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Arjun Tendulkar's selection in U-14 raises questions of nepotism

January 13, 2013

Arjun_TendulkarMumbai, Jan 13: With several lesser performers making it into the Mumbai Under-14 team for the West Zone league matches, parents of many talented youngsters are virtually up in arms. Some of them have laid the charge of nepotism, even questioning the entire selection process adopted by the MCA.

Among the most inexplicable exclusions is Don Bosco (Matunga ) School's Bhupen Lalwani: his unbeaten 398 against IES Modern School in the Giles Shield (Elite Division) should have made him an automatic choice. His knock came off 277 deliveries, was studded with 47 boundaries and even caught the eye of the connoisseurs. "I definitely expected my son to be picked in the team," Lalwani's disappointed father told TOI on Saturday. "But maybe, the selectors found somebody more deserving than him to represent Mumbai," he added sagely.

Another glaring case in point is Hansraj Morarji spinner Satyak Patel. He had picked up 6-100 against Anjuman Urdu in the Giles Shield, in addition to three five-wicket hauls in the Under-16 Harris Shield Plate 'B' division, including 5-12 in the final against Dhirubhai Ambani International School, that helped his team earn promotion into the Elite group. Satyak has taken 25 wickets in the Harris Shield this season.

"I am unable to understand the criterion of selection. Satyak has been doing well all season. Besides his Giles and Harris Shield displays, he took 19 wickets in the Ramakant Achrekar Dronacharya Cup to help Chandrakant Pandit Cricket Club (CPCC) clinch the trophy for the first time since its inception 12 years ago. His name is still missing from the list," Satyak's father Rajiv said.

In contrast, the inclusion of three VN Sule Guruji students (see box) — Akash Savla, Darshan Padawe and Tanush Kotian — and two from Anjuman-e-Islam — Azim Shaikh and Abhishek Shetty — who have hardly done anything of note this season, raises some serious questions. What's more, there are five kids in the team, whose school cricket records were untraceable, adding mystery to their selection.

Parents are also surprised at the presence of Arjun Tendulkar, son of batting legend Sachin. His best score, 124, had come last May in the Mumbai Under-14 trials for Khar Gymkhana against Goregaon Centre; his next best is a 70, scored last week for Shastri XI in the Vengsarkar Foundation Cup at Mahul.

Considering that a triple centurion, four double centurions and nine hundred-makers in the Elite group have not made the mark, their parents have reason to feel short-changed.

Attempts to garner a response from the MCA went in vain as joint secretary PV Shetty didn't respond to the calls and messages sent by this paper.

Giving credence to the parents ' woes, former Mumbai coach Pravin Amre said that the selectors need to closely observe all age-group matches in order to avoid missing good talent. "In my time, proper data was maintained in junior cricket and I was lucky to have a couple of former India players as selectors. Today, they are paid for doing the job too and are not just honorary officials. So they need to go to the maidan and watch matches," Amre said.

He, however, argued that one good performance cannot determine talent, and that many other factors are considered before selection. "I have been an Under-15 selector myself. You can't give someone a chance just because he hit a century or picked up five wickets. The opponents, the stage of the tournament also needs to be taken into account. Sometimes a good 50-60 in a close game can identify the best from the rest," he added.

IN A NUTSHELL...

Questionable selections

Akash Savla (VN Sule Guruji School) - played one match scoring 48 runs against IES Modern English

Darshan Padawe (VN Sule) - played three matches scoring 33, 0, 26

Tanush Kotian (VN Sule) - played one match scoring 8 runs against Shardashram

Azim Shaikh (Anjuman-i-Islam ) - Scored 28, 21, 37, 18 in four matches and picked just one wicket as an off-spinner

Abhishek Shetty (Anjuman-i-Islam ) - played one match scoring 4 & 18 in two innings against VN Sule

RECORDS MISSING

Hashir Dafedar, Manas Raikar, Jay Dave, Jahangir Ansari, Yash Joshi

Who deserved a chance

BATSMEN

Bhupen Lalwani (Don Bosco School, Matunga) - his unbeaten 398 (277b, 47x4s) against IES Modern English was the highlight of the Giles Shield season Pushkar Vashist (Al Barakat) - slammed 261 (274b, 36x4s) against BAK Swadhyay Satyalaksha Jain (Rizvi Springfield) - hit 239 (200b, 40x4s) against MD Bhatia Yasasvi Jayaswal (Anjuman Urdu) - hit 210 (210b, 28x4s, 4x6s) against Hansraj Morarji Shoaib Khan (Al Barakat) - scored 212 (183b, 31x4s) and 140 against Don Bosco and BAK Swadhyay respectively

BOWLERS

Rohit Desai (Don Bosco School, Matunga) - the off-spinner picked 6-22 and 5-11 against IES Modern English and scalped 5-137 against Al Barakat Satyak Patel (Hansraj Morarji) - the spinner took 6-100 against Anjuman Urdu and picked three fivewicket hauls in Harris Shield plate division with his 5-12 against Dhirubhai Ambani International School helping his side earn promotion Rajesh Sardar (Al Barakat, leftarm spinner) - picked 6-22 against BAK Swadhyay and 5-18 against Don Bosco

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News Network
March 12,2020

Miami, Mar 12: The NBA has suspended its season "until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.

Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.

"The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight's schedule of games until further notice,'' the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. "The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.''

The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called off. Players were on the floor for warmups and tip-off was moments away when they were told to return to their locker rooms. About 30 minutes later, fans were told the game was postponed ``due to unforeseen circumstances."

Shutdown for two weeks?

Those circumstances were the league's worst-case scenario for now -- a player testing positive. A second person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity said the league expects the shutdown to last a minimum of two weeks, but cautioned that time-frame is very fluid.

"It's a very serious time right now," Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I think the league moved appropriately and prudently and we'll all just have to monitor the situation and see where it goes from here."

The Jazz released a statement saying a player -- they did not identify Gobert -- tested negative earlier Wednesday for flu, strep throat and an upper respiratory infection. That player's symptoms diminished as the day went along, but the decision was made to test for COVID-19 anyway. That test came back with a preliminary positive result.

"The individual is currently in the care of health officials in Oklahoma City," the Jazz said, adding that updates would come as appropriate.

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News Network
February 16,2020

Feb 16: Mayank Agarwal finally found some form going his way and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India's warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw in Hamilton on Sunday. The match was called off an hour after lunch with India reaching 252 for four just 48 overs into their second innings. Agarwal, who had gone through a wretched period since the second Test against Bangladesh, retired on 81 off 99 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to his name. To the relief of the Indian team management, Pant played in his customary manner to reach 70 off 65 balls, but also showed discretion when the opposition bowlers were in the midst of a good spell.

There were four sixes -- two each off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and off-spinner Henry Cooper. While Sodhi was hit down the ground, Cooper was dispatched over extra cover on a couple of occasions.

He didn't curb his aggression though; there were times when he was ready defend against the spinners and also leave some of the deliveries that the Kiwi pacers bowled.

Even though Pant is easily the better batsman compared to his senior Wriddhiman Saha, the innings might have come too late in the day considering that the latter is a better keeper and possibly a more responsible batsman in pressure situations.

The biggest positive to have emerged from the second innings is Agarwal's poor run coming to an end.

The Seddon Park track easing out was definitely a factor but Agarwal's footwork was more assured as he played some glorious on-drives and pull-shots off fast bowlers.

Before this game, Agarwal had played 10 competitive games including first-class, ODIs and List A matches and couldn't cross the 40-run mark in 11 completed innings.

He even bagged a pair against New Zealand A in an unofficial Test match. Once he had got his form back, he didn't come out to bat after lunch giving Saha an opportunity to score an unbeaten 30, his runs coming mostly against non-regular bowlers.

The Agarwal-Pant pair added 100 runs in 14.3 overs and it also helped that part-timers like Cooper was introduced into the action. In the morning, Prithvi Shaw (39 off 31 balls) was bowled through the gate by Daryl Mitchell as the batsman left a gaping hole between his bat and pad.

Shaw, though, seemed to have done enough during his brisk 72-run stand with Agarwal, which could put an end to the debate around the opening slot even though the tracks in Wellington and Christchurch could be a test of technique for the flamboyant Mumbaikar.

It was a match that Shubman Gill would perhaps like to forget in a hurry as he was dismissed cheaply for the second time in a row. He scored 8 before Daryl Mitchell trapped him leg before.

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Agencies
August 3,2020

Silverstone, Aug 2: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won his seventh British Grand Prix title after a dramatic last-lap at the Silverstone Circuit.

Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas were at the first and second spot respectively until tyre drama struck.

Second-placed man Bottas was the first to suffer as his tyre deflated on lap 50, resulting in 11th place finish. Hamilton also suffered a similar issue before the final few seconds of the race.

However, with Max Verstappen having opted to pit a few laps from the end to try and claim the fastest lap, Hamilton had enough time in hand to just cross the line first, five seconds ahead of Verstappen and the third-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz had been set to finish fourth, but his own last lap tyre issue saw him eventually come home P13, allowing Renault's Daniel Ricciardo to claim fourth, following a late pass on the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Renault's Esteban Ocon finished sixth, having enjoyed a race-long battle with Lance Stroll's Racing Point, with Pierre Gasly having enjoyed a fine race to finish seventh for AlphaTauri.

Alex Albon finished eighth for Red Bull, having recovered from a lap 1 tussle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen that saw him fall to last, while Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10, Vettel holding off a late charge form the recovering Mercedes of Bottas.

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