By K. R. Wadhwaney

Five-member selection panel to stay
By Abhijit Chatterjee

Voice of Lankan cricket
By Sanjiva Wijesinha

We need more tournaments, says Ramesh

Ramesh Krishnan explains the finer points of the game to trainees at the CLTA courts, Sector 10, Chandigarh. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

By Brinda Suri

ON July 19, 1993, at 22 minutes past noon India created "the greatest upset in the history of the Davis Cup": This is how Thomas Hallberg, Director, ITF, described India’s 3-2 win over the hosts, France, in Frejus. And the man to pull it through was none other than Ramesh Krishnan, a hero of many an Indian victory. The Wimbledon quarterfinalist who has now turned coach, was in the city as part of the coaching scheme of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA). He was impressed by facilities provided by the association and felt the infrastructure was praiseworthy.

He spoke to The Tribune about the need for a change in the system for the development of sport in the country. The following are the excerpts from the interview.

Q. There is a general feeling that we with a population of nearly 100 crore have still not been able to produce world champions in sport. We just have a handful of stars. Tennis is no different. Comment.

A. Well, there is this feeling but I do not thing the population figure is a good yardstick to take. The moot question is how many people have access to sport. When we get down to that it shows we definitely do not have as many numbers as say the USA, France, Germany...

Q. Why?

A. What I feel is that we are not exposed enough to sport. And also we are not a nation of sport-loving people, as in playing sport. People like to sit and watch but not go out and play. And play just for the fun of it.

Q. What could the reason be for that?

A. A lot of it has to do with the warm weather which really saps energy. Also culturally we are not outdoor people. Another important factor that comes into play is that we have a more academic bent of mind. Parents would rather channelise the energies of an average player into studies than concentrate on sport which is a full time profession today.

Q. What is the difference between our tennis set-up and that of countries like Sweden and Spain which have over the past few years produced a lot of players who are in the top 20?

A. The more developed countries have managed to take tennis from the big cities to the smaller ones and villages whereas we in India continue to rely on big cities which have their own problems-land is expensive and commuting is a hassle. Another reason is the lack of tournaments here. All European countries are very accessible and have meets round the year which gives players a lot of exposure.

Q. You are here on a coaching assignment and also run an academy back home in Chennai. How would you assess the potential of the juniors?

A. There is a lot of potential among juniors but they now have to be groomed in the proper way if we want world beaters. We need to conduct many more tournaments to give them the feel of competition right from the beginning. But as I had said earlier the academic factor is a major one that determines the child’s tennis future. It is considered a risk here to put the child into a sport. What if he does not do well? Till class IX they do concentrate but then the sport tends to suffer. Whereas the westerner starts taking it seriously at that stage.

Q. We definitely need a change in the system. How can it be brought about?

A. I think the education system needs to be looked into. There is too much academic pressure on students and all of them cannot take it. Only studying from the book is not education. Education has to well rounded of which sport is also an essential part. We must realise that and introduce it in a serious way as part of the curriculum.

Q. In this respect what do you feel about CLTA’s rural scheme?

A. I think it is a very noble scheme. Sunil Kumar has come through that. He is a very good example as he is one of the top 16 year olds. It is a fantastic objective that they have achieved. I applaud it and ‘am happy a start has been made. In fact we as coaches should go to smaller places and introduce the sport.

Q. When did you start playing tennis?

A. From a very young age, ever since I can remember. It was all around me right at home!

Q. Did your father have a great influence on you?

A. Initially my grandfather, T.K. Ramanathan, was a big influence on me. He was a nationally ranked player and was a very fine teacher. And then of course it was my father.

Q. Was your father’s shadow too big for you?

A. No. From a young age I was out on my own. By 16 years he made me self-reliant so I played my natural game without having to bother with that sort of pressure.

Q. Which is your most memorable win?

A. Davis Cup victories have been my favourites. Like when we beat France in Frejus, the final against Sweden and that superb win over Australia in the semifinals.

Q. Davis Cup has always been our high point. What is so special about it?

A. It is an honour to play for the country. You want to give it your best. Apart from that we have had a tradition of experience being passed down. Each one of us has benefited from our senior. I played with Vijay Amritraj, then Leander played with me now Mahesh is playing with Leander so this definitely helps. It was started by my father and the chain is still continuing.

Q. Which is your favourite Grand Slam?

A. Wimbledon.

Q. Your favourite stadium?

A. Wimbledon centre court. It’s feel is unique.

Q. About our number one due — Leander and Mahesh, their challenge again ended in the semis at the US Open. Why do you think they are repeatedly faltering at that step?

A. This time I was hoping they would come through and win. It was a good opportunity for them. They have to concentrate and not let complacency set in. They should have a positive approach to the whole situation and keep striving to go for the win.

Q. What does the future hold for the sport?

A. A tennis has always been recognised here and we have had our champions. There is ample talent among the juniors today and cities like Chandigarh are doing well by encouraging them. But Indian tennis needs that one big champion to come through and give the sport a filip in the country.

Rewarding lessons for amateurs By K. R. Wadhwaney

A TEAM of Indian amateurs, preparing for the forthcoming Asian Games, had very rewarding lessons from the world renowned Italian coach Donato at the Classic Golf Course.

Harmeet Kahlon and Amit Luthra, both Arjuna awardees, felt that Donato’s tips and guidance on various aspects of golf helped them gain in self-confidence a great deal. Their observations were endorsed by all other trainees. The unanimous opinion of the Indian amateurs was that the Italian coach was simply "marvellous" and there was urgent need of securing his services more than often than was being done by the Indian Golf Union (IGU).

The Indian team (probables expressed optimism of performing superbly in the Games where only amateur players would be seen in action.

The trainees were all praise of the course in Gurgaon. But the Resort, as of today, lacks in adequate amenities to make a success of the competition. There is no phone and thereby no fax facilities resulting in nightmare for mediapersons covering the Wills Masters.

Vivek Bhandari, one of the most promising players in the country, began in whirlwind fashion. He had a fine six under 66 on the opening day. But as the game progressed, he faltered in the end, missing the title that looked like his. Had he won it, it would have provided him a tremendous boost. "To win an opening title of the season always provides an additional confidence", said two senior pros.

If Bhandari faltered, Arjun Singh kept improving with his consistent display. Always known to be a stern fighter, he excelled on and around the greens to win the title (284 aggregate) and Rs 2,49,900. This was his first title in 19 months.

Unlike Bhandari, who excelled in driving, Arjun’s forte was his chipping and putting. "I am happy I came back after indifferent start", said Arjun, adding: "I will now strive to improve my performance as the season progresses".

This was Arjun’s third title. His previous two titles were Classic Masters at Bangalore in January, 1996, and the Mahindra Open at Mumbai in December. Since then he was in the wilderness until this break at the Classic course came about. "Classic course is classic for me", said Arjun while shrugging his shoulders.

The observation of pros was that roughs around the greens were really rough to negotiate. But the consensus among participants was that it was a challenging course as it ought to be.

Contrary to expectations, Kahlon failed to strike true form. He was wayward in his strokes and putting. He finished as many as 10 strokes behind the champion, Amit Luthra.

After playing several pro-am tournaments, Kapil Dev played as a full-time amateur. He said that he was happy with his performance. "As I gain in experience, I will get more confident to perform with more satisfying results than I achieved in the tournament", said Kapil Dev.

As there is marked improvement among men amateurs, there is also considerable improvement among girls. The golf scene is proving rosy. What is the need of the hour is that both boys and girls require better capsule of coaching from time to time. Maybe, they should be sent abroad. Maybe, a foreign coach is brought here by the IGU. There is no dearth of talent. What is needed is "proper grooming".

Five-member selection panel to stay

By Abhijit Chatterjee

DUE to time constraints the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not be able to implement the decision of having a three-member senior selection committee from the coming cricket season. With the annual general body meeting of the board scheduled to be held in Calcutta later this month there is very little time for the process of amending the constitution of the BCCI which is mandatory before the current five-member selection committee can be replaced by a three-member panel.Therefore, the senior selection committee of the board, which is constituted by the annual general body on a year-to-year basis will have five members as hitherto.

As per the constitution of the BCCI the amendment to the constitution first has to be approved by the Rules Committee of the board. Subsequently, the proposal will be forwarded to the Working Committee which will again go through the whole gamut of the changes proposed. Finally a special general body meeting of the board will have to be convened where the amendment will be carried through.

According to sources in the board the amendment pertaining to the national senior selection committee the panel will now have three selectors (not necessarily selected on zonal basis) as also five scouts ( selected on zonal basis). The selectors must have played a minimum of 25 Test matches or 50 Ranji Trophy matches. The scouts similarly will have a criteria of minimum matches. The five scouts will report to the national selectors and will be responsible for spotting talent at the zonal level.

The amendment also stipulates that the three senior selectors will be paid a monthly payment of Rs 25,000 while the five scouts will be paid Rs 15,000 per month. While the national selectors will be paid the allowances already admissible to the current selectors ,the zonal scouts will be paid the allowances admissible to national umpires. Also, the new rule stipulate that office-bearers of any state association will not be eligible for selection as national selectors or zonal scouts.

But certain questions have been left unanswered so far. The first question which rises is whether the national selectors will be treated like employees of the board and if so what will be their conditions of service? Will they serve only on year-to-year basis (as at present ) or whether they will be given a longer term. Secondly, what will be the terms and conditions of the zonal scouts.?

In case the board wished that the selectors be employees of the board then a monthly payment of Rs 25,000 will be like peanuts for former players like Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar, or even somebody like Dilip Vengsarkar or Kris Srikkanth, who all are gainfully employed.Similarly, how good will be the scouts because a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 is definitely not very high.Therefore, the rules committee and the Working Committee will have to give a deeper thought to the payment made to the national selectors as well as their terms of employment, if one may call it so.If the idea of the amendments is to bring in former players like Kapil Dev or Sunil Gavaskar to serve as national selectors then the amendment will not serve the purpose.

The other condition which will be probably hotly debated is the one relating to national selectors holding offices in various state associations. On the one hand the board constantly keeps on saying that players are the best people to help in the growth of the game and in grooming young talent. So what is the harm if former players get themselves selected as national selectors and still hold offices in various state associations.In the current team of national selectors Ajit Wadekar of West Zone is a senior functionary of the Mumbai Cricket Association. M.P.Pandove is the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association and his contribution to the growth of cricket not only in Punjab but also in North Zone can never be minimised. Similarly, former Test star Shivlal Yadav , who represents South Zone in the selection committee, is an office-bearer of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

But it is reliably learnt that the special general body meeting of the board will be convened sometime later this year and if the amendments are carried through then it will give the new selection committee enough time to plan for next year’s World Cup.

But one must remember that this is not the first time that senior selectors are being provided with talent scouts. Such a system did exist in the past but was given up when it was found that national selectors rarely witnessed Ranji Trophy matches and left it to the scouts to report to them.

Voice of Lankan cricket

By Sanjiva Wijesinha

HIS voice over Sri Lanka’s airwaves is better known than many a national politician. For more than a quarter of a century, Premasara Epasinghe’s illuminating commentaries, delivered in his distinctive rich tone, have entertained the nation and have helped to make cricket the island’s number-one sport.

In July, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka said thank you by presenting him with a gold award, "in appreciation of outstanding service to cricket".

Although cricket has been played in the country for more than 150 years, having been introduced during the British colonial era, the game remained the preserve of English-educated "brown sahibs" until relatively recently. Even after independence in 1948, it was taught only in English schools, matches were reported in the sports pages of the English language newspapers, and cricket commentaries were carried only on English radio broadcasts.

To most Sinhala-speaking citizens, who comprise more than 80 per cent of Sri Lankan’s population, cricket remained as foreign as croquet, lawn bowls and morris dancing. But slowly, radio stations began to realise that there was sufficient interest among the non-English-speaking public to justify broadcasting cricket reports in the majority language.

Initially, the main interest was in inter-school cricket. The only international games the Sri Lanka — then known as Ceylon — played were when English or Australian teams, making the long sea voyage to play Test matches against each other, would break journey half way for a one-day "whistlestop" game against a hastily cobbled national side.

It was during this era, almost 40 years ago, that Epasinghe began his journalistic career as a freelance reporter for Associated Newspaper, the island’s biggest published group.

His bilingualism and cricketing background stood him in good stead. He has been a talented wicketkeeper and batsman representing Nalanda College and Vidyodaya University before going on to play first-division club cricket for Saracens, Nondescripts and Bloomfield. Over the years, his descriptive and well-balanced articles proved popular with sports fans. He was able to de-mystify cricket without distorting the game, and he continues to write a regular column School Cricket Review, for the Daily News.

But it has been his voice rather than his pen that has made Premasara Epasinghe a household name in Sri Lanka. Soon after Radio Ceylon began broadcasting cricket coverage in Sinhala in the late fifties, Epasinghe was called on to present a short sports round-up programme. He got his first big break as a commentator in 1971 when he was assigned to cover the highlight of the school cricket season — the annual encounter between Royal College and St Thomas College.

In those early days of Sinhala coverage, the language did not have the terminology to describe many cricketing terms. How, for example, does one translate terms such as "fine leg", "silly mid-off" and "full toss" into an Asian language? Epasinghe and his colleagues came up with equivalent terms, which were soon absorbed into the lexicon.

Gradually, cricket grew in popularity, conveyed into millions of homes and workplaces by Epasinghe’s deep timbre. It is not uncommon for fans to watch television coverage, with the volume down, and accompanied by Epasinghe’s descriptive commentaries.

It was he who brought news of Sri Lanka’s World Cup victory in 1996— a triumph that has given the game a major boost on the island. "Cricket," he says, "is today the national game of Sri Lanka — the most popular spectator sport as well as the most widely played."

Before he covers matches abroad, Epasinghe reads up on the host city and country, and always weaves some of the local culture into his commentaries. He explains: "People listening in can hear but not see, so you have to paint the scene for them. You have to bring the listeners to the site of the action so that they can see what you are seeing and feel the atmosphere you are experiencing".

Now 61, he continues to work as a public relations officer for a Colombo insurance company. He still broadcasts and writes on a part-time basis — more for the love of the game than for financial remuneration. — Gemini News