India juniors crush Pakistan juniors 6-0 in Sultan of Johor Cup

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
India-Pakistan hockey rivalry never gives an impression of fading out no matter whether the senior or junior or sub-junior teams are involved. Barely two weeks after India won the Asiad gold in Incheon, the rivalry was renewed again as the India-Pakistan junior teams slugged it out at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia in the 4th Sultan of Johor Cup.

Indian colts have maintained a vice-like grip over Pakistan in the Sultan of Johor of Cup so far – they have never lost to their arch-rivals – beat them 5-1 in the 2011 edition, played out a goalless draw in the 2012 edition and thumped them 4-0 in the 2013 edition. India maintained the same sequence outclassing Pakistan 6-0, thus chalking up their third win in four meetings at this event.

Pakistan took the field on Wednesday, in a desperate bid to improve the head-to-head record and showed their intent two penalty corners in the first ten minutes of play. The Greenshirts were guilty of profligacy as India took went the same route wasting their first two short corners in a no-holds-barred contest.

India finally took the lead when vice captain Imran Khan scored in the 22nd minute of a rebound off their third penalty corner. The Harendra Singh-coached outfit were on cloud nine when Parvinder Singh made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time. Armaan Quereshi took the wind out of Pakistan’s sails scoring a wonderful field goal to make the scoreline 3-0 early in the second half. Harmanpreet Singh whipped home a short corner to allow India enjoy a four-goal cushion. Varun Kumar converted another penaltycorner to net their side’s fifth goal with three minutes remaining for the final hooter.

Armaan Quereshi added his second for the day in the closing stages to pave the way for a 6-0 shellacking of Pakistan as they walked off the pitch with bubbling with confidence ahead of their two crucial league ties against Malaysia and Australia.

4th Sultan of Johor Cup: Defending champions India lose 0-2 to Great Britain

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

The tag of reigning champions sometimes may not sit comfortably with a team and the Indian junior men’s hockey team seems to be experiencing that, going down 0-2 to Great Britain in their second tie of the 4th Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The Harjeet Singh-led Indian colts strived hard to counter the Great Britain side in a match that witnessed a delayed start after the heavens opened up. Both teams appeared like playing a goalless opening half, but the Great Britain finally broke the logjam after Benjamin Boone rattled the Indian cage in the 29th minute – it was Boone’s second goal of the tournament.

India, who have only two survivors of the champion 2013 team – in Jarmanpreet Singh and Imran Khan, were not allowed to mount a serious comeback as Great Britain hung on to the solitary goal lead at the break.

Great Britain, who lost 1-2 to India while playing under the banner of England in the 2013 edition, threw the onus on their opponents to fightback. India had an opportunity to draw level when they won their first penalty corner in the 45th minute, but Great Britain goalkeeper Harry Gibson thwarted that producing a good save.
Great Britain soon made India pay for that set-piece slip-up as they enhanced the lead four minutes later through Samuel French. The British outfit could have made it 3-0, but failed to profit from a short corner.

India colts, who had made launched their campaign beating New Zealand 2-1 on Sunday, will now have a day’s rest before squaring off with arch-rivals Pakistan in their third match on Wednesday. India had thumped Pakistan 4-0 in the 2013 edition.
India then face hosts Malaysia on Thursday – whom they defeated 3-0 in the 2013 edition final besides settling for a 3-3 draw in the league phase. India play their fifth and final league game against Australia on Saturday.

Indian colts pip New Zealand 2-1 in 4th Sultan of Johor Cup opener

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

A strong start to a tournament is so very important for any side irrespective of whether one is defending champions or not. The Indian junior men’s hockey team did make the right noises, kickstarting their campaign in the 4th Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament prevailing over New Zealand by the odd goal in Johor Bahur, Malaysia.

The Harjeet Singh-captained Indian side did not take much time to trouble the scorers as Parvinder Singh struck first blood in the 5th minute of play. New Zealand did not quite hustle the Indians out of their strides and allowed their opponents to hold sway. The junior Black Sticks forced two penalty corners, but the Indian defence stood tall and denied them any scoring chances. The Harendra Singh-coached Indians rotated the ball well and used the width of the turf effectively, dominating the New Zealanders in midfield. India were reduced to ten man when Varun Kumar was green-carded, but New Zealand failed to make the most of it even as India hung on to a solitary goal lead at half-time.

The script unfolded in the second half much like the first half. Varun Kumar made amends for his earlier green card suspension converting India’s second penalty corner of an indirect execution. New Zealand did not throw in the towel and reduced the deficit when Nick Woods fired home a robust penalty corner goal beating Indian goalkeeper Pandey to his right – their first conversion out of three PCs.
India survived some anxious moments in the closing stages as New Zealand forced a short corner in the final minute of play, but the Indian defence foiled that attempt to glean full points.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

Exclusive Interview: Dutch Open triumph my best title win, says shuttler Ajay Jayaram

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Injuries are part and parcel of a sportsman’s life. It’s how you tide over the injury phase and emerge stronger, which separates the champions from the rest. Indian men shuttler Ajay Jayaram is a tough cookie – he exuded nerves of steel after enduring a seven-month injury lay-off to win his maiden Grand Prix crown – bagging the coveted Dutch Open recently.

The 27-year-old Mumbai lad – ranked 66 in the world –  pocketed his fourth international title after earlier having won the 2009 New Zealand Open, 2010 Thailand Open and 2013 Czeck Open. Jayaram spoke about his Dutch Open glory in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q How would you sum up your Dutch Open triumph – your first tournament win of 2014?

It was a brilliant week. This happens to be my maiden Grand Prix triumph. And considering it came at a time when I was staging a comeback, I couldn't have asked for more. I played a high level of badminton and more importantly, was able to maintain the same level throughout the tournament.

Q You got the better of top-seed Rajiv Ouseph of England in the semifinal and third seed Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka of Indonesia in the quarterfinals. Must be highly satisfying beating such higher ranked players en route to glory?

Yes, they were very good wins. I have beaten Rumbaka in the past. But considering I just started playing a month back after the injury I’m pretty pleased with the way I pulled through these matches. I played some positive attacking badminton and that helped me against both Rajiv and Rumbaka.

Q You will be extra delighted with the fact that you have become the first Indian to win a Grand Prix crown with the new 11-point rule.

It’s nice to know that I was able to adapt to the new scoring pattern. It’s a little different as most points are played under more pressure considering the sets are much shorter.

Q This was your fourth international singles title. You had earlier won the 2009 New Zealand Open, 2010 Thailand Open and 2013 Czeck Open. Which one will you rate as your best win so far?

Definitely, this Dutch Open triumph is my best title win so far. This happens to be the biggest and also came at a time when I’m on a comeback trail.

Q The year 2014 hasn’t been an easy one considering the shoulder injury you had at the start of the year. Does that make this Dutch Open triumph special?

Absolutely! It wasn’t an easy period considering I had to be out of competitive action for so long. Once I returned to the international circuit I found it difficult to adapt to match situations as I was little rusted and sluggish due to the injury lay-off. It took a couple of months for me to adjust but yes, when hard work and patience pays off it does make it extremely special.

Q You played in the Indira Gandhi Grand Prix Gold event in January this year and then featured in your next event at the World Championship in August. How difficult was it to stay motivated during the phase when you could not play owing to your injury?

Yes. It wasn't easy. Seven months is a long time. I spent the first few months at home in Mumbai with my parents. It helped me take my mind off things and in a way it was nice to spend time with my family since I don't normally get to do that. Once I started training, it was tough and doubts would creep in, but it wasn't hard staying motivated as I knew very well what I wanted and how to go about it.

Q You are now ranked 66 in the world and you had broken into the top-20 in early 2014 and slipped being out of injury-induced lay-off. You are 27 – how do you assess your international career so far?

I have had some good results in the past. But I’d like to think that my best years are still ahead and I’m eager to go realize my full potential.

Q Game-wise what areas you need to work on?

I think I need to get a little more patient and work on my consistency.

Q Where do you think Indian badminton stands on the world stage?

Barring a select few nations, I think India are right up there and it’s only a matter of time before our shuttlers start winning bigger titles consistently.

Q The inaugural Indian Badminton League held last year – do you think it served the purpose for which it was created in the sense are corporate money really pouring in for badminton in India?

It definitely did. It brought in a lot of corporate money. It also brought in the publicity and awareness about the game, which was lacking all this while. It was a huge success considering it was just the inaugural edition. I hope it stays on. It could do wonders for the sport in the country.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

It’s time rowing gets its due in India!

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Rowing has been one sport that has always struggled to capture the imagination of the public in India. To call spade a spade newspapers often find it hard to accommodate adequate space for this sport, which despite exuding all the promise hasn’t been able to take off owing to the odds heavily loaded against them. Rowing was introduced in the 1992 Delhi Asiad and although India have intermittently kept winning bronze medals in Asian Games, it was not until one man by the name of Bajrang Lal Takhar ensured that the sport grabbed the eyeballs corning the country’s first Asian Games gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games in the single sculls event. Eight years back at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, it was again Bajrang Lal Takhar, who scooped India’s first Asian Games silver medal again in his pet single sculls event.
It has to be said that Indian rowing started the process of making its presence felt in the Asian Games at the 2006 edition in Doha, where they won three medals – two silver and one bronze. The sport scaled a new high at the 2010 Asian Games Guangzhou where Bajrang-inspired India picked up five medals – one gold, three silver and one bronze. Clearly, the signs were there that the Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had to put more focus on rowing as it held immense potential of churning out medals at major multi-sport events like Asian Games, Olympics among others. Of course, the Indian rowers may feel a tad disappointed that the three medal haul at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games was lesser than the five they won in the 2010

Clearly, the signs were there that the Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had to put more focus on rowing as it held immense potential of churning out medals at major multi-sport events like Asian Games, Olympics among others. Of course, the Indian rowers may feel a tad disappointed that the three medal haul at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games was lesser than the five they won in the 2010 Asiad, but their performances left nobody in doubt that rowing is a sport that can be nurtured and can provide us a bucketful of medals in the future. Naik Subedar Sawarn Singh gave India a bronze in the single sculls event – an event Bajrang Lal Takhar has etched a name for himself. Dushyant Chauhan bagged another bronze on his international debut in the lightweight single sculls event, while the country added the third bronze in the men’s coxless eight event.
The exploits of the country’s rowers was not just confined to the Asian Games arena. Three rowers - Sawarn Singh, Virk along with Manjeet Singh and Sandeep Kumar – even qualified for the 2012 London Olympics; of course, it’s a different matter altogether that they failed to make a podium finish. One must laud the Indian Army for regularly producing medal winners at major international competitions, one feels that the corporate houses must come forward and support our rowers as banking on Indian Army’s infrastructure for the medals cannot be the way forward. The ideal scenario should be such that all states must focus on grooming rowers on a priority basis, while the Indian Army can continue its good work of training and nurturing rowers.
All and said done, Indian rowers must be encouraged to the hilt. The government agencies must put extra focus on this sport and who knows an Olympic rowing medal may not be far away!

Exclusive Interview: Asiad gold just the spark Indian hockey needed - P R Sreejesh

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
The 2012 London Olympics brought Indian men’s hockey to its nadir. A wooden spoon was the last thing on the minds of the players and supporters, when the showpiece event started, but by the end of it the team wore a battered and bruised look with despair swarming them. The ramifications were huge – Bharat Chetri was not only stripped of captaincy but also axed along with six others. In fact, four (Bharat Chetri, Ignace Tirkey, Sarvanjit Singh and Tushar Khandker) of the seven axed guys are believed to be ignored for good.   

Fast forward to the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and there is a feeling that Indian hockey has made significant strides since the London Olympic catastrophe. And the Indian men’s hockey team’s gold-winning feat has made all and sundry feel that the gold medal was just the ‘motivational tonic’ the team needed in their bid to climb up the ladder. PR Sreejesh, who pulled off two fantastic saves in the pulsating penalty shootout against arch-rivals Pakistan in the final clash believes the gold medal was just what the doctor ordered. “We haven’t won any tournament since the 2012 London Olympics. Such a title win was just the spark Indian hockey needed for the betterment of the sport so that youngsters can look up to us and feel hockey can be a career for them. I’m bullish that this bronze feat will trigger truckloads of self-belief, and stand us in good stead for the future. The significance of this gold medal lays in the fact that hockey as a sport will get a big boost; hopefully hockey at the grassroots level will pick up momentum,” the Indian goalkeeper says in an exclusive interview.

Sreejesh, who made his senior international debut at the 2006 South Asian Games in Colombo, reckons he was not under pressure just because the penalty shootout of the Asian Games hockey final was against Pakistan. “I don’t feel that I have done anything ‘special’ in the shootout – I just did my duty as a goalkeeper and helped my country win the gold medal. It is not the first time that I featured in the shootout of a final. At the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, I had effected two saves to help India beat Pakistan in the final. Hockey is a team game and I just performed my duties as a shot stopper.”

The 26-year-old Kerala lad rates the semifinal match against hosts Korea as one of the best games India played at the Asian Games. “It has to be one of the best games India played at the Asian Games simply because we really gelled as a unit. Our defence put up an outstanding performance and believe it or not I hardly touched the ball in open play during the entire match although we did concede a few penalty corners. We played some solid hockey to beat them in their own backyard.”

The Indian goalkeeper, who has made more than 100 internationals, feels the team can take heart from the Asiad glory and build on it given the 2016 Rio Olympics is not far away. “We must build on this and ensure we keep clambering up the ranking ladder as improvement in rankings will ensure keenness of top teams to play against us on a regular basis.”

The Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) employee has no doubts that the team is a much better than what their current number nine world ranking suggests. “We may be currently ranked ninth, but at the 2014 World Cup we easily beat higher ranked Korea 3-0 and later again pipped higher ranked New Zealand in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games after trailing 0-2. It shows we are a much stronger side than what the ranking actually suggests. Trust me, we have the ammunition to beat teams like England, Belgium, Spain, Argentina and Korea. I admit it will take some time before we start regularly beating top-notch sides like Australia, Netherlands and Germany,” he quips.
The improvement process is never complete unless the Indian team regularly plays the top teams. The frequent encounters between India and Australia in recent times have meant that the yawning gap between the two teams have narrowed substantially. Sreejesh is also on the same page. “Absolutely! We have played Australia so many times since the 2012 Olympics that the boys are getting more confidence facing them. If you look at the scoreline of all games we played against the Aussies you will notice the margin of defeat is no longer as it used to be earlier. More we play them, better we are going to get.”

Sreejesh, who was blessed with a baby girl earlier this year, is remorseful about the fact that the team performed much better, but had to settle for the ninth spot. “Look, we could have either won or drawn the games against Belgium and England, but were done in by late goals. Spain was also a beatable side but we only managed to draw. Our penalty corner conversion left a lot to be desired. The short corner injection and execution were hugely disappointing.”

The cash awards haven’t been exactly pouring from the corporate houses, but the state governments have been munificent in doling out the same. Sreejesh, for his exploits in Incheon, is promised a government job besides a cash award of Rs 15 lakh. “I stay in Chennai at present while working for IOB. I will be happy to stay in my home state as the state government job will ensure that. I will be keen to see the official confirmation of the same soon,” he observes.
The country’s number one goalkeeper, who packs quite a bit of humour with his team-mates, says hockey players are beginning to get more recognition than ever before. “In my home state Kerala people earlier don’t know much about me, but now people easily recognize me on the streets and I feel happy about it. There is clearly more recognition for hockey players now,” he says.

Sreejesh is upbeat about the upcoming four Test series against Australia in November. “India-Australia hockey matches always generate plenty of interest and I’m looking forward to faring well. Australia are a formidable side and at home are an even more dangerous opponent. I’m sure the trip will be a great experience for our youngsters,” he signs off.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

Can Virat Kohli wriggle out of the run-drought?

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

The competitiveness of a team is diluted when its top batsman is hopelessly out of form; it gets even worse if the slump in form is a prolonged one. The Indian team is plumbing the same as the batting department’s top gun Virat Kohli is going through a torrid time with the willow.
We all know cricket is a great leveller. The Delhi lad has been consistency-personified over the last few years barely putting a foot wrong with the bat. For someone who exuded an impression that he was ‘parting hard’ every time he strode out to the wicket and asked questions for which bowlers invariably did not have an answer, Kohli looked a pale shadow of his former self. The young turk, who clearly knew where his off-stump was, and was adroit at leaving balls outside off-stump as well as proficient in dealing with the short-pitched stuff besides pouncing on the loose balls by employing the cut and pull shots effectively, saw the script go horribly wrong transforming into an iffy batsman bordering on unsure footwork and unconvincing movement.

Not learning from his mistakes

How can somebody like Kohli who countered the incisive Australian pacers during the 2011-12 tour with dogged determination and oodles of concentration even as the big three – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman – struggled like novices look so ordinary? How can a person who has scored runs in all conditions (got Tests hundreds in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) suddenly develop technical kinks?

A person who could do ‘no-wrong’ with the bat not long ago suddenly can’t do anything right! The cheap dismissal against West Indies in the first one-dayer at Kochi, where Jerome Taylor prized him out with a delivery that held its line even as the Indian defended with an angled bat while pushing himself on the back foot resulting in an outside edge gobbled up by Darren Sammy at slip, only summed up how out-of-sorts Kohli has been in recent times. The latest act in Kochi shows Kohli is not learning from his mistakes. The Indian batting mainstay experienced his worst during the five-match Test series against England, which the hosts won 3-1 after losing the second Test at Lord’s. His poor aggregate of 134 runs at a paltry average of 13.40 in the five-Test series against England (from ten innings), where he failed to scored a fifty, crippled India as the team heavily banks on him to lay the strong foundation. Kohli continued to perish to the England bowlers around the ‘corridor of uncertainty’, keeping their slip fielders busy playing away from the body either offering thick edges or playing across the line.

It was evident that Kohli was not spending adequate time at the wicket. Save for the third Test at Southampton, where he batted close to two hours for his knock of 39 which happened to be his highest score of the series, and hung around for an hour for his 20 in the second dig, it was apparent that he did not have any long haul, which steadily hurt his confidence as the series wore on

It is always said that a player should look to make the most when he is in good nick as one never knows when a bad run arrives. Stats would indicate that Kohli strongly believed in the above saying enjoying his good run to the hilt – ever since soaring in confidence after his maiden Test century (116) against Australia at Adelaide in January 2012, turning into a run machine for India. The fact that he has managed to notch up centuries in home Test series against New Zealand, England, Australia in the 2012-13 season and then followed it up with tons in the overseas Test series against South Africa and New Zealand in the 2013-2014 season speaks volumes of his consistency. Just to delve more on the stats, he has scored a hundred in every Test series since that magnificent Aussie tour of 2011-12 barring the two Test series against West Indies in November 2013.
The above only underpins the high levels of consistency Kohli maintained all these years in Tests, not to speak of the humongous manner in which he contributes to the national team in the one-dayers where he has made it a ‘pleasing habit’ of scoring tons and pacing the Indian chases. He has been the principle run-maker in Indian ODI chases, and we all know that –  if Kohli gets a hundred or a breezy 70, 80, or 90 – our team is on the doorstep of victory.

The bodacious consistency of Kohli no wonder has time and again prompted lavish praise from cricket greats (both past and present) across the globe over the last few years. So, the question that is on everybody's lips is can he wriggle out of the run-drought? There is a general line of thinking that Kohli is squaring up too much and that deliveries that hold their line are posing maximum problems for him with edges flying thick and fast to the slip cordon or to the keeper. He needs to be more assured with his footwork, whether he is playing on the front foot or back foot.
There is absolutely no need to press the ‘worry button’ as yet, as the guy who used to tower over the opposition bowlers must be given the confidence to regain his form. One would call it a blessing in disguise: Kohli’s loss of form happened in England and one can be upbeat about him blazing a trail at the 2015 World Cup as the lean trot is bound to end sooner than later. Pep talks from various former players are fine, but the Indian batsman must avoid any confusion in the mind, as it can be detrimental to his form-regaining plans.
Like the old saying class is permanent and form is temporary, Kohli would have to keep plugging away and wriggle out of the run-drought.

From the Indian cricket perspective, one hopes the youngster gets over this phase and packs all guns in the upcoming Australia tour: a place where he announced his arrival on the international stage. A return to form can be the best thing to happen to Indian cricket ahead of the highly demanding Australian tour.

Stats file of Virat Kohli

Last Test Century: 105* vs New Zealand Wellington, February 2014
Last ODI Century: 123 vs New Zealand Napier, January 19, 2014
Last One-day International Half-Century: 82 vs New Zealand Wellington, January 31, 2014
England Tour: Accumulated 134 runs off ten innings at an average of 13.40. He had six single-digit scores including two ducks, with a highest score of 39 in the third Test at Southampton

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

How Sanathoi Devi overcame kidney stone operation to clinch Asiad wushu bronze!

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

The resolve of an athlete comes to the fore when the going gets tough. India’s women wushu player Yumnam Sanathoi Devi showcased that in abundance at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, as she recovered from a kidney stone operation on the eve of the showpiece event to achieve a podium finish. The 25-year-old Manipur lass also atoned for her disappointment of narrowly missing out on a medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games with her bronze feat at Incheon. Sanathoi, who is also a two-time World Championship silver medallist, works with the Manipur Police as a constable. She spoke about her Asiad journey among others in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q How would you sum up your bronze medal effort at the Incheon Asian Games?

Well, I’m pretty chuffed that I was able to bag a medal for my country. I prevailed over Uzbekistan’s Kamalova Mubarak in the opening round and then I got the better of Mongolia’s Angidorj Amgalanjargal in the quarterfinals. Both the Uzbek and Mongolian opponents were no pushovers by any stretch of imagination as I had to be at my best to beat them. Then I lost the semifinals to a Chinese opponent and had to settle for a bronze.

Q You have said that you did not get adequate recovery time for the semifinal bout.

First of all, I was jaded going into the semifinal bout against China’s Zhang Luan. I had a day’s rest after both my first round and quarterfinal bouts, but the semifinal was slated the very next day after my quarterfinal bout. I don’t want to suggest that I’m cribbing, but the fact is I was not physically there in that semifinal bout. I hardly got time to work on my strategy for my semifinal bout neither did I get adequate time to practice for that bout. In fact, the distance between the practice area for wushu players and the Games Village was two hours. All these factors went against me.

Q You missed out on a medal in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, losing in the quarterfinals to a Chinese opponent and this time around you again lost to a Chinese player.

As I said earlier, my Chinese opponent was better than me on that particular day as I was not able to deliver my best I’m capable of.

Q Your bronze medal is nonetheless a magnificent effort considering the fact that you underwent a kidney stone operation a month before the Asian Games.

To be honest, I was not sure whether I would be able to represent my country in the Incheon Asian Games. I underwent my kidney stone operation in Bhopal and gradually took up training at the SAI centre in Bhopal. Physically, I could not push myself beyond a point and a bronze medal hopefully will act as a spur for the future.

Q You possess a fair amount of experience - you won the silver medals (42-kg categories sanda event) in the 2013 and 2011 World Wushu Championships in Kuala Lumpur and Ankara. You made your international debut in 2005 in an international tournament in Singapore. How would you rate your Asiad bronze medal?

Winning an Asiad medal is a dream for any athlete and I’m no different. Winning medals in the World Championships is equally satisfying, but yes among many international medals the Asiad medal will have special memories.

Q Who would you dedicate this Asiad bronze medal to?

My bronze medal would not have been possible without the unstinted support of my parents, Wushu Association of Manipur and my coaches Md. Islamuddin, Kuldeep Handoo and Rajesh Kumar Tailer besides my many well-wishers. All of them have played their part in shaping up my career. I owe all my success to them.

Q You work as a constable with Manipur Police. Now you can be optimistic about securing a promotion after this bronze medal effort in Incheon?

I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Q What’s your take on the popularity of wushu in India?

Wushu has a long way to go as far as its popularity is concerned. The sport is very popular in my home state Manipur as well as in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh. Manipur has been dominating this sport in various national events although other states are also catching up.

Q What needs to be done to improve the performances of Indian wushu players on the international stage?

Foreign exposure is a must and in this regard I would like to urge Wushu Association of India to arrange more international exposure trips for us. We also need foreign coaches and if we get more international exposure and a foreign coach, we will surely win a lot of medals in major international competitions.

Q The 2015 World Wushu Championship is the next big thing for Indian wushu. Must be setting your sights on a gold medal in the big-ticket event.

I wish to win a gold medal at the 2015 World Wushu Championship. I’m determined to make a podium finish, hopefully if I stay injury-free and train hard I will win it. As for now, I’m leaving for Indonesia later this month to take part in an international tourney, for which we have a national camp in Bhopal from October 15. We also have the National Games in Kerala coming up in January next year.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

Sandeep Sejwal's feat shows Indian swimming holds promise for future!

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Indian swimming has been walking the ‘oblivion’ path for far too long. Medals were hard to come by in major international competitions and it appeared as if the sport was dying a natural death in the country with no talents showing signs of grabbing the eyeballs at big-ticket events. But if the past few years are anything to go by, there is little doubt that Indian swimming is slowly and steadily climbing up the ladder. Virdhawal Khade first emerged as the next best swimming hope of India – the Bangalore-based swimmer qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (became the youngest Indian to qualify for the Olympics) – it just showed that Indians are serious about making their present felt at the pool.
The bare cupboard of medals for the Indian swimming over the years can be best exemplified by the fact Virdhawal’s bronze winning feat in the 50m butterfly event at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games was the country’s first swimming medal in Asia Games in twenty four years. We all fondly remember Khazan Singh, who towered over the Indian swimming circuit in the eighties – the man who bagged a coveted silver medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games in the 200m butterfly event. It has been a strange coincidence that India’s medals in swimming have come in Asian Games with a long gap in between. Khazan’s silver in Seoul believe it or not was India’s first Asian Games medal in thirty five years – the first since illustrious Sachin Nag won our first Asiad swimming gold in the inaugural edition at New Delhi in 1951. India had won six medals in the 1951 Asiad – one gold, one silver and four bronze medals.

Indian swimmers after that have found it difficult to crack the Asiad nut – in fact, the 1951 Asiad was the event where India won more than one medal – a fair indication of the trashy performance of our swimmers at this multi-sport event. Taking all this into perspective, one feels that Sandeep Sejwal’s bronze in the 50m breast stroke event at Incheon gives us an impression that the Indian swimmers ‘belong’ to the top league and not border on mediocrity. Sandeep just became the ninth swimmer to bag an Asiad medal.

Sandeep, a student of Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College took many by surprise at Incheon. He topped his heats by clocking 28.25s before snaring the third spot in the final race with a timing of 28.26. The Bangalore-based swimmer is coached by vastly experienced Nihar Ameen, who incidentally also mentors Virdhawal. Another sweet coincidence is that GoSports Foundation supports both Virdhawal and Sandeep.
The achievement of Sandeep is all the more remarkable given that he had to endure disappointments. He was dropped from the Indian team for the 2012 London Olympics despite winning his qualification quota. The setback only made him stronger as he swam to glory in Incheon.

The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) is putting more focus on shorter distance events as the Indians are ideally suited for it. There is a general feeling that our swimmers don’t have the endurance to match the world’s best in long distance events.

The emergence of talents like Virdhawal and Sandeep gives Indian swimming a ray of hope for the future, but the powers-that-be must do more to improve swimming infrastructure in the country. Save for Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium, no swimming pool across the country can boasts of latest equipment and technology. The talent pool for swimming isn’t vast unlike most other sports. One hopes India produces more Sandeeps and Virdhawals in the future and the government agencies do more to tap new talents across the country. For a country, that have won just two medals since the 1951 Asiad till the 2010 Asiad, clearly the back-to-back Asiad medals will stand Indian swimming in good stead for the future.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

Interview: Indian wrestlers train harder than other nations, says Asiad silver-winning Indian grappler Bajrang Punia

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Sportspersons often look for an ideal opportunity to announce their arrival on the world stage. Nothing can be better than doing it in an international competition in front of the home crowd. Indian freestyle wrestler Bajrang Kumar had kickstarted his international journey claiming a bronze medal in the 60-kg category at the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi.

The feat of the talented Bajrang is all the more remarkable considering that he was not even picked in the original Indian squad and was only drafted in at the eleventh hour after Yogeshwar Dutt pulled out on injury grounds. The Haryana grappler steadily kept adding to his medal cabinet, winning the bronze medal in the 60-kg category at the 2013 World Wrestling Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

The year 2014 has been a super duper one for Bajrang – he won the silver in the 61-kg category at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, following it up with a silver medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The 20-year-old, who recently landed a job with Railways after much struggle, capped off a hat-trick of silver medal wins this year, finishing second best in the 61-kg category at the Incheon Asian Games.

The demure, soft-spoken grappler touches on many things concerning wrestling in an exclusive interview.

How does it feel to win a silver medal on your Asian Games debut?
Bahut badhiya lag raha hai! Words are not enough to describe how I felt standing on the podium. Ever since I made my international debut last year, I have never returned from any tournament empty-handed and I want to thank the Almighty for his blessings.

You fought a total of four bouts en route to the silver-winning feat. Can you walk us through all those bouts?

All the bouts were equally tough. My opening round against Mongolia’s Tumenbileg was hard-fought as I was trailing him from the start before clawing my way back. I played Tajikistan’s Farkhodi in the quarterfinals, which again was keenly contested. I faced Japan’s Noriyuki in the semifinals – Yogeshwar Dutt had beaten him in the final to win the gold at the 2008 Asian Wrestling Championship and had given his valuable inputs and I planned my strategy accordingly.
My final opponent Masoud of Iran was formidable – I had lost to him 0-11 in the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championship final in Astana earlier this year and had earlier lost to him once 0-6. I gave my best but struggled to get a grip of him as I was sweating. There is no disgrace in losing to a better wrestler as winning and losing is part of sport.

You have often talked of Yogeshwar Dutt as a big guiding force behind all your success.   
Yogeshwar is a champion wrestler and both of us stay together in national camps. He keeps pointing out my strengths and also identifies my shortcomings. He has so much experience and is like a ‘big brother’ for me. His inputs in Incheon really helped besides all the guidance from our coaches.

You made your international debut at the 2013 Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. You were not picked in the original Indian squad, but was only included at the eleventh hour as Yogeshwar Dutt was injured. Your thoughts.

I have fond memories of that tournament as it was my international debut in the senior category. Yogeshwar bhai had to pull out due to an injury and he told me to put my best foot forward and ensure his absence was not felt. I went on to a bag a bronze and was elated that I was able to win a medal for my country – the fact that it was my debut made it all the more sweeter.

Don’t you think Indian wrestling is really blessed having two champions – Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt – assisting our young grapplers a luxury most other nations don’t enjoy?

Absolutely! We are fortunate to have Sushil and Yogeshwar around us. They always keep motivating us and always tell us ‘you are the best’ and that you can beat anyone on the mat. Both are very humble and make you feel at ease.

Do you think the Indian wrestlers command a lot of respect on the world stage?

Bilkul! Ever since Sushil Kumar won bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold at the 2010 World Championship, India has build a reputation of being a wrestling power. Our stock only increased after Sushil and Yogeshwar bagged silver and bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. I think wrestlers from other countries take us seriously.

Do you think preparation-wise training methods of Indian wrestlers are different from other nations?

I can say with confidence that our wrestlers slog more than grapplers from other nations. We train for 7/8 hours a day, but playing against various opponents I can say they lack the endurance our grapplers have. They don’t train as hard as our wrestlers.

Yogeshwar Dutt has said that the men’s hockey team gold is important for the country than his wrestling gold at the Asiad. What’s your take?

Actually, both of us were at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium watching the India-Pakistan men’s hockey final. We were initially tensed as India conceded an early goal, but went into raptures as we won in shootout. Sreejesh did a fantastic job in the shootout. Hockey gold was important for the country and we were happy our boys did it.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com

Interview Need more jobs for women hockey players, says Indian captain Ritu Rani

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

The Indian women’s hockey team gave its fans much to rejoice about when they scooped up the bronze medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games – their third bronze at this multi-sport event after last winning it at the 2006 Doha Asiad. The Ritu Rani-led side rose to the occasion when it mattered, prevailing over higher ranked Japan 2-1 to pocket the bronze medal.

The Indian eves’ Asiad campaign also included a fighting 1-2 defeat to reigning champions China, where they nearly pulled off a respectable draw before being done in by a last minute goal. The Indian women’s team captain Ritu Rani, who recently quit her job with Railways, and joined Haryana Police, spoke about their exploits in Incheon and much more in an exclusive interview.
Q. How important is this bronze medal for Indian women’s hockey?

It is significant in the sense that it will give a big boost to women’s hockey in the country. We had a nice blend of youngsters as well as experienced players and our team will derive a lot of motivation from this Asiad bronze. I hope our efforts encourage more young girls to take up hockey.

Q. Indian eves nearly pulled off a surprise draw over defending champions China and but were done in by a 59th minute goal.

Yeah, we missed a lot of chances against China and with a bit of luck going our way we could well have won that game. Our girls got plenty of confidence from that game as China have been the Asian Games champions for two consecutive editions (2006 and 2010).

Q. You have been captaining the Indian women’s team since June 2011 and entirely during Neil Hawgood’s stint as national coach. This bronze feat must be your biggest moment.

It has to be my biggest moment as the national team captain. I will cherish this for a long, long time.
Q. When you look at teams like Asian powerhouses like China and Korea, where do you think India lag behind?

I don’t think we are inferior to them in anyway. Skill-wise we are better than them, but just that they have the speed to unsettle us. In term of pace these teams enjoy an edge over us.

Q. There is a lot of talk about the fitness levels of the Indian women’s team. Do you think that is an area where we are getting caught out against formidable sides?

If you have asked this question three or four years back, I would have agreed with you but not now. We are a fit side and our girls can hold their own against any side. Gone are those days when our players will be outpaced in possession because of fitness issues.

The girls have really worked hard on their fitness levels and it is showing in the results. We won the bronze at the 2013 Asia Cup in Ipoh and at this Inchen Asiad, which is a fair indication that women’s hockey is looking up in the country.

Q. Drag-flicker Jaspreet Kaur has been the real find of the Incheon Asian Games. Your thoughts.

She is a talented fullback who packs a punch with her drag-flicks. Jaspreet puts a lot of effort in her drag-flicks and the results are showing. She has returned to the side after a long injury lay-off and I’m really happy for them. At the moment she is the lone drag-flicker we have in the side and we need to groom few more for the future. We trying out Deep Grace Ekka for this role, let’s see how it works out.

Q. Railways have been giving jobs to women hockey players in a big way – as many twelve players of the current side are employed with them. Do you think the time has come for others to offer jobs to women players?

A large chunk of the national team is employed with Railways, but it’s not fair to bank only on Railways to give jobs to women hockey players. Entities like IOC, BPCL, ONGC as well as banks among others must come forward to offer jobs or else no youngster will be encouraged to take up women’s hockey. There is no doubt that they is a pressing need for more jobs for women hockey players.

Q. Men’s Hero Hockey India League How has been quite a success. How about a women’s version of the same?

A women’s Hockey India League will be a big thing for us. Not just more money will come into women’s hockey, the supply line to the national side will be strengthened as players from across the country will participate and a lot of hidden talents will come to the fore.

Q. What other international events are lined up in the coming months?

We have the Hockey World League in March 2015 and before that I’m not sure what other events are planned.

The writer can be contacted at: suhridbarua@gmail.com