Chandigarh, Saturday, November 6, 1999
Chandigarh, Saturday, November 6, 1999 |
End of the road for Azhar? By Abhijit Chatterjee  IT
could be the end of the road for former India captain and
middle order batsman Mohammad Azharuddin. The former
Indian captain has been left out in the cold and ever
since his return from the World Cup in England —
which incidentally was his last stint as national captain
— and has been unable to find a place in the
national squad, both for one-days as well as for the
recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. And
to add to the Hyderabad player’s misery he has been
kept out of the forthcoming India’s tour of
Australia where the wickets would have suited his style
of play.Cricketer-turned-umpire Sachin
equals Azhar’s record Season
with great possibilities |
 by K. R. Wadhwaney DGC elections as scheduled THE eligibility of Delhi Golf Club (DGC) members, holding office in the management committee for two or more years continuously and now seeking election for the office of President, will come up for hearing again on November 16 in the Delhi High Court. |
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End of the road for Azhar? IT could be the end of the road for former India captain and middle order batsman Mohammad Azharuddin. The former Indian captain has been left out in the cold and ever since his return from the World Cup in England — which incidentally was his last stint as national captain — and has been unable to find a place in the national squad, both for one-days as well as for the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. And to add to the Hyderabad player’s misery he has been kept out of the forthcoming India’s tour of Australia where the wickets would have suited his style of play. Azharuddin’s absence from the national squad immediately after the World Cup was attributed to a shoulder injury he had suffered during the World Cup. After his treatment in England, Azharuddin did prove his fitness by playing in a couple of tournaments but by that time his replacement in the national squad had established himself in the team. And nobody likes to disturb a settled combination. The problem of the Indian selectors has been compounded by the fact that Indian cricket currently has a surfeit of middle order batsmen all keen to prove their class. With Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly as also the skipper Sachin Tendulkar playing so well the national selectors, even if they had given Azharuddin the nod for the tour of Australia, would have found it difficult to give him a berth in the playing eleven. The thinking of the current national selectors has been to look to the future and therefore in their scheme of things it is difficult for Azhar to make a comeback. Born on February 8, 1963, the former Indian captain is already 36 years old and has very few playing years left. And the selectors are of the view that it would be better to look to the future instead of playing a veteran for another season or two. To add to Azharuddin’s problem has been the appointment of Kapil Dev as cricket coach of the national squad. It is well known fact that Azharuddin and Kapil simply cannot pull along together. When Azharuddin was the captain of the squad one will remember that he treated Kapil very shabbily even when the Indian bowler was nearing the world record of Sir Richard Hadlee. Instead of cajoling him along, Azharuddin did not use Kapil to the fast bowler’s full potential so much so that at one time it seemed that the then India captain (Azharuddin) did not want Kapil to reach the world record. It was only in 1999 that Azharuddin was really plagued by poor form. This year he played in only five Test matches, three against Pakistan and one each against New Zealand and Sri Lanka and averaged only 27.55 with 87 against Sri Lanka as his highest score. In one-day internationals too his average of 27.20 from 17 matches was much below his potential. He did have three half-centuries in one-day international but the real unsaid reason why he lost his captaincy is his miserable leadership in the World Cup. The former India captain so far has played 323 one-day matches and in 297 innings has totalled 91111 runs with an average of 37.34. His highest score in this form of the game was an unbeaten 153 against Zimbabwe at Cuttack on April 9, 1998. When in full flow Azharuddin is a delight to watch with his delectable wristwork. To add to his batting was his brilliant fielding. And it can be said that he led, at least in the initial stages of his career, from the front as far as fielding was concerned. Youngsters in the national squad must have picked up quite a few fielding tips from the former skipper. Azharuddin has also sent down 92 overs in limited overs cricket and has taken 12 wickets for a total of 478 runs. His three for 19 against Australia in October , 1987, was his best bowling effort. Azharuddin has also played 98 Tests in which he has scored 6104 runs at an average of 44.88 in 145 innings. Of the 21 centuries he has scored in the longer version of the game his highest was 199 against Sri Lanka at the Green Park, Kanpur, in 1986-87. Barring Zimbabwe, against whom he has played only three Test matches, and the West Indies (14 matches) he has scored centuries against all Test playing countries. His best effort was against England against whom he has scored six of his total of 21 centuries.He has five centuries against Sri Lanka and two each against New Zealand and Australia besides three centuries each against South Africa and Pakistan. Azharuddin, however, will go down in history as one of the most successful India captains. He led India in 174 one-day matches winning 90 and losing 76 for a success average of 54.02 marginally lower than Kapil Dev’s success average of 54.05 over 74 matches in which India won 39 and lost 33. The only cricketer who stands higher in the success rating is Ajay Jadeje who has led India in only 13 matches. In Test cricket too Azharuddin has a success average of 50 per cent losing and winning 14 matches each in 47 Tests with 19 matches ending without any result. Sunil Gavaskar has a success average of 51.06 , also from 47 Tests, winning nine and losing eight while 30 matches in which Gavaskar-led India ended without any result. Given the current
situation in the team it does not look likely that
Azharuddin will get a recall. It would be best for him to
hang up his boots, making way for young talent. |
Cricketer-turned-umpire Cricket’s umpiring fraternity boasts of several distinguished names who have made a mark in the international arena while donning the black overcoat on the pitch. Among them is Punjab’s Jasbir Singh of Amritsar, who, besides being an umpire, is a cricket administrator with Punjab Communications Limited. Jasbir’s tryst with the gentlemen’s game dates back to 1967 when he made his debut in the national championship for the Ranji Trophy. Till 1976 he was a regular member of the Punjab Ranji squad. From 1975 to 1986, Jasbir played professional cricket in England. The 49-year-old Jasbir entered the umpiring circle after passing the test for umpires in 1990. He was a batch-mate of famous cricketer Venkatraghavan. It was in 1994 that Jasbir Singh was picked to officiate as umpire in one-day internationals when he did duty in the Kanpur one-dayer between India and the West Indies. This was one year after he guided Punjab to their historic title triumph against Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy at Ludhiana as manager. The second major assignment came in 1997 when he officiated in the India versus Zimbabwe tie at Baroda. This was followed by another crucial match between India and Pakistan at Jaipur earlier this year. On November 8, Jasbir will once again be standing in the middle in the second India-New Zealand one-day international at Hyderabad. Besides one-day internationals, the Punjab cricketer-turned -umpire has officiated in side matches against visiting sides, including South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. He also did duty in the Test between India ‘A’ and England ‘A’ at Bangalore. Jasbir has played 28
matches in Ranji Trophy, three in Duleep Trophy and one
in Irani Trophy besides taking part in the Challenger
Trophy for three years. |
Sachin equals Azhar’s
record * India have won the three-Test series 1-0 by virture of their eight-wicket victory in the Kanpur Test. The first Test match at Mohali and the third Test match at Ahmedabad were drawn. It was India’s seventh series victory over New Zealand in 12 series in which three or more Test matches were played. * India have now played 326 Test matches, won 61, lost 106 and drawn 159. Their playing record against New Zealand is played 40 Test matches, won 14, lost seven and drawn 19. Of the 14 victories achieved by India against New Zealand, 10 were in India and four in New Zealand. * New Zealand have now played 271 Test matches, won 42, lost 110 and drawn 119. Of the seven victories recorded by New Zealand against India, five were in New Zealand and two in India. * Sachin Tendulkar became the 12th Indian batsman to score a double century in Test cricket. He achieved this feat by scoring 217 in India’s first innings in the third and final Test match at Ahmedabad. It was the 18th double century for India in 326 Test matches. With this double century Sachin Tendulkar equalled Mohammed Azharuddin’s record of scoring the second highest number of centuries for India. Azhar scored 21 centuries in 98 Test matches while Tendulkar made the equal number of centuries in 71 Test matches. Sunil Gavaskar, who made 34 centuries in 125 Test matches, holds the Indian and world record of most centuries in Test cricket. * Sachin Tendulkar became the 16th batsman in Test cricket to score 20 or more centuries. He achieved this feat by scoring an unbeaten 126 in India’s second innings of the Mohali Test. The other batsmen to achieve this distinction were Sunil Gavaskar (India-34 centuries), Don Bradman (Australia-29), Allan Border (Australia-27), Gary Sobers (West Indies-26), Greg Chappel (Australia-24), Vivian Richards (West Indies-24), Javed Miandad (Pakistan-23), Walter Hammond (England-22), Colin Cowdrey (England-22), Geoff Boycott (England-22), Neil Harvey (Australia-21), David Boon (Australia-21), Mohammed Azharuddin (India-21), Ken Barrington (England-20) and Graham Gooch (England-20). * India were bowled out for just 83 runs in the first innings of Mohali Test which is their lowest total against New Zealand in India. The previous lowest against New Zealand was 88 at Mumbai in 1964-65. India’s lowest ever total against New Zealand is 81 at Wellington in 1975-76. * Sadagopan Ramesh and Sachin Tendulkar set a new record of highest-ever fourth wicket partnership for India in Test matches by adding 281 runs in India’s first innings in the third Test match at Ahmedabad, Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar who added 256 runs for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka at Mumbai in 1997-98 held the previous record. The record of best fourth wicket partnership for India against. New Zealand was held by Polly Umrigar and A.G. Kirpal Singh. They added 171 at Hyderabad in the 1955-56 series. * India-recorded their highest total against New Zealand by scoring 583 for seven declared in the first innings of the third Test match at Ahmedabad. India’s previous highest against New Zealand was 537 for three declared at Madras in 1955-56. * Anil Kumble became the 43rd Indian batsman to score 1000 runs in Test cricket. He achieved this feat during his unbeaten 27-run knock in the first innings of the third and final Test at Ahmedabad. It was his 71st innings of his 56th Test match. After completing his 1000 runs. Kumble also achieved the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets. He is the fourth Indian and 34th all rounder in the world to achieve this distinction. The other Indians to perform this feat are Kapil Dev, Vino Mankad and Ravi Shastri. * Indian openers Sadagopan Ramesh and Devang Gandhi failed to score in the first innings of the first Test match at Mohali. It was the fifth instance for India when both openers got out without scoring. The other openers to achieve this unwanted feat are Pankaj Roy and D.K. Gaekwad, against England at Leeds in 1952, M.L. Jaisimha and K.S. Inderjit Singhji, against Australia at Madras in 1964-65. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan against Australia at Melbourne in 1977-78 and Nayan Mongia and Navjot Singh Sidhu against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1998-99. * Sachin Tendulkar has now captained India in 20 Test matches, won four, lost four and drew ten Test matches. * Stephen Fleming has
now led New Zealand in 22 Test matches, won eight, lost
seven and drew seven Test matches. |
Season with great possibilities The Amateur Athletics Federation of India (AAFI) has at last succeeded in converting to the European timetable as far as domestic competition is concerned. For the first time in the history of the AAFI the season ended in October, the last of the competitions, the Open Meet in Bhopal, drawing the curtain down. This leaves the period till February for the athletes to work on their mistakes and take corrective measures in terms of style, planning and other aspects which hampered progress during competitions this year. The federation should be complimented for being able to achieve something which it has been trying for quite a few years now. One can remember similar efforts being talked about in earlier days to enable Indian athletes to be able to perform to peak level in meets in Europe and elsewhere. But the problem in India and most other countries in Asia was that while the season here started in the winter months, say from October to March-April, the athletic season in Europe and elsewhere started in February-March and ended in October. Thus, despite the fact that Indian athletics was never considered capable of matching the rest of the world in Europe, it was almost impossible for the men and women to even attempt to compete with the superior athletes if only for experience. The seasons in India were totally different. The rains and the heat in particular ruled out any active competition during the summer months. Thus for all the best intentions and efforts of the earlier men in the federation, the converting to a new season had remained possible only on paper. It did take a lot of guts to convert to the new schedule. One of the things that made it possible was that with the exception of the Asian Junior Meet two months ago, there was no major competition listed at the Asian level this year. The AAFI was thus able to concentrate on the domestic front , starting the season with competitions in the Southern Centres and finally, after one major one-day flash in Mumbai, ending up with two internationals in Delhi and finally the Open Meet in Bhopal in the last week of October. This schedule will not, however, be possible next year what with the Olympic Games billed to be held in Sydney and the calendar cluttered with the various preambles of preparedness for the big show. The season next year will be a long one, starting sometime in February. The athletes accepted the new calendar rather easily, adapting to the weather conditions in the south where rain did definitely have a say on the some of the performance even though on synthetic surfaces. One of the heartening returns was the tremendous improvement recorded in the 100 metres where barring occasional flourishes, the standard has remained saturated with the time clocked by the fastest man being 10.6 sec. And this situation , of some 40 years standing, was finally changed with Anil Kumar of the Services coming under 10.4 sec on quite a few occasions to hold out the promise of a faster future. There were other achievements which need special mention. One was of course the resurgence of P.T.Usha (one wonders how many times one will be writing about her) and the rewriting by this never ageing legend of her own national record, set 10 years ago, in the 200 metres. She skipped the meets held in the early part of the schedule but once she hit the track, there were no takers. She ran as if alone, having no one to beat, leading all the time. It was a good ending of the season for her finishing with the sprint titles in Bhopal and looking back with pride on a new national mark of 23.25 sec for the 200 metres. With that was wiped out the memories of a somewhat indifferent Asian Games performance of December. The long jump received special attention from 21-year-old Sanjay Rai as he aimed and reached the 8-metre mark early in the season and then crossed it, going two centimetres over the line in the one-day meet in Mumbai to become the first Indian after T.C.Yohannan to do so. Yohannan, it may be recalled measured 8.07 metres to win the long jump event of the Teheran Asian Games in 1974. The long jump performance along with Anil Kumar’s 10.3 plus and the talented Sunita Rani’s quest for new honours in middle distance running could well be termed as the outstanding deeds on the athletics field this year though the national hammer throw came for special attention with .Tewari beaten by Uttar Pradesh’s Ishtiaq in a one time performance for a new record . Sunita Rani would, however, get the vote over other athletes, men and women(despite Usha) as one of the top runners in Asia, her 4:018.01 for the 1,500 metres in the Federation Cup earning her a place in the top 50 of the world, her performance rating being 40th. Also welcome was the consistency shown by Shakti Singh who crossed the 19-metre mark on more than one occasion with a best of 19.85 metres in the Travancore domestic meet. This is the consistency which one has been wanting in him, and in the earlier days, in Bahadur Singh( now coach) But somehow shot putters in India, all potential medal winners, never seem to reach the targets in competitions abroad, targets which come into their clasp so easily in domestic meets. If only Shakti Singh can consistently throw over 19.50 in meets at the Asian level, there is no way he will miss out on a gold. If the new calendar brought out some positive aspects of the athletics potential it also showed up some of the inherent weaknesses and other flaws. One of the major problems relates to the absence of indoor tracks for the athletes to continue with the training during unfriendly weather. The other is whether for the sake of a few select athletes the AAFI should change the entire schedule of the national calendar? After all the whole idea of converting to the European calendar is to ensure that the top Indian athletes must conform to the rest of the world if they have to make any progress. But the standard of our athletes being what is, the number of those selected for major meets outside of Asia, would be only a handful. What happens to those who are striving to make the scene at the second level? There is a solution though. Instead of treating the winter months as off-season for the whole athletics tribe, the AAFI would be advised to continue with the old time table and use the competition held during this period to prepare a second string of athletes. As it is the various departmental meets such as the Railways, the Services and Post and Telegraph, Steel Plants and other major employers of athletes hold their competition in the winter months, before the end of the financial year in March. Even the Inter-University Meet from where the Railways pick up its annual quota of athletics, is staged during this period. The AAFI could join them
with select competition and build up a strong second line
of athletes. |
THE eligibility of Delhi Golf Club (DGC) members, holding office in the management committee for two or more years continuously and now seeking election for the office of President, will come up for hearing again on November 16 in the Delhi High Court. Mr Justice S.P. Kapoor on November 1 ruled that the elections would be held, as scheduled, later this month. He also ruled that the members seeking election for the post of president should file their nominations with the Registrar of the court, subject to order. The DGC, high in traditions and one of the most prestigious institutions in the country, has decided to contest the petition filed by three senior members. Some of the die-hard 750 ‘A’ (voting) members have been considerably disturbed that officials should have taken recourse to seek redressal through court instead of sitting across the table to sort out the ‘family dispute’ in the spirit of give-and-take. One of the veteran-members said: “This would have been in order in view of the existing traditions of the club?” Another veteran said: “Where was the need to rush to the court?” Yet another veteran said: “In sporting associations, rules are important but traditions and ‘etiquette’ are much more vital.” Superbly organised The third edition of the Hero Honda Masters at the DGC course was excellently managed, supervised and controlled, thanks to sponsor Pawan Kant Munjal, who left nothing to chance. The facilities for players and mediapersons were all laid out.There was grace and warmth in providing hospitality to all who needed it. “I am committed to help promote professional golf in the country”, said Munjal adding: “I am overwhelmed at the response and encouragement provided by media. Here Tiger Sports, event managers, handled the assignment professionally. Munjal renewed Jeev Milkha Singh’s ‘sponsorship contract’ for another two years emphasising that he was more than satisfied with his doings. Jeev was naturally elated at the renewal. Maybe, this renewal will help him perform better on home courses where he continues to flatter to deceive. Unlike in previous two outings in which he erred on the concluding two days, this time his first two days gave him many nightmares. First, he had problem with his club and on the second day, he teed-off from the ‘wrong’ side and was penalised two strokes. On the final day, he played an unblemished six under 66 round when the pressure was non-existent. In razor-sharp competition, anyone who withstands the pressure emerges champion as did Jyoti Randhawa. The presence of ‘dad’ inspired him to succeed. Indeed, luck also smiled on him at the crucial concluding stage. As Sammy Daniels’ addressed himself for putt on the final hole (18th), a well-meaning spectators shouted: “Maintain silence”. This shout disturbed the player who, after missing his putt and also title, rightly expressed his annoyance. He had a reason to feel upset. Randhawa started the 18th hole indifferently. But he emerged out of the trouble to get a birdie. This gave him the title. Had Daniels also got a birdie on the par-5 18th, there would have been a play-off. It would then have been anybody’s match. Randhawa might have still scraped through because he was a ‘sool customer’. Different was the mental make-up of Daniels. Understanding he was, but he seemed to get ‘tensed’ in crucial moments. Golf in the country has been on the take-off stage. But the progress would be quicker if more competitions are held with similar enthusiasm and keenness, as shown by Munjals. The Indian Open is indeed considered number one championship in the country. When it began in 1964, it alternated between Calcutta and Delhi. But it could not be held after 1995 because of a blanket ban on advertisement of cigarettes. Four editions in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 have been staged at Calcutta which has not had such wide publicity in all these years as Hero Honda has been able to generate in Delhi for the last three years. Maybe, Indian Tobacco Company (ITC), main sponsors of the Indian Open, will hold this season’s edition at Classic Golf Resort (Gurgaon). The course about 40 kms from Delhi indeed is ideal from every point of view. Players may be lodged around the course. But it will be a nightmare for mediapersons to cover the event with same efficiency as they did Hero Honda at Delhi this year. The ITC has wherewithal
and influence to ‘tie’ over this minor hitch.
If the officials do it, it will be good for the promotion
of golf in the country. The CGC has come to stay. Let it
be developed from every point of view. When it is
actually ready to stage the competition of this
dimension, it should mostly be held there. The CGC is
after all ITC’s baby! |
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Healy’s retirement shocking NEWS of Ian Healy’s retirement from international cricket came as a shock to cricket lovers worldwide. Healy had been a great force for more than 10 years at the top level. He engineered many a famous Aussie victory. he was a crisis man. It is true that he will go down in history as an all time great. He would have easily completed 400 Test scalps had he played only one more Test. But that was not to be. The void created by his retirement will be very hard to fill. RAJNEESH GOYAL Sachin’s knock Sachin Tendulkar deserves praise for his first double century against New Zealand. He has achieved this milestone after playing 109 innings in 70 Tests. Though he is a world class batsman yet he could not reach the 200 figure mark even after making 20 centuries. It was presumed that he had talent but not temperament. He has proved this wrong. SUBHASH C TANEJA Kanpur victory It was nice to see India winning the second Test match against New Zealand at Kanpur. The inclusion of young off spinner Harbhajan Singh in the team paid dividends. This young boy should be given continuous exposure and confidence because with the ability he has, he can become India’s main wicket-taker. Kumble has again proved that he is India’s number one bowler at present. Young Devang Gandhi justified his inclusion in the team. There is no dearth of such young boys in India. Their ability should be utilised at the appropriate time. There is another boy Reetinder Singh Sodhi, the hero and captain of the junior victorious World Cup team. When the junior team won the World Cup, the media commented that this young boy would be the future of Indian cricket . Why is he being ignored now ? PRITPAL SINGH Kudos to PCA The PCA has done well to include Arun Kumar Wadhawan from Minor Districts in the junior selectors panel. This reflects the rational approach of the PCA towards the game. Arun has played cricket up to the national level. It will boost the morale of the budding cricketers who deserve a place in the state team. HARJEET SINGH Sita Gussain Kudos to Sita Gussain, former skipper of the Indian women’s hockey team, who was chosen from Asia for the World XI team by the FIH to play in the FIH anniversary celebrations match against world champions Australia. This is the crowning glory of Sita’s career as she is the only Indian woman hockey player to achieve this distinction. This Himachal girl has rubbed shoulders with players like Britta Becker and Natasha Killer, members of the World XI team. TARSEM S BUMRAH |
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