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Saturday,
July 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Tendulkar
fit; India hope to cap fine run with victory Expert comments: Ian
Botham Chetan Sharma writes Indian
women cricketers crash to second defeat Musharraf
wants Aussies to play in Pakistan Deepak Thakur scores a hat-trick India hold
Tajikistan in soccer |
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COMMONWEALTH GAMES Italy-Germany
final replayed Pak
hockey team to ‘target gold’ Jeev
tied for 30th position Gopichand
to lead badminton team Haryana Police bag hockey title
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Tendulkar fit; India hope to cap fine run with victory
London, July 12 The injury scare to Tendulkar, who had sustained a minor hamstring strain on way to his 33rd one-day hundred against Sri Lanka yesterday, has blown over with team manager Rajiv Shukla saying he was “absolutely fit” to play tomorrow. “Tendulkar is 100 per cent fit and he is playing tomorrow,” Shukla told PTI, while stressing that there never was any injury to the master batsman. “There was no injury. It was just as a precautionary measure that Tendulkar did not come out to field in yesterday’s match,” Shukla said. Tendulkar had also said yesterday that there was nothing serious and it was just a case of a stiff hamstring. Nonetheless, the news of Tendulkar’s fitness has perked up the Indian camp. There is no under-estimating the importance of tomorrow’s game as it is more than two years now since India won a final of a tournament involving three or more teams. They have had an excellent run in the series so far, surprising even their die-hard critics, but they realise it will be back to square one if they fail to win the final tomorrow. The point was stressed by none other than Tendulkar himself when he said the team would have to leave behind the successes in league matches and start afresh for the final. “Saturday is an important day for us. Whatever we have done in this tournament till now, we have to leave it back and start afresh,” Tendulkar had said after India’s 63-run victory against Sri Lanka yesterday. “There is nothing like lifting the trophy,” he said. India are perhaps best prepared to set that record straight here. As skipper Saurav Ganguly said this may not be the best ever Indian one-day squad but it certainly was the first time that the Indians had done consistently well on foreign soil. India come into the final with four victories in six league matches, one of which was abandoned due to rain. Barring yesterday’s easy win against Sri Lanka, all the other victories have come under pressure situations, and more importantly, while chasing, something which the Indians have not been very comfortable doing earlier. Another remarkable thing is that India are finally clicking as a unit. There have been contributions from every member of the team which has eased the pressure on the likes of Tendulkar. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh are in great form, having been associated in match-winning partnerships in two games, and there have been useful contributions from Mohammad Kaif and Virender Sehwag too, though the latter needs to curb his penchant for getting out after being well set. Dinesh Mongia, who was replaced by V.V.S. Laxman for one match after failing to come up with big scores, also had a good knock yesterday and the only batsman to miss out has been Ganguly. But Lord’s is one of the most memorable grounds for Ganguly who made a dream Test debut here in 1995. In this series too, Ganguly’s best score, a confident 43, came at this very ground in India’s opening game against England. After that his form dipped and he would surely like to resurrect it in the big match here tomorrow. India’s bowling department is functioning well with the pace trio of Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan proving to be a potent weapon. Ganguly said he expected a bit more from the bowlers, especially from Zaheer Khan who, he said, was yet to give his best. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is most likely to play tomorrow after his four-wicket haul in yesterday’s match, which he played only because his senior Anil Kumble sustained a calf muscle injury in the previous game. On their current form, India look the favourites for the final but one thing niggling them would be the 64-run defeat to England in the penultimate leage match at The Oval, their only loss in the series. The hosts are brimming with confidence and cannot be under-estimated at any cost. Their batting runs deep and the pace bowlers are doing well. To top it, England have been fielding exceptionally well and India would be hard pressed to match it. Two men who are key to England’s performance are Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff. Flintoff has had a very good series so far both with the bat and the ball and he is the dangerman for India. So is Trescothick, who has invariably given England flying starts in the league matches. Nick Knight, Michael Vaughan, skipper Nasser Hussain, Paul Collingwood and Ronnie Irani have also had good knocks to their credit which makes the English batting line-up a formidable one. England have recalled fast bowler Dominic Cork for the final in place of an injured James Kirtley. Cork is most likely to play tomorrow alongside Darren Gough and Alex Tudor. Teams (from): India: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, V.V.S. Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Tinu Yohannan. England: Nasser Hussain (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Nick Knight, Graham Thorpe, Michael Vaughan, Ronnie Irani, Alec Stewart, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Ashley Giles, Jeremy Snape, Alex Tudor, Darren Gough, Dominic Cork, Mathew Hoggard.
PTI |
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Expert comments: Ian Botham If I were a betting man, I would have put my money on India for the one-dayers and on England for the Tests. We’ll keep the second half of my wager for another day and concentrate on India’s chances at Lord’s come Saturday. I know of their jinx in finals and to my mind this is their best chance to break it. Having said that, I think England would have gained some confidence from their win at the Oval, and would give the in-form Indians a good fight. The weather prediction is sunny and no rain so one can hope for a full game tomorrow. The conditions in Lord’s have been ideal for batting, and I foresee a high-scoring game, what with the small ground and hard-hitting batsmen in both sides. The Indian side does not look too different from the side that played against us in India earlier this year. The only major difference is the absence of Javagal Srinath, which is quite surprising considering that he had made himself available for the one-dayers. He is still their best opening bowler and a very, very good one at that. I think the side is missing his experience in these conditions, which are new to virtually all the Indian bowlers. Both Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra have been impressive, but they would have certainly benefited if a senior pro like Srinath had been around. The other changes have been that Sachin Tendulkar is no more the opener and Rahul Dravid is keeping wickets. As far as Tendulkar is concerned, I had voiced my doubts about dislodging from the top slot. However, I am told that he had volunteered to come down the order, and after scoring two centuries it’s obvious he knows what he’s doing. The kind of batsman he is, he can dominate the game from just about any position, and perhaps that’s what he’s out to prove at this stage of his career. Dravid’s inclusion as wicketkeeper also seems to have worked well for captain Sourav Ganguly. There has always been some debate about whether a correct batsman like Rahul Dravid fits into the roller coaster ride that is one-day cricket. Giving him the additional responsibility of keeping wickets was the only way in which he could find a place in the team, and he has been doing a fair job behind the stumps. More importantly, the security that his wicketkeeping role gives him has transformed his batting, thus giving the team both depth and balance. Ganguly looks more relaxed marshalling his resources in England and he has done a good job so far. I always maintain that a captain looks good when the team is winning, and that holds true for the Indian captain right now. If the Indians had thought that playing away from India would reduce the pressure on them from the crowds, I’m sure they’re amazed with the support they’ve got. The entire community has turned up to back their team and when Sachin walks out on Sunday morning at Lord’s, the cheers greeting him will be every bit as loud as they are in Wankhede Stadium. It’s now upto him and his teammates to oblige the Indians here with a memorable win.
(Gameplan) |
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Chetan Sharma writes Now, just one match away is India’s newest golden hour. If they win the tri-series final against England on Saturday, it will be the most perfect reward for a fortnight of hard work and brilliant play. India beat Sri Lanka hands down to not only top the league standings, but also exact revenge from their southern neighbours. India’s recent record against Sri Lanka has not been too great but in this series, they have beaten them three times out of three. I salute the Indian team but remember boys, you will become heroes only if you win the trophy as there is no place for losers these days. Going by the way they outplayed Sri Lanka last night, India have to be taken seriously by England, who may have won the last match against us but their bowling will struggle to check the rampant Indians. Little master Sachin Tendulkar now has two centuries in this series and if he adds another one on Saturday, half the battle will be won. Tendulkar’s greatness is that he doesn’t waste too many deliveries in scoring runs. I have not been a great fan of sending him in the middle-order but if it is working fine, let that be it. He makes all the difference to the team and I fully agree to the view that he should have batted at one-drop position in the last game against England because he is our best batsman, so he should have got the maximum overs possible. However, this century was very well paced and the little champion ensured India scored 305 runs on a smaller ground. I would also praise Dinesh Mongia and Mohammad Kaif for their excellent contribution whereas Virender Sehwag threw it away once again. I am looking forward to a century from you, Viru, not the 30s or 40s. How about scoring one at Lord’s? Saurav Ganguly will also have to debate on the spinner he wants to play in the final. Anil Kumble’s leg spin has always troubled English batsman but Harbhajan Singh also bowled very well yesterday. I think Kumble’s experience will get him into the playing eleven and though that is being harsh on Harbhajan, we have to look at the team’s interests. Lord’s can sometimes brings the best out of a cricketer and I can tell you from my experience in the 1986 series, that there cannot be a better place to give your best. When you hold the winners trophy in the dressing room balcony and look down at the hundreds of cheering supporters, your life is made. I hope this Saturday turns out to be India’s day. |
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Indian women cricketers crash to second defeat
London, July 12 Put in to bat, New Zealand recovered from early setbacks to score 168 for nine in 50 overs and in reply India put up an abject performance being bowled out for 26 in just 19.1 overs. The visitors lost the first seven wickets before reaching double figures and were shot out for 26, well short of their previous low of 37 against the same opponent during the 1981-82 World Cup in Auckland. It completes a miserable start to the tournament for India, who were bundled out for 59 by England in a six-wicket defeat on Wednesday. The outstanding bowler for New Zealand was Rachel Pullar who captured five wickets. In fact, she was so overbearing that she conceded just 10 runs from seven overs. And only stands of nine for the ninth wicket and seven for the last wicket took India past Pakistan’s record low of 23, achieved against Australia in 1996-97. Jhulan Goswami top-scored with eight, narrowly beating the six extras, before being last out, caught off Haidee Tiffen. New Zealand had also found themselves in early trouble at 36 for three, but captain Emily Drumm’s 56 took the team to 168 for nine in their allotted 50 overs. Drumm and Haidee Tiffen provided the backbone to the New Zealand innings by putting on 54 runs for the fourth wicket, pulling the team out of a precarious position after losing three wickets in quick succession. Tiffen was the more aggressive of the two batswomen, hitting six boundaries before falling prey to Deepa Kulkarni for a rollicking 37. For the Indians, Deepa Kulkarni was the most successful bowler claiming four wickets for 37 while Goswami took three wickets for 45. Drumm was the eighth to depart being bowled by Jhulan, but the New Zealand skipper had done more than enough to ensure victory. Scores: New Zealand 168 for nine (50 overs) beat India 26 all out (19.1 overs). New Zealand won by 142 runs.
PTI |
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Musharraf wants Aussies to play in Pakistan
Islamabad, July 11 Australia’s three-Test series in Pakistan slated for October is in danger of being shifted to another country, possibly Bangladesh, because of widespread security fears. But General Musharraf, while declaring his national team was the best in the world, said he would contact the Australian Government to ensure that the tour would go ahead as originally planned in Pakistan. “There will definitely be a government (in Islamabad) to convince the Australians to tour Pakistan,” General Musharraf told the team during a reception to celebrate their one-day series win last month in Australia. Foreign teams have raised fears for their safety after two bomb blasts in May and June left 26 persons dead in Karachi.
AP |
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Deepak Thakur scores a hat-trick
Chennai, July 12 In an earlier pool ‘A’ match, Bengal rallied back to hold Bharat Petroleum to a one-all draw and split points. Striker Anil Ekka equalised in the 62nd minute after Aiyappa had converted a penalty stroke 13 minutes earlier. Fielding some internationals, including India goalkeeper Devesh Chouhan, Indian Oil rallied back after rivals surged ahead in the 33rd minute through junior international Prakash Chilke’s goal. Deepak Thakur earned the equaliser off a rebound in the 42nd minute combining with another international Prabhjot Singh, whose shot was blocked by goalkeeper Arun Kumar. Then the wily forward struck in the 44th minute finding the target from the top of the ‘D’ as Inderjit put the ball through to him. He completed the hat-trick converting the sixth penalty with a stinging hit in the 63rd minute. As the contest began, the Indian Oil attack seemed to require some lubrication as the young Postal side dominated the exchanges. Speedy Prakash hoodwinked two defenders Bikramjit Singh and Sunil Yadav and tossed the ball over an advancing Devesh Chouhan. He tormented the Indian Oil defence almost throughout the grim contest. The Indian Oil-Postal XI match was interrupted by rain for 22 minutes, including 10 minutes in the first session. Earlier, it seemed to be poetic justice that Bengal XI, fielding boys from the Sports Hostel in Kolkata, equalised in the 62nd minute through their main striker Anil Ekka. Even as fleet footed Bengal boys were all over the rival territory, the experienced Bharat Petroleum team fielding former internationals, Saurav Bishnoi, Sandeep Somesh, captain M Prakash, Sabu Varkey, Bipin Fernandes and Ravi Naiker, seemed to be rusty. However, they managed to snatch the lead in the 49th minute when Aiyappa converted a penalty stroke awarded when Bengal goalkeeper Sunil Soreng obstructed Amar Aiyamma and Ravi Naiker. However, after missing a clear chance in the 55th minute, Bengal drew level off a defence lapse on the left flank. Yashvir Yadav and Anil Ekka carved out the move. The latter flicked the ball past a stranded Petroleum goalkeeper M
Gowda. UNI
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India hold Tajikistan in soccer Kolkata, July 12 Both India and Tajikistan thus kept their hopes alive for a berth in the next round, collecting four points each from two outings. India currently enjoys a better goal average having scored four and conceded one against two goals scored by Tajikistan. However, Tajik could have the last laugh as they would vie with the weakest team Bhutan in their last tie, while India would take on Kyrgyzstan, which inspite of losing to Tajikistan 0-2 played some gritty soccer. The hosts dominated the proceedings in the early part of the first half and forced a couple of good opportunities, but forward Bungo Singh and Malswama Tuluanga bungled them from close. The match began on a fast note with India seizing the initiative right from the word go. Subhas, Ashim and Malsawam started from where they left in the last game orchestrating a series of attacks. In the 12th minute India opened up the rival defence when breaking on a counter attack Subhash Chakraborty in one of those incisive runs down the left send a measured cross to Malswama Tluanga, but the ball was cleared before he could take a shot. The easiest chance of the first half was wasted by Bungo Singh when with only the goalie at his mercy he failed to control his volley inside the six yard box after Nabi laid the ball to him on a platter. But as time went the Tajiks took control of the midfield and created a few good moves. The first was a beautiful freekick taken by Hussainov whose 30 yarder wickedly dipped in the last moment only to be parried away by a diving Indian keeper Sataish. The other chance of the first half was a thunderous piledriver from Ismailov that shook the crosspiece before going out of the play with Sathis hopelessly beaten.
PTI |
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COMMONWEALTH
GAMES New Delhi, July 12 The Sports Ministry is learnt to have sent the approved list, containing the names of 106 athletes and 33 coaches and managers for participation in 10 disciplines, to the Indian Olympic Association, late in the evening. The clearance of the list was delayed due to the dispute in the names of a few of sportspersons. The contingent will be accompanied by nine officials. The IOA had recommended the names of 175 sportspersons and officials but the government pruned the list to 148. Shooting, with 20 participants, forms the biggest squad despite the government striking off 10 names submitted by the IOA. The shooting contingent comprises 13 men and seven women, including Abhinav Bindra, Jaspal Rana, Anjali Vedpathak Bhagwat and Kuheli Ganguly. The other disciplines in which India will participate are: athletics (5 participants), badminton (14), boxing (7), gymnastics (5), hockey (women), judo (9), table tennis (10), weightlifting (13) and wrestling (7). Table Tennis Federation of India secretary Mool Chand Chouhan is the chef-de-mission of the contingent. In the last edition of the Games, in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, India won 25 medals, 13 of which were from weightlifting. |
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Italy-Germany final replayed Sassari, July 12 In the 1982 final, Italy recovered from missing an early penalty kick to outplay West Germany in the second half, winning 3-1.
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Pak hockey team to ‘target gold’
Islamabad, July 12 “I am confident that the team is on its way to a major recovery. The players are working hard and showing a lot of improvement. They will certainly target the gold medal in Manchester,’’ The News today quoted Zaman as saying. On a 57-day tour of Europe, an 18-member Pakistan team will play a test series against Spain, the Commonwealth Games and the six-nation Champions Trophy in the German city of Cologne. Pakistan would be vying to win the Commonwealth title at Manchester where World Cup finalists Australia and hosts England would also be in contention in the eight-nation hockey tournament of the Games to be played from July 25 to August 4. Zaman agreed that the biggest threat to Pakistan’s quest for glory would come from the Aussies but added that his team could not also underestimate their pool rivals England and Canada. “After our defeat to Argentina in the World Cup, the boys have learnt not to take any team lightly. So we will be on our guard even against teams such as Canada,’’ said the former Pakistan skipper, who took over as national coach following the country’s unimpressive fifth position in this March’s World Cup at Kuala Lumpur. The greenshirts are to stay back in the English city to prepare for the Champions Trophy starting in Cologne on August 31. Zaman expressed satisfaction with the Pakistan Hockey Federation decision to keep the team in Europe rather than calling it back home for a few weeks before the Champions Trophy. “I think it is a good decision. It is much better to train in Manchester where the weather will be quite similar to Cologne rather than sweating it out in hot Lahore before the all-important Champions Trophy,’’ he added. The coach rejected the idea that the players might get homesick during the long tour that would conclude on September 10. He said: “I am sure that the players will not face any such problem. The team management has worked out plans to keep them busy with their training schedule in a way that they do not miss home.’’ The former Olympian pointed out that the Champions Trophy was the most important and difficult assignment for the team, which was why the management would ensure that the boys were at their best when they moved to Cologne from Manchester. “All the players worldwide know that the Champions Trophy is the most dangerous tournament on the circuit. The top six sides are there and you have to play each and every participating team.’’ Zaman asserted that his side would go all out to regain the title last won by Pakistan in 1994 but added that he would be happy even if they managed to figure on the podium in Cologne. “Going all the way will be our target but even if we manage to improve our position I will consider it a good result.’’ Pakistan have never won the Champions Trophy on foreign soil. They finished fourth at last year’s Champions Trophy held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. This year they would be competing against World Cup champions Germany, Australia, Holland, South Korea and India.
UNI |
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Jeev tied for 30th position
New Delhi, July 12 A top-30 finish at this premier tournament on the European PGA Tour, which began yesterday and gets over on July 14, earns the golfers a direct entry into the British Open, the third major championship of the season that gets underway on July 18. According to information received here, Jeev, who became the first Indian to make the cut at the US Open last month, began his round with two straight birdies. Another birdie on the sixth, placed him at three-under at that stage. However, a bogey on the closing hole of his front-nine was followed by another on the 12th. England’s Justin Rose cracked an impressive six-under 65 to take the lead in the opening round. Miles Tunnicliff, also from England, was tied with second with Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson at five-under 66. Arjun Atwal, the other Indian in the fray, was tied at 102nd position after a disappointing score of three-over 74.
UNI |
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Gopichand
to lead badminton team Mumbai, July 12 Badminton Association of India (BAI) president V.K. Verma, while declaring the team yesterday, said Chetan Anand, the player ranked second in India, was not considered since he was having a poor patch recently. The team: Men: P. Gopichand (capt), Abhin Shyam Gupta, Nikhil Kanetkar, Sachin Rati, V. Diju, Sanav Thomas and Marcos Bristow. Women: Aparna Popat, B.R. Meenakshi, Murgunde, C. Deepti, G. Jwala, S. Kurien and Neelima Chaudhary. Miss Popat, who now trains in Sports Authority of India’s care, will be the vice captain of the team since this time the format for the team event will on the lines of Sudiraman Cup in which men and women play alternate singles and doubles. Former India great Prakash Padukone, who was present at a Press conference said Gopichand had a swollen ankle but the injury was not major enough to keep him away from the games.
PTI |
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Haryana Police bag hockey title Ambala, July 12 The championship concluded at the War Heroes Memorial Stadium, Ambala Cantonment, with the prize distribution function. Prizes were given away by the Director-General of Police, Mr M.S. Malik. The final match was keenly contested between the police and Sonepat teams. In the first half, the scores were one each and in the second half too, the scores were level at two goals each. The match went onto the tie-breaker with both teams scoring three goals each. In sudden death, the police scored four goals, while Sonepat team scored three goals. The police won the match against Sonepat with a score card of 9-8. During the second half, police team players tried to intimidate the referee, Harphool Singh, after he declared a goal in favour of Sonepat. The play had to be stopped for a couple of minutes with match officials being forced to intervene to cool down tempers. Even the DSP, Ambala, Mr Uday Shankar, had to counsel the players to maintain decorum. This was particularly so since Mr Malik was the chief guest. Gurgaon Sports Hostel stood third in the championship by defeating Kurukshetra. The teams were level during the scheduled time and in the tie-breaker Gurgaon Sports Hostel scored four goals against two goals scored by
Kurukshetra. |
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