Super Series Comin' Up

To be honest, I think the ICC Super Series has been a bit of an elaborately played out tamasha so far. It's hardly a novel concept, but then, cricket fans have always hankered for these games between (imaginary) dream teams, haven't they? Now that the ICC has taken the lead to 'officialize' these games, it doesn't seem to have gone down too well. Of course, the more interesting dream matches are the what-if scenarios involving the Bradmans, Sobers and the Kapil Devs, which cannot materalize. May be there is a certain fantasy value there. In any case, I am in Melbourne, so it made perfect sense for me to get the tickets for next week's game at the Telstra dome, especially as I didn't have to book them myself ;) Games aren't really played at the MCG this time of the year I guess, particularly not the week after an AFL Grand Final and certainly not one involving Barry Hall, who mugged the pitch and got away with it, just a week after he'd mugged Saints' Matt Maguire. The AFL Tribunal thought he was making love to the pitch, an explanation that couldn't have been used for the Maguire incident. Well, at least Hall has the winners' medal to show at the end of it all. No such luck for some of Australia's wounded Ashes warriors. Methinks that should make it a fun, if not super series. - NK

Sania Mania - What lies beneath

The hype and hoopla surrounding Sania Mirza typifies what is wrong with Indian sports and reflects some serious loss of perspective. Even the thespians, I dare say are caught up in this fantasy – the fantasy of India having a potential Grand Slam winner in Sania Mirza. I do not claim to be an expert in tennis but I have been an avid follower of the game for a long time – long enough to have seen a number of precocious talents burning out and a select few making it to the top echelons of the game. From recent memory, I can recollect a match between Serena Williams and the little known Angela Haynes who was dishing out winners more frequently than fries in McDonalds. Anybody who saw that match would vouch that Haynes has the tools to make it big - they just need to be harnessed. Likewise for Sania. I do not discard (wouldn't that be sacrilege?) any statements that have been made by our experts - she has a great forehand, she has the required measure of aggression, she has the potential to win a slam and so on. Well, May be. But then, may be not. More of that later. Hopefully, everything that Sania's game promises will be achieved. But it all depends on how Sania's talents are tapped over a period of time and that makes it imperative that she does not lose perspective amidst all the surrounding jingoism. Not surprisingly , the most relevant statement about Sania was made recently by Mats Wilander (who is leading the Swedish Davis Cup team in India) - "The focus should be on becoming a better tennis player. It should not be on winning tournaments and rankings. It is the process that matters. Who knows, she can then be the top-two or the Number 1, or even win a Grand Slam”. Being a seven time grand slam champion, Wilander knows what he is talking about, which, sadly, is not the case with some of our national experts and columnists. Then there is this constant "She's only 18" fixation! Well, aren't they all that age? Graf, Hingis, Venus, Serena, Sharapova and many others were Grand Slam winners before they reached that age - some of them multiple times over. It's not the eighties any more when Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaegar were rareties. With the changing face of tennis, 18 is blooming time or at least close to it. From an Indian perspective, 18 is young but when you talk about winning grand slams you have got to take the global perspective. Sania has got to realize that and stop uttering the utterly defensive "I am only 18" one liner. Coming to Sania's game, let’s dwell on those features that have been hailed by our tennis experts. Firstly, her forehand, which has already been labelled as "great" by all and sundry. "Potentially great" would, perhaps have been a better adjective, though. No single shot in tennis can be called "great" if it cannot break down your opponent’s game. Steffi Graf's forehand and Sampras' serve for example, were weapons which could absolutely mow down opponents. Sania has an explosive forehand but far from being relentless, it is sporadic and inconsistent. That was well highlighted in her recent loss in the Sunfeast open. Secondly, her aggressiveness, which at the moment, is more like Fernando Gonzales, the Chilean with a monster forehand who inevitably ends up having less hits than misses. All these plus more have to be worked upon to make a champion out of the Hyderabad belle. But it would require more than an ouce of perspective to achieve that. The media of course has plummeted to an an all time low. Before Sania's match with Sharapova, there were more lines written about their T-Shirts and danglers than tennis. "The Telegraph" published a "face-off" profile of the two players in which we had things like "favourite movie","favourite song" etc. Excuse me! Are we in Broadway? I thought it was Flushing Meadows. Naresh Kumar, one of our veteran tennis experts, in one of his columns (again in "The Telegraph") expressed elation at Sania making Maria Sharapova "scamper" around the court. Well, Mr. Kumar, with all your knowledge and experience, you should know that it is the final scoreline that matters and not anything else. Rafael Nadal recently scampered his way to the French open crown as had Michael Chang in the past. Kim Clijsters was made to scamper by Venus Williams in the US open this year - but ended up winning it all. Sometimes top players are made to scamper - like Federer was, by Santoro recently - but they end up winning, all the same. I would, in fact go ahead and say that one of Sania's major weaknesses is that she cannot scamper. Far from that, her movement around the court is close to an embarrassment. The kinds of far-fetched comments and coverage that Sania is getting should ideally remain peripheral, but can affect a player in the practical scenario. Especially in a country like India where adulation can get to one's head, if you are as young as Sania is. We do not want Sania to be lured into a delusion about her game and what she has achieved. So why doesn't everybody get out of the fantasy zone for once and get a reality check. Realize that "One forehand does not a champion make"! Or else Sania could end up among the pantheon of Indian sportspersons whose story has been "almost but not quite". And to the media, in Agassi's words "Go buy some perspective"! - BB

MindSqueeze - 5 : Answers

The Fortnightly Sports Quiz

1. During the early days, the winners of the Olympic Games were awarded a silver medal, an olive branch and a diploma. Those in second place were given a copper medal, a branch of laurel and a diploma. From which edition of the Olympic Games was the tradition of ‘Gold-Silver-Bronze’ started? Ans: 1904, St Louis. 2. “Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?” is a book by which NBA legend who once said “Racism is the biggest cancer of my lifetime. And I know I can't cure the cancer, but doesn't somebody have to attack it?” and used this book as a weapon to address the issue? Ans: Charles Barkley 3. Nicknamed the “Baby Faced Assassin”, he joined Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson failed to sign Alan Shearer in 1996. He is the inspiration behind many Man United football chants including the most famous one “Who put the ball in the German's net?”. Who am I talking about? Ans: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 4. Vikram Solanki made cricket history when he became the first ever super substitute in July’05. Whom did he replace? Ans: Simon Jones 5. Originally called “Mintonette” which sport was invented by William G. Morgan, a student at Springfield College and a director of the YMCA at Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895? Ans: Volleyball 6. When Milkha Singh won the 200 meters Gold at the 1962 Asian Games defeating Abdul Khaliq (a Gold Medallist in the 100 meters at the 1958 games), which political leader gave him the sobriquet “The Flying Sikh”? Ans: Pakistani President Ayub Khan 7. What unique distinction connects the following stadiums - Råsunda fotbollsstadion of Stockholm and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California? Ans: These are the only two stadiums to have hosted the finals of both men’s and women’s football world cup. 8. What is the significance of the obituary “English Cricket Which Died on The Oval on 29 August 1882” written by London journalist Reginald Brooks and published in ‘The Sporting Times’? Ans: The term ‘Ashes’ first appeared there. 9. In 1998, she became a “Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit”, the youngest New Zealander since Sir Edmund Hillary to receive such an award. In between her charity work she is also a professional speaker in motivation and inspiration. She has won the World Championships 4 times between 1985 and 1992. At the time of her retirement in 1992, she was the Australian, British, French, Hong Kong, Irish, New Zealand, Scottish and Swedish open champion apart from being the World champion. Identify her and the sport. Ans: Susan Devoy 10. He was killed in a practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix (1982) at Zolder. In 1997 Canada issued a stamp to honour him. Also the circuit in Montreal is named after him. Who? Ans: Gilles Villeneuve 11. This edition of the Olympic Games marked the first use of the Olympic flag with the five rings signifying the union of five continents, created by Baron de Coubertin. The first time a competitor took the Olympic oath in this edition and the first release of doves as a symbol of peace took place as well. Which year? Ans: 1920, Antwerp Olympics. 12. Rajiv Gandhi, defying the bans imposed against this nation, promoted a Davis cup tie with them in 1987 to normalise relations. Which country? Ans: Israel MindSqueeze - 6 will be published on 30th September - Compiled by Saby

Men for all seasons

Athletes often complain about gruelling schedules that federations/boards draw up for them, guided no doubt by avaricious commercial considerations. There is the odd Kafelnikov, though a champion whinger in some respects, who goes through the calendar like he was a Van Damme-esque Universal Soldier. But the majority go on and on about scheduling - too many games and too many double headers in baseball, too many minimum number of tournaments on the ATP/WTA calendar to maintain rankings. Occasionally, there is a complaint about too many and too few matches at the same time - as happened in the Ashes summer recently - when there were too many one-day games and too few tour matches for the usually professional Aussies, which makes cricket the really quaint game that it is. Mind you, the Aussies were just trying to latch on to any explanation for their failures ;) This post is not about athletes though. It is about me. Well, sports fans like me, at any rate. It is time for us to give ourselves, the paying and illegally-downloading-streaming-video spectators alike, that long overdue pat on the back. I mean consider this - first, there is the Australian Open, and the buggered-if-I-know-why World Series cricket; there is also the Superbowl about 12,000 miles and 16 hours away in distant Jacksonville, which means one has to sneak out at lunch time and return back as silently as possible to the cube, as if the whole thing only took five minutes. Oh, and there is India playing Zimbabwe, Kenya and Burkina Faso-B somewhere in the Patagonian desert. Then there is the first Formula-1 GP at Melbourne, no doubt an extremely important event since our Paiyan Kah-tee-Ke-yan is doing 300kmh, quickly followed by the new-Ashes, India vs Pakistan, aka Muqabla or Badla or some other Dharmenda-film inspired name. There is also the small matter of egging on Roman's Army so they can bring salvation to the whole wide world. And so on and so forth. So here we are now, in what is supposed to be spring in Oz (not that it has made much difference on the Gold Coast). The contenders for the AFL's Grand Finals have been identified, and once again Victorian teams have not had things their way, thus seemingly perpetuating the winter. The Ashes bitter-pill has not helped. Soon it will be cricket season again, and we have already played our first game of the season, albeit indoors while it was pouring down outside. Meanwhile, Flintoff has become the new Botham, Ponting the new captain grumpy (no, not really), Gilchrist is not superman anymore. The new soccer season is (some say thrust) upon us. 12,000 miles and 14 hours away, Agassi turned the clock back and Federer cemented with reinforced concrete his numero uno status. This time, I had to call in sick and take the entire day off! There you go - the next time I hear an athlete talking about the busy schedule, you can bet your bottom Aussie Dollar I will burn all the caps, T-shirts or coffee mugs that he/she ever endorsed and I may or may not have bought. However, I will still be making excuses for being late on Monday morning (tough job that, considering I have a 7-min walk to the office). - NK

Sania at the expense of Humpy?

How things change! A year ago, any media coverage Sania Mirza received would have been considered a refreshing change from the overdose of all-pervasive cricket in India. Now, we can't stand it. Well, there is definitely an overkill when it comes to 'Sania-mania'. I have been watching the Beatles anthology series lately, and it is educative in terms of what really constituted 'Beatles-mania'. Simply put, it was mass hysteria - thousands of young girls almost going crazy. As I see it, there is no such mania among sports fans in India. So, besides being hyperbole, it is a cheap media attempt to sell newsprint. So what's new? A lot of people feel strongly about the hype, and certain others feel strongly about lop-sided coverage in the media (in India). I have come across a few posts lamenting the lack of sponsorship for Koneru Humpy (apparently, Bank of Baroda pulled the plug on her) and that government agencies/federations/corporations should do more to promote sportspersons. Here is my response to Kaps' post: Your point about the lop sided media coverage is taken, However, you cannot expect corporate sponsorship, in general, to be based on benevolent considerations. I don't think corporations have an obligation to sponsor one sport or the other. In any case, Chess is not even a sport, much less a spectator sport and has extremely limited appeal. If someone does come forward and does the honourable thing, it should be much appreciated, but criticizing them for not doing so would be fanciful thinking. Do keep in mind that Anand has always found sponsors coming forward - and is one of the richest Indian sportspersons. In general, I think chess is not badly covered at all in India. Try to find any chess coverage in the sports pages in other countries. Sports other than cricket will not get the coverage/sponsorship unless they perform at the highest level. They have to go an extra mile to get the attention that even a Yuvraj Singh gets. I daresay Anju George's profile would have risen infinitely had she won an olympic medal - she is still world class, but that's the one that really mattered. Sania also has an advantage in that though India was never a tennis powerhouse, the game has had a great appeal to Indians, especially in urban areas. Wimbledon has always been a well watched event, despite there being next to no Indian representation. This aspect is somewhat overlooked. I do agree though, that the AP Govt's announcement of 'prize money' for Sania is utter nonsense. That should have definitely gone to the likes of Humpy. But then what do you expect from our politicians? They can certainly sense a populist opportunity when they see one.

MindSqueeze - 5

The Fortnightly Sports Quiz 1. During the early days, the winners of the Olympic Games were awarded a silver medal, an olive branch and a diploma. Those in second place were given a copper medal, a branch of laurel and a diploma. From which edition of the Olympic Games was the tradition of ‘Gold-Silver-Bronze’ started? 2. “Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?” is a book by which NBA legend who once said “Racism is the biggest cancer of my lifetime. And I know I can't cure the cancer, but doesn't somebody have to attack it?” and used this book as a weapon to address the issue? 3. Nicknamed the “Baby Faced Assassin”, he joined Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson failed to sign Alan Shearer in 1996. He is the inspiration behind many Man United football chants including the most famous one “Who put the ball in the German's net?”. Who am I talking about? 4. Vikram Solanki made cricket history when he became the first ever super substitute in July’05. Whom did he replace? 5. Originally called “Mintonette” which sport was invented by William G. Morgan, a student at Springfield College and a director of the YMCA at Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895? 6. When Milkha Singh won the 200 meters Gold at the 1962 Asian Games defeating Abdul Khaliq (a Gold Medallist in the 100 meters at the 1958 games), which political leader gave him the sobriquet “The Flying Sikh”? 7. What unique distinction connects the following stadiums - Råsunda fotbollsstadion of Stockholm and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California? 8. What is the significance of the obituary “English Cricket Which Died on The Oval on 29 August 1882” written by London journalist Reginald Brooks and published in "The Sporting Times"? 9. In 1998, she became a “Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit”, the youngest New Zealander since Sir Edmund Hillary to receive such an award. In between her charity work she is also a professional speaker in motivation and inspiration. She has won the World Championships 4 times between 1985 and 1992. At the time of her retirement in 1992, she was the Australian, British, French, Hong Kong, Irish, New Zealand, Scottish and Swedish open champion apart from being the World champion. Identify her and the sport. 10. He was killed in a practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix (1982) at Zolder. In 1997 Canada issued a stamp to honour him. Also the circuit in Montreal is named after him. Who? 11. This edition of the Olympic Games marked the first use of the Olympic flag with the five rings signifying the union of five continents, created by Baron de Coubertin. The first time a competitor took the Olympic oath in this edition and the first release of doves as a symbol of peace took place as well. Which year? 12. Rajiv Gandhi, defying the bans imposed against this nation, promoted a Davis cup tie with them in 1987 to normalise relations. Which country? Answers on 23rd September - Compiled by Saby

Ban on cricket being mulled!

This just in - authorities in England, Australia and parts of the Indian sub-continent are seriously considering imposing a ban on a form of entertainment known as cricket, particularly its most addictive form, known among cricket-fiends as "Test" cricket. Evidence gathered recently suggests cricket has replaced marijuana, ecstacy and other such controlled substances as the most common way to get "high". Among other side effects, it has been found to have caused more cardiac strokes than even blocked arteries caused by consumption of excessive amounts of red meat. It has been available very easily this summer in the UK and elsewhere and is transmittable through television, consituting a tricky problem for the authorities. Cricket lovers are likely to fight the ban tooth and nail (or what is left of them). - NK

Australia clutching at straws

Is there still a twist in the tale left in this Ashes series? Methinks not. Australia need to bowl England out, cheaply enough and quickly enough, and then have enough time to score the runs. And, crucially, the weather has to be kind enough. On the evidence so far this summer, neither England nor fate have given any concessions to the Aussies. But hey, what do I know? I remember the time when I had an argument with a friend that Viv Richards was miles ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya as a batsman - mind you, this was just after the 1996 World Cup when Jayasuriya was at the height of his powers, so such a comparison could be contemplated then, at least by those who didn't know much about the King. Anyway, I pointed to Jayasuriya's then mediocre test record and pointed to Richards' innings of 291 against England in his annus mirabilis of 1976. At the close of play of the test match going on (on the second day, I think), Jayasuriya was still batting. I couldn't believe my luck when me and my friend wagered on whether Jayasuriya could go on to make a triple-century. Now, this was the Colombo test of the 1997-98 series against India - I have never recovered from the ignominy. Regardless, yesterday was a bit of a lesson for the expert commentators (SBS/Channel 4), I thought. Dean Jones, Greg Matthews and Michael Slater were all going on and on about what kind of lead Australia would settle for, and at what point of time should they declare etc. There was one thing that bothered me - what if Flintoff or Harmison take a couple of quick wickets? Surely, that would slow them down a bit? In the end, it turned out far worse - Flintoff and Hoggard (not Harmison) ran through the middle and late order and Australia actually ended up six runs short! It has been that kind of a series for Australia. - NK

MindSqueeze-4 : Answers

The Fortnightly Sports Quiz 1. This event was introduced at the 1936 Berlin Olympics games at the special request of Hitler. Though known to the ancient Greek, German and Roman citizens as Urania, Harpaston and Fangballspiel respectively, the modern form of the sport is believed to have started by Holger Nielsen in 1898. Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz and Erich Konigh from Germany defined the rules of the game in 1917. Croatia and Denmark were the Men’s and Women’s champions respectively in the 2004 Olympics games. Which sports? Ans: Handball 2. What is believed to have originated at the Newport Casino, Newport, R.I., in August 1881 and continued to be held there for next 34 years? Ans: US Open 3. It was built by the Ballast Wiltsher PLC in 1996. The original site was changed following an objection from the adjacent Nissan car plant. It is modelled after the “Estádio da Luz” in Portugal. This was built on top of a coal mine where thousands of local people worked in the past and gets its name from the giant “Davy Lamp” located in front of the box office near it. The sign at the entrance to it reads “Into The _______” which happens to be the sign at the exit to the main elevator of the Monkwearmouth Colliery as well. What am I talking about? Ans: Stadium of Light (Home of Sunderland) 4. What connects the pairs “Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge”, “Ken Flach and Robert Seguso “ and “Helen Wills Moody and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman” apart from the fact that they have all won US Open Doubles Championships? Ans: They have all won gold medal at the Olympic games 5. Which international cricketer is nicknamed Virgil? Ans: Michael Vaughan 6. They are an elite group of 4 who have won the US open on all three surfaces (namely Grass, Clay and Hard) as part of doubles, mixed doubles or singles. Three of them are Betty Stove, Rosemary Casals and Jimmy Connors. Who is the other? Ans: Billie Jean King 7. When Roger Bannister became the first man to run the Mile in less than four minutes, a person named Norris McWhirter kept the times. Later he went on to create/start something which is now available in almost all countries across the world. What? Ans: Guinness Book of World Records 8. This legendary tennis player won the US open 6 times in a row between 1920 & 1925. Strangely enough he defeated the same opponent, William M. Johnston, in all these finals. He was also the last player before John McEnroe to have won the US open title 3 times in a row. Who am I talking about? Ans: Bill Tilden 9. “To Be Honest with You“ is the autobiography of which Olympics gold medallist whose urine also contained metabolites of a banned substance in 1988 but unlike Ben Johnson he was not stripped off his medal? Ans: Linford Christie (Gold Medallist in 1992) 10. Along with Maureen Connolly, he is going to be inducted to the “US Open Court of Champions” on 11th September 2005. He also holds the record of for most consecutive US Open Finals appearances (8 times) along with another person who happens to be the answer of question number 8? Ans: Ivan Lendl 11. If Barclays Bank sponsors the English Premier League, which company owned by an Indian business house, sponsors the Rugby Super League? Ans: Tetley (Now a part of the TATA Group) 12. “Gens Una Sumus” (We are One Family) is the motto of which organization? Ans: FIDE MindSqueeze - 5 will be published on 23rd September - Compiled by Saby

Business as usual for Patriots

It's a new season in the National Football League, but some things haven't changed - well, not much really. The New England Patriots have started things on the same note they ended last season, by taking care of business against the Oakland Raiders. Not that anyone expected the Raiders to upset the champions in their own den, but as they say, you still need to win all those games you are supposed to win. This was a game between a slightly weakened (really?) Patriots line up against a much improved Raiders - at least on paper. Patriots lost Tedy Bruschi and Ty Law in the off-season, the former to illness (he suffered a stroke and decide to rest the season) and the latter to natural causes...I mean, free agency. Oakland of course acquired NFL's enfant terrible, my man Randy Moss, from my team the Minnesota Vikings and free agent Lamont Jordan who was the number two running back for the Jets last season. Moss is a difficult character, but there is no questioning his ability - he made a 73-yard TD reception in this game. The Patriots are the most complete side in the league, and even Randy Moss' mercurial presence can do little to upset their applecart. It surprised me therefore that Yahoo's Charles Robinson put the Colts ahead of them in his preseason rankings. It will be interesting to see how the Colts shape up this time. - NK

Mahesh does it again

A few hours after I read this very pertinent post about the coverage provided to Sania Mirza and the contrasting muted coverage of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, this happens. It was well worth tuning into Channel Nine at this unearthly hour - I had no idea it wasn't on Fox anymore and took some time to figure it out! It hasn't been a particularly good year for Bhupathi, his only men's doubles title coming at Sydney early in the year when he partnered Aussie legend Todd Woodbridge. It was a disappointment to see them go out in the quarters in the Australian Open, particularly as I witnessed it in person. There has been some compensation for the below par year though, in the form of two mixed-doubles grand slam titles. Bhupathi has now won nine grand slam titles, has been part of the number one doubles combination for substantial spells and it is a shame he is not given the credit he is due. Hat tip: DesiPundit. - NK

Even Stevens at the close of day one

Glenn McGrath did practically nothing of note all day, but he may well have delivered the most important blow on day one. Just as Andrew Flintoff threatened to put the game beyond Australia's reach, McGrath got him to play a forcing shot outside the off-stump. The day, however, belonged to Shane Warne whose performances in this series suggest he may have decided this will be his swansong, such is the force with which he has put his stamp on the greatest series in memory. His batting, in particular, seems to have been driven by that desire to leave his mark, not that it was demanded. If he does indeed decide to hang up his boots at the end of the summer (from international cricket, at any rate), it would be a fitting end to a glittering career. He will be disappointed that he chose to pull when he was well within sight of a hundred at Old Trafford, but I suspect he won't mind that if Australia can pull this one out. The other stand outs were the two Andrews in the England camp, Strauss and Flintoff. Despite all that Warne has done, this will be remembered as Flintoff's series. To paraphrase something former Nigerian soccer coach Clement Westerhoff once said about his star striker Rashidi Yekini, stars like Flintoff don't grow on trees. Despite the accomplishments of Cairns, Kallis, Pollock et al, the world has starved for an all-rounder of the same calibre as the great ones of the 1980's. Flintoff could not have chosen a better time to emerge as the force that he is today. - NK

There's a contest brewing

Warne has been magnificient as usual and is set to become the highest wicket taker of all time against England. It's amazing how much turn he has been able to extract from a first day surface, admittedly one that is somewhat helpful. McGrath was surprisingly pedestrian; he hasn't been the same bowler since his injury at the start of the second test and today was a bit of a shadow of himself. Vaughan and Pietersen once again found ways to get themselves out. Regardless of the mini collapse, England look reasonably well placed with Strauss playing solidly and Flintoff pacing himself superbly - the all-rounder has come a long way indeed from his younger days when he couldn't quite stick it out when things got a little slower. - NK

Sania no flash in the pan

Prognosticating in sport is a risky business at best; most often it turns out to have been quite foolhardy. When you're an armchair analyst such as myself, you may as well be writing your suicide note. I'll venture recklessly nevertheless - I think Sania Mirza's game has quite a few ingredients to make it to the top ten; more importantly, she has the mind set to become a top player. It is not easy for people from the subcontinent to compete and win at the highest levels even when they have the skills to do so - god knows there aren't many blessed with those skills. It's not just opponents they must overcome, they have to first convince themselves that they belong on the world stage - our tortured colonial history makes that quite an ordeal. Fortunately for Mirza, she has come on at a time when our nation is starting to stand up; on occasion, we even dare to hold our heads up high! To use a favoured expression of the former The Hindu cricket correspondent R Mohan, she is a 'creature of the age'. It is perhaps no coincidence at all that Sania has emerged at this potentially momentous time (may be I'm just gloating too much!). Much is made of Sania being a Muslim girl having to break more glass ceilings than would be otherwise par for course - those who think so do not quite understand the paradox that India is! Who does? Well, to get back to the tennis, it is clear what parts of Sania's game will win her games - her forehand, her pluck and solid ground-strokes from both flanks - and what parts will not - the serve and the unforced errors. As is wont to happen when one goes for broke, the unforced errors keep coming from Sania's racquet as frequently as one liners from Shaquille O'Neal in an NBA season. The errors, however, can be ironed out by putting in more work in practice. The serve is likely to be far trickier to fix. If something is not done about it, she's likely to be blown off by the top players. But it wasn't as if she was blown away by Sharapova last night, far from it. In fact, at times her forehand threatened to do exactly that to the Russian and that is no mean feat. Although she was eventually shown her place in the grand slam scheme of things, she had already made history. Now she has to do the harder yards. - NK

MindSqueeze - 4

The Fortnightly Sports Quiz 1. This event was introduced at the 1936 Berlin Olympics games at the special request of Hitler. Though known to the ancient Greek, German and Roman citizens as Urania, Harpaston and Fangballspiel respectively, the modern form of the sport is believed to have started by Holger Nielsen in 1898. Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz and Erich Konigh from Germany defined the rules of the game in 1917. Croatia and Denmark were the Men’s and Women’s champions respectively in the 2004 Olympics games. Which sports? 2. What is believed to have originated at the Newport Casino, Newport, R.I., in August 1881 and continued to be held there for next 34 years? 3. It was built by the Ballast Wiltsher PLC in 1996. The original site was changed following an objection from the adjacent Nissan car plant. It is modelled after the “Estádio da Luz” in Portugal. This was built on top of a coal mine where thousands of local people worked in the past and gets its name from the giant “Davy Lamp” located in front of the box office near it. The sign at the entrance to it reads “Into The _______” which happens to be the sign at the exit to the main elevator of the Monkwearmouth Colliery as well. What am I talking about? 4. What connects the pairs “Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge”, “Ken Flach and Robert Seguso “ and “Helen Wills Moody and Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman” apart from the fact that they have all won US Open Doubles Championships? 5. Which international cricketer is nicknamed Virgil? 6. They are an elite group of 4 who have won the US open on all three surfaces (namely Grass, Clay and Hard) as part of doubles, mixed doubles or singles. Three of them are Betty Stove, Rosemary Casals and Jimmy Connors. Who is the other? 7. When Roger Bannister became the first man to run the Mile in less than four minutes, a person named Norris McWhirter kept the times. Later he went on to create/start something which is now available in almost all countries across the world. What? 8. This legendary tennis player won the US open 6 times in a row between 1920 & 1925. Strangely enough he defeated the same opponent, William M. Johnston, in all these finals. He was also the last player before John McEnroe to have won the US open title 3 times in a row. Who am I talking about? 9. “To Be Honest with You“ is the autobiography of which Olympics gold medallist whose urine also contained metabolites of a banned substance in 1988 but unlike Ben Johnson was not stripped off his medal? 10. Along with Maureen Connolly, he is going to be inducted to the “US Open Court of Champions” on 11th September 2005. He also holds the record of for most consecutive US Open Finals appearances (8 times) along with another person who happens to be the answer of question number 8. Who? 11. If Barclays Bank sponsors the English Premier League, which company owned by an Indian business house, sponsors the Rugby Super League? 12. “Gens Una Sumus” (We are One Family) is the motto of which organization? Answers on 9th September - Compiled by Saby

7-6, 7-6, 7-6

The only thing rarer than a men's tennis game at a grand slam without a tie-break these days is Halley's comet; when you have Ivo Karlovic on one side of the court, tie-breakers are a mathematical certainty. Even the man with the best return of serve the game has seen finds it hard to break down the service of the 6' 10" Croatian giant. It is interesting though, to note how two games with identical scorelines tell quite a story - or two. Of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, that is. Time after time Agassi finds something extra-special to blunt the advantage men like Karlovic or Joachim Johansson have, using all his experience and savvy to stay abreast and eventually overcome the big server. Roddick, on the other hand, lacks variety or subtlety in his game and seems to lack plan B when things don't quite go to script, like they didn't against Giles Muller of Luxembourg. Muller is no pushover, but he was soundly trashed in the next round by Robbie Ginepri, which should also say something about how Roddick played in the first round match. A word about Karlovic then - his game is, not unsurprisingly, thoroughly one-dimensional. On the odd occasion that he has to stay on the baseline for more than stroke, he's about as fidgety as Navjot Sidhu was against an off-spinner flighting lollies, waiting to just chip and charge. No wonder Agassi picked him apart whenever he didn't serve an ace or a winner. On the dumbness (from a tennis perspective) scale, Karlovic is somewhere alongside, above or below Greg Rusedski, Vince Spadea and Taylor Dent. Among these gentlemen Rusedski has clearly had the most success, so I may have to revise my opinion. - NK

Diamonds are not forever

I'm not overly comfortable with Tim De Lisle's 'Bradman of the Microphone' epithet, but one can hardly grudge Richie Benaud the eulogies. One of the many exceptional qualities the master possesses (in some abundance) is humility, which, when combined with a sharp observing mind, tremendous knowledge of the game and of course, an almost perfect understanding of the ways of the medium, makes him the best in the business. Among contemporaries, there is really not much competition, as reflected by the Wisden Cricketer poll. Mark Nicholas doffs his cap to the legend. My personal favourite, though, is Ian Chappell, who seems to have earned a deserved reputation for being a polemicist. Some, like Stu, even think he's courting cheap publicity. Possibly. As I may have commented on Stu's blog, there needs to be the odd one out who calls a spade a spade; doesn't matter if they don't always get it right. In any case, the real reasons I find Chappell engrossing is his dry wit, his knowledge of the game, his choice of words (not remotely as carefully chosen as Benaud) and the odd anecdote. I will take the Chappells any day over the boring and pedantic Shastris of the world. Thanks to Jagadish for the Mark Nicholas piece. - NK