Team Kumble shows the way

The new group's strength lies in the fact that the top guys have played together and, more importantly, been friends for decades. As such, each know the mindset of the other and in administration, it does help when decision-makers are on the same wavelength. For sure, a lot is expected of Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, with the trio enjoying "outside support" from another close buddy Rahul Dravid.

Although Kumble's win against Wadiyar was rather close, it was a vote for change and it manifested the general feeling that it was time for spring cleaning in an institution that was once tainted with corruption and maladministration. While hailing Team Kumble’s victory, one must also salute Brijesh Patel for having voluntarily stepped down to make way for "new faces and fresh ideas" as he put it.

The sweeping changes in Bengaluru are in direct contrast to the CWG muddle where the big fish seem to be slipping away and frankly, I am least surprised that Kalmadi is still floating around freely as though he were an angel.

The CBI's noticeable reluctance to haul in Kalmadi for even token questioning given the written submission by his "trusted" aides of his complicity in the CWG scam is typical of an agency that is only a pliable instrument in the hands of the ruling party. Is it any wonder then that Kalmadi is not mentioned in the FIR that has been filed?

KSCA had faced similar situations back in the 1980s when the late C Nagaraj was at the helm of affairs. There were whispers of corruption and misappropriation of funds, but nothing came out of it and with his demise, the allegations also were put to sleep.

The association has witnessed some acrimonious elections in the past before Patel took charge, but it was a house divided. Now that Kumble has bagged 23 of the 24 posts, there is reason to believe that the KSCA would finally function smoothly and its league structure is overhauled.

Meanwhile, in faraway Guangzhou, India’s performance has been a mixed bag at the Asian Games. While our athletes picked up a few gold medals to save the country's blushes, the debacle of our hockey team accurately reflected our position in the hockey pecking order.

Coach Brasa and his rather emotional assistant Harendra Singh might cry themselves hoarse at umpiring decisions that supposedly pulled India down to an inconsequential bronze medal finish. But the fact of the matter is that the team was just not good enough to win the gold medal and thus avoid the grind of going through the qualifying process to secure a spot in the 2012 London Olympics.

No doubt, India did play well, but not well enough, especially against Malaysia in the semi-finals that exposed the poor tactical play of the deep defence that is still lacking in an accomplished player like Dilip Tirkey.

India vs New Zealand

The sweeper-back system that Brasa has adopted has seen two quality midfielders, Sardara Singh and Dhananjay Mahadik, manning the defence where their natural attacking instincts have often put them out of position. Worse still, Sandeep Singh, for all his expertise at penalty corner drag-flicks, is a misfit and he is shaping up to be another Sohail Abbas.

These are only a few glaring drawbacks in the Indian hockey team that Brasa needs to address, provided his contract is extended on his return from Guangzhou. The Spaniard's pre-occupation with his contract has also not helped at a time when he needed to focus on his team and tactics rather than his problems.

All said, I expect a tumultuous period in Indian sport in the coming weeks as the attention will shift to next month's cricket tour of South Africa by Dhoni's men while it remains to be seen whether Kalmadi would yet be smiling from his jaunts in tax-haven Monaco (what was he doing there?) and Guangzhou.