Kotla 101

The Kotla, in a rather perverse way, reminds you of a dance bar. Now not that I have been to any — relax mom — but the long corridor, the small, dimly-lit rooms at either end and the even more dimly-lit bars really make you wonder how this could be the office of the Capital's cricket association.

As I approached what was going to be my 'haunt' for the next few months — more like my haunting, if you ask me — I was first stopped by the guard.

The guard, despite me telling him I was from the Hindustan Times, and showing him my I-card, didn't seem convinced about my identity and gave me more than just a stare while letting me in.

For one minute, as the guard was looking at my I-card and alternately at me, the thought of something more sinister than just good ol' folks working their socks off for the betterment of the game in the city was being hatched inside the Kotla.

So, anyway once the guard was absolutely certain I wasn't a mole sent by Cricket South Africa to look at the pitch ahead of the game between South Africa A and India A, he let me in.

Now, like any other 'organisation', now terming DDCA an organisation is, in itself, a massive shot in the arm for it, here too, there are certain people who make all the decisions. They might not necessarily be people holding big posts, but they wield much, much more power and influence than most.

Ask anyone who frequents the Kotla — and believe me there are quite a few — who has all the inside information, before anyone else, and you'll be surprised to hear the answers. People, whose official job would be keeping files in order, are the ones who are the be-all and end-all of the day-to-day affairs.

That, in a nutshell, was the first impression I formed of the Ferozeshah Kotla, so long then, till the next time I find myself in the cauldron that is the Kotla. There's plenty more where this came from.

Does fixing really happen in tennis?

Is tennis corrupt? This is the question uppermost in the minds of fans (assuming fans have minds).

There is no solid, Ambuja cement, concrete evidence. But there are some curious facts. There have been curious precedents. These together with common sense suggest that the sport, like most sports, like most human endeavour, is not clean.

Let us look at the facts. In August, World No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko was playing an obscure player from Argentina, Martin Vassallo Arguello, in the second round of the Poland Open. But the money was on Arguello.

Strange.

Davydenko won the first set easily. The money was still on Arguello.

Really strange.

Arguello won the second set. In the third, he was leading 2-1 when Davydenko withdrew, citing injury.

Some 3.5 million pounds were bet on the match, almost ten times what an early round match in a plain vanilla Tour event would attract. Betfair, a gambling portal, thought all this was suspicious. They told the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals).

Since then, some players have acknowledged the murky elements in tennis. Andy Murray said he knows of players being made offers. But no one has admitted to have fixed a result.

On Saturday, the anti-corruption drive claimed its first victim - Italy's Alessio di Mauro. He was banned for nine months. But Di Mauro bet on other players' matches. There was no fixing. Nonetheless, his suspension has added to the atmosphere of dishonesty and disappointment around the sport.

Tennis has faced these charges before. Short Circuit, the roiling book on the world of tennis by Michael Mewshaw, exposed the crooked ways of the game's stakeholders way back in 1983.

The heartening thing is this. If fixing happens, it is logical to believe it generally happens with lower-ranked, lesser-known players. If and when the stars do some hanky-panky, they perhaps do it in small events. A recognised player like Davydenko, just to provide an example, might muck around in the Poland Open but not at the US Open. A no-name, on the other hand, would not have any qualms about betting even in a Grand Slam. He doesn't have a chance or a reputation anyway.

Luckily for contemporary tennis, it has at its vanguard Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin, three stars everyone loves and, pertinently, trusts.

Erecting Qutub Minar in a day

You can’t help but feel out of place when you’re interviewing a person in his capacity as the coach of a sports team when someone walks in with a letter stating the termination of his services.

It happened yesterday at the Karnail Singh Stadium where a Ranji game was in progress. The coach, who had played a Test for India in the '70s, was talking to HT when he was brought his marching orders. [Full post]

Whatmore's challenge

Dave Whatmore will get millions of advices on what to do with Indian cricket in his capacity of Director of Operations at the National Cricket Academy.

But even before he took charge of his job there was one advice waiting for him: NCA Chairman Ravi Shastri's.

When during a press conference, Whatmore was asked whether he had taken any suggestions for Lalchand Rajput, who is Director of Coaching at NCA, Shastri interrupted and said "I have given him only one advice: in India it's better to hear more and talk less."

Whatmore will do well to follow this advice, given his previous experience.

Tension, confusion and Shoaib's large appetite

Geoff Lawson’s dry humour juiced up what could have otherwise been a rather dull press conference to kick off a high-voltage tour of India. Take for example, his crack at Shoaib Akhtar when asked how he was going to manage the moody fast bowler:

“It was nice of Shoaib to turn up with a haircut. He was also quiet on the plane. Let’s just say it’s a good beginning.”

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The Le Meridien staff were visibly tense before the arrival of their high-profile guests. There were some pacing up and down the lobby; others couldn’t take their eyes off the front door.

The tension gave way to some amusement when a steward brought out a banner to place at the front door. It said, “Le Meridien welcomes the Indian team.” After some finger-wagging by his superiors, the steward ran back to pull out the correct sign.

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The head chef at the Le Meridien, Davinder Kumar, says he’s looking forward to hosting the Pakistanis — and one temperamental fast bowler in particular. “Shoaib has an appetite bigger than others in his team. He particularly loved our thin paranthas when he was here for the Champions Trophy last year,” Davinder says. “He’s so dynamic; I’ve never met anyone livelier!”