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Windies collapse spectacularly
Netherlands crush India
Ponting fined |
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PCB warn ICC over appointing Hair
PCB sends Zaheer Abbas packing
Indians keen to test themselves: Harbhajan
Kiran More slams selection system
Santosh Trophy begins tomorrow
Major changes in hockey team ruled out
India cracked under pressure again
Jones named in US squad
PM may elicit Brazilian help for Indian football
Kapur, Ghei to battle for World Cup berths
Paes, Sania to lead campaign at Doha Asiad
SRFI not interested in sending best teams: Joshna
Karthikeyan eyes test driver’s spot
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Windies collapse spectacularly
Kuala Lumpur, September 12 Chanderpaul smashed a 83-ball 92 during a century opening stand with Chris Gayle but the West Indies, chasing a target of 280, lost their last eight wickets for 25 runs and folded up for 201. All-rounder Shane Watson, who was at the receiving end of Chanderpaul’s fury in his opening spell, benefitted from the Caribbean harakiri to return with four for 42. Gayle slammed an equally aggressive 58 off 46 balls but the rest of the batsmen got out to some loose shots and gave Ricky Ponting’s men an easy victory in the first international match at this off-shore venue. The Australian total of 279 for 9 revolved around Michael Clarke’s stroke-filled 81 and a fluent 54 by Ponting. The scoreline could have been even larger if not for Jerome Taylor’s accurate fast bowling that fetched him three for 59 and cut the Aussie sails in the closing stages. West Indies now take on India in the second match at the same venue on Thursday. Earlier, Michael Clarke struck a timely half-century to propel Australia to 279 for nine. Clarke, who is fighting to cement a middle-order slot, hit a stroke-filled 81 to sustain the tempo amidst a flurry of wickets for the Australians in the Champions Trophy tune up event at the Kinrara Oval here. Skipper Ricky Ponting found his touch with a fluent 54 while Simon Katich boosted his claims for the opener’s slot with a solid 36. Scoreboard Australia Jaques b Edwards 2 Katich c Bravo b Bradshaw 36 Ponting lbw Bradshaw 54 Clarke b Bravo 81 Cosgrove c Lara b Smith 34 Watson c Sarwan b Smith 2 Haddin b Taylor 23 Bracken b Taylor 1 Johnson b Taylor 15 Cullen not out 2 McGrath not out 1 Extras: (lb-8, w-17) 28 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 279 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-106, 3-122, 4-191, 5-205, 6-258, 7-258, 8-260, 9-276. Bowling: Bradshaw 10-0-36-2, Edwards, 6-0-38-1, Gayle 8-1-37-0, Smith 9-1-41-2, Taylor 10-0-59-3, Bravo 7-0-60-1. West Indies Gayle c Jaques b Watson 58 Chanderpaul c Haddin b Johnson 92Sarwan c Ponting b Watson 22 Lara lbw Johnson 1 Bravo c Jaques b McGrath 8 Hinds c Haddin b Cosgrove 2 Smith c Haddin b Bracken 2 Baugh c Haddin b Bracken 0 Bradshaw lbw Watson 0 Taylor b Watson 0 Edwards not out 2 Extras: (lb-2, nb-5, w-7) 14 Total: (all out, 34.3 overs) 201 Fall of wickets: 1-136, 2-172, 3-176, 4-185, 5-196, 6-197, 7-198, 8-199, 9-199, 10-201. Bowling: McGrath 9-0-30-1, Bracken 6.3-2-45-2, Johnson 8-0-65-2, Watson 8-0-43-4, Cullen 2-0-15-0, Cosgrove 1-0-1-1. — PTI
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Netherlands crush India
Monchengladbach, September 12 Earlier, Olympic champions Australia became the first team to enter the semifinals of the 11th FIH men’s hockey World Cup as they romped to a 7-1 win against traditional rivals New Zealand here today. The result took Australia’s tally to nine points and will play Pakistan (5 points) in their concluding league fixture tomorrow. The Aussies are currently at the top of pool A ahead of Spain who have eight points with two matches to go while the Kiwis completed their league engagements with seven. Australia put on an awesome exhibition of their firepower with Jamie Dwyer (2nd, 64th), Michael McCann (26th), Troy Elder (32nd), Matthew Naylor (48th), Travis Brooks (56th) and Luke Doerner (66th) doing the scoring. Argentina stun Pakistan
Four times champion Pakistan’s hopes of making it to the last four lay in tatters as they were stunned by lowly Argentina 0-1 in the crucial pool ‘A’ league match of the hockey World Cup here. With their trump card, penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas failing to take advantage of the five penalty corners that came their way, Pakistan’s hopes for a place in the last four ended up in smokes last night. Pakistan, with five points from four matches, play their last league tie against formidable Australia and what ever be the result they are to play for the fifth to eighth places after the league. The all-important goal came in the 40th minute when Matias Vila converted a stroke and after that the Pan-Americans defended their goal as if their lives depended on it. Holland win
A stunning brace by drag-flicker Taeke Taekema propelled Holland to a brilliant 4-3 come-from-behind win over England and kept their hopes alive for the last four berth in the Hockey World Cup here. In a 70-minute thriller, Holland trailed thrice before Taekema took the charge to pip the fighting England and send them packing out of the reckoning. Both the teams were levelled 2-2 at half time. Japan pip Argentina
A superb brace, including a dying minute strike by Akira Ito, enabled lowly Japan down Pan-American champion Argentina 4-3 to record their first win in the hockey World Cup here on Tuesday. Argentina finished last in Pool ‘A’ with four points from four matches while Japan have four points from as many matches and play their last match against Spain on Wednesday. Germany rout SA
Defending champions Germany moved closer to booking a berth in the semifinals as they routed South Africa 5-0 in a pool B match on Tuesday. Two first-half goals by Christopher Zeller (5th) and Matthias Witthaus (32nd) put Germany on a strong footing and towards close, Oliver Hentschel (64th), Witthaus (66th) and Sebastian Biederblack (68th) ensured them a comfortable win. Germany, with 10 points, are tied with Korea at the top of the table and the two meet on the morrow, requiring only a draw to advance to the semifinals. Though suffering their second defeat in four matches, the South Africans gave as good as they got at least in terms of exchanges, but lost out narrowly at the finish, missing the target by inches.
— Agencies
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Dubai, September 12 At a hearing after the match today, Match Referee Chris Broad, former England Test cricketer, found Ponting guilty of having breached level 1.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for ‘showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by action or verbal abuse,’ an ICC release said. The charge against Ponting was that he questioned Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf’s calling wide a ball in the 33rd over of the West Indies innings. Ponting pleaded guilty to the charge at the subsequent hearing. This was Ponting’s second breach of the code of conduct in the last 12 months — the other one took place during the second Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April — and his punishment was automatically raised to a level 2 offence. The charge was brought by on-field umpires Rauf and Tony Hill and third umpire Mark Benson. “A captain should set the example for his players to follow and it is not acceptable for any player, let alone a captain, to question an umpire’s decision,” said Broad. All Level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a fine of 50 per cent of match fee and a maximum penalty of their full match fee and/or a one Test match or two ODIs ban. Broad drew his conclusion after a hearing the three umpires, Ponting and Australia team manager Steve Bernard and coach John
Buchanan. — PTI
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PCB warn ICC over appointing Hair
Karachi, September 12 The PCB is due to take on Hair in a disciplinary hearing of the ICC in September 27 and 28 which will hear charges of ball-tampering and bringing the game into disrepute against captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. Pakistan pleaded not guilty to both charges and have hired a team of lawyers to defend them. The row erupted between the Pakistan team and Hair during the final day of the fourth test against England at the Oval last month when the umpires decided to change the ball and penalise the Pakistanis five runs for alleged ball-tampering. Pakistan refused to accept Hair’s verdict and declined to come out after tea, resulting in the umpires awarding the match to England. “Pakistan is very clear on Hair’s future appointments. It does not want him appointed either in the Champions Trophy or any other series in which is Pakistan is playing,” the source said. He stated that the board had also sent another strong letter to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed with reference to the warning he issued to Inzamam and the PCB to refrain from speaking on the Oval incident. “The Board Chairman has asked Speed that whether the ICC code of conduct allowed (Speed) or Hair to also make public comments.” PCB chief Shaharyar Khan, when asked if Pakistan would accept Hair in the Champions Trophy, said the board had taken the desired steps to ensure no crisis arose. “That is all I can say on it at this moment,” he added. Khan announced after a meeting of the board’s executive board today in Karachi that former test captain Zaheer Abbas had been replaced as manager for the Champions Trophy. He said another former test player and ex-ICC match referee, Talat Ali would, would be the new manager for the event in India. “I wouldn’t say it is any indictment on Zaheer’s capability but we have decided to move him away from this responsibility as he is one of our witnesses in the ICC hearing and we don’t want any extra pressure on him,” he said. He confirmed that Hair and umpire Billy Doctrove reported Pakistan for ball-tampering to match referee Mike Procter after the Oval test. Miandad
blasts PCB Batting great Javed Miandad today lashed out at the PCB for sacking Zaheer Abbas as team manager, saying such a step suggested that he was to be held responsible for the Oval Test fiasco. “He has served Pakistan cricket like an icon and is still a hero for millions of cricket lovers worldwide. By only removing him, the Board has held him responsible for what happened during the Oval Test,” he told PTI. Miandad, who himself was sacked as coach in acrimonious circumstances two years ago, said if the ad-hoc committee felt the Oval Test incident should not have
occurred then the Board members should be sacked also. “There were a number of board members at the Oval on that day and what were they doing. Why only hold Zaheer responsible for what happened? They have disgraced a hero and it should not happen.” Miandad said it was strange that people who had no cricketing background were taking decisions to sack former greats.
— Reuters, PTI
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PCB sends Zaheer Abbas packing
Karachi, September 12 Zaheer’s removal was on the cards ever since the Oval Test incident and the appointment of Talat is a clear victory for PCB’s Director Cricket Operations Saleem Altaf. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and Altaf have not seen eye to eye on many issues and it is no secret that despite the latter trying to bring in Talat as chief selector and then manager, Shaharyar had resisted his every move. But Altaf apparently had his day today as Shaharyar announced the change and at the same time defended it saying that Zaheer had not been sacked. “The decision is no way any indictment or verdict on Zaheer’s ability or performance as a manager. We just thought it would be better he was rested for the time being as he is our main witness in the ICC hearing on September 27 and 28 in London,” Shaharyar said. — PTI
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Indians keen to test themselves: Harbhajan
Kuala Lumpur, September 12 The Punjab bowler, a key component of India’s one-day outfit, said the team’s trainings in the last few weeks had focused on how to remain fit and avoid injuries. “Training is very important. We have to be fit and our body has to be flexible, only then we can play longer and face less injuries,” Harbhajan told reporters here ahead of India’s opening match against West Indies on Thursday. Fielding and flexibility were the other two areas to which the players had been giving a lot of attention, he said. “We need to stick to our basic plan so that we have a good chance to win,” he said. — PTI
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Kiran More slams selection system
New Delhi, September 12 More, who was hardly critical of the process in his three-year tenure, has said he did not believe in the voting system and cited an instance when three selectors had teamed up to pick players of their choice, one of whom happened to be Sourav Ganguly. “I don’t believe in the voting system,” More told Times Now. “This happened in Madras (Chennai) when three selectors walked into the meeting and said this is what they want. (Coach Greg) Chappell and (Rahul) Dravid were also present,” he said, according to a press release by the broadcaster. “We requested the selectors but once three people have decided there is little you can do. Then there is the secretary who plays an important role. But voting is not good at all,” he says. More was referring about the team selection for the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka last year, which was the last selection meeting for Yashpal Sharma, Gopal Sharma and Pranab Roy. The players who were dropped were Zaheer Khan, Dhiraj Jadhav and Dinesh Kaarthick. MS Dhoni, RP Singh and Ganguly replaced them. It was the meeting after which More claimed that Ganguly was picked in the side as a bowling all-rounder in place of Zaheer Khan. Asked if former coach John Wright was right when he said selectors were biased, More replied “absolutely.” More also revealed that replacing Ganguly as captain was the more tough decision as compared to dropping him from the squad. “But I would ask Ganguly to give it one more year and then decide how he wants to be remembered. Ganguly still has chances but you should know when to go and what is going to benefit you,” he said. — PTI
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Santosh Trophy begins tomorrow
Faridabad, September 12 According to Mr Mullana, 33 teams from various states would be taking part in this tournament. The participating teams have been divided into several clusters and they will play on knockout basis. The first match of cluster one will be held on September 14 and it will be played between host Haryana and Pondicherry. The first match of cluster three will also be held on September 14 between West Bengal and Rajasthan at Faridabad. It is stated that Goa and Punjab from Group- A and Maharashtra and Kerala from Group- B have already been given entry for the quarterfinal league and all matches played before this stage will be for selecting another four teams that will clash in the quarterfinal matches to be played from October 14 to 19. The semifinals will be played on October 21 and the October 22 and final on October 25.
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Major changes in hockey team ruled out
Monchengladbach, September 12 IHF secretary-general K. Jyothikumaran told PTI there is no need to press the panic button for the World Cup debacle as the team has the potential to put the disappointment behind and come out with flying colours. “We might make only a couple of changes if necessary, but certainly not wholesale replacements. I feel, this team is still good and had the potential to reach the semi-finals, but a few things went wrong for us in the World Cup,” Jyothikumaran said last night after India crashed to their third defeat in four matches, losing 2-1 to Korea. He said he had a lengthy telephonic conversation with IHF president KPS Gill in New Delhi and briefed him of the situation. “We had a long discussion and I brought him up to date on the Indian team here. We decided to meet after the World Cup and review the situation,” he said. Referring to India’s poor performance here, Jyothikumaran said, “It was most unexpected especially after our strong showing in the Azlan Shah Cup tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (in June 2006) where we finished third.” “From the Federation’s side, we did everything possible to prepare the team for the World Cup. The coach was given the team he wanted and camps were held as per his schedule,” Jyothikumaran said. He pointed out that loss of penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh owing to a freak gunshot injury just days before the championship was a big let down for the Indian team. — PTI
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Match Review
Repeatedly cracking under pressure at the closing stages does not do credit to a team in any grade of hockey, leave alone an international side. Indian defence’s habit of conceding late goals has now become an acute embarrassment.
India is on its way to play for the bottom four spots once again, after succumbing to pressure and conceding two goals in the last eight minutes that gave South Korea a 2-1 victory in the World Cup preliminary league match. The way the Koreans negated their one-goal deficit to emerge victorious ought to be a lesson for us. Even when India was leading and the luck appeared loaded against South Korea, they never gave up. The Koreans kept their composure and mounted repeated raids, which proved too much for the shaky Indian defence. South Korea almost forced penalty corners at will, testing the nerves of the Indian defenders who appeared at sea whenever the Koreans broke into the scoring zone. The way these Korean strikes weaved patterns in our territory would have rattled any defender, especially when the half-line was unable to put up a challenge. That India was still leading by a goal just seven minutes from the hooter was a credit to goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza’s brave effort of charging out to block South Korean drag-flicks on penalty corners. That was a big reason for the Koreans not breaching the Indian defence earlier than the 63rd minute. It also helped India that South Korea’s penalty corner drills were not quite functional, until late in the second session. India could also count itself lucky that a penalty stroke awarded against them was later reversed by the umpires. That could have upset the Koreans’ rhythm, but they showed themselves to be tough fighters. No one would blame a team if it gives up after seeing so many chances go waste, but the Koreans realised they had the Indian defence under their spell. Their never-say-die attitude paid dividends in the end. It is not for nothing that the Asian challenge in contemporary world hockey is spearheaded by South Korea, who announced their arrival on the international stage with a bang two decades ago. South Korea first sparkled when they won the Asian Games title for the first time at Seoul in 1986, breaking the South Asian monopoly of India and Pakistan playing every final in the continental event. They have not looked back since. Claiming the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics proved why the Koreans are so highly regarded in world hockey and are considered among the toughest rivals. Many of the Indian players would have been aware of the grand comeback that South Korea made in the Sydney Olympic final against the Netherlands, when they scored two goals minutes from the end to tie the scores at the end of regulation period. When you take on such rivals, you simply cannot leave gaps in the defence. India’s defence posed no threat for the South Koreans, who were trying to make amends for allowing South Africa to hold them to a draw in the previous match. South Korea are in with a chance of making the semifinals and their desperate thrust in the closing stages was to be expected. India should have bolstered its defence after watching it crumble in the final stages of previous matches. With South Korea missing so many penalty corners, India could have increased their lead through frequent counter-attacks that opened up chances, but the strikers were not able to capitalise. It was the same old story again, and we don’t seem to be finding a solution for it. We are neither scoring goals, nor able to plug the gaps in our defence.
— PTI
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Indianopolis, September 12 A note on the release of names for the American squad said that Jones, listed as the US women’s 100m entry, has not confirmed she will participate in the event, something she must do by Friday in order to compete. If Jones does race, it will be her first event since being cleared of EPO doping charges last week. Jones, who won three gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was cleared of doping charges last week after a “B” sample proved negative from her test at the US championships in June, according to a statement released by lawyers. A month shy of her 31st birthday, Jones has steadfastly denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs despite claims by her ex-husband CJ Hunter and BALCO founder Victor Conte that they have seen her take banned substances. Her former partner Tim Montgomery, the father of Jones’ young son, was banished and his world 100m record run erased based on evidence collected in the BALCO criminal investigation. Jones struggled through doping accusations at the 2004 Olympic trials and flopped in Athens but has started a comeback that she hopes will launch her to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the Golden League meeting in Paris on July 8, Jones broke the 11-second barrier for the first time since 2002 to win the women’s 100m in 10.92 seconds. US athletes set to compete at Athens in the team competition include world athletics final champions Sanya Richards, LaShinda Demus, Tyson Gay and Reese Hoffa, the world’s top-ranked shot putter. Richards will run in the 200 and 400. She is unbeaten this year at the longer distance with the world’s four best times of 2006. Demus won the 400m hurdles crown in July at the World Athletics event in Athens. Gay, the 200m world final winner, will compete at 100m this weekend while Wallace Spearmon, second to Gay at 200m at the World Final, runs the 200. US competitors will face rival squads from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Greece, Russia, Poland’s women and France’s men will also send teams. American men won the World Cup in 1979, 1985 and 1989 and were second in 2002, their best showing since the 1989 triumph. US women won the 1998 World Cup. Russian women took the 2002 title. — AFP
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PM may elicit Brazilian help for Indian football
On Board Prime Minister’s Special Flight, September 12 An indication to this effect was given by the Prime Minister, who told journalists accompanying him on the visit to Brazil that the hosts’ credentials as a footballing nation are well known. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who is also the president of the All-India Football Federation, has asked him to raise the matter with the Brazil government even though this did not happen to be a subject between the two governments, Mr Manmohan Singh said. The Prime Minister said increased interaction with other countries in the field of sports was the need of the hour. “If we are going to have the Asian Games, if we are aspiring to have the Olympics in our country, we must improve our capabilities in our sports.”
— PTI
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Kapur, Ghei to battle for World Cup berths
Kuala Lumpur, September 12 The Indian duo, as also Malaysia’s Danny Chia and Iain Steel and Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Lam Chih Bing, would be the main contenders for two tickets to the WGC-World Cup when 14 nations tee off in the Qualifier at Seri Selangor Golf Club here tomorrow. Kapur, the reigning Volvo Masters of Asia winner and presently ranked sixth on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, is in good form after his fifth place finish in Singapore. Ghei and Kapur are good friends as they play practice rounds regularly in New Delhi and are also regular roommates on Tour. “We can’t just look at the top two spots but instead we will go all out and try to win this,” said Ghei, who played in the 1997 and 2003 World Cup. “It’s going to be a fun week. I’m always proud to represent my country and it’s a good feeling but once I’m out on course, my focus will be solely on my game,” he added. Kapur is also looking forward to his maiden World Cup visit. Last year’s Rookie of the Year played in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in the United States last month and the British Open in July and he hopes to test his game against the world’s best again in Barbados. “There is a strong team chemistry between us as we play four times a week when we’re back in India. We know each other’s game pretty well,” said Kapur. “You want to play with the best in the world and after my experiences this year, I want to go out there and try my best and earn a spot for the World Cup. “We’re good enough a team to compete in Barbados, just like what Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa did last year in Portugal where they finished ninth,” he said. Local stalwarts Danny Chia, the 2002 Taiwan Open champion, and Iain Steel who has three top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour this season, will carry the Malaysian hopes. Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing and Mardan Mamat will aim for a hat-trick of appearances after featuring in two World Cups previously as a team. The World Golf Championships-World Cup will be staged at Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados from December 7-10. The format for the qualifier is the same as the World Cup, with fourball golf played on the first and third days and foursomes (or alternate shot) played on the second and final days. The leading 18 players from different countries on the Official World Golf Ranking published on Monday will gain automatic entries into the World Cup. South America will host a qualifying round. — PTI
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Paes, Sania to lead campaign at Doha Asiad
New Delhi, September 12 Paes, who last played a singles match as Davis Cup captain against Pakistan in Mumbai in April, will be joined by Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Harsh Mankad, Karan Rastogi and Prakash Amritraj in the individual men’s event. Mankad, who was not available for Davis Cup duties this year, has been chosen ahead of Amritraj by virtue of his better ATP Tour ranking in team event alongside Paes, Bhupathi and Bopanna. Amritraj and Rastogi are in the reserves. In the doubles, Paes will pair with former Grand Slam partner Bhupathi while Amritraj will take the court alongside Bopanna, according to the team announced by the All-India Tennis Association here today. Sania, Shikha Uberoi, Ankita Bhambri, Isha Lakhani, Rushmi Chakravarthy and Sandya Nagraj will represent the women’s team. The first four of them will play the team event while Rushmi and Sandhya are the reserves. The doubles teams comprise the pairings of Sania with Shikha and Ankita with Isha. Paes and Sania form the star mixed doubles combine while Bhupathi and Shikha constitute the second team. The singles nominations will be announced later. The AITA also confirmed Paes and Sania representing India in the Asian Hopman Cup to be played in Hyderabad in November. It also announced the appointment of Akhtar Ali as the non-playing captain for the Indo-Pak Series which will feature four one-day ties on November 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th. Bopanna, Rastogi, Divij Sharan and Vivek Shokeen form the Indian team for the ties that will be held at Islamabad, Lahore, Chandigarh and Gurgaon, respectively. — PTI
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SRFI not interested in sending best teams: Joshna
Jaipur, September 12 “The Doha Asian Games are approaching fast but I am still to receive any communication from the SRFI,” the player ranked 54th in the world claimed. When asked whether this was hampering her preparations for the mega event, the Chennai-based girl said she believed that being the country’s top player, she would be selected. “I am continuing with my preparations because right now Asian Games are my first priority. But selection methods have been strange. I play on the WISPA circuit so am least affected and give personal entries but the youngsters get chance only through the SRFI in international tournaments. It appears that the poor chaps are chosen by rotation,” she said. “Some one is picked for one tournament and dropped in the next for no reason. Perhaps the SRFI is not interested in sending the best Indian teams.” Joshna, who is in Jaipur for the All-India Harish Chandra Golecha Tournament, said even senior players like Mekhla Subedar had been at the receiving end. “In my opinion, Mekhla is still good enough to be number two in India. She is one of the seniors I miss. But she was not picked for some tournaments. It is a matter of pride to play for the country. When tournaments like Commonwealth and Asian Games are concerned, the SRFI role comes into the picture,” she said. Joshna also rued the fact that there was a vast gap between her and the second line. “I don’t see anyone coming closer in the near future. It is hard to motivate myself and at times I take things too easy,” the player, who aims to enter the top 20 in world rankings, said. “Youngsters have to work hard. Upcoming players like Surabhi Mishra have to work on fitness and technique. I want to keep myself head and shoulders above the rest. I want them to realise this gap. However, I don’t want to be overconfident.” Joshna blamed the federation and said it had done little for the game. There are only a few hubs of squash in the country. It should widen its base and only then the new crop will come up. Hard work is the only way out for the youngsters. Even my new coach has observed that I need to work more on fitness, Joshna, who now has Egyptian Mohammad Medhat as her travelling coach, said. Her recent training stint in Amsterdom had helped her a lot, she said. “My trainer Vasu has also been associated with the Indian cricket team and I have been training with cricketers like Dinesh Kaarthick and Hemang Badani. But to improve my mental toughness, I had psychological sessions at Amsterdam,” she said. “Yoga has helped me in analysing my game, in keeping calm and analysing my mistakes. Playing on the WISPA circuit is more about mental toughness.” — PTI
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Karthikeyan eyes test driver’s spot
New Delhi, September 12 Motorsports’ elite event is set for a reshuffle with Kimi Raikkonen set to take Michael Schumacher’s seat at Ferrari and defending champion Fernando Alonso in turn filling the Finn’s slot at McLaren in 2007. That would give enough scope for manoeuvring for other drivers, but the fastest Indian on wheels is content to aim at the official test driver’s slot at the British team. “That (racing) will be the ideal thing... But I would like to take Alex Wurz’s position,” the 29-year-old told PTI over phone from Coimbatore. Austrian Wurz, Williams’ current test driver, will be promoted as one of the two race drivers following Mark Webber’s decision to depart. Karthikeyan’s preference to stay with Williams is a sign of growing maturity. A test driver’s role with a leading team will give him better opportunity to learn the nuances of driving an advanced car. — PTI
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