INDIAN OPEN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

Sridhar targets Indian Open to regain confidence
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 23 (PTI) Struggling with his form after a
five-month injury lay off, ace shuttler Anup Sridhar is
targetting the Indian Open Grand Prix to regain his confidence
and has set his eyes on making at least the semi-finals of the
tournament.
"I'm playing in an international tournament in India
after quite a long time so I'm very excited. I'm in reasonably
good shape as well.
"I think if I can win two-three good matches, that would
be OK. As far as results go, I think semi-final and above
would be good, and I think it's realistic as well," Sridhar
told PTI ahead of the tournament that starts with qualifiers
tomorrow.
"I tend to look at a situation like this as being a huge
opportunity to play myself back into form, get my confidence
back and earn some ranking points in the process," he added.
Sridhar twisted his ankle in March last year but still
played in the Beijing Olympics in August before being forced
to take a break for five months.
Returning to the court, Sridhar played in the Malaysian
Super Series, Korean Super Series, German Open, All England
Super Series, the National championship and the Wilson Swiss
Super series but he found the going tough in all the events.
However, the Bangalorean says he is determined to get his
form and fitness back and is working hard with his pshyio
Muthu Kumar.
"I am working with Muthu Kumar, a physio in Bangalore for
about a week now and I am confident that together we will be
able to get me back to full fitness," he said.
Once the highest-ranked Indian in the world, Sridhar is
now languishing at number 48 but the Bangalore shuttler said
he is eyeing the top 15 by the end of this year.
"I definitely aim to be back in the top spot by the end
of the year. I will need to be around the top 15 to achieve
that and I have planned my schedule to allow an extended
period of training to get my fitness to the right level," he
said.

...................................................................

Saina's Olympic nemesis comes calling at Indian Open
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 24 (PTI) She crushed Saina Nehwal's
Olympic dreams in Beijing and world number 18 Maria Kristin
Yulianti is hoping for an encore if the two face off in the
Indian Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament starting here
tomorrow.
"Saina is a world class player. What happened in Beijing
is past. This is a new tournament and a new challenge. I have
always enjoyed playing against Saina. She is really fast and
cover the court really well. I hope I can defeat her this time
too," 23-year-old Yulianti said.
Yulianti had beaten Saina in the Olympic quarterfinals
where she came back from 12-19 down to get the better of the
Indian.
Saina is not the only one Yulianti is wary of and said
she is not taking her other opponents lightly either.
"The field is tough and if one has to win this one, she
has to be really at her best," she said.
Playing such a big tournament after a long knee injury
lay-off after the Olympics, Yulianti said she is here to
acclimatise herself for the world championship to be held here
in August.
"It would be a very good experience to play here in
different conditions which would help us in future,"
Yulianti said.
The Indonesian was in high spirits as she practised with
her colleagues here at the Gopi Chand Academy.
"I am feeling much better now. It was really
disappointing to miss out of big sports events after the
Olympics bronze," said Yulianti.
Yulianti said winning the Olympic bronze was a great
experience for her but now her next target is winning the
World Championship.
"Winning the Olympic medal is very special for me. But
now after this tournament the focus shifts to winning a world
championship title," she said.
Yulianti said Saina would have the backing of the crowd
but she will try not to get distracted if the two come face to
face in the semis here. But for now, the Indonesian prefers to
focus on one round at a time.
"Let me take it step-by-step," she said.

.....................................................

State Govt owes Saina Rs 20 lakh
Hyderabad, Mar 24 (PTI) India's most successful women
badminton player Saina Nehwal today brought to fore yet
another incident of government apathy towards athletes, saying
she was yet to receive the Rs 20 lakh cash award promised to
her by the state government in October last year.
"I have not received the award yet. It's really
disgusting. I can't afford to run after them for the money
which I deserve," a disappointed Saina said after her practice
session at the Gachchibowli Stadium today.
The World number 9 Indian said she was not even
interested in pursuing her case anymore.
"Initially, I had tried to contact the authorities but
then no one gave me any definite answers. They just kept
telling that I will get it but when no body knows," she said.
Saina, who is preparing for the World Championship to be
held in Hyderabad in August this year, is not taking the
Indian Open, which begins tomorrow, lightly either despite
some pull outs.
"The draw is good, it will be a tough tournament, there
are some good players like Julia (Pei Xian Wong), Maria
(Kristin Yulianti) and others. Each of them are good," she
said.
Saina will face unseeded Chew Yen Daphane Ng of Malaysia
in the first round.

.......................................................

Lee Chong blames it on food poisoning and bad umpiring
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 25 (PTI) Unable to come to terms with the
shocking first-round defeat in the Indian Open Grand Prix
badminton, world number one shuttler, Lee Chong blamed his
unceremonious exit on wrong umpiring and food poisoning.
Lee Chong was today left fuming after world number 147,
Long Chen of China handed a 21-7 16-21 18-21 defeat to him,
pulling off probably the biggest upset of the tournament.
"The Chinese played well, but I wasn't well before the
match. I was suffering from food poisoning and seeked some
medication before the match," Lee told reporters after the
encounter.
Fuming at some of the umpiring decisions that went
against him, Lee said the line umpires need to improve their
quality of judgments, especially before India hosts the World
Championship in August this year.
"The umpires are not fit enough for the tournament. I
hope things will improve in the world championship," he said.
The Malaysian, who lost the match despite an attacking
start, was also not quite happy with the facilities here at
the Gachibowli stadium.
"No comments (about the facilities). It can improve."
Lee Chong thumped Long 21-7 in the first game, but Long
avenged soon by winning the next game 21-16 to make it
one-all.
In the third game, the Malaysian was trailing by five
points at 11-16 when he put up a spirited fight to go 12-18,
16-18 and then leveled it at 18-18 but the Chinese soon raced
away to 20-18.
It was at this crucial juncture that during his service,
Long's shuttle landed on the line but Lee went to the umpire
and insisted that he wasn't ready.
The umpire, however, ruled it in favour of the Chinese as
Lee had attempted the shot.
Meanwhile, Chen Long said that it the biggest victory of
his career.
"Yes, it is the biggest victory. I know I'm not in the
same league as he but I played hard. The wind direction
changed in the second game but I could control it. I will give
my best in the coming matches as well," he said.
...............................................................

We need a specialised doubles coach: Jwala
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 25 (PTI) Together they won three mixed
doubles titles last year but Jwala Gutta and V Diju say they
don't have the "expertise" of a doubles player and called for
the appointment of a specialised coach.
Jwala and Diju, who won three international tournaments
-- Bulgaria Open Grand Prix , Bitburger Open Grand Prix, Nepal
International Series -- last year, feel its their mutual
co-ordination and practice that works in their favour.
"Me and Diju also don't have the expertise of a doubles
player, it's just that we have a very good co-ordination and
we understand each other so well that we are doing well. We
have practiced a lot," Jwala told PTI.
"India needs a specialised doubles coach, the sort of
coach we have in singles. If India wants to do well in team
events, it is very important to have a specialised coach who
can teach the players the technicalities of the game, travel
with the team and help the players analyse their and their
opponents games," Jwala said.
Diju also agreed that he coordinates well with Jwala.
"Since Jwala is left-handed and I'm right-handed, it is
proving to be quite advantageous for us. When the opponents
smashes a shot towards her thinking to trap her with a
difficult back hand, it turns out to a forehand and vice
versa," he said.
Jwala lamented that the doubles players are not given
proper recognition and incentives and so not many players are
taking to it.
"There are no incentives for the doubles players in
India, there is no backing and recognition either. We need to
back the doubles players, so that they can take up the game,"
Jwala said.
Diju and Jwala are world number 14 currently but Diju
said he was not confident of his own performance when he
started playing last year after losing precious time because
of the Badminton Association of India's hegemony.
"In the beginning of last year, When I started playing
again with Jwala, I was not at all confident. It was only
after we won some tough matches against tougher opponents and
won the three titles I regained my confidence," said Diju
Diju and Jwala, will face the Chinese pair of Xiolong Liu
and Jinhua Tang in the second round tomorrow, having got a bye
in the first round.
The duo is is taking the Indian Open as a preparatory
tournament for the World Championship and Diju feels they have
a chance to win the all important tournament to be held here
in August.
"I think we have a chance if we play well. Unlike
singles, in doubles, within the top 20, any pair can beat the
other pair, no matter what the ranking," Diju said.
Asked about their schedule after the Indian Open, Diju
said, "Currently we have just the Asian Badminton Championship
and the Sudirman Cup. We haven't thought after that."
And as for the ranking, Diju is hopeful of cracking the
top-10 soon.
"By this year end, we will try to break into the top 10,"
he said.

..............................................................

Indian Open will help in CWG preparation: Atik Jauhari
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 26 (PTI) Indonesian coach Atik Jauhari,
who was roped in to train Indian shuttlers for the 2010
Commonwealth Games, said the ongoing Indian Open Grand Prix is
proving to be a good platform to assess the performance of
youngsters.
"This tournament has given a chance to many young
shuttlers to play against tough opponents and looking at their
game, it gives me a chance to assess their strengths and
weaknesses and prepare them better for the Commonwealth
Games," Atik told PTI.
Atik, who has been working with the country's shuttlers
since August last year, said India lacks a systematic and
well-planned training module.
"There are so many talented players in India but there is
no systematic and planned approach to training. We don't have
national training all through the year, we don't have enough
courts.
"In Gopichand's academy, we have eight courts, now if 40
players have to train simultaneously where do they go. We need
more academies like it.
"In Indonesia, there is a badminton centre equipped with
21 courts, a running track, 100 rooms for players, more than
three doctors, two physiotherapist, minimum two
multi-feeders."
"But in India the coach has to double up as a
multi-feeder, so how can he concentrate on the players," Atik
said.
"Also there are targets and intermediate targets which
are followed. Which player is playing in which tournament and
how is she faring is religiously followed and traced. We don't
have anything similar here," he added.
Asked about the chasm that exists between world number
nine Saina Nehwal and the rest, Atik said there is skill but
there are other factors as well.
"Performance depends on a number of factors, skill is
just one of them. There is strength, speed, power, mobility
and agility. Among the new breed, Thulasi (PC), Siki (Reddy)
have skill but they lack in other aspect. But they would get
there, it's a matter of time," he said.
Asked if he can see the spark in any young player, the
Indonesian said, "Rituparna has it in her but she is just 14
or 15, playing in the sub-junior level. She is very smart and
clever."

...........................................................

World Series of boxing not for faint-hearted: Akhil
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) For all the good it would do for
Indian boxing, Olympian pugilist Akhil Kumar says the AIBA
World Series is not for the faint-hearted as amateurs will
have to make major adjustments in the event which borrows
heavily from professional boxing.
"Amateurs will need a lot of heart to fight in this
series. It is not for the faint hearted. Boxing is a house of
pain and if one is scared of getting injured and hurting
himself, he should not come to boxing then. I know have that
heart and I would play," Akhil, who recently went up a
division to feather weight, told PTI.
The World Series of Boxing, scheduled for September next
year, will have competed in five rounds with boxers having to
fight without there head-guards.
The Series would comprise 12 franchisees of 10 boxers
each, to be picked during the World Championship in Milan this
August-September.
Akhil said if India gets to be one of the franchisees it
would put the country on the world map.
"It (World Series of Boxing) will highlight the boxers
and put Indian boxers on top of the world," Akhil said.
"There are supposed to be 12 franchisees, each made up of
10 fighters. Each match will have five rounds of three minutes
each," Akhil said.
"If it is finalised, each boxer will be selected after
the world championship and stands to gain around Rs 15 lakhs
to Rs 1.5 crore during the bidding."
Akhil said the tournament will prove to be a win-win
situation for the boxers and the Indian Boxing Federation.
"The federation also stands to gain a lot out of it as
they would receive a share of the money which will make them
financially strong," he explained.
Akhil was here for a week-long training and conditioning
camp under physiotherapist Heath Metthews in the Pullela
Gopichand academy and will make his feather weight debut in
the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan in June.
But the Harayana boxer said people should not expect
overnight success from him.
"I haven't played since the World Cup in December and
have also changed my weight category. Although, I train with
higher weight category boxers, it will still take some time
for me to get into the groove, so don't expect me to win
straightaway," he said.
...........................................................

Arvind to take six-week break to gain complete fitness
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) National champion Arvind Bhat
will shun competition for six weeks and undergo rigorous
training to ensure he is at the top of his fitness for
prestigious Sudirman Cup in May.
The world number 28 said although he doesn't have any
injury problems, his fitness is below his own expectations.
"It has been a long time since I took a solid six weeks
training. The last time I trained for so long was in July last
year. I have been training for two weeks and playing for three
weeks in competitions and I don't feel totally in command of
my fitness," Arvind told PTI.
"I'm still 10 per cent below my expectation, so I would
be taking an off for six weeks for a solid training session to
gain that level of fitness.
"Accordingly, I have withdrawn from the Asian
Championship and would next play in the Sudhirman Cup in
Guangzhou, China from May 10," he added.
Arvind put up a spirited fight but still lost to
tournament favourite Taufik Hidayat to crash out of the Indian
Open Grand Prix yesterday.
Arvind said he was surprised by Taufik's range of shots.
"I was surprised to see his strong, sharp and crisp
strokes. I couldn't gauge his game but this is the first time
I was playing against him so may be next time I will beat
him," Arvind said.
Arvind said it has been, otherwise, a good year so far as
he has got rid of some mental blocks which had troubled him
for quite sometime.
"This year, I got rid of some mental blocks. I won the
National Championship after five attempts, I beat a Chinese
(Pengyu Du) yesterday and I also stretched Olympic gold
medallist and world number two Lin Dan to three sets recently
in the Swiss Open Super Series. So, I feel it was a pretty
good year to start with," he said.
The 29-year-old ace said he is eying to break into the
the top-10 bracket by this year end.
"Last year I had set a target of cracking the top 25 but
the way this year has started, I guess if I play consistently
I should break into the top 10 or 15 by year end," he said.
At the international level, Arvind had made the final of
Bitburger Grand Prix and reached the quarterfinals of China
Open and Hong Kong Open Super Series last year besides making
the pre-quarters of German Open Grand Prix and Korea Super
Series this year.
Arvind said he had a very good session in Germany where
he has been playing for the last seven years in the German
county team.
"I had a good session in Germany, I beat the best payers
there more than once. I have been playing in the German county
team for the last seven years. If you play for five years, you
are officially eligible to represent German in all
international tournaments, so if I want I can play for Germany
but that I won't do even in my wildest dream," he said.

.............................................................

Gopichand lives a dream through academy
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 28 (PTI) Former badminton ace Pullela
Gopichand says he is living a dream by grooming 90-odd
shuttlers in his academy here as he never got world-class
training facilities in India during his playing days.
Saina Nehwal is among the 90 shuttlers who undergo
training and specialised drills under the supervision of
Gopichand in this academy which also drew appreciation from
top international players like Taufik Hidayat at the ongoing
Indian Open.
"I travelled a lot in my career for training, we didn't
have the infrastructure, it was always a tried and tested
formula. So, I decided to do something which would help this
raw talent to grow and have the necessary training," Gopichand
said.
"It is very important for a sportsperson to start early
in his or her career. When I won the All England, I was 27 and
I want that the players should have more time at the top," he
added.
Gopichand's academy is equipped with international
standard courts, gymnasium and also offers physiotherapy, food
and diet programmes, accommodation. Some other projects to
improve the standard are in the pipeline.
"We are looking at a whole gamut of things, starting from
sport psychology, physiology, food and diet programme. Within
the next four months we will also have a sport medicine
center," Gopichand said.
"The project is in a very nascent stage, once we can
successfully complete it here, we will spread it across the
country."
Spread over five acres of land on the outskirts of the
city, the academy started in August last year.
Saina was all praise for the academy and wants more
such institutes all over the country.
"It is the best in India. It has all the necessary
facilities which takes care of all my physical and mental
aspect but we need more such all over the country," Saina
said.
The training sessions include not only working on
strokes, speed and other skills, but also innovative sessions
like cross sports training, where the shuttlers undergo
conditioning in other sports to improve their fitness level.
Even Olympian boxer Akhil Kumar was here last week for
a conditioning camp under physio Heath Matthews.
"I had come here for a week-long conditioning session
with Heath to improve my speed, agility and movement. The
facilities here are world class. I have not seen such a good
badminton academy anywhere else in the country," said Akhil.

................................................................

Disabled player finds hope in badminton
Amit Kumar Das
Hyderabad, Mar 29 (PTI) Eight summers ago, on a fateful
day in May, Satyam Janapareddy lost his left hand but instead
of getting bogged down by the tragedy, he found hope in
badminton and currently stands fourth in the world rankings
for disabled.
Currently working as a coach in the Pullela Gopichand
Academy, Satyam has been selected for the German Open starting
May 20 and the World Championship in South Africa in
September.
"Just two days ago I was selected for the German Open in
a training camp in Bangalore. I am very happy. I want to win
the tournament," Satyam said.
Born in Kovvur, a West Godavari district in Andhra
Pradesh, Satyam was always interested in the sport but the
fateful accident in 2001 was when he actually took to the
court.
In May 2001, Satyam lost his left hand while on work and
was bed-ridden for six months. By the time he recovered, he
had put on a lot of weight and started playing badminton only
to regain fitness.
What started as a fitness regime, soon became a passion
and he soon landed in Vijaywada under the tutelage of senior
SAI coach P Bhaskar Babu. After 17 months of training under
Babu and winning many local tournaments, Satyam turned
professional in 2005.
In the 2006 Asia Pacific Games in Malaysia, Satyam won
bronze in singles. A year later in the World Games in Taiwan,
he won bronze again in singles and gold in doubles, partnering
Rakesh Pandey of Haryana.
That same year in the World Championship in Thailand, the
28-year-old won a bronze again in singles and doubles, pairing
up with state-mate Raghuram.
And last year in the Asian Paralympic Cup in Bangalore,
Satyam won gold in doubles, partnering another state-mate T
Sanjeevaiah, and a silver in singles.
However, one medal that Satyam still only dreams of is an
Olympic gold and the shuttler is desperately waiting for the
2012 London Paralympic Games where badminton will be included
for the first time.
"Badminton will be included in the 2012 London Games and
I'm aiming for a Gold," he signed off.

The jinx has been broken. India has finally pulled off a series win in New Zealand spoil after a gap of 41 years. Under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India scripted history, never mind the delayed declaration in the third test. Well, that doesn't matter, anymore, so what if he would have declared early, the scoreline might have read 2-0 instead of 1-0. But never mind, Dhoni's job was to bring the cup home and he has just done that. No need to do all the right things, when just doing the as-much-as-required, one can reach such heights.

With this win, Dhoni has once again been tauted as the MAN who catapulted India to the pinnacle of success and everybody is going ga ga over his captaincy, including me as my fingers doesn't get tired written zillions of words in his praise, never mind the mind though, which gets irritated attimes.

Well, many argue, i mean most of them, that Dhoni's team is the best in the world and what he has achieved is unsurpassable in Indian history. I have a different take on that though. He is one of the best, may be because of the results that the team is producing under him but when judging his captaincy and the result, we also have to consider the pitch that had been laid out for India this time compared to 2003 series.

This time the pitch were so flat and slow that the teams could cross the 500 mark quite easily on more than one ocassion. Just look at the scoreline at the second test..Huh! such a drab test. And now just freshen up your memory of the 2003 test where the bowlers were making the batsmen dance to their tune. If Dhoni's team had done well under those circumstances may be this doubt that clouds the mind of many would have been cleared.

Since 2000, the entire approach of other countries towards India have changed. Considering the huge market in India of the sports, most of countries are laying down red carpet for the Indians, so that the match can last as long as possible and they can fill their coffers with money earned through the TV rights and advertisements.

Well, it is good for the batsman and for the fans who enjoy the willow waltzing but for someone who loves to cheer everytime, the ball just kisses or misses the willow and makes the batsmen look like a lesser mortal infront of the bowlers, it is a no-no situation. I feel pitty for the bowlers. Its painful to see them die such a slow and steady painful death, just for the lure of money.

Azar to fix Congress jinx

Mohammad 'Fixer' Azaruddin has finally joined politics to serve the people. Ya, u heard me right-- to serve the people, I guess we all know how good he served the nationa and its people during his stint in the Indian team.

There is no question that with his credential as a prolific fixer, he would be a good bet for Congress, who are in desperate need of fixers as apart from Pranab Mukherjee they don't have good fixers who can fix everything, i mean everything (read between the lines).

Azar has said that Cricket is his forte but he still doesn't know what he is good at. Well, for someone who has played 334 ODIs and 99 tests and still doesn't know what he is good at, what can the people except of him.

The former skipper said he wanted to join a secular party. No doubt, who else would have given him a lease of life and a chance to resurrect his lost fame then the most Secular "Muslim-appeasing" party of India. His desperation is also evident when he says that he is ready to fit in any role that the party offers him. Any role, mind it!

The Hyderabadi also revealed his plans of bringing at least five to 10 percent change in the system. Well, I feel we are all aware what he can do, given the reigns. The way he pushed the Indian team in the throes of darkness and shame, with no strecth of imagination we can decipher what he is capable of. Given a chance he would like to change, twist, turn, cut, slice and throw the systems out of gear, to meet his nefarious agenda -- that's all I can atleast thing of.

Well, there is no question of his fixing ability, but there is a serious doubt as how he would interact with the people in a rally because as far as my experience goes, I could never gauge a single word that u uttered or muttered. Perhaps he will take a leaf out of Party President's book.
Watch out for 'Mr Fixer'!

Cricket Bluffs

A lot has transpired within the cricketing world in these few weeks. Well, I have been off for more than eternity so the margin or the contours of these 'few' weeks is for u to decide. The good thing for me and the worst thing for you is that I am back, hopefully not to go away for yet another eternity ride. Well, before u start scratching ur hair off in disdain or hurl abushes at me, let me stop my gibbering and get straight to business? Well so here it....

1. Sri Lanka has battered the Pakistani bowlers so hard that they have decided to go on an exile and not to think about playing Test cricket for another 14 months.

2. Intelligence sources say the flat and drab wicket that Pakistan laid for the first test is a ploy employed by the Pakistan cricket board to allure the foreign countries to play in the strife-torn nation as it will guarantee sure win for the visitors.

3. Listening to the news, Australia have already asked Cricket Australia to pitch for a test match series in Pakistan before the South Africa Tour so that they can gather some valuable points winning so as to retain their number one ranking.

4. Meanwhile, Australian players have decided to skip the second edition of the Indian Premier League to take proper rest but insiders say they CA have deliberately asked Ponting and co to stay away from the IPL as they will give away their strategy to the Graeme Smity's men during their stint in the IPL.

5. Kevin Pietersen have burnt his fingers in the Stanford twenty20 winner-lose-it-all, i mean winner-take-it-all series and now he is gearing up to compensate the loss by clubbing his willow in the IPL.

6. Considering Stanford's arrest in the alleged muti-billion forgery and Kevin Pietersen's association with Stanford, the US intelligence authorities will be a scanner placed on Bangalore Royal Challengers' boss Vijay Mallya. So they can sniff another scam.

Jyoti comes from no way to go all the way in Bilt Open

GREATER NOIDA: Jyoti Randhawa blasted a sensational final round of eight-under 64 to pip Jeev Milkha Singh and overnight leader Anirban Lahiri and cl
inch the Rs 80 lakh BILT Open title on Sunday.

The Delhi golfer made a dramatic comeback on the edge-of-the-seat final day to break clear off the pack and total 19-under 269 to win by one stroke over Jeev (67) and Lahiri (71) and pocket a prize money of Rs 12,93,200.

Riding on good approach shots and accurate putting, Randhawa clocked a flurry of birdies, starting with a hat-trick from the second to fourth holes before picking up more shots on the seventh and eighth to take the turn at five-under.

While the front nine was a smooth sail, his back nine was not too bad either. He was off the block with birdies on the 10th and 12th before he stumbled on the 13th, dropping a bogey there.

However, Randhawa fired an eagle on the 15th to total 19-under and maintained the lead as he parred the rest.

"It was the 20-footer 15th hole eagle which was the turning point of the day," Randhawa said later.

Randhawa had some anxious moment at the last hole when his tee shot landed on the edge of the hedges but the experienced campaigner chipped it away and then took an accurate approach shot before sinking a 12-footer to par the last hole.

"I am very happy. It was a great win. Since yesterday things started coming together for me. It was since last two days that I gave myself a chance and decided to go for it," Randhawa added.

"I putted like a demon and the holes looked like buckets to me today," he said while explaining his day's performance.

"I feel Indian conditions suits me and I am happy to win here but to tell the truth the feeling has not yet registered in my mind," said Randhawa, who won his fifth PGTI event with this tournament.

Jeev also had a good day in the greens despite missing some close birdie chances just by inches. The Asian number one played some immaculate drives and bunker play to close in the gap with Lahiri.

Playing his front nine first, Jeev reeled off a birdie ha-trick from third to fifth holes before dropping a bogey on the sixth to take the turn at two-under.

On resumption, he gained a shot each on the 10th, 15th and 16th holes to turn 18-under and had it not been for his seven-foot birdie putt miss in the final hole, he could well have forced a playoff with Jyoti.

"I was confident of putting the seven-foot birdie in the 18th hole. I took my time but could not manage at the end," said Jeev, who participated in a PGTI event for the first time.

"I played rock solid this week. Right from the tee to the greens, I have been playing really well all through the week. I had some number in the mind for the final round but I felt short of that. But over all I am happy with my performance," he added.

While his senior pros set the green alight, things went haywire for 21-year-old Lahiri who just could not match up with their experience.

The Bangalorean bogeyed the third, picked up a shot at the fifth but conceded a double bogey on the eighth before making amends with an eagle on the ninth.

His backward journey was equally roller-coaster as he gained a shot on the 15th but dropped one on the next. A birdie at the last hole meant he finished alongside Jeev at the second position.

"I have been getting this top five, top 10 finishes but just could not get that knock-out punch at the end and I hope I can learn from my mistakes here and do well in the next tournaments," Lahiri said.

"It was a pleasure and a learning experience for me to play alongside Jeev and Jyoti," Lahiri said.

Smashing Saina gives a fillip to Indian badminton in 2008

From being just another promising young women shuttler to breaking into the world's top 10, the year gone by has seen the metamorphosis of Saina Nehwal into a sensation, whose exploits saw India rising up the world badminton chart.
Riding on her success story, Indian badminton enjoyed a
steep-rising curve over the past few seasons to leave its mark
on the sporting canvass, which saw some of the greatest battle
of grit, patience and ability en route to some spectular titles wins which made the world to stand up and take notice.
Keeping pace with her dreams, Saina had made her intent
clear at the start of the year when she became the first Indian girl to enter a Super Series semi-final in Singapore Open before losing to Mi Zhou of Hong Kong. She also made it to the last eight of the Thailand open.
With a new found optimism, the 18-year-old then sizzled at the Beijing Games, stunning world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller to become the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals of the Olympics.
The little Hyderabadi teen soon attained the tag of a 'giant killer' as she galloped her way to an impressive win in the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open, beating Li Ya Lydia Cheah of Malaysia 21-8 21-19 in September.
The National champion also clinched the Youth Commonwealth Games and World Junior Championship titles and was adjudged the most promising player of the year by the Badminton World Federation soon after she broke into the elite bracket of top 10 players.
With the year nearing end, another opportunity came her way when she qualified for the prestigious World Super Series Masters final in Malaysia after two of the Chinese pulled out at the last moment.
However, her fate took a threatening turn when her viza got entangled in a bureaucratic quagmire. But a timely intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs saw her get the Viza on time as Saina emerged as the only Indian to reach the semifinal of the prestigious event, defeating two top level player on a single day.
The Hyderabadi teen defeated World number seven Hongyan Pi of France and world number 11 Mew Choo Wong of Malaysia in the round-robin league before going down to world number six chen Wang in the final four.
Among the men, this year saw the resurgence of Chetan Anand into the forefront once again. The 28-old-year shuttler rose like a phoenix, first winning the national champion for the third time on the trot and then romping home with the Kenya International open, Spanish Open in Madrid and Nepal Open in June.
He then reached the peak of his form, claiming the Bitburger and Czech International titles as his ranking shoot to World number 15. The Arjuna awardee also made it to the finals of Indian Open, Belgium Open and Dubai Open.
While Chetan weaved a web across his opponents in the singles, his wife and national champion Jwala Gutta kept the flag fluttering in the doubles events.
Combining with Shruti Kurian, the Hyderabadi less romped home with two titles, Nepal International Series and KLRC Bulgaria Open Grand Prix, while reaching the semi-finals of the Yonex Dutch Open Grand Prix in October.
It was a year of resurgence for the seven-time national doubles champion, who had to go through a bureaucratic hegemony last year along with her husband Chetan as critics started writing their obituary. However, a gritty Jwala shrugged off all criticism and galloped her way to three more titles with partner D Viju in the mixed doubles category.
The world number 38 duo won the Nepal International Series, Bitburger Open Grand Prix and KLRC Bulgaria Open Grand Prix to complete a hattrict of titles.
While, the whole of country was celebrating the winning feats of these shuttlers, one man who sat all alone disappointed was ace shuttler Anup Sridhar.
Riding on his last year's performance, the 25-year-old Bangaorean got a ticket to the Beijing Oympics and soon became the best Indian male shuttler ranking world number 14 but an injury in the first quarter of the year dented his hopes as it kept him out of the court for most of the tournaments.
Sridhar started the year winning the All-India ranking tournament in New Delhi and reached the pre-quarterfinals of the Proton Malaysia Super Series where he lost to Hyun Il Lee, the eventual runner-up.
But after his inury he had to sit out of many tournaments including the Tata Open and the Indian Open. Even in the tournaments he played -- Indonesian Open, Singapore Open and Thailand Open -- he made an early exit.
However, a gutsy Sridhar didn't want to let go the opportunity of playing in the Beijing Games and taking a cortisone shot he took to the court, defeating Marco Vasconcelos of Portugal in the first round before going down to Shoji Sato of Japan in straight-games.
Though Sridhar attained his dream of representing India in the Olympics, the cortisone shots further prolonged his injury lay-off and he couldn't feature in any tournament after the quadrennial extravaganza.
In fine, this year has gone India's way and filled the Indians with a new aura of self-belief which is here to stay. As former All England Champion Pullela Gopichand would put it,"Indian badminton has come at the World stage."

Butt must be joking!!

Even as India mounts its pressure on Pakistan after the Mumbai mayhem and toys with the idea of snaping its criketing ties with its neighbour country, one group of individuals who stand in the firing line are the cricketers.
Shunning their career and in lure of a better pay cheque, many cricketers across the borders have taken a plunge in the cash-bed of the Indian Premier League and its 'rebel' cousin the Indian cricket League and with the two countries falling out, the PCB has also uppped its ante and is planning to cut short its cricketing relations with India.
The PCB chairman Ejah Butt yesterday met with the president Asif Ali Zardari and has discussed about a possible step to sever its ties with India, which included barring its players to participate in the cash-rich twenty20 Leagues. If this suggestion is materalised into a full-fledged decision then surely the future of these players will be in lurch.
Butt is an intelligent man but such abrupt plans just reflects the immaturity and hollowness of his mind. Being the chief of the cricketing body, Butt should realise that it would be a very short-sighted and parochial approach which is not expected from a man of his strature. Even if he likes it or not, the PCB chief should realise that the wind is blowing in India's direction and severing its ties with India would be suicidal because once it is done, it won't take much effort from the BCCI to use its muscle power and make sure that no one tours the troubled nation.
The PCB chief should realise it is neither necessary nor favourable on their part to take such a decision because at the end of the day, PCB needs BCCI if it wants to continue to fill its coffers and stay in the league of elite Test playing nations. It is a difficult time for both the countries and the best way out would be to understand the psychology and logic behind India's decision and stand by the arch-rivals forgetting old rivalry.