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Young India the favourites vs Kiwis
The old order gives way: Is this a new dawn?
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AITA demands more money for players
Chargers reject lone bid, BCCI to decide fate
We need to combat spinners in T20 WC: Taylor
IOC, IOA locked in poll battle
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Young India the favourites vs Kiwis
Chandigarh, September 13 The draw was made here today, pitting Yuki Bhambri against Daniel King Turner in the first singles match of the rubber at the CLTA courts in Sector 10. Surprisingly, Vishnu Vardhan was named India’s second singles player, which means that he would be in action on all three days. Vardhan would face Jose Statham in the second singles match before playing in the doubles on Saturday and the reverse singles match on Sunday. In the doubles match, Vishnu would combine with Divij Sharan against Michael Venus and Artem Sitak. However, the team management has said that the line-up could be changed for the reverse singles.
“The team has full confidence in him (Vishnu). Since he’s in great form, we can expect the best from him,” said SP Misra, the non-playing captain. “I wish Yuki would give us the desired (winning) start so that it would lessen the pressure on the others. We are starting with the best and will bridge the victory with the best.” When asked about Sanam Singh’s absence from the line-up, even after performing well on hard and fast surfaces, he said, “The squad needs some fresh legs and positively, he will play the last day tie. We need him, he is a great finisher and hopefully when needed, he will give it his best shot.” On the draws, he said, “I am very happy with the draw. Moreover, the team has been in great form and is capable of winning.” The New Zealand squad is feeling the heat, more on account of the weather than the challenge posed by the hosts.
Their non-playing captain Marcel Vos said: “The climate is turning out to be the biggest challenge for us but hopefully we will receive good news as the matches get underway. The players are high on their rankings and experience.” “We are expecting good competition, and the players are happy with the draw. The players are aware of all the ins and outs of playing here,” said Vos. Daniel King Turner said though he has not played Bhambri before, he was looking forward to giving his side a good start. “We are here to win. Defeating players in their home conditions will be a difficult task but we are fine with the conditions to give our best,” said Turner. Excluded from the first-day action, Sanam Singh said that the team is capable of defeating the New Zealanders. “We are here to back each other and play for the nation. If given chance, I will play my best and hopefully will entertain the local crowd with my best,” said Sanam. “I am working hard on my game and hopefully will do my best," Divij Sharan added. Vardhan, pleased with the opportunity of playing both singles and doubles matches, said: “I am happy that the management has shown trust on me. I am prepared to give it my best.”
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The old order gives way: Is this a new dawn?
For more than two decades, Lee-Hesh conjured miracles for India when it came to Davis Cup. Sometimes, there lurked the doom of relegation while at others it was the sheer enormity of being up against the top-notch players of the game, but seldom did they flinch when it came to the Davis Cup. Had it been any other occasion, everyone knew India did not stand a chance. But at Davis Cup, the TV sets were switched on as sports lovers, with a prayer on the lips, fought sinister thoughts and saw the Indian Express pull it off, more often than not. Whether it was a pumped-up Leander Paes crushing top player Henri Leconte of France to help India enter the semifinals of Davis Cup in 1993 or him routing world No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic of Crotaia in 1995. Defying sporting logic and expectant outcomes, the duo won for India, opening the floodgates of joy and exhilaration in the hearts of tennis lovers. And then there was 1997, when Chile’s flamboyant pony-tailed Marcelo Rios arrived rather late in India for the Davis Cup tie. Did India stand a chance then? No. But cribbing about neutral linesman, he too returned home defeated — after Bhupathi raised his game in the deciding revere tie to beat Gabriel Silberstein in a five-setter. For a generation which grew up watching the Lee-Hesh heroics, there would be a few faint memories of Ramesh Krishnan too. That portly fellow, that touch artiste who could not run much but knew exactly how to dictate terms to the opponent. He, too, was a hero for a generation. The elderly would tell you lovingly of that chap. In fact, tennis had plenty of players worthy of hero-worship, and Davis Cup always brought out the best in them. Whether it was Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj, Jaydeep Mukherjea or SP Mishra, to name a few. But the first among them was Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh’s father. Many might have missed watching him in action, but any tennis lover of the yore would not tire of waxing eloquent about him. Not the power game of today… not even the serve and volley, but a gentle touch here, a caress there. Set up a point and dwell on it, till you own it. That’s how you play tennis, they would fondly say of Ramanathan Krishnan. When Ramesh took the legacy forward, the elders would pine how he reminded them of his father. But those chapters have been lived. On Friday, Yuki Bhambri and Vishnu Vardhan will usher in a new phase in Indian tennis. They have an onerous task at hand. But that has ever been the case with Davis Cup in India. "I am glad that I will be playing first. It's gonna be tough but hoping to pull it off,” Yuki said. Else they would see India relegated from the Asia Oceania Group I, and that would be heartbreaking for this generation and the one before. End of an era
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AITA demands more money for players
Chandigarh, september 13 AITA President Anil Khanna said the body has drafted a proposal, which will be submitted to the Sports Ministry soon. Khanna said the AITA needed help from the government to bring more tournaments to the country. "We need the government of India's support. Currently Rs 3 crore benefit is for 10 players but it should be increased to five crore. The help should be extended to more players and a group having 30-40 players, including juniors, should get the benefit. "Out of three Cs in tennis, we have courts, coaches but not enough competitions. The government need to understand that ITF Futures tournaments are basically developmental tournaments. Players do not make much money out of it," he said during the draw ceremony for the Davis Cup. Indian players get only a few tournaments at home. For want of money they are unable to travel to Europe, where most of the events are scheduled. — PTI
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Chargers reject lone bid, BCCI to decide fate
Chennai, September 13 Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the owner of Deccan Chargers, reportedly received a bid of Rs 900 crore by PVP Venture Capitals but surprisingly chose to reject it at the auction as it considered the price and terms unsuitable. The BCCI has now been forced to take a decision on the fate of Chargers at its Working Committee meeting here on September 15. "The price and terms of payments were not acceptable to Deccan Chargers. The BCCI assisted the Deccan Chargers and we also looked at the eligibility criteria, whether they are fit and proper. "We found that the party was acceptable to us. After that it was between Deccan Chargers and the bidder, there the BCCI was not involved. But they informed us that the price and terms were not suitable, so they didn't accept it," BCCI President N Srinivasan told reporters. Asked if a new tender will be floated since the lone bid has been rejected, Srinivasan said, "You have to ask Deccan Chargers, now it's upto them. The franchise is on (exist). The BCCI has issued a notice to the franchise to clear certain defects. We have given them some time, but that is between BCCI and the franchise." The BCCI later issued a press release and said the Board had no role in Chargers' decision to reject the bid. "The bid that was received by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited met the BCCI's eligibility and suitability criteria. The bid was then reviewed by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited who, in its discretion and with no role being played by BCCI, rejected the bid on the basis of the payment terms offered by the bidder," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in the release. "The Invitation to Tender that was announced on 6 September 2012 by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, under the aegis of BCCI, concluded today under the observation of Mr. Narvekar, appointed by the Mumbai High Court," said Jagdale. The development has put the BCCI in a quandary as it was expecting the franchise to resolve its financial problems by finding a buyer for itself. A top BCCI official indicated that the Chargers' contract could be terminated at the Working Committee meeting and a new tender could be floated. There was also a possibility that the PVP company could be given the team. "We will discuss the entire issue now and see what can be done. It is now upto the Working Committee to take a final decision on the issue," the official said. Another top BCCI official expressed surprise that the bid of Rs 900 crore was rejected by Chargers. "We are very surprised that a bid of Rs 900 crore plus has been rejected by Chargers. We thought that for a company that is in financial mess, the offer was a good one as it would have helped them clear their players' payment from the last edition. I guess they are being governed by the banks and that is the reason for rejecting the offer," the official said. — PTI
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We need to combat spinners in T20 WC: Taylor
New Delhi, September 13 Taylor is in no mood to look “too far ahead" as the Kiwis have been placed in a dicey Group D along with two sub-continental teams in the event, scheduled to be held from September 18 to October 7. "We've got a tough pool in Pakistan and Bangladesh and we don't want to look too far ahead of those two matches," he said. "Twenty20 is a game where you now have to play attacking but they do have world-class spinners in their sides and we need to acknowledge that and allow our players to combat it," Taylor said. But going into the tournament, New Zealand will be high on confidence after pulling off a thrilling one-run win over India on Tuesday.
“Any New Zealand-Australia game is obviously competitive and we'll be looking forward to trying a few things and obviously want us to win the game as well,” the Kiwi skipper said. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson hinted that the side would start experimenting once it was confident about its game. “It's sort of adjusting to the changing humidity, which will take a couple of days so a couple of good trainings and get ready for the warm-up game. Just making sure we give everyone some decent opportunities. “Obviously, the key is once we get to the Bangladesh game, once we feel confident about our own game, we'll certainly give a number of people different opportunities," Hesson said. — PTI
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IOC, IOA locked in poll battle
New Delhi, September 13 The IOC had written two letters — on August 16 and September 11 — stating that the election process of the IOA would have to be held in strict compliance with the Olympic Charter and under the supervision of the IOC and Olympic Council of Asia. Miffed at the IOC's "dictate", IOA Acting President Vijay Kumar Malhotra shot off a letter to the IOC chief Jacques Rogge, stating that the international body's decision to supervise its election was not acceptable. Malhotra asked whether elections of other NOCs were also monitored or was it in case of India only. "I was surprised to receive yet another letter dated dated September 11, 2012 (after the one on August 31) from your office which reads like a dictate. It virtually orders IOA to do things as specified in it," Malhotra wrote in the letter dated today. "I am also amazed to read that IOC and OCA will like to jointly nominate the observers for the elections of IOA. I will like to know whether IOC is sending observers to monitor the elections of all the NOCs or only IOA is being single out,” he went on. “In its 76-year long history, IOA has been holding elections, never monitored by the IOC,” he added. — PTI
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Chandigarh, September 13
Chandigarh, September 13
“I think it (the win) gives you a little bit of confidence but you don't want to get too carried away. It's just one win," Taylor said. New Zealand plays Australia and South Africa in two warm-up games before their tournament opener against Bangladesh on September 21. “Australia played very well in their last game, I'm sure they'll take a lot of confidence from that. The way (David) Warner and Watto (Shane Watson) batted set a very good platform for the side," Taylor said.