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Sunday,
March 3, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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India taste victory at last; Pak beaten
D’Souza sacked; Kumar takes
charge |
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Ganguly ends run drought with ton Gavaskar comments
Vettori told
to sit out
Seven-year-old
enthralls Anand suffers
shock defeat Seriki’s brace sees Bagan
through JCT go down to Salgaocar Chandigarh eves ground Air-India
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India taste victory at last; Pak beaten Kuala Lumpur, March 2 On an eventful day in Indian hockey when coach Cedric D’Souza was ‘sacked’ midway through the championship for the lacklustre showing in the earlier ties, the national team displaying resilience, cast aside memories of the unfortunate early morning happenings to pick up full points for the first time in the current edition of the World Cup. The victory was sought to be projected as a result of the IHF’s ‘corrective’ measure in removing coach Cedric D’Souza from the post and this was emphasised by the IHF secretary at a press conference later in the evening. India’s victory today was hardly surprising. Minnows Cuba have already lost all their matches by huge margins conceding 27 goals thus far. India made one major change today with second goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan figuring in the starting line-up. The former champions commenced the proceedings with a flourish as Dilip Tirkey’s hit off a penalty corner left Cuban goalkeeper dazed (1-0). The second goal followed in the 14th minute through yet another penalty corner conversion by Daljit Dhillon(2-0). And two minutes later, junior world cupper Deepak Thakur added the third goal by deflecting a hit from the right. India led 3-0 at half time and it seemed as if the former champions would chalk out a big victory at the end of the day. However, the second half yielded only one goal as skipper Baljit Dhillon found the target with a brilliant attempt in the 52nd minute. India’s domination can be gauged from the fact that the former champions had at least 17 shots at the goal while Cuba had only seven. India were also awarded 10 penalty corners of which only two could be converted while Cuba were awarded seven. Coach C.R. Kumar, who took over from Cedric D’Souza, today, said: “Cuba were not too strong in attacking but were better in defence.” On being asked whether there had been any change in style he said: “Cedric would have done more or less the same.” Defending champions Netherlands virtually ended Pakistan’s hopes with a hard-fought 2-1 win in pool ‘A’. The Dutch scored a brace through Bram Lomans (19th,37th) while Pakistan pulled one back through Khalid Saleem whoscored a field goal in the 55th minute. In the last match, a capacity crowd witnessed a gallant fight by hosts Malaysia, who downed England 2-1 to register their third victory in the World Cup. The scorers for Malaysia were Maninderjit Singh, who converted a penalty stroke in the eighth minute, and Madzli Ikmar, who scored off a penalty corner in the 40th minute. For England, Dave Matthews was the lone scorer who found the target in the 64th minute. Germany edged out New Zealand 2-1 after leading by a solitary goal at half time. The first German goal came only two minutes before the breather as Bjorn Michel sounded the boards off a penalty corner. New Zealand hit back in the second half and snatched the equaliser through a penalty stroke which was
successfully converted by Hymie Gill. But there was no stopping the Germans, tipped as favourite in the current edition, as Christoph Bechmann scored a field goal to make it 2-1 in the 6oth minute. Germany had as many as 13 shots at the goal while New Zealand
could manage just one. Germany also earned five penalty corners while New Zealand could force none. South Africa and Spain played a 2-2 draw in a pool ‘A’ match although Spain led 2-1 at half time. Pol Amat put Spain ahead with a field goal in the 22nd minute but South Africa hit back in the very next minute scoring the equaliser through Clyde Abrahams who also scored a field goal. The Spaniards once again took the lead through Eduard Tubau who converted a short corner in the 35th minute. The lead was, however, neutralised by South Africa’s Justin King who converted a penalty corner in the last minute to make it 2-2. Australia humbled Japan 5-0 in pool ‘B’ after leading by 5-0 at half time. Matthew Wells and Craig Victory scored a brace each after Jeremy Hiskins had opened the account in the second minute with a fine field goal. Argentina rode on Jorge Lombi’s brace on their way to a 3-1 win over Belgium. Rodrigo Vila opened Argentina’s account in the ninth minute through a penalty corner and Lombi made it 2-0 by converting a penalty stroke in the 44th minute. However, Belgium managed to pull one back a minute later as Charles Vandeweghe scored a field goal. But Lombi’s field goal six minutes from close made the issue safe for Argentina. In another pool ‘B’ match, South Korea downed a fighting Poland 4-0. The scorers were Jong-Hyun Hwang (10th), Jung Chul (15th), Kyung-Seok Kim (16th) and Jung-Seon Lee (23rd minute). Sunday’s fixtures: Argentina v New Zealand; Spain v Pakistan; South Africa v Belgium; Netherlands v Germany. |
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WORLD
CUP DIARY After breaking thousands of Malaysian hearts with a 3-2 win over the hosts in the World Cup yesterday, the South Korean players assembled on the pitch with arms raised in acknowledgement of the greetings from their fans. But cheering them were not only Koreans who had travelled all the way from their home country but also Malaysians, who in a unique gesture of sportsmanship, stood up to give the Koreans a standing ovation. The home team also drew appreciation for the gallant fightback and as coach Paul Lissek said, there was no shame in losing to the Olympic silver medallists. However, the ghost of 1975 will continue to haunt the Malaysians for at least four years.
*** Saudi terror king Osama Bin Laden appears to be a favourite amongst a section of the public. At the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium, the venue of the ongoing hockey World Cup, youngsters wearing shirts with Osama’s portraits could be spotted in the galleries. Books on Osama Bin Laden are also in demand. ‘Osama Bin Laden — the man who dared to take on the might of the greatest super power’ is the preface to one such book. One book shop owner has covered these books in plastic to prevent soiling as customers tend to pick them up quite often.
*** Former SAI coach PA Raphael, currently in charge of the Singapore national team, is a respected figure in hockey circles not only back home but also in Thailand and Singapore. Raphael was instrumental in setting up the first national hockey academy at New Delhi where he remained in charge from 1992 to 1995. However, in 1995 he shifted to Thailand as coach of their men’s and women’s hockey teams and led the teams to victories in the South East Asian Games. While the men won the silver, the women won the gold, beating Singapore. Thereafter he was offered an attractive package by Singapore and has been with them since 1997. These days he is in Kuala Lumpur as a spectator for the World Cup.
*** The decision of the Malaysian Hockey Federation to cut prices of tickets has drawn flak from season ticket holders who have paid RM 41 per ticket for each match while the revised price now is RM 10. “It was really irritating to get up and be informed about this development yesterday,” said a fan. “I demand that a refund counter be set up immediately,” he added. |
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D’Souza sacked; Kumar takes
charge Kuala Lumpur, March 2 News regarding Cedric’s sack was conveyed by the secretary of the Indian Hockey Federation, Mr K. Jothikumaran, to the manager of the Indian team, Mr K.G.S. Alva, who in turn informed Cedric about the decision in the early hours today. However, according to unconfirmed reports, many others came to know about the decision before the news was conveyed to the chief coach. “Last night after the match against England, when we got back to the hotel, the manager informed me that I was not to handle the team any more. However, he said why don’t you stay on. I said no deal, I am going back. Subsequently, he said you can help by being on the bench. Mr Alva then met the IHF secretary, Mr K. Jothikumaran, and got back to me around 2 a. m. I got a call from Mr Jothikumaran who said it’s all a happy family and someone else is taking over. I was told that I could be on the bench but I said “you have taken your decision; I have to take mine. This morning around 8. 30 a. m. the boys came to me. I broke the news. There was pin-drop silence. However, I told the boys to remain focused,” said Cedric D’Souza while talking to journalists at the stadium shortly before India’s match against Cuba. Cedric later left for the hotel and is expected to catch a flight back home later tonight. Both Dr Kannan and Divnain Singh decided to accompany Cedric as a gesture of solidarity although Dr Kannan said with the arrival of Dr Tuli from Delhi, he felt the team would be adequately taken care of. Dr Kannan, nevertheless, said they worked as a team and “if we fail we go as a team.” Mr K. Jothikumaran said the team’s disastrous outing can be attributed to a number of factors. “Some of the boys who have been playing had no business to be here. You have seen it yourself. We gave Cedric a free hand but unfortunately the results have been disastrous,” said Mr Jothikumaran. However, Cedric defended the team selection saying it was not he alone who picked the team. “Mr K.P.S. Gill, Mr Jothikumaran, SAI nominee Jalaluddin, Mr Alva and myself had a hand in the team’s composition. How can I alone be held accountable,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr K.Jothikumaran, IHF secretary, said the decision had been taken after urgent consultations amongst IHF officials. Talking to journalists here soon after India won the match against Cuba, Mr Jothikumaran sought to clarify that Cedric had been told to hand over charge to CR Kumar for the next couple of matches but Cedric had
interpreted it differently. “I advised him and requested him to work as a team and the step was aimed at relieving him of the pressure. I thought he would cool down. Before the match against England, we had a good discussion but unfortunately some of the decisions taken were not implemented,” Mr Jothikumaran said.
Kuala
Lumpur |
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Ganguly ends run drought with ton New Delhi, March 2 Captain Ganguly, whose last big Test knock was in October 1999 in Ahmedabad when he scored 125 against New Zealand, surpassed that knock with a responsible innings, which took India within 10 runs short of Zimbabwe’s first innings total of 239. At the end of the day, India, who were 171 for four off 67 overs at close yesterday, made 319 for 6 off 114 overs in 187 minutes. The frequent stoppages delayed the match beyond the normal schedule and Zimbabwe bowled five overs short of the stipulated requirement, which may go against them in the final count. The grey, cloudy skies robbed 49 minutes of pre-lunch play, and after lunch, 130 minutes of play was lost to drizzle and poor light. And after tea, 40 minutes were lost due to poor light. In all, 209 minutes of play was lost due to inclement weather. When the final session started, Zimbabwe required to bowl 29 overs, but fell short by five overs, as the umpires took out the light meter at 5.30 pm and ruled that any further play in the prevailing dim light was impossible. But all these irritating hide and seek game played by the sun were amply compensated by Ganguly’s eighth Test hundred which came as a whiff of fresh air, in such a gloomy scenario. Though Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar perished in quick succession, Ganguly anchored his end with a single-minded mission, and succeeded in building up the score slowly and steadily. Ganguly’s purposeful batting charm got rubbed off on Anil Kumble too as the leg spinner gave solid support to his skipper in knocking off 39 runs for the sixth wicket in 16.1 overs. Ganguly was unbeaten on 135 (21x4, 1x6, 498m, 279b) and Kumbale not out on 19 (3x4, 63b, 73b) at the draw of stumps. The match is now poised for an interesting finish, unless rain intervenes, as the pitch can play a lot of tricks in the next two days. With Ganguly staying put at the wicket, India can hope to add a few more runs, and if the remaining wickets also put on some quick runs on the board, the hosts can tilt the match in their favour. Sehwag had picked Price and Heath Streak for special treatment. Sehwag’s 100-run partnership with Saurav came off 30.2 overs. Sehwag perished when he got too ambitious for strokes as after being dropped by Andy Flower at first slip off Heath Streak, he was caught plumb in front off the next ball, in the second ball of the 94th over. Sehwag’s brilliant 75 contained 15 well-struck boundaries. SCOREBOARD Zimbabwe (1st innings): 329 India (1st innings): Das c Taibu b Streak 13 Dasgupta lbw b Friend 19 Ganguly batting 135 Tendulkar lbw b Frice 36 Dravid run out 1 Sehwag lbw b Streak 74 Bangar run out 4 Kumble batting 19 Extras: (b-9, lb-4, w-1, nb-4) 18 Total: (for 6 wkts, 114 overs) 319 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-58, 3-142, 4-114, 5-264, 6-280. Bowling:
Streak 32-8-82-2, Watambwa 18-5-47-0, Friend 17-2-66-1, Price 42-13-94-1, G. Flower 5-0-17-0. |
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Gavaskar comments Captaincy of a country’s team is a lonely job. The honeymoon period lasts for a very short time and the knives are out sooner than one can say ‘cricket’. Then if the captain is articulate and has no hang-ups then it becomes even more difficult as he is able to express himself and is not short of an explanation. Then again if the captain is writing a column and can tell his point of view which can and is often contrary to what is being said about the game then he becomes even more unpopular. Sourav Ganguly is the latest captain, who in the eyes of many can do nothing right inspite of the fact that the record of the Indian team is better under his captaincy than many others before him. There is great admiration for Steve Waugh for his determination for the way his team play aggressive cricket and just generally for being so ‘khaddoos’. There were reams written about his sacking from the one-day captaincy of the Australian team and how it would affect the team. In fact that day Sourav Ganguly was reappointed as captain of the Indian team and there was a comparison sought to be made about the different verdict and how the wrong man was sacked. But it was the same Steve Waugh who blinked first last year when Australia came to conquer what was called the last frontier. Even then there was no credit given to Ganguly for the way he kept morale going and went on to win the series and stop Australia’s conquest. Australia will have to come again in a couple of years’ time to try and win here and whether Ganguly will be there as captain is going to be a debating point then too. He has of course not too many supporters outside of his beloved Kolkatta but then that is India for you. Indian against Indian is a very familiar story and the riots going on in the country are testimony to that. An Indian is killing a fellow Indian. So who is winning ? Nobody and maybe that’s how we prefer it. For we don’t take kindly to winners. Does that make us losers? You tell me. When Ganguly promoted himself ahead of Dravid not only did he show tremendous courage for India had lost an early wicket but he also showed that he was aware tactically that India could not afford to have two glue batsmen batting at the same time. It was top tactical move for not only did it mean a left and right-hand combination at the crease, it also meant that the score would not get bogged down. Ganguly wants to win this game too and he knew that to do so India would have to score at a decent rate and ensure that the Zimbabwen bowlers didn’t get on top. It was a big risk he took for if he had failed all those waiting for him to do so would have descended on him like a ton of bricks for changing the batting order and disturbing the set way. Now with a century under his belt, his first after a very long time, he can breathe easy but not for too long for the fault pickers will be back soon. Even against England when the England captain didn’t score runs there was hardly any criticism of him, in fact there was praise not because he led outstandingly but only to try and show Ganguly as incompetent. Nasser Hussain didn’t score too many runs and if that had been the case with Ganguly then there would have been hell raised. His partnership with Sehwag has taken India to a position of safety for there’s no telling what would have happened if Zimbabwe had taken a big lead. Now India can put pressure on Zimbabwe and try and win the game. Not for long has India had a captain who is ready for a fight and who will not take a backward step. His innings showed great character and he has worn the barbs directed at him lightly. He may not be the greatest tactician in the world as yet and probably never will be but the team is doing well under him. What more can one ask of an Indian captain?
PMG |
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Zaheer looks hungry: Wright New Delhi, March 2 |
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Tendulkar rested;
Ratra included New Delhi, March 2 Also rested for the series is pace spearhead Javagal Srinath, at the latter’s request, Shah said. V.V.S. Laxman, who was dropped after the first Test at Nagpur due to continued batting failures, gets one more chance to play himself back into reckoning as does Ajit Agarkar. Team:
Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Bangar, Dinesh Mongia, Mohd Kaif, Ajay Ratra (wicket-keeper), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer R. Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Tinu Yohannan and Sarandeep Singh. |
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Vettori told
to sit out Auckland, March 2 Vettori was out of cricket last season after suffering a back injury in Zimbabwe, and complained of soreness at the completion of last month’s one-day series against England which immediately followed the triangular series in Australia. New Zealand cricket medical adviser Warren Frost said: “He has had a huge workload from the tour of Australia, the triangular series there, and then the England one-day series and he deserves a rest. “Daniel is important for the success of New Zealand in the Test series and this rest is important for the future well-being of his back.” Frost talked to all the players likely to be involved in the Test series after the last one-day match in Dunedin and suggested Vettori miss the Northern Districts game against Wellington. All-rounder Chris Harris, who is unlikely to be in the Test side, was also asked to rest
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Seven-year-old
enthralls Kila Raipur (Ludhiana), March 2 It all started today with seven-year-old Parminder Singh, dressed like a Nihang, who performed a number of martial arts enthralling the people who cheered him continuously till he finished with his feats. Two elderly women from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh Prakasho Tomar (62) and Chandro Tomar (68), besides seven-year-old Sheba Khan also from Meerut held people in awe with their accuracy in pistol shooting events. Sixty-year-old Babab Gurdeep Singh, seemed to defy his age and belief of the spectators when he did about 15 sit-ups with a load of over 50 kgs on his head at a remarkable pace. Seven-year-old Gursewak Singh pulled a motorcyle with two persons on it by his teeth. Similalry Bahadu Ali of Malerkotla pulled a Maruti car with his ear. Asghar Ali pulled a tractor with his teeth. Darshan Singh took a load of 220 kgs over his head, besides one person who was sitting over that load. In men’s long jump Sukhjnder Singh of PAP bagged first place with a jump of 6.59 m followed by Rajinder Singh of BSF at 6.35 m and Naib Singh of Gill village at 6.14 m. Manisha of Government College for Women, Ludhiana topped in the women’s category with 4.78 m followed by Narender Pal Kaur, also from Ludhiana with 4.72 m and Gurjeet Kaur from Sangrur with 4.19 m. In 200 m women’s category Gurinderpal Kaur and Akinder Kaur, both from Ludhiana scored first and second positions, while Khushdeek Kaur of Bhagmajra bagged thrid place. In 100 m men’s events Zorawar Singh of CRPF, Harnarinder of PAU and Gurmeet of Kila Raipur scored first, second and third places, respectively. In 400 m boys Zorawar Singh of CRPF, Sukhjinder Singh of Lyalapur Khalsa College Jallandhar and Sukhminder of Physical Education College Jallandhar bagged first, second and third places respectively. In girls 400 m Akwinder Kaur, Narinder Kaur and Ravinder Kaur got the first, second and third positions respectively. |
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Anand suffers
shock defeat Linares (Spain), March 2 With this victory Adams surged ahead to take the joint lead alongside world’s highest- rated player GM Gary Kasparov of Russia on three points from five games while Anand now finds himself at the bottom of the table with Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk on two points from his five games. Shrugging off his previous bad score against Anand, Adams was in high spirit right till the end of this encounter.
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Seriki’s brace sees Bagan through Kolkata, March 2 While nippy R.C. Prakash took the green-maroon brigade one up in the fifth minute, Nigerian Seriki scored in the 10th and 75th minute of the play. The win jacked up the former champions to the fourth place from its earlier eighth position. It earned 22 points from 13 matches and are behind league topper Churchill bros (25 points), Vasco (24 points) and Mahindra United (23 points) in the 12-team competition. In the pre-match mood Bagan were a little scary because of absence of two Brazilians — goal machine Jose Ramirej Barreto and stopper Amauri-owing to match regulation of cards. Club coach Subrata Bhattacharjee also knew where his footholds are after two consecutive defeats at the hands of Mahindra United (2-0) and Vasco Club (2-1). However, the local players after taking field swung into action with rapid speed and hurled first goal in the fifth minute of the game. In a fast pace attack RC Prakash drove home off a cross from Seriki who was fed by Dulal Biswas from right flank. After that winners of 97-98 and 99-00 never looked back and scored second goal in the 10th minute of play. Seriki dribbled past two defenders and sent far corner of the net beating Shibu Sammugam (2-0). Seriki was the only foreigner in the local club today. The Kerala side throughout the game never looked a competent team to fight the so called Kolkata giants despite scoring opportunities. But inept shooting calibre in front of goal prevented F.C. Kochin to come in the scoring list. First it was Dilip Kumar who missed at the fag end of first half and then few minutes before the long whistle Sushanta Mathew shot wide despite finding only goalkeeper under the bar. The third goal for Bagan came when Seriki headed in an aerial pass from Dulal Biswas. In the first leg F.C. Kochin drew (0-0) with Mohun Bagan.
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JCT go down to Salgaocar Ludhiana, March 2 With this victory, the Goans have improved their position on the points table, securing 23 points from 13 matches where as JCT with just 7 points remain stranded at the 11th spot. JCT dominated the proceedings in the earlier stages of the match, making the first serious attempt in the 10th minute when their forward, Jaswant Singh’s powerful kick went wide of the target. Five minutes later, Hardip Saini and Jaswant Singh weaved a good move and passed the ball to Ram Pal whose effort was foiled by Salgaocar custodian, Juje Siddi. Similarly, Salgaocar outfit failed to utilise chances in the 30th, 36th and 40th minute. After the first barren session, both the teams played an aggressive game and made some forays into the rival’s territory but fumbled near the goalmouth. In the 71st minute striker Sunday Seah and Dharamjit Singh after dodging past JCT’s defenders Ranjit and Balkar Singh entered the danger zone, gave the ball to Alex Ambrose whose sizzler placed the ball into the net to put his side ahead 1-0. Spurred by the success, the Goans kept up the pressure with a series of attacks but failed to break JCT cordon. Just three minutes before the buzzer, they could have increased the lead but Stephen’s powerful kick landed into the JCT’s goalkeeper, Arvind Kumar. With few seconds before the long whistle, JCT too got a chance to neutarlise the lead but Stephen’s kick sailed over the bar. JCT now take on East Bengal here on March 6 while Salgaocar Club play at Jalandhar against Punjab Police on March 5. |
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Chandigarh eves ground Air-India Ludhiana, March 2 The group ‘A’ match between Chandigarh and Air India was decided via tie-breaker as the issue remained unresolved at the end of regular period since the two teams were tied at one-all. Chandigarh drew the first blood in the 16th minute when their skipper Asrita Topo scored a spectacular field goal. Stung at this, Air-India players made repeated attacks over their rival’s territory and in the process earned three penality corners (23rd, 32nd and 33rd minutes) but hits taken, went abegging. After the change of ends, Air-India continued to mount pressure which paid dividends in the 62nd minute. The equaliser came off the stick of left in Inakhunbi Kesharawani. In the penalty shoot out, Chandigarh sounded the board thrice while Air-India missed their chances to go down 1-4. In the second match (group B), Western Railway, Mumbai proved their supremacy over SAI, Delhi. WR, Mumbai, after wasting a
number of scoring chances, went ahead in the 28th minute through a penalty stroke conversion by right-in Mamta Kharbanda. Railway women pumped in three more goals (44th minute- Papki Devi, 46th minute- Mamta and 53rd minute- Fatima Kujur) to enhance their lead. For SAI, Sangeeta reduced the margin in the 60th minute. |
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In an unprecedented move, the first of its kind in the annals of international hockey, Indian coach Cedric D’ Souza was sacked today following India’s disastrous showing in the tenth World Cup currently under way at the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil, here.
