Afridi backs Aamir's return to international cricket

KARACHI: Pakistan's T20 captain Shahid Afridi has backed the return of tainted left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamir to international cricket and insisted he deserved a second chance for speaking the truth.

Aamir, 23, returned to the Pakistan squad for the limited-overs away series against New Zealand, completing a cycle of redemption following his spectacular fall from grace in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.

"We now need to move on and I will back Aamir and expect him to serve Pakistan cricket with total dedication and commitment," Afridi wrote on his twitter handle.

The star all-rounder added, "Happy to have Aamir back in the team."

Afridi later told the media that Aamir had told him the truth about his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal the first time he asked him in England.

"He admitted his mistake and we should back him now."

Aamir, who served a five-year ban and jail time for indulging in spot-fixing during the 2010 tour of England, was expected to make the squad after being brought back into the national camp despite resentment by fellow players.

Afridi, however, added he respected the stance taken by some players on Aamir's return to the team, including teammates Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez.

"I respect Azhar and Hafeez's stance. We suffered a lot due to spot-fixing scandal and our image was tarnished everywhere," he said.

Afridi said Aamir's honesty had earned him a second chance.

"Aamir spoke the truth both to courts and the Pakistani public, unlike the rest who kept lying for two-three years," he added.

Afridi said that former players, critics and fans should back Aamir when he returns to the field.

Ramkumar Ramanathan played twelve Futures events last year, winning four of them. (Source: PTI) India’s Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali remembers the match two years ago, the one during which Ramkumar Ramanathan made people notice his talent and potential. It was the Chennai Open of 2014. Back then, a 19-year-old Ramanathan was expected to be tense when coming face-to-face with the country’s then No.1. But he did not wither away. Instead he beat Somdev Devvarman. Ramanathan had made a name for himself.
Yet two years on, on the eve of the 2016 edition of the ATP event, Ali feels let down by the way Ramanathan has handled his potential. “He has the potential and the game to be in the top 100. But he’s only been playing in Futures events, and that’s not the way forward,” Ali complains.

Currently ranked 248th in the world, his best being 208 back in June 2015, Ali finds the 21-year-old guilty of dedicating way too much of his playing time to Futures events, which are essentially designed for upcoming, or low ranked players. “He needs to start playing bigger tournaments. That’s how he will increase his ranking. For now he can play Futures and keep winning, but he won’t move anywhere in terms of his rank. He should have been in the top-100 by now,” Ali says.
Training at the coveted Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Spain for the past five years, on the very courts Andy Murray once graced, Ali says there has been improvement in Ramanathan’s game but not enough to take him to the next level. Coupled with his towering frame is strength and running. And then there are his shots. “He has a huge serve, a big forehand and he knows how to volley,” Ali states. “But the improvement isn’t as much as I’d have liked. He is yet to be tested on a bigger stage,” he adds. Playing against higher-ranked opponents provides a greater deal of competition, in turn leading to improvement.
“Big players exploit your weakness. Until that happens, you may not know where your shortcomings are and you can never be a whole player. Competition brings out the best in a player but until you are challenged beyond your capability, you cannot hope to improve,” he asserts.
The simple solution Ali maintains is to carefully structure the schedule and make way for Challenger or ATP events, such as the Chennai Open. “That works very well for him. It’s his hometown so there is a lot of support, and he can get a lot of confidence if he does well there,” Ali states. Ramanathan in turn mentions that playing Futures events aren’t essentially easy, yet not because of the quality of the opposition. “The court isn’t always in the best of conditions and there is just one umpire. So decisions can go wrong,” he says.
Nonetheless, he does agree with Ali in saying that Futures events cannot dominate the schedule. Steadily though, he has been making the shift to bigger events. Last year he played 12 Futures, winning four of them. At the same time he also competed in 15 Challengers, two ATP tour events, and the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. In 2014, he competed in 21 Futures.
“Playing Futures just helps get the rhythm in shape a bit. If you lose in the first round of a few Challengers, you need a Futures event to bring back the shape,” he says. “But I have started changing my schedule, playing more challengers than I normally would. But this year I will be looking for bigger events,” he adds. The Chennai Open is the first major event he will compete in this year. He is a wild card entry to the main draw where he will face Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the first round.
Devvarman in main draw
Playing in the qualifying round of the Chennai Open for the first time since 2006, the 2009 singles finalist at the event Somdev Devvarman has made his way to the main draw of the competition. The 31-year-old, ranked 177 in the world beat Englishman James Ward 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 to make it to the main draw where he will play wild card entry Andrey Rublev from Russia.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/tennis/futures-to-challengers-ramkumar-ramanathan-keen-to-bridge-gap/#sthash.9peYhjnp.dpuf