Sports Round-Up

New Mrs Azharuddin Is In The Family Way

INDIA POST SOUTH ASIA BUREAU

NEW DELHI: When Mohammad Azharuddin, along with wife Sangeeta (Ayesha) Bijlani, arrived for his breakfast meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister JH Patel, two things became apparent. One was that Ayesha Begum was in the family way, and the second that Azharuddin was looking for a plot of land to settle down in Bangalore. B Raghunath, a former Karnataka State cricket player, escorted the couple to the first floor, where Director General of Police, Srinivasalu introduced them to Police Commissioner L Revanasiddiah, an Azhar fan.

"I sorely miss watching you play," said Revanasiddiah to which Azhar, in confident repartee, said, "I’ll be back before too long."

Sangeeta, meanwhile, wore a silent smile, seemingly content with impending motherhood.

"In which city do you live these days?" Patel queried, immediately after being introduced to Azhar’s new wife, the former model for Vicco Turmeric vanishing cream and starlet. When told they lived mostly in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the Chief Minister tried to sell Azharuddin the idea of settling down in Bangalore, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a been toying with the possibility.

Azharuddin told the Chief Minister he was looking for a plot of land and contemplating the viability of purchasing and reviving a cement factory he had visited at Hubli.

Heat, Humidity But the Lure of Money

Even the heat and humidity of the June sun is not a deterrent when it comes to making money. Cricketers, who invited sympathy for being forced to play in the Independence Cup immediately after an exhaustive tour of the Carribean islands, are now playing again for the love of money.

An impression had gained ground that the silence of the players for being made to sweat out at the peak of summer was dictated by diplomacy as loud protests would have annoyed the BCCI officials.

The same players, who far removed from the official eye, were making a lot of din at being treated like bonded laborers, are now busy playing in ‘masala’ matches.

The heat, if anything, has got worse but one has not heard any player grumble or protest.

And, why should they. The money to be had in these matches must be quite a bit, and given the nature of the matches, the players need not stretch themselves to the limits of dehydration.

As far as the public goes, they are willing to tolerate anything which their icons dish-out.

Medalist Srinath Going Dutch

The 1995 SAF Games gold medalist Prahlad Srinath will be shifting his base from home-town Mysore to the Netherlands, a move, he hopes, will provide the much needed boost to his tennis career.

The 23-year-old, who emerged on the national scene in 1994, had a glorious run a couple of years ago, winning the National Championship in Bangalore and defeating Davis Cupper Mahesh Bhupathi in the SAF Games in Chennai.

Srinath’s Dutch sojourn has been made possible by the benevolence of a Dutch player-friend, Dennis Hardeman, who has assured all assistance during his stay there. Srinath felt that staying in India has ‘very little meaning’ If he wants to build up his career.

And so, the Davis Cupper, whose most recent victory came in the National Games, is on the look-out for a sponsor.

"Even if I do not find one (sponsor), I still plan to shift and, hopefully, it will help me improve my game," the soft-spoken Mysorean said.

Usha Decides to Retire, Coach

PT Usha, who set ablaze the track in the eighties with her brilliant international performances, winning gold medals for he asking, has decided to call it a day.

The fourth National Games at Bangalore were her last major competition.

The veteran sprint queen, who had bagged four gold medals at the 1986 Seoul Asiad and narrowly missed a medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, now plans to take up coaching. "I had enjoyed my career throughout. I believe I have nothing more to achieve. Now it’s time to give way to the youngsters. I don’t want to stay in their way. I will try to help them in all possible ways," Usha said, adding that "family will be her priority."

An Officer on Special Duty in the Kerala Government Sports Directorate, Usha needed a lot of persuasion from the State Athletics Association to compete at the Bangalore Games. Obviously, she had decided that Bangalore would be her swan song; she did not do well at the Games.

Usha keeps harping on that lost opportunity at Los Angeles and says that will rankle as long as she thinks of her exploits on the track. She had lost a bronze just by one hundredth of a second.

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