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Fletcher a mute spectator to India’s slide
A frantic rush for a league of their own
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Sania-Cara enter quarterfinals
Salgaocar beat Mumbai to move into third
Lee Chong wins third All England Open title
Bayern march on
Milkha still awaiting his share of profit from biopic
Will make Indian sports transparent or will walk away, says IOA boss
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Fletcher a mute spectator to India’s slide
Chandigarh, March 9 Also, India lost the One-day series in South Africa and New Zealand quite badly. Then came the Asia Cup — India beat only Afghanistan and Bangladesh, losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Exactly what’s happening? Where’s Indian cricket going? It would be wonderful if someone in the know answered these questions, without indulging in hackneyed, hollow words. But you can be sure that Fletcher won’t speak - he’d been a remarkably prickly, media-unfriendly character when he was the England coach. The move to India hasn’t changed anything. Over the last three years, he’s done no interview to discuss his vision, if he has one. He’s been a rarity at press conferences, too. If you listened to the ones who’ve been speaking, you’d think that all’s well. “I’m not shocked at all. I’m really proud of the way the boys fought it out. I’m really proud of the way the team showed character in the field and with the bowling as well,” Virat Kohli, the stand-in captain at the Asia Cup, said recently. Had this allegedly excellent character and bowling won India the game? No, Kohli was speaking after India lost to Pakistan. “I think the bowlers did a good job, there was a lot of dew in the end. We didn’t expect so much dew because there wasn’t so much of it yesterday. But credit to them (bowlers) to take it to the last over,” Kohli said earlier said, after the loss to Sri Lanka. In New Zealand, Dhoni had said: “We don’t always have to put pressure on our bowlers and batters saying we batted badly or we bowled badly. I think it was fantastic to see the way our bowlers bowled.” That “fantastic” effort had seen the Indian bowlers concede 680 runs in the second innings of the second Test. Understandably, Kohli and Dhoni would wish to dwell on the “positives” in public. But sometimes, just once in a while, it would be good to hear a fact-based, realistic analysis of cricket. A look at the facts shows that of the past 14 away Tests going back to June 2011, India have not won a single match. Fletcher is often animated during practice sessions, often displaying batting stances and postures to the batsmen; publicly, players invariably say that his suggestions and advice are invaluable. Yet, isn’t it possible that they’re merely saying what they’re expected to say — harmless chatter? Losing touch with facts and reality? Indian players can’t question or criticise their own coach or their own performance. Or hasn’t anyone in the team noticed that when they play a Test abroad, they’re likely to be hammered? Have they lost touch with facts and reality and are living in an imagined land of success and grandeur? However, Sunil Gavaskar, former captain and now a commentator, has been surprisingly aggressive in his comments on India’s performances. His words do have a ring of honesty. Gavaskar, who had a role in the appointment of previous coach Gary Kirsten, believes that Fletcher is a failure. “Since his (Kirsten’s) departure, Indian cricket has just slipped and slipped,” Gavaskar observed, saying that the time has come to part ways with Fletcher. It would be wonderful to hear Fletcher’s defence — it’s clear that he’s not had a free hand to run the affairs of Indian cricket and probably lost interest, focusing instead on his monthly take-home of Rs 25 lakh.
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A frantic rush for a league of their own
Chandigarh, March 9 Nothing has smitten Indian sport as fervently as the idea of a professional league; every sport worth the mention is busy either sustaining its fledgling league or cobbling together the necessary ingredients to have one up and running. The beginning
The watershed mark came in 2008, with the launch of cricket's Indian Premier League. Despite already being the most popular and moneyed sport, it still broke new grounds on both viewership and commercial fronts with this ultra slick product. That's what caught the eye of other sports associations. And sooner than later, sports administrators began dreaming of having an IPL-like league for their sport. After the IPL, Hockey India League (HIL), Indian Badminton League (IBL) and Golf Premier League (GPL) have already seen the light of the day. Football and tennis leagues are getting the final touches, and boxing, wrestling and athletics, too, are hooked and exploring their options. So what has triggered this rush among sports bodies? “Our aim was threefold — one, better competition for our players at home with top internationals stars, more money for the players, and to reach a wider audience through television,” said TPS Puri, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) vice-president. “And I am glad to say that we've succeeded in meeting our objectives in the very first edition of the Indian Badminton League. We've managed to give good money to our players for the 15-day tournament and our viewership has increased manifold,” said Puri. And the best part about big money is that unlike in the traditional country vs country formats where only top stars of a few select games make money, the leagues offers a more equitable distribution. Big money
All these youngsters aren't yet among the most recognizable faces of their respective sport, but they have started earning handsomely. “Dhawan's contract is going to inspire many others around him to work harder and try and make the same sort of money. And the good thing is, it's possible now for there aren't just those eleven spots in the national team to fight for; the IPL has widened the pool of opportunities,” says Anuj Pal Das, assistant director coaching, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. And with there being a constant threat of a career-ending injury in almost every sport, a decent bank-balance is sure to take some pressure off their shoulders and drill in a sense of security. Apart from money, the league offers players an annual high-profile platform where they can showcase their talent to a wide audience, something invaluable for sports whose domestic tournaments otherwise attract little attentions from sponsors and spectators. “We managed to reach a vast audience through IBL and that raised the profile of our game. One direct result of this wider reach and players earning good money was that now we've started getting close to 2000 entries in tournaments where we used to get 150-200 entries earlier,” said Puri. Changing times
Das chips in with his own experience about the change in the attitude of parents. “Cricket never had issues like persuading parents to allow their kids play the sport, but we also face problems, albeit slightly different. Quite often we find reluctant kids being forced into the game, which is as problematic as parents not allowing enthusiastic children from pursuing the sport.” All said and done, it can be said that leagues are changing the contours of our sports, what it meant to us and how we play them. However not everything is changing for good. With people whose prime motive is to earn profit coming in, corrupt practices too have crept in, amply seen in IPL The flip
side
Besides, the jury is still out on the claims that leagues are going to lift our standings at international stage. The leagues will undoubtedly widen the base of the that particular sport, but that may not necessarily boost our performance at the international level. Reason for that is simple — playing for the nation may no longer be the priority. It may sound silly but haven't we seen players playing the IPL with injuries and then breaking down in international tournaments? Didn't Saina Nehwal skip a few international tournaments to recuperate after playing the IBL? And isn't Indian hockey still floundering at international level despite the league being there for a couple of season now? These are some thorny issues that can't be wished away even as we celebrate the positive that professional sports leagues have ushered in. The greatest hope is that with top players in action in India, more youngsters will take to various sports, increasing the talent pool and, hopefully, producing world-class players in different sports. Transitions have rarely been smooth and trouble-free. |
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Only a miracle can save Schumi now, says report
London, March 9 He is being treated in hospital in Grenoble where he has been in an artificially induced coma for a total of 69 days. Sources close to his family say the 45-year-old driver's wife Corinna and his brother, Ralf Schumacher, have been consulting brain specialists throughout Europe and have been told that his chances of recovery are minimal. The family is said to be concerned that the French doctors treating Schumacher have little hope that he will recover and now assume that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. The reports come after his agent said he was “still in the wake up phase” and his medical situation is unchanged more than two months after his skiing accident. Schumacher's family has released few details about his condition. French doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were too deeply embedded. Neurologists not involved in his treatment say the chances of a full recovery for the 45-year-old are increasingly slim, given the coma's duration and the extent of his injuries. At the management team's request, the Grenoble hospital treating Schumacher has kept news about his condition to a minimum. However sources close to his family say that the driver's prognosis is bleak. “The family has been told that only a miracle can bring him back now,” a senior German journalist reporting on the Schumacher case said. “ He is in a bad way but until the family issues a formal statement, we cannot publish anything,” he added. Schumi’s family welcomes Bahrain gesture The family of Michael Schumacher have welcomed the news that the first corner of the Bahrain International Circuit will be renamed after the Formula One legend. The seven-times world champion won the inaugural Bahrain race in 2004 and also advised on the design of the circuit. — The Independent
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Sania-Cara enter quarterfinals
Indian Wells (USA), March 9 The Indo-Zimbabwean pair beat the unseeded American combo 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 12 minutes in the second round of the $5,946,740 hard court Premier WTA tournament. Sania and Cara saved five of the eight break chances they faced and converted five of the nine chances they got. They won 59 points to 44 of their rivals. Sania and Cara have not gone beyond the quarterfinals in four tournaments they have played this season. At Australian Open and Doha they reached the last-eight stage while at the season-opener in Sydney and in Dubai they made a first round exit. Nadal survives scare
Top seed Rafa Nadal survived a scare from Radek Stepanek before winning his second round match in three tight sets. The Spaniard, in his first match as defending champion, was stretched to the limit before prevailing 2-6 6-4 7-5 in night match that lasted two hours, 24 minutes in the California desert. Nadal served eight double faults and was broken three times, but he also broke his Czech opponent three times, including twice in the final set. The pivotal moment came in the sixth game of the third set, when Nadal fended off three break points to hold serve. Earlier, Briton Andy Murray recorded his 300th hardcourt victory when he beat Stepanek's compatriot Lukas Rosol in three sets. Fifth seed Murray recovered from a slow start to beat his Czech opponent 4-6 6-3 6-2 as the top seeds took to the courts for the first time after receiving first round byes. Only five active players have won more tour-level hardcourt matches, headed by Roger Federer (575). Seventh seed Federer dominated the first set but was taken to a tie-break in the second before prevailing 6-2 7-6(5) against French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu, while Swiss compatriot and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka clinched a 6-3 7-5 win over Croatia's Ivo Karlovic. Australian Lleyton Hewitt failed to notch his 600th career win when he was beaten by South African Kevin Anderson 7-6(5) 6-4. Hewitt saved 10 of 11 break points but was unable to break the tall 17th seed's powerful serve in the match. On the women's side, top seed Li Na beat Chinese compatriot Zheng Jie 6-1 7-5. Australian Open champion Li notched six breaks as Zheng struggled on serve. Defending champion Maria Sharapova made short work of her first match, beating German Julia Goerges 6-1 6-4 in barely an hour.
— Agencies |
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Briton Kilty steals 60 metres show in closest final
Sopot (Poland), March 9 Kilty took the gold medal in a personal best time of 6.49 seconds overcoming American favourite Marvin Bracy and third-placed Qatari Femi Ogunode. The eight finalists were separated by a mere 0.09 seconds in the race at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Veteran fellow Briton Dwain Chambers and Jamaican Nesta Carter, respectively bronze and silver medallists at the championships in Istanbul two years ago, were sixth and seventh. There was also a surprise winner in the women's 60 metres hurdles with American Nia Ali beating Australian defending champion Sally Pearson to the line in a personal best 7.80 seconds. Britain's Tiffany Porter was third. "It wasn't my night, but it was Nia's and I have to congratulate her on a great performance," Olympic 100 metres hurdles champion Pearson said. "She was the best athlete out there and I have said all along that it isn't about times, but instead about the athlete that can run the best race at the time." African trio
An African trio took the top three places in the men's 1500 metres final with Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti winning in three minutes 37.52 to clinch his country's first ever gold medal in a global athletics competition ahead of Ethiopian Aman Wote and Morocco's Abdalaati Iguider. Brazilian men's long jumper Mauro Vinicius da Silva made a final leap of 8.28 metres to win gold and retain his title, an encouraging result for the South American with Rio de Janeiro hosting the Olympic Games in 2016. China's Li Jinzhe was second and Michel Torneus of Sweden third. The men's 400 metres final was won by European Champion Pavel Maslak of the Czech Republic in 45.24 seconds, ahead of Chris Brown of the Bahamas and American Kyle Clemons.
— Reuters |
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Chelsea thrash 10-man Tottenham
London, March 9 Chelsea jumped a provisional seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after Spurs imploded by conceding all four goals in the last 34 minutes at Stamford Bridge with defensive mistakes playing a part in every one. Samuel Eto'o put Chelsea ahead after a slip by defender Jan Vertonghen in the 56th, an Eden Hazard penalty four minutes later doubled their lead and two late strikes by substitute Demba Ba helped preserve the hosts' long unbeaten run against Spurs who have not won at Stamford Bridge since 1990. Fifth-placed Tottenham played the last half-hour with 10 men after their French defender Younes Kaboul was sent off for bundling Eto'o over in the penalty area with the score at 1-0 and after that there was only one winner. Chelsea are now seven points clear at the top, and nine points ahead of fourth-placed Manchester City who have three games in hand. Eto'o, who will be 33 on Monday, was a late addition to the starting lineup after Fernando Torres limped off in the warm-up. He celebrated his 300th career goal by bending over the corner flag like an old man, a nod to controversy about his age after Mourinho made some private comments that were published.
— Reuters |
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Salgaocar beat Mumbai to move into third
Vasco, March 9 After the initial probing, Salgaocar took the lead in the tenth minute. A throw-in by Rahul Kumar was flicked towards goal by Bikash Jairu but the ball hit the cross bar. However, Gilbert Oliveira tapped in the rebound to give his team the lead. Rangdajied drub United SC 4-0, out of relegation zone Shillong: Following their win over Bengaluru FC last week, Rangdajied FC produced another impressive performance and moved out of the relegation zone by thrashing United SC 4-0 here today. Kim Yong scored the first for the home team eight minutes after the break before Nigerian striker Ranti Martin doubled the lead against his former club. T Lalnunpuia, who replaced Steven Dias 10 minutes before the final whistle, scored twice to complete the drubbing. — PTI
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Mizoram thrash Railways 3-0 to win Santosh Trophy
Siliguri, March 9 Railways, who had not won the Santosh Trophy since 1966, came closest in the 43th minute when Rajesh S’s close-range header came off the horizontal. Mizoram bagged a purse of Rs 5 lakh while runners-up Railways got richer by Rs 3 lakh. The match started at a good pace with both the outfits looking for an early goal. Railways earned three quick corners to keep the rival defence on their toes while at the other end their goalkeeper Ehtesham Ahmed — oozing confidence after his penalty heroics in the semifinal — flung to keep Lalnunmawia and Lalbiakhlua's shots at bay. With Railways missing their first choice centre-backs Vimal Kumar and Rajiv Boro due to suspension, Mizoram looked to take advantage but first-timer Akhil Rajbanshi and makeshift stopper-back Dipankar Das stood firm. David Larinmuana found Lalnumawia free on the left with a good-looking ball from midfield but the latter was well marked by Dipankar and right-back Y Raju Singh. Lalbiakhlua then tried to be cheeky minutes into the half hour mark, trying to dink Ahmed from just outside the box on the right flank. But the hero of the previous night had his near-post covered with the attempt also landing onto the roof of the net. It was end to end stuff with the action mostly concentrated in the final third. The match's best chance fell to Railways when striker Rajesh S hit the bar from close. Kisku tried his luck from the rebound but his effort was blocked. Moments later, Mizoram took the lead. Lalrinpuia crossed for Zico inside the box. The striker who has found the back of the net three times already in the tournament trapped the ball and swiveled past his marker to slot home into the far corner with the goalkeeper at full stretch. It was Mizoram who called the shots after the break. Three minutes into the half, Lalrinpuia unleashed a powerful left-footer which was fisted out by Ahmed but only as far as Lalnunmawia who side-netted his close range effort off the rebound.
— PTI |
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Karandeep scores four in Namdhari XI’s big win
Lucknow, March 9 Karandeep Singh Dhillon scored four goals for Namdhari XI at the 8th, 16th, 25th and 64th minute, followed by Baljot Singh's two goals at 15th and 47th minute. For Bihar, Naveenminz, Bhim Kumar and Mangra Bhengra managed to strike one goal each at 12th, 40th and 51st minute. In a Pool B match, Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd. also posted their third straight victory as they defeated Uttarakhand 4-0 in their league match. Both the teams failed to open accounts in the first half and all four goals came in the second half through Mumbai captain Victo Singh (46th, 47th min) and Amit Goswami (49th, 51st). In another Pool B match, Himachal Pradesh made a good comeback in the championship as they registered a 12-1 win against Goa. Sanwar Ali scored six goals, while Gaurav Kumar scored a brace. Meanwhile, Sashastra Seema Bal outplayed Gujarat 8-3 in a Pool A tie. Sashastra Seema Bal made it quite evident from the very beginning that they would not be easy opponents as they netted seven goals in the first half itself. — PTI
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Lee Chong wins third All England Open title
Birmingham, mARCH 9 Meanwhile, Wang Shixian of China, who beat Saina Nehwal in the quarterfinals, overcame the World No. 1 Li Xuerui of China 21-19 21-18 to win the women’s title. Yu Yang's improbable rehabilitation continued dramatically when she and her women's doubles partner Wang Xiaoli saved a match point to complete a successful defence of their All England Open title. Yu, who had said she was quitting after she and Wang were among those banned during the match-fixing scandal at the London Olympics, was again a bundle of renovated self-belief and forecourt energy as the top-seeded pair edged out their unseeded compatriots Ma Jin and Tang Yuanting 21-17, 18-21, 23-21. Later, Indonesia regained the men's doubles title after an interval of more than a decade when top-seeded Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan followed their August capture of the world title with a 21-19, 21-19 win over Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa. The Japanese pair led 16-15 in the first game and repaired a three-point deficit in the second, and were not far from becoming their country's first All-England champions since 1978.
— Agencies |
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Bayern march on
Berlin, March 9 Leaders Bayern Munich's unstoppable march towards retaining the Bundesliga title continued with Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic grabbing two goals each as they demolished hosts VfL Wolfsburg 6-1 for a league record 16th consecutive victory. Bayern lead the standings with 68 points from 24 games. Schalke, who had lost 6-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League and 5-1 to Bayern in the league last week, grabbed a
two-goal cushion with Huntelaar tapping in from close range in the sixth minute and rifling home from 18 metres in the 28th.
— Reuters |
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Milkha still awaiting his share of profit from biopic
“On the insistence of my son Jeev, I allowed Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to make a film on my life, for which he gifted me Rs one currency note printed in 1958 - the year I won the first gold medal for India in Commonwealth Games. But as for sharing the profit, he insists that he hasn't received the money yet from the distributors,” said Milkha. After airing his grouse, Milkha was equally generous in saying that the movie has given him a “second birth”. “After watching the movie and learning about my struggle, people love and respect me much more than they did earlier,” he said. Milkha sounded far more upset with the sports awards system than he was with the producer /distributors of his biopic. Calling it a PR exercise, he said it was a disgrace for any sportsperson to receive such awards. He also hit out at sportspersons, saying that most of them spent more time socialising with politicians nowadays than on the field. Milkha said it was his dream to see someone win an Olympic medal in athletics, something he missed by a whisker in 1960. |
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Will make Indian sports transparent or will walk away, says IOA boss
New Delhi, March 9 Ramachandran said his aim is to change the attitude of sports administrators towards the athletes. “National sports federations and their state affiliates will have to understand that there has to be greater accountability and transparency in their functioning.” “As president of the country’s apex sports body, this is what I intend to do and will do. If I don’t, I will resign,” the veteran, who is also the chief of World Squash Federation, said. Ramachandran said that athletes are his priority. “Sportspersons and not the federations are the backbone of sport. Sports in India has changed and IOA has evolved. If it does not change with times, I will go away," he said.
— PTI |
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Someone, say for example, Rishi Dhawan, a fine allrounder from Himachal Pradesh, pocketed a whopping Rs 3 crore contract in the IPL auction; Ramandeep Singh, a 20-year-old upcoming hockey player earned the highest bid of Rs 80 lakh in Hockey India League; and Pranav Chopra walked away with Rs 21 lakh from the year-old Indian Badminton League.
amandeep, while admitting that he hadn't even thought about this sort of money coming into hockey when he started playing, is, though, glad that it happened. “The sport needed money… it's difficult to play and sustain yourself without good money, everything, including the equipment, is so expensive these days,” he said. 
Jalandhar, March 9
