Interview with Sukhen Dey: "Confident of qualifying for Rio Olympics"

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Sukhen Dey has seen many ups and downs in his distinguished weightlifting career so far. The 25-year-old lifter from West Bengal, who is employed with the Army, is one of the known faces of Indian weightlifting having won the coveted gold and silver medals at the 2014 and 2010 Glasgow and New Delhi Commonwealth Games respectively. Sukhen, who is training hard for the upcoming Asian Championships as well the World Championships, is upbeat about making the cut for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The country’s ace weightlifter spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q You are training hard for the upcoming 45th Asian Weightlifting Championships to be held in Kathmandu. How are the preparations going on?

Well, I have started training at our ongoing national camp which started at NIS Patiala on April 1. Around 15 weightlifters are training in the senior category and the camp will run until November when the 2015 World Weightlifting Championship will be held in Houston, USA. I’m coming off a right shoulder injury at the national camp prior to the 2014 World Weightlifting Championship held at Almaty, Kazakhstan last November. I had to miss the 2014 World Weightlifting Championship and was out of training for close to four months.
As far as the 45th Asian Weightlifting Championship is concerned, it is like starting from scratch for me training-wise since I had a long injury lay-off. This is the third time that I will be playing in the Asian Weightlifting Championship – I had taken part in 2009 and 2013 on both occasions in Kazakhstan. The trials for the 2015 edition are likely to be held in May-end and hopefully I will compete in Kathmandu.

Q You won the silver medal in the 56-kg category at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games and followed it up with a gold medal in the 56-kg category at the 2014 Incheon Asiad. How would you look at the memories of these achievements?

When I look back, I feel I should have won the gold in 2010 but I missed my final weight which allowed Malaysia’s Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim to walk away with the gold. Coincidentally, in 2014 Commonwealth Games I beat a Malaysian - Zulhelmi Md Pisol – for the gold in the same weight category.

Q You wanted to be a body builder, but ended up being a weightlifter. How did the switch happen?

I used to do body building at a gym near my house in Andul in West Bengal’s Howrah district in 2003. Gradually, I saw some weightlifting events and was impressed by the way the crowds cheered and how the lifters were made to look like heroes. I started weightlifting training under Ajay Majhi. I was enrolled in Army Sports Institute in 2004 and made my senior international debut in 2005 in an Asian Meet in Kazakhstan, where I won the gold.

Q Weightlifters don’t find it easy to land jobs in India. When did you join the Army?

I joined the Army in 2008 as Havildar and then after my silver medal effort in the 2010 CWG, I was promoted to JCO and now I work as a Subedar.

Q You hail from an economically-disadvantaged family – so how do you use manage your training?

I find it hard to manage everything with my salary of Rs. 34,000 as I have to maintain our training as well as support my family. My dad is ageing and two of my brothers are doing small jobs.

Q You had tested positive at the 2011 Continental Clubs Grand Prix Weightlifting Championships held in Penang Malaysia. How did you overcome that tricky phase?

I was feeling embarrassed about what people would think about me. I was wondering whether people will think if I’m taking steroids to win medals. My two-year ban ended in 2013 and I played in the nationals and came good at the 2014 CWG. I take supplements which we think are right for us, but if any supplement powder has steroids in it, how do we know? I knew I was not taking any performance enhancing drugs.

Q Indian weightlifting has been rocked by a spate of doping scandals over the years. How do you think it is happening?

Lack of awareness about what to take and what not to is a factor. Generally, supplements bought from non-Indian companies are quite expensive, but are more authentic than the Indian companies – some if not all would mix steroids with supplement powder. So if any weightlifter uses supplement and gets enhanced results, he tells others who will use and this is how they face the dire consequences.

Q What is the maximum number of tournaments a weightlifter can compete in a year in order to deliver optimum performance?

At the most, a weightlifter can feature in three tourneys in a year as conditioning is so very important. Playing in three events can help a weightlifter to deliver his best as the sport involves so much of hard training and diet control.

Q How do you rate your chances of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics?

First of all, I have to stay injury-free and keep working hard. My world ranking is number 16 at the moment and the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in Houston will serve as an Olympic qualifier. I think I will need to lift 115 kg in snatch and 145 kg in clean and jerk, which should be good enough to make the cut.

Interview: Winning big tourneys more important than rankings: Parupalli Kashyap

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Parupalli Kashyap is on a high after pulling off a semifinal finish at the recently-held Singapore Open after battling a bout of injuries earlier this year. The country’s most experienced men’s singles shuttler who once reached a ranking of six in April 2013, moved up one spot to 14 in the BWF rankings following his decent run at the Singapore Open.

The 28-year-old spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q: How do you assess your semifinal finish at the recent Singapore Open?

Well, I was happy with the way things went for me at the Singapore Open given the injuries I had this year. I upset the World No. 5 Son Wan Ho of Korea along the way and was pretty chuffed with my overall effort. I did not have a great run in the Malaysian Open and Sunrise Indian Open as I was staging a comeback from injuries and it was nice to get a good performance under my belt.

Q: Talking of injuries, how frustrating it is for a player to get into a rhythm and again sustain an injury and start everything from scratch?

It can be frustrating. I won the Indian Open at Lucknow in January and got injured. I had to miss two tournaments and I literally pushed myself to play in the All England Championship in March as it would have meant that I would miss three tournaments in a row. In fact, I would have attracted two hefty fines – one for missing three events in a row after giving entries and the other for missing the All England Championship after giving entries. The fines are in the range of $400-500 and it’s not easy when you sustain an injury.

Q: You were the country’s top ranked men’s singles players for a fairly long time until K Srikanth surpassed you last year. Is there any disappointment deep inside you in that regard?

Being the country’s top ranked shuttler is a status I would love to hold on, but I think it is equally important to win big-ticket tournaments, which counts in the long run. I’m really happy for Srikanth who has been in exceptional form over the last twelve months.

Q: There is a great deal of talk about rankings of shuttlers. Should a player focus on rankings?

Look, having a higher ranking helps you to gain entry into top tournaments, where you play against the world’s best. Winning tournaments likes Super Series Premier, Super Series, Grand Prix Gold or an Olympic or World Cup medal is even bigger than that. When you retire from the sport, people remember you more for what you have won and not the rankings.

Q: You made your senior international debut in 2005 and have been carrying on the mantle of being the country’s top singles player. Ten years on the circuit, how long do you think you can continue?

I’m pretty sure I can continue playing for another six-seven years at least. Let’s hope for the best.

Q: The likes of Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have crossed thirty and are only getting stronger. Do you think it’s a myth that shuttler lose their prime form after reaching thirty?

It’s a myth actually. Lin Dan is 31 and is not only playing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, but is even keen to play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Lee at 32 is also going strong.

Q: The Indian Badminton League has been a great boon for the sport in the country, but hasn’t been held since 2013.

The IBL is a great concept and although we are hearing that it will be held this year, I have no idea when it is going to be held this year. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Q: Saina Nehwal attracts so many corporate sponsors for her much deserved achievements on the court. Why is that our men shuttlers despite three of them featuring in the top-20 get a raw deal?

I think cricket is so big in India that when corporate houses think of sponsorship for male sportspersons, cricketers become their first option. If you look at all the sports channels, tell me how many of them are showing badminton coverage, probably Sony Six. The ICC World Cup is over, but Star Sports continue to show highlights of the same. Can we see the highlights of a badminton event being shown on a lot of channels after a tournament is over.
There is a need for extensive television coverage of badminton by sports channels in India. Unless that happens, I don’t think the situation will change much.

Interview: Corporate houses must reward Indian men shuttlers: Sai Praneeth

B Sai Praneeth won the 2015 Seniors Nationals and after that has been battling with a bout of injuries. The 22-year-old Hyderabad lad, who has won two international singles titles – 2010 Iran Challenge and 2012 Bahrain Challenge crowns – is now looking to stay injury-free and break into the top-25 by year-end. Praneeth, who is ranked 43rd in the world, spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q How satisfying was it winning the 2015 Senior National Badminton Championship singles title?

Well, the Senior Nationals is a big event in India and winning it was quite special. I had lost the opening game to Sameer Verma but fought back to win the next two games and won the title. I had finished runners-up in the 2012 Senior Nationals losing to Sameer’s brother Sourabh in the final. I had been semifinalist twice before and so was keen to win it this time around.

Q You have been battling with a bout of injuries since the start of 2015 and have played in only three international tourneys.

I sustained a foot injury, and I played in the Senior National Badminton Championship carrying that injury. Actually, because I went the distance my injury got worse and I had to take a three-week break before I played in the Swiss Open, Indian Open and Singapore Open tournaments.

Q You were ranked 56 at the start of 2014 and you are ranked in the top-40. How would you assess your performance during this period?

Injuries have really affected my performance last year. Some injury or the other would crop up and I had to skip tournaments. It was like playing a tournament, and then taking a break for my injuries and then again playing. I had suffered an ankle injury and then had sustained a shin injury. Of course, injuries are not in your control, I think I have sorted out the injury issues of 2014.

Q Why is that the Indian men’s singles players are consistently doing well (India always had 5-6 guys in the top-50 in the last two years or so), and yet do not attract corporate sponsors like woman shuttler Saina Nehwal?

I don’t know but I feel strongly about it. India has three players in the top-20 and at least five to six players in the top-50. Our men shuttlers deserve to be rewarded by the corporate houses for our performances. I hope corporate houses reward our men shuttlers.

Q How much has the Indian Badminton League helped Indian badminton?

Badminton craze has gone up in the country but I’m not sure why the IBL was not held in 2014. This year, the IBL is slated to be held, but the dates are not yet confirmed.

Q Do you think that shuttlers from countries like China, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Denmark fear the presence of Indian shuttlers on the world stage?

Of course, they know India are a strong badminton force. We have five-six guys in the top-50 and don’t think any other country have so many players in the top-50.

Q What are the goals you have set for yourself?
I want to win tournaments likes Grand Priz Gold or Super Series this year and break into the top-25 by 2015-end. I had reached a ranking of 36 in 2013.

Q What are the improvement areas you are focusing on?

I need to work on speed and strength as well as stay injury-free as I lost out a lot last year and early 2015 due to a spate of injuries.

Q You have been training at the Gopichand Academy since 2005. How much have you learned from him as Coach?

It’s difficult to describe it in words. Gopi Sir is a hard-working coach, who attends all our training sessions and is constantly updating himself with the coaching stuff tactically. I owe a lot to him.

Q What are the forthcoming tournaments you are taking part?

I playing in a national-level ranking tournament in Bengaluru this week and then till June I won’t be featuring in any international tournaments. I will be training hard during this period and get even fitter. I may play in the US and Canadian Open tourneys in June.

More domestic tourneys will help Indian swimming: Sandeep Sejwal

Sandeep Sejwal is on a high. The 26-year-old Delhi-born swimmer had a field day in the 35th National Games in Kerala, where she snapped up four gold and two bronze medals- including three gold in his pet events - 50m breastroke, 100m breastroke and 200m breastroke. Sandeep, who won India’s second Asiad swimming medal in last twenty four years, is now gearing up for the 2015 World Aquatics Championship to be held in Russia. Sandeep, who is employed with Western Railway, spoke on various issues concerning swimming in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:


Q You had an impressive haul in the 35th National Games in Kerala, bagging four gold and two bronze medals.

It was really satisfying to deliver as I had expected prior to the games. I was pretty confident of winning gold in my three pet events – 50m breastroke, 100m breastroke and 200m breastroke. Winning another gold medal in the 4 X 100 M relay medley was a bonus. I was also happy to win two bronze medals in the 200 M individual medley and 4 X 100 M relay freestyle events.

Q So many big names like Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar have skipped the 35th National Games in Kerala. But you took part and had a great run.

I always get excited about participating in the National Games as it is one of the prestigious events in the country. There was always attractive prize money announced by the Madhya Pradesh government – every gold, silver and bronze medals winners were to bag Rs 4 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh. I ended up getting rewarded with Rs 17 lakh for my exploits.

Q Indian swimming did not produce an Asiad medal for 24 years since 1986 when Khazan Singh won a silver in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games until Virdhawal Khade picked up a bronze in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and you winning a bronze in the 2014 Incheon Asiad. Do you think that two back-to-back bronze medals in Asiad show that Indian swimming is heading in the right direction?

There is no doubt that Indian swimming is on the upswing. Two consecutive Asiad medal gives adequate reasons for all of us to be optimistic about Indian swimming. There are a lot of talented youngsters coming up across the country with Bengaluru serving as the swimming hub for so many years now. The future holds a lot of promise.

Q Do you really see Indian swimming taste its first Asiad gold in the 2018 Asian Games?

Well, there are a lot of factors which are not under your control – staying injury-free and in peak form is crucial. Gold is a realistic possibility although I don’t like to say precisely how many medals we are going to win in the 2018 Asiad.

Q There is feeling that there is a paucity of quality swimming coaches across the country, especially Bengaluru, which has two top-notch coaches. Your thoughts.

I won’t say there is scarcity of quality coaches in the country. I think most coaches outside Karnataka do not have access to desired facilities to groom their wards. There is no shortage of facilities, but coaches need access to all such facilities across the country.

Q There is a huge need for increasing the number of tournaments in the country, especially at the senior level. Your thoughts.

Absolutely! We should be having a senior-level tournament every month. Having more tournaments during the years will really develop our swimmers and allow them to raise the performance bar.

Q The 2015 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Kazan, Russia later this year.

The World Aquatics Championships serves as the Olympic qualifier and I will be keen on doing well. I’m hoping to finish in the top-16 and hopefully with better timings I will make the cut for the Rio Olympics.

Q What forthcoming tournaments are you taking part?

I’m leaving for Dubai later this month to participate in the Dubai Open – it starts from April 1-4. I hope to fare well in the Dubai Open.

Q How do you manage your finances for your training, diet etc?

Well, I end up spending around Rs 60,000-70,000 monthly – my supplements which come to around Rs 20,000, are sponsored. I stay in a rented accommodation very close to my training center and barring the supplements, I take of everything from my own purse.

Keen to keep performing: Karun Nair

Making a mark in a big game can often be defining moment of a player’s career. And Karnataka’s talented middle-order batsman Karun Nair can hope to be on the national selectors’ radar after his gruelling knock of 328 in the recent Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu in Mumbai. The 23-year-old Jodhpur-born cricketer, who turned out for Rajasthan Royals in the 2014 IPL, struck 46 boundaries and one six in his 328-run knock, which came off 560 balls and was at the crease for 872 minutes, sharing a huge 386-run sixth wicket partnership with KL Rahul. Karun, who went on to score 59 and 80 in Karnataka’s impressive win over Rest of India in the Irani Cup final, spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q How does it feel to be a member of a state side that have won back-to-back Ranji titles?

It’s a ‘special feeling’ to be part of this talented Karnataka side. And to win it twice on the trot makes it really worth remembering for many years to come. Not many sides have won the Ranji on two consecutive occasions save for Mumbai who have done it on quite a few occasions. Interestingly, this is the second time that Karnataka have won the Ranji Trophy on two consecutive occasions – earlier we did it in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. I’m really honoured to be part of the Karnataka side.

Q Karnataka had dismissed Tamil Nadu for a measly 134 in their first innings and then Karnataka posted a huge first innings score, which sealed the fate of your opponents.

Our bowlers really bowled well on the first day – they kept plugging away, dried up the runs and built pressure from both ends. I think we had conceded 60-odd runs in thirty overs and they lost three or four wickets in the process. The Wankhede strip had bounce for the seamers and other than it was a good wicket to bat on.

Q. Karnataka were in a deep hole at 31 for 4 when you walked in to bat and then came the massive 386–run sixth stand with KL Rahul. What was going through your mind?

Well, we were pushed on the backfoot but me and Rahul looked to bat session by session and not think far too ahead. We were glad that our big stand helped our side tilt the scales in our team’s favour in the Ranji final.

Q. You had lean run in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season but you seemed to have reserved your best for the final coming up with a massive 328 off 560 balls, studded with 46 fours and one six.

To be honest, I was not out of form. I was getting starts and then getting out in the thirties and forties. I told Rahul during our partnership that I want to get a big one and make up for not capitalizing on my starts in our earlier games. Thankfully, I managed to get a big hundred and it gave me huge satisfaction because it helped my team win the match.

Q. There is cut-throat competition in the Karnataka side. Most of your batsmen seemed to be among the runs. Must be a good augury for the side?

Healthy competition keeps every player on his toes. It allows every player to push the extra yard for success, which means a player is not just doing well for himself but also for the state side.

Q You played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) first for Royal Bangalore Challengers and then for Rajasthan Royals. How much has the IPL helped your game?

IPL has immensely helped my game, you get to play the world’s top bowlers and when you score runs against them it really boosts your confidence. Playing these top bowlers enables me to handle the bowlers at the domestic level with even more confidence.

Q Your state-mate KL Rahul recently made his Test debut against Australia and even scored his maiden Test ton. Are you confident that this big knock will help to attract the attention of the national selectors?

Well, I’m not thinking about all that now. I just want to keep performing, stay injury-free and take it one tournament at a time.

Q Karnataka have shown that they are a quality side. Do you think the state side can create the same dominance that a side like Mumbai had in the past?

There is no doubt that we have a talented side. Surely, Karnataka have the potential to dominate Ranji Trophy over the next few years.

Analysis: Men shuttlers look to make big impression in Indian Open

Indian shuttlers will be looking to dish out an impressive performance in the upcoming Yonex Sunrise Indian Open Super Series Tournament beginning at the Siri Fort Indoor Sports Complex from March 24. The six-day event will afford Indian shuttlers (especially the men’s shuttlers) an opportunity to resurrect themselves after their pretty disappointing showing in the prestigious All England Championships in London.

Of course, Saina Nehwal – the world number two – had put up a massive performance to become the country’s first woman singles player to reach the final of the All England Championships, the rest of her counterparts fell by the wayside pretty early in the tournament.

Kidambi Srikanth – the country’s top-ranked men’s singles player – was expected to progress at least till the business end of the All England Championships, but he came a cropper going down to Japan’s Kento Momota in three games with the world number four pulling one back in the second game. Of course, Srikanth made amends by winning the Swiss Open and is seeded second in the Indian Open (the only Indian men to be seeded), where he faces Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in the first round.

Parupalli Kashyap was another guy, who was tipped to sail through the early rounds, but he was shown the tournament’s exit door by Chou Tien-Chen of Taiwan. Kashyap hardly offered any kind of fight and went tamely 13-21, 12-21 in the opening round.
The 13^th ranked player will open his campaign in the Indian Open against Taiwan’s Hsu Jen Hao. Ajay Jayaramn will be high on confidence when he takes on Hong Kong’s Hu Yu  in the first round after having risen eight places in the world rankings this week to 35, following a semifinal finish in the Swiss Open after his early exit in the All England Championships.

HS Pranoy, the lone Indian men’s singles player to cross the first round hurdle, faces Russia’s Misha Zilberman in the first round. World number 36 Sai Praneeth takes on Swiss Open runners-up Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the first round, while 51^st ranked Anand Pawar takes on a qualifier in his round one match.

The damp squib of the men shuttlers were largely atoned for by Saina in the All England Championships – she will undoubtedly carry the biggest expectations from the Indian camp in the women’s singles with the likes of PC Thulasi, Saile Rane, Tanvi Lad looking to make an impression.

 

Indian shuttler on course to dominate world badminton: Gurusaidutt

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Injuries can not only dent a player’s morale, but also can severely cripple his performance. Wriggling out of injuries is never easy, and Indian ace men’s shuttler RMV Gurusaidutt has had a torrid time with injuries over the last twelve months. However,he has done exceedingly well to come out of it, pulling off a runners-up finish at the 2014 Tata Open in Mumbai (where he lost to HS Pranoy in a tight summit clash) among other impressive performances. The 25-year-old shuttler, who is ranked 59 in the world, spoke on various topics concerning badminton in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:
Q How would you sum up your performance over the last twelve months?
Well, if you look I haven’t played too many tournaments over the last twelve months, but whatever few tournaments I have played I performed quite well, especially in important tournaments for India like Thomas Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Badminton Championships.

Q You had reached the final of the Tata Open last December where you lost to HS Pranoy. Case of so near and yet so far.
The Tata Open has always been a good event for me and I was happy with the way I played. It was a high quality, long final match but Prannoy was better on that day.

Q Your bronze medal effort at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games must have been really special. Your thoughts.
Yes, I trained really hard for the Commonwealth Games and I was glad that my efforts paid off. There were a lot of mixed emotions when I lost my semifinal match in the morning to Derek Wong. I had won the first game and was up 19-14 in the second but lost that match. It was tough for me to forget that loss and had a bronze medal match coming up against England’s Rajiv Ouseph whom I haven't beaten him in my three previous encounters. My coach Pullela Gopichand (Gopi sir) and my close friends really pumped me up for the evening match.

Q You are currently ranked 59 and had once reached a career-high 19 in 2013. Does it bother you as dip in rankings can prevent you from playing in the top-notch tourneys?
Yes, it does bother a bit because the 2016 Rio Olympics is coming up but the drop in rankings was not because of my bad performance. I sustained multiple injuries over the last one year and the ranking drop was just because of the injuries and I couldn't play the big tournaments. I'm sure I will bounce back as I have the best coaches, training partners and world-class facilities at the Gopichand academy.

Q What are your areas that need attention in your pursuit of excellence?
The first and the most important thing that affected my performance was my injuries, but now everything has been sorted out. I need to work on my strength on my legs and endurance as well as need to play more without any breaks. (injuries)

Q The Indian Badminton League will be held later this year after the inaugural edition in 2013. How much has the league helped the sport in the country?
The Indian Badminton League was a hugely successful event – it really changed the scene in India; people started watching badminton and more kids started taking up badminton, all thanks to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and the organisers for conducting the league. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming IBL.

Q India have as many as five shuttlers in the top-50. Do you think Indians are well on course towards dominating world badminton?
Definitely Indian badminton is on course to be the best in the world. All the 5-7 Indian men's singles players are as good as the world’s top-10 players and I'm sure we'll see more players breaking into the top-10 and top-20.
 
Q Tell us a bit about initiation to badminton – who did you first train under ?
I started my career when I was 10 at a summer camp at the LB Stadium under late Nani Prasad sir and Govardhan. I moved to the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy when it started in 2006 at the Gachibowli Stadium.and since then I have been training under Pullela Gopichand (Gopi sir).
 
Q Do you think badminton has spread to every corner of the country – in terms of talents emerging from only a few states and not from all states?
Badminton has spread all over the nation and many youngsters are taking up badminton and the competition in India has increased at the national level.

Q What are the forthcoming tournaments you are playing?
I’m in Poland playing the Polish Open and then I will be off to Delhi next week for the India Open Super Series. I will also be playing the Singapore Open in May.
Q What are other interests you have besides playing badminton?

Whenever I have free time or off sessions, I like to play cricket and follow cricket and tennis quite a lot. I prefer to go home and spend time with family and cousins over the weekends.

Karnataka will dominate domestic cricket in coming years: Vinay Kumar

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
The script unfolded near-perfectly for Vinay Kumar. The former Indian seamer hit a purple patch by captaining Karnataka to their second consecutive Ranji Trophy crown and also keeping the statisticians busy en route to taking a five-for and slamming an unbeaten century batting at number nine to help his state side pip Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final clash at Mumbai.
Vinay, who had a match haul of seven wickets in the final and scored a fine ton, became the first captain and second player (after Vijay Hazare) to score a century and take five wickets in a Ranji final. Vinay, who became the second Karnataka captain after Erapalli Prasanna to win the Ranji Trophy, twice last played for India against Australia at Bengaluru in November 2013. The 31-year-old Davengere-born cricketer has featured in 31 ODIs so far and played a lone Test against Australia at Perth in January 2012.

Vinay spoke in an exclusive interview.

Q. How does it feel winning back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles under your captaincy?

It feels fantastic to win the Ranji Trophy and that too, twice on the trot. The boys have showed a lot of consistency and it really helped. We have slew of all-rounders in our side who can both bat and ball – we bat deep, even our number eleven batsman can score crucial runs.

Q. Karnataka had won the Ranji Trophy last year beating Maharastra at Uppal and this time around you beat Tamil Nadu at Mumbai. What would you attribute your success to?

Our boys exuded plenty of hunger for success. All the team members kept pushing themselves and raised their performance bar. Collectively we were really good in all departments of the game. Robin Uthappa was consistency-personified, KL Rahul racked up two big hundreds, Manish Pandey also got one big ton, CM Gautam, Shreyas Gopal, Ravikumar Samarth all chipped in when it mattered. Even in the bowling department, (Sreenath) Aravind, (Abhimanyu) Mithun and (Shreyas) Gopal performed really well – all in all it has been a huge team effort.

Q. There is competition for places in the Karnataka side. It must augur well for your side.

It’s good that there is a healthy competition in the side as it keeps everyone on their toes. Every player knows he has to keep performing and it benefited the side immensely.

Q. Karun Nair slammed a magnificent 328 in the final against Tamil Nadu. Your thoughts.

Karun has been through a lean run this season initially, but really dished out a superb knock in the final. He is a talented bloke and I’m sure he will soon make his international debut like KL Rahul did some months against Australia.

Q. Karnataka were in more than a spot of bother at 31 for 4 after bowling Tamil Nadu for a measly first innings score of 134 on day one. Elaborate on the massive stand between Karun Nair and KL Rahul?

We were in the soup at 31/4 with (Ravikumar) Samarth, (Shishir) Bhavane, (Robin) Uthappa and (Manish) Pandey back in the hut. Abhimanyu Mithun scored a breezy 41-ball 39, which eased the early pressure somewhat and the stage was set for the Nair-Rahul combo to orchestrate a memorable match-winning 386 six wicket partnership, which allowed us to bat Tamil Nadu out of the game on day two.


Q. Your are known more as a tailender who did not have great credentials as a batsman, but over the last few years you have worked on your batting.

It’s important to be a handy lower-order batsman across all formats in contemporary cricket. I used to start off my career as a batsman who could ball and when I came to Bengaluru to play cricket, I probably did not realize my batting potential as my bowling took centrestage and remained a bowler who could bat. I think I did not know initially how to get hundreds and easily scored nice forties, fifties and sixties.

Q. Your finished the 2014-15 Ranji season as the joint top wicket-taker alongside Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur with 48 wickets. You became the first cricketer after Vijay Hazare to score a century and take a five-for in a Ranji Trophy. Do you think such a robust performance will help you make a national comeback?

I’m always passionate my about playing for the country and I hope my Ranji performance is watched by the selectors. There is nothing like playing for the country.

Q. Karnataka have won the Ranji trophy for two consecutive seasons. Do you feel that the state cricket is in great health?

Indeed it is. The junior cricket structure in Karnataka is strong and I feel that a lot of talent will come through the ranks. I have no doubts that the state will dominate domestic cricket in the coming years.

Indian eves looking good to win Hockey World League Round 2 Tourney

The Indian women’s hockey team have dished out some ‘consistent hockey’ in the FIH Hockey World League Round 2 Tourney being played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. The Ritu Rani-led side has gelled as a unit and exhibited ‘cohesive hockey’ throughout the tournament. A whopping 31 goals in four games is a phenomenal achievement by the Blueskirts, who (without being unfair to them) have also been guilty of frittering away numerous scoring chances.

As Indian stop-gap hockey coach Roelant Oltmans pointed out, “No team can score of every opportunity, scoring chances will always be there and it is unfair to expect any team to make the most of every scoring opportunity.” Point taken, but like every team does, there is always room for improvement since every team looks to outwit their opponent.

Indian have hardly been ‘challenged’ in the FIH Hockey World League Round 2 Tournament. Barring the first half of their third league game against Thailand, where they were not allowed to break free – the Indians found it hard to open the scoring, although their nerves eased a lot when Amandeep Kaur finally scored in the 25th minute but not before the Thai girls made it exceedingly hard for them to score by throwing everything inside their ‘D’.

That perhaps was the only time that the Indian team management had to ‘think hard’ about their game or else, it has been pretty much smooth sailing. India began their campaign in rollicking fashion, clobbering Ghana 13-0 before downing Poland 2-0 – a game they dominated but could not add any more goals to their kitty. They rounded off their third league tie with a 6-0 win over Thailand.

The Indians made a mockery of their quarterfinal tie against Singapore handing them a 10-0 drubbing and now faces Thailand in the semifinals. The Indian forwardline has clicked with Vandana Katariya leading the way with 10 goals, including two hat-tricks.

All and said done, it is safe to assume that the Indian eves are looking good to win the FIH Hockey World League Round 2 Tourney. At least, if their hitherto performance is anything to go by, it is difficult to believe that this 13th ranked side can be halted in their tracks by any other team.

 

Interview: Enjoy my rivalry with Somdev: Ramakumar Ramanathan

He has injected a fresh dose of excitement into Indian tennis, which has struggled to churn out names that can be seen doing great things for the country. Ramkumar Ramanathan is increasingly being talked about as the player to watch out for future – the 20-year-old Chennai lad made a phenomenal climb in rankings to break into the top-250, occupying the 211th position last November.

Ramkumar, who is under a scholarship scheme with the Gas Authority of India (GAIL), has been training in Spain over the past few years. The 6-foot-2-inch youngster first shot into prominence when he stunned the country’s top ranked player Somdev Devvarman at the 2014 Chennai Open and again defeated him at the recent Kolkata Open. Ramkumar talked on a range of topics concerning tennis in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:
Q You had a significant ranking leap in 2014 as you broke into the top-250. What would you attribute to your superb run last year?
I have really worked hard on my game and I think the results are on account of that. I strived for consistency, always looking to raise the improvement bar and pretty chuffed with the way things have panned out for me. Tennis is all about having the right attitude backed by skill sets. Possessing the right attitude holds the key.


Q You have been training in Spain for the past four years. Tell us a bit about your stint over there?

I first went to Spain and spent three months over there. In the subsequent years, I have spent most part of the year over there and only came to India for my exams. I have worked under various coaches like Emilo Sanchez, Sergio Casal and Juan Balcells. The good thing about my training stint in Spain is that I don’t have to waste much time in travelling as my place of stay and training is the same, which allows me to focus on my game alone. I train for seven hours (gym and playing sessions) a day except for Sunday. My fitness has also improved in Spain. The Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) along with IMG has supported me all these years and I owe a lot to them besides my dad, who has sacrificed a lot to see me emerge as a solid tennis player.

Q You first came into the limelight when you upset India’s top-ranked player Somdev Devvarman at the 2014 Aircel Chennai Open. You again beat him at the recent Kolkata Open Challenger Event. How do you look at your rivalry with him?
He is a great bloke and has done well for the country. I enjoy my rivalry with Somdev and I respect him for all he has achieved for the country.

Q Your are now ranked 257 in the world. When can we see you break into the top-100?
Look, it is difficult to set a time-frame as things can be unpredictable on court. You never know it can happen very soon – who knows I may have a great run in a big event which can boost my rankings – it is also possible that it may take a few seasons for me to break into the top-100.


Q India’s Davis Cup non-playing captain Anand Amritraj says you are the ‘rising star of Indian tennis’. What’s your take?
I’m glad that he thinks highly of me, but at the same time there is plenty of room for improvement. I have done well to reach where I am now, but there is a long way to go. I will keep working hard and stay focused.

Q Chennai has a rich tennis legacy. The likes of Ramanathan Krishnan, Vijay Amritraj and Ramesh Krishnan have served the country with distinction. It is after so many years that Chennai has found in you who can take the legacy forward.
All these guys you have mentioned were stalwarts. As I said, I have a long path to tread and for now I’m just looking to keep improving and move up in the rankings.


Q How do you assess the state of Indian tennis?

Well, a lot of talented juniors are coming through and I’m sure with the right support, they can do well for the country.

Q What are the upcoming tournaments you are taking part?
I will be departing for Spain later this month, just waiting for the visa to be through. I will be playing in quite a few Challengers in Spain alongside my training stint over there.

Q Tennis players have a hectic schedule. How do you unwind when you are not playing tennis?
I like to read books and prefer playing play poker online!

Analysis: Did England deserve to be shunted out of World Cup early?

Every World Cup would have its fair share of ‘shockers’ and England being shown ‘the 2015 ICC World Cup exit door’ by Bangladesh has to be without a shadow of doubt the ‘biggest stunner’ of the marquee event. A team that have reached the World Cup final four times and settled for a bridesmaid finish each time – was never expected to endure such an ignominy despite the lean trot they have been enduring in recent times. What could have gone wrong with England at the World Cup? Did their preparations for a tournament as huge as the World Cup go the desired way? Was the team selection faulty? Questions like these stare us on our face.

First and foremost, the axing of regular ODI skipper Alastair Cook just two months before the World Cup was something the English selectors could have done without. How often do we see a regular ODI captain being not just stripped of his captaincy as well as of his place barely months before the World Cup, with the baton handed over to another southpaw Eoin Morgan? Cook hasn’t done himself any good with his prolonged slump in form but how did it vindicate Morgan’s elevation to the hot seat considering his equally ‘not so happening’ batting form? The selectors did miss a trick or two by opting for a new skipper just two months before the World Cup, which demanded one question: did the ECB and the selectors treated the World Cup seriously or did they just merely went through the motions of picking a squad like they do for any other international series. Clearly, the impression one got was that the move reeked off a lack of planning and serious intent to put their best foot forward preparation-wise for the big-ticket event.

Another factor that let England badly down was the appalling run of captain Eoin Morgan. Every team derives inspiration in a captain leading from the front and in Morgan, England found someone, who was struggling to get runs, let alone dominate their batting department. The southpaw began the World Cup with a duck against Australia, before coming up with scores of 17, 46, 27 and followed with another duck in their must-win game against Bangladesh - his batting failures dented England’s morale and aspirations in the World Cup.

Not just Morgan, England appeared like a sloppy handwritten book with no player foisting it upon himself to take the fight to the opposition barring some flashes of brilliance here and there. Ian Bell was the only batsman, who looked consistent throughout the World Cup with scores of 36, 8, 54, 49, 63 – of course this sequence of scores may sound good for the record books but England needed much more from an experienced campaigner like him – England wanted someone like Bell to drop anchor at one and tough it out playing the big knocks and not exit to the pavilion after making promising forties, fifties and sixties.

Joe Root has been England’s best batsman over the last twelve months and showed that in ample measure when he slammed a fine century against Sri Lanka besides standing tall amidst the ruins in their big loss against New Zealand. James Taylor and Mooen Ali did play a few handy knocks, but lack of consistency of these guys bereft England batting of any firepower needed to punch holes in the opposition game plans. Gary Balance was the biggest flop in their batting unit, much ahead of skipper Morgan, scoring a measly 46 runs off four games before being asked to warm the reserves bench in the crucial tie against Bangladesh. Seriously speaking, England’s batting was principally responsible for their shameful early World Cup exit - not that their bowlers deserve copious praise.

The bowling unit was ragged and it meant if their batters provided a veneer of respectability to the team’s score, the bowlers undid that with some slipshod stuff. Take for instance the England-Sri Lanka game – a match where English bowlers managed to take just one wicket while defending a score of 309. The seasoned duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad were pedestrian for most part and purely featured in all five games on past reputation. Anderson struggled to get a wicket in the first two games, while Broad also cut a disappointing figure. Between them, Anderson and Broad picked up seven wickets from five games, which just tell you England’s bowling woes. The question one needs to ask is: why were the duo of Anderson and Broad persisted with if they were out of form. Steven Finn and Chris Woakes performed much better than the two new ball operators – this is where the team management blundered – they needed to take some tough decisions and not just bank on past laurels of players.

In trying to get a perspective about England’s ODI performance, it is important to understand that it’s not as if something has suddenly gone awry for them. Statistics do tell a story. Going into the 2015 World Cup, England had made losing a habit they found it hard to get rid off. Prior to the World Cup, England had lost 26 of its 31 ODI matches, a fair assessment how the beginning of their ODI decline started in 2014. England were soundly beaten by Australia 1-4 after the Ashes mauling – they subsequent lost a five match ODI series to Sri Lanka 2-3, they also lost to India 1-3, followed by another 2-5 series loss to Sri Lanka in the latter’s backyard.

The biggest kneejerk reaction to a shocking defeat of a fancied side in the World Cup is to ensure heads roll – in this case skipper Eoin Morgan and coach Peter Moores are under the criticism scanner. But the point is: how is England going to rebound from this low and show the cricketing world that they are not finished as an ODI side? Only time will tell!