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| SPORTS TRIBUNE |
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Done in by overdose
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Acid test in Bremen After a superb show at the Commonwealth Games, Indian table tennis players are bracing themselves for the world championship, writes
Ravi Dhaliwal Indian paddlers are on cloud nine after their impressive performance at the Commonwealth Games. However, it will be an uphill task for them to do well at the Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championship slated to be held from April 24 to May 1 at Bremen (Germany), where the competition will be far tougher than what the players faced at Melbourne. Notwithstanding the odds stacked against India, the team’s Swedish coach, Benone Cristian Grigore, seems to be optimistic of India’s chances. Observers here at the NIS, where the Indian paddlers underwent a strenuous training-cum-preparatory camp prior to the world championship, feel that ever since Cristian Grigore has taken charge — after the previous coach, Frenchman Hubert Hustache, resigned last year — the fortunes of the Indian team have been on the rise. This good showing throughout the year reached a peak at Melbourne, where the Indian team, lead by the superb Achanta Sharath Kamal, triumphed in the men’s section for the first time at the Commonwealth Games. Astute and efficient — this is how one can describe Cristian Grigore. The Swedish coach, who has been hired by Sports Authority of India (SAI) on the recommendation of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) for $ 3000 a month, feels that the lot of Indian TT players could improve if they are given more exposure. He also opines that lack of sponsorship and funds are proving to be obstacles in the proper development of the sport in the country. Cristian Grigore also feels that Indian paddlers can benefit from taking part in tournaments organised by the ITTF where top players slug it out to improve their ranking. These tournaments are points-oriented and apart from giving a player an opportunity to improve his or her ranking, they also provide much-needed exposure, says Cristian. Cristian’s aim, when he landed in India last year, was to create a solid base of players for international competitions. However, the Swede, an avid fan of table tennis legend Jan Ove Waldner, refuses to blame the TTFI for the lack of progress made by the game in the country. On the contrary, perhaps to remain on the side of the establishment, Cristian states that the TTFI has been extending all kind of support. He is also appreciative of the efforts made by M.C. Chowhan, TTFI Secretary. At Bremen, the Indian men’s team will be looking to qualify for the elite group (championship division), which is an onerous task. The main aim of the women’s squad, which won the bronze at Melbourne, will be to avoid relegation from the championship division. “The Commonwealth Games have lifted the confidence of the paddlers to a new high,” says Cristian. He refuses to pinpoint any player whom India will be banking on in Bremen. All said and done, Cristian knows that it is going to be a different ball games in Bremen. Success will not come easy in Germany, but still the coach is trying hard to see that the players perform to the best of their ability. |
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Done
in by overdose One has to be an all-rounder in more ways than one to survive in contemporary cricket. Not just the kind of player who is good at batting as well as bowling, but one who can juggle Test cricket with the game’s shorter version. So much cricket is being played these days that not only the players but even the viewers are feeling fatigued. Having the best of both worlds has become a luxury not many cricketers can afford. Sanath Jayasuriya bid adieu to Test cricket recently with an eye on the 2007 World Cup. Shahid Afridi, too, has decided to focus on one-dayers. Injury-plagued Michael Vaughan, on the other hand, has suggested that he could say goodbye to ODIs to prolong his Test career. As if that is not enough, a group of leading players has hinted at putting pressure on the International Cricket Council (ICC) for reducing their “workload”. The revenue-driven ICC might not budge from its stand, which means that players will have to decide for themselves. Since January 5, 1971, that historic day when one-day international cricket was born, it has been a challenge for top players to succeed in both forms of the game. Some of them were able to transfer their Test form to the one-day arena. Sunil Gavaskar was one of those who failed to do so. The Little Master’s appetite for Test hundreds was virtually insatiable — he scored 34 in 125 matches — but he had to wait till the fag-end of his career to complete his first (and solitary) one-day hundred. Gavaskar’s infamous innings against England during the 1975 World Cup was a dreadfully slow affair (all that he managed were 36 runs despite lasting the full 60 overs). Gavaskar’s ability to accumulate runs slowly and steadily was not in tune with the breakneck pace of one-day cricket. He did try to modify his game during the twilight of his career, but it was a case of too little, too late. On the other hand, his illustrious peers like Javed Miandad and Vivian Richards shuttled between the two versions with effortless ease. In recent times, too, dashing players such as Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Flintoff have blurred the line separating Test cricket from the instant variety. They have helped to make the longer version fast-paced and result-oriented. However, these “all-rounders” may soon find it very hard to play this double role. With hardly any breaks between tours, there are greater chances of players picking up injuries. There is virtually no time for rest and recuperation, let alone ironing out one’s flaws or making technical adjustments. The “burnout syndrome” will particularly affect cricketers from the subcontinent, who play virtually throughout the year. Let’s see whether they will continue to sail in two boats (and rake in the moolah) or make a judicious choice before it’s too late. |
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IN THE NEWS As the son of the Flying Sikh, Jeev Milkha Singh was always going to find it difficult to make a name for himself when he decided to become a professional sportsman. Perhaps the greatest athlete in India’s history, Milkha Singh ran at three successive Olympic Games and finished fourth in the 400 metres in Rome in 1960 when the first four home all ran faster than the previous world record. Perhaps it was appropriate that his son should win the China Open — his first European Tour golf title and the first of any description for seven years — in the city which will host the next Olympics in 2008. “I hope I’ll be a hero in India, but I think my dad is a bigger hero still,” said the 34-year-old after his one-shot win on Sunday. “He’s been a true sportsman and he’s been a big support in my life.” Jeev’s father wanted him to be an athlete and agreed to him swapping the spikes of the running track for the heavier model sported by golfers on one proviso. “He’s the man who speaks the way he does and tells you straight up,” said Jeev. “He told me ‘If you want to take up the sport, you might as well give your best to be the best, otherwise stay at home and do something else’.” Jeev looked like going some way to fulfilling his father’s demand early in his career and after impressing on the Asian Tour became the first Indian to qualify for the European Tour in 1997. But he spent much of his time in Europe struggling with a wrist injury and relinquished his card in 2002. “When I was injured, I didn’t know if I was going to come back in the sport,” he said. “When I came back I wasn’t thinking the same way. I was struggling, I was putting pressure on myself and I was getting down.” Jeev said his success in Beijing had come from reining in his natural aggression on the course. “I’ve let so many tournaments go in the last four or five years and I learned that it hasn’t worked for me so I might as well step back,”
he said. With his mobile phone buzzing constantly as family and well-wishers tried to get through to congratulate him, Jeev said he had already spoken to his father. “He would be proud of me today but I’m sure he’d expect more from me.” —
Reuters |
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One-sided affair Kudos to India for clinching the ODI series against England in style. They won the first four matches to take an unassailable 4-0 lead, reducing the series to a one-sided affair. With a facile victory in the fourth ODI, they created a world record as they recorded their 15th win on the trot while chasing. Thus, they surpassed the West Indies’ two-decade-old record of 14 consecutive victories when chasing a target. This speaks volumes of the team’s batting and bowling prowess. The team led by Rahul Dravid deserves accolades. India owe their winning spree in one-dayers to their young brigade, which has seldom been found wanting in any department of the game. Be it Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, S. Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan or Munaf Patel, they have excelled in one way or the other to contribute to the team’s success. Team India is riding the crest of a wave. However, India will have to find a stable opening pair. The team failed to get good starts for the better part of the series. If this juggernaut keeps on rolling, India can annex the 2007 World Cup. —
Tarsem S. Bumrah, Batala II Congratulations to Team India for winning the one-day series against England in a convincing manner. Rahul Dravid led from the front as India won the first four matches to make a mockery of the contest. — Gurudev Singh Jain,
Baltana Hire and fire Apropos “On the sack track” by Prabhjot Singh (Saturday Extra, April 8, 2006), how bad is the state of Indian hockey can be gauged from the fact that the “coming and going” of coaches causes more criticism and controversy than the performance of the players. It is wrong to put the blame solely on coaches, officials or players as it is a three-tier responsibility to be shouldered collectively. The coaches, too, sometimes react like opportunistic politicians who claim that “all is well” when they find favour with the authorities but do an about-turn when they are given the cold shoulder. It is what Rajinder Singh Jr is doing today and what was once done by Cedric D’Souza, Rajinder Singh Sr, Gerhard Rach or even Vasudevan Bhaskaran who has been made the chief coach for the third time. — Surjeet Mann,
Sangrur II The Indian men’s hockey team came a cropper at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Lack of coordination between players, inadequate practice and poor finishing were the main reasons why India performed so badly at Melbourne. Things have certainly gone from bad to worse. The bickerings in the IHF have also not helped matters. — Ravi Datta, Dehra |
IN THE NEWS
