 |
|
Wednesday,
October
8, 2003,
Chandigarh, India  
|
Revenge key word for Indian squad
India can beat Kiwis: Ganguly Kiwis’ strength lies in batting SA end Pakistan’s winning spree
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Australia’s steps to
improve image Raid de Himalaya off to a flying start
Several hockey probables
miss camp Haryana's first Astro-turf at Gurgaon ITBP,
CISF score convincing wins
Harpreet scores a
hat-trick DAVC Jalandhar lift trophy Ludhiana bowled out for 188 Amritsar score 208 Rajwinder shines CBSE volleyball
|
|
Revenge
key word for Indian squad
Ahmedabad, October 7 A long break from the game has left the Indians hungry for success as they go into the home series as favourites, but captain Sourav Ganguly has warned his team-mates not to be complacent against the Kiwis who are determined to record their first Test series win on Indian soil. India’s humiliating defeats on seamer-friendly tracks during their tour of New Zealand late last year has raised speculation of a tit-for-tat response from the hosts who have an impressive track record at home. Though both captain Ganguly and coach John Wright have played down the grudge factor, they would be keen to turn the tables on New Zealand who find conquering India in their own den a tougher challenge than playing Australia. “We did not win the series in New Zealand when we toured there last year. But we managed to beat them in the World Cup. So things are now even,” Ganguly said. But New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is fully aware of the challenges in store for his team in the first Test. The match will see opener Akash Chopra and paceman Laxmipathy Balaji making their debut for India. The home team, which will be going in with a new pair of opening batsmen in Virender Sehwag and Chopra, has a very impressive batting line-up which could prove quite a handful for the visitors, particularly in Indian conditions. The team boasts of the best batsman in the world in Sachin Tendulkar, who would be itching to score his 32nd Test hundred that will put him on par with Aussie skipper Steve Waugh and take him a step closer to legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s world record of 34 centuries. At one drop, the hosts have one of the most solid batsmen in contemporary cricket in Rahul Dravid, who time and again comes up with important knocks when the chips are down followed by Tendulkar in the No 4 position. The skipper himself is slated to come at No 5 position, though he is short of a big Test score for quite some time now and this could be the ideal time for him to strike form before the bigger challenges ahead like the tour to Australia later this year. VVS Laxman, who turned the tables on the formidable Aussies during their tour of India a couple of years ago with a majestic 281, will be playing tomorrow leaving young Yuvraj Singh to wait for his first Test cap. Teams: New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, Robbie Hart (wicketkeeper), Richard Jones, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent, Paul Wiseman. India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Akash Chopra, Parthiv Patel (wicketkeeper), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji. —PTI
|
|
India can beat Kiwis: Ganguly
Ahmedabad, October 7 Ganguly said his team bore no grudge against the Kiwis for the embarrassing defeats on seamer-friendly tracks in New Zealand last year since it had already extracted revenge by beating them in the World Cup. “We did not win the series in New Zealand when we toured there late last year. We managed to beat them in the World Cup soon after. So it is now even,” Ganguly told reporters at the Sardar Patel stadium, the venue of the first Test. “Now the bottomline is to win this series quite comfortably and we have the potential to beat them,” he said. Commenting on the Motera track, which is likely to assist the batsmen in the first two days before slowing down gradually, Ganguly said he expected his side to make the most of the pitch. “It looks like a very good Test match wicket. There is no reason why it should turn out to be otherwise,” he said. “If you are good, you can play on any wicket,” the skipper said. India have already announced their XI for the match which will see the homeside fielding two debutants — opener Akash Chopra and paceman Laxmipathi Balaji. Ganguly said in the absence of all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, it would be up to the part-timers to fill in the fifth bowler’s slot. “Unfortunately we don’t have Sanjay Bangar in the team for whatever reasons. So, I alongwith Sachin (Tendulkar) and (Virender) Sehwag have to double up as the fifth bowler,” Ganguly said.
Bangar had also opened the Indian batting in the last seven Test matches.
— PTI
|
|
Kiwis’ strength lies in batting The 22 yard strip at the Sardar Patel Stadium should come as no surprise to Stephan Fleming. The astute Kiwi skipper arrived with his team, expecting familiar hurdles on their mission to conquer India. In fact, Indian cricket has survived on a staple food of brownish slow turners. I sometimes feel a sense of predictability creeping into the way cricket is played in India. But mind you, there’s nothing wrong in playing up to your strength. Now that Sourav Ganguly has made it clear that Akash Chopra and L. Balaji will make their debuts, it will be interesting to find out how the duo shape up. Test cricket is a completely different ball game and though Chopra tasted twin success against the frontline Kiwi bowlers recently, he will have to prove himself worthy at this level with a decent knock. Balaji, since his not-so-flattering entry into one-day cricket, should be looking to bend his back hard to open his Test account on a brighter note. However, I am afraid to say that my team composition doesn’t actually coincide with the views of Indian think-tank. I see no reason why Indians shouldn’t go into this match with five specialist bowlers. To win a Test match, you have to dismiss the opposition twice and getting 20 wickets inside five days is very difficult, if not impossible. Precisely why I would go in with an extra spinner on these wickets. There are a lot of other factors also which has to be taken into account. The weather for instance, is hot and humid and therefore very difficult for bowlers, including our spinners, to bowl long spells. Not only will Ganguly have added variety in the spin department ( I wonder how Kumble and Bahutule both can fall into leg-spinner’s category), the skipper will have the advantage of consistently applying pressure on the Kiwi batsmen by a fresh pair of shoulders. With due respect to Sachin and Sourav’s bowling abilities, I would still stick to having a third spinner in the team. The Indian batting line-up is world class which further strengthens my call for five bowlers. Apologies to Laxman but when you have Dravid, Sachin and Sourav as back-up to the aggressive Sehwag and resilient Chopra, where is the need for putting in an extra batsman at No 6 when the same responsibility can be tackled well by Parthiv Patel and the all-round qualities of Sairaj Bahutule. At least, we can surely release the sixth batsman on home turf contests. Can’t we trust the world’s best three batsman to fire on familiar environs? That too against an attack which is shorn off Shane Bond and Chris Cairns. An attack which depends chiefly on the Daniel Vettori to prize out the Indian line-up. Well, I personally think Ganguly is playing too deep into his comfort level, not ready to take any risk in the season opening contest. I just pray, this doesn’t cost us a win. A draw is not we are looking to play for. The Kiwis’ strength lies in their batting and never mind the failures of Rajkot, the likes of Astle, McMillan and Vincent , led by Fleming himself are capable enough to handle the rigours of subcontinental cricket and I will be surprised if they don’t force Kumble and Harbhajan to come up with something more than usual.
— Dronacharya Sports Promoters Association |
||
|
SA end Pakistan’s winning spree
Faisalabad (Pakistan), October 7 Under the Duckworth/Lewis formula — devised to help umpires decide the outcome of one-day internationals when play is interrupted by bad weather or the day shortened by failing light - South Africa only had to score 208 for six after 45 overs to win. The visitors were 221 for six at the end of 45 overs. Amid failing light, Australian umpire Darrell Hair and Pakistan’s Nadeem Ghauri offered batsmen Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall the opportunity to end the match according to the formula, which they accepted. Pakistan: Hafeez c Dippenaar b Hall 20 Hameed c Gibbs b Peterson 72 Youhana c Boucher b Ntini 18 Khan c Ntini b Peterson 9 Iqbal c Boucher b Nel 22 Malik c Gibbs b Ntini 18 Razzak not out 46 Latif c Kallis b Pollock 14 Akhtar b Ntini 7 Mushtaq not out 1 Extras: (lb-3 w-12 nb-1) 16 Total: ( 8 wkts, 50 overs) 243 FoW: 1-52, 2-95, 3-128, 4-138, 5-169, 6-181, 7-200, 8-232. Bowling: Pollock 10-0-35-1 (3-w), Nel 10-0-58-1 (1-nb, 5-w), Hall 8-1-37-1 (1-w), Ntini 9-0-45-3 (1-w), Kallis 6-0-39-0 (2-w), Peterson 7-0-26-2. South Africa: Smith c Latif b Razzak 51 Gibbs c Latif b Akhtar 4 Kallis b Akhtar 62 Rudolph c Razzak b Malik 46 Dippenaar b Hafeez 3 Boucher b Akhtar 24 Pollock not out 4 Hall not out 10 Extras: (lb-2, w-6, nb-9) 17 Total: (6 wkts, 45 overs) 221 FoW: 1-10, 2-110, 3-146, 4-157, 5-206, 6-206. Bowling: Shoaib 8-0-31-3 Umar Gul 5-0-42-0, Abdul Razzak 7-0-27-1, Saqlain Mushtaq 8-0-52-0, Shoaib Malik 10-0-42-1, Mohammad Hafeez 7-0-25-1. — Reuters
|
||
|
Australia’s steps to improve image
Melbourne, October 7 Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, the respective Test and limited-overs captains, announced an elite players’ definition of the "Spirit of Australian Cricket" today based on playing the game hard but fair and accepting decisions made by umpires. Waugh said Australian players had been discussing the importance of playing the game in a positive way for several years. "We believe we have made good progress, despite a handful of setbacks," said Waugh. "But we acknowledge that the intense and increasing scrutiny of Australian international cricketers on and off the field imposes very high standards on us as role models and ambassadors for the game." Cricket Australia chief Executive Officer James Sutherland also announced a national Spirit of Cricket project developed by Cricket Australia and the six state cricket associations designed to promote fair play at all levels of the game. — AP
|
||
|
Raid de Himalaya off to a flying start Rampur, October 7 A car went off road, injuring the driver and navigator, another car broke down twice, but the competitors were in high spirits. The first stage was through apple country and the spectators comprised the local apple growers, villagers and school children, who had been given time off to see the Raid, which has become a regular feature for the past five years. The first competitive stage which finished at Bahli, TC (time check) 3, where Anuj Mohan, No 53 the first biker came in at 8.52.40 a.m. This was a 41.5 km drive from Baggi to Balhi. The road was tarmac, but very rough. The recent rains had washed away patches of the road. Bikes No 51,52 and 53 followed in quick succession. Rahul Khanna was the first to roar in the four-wheeler category, in his Gypsy. Suresh Rana No 2 was snapping at his heels, as were Anil Wadia No 4 and Sanjay Sikand No 7. All were driving Gypsys. There are 14 cars competing in the Xtreme category. Earlier, an Esteem, No 5 driven by Sandeep Sharma went off road. Both the driver and the navigator were injured. “The medical aid team immediately swung into action and later, as a safety measure, they were moved to hospital,” a rally official said, requesting anonymity. The Maruti 800 driven by Gajinder Mallick had trouble with the gearshift leaver. A team of mechanics that was following the cars in the Reliability Trail category fixed it. This is a new category for amateurs in which they get to drive much the same route as the professionals in the Xtreme rally, but at a slower pace, and with backup provided by the rally organisers. The backup team was needed again a few kilometers down the road when the car was damaged on the uneven tarmac. The mechanics again fixed the car, but by this time it was out of the event. Gajinder’s wife and navigator Preti said: “We had come to with so much expectations.” The couple said that they would try to complete the course, if allowed to do so, since they might be time-barred for exceeding the time limit. Day two of the event will see the Xtreme head for Kaza over the Rohtang and the Kunzam Pass. That day the Reliability Trail will cross Rohtang Pass and head for Keylong. The next day sees the Xtreme returning from Kaza and crossing the Bara Lacha La to camp at on the Morey Plains at 5,600 ft above sea level. The Reliability Trail will have left earlier that day to also move to the Morey Plains. On Day four of the event, the Xtreme and the Reliability Trail will head back to Manali where the rally concludes. |
||
|
Several
hockey probables miss camp New Delhi, October 7 Just over a dozen out of 24 of probables attended the training session on the opening day though the chief coach Rajinder Singh said the rest would be reporting for the camp later in the day. "They could not reach here for various reasons. Some players could not attend the camp due to a function in Punjab," Rajinder Singh told reporters. Besides Dilip and Gagan, other notable absentees were Asia Cup hero Ignace Tirkey, Vimal Lakra, Kanwalpreet Singh and Vikram Pillay. There will be no Dhanraj Pillay or Baljit Singh Dhillon in the camp as the duo has been given rest alongwith five others after India’s maiden Asia Cup title win in Malaysia last month. Rajinder Singh said the senior members’ services will be missed though, it will also give the greenhorns an international exposure. "We will definitely miss the services of senior players. However, it will also help us prepare the team for the future," Rajinder Singh said. "Many had requested me personally for a break and this is just to ensure that they don’t suffer from fatigue during upcoming tournaments." Rajinder Singh said this time only 16 players would be selected to fulfil national duty in the Afro-Asian Games. Goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, who did a commendable job during the Champions Trophy as well as the Asia Cup, said the team was determined to perform to its potential to win the gold medal. "As the hosts, we have a lot of responsibilities to come up with a fine show. There are quite a few teams in the competition and we need to play really well to win the event," Chauhan said.
—PTI |
||
|
Haryana's
first Astro-turf at Gurgaon Chandigarh, October 7 A memorandum of understanding signed with the company stipulated "providing and fixing of the FIH-approved synthetic grass hockey pitch qualifying for the global FIH competition of prescribed standard size along with a practice pitch of same standard, including construction of sub-base, drainage and sprinkler system complete in all respects". The work on laying of artificial surface began in February and was completed at the end of last month. The related works like laying of water pipes for sprinklers, a tubewell, a water reservoir, arrangement for rain water harvesting and the landscaping of the area were going on and are likely to be completed by the month end, Mr Sudhir Mohan, who has also worked as Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, revealed. When the works are completed in all respects, hockey academy players in Gurgaon would be the first beneficiaries. The scheme formulated earlier and as revealed by Dr B K Sinha, when he was Director, Sports, Haryana, envisaged the setting up of three Astro-turfs in Haryana under the Central Government scheme under which liberal financial aid is provided from the Central government to states for creation and improvement of sports infrastructure. Gurgaon, Ambala and Hisar were chosen as the places where Astro-turfs were proposed to be installed. Later Shahabad was chosen as the place to install the synthetic surface in stead of Ambala as Shahabad was known as a place which had abundant talent for the game. "Shahabad is the centre which has produced so many women international hockey players. Even the current national women's hockey squad has a fair numbers of players from Shahabad," he revealed. The proceedings for the installation of the second artificial surface have already started at Shahabad also, stated Mr Sudhir Mohan. Land has been acquired at Shahabad. Soil testing has been done, while the first installment of the financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh had also been received from the Government of India. Work regarding inviting tenders for carrying out the project was going on, he revealed. When put in place Shahabad would become the second centre in the state to have an artificial surface. An sum of nearly Rs 2.5 crore is required for installation of Astro-turf and other related works. As per the stipulation, 50 per cent of the installation cost is borne by the Central Government, while the rest is shared equally by the state sports department and the district sports council headed by the Deputy Commissioner. Financial aid worth Rs 80 lakh has been received for the Gurgaon project, sources in the Haryana Sports Department revealed. |
|
ITBP,
CISF score convincing wins Mandi, October 7 The first match of the day was played between I.T.B.P made a promising start forcing a penalty corner in the ninth minute of the game Parveen Kumar made no mistake in converting it. Amritsar boys also earned one penalty corner but lost on the chance to score an equalizer. At half time, the scores were 1-0. In the 46th minute of the second session, Varinder scored a field goal taking 2-0 lead for his team. I.T.B.P boys kept up the pressure and seven minutes later Varinder Singh netted the ball for the second time through a field goal making things more difficult for Academy team. Just three minutes later Mahipal of I.T.B.P increased the winning margin scoring one more goal when he guided the ball in goal mouth.(4-0) The day’s second match played between H.P.Blue and Air Force started with great pace and both the teams tried to forge ahead. H.P. Blue took lead in the 27th minute when Pradeep Kumar found the target off a field goal. At half time, H.P. Blue was leading 1-0. Air Force team forced a penalty corner in the 39 the minute of the second half and Niraj Shad made no mistake and equalised the score. (1-1) There after, Air Force tightened the grip on the proceedings and consolidated the lead in the 61st minute when Balbir Singh converted a penalty corner in goal. Air Force won the match 2-1. The third match of the day played between Punjab and Sind Bank and Signals ended in a goal-less draw. The match witnessed good hockey but both the teams failed to hit the target. Punjab and Sind Bank earned as many as five penalty corners but failed to strike the target. The fourth match was a reply of first match where C.I.S.F thrashed H.P. Red 4-0, C.I.S.F made full use of chances that came their way right from the beginning. Cyril Eka fired a field goal in the 24th minute of the game making it 1-0. Two minutes later, C.I.S.F boys raided the circle with good combination and Parteek Kumar unleashed a powerful hit making it 2-0. Parteek Kumar consolidated the position further when he scored another goal in the 32nd minute taking the score to 3-0. At half time the scores were 3-0. After the breather C.I.S.F were once again on the rampage and added the fourth goal sending the H.P. boys outfit packing (4-0). |
|
Harpreet
scores a
hat-trick Nabha, October 7 The university lads opened the scoring when Harpreet Singh dashed down the left flank before sending in a powerful shot. Harpreet struck twice in succession within a time span of seven minutes to see his team enjoying a comfortable 3-0 lead. Minutes later, the students were 4-0 up when Amarinder Singh drove the ball home past a spreadeagled goaltender. Sunil Kumar of the Simla reduced the margin when his power-packed shot raced past the goal keeper. However, Harbinder Singh completed the Simla team's misery when he slotted in his team's sixth goal to enable Punjabi University win by 6-1 margin. In the second match of the day, DFA boys, playing in a defensive mould, found their rivals a tough nut to crack. The Kapurthala team's medio Raj Kumar gave a measured pass to an unmarked Ranbir Rana who chipped the ball home. Stung by this reverse, the Mahilpur players, particularly strikers Harjeet and Goldi started playing in a cohesive manner and piled up pressure on the
defense. Goldi's shot slipped out of the hands of the goalkeeper but he was quick on the rebound and found the equaliser by shooting the ball past the keeper who had yet to recover from his lapse. Fatehgarh's Karamjit made it 2-1 for his team but the Football Academy boys were quick to equalise when Raja scored from a tough angle. Two goals in the dying minutes of the match by Sakattar Singh and Goldi enabled the Mahilpur academy boys to romp home 4-2. Earlier, in a match played yesterday, Sunny Rakhi club beat Hero's club by a solitary goal margin. |
|
DAVC Jalandhar lift trophy Jalandhar, October 7 In a close encounter, DAV College, Jalandhar, thrashed Khalsa College, Patiala 2-1. The match started at a quick pace. Khalsa College boys opened their account in the 13th minute when Gurvinder Singh tactfully dodging rival defenders scored a field goal (1-0). The DAV College forwards who were striving to break the strong defence of the rivals succeeded during the 28th minute when Roop Lal, taking advantage of the chaos in the opponents team, skillfully struck a field goal 1-1. Both teams displayed excellent team work as the score board read 1-1 till the lemon break. The second half witnessed in keen tussle between both the teams to take the lead. The game momentarily came to a halt when a verbal dual broke out between the umpire G.S. Sangha and the Khalsa College players over the awarding of a penalty stroke to their opponents in the 48th minute. The DAV College finally managed to score match-winning goal during the 62nd minute when Yadwinder Singh scored a beautiful field goal (2-1). Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar settled in for third position defeating G.G.S. Khalsa College, Chandigarh 7-5. Gurwinder Singh of Khalsa College, Patiala, was adjuged as Player of the Tournament. |
|
Ludhiana
bowled out for 188 Ludhiana, October 7 Bating first, after the winning the toss, Ludhiana batsmen failed to take advantage and Chandigarh bowlers, maintaining a good line and length, bowled them out for a poor total of 188 runs in 84.5 overs. At one stage, the hosts were struggling at 128 for nine but the last-wicket pair of Deepak Kapoor and Luvabhlish stood their ground and in the process added invaluable 60 runs. For the visitors, left-arm spinner, Vipul Sharma did a comendable job by scalping four wickets, conceding just 24 runs. Brief scores: Ludhiana (Ist innings):
188 all out (Jasmeet 22, Ankur Kakkar 22, Gaurav Marwaha 20, Kuldeep 19, Deepak Kapoor 28 n.o, Luvabhlish 35; Vishwas Bhalla 1 for 22, Sanjay Marwaha 2 for 35, Vipul Sharma 4 for 24 and Sandeep 1 for 22). Chandigarh (Ist innings):
16 for 1 after 12 overs ( Baghneshwar 8, Vishwas Bhalla batting 3; Gagandeep Singh 1 for 12) |
|
Amritsar
score 208 Patiala, October 7 Having Ranji Trophy cricketers Ravneet Rickey and Munish Sharma in their batting line up, the visitors were expected to trouble the bowlers. However, both Lakhbir Singh and Maninder Bhardwaj frustrated the batsmen who eventually indulged in some risky batting which spelt doom for them. Brief scores:
Patiala 1st innings: 22 for no loss (Reetinder Sodhi 17 n.o, Binwant Singh 5
n.o) |
|
Rajwinder
shines Patiala, October 7 Brief scores: Ludhiana (1st innings):
117 all out (Bharat 25, Sushant 23, Mukesh 15, Gagandeep Singh 15 n.o, Rajwinder Singh 6 for 24, Kunwarveer Singh 2 for 25) Patiala: 1st innings:
38 for no loss (Gunjot Singh 22, Kunwar 16) |
|
CBSE volleyball Patiala, October 7 SISM Rara sahib were placed second while BBB DAV school, Moonak came third. In the girls section, Nankana Sahib School, Ludhiana won the title while SISM, Rara Sahib, came second. Army school, Jalandhar Cant were placed third. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In
video:
