London, July 20
Strong contenders India and England go into a high-voltage Test series at the Lord's on Thursday with the spotlight on Sachin Tendulkar, who aims to achieve an incredible milestone of 100 international centuries in a match that has historic significance.

The first Test between number one team India and third ranked England at the hallowed Lord's can be termed as a statistician's delight for the sheer milestones in waiting. The series opener happens to be the 100th Test between the two sides and also the 2000th in the history of the game.

If that was not enough, the historic venue could also become a witness to Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century in his 22nd year in Test cricket as the champion batsman is just a ton away from achieving the feat.

But leaving aside all the historical importance associated with the Test, the four-match series is also touted as a fight between two best teams of the world for Test cricket's top position. The fickle English weather, however, could play spoilsport as rain is predicted on all the five days of the match, which has generated a lot of interest.

While India would be desperate to do whatever it takes to hold on to its numero uno Test status, a series win by a two game margin will see England topple Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men from the pinnacle.

But against a formidable side like England, who have been unbeaten in the last five series at home, it won't be easy for the Indians, who did very little to impress in the drawn practice match against Somerset at Taunton. — PTI

New Delhi, July 20
As of now, the focus of the India-England series is stuck on one thing - Sachin Tendulkar getting his 100th international century at Lord’s. It is not for the first time in the sport that the larger picture is a blurred kaleidoscope, setting the background for individual glory.

While Tendulkar’s landmark is of course one big talking point, this series will also be the beginning of the winding up process for big names like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, as they may well be playing their last series in England. While one can safely assume that they will see action in Australia - it would take a brave man to send a team there without these two yet - there can’t be too many doubts that the middle-order will have a new look by the time India is in the British Isles again.

For Dravid, it is like the wheel turning a complete circle. It was 15 years and just over a month ago that he made his debut at the same ground, and fell five runs short of creating history with Ganguly, the other debutant, who scored a century. But those 95 runs pretty much set the tone for Dravid’s career - the ever-dependable master of technique, destined to second fiddle on most occasions.

For Laxman too, the story began the same year, a few months later at Ahmedabad against South Africa. He created a niche for himself as the crisis man, given that his second-innings half-century gave India enough runs to carve out an improbable win. The second-highest score in that innings, predictably, came from Dravid.

The two have been pillars for Indian cricket. Time and again they have hauled India out of testing situations, not least the now-folklore partnership at Eden Gardens when they denied and defied Australia in March 2001, batting right through Day Four and carving out a win on the last day.

Dravid was sensational in his 180, but once again, the limelight was snatched by Laxman, who after his first-innings 59, hammered 281 runs. Australia never recovered from the shock. Laxman had always had a liking for the Australian attacks, his top four scores coming against them. He would love to have his swansong Down Under, surely.

But for now, the focus would be on the current assignment. Dravid was a little more international in terms of meting out the punishment. Five double-centuries have come against Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England and Zimbabwe. As two brilliant careers approach their ends, one can only watch and marvel. Maybe, it will soon be time to shake off the awe-struck admiration and rise to our feet and salute them, as they march out, jobs well done. 

I drive a Porsche. What do you drive? A rickshaw or cycle?” was the question asked mockingly of India’s batsmen by England’s close fielders on the 2007 India tour of England. Of course Sachin Tendulkar was the one batsman that they dared not ask the question but the effort to make the other Indian players feel inferior and inadequate was a tactic that was tried in that ill-tempered series.

Today after the riches of the Indian Premier League, the Indian players can turn around and ask, “Just one Porsche? My aide drives that to get my groceries”.

There was also the jelly beans incident when the Indians would find jelly beans around the crease where they were batting. It was supposed to be funny, though nobody excepting the English players saw it that way.

It was childish to say the least and I suppose the cricketing Gods would have been groaning too just like they were supposed to when a few weeks back Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews deliberately did not take singles so that his partner who was batting in the 90s could get to his century.

Remember Mathews’ tactics did not cost the Lankans a win but only delayed it and in a sport where individual achievements are glorified it was a selfless attitude that helped get a young Sri Lankan player a one-day century.

England have always believed that they can get away with anything because of the media support that they have and thus have had different standards for them and for the opposition.

Take for example Andrew Strauss who plays for Middlesex turning out for Somerset just to get some batting practice against the Indian team. How can he play for Somerset unless it was a Somerset’s President’s XI or something like that?

If an Indian player playing for one Ranji team had played for another and especially got runs like Strauss did, then there would be howls of protest about BCCI ruling the game and what not. It won’t be any different this time around especially now that the English having beaten the Aussies away from home feel that they should be the number one team and not India, which is currently holding the ICC ranking. That is why more than anything cricketing, the team would be well advised not to pay any attention to the Brit media including the broadsheets.

India will soon be completing 64 years of Independence from the Brits but there are still many in India for whom the Brit media, many of whom have not even held a bat, have to be given more importance than India’s own and even if the Indians write better English.

The encouraging part is that this Indian team is probably the most self-confident outfit that Indian cricket has seen, especially after the World Cup win and will do their own thing as they know it.

They will know that this Test is not only the 2000th Test in the history of the game but also the 100th between India and England but that will only be till the toss is made. That it is being played at Lord’s also will go under the radar for most of the players who have only a sprinkling knowledge of the game’s history.

That is a good thing because there will be no historical baggage to stifle them and they will go out and play in the way they know how to.

If you have noticed, it is the English players who have done the talking before the series. The Indians are not interested in talking. They would rather do than talk and despite the hiccups in the warm-up game they will be ready to show that what matters is what happens on the field and not off it. — PMG

New Delhi, July 20
Sports Minister Ajay Maken said here today that “inflated egos” were preventing the merger of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI). He said the two bodies would be given a “last chance” to decide on the merger by July 25. A meeting of the representatives of both bodies has been called by his ministry on July 25 to enable them to reach a final solution, he added.

“Inflated egos have taken over the interest of hockey,” Maken said and added that his ministry was taking a “proactive role” to settle the issue for the good of Indian hockey, but the hockey bodies have been differing on minor issues. “Never in the past had the ministry played such a proactive role. And we will not wait beyond July 25,” he warned. “We will again give a try,” Maken added.

“IHF president R.K. Shetty has requested to be given a last chance to settle the dispute.” The minister said as part of the settlement plan, it has been decided to make former IHF president KPS Gill the life patron of the unified body, with Shetty getting the post of the vice-president. The two bodies will have equal representation in the unified body.

Maken conceded that the doping scandal and the hockey imbroglio have affected the country’s preparation for the 2012 Olympics. He also announced that the Sports Ministry has recommended the inclusion of sportspersons in the awarding of Bharat Ratna. 

London, July 20
It's a privilege for anyone to step on the hallowed turf at the 'Home of Cricket' and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is no exception as he prepares to lead his bunch of world beaters in the first Test at Lord's on Thursday. "It's obviously big, leading 15 people who have the expectation of 1.2 billion," Dhoni told the Daily Telegraph.

"It's an honour, it's very special. But at the same time it's an added responsibility. You want the Indian team to win each and every game, which is not possible. Still, that's what you are expected to do."

The 'Captain Cool' during the interview has spoken about how at times he feels like moving far away from the madding crowd on one of his 25 motorbikes.

"If get the chance," he says, "Somewhere in Delhi or Mumbai, I will take my bike out, take the helmet with me and go around for a ride."

The family man in him comes out once he starts talking about his family. "Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family," he said, thinking back to the year of his Test debut against Sri Lanka.

"In fact, I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family."

Talking about his parents, Dhoni got a touch emotional. "I feel awful as I am talking right now," he added, "because I miss my parents. But at the same time I know I will have fair amount of time with my parents once I finish cricket, after these two, or three, or four years - whatever it is. — PTI 

The champion batsman is an honorary life member of the MCC, a status which entitles him to ask for the club's help with his preparations for the England tour. — PTI 

New Delhi, July 20
The National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, will be de-linked from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and be made an “institution of national importance” with autonomous status on the pattern of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Ajay Maken, announced here today that the de-merger of NIS from SAI was to elevate its stature and be made the premier institute for training of high-end coaches.

The idea was to gradually weed out the over-dependence on foreign coaches, in view of the recent dope scandal involving an Ukrainian athletics coach. Maken said the 250-acre NIS complex was grossly under-utilised and the new plans would get the institute the prominence it deserves.

“Otherwise, we cannot take sports to the next level,” he observed, adding, “Quality foreign coaches would definitely be brought in to teach the Indian coaches.” Maken said the proposed separation was aimed at “resuscitating and establishing the academic character of the institute, excelling in sports academics and education, training and recognition/certification of coaches”.

He said a Cabinet note will be moved for introducing a bill for this purpose in the next/winter session of Parliament. He said the primary role envisaged for NIS would be that of producing world-class, qualified coaches for various disciplines, rather than the currently prevalent dominant role of holding training camps for athletes.

“This reorientation of NIS would ensure proper perspective to various spheres of sports and development,” Maken stated. He said a new society would be formed on the lines of the erstwhile Society for National Institute for Physical Education and Sports (SNIPES) within three months, and steps would be taken to create necessary positions of dean, faculty members, research assistants and others to run the new institution for which University Grants Commission norms and scales would be followed.

The new institute will develop and promote flagship three-year integrated graduate programmes in sports coaching, which will cover various aspects related to coaching, including physiotherapy, nutrition, sports technology and sports science.

But the Minister assured that the National camps would continue to be held at Patiala, to make use of the infrastructure and also for enabling the coaches to learn from the methods as part of their curriculum. “The training structure shall continue to be made available to SAI for holding National camps as per mutual agreement between the two institutions,” Maken noted.

He said under the new dispensation, NIS would be headed by “a person of higher stature”, which would in turn attract highly-qualified faculty members to enable the institute to provide quality education and produce world-class coaches, at par with the best in the world. Presently, NIS is headed by an officer of the rank of Executive Director of SAI and the teachers are basically diploma holders.

“Prior to the amalgamation of NIS with SAI in April, 1987, the Patiala institute was functioning as the National Institute of Physical Education and Sports, under the erstwhile SNIPES. The purpose of the amalgamation at that time was to have a unified body with a comprehensive mandate for promotion of sports in the country.

However, with the passage of time, the role of the academic division got diluted. With the conduct of national camps becoming the primary activity at NIS, coaching was relegated in priority,” Maken explained.

The minister said a two-year diploma course introduced in 1995 got discontinued after only two batches, and the institute reverted to the 10-month diploma course. “Similarly, the M.Sc. course in Sports Coaching became peripheral with only 172 coaches passing out between 1980 and 2007. As a result, NIS has failed to keep pace with the rapid scientific orientation of coaching taking place elsewhere in the world,” he elaborated.

Maken said from now on, the thrust would be for NIS to emerge as a leading international institute for providing comprehensive education in sports coaching, including options for specialisation in specific areas for advanced coaching. “The purpose is to gain international recognition for NIS as an institution in sports excellence,” he added.

Patiala, July 20
The decision to de-merge the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, from Sports Authority of India got a thumbs-up from all quarters, including SAI and NIS authorities. They believe that NIS would now be able to pay attention to its primary task of teaching, which would certainly help in raising the standard of the institute.

Talking to The Tribune, SAI Director-General Desh Deepak Verma said coaching camps, being more glamorous, used to outshine the academic side of the institute, as a result of which the teaching was suffering. “Now that the infrastructure for organising India camps has already been developed at NIS, they will make some provision so that it could be used for camps without interfering in their functioning,” he added.

Though the NIS authorities at Patiala were a little reluctant to comment on the de-merger, stating that they had not yet received any written information, they lauded this decision, stating that they had been demanding this de-merger for long and were glad that they would now be able to work independently.

A senior functionary at NIS said they had sent a high-power report in 2010, demanding that NIS, Patiala be made an independent body. “Now that this decision has come after the doping issue, people might attach it to the scandal but the fact is that we have been demanding independent status for NIS for long,” he said.

“Earlier we were part and parcel of SAI because of which we could not work properly. This decision would be basically good for SAI. Now it would certainly help in retaining the actual identity of NIS,” he said.

Patiala, July 20
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Rajya Sabha member and President of the Punjab Olympic Association, has been re-elected the president of the Punjab Boxing Association during a meeting at Circuit House, Patiala, today.

Arjuna awardee Jaipal Singh has been chosen the general secretary. Talking about the future plans for promoting boxing, Dhindsa said he had requested the Punjab sports department to focus on promotion of games other than hockey and kabaddi as well which did well at various international levels and won laurels for the state. I would ensure that the pugilists get the best of facilities so that they could make a mark at international level, he added.