Saina game for Beijing

The 18-year-old Saina Nehwal is in Beijing to make her Olympic debut. Winning a medal might be too much to expect of her, but the world no.16 can spring a surprise. A. Roy spoke to her before she left for the Games

Are you satisfied with your preparation?

Preparation for Olympics is always different and I am also doing it in a different way. I play with boys and that helps me to increase my stamina. I also train in all possible ways and I also try to keep myself happy. Besides training on the court, I spend some time in the gym as well doing some weight training to increase my stamina and endurance.

My day starts at 5 a.m and I reach the stadium by 6 a.m for training with Gopichand. After some rest in the afternoon I am back on court at 3.30 p.m for the evening session. I am following this regimen for quite some time now. I hardly get time to do anything else. Once in a while, I go out to see a movie for relaxation. I am not missing out anything in life because at the moment my focus is only on badminton. I hardly get time to go to my college. But the teachers and principal are very supportive and they give me the freedom to take my exams whenever I am prepared.

I am happy that I am peaking at the right time for Olympics. The results in the last two tournaments (Singapore Open and Thailand Open) have been a big confidence booster. I played well against seeded players and it has given me the belief that I can take on the big ones. I will give my 100 percent but I cannot predict the results. This is just my second year of my international career and I am really happy that I will be part of the Indian contingent in Beijing.

I will take Olympics as any other tournament. My dream has always been to bag an Olympics medal and I can only feel the enormity of the situation as I am going to represent my country at Beijing. I will try my best not to take any pressure and play freely.

He is a player who till yesterday was in the active games. He knows almost all the players. His coaching is full of results.

He is among the best coaches in the world of badminton. A combination of past and present with future vision

Unfortunately low. Some of us are casual, or believe in dual theory of games and studies. Whenever their goal is fulfilled they leave the game in between.

Mainly Chinese either from China or playing from other countries.

Mittals Champion Trust sponsors me. Government also helps me whenever it is required. I am employed with BPCL. They help me by giving incentives and encouragement.

I have to be cool and quiet which is not my habit. If I have a weak or a strong opponent I will show the results in 20 minutes. I lost to Konekora of Japan in All England but I defeated her in India International Grand Prix tournament.

My coach Gopichand and Prakash Padukone. —TWF

Punch tantra
Gagan K. Teja

Indian boxing never had it so good. Five men have qualified for the Beijing Games and for once there are reasonable-looking expectations of a medal from the pugilists. Leading the charge is the Bhiwani boy Vijender who has shown tremendous improvement in the past one year to earn the tag of being one India’s medal hopes. By his own admission he is enjoying the form of his life and is all set to take his career to a new level.

Vijender (22), who is representing India in the 75-kg category, hails from Bhiwani. He began his coaching under SAI boxing coach Jagdish Singh and is currently working as an inspector with the Haryana police.

When asked about his preparations for the Games, he said, “I am in the best form and am looking forward to meet every challenge at the Olympics head on. I don’t know if I will win gold but it will definitely be a medal for India.”

Vijender, who competed in the last Olympics also, said, “We had the best of facilities and our coach G.S. Sandu has provided us with everything we required for our training schedule. He further added, “NIS is like my second home and I have to give my best to fulfill the dreams of my coaches and parents. It has taken a lot of hard work for me to reach here and now, I will not let this opportunity slip from my hands. I want to make my nation proud.”

Vijender, who recently received the Bhim Award, has won medals in Commonwealth and Asian championship. He qualified for Olympics in the third Olympic qualifier in Kazakistan.

When asked about the main reason behind his recent good showing and achievements, he credited the endless hours of hard work and his spirit to excel while representing his country. “I don’t believe in luck and I actually find it amusing when people say I was lucky make the cut for the Games. I have put in a lot of blood and sweat to fuel my passion to excel at my sport, and that has resulted in my reaching this far,” he added.

Vijender was all smiles while talking about the excitement of his family members. He said, “My parents and relatives are praying day and night. Though I am not as religious as them, I do respect their feelings.” While speaking about his current job with the Haryana Police, Vijender says he feels ridiculed as players with lesser achievements have been made DSP, whereas he is still an inspector.

Delhi daredevils
M.S. Unnikrishnan

Ishant (L) is already being touted as India’s pace-bowling hope, while Sehwag has shattered various batting records in the past few months. Photo: AFP

Delhi boys Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have become the fulcrum of Indian cricket, whether in Test, ODI or Twenty20. Earlier Mumbai was considered the hub of India’s cricket talent, but has lost its place to the national capital now.

The Delhi boys have cemented their place in the national squad with their excellent performance, emerging as dependable match-winners. They have succeeded on the strength of their merit, talent, commitment and an unwavering faith in themselves.

There are many more Delhi boys waiting to follow in the footsteps of Sehwag and company, as the master blaster from Najafgarh has become an inspiration for cricketers in the Capital.

The Delhi Daredevils, led by Sehwag, provided an ideal platform for the boys from Delhi and its surrounding areas to show their talent in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 Championship. Players like Shikhar Dhawan and Amit Mishra are waiting in the wings for a call-up from the national selectors to showcase their talent on a wider canvas at the international stage.

The IPL also helped Sehwag varnish his not-so-brilliant image in the shorter version of the game with tons of runs. The in-your-face performance by Sehwag and Ishant, in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, after India suffered a crushing defeat in the first Test at the SSC, was the tonic India needed to lift their sagging morale. Sehwag’s fifth double century proved once again his magnificent batting prowess, while acting as also a confidence-booster for other batsmen and bowlers. His score of 201 not out and 50 through his brand of batting served the cause of India beyond expectation.

Sehwag is the kind of batsman who explodes from the outset, and does not believe in batting “niceties”. In his batting methodology, end justifies the means. No wonder, he played a risky reverse sweep when he was on the threshold of his fifth double century.

Sehwag has travelled a long way since he made his Test debut against South Africa at Bloemfontein in 2001-2002. He scored a century on debut, which came two years after he got his ODI baptism against Pakistan at Mohali in 1998/99. Though the ‘batting bomb’ has had modest success in ODIs, he has also proved to be a big threat in the limited-over version as well. The finest example of this was his hundred off 70 balls against New Zealand.

From a middle-order batsman, Sehwag has quite easily adapted in the difficult slot of an opener ever since he was asked to open against England on the tour of 2002, cracking 80 and 100 in the first two Tests.

But his glorious Test knock came when he cracked the first-ever triple century by an Indian at Multan against Pakistan in 2004, with the landmark coming off a towering six. An effective off-spin bowler with loop and cunning, Sehwag has often picked up wickets when the team desperately needed them.

Sehwag’s getting back into his batting groove is good for the team. Because in the recent past he seemed to lose his grip on the game, and was on the verge of being banished from the scene. His one-day form dipped after January 2004 when he went through a period of 60 matches averaging under 29 runs. He was eventually dropped from the one-day side for the home series against West Indies in early 2007 and found himself out of the Test series against Bangaldesh as well. He was not considered for either the Test or ODI series in England. But he was a surprise pick for the Test team to tour Australia after not being named in the initial list of probables.

He had to wait for two matches before he made a strong comeback in the Perth Test, where Ishant Sharma, too, fared well. Sehwag scored 29 and 43, and took two wickets with his off-spin in Australia’s second innings to help India record one of their greatest Test wins. He followed that display with 61 and 151 (his first century in India’s second innings) to help India draw the Test in Adelaide.

On return home in the first Test against South Africa in Chennai, he struck the quickest triple century, just off 278 balls, before falling at 319. This was also the highest Test score by an Indian. He became the third batsman, after Don Bradman and Brian Lara, to pass 300 twice in Test cricket.

Ishant, too, came on his own against Sri Lanka. His searing spell on a crumbling track, for a dream 3-for-20 haul proved an effective foil for Harbhajan Singh’s ten-wicket haul at Galle. It was the kind of performance India were desperately looking for.

The gangling six-feet four inches pacer is too fast for the rival batsmen to trifle with. He “flies” the ball at a speed of 140kmph with a rhythmic, high-arm action, and often threatens to hit the deck with a speed touching 150kmph. Australian captain Ricky Ponting was a ‘victim’ of this speed machine in the Perth Test when Ishant, playing only in his third Test (he made his debut against Bangladesh at Dhaka in May 25-27, 2007, when he came in for an injured Munaf Patel), troubled the Aussie captain for eight overs with his speed and bounce before finally getting him out in the ninth over.

In short, the 19-year-old Ishant, who made his Ranji debut for Delhi at 18, is a lean and mean fast bowler, whose arrival on the big stage has considerably enriched India’s fast-bowling armoury. Though he has some problems with his follow through, this can be sorted out with the help of national coach Gary Kirsten.

New speed demon

A second successive podium finish eluded Karun Chandhok as the iSport International driver finished fourth in the feature race of the GP2 series at the Hungaroring. The 24-year-old from Chennai, started from fifth on the grid but could have been higher had he not been forced into a spin by a slowing car ahead of him that caused his engine to stall.

Chandhok was on the front row when the incident happened after Jerome d’Ambrosio suddenly slowed in front of him. “I had to move to the inside to avoid him, but in doing so I clipped the kerb and spun,” Karun said.

“I didn’t quite max out the first set of tyres, which was still good enough for second at the time, so I’m disappointed I didn’t get a chance to prove I could have gone quicker on the second set of fresh tyres,” he said.

Karun was plagued by a clutch problem, which saw him drop from fifth to seventh on the opening lap. But thanks to some quick laptimes and some swift pitwork from his iSport International crew, Karun went on to finish just off the podium in a strong fourth place. “Bearing in mind what happened in the first couple of laps, a fourth place finish is a good result,” said Karun.

“I almost had to come to a halt to avoid a major crash. We showed we had good pace, and as usual around it here it was hard work in the high temperatures,” said the youngster. And his sprint race was over before it really begun. A mystery electronic problem stranded him on the dummy grid, and not even attention from his iSport crew in the pitlane could fix the car in time for the start of the race.

“It was so frustrating, being ready to go and then something like this happens. I just sat there in neutral not able to go anywhere. We tried replacing everything we could even the steering wheel but it made no difference,” he said. — PTI