Robin Uthappa is known for his hard-hitting batting and his hunger for big sixes. He is a talented stroke-maker, an outstanding fielder, a reliable wicketkeeper and can even bowl slow medium pace.
About
DOB November 11, 1985
Batting style Right Handed
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Bio
Robin Venu Uthappa had a dream One Day International debut in final match of the English tour of India in April 2006. He scored a well compiled 86 as an opening batsman before being dismissed run out. Uthappa first grabbed eyeballs after a good show in the 2005 Challenger Series playing for India-B against India-A. He played an important role in India’s win at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. He finished the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season as the highest run scorer that season. Uthappa entered Indian Premier League in 2008 after being bought by Mumbai Indian. He later shifted to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009, Pune Warriors in 2011, and finally to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. He currently plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
The Walking Assassin
Robin Uthappa has been nicknamed ‘The Walking Assassin’ for his tactic of charging the bowler. Uthappa, part of the Indian team that won the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007, made hi ODI debut in 2006 but from July 2008 to June 2014 was not picked in the ODI team. In the IPL format, he has been playing for Kolkata Knight Riders since 2014 and has been a consistent run-getter for the team.
Batting Statistics
Matches 135
Innings 130
Not outs 15
Runs 3390
Average 29.47
Strike rate 128.65
Highest score 83* v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Hundreds 0
Fifties 17
Balls faced 2635
Fours 341
Sixes 104
Fielding Statistics
Catches 66
Stumpings 26
Run outs 7
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Timesofindia.com / Home> Cricket> IPL> Player Profiles / Aoril 15th, 2017
The Indian Davis Cup team’s non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi dropped Leander Paes from the squad against Uzbekistan, opting for Rohan Bopanna instead.
Leander Paes’ glittering career as a Davis Cup player might be in its last stages after he was dropped from the Indian Davis Cup squad to play Asia-Oceania tie with Uzbekistan, to be played at the KSLTA Stadium in Bengaluru from April 7. Indian non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi went with Rohan Bopanna as the sole doubles specialist for the tie.Bhupathi had left both Paes and Bopanna out of the probables when he shortlisted names for the team a couple of days ago, and on Thursday, he opted for the latter.
Indian were already without the services of the injured Yuki Bhambri. He had been named in the original probable’s squad along with Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sriram Balaji.
Bopanna and Balaji will feature in the doubles match against Farrukh Dustov and Sanjar Fayziev. Bopanna is ranked 23rd in the world — 34 spots above Paes.
Ramkumar Ramanathan will now spearhead India’s singles challenge in place of injured Yuki Bhambri.
Ramanathan will face Temur Ismailov in the first singles rubber tomorrow. Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who replaced the injured Bhambri, will then take on Fayziev in the second singles rubber.
In the reverse singles on Sunday, Ramanathan will face Fayziev and Gunneswaran will play the final rubber against Ismai.
Paes, who made his Davis Cup debut against Japan in 1990 at Jaipur, has been dropped from the Davis Cup team on form for the first time in 27 years.
Paes is also in the cusp of creating a Davis Cup history. Paes is currently locked at 42 with Italian legend Nico Pietrangeli and is one win away from the record for most doubles wins in Davis Cup history.
(With inputs from Suprita Das and PTI)
source: http://www.sports.ndtv.com / NDTV / Sports Home> Tennis> News / edited by Jaideep Ghosh / April 06th, 2017
Five years after his last game for India, Arjun Halappa is back in the National camp. The former India captain and selector is now, alongside Jugraj Singh, part of the coaching set-up under Roelant Oltmans. It is a role he is only happy to perform. “It is a totally different test,” he said at the SAI in Bengaluru on Friday.
Arjun Halappa, who is now part of the coaching staff with the Indian senior men’s hockey team, strikes a pose at the Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru on Friday. – SHREEDUTTA CHIDANANDA
“As a player, it was different for me. Even I used to give some comments or feedback to the coaches; there were some arguments. Now I get an idea of what it takes to be a coach. It’s a big learning experience for me.”
Halappa was approached for the role before, but he declined the opportunity each time, until he finally agreed to come on board earlier this month. “For the last four years, Roelant had been asking and I kept saying no. I was playing regularly on the domestic circuit (for Air India) and wanted to continue. I’m still playing. But you can’t keep on prolonging it. The main thing is I really wanted to give something back to hockey. I want to learn.”
India has begun a fresh Olympic cycle with a young group of ‘core probables’, calling up 11 of the 18 Junior World Cup winners. As a player, Halappa successfully made the transition from the Junior ranks—having starred in the Junior Asia Cup in 2000—to the senior, a year later. He hoped the current crop of youngsters could similarly meet expectations. “We have done really well at the junior level. But tournaments like the World Cup, the Olympics and the Champions Trophy are a completely different ball-game,” he said. “You can’t expect results overnight. It might take four or five years. Of course, we are hosting the 2018 World Cup; 2020 (Olympics) as a target is always there. But if we want good results from these guys, 2022 (World Cup) and 2024 (Olympics) will be really possible.”
Halappa was pleased he had not only Oltmans but also Harendra Singh—a coach he has known from his junior days—to lean on for support. “Everyone talks about how there are no good Indian coaches. But that has changed now with Harendra winning the Junior World Cup,” he said. “He’s professional enough and ready to adopt modern training methods. He’s the only Indian coach to have done the FIH Masters coaching programme. All this because he wanted to show the world that India can produce quality hockey coaches too. I want that trend to continue.”
A number of those in the current side—P. R. Sreejesh, Rupinder Pal Singh, S. V. Sunil and Sardar Singh—were teammates of Halappa’s once. But young or old, he had no trouble dealing with players, the 36-year-old stated. “We Indians have this tendency of wanting people to treat us as superiors when we’re in a position of power. I don’t want that,” he said. “I’m normal with the players. On the field, only they matter, not the coach.”
source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / Sport Star Live / Home> Hockey / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Bengaluru – March 24th, 2017
Star striker SV Sunil, on Saturday, said the Indian hockey team has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years and achieving a top-three rank in the world is definitely a realistic target now.
The Indian team is ranked sixth in the FIH rankings and Sunil, who was recently adjudged the the Asian Player of the Year 2016, said doing well in the upcoming tournaments will be crucial for the team.
“It’s a good improvement from being placed 12th or 13th about four years ago. I feel if we keep up our performances and show good results starting right from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where teams like Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia will take part, we have a very good chance of improving our ranking and the aim is definitely to reach world ranking of top 3,” Sunil was quoted as saying in a HI press release.
Indian team has a lot of assignments lined-up for the next year such as Asia Cup, Hockey World League Final, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Champions Trophy and World Cup in 2018.
Sunil said getting the Asian Player of the Year award from the Asian Hockey Federation came as a surprise.
“I didn’t expect it when coach called out Harmanpreet (Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016) and me from the pitch in the middle of the training session to inform us about the award. At first I thought we were being punished for something,”
Sunil said. The Coorg lad, who leads the attack with Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh and Nikkin Thimmaiah, said the youngsters are presenting a good challenge to the seniors.
“There are nine players who play the forward position in the core probables right now. Some of the youngsters from the junior squad have very good performance to show and even Affan Yousuf had a good outing last year as well as in the 2017 Coal India Hockey India League.
“I feel each one of us have to fight for our position and make sure we have creditable performances from tournament to tournament to ensure our spot in the team,” said Sunil.
With a new system in place and a rotation policy followed by the Dutch Coaches, Sunil feels youngsters today have greater opportunities to prove their worth. “When I made the transition from junior to senior player, there were very few chances for a junior to be part of the playing 11. They would not substitute as often as they do now.
So the first set of players who went in would virtually play the entire 60-70 minutes.
“But now with the speed of the game increasing, almost every player gets a few minutes on the pitch and one must make use of it,” he said.
India forward SV Sunil, key member of last year’s silver-winning Champions Trophy side, is Asian Hockey Federation’s Player of the Year for 2016 and junior World Cup-winner, Harmanpreet Singh, has been named as the emerging player
SV Sunil was the favourite for the award among the national team coaches of Asia, who made the nominations based on performances during 2016.(Facebook)
India forward SV Sunil was named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016 on Thursday, with Harmanpreet Singh chosen as the Promising Player of the Year in the continental body’s annual awards.
SV Sunil was the favourite for the award among national team coaches of Asia, who made the nominations based on performances during 2016, according to a Hockey India release.
Sunil, regarded highly for his pace, played a vital role in India’s memorable run in last year’s Champions Trophy in London, where they claimed a silver for the first time. “This award is the icing on the cake. I believe Indian hockey is growing year by year and we have enjoyed some memorable victories in 2016. This award could not have been possible but for our team work,” Sunil said.
Dragflick specialist Harmanpreet too had a great run, playing a crucial role in India’s Junior World Cup triumph in Lucknow late last year. He was also part of the Rio Olympics and Champions Trophy squads.
“I am very excited to receive this award. Awards and recognition are a big motivation for a young player like me to improve on my skills and come up with memorable performances,” said Harmanpreet, who along with Sunil, is currently in the senior men’s national camp that is preparing for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by HT Correspondent, New Delhi / March 30th, 2017
Uproarious: Kodava families with the India XI and Kodagu XI teams. Photo: K. Murali Kumar.
Once a year, Kodava families from around the world come together to participate in a unique hockey tournament in a sleepy town. Shreedutta Chidananda on the 16th edition of the festival, hosted by the Iychettira family this year, and its place in Coorg’s culture.
An hour northeast out of Gonikoppal, along one of the narrow, undulating roads typical of the region, Ammathi almost springs out of the country; an oversized clearing after endless acres of coffee plantation. Down here, in Coorg’s south, it is a searing 34° during the day; nothing like the popular postcard images of mountains and mist. Yet, ask locals and they will say their part of Coorg is just as beautiful as Madikeri or Kushalnagar, lacking only the tourists and the hype about the north.
Ammathi, the venue of this year’s Kodava hockey festival, is an unremarkable town. A dozen small stores share premium space around the bus stop with the Cauvery Recreation Club and the Titanic Hotel and Bar.
Preparations galore
On the eve of the Iychettira Hockey Cup, the 16th edition of Coorg’s annual hockey competition among its Kodava families (there are close to 800), there is no hint of the extraordinary influx that is to follow. Overseeing preparations at the Ammathi Government High School ground, Chairman of the Tournament Committee, Iychettira K. Anil is a fiendishly busy man. “I’ve had to charge my phone thrice today,” he says. “It just won’t stop ringing.”
Temporary bleachers are coming up on all sides while a few workers tend to the pitch.
“Organising a tournament of so many teams is a logistical headache,” Anil says as he stands inside the under-construction pavilion and surveys the ground. “Sending the draws out to all 217 teams is hard enough. Then you have to conduct 12 matches a day across two venues.”
Sixty-two families signed up for the inaugural edition in 1997. The numbers have since swollen, reaching a high of 281 in 2003, prompting claims of being the world’s largest hockey tournament. Lasting three weeks, it is a single-elimination tournament and concludes on May 13. “A Coorg has to hold a hockey stick,” says Anil. “Show me another tournament in India where so many teams turn up.”
In the weeks leading up to the competition, practice was held at the Middle and High School grounds but with work on the playing surface now on in full swing, the venues are off limits. Action has shifted, instead, to the Good Shepherd Convent on the town’s south-eastern fringes, just off the highway. It is an uproarious affair with boys, youth and men battering a tired ball about. A viewing gallery rises up sharply on one side of the field — above which the groundskeeper occasionally materialises as dusk falls to see if the gates can finally be locked — while the road falls away on the other.
The Uddapanda family’s U.S. Jagath, a genial, moustachioed middle-aged man, says that his team has been training for close to 20 days. “We take it seriously. Maybe not very seriously but we definitely don’t want to lose in the first round.” A centre-half on the Mysore University team in his youth, Jagath says most sides have three or four players of similar, if not better, pedigree. “The stronger ones even have former India internationals. The semi-finals and final can get quite feisty. If someone can’t play hockey here, he’s deemed a useless fellow. Our standards are pretty high.”
Ordinarily only the festival’s later stages draw significant crowds — the semi-finals and the final have been known to attract sometimes 30,000 spectators — but this time, there is a gushing anticipation about the inaugural day.
Those that have missed the billboards and the flyers will, perhaps, have noticed the rear ends of the district’s KSRTC buses. The Indian team will be in town, they proclaim, to play a “Coorg XI” in an exhibition game.
Gathering crowds
Anil predicts a traffic nightmare and he is not too far off the mark. On Saturday morning, the line of parked cars stretches over a kilometre from the ground; this after two prescribed lots run out of space. The local police are out in force, attempting to direct recalcitrant drivers elsewhere.
Local newspapers, meanwhile, dedicate large chunks of space to the Hockey Nammé. Andolana, a Kannada daily, offers up three pages. “Broken hearts, warring brothers, families rent by strife; they have all been united by the Nammé,” a piece by-lined “Hockey Lover” exults on the front page.
The ground is chockfull when the India team arrives. Men and women from the host Iychettira family line the grandstand in traditional Kodava attire; the purple of the saris an arresting sight. On the other sides, families clamber up the tiers in search of a vantage point. Boys and girls — in hats, shades, soft drink in one hand, cell-phone in the other — mill about casually. Kids flood the walkways below making their way around on the narrow planks with little difficulty. Every seat is taken, every inch of space occupied.
Head Coach Michael Nobbs is visibly stunned by the several thousands strong attendance. “I had some idea of what to expect but this is miles ahead of anything I’ve seen,” he confesses, capturing the crowds on his iPhone. “There’s just so many kids here. It blows me away.” Every goal is met with frenzied applause; the home side loses 3-1 but there’s no hint of disappointment.
Although the India XI is without most of its high-profile players, Nobbs has been careful to bring with him the ones hailing from Coorg. S.V. Sunil and V.R. Raghunath — though not Kodavas — draw the loudest cheers. “I cannot tell you enough how good a concept this is,” the latter says. “I wish I were a Coorg; I could have played too.”
The tournament proper begins after lunch that afternoon; the Codanda and Cheranda families feature in the first game. Although the crowds have largely melted away, both teams find vocal support in their women. “Trap the ball”… “Pass it to the left”…”He’s open”, they cry lustily applauding every interception, forward run, or shot.
All together
The match is an opportunity for the Codandas’ C.M. Somanna to share the pitch with his nine-year-old daughter who comes on with a few minutes to spare. The shorts may reach down to her shins and the stick resembles a spear in her hands, but Nila is visibly thrilled. The final whistle eventually blows and the Codandas manage to sneak a nervy one-nil win.
“We have only 100 members yet, earlier, we hardly met once a year,” says Swati Bopanna, a Codanda elder and President of the Women’s Hockey Association of Coorg. “People didn’t know each other’s names. Now we all are here.”
Somanna concurs. “This tournament is a blessing,” he says. “Someone is in Venezuela, someone in north India, someone is studying in Bengaluru or Mysore, someone running his plantation in a different part of the district. It has brought us all together. The concept has worked wonders within the families.”
After the victory, the Codanda family congregates in the car park. Sandwiches are handed out as players — father and daughter, uncle and nephew, far-flung cousins — joke and swap stories. Fifteen minutes spent observing their potential opponents in the second round and they’re all off, vowing to meet for practice during the coming week. The team has never progressed beyond the third round but results, Somanna insists, are secondary.
Although the euphoria of the neutral has largely dissipated since the opening day, the families themselves are champing at the bit. They arrive in buses, hired vans, bikes or plush cars, each with their own team jerseys.
The Mukkatiras of Devanageri (for there are other Mukkatira families, albeit unrelated) have designed a rather smart yellow and white kit, “DM” monogrammed on the front. Manager Nanda Pemmaya watches from one side as his team warms up. “We’ve been training together for three days; we’ll see how far we can go,” he says. “But, win or lose, we’re all meeting at the end of the game. We have lunch and then we split.”
From a freak goal down, the Mukkatiras recover strongly, hammering four past the Paruvangada goalkeeper. Their young outside-right scores two fine goals, while their 72-year-old forward nets one. Post the hugs and the congratulations, the Mukkatiras get into their cars and head for their wondrously well-maintained iyn mané (ancestral home), an undisturbed quarter hour’s drive away, a right turn off the road to Virajpet.
Hearty laughter rings out from the pyol as the assembly celebrates the triumph with a few beers. A tough second round fixture awaits his men in eight days’ time, but Pemmaya is not unduly concerned. “The hockey festival is all about bonding, you know,” he says as platefuls of pork are passed around. “It is literally a festival.”
How it began
The Kodava hockey festival was conceptualised by Pandanda Kuttappa, a former State league referee, in 1997 and is today run by the Kodava Hockey Academy. Concerned by what he saw as falling standards in hockey in the district, Kuttappa hit upon the idea of a tournament among the families that would encourage more youngsters to take up the sport.
Though the first edition had only 62 participants, with hockey’s popularity in Coorg and its past there, it was never going to be difficult to draw more families. The numbers grew, with a high of 281 teams in 2003. The 2012 edition has received 217 entries.
The Kootanda family remains the most successful team, having won four titles (one shared with Kullettira), while the Kullettira, Nellamakkada and Palanganda families have all triumphed thrice. The Kaliyanda, Mandepanda and Anjaparavanda families have won the competition once
.The Palanganda family, led by star forward Amar Aiyamma, has won the event in 2010 and 2011. The same names are expected to be frontrunners for the title again.
There is no permanent venue, something organisers are striving to achieve, and the festival has been held across the district in previous years. Ammathi, the site of the 2012 festival, is playing host for the third time
Beyond numbers or tangible benefits, though, the Kodava hockey festival has accomplished what perhaps nothing else could have: uniting distant families.
The hosts
The Kodava Hockey Nammé (festival) is hosted by a different family each year and named after it. A family may not host the event more than once. Families apply to the Kodava Hockey Academy expressing interest and are allotted the tournament after evaluation.
The Iychettira family, host of the current edition, was offered the chance eight years ago, says I.K. Anil. “But we weren’t ready then. This time, I told the family that we should conduct it. We requested to be allowed to be hosts. It is a matter of great pride and honour. There are over 750 Kodava families and we are the 16th family to be chosen.”
Anil estimates expenditure to cross a crore; the Government of Karnataka has promised Rs.30 lakh, with the Iychettira family and the event’s sponsors funding the rest.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / April 28th, 2012
Arjun Halappa backed the junior members of the 33-man squad to step up to the big-time in world hockey.
Arjun Halappa
Bengaluru:
With a bustling hockey schedule starting with the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup around the corner for Team India, former national team captain and local favourite Arjun Halappa backed the junior members of the 33-man squad to step up to the big-time in world hockey. Speaking to media personnel at the ongoing training camp at the Sports Authority of India’s Southern Centre in the city on Friday, Halappa, who joined head coach Roelant Oltman’s support staff last week, recognised the challenges that lay ahead regardless of the depth of talent available in the Indian ranks.
“We’ve done really well at the junior level. The most important thing is for things to fall in to place at the senior level. Major tournaments like the World Cup, the Olympics and the Champions Trophy are a different ball game. To get the feeling of being a part of big matches and tournaments and to win these games is very important,” he quipped.
At a time of transition for the men’s side, Halappa believes the combination of experienced heads, former players behind the scenes and youthful exuberance can be a force in the future. “It’s very nice to get 11 juniors into one bunch for the senior group. I just hope that they can transition the result of winning the junior World Cup to the senior group. I can’t expect this to happen overnight. We’re hosting the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Olympics will also serve as good exposure,” the 36-year-old noted.
‘Thrilled with new role’
Halappa was evidently thrilled about his new role. “We’re building a new team and I had to take a call on the job as Roelant has (been) behind me to coach for a while. I really want to give back something to hockey. The learning aspect is crucial for Indian coaches, especially from experienced figures like Oltmans. I am very grateful to him and Hockey India for giving me this opportunity.”
The former attacking midfielder was optimistic about the dressing room chemistry and was quick to point out its effectiveness. “A lot of guys in the support staff started together. We hope that helps to contribute towards the success of this team. “At the end of the day, the players matter. The staff can lend feedback but execution holds key. The seniors have been pushing hard, and juniors are in turn pushing them for positions,” he surmised.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> In Other News / by Utkarsh Krishnan, Deccan Chronicle / March 25th, 2017
Oltmans believes Arjun Halappa has the personality to become a good coach.
Roelant Oltmans has welcomed the addition of former stars Arjun Halappa and Jugraj Singh to India’s coaching set-up. Halappa has begun working with the players at the national camp, which commenced here this week, while Jugraj is expected to arrive soon. The pair will be joined by a goal-keeping coach, with the three Indian coaches to work under Oltmans. “I had asked Arjun a number of times before to join us. So far he had said no because he wanted to play. But this time, he didn’t need more than five minutes to take his decision. I really believe he has the know-how and the personality to become a good coach. I’m really happy,” Oltmans said.
Jugraj’s expertise as a drag-flicker was important, he felt. “Arjun is more attacking while Jugraj has been a good defender and drag-flicker. We can use his experience in the area. Two very good Indian guys.”
Tushar Khandker, however, has left the coaching staff. “Tushar did a wonderful job for the period he was involved with us,” Oltmans said. “I can imagine that after such a stressful and tough year you need to spend some time with your family especially when you have young children. Because we are never at home, we are away all the time. Tushar got his deserved break. But I am sure he will come back somewhere in the system.”
source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar Live / Home / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Benglauru – March 16th, 2017
A strong all-round performance from Karnataka gave them a four-wicket victory over Services in the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Sunday.
Half-centuries from Robin Uthappa, Pavan Deshpande, Aniruddha Joshi and a solid bowling show from pacer Prasidh Krishna spurred Manish Pandey’s side.
Having won the toss and put Services into bat, Prasidh (3/39) gave his side a good start removing opener Nakul Verma (4) and Amit Pachhara (7) with the scoreboard reading 20 for two.
Thereafter, the Karnataka bowlers continued to apply the pressure on their opponents and despite a few of their batsmen getting starts, Services could only muster 231 for seven in their 50 overs.
Karnataka were rocked in the beginning of their chase by Suraj Yadav who accounted for Mayank Agarwal (0) and R Samarth (1).
Skipper Pandey (23) and Robin Uthappa (51) rebuilt the innings before Deshpande (73) pushed them closer.
Cameos from Joshi (50 off 37) and J Suchith (24 off 18) ensured Karnataka overhauled the target with 35 balls to spare.
Brief scores
Group A: Punjab: 243 all out in 49.4 overs (Shubman Gill 121, Gurkeerat Singh 58; Pritam Das 3-59, Arup Das 3-27) lt to Assam: 247/7 in 48.4 overs (Pallavkumar Das 48, KB Arun Karthik 63, Amit Verma 65; Sandeep Sharma 3-52).
Vidarbha: 251/5 in 45 overs (Faiz Fazal 58, Apoorv Wankhede 62 n.o., Akshay Karnewar 54 n.o) bt Baroda: 229 all out in 42.4 overs (Aditya Waghmode 79, Krunal Pandya 43, Pinal Shah 36; Yash Thakur 3-64).
Railways: 252/7 in 50 overs (Pratham Singh 51, Arindam Ghosh 76; Harshal Patel 2-58, Mohit Sharma 2-60, Rahul Tewatia 2-46) bt Haryana: 181 all out in 38 overs (Rahul Dagar 57, Kadam 4-38, Amit Mishra 2-21).
Group B: Himachal Pradesh: 339/8 in 50 overs (Prashant Chopra 159, Paras Dogra 77, Sumeet Verma 36; Nitin Saini 3-63, Kulwant Khejroliya 3-61) bt Delhi: 154 all out in 37 overs (Sarthak Ranjan 37, Dheeraj Kumar 5-24, Pankaj Jaiswal 3-24).
Maharashtra: 311 all out in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 79, Kedar Jadhav 71, Naushad Shaikh 57, Jalaj Saxena 4-51) bt Kerala: 189 all out in 39.5 overs (Mohammed Azharuddeen 50, Iqbal Abdulla 60; Pradeep Dadhe 4-33, S Kazi 3-25).
Uttar Pradesh: 159 all out in 36 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 31, Rinku Singh 37; Aswin Crist 2-38, M Mohammed 2-34, Rahil Shah 2-25) lt to Tamil Nadu: 160/3 in 27.5 overs (Dinesh Karthik 56 n.o., Vijay Shankar 58 n.o.).
Group C: Madhya Pradesh: 127 all out in 40.2 overs (Saransh Jain 56; D Siva Kumar 3-17, Bandaru Ayyappa 3-33) lt to Andhra Pradesh: 131/8 in 37.5 overs (Hanuma Vihari 58 n.o.; Ishwar Pandey 3-31).
Gujarat: 277/9 in 50 overs (Parthiv Patel 80, Priyank Panchal 57; Rituraj Singh 3-61) bt Goa: 199 all out in 45.5 overs (A Desai 61, Snehal Kauthankar 64; Rujul Bhatt 5-38, Ishwar Chaudhary 3-34).
Rajasthan: 181/9 in 38 overs (Mahipal Lormor 49; Shardul Thakur 3-47) lt to Mumbai: 184/5 in 29.1 overs (Akhil Herwadkar 50, Shreyas Iyer 41, Tajinder Singh 3-45).
Group D: Jharkhand: 243/9 in 50 overs (M S Dhoni 129, Shahbaz Nadeem 53, Anand Singh 32; Abhuday Kant Singh 4-33, Pankaj Rao 3-27) bt Chattisgarh 165 all out in 38.4 overs (Varun Aaron 3-26, Shahbaz Nadeem 3-36).
Services: 231/7 in 50 overs (Diwesh Pathania 49, Suraj Yadav 44 n.o., Abhijit Salvi 30, Shamsher Yadav 37; Prasidh Krishna 3-39 Aniruddha Joshi 2-32) lt to Karnataka: 232/6 in 44.1 overs (Pavan Deshpande 73, Robin Uthappa 51, A Joshi 50 n.o.; S Yadav 2-37).
Hyderabad: 312/7 in 50 overs (Akshath Reddy 154, Kolla Sumanth 91; Kushang Patel 3-54) bt Saurashtra: 199 all out in 38.5 overs (Prerak Mankad 104, Jaydev Shah 34; Chama Milind 4-30, Ravi Kiran 2-46, Mehdi Hassan 2-44).
The Sarang helicopter team talks about the risks in the air,how they were inspired to master the skill of formation flying and the courage it takes to deliver a flawless performance
Bengaluru :
In their saffron uniforms, the men and women who swing their Sarangs into perfect flight formations display skill and dare and splendid teamwork. Not many on the ground know the challenges and risks that go into it.
After enthralling the crowd at the inaugural day of Aero India 2017, the pilots shared their life stories, and how they came to be flying their HAL Dhruv choppers.
Sneha Kulkarni wanted to become an event manager, but ended up as an Indian Air Force pilot in 2006. “When my elder brother joined the Army, I went for a training camp. There, the uniform inspired me to join the air force. I had not believed that I would become a pilot, but here I am,” a relaxed Sneha said on Tuesday afternoon.
Wing commander Sachin Gadre, team leader, says the choice of a new teammate is almost always a collective one, with the final call left to him. “First, we ensure that the person joining our team actually volunteers to be here. Considering how strenuous and challenging it is, we don’t want them to be under any risk. He or she has to fly with us once before we finalize the person to ensure that the entire team bonds. The ability to remain calm, no matter what, is the most important quality,” he said.
“We fly so close to each other that the slightest mistake could be disastrous. And we have to ensure that we maintain our formation. We need to have our emergency protocol in place and follow it,” he added.
Considering the challenges, the Sarang Air Force Helicopter team performs on non-fixed wing aircraft, flying the choppers in perfect sync. The highly skilful pilots are called into action 12-15 times a year for various academy parades, exercise programmes and other formal events. To achieve the perfection that they are famous for, they have to put in nearly 500 hours of practice time, specially on a helicopter. “It is for the safety and beauty of our performance that we train so hard. It requires courage,” says Gadre.
It was precisely this precision that attracted squadron leader Bhushan Rao to the elite team of performers. “I saw them perform at Marine Drive in Mumbai and was so impressed that I immediately wanted to join. It is much more difficult than the apparent ease with which the performance happens,” said Rao, who is serving his second tenure and has been with the team since 2012.
Wing commander P Prithvi Ponappa, 38, says he was watching a Sarang display in 2003 when he first wanted to fly one. And at Aero India 2015, he finally did. For him, performing at the Aero Show is like being on home turf. “It was always my dream to perform at the show. I was on standby last time, so this is a dream come true. The first time I flew, I was so nervous that I was looking to my senior beside me for guidance,” he said. The airman from Kodagu narrated how every display performance is preceded by multiple dry runs on the ground, followed by a mandatory video debriefing.
Wing commander Ashish Moghe says, “Apart from maintaining the basic level of fitness that an average military aviator should have, the team claims that they do nothing out of the ordinary, apart from following a balanced diet.”
The voice of the team cannot be missed. Tinju Thomas, 28, from Ahmedabad, is an economics graduate and now commentator of the Sarang team for four years. Managing a team of 15-16 officers and pilots and 30 technicians isn’t easy, but for her it is as much fun as it is duty. “I always wanted to visit Bengaluru and my work brought me here,” she laughs.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / Arpita R / TNN / February 17th, 2017
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