China’s wall stands firm

Shikha Uberoi (left) gave a good account of herself in the absence of Sania Mirza.

World No. 42 Na Li was a star of China’s sterling show in the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania tournament. — Photos by AP/PTI/Reuters

Indian eves did fairly well in the Fed Cup qualifiers, but the Chinese were just too good, writes M.S. Unnikrishnan

Indian eves failed to breach the formidable Chinese wall, but they justified their seeding to finish third in the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group I Tennis Championship in New Delhi.

Sania Mirza ensured a better seeding for the hosts, which eventually stood them in good stead, though she pulled out due to a recurring ankle injury.

In Sania’s absence, the US-based Shikha Uberoi, seasoned Rushmi Chakravarthy and the promising Ankita Bhambri played well against better-rated opponents to finish a creditable third, and retain their place in the Asia-Oceania Group I Zone.

Fancied China, who boasted of two Olympic champions and two top-100 singles players, defeated Australia 2-0 in the final to clinch the lone qualifying slot from the eight-team zone for the World Group play-off to be held in June. The zone had two teams qualifying for the play-off till last year but since three teams from the zone—Indonesia, Thailand and Japan — figure in the World Group, the quota of the Asia Oceania Zone was reduced to one. In the last edition held in Delhi, China had brought their second-string side, and made little impact.

Olympic gold medallists Ting Li and Tian Tian Sun, Asian champion Na Li, ranked 42, and 69th-ranked Jie Zhang made up a formidable line-up, though 48th-ranked Shuai Peng had opted out. And the Chinese jelled as a team instantly, as despite their high rankings, it was a different experience to play as a team, and deliver. Na Li had beaten Sania in the Asian Championship final and was looking for an encore, but injury forced Sania to pull out.

Sania had aptly calculated that it was futile to match skills against such a formidable Chinese team in both singles and doubles, and aggravate her injury. She said she had been playing in the past few weeks with pain-killer injections and did not want to risk her career.

With China fielding a strong team, two of them placed above Sania’s 73rd placing, it would have been tough going for her. And a poor showing in the Fed Cup would have not only dented her ranking, but her image too would have taken a knocking, as presently she enjoys a win-loss record of 10-4 in singles.

Sania’s absence, however, afforded the 22-year-old Shikha, Rushmi and Ankita a perfect platform to showcase their talent. Though Ankita could not match her 3-1 win-loss record in last year’s Fed Cup at the same venue, which was better than that of Sania’s, the Indian team did well to take the third place, defeating the tough Korea 2-1 in the play-off.

Shikha and Rushmi carried the burden on their own shoulders, as the hosts justified their third-place ranking. The Fed Cup showing also helped Rushmi and Ankita improving their rankings though Indian coach Enrico Piperno lamented that there was not much “depth” in the team.

India were rather stunned when top-seeded China were drawn with them in Pool A. But the Indian girls fought well despite their limitations to come up with a creditable display. Pool B, too, had stronger teams like second- seeded Australia, Korea, Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.

But it was China’s superlative show which brought the crowds in. The presence of Sania (on the sidelines) and Shikha also acted as a great incentive for the fans to walk in and savour the contests, though the temperatures shot up.

China, playing the final against seven-time champions Australia without their top player, 42nd ranked Na Li, who had flown back to complete her visa formalities for her WTA Tour programme in Europe, still packed enough punch to knock out Australia.

The Olympic doubles gold medallist, 145th-ranked Tian Tian Sun, gave China a head start when she stunned 111th-ranked Evie Dominikovic in the first singles. Then the 69th-ranked Jie Zhen displayed her class by pipping the 52nd-ranked Sumantha Stosur, with a hard-hitting game which could not be countered by her Aussie rival.

The tables could have been turned had Australia been in full strength. The ninth-ranked Alicia Molik, who believes she is within walking distance of the World No. 1 position, did not make up the team as she wanted to concentrate on the WTA Tour to pick up ranking points, while 92-ranked Nicole Pratt, too, gave the Fed Cup the miss, preferring the Tour events.

Perhaps, the Australians were confident that they could wrap up the tie in their favour without the help of their top players but China stood in their way to spoil the party for people Down Under.

It was Australia’s first zonal tie after the Fed Cup — the women’s equivalent of men’s Davis Cup — started in 1963.

The Chinese are putting their best foot forward in women’s tennis, as the eves have shown great potential of making it big on the WTA Tour. They are not wasting their energy and money by spreading thin their tennis resources.

The men don’t have much potential, and China is investing very little in them. The men’s team which came for the Davis Cup tie against India at Delhi a few weeks ago did not have even grass-court shoes. They just came with whatever they had, expecting nothing better than avoiding a whitewash by India, marshalled by Leander Paes. Eventually, it did turn out to be a 5-0 sweep for the hosts.

Never mind the men’s performance. Chinese women are going great guns and doing Asian tennis proud.

IN THE NEWS
Back on track
Mohit Goswami

Bouncing back after his early exit in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the pace ace from Chennai, Narain Karthikeyan, finished the San Marino Formula One race in a creditable 14th position.

Not only did he complete the 62 laps, but never allowed the race leaders to disappear after passing him. The anti-clockwise circuit is considered one of the most difficult track for drivers, having witnessed two deaths in the past.

Narain drove in only a lap behind winner Fernando Alonso of Renault, with an aggregate time of two hours, 52 minutes, .099 seconds. The race will be remembered for Michael Schumacher pushing the winner to the limit, but the Indian, too, held his nerve to give the nation something to cheer about.

Improving with every race, he proved his mettle by testing David Coulthard of Red Bull. An error during his second pit stop robbed him of a few valuable seconds, and eventually, a better finish.

Narain did not exactly scorch the Imola track, but improved his speed considerably. He has rated his showing here as the best so far.

With Narain and his fellow debutant Tiago Monteiro doing well in their first season, Jordan’s choice of two new faces has been justified. They still have 15 races to compete with their current team.

The top contender for the Rookie of the Year award, Karthikeyan had creditable finishes in two of the three races he had taken part in earlier. He finished 15th in the Australian Grand Prix and 11th in the Malaysian Grand Prix, before an electrical fault put paid to his hopes in the second lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The award, if he does get it, will be a stepping stone to the more competitive car makers, and hopefully for India, a podium finish. His current team Jordan have given a break to some of the biggest names in the circuit, including seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

Karthikeyan’s graduation to the top league, though delayed because of his failure to sign for Minardi in 2003, has been smooth, barring his Bahrain experience.

There are enough reasons to believe that the ultimate speed show will at last have an Indian doing the country proud. On a more optimistic note, we may some day even hear the National Anthem being played after the completion of a race.

On memory turf
Neeraj Bagga

Hockey Olympian Jahangir Butt visited India recently as the manager of the Pakistan team for the veterans series. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

His father was a contemporary of the one and only Dhyan Chand. No wonder Olympian Jahangir Butt grew up listening to tales of the hockey wizard’s astonishing stick work. When he visited India recently as the manager of the Pakistan team for the veterans hockey series, Jahangir didn’t fail to pay tribute to the all-time great.

Jahangir’s father, Mohammad Shafi Butt, was a renowned hockey player in pre-Partition Punjab. Mohammad was an employee of Punjab Police and played with Dhyan Chand in several matches.

Talking about his formative years, Jahangir said it was his father who honed his skills and inspired him by narrating Dhyan Chand’s exploits. “My father told me that Dhyan Chand’s stick work was marvellous and it used to catch the rival goalkeeper unawares,” Jahangir said. “In his opinion, Dhyan Chand used to see the field the way a chess player sees the board, well aware of the positions of his team-mates and opponents”.

Jahangir holds the distinction of having played at almost all positions at the international level. He played at forward, full-back and half-back positions for Pakistan from 1965 to 1972. “Except goalkeeping, I have done it all,” he quipped.

Jahangir played in two Olympics. He was part of the team which won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. In the 1972 Munich Olympics, his team bagged the silver medal. He also participated in the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games and played in the 1971 World Cup in Barcelona where Pakistan secured the gold medal.

Born in Gujranwala, Jahangir completed his education there. He fondly remembered the hockey culture in Gujranwala during his youth. “It played a big role in improving my game,” he said, though lamenting that hockey was no longer the favourite game in the city.

Jahangir, a retired Customs employee based in Karachi, is hopeful that Asian hockey would regain its glory.

Hail Nadal
Vikramdeep Johal

The Spanish island of Mallorca is a major attraction for tourists in the Mediterranean. Mallorcan lad Rafael Nadal is fast becoming one for tennis fans across the world with his swashbuckling style and snazzy dress sense.

In his pirate pants, sleeveless shirt and bandana, Nadal reminds you of Andre Agassi in his younger days. Like the American, this 18-year-old is loved by the crowd and respected, if not feared, by his opponents.

Ever since he guided Spain to victory in the Davis Cup in December last year, Nadal has been in ominous form that has helped him sail into the top 10.

At the Australian Open, he gave Lleyton Hewitt a scare or two before going down in a five-setter in the fourth round. Undeterred by this defeat, Nadal won back-to-back claycourt titles in Brazil and Mexico, before adding the Monte Carlo crown to his kitty.

World No. 1 Roger Federer found him a tough nut to crack in the final of the Nasdaq Open in Key Biscayne. Nadal, who led Federer by two sets to love, came within two points of winning the match, only to lose it in five sets.

Last week, he beat compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero to win his fourth title on clay this year. No prizes for guessing who has become the hot favourite for next month’s French Open. If Nadal wins, they will probably raise a monument to him in Mallorca, which will attract even more tourists.

Drop the toss

It is sad that in cricket matches, the toss plays such a big role. The fate of a match should not depend so much on luck. The results should reflect the true worth of the teams. For this the practice of the toss should be done away with.

A system needs to be introduced whereby the teams are alternately given the choice of batting or fielding in a series/tournament. In the subsequent series/tournament, the practice should be resumed from where it was left off.

For instance, suppose India and Pakistan play a three-match ODI series and one of these teams, say India, is asked to make its choice regarding batting or fielding in the first match, Pakistan should be asked to do so in the second and India in the third.

In the subsequent series or any other ODI tournament where India and Pakistan are pitted against each other, Pakistan should be allowed to make their choice in the first match and so on.

There should be separate practices of making such choices in ODI and Test series.

Surendra Miglani KAITHAL

Dismal show

The dismal performance by the Indian team in the final one-day against Pakistan at Delhi not only let down cricket fans in the country but also shattered hopes of squaring the series. Neither batsmen nor bowlers were able to come good.

Chasing a 304-run target for victory, they did not put up even a semblance of a fight and the entire team was bundled out for 144 runs. The star-studded batting line-up could not last the full quota of 50 overs.

Bowlers were equally accountable for this humiliating defeat. None of them were able to restrict the Pakistan batsmen. They bowled many wayward deliveries which enabled Pakistan to set a big target. The decision to play with three seamers instead of two spinners also proved very costly.

To play with four regular bowlers in the entire series instead of five, though it is known to everyone that Indian pitches are pro-batsman, also played a vital role in India losing the series.

Anjiv Singh Jaswal, Chandigarh

Overhaul team

Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, who have served Indian cricket with their wonderful performances over the years, now appear worn out. With their repeated failure with the bat in the Test series and one-dayers against Pakistan, especially in the case of Ganguly, they stand reduced to the state of dead wood which needs to be weeded out as quickly as possible.

With their ouster, the Indian team is likely to perform much better. Dinesh Mongia should form part of the playing eleven. Allrounder J.P. Yadav deserves a break. Harbhajan Singh can be more useful if Murli Kartik bowls from the other end. The team is lucky to have found a good wicketkeeper-batsman in M.S. Dhoni.

The BCCI must give a serious thought to overhauling the team.

Natha Singh, Ludhiana