Saina eyes Malaysia crown
Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy triumph at the weekend showed domestic cricket need not always struggle for attention, and it could mark a turnaround in the fortunes of its architect, Parthiv Patel. The man who made his India debut in 2002 as a teenager but failed to establish himself as his keeping was not up to mark, earned the reward last month for not losing his passion for the game. Recalled to the India side following injury to Wriddhiman Saha, Patel contrib- uted behind the stumps and as stand-in opener.
While that puts Patel, still only 31, in the frame as back-up Test stumper and opener with India scheduled to play abroad for most of the coming season, his brilliant show in the Ranji final has now turned him into a contender with Saha when the selectors pick the side for the home Test series against Australia in February-March. Patel’s strong comeback into the conscience of cricket lovers reflects his attitude, hailed after Gujarat’s brilliant win over champions Mumbai in the Ranji final as well as his easing into the India dressing room after an eight-year gap.
It will provide an interesting sub-plot to the Irani Cup starting on Friday. The Ranji champions will look to excel, but the Gujarat skipper’s performance will be compared with Saha’s in the Rest of India side. Saha is making a comeback, after suffering a hamstring injury in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, which opened the doors for Patel. When the England series started, Saha, 32, had settled in nicely. While he is seen as India’s best keeper, his batting too had grown. He hit a century in St Lucia and unbeaten half-centuries in both innings in the Kolkata Test win over New Zealand.
But Patel did everything that was asked of him. He opened in the Mohali Test, after KL Rahul’s injury, scoring 42 and 67 not out. Skipper Virat Kohli, who had been clear that Patel was only a stand-in, praised his effort in Mohali.
“…That’s where experience from first-class level comes into play. The intent he showed in both innings deflated the opposition totally. Credit to him to go out there and counter-attack the seamers. He really stood out for me as a batsman, as a keeper he did well. So you never know, let’s see what happens in the next few days and we will take a call accordingly,” Kohli said.
Even when he was with India, Patel kept in touch with his state team. “I was aware of what was happening,” he said after the Ranji final. “I used to talk with the coaches almost every evening. We have a set pattern of playing, and everyone knew it.”
A decade and a half ago, Patel was seen as not mature enough to handle the pressure of wearing the India shirt. Perhaps moulding his state team could be the perfect route back for another long innings with the national team.
Saina Nehwal will look to clinch the Malaysia Masters title as she begins the year’s campaign in the seasonopening Grand Prix Gold which starts here from Tuesday. Saina had a good match practice when she competed at the just-concluded PBL where she won three matches. Still in the process of reaching her best form, the top seed will look to grab the opportunity, especially since none of the top shuttlers are participating at the $120,000 meet.
Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals 5-2 in the last preliminary round match of the Pro Wrestling League here on Monday. They will face Jaipur Ninjas in the first semifinal on Tuesday. The second semifinal will be played between Punjab Royals and Mumbai Maharathi on Wednesday.
Shot putter Inderjeet Singh’s B sample tested under independent observer turned positive in January first week, making it difficult for him to script an early comeback.
Inderjeet , one of India’s high profile shot putters facing a provisional suspension for testing positive ahead of the Rio Olympics, was hoping for some respite from his four-year ban and went for a B sample test.
A decision on the ban is expected soon.
Last year an error in the preliminary National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) report gave him a clean chit.
The international shot putter claimed that his urine sample had been tampered with when it surfaced in a later report that he tested positive for a performance enhancing drug following which he was provisionally suspended. The 2015 Asian champion challenged NADA’s decision saying his B sample should be tested at another laboratory as he doesn’t have faith in the government aided lab.
Inderjeet’s request was not accepted by World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). As per rules to ensure fair play, his B sample was recently tested under an independent observer. It also returned positive.
Between 2014 and 2015, the national champion was tested several times but all results were negative.
He was also among the most consistent Indian throwers, regularly crossing the 19-metre mark. During 2014 Incheon Asian Games, he won bronze.
In 2015, he further raised the bar to 20.27m, which helped him become the first Indian thrower to win the world University Games in Gwangju, South Korean. He also won gold at the Asian Championship besides dominating Asian Grand Prix events.
His gold winning effort of 20.65m at Mangalore helped him qualify for Rio 2016. However, two months prior to Rio Olympics, he tested positive for banned drugs.
Inderjeet cried foul, saying his urine sample was tampered with to deny him Olympics participation. It also delayed the hearing process and he was barred for taking the flight to Rio.
Besides Inderjeet, sprinter Dharambir Singh and Priyanka Panwar were the other two prominent track and field athletes who failed a dope test ahead of the Rio Olympics in August.