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Saina, icon indeed

August 21, 2013

SainaMumbai, Aug 21: After cheering for her Hyderabad Hotshots teammate Ajay Jayaram using hand-clappers till the second 90-second interval of the first game of the evening’s opening match, Saina Nehwal left her chair in the team’s dug-out to warm up for her match against Juliane Schenk.

At the end of her match, an hour-and-a-half later, hundreds of hands clapped for her as she gave Hyderabad Hotshots a 2-0 lead against Pune Pistons in the third leg of Indian Badminton League at NSCI here on Monday. Hyderabad’s men’s doubles pair of V Shem Goh and KW Lim ensured Pune could not come back with a 21-19 21-16 win over R Kumar and Sanave Thomas.

Saina, after losing the first game, regrouped in the next two to win the match 17-21 21-19 11-6 in 59 minutes. This came after Jayaram won his men’s singles match 21-19 21-8 against Tien Minh Nguyen to give Hyderabad the advantage.

Hyderabad’s fortunes depended heavily on Saina as they have a win and a loss from the previous two legs. On the other hand, Pune Pistons, with two wins, had to only carry on the momentum.

World No. 3 Schenk, one place above Saina in world rankings, gave Pune Pistons hope by winning the first game. Schenk had the upper-hand when it came to long rallies. Saina, anxious to finish off the rally, erred by finding the net.

However, Saina was on top in the second and third, smashing out of Schenk’s reach and also winning points at the net. It was the first time Saina was challenged in IBL.

“I love Schenk for the way she always gives me a good fight,” Saina said after the match. Saina has an 8-4 win-loss record over Schenk in international competitions. Both know each other’s game very well, their plusses and minuses.

While handing Schenk her first defeat of the IBL, Saina maintained her 100 per cent record in women’s singles, living up to her icon status. Except for a brief period on either side of the second break in the second game when she trailed Schenk, she was on top to maintain her lead. Saina was rarely tested in the decider, racing to 11-6 in just 13 minutes.

In the evening’s opening match, Chembur-bred Jayaram smashed his way to a 21-19 21-8 win in 40 minutes over higher-ranked Vietnamese Tien Minh Nguyen.

World No. 24 Jayaram was playing his second match of the IBL and thanked the crowd support for his first win in the league after having lost to K Srikanth of Awadhe Warriors and not featuring in the game against Krrish Delhi Smashers.

It was important for Hyderabad Hotshots to get off to a winning start and set the momentum for Saina to carry on in the second fixture. Jayaram, world No. 24, came from behind in the first set even as the 30-year-old Nguyen cashed in on the lapses on Jayaram’s part. However, in the second set, it was Jayaram all the way, giving enough reason for the home team to cheer about.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New Delhi, Aug 4: Former India women's team captain Anjum Chopra firmly believes that the BCCI has a plan for women's cricket but she wants the Board to communicate its ideas more specifically.

Speaking to news agency, Chopra, who is now a successful broadcaster, said the BCCI is thinking in earnest about the progress of women's cricket.

"It's not that the BCCI is not thinking about women's cricket. I only think they need to be more specific in communication about women's cricket," Chopra said.

"I firmly believe that they must be thinking about women's cricket but the communication all this while has been very specific to men's cricket."

The latest trigger for criticism of BCCI was India's withdrawal from a tour of England in September owing to logistical issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chopra concedes it was "not nice" but Indian players' participation in the women's IPL, in November, will still be useful preparation for next year's ODI World Cup.

"It is heartening to see women's cricket making headlines. They should have been a part of that England tour and it did not feel nice initially but the women's IPL, irrespective of the format, will be helpful for World Cup preparations. Any form of cricket is good preparation," Chopra said.

"Missing out on a tournament is not nice, but logistically there may have been issues. And you can't send an under-prepared team."

"If you see in isolation we may have missed out on an opportunity to play in England. The more the girls play the better it is, before playing a tournament of the stature of World Cup. The assurance from the president is a very good thing."

Chopra welcomed the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI's decision to hold the women's event in the UAE alongside the IPL, which will run from September 19 to November 10. The women's IPL will coincide with the business end of the men's league.

"I am definitely happy, it's always nice to be part of any cricket anywhere across the world.

"They should have been nearing the final stages of the preparation for the World Cup by now, but because of the pandemic things did not go as planned," she added.

Chopra had a successful international career spanning over 17 years, during which she represented India in a record six World Cups and became the first woman cricketer to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She also felt that the pandemic would not have much impact on the women's game that has gained momentum in recent times.

"...Cricket was on pause button...Once cricket resumes and players are back on the park, everything is going to get picked up. It might take some time to get started as everything starts from zero...

"The awareness the women's game has created, I hope it stays. They will just restart, not start after the pandemic."

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News Network
June 30,2020

Malabar, Jun 30: I-League club Gokulam Kerala's former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush on Monday died due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Alloush, who was with the football club in its inaugural season, was working as technical director at Egyptian club Tanta SC at the time of his demise.

Alloush's mother had also succumbed due to the deadly virus earlier.

"We're deeply saddened by the death of our former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush, aged 44, after contracting Covid_19. The thoughts of everybody at Gokulam Kerala Football Club are with Alloush's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Alloush," Gokulam Kerala FC tweeted.

Meanwhile, with a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stands at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

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News Network
January 22,2020

New Delhi, Jan 22: The pitches in New Zealand have become a lot more batting-friendly over the years, says iconic former batsman Sachin Tendulkar, insisting that India have the “ammunition” to trouble the sprightly hosts during the upcoming series.

Tendulkar, who has been on a record five New Zealand tours since 1990, feels that from seaming tracks during his early trips years, the tracks became high-scoring hard ones during his last tour back in 2009.

“Of late, the Tests in New Zealand have been high scoring and surfaces have changed,” Tendulkar told PTI during an exclusive interview.

India will play five T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests during the tour starting with the shortest format on January 24.

From 2002, when India played ODIs and Tests on green tops, to 2009, when India won only their second Test series in 32 years, Tendulkar has seen it all in New Zealand.

“I remember when we played in 2009, the Hamilton pitch was different compared to other pitches. Other pitches got harder (Wellington and Napier) but not Hamilton. It remained soft.

“But Napier became hard with passage of time (where Gautam Gambhir scored an epic match-saving 12-hour hundred in 2009). So, from my first tour (in 1990 till 2009), I realised pitches got harder with passage of time,” Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar is confident that the Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, has the ammunition to put New Zealand in trouble.

“We have a good bowling attack with quality fast bowlers as well as spinners. I believe we have the ammunition to compete in New Zealand.”

However, in Wellington, Tendulkar wants the team to be well-prepared to counter the breeze factor.

“Wellington, I have played and it makes a huge difference if you are bowling with the wind or against the wind. The batsman needs to be judicious in the choice of which end he wants to attack, it is very important,” he said.

Tendulkar said he would prefer spinners to bowl against the breeze.

“...the seamers bowling against the strong breeze need to be smart. So I would prefer that if there is strong breeze, let the spinner bowl from that end and from the opposite end, the fast bowler bowls with the breeze behind him,” he said.

The maestro is confident that Rohit Sharma's white ball experience will hold him in good stead in the Tests as well, an assignment that has been kept for the last leg of the trip, which begins with five T20 Internationals from January 24.

“The challenge would be to go out and open in different conditions. I think Rohit had opened in New Zealand in ODIs and has been there quite a few times, he knows the conditions well. Eventually, Test cricket is Test cricket,” he said.

“But all depends on surfaces that they provide. If they provide green tops, then it's a challenge.”

There is no Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Deepak Chahar in limited-overs series but Tendulkar is not ready to press the panic button.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game when you play and push your body to the limits.

“When you play for your country you need to give your best and while you give your best, you can get injured. That's okay,” he concluded.

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