

“People who leak e-mails and sacrifice players’ careers should be heavily punished,” Ganguly, who is now in England playing county cricket for Northamptonshire, wrote in an e-mail to a relative which was released by his brother Snehasish Ganguly and Dalmiya’s challenger Prasun Mukherjee.

“There are people in CAB who are playing with players’ careers. They should not be left scot-free as players need years to reach a certain level,” Ganguly said, indirectly attacking Dalmiya and holding him responsible for his present sorry state.

Earlier, Subhas Chakraborty launched a strong pro-Dalmiya campaign saying, “Sourav Ganguly no longer needs Jagmohan Dalmiya. He has got someone else to go ahead and so he has passed these comments against him.”

Chakraborty’s utterances are also meat to settle his political scores with the chief minister within the party. The chief minister backs Prasun Mukherjee in the CAB polls and had asked the sports minister to persuade Dalmiya to step aside from the CAB election.

A Kolkata-based snack food company has just signed an additional emissary for a product that until now was former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s domain.

Till the other day, children were crunching Pogo Potato Chips because the iconic Prince of Kolkata set the example. Now Shaktimaan will be promoting the product.

“There are many companies that are still using Sourav. I don’t think other companies have removed him. There are still ads of Sourav Ganguly. But, yes, if someone has, that company has done a wrong thing. He is still a brand ambassador. He will still be one,” said Suresh Kedia, CEO Marketing, Pogo chips.

Shaktimaan, they insist, is an add-on ambassador and not a replacement for Sourav.

But the writing is on the wall. Sourav Ganguly is not on any hoardings or in the TV spots.

Contracts not renewed

And at least one Kolkata company did not renew its contract when it lapsed a month ago. Press a little, and even the potato chip company wilts.

“He is with us still, now I can say this. How much longer? That I don’t know,” said G P Agarwal, Chairman, Pogo chips.

Shaktimaan Mukhesh Khanna however hopes for better things.

“If you talk about a joint venture for Pogo or anything, we two can. I might wear a cricket outfit and he can wear my Shaktiman outfit. It would be a very interest ad. I think I will give him some Shaktiman ki shaktiyan and take some cricketing shakti from him,” said Khanna.

Sourav will need every super power at his command to strike like a Colossus once again on the cricket field and off it.

Jyoti Randhawa had a superb back nine at the Gut Kaden Golf and Land Club, but cooled off on his second nine for card a four-under 68 to be tied 21st after the first round of the Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship of Europe.

India’s other challenger, Shiv Kapur brought in a level par round of 72 and was tied 103rd, needing a good second round to make the weekend.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood led the field at nine-under 63 after a bogey-free round which gave him a one-shot lead over South African Retief Goosen and Robert Karlsson of Sweden.

The 33-year-old Westwood has twice won at Gut Kaden in the past. One of his wins came in 2000 when he beat Tiger Woods on the final day.

Randhawa, starting on the 10th, birdied the first two holes he played and added two more on 15th and 18th to make the turn at four-under.

On the second nine, the front half of the course, Randhawa bogeyed the fourth and birdied the sixth.

Kapur, who played the British Open last week, had a roller-coaster of a round with two birdies but followed both of them by bogeys to finish at par.

If Westwood wins, it could put him in contention for a place in the European Ryder Cup team that faces the United States at K Club in Ireland in September.

Also in line for a place on the team is second placed Karlsson, who seven weeks ago won in the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

Sharing fourth place was Frenchman Gregory Havret with a flawless 65, a card similar to compatriot Jean-Francois Remesy and European Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam.

Corey Pavin maintained a one-shot lead over Jason Bohn in the hot and humid U.S. Bank Championship, but still had work to do in the second round.

The 46-year-old Pavin, who opened with a 9-under 61 on Thursday, was 12 under with seven holes left when play was suspended because of darkness.

Bohn was 11 under after playing 35 holes Friday. He shot a 65 in the first round and added a 64 in the second on the Brown Deer Park course.

Jeff Sluman (65), D.J. Trahan (65), Jerry Kelly (67), Nathan Green (64) and Arjun Atwal were 9 under. Atwal had seven holes left in the second round.

Exactly half the players, 78, were unable to complete the round.

Defending champion Ben Crane was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. He parred the par-5 sixth hole, but signed for a 3. Crane, who played 36 holes Friday, had rounds of 67 and 72 to finish at 1 under.

Three-time Pac-10 champion USC was picked Thursday to win the conference football title again, but unlike the previous two years, the Trojans were not a unanimous choice.
USC garnered 18 of 29 first-place votes in a preseason poll of West Coast media who regularly cover the conference. Overall, the Trojans totaled 276 points — 29 more than second-place Cal.

The Golden Bears, picked to finish second, received seven first-place votes, while third-place Oregon had three and fourth-place Arizona State one.

UCLA was picked to finish fifth, followed by Arizona, Oregon State, Washington State, Stanford, and Washington.

GOLF

Corey Pavin struggled to find the right description for his record-setting round.

It was somewhere between magical and downright weird.

Brilliant early and nervous late, the 46-year-old Pavin broke the PGA Tour’s nine-hole record with a front-nine 26 en route to a 9-under 61 and a three-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the rain-soaked U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.

He birdied his first six holes and eight of the first nine in his bogey-free round.

“It seemed like it was a misprint up there, maybe,” Pavin said. “It was just one of those nine holes, once in a lifetime for me so far, anyway.”

Arjun Atwal opened with a 64, Skip Kendall and Cameron Beckman shot 65s and David Frost also was 5 under through 17 holes when play was suspended. Defending champion Ben Crane and 105 other players were unable to finish the round.

Pavin said he didn’t feel the start coming at the driving range, but he had his old caddy, Eric Schwarz, back for the second time after a six-month layoff.

“We’ve worked really hard on the (putter),” Pavin said. “It showed up at Hartford and it showed up here and those are the two tournaments since he came back on the bag.”

Michelle Wie shot a 6-under 66 for a share of the second-round lead with Lorena Ochoa and Karrie Webb in the Evian Masters in France.

Two-time champion Annika Sorenstam, defending champion and Pleasanton native Paula Creamer and Lorie Kane were tied for sixth at 6 under.

Loren Roberts shot a 5-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead in the Senior British Open in Turnberry, Scotland, with Peter Jacobsen and Craig Stadler.

Defending champion Tom Watson struggled with a 73.

England’s Lee Westwood shot a course-record 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship in Alveslohe, Germany.

TENNIS

Andy Roddick slowed down his play after straining his back late in the match and held on for a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory over Scott Oudsema in the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles.

The top-seeded Roddick apparently hurt himself about midway through the final set and was in obvious pain.

Earlier, Robby Ginepri outlasted tour journeyman Kenneth Carlsen

7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The 23-year-old Ginepri, beaten by Roddick in last week’s semifinals at Indianapolis, finally wore down Carlsen.

No. 3 seed Ginepri next will face No. 7 Dominik Hrbaty, who defeated Lars Burgsmuller 7-5, 6-4.

Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten said he will miss next month’s U.S. Open and Brazil’s Davis Cup match against Sweden in September because of a right thigh injury.

Arjun Atwal shot a PGA career low 64 to earn second place after the first round of the US Bank Championship. He was only surpassed by Corey Pavin, who shot a PGA record low 26 on the front nine for a three stroke lead over the rest of the field.

Insight: Low rounds on Thursdays are one thing, but lets see who shoots a 64 on Sunday. This tourney is far from over.

Arjun Atwal opened with a 64 and is in second place. Skip Kendall and Cameron Beckman shot 65s and David Frost also was 5 under through 17 holes when play was suspended. Defending champion Ben Crane and 105 other players were unable to finish the round

Narain Karthikeyan says his decision to join Williams as a test driver rather than continue as a race driver with Jordan has helped him explore the intricacies of Formula One technology.

“I have learnt a lot about aerodynamics. It’s about analysing a lot of data,” said Karthikeyan, test driver, Williams Formula 1 team.

Having gained the experience he was looking for with Williams, Narain’s managers are now exploring the options with a couple of teams for him to be a race driver for the next season.

The fastest Indian on Wheels was also elated by Sir Frank William’s recent compliment, where the racing stalwart acknowleged that Karthikeyan has a bright future and is a fast learner.

“It’s a special compliment, especially since it comes from someone like Sir Frank Williams who has been a part of eight world championships,” he added.

India’s first Formula One driver is also doing his bit to promote the sport in India through his newly opened motor racing academy in Coimbatore.

“At present there are four drivers there. We are trying to give them a good platform and let me see how I can help them to reach an international level,” said Karthikeyan.

INDIAN tennis teen sensation Sania Mirza and Be Thanie Mattek of US defeated Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine to enter the doubles second round of the US $ 6,00,000 WTA event at Standford. Mirza and Mattek registered a 6-1, 6-3 win over their opponents in the opening round of the tier-II event.

Earlier Sania was shown the doors by little known Russian Vasilisa Bardina in straight sets in the first round of the event.

Meanwhile Mahesh Bhupathi and his new partner Chris Haggard of South Africa failed in their first outing together as they lost to a wildcard duo in doubles opening round of the $925,000 ATP event at Kitzbuhel in Austria.

Bhupathi-Haggard went down to Phillip Kohlschreiber of Germany and Stefan Koubek of Austria 4-6 6-3 5-10 in the clay court tennis tournament yesterday.

Kohlschreiber and Koubek will next play Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina and Luis Horna, who defeated third seeds Czech duo of Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl 6-3 2-6 10-8.

This year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the top sporting prize in India, will travel to Bangalore with all three nominees coming from the garden city.

The winner will be announced in the second week of August, but the sporting fraternity here and other Bangaloreans are already picking their favourites.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid is one of three contenders. However, the odds are against Dravid, considering that Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer to receive the prize and that was about eight years ago.

Locals, however, back Dravid to the hilt saying that he has done consistently well for India.

But going purely by previous record, tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi and top cueist Pankaj Advani have a better chance at winning the award.

The Khel Ratna has predominantly been conferred on people who play individual sports rather than team sports.

Members of Bangalore’s sporting fraternity believe that this is also a good chance for sports other than cricket to get recognition.

Former India cricketer and selector Syed Kirmani said his man for the award was cueist Pankaj Advani

“Advani has been a three time world champion. He is my man for the award,” said Kirmani.

Former athlete Ashwini Nachappa also backed Advani.

“As a young boy he has done wonders. He is one of the few athletes who has won all the major titles in one year and he deserves the award more,” she said.