Awards: fresh assessment needed?
Ramu Sharma
MILKHA Singh has perhaps not realised it but in refusing to accept the Arjuna Award for lifetime achievement he may have set in motion a possible rethink on the whole aspect of the government’s awards for sportspersons. There is no other way left for the authorities but to reassess the entire procedure of rewarding sports personalities for achievements on the field.

Premier club losing its moorings
Amardeep Bhattal
THE seventies can easily be described as a period of resurgence of Punjab football. Inspired by the legendary Jarnail Singh, Punjab lifted the prestigious Santosh Trophy, the symbol of national supremacy, for the first time in 1970.The feat was repeated at Jalandhar in 1974 where Punjab stunned soccer powerhouse Bengal by a record 6-0 margin.

Wisden explains Sachin’s omission
Qaiser Mohammad Ali
AN official of Wisden 100 rankings has for the first time expressed surprise at the non-inclusion of Sachin Tendulkar while conceding that there were “elements that are arguable” in the selection process. “On the face of it the absence of Tendulkar is indeed surprising, as he has scored 25 Test hundreds already,” Steven Lynch, Wisden’s database director, explained in a special article titled “Tendulkar rumpus: our man responds,” posted on Wisden.com.

Awards: fresh assessment needed?
Ramu Sharma

MILKHA Singh has perhaps not realised it but in refusing to accept the Arjuna Award for lifetime achievement he may have set in motion a possible rethink on the whole aspect of the government’s awards for sportspersons. There is no other way left for the authorities but to reassess the entire procedure of rewarding sports personalities for achievements on the field. The whole show needs redefining and if necessary compartmentalise the various types of awards.

That there was something drastically wrong in the evaluation of performances and the actual award has been noticed for quite a few years, particularly from the time the government decided to add money packets with the honours. Money has a tendency to queer the best of intentions and it has done so with the sports awards presented every year. It has in fact changed the very basis of the award. The earlier adage that one has to earn the award has now changed altogether. The award means money and since money is everything in today’s world, the achievements have been rendered meaningless. In harsh words the award is only a means to earn some money.

The sports awards are an instance where good intentions have gone awry. In a country so vast as India and with so many claimants with powerful representations to back them, it was always on the cards that the selection procedure in a few cases could perhaps go wrong. Or to put in proper perspective that the there were persons better qualified than the ones who were picked to be honoured.

The Ministry has chosen to deny Milkha Singh’s accusation of faulty selection and influence being brought to pick the awardees. It has also claimed that the awardees were chosen only on merit by the selection committee on the basis of their performance or their lifetime contribution in sports or its promotion. It also stressed the fact that the process of selection was transparent and in no way affected by any extraneous considerations.

One would like to join issue with the Ministry on the basis of the clarification issued. Agreed the selection was transparent but it was transparently wrong. And there is no way it can justify awards to certain individuals picked for lifetime contribution in sports or its promotion.

Not only was that not a fair selection but to club these individuals with that of the achievements of Milkha Singh is highly questionable. No one will question the Ministry if it wants to give award and reward to some individuals of its choice but let it not be in the name of sport. And while on this subject since when has sports promotion been considered as an achievement on the field of sport. If the Ministry has expanded the scope of Arjuna Award to include sports promotion it has certainly opened a Pandora’s Box. Now every organiser in the country will put in his claim for the award since most of the officials associated with organising have been at the helm of affairs for years altogether.

Coming back to the core issue of Milkha Singh, the star athlete of yesteryear could complain that he should have been named the year the awards were instituted. This could be the grouse of not only Milkha but quite a few others. But then those were the early days of the awards and perhaps only one person from each discipline was chosen for the most recent of performances and Gurbachan Singh, to be cast almost in the same mould of Milkha as far as ability and achievements went, got the nod.

Milkha’s stand has received mixed reception. There is a school of thought which feels that the Flying Sikh should accept it since it is a national honour. There is another thought process which agrees with Milkha while there are some who feel that there was no need for Milkha Singh’s name to have clubbed with people who are not even in the same street. Milkha must have mulled over the issue for some time before coming up with a firm no.

Milkha is not the only one with a grouse. Balkishen Singh, coach of the 1980 team which won the hockey gold in Moscow has expressed similar sentiments but has agreed to accept the award. He has, however, made a pertinent point, that of the award being corrupted with the introduction of cash incentive. He is of course right. Without the cash attachment there would be hardly the unsavoury rush for the honour.

The refusal by Milkha, the criticism by Balkishen, Michael Ferreira and many others must be given due consideration. The ministry must take cognisance of the chorus of protests and initiate steps to plug the loopholes. This could be done by redefining the awards in such a way as to prevent anyone from using them to serve help their friends. The Ministry may deny that such things have happened but their protests will not carry weight. There have been too many obvious and sometimes blatant, if inadvertent mistakes in the selection process.

The Arjuna Award must be redefined. It must be given only to those who win medals, if preferably with personal best performances, at recognised international competition such as the Asian Games, Commonwealth and the Olympics and meets held at continental level. Also these awards must be given only in disciplines recognised at the international level. The government must not include disciplines which are not part of the international circuit. Indigenous games such as Kho Kho, Kabaddi, and even Ball Badminton should be out of the scope of the Arjuna Award. The government could choose some equally worthy award for such disciplines.

And there should be uniformity in the selection and disbursement of awards. Agreed that there was no such thing as Arjuna Award at the time when Milkha was at his peak and he was given the Padma Shri for his great performances. But there are many others of his era, with some outstanding performances who have been ignored simply because they did not belong to the particular time.

The authorities literally dug graves to give Arjuna Awards to some people in disciplines which do not have international status but have quietly forgotten achievers like Balkar Singh, Labh Singh, Mohinder Singh, Lavvy Pinto, and other great athletes. At the same time there have been athletes who have got first the Arjuna Award and then were conferred the Padma Shri. But Gurbachan Singh Randhawa appears to have been booked for selective discrimination. He deserved a Padma Shri too, much more deserving of the award than quite a few others but he was overlooked.

The authorities must now take a fresh look, revamp the entire selection committee if necessary but make sure that the farce enacted each year in their acts of submissions and omissions is not repeated. Amends must be made and the glamour and glitter associated with the Arjuna Award must be restored. At the moment there is transparency but it is of a nature where every wrong action stands revealed.

Premier club losing its moorings
Amardeep Bhattal

THE seventies can easily be described as a period of resurgence of Punjab football. Inspired by the legendary Jarnail Singh, Punjab lifted the prestigious Santosh Trophy, the symbol of national supremacy, for the first time in 1970.The feat was repeated at Jalandhar in 1974 where Punjab stunned soccer powerhouse Bengal by a record 6-0 margin. It was the era of stalwarts like Inder Singh,Gurdev Singh,Harjinder Singh,Sukhwinder Singh,and GS Parmar. Players like Kashmira Singh,Parminder Singh and the late Manjit Singh took the state to new heights. Punjab thus came to the forefront and soon came to be regarded as a major force in national football.

The story of success opened new vistas for players of the state.Like the late Jarnail Singh,who played for Mohun Bagan for almost a decade,players from Punjab started getting noticed. Kolkata giants East Bengal opened their doors for Punjabi players.Among those who donned the red and gold jersey were the late Manjit Singh,Gurdev Singh and Harjinder Singh.

The period also saw the birth of new clubs in Punjab.Among these were Punjab State Electricity Board,which incidentally was the last club which the late Manjit Singh served with distinction.The historic victory over Mohun Bagan in the Sanjay Gandhi Gold Cup at Patna is still a cherished moment for some of the old timers like Joginder Singh,one of the pioneers who assisted the club in its formative years. But sadly,the very club which till recently was in the forefront in national football is gradually losing its moorings.The reason — no recruitment for the past four years.

The Punjab State Electricity Board football team came into existence in 1979-80.Ever since,it has produced stars who not only shone on the national horizon but also carved out a niche overseas.The late Manjit Singh,who represented the club from 1981 to 1985,was recognised as one of the best forwards that India have ever produced. He also played for East Bengal along with Harjinder Singh and Gurdev Singh. Later, Charanjit Singh also from PSEB, represented India in the 1986 Asian Games. Earlier, Sital Singh,who was among the probables for the 1982 Asian Games, represented the country in the Aga Khan tourney at Dhaka in 1983.Yash Pal and Madan Lal of PSEB also played for East Bengal in 1989 while another player of the club, William, was in the national team for the Nehru Cup held at Goa the same year. Striker Hardip Sangha, now playing for JCT, also began his playing career in Punjab State Electricity Board.

Punjab State Electricity Board as a football club has a chequered history.According to Mr Joginder Singh,manager,and Mr Balbir Singh,coach of the team,the club’s first major achievement was the title win in the Tirubhavan Shield in Nepal in 1982-83 where Manjit Singh made a good impact. The same year PSEB finished runners-up in the Governor’s Gold Cup in Sikkim.In 1986-87,the club won the Nai Duniya Football Tournament at Indore and later the Iron Ore Gold Cup at Durg in Madhya Pradesh.

It was in 1993 that the club came to be recognised as a major force in the national circuit.Playing in the prestigious Durand Cup,PSEB chalked out astounding victories on their way to the final, including the 3-1 win over Kolkata’s Mohammedan Sporting.In the semifinals,they beat arch rivals JCT Mills but they lost to East Bengal in the final.Three years later, PSEB again missed the title in the prestigious DCM Football Tournament where they finished runners-up.

This season, PSEB won the Gurdarshan Memorial Football Tournament at Nabha for the seventh time as well as the Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial Football Tournament at Banga, near Nawanshahr.

However, despite a good showing at the national level and earning a name for itself, PSEB today is struggling to keep its identity intact.Teams like JCT, Punjab Police and Border Security Force have overshadowed the powermen by inducting fresh blood periodically. The three Punjab outfits are currently busy in the ongoing Federation Cup at Chennai and then two of them, JCT and Punjab Police,will be taking part in the sixth edition of the National Football League. BSF have also figured in the NFL previously but sadly PSEB, once a force to reckon with in India are neither playing in the Federation Cup nor will they be seen in action in the National Football League. The only way to come out of the rot is to inject fresh blood into the team, says coach Balbir Singh. “If we are allowed to recruit new faces, our team surely will be back in the reckoning,” said Balbir during a recent meeting. ‘’The club’s history and past achievements have always provided inspiration to our players to achieve something spectacular,” he added.

Wisden explains Sachin’s omission
Qaiser Mohammad Ali

AN official of Wisden 100 rankings has for the first time expressed surprise at the non-inclusion of Sachin Tendulkar while conceding that there were “elements that are arguable” in the selection process.

“On the face of it the absence of Tendulkar is indeed surprising, as he has scored 25 Test hundreds already,” Steven Lynch, Wisden’s database director, explained in a special article titled “Tendulkar rumpus: our man responds,” posted on Wisden.com.

He also acknowledged Tendulkar to be a “fantastically consistent” batsman, noting that since scoring his first Test century in 1990 when only 17, he has failed to make a hundred in a series of three or more Tests only four times.

But Lynch pointed out that most of the highest-ranked innings in the Wisden 100 are “tide-turning, match winning performances,” picked out of 2000-plus Test centuries in the 123-year Test history.

“. . . it is just an impartial list — with elements that are arguable, we will readily admit, because of the subjective decisions that lie behind the weightings,” he said.

Lynch said that in another unpublished Wisden calculation Tendulkar is tops.

“If you set the Wisden ratings to assess whole careers rather than individual performances, guess who is the highest-rated current player?” asked Lynch. “Yes, it is Tendulkar.”

The Wisden listings, ironically launched in Tendulkar’s hometown of Mumbai in July, ranks the 100 best Test batting and bowling feats globally, and a similar top 10 Indian lists drawn from India’s 69-year Test history.

Tendulkar’s omission from both lists created a storm in cricketing circles, and many experts attacked Wisden.

“There were even suggestions that Wisden snubbed Sachin by deliberately leaving him out, which could not be further from the truth,” wrote Lynch. “There is nothing deliberate about it: the factors were decided upon separately, and then the computer took over.”

Soon after the rankings were released, Wisden was flooded by some “thought-provoking” e-mail from people. Many Tendulkar fans either questioned the Wisden rankings or pointed out anomalies in its parameters.

“This was not helped by a widespread assumption that we were talking about ranking great players rather than great individual innings or bowling performances,” said Lynch.

The database director further explained that the ratings were not anti-Indian in any way. “They were actually devised by an Indian, our statistical analyst, Y. Ananth Narayan.”

Lynch said only six of Tendulkar’s tons have led to Indian wins, and his two double-centuries have come in draws against weak bowling attacks — 217 against New Zealand in 1999-2000, and 201 not out against Zimbabwe last year — while his top-rated innings of 169 against South Africa at Cape Town in 1996-97 came in a match that India lost.

He also explained the accompanying problems in taking up a task of this magnitude. “The trouble, when assessing more than 54,000 individual Test innings, is that external influences... cannot be turned into numbers.”

“We can calculate the percentage of the team’s score, the degree to which the batsman had to shepherd the lower order, and the relative strength of the opposition attack — and these are among the factors used to work out our batting lists. But we do not always know the speed of scoring, or if the innings was chanceless.” — IANS

Defeat at Galle disgraceful

For quite sometime we have been witnessing disappointing and erratic performance by the Indian cricket team. Our captain has a funny habit of giving most unconvincing excuses. One day he says we have lost due to bad batting and the next day he states that our bowlers and fielders have let us down. Sometimes he puts the blame on the wicket and also goes to the extent of saying that since we lost the toss therefore, we lost the match. For millions of cricket fans our team has become a source of tension and not entertainment. Even the policy of appointing a foreign coach has proved a failure. Perhaps engaging a tantrik would do!

Dr V.S. Abrol
Jalandhar

Prof Y.L. Chopra
Bathinda

Players’ contract

The Indian team has seven players who are under an advertising contract with Pepsi, namely Sachin, Saurav, Rahul, Laxman, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Agarkar. Coke does not have a single player under an advertising contract. This Indian team comprising top players like Sachin, Saurav, Rahul, Harbhajan, Kumble and Srinath has been regularly losing to weaker teams. All the big games lost by our players were sponsored by Coke. Is this some kind of a gimmick or sheer coincidence? Are they under any pressure from Pepsi?

Received on e-mail

Dinesh C Nagpal

Jolt by Milkha

A big jolt has been given by Flying Sikh Milkha Singh to India sports by refusing the coveted Arjuna Award. The act of Milkha Singh has been appreciated by many sports lovers. The Sports Minister, Ms Uma Bharati has not given any clear-cut reply to Milkha Singh’s allegations. There is great need for a fresh look at the overall scenario.

Ujagar Singh
Chandigarh