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| SPORTS TRIBUNE | Saturday, October 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Indian act in Asian tennis TEEING-OFF UT’s promising golfer India’s kabaddi hero |
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Indian act in Asian tennis Though the Indian take in terms of tennis medals from the
Busan Asian Games was limited to just four (one gold, one silver and two
bronze) and success eluded the country in the team events, there was
much that was heartening. This was in the performances of the youngsters
who were not yet stars. One of them, Sania Mirza of Hyderabad, is of
course a star in the making, having already made a mark in the
international junior circuit. Sania figured in the team events
alongside Nirupama Vaidya-nathan and held her own till the
quarter-finals where India lost to Chinese Taipei. The scoreline of 2-0
in favour of Chinese Taipei does not reflect the tremendous fight put up
by Sania, perhaps the youngest competitor in this discipline of the
Asian Games. With a month left before she celebrates her 16th birthday,
Sania appeared to have a firm grip on the match, winning the first set
at 6-4 and leading 4-1 in the tie-breaker of the second against Janet
Whids Lee. But a double-fault put paid to her hopes and the more
experienced Taipei girl was quick to take advantage. By the time the
third set started Sania was visibly fatigued. Sania was also very much
centre of attention in the open events, particularly the mixed doubles
semifinals with Leander Paes as partner. Their opponents, Lu Yen Hsun
and Jenet Whids Lee of Taipe appeared to be in great form, taking a 5-2
lead in the first set. Then it was Sania who was in an inspired mood and
helped India level at five all and take the set to the tie-breaker. Here
too it was touch and go before the Indians floundered in the twelth
game. Sania continued to play exceedingly well in the second set too but
could not stop the Chinese Taipei pair from claiming the match, the
final score reading 7-6, 7-5. What impressed everyone was the ability
of this young Indian to fight back, something of the type of spirit
which Leander Paes always appeared to have. The other Indian to show
promise was Rohan Bopanna. He was seen in fine fettle in the
quarterfinal of the team event where India ran into Uzbekistan. Totally
unruffled by the big occasion he put up a great fight against Oleg
Ogorodov, much higher ranked in ATP circuit, before losing 5-7, 6-2,
2-6. Now to the star pair of Leander and Mahesh. They took time to
settle down and had any number of problems in their semi-final outing
against South Korea’s Kim Dong-Hyun and Kwon Oh-hee. In fact the
Koreans won the second set at three to level the set score and put
pressure on the Indians. It took some extraordinary effort from Leander
and Mahesh to reverse the trend and win the match, taking the final set
at four. But this effort helped the duo to reorganize their ranks and
by the time they met Chung Hee-Seok and Lee Hyung Taik of Korea, they
had plugged all the loopholes and went on to win easily at 6-2, 6-3. |
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TEEING-OFF The Indian golfers have started playing to their
potential overseas. This shows that they are no longer getting overawed
by the opposition. This also proves that they are now acquiring
self-belief, which is a key to success. The 20-year-old Shiv Kapur and
Jyoti Randhawa have brought in a wave of happiness for their excellent
doings in tough competitions. It proves that Indian golf is radiating
brightly. The champions have shown their maturity and displayed their
moderation in their utterances. But some of the parents have been
talking loudly. This causes players more embarrassment than places them
on a high road to encouragement and motivation. It will be judicious if
parents stay in background instead of pampering them. Many promising
players or would-be champions have lost their way because of needless
interference by parents. Kapur maintained his calm nerves at Asiad in
Busan where he picked up a gold medal amidst difficult conditions. His
win was much better than the medal won by India in 1982 at Delhi Golf
Club. To claim a medal at home is one thing but to win it overseas is
cause enough for jubilation. "I was nervous before the fourth
round began but I got into my stride quickly enough", said Shiv on
his return from Busan. He said that he had gained much-needed experience
in playing at different courses in USA and this helped him encounter
rainy situation in Busan. After a short holiday and reunion with his
parents, Shiv has returned to the USA to complete his studies. He says
that he will think of turning pro only after he completes his
studies. Shiv is talented. But pro life and competitions are tougher
than achieving laurels in Asian Games. He will have to work much harder
on his game and temperament to make his presence felt in the pro
circuit. Vijay Kumar, hero in Indian conditions, has been struggling
and, in the two overseas competitions, he has not been able to make a
cut. What is honey here is a very difficult ball game overseas. But
there is nothing that can’t be achieved with dedicated effort. The
Indians have taught a few lessons to the British in cricket. The time
seems to be coming when Indian golfers will provide a lesson or two to
the British in golf. Jyoti Randhawa’s sixth place at the Dunhill
Championships points to this conclusion. Already an international player
of repute, his performance in the recent competition provides him
greater recognition and confidence to climb up the ladder. He is a pro
who has very sharp mental faculties in addition to being a dedicated
player. No voidThere will be no looking back in Indian golf as recent sponsors, Shaw Wallace, are determined to carry the game forward in the world of golf. Their effort to promote golf is wholesome. They do not merely manifest ‘rare spirit, rare character’, but they are determined to establish that the recent parenthood for the Indian Open is far more rewarding than the previous parents.
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UT’s promising golfer A dedicated and promising golfer from Chandigarh,
Zoravar Singh, appears to be on the path to fame in the near future. A
class IX student of Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar, Zoravar
initially took to cricket in the beginning but an accident a few years
back which caused an eye injury forced him to adopt golf. The injury,
however, was cured but as golf was already in his blood with his father,
Mr Parminder Singh being a regular golfer, he started taking golf
lessons first from him and later from coach Jesse Grewal whom is now
Director, Coaching, at the Hero Honda Golf Academy at the CGA
Range. When he was 11 years old, he played at the Riverside Golf and
Country Club in Los Angeles in 1999. Today aged 14, Zoravar stands at
six feet and practices yoga under the guidance of an instructor. His
golf schedule runs for more than five hours daily, which also includes a
visit to the gym. Zoravar has to his credit many worthwhile achievements
like winning the 2000 Captains Day in the under 14 section. This year he
won the Himachal Pradesh Open Golf Tournament, and secured the forth
position in the all India under 15 golf meet in Gurgaon. Other
creditable achievements include clinching the fifth place in the Classic
Resort in 2000, runners-up position in the Pran Nath Memorial Cup at
Chandigarh besides winning many club-level tournaments. The recent
visit of world renowned golf teacher Donetto Ponzanio of Italy in August
to the CGA Range was a step in the right direction for golf promotion,
according to Zoravar. Academically he is always among the top 10 in his
class and feels indebted to his school Principal. He is happy that
Chandigarh and its peripheral areas are becoming a hub of golfing
activity. Zoravar receives constant encouragement from his father and
grandfather who stays in Shimla. He aims to emulate Tiger Woods and
Ernie Els and plans to join the Golf Academy in San Diego, California,
in 2004 to polish his skills. Zoravar who participated in the all-India
junior and sub-junior golf meet which concluded at Chandigarh on Friday
stood second in group B. |
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India’s kabaddi hero In India’s gold medal winning performance the kabaddi against arch rivals Pakistan in the Asian Games, Punjab’s Manpreet Singh, alias Manna, played a stellar role. In the final he secured 16 points alone out of the total 37 to hand down a comprehensive defeat to Pakistanis who got only seven points. Strapping above 6 feet, Manna is from Mirpur village near Lalru in Patiala district. He was the only player from Punjab, which is a known as the home of kabaddi, to be selected in the India team that participated in the Asian Games. Manna had earlier made his name in the other international competitions. But his performance against Pakistan in a crucial match beccme a talking point of the games. Interestingly, Punjab Police, which has recruited a large number of players, offered Manna the job of a Head Constable. However, the CRPF offered him the job of an Inspector. Motivated by his master, Mr Harbans Lal, Manna started playing kabaddi when he was in primary school. Fond of eating honey, Manna had the habit to fiddle with bee-hives when he was in his teens. And this habit has remained intact till date though he has become a player of international fame. After studying at Multipurpose School at Patiala, Manna under the guidance of Mr Sher Singh, an NIS trained coach, polished his game. His love for kabaddi took him to DAV College, Bathinda where he further improved his game and started catching the eyes of the national kabaddi coaches. He has won a number of medals in the national level competitions. Interestingly, Ram Mehar, who led the team, is from Sukhpura village near Bhiwani in Haryana. He is an outstanding “ catcher”. The three other kabaddi players- Shamsher Singh Narwal, Jagdish Singh Narwal and Sundar Singh -of the golden team are from Gohana in Haryana. |
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DD disappoints sports lovers The Busan Asian Games are over but Doordarshan has disappointed
sportslovers. More than 7000 athletes from 43 countries participated
but the greatest carnival of Asia was consigned to DD Sports to which
a majority of people did not have access. Moreover, cable operators
are not beaming DD-Sports. Sports crazy people have been deprived of
watching the grand show. If it is not possible to show the Games live
on DD-1, howcome cricket matches are invariably telecast live on it?
The very purpose of DD-Sports is being defeated. Tarsem S. Bumrah, Gavaskar’s viewsThe selectors of the Indian cricket
team and captain of the team, Saurav Ganguly must give due weightage
to the comments of Sunil Gavaskar that both Srinath and Anil Kumble
are a spent force. If we analyse the recent performance of the
erstwhile strike bowlers, we can deduce that both have lost their
penetrative skill. Their bowling is being milked by the tailenders not
to speak of the specialist batsmen. Both of them should gracefully
call it a day in the interest of the nation as well as Indian
cricket. KL Sethi, Cricket teamThe
Indian cricket team deserves all praise for sharing the Champions
Trophy with Sri Lanka. Had rain not come to the rescue of the hosts
there was no doubt that India would win. The Indian cricket team is a
blend of youth. Sehwag, Mongia, Yuvraj, Kaif, Harbhajan and Zaheer all
are below 25. Their allround quality and calibre remind us of the 1983
World Cup winning team. Vipul Kansal, IIIndia
performed brilliantly in the ICC Champions Trophy. The result of the
final does not matter because everyone knows that had rain not played
spoilsport, India would have won. In this series, Indians played like
professionals and gave their best. Yuvraj and Kaif played a powerful
role. They are the emerging stars of Indian cricket. Nidhi
Gupta,
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