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| Saturday, January 29, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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India
go down to Pak by 104 runs
Indian colts are world champs |
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Kafelnikov downs Norman
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India go down to Pak by 104 runs PERTH, Jan 28 (PTI) — India’s humiliation in the tri-nation series was complete today with a 104-run defeat at the hands of Pakistan in a one-sided match, knocking them out of the tournament. In one of the worst overseas performances by an Indian team, after losing the Test series against Australia 0-3, Sachin Tendulkar’s squad has won only one match in the seven played in the tri-angular one-dayer tournament. Held in the backdrop of the furore resulting from Pakistani allegations of ball tampering against Tendulkar, today’s match was completely dominated by Pakistan who put up 261 for eight and then bundled India out for 157 in 46 overs. The ill-luck that has dogged Tendulkar often during the tour was in evidence again when he was wrongly ruled caught behind by umpire Simon Taufel. In his brief stint at the crease, the Indian skipper had made 17 runs off only 14 balls with four boundaries. Tendulkar was given out caught behind to Waqar Younis off an intended flick that made no contact with the ball. Earlier, Sourav Ganguly, the highest scorer in the tournament with 355 runs, had driven at an outswinger from Younis without moving his feet to be caught behind for one. When Rahul Dravid (3) followed his skipper after shouldering arms to a few deliveries before being snapped up by wicketkeeper Moin Khan off Wasim Akram, the Indian score read 23-3. V.V.S. Laxman (3) was equally quick in returning to the pavilion but not before some drama in the middle involving Martin. Martin was sent into the middle in contravention of the conditions which require a player who has not fielded enough in the opponents innings to come in only at the fall of the fifth wicket unless he has picked up an external injury. Martin, who had twisted his ankle while throwing from the deep early in the Pakistan innings, did not have any external injury and had to trace his steps back to the pavilion after a word with the umpires. However, under the circumstances, Robin Singh (51) and Martin (39) raised an almost heroic 86 runs for the sixth wicket but an effective chase of 262 runs under lights was never on for the Indians. After Samir Dighe had put his bat out to an Akram outswinger to give Moin Khan his fourth catch of the innings, Martin, who batted with a runner, and the never-say-die Robin Singh attempted a rescue act. The duo raised the 50 of their partnership from 106 balls. The 100 of the innings was up in 33.1 overs. When Martin, who displayed good technique in his 72-ball knock which included a fine drive against Shoaib Akhtar early in his innings, was run out in the 34th over at 119, it became clear that the end for India was well nigh. Pakistan: Saeed Anwar b Srinath 44 Afridi c Prasad b Ganguly 41 Ijaz Ahmed run out 13 Inzamam c Ganguly b Singh 35 Youhana c Dravid b Ganguly 18 Moin c Tendulkar b Ganguly 23 Azhar c Tendulkar b Prasad 24 Wasim Akram not out 31 Shoaib Malik c Srinath b Kumble 5 Waqar Younis not out 3 Extras (b-4 lb-2 w-13 nb-5) 24 Total (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 261 Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-96, 3-133, 4-165, 5-180, 6-202, 7-236, 8-254. Bowling: Srinath 9-0-42-1 (w-2 nb-1), Agarkar 8-0-60-0 (w-7), Prasad 10-1-51-1 (w-1 nb-2), Kumble 8-1-36-1 (w-1 nb-1), Ganguly 10-1-34-3 (w-2), Singh 5-0-32-1 (nb-1). India: Tendulkar c Moin b Younis 17 Ganguly c Moin b Younis 1 Dravid c Moin b Akram 3 Laxman lbw b Akram 1 R Singh c and b Afridi 51 Dighe c Moin b Akram 2 Martin run out 39 Agarkar c Akram b Afridi 0 Kumble c Mahmood b Afridi 7 Srinath not out 8 Prasad run out 14 Extras (lb4, w6, nb4) 14 Total (all out in 46 overs) 157 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-20, 3-23, 4-24, 5-33, 6-119, 7-119, 8-133, 9-133. Bowling: Wasim Akram
7-4-10-3, Waqar Younis 8-0-33-2, Shoaib Akhtar 5-1-16-0,
Azhar Mahmood 6-1-11-0, Shoaib Malik 10-0-41-0, Shahid
Afridi 10-0-42-3. |
Indian colts are world champs COLOMBO, Jan 28 (PTI) — At a time when their seniors are losing with embarrassing regularity Down Under, the Indian under-19 cricketers today clinched the Youth World Cup title with an unbeaten record to help the country achieve the distinction of clinching the honour in all three age groups. India, who have won both the senior World Cup in 1983 and the under-16 title in 1996 in England, thrashed Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final of the 16-team tournament at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground here. Spurred by an unfinished 64-run fifth wicket stand between Reetinder Sodhi, who lead the under-16 title winning squad, and Niraj Patel, the Indians scored 180 runs for four wickets in 40.4 overs after bundling out the hosts for a measly 178 with 11 balls to spare. Sodhi, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, topscored with 39 not out while Patel contributed an unbeaten 34 to help India, struggling at 116 for four, through after openers Manish Sharma (27) and Ravneet Ricky (18) gave them a good start yet again. The Indian batting, which had been solid throughout, came alive in the crunch game with Sharma and Ricky, who was named best batsman of the tourney, put on 53 runs for the opening wicket to lay a solid foundation as the Indians stamped their authority in a match which turned out to be a big anti-climax for the Sri Lankan colts. Superb bowling by left-arm speedster Shallabh Shrivastav helped India bundle out Sri Lanka for a paltry 178 runs. Srivastav trapped in-form opener Ian Daniels for a duck on the fourth ball of the match to open the floodgates and wickets fell at regular intervals as the hosts collapsed in 48.1 overs. Yuvraj Singh, son of former Test Test cricketer Yograj Singh who was the find of the tournament with his explosive batting and useful off-spin, bagged the ‘man of the series award’. Opener Ricky was declared the best batsman of the tournament. Scoreboard Sri Lanka: R Peiris c Dave b Tripathi 17 I Daniels lbw b Srivastav 0 J Mubarak c and b Kaif 58 S Kandamby run out 10 M Gajanayake c Ratra b Dave 6 M Pushpakumara run out 17 K Lokuarachchi b Srivastav 14 K Weeraratne run out 23 R Dhammika c Sodhi b Srivastav 6 A Ganegama run out 2 R Nissanka not out 2 Extras (b-2, lb-10, w-9, nb-2) 23 Total (all out, 48.1 overs) 178 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-43, 3-84, 4-100, 5-118, 6-125, 7-158, 8-171, 9-174. Bowling: Srivastav 9-2-33-3, Tripathi 9.1-1-38-1, Sodhi 10-0-26-0, Kaif 10-1-31-1, Dave 9-1-33-1, Yuvraj Singh 1-0-5-0. India: M Sharma lbw b Dhammika 27 R Ricky b Lokuarachchi 18 M Kaif b Ganegama 18 Y Singh lbw b Pushpakumara 27 R Sodhi not out 39 N Patel not out 34 Extras (b-4, lb-4, w-5, nb-4) 17 Total (for 4 wkts, 40.4 overs) 180 Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-63, 3-94, 4-116. Bowling: Nissanka
5-0-25-0, Ganegama 6-1-28-1, Dhammika 9-2-28-1,
Lokuarachchi 6-0-20-1, Pushpakumara 10-2-34-1, Kandamby
3-0-24-0, Weeraratne 1.4-0-13-0. |
I am underdog: Davenport MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (AFP) — The world’s top two women players will battle for the Australian Open crown tomorrow and while the outcome is debatable, Martina Hingis has much more to lose than American challenger Lindsay Davenport. The Swiss teenager hasn’t been beaten at Melbourne Park since the 1996 quarter-finals and has only dropped three sets. And she is vying for a fourth consecutive title which will put her name in the record books alongside the great Margaret Court who is the last woman to achieve the feat, during her heyday in the 1960s. Hingis claims centre court as her own, and never tires of telling anyone who will listen. “It has been my court for three years and I intend to keep going,” she says. Davenport, four years older but in only her third grand slam final to Hingis’s nine, has other ideas and fired the first psychological shot when she said: “I like to beat the best when I win the grand slams.” Bluster aside, the statistics point to a Davenport win. She has beaten Hingis nine times, a feat achieved by no other player. Hingis has seven wins but Davenport beat her in all three meetings last year in straight sets. Only Steffi Graf has a better win-loss ratio against the 19-year-old. On championship form Hingis has the edge — just. Neither have dropped a set, but the No.1 seed has given away four fewer games and taken around an hour less to get into the last two. Both have had a reasonably easy passage to the final, although Hingis was pushed by Sandrine Testud in the fourth round and Davenport by Jennifer Capriati in the last set of her semi-final. In theory, Davenport should be the underdog given Hingis’s record here and she acknowledges it. “It’s going to
be tough. I am definitely the underdog going into this
final,” said Davenport, who may also been hampered
by a strained left groin muscle that she’s been
carrying through most of this week. |
East Bengal get past FC Kochin CALCUTTA, Jan 28 (PTI) — Struggling East Bengal arrested their sliding fortunes with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over F C Kochin in a National Football League match here today. Needing to put their best foot forward to improve their position in the points table, East Bengal played their hearts out to earn full points after a long gap in a fast-paced encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium. Striker Willy Brown struck both the goals for the home team while the dependable Opoku netted the match winner midway through the second session after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the interval. Jo Paul Ancheri and Ishaq were the scorers for F C Kochin. East Bengal now have 14 points from 11 matches with F C Kochin having an identical tally. F C Kochin had themselves to blame for the defeat as their forwards displayed poor passing close to the rival goalmouth while their defence left much to be desired. SBT down Dempo MARGAO: S Ignatious’s first half goal propelled State Bank of Travancore to score a 1-0 victory over Dempo in their last encounter in the first phase of the National Football League at Nehru Stadium here today. In the 35th minute Ignatious tapped home a rebound from the post. It was V.P. Shaji’s fierce shot from top of the box which hit the post and found Ignatious on the dot. Ignatious again had chances but shot over the bar twice in the second half when he had only the keeper to beat. Earlier, defender Solta Nabadi’s try off a cross from hardworking Behzad Amri missed the target narrowly. SBT now have 14 points from 11 matches while Dempo have just five from the same number of outings. BSF, ITI split points BANGALORE: Indian Telephone Industries played out a goal-less draw against Border Security Force in the National Football League here today. ITI goofed up a penalty shot in the 28th minute when George Iekeh shot straight to the goalkeeper after Pradip Gorai had handled the ball inside the box. Both teams failed to keep up to the standards. ITI messed up the chances of utilising the home advantage. Both played the game like an inconsequential match and tested the spectator’s patience to the core. Many substitutions from both the teams did not serve the purpose but in the 80th minute, BSF’s D.S. Negi who came in for Jasbir Singh lost a chance by shooting aimlessly near the goal mouth. At the fag end, Guranga Paul failed to connect a pass from Harbinder Singh. ITI’s move in bringing Onyeka Okafor (midfield) and Loolo Nwiki (striker) and pushing R.C. Prakash to assist the midfield and bounce back was a wrong one. Mahindras hold Salgaocar MUMBAI (UNI): Mahindras today missed chances galore to settle for a goal-less draw with Salgaocar of Goa in the National Football League here at the Cooperage. Right from the time when no Mahindra forward had the presence of mind to latch on to a slip by Goan goalie Juje Siddi in the opening minutes to the final whistle, the Mumbai outfit wasted six shots which, if executed properly would have changed the course of the match. The man responsible for Mahindra’s, poor show was the usually reliable Manjit Singh who was replaced after half time. In the 20th minute, Khalid Siddique gave a deceptive lob which landed in front of Manjit who could have closed his eyes and scored but he stood motionless. Again in the 32nd minute
Jordanian Sameer Jamil dispossessed a Goan at centre
point using much of the shoulder pressure and gave a
perfect angular pass to his compatriot Bassam Khatib. The
latter instantly toed a forward lob which caught the
whole defence flat footed. But Manjit in line with the
pole from a hand shaking distance hit the net. |
Davis Cup: injured Sampras pulls out MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (AFP) — An injured Pete Sampras today pulled out of next week’s Davis Cup tennis tie between the USA and Zimbabwe in Harare. Sampras strained his right hip in his five-set defeat to Andre Agassi in Australian Open men’s singles semi-final yesterday. “I hurt my hip and I am not able to go to Zimbabwe. It’s a pretty substantial tear,” the American said. “It happened yesterday, early on in the match.” Doctors estimate he’ll be out for at least three to four weeks, adding that he’ll need to rest initially before beginning a stretching programme. “I’m struggling to walk normally. I’ve had my share of treatment over the past month and this is a different area, but I’ll be back,” Sampras said. The first-round tie in Harare from next Friday was billed as a triumphant return to the worldwide competition for the all-star pair of Sampras and Agassi. Sampras, out for three
months last year with a back problem, said he hurt his
hip during the third game of the opening set of a
showdown which lasted for nearly three hours. |
Sunil clinches tennis title NEW DELHI, Jan 28 (UNI) — Continuing his winning streak, national hardcourt champion Sunil Kumar today beat compatriot Parantap Chaturvedi 7-5, 6-1 to clinch the title in the ITF Junior Circuit Tennis Tournament. The eighth-seeded Sunil, who on Saturday won the ITF Junior Circuit Tournament in Colombo, today put brakes on the fine run of Parantap to win the title in 68 minutes. In the girls section, which saw an all-Chinese affair, top-seeded Shuai Peng overcame the unseeded Yan Ze Xie 6-1, 6-4 to take the title in just over an hour. Sunil will be representing the country in the Davis Cup tie against Lebanon next month which will be played in Lucknow. On a windy day, Parantap started the match well as he broke Sunil in the very first game and lead 4-2. Sunil, who leads a 13-1 head-to-head statistics with Parantap, never appeared to be in the match, considered a cakewalk for him. He hit some wild shots, and looked to be mentally under pressure, knowing very well he was the favourite. However, retaining his serve in the seventh, he broke Parantap in the next as the latter hit a forehand to the net, equalling the score 4-4. This was the turning point of the match, as after that Sunil never gave his opponent any chance to come back into the match. Though Parantap held his next serve, Sunil ensured the set did not go to a tie break. Leading 6-5, he broke Parantap in the twelfth, as the latter hit a backhand to the net, to take the set (7-5). The second set saw Sunil having no difficulty, as he broke Parantap twice, while holding his serve, to serve the set out 6-1. Asked about the match, he admitted, “Parantap played well initially. But then I came up.” He said the wind also affected the game to some extent. With this win, Sunil has three ITF titles in his kitty. In the girls section, Shuai, who yesterday won the doubles title pairing with Xie, started well as she easily took the first set (6-1), breaking Xie thrice. However, the second set saw a struggle, with a total of six breaks. The players traded two breaks each before the fifth game. However, then a rejuvenated Peng pushed her game up and broke Xie in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. Holding her serve, she finally broke Xie in the tenth to take the set (6-4) and the championship. The boys doubles title was yesterday clinched by top seeds Chandrasekhar Mohanty and Karan Doctor. The Indian pair prevailed over compatriots and second seeds Akshay Vishal Rao and Sunil 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The girls doubles title was taken by the Chinese pair of Peng and Xie. The second seeds beat the top-seeded pair of Liza Pereira and Anete Rozkaine 6-0, 6-3. Results (finals): Boys (singles): Sunil Kumar (8) b Parantap Chaturvedi 7-5, 6-1. Boys Doubles: Chandrasekhar Mohanty/Karan Doctor (1) b Akshay Vishal Rao/Sunil Kumar (2) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Girls (singles): Shuai
Peng (1) b Yan Ze Xie 6-1, 6-4. Girls doubles: Shuai
Peng/Yan Ze Xie (2) b Liza Pereira/Anete Rozkaine (1)
6-0, 6-3. |
Kafelnikov downs Norman MELBOURNE, Jan 28 (Reuters) — Defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov raced into the men’s final at the Australian Open today, beating Sweden’s Magnus Norman 6-1 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals of the year’s first grand slam. The near-rout on centre court was a far cry from the five-set epic in which world number one Andre Agassi beat US rival Pete Sampras last night. But Kafelnikov’s form — he all but shut the previously in-form Norman out of the match in the first two sets — promised an intriguing showdown in the men’s final on Sunday. “Andre is clearly the favourite, but if Yevgeny can play like he did today I think he has a good shot,” Norman said. The second-seed Russian came into the open on a five-match losing streak and lost the first set of the tournament against unheralded German Jens Knippschild. Since then, however, he has not dropped a set, surprising even himself with the ease of his passage through the bottom half of the draw. “I’ve expected a lot tougher matches than perhaps I had, but maybe I have to give credit to myself,” Kafelnikov said. Norman shut out Despite the best efforts of a few dozen raucous Swedish fans to cheer him on, 12th-seeded Norman barely got a look-in during the first two sets as Kafelnikov kept up the pressure from the baseline and the net. The first set took just 22 minutes and it looked for a while as if Kafelnikov could wrap up his day’s work in little more than an hour. Norman, who was clearly nervous in his first grand slam semifinal, eventually found his range in the third set and began to come out on top in some powerful baseline rallies. He unexpectedly traded service breaks with Kafelnikov early in the third set, slamming a backhand winner down the line with his only break point of the match. “I thought ‘oh god, maybe the match has just begun’,” Kafelnikov said of the service break. But he grabbed the deciding break in the seventh game and held on to complete the win in just 90 minutes. Norman beat red-hot Australian Lleyton Hewitt and fourth seed Nicolas Kiefer en route to the semis in Melbourne. Before that he reached the semifinals of a tour event in Adelaide and won the following week in Auckland. But against Kafelnikov, who also won the French Open in 1996, he clearly suffered from lack of big match experience. “I think I struggled for two sets but in the third I really began to recognise myself again out there. I started thinking in the right way, I started to hit the ball a lot better,” he said. “So I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t get one more chance.” Kafelnikov also expressed disappointment — but only at the fact he had not been able to show the crowd the extent of his talent. He will have plenty of time for that on Sunday, though, and said he was happy that Agassi rather than Sampras had won the first men’s semifinal. Kafelnikov has won only two of 12 matches against Sampras but has notched four of nine against Agassi. Agassi won three of their four meetings last year and Kafelnikov remembered today how the American came back after losing the first set 6-1 in the semifinals of last year’s US Open. “You don’t get
a lot of chances to play in a grand slam final, so
I’ll be prepared,” Kafelnikov promised. |
Lancashire keen to sign Tendulkar LONDON, Jan 28 (PTI) — Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar, the first overseas player to play for Yorkshire, may become one of the select few to wear both the white and the red roses if Lancashire sign him for next season. Lancashire want Tendulkar as their overseas player since off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 66 wickets in six championship games in 1999, has been ruled out because of commitments with the Sri Lankan team, media reports here said. Tendulkar struggled to adjust to life in the north of England in 1992 and the image of him huddled at slips under several Yorkshire jumpers endures. But he is ranked the world’s best batsman and is infinitely more experienced now, the Guardian said. Lancashire are also
considering Calcutta left-hander Sourav Ganguly, paceman
Javagal Srinath and Australia’s Ricky Ponting, and
will take a decision next Monday, the daily said. |
A nation of billion good for
nothing WE have lost. Our men have been mauled. The performance of our cricket team has been disgraceful. Totally. Some played manly and won magnificently. Some were defeated but not disgraced. They bounced back. We played badly and have lost miserably. This nation of nearly a billion is good for nothing. “Citius — Altius — Faltius” — Faster — Higher — Stronger, is the Olympic motto. It also symbolises the ambition of every sportsman. To fulfil this desire, the represenatives of nations meet at different places. To prove their mettle. To assert their national superiority. To show the results of their efforts. To serve and satisfy their own ego. To win, cups and trophies, which have come to be regarded as the true symbols of success. Of a nation’s superiority. India is a large country. We are, numerically, the second greatest nation of the world. We are next only to China. As a people, we take pride in our hoary past. We are never tired of boasting of a rich heritage. Yet, we have not produced a single Olympic gold medallist. Still, full of a false sense of pride in our past, we participate in almost all the competitions. Not surprisingly, we are the first amongst the worst. Small countries, with a population which may be less than that of a small state in India, beat us. Very often. And they beat us badly. Completely and convincingly. Despite that, we continue to send team after team. Accompanied by a fairly big contingent of officials, managers, coaches and physiotherapists. And despite the disgracefully dismal display, each one of them emerges out of the Jumbo jet with a big smile and still bigger bags. Very often, out of sheer politeness, one resists the temptation to say “shamelessly”. It is true that once upon a time we were the world’s best players of hockey. We had won the Olympic gold medals. We lost that position long back. In cricket, ‘Dev and his Devils’ had won the World Cup. We had also won the Benson and Hedges Cup in Australia. However, today, all this appears to be only a part of history. The latest performance (or the sheer lack of it?) by our cricket team in Australia has been pathetic. We lost the three-Test series by the biggest possible margin. Some of the one-day matches were lost even when we were in a position to win. In the rest of the matches, we were totally thrashed. Mauled. The Australian and Pakistani tails wag so well. To such good effect. What happens to us? Our team is worse than their tails. Is not the whole affair so painful? We boast of having the world’s best batsman. In fact, till recently we even claimed to be the world’s best batting side. We have the fast bowlers too. Even our ace spinner bowls at almost medium pace. And let us give the devil his due. It cannot be denied that our batsmen have sometimes scored centuries. They have created some records as well. Yet, these were individuals achieving. Now and then. Here and there. And mostly on home grounds. In tailor-made conditions. Not a national team performing. Otherwise, at the international level, we have invariably lost important games at crucial stages. When victory mattered the most. In moments of crises, we crumble like the old ruins. It appears as if, the spinal column has no bone. The Indian ship seems to be rudderless. Without anyone to lead it. From the front. In moments of crises, we have always caved in. Too easily. Wherever be the match, one sees such a large number of Indians. Getting together to cheer their fellow countrymen. With national flags in their hands. All over the world. They spend the time and money. At the end of the day, they have little to cheer about. Today, the nation feels let down. As an Indian, I feel cheated. My sense of pride is hurt. In fact, the whole country is disappointed. Why did it happen? Is it because our players are more interested in modelling than in playing? Earning quickly? Money seems to be the main motto. Neither the country nor cricket seems to be as important. The daily chorus is “Yeh dil maange more”. Not the bat. Only the drink. The best batsman is seen more with the bottle than with the bat in his hand. More in the dressing room than on the pitch. The others follow the leader. Not surprisingly, they fall for anything and everything. They stand for nothing. Today they appear to believe that a mask of gold can hide all the bodily deformities and give them all the happiness. Gold and not God has become their true master. Otherwise, we can offer no explanation for the poor performance. When things are ill done, silence is a sin. In this hour of national disgrace, the people cannot continue to be dumb and mute. We should not be just silent spectators. We should not feel helpless. Not should we resign ourselves to our fate. We must rise to the occasion. Demand our due. Fight for the pound of flesh that is ours. If we do not, the members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India shall continue to occupy the coveted office. So shall the members of the selection committee. What to talk of resigning, none of them shall even show the courtesy of tendering a public apology. To the people who pay for their pleasures. To them, personal ambition and interest come before national honour. It is time that they are questioned. Publicly. In the open. They must not be allowed to use their position and resources to silence those who should be talking. Loudly. At this very moment. They must be made accountable. They must be told that they are responsible for this moment of national shame. They must be made to vacate the offices that they have so blatantly abused. In fact, disgraced. Without any further loss of time. Immediately. A day later may be too late. As a people, we must realise that the needy fight better than the greedy. Exercise and exertion are life’s preservers. Standing waters shall always stagnate. Resting bodies invariably tend to rust. Every game demands discipline. Untiring effort and exertion are essential for achieving excellence. Hard work should be supplemented by a keen sense of national pride. The secret of success lies more in zeal than in sheer ability. Shall we put in a sincere effort? If we try earnestly, we can achieve everything. We are a patient nation. We can wait endlessly. We must not lose hope. We must try. We are good at making excuses. At lodging protests. This is what our officials were doing in Australia. Probably, for diverting attention? Or because, they are good for nothing else? At present, before the
cricketing world, this nation of one thousand million
people has been made to feel that it is good for nothing.
It must not be allowed to happen again. Never. Otherwise,
we shall be good for nothing. |
Kasparov extends lead; Anand held WIJk AAN ZEE (The Netherlands), Jan 28 (UNI) — The grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (6), slipped further down the ladder when he was held to a draw by young Russian Alexander Morozevich (5.5) in the 10th round of Corus International Chess Tournament here. In contrast, top seed Garry Kasparov (7.5) extended his lead to a full point over his nearest rivals by outwitting Bosnian Predrag Nikolic. With just three more rounds to go, Kasparov looks entrenched in the driver’s seat. He is yet to meet his nearest rivals Russian Vladimir Kramnik and Hungarian Peter Leko (both 6.5 points). The game between Anand and Morozevich was an exciting affair in the slav defence. Anand had earlier decided to challenge the young Russian in his pet slav defence rather than take the latter in French defence. Two rounds before this game, Kasparov had outplayed Morozevich in the same opening. However, Morozevich was better prepared to meet Anand in this exciting battle. When Anand sacrificed a piece on 22nd move for an attack, Morozevich defended brilliantly. He managed to exchange the dangerous pieces and soon the draw was agreed in the endgame after 37 moves. Kasparov faced Nikolic
in neo-grunfeld defence with black pieces, moving them
around patiently and waiting for a breakthrough. In some
tactical skirmishes resulting from top seed’s
knights, Nikolic lost his way and Kasparov emerged a pawn
ahead in the ending. |
Engineer favours Azhar’s inclusion DUBAI, Jan 28 (UNI) — Faroukh Engineer, former Indian wicket-keeper, has strongly favoured the inclusion of Mohammed Azharuddin in the Indian team to give strength to batting. “Azhar is a class player and still has some cricketing years left in him”, Engineer, who is here to take part in the Hall of Fame Gold Classic along with many other former cricket stars, told UNI. He said he was surprised at the exclusion of Azhar,saying “in my opinion he should have never been dropped”. Engineer, who is still rated as the best wicket-keeper India has ever produced, said “If Azhar is out of the team for reasons of politics, it is certainly bad for Indian cricket”. He also wondered why Ajay Jadeja was being kept out of the team. Asked to comment on
India’s poor performance in Australia in both Test
matches and one-dayers, he said “Australia is the
most powerful team.” |
ITF meet qualifying rounds from
today CHANDIGARH, Jan 28 — The city will miss tennis star Sunil Kumar, reigning national champion, during the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament (Grade 4) scheduled to begin from January 31 at CLTA courts, Sector 10, as he will be playing in the Davis Cup tie against Lebanon from February 4 at Lucknow. At Delhi today, Sunil bagged the second consecutive title after winning at the Colombo ITF meet last week. Though the two day qualifying rounds for the ITF meet will begin tomorrow, the main draw matches will start from Monday, according to Mr Rajan Kashyap, chairman, Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association, organisers of this meet. This year the tournament has been upgraded to grade 4 and matches will be played on synthetic courts. Mr Dushan Deo will be the ITF observer. Among foreign players in the boys section, Sweden’s Raymond Benc ranked 114, UAE’s Omar Behroozian ranked 141, Armenia’s Aroutin Sofian ranked 250, Uzbekistan’s Alhundjanav Makhmood ranked 335, Uros Kuhar of Slovenia who reached the last four at Delhi ITF meet recently along with Alamgir Wali of Pakistan have confirmed their entries. The Indian challenge in this section will be spearheaded by Parantap Chaturvedi who though unseeded remained runner up at Delhi, Karan Doctor, winner of the doubles title at Delhi, and local lads, including Akshay Vishal Rao, and Amanjot Singh among others. In the girls section,
Aibaka Kalsarieva of Kazhakistan ranked 203, Anna Shupak
ranked 303 of Uzbekistan, and Shuai Peng and Xie Yan-Ze
of China will participate. India will be represented by
Nandita Chandersekhar, Isha Chopra, Vishika Chhetri,
Radhika Tulpule, Megha Vakaria, Geeta Manohar among
others. |
Bhiwani eves win TT title CHANDIGARH, Jan 28 — Bhiwani won the Cadet Girls’ Team Championship title on the second day of the 31st Haryana State Inter District Table Tennis Championship at DAV Public School, Sector-14, Gurgaon, today. In the cadet boys’ team championship, Sirsa and Rohtak entered the final. In the mens section, Sirsa, Bardabad, Rohtak, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam and Panchkula easily won their league matches. In the women’s section Sirsa beat Rewari 3-1. In the subjunior boys team championship, Sirsa, Rewari and Rohtak entered the past four. Results: Men’s team championship (League): HVPN b Gurgaon, Rewari lost to Kurukshetra 3-2, Panchkula b Fatehabad 3-0, Rohtak b Gurgaon ‘A’ 3-0, Faridabad b Panipat 3-0 and Sirsa b Karnal 3-0. Women’s team championship (League): Sirsa b Rewari 3-0, (Monika Singhal b Rinki 21-6, 21-6, Rekha Sehgal b Vandana Singh 21-18, 18-21, 16-21, 21-15, Meenu b Puneet 21-12, 21-10. Cadet girls’ team championship (round robin league): Bhiwani b Yamunanagar 2-0, Sirsa b Rohtak 3-1. Bhiwani b Rohtak 3-0 (Reema Nagpal b Suman 21-18, 21-15, Renu b Poonam 25-23, 21-16, Veena b Shivani 21-12, 21-9). Rohtak b Yamunanagar 3-0 (Poonam b Richa 21-8, 21-16, Suman b Sidhi 21-19, 22-20, Shivani b Meenakshi 21-13, 21-17). Bhiwani b Sirsa 3-1 (Reema Nagpal b Neha 21-5, 21-12, Renu lost to Suman 21-15, 15-21, 12-21, Veena b Steffi 21-19, 21-18, Reema b Suman 23-21, 21-13). Cadet boys (league): Karnal b Panchkula 3-0. Subjr boys (league): Rewari b Gurgaon 3-1, Karnal b Panchkula 3-1, Gurgaon b Kurukshetra 3-1, Gurgaon ‘B’ Fetehabad 3-2, Sirsa b Rewari 3-1, Rohtak b Kurukshetra 3-1, Gurgaon ‘A’ b Panchkula, Kurukshetra b Panchkula 3-2, Sirsa b Gurgaon ‘B’ 3-0). Subjr girls (league):
Rohtak b Bhiwani 3-0, Rohtak b Rewari 3-1, Rohtak b
Rewari 3-1. |
Ropar Hawks triumph LUCKNOW, Jan 28 (UNI) — Vidarbha, Ropar Hawks, Punjab and Haryana earned full points winning their pool league matches of the 11th K.D. Singh Babu SubJunior Invitation Hockey Tournament at the Guru Govind Singh Stadium here today. Last year’s runners
up Ropar Hawks defeated Andhra Pradesh in a one-sided
match by 17-0. The other match was a keen contest between
Haryana and Gujarat. Haryana defeated Gujarat 2-1. |
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