The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Bangalore first choice venue for Uzbek tie
AFTER BEATING New Zealand 4-1 earlier this month, the Indian Davis Cup team will have home advantage when they play Uzbekistan in the second round of the Asia/oceania Group 1 tie. Bangalore is the front runner to host the tie that starts on April 7.
“It hasn’t yet been finalised, but Bangalore is the first choice for us,” confirmed Hironmoy Chatterjee, general secretary of the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
The final decision will be made once the International Tennis Federation (ITF) accepts the plan from the host federation. According to protocol, the AITA is expected to send a list of possible venues to the ITF for approval on Wednesday.
Along with Bangalore, Pune too has been considered as a possible venue to host the tie. Chatterjee however, maintained that Pune will not be the best option since the city hosted the recent tie against New Zealand at the Balewadi Sports Complex.
“Holding backto-back Davis Cup matches at the same place is not good for organisers. They take great pains to make sure the event goes smoothly. So it gets difficult since they just hosted one tie recently,” he added.
The two cities are being considered mainly because of their higher altitude setting. “We had checked with the players and they told us that they wanted to play on hard courts at a high altitude venue. So Bangalore and Pune were the two choices we had. Both options are still open, though Bangalore is our first preference. But we can only finalise it once we get the ITF approval,” he said.
The last time India played a home tie against Bangalore was in 2014, when they lost 3-2 to Serbia in a World Group Playoff tie. Meanwhile, the upcoming tie will be Mahesh Bhupathi’s first as non-playing captain of the team. He incidentally also hails from Bangalore. ISHANK JAGGI was a hard man to catch. He bounced along the sidelines of the Wankhede pitch, greeting his peers with either hug or handshake—usually both. It was merely a build up to when he would finally meet Sarandeep Singh, the national team selector.
The two spoke, at length, in private. But it would be safe to guess that the topic of conversation was the 90-run knock Jaggi had just mustered. Especially since the 28year-old's name was left out from the pool of 351 Indian players that will go under the hammer at next week's IPL auction just a day earlier. All is not lost though. If the franchises want him, he can still feature in the auction, and therein lies the significance of this feisty knock that featured 11 fours and four sixes.
For years, Jaggi has been a name not unheard of in the domestic circuit, yet still he wasn't often spoken about either. A top order batsman destined to languish in the realm of indifference and mediocrity, it would seem. That was until the 2016-17 season kicked in. There was more meaning and purpose to his knocks everytime he took to the field. It was a season where he would help Jharkhand reach the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy.
On Wednesday at the Wankhede, he came up with a performance that helped East Zone to their second successive win in the zonal T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, against South Zone. And being just a day after his name—once again —did not make it to the pool of players considered for the auction, a chat with the selectors was important – both on and off the field. "It has been a good season for me, since I feel that I have hit the peak. Today's knock was important on a personal level because I was disappointed last evening (when list was published)," he says.
Terrific season
In the current season, he amassed 890 runs in 10 Ranji Trophy matches—the seventh best in the leaderboard. It included four centuries, the last being a 129-run effort in the semi-final loss to eventual champions Gujarat. It wasn’t coincidence that his form collided with his team making their first ever semi-final appearance in the Ranji Trophy.
And still his name didn't make it to the auction list. The last time the Jharkhand batsman played an IPL match—he's played only five—was in 2012 for the Deccan Chargers. Since then he's been hoping for a chance to get back to the marquee event.
Along with Bangalore, Pune too has been considered as a possible venue to host the tie. However, Pune will not be the best option since the city hosted the recent tie against New Zealand.
Now he feels ready for it. "I have played so much of domestic cricket that I know all about it and want to graduate to the next level. That is why today's knock was so important. It will help me move up to the next level," he says. His performances of late have shown him in good form this season. In the opening match against Central Zone, he marched to an unbeaten 51 during a successful run chase.
Elegant drives
On Wednesday, he came in to bat in as early as the second over. In the chase of the 179-run target, Jaggi displayed an array of elegant cover drives and wristy flicks over the leg-side. It was an exhibition of timing, placement, power and flair. He had his fair share of luck as well. Batting on 39, he was caught at deep midwicket, only for the umpires to call him back after replays suggested the bowler overstepped. Later at 89, he was dropped at point. "I got that reprieve today and made the most of it. So luck helps," he says, smiling. Still the century did not happen. He skied a mishit slog that came out as a straight-forward catch at long off. But in a match that put East Zone at the top of the five-team table, and in a good position to win the championship, Jaggi scored half his team's runs.
South Zone 178/6 (M Agarwal 72, R Vinay Kumar 68; Manoj Tiwary 3 for 31) lost to East Zone 181/4 in 19.4 overs (I Jaggi 90, Saurabh Tiwary 33).
Central 167/7 (N Ojha 48, M Rawat 57 not out; A Nehra 3 for 26, H Singh 2 for 35) beat North Zone 163/6 (Shikhar Dhawan 37, Yuvraj Singh 33; Manpreet Grewal 23 not out; Karn Sharma 3 for 17).
For years, Jaggi has been a name not unheard of in the domestic circuit, yet still he wasn't often spoken about either. A toporder batsman destined to languish in the realm of indifference and mediocrity, it would seem.
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