Taunton, July 14
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today rued absence of Virender Sehwag in the first two Tests against England, saying the opener is one of the few players in the world who could influence the outcome of a game in a big way.

Sehwag, included in the squad of 17, is recovering from an operation on his right shoulder and in his absence young Chennai opener Abhinav Mukund will open the innings with Gautam Gambhir at least in the first two Tests. "We, as a side, rely on our openers quite a bit. A good start helps our middle order capitalise on it. There aren't many cricketers in the world who impact a game like Sehwag does. We will miss him," Dhoni said as India open the tour with a three-day game against Somerset from tomorrow.

Dhoni insisted that it was important for the openers to stand up to possibly the best international attack in the world. The Test series will begin at Lord's from July 21. "England is a very good side, they regularly get plenty of runs. They take 20 wickets. We have to be at our very best," he said.

Chandigarh, July 14
The Indian cricket team has landed in England for a long and gruelling tour. Most players have arrived from the West Indies where they won the Test series by an unflattering 1-0 margin. A lot of top players - including Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir and Zaheer - were missing from the action there and the team was unable to play with the kind of flair and freedom that is generally associated with a number one ranked unit. Captain MS Dhoni was roundly criticised (quiet unfairly) for not going for a win in the final Test at Roseau, Dominica when the run-rate seemed gettable.

For the statistically minded, Dhoni’s record as captain now stands at 15 wins from 27 Tests (with only three defeats). In terms of win percentage, it is an extremely robust 55.55. Even in this series, the end result was a win. Now, was this series exciting? No. Did it have some good moments? Absolutely. Should India have gone for the win in Roseau? Probably, but that doesn’t make Dhoni a bad captain.

Dhoni’s win-loss ratio is superior to that of Steve Waugh (41-9) and Mike Brearley (18-4). The win percentage is better than that of Viv Richards (54%) and Clive Lloyd (48.64%). These stats do not conclusively prove that Dhoni is a better captain than all these big players. But what they do show is that the avalanche of criticism piled on Dhoni is unfair.

This was the first series for new coach Duncan Fletcher and it was important for him and the team to start on a winning note. In the West Indies, Fletcher won both the ODI and the Test series, not by the kind of margins he would have liked, but the crucial part is that the team won.

If all the regular members (Sachin, Sehwag & Gambhir) had been available for the third Test, the criticism (to an extent) would have been justified. If their replacements (Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli) had been in any kind of form in the earlier Tests, again some of that criticism would have been correct.

But before the last innings in Roseau, Vijay had scored 27 runs from five innings and Kohli was just marginally better. Laxman and Dravid are solid but not cast in the same mode as Sehwag. Another wicket at that juncture might have meant a drawn Test series and would have certainly meant landing in England with the team morale low. (Whatever fancy objection we might have to the draw, a series win abroad of any nature counts for more than a win at home).

Now the missing stars have rejoined the team in England (Sehwag will be joining in a little later). Coach Fletcher has had a feel of things. Dhoni’s bright stats as captain are all intact. And right before the start of this crucial series, the Indian team is again looking balanced and formidable. Perhaps, Dhoni did the right thing by settling for a draw in Dominica.

Patiala, July 14
Sacked Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogrodnik has finally left the country after he was thoroughly questioned by Justice Mudgal during his visit to NIS, Patiala, yesterday. The coach who has been blamed for the doping debacle had been sacked by Sports Minister Ajay Maken after the results of the dope tests were out.

While Yuri has been stating his wish to leave the country time and again saying the turn of events have caused a severe psychological blow to him, he was not allowed to leave the country earlier as NIS had served him a notice that he could not leave the country before the completion of the enquiry.

Even till the time he left the country, Yuri who had been training the Indian squad since 10 years maintained that he had never given any anabolic steroids to his players. He has earlier stated that he was a professional coach and had only given medals to the country.

Sources informed that Justice Mudgal had recorded the detailed statement of Yuri and after that instructed the authorities to allow him to go back to his country keeping in mind his failing health.

Confirming the news of his departure, Executive Director of NIS LS Ranawat said he had received instructions from the SAI headquarters in New Delhi to relieve him from Patiala centre and soon after that he left.

Director of Athletics Federation of India ML Dogra said he also got to know about Yuri’s departure around 11 am in the morning. “He did not contact anyone from the federation as he was SAI’s employee and left after SAI permitted him,” he said.

Meanwhile, former medical officer at NIS, Patiala, Dr Sajib Kumar Nandi who had yesterday alleged that he was manhandled by NIS, Patiala’s security men after he tried to meet Justice Mudgal, met Sports Minister Ajay Maken, Director General of SAI Desh Deepak Verma and Justice Mudgal at New Delhi today and presented documents in which he has alleged that doping has been rampant in NIS, Patiala, since 2001 on the instance of Executive Director LS Ranawat.

Defying all allegations levelled by Dr Nandi, Ranawat said he joined NIS, Patiala, in 2005 and since then, Dr Nandi had never raised the issue of doping. He was just issuing such statements to mislead media and senior authorities in New Delhi, he added.

It is worth mentioning that Dr Nandi had filed a complaint at Officers Colony police station yesterday that he was manhandled by security men at NIS. In the wake of this complaint, Sub inspector Gagandeep Singh reached NIS today and recorded the statements of security men and Deputy Director NIS Sanjeev Sharma. They have denied that Dr Nandi was manhandled stating that he was forcefully trying to enter the campus and created ruckus. NIS authorities have also sent a complaint to SSP Patiala Gurpreet Singh Gill against Dr Nandi.

New Delhi, July 14
Raja Randhir Singh was unanimously re-elected as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) secretary-general for a sixth consecutive four-year term at the OCA General Assembly held in Tokyo today. Randhir, who is also the secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was the only candidate in the fray.

Randhir’s unanimous re-election — in the earlier five occasions too, he had been re-elected unanimously — shows that Indian sports officials get due recognition for their experience and talent in prestigious international sports bodies, while back home, the Sports Ministry was pushing for the age and tenure-limit legislation to edge out experienced officials from the perch, disregarding the objections from the sports federations and the IOC.

A source said the Sports Ministry’s move to restrict the tenure of the two top positions in the IOA and the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to two consecutive four-year terms, with an upper age limit of 70 years, will not stand scrutiny in the eyes of the IOC and the OCA, as they would deem it an intrusion into the internal affairs of the National Olympic Committee and the sports federations.

The IOA and the NSFs have already rejected the Government’s proposal for the limit of tenure and age limit and a top sports official said Randhir’s unanimous re-election to the OCA was a clear pointer that the Olympic bodies will have no objection to the continuation of an official in an elected post as long as he/she gets elected, which will in turn apply to the National Olympic Committees and Sports Federations as well.

“Now, how can the Government put roadblocks in the election of an official if he/she is acceptable to the AGM of the concerned federation? The only thing the Government can insist on is that the federations and the IOA should properly account for the financial aid received from the Government,” averred the official.

Chandigarh, July 14
Forget about recognising Shiva Keshavan, people would not even know the sport of luge, where an athlete steers sledge on ice, face up, and reaches speed of over 100 km per hour. “This extreme sport is all about speed and cannot be done without passion,” says Keshavan, the youngest luger to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

Keshavan, a successful luger from Vashisht village near Manali in Himachal Pradesh, has the distinction of representing India at four Winter Olympics (the most recent one being at Vancouver, Canada, last year). This 29-year-old also won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in Japan in 2009.

Keshavan has mixed roots in India with his mother being an Italian and father hailing from Kerala, and was once even approached by the Italian team to represent them at the Winter Olympics. But for one who has been making skiing sticks with his own hands in his native village as a child, representing India was the only passion.

Keshavan was introduced to lugging at the age of 14 and when he was 16, he qualified for his first Winter Olympics (1998, Japan), where he was placed 28th. Keshavan shares with The Tribune his experiences of luge and also of holding the Asian speed record of 149.9 kmph.

Q. Since luge is not so popular here, how difficult was it for you to excel in it?

A. It has been a long journey to reach this level. Representing India in Winter Olympics and the Asian Championships had not been easy. Being born and brought up in the Himalayas, I have seen winter sports grow right at my door. So I always had it at the back of my mind to represent my country at the Winter Olympics one day, no matter what it took.

Q. How did you pick up this relatively unknown sport?

A. Initially I used to practice skiing and had participated in many tournaments at my school. I wanted to pursue the same, but due poor management and corruption, I left the sport. Luckily, I got a chance later to attend a luge camp under ex-world champion Gunther Lennerer, who was here to spot young talent. That was it. After that I never looked back.

Q. What kind of support have you got?

A. Luge is a game that involves a lot of risk, especially on tricky tracks. So my mother had been very scared about me practicing. She never used to come and see me, but when she saw me the first time in Japan, she felt so proud to see her son represent his country in this sport. Today, I have a lot of support from my family. Even though I have to work and train and also meet all the expenses involved, yet I feel privileged to have MTS as my personal sponsor.

Q. How was your experience at Vancouver Winter Olympics?

A. Last year was my fourth Winter Olympics. I saw our friend, a Georgian luger, die on the track in front of us. That made the event very different on a whole. Besides that, it was very memorable to perform in Vancouver. I felt as if I was performing on my home ground. There were lot of Indians there and the extent of encouragement was really terrific. Their excitement made me perform even better.

Q. What according to you is the future of luge in India and how do you see yourself being a part of it?

A. I may not find myself practicing this sport after ten years, but I do see a lot of scope in our country. I am currently working with IALA (Indian Amateur Luge Association) to devise programmes and camps in India, to train young talented people in this sport. Kids residing in the Himalayas have a knack of winter sports and can definitely come up to represent the country at the international level.

Cordoba, July 14
Holders Brazil and their Group B rivals breathed life into the Copa America in two six-goal thrillers as they qualified for the quarter-finals with Venezuela and Paraguay, Wednesday. Brazil won the group on goal difference from Venezuela, former whipping boys of South American soccer, with a 4-2 victory over Ecuador and will meet Paraguay in La Plata on Sunday.

Much-improved Venezuela, 1-0 up after five minutes but 3-1 down going into the 90th, struck twice for a 3-3 draw with Paraguay in Salta that put them in a last-eight meeting with Group A winners Chile in Mendoza. Peru, with Paraguay one of the two best third-placed teams in the 12-nation competition, head to Cordoba to meet Group A winners Colombia in Saturday's quarter-finals, while hosts Argentina meet old rivals Uruguay in Santa Fe.

After a dearth of goals marred opening matches, Lionel Messi-led Argentina may have sparked the tournament into life with their 3-0 victory over Costa Rica on Monday, but Brazil's display served notice the champions were beginning to gel under coach Mano Menezes. "Today's was Brazil's best match of the tournament so far," Menezes told a news conference after two changes - Maicon at right back and Robinho in attack - gave his team more punch.

However, Menezes remained wary of Paraguay's strengths after Brazil shared a 2-2 draw. — Reuters

Sandwich, July 14
Thomas Bjorn took his revenge on Royal St George's as the British Open got under way on Thursday, eight years after he blew his best chance of winning golf's most glittering prize here.

The 40-year-old Dane stormed to a five-under-par 65, with seven birdies against two bogeys, to take the early clubhouse lead, as favourite Rory McIlroy got off to a rocky start with two bogeys in his first three holes.

Bjorn is best known for blowing a three-stroke lead with four to play the last time the Open was held at Sandwich in 2003. Struggling for form of late, he was only sixth reserve for this year's tournament as recently as last week before a spate of withdrawals, but made the most of his call-up on Monday when Vijay Singh pulled out through injury.

After saving par from over the green on the downwind first, Bjorn holed from 14 feet for a birdie on the second and almost repeated the trick from twice the distance on the third.

The former Ryder Cup player then saved par on the next two holes with good chips to three and six feet respectively, missed from eight feet for birdie on the sixth but holed from five feet for birdie on the par-five seventh. He bogeyed the ninth, but then charged down the back nine in three under par as the gallery following him grew hole by hole.

Behind him McIlroy's quest for a US/British Open double got off to a troubling start. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland won the US Open by a stunning eight strokes last month to make the move from golfing prodigy to superstar status, and in the absence of the injured Tiger Woods, he is the biggest draw at the 140th Open.

McIlroy was watched by a sizeable and admiring gallery as he set off at 9:09 am in the company of 2002 champion Ernie Els of South Africa and American hope Rickie Fowler. — AFP

BRIEFLY

India enter finals
New Delhi: There was little competition for India at the Middle Asia Zone Qualifying games at the Thyagraj Stadium here after India’s Young Cagers left Bangladesh in dust in the semi-final of the qualifiers on Thursday, winning 120-26. India will next play the winner of Nepal-Sri Lanka semi-final on Thursday. Punjab’s Amrit Pal Singh had a breakout performance with a game high 18 points. — TNS