Sports Round Up

INDIA POST SOUTH ASIA BUREAU

Sporting Chennai Washes Away A Stigma

CHENNAI (MADRAS): Chennai has washed away the stigma of Eden Gardens, Calcutta with the exemplary behavior of the crowds even though India lost to Pakistan in the Independence Cup cricket.

True, unlike at Calcutta, the Indian team here was not disgraced with Rahul Dravid putting up a brave performance with a century. After the Eden Gardens episode, all eyes were on Chennai on the eve of the India-Pakistan match in the Independence Cup.

The home team bowlers were whacked all over the places, but the disciplined crowd sat in peace except for stray cases of bottle throwing on the boundary, which can be overlooked in the high-voltage drama that follows an India-Pakistan clash.

Though India lost the game, the crowd deservingly witnessed a great batting feast through Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar, who made the highest score (194) in one-day cricket and Rahul Dravid of India who scored his first century in one-dayers.

Chennai has disproved the theory that the sub-continent crowd cannot take a defeat in its stride when it comes to a contest between these two teams.

The Modest Pakistani Skipper

Rameez Raja is a modest man. When he set on the current trip to India for the Independence Cup, he did not boast of any big claims. "We are here to improve relations between two countries," the Pakistani Skipper said. Here was a different Skipper, minus the swagger that goes with it.

It needed immense courage to accept the task of leading the team against India in India.

Raja did not shy away when Wasim Akram strategically pulled out of the tour. For Wasim knows what it feels when losing to the arch rivals. Bangalore, and its aftermath are fresh in his memory when Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup.

So the win at Chennai comes as a great relief to the stand-in-Skipper.

Raja is highly articulate person with a fine sense of humor. On this tour he had the media eating out of his hand.

Victory over India at Chennai was a big relief for his team. Said Raja: "Now we can safely go back."

About his own future Raja is clear: "I take each tour as it comes. Once Wasim and Waqar come back, it is going to be a bonus for us. My job was to regroup the young team and instill in them a sense of confidence."

About the Pakistanis throwing young players into the whirlpool of international cricket, Rameez Raja has an explanation: "In India and Pakistan we tend to learn our cricket only at the international level. Someone like Rahul Dravid is an exception. He is fantastic. A good cricketer always has good temperament."

On Indian crowds he has no complaints about crowds anywhere. "One has to learn to cope with crowd pressure at the international level. The Indian cricketers are an overprotected lot. They should be more giving interviews and talking to people. I only find coach Madan Lal talking everywhere and not any of the players."

Women Weightlifters Improving

India has produced a special breed of women weightlifters. The recently held trials at Patiala to select the Indian squad for the Asian Championships in China, in July, showed that things like surgery, motherhood and long lay-offs for other reason have little adverse effect on our female weightlifters. If anything, they seem to improve.

The diminutive Kunjarani Devi, who is still recovering from an arthroscopy, lifted a decent total of 162.5 kg in the 46 kg weight category. Twice World Champion Karnam Malleswari, who had showed signs of waning in the last two years, raised a total of 215 kg in the 59 kg category, which is close to her personal best. Bharti Singh, who had given up the sport for motherhood, came back strongly to hoist 210 kg in her 83 kg category.

The surprise packet of the meet was Jeevan Jyoti who, many had thought, was on a slide. She smashed two national records and now all eyes will be on her to grab a medal or two.

Former World Record Holder in powerlifting Sumita Laha showed that she has not let slip her knack in weightlifting by erasing a national record in the 76 kg division, lifting 125 kg In the clean and jerk. Laha was fifth in the World Championships in 1995 and seems to be improving with age.

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