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| SPORTS TRIBUNE |
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So far, so good
Mission Pakistan Dhoom time for Ashish
Sharpshooter
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So far, so good
Nothing succeeds like success. Things looked quite bleak for Indian cricket a month ago, with one controversy following another. The picture looks rosy at the moment. The huddle is back with a bang, but can it last till the 2007 World Cup? The skipper-coach combination of Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell holds the key to India’s fortunes. Dravid is hardly putting a foot wrong these days. Importantly, he is in good form and leading from the front, something which his predecessor Sourav Ganguly failed to do time and again. With stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag and For the implementation of any strategy, the onus is on the youngsters, and they are not letting the seniors down. India is lucky to have a promising young brigade, which includes Irfan Pathan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajit Agarkar, Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao and S. Sreesanth. The last three are short on international experience, but if they keep performing, they would get adequate exposure in the next 12 months or so. For a big event like the World Cup, India need a formidable bench strength. (Australia won the 2003 edition in the absence of trump card Shane Warne). Thanks to the young turks, India are no longer relying on one or two players to deliver the goods. With several potential match-winners in the side, there is simply no place for non-performers. India now face world number two South Africa in a five-match series beginning on November 16. The Springboks are pretty upbeat after their 4-0 rout of New Zealand and an unbeaten run of 19 matches, but home advantage and current form make India the favourites. If they get past South Africa, there is no reason why India shouldn’t do the same against England early next year. However, even if India achieve a hat-trick of ODI series wins at home (Sri Lanka, South Africa and England), they would still have to show their mettle abroad to become a contender for the World Cup. India’s recent record on foreign soil has not been encouraging, having lost a tri-series each in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Last year, they failed to reach even the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy in England. The tour to the West Indies in May-June next year is going to be crucial, and the players’ performance in the Caribbean would definitely have a bearing on their show in cricket’s biggest event. Familiarity with the conditions is likely to stand the team in good stead for the World Cup. For the time being, the vital thing is to make winning a habit and steamroll one opposition after the other.
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Mission Pakistan
England have had a shaky start to their tour of Pakistan, with a hard-fought win over Patron’s XI followed by an embarrassing loss to Pakistan A. A lot is being expected from this English team after their epic Ashes triumph. This tour and the subsequent trip to India next year will put to the test the team’s ability to counter spin-friendly pitches, stomach bugs and the occasional jehadi. Teams from outside the subcontinent have often struggled against Pakistan on the latter’s turf. It is a huge challenge for teams like England and Australia to excel under difficult playing conditions. As the saying goes, “If you can win here, you can win anywhere.” England won a series for the first time in Pakistan for nearly 40 years when they defeated the home team 1-0 in 2000-01. The present English team is much better than the team which won four years ago, and buoyed by their Ashes success, the players are raring to go against the Pakistanis. English fast bowlers have mastered the art of reverse swing — Justin Langer and his Aussie mates will testify to that. Ironically, the Pakistani batsmen will get a taste of their own medicine because it was Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram who first unleashed this lethal weapon against unsuspecting batsmen around the world. England’s spinners would be expected to do the bulk of the bowling and ease the burden on the pacers. “Old fox” Ashley Giles, who troubled Sachin Tendulkar and other Indian batsmen on England’s last tour of India, can spring a surprise on the Pakistani batsmen. The English batting line-up is also formidable, but they will be tested by Danish Kaneria and Co. As Shane Warne showed with his rich haul of wickets in the Ashes series — in spite of being on the losing side — spin bowling has always been the Achilles heel of the English batsmen. The Pakistani spinners would no doubt go for the jugular and try to entangle their rivals in a spin web. England have their work cut out, but they must have done their homework with the last series in mind. This series also provides an opportunity to two exciting cricketers — Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen — to excel in unfamiliar conditions. Michael Vaughan is considered by experts to be the best captain around and the way he out-thought Ricky Ponting was one of the reasons the Ashes urn changed hands. But he twisted his knee in the match against Pakistan A and is a doubtful starter for the first Test, if not for the whole series. Pakistan has riches of talent, probably more than any other country. What they lack is the wherewithal to make the precociously talented — and equally temperamental — youngsters to perform consistently. The team is divided into two groups — the ‘Lahore camp’ and the ‘Karachi camp’ — and they don’t see eye to eye. Pakistan’s main strike bowler and the fastest in the world — Shoaib Akhtar — plays when he wants to play and not when the team wants him to play. Shahid Afridi is beyond any control. When the captain orders him not to take risks, he jumps out of the crease and hits a six or gets out. Yousuf Youhana purportedly changed his religion because as a Christian, he felt like an outsider. The Pakistanis believe in individualism. Rarely do they play as a team. There is too much insecurity in the team with players not sure whether they will play in the next series or not. The team needs an inspirational captain in the mould of Imran Khan, who led them to World Cup triumph in 1992. Individual brilliance will bring victories here and there but consistency can only be ensured when teamwork shines through — Australia is a prime example of excellent team spirit. England have a decent track record in Pakistan, having won two Tests and lost an equal number out of a total of 21. Overall, they enjoy a 16-10 lead. Pakistan will have to be on their guard if they want to avoid a series loss, for England have the requisite hardware to humble them once again. |
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Dhoom time for Ashish
His cool looks are deceptive — it’s all sound and fury when he drives his bike. Meet Ashish Saurabh Moudgill, the youngest winner of the Raid de Himalaya rally this year in the motorcycle (Xtreme) category. A student of mechanical engineering from MM Engineering College, Mullana, Ashish is passionate not only about driving motorbikes but also about modifying their engines. “I customised the chassis of my previous bike. I plan to specialise in automobile engineering but biking will always be my first love”, says Ashish. He is all praise for his college that has helped him pursue his dreams. “I was exempted from paying my college fees, which are very high for an engineering course, in view of my achievements in motorsports. What would have cost me Rs 2.5 lakh has been given to me for Rs 80,000 only. I am indebted to my college chairman, Mr Tarsem Lal Garg, who granted me a special scholarship of Rs 25,000.” The Raid de Himalaya was a very challenging rally for Ashish. “No wonder it is India’s largest, highest and most arduous motor rally. Spanning about 2,000 km, it extended over six days, traversing some tough terrains from Shimla to Leh to Manali. The teams spent at least two days at an altitude of above 15,000 ft, navigating through areas where the temperature drops to as low as minus 20°C,” he recalls. For this 21-year-old, who has won the SJOBA Rally twice and participated in the Raid de Himalaya several times, life is about taking up challenges and meeting them head on. “At the 2004 SJOBA Thunderbolt Sub-Himalayan Open Rally, despite losing considerable time being stuck at the Siswan river in Kona, I managed to regain my position and eventually won.” “The idyllic environs belie the harsh Himachal terrain, the ultimate thrill ride for bikers who are exposed to the elements while crossing some of the most treacherous passes. It gives extreme adventure a wheel spin,” he exclaims. Along with the thrills come the spills. “It is tougher for the bikers compared to the guys driving four-wheelers,” he claims. Ashish is also the winner of titles at this year’s SJOBA rally and Desert Storm rally, besides the Highland rally (2003 and 2004). Despite all the glory, sponsorship is still a big issue. “The awareness of the sport is low in India. I have been lucky to get a break with not one but four corporate houses, Bharat Petroleum, CEAT, Videocon and Mongia & Co,” says Ashish. He also has an “in-house” sponsor in his mother, who saved up enough money to buy him a Hero Honda Karizma. With a new bike and several sponsors, Ashish surely has miles of treacherous terrain to go before he sleeps. |
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Sharpshooter
Skeet shooting was once the domain of male shooters in India. Haryana’s Aarti Singh Rao has not only stormed this bastion but is also going great guns. She proved her mettle by winning a gold medal at the Asian Clay Pigeon Shooting Championship in Bangkok in September this year. She is looking forward to 2006, a very crucial year for her with a host of important tournaments coming up. Aarti, 26, is aiming for a medal in the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne in March, followed by the World Cups and finally the Doha Asian Games in December. However, her ultimate target is to shoot a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She has inherited her love for shooting from her father, Rao Inderjeet Singh, himself a top shooter who won medals at international championships. It was at the age of eight when Aarti started accompanying him to shooting ranges. Since then, it has been shooting all the way. She signalled her arrival on the national stage by dominating the boys event in the National Clay Pigeon Shooting Championship. Aarti has competed in several World Cup competitions, apart from the National Games in 2001 and 2003, the Busan Asian Games in 2002 and the Asian shooting meet in Malaysia. She is also a recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Puruskar. With a challenging year ahead of her, Aarti is hopeful of winning more laurels and improving her prospects of a podium finish at the 2008 Olympics. |
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India shining Congratulations to the Indian cricket team, particularly to captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell, for the splendid victory in the one-day series against Sri Lanka. India wrapped up the series by winning four matches on the trot, which showed their dominance over the off-colour Sri Lankans. Dravid, who led from the front, seems to be the ideal man to captain the Indian team in the 2007 World Cup. — Gurudev Singh Jain, Baltana II Cricket is an unpredictable game. Just a few months ago India were outplayed by Sri Lanka, but they have bounced back to make a winning start in the home series. In the first ODI at Nagpur, India won by a big margin of 152 runs. The pleasant surprise of the match was Irfan Pathan’s elevation to the number three position. He amply justified the trust reposed in him by the captain. The spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Murali Karthik captured three wickets apiece to take the match beyond Sri Lanka. Skipper Rahul Dravid richly deserved the man of the match award for his quickfire knock. Despite his brilliant comeback, Sachin Tendulkar should give more attention to his physical fitness. This time he developed cramps and got out in his nineties for the ninth time. — D.K. Aggarwala, Hoshiarpur Damp squib Apropos of Ramandeep Singh’s write-up “Mismatch” (Saturday Extra, October 22), the Super Series, which was expected to be an absorbing and enthralling affair, turned out to be a damp squib. Cricket lovers who hoped that the all-star World XI would match, rather outdo, Australia in all departments of the game were shocked to see the world’s best players go down without putting up a semblance of a fight in the ODIs as well as the Test. Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara shone with the bat in the ODIs, but the bowlers gave away too many runs. In the Test, Virender Sehwag sparkled in the second innings while all other big guns failed to boom. The series gave Australia a god-sent opportunity to redeem themselves after their shock defeat in the Ashes. I endorse the writer’s view that the concept was interesting but its execution was flawed. — Tarsem S. Bumrah, Batala |
