Success at home for youngster as overnight leader Abhishek Jha falters in final round

Abhishek Jha suffered a severe bout of final-round nerves while a tenacious S Chikkarangappa scripted a sensational fightback to emerge champion in the inaugural Take Solutions India Masters here on Saturday.

Leading by a whopping six shots overnight, Jha appeared completely beset by stage fright as he reserved his worst for the last, carding a disastrous three-over 75 to end runner-up in painful fashion in front of his home crowd at the Eagleton Golf Resort.

The crowd, whose loyalties were divided all day with two homegrown boys slugging it out for supremacy in the Asian Development Tour event, had plenty to cheer about as well with Chikkarangappa carding a brilliant five-under 67 to total 270 and score an out-of-nowhere two-shot victory.

“I won my first junior and amateur titles here but I’ve always come short in a pro tournament,” said a delighted Chikkarangappa, watched by his parents, after pocketing $12,250 (approx Rs 7.5 lakh). “To finally get a pro win at your home course is something amazing. I could not sleep until 2.30 in the morning because of the injury I suffered in the third round. But all that pain has vanished with this victory that I’d been dreaming of.”

Although just 21 and six years younger to Jha, Chikkarangappa is miles ahead of his practice partner and friend in terms of top-level experience and that was what proved to be the difference in the end. While Chikkarangappa conjured all his experience in rising to the challenge, Jha, playing as a final-round leader for the first time in four years, was totally overwhelmed by the occasion, his game collapsing amidst the tension he brought upon himself.

Things started to unfold as early as in the third hole itself when Chikkarangappa nailed a 25-footer birdie and Jha three-putted as the lead was cut short to four. That poor putt seemed to have an immediate bearing as Jha found the woods on the par-5 fourth hole, from where he could only bogey at best.

Chikkarangappa then birdied the eighth hole, draining a 10-footer as he turned in just two strokes behind Jha. Both birdied the 10th before Jha dropped a shot again on the 12th, the par-putt agonisingly lipping out. Chikkarangappa brought himself level with Jha on the 15th after pulling off a stunning 35-foot birdie putt.

That scorcher appeared to knock the stuffing out of Jha, who picked up a double bogey on the 16th. He drove the ball next to a banyan tree, hit it to the greenside rough with his second attempt before duffing it on the third. He then chipped way over the pin, two-putting from there as Chikkarangappa, aware the title was just handed over to him on a platter, coolly parred to take a two-shot lead.

Chikkarangappa birdied the penultimate hole and although Jha too matched his friend, it was way too late as the former completed a brilliant win.
“I wish I could play the final round again,” said a disappointed Jha. “I just suffered from final round blues. It’s been a four years, since I played as leader and I just didn’t know how to pace myself. I just did everything wrong. It’s a big lesson for me.”

Leading scores (after 72 holes, Indians unless mentioned): 270: S Chikkarangappa (64, 70, 69, 67); 272: Abhishek Jha (66, 66, 65, 75); 274: Nils Floren (Swe, 71, 62, 74, 67); 275: C Muniyappa (69, 68, 72, 66), Niall Turner (Ire, 67, 70, 70, 68); 276: SSP Chowrasia (74, 68, 69, 65), R Murthy (71, 68, 64, 73); 277: Pijit Petchkasem (Tha, 65, 73, 70, 69); 278: Khalin Joshi (67, 69, 71, 71), Deepinder Singh Kullar (67, 69, 71, 71), M Dharma (67, 71, 69, 71).

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by Sidney Kiran / Bangalore – DHNS, November 02nd, 2014

Chennai :

Injuries are not always career stalling, though it’s an aberration than rule. While many eventually concede to the overwhelming reality that their career would never be revived, some just pick themselves and return recalibrated.

There wouldn’t be a better example in Indian sport than Sachin Tendulkar, who in his career that spanned a remarkable quarter century defied intermittent spells of career-threatening injuries. Joshna Chinappa is no Tendulkar, whichever sporting yardstick you measure them with, but like the master she has turned a career-threatening injury into a springboard to rediscovering herself.

It was in mid 2012 that she sprained her ankle midway through a match. She was stretchered off, and the doctors confirmed her worst nightmare that she wouldn’t be able to play the game she had given her heart, body and soul. An anterior cruciate ligament seemed to have laid her path out of the game.

The World No 21 returned to India heartbroken. “A lot of doctors, even in the US, told me that I won’t be able to play squash again. I couldn’t even think of it. All my dreams, aspiration and hopes seemed over. I didn’t know quite what to do and I used to cry a lot every day. It was the toughest phase of my life,” she said.

But misery, sometimes, has the strange power to embolden you, and Joshna decided to fire-fight the cruel destiny. “I was 26 and I knew it was now or never. If I don’t recover now, I may never play squash again. I didn’t want to regret later in life. So I decided to give one last shot. The knee was operated and the rehabilitation began,” she recounted.

Suddenly, life, despite the screeching pain on her ankle, turned more pleasant. And a chance meeting with former national champion Ritwik Bhattacharya turned her life around. “I was doing my rehab in Mumbai when I bumped into Ritwik and his wife. I told them about my situation. They infused the belief that I could come back stronger. To convince me, they had to counsel, cajole and event taunt me.”

Gradually, life limped back to normalcy. “It took me almost 10 months to get back on to the court. But I didn’t hurry my return. It was like starting the career all over again and gradually my movements became more fluent. The confidence was back. But in the first six months, I kept losing. But I was just happy to be back on the court,” she reflected.

In hindsight, the injury proved career-defining. “Now I feel it’s the best thing to have happened to me. Maybe, it gave me a much-needed break. It made me value my life and career all the more,” she said.

Maybe, it’s this newfound positivity that has revitalised her game. Subsequently, she went on to script history with Dipika Pallikal in the Commonwealth Games, besides the team silver in Asian Games and achieving her career-high ranking of 19 in April.

Joshna’s story can motivate injury-plagued athletes, but it comes with a statutory warning: only for those strong in mind.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by Sandeep G. / November 01st, 2014

Putting value on his wicket has been the compelling factor in Robin Uthappa evolving as a batsman.

The South Zone stroke player presented a confident countenance ahead of the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone to be held here from October 29.

“I have evolved as a batsman. I have realised there is no point in tweaking the process too much.

“One has to stay true to one’s skills. I have learnt from my seniors,” said Uthappa.

He elaborated, “I don’t throw my wicket away now and don’t like getting out even in the nets. I understand my technique better after making some adjustments. My head is still and that is important.”

Keen to regain his spot in the India team, Uthappa said he was keen to keep wickets too.

“I am serious about my wicketkeeping.

“I like to do the job whenever the team needs me to.”

He gives credit to personal coach Pravin Amre for the change in his cricket.

“He made me realise my responsibility and I understand the importance of staying at the wicket and contributing,” said Uthappa.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Special Correspondent / New Delhi – October 27th, 2014

The track at Lahli is known for assisting fast bowlers and East Zone, after winning the toss decided to bowl first. But, East Zone, packed with five fast bowlers, failed to make an early impact, as they bowled too short and missed a couple of early chances. South Zone dominated the first couple of sessions as Robin Uthappa batted patiently and scored a brilliant hundred. Uthappa batted for almost two and a half sessions and scored 120 runs.

Uthappa got a life in the 7th over when Sudip Chatterjee dropped a regulation catch at third slip. But after that, Uthappa made full use of the chance given him to by Chatterjee and marshaled the South Zone’s innings. Robin Uthappa was not able to play last year’s Duleep Trophy owing to an injury. He also missed over half of the Ranji Trophy season. But, in the last few months, Uthappa has been in a sublime form and he has been striking the ball really well. In the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL7) and also in the Champions League Twenty20 2014 (CLT20 2014), Uthappa was Kokata Knight Riders’ (KKR) best batsman.

Many were expecting that Uthappa will be picked for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, but the mature knock here will keep him in contention for the Australia tour.

***

Talking about the Duleep Trophy semi-final between East Zone and South Zone, Uthappa was the only run-scorer for South Zone, as all other batsmen struggled to on the green Lahli track. East Zone’s veteran all-rounder Laxmi Shukla was the best bowler on show. Shukla bowled a probing line all day long, and as soon as the second new ball was taken he took the lead and finished with impressive figures of 4 for 30 in his 17 overs.

At the end of Day 1: South Zone 238/9 in 86.5 overs (Uthappa 120, Karun Nair 32; Lakshmi Ratan Shukla 4/30) vs East Zone at Lahli.

source: http://www.thecricketlounge.com / The Cricket Lounge /

Just over a year ago at the Asian Athletics Championships in Pune, India won its most significant gold in athletics since the doping scandal of 2011. The 4×400 women’s relay team, a scratch combination that was running together for the first time, clocked 3:32.26 to finish atop the podium.

If the Indian team had registered a similar timing at Incheon they would have finished outside the top-three. Only two of those — Tintu Luka and MR Poovamma — who ran in Pune in July last year were fielded on Thursday. The other two were Mandeep Kaur and Priyanka Panwar, two runners who had been suspended following the doping violation.

The Indian 4×400 women’s relay team, gold medal winners in the previous three Asian Games, had a reputation to defend, while Mandeep and Priyanka, who ran the third and first leg respectively, had a point to prove. In three minutes and 28.68 seconds the Indian 4×400 quartet showed why they still remain a force in Asia. The timing clocked as a new Games record.

The earlier Games record of 3:29.02 was also in the name of the gold-winning Indian team from 2010. India’s second gold in athletics — Seema Antil’s in women’s discus being the first — meant that the women’s relay team held who continental titles simultaneously.

Japan won the silver in 3:30.80 while China bagged the bronze in 3:32.02. The first lapper, Panwar was, however, lagging behind her Japanese counterpart but Luka, who won a silver in 800m race, ran a brilliant race to recover the loss ground for India.

India took a small lead after two laps before Mandeep widened the gap in the third lap after holding out a strong challenge from her Japanese counterpart. Poovamma, who won a bronze in 400m race, then anchored India to gold by blasting her way to the finishing line.

Bronze for Inderjeet In shot put, Inderjeet struggled for most part of his event as he had 18.52m as his best throw from his first four attempts. But he came up with a 19.63m in his fifth and penultimate throw to fetch the bronze. His sixth and final attempt was a foul.

The other Indian in the fray, Om Prakash Karhana, who was cleared in the eleventh hour following an injury, finished a disappointing ninth with a best throw of 16.94m. The national record holder, who injured his ankle while warming up for a selection trial on September 15 before being cleared for the Games at the last minute, had 16.26 and 16.94 in his first two attempts while his third effort was a foul.

In men’s triple jump also, Renjith Maheshwary, who was cleared at the last minute after a selection trial, could come up with a best effort of just 15.67m while his season’s best is 16.54 and personal best score of 17.07. He also could not make it to the top eight after three rounds.

The men’s 4x400m relay quartet of Kunhu Mohammed, Joseph Abraham, Jithin Paul and Rajiv Arokia missed out on a bronze as they finished fourth in season’s best timing of 3:04.61.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Sports-Others / Asian Games 2014 / Express News Service / October 03rd, 2014

Hockey India (HI) Wednesday named its 16-member women’s team for the Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place in Glasgow from July 23 to Aug 3.

The squad was chosen by HI selectors B.P. Govinda, Harbinder Singh, Surinder Kaur along with high performance director Roelant Oltmans, chief coach Neil Hawgood and scientific advisor Matthew Tredrea during the selection trials conducted at National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala June 28-29.

Midfielder Ritu Rani (179 caps) will be the captain while defender Deepika (126 caps) will be the vice-captain of the team.

“It’s an honour to captain a team which is capable of beating any team on any given day. The entire team is looking forward to the upcoming tournament and we are confident that we will win and get back laurels. We are ready and excited for our first clash against Canada in our opening match,” Rani said.

The team recently whitewashed Malaysia 6-0 in an away series and is looking forward to the CWG challenge. The team will start their voyage in Scotland by taking on Canada in their first match July 24 followed by New Zealand (July 27), Trinidad and Tobago (July 28) and South Africa (July 30).

A preparatory camp is currently underway at NIS until the departure of the team July 9.

“The team showcased good play, team spirit and a go-getter spirit in the recently concluded Malaysian tour. Each one of them had performed remarkably under the proficient leadership of Ritu Rani and has earned their position to make it to the team for the all important Commonwealth Games,” said Hawgood.

“I hope the team continues its form and make themselves a team where the opponents feel the pressure of meeting them on the field.”

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Savita (79 Caps)

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (57 Caps), Deepika (126 Caps), Kirandeep Kaur (139 Caps), Namita Toppo (46 Caps), Jaspreet Kaur (57 Caps)

Midfielders: Ritu Rani (179 Caps), Sushila Chanu (71 Caps), Lilima Minz (28 Caps), Vandana Katariya (99 Caps), Navjot Kaur (22 Caps)

Forwards: Rani (111 Caps), Poonam Rani (113 Caps), Ritusha Arya (15 Caps), Anupa Barla (33 Caps), Anuradha Devi (62 Caps).

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Sport / IANS / New Delhi – July 02nd, 2014

Indians Ajai Appachu and Fouad Mirza of the Embassy International Riding School (EIRS) secured second and fourth place at the Hopetoun International horse trials in Scotland which launched the first Commonwealth cup in June.

According to an EIRS press release here Monday, Appachu finished second in the CCI event of the Commonwealth Cup with a cumulative score of 45.6 on Orleans II.

Mirza, who has been competing in the Junior National Equestrian Championships since 2002, won fourth place in the same event with a cumulative score of 49.2 on Penultimate Vision, the release added.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Sports / IANS / Bangalore – July 07th, 2014

Tennis – Bopanna will split with Qureshi and partner a multiple Grand Slam winner next year

Tennis – India’s Rohan Bopanna will partner Canada’s Daniel Nestor during the start of the 2015 season on the ATP doubles circuit, confirming his split with Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Bopanna and Qureshi have struggled in recent months with the Indian dropping to No. 35 in the rankings while Qureshi has dropped to No. 28. Both players are in Shanghai this week for the ATP Masters event there but are playing with different partners this week.

Qureshi has not yet decided on who his partner will be. Bopanna told Indian daily The Times of India that the duo, who are good friends off the court as well, spoke with their coach Scot Davidoff and came to the conclusion that their partnership on the court was not working and hence it would be better to part ways.

While Bopanna is still looking for his first Grand Slam doubles title, 42-year-old Nestor has won eight Grand Slam doubles titles in his career. Nestor is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and has been playing this season with Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic.

source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Home> Indian Tennis / by Prakash / October 10th, 2014