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IHF should be transparent, says Zafar Iqbal
Nothing wrong with
Sachin’s form, says Bobby Simpson
Balaji gearing up for challenges ahead
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Paes, Bhupathi to team up one month before Olympics
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IHF should be transparent, says Zafar Iqbal
New Delhi, May 4 "It (IHF) should be more professional in its approach. Everything should be transparent and one person should not dictate terms," the former left-winger told PTI. He was also peeved at the way the IHF dealt with Pillay and fellow forward Baljit Singh Dhillon, saying their "shoddy" treatment would send a wrong signal. "If Pillay is saying that he is fit, he should have been given a chance. He should be named for the four-nation meet or the fitness camp where he could have proved whether he is fit enough to play or not. He should have been tested," Iqbal said. "The seniors certainly got a raw deal and their absence would be a jolt to the team. The IHF's job is to improve the standard of the game in the country. By doing such things, they are only sending wrong signals," he said. "If they do not want Pillay to play any more, they should tell him openly instead of doing such things. They should be clear about what they want and not indulge in such negative tactics. "I think there is more to his omission than what meets the public eye," Iqbal said. The former captain also ridiculed the IHF's decision to continue experimenting with the national team despite Olympics being just three months away. "I don't think it has worked. We are yet to find a replacement for Jugraj Singh. Their attempt to find a schemer in place of Pillay also did not materialise. "We must field a balanced side for the Olympics and such experiments are doing no good to our Olympic hopes." Iqbal said he does not see any justification behind the IHF's decision to pick only those players for the Olympics who can play for the entire duration of a match. "No one can play for the entire 70 minutes. And for a forward, it's just not possible. The amount of running a forward does in a match, if he can run for even 50 minutes it's more than enough. "With the game becoming so fast, if one can play for 25 minutes at a stretch, it should serve the purpose," he said. Iqbal also said the chief coach and coach should play an active role in developing a conducive atmosphere in the team. Japan tourney a test for youngsters: coach With the Olympics just a few months away, the four-nation hockey tournament in Gifu, Japan, starting on May 13, would offer a great opportunity to several junior aspirants to prove their mettle at the highest level. India have decided to send to Japan an “experimental” side that consists of mostly junior players, who did the country proud by winning the Asia Cup title in Pakistan recently. The team, to be led by one of the few seniors in the side — Ignace Tirkey, is expected to face a tough battle in the tournament, which also features Asian Games winners South Korea, Japan and China. “We are going with an experimental side whereas Korea and Japan would be sending their full-strength teams. But still we are confident of winning the event,” coach Harendra Singh told PTI on the eve of the training camp for the 18-member squad at the National Stadium here. It would be Harendra’s second stint as coach of the national side after the disastrous outing in the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia in January. But the former Indian player, who is also the coach of the junior team that won the Asia Cup, is ready for the challenge in the six-day event. “We will be having plans for all the teams. It will be on a match to match basis,” he said. “For example, the Koreans are very fast on counter moves. So we are seeing how to stop them carrying out such moves,” Harendra said. He said the team was also focussing on the strength and weaknesses of the opponents. “We would be looking to cash in on their weak points. But at the same time, would be cautious in handling them in the areas where they are strong.” Harendra, under whose leadership the juniors recorded 30 wins on the trot, said it would not be a tough task to deal with five members in the squad who recently played in the national team in the twin tournaments in Australia. “All these five players have played under me at some time or other. So it would be not a problem at all in getting the best out of them,” he said. Harendra said though the team has a good attack and a solid defence, he would still be working on certain areas during the camp. “Emphasis would be on rotation of the ball. We have to be a bit faster in that department. As far as other areas are concerned, we are quite good. “The addition of Vimal Lakra and Tirkey would make our defence more tight as these two are good mid-fielders,” he said.
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Nothing wrong with Sachin’s form, Mumbai, May 4 Simpson was responding to a question whether Tendulkar’s batting had slowed down in recent times. The former Aussie player also said that skipper Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright had been instrumental in India’s success and the two have complemented each other with some fantastic wins abroad. “John (Wright) is doing a superb job while Ganguly has led the team in Australia and Pakistan from the front and this has helped India emerge as a very dangerous team,” he said. “Coming back to John (Wright) I think he has played a significant role in moulding the Indian team and if I were to be connected with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) I would have definitely given him an extension”, he added. “Personally I think John (Wright) has got a few more years as a coach and all the hard work he has done with the Indian team has paid off at last. It is always better to have a coach who can deliver the goods than a coach with a big name tag”, Wright said. Talking about ‘Team India’, Simpson said: “I think the Indian fielding, which was quite good during the Pakistan tour, could improve further to get the best out of the present bowling attack as the old saying “catches win matches” still holds good in both forms of cricket”. When asked about Australia’s tour of India in October during which they would be playing a four-match Test series, the former Aussie skipper, said: “If you want to beat the Aussies in the forthcoming Test series then the Indians will have to improve in all departments of the game. “It is not easy to beat the best team in the world if you don’t have the right combination and if you don’t play really hard,” he added. On the controversy over suspect bowling actions, Simpson said, “I don’t want to take names here but I can only say that some people have got away with suspect actions though the International Cricket Council (ICC) can improve the system for the future”. Talking fondly of his young wards, Simpson said: “I find coaching these kids a real pleasure as well as a challenge as you have to get their attention all the time”. “It is very satisfying to see a smile on the youngsters’ face when they really understand what is expected of them and that gives me immense satisfaction,” he added. — PTI
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Lee defends Murali, Shoaib New Delhi, May 4 Brett Lee, who interacted with the media on his promotional tour of the Timex watches, whose brand ambassador he is, said his bowling action too had been ‘suspected’ when he hit the international scene 10 years ago. He said he could very understand the mental agony and dilemma being faced by both Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar who have been reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their suspect bowling action. The Australian speed king requested the media to
focus on the positive aspect of the game, instead of harping on the negatives. Dwelling on the Australian team’s winter tour of India in October this year, Lee, who first visited India with the Australian junior cricket team in 1994, said “I know Sourav Ganguly and his men are keen to put us to sleep”. He said India was a great place to tour, and the Australian players were keenly looking forward to the coming cricket tour. He said he was fully aware that the wickets in India were not very
conducive for pace bowlers, “but still, I know that bowlers like Kapil have done very well on such wickets”. Lee admitted the Australian team played cricket the hard way, though he refused to admit that the Aussies sledged on the field to demoralise the opposition. “We call it gamesmanship, and we know where to draw the line”, the speedster pointed out. “We play cricket very fair, and we have lots of things up our sleeve when we tour India”, he added. Lee said he fully supported the stand taken by Australian spinner McGill, who has pulled out of the tour of Zimbabwe due to that country’s atrocities against a section of its citizens. But Lee admitted that he was lucky that he did not have to take such a tricky decision as he was not part of the tour party as he was yet to recover from his shoulder injury. |
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Balaji gearing up for challenges ahead Talking to UNI on the sidelines of a function organised by the Rotary Club of Madras to present him with the ''Young Achiever's Award,'' Balaji said he would be consulting former English fast bowler Mike Hendrick during a 15-day tour to England, while playing for his employer Chemplast. Balaji, who had captured 12 wickets in the three Test matches and 10 in the one-day series in Pakistan, said he would be embarking on a training programme along with his new ball partners — Irfan Pathan and Aashish Nehra. Balaji said Pathan and he had struck a good rhythm together. The speedster said he was committed to working on some technical aspects of his bowling like using more of the body, as former India pace bowler Kapil Dev had advised him before the tour to Pakistan, and maintaining a consistent line and length. ''The wickets in Sri Lanka are more or less similar to the one's in India and Pakistan,'' he said, talking about what to expect in the Asia Cup competition. Asked about the role coach John Wright had played in moulding him on the tour to Pakistan, Balaji said ''Wright played a significant role. He is a great motivator.'' Balaji was optimistic that the Indian team would keep up the good performance which it had been showing so far. Meanwhile, answering questions from Rotarians after the felicitation, Balaji said the best ball that he had bowled in Pakistan was the outswinger with which he got the wicket of captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. ''The most cherished moment on that tour was the fall of the last Pakistan wicket in the third and final Test at Rawalpindi by which we won the series. This will stay as the most memorable day in my life,'' Balaji exulted.
— UNI |
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Paes, Bhupathi to team up one month before Olympics
Bhupathi said the former world No 1 pair would come together at the start of hardcourt season and the month-long tune-up was more than enough to get their rhythm going. “It (Olympics) is different. That is exactly why we are going to play in those events together before the Olympics, so we will be ready when we get to Athens,” Bhupathi told PTI today. The doubles specialist said the couple of claycourt events on the calendar before the Athens Olympics, where the tennis event would be played on hardcourt, would not be a problem. “We are playing the events on hardcourts, so we should be fine,” he said.
The LA event is followed by the $600,000 RCA Championships in Indianapolis and two Masters Series in Toronto and Cincinatti. The tennis events at Athens begin on August 15. In the Olympic year, the professional circuit has seen the birth of several new pairs in recent weeks. Players of same nationality have joined hands to get themselves tuned in time for the Athens. In fact, the top 25 of the ATP Doubles Race features at least 17 such teams. But the Indians’ logic is obviously to peak at the right time. More important would be to preserve their ranking — Bhupathi is No 5 on the doubles entry list and Paes is 20 — which could be affected by a couple of unavoidable upsets and get a seeding at the mega event. Then let the natural chemistry that bonds them so beautifully work at the opportune time. For Bhupathi, an Olympic gold would be the coveted medal to adorn his cupboard that already contains seven Grand Slam titles. “Nothing can come ahead of an Olympic gold. It is something every athlete dreams of winning and there are very few who have an opportunity to make the dream come true,” Bhupathi said in an e-mail interview. The comment marks quite a turnaround in the 30-year-old tennis star’s outlook. For, exactly four years ago, the Bangalorean did not even think of playing at sport’s biggest stage after severing ties with his compatriot. But a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. The duo, who reached all the four Grand Slam finals besides winning the French Open and the Wimbledon in 1999, came together and parted ways again in 2002. The second ‘divorce’ however was handled with more maturity and the two had played for India in the team events like the Davis Cup and Asian Games, where they won the gold at Busan two years ago. It is this natural bonding between the two that has kept India’s medal hopes alive. What has been a dampener of spirit, however, is their individual performance this season so far. Coming back from an eight-month lay-off owing to a brain lesion, Paes reached his third Grand Slam mixed doubles final with the legendary Martina Navratilova at the Australian Open in January. But he has played only four tour events partnered by the Czech Republic’s David Rikl and no title to show. The pair has slipped to 47 in the doubles race and are unseeded at the Italian Masters. Bhupathi, on the other hand, has been playing four different players because his regular partner Belarussian Max Mirnyi had reduced his programme this year to 15 events. Bhupathi did win two titles with Frenchman Fabrice Santoro but a semifinal appearance at Indian Wells Masters has been the best performance so far with Mirnyi. The champion player is not worried, though. — PTI
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Mumbai,
May 4
In video: Forget Ashes, India-Australia is the real thing, says
Brett Lee. (
Chennai, May 4
New Delhi, May 4
That would mean he would not be playing on the same side of the net with Paes until at least the $380,000 Mercedez-Benz Cup in Los Angeles starting on July 12. 
