KPS Gill goes, Hockey legends at the helm now

At last KPS Gill has been ousted from the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) after a 14-year-long despotic reign that ended in disgrace after the failure of Indian team to qualify for Olympics and the bribery scandal.

Gill had been given the chance to put in his papers and leave the organisation. But despite the popular mood against him, the stubborn supercop remained unmoved. The game has suffered enormously during the last 14 years.

The allegations of corruption were confirmed when a sting operation revealed IHF secretary accepting cash in lieu of promising berth to a player in the national team. This created an outrage across the country but Gill failed to gauge the anger.

On Monday, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) took the much-awaited step and removed Gill and replacing the body with a five member ad-hoc committee comprising former hockey greats.

They include Olympians like Aslam Sher Khan, Ashok Kumar (the son of hockey legend Dhyan Chand), Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal and Dhanraj Pillay. None of them needs any introduction and their dedication to the sport is known to everybody.

Former Australian hockey team captain Rick Charlesworth will the be the advisor. One hopes that hockey players will be in a better position to understand the problems afflicting our national sport and restore the place of Indian hockey in the international arena.

Sehwag shows his class with his triple ton

Virender Sehwag once again showed his class in the longer version of the game and when situation demanded a strong reply from India, he rose to the occasion and came up with an unbeaten triple century.

The stroke-filled ton is the third fastest double century in the history of international cricket in terms of balls faced (the record for second fastest ton is also in his name). Sehwag completed his 200 in 194 balls. The world record is in New Zealand's Nathan Astle's name who hit a double ton on 153 balls against England.

Such was Sehwag mastery and savagery with the bat that he totally dominated the day. Of the India's score, he had more than 2/3rd of runs scored by him alone. Wasim Jaffer gave him an able support and his 73 proved valuable for India.

With Twenty 20 changing the cricketing world, it was suddenly a different sport when Indian pacers held the ball on the first day of the Chennai test against South Africa. No one denies any of the achievements of the younger lot but the fact remains that when it comes to the five day game, the test cricket, India needs experienced hands like Virendra Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, who have together tens of thousands of runs under their belt.

It was Sehwag's 14 test century. No mean achievement considering that he has long overtaken Asian run machine Zahir Abbas and is now at par with GR Vishwanath as far as Test centuries are concerned. This is the second triple century of his career that puts him in the elite club of Sir Don Bradman and Brian Lara, both of whom have two triple centruies each to their credit.

Inspired Indians again halt Arrogant Australians' winning streak

The Indian cricket team made history beating the Aussies by 72 runs in the Perth and halting the winning streak of the Kangaroos who hadn't lost a match for the last 16 tests.

After the unsavoury events during the Sydney Test, India gave a befitting reply to the Australian team, beating them on the fourth day of the test on the Australian soil.

At Sydney the mental pressure created on the Indian team and the controversial decisions by Umpite Steve Bucknor. One wonders would India have won this test had Bucknor umpited at Perth also.

Leaving that aside, Anil Kumble's men made a brilliant effort at Perth, which is one of the fastest pitches. Still, our young speedsters did a marvellous job, with the support of spinners, in bowling the Aussies out, twice. In the past never an Indian team or any team from the sub-continent has won at this location.

The fact that India was 0-2 down in the series and mentally under pressure after the episode surrounding Harbhajan Singh's alleged comments directed at Andrew Symonds, and still we won at Perth, proves the commitment of Kumble and his team.

In the first innings Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman hit 93 and 71 respectively & Irfan Pathan chipping in with 28. If RP Singh took four Aussie wickets, Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Kumble snatched two wickets. In the second innings again Laxman hit a 79 followed by Pathan (46), Sehwag (43), Dhoni (38) and RP Singh (30).

The wickets by Sehwag at a crucial time and Pathan's three wicket haul in the second innings gave India the historic victory, which is Very Special Indeed. Now Adelaide gives us chance to draw the series. In 1992, it was Adelaide India had won a historic match. [Photo: Irfan Pathan celebrates Indian win]

Saluting Anil Kumble: The humble genius on his 600 wickets

For 18 years Anil Kumble, the present Indian cricket captain, has been almost the lone warrior for India.
Though the trinity of Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, hogged all the limelight in the 90s. The truth is that the bespectacled Kannadiga has played the most vital role in securing dozens of victories, especially in the Tests.

Without Kumble India could never have got the opposition teams bowled out in two innings of a single test. This great spinner had arrived on the scene when the legendary Kapil Dev's career was in his twilight.

Pacers like Manoj Prabhakar spearheaded the Indian attack. There was no penetrative frontline speedster. And the age of the Spin Quatret of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapallai Prasanna, Chandrashekhar and Venkataraghvan had become a forgotten story.

But this unusual leg-spinner who had little variation began to weave magic on the opposition batsmen. Through out the nineties, almost all Indian test wins under Mohammad Azharuddin were courtesy Anil Kumble, who inspired the other spinners like Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chouhan, and later Harbhajan Singh, made every visiting team fear the Indian team.

Along with Shane Warne and Murlitharan, Anil Kumble complets the great trio of spinners, a new golden age, in world cricket, the kind of which was never seen after the 60s.

The 37 year old Jumbo has his place secured in cricket history for attaining such milestones and winning most test matches for India with his bowl. His simplicity is a lesson for cricketers of today's generation.

In 1999, he had taken all 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan in Delhi test. He also has a century to his name in international test cricket. His graceful conduct during the recent controversy involving Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds, has earned me enormous respect.

If India wins the Perth Test, it will add another feather to his cap. He still has a couple years of cricket left in him. The Bangalore born Kumble is a thinking man, who is among the rare present day cricketers who have ensured that Cricket still remains the gentleman's game.

We salute Anil Kumble for his contribution to India and world cricket.

Can you recognise this elderly couple playing hockey?

Who is this elderly couple playing hockey in their house?

That's the photo from Rohtak. The parents of captain of Indian hockey team Mamta Kharab--Haripal and Kamla.

The 25-year-old Mamta, on whom Chak De India's main character Komal is based.



But it has not been an easy journey for the girl and her family. She is one amongst seven siblings. Her father had to often ride up to 25 km on his bicycle along with his wife to work on fields.

Later he left the village in Sonepat and took a teacher's job in Rohtak. The family has now their own house with hockey sticks scrawled on the house.

In traditional Haryana society, it was not easy to let girls play hockey at school and college level. And when relatives and neighbours would ask Harpal to marry off his daughters, he brushed the objection aside. Harpal says, 'unko apni zindagi banaani thi'.

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