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Thursday,
February 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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WORLD CUP DIARY Indians have
the edge Saurav Ganguly writes |
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Problems of Indian cricket refuse to go away South Zone lift Deodhar Trophy West Zone cruise
to 8-wicket win Kila
Raipur mela from today
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No end to India’s nightmare Kuala Lumpur, February 27 Down by three goals at half-time, India fought back to make it 2-3 but a missed penalty stroke late into the second session by skipper Baljit Singh Dhillon put paid to the team’s aspirations and the 1975 champions crashed out of contention for a berth in the last four. Coach Cedric D’Souza had talked about divine intervention yesterday, and as if to oblige him the skies opened up, inundating the pitch which temporarily halted the proceedings for 22 minutes giving the Indians time to reformulate the strategy. However, the Malaysians, leading 2-0 at that time, did not allow them much freedom and compounded the Indians’ misery with one more goal shortly before half-time. Going by match statistics, the two sides had four shots each at the goal. But, as coach Cedric D’Souza later said, while the Malaysians converted even half chances, India could not capitalise on the opportunities and thus paid the price. Malaysia’s attacks were well orchestrated, more purposeful and penetrating while India were struggling for an effective gameplan. The early goal for Malaysia coming in the very second minute was, in fact, a classic example of opportunism. Boon Huat Chua’s hit from the right caught Shankar Shanmugam on the ‘D’ top and he turned his stick marvellously to deflect the ball past Jude Menezes(1-0). In the sixth minute a controversial decision by umpire Steve Graham denied India a chance to equalise. A free hit by midfielder Baljit Saini from the right was deflected into the net although it was not clear who engineered it but umpire Steve neither allowed a goal nor blew for a penalty corner as Dhanraj Pillay and others rushed towards him to convince him. But after consultations with fellow umpire Hamish Jamson, Steve stuck to his decision. After India wasted a penalty corner when Jugraj just stood motionless following the push, Malaysia struck the second blow. Following a series of attacks, the first of which was repulsed by Jude Menezes, Keevan Raj pushed the ball in making it 2-0 in the 19th minute. Thereafter the match was halted following heavy downpour but when the game resumed after a 22-minute break, the Malaysians struck the third blow as skipper Mirnawan Nawawi deflected home a cross by Boon Huat Chua making it 3-0. The second half saw Malaysia going on the defensive as India pressed hard to cut the deficit. Eventually, in the 51st minute, skipper Baljit Dhillon managed to weave his way in and his gentle pass for brother Daljit saw the latter putting the ball past Jamaluddin’s reach (1-3). The second goal for India off a penalty corner by Prabhjot Singh, who found the target in a melee, breathed new life into the Indian attack. In the 63rd minute, India earned a penalty stroke after the ball struck a rival defenders’s foot off a short corner. But as luck would have it, goalkeeper Jamaluddin stopped Baljit Dhillon’s hit with full confidence and the stadium erupted in unbridled joy. With the blowing of the hooter, the standing ovation for Paul Lissek’s team was in order while the dejected Indians trouped out trying to figure out what went wrong today. Meanwhile, in a major upset, Spain upset Germany 3-2 in pool ‘A’ after leading 1-0 at half time. After taking the lead in the 23rd minute through Eduard Tubau off a penalty corner, Spain added two more through Tubau and Xavier Ribas and looked well set for an impressive win. However, Germany hit back in dramatic fashion, scoring twice in the last two minutes through Bjorn Michel and Oliver Domke to make it 2-3. Pakistan further consolidated their position with a 2-0 win over New Zealand. The scorers were Shahbaz Ahmed and Khalid Saleem who scored field goals in the 39th and 57th minutes to brighten their chances for a berth in the semis. Australia chalked out a comfortable 5-1 win over Poland with goals from Jamie Dwyer, Michael McCann(two), Craig Victory, and Troy Elder. For Poland, Tomasz Choczaj was the lone scorer. Earlier, an attacking Netherlands routed Belgium 5-1 after leading by 3-0 at half time. Taeke Taeke had a brace, scoring once in each half after Marten Eikelboom had opened the account off a penalty corner in the 15th minute. The second was a field goal scored by Karel Klaver. In the second half, the Dutch were unstoppable and Teun de Nooijer made it 4-0 with another field goal in the 44th minute. Belgium drew some consolation ten minutes later when Maxime Luycx found the target off a penalty corner. But with three minutes remaining, the Dutch slotted home the fifth goal through Taeke who converted a penalty corner. The Dutch superiority can be gauged from the fact that they had 11 shots at the goal while Belgium could manage only two. In another pool A match, Argentina registered their maiden win, getting past South Africa by a rather comfortable 4-1 margin despite being reduced to ten men in the second half. The scorers were Mario Almada(7th), Jorge Lombi (18th, 22nd), and Matias Vila (70th). For South Africa, Greg Nicol was the lone scorer in the 63rd minute. A disappointed Rob Pullen, coach of South Africa, said his players played as individuals and not as a team. He also blamed the sloppy defence for the defeat. How
they stand Group A: Teams P W D L GF GA Pts Germany 3 2 0 1 10 5 6 Pakistan 3 3 0 0 10 2 9 Netherlands 3 3 0 0 11 2 9 Spain 3 3 0 0 8 3 9 Belgium 3 0 0 3 3 10 0 Argentina 3 1 0 2 7 8 3 NewZealand 3 0 0 3 1 9 0 SouthAfrica 3 0 0 3 1 12 0 Group B: SouthKorea 3 3 0 0 11 3 9 Australia 3 3 0 0 9 1 9 Poland 3 1 0 2 5 7 3 England 3 2 0 1 8 1 6 Malaysia 3 2 0 1 4 5 6 India 3 0 1 2 5 7 1 Japan 3 0 1 2 2 6 1 ‘We will play for pride’ “We gave in soft fouls and paid the price,” said a tense Cedric D’Souza after India crashed out of contention for a berth in the World Cup semifinals here today. “We still have courage and
character. We will play for our pride. I still believe that this team is good. Baljit Dhillon’s costly miss notwithstanding, I still believe that he is the best,” the Indian coach commented. Referring to the goals conceded, Cedric said the “opposition did not earn
them. The early goal put the team under pressure. Nevertheless, we shall be firing on all cylinders till the end and as long as I am the coach, the team can always walk with heads held high,” he added. |
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WORLD
CUP DIARY EVER
wondered about the Malaysian concept of dignity of Labour ? Meet
Mohammed Afzal (55) the musician, who is blind since birth. Along with
his wife, Fatima, who too is blind, he sits on the pavement near the
Jalan Sultan Ismail with his electronic instrument, two large decks
and a donation box since begging is prohibited. The music based on a
Malay song is indeed captivating. His control is superb and the melodius tunes halt newcomers in their tracks. Afzal hails from Kepong Baru and is one of the several blind persons who have been helped by the welfare department to earn their livelihood with dignity. Blessed with eight children — four sons and four daughters — Afzal has a licence to perform by the roadside. He has been performing regularly for the past 20 years, and it is through these donations that he is supporting one son at the university. * * * * Win, for the King and the country! This banner headline in a local newspaper prior to Malaysia’s clash with Japan perhaps was a motivating factor for the hosts who registered their first win in the World Cup yesterday. “If Malaysia lose to Japan, the only honourable thing for the federation to do will be to withdraw the team from the World Cup and concentrate on being good hosts,” said the main article in the newspaper. Japanese manager Toichi Nagai also admitted that the article made a great difference in the match yesterday. And may be today! * * * * There’s a place for legends, too, at the World Cup. On display in the lobby at the Concorde are some unique items donated by hockey stars. The No 27 green shirt of Pakistan star Shahbaz Ahmed, orange hat and shoes of Dutch star Bram Lomans, shirt of Teun de Nooijer, autographed shirts of Malaysian, Australian, and Japanese teams; and hockey stick of Malaysian goalkeeper Roslan Jamaluddin constitute the collection which is drawing good crowds. * * * * Belgium’s star forward Vitaly Kholopov has created a record of sorts. The 32-year-old hockey player has represented three different countries in three World Cups. In the 1990 edition at Lahore, Vitaly represented Russia but in 1991 the Communist bastion crumbled giving birth to splinter states. Hence in the 1994 edition at Sydney, Vitaly represented Belarus, his home state. Now he has shifted to Belgium and in the ongoing World Cup at Kuala Lumpur, he has already made an impact. In the match against Pakistan, Vitaly scored the opening goal although the lead could not be maintained. Married, with three children, Kholopov is running a computer business at Antwerp. |
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Indians have
the edge New Delhi, February 27 The Ferozeshah Kotla wicket has, by and large, favoured the hosts whenever they played against Zimbabwe, and the last time India and Zimbabwe played a Test match here, from November 18 to 22, 2000, India emerged convincing winners. Rahul Dravid’s crafty unbeaten
double century and a business like 70 in the second innings, and Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred, plus Javagal Srinath’s match-winning five for 60 wicket haul in Zimbabwe’s second innings, were the highlights of the Indian victory. Though Zimbabwe lost the Test rather tamely, they too had their share of glory as veteran Andy Flower had cracked an unbeaten 183 in the first innings and 70 in the second innings, to set the ball rolling for the run riot. The Indians can play an encore if they play to their potential, as they are at their powerful best now as they boast of sound batting and bowling lineup. Obviously, the batting will revolve round Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das, Saurav Ganguly, Venkat Sai Laxman, Sanjay Bangar or Virender Sehwag while the bowling department will be dominated by Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh or Sharandeep. Sanjay Bangar’s confident century in the first Test at Nagpur has helped consolidate the middle order, and unless the team management disturbs the winning combination, there will be a toss-up between Bangar and Delhi boy Virender Sehwag for the middle order slot. There is a clamour to include Sehwag as the Ferozeshah Kotla ground is his ‘home’ ground, and he had shown his explosive batting potential during his knock against England in the one-day international against England last month. In bowling too, Sharandeep Singh, having taken domicile in Delhi, may stake his claim at the cost of Harbhajan Singh, as the Kotla ground is now his ‘home ground’. Even if changes are made, India have the all-round strength to make a clean sweep of the two-Test series. But Venkat Sai Laxman, who had a poor outing at Nagpur in his comeback match, and skipper Saurav Ganguly, will have to come up with big scores to justify their places in the team. Coach John Wright said if Sachin Tendulkar could give a sound batting foundation, then it would be easy for others to build on a big score. A “sporting wicket” has been prepared at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground for the match, which is likely to yield a lot of runs. But an official associated with the preparation of the pitch said it will be a sporting wicket in the truest sense, as it would aid both batsmen and bowlers equally, and not favouring overmuch any one category. |
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Saurav Ganguly writes WE got to Delhi on Tuesday morning and had a good practise session at the National Stadium on Wednesday morning. After nets, I went to Ferozshah Kotla to check out the wicket. It seems to be a typical Delhi wicket with no grass, low bounce and spin as the game progresses. As far as the team is concerned, I will be meeting the selectors late this evening to finalise the eleven. The team is determined to win this Test as well. India had managed to enforce a follow-on last time round, but somehow we were not able to win. We had a day-and-a-half to get them out but a great knock by Andy Flower came between us and a win. I am confident that we will not have a repeat of that in Delhi. Our spinners are in great form with Kumble raring to go at what must be his favourite venue. On the whole, our team is a lot stronger and our bowling attack has more bite. Off the field, plenty of stress has been put on fitness of late. As a result, plenty has been written about it as well. However, I wonder how many people know that after we won the Nagpur Test by 11.00 am on the fifth morning, we were back on the green for a strenuous training session at 11.30 am. It is great to know that the BCCI is considering the appointment of a fitness trainer. This will be beneficial for the players since we have plenty of cricket coming up. The trainer will be accompanying us both abroad and at home. He will therefore be able to assess each player and provide the right kind of training for each individual player. The other development that augurs well for cricket in general is the change in format of the Mini World Cup. Although India did not have the ignominy of getting knocked out in the first game it was tough on the teams who were knocked out since they in effect had travelled around half the world to play just one match. Under the proposed format, 12 teams will be divided into four groups of three. Each team will play two games and the top team of each group progresses to the semifinals. Having each team play at least two games is a great opportunity for teams to try and overcome a bad start. India’s group consists of England and Zimbabwe, two teams that we have seen a lot of in the recent past. The venue for the tournament is tipped to be Sri Lanka. If the tournament is held there, we will be playing in home conditions and that should help us. Gameplan |
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Problems of Indian cricket refuse to go away Chandigarh, February 27 And most of the problems are of India’s own making. The issues have to be addressed not only by the national selectors as well as the team coach but also by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The issues pertain to batsmen, including the skipper, who have failed with the bat time and again, an incompetent person standing behind the wickets, fast bowlers who cannot run through the tail and fielders who are unable to give the backing which world class spinner of the class of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh require. But then why blame skipper Saurav Ganguly’s batting alone in the recently concluded Nagpur Test? What about the form of VVS Laxman, who probably came into the playing eleven at the cost of Virender Sehwag? For how long will Laxman bask in the glory of the double century he scored against Australia at Kolkata? Laxman will have to return to the nets to sort out his problems which have been compounded by momentary lack of concentration and elements of bad luck. True, while the selectors might ask Laxman to sit out in the second Test, the same “medicine” cannot be used in the case of Ganguly. The Indian skipper’s bad patch with the bat is continuing for quite some time, in fact right from the tour of South Africa, and it is he himself who has to sort out the problem. That he has not lost his hunger for runs is apparent from the way he bats in the shorter version of the game but then why is he floundering in Test cricket? Maybe, a sabbath for a short while will allow him to sort out the problem which appears to be more in the head than on form. Indian cricket does need Saurav Ganguly, specially with the World Cup coming up next year, but then Indian cricket needs Saurav Ganguly the batsman and not only Saurav Ganguly the combative Indian skipper. The fact that coach John Wright has gone on record to say that he was not happy with the performance of wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta in the Nagpur Test is enough indication that Deep cannot stay in the team for long on the basis of his batting alone if he does not improve his keeping by at least a couple of notches. Most pundits admit that Haryana’s Ajay Ratra is a much better keeper and the only reason why Deep found the nod of the selectors was the century which he scored against England at the Mohali Test and the confidence he enjoys of the skipper. The one option which the selectors have is to ask Sanjay Bangar, whose batting really came good at Nagpur, to open the batting for India (Sanjay does play as an opener in the Ranji Trophy) and then fit in Ratra down the order. This option should have been tried out in the Delhi Test against the visitors. The problems of Javagal Srinath, who time and again has shown an inability to run through any tail, cannot be solved overnight specially with the Karnataka bowler not getting any younger. At Nagpur, specially in Zimbabwe’s first innings, the spinner could have done the job if they had the support of the fielders but then that is yet another grey area in the Indian team. There is no shortcut to improving the fielding of the team. Maybe Wright is trying, but the effort has to come from the players. No coach by himself can do anything ! |
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South Zone lift Deodhar Trophy New Delhi, February 27 South Zone and Central Zone were declared joint winners of the Deodher Trophy in 2001. The South Zone bowlers, required to restrict North Zone under 180 runs to earn the vital bonus point to win the title, did not flinch when the crucial hour arrived and
dismissed their rivals for 176 to lift the coveted trophy. Chasing a target of 223, none of the North Zone batsmen showed the will to occupy the crease and
played reckless shots to gift their wickets away to the hard working South Zone bowlers. Their poor running between the wickets, which resulted in four run outs, also made matters worse for North Zone. Talented opener Gautam Gambhir (24) and Yuvraj Singh (24), failed to capitalise on the startd they got as Gambhir holed out a simple catch to Suresh Kumar at mid wicket off Vijay Bhardwaj and the latter was run out attempting a quick single. Ajay Ratra (51) and Amit Mishra (20 no) tried to bring the innings back on track but the needless run out of Ratra spoiled the party for North Zone. Venkatesh Prasad and Bhardwaj bagged two wickets each for South Zone. Earlier, electing to bat, South Zone after initial fumblings, posted 223 runs in 49.5 overs courtesy fine half-centuries by Sridharan Sarath (52) and Vengopal Rao (54). For North, Amit Bhandari, Sonu Sharma and Yuvraj Singh captured two wickets each.
PTI |
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West Zone cruise
to 8-wicket win Gurgaon, February 27 In fact, it turned out to be a lop-sided contest with West Zone taking a firm grip on it right from the moment the proceedings started in the morning. Medium pacer Lalit Patel, striking early breakthroughs, put the rivals on the back foot. Central could never recover from the blows. Wickets kept on tumbling one after the other as the team was bundled out for 130 runs in a little over two hours. Skipper Gagan Khoda was the highest scorer with 47 runs. This meagre total was never going to challenge the strong batting line-up of West Zone. Former India player Vinod Kambli ensured there were no hiccups. He played a confident innings of an unbeaten 56 runs and finished the contest lofting part-time bowler Khoda straight for a four. Opener Altaf Merchant gave Kambli good company, making 36. Central Zone, who elected to bat, made a disastrous start. Amey Khuresia, promoted to open the innings, disappointed for the second day in running. Going for an extravagant stroke rather early in the innings he top-edged and gave a simple catch to Kirat Damani at mid-wicket, off Lalit Patel in his first over. Stocky Patel, who shared the new ball with India seamer Ajit Agarkar, bowled a near-perfect line, besides generating pace. He next claimed Tejinderpal Singh, having him caught behind and then sent back Mohammed Kaif, who played too early to put Central Zone in a spot of bother. Diminutive off-spinner Ramesh Pawar further jolted the innings consuming Jyoti Yadav and they were tottering at 53 for four. Central Zone: A Khuresia c Damani b L Patel 3, Khoda c Merchant b Bahutule 47, Tejinder c P Patel b L Patel 7, Kaif c Bahutule b L Patel 6, Jyoti Yadav c Kanitkar b R Pawar 3, JP Yadav run out 32, Kanwat Ibw Bahutule 1, Ojha run out 11, Karthik c Damani b Powar 4, Harvinder not out 1, S Srivastava Ibw Agarkar 3. Extras (w5, nb1, Ib2, b4) : 12. Total (all out in 32.3 overs ) : 130.
FoW: 1-3,2-26,3-48,4-53,5-109,6-110,7-112,8-119,9-126,10-130. Bowling : Agarkar 4.3-0-18-1, L Patel 6-1-24-3, I Pathan jr 7-0-31-0 R Pawar 7-0-22-2, S Bahutule 8-0-29-2 West Zone: Merchant c Karthik b Kanwat 36, Parthiv Patel run out 20, Kambli not out 56, Martin not out 11. Extras ( w 9, nb 1, Ib 1) : 11 Total ( for two wickets in 32.5 overs): 134 FoW: 1-34, 2-87 Bowling: Harvinder 4-0-13-0, S Srivastava 3-0-10-0, M Karthik 10-0-49-0, R Kanwat 10-0-26-1, TP Singh 2-0-12-0
M Kaif 2.5-0-17-0, Khoda 1-0-6-0. |
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Kila Raipur mela from today Kila Raipur, February 27 According to the chief organiser, Mr Sukhbir Grewal, teams from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have already arrived and will participate in bullock cart races, dog race, archery, tent pegging, tractor races, besides other events. Started in 1933, the Kila Raipur games have emerged as one of the biggest rural sports event in the world. “The sports festival was started to promote sports activity among rural folks, but over the years this extravaganza has come to personify the spirit of the people and their feats which may range from ordinary to incredible and bizarre”, says Mr Grewal, who is part of a committee of 160 odd members who have continued this sports activity started by their elders. According to Mr Grewal while the competitive sports events will take place during the day, there will be a cultural show by folk artists from the four participating states every evening. The schedule of the games is: Feb 28: hockey and bullock cart; March 1 to 3, athletics: 100m: primary (U-19 men, women, veterans), 200m (U-19 men, women), 400m (U-19 men, women), 800m (men, women), 1500m (men, women), high jump (U-19 men, women), long jump (U-19 men, women, veterans), shot put (men, women, veterans), javelin throw (men, women), discus throw (men, women), hockey (junior, senior), kabaddi (62 kg and one village open men, women and veterans), tug-of-war, bullock cart race, dog race, cycle race, weightlifting (clean and jerk below 60 kg, 60-75 kg, 75 to 90 kg, 90 kg and above), archery, events for deaf and dumb, air pistol (10m), para gliding show, lifting of sack (in pairs), tent pegging, Nihangs riding skills, giddha, bhangra and folk dances, events for disabled, clay pigeon shooting, aero modelling show, loading, offloading of trolley of paddy, tractor race, Gatka (marital arts), feats of strength by ruralites, bazigars feats. |
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Rural games Chandigarh, February 27 The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, will inaugurated the games on March 2 at 2 pm. |
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