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Cricket in the lap of Dhauladhars Twist to Bannister’s run Rahil Gangjee comes of age IN THE NEWS |
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Cricket in the lap of Dhauladhars
The resplendent Dhauladhar hills were experiencing snowfall during first day's play of the Duleep Trophy match between North Zone and West Zone in February end at Dharamsala. Enthusiasts watched Irfan Pathan, Akash Chopra, Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Mongia and Munaf Patel contesting on the field while snow fell on towering mountains nearby, visible from the playing arena. As the players slugged out in the middle, a rainbow provided colour in the backdrop. Fans watched the action unfold as chilly winds swept the arena. An enchanting spectacle, unlikely to find a parallel anywhere in the world. Dharamsala, so far, is known for being the headquarters of Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader. Going by the pace at which cricket interest and activity is picking up in the town, it looks set to become synonymous with cricket soon. The surrounding beauty leaves first-time visitors awe-struck. National selectors,who were there to oversee performance of the players, too were smitten by the ground and waxed eloquent about its natural charm. "One of the best cricket grounds in the world. I have never seen such a beautiful site in my cricketing days," gushed Kiran More, national selector and former India wicketkeeper. SMH Kirmani, chief national selector and former India stumper went a little further saying, "An outstanding scenic ground under snow-clad mountains with ideal ambience and facilities for sports lovers....Definitely suitable to conduct an international match." High altitude makes it an ideal place to conduct coaching camps, especially when a blazing sun renders it impossible to conduct such an activity elsewhere during the sweltering summers. "Players can arrive here a couple of days in advance so as to acclimatise themselves," Vipul Chawda, physio of the West Zone team, remarked. "Due to its altitude, the place is fit to hold summer camps. When completed the stadium would easily be one of the best in the country. The good thing about the whole project is that it still has tremendous scope for expansion," he added. Former India captain and legendary leg-spinner Bishen Singh Bedi has already taken the lead and is holding a six-week summer training camp for junior cricketers. Javagal Srinath, Erapalli Prasanna, Hanumant Singh and Kirmani are scheduled to give tips to budding youngsters at the camp, which will continue till June 30. In certain respects, the stadium resembles the PCAStadium at Mohali. Lush green outfield is sloped so that rainwater runs off quickly. A proper drainage system is also in place. A moat on the periphery of the stadium can thwart crowd intrusion, besides taking care of the drained rainwater. The stadium has all the equipment needed for an international arena, a Super Sopper, heavy and light rollers, water sprinklers to keep grass in proper shape, besides other things. The dressing rooms for the players, umpires' rooms, the terraced block on the first floor and the press box are all spacious and meticulously planned while area on the second floor is reserved for corporate boxes. Also taking care of the players, seven practice wickets are in place for them to warm up before a match. Cemented stands for spectators to the left and right of the pavilion are being constructed, while the area beyond these is being kept open to ensure that the view of the snow-clad Dhauladhar hills is not obstructed. Care is being taken to preserve the scenic beauty of the stadium. The idea is to have grassy banks adjoining the cemented stands so that the spectators can enjoy the match leisurely. Clear blue sky, non-existent pollution,
no sapping heat, absence of cricket-crazy fans mobbing players and the
picturesque view are likely to put the town in a place of unique
prominence. Dharamsala is set to emerge as a major cricket hub in north
India, where enthusiasts can go to enjoy the game as well as the nature. |
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Twist to Bannister’s run
Considered a quintessential British event, the mile has a special place in the history of athletics. It gained in importance when Roger Bannister covered the distance in 3:59.4, the first man to run the mile in under four minutes. May 6, 1954, will be remembered for Bannister's run. This year, the 50th anniversary of the historical run at Oxford's Iffley Road, was given a new twist. Pat Bucher, a leading athletics correspondent, in a letter to The Guardian, wrote, "the worst thing about the first sub-four minute mile was the pace making". According to Butcher it nurtured the belief that it was the only way to run middle-distances. Not many people accept the charge made by Butcher but the fact remains that Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway did the fore-running for Bannister, their pace-setting eventually providing the incentive for the mile to be run under four minutes. Butcher quotes the IAAF rules stating that everyone in the race should try and win. That did not happen in the race won by Bannister. According to Frank Keating, more known for his cricket reports, nine of the 12 world mile records set in the 40 years before Bannister's run in 1954 were achieved using pace setters. There were exceptions, Pavo Nurmi, the taciturn Finn, and Andersson of Sweden, who won their records without pace setters but then they were in a class of their own. Morroccan Hichen El Guerrouj, the leading distance runner, was paced in two world championships and also in the Sydney Olympics. "There was widespread satisfaction" when the tactics went wrong in Sydney and Guerrouj was beaten by Kenya's Noah Ngeny. Right or wrong it is a little in the
day to pass judgement on Dr Roger Bannister's performance. It is an
all-time great and Bannister, a qualified doctor, is an accepted and
adored icon of the athletics world. |
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Rahil Gangjee comes of age Rookie Rahil Gangjee announced his arrival by displaying nerves of steel and technique of an established star. Only 25, the young golfer came of age as he mastered China to win Volkswagan title in a nerve-wracking sudden death play-off against South Korea’s Mo Joong-Kyung. Tied at 15-under par 273 after sub par scores on the final day, Rahil won in the first play-off hole with a par on the 18th to pocket $ 48450 of the total prize money of $ 3,00,000. As he won the pulsating tittle, he was quick to say that Arjun Atwal’s achievements motivated him to perform. "I just took a leaf out of Atwal’s illustrious book to prove to all golfing community that I had in me to emulate my Kolkattan colleague", said Gangjee in his own typical style. Only on his fourth event of the Asian Tour, Gangjee said he had profited a great deal in playing with Atwal on the greens of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and the Tolly Club. "I am feeling exceedingly fine in winning the title", said Gangjee, adding: "Now since I have tasted the blood of victory, I want to work still harder so that I am able to achieve more success on the exacting Asian Tour". Five players entered the final round tied for the space on the leader-board. When he grabbed the lead, he nurtured a hope of winning the tile and he translated it in the first play-off hole. He turned pro only in 2001. Harinder Gupta, only 19, is another rising star. He made a golfing history the other day when he won the Chandigarh Open. This was only third time in Indian history that an amateur had won the pro event. Belonging to Gorabazar village in Kushinagar (UP), Harinder’s golfing talent blossomed as he shifted to Chandigarh. He first turned ‘aagewalla’ at golf course, then became a caddie. This gave him some opportunity to watch good players in action and also get an opportunity to play after doing arduous duties. In 1999, he won four junior events and six out of seven in the 12001. ranked First, he received some help from the ONGC. Those, who have watched him play, believe that he is a star in the making. He can be yet another Chandigarh player to bring a cheer for this sporting city. Daniel Chopra, more Indian than Swedish, has fully recovered from his declining form and lean financial resources to make a grand wave in the $ 450,000 Henrico County Open, an event on the second rung tour of the US PGA. His winning this title should help him go from strength to strength. Now in his usual bellingerent mood, he is one who can make a huge roar to silent many more renowned American pros. On the Japanese circuit, Jeev Milkha Singh has also found his bearing and now there are more then half-a-dozen Indian pros displaying their talent and prowess worldwide. This is a sure sign of golf taking off
in a big way in this country although sponsors have suddenly started
playing ‘hide and seek’. This is not a happy augury. |
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IN THE NEWS
After the defeat, Agassi admitted that his chances of returning to Roland Garros next year were slim. Champion in 1999, Agassi was the oldest man in the draw this year at 34. The sixth seed lost in just over two hours to a player who was playing his first-ever match on tour and ranked No 271 in the world. In 1998 Agassi had lost in the first round to Marat Safin of Russia. Agassi made his French Open debut in 1987 and was playing in 16th Roland Garros tournament. The former champion was looking to win his 800th career match but was ambushed in the quest by the 23-year-old Frenchman. Agassi has won all the four Grand Slams and is one of the five men to achieve the enviable feat. French Open is considered to be one of the toughest titles to win and the great Pete Sampras also couldn't master the red clay. Agassi now switches his attention to Wimbledon and the Olympics.
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Fast bowlers needed Cricket is generally regarded as a game of fast bowlers. Countries like Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies and even Pakistan have produced a good number of fast bowlers. Above all, Richard Hadlee was the first perfect fast bowler to cross the mark of 400 in test wickets. Other successful fast bowlers like Lillee, Thomson, Andy Roberts, Marshal, Micheal Holding, Ian Bothom, Bob Willis, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Kapil Dev have also worked wonders. The BCCI should, therefore, lay more emphasis on selecting and training fast bowlers instead of relying on spin bowling. Both Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan deserve full credit for steady and accurate fast bowling in the recently concluded Test-series against Pakistan. Nirmal Kumar, Panchkula Anju's long jump Anju Bobby George twice recorded a long jump of 6.74 metres on home soil but abroad this athlete, despite spending a huge amount of government funds totalling Rs 30 lakh, never achieved this feat even once. At the World Athletic Championship in Paris, she jumped 6.70 metres, while in another meet abroad she jumped 6.60 metres. At an international meet in Osaka she jumped 6.46 metres. Will Anju Bobby George, her coach and husband Bobby George and the Amateur Athletic Federation of India secretary-general, Lalit Bhanot came out with an explanation? Narinder Singh, Chandigarh Indian hockey While the India senior hockey team moved fans to tears through their dismal and pathetic performance in the double-leg men’s hockey Challenge Cup in Australia, the Indian colts brought cheers by clinching majestically their maiden Junior Asia Cup title. In the pulsating final, they trounced arch rivals Pakistan 5-2. The heroes of their splended triumph were Tushar Khandekar, who scored a hat-trick in style, and Sandeep Singh, who pumped in two goals to seal the fate of their opponents. Eventually Sandeep Singh emerged as the highest goal scorer in the tournament with 16 goals in his kitty. His lethal drag flicks reminded one of Jugraj Singh's artistry in this department of the game. In fact the entire team played superbly and it was the magnificent team effort that helped India rout Pakistan in the first match between the two sides on Pakistani soil in five years. The juniors' stickwork was dazzling and there was a perfect understanding and co-ordination between the forwards and the defenders. As a result they did not lose a single game and kept their slate clean. They deserve accolades. Tarsem S. Bumrah,
Batala |
Age
seems to be catching up with Andre Agassi as he suffered one of the most
crushing defeats of his illustrious career in a Grand Slam. The French
Open dream ended as soon as it began for him as he lost in straight sets
4-6, 6-7(4/7), 3-6 to French qualifier Jerome Haehnel in the first round
on the opening day.