Sports
T20 tournaments should have best-of-three finals: Ponting
Melbourne: Disappointed with Australia’s loss in the summit clash of the World Twenty20, Test and ODI captain Ricky Ponting said the finals of such tournaments should be a best-of-three affair.
Australia won every match except for the all-important final in the recent ICC World Twenty20 and Ponting said given the short format, the title should not be decided by just one summit showdown.
“I’ve always been of the belief in Twenty20 tournaments there should be a best-of-three finals. We know with the game, it can hinge on one over here and there,” Ponting told Fox Sports. “They dominated the
competition all the way through. I was disappointed for the boys; no doubt they were the best team right through the tournament but they stumbled at the last hurdle,” he added.
Aussies should be happy
Ponting said despite the crushing loss in the final toEngland, the Aussies should be happy about their campaign. “They should be proud of the way they conducted themselves,” he said.
Newly-appointed T20 captain Michael Clarke has become insecure about his place in the team due to a string of poor performances in the World Cup but Ponting backed him.
“I don’t know what he had to say about himself, but everything I’ve been reading is very positive about him and how he’s led the team,” Ponting, who has retired from T20 cricket, said.
“I notice the coach (Tim Nielsen) made some positive comments and every time I have seen Michael in a leadership role he has done exceptionally well. So there are some really good signs there for the future of
Australian cricket,” he said.
Disappointed with Australia’s loss in the summit clash of the World Twenty20, Test and ODI captain Ricky Ponting said the finals of such tournaments should be a best-of-three affair.
Australia won every match except for the all-important final in the recent ICC World Twenty20 and Ponting said given the short format, the title should not be decided by just one summit showdown.
“I’ve always been of the belief in Twenty20 tournaments there should be a best-of-three finals. We know with the game, it can hinge on one over here and there,” Ponting told Fox Sports. “They dominated the competition all the way through. I was disappointed for the boys; no doubt they were the best team right through the tournament but they stumbled at the last hurdle,” he added.
Aussies should be happy
Ponting said despite the crushing loss in the final toEngland, the Aussies should be happy about their campaign. “They should be proud of the way they conducted themselves,” he said.
Newly-appointed T20 captain Michael Clarke has become insecure about his place in the team due to a string of poor performances in the World Cup but Ponting backed him.
“I don’t know what he had to say about himself, but everything I’ve been reading is very positive about him and how he’s led the team,” Ponting, who has retired from T20 cricket, said.
“I notice the coach (Tim Nielsen) made some positive comments and every time I have seen Michael in a leadership role he has done exceptionally well. So there are some really good signs there for the future of Australian cricket,” he said.
Technique and guts are the key
It’s time Gautam Gambhir and some of his teammates start hooking fast bowlers if the batting scenario in Indian cricket has to change.
The post mortem of an event is a national past-time in this country. From restaurants to marriage halls, all that is being discussed is the weakness of Indian batsmen facing the short stuff.
It’s a debate that will go on till Gambhir and some of his colleagues in the Indian team start hooking fast bowlers past the square-leg umpire again and not move towards him.
It’s perfectly understandable to get disappointed when India loses in a major world tournament, but it’s also time that we stop criticising players for their off the field habits. Do these habits come to the fore only when
India loses?
The real reason for the loss is not the IPL or its much publicised late night parties but the terrible mind-draining schedules that forced the players to live out of suitcases and travel hard for the past two months.
That left the Indian players jaded, much before they boarded the flight for the ICC World T20. The tight schedule gave hardly any time for the coach and the players going to the West Indies to work on technical and
fitness deficiencies. What next is the question we need to address.
Good hookers
If one analyses the pre-protective gear eras of Indian cricket, we had a higher percentage of good hookers and one remembers teenager Saad Bin Jung of Hyderabad playing for South Zone taking on Malcolm Marshall
and Vanburn Holder, hooking with aplomb and scoring 113 in 1978.
It was a combination of technique and guts on the bouncy pitch of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad.
Another teenager Dilip Vengsarkar, in the blood-bath Jamaica Test of 1976, played Michael Holding and company with tremendous confidence. Both Vengsarkar and Saad Bin Jung showed that one needs technique
and guts.
Absence of either makes one an easy prey for fast bowlers. Those were the days when there was no limit on the number of bouncers per over.
West Indian fast bowlers and the famous pair of Lillie-Thomson would terrorise batsmen with short-pitch stuff.
Sunil Gavaskar scored 13 of his centuries against the West Indian fast bowlers who were hell-bent on bouncing him out. Most of the time he positioned himself perfectly to counter-attack by hooking them.
Gavaskar may be right in asking the batsmen to go to the National Cricket Academy to hone skills, but if at all we have to eradicate the problem, we have to get rid of the rule of maximum one bouncer per over.
Let the technical committee of the BCCI allow free use of bouncers in an over in the domestic tournaments.
Two things will happen: the batsmen will have to be technically correct to face the bouncers and the mindset will change. We don’t have a single quick bowler in domestic cricket bowling at 140kmph or above and if the
medium-pacers too are allowed to bowl only one bouncer per over, how will batsmen get used to facing the bouncers against international quick bowlers?
As Sir Garfield Sobers keeps repeating, it’s the helmets and other protective gear that hamper the technique and make batsmen complacent. It’s a point worth debating.
But if the batting scenario in Indian cricket has to change, it’s the free use of bouncers in all forms of the game that needs to be introduced before it’s too late.
It’s time Gautam Gambhir and some of his teammates start hooking fast bowlers if the batting scenario in Indian cricket has to change.
The post mortem of an event is a national past-time in this country. From restaurants to marriage halls, all that is being discussed is the weakness of Indian batsmen facing the short stuff.
It’s a debate that will go on till Gambhir and some of his colleagues in the Indian team start hooking fast bowlers past the square-leg umpire again and not move towards him.
It’s perfectly understandable to get disappointed when India loses in a major world tournament, but it’s also time that we stop criticising players for their off the field habits. Do these habits come to the fore only when India loses?
The real reason for the loss is not the IPL or its much publicised late night parties but the terrible mind-draining schedules that forced the players to live out of suitcases and travel hard for the past two months.
That left the Indian players jaded, much before they boarded the flight for the ICC World T20. The tight schedule gave hardly any time for the coach and the players going to the West Indies to work on technical and fitness deficiencies. What next is the question we need to address.
Good hookers
If one analyses the pre-protective gear eras of Indian cricket, we had a higher percentage of good hookers and one remembers teenager Saad Bin Jung of Hyderabad playing for South Zone taking on Malcolm Marshall and Vanburn Holder, hooking with aplomb and scoring 113 in 1978.
It was a combination of technique and guts on the bouncy pitch of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad.
Another teenager Dilip Vengsarkar, in the blood-bath Jamaica Test of 1976, played Michael Holding and company with tremendous confidence. Both Vengsarkar and Saad Bin Jung showed that one needs technique and guts.
Absence of either makes one an easy prey for fast bowlers. Those were the days when there was no limit on the number of bouncers per over.
West Indian fast bowlers and the famous pair of Lillie-Thomson would terrorise batsmen with short-pitch stuff.
Sunil Gavaskar scored 13 of his centuries against the West Indian fast bowlers who were hell-bent on bouncing him out. Most of the time he positioned himself perfectly to counter-attack by hooking them.
Gavaskar may be right in asking the batsmen to go to the National Cricket Academy to hone skills, but if at all we have to eradicate the problem, we have to get rid of the rule of maximum one bouncer per over.
Let the technical committee of the BCCI allow free use of bouncers in an over in the domestic tournaments.
Two things will happen: the batsmen will have to be technically correct to face the bouncers and the mindset will change. We don’t have a single quick bowler in domestic cricket bowling at 140kmph or above and if the medium-pacers too are allowed to bowl only one bouncer per over, how will batsmen get used to facing the bouncers against international quick bowlers?
As Sir Garfield Sobers keeps repeating, it’s the helmets and other protective gear that hamper the technique and make batsmen complacent. It’s a point worth debating.
But if the batting scenario in Indian cricket has to change, it’s the free use of bouncers in all forms of the game that needs to be introduced before it’s too late.
Saina Nehwal enters semifinal in style
It was just the kind of performance the home fans needed from Saina Nehwal following the disappointment of watching top seeds V. Diju and G. Jwala make a premature exit from the Badminton Asia championship on Friday.
Against the seventh seed Mew Choo Wong, Saina, produced a sterling performance that looked even better against the off-colour Malaysian.
In fact, the scoreline of 21-5, 21-13 left even Saina surprised after the 29-minute quarterfinal that never lived up to the promise of being a closely-fought battle. Saina, the first Indian to reach the semifinal, is known for her aggressive ways but it was her defence that stood out on this day. Earlier, Aditi Mutatkar’s fine run came to an end after she ran into another Chinese qualifier Xin Liu and lost in straight games.
Home fans disappointed
Though third seeded men’s pair Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar failed to live up to their seeding and lost rather listlessly to their Korean rivals after winning the first game, it was the defeat of Diju and Jwala that hurt the small crowd of supporters at the Siri Fort Complex. After racing away with the first game against little-known Chinese pair of Zihan Qiu and Qing Tian, Diju and Jwala lost the plot in the remainder of the 48-minute match.
“In the second game, Diju developed some back pain and could not move well,” said a “very disappointed” Jwala who was brilliant in defence on this day.
The results (quarterfinals, Indian unless stated): Men: Kenchi Tago (Jpn) bt Hsuan Yi Hseuh (Tpe) 21-13, 21-16; Zhengming Wang (Chn) bt Shajo Sato (Jpn) 21-16, 21-15; Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) bt Muhammad Hafiz Hashim (Mas) 21-9, 17-21, 21-10; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Yun Hu (Hkg) 21-11, 21-10.
Doubles: Hung Ling Chen & Yu Lang Lin (Tpe) bt Hee Chun Mak & Wee Kiong Tan (Mas) 19-21, 21-15, 21-18; Sang Hoon Han & Ji Man Hwang (Kor) bt Sanave Thomas & Rupesh Kumar 17-21, 21-16, 21-15; Chieh Min Fang & Sheng Mu Lee (Tpe) bt Hendri Kurniawan Saputra & Hendra Wijaya (Sin) 17-21, 21-12, 21-13; Gun Woo Cho &Yeon Seong Yoo (Kor) bt Thein How Hoon & Soon Hock Ong (Mas) 21-18, 21-17.
Women: Saina Nehwal bt Mew Choo Wong (Mas) 21-5, 21-13; Xuerui Li (Chn) bt Ayane Kurihara (Jpn) 21-17, 21-18; Xin Liu (Chn) bt Aditi Mutatkar 21-14, 21-11; Mi Zhao (Hkg) bt 5-Salakjit Ponsana (Tha) 23-21, 21-17.
Doubles: Vivian Kah Mun Hoo & Khe Wei Woon (Mas) bt Meillana Jauhari & Greysia Polii (Ina) 26-21, 11-21, 21-19; Savitre Amitapai & Vacharaporn Munkit (Tha) bt Pei Chen Hsieh & Pei Rong Wang (Tpe) 22-20, 16-21, 21-18; Wen Hsing Cheng & Yu Chin Chien (Tpe) bt Anneke Feinya Agustine & Annisa Wahyuni (Ina) 21-18, 2-12; Pan Pan & Qing Tian (Chn) bt Miyuki Maeda & Satoko Suetsuna (Jpn) 21-13, 21-10.
Mixed doubles: Zihan Qui & Qing Tian (Chn) bt V. Diju & G. Jwala 15-21, 21-11, 21-14; Yeon Seong Yo & Min Jung Kim (Kor) bt Tontowi Ahmad & Gresia Polii (Ina) 17-21, 21-12, 21-17; Peng Soon Chan & Liu Ying Goh (Mas) bt Hirokatsu Hashimoto & Mizuki Fujii (Jpn)18-21, 21-16, 21-9; Devin L. F. & Lillyana (Ina) bt Yohan Hadikusumo Wiratama & Ying Suet Tse (Hkg) 22-20, 21-16 .
It was just the kind of performance the home fans needed from Saina Nehwal following the disappointment of watching top seeds V. Diju and G. Jwala make a premature exit from the Badminton Asia championship on Friday.
Against the seventh seed Mew Choo Wong, Saina, produced a sterling performance that looked even better against the off-colour Malaysian.
In fact, the scoreline of 21-5, 21-13 left even Saina surprised after the 29-minute quarterfinal that never lived up to the promise of being a closely-fought battle. Saina, the first Indian to reach the semifinal, is known for her aggressive ways but it was her defence that stood out on this day. Earlier, Aditi Mutatkar’s fine run came to an end after she ran into another Chinese qualifier Xin Liu and lost in straight games.
Home fans disappointed
Though third seeded men’s pair Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar failed to live up to their seeding and lost rather listlessly to their Korean rivals after winning the first game, it was the defeat of Diju and Jwala that hurt the small crowd of supporters at the Siri Fort Complex. After racing away with the first game against little-known Chinese pair of Zihan Qiu and Qing Tian, Diju and Jwala lost the plot in the remainder of the 48-minute match.
“In the second game, Diju developed some back pain and could not move well,” said a “very disappointed” Jwala who was brilliant in defence on this day.
The results (quarterfinals, Indian unless stated): Men: Kenchi Tago (Jpn) bt Hsuan Yi Hseuh (Tpe) 21-13, 21-16; Zhengming Wang (Chn) bt Shajo Sato (Jpn) 21-16, 21-15; Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) bt Muhammad Hafiz Hashim (Mas) 21-9, 17-21, 21-10; Lin Dan (Chn) bt Yun Hu (Hkg) 21-11, 21-10.
Doubles: Hung Ling Chen & Yu Lang Lin (Tpe) bt Hee Chun Mak & Wee Kiong Tan (Mas) 19-21, 21-15, 21-18; Sang Hoon Han & Ji Man Hwang (Kor) bt Sanave Thomas & Rupesh Kumar 17-21, 21-16, 21-15; Chieh Min Fang & Sheng Mu Lee (Tpe) bt Hendri Kurniawan Saputra & Hendra Wijaya (Sin) 17-21, 21-12, 21-13; Gun Woo Cho &Yeon Seong Yoo (Kor) bt Thein How Hoon & Soon Hock Ong (Mas) 21-18, 21-17.
Women: Saina Nehwal bt Mew Choo Wong (Mas) 21-5, 21-13; Xuerui Li (Chn) bt Ayane Kurihara (Jpn) 21-17, 21-18; Xin Liu (Chn) bt Aditi Mutatkar 21-14, 21-11; Mi Zhao (Hkg) bt 5-Salakjit Ponsana (Tha) 23-21, 21-17.
Doubles: Vivian Kah Mun Hoo & Khe Wei Woon (Mas) bt Meillana Jauhari & Greysia Polii (Ina) 26-21, 11-21, 21-19; Savitre Amitapai & Vacharaporn Munkit (Tha) bt Pei Chen Hsieh & Pei Rong Wang (Tpe) 22-20, 16-21, 21-18; Wen Hsing Cheng & Yu Chin Chien (Tpe) bt Anneke Feinya Agustine & Annisa Wahyuni (Ina) 21-18, 2-12; Pan Pan & Qing Tian (Chn) bt Miyuki Maeda & Satoko Suetsuna (Jpn) 21-13, 21-10.
Mixed doubles: Zihan Qui & Qing Tian (Chn) bt V. Diju & G. Jwala 15-21, 21-11, 21-14; Yeon Seong Yo & Min Jung Kim (Kor) bt Tontowi Ahmad & Gresia Polii (Ina) 17-21, 21-12, 21-17; Peng Soon Chan & Liu Ying Goh (Mas) bt Hirokatsu Hashimoto & Mizuki Fujii (Jpn)18-21, 21-16, 21-9; Devin L. F. & Lillyana (Ina) bt Yohan Hadikusumo Wiratama & Ying Suet Tse (Hkg) 22-20, 21-16 .
A fitting finale to the Sania saga
After all the cacophonic controversies, the feuding, the fanfare, the blame-games and peace offerings, Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik finally settled down and celebrated their union with an evening of splendour. A grand
reception was held for a 1,200-strong guest list who were treated to a sumptuous Hyderabadi feast, under the glow of fairy lights and spectacular decor that transformed the hotel into an ethereal place as the groom
and the gorgeous bride, resplendent in a Shantanu-Nikhil creation met their guests.
Unlike the nikah, mehendi and sangeet which were strictly for family and a few very close friends, the reception was inclusive and a grand affair. Held at a star hotel, the city’s who’s who made an appearance;
Hyderabad’s page 3 crowd and personalities from the film industry and the sports fraternities. CM Rosaiah too attended the reception and blessed the couple. Amongst those who couldn’t attend, the Bachchans sent
Sania a large bouquet and a card wishing her the very best. Malaika and Arbaaz Khan too could not make it as the latter was caught up with a shoot.
Seen at the do were Shoaib’s good friend Sohail Tanveer and the Pakistani minister Firdous Ashiq Awan who presented Sania a gold crown made specially for her. Among other guests spotted at the lavish affair were
Raza Murad, Pakistani singer Warib Baig, Krishna Bhupati, designers Shantanu and Nikhil, Rhea Pillai, Kajal Anand, Hamed Saberi, Chamundeshwarnath, Lavraj Bhalerao, Niketan and Anil Kumar Yadav.
At the sangeet the previous day, Sania’s good friends Neha Dhupia and Rakshanda Khan danced to Desi Girl and Salam-e-Ishq respectively. Post dinner Sania’s uncle Talat Aziz performed a ghazal that he had
composed especially for her. Hyderabadis agreed this is one wedding they will remember for a long time. Sania will now head for a reception to be held at Lahore.
After all the cacophonic controversies, the feuding, the fanfare, the blame-games and peace offerings, Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik finally settled down and celebrated their union with an evening of splendour. A grand reception was held for a 1,200-strong guest list who were treated to a sumptuous Hyderabadi feast, under the glow of fairy lights and spectacular decor that transformed the hotel into an ethereal place as the groom and the gorgeous bride, resplendent in a Shantanu-Nikhil creation met their guests.
Unlike the nikah, mehendi and sangeet which were strictly for family and a few very close friends, the reception was inclusive and a grand affair. Held at a star hotel, the city’s who’s who made an appearance; Hyderabad’s page 3 crowd and personalities from the film industry and the sports fraternities. CM Rosaiah too attended the reception and blessed the couple. Amongst those who couldn’t attend, the Bachchans sent Sania a large bouquet and a card wishing her the very best. Malaika and Arbaaz Khan too could not make it as the latter was caught up with a shoot.
Seen at the do were Shoaib’s good friend Sohail Tanveer and the Pakistani minister Firdous Ashiq Awan who presented Sania a gold crown made specially for her. Among other guests spotted at the lavish affair were Raza Murad, Pakistani singer Warib Baig, Krishna Bhupati, designers Shantanu and Nikhil, Rhea Pillai, Kajal Anand, Hamed Saberi, Chamundeshwarnath, Lavraj Bhalerao, Niketan and Anil Kumar Yadav.
At the sangeet the previous day, Sania’s good friends Neha Dhupia and Rakshanda Khan danced to Desi Girl and Salam-e-Ishq respectively. Post dinner Sania’s uncle Talat Aziz performed a ghazal that he had composed especially for her. Hyderabadis agreed this is one wedding they will remember for a long time. Sania will now head for a reception to be held at Lahore.
Saina, Aditi, Kashyap through; Arvind, Anup, Trupti out of ABC
Saina Nehwal, Aditi Mutatkar advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles, while P Kashyap kept the tri-colour fluttering in the men’s singles event of the Asian Badminton Championship here today.
Ace Indian mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju also entered the pre-quarterfinals after beating Hong Kong duo of Wai Hong Wong and Hoi Wah Chau 21-13 21-12.
In the women’s singles, top seed Saina crushed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 21-10 21-13 in 24 minutes to set up a date with Julia Pei Xian Wong of Malaysia in the pre-quarters tomorrow.
“I have played her before and even lost to her close match but I didn’t expect it will be so easy today. My strokes have improved and my defense was also good today,” Saina said after the victory.
“I am playing Julia next and she is also a good player and I have lost against her once and have defeated her also in 2006 Phillipines Open. She is coming from injury so she won’t be in her top form,” added Sania
about her next encounter.
Aditi saw off Singaporean Mingtian Fu 21-11 17-21 21-18 in the first round to set up a clash with Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao Huan Chen.
Aditi said she was desperate for a win and it has given her a lot of confidence.
“I had my rehabilitation in Pune and it was very important for me to keep winning. This win has been very encouraging for me as I move ahead to the next round. I am not looking into the future. I just want to take each
round, each tournament at a time. The competition here is tough so it will be difficult,” she said.
Meanwhile in men’s singles category, Kashyap was the lone Indian standing after he won both his matches of the day to reach the last 16 stage.
The Andra Pradesh lad defeated Hong Kong’s Wing Ki Wong 21-14 21-15 in the first match before beating Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia 21-14 21-16 in the next.
“I moved fast and was aggressive from the start. I didn’t get tired and was fit all through out the match which helped me to play long rallies. He couldn’t follow my game. I have played him thrice and had lost some very
close matches. I am happy I won today,” Kashyap said after the win.
However, it was curtains for his compatriots Arvind Bhat, Anup Sridhar, RMV Gurusaidutt, Ajay Jayaram and K Nandagopal.
Anup had a good start to the tournament, winning the first round against Ye Wook Rho of Korea 16-21 21-13 21-8 but he ran out of steam in the next against Malaysian Chong Chieh Lok and lost 19-21 15-21.Living
with injury for the last two years, Anup said he was not able to match up with the fitness of his opponent.
“I thought I was fit but I couldn’t match up with his fitness. I was getting tired every now and then. If I had played a slow game it might have suited me but since I was not able to play long rallies, I tried to get quick
points and ended up making many unforced errors,” he said.
Arvind, seeded 16th, also started the proceedings on a positive note, notching up a win against Bikash Shrestha of Nepal 21-14 21-11 but Korean Ji Hoon Hong cut short his journey beating the Indian 15-21 21-13 6-21.
Disappointed at his early exit, Arvind, who was returning from an ankle injury, said he was not feeling at his best.
“I was not feeling strong enough especially after coming out of injury, so some of my shots lacked power which helped him to smash me hard. He was good at his defence,” he said.
“After my ankle injury I trained for two weeks and went to the Dutch Open. Now I have three weeks to go before the Thomas Cup. I want to be completely fit in this time,” Arvind added.
Gurusaidutt was slow in his shots and lost 19-21 22-20 19-21, while Ajay squandered a lead to succumb to a 21-14 13-21 17-21 loss in the first round. Nandagopal also could not cross the first hurdle and lost 15-21
15-21 to Indonesian Nugroho Andi Saputro.
There was disappointment in the women’s category too as Trupti Murgunde, Neha Pandit and Sayali Gokhale hit a dead end after losing their respective first round matches.
Truipti lost 17-21 12- 21 to Julia Pei Xian Wong of Malaysia, while Neha went down 14-21 19-21 to another Malaysian Lydia Li Ya Cheah in a 27-minute encounter.
On the contrary Sayali’s was a heart-breaking one as she lost 11-21 21-9 18-21 at the hands of Beiwen Zhang in a tough 40-minute affair.
Top seed Taufik Hidayat and second seed Lin Dan also reached the pre-quarterfinals after winning their respective first and second round matches.
Hidayat made light work of Nepalese qualifier Indra Mehata 21-6 21-9 in the first round and then beat Ha Anh Le of Vietnam 21-10 21-16 in the next. The Indonesian star will next face Hsuan Yi Hsueh of Chinese Taipei
tomorrow.
Dan, meanwhile, beat Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand 21-11 21-14 in his first round match before getting past local challenger Anand Pawar 21-14 21-12. He will next face Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei.
In the mixed doubles category, new pair Jishnu Sanyal and Jyotshna P lost 14-21 9-21 to Korean combo of Sang Hoon Han and Ye Na Jang while Tarun Kona and Shruti Kurian lost 9-21 9-21 against fifth seed
Indonesian pair of Devin LF and Liliyana.
Saina Nehwal, Aditi Mutatkar advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles, while P Kashyap kept the tri-colour fluttering in the men’s singles event of the Asian Badminton Championship here today.
Ace Indian mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju also entered the pre-quarterfinals after beating Hong Kong duo of Wai Hong Wong and Hoi Wah Chau 21-13 21-12.
In the women’s singles, top seed Saina crushed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 21-10 21-13 in 24 minutes to set up a date with Julia Pei Xian Wong of Malaysia in the pre-quarters tomorrow.
“I have played her before and even lost to her close match but I didn’t expect it will be so easy today. My strokes have improved and my defense was also good today,” Saina said after the victory.
“I am playing Julia next and she is also a good player and I have lost against her once and have defeated her also in 2006 Phillipines Open. She is coming from injury so she won’t be in her top form,” added Sania
about her next encounter.
Aditi saw off Singaporean Mingtian Fu 21-11 17-21 21-18 in the first round to set up a clash with Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao Huan Chen.
Aditi said she was desperate for a win and it has given her a lot of confidence.
“I had my rehabilitation in Pune and it was very important for me to keep winning. This win has been very encouraging for me as I move ahead to the next round. I am not looking into the future. I just want to take each round, each tournament at a time. The competition here is tough so it will be difficult,” she said.
Meanwhile in men’s singles category, Kashyap was the lone Indian standing after he won both his matches of the day to reach the last 16 stage.
The Andra Pradesh lad defeated Hong Kong’s Wing Ki Wong 21-14 21-15 in the first match before beating Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia 21-14 21-16 in the next.
“I moved fast and was aggressive from the start. I didn’t get tired and was fit all through out the match which helped me to play long rallies. He couldn’t follow my game. I have played him thrice and had lost some very close matches. I am happy I won today,” Kashyap said after the win.
However, it was curtains for his compatriots Arvind Bhat, Anup Sridhar, RMV Gurusaidutt, Ajay Jayaram and K Nandagopal.
Anup had a good start to the tournament, winning the first round against Ye Wook Rho of Korea 16-21 21-13 21-8 but he ran out of steam in the next against Malaysian Chong Chieh Lok and lost 19-21 15-21.Living with injury for the last two years, Anup said he was not able to match up with the fitness of his opponent.
“I thought I was fit but I couldn’t match up with his fitness. I was getting tired every now and then. If I had played a slow game it might have suited me but since I was not able to play long rallies, I tried to get quick points and ended up making many unforced errors,” he said.
Arvind, seeded 16th, also started the proceedings on a positive note, notching up a win against Bikash Shrestha of Nepal 21-14 21-11 but Korean Ji Hoon Hong cut short his journey beating the Indian 15-21 21-13 6-21.
Disappointed at his early exit, Arvind, who was returning from an ankle injury, said he was not feeling at his best.
“I was not feeling strong enough especially after coming out of injury, so some of my shots lacked power which helped him to smash me hard. He was good at his defence,” he said.
“After my ankle injury I trained for two weeks and went to the Dutch Open. Now I have three weeks to go before the Thomas Cup. I want to be completely fit in this time,” Arvind added.
Gurusaidutt was slow in his shots and lost 19-21 22-20 19-21, while Ajay squandered a lead to succumb to a 21-14 13-21 17-21 loss in the first round. Nandagopal also could not cross the first hurdle and lost 15-21 15-21 to Indonesian Nugroho Andi Saputro.
There was disappointment in the women’s category too as Trupti Murgunde, Neha Pandit and Sayali Gokhale hit a dead end after losing their respective first round matches.
Truipti lost 17-21 12- 21 to Julia Pei Xian Wong of Malaysia, while Neha went down 14-21 19-21 to another Malaysian Lydia Li Ya Cheah in a 27-minute encounter.
On the contrary Sayali’s was a heart-breaking one as she lost 11-21 21-9 18-21 at the hands of Beiwen Zhang in a tough 40-minute affair.
Top seed Taufik Hidayat and second seed Lin Dan also reached the pre-quarterfinals after winning their respective first and second round matches.
Hidayat made light work of Nepalese qualifier Indra Mehata 21-6 21-9 in the first round and then beat Ha Anh Le of Vietnam 21-10 21-16 in the next. The Indonesian star will next face Hsuan Yi Hsueh of Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
Dan, meanwhile, beat Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand 21-11 21-14 in his first round match before getting past local challenger Anand Pawar 21-14 21-12. He will next face Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei.
In the mixed doubles category, new pair Jishnu Sanyal and Jyotshna P lost 14-21 9-21 to Korean combo of Sang Hoon Han and Ye Na Jang while Tarun Kona and Shruti Kurian lost 9-21 9-21 against fifth seed Indonesian pair of Devin LF and Liliyana.
TEJASWINI NAIAK 1ST PLACE IN 56 KG POWER LIFTING GAMES HELD AT PUNE CALLED ON HON”BLE CHIEF MINISTER DR K ROSAIAH AT HIS RESIDENCE
14.11.2009: Smt M. Chaya Ratan, IAS Principal Secretary addressing at a State level Sports & Cultural meet CRC week Celebrations in inauguration
program at govt. children home for boys, Saidabad, Hyderabad on
This ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Someshwara and Lord Nandishwara. To be found near Kuntala village, the temple is renowned for its exquisite sculptures. Somalingeswara Swami Temple is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees every year.
This ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Someshwara and Lord Nandishwara. To be found near Kuntala village, the temple is renowned for its exquisite sculptures. Somalingeswara Swami Temple is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees every year.
This ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Someshwara and Lord Nandishwara. To be found near Kuntala village, the temple is renowned for its exquisite sculptures. Somalingeswara Swami Temple is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees every year.
This ancient temple is dedicated to Lord Someshwara and Lord Nandishwara. To be found near Kuntala village, the temple is renowned for its exquisite sculptures. Somalingeswara Swami Temple is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees every year.
