I watched the full match and was quite impressed by what I saw. I have always been a fan of the Mirza forehand but the back hand was not too bad either in the match. Mirza always hits a lot of winners but I did not expect her to hit so many versus Sharapova. The fact that she could match Shrapova for power, break her, take games into 40/deuce was over whelming as an Indian sport fan.

So how a score line of 6-2/6-1?

The thing called experience. Mirza was horrible on the second serve. She tried to play it safe after a fault and Sharapova would attack the weak second serve. Also, the unforced errors, though much lesser than the previous games, were a bit more that feasible to win games.

This are not huge errors and can be minimised. I definitely think now than Mirza is a top 10 player in the making. Mirza is going to play in the Sunfeast Open in Calcutta from September 19th. I will go ona weekday and on the finals Sunday for the tournament, which promises to be a treat for tennis fans.

We all know it is highly unlikely Mirza will defeat Sharapova today. Sharapova is 18, like Mirza but as far as achievments and accomplishments are concerned, there is a world of difference. Sharapova finished the year in the top 50 in 2003 (rank 32) when she was 15 and a half! Mirza ended 2003 ranked 399.

That is just the beginning of the story. Sharapova has been world number 1, she is a phenomenal player and overpowers her opponents. She has already won a Wimbledon and it would surprise many if she does not go on to win many more grand slam titles. In short, Sharapova is a tennis superstar and has the potential of becoming a legend.

Sania Mirza is a path breaker in her own right. No Indian female tennis player has been competitive at any serious professional level before. They have been stranded in the challengers. This is not related to talent in the country but the lack of infrastructure and financial restraints tennis players in the country face. The fact that there had been no past female tennis player to look upto in the country made it even more difficult for a female tennis star to come up from the country.

In 2005, Mirza, some one who has a superb win-loss record all through her career from the junior level onwards, has a 25-15. Sharapova has a 43-7. Do fans expect Mirza to beat Sharapova? Nah.
But because it is a first in Indian female tennis that a player has reached this far in a grand slam every one will be keyed up.

I have been followed tennis for 13 years from the age of 9 like it has been with most sports and have never seen any Indian reach ahead of round 2 in singles in the grand slams. Leander Paes was talented but too agressive which meant too many unforced errors. I have only heard the tales of the Krishnans and the Amritrajs. Finally there is a tennis player whom we Indian fans can call their own.

Sania Mirza will face fairly unknown Italian Maria Elenea Camerin in round 2 of the US Open. Mirza had a rugged start in round 1 with loads of unforced errors. Compared to that, Camerin surprised one and all by defeating 21 seed Danira Safina in round 1.

Camerin is an even match for Mirza. She is currently ranked a lowly 81 but has been as high as 41 finishing 2004 at 43. However, she has never been past round 2 in a grandslam in 13 appearences. Mirza has already bettered that in her first year at the highest level.

But Camerin is slightly more experienced at the age of 23 having been in the top 120 or near about since 2001. Mirza kept her cool against a much more experienced player in round 1.

It is an even matchup and Mirza would not mind facing Camerin instead of Safina.

India continues to deliver splendid results in chess. Reports NDTV:

Sahaj Grover created history by winning the gold in the Under-10 section of the World Youth Chess Championships that concluded here.

N Srinath got a bit lucky on the final day and also won the gold medal in the Under-12 section after losing his last round game against So Wesley.

Along with the gold and glory, Sahaj also became the youngest ever Indian to win any World Championship, breaking the 1996 record set by current World Junior Champion P Harikrishna.

But can such amazing talent prosper in the wake of what happened to Humpy a few days ago? When a young boy starts taking chess seriously in the country, he has Vishwanathan Anand as his idol, some one who had no peers to look at. He has done to Chess in India what Tiger Woods has done to golf in the world.

He did not have much to fall back on. At least the scenario is much better than it was back then. The young chess players have to think this way and have to battle on.

Bank of Baroda ditching Konery Humpy in the last moment and stripping her off their sponsorship is a shocking latest development. Found out regarding it via an entry in Prem’s blog.

Sponsors in Indian sport only run towards the top cricket stars in the country, a few international stars who have already established themselves. Promising players have to slug it out and worry about money as much as they have to do about enhancing performances.

Tennis players always find it tough and often live by the week, trying to get sponsors to travel, play in challengers all round the world, hire international coaches/trainers and improve ranking points.

Chess players are facing a similar problem. Training and getting ready for international challenges is expensive. Only after honing skills and talent for years does can a sports person aspire to be a champion.

If a company sponsors a player in the formative years, it can reap huge rewards when the player succeeds in the future. Imagine a sponsor who would have helped Sania Mirza’s career during her initial journey in tennis.

Humpy is an extra ordinary talent, having won at various levels of competition internationally. She is the world no. 4 women’s chess player. Surely Bank Of Baroda should have thought better than part ways with her at such a crucial stage in her career.

Humpy is not an also ran and the 20 lakhs she wants, I am sure will be availed some how in the next few days. But it only shows how pathetic the scenario is for sportspersons in the beginning and initial stages of their journey in India. And do not single out cricket. Even cricketers, domestic and upcoming struggle with finances, international training opportunities. Only after players reach the top do the spnsors really come in.

I do not understand why a cricket legend like Wasim Akram has to be put into the role of Sports News Reader by ESPN on Spotscenter India. Asking cricketing gyan from an expert is good. Asking him to tell us the latest news is not only underutilising the expert, it is also misutilising him.

Also, I liked the earlier look of the show where 30 minutes of sports news, mainly India centred was presented in English. I would ideally like a 60 minute show, much like Sportcenter USA used to be (whatever I managed to watch while it was broadcast in India before it was stopped 3-4 years ago) but a 30 minute English show was not bad.

The current show in hindi is some thing I am put off with. Not because I am against regional languages. But alternate news shows in hindi was some thing which was a better option according to me. Right now Sportcenter is almost unwatchable. The news ticker which they introduced a few months ago in the English version was a novel addition, much like USA Fox’s Sportsline (which was similar to Sportcenter USA - a one hour show stopped in India a few years ago) but over all the show Sportenter India will be less watched by me, even though I rarely used to watch it, even in English.

A lot of work and fatigue coupled with sporting reflections not coming in a time when the Open is being played in Golf, Davis Cup quarters are going on, Formula 1 (I am very off post Indianapolis) and most importantly a sports burn out due to the millions of Ashes stories in the past two months have meant 2 days without any posts.

However I must write before possibly a landmark moment in the life of Suresh Raina. He has shown all the right signals with explosive knocks in all the opportunities he has had, whether its the under 19 world cup or India A or the likes. After the training camp, he is one of the few players who have apparently impressed Chappell and the people that count the most. Writes The Telegraph:

Meanwhile, one learns 18-year-old left-hander, Suresh Raina of UP, is a hot contender for a middle-order berth.

A middle order packed with ’star’ players. So how can Raina even think of finding a berth is the common argument. Well then no one would ever find a place, even if that specific player is good enough. The guy is untried, untested. I have supported him from the time of the under 19 world cup.

Here is hoping many good things lie ahead for the 18 year old man.

{Update} Raina has got selected in the Indian one day squad.

Its a day which will see substitutes used for the first time in limitied overs internationals. It is also another day for the sprinters in letour. I focus my attention on some less publicised but important stories which are accomplishments in their own right from Indian sports.

First the new Government gun law which frees shooting in the country.

The order issued by the Union Commerce Ministry — makes air rifles and pistols, the rudimentary weapons for all beginners, easily accessible. So long, it was a procedure restricted to a few and bound in red tape. This comes as a big relief for the shooting fraternity for whom trying to own a weapon had been an ordeal. A shooter first needed to finish among the top 25 at a national meet and later — after endless paperwork — obtain an import licence to get a foreign-made weapon. Now, all one needs to do to own an air weapon is register with a rifle club or state/district association.

This is indeed a landmark step in Indian shooting. My musings on the apathy of infrastructure in Indian shooting a few days ago weren’t necessary after all. Shooting is progressing well in the country with moves done to draw the crowds and bring in more shooters as well. The future of atleast one sport is very bright in the country.

The Hindu reports on the National Junior Aquatics meet day four where Veerdhaval Khade of Maharashtra created two new records before emerging the fastest swimmer of the 32nd Junior National Aquatic Championship, which passed into the fourth day on Wednesday. And it is not the only place Indian juniors are doing well. India entered the semis of the Junior Hockey World Cup as well.

Prasad, an intellectually challenged child needs support in the form of sponsorship. It is a pity people arent aware of this more. If any one is reading this blog and can help Prasad, please contact Hindu, get in touch with the guy’s father and do the requisite.

Some thing which bewilders me : I have read The Sportstar magazine for 13-14 years now and take pride int he fact that it maintains the price of Rs. 10. Why the online edition for Rs. 90!?

Off for breakfast, and then work. Hopefully will catch the letour and the one day match.

One after the other former Indian test players are dying which is an unfortunate coincidence. After the recent demise of Eknath Solkar, Baloo Gupte has now passed away.

Gupte played 3 tests for India with an ordinary record but, as cricinfo reports:

He was a colossal presence in the domestic circuit, when he played for Mumbai, Bengal, and Railways, and one of the leading wicket-takers in the Ranji Trophy of his time (he finished with 255 Ranji wickets at 23.47). His 9 for 55 for West Zone against South Zone in the 1962-63 Duleep Trophy final is still the best in the competition. He ended with 417 wickets in 99 first-class games at an average of 24.88, including a staggering 26 five-wickets hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.

Gupte spoke with cricinfo a few years ago and here is a rare interview with the man.

Condolences to his family.

The 3rd stage of the tour de France was controversial with the disqualification of McEwen, Gerrard continues to remain in the limelight and more newsprint and web pages are being devoted to this than ever before, partly because of the fact no other major football news exists.

Similar to the Gerrard scenario is the case with Indian cricket frenzied media. So we know now that an arbitrator will be announced soon by the ICC on the Ganguly ban and the other players slated to join the fast bowlers today, will indeed, join the fast bowlers today at the camp. Makes you think not much is happening in Indian sport either. Right?

Well the DDCA has not hosted an official AGM for the past three years apparently because they were building a new stadium - so not much happening with the Delhi Cricket Association indeed!

All is not that gloomy though. As Telegraph Calcutta reports:

Tamil Nadu’s S. Shanthi set a national record in women’s 3000m steeplechase on the second day of the 45th national and inter-state senior athletics championship here on Monday. The 24-year-old, who had won the 1,500 silver on Sunday, came home in 10 minutes, 44.65 seconds at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. He thus erased the 10:52.12 mark of Karnataka’s L. Manjula, set in New Delhi in March 2004

Certainly no where near the world record mark but its nice national marks are being broken.

There will be inspection of the Netaji Indoor Stadium for the WTA tour meet to be held in Calcutta, the biggest tournament of its kind in my city. I have been to a few Davis Cup matches but this should be a slightly better experience.

David Johnson, the former Karnataka pacer, is going to get a benefit match on July 17th , the teams captained by Dravid and Sehwag. David Johnson who? Ask Michael Slater. The man played 2 tests taking 3 wickets. Among them was the wicket of the Aussie. The ball was miles outside the off stump but of course Slater had to slash at it leading him to be dropped from the team before making a brief unsuccessful return to the team.

The trend of benefit matches is surely catching on in the country with one for Kanwaljeet Singh in which all major players played including Sachin Tendulkar played. A benefit match is a nice gesture from a player’s colleagues, so to say, not just in spirit but financially as well. The sporting life span is short and once you are out of the sport, money is not that easy to come by if you are not one of the top notch players.

So will Ganguly get his ban lifted and where will Gerrard go if indeed it is true he is going out of Liverpool, which looks like a certainty now? Who will finally get the Olympic bid? We leave this and many more important stories to the media to ponder on for the moment.