City misses bus for World Youth volleyball c’ship

Pune Mirror May 30, 2008

Suhrid Barua

Pune: Pune has lost out on the bid for both the 2009 World Junior Volleyball Championships and World Youth Volleyball Championships. The city missed the bus for the mega events largely due to their own doing. Revealing this, Poona District Volleyball Association (PDVA) secretary Vijay Rahirkar said that ignorance about the procedural know-how about the bidding process was responsible for the city missing out on an event of such magnitude.

“Normally the norm is that countries bid for a world meet at least eighteen months before it gets under way. So that way we should have made a bid in January-February, but we only placed a formal bid in April which clearly affected our chances,” Rahirkar said.For the stats minded, France won the bid to host the 2009 World Junior Volleyball Championships while Italy won the right to host the 2009 World Junior Volleyball Championships.

The PDVA secretary said it was for the first time that they were handling such an issue and lack of awareness about how to go about it cost them dear. “This is the first time we are handling such a thing. Also, we were not getting enough information about the bidding process despite our best efforts from us and the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI),” he said.

Once-bitten-twice shy, the PDVA now wants to ensure that it at least wins the bid for one big-ticket event next year. “We are doing our best to bid for the 2009 Asian Senior Volleyball Championships. We’ve the World Volleyball Congress happening in Dubai in mid-June and some of the VFI officials will be there to toss the same with the FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball). We’ve reason to be optimistic because the indoor hall at the Balewadi Sports Complex could be used up as a venue for the event,” he observed.

Now this is a tricky one: was he sure that the city would have won the bid in the first place if the bidding process was carried out on time? “Why not. I’ve no idea about how France won the bid for the 2009 World Junior Volleyball Championships, but Italy were favoured to win the bid for the 2009 World Youth Volleyball Championships as they are also hosting the 2010 World Senior Men’s Volleyball Championships,” he added.

Can’t help asking him: so is there any loss of face for the PDVA in the way the whole issue was handled? “I don’t think so. Organisation loopholes will be there in every organisation and as I said before because we were new to all this bidding norms, we had to pay a price,” Rahirkar signed off.

Wanna box like Tyson

Suhrid Barua Pune Mirror May 19, 2008

Pune: Shiv Thapa is only 15 but talks with a maturity beyond his age. It was this maturity that came to the fore when he outboxed Elvin Kerimova of Azerbaijan in the final bout to win the flyweight (50 kg) gold in the Hyder Aliyev International Boxing Tournament in Azerbaijan recently.For someone, who donned the India colours for the first time and to have become the first Indian boxer to win a gold at the Hyder Aliyev international tournament must have given him a new high. “I didn’t expect to go so far in the tournament. It was my first international tourney and all I was looking for was some solid international exposure and winning the gold is a big bonus,” Shiv gushes.

So then, what did the trick for this Assam pugilist who joined the Army Sports Institute in 2005? “Straight punches,” pat comes the answer. “Indian boxers usually employ the uppercuts and hooks but my coaches (More sir and Mahavir sir) have stressed on the excessive use of straight punches and I reaped rich rewards employing them in Azerbaijan,” he quips.Shiv comes from a modest background -his father runs a steel furniture business in Guwahati, but boxing runs in his family - elder brother- Gobind Thapa is a featherweight silver medalist at the 2007 National Games in Guwahati.

So is there any kind of sibling rivalry? “Nothing like that. When we box against each other, he doesn’t try to hit me but focuses more on explaining the tactics of a match situation,” Shiv reserves all respect for his elder brother.Boys of his age like to piggy out on junk food or whatever they stumble upon. But Shiv knows the importance of maintaining a strict diet. “I consume a lot of fruit salads and generally try to skirt oily stuff,” says, Shiv, who sees Mike Tyson as a role model.

“Mike Tyson is a braveheart. What I like about him is that he never gives up or get intimidated by his opponent. He thinks he is the champion and I want to imbibe this line of thinking when I’m in the ring,” Shiv added.The Azerbaijan glory is over.

So what’s next? “I’d be off to Uzbekistan for a training-cum-competition trip next month. “I really want to make the most of whatever foreign exposure I get,” Shiv remarked with truckloads of confidence.

The fiesty boxer has already set his sights on making a statement on the big stage. “I want to make a podium finish in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, but my ultimate dream is to win a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics,” he added with a ring of determination.

Suhrid Barua Pune Mirror
May 18 ,2008

Pune: The last time the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) hired an Australian - Darren Holder as director of cricket and Ranji coach in the 2005-06 season - Chandrakant Pandit closely worked with him as a high performance coach. A year later, Holder decided to pack his bags and go home, making way for Pandit who served the State team for two seasons before stepping down last year.And even as the MCA gets ready to welcome another Australian - Shaun Williams to its fold, there is a sense of anticipation and expectation about how he can contribute in furthering the development of Maharashtra cricket.

Ask Chandrakant Pandit, “It’s definitely a step in the right direction. MCA has been always looking ahead in terms of development and improvement and I’m not surprised with their decision,” he said. Pandit, who himself quit in controversial circumstances, believes MCA must have taken a long hard look before arriving at a decision. I’m sure the association under the able stewardship of Ajay Shirke have made the right move. Shaun Willians has served in various coaching capacities for Bangladesh cricket. “He has even served as an interim coach of the Bangladesh national side, he will bring a lot of experience to the table. I’m sure his appointment has been made keeping the future in mind,” Pandit opined.


One couldn’t resist the temptation of asking him whether Williams would be able to do justice to the dual responsibilites of director of cricket and Ranji coach. “Look, there is no denying the fact that there is going to be a lot of work. But I won’t say that anybody is going to be overburdened. If the person appointed for the job has the passion to delegate his duties, then I don’t see any problem,” Pandit explained.


Pandit, however, did strike a discordant note. “My only worry is the communication part. When I worked with Darren Holder, I found out that most boys were able to understand what he was saying but were not able to communicate with him. That’s not surprising since some cricketers come from the districts and don’t speak fluent English,” he added.

'I proved my worth'

Suhrid Barua Pune Mirror May 12, 2008

Pune: There can be a propensity to feel unwanted when a player is part of the squad but not included in the playing XI. Warming the bench at times can create a negative impact on the player, but Yogesh Takawale hasn’t allowed any such thoughts creep into his mind.Forced to give the first five IPL matches a miss due to the presence of several accomplished, established names in their ranks, Takawale finally got his opportunity to parade his skills in the sixth game against the Delhi Dardevils, but failed to make an impression, but it was in the seventh game against Rajasthan Royals that he showcased his worth.

First up, he pouched two catches, one brilliantly taken to get rid of Ravindra Jadeja and later pitched in with a breezy 27 in a handy opening-stand of 41 with Sanath Jayasuriya, which smoothen their victory path to some extent. So then, does Takawale feel that he belongs to the whole set-up (part of the league) after his meaningful contribution against Rajasthan Royals. “We’ve a formidable outfit and that explains why I didn’t figure in the XI from the start of the tournament. We’ve three glovemen in the side (Luke Ronchi and Pinal Shah) and that makes my job of making the eleven even more tougher,” he says with any qualms.

On the preparation front, Takwale was lucky enough to have time to stay focused ahead of his IPL debut. “It was Sachin bhai who told me a day before the the Delhi Daredevils tie that I would be drafted in the XI. Actually that allowed me sufficent time to mentally prepare myself. I didn’t fire in that game but was fairly pleased with the way I chipped in with the bat as well behind the stumps.”Takawale dwelt on how the batting maestro advised him to treat the practice sessions like real match situations. “He (Sachin) told me to think of a practice session as a real match situation,” the swarthy batsman said. “I’ve been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to prove that I can perform at this level and I want to ensure I don’t let anybody down. I’d be only be happy if I’m able to contribute consistently in the coming matches.”

And how has been the experience of opening the innings with Sanath Jayasuriya. “Jayasuriya is a class act. In both the games, I’ve opened the innings with him, everytime I was struggling to middle the ball, he would walk upto me in between overs and tell me to collect a single and go off strike and let him play his natural game,” he added with a touch of satisfaction.

Showing mettle, inspired by Iron Mike

Suhrid Barua Times of India, Pune March 22, 2008

Pune: He aspires to box like great Mike Tyson. And in pursuit of fulfilling that cherished dream, V. Durga Rao has surely taken a small but significant step en route to punching his way to a bronze medal in the recently-concluded International Boxing Championships in Volvograd, Russia.

The 17-year-old bantamweight (54 kg) pugilist of Army Sports Institute (ASI), Pune, overcame stiff competition from boxers of Cuba and Russia before pounding out a podium finish. The Vishakhapatnam-born boxer is undoubtedly in seventh heaven after his exploits in Russia. “I really had to sweat for it. My opponents were not prepared to give an inch. I outboxed a gritty Cuban in the first round, and that win set me up to go for the kill in the next rounds. In the end, I lost to a Russian boxer after giving him a fright in the semi-finals,” Durga, who is also a twice national sub-junior champion, told TOI even as he struggled to recall the name of his semi-final nemesis.

The effort of making the last four ensured him a bronze medal. The 17-year-old boxer, who transited from the sub-junior to junior category early this year, is more than willing to throw light on the attributes of Russian boxing. “Boxers from Cuba and Russia are tactically sound. They have this knack of boxing with gay abandon without worrying too much about the final outcome. As far as the Indian boxers are concerned, we can definitely match up to them but we do tend to press the panic button too soon,” Durga explained.

A quarter-finalist at the 2006 World sub-junior championships (Istanbul, Turkey), and at the 2007 World sub-junior championships (Baku, Azerbaijan), Durga, however, was modest in his hour of glory. “I owe my success to my coach B.B. Mohanty. ‘Mohanty Sir’ taught me what discipline is all about. He also used to stress on essaying the perfect combination of right and left punches.” The confabulation veered towards his role model Mike Tyson and his eyes light up in a flash. “I want to box like the way he (Tyson) does. He is an inspiration for me,” Durga says.

ASI boxers hope to book Beijing tickets in qualifiers

Suhrid Barua, Times of India, Pune February 25, 2008

Pune: Indian boxers have been riding a feel-good wave in recent times. The first two Asian Olympic boxing qualifying championships in Chicago and Bangkok confirmed Beijing Olympic berths for Anthresh Lalit Lakra and Akhil Kumar. Akhil dared to comprehensively beat Athens Olympic silver medallist Worapoj Petchkoom of Thailand 21-11 en route to winning the bantamweight gold. With the third and final round of the Asian Olympic qualifiers slated to begin in Astana, Kazakhstan, from March 15, there are more Olympic berths up for grabs. Two pugilists from the Army Sports Institute (ASI), Pune — light flyweight (48kg) Sanjay Kolte and lightweight Thoi Thoi Singh are sweating it out, giving finishing touches to their preparations for the final-leg event.

The two young turks have confidence written all over them as they gird their loins for the Kazakhstan event. They are among a phalanx of seven boxers currently undergoing a three-week conditioning camp at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. Kolte, who punched his way to the 2006 Doha Asian Games quarter-finals before his run was halted by Olympic bronze medallist Shiming Zou of China, is bristling with confidence ahead of the big event. “I have worked a lot on my fitness. I’m much more match-sharp now than I used to be before. I’ve tried to ensure I don’t carry any minor niggles going into the championship,” Kolte told TOI.

His confidence is soaring after winning the 48-kg gold in the recent Inter-Zonal Super Cup boxing championships in Akola. But the 21-year-old Pune lad, though, isn’t expecting a smooth sail in Kazakhstan. “The self-belief is there to go all the way (only the gold and silver medal winners book their tickets to Beijing). But I’ve a tough Turkmenistan boxer in my weight category to contend with, so it’s not going to be easy,” he sounded a note of caution.

Kolte reckons the eye-catching performance of Akhil Kumar in Bangkok will only spur the entire squad to scale new heights. “I do try to follow the way Akhil boxes. The manner in which he boxed in Bangkok has put all of us in the right frame of mind to give our best shot,” remarked Kolte, who won the bronze in the Xinjiang International boxing tournament in China last year. Like every boxer, Kolte is aware of his strengths but is willing to focus only on his shortfalls. “My strength is my single punch and I win lots of points employing that. But, it’s my combination punches that I’m working on,” added Kolte, who idolises legend Evander Holyfield for his bellicose boxing style.

Kolte’s team-mate Thoi Thoi Singh is expecting nothing but a finish in the medal bracket. “My build-up has been good. I honestly feel that I stand a good chance of sealing an Olympic berth, said Singh, who joined ASI in July, 2003. The 27-year-old pugilist is quick on his feet and is counting on his left hooks to do the trick for him in Kazakhstan. “I garner a majority of my points from my left hooks and I’m looking forward to utilising that to my maximum advantage,” he remarked with a splash of confidence.

We missed experience: Coach

December 29, 2007 Maharashtra Herald

Suhrid Barua
suhridb@sakalherald.com

Ratnagiri: The outgoing Maharashtra Ranji coach Chandrakant Pandit may have worn a downcast look after State were given an innings and 129-runs shellacking by Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy game here. But he chose to look at the positives from his three-year stint with the State side.
"It’s hugely satisfying to see the youngsters emerge through the ranks. The outcome here may have been a huge disappointment, but we have a flush of talent and the need of the hour is to carry this talented bunch together and evolve as a quality side."
The former India stumper, who decided to step down as State coach during the course of the ongoing Ranji game, conceded that his side missed some experienced players, though he stopped short of criticising their non-selection in this match. "Experience does make a difference to the fortunes of a side. The absence of experienced players was felt in this match," he observed.
Pandit said his team’s inability to drive home the advantage when they were 210 for 3 on day one cost his side dearly. "We should have pressed home the advantage and got a score in excess of 350. That would have allowed our bowlers some cushion to bowl at."

Forget winning, State concede bonus

December 29, 2007 Maharashtra Herald

Suhrid Barua

suhridb@sakalherald.com

RATNAGIRI: Maharashtra were up against the wall going into the fourth and final day of the Ranji Trophy Super League tie against Karnataka at the Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium here, and a lot rested on the shoulders of skipper Venugopal Rao and opener Harshad Khadiwale to pull something out of the ordinary in order to force a draw.
Well it didn’t happen eventually as the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 140, handing Karnataka victory by an innings and 129 runs.
With his tails up after the bodacious hat trick on day four, Vinay Kumar was in ominous form. Bowling wicket-to-wicket, he moved the ball both ways and stifled the scoring opportunities of the home side.
He produced a gem of a delivery that climbed on Khadiwale with the latter fending it to Joshi who took a facile catch at slip. Yogesh Takawale paired up with skipper Venugopal Rao and took the attack to the opposition with some sizzling stroke-play in their 68-run fifth wicket stand. Takawale was in a belligerent mood, clunking Aiyappa through the cover region thrice in one over before sending one from Sunil Joshi crashing into the sightscreen for the maximum.
But Joshi, who enjoyed bowling on the fourth day track, which had a bit of bite in it, exacted sweet revenge on Takawale.
The batsman stepped out to the bowler and when he realised he was beaten in flight, played a defensive prod only to pop up a catch to Pawan at forward short-leg. Dhruv Mohan’s ugly swing of the bat saw him fall to Joshi for a duck.
Wicketkeeper Sunil Jadhav capped off a forgettable debut, departing for 4 to Joshi after the ball struck the front pad and umpire raising index finger.
Skipper Venugopal Rao was at his strokeful best and soon reached his fifty even as wickets tumbled at the other end. He greeted Vinay Kumar’s return to the attack for his second spell with a vintage flick shot to the mid-wicket boundary. But Vinay hammered the final nail in the coffin, dislodging the State skipper when he essayed an on-drive and was pouched by Raghu inside the 30-yard circle for 56.
It was Vinay’s fifth scalp and the win became a mere formality when he got rid of Aditya Dole to finish with career-best returns of 6-38 and a dream match-haul of 10-104. His previous best of 5-22 also came against Maharashtra in 2005.
With defeat looming large, State took lunch at 140 for 9 with tail-enders Wahid Sayyed and Samad Fallah at the crease. It just took one ball after lunch to bring up victory celebrations for Karnataka. Sayyed facing up Joshi, attempted a wild heave and holed out to Chipli at mid-on to hasten the doom of Maharashtra.
Delhi through
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh finished their league engagements with outright wins over Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad respectively to top their groups. Saurashtra and Baroda duly played out draws in their final games to end up second in their groups. The top two teams in each group ended tied at the same number of points, and were separated on the basis of outright wins and better quotient. UP had won one more match than Baorda, while Delhi had a better quotient than Saurashtra. In the semi-finals, UP will face Saurahstra in Vadodara while Delhi will take on Baroda in Indore.

Innings defeat staring at State

December 28, 2007 Maharashtra Herald

Suhrid Barua
suhridb@sakalherald.com


RATNAGIRI: Winning matches is all about creating opportunities and grabbing them. Maharashtra team would have every reason to believe that they had their opportunities to land the knockout punch at Karnataka at least on two occasions.
First, when the State side were cruising along in their first essay at 210 for 3 before a dramatic collapse saw them fold up for 276. Second, when they had pushed Karnataka into troubled waters at 212 for 5 with 64 runs still required to overhaul State’s first innings score and five wickets remaining.
Clearly, State could have turned the tables on their opponents then. But it is a different matter altogether that Maharashtra failed to make the most of them and by the end of the penultimate day’s play, were fighting to avoid defeat in their Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Chatrapti Shivaji Stadium here on Thursday.
Riding on two stroke-filled tons by skipper Yere Goud and Bharat Chipli, followed by a sensational hat trick by seamer R Vinay Kumar, Karnataka now hold the aces.
The visitors piled on a mammoth score of 545 for 9 declared and buoyed by the 269-run first innings lead, their bowlers bowled with lot of fire and reduced hosts to 18 for 3 in their second dig at stumps. The hosts still trail by 251 runs.
Resuming at 239 for 5, Thilak Naidu and Yere Goud steered their side past Maharashtra’s score of 276. Once they did that, they treated the State bowlers with disdain. Goud played an innings blended with aggression and stout defense. He received solid support from another seasoned player, Thilak Naidu as they stroked the hapless Maharastra attack to all parts of the ground.
They stitched 120-runs for the sixth wicket before Naidu returned to the pavilion. His dismissal was the only breakthrough for State in the pre-lunch session.
Naidu was lulled into indiscretion by Venugopal Rao as the latter was pouched by the State skipper off his own bowling for a well-made 58.
At 332 for 6, Karnataka were in the comfort zone. Goud joined forces with Chipli and the pair continued to compound the woes of Maharashtra with a 135-run seventh wicket partnership that left State bowlers frustrated.
Goud’s hundred came from 205 balls and was studded with 17 boundaries. Once he fell to Takawale, Chipli carried on the run-fest, milking the State bowlers at will. Sensing that he may just run out of partners after inching closer to his hundred, Chipli decided to throw caution to the wind and belted three sixes and downplayed the importance of nervous 90s as he literally raced through them.
Maharashtra openers -Harshad Khadiwale and Ankit Bawne had hardly got their eye in when Vinay Kumar wreaked havoc with a stirring hat trick. He castled Ankit when the latter offered no shot to a delivery that nipped back. Nightwatchman Ajinkya Joshi was yorked off the next ball before the seamer returned in his fifth over to complete the hat trick when he trapped Ameya Shrikhande lbw to infuse excitement towards the fag end of play.

Pawan, Raghu put Karnataka on top

December 27, 2007, Maharashtra Herald

Suhrid Barua
suhridb@sakalherald.com


Ratnagiri: Maharashtra coach Chandrakant Pandit would have wanted his bowlers to make early inroads on day two, if they seriously nourished ambitions of forcing an outright win and give themselves a chance of reaching Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
However, Pawan had his own ideas, as his century took Karnataka very close of gaining the first innings lead on Wednesday. The visitors ended day two at 239 for 5, just 38 runs short of taking the lead. In the morning, two seamers - Samad Fallah and Wahid Sayyed rightly responded to the call.
Bowling an incisive spell, the Fallah-Sayyed combine pitched the ball around the corridor of uncertainty and kept the Karnataka openers -Robin Uthappa and KB Pawan on a tight clamp. Uthappa threatened to regale the goodly crowd who were anticipating fireworks from him.
The Coorg-lad belted three crisp boundaries before he choose bravado over common sense. He played a nothing shot, poking at an innocuous delivery outside off stump with Takawale pulling off a blinder at first slip.
One-drop Devraj Patel also didn’t set the Mandvi beach on fire as he drove without any footwork and offered a regulation catch to Dhruv Mohan in the slips. At 38 for two, Maharastra bowlers must have been smacking their lips at the prospect of running through the Karnataka middle-order and gain handy first innings lead.
But opener Pawan, who was nervous early on - beaten outside off stump on numerous occasions, gradually grew in confidence. He found plenty of comfort in the company of C Raghu as the duo negotiated the State bowlers with oodles of grit and determination. Raghu was fluent of the two and executed some delectable wristy shots.
The free-flowing batting style of Raghu rubbed off on Pawan, who started to open up. They took their side to lunch at 103 for two and were un-separated in the post-lunch session as the State bowlers toiled without reward on a baking day.
The final session threw up exciting moments like day one. Left-arm spinner Ajinkya Joshi finally breached the 166-run third wicket stand between Pawan and Raghu when he enticed the latter to sweep, only to find Mohan at long-leg.
State skipper Venugopal decided to roll his arm over and got rid off Amit Verma for one. At the other end, Pawan didn’t allow the nervous 90s get the better of him as he first square-cut Dole to the point boundary to reach 98 before unleashing a crashing cover drive off the next ball to bring up a well-deserved hundred.

Khadiwale stands tall

December 26, Maharashtra Herald

Suhrid Barua
suhridb@sakalherald.com


Ratnagiri: There were strong lessons to be learnt from the batting debacles against Delhi and Saurashtra, but Maharashtra didn’t seem to learn anything as they came up with another toothless batting display and were shut out for 276 on day one of the Ranji Trophy Super League Group ‘A’ match against Karnataka at the Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium on Tuesday.
The State top-order dug in gamely and made steady progress with the opening duo of debutant Ankit Bawne (in fact, four players made their Ranji debut) and Harshad Khadiwale, raising 42 for the first wicket.
15-year-old Ankit never looked overawed by the big stage and showed that he has the material to go up the ladder. He essayed some elegant drives against the Karnataka new ball operators -Vinay Kumar and NC Aiyappa, who kept a probing line early on, beating the outside edge of both openers regularly but without any luck.
Ankit promised more before Vinay Kumar produced a ripper to induce a thick outside edge from the opener, who offered a sitter to gloveman Naidu. His opening partner Harshad Khadiwale took over and imposed himself on the Karnataka bowlers with grit and discipline. Harshad, a member of India U-19 squad, exuded maturity of a seasoned campaigner as he drove, flicked and cut with aplomb. He opened up in the post-lunch session, dealing in boundaries and arrived at his half-century square-cutting veteran left-arm tweaker Sunil Joshi to the point boundary.