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Sunday,
October
19, 2003,
Chandigarh, India
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Sehwag leads India’s fightback with ton
Averting follow-on India’s aim Mohali wicket bowlers’ graveyard
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Wicket should have helped spin bowlers More stories on Chandigarh page
Chris Cairns confident
of good show Akram in city
Durand Cup in two phases Women’s sports festival from today Chandigarh
girls lose SGFI schedule Haryana Police win kabaddi title
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Sehwag leads India’s fightback with ton
Chandigarh, October 18 A host of records have been rewritten even as the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman have yet to come out to bat. The highest-ever total put on the board by New Zealand was well within reach. Reputations of bowlers have taken a fair beating in this Test. Indian seamers Zaheer Khan and L Balaji bowled nearly 60 overs between them but failed to get even single wicket despite that they got the first opportunity to exploit the track. Leg-spinner Anil Kumble would have rarely bowled 66 overs conceding as many as 181 runs without much success. Nor would Harbhajan have bowled nearly 50 overs and looked as clueless as he was in this match. New Zealand bowlers, in more than two sessions’ of play, fared no better. Darryl Tuffy and Butler, the new ball bowlers, failed to trouble the batsmen. Paul Wiseman looked pedestrian and conceded 55 runs in 10 overs, while left-arm spinner Vettori, though bowled a decent spell, looked at best restrictive. Virender Sehwag during the post-match media briefing was candid enough when he said India must play to their strength and produce spin-friendly wickets so as to win matches in the country as spin has long been India’s strength. McMillan stated that the track as being used during the two-Test series would not help India’s cause when they play overseas. Swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag led the Indian reply with a scintillating unbeaten century after the Black Caps declared their innings closed after piling up massive 630 for the loss of six wickets. Sehwag looked dangerous playing his trademark strokes with the minimum of fuss. Toying with the rival bowling attack and he was going strong on 128 and India, chasing the huge score, were cruising along nicely at 203 for the loss of Akash Chopra’s wicket at the close of the day’s play. Chopra was back in the pavilion after notching up a well made 60, his first half century in his fledgling international career. The Black Caps finally declared their innings closed the moment Craig McMillan completed his century, the fourth of the New Zealand innings. The Kiwis showed some urgency in scoring runs at last in the morning as Daniel Vettori and McMillan added 94 more runs to the total in 83 minutes before they decided to have a go at the Indian batsman. The script seems to be unfolding the way it was the visitors batted. Chopra and Sehwag, both Delhi players, looked untroubled facing the Kiwis new ball attack. Sehwag set the tone when he caressed Tuffy to cover boundary with ease. Butler generated some pace and looked nippy getting he ball to rise, but both the openers looked untroubled. Chopra initially matched Sehwag in run making playing some good strokes from the middle of the bat. A pulled shot off McMillan which raced to the boundary clearly stood out for its fine execution. Sehwag was back to his free-scoring ways and soon overtook his statemate. Huge sixes he hit over the mid-wicket fence spoke as much for his confidence as for his enormous batting skills. He was particularly strong on the off side executing so many spanking boundaries in the area. SCOREBOARD New Zealand (Ist innings): Richardson c Kumble
Vincent lbw b Kumble 106 Styris lbw b Kumble 119 Fleming b Tendulkar 30 Astle c Patel b Harbhajan 18 McMillan not out 100 Hart b Kumble 11 Vettori not out 48 Extras
(b-21, lb-28, nb-3, w-1) 53 Total (for 6 wkts decl in 198.3 overs) 630 Fall of wickets:
1-231, 2-382, 3-433, 4-447, 5-507, 6-540. Bowling: Zaheer 26-8-95-0, Balaji 30-10-78-0, Tendulkar 22-3-55-1, Kumble 66-18-181-3, Harbhajan 48-7-149-2, Sehwag 5.3-1-22-0, Yuvraj Singh 1-0-1-1. India (1st Innings): Chopra c Astle b Tuffey 60 Sehwag batting 128 Dravid batting 9 Extras
(b-2, nb-2, w-2) 6 Total (for 1 wkt in 69 overs) 203 Fall of wicket:
1-164. Bowling: Tuffey 13-2-45-1, Butler 15-3-54-0, Styris 6-2-14-0, Vettori 24-14-27-0, Wiseman 10-2-55-0, McMillan 1-0-6-0. |
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Match statistics
* Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris and Craig McMillan all scored centuries in the first innings of New Zealand. It was 10th instance when four batsmen scored centuries in an innings. It has happened for the fifth time with India. * New Zealand's score of 630 for six declared is the fourth highest score by any opposition in India, 652 for 7 declared by England at Madras in 1984-85 being the highest score. * Fiftythree extras conceded by India during the New Zealand's first innings are the third highest number of extras conceded by India, 60 extra runs which they allowed to England in Birmingham in 1979 being the highest number. * Virender Sehwag, when on 82, crossed the 1000-run mark in his 16th Test match. Unbeaten knock of 128 runs is his fourth century. * The knock of 60 runs was Dinesh Chopra's first half century and his highest score in second Test. |
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Averting
follow-on India’s aim Chandigarh, October 18 Sehwag, who played some delightful strokes notching up unbeaten century, his fourth Test century, in his 16th Test, denied that he was under any pressure when he went out to bat in pursuit of the massive New Zealand first innings score of 630 for 6 declared. The Delhi batsman said that he was playing the Test after a long time. So he just wanted to concentrate and score a big score. “We were not surprised. They must be having some strategy in place,” he replied when mentioned that the Black Caps decided not to declare their innings yesterday and chose to bat today also. The flamboyant batsman was candid enough saying that as spin had traditionally been India’s strength, wickets suited to spinners should be prepared in India. “Groundsmen should take care of it,” he stated. “Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” the stocky batsman replied with a smile. |
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Mohali wicket bowlers’ graveyard For all those who thought it would be a nice idea of spending their Saturday at the PCA stadium, Stephan Fleming became an unlikely hero. The New Zealand skipper finally had a content look after scaling the 600-run summit and respected the feelings of the packed holiday crowd. And for once, the Indians didn’t disappoint. The journey of Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag started in good fashion, undeterred by the new ball and the bustling Ian Butler, provided ‘life’ to the proceedings, which look destined to meet a dead end. Runs continued to flow on this wicket and quite contrary to the hype generated, this Mohali wicket has proved to be a graveyard for the bowlers where even beating the willow with the ball is no mean achievement. Sehwag and Chopra seem to complement each other very well and this goes much beyond the fact that they represent the same state at the domestic level. A perfect blend of sugar and spice at the crease, Chopra’s method of grafting runs is quite a ‘preferred option’ by the opposition rather being silent sufferer to Sehwag’s atrocities with the bat. Chopra has been rock solid during his first fifty-plus knock at this level and fast accumulating opinion of finally settling the requirement of a specialist hand at the top of the order. Without going into logic of sacking Sanjay Bangar, Chopra has made the most of the opportunity given to him. By maintaining a healthy run-rate and realising the importance of rotating the singles even in the longer version of cricket, he has proved to be a fast learner. Sehwag, a bit flashy to start with, settled down to play some rasping drives in the cover region and exposed the mediocre off-spin of Paul Wiseman with some lusty on-side hits. Another area of his batting that has always impressed me is his willingness to play shots irrespective of the patrolling fieldsman. There is always a chance of him getting out but that element of uncertainty doesn’t exist in his dictionary, at least. He did curb his frequency of hitting shots square of the wicket but if it was there to be hit, Sehwag made sure it reached the fence. Everything apart, it will be interesting to note if his slam-bang antics can get him through to a double hundred. This is the best platform for him to land a double and he just needs to have a good night’s sleep and come back on Sunday morning to resume his duty. Everything is laid straight in his favour and hopefully, he will not disappoint his fans and, moreover, himself. From New Zealand side, only Vettori, and to an extent Tuffey, managed to trouble the batsmen. Ian Butler looked quite pumped up on his maiden international stint on Indian soil, working up some appreciable pace and bounce but then committed the same fault as his Indian counterparts, bowling short and wide. The Kiwis would have come to realise what lies ahead for them now. For the next two days, they remain fodder for the rampaging Indian batsmen who look set to avenge the insult inflicted on their bowlers in this Test. It’s now our turn to rake up personal highlights and provide a Sunday run feast.
— Dronacharya Sports Promoters Association
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Wicket should have helped spin bowlers Chandigarh, October 18 At New Zealand, India were done in by the green-top pitches where the batsmen were all at sea against the fast bowlers while the spinners, India’s strongest area in the bowling department, were not able to get any help from the strips. And that is why India lost both Tests without much resistance. It was expected that in the current home series the visitors would have problems to negotiate the spinners, specially since it is acknowledged that in Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble India have two of the world’s best in the business. But both at Ahmedabad as well as at Mohali the wickets have been batsmen friendly, making the task of the Kiwis all that easier. It seems India are playing the current Test series without any gameplan in mind. At Ahmedabad the Indian spinners hardly commanded any respect and even on the fifth day of the match the Kiwis, with nine second innings in hand, could prevent an Indian win. At Mohali, the pitch is absolutely batsmen friendly as the New Zealanders demonstrated with as many as four of their batsmen getting centuries in their first innings total of 630 for six declared after over two days of batting. The Indian reply is equally stronger but what is happening is that the match is meandering towards a meaningless draw which will leave the rubber with New Zealand, a situation to the satisfaction of Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming, who has gone on record to say that a drawn series would suit him fine. Most pundits are of the opinion that what should have been done was to provide wickets, both at Ahmedabad and Mohali, where the spinners would have some assistance, even if in Daniel Vettori New Zealand have a very good spinner. For Indian batsmen who have played most of their cricket on turning tracks playing Vettori should not have posed much problems but for Kiwi batsmen who have played more quality pace than spin, facing spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble might have posed quite a few problems, specially on a turning track. Winning in Test matches is all about scoring adequate runs and taking 20 opposition wickets within the period of the game. To take 20 opposition wickets one must have the bowlers but both at Ahmedabad and at Mohali one felt that India were playing one bowler short or the bowlers in the team were not up to the mark. At Ahmedabad, India had only to take nine New Zealand wickets for a win within one full day of play but could not go for the kill while at Mohali in the New Zealand first innings the Indian bowlers were all at sea with Kumble giving away 181 runs for his three wickets and Harbhajan 149 runs for his two scalps. It is difficult to remember when these two were carted so much around the ground ! The Indian cricket team is playing nearly round the year. While playing away from home they get wickets which are more green than brown. At home it would do Indian cricket a lot of good if they get strips which suit their bowlers. As it is winning abroad has become a rarity for India. Let us at least give the team an opportunity to win at home. |
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Chris Cairns confident
of good show Mohali, October 18 “Australians have a few injuries and this is a good opportunity for the New Zealand side. India are without (Javagal) Srinath and (Ashish) Nehra and Australian bowling attack for this series also looks inexperienced,” Cairns, who flew in to join the squad here yesterday, told reporters today. Asked to predict the favourites to lift the Cup in Kolkata on November 18, Cairns said: “Australia with their current form look in good shape and Indians have the home advantage”. The all-rounder, known for his lusty hitting and penetrative bowling, also felt the Kiwis, going by their spirited performance in the two-Test series against India, have a “good chance to reach the final”. “The final is a one-off game, but if we can put ourselves into a position to reach there anything can happen,” said Cairns, who played a stellar role in New Zealand’s memorable win over India in the ICC knock-out Championships final in 2000 at Nairobi, Kenya. |
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Akram in city Chandigarh, October 18 The three were here to record a special programme on cricket for the ESPN sports channel on the occasion of the ongoing Test match between India and New Zealand at SAS Nagar. Dressed in a plain white ‘‘kurta,’’ Gavaskar, the highest run-getter in the game, gave a delightful time to the audience in an informal get-together after a function last night. His simplicity in mannerism of responding to compliments and his in-depth knowledge about the game which he shared with the excited onlookers was an experience by itself. Tall and lanky Pakistan speedster Akram dressed in casual wear was a very sought-after personality in the evening. One of the most feared fast bowlers of his times, he answered queries about his training and his experience. Akram who gave sleepless nights even to the greatest batsmen on the field politely answered questions saying nothing could replace hard-work and commitment for victory in any of the spheres. Bhogle impressed the gathering with his anecdotes. He had a long list of data to support all his arguments and another long list of examples from the long history of the game to lend colour. Akram had a quiet game of golf after the recording this morning. The Forest Hill Golf and Country Club conferred life-time membership of the club on them. Speaking at a brief ceremony to confer membership, Col B.S. Sandhu, CMD of the club, appreciated their contribution in different spheres. He appreciated the role of Harsha
Bhogle, in particular, for “breaking” into a domain commanded by the English commentators from other countries. |
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Taufeeq
Umer slams century Lahore, October 18 South African skipper Graeme Smith might regret to field just one specialist spinner — Paul Adams (2-70) — on a wicket which offered little to his four-pronged pace attack. Adams took a brilliant low diving catch off his own bowling which brought curtains on Umer’s brilliant six hours 22 minutes effort during which he faced 247 balls. S. Africa (1st innings):
320 Pakistan (1st innings): Taufeeq Umer c and b Adams 111 Imran Farhat b Adams 41 Yasir Hameed c Boucher
Yousuf Youhana c Boucher
Asim Kamal batting 49 Shoaib Malik batting 27 Extras: (b-2, lb-16, w-1, nb-4) 23 Total:
(4 wkts, 95 overs) 275 FoW: 1-109, 2-151, 3-160, 4-223. Bowling:
Shaun Pollock 17-5-42-1, Makhaya Ntini 19-2-61-0, Paul Adams 23-3-70-2, Andre Nel 14-3-40-1, Jacques Kallis 14-2-30-0, Graeme Smith 8-1-14-0.
— AP Akhtar banned On-field histrionics once again proved costly for Shoaib Akhtar as the fiery Pakistani pacer was banned for a Test match and two one-dayers for using abusive language during the first Test against South Africa at Lahore.
— PTI |
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Ponting
hits ton Sydney, October 18 That left them just 63 runs behind the Zimbabweans who made 308 after resuming at 256 for eight. All-rounder Andy Blignaut scored an unbeaten 38 to help Zimbabwe post a respectable total then picked up two early wickets.
— Reuters |
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Durand Cup in two phases New Delhi, October 18 The second phase, which will be the quarter-final league round, will be played from November 1 to 10. Nine teams from the National Football League, last year's runners-up Army XI and Tata Football Academy,
Jamshedpur, and the qualifiers will battle it out for the prestigious cup and the prize money. Sixteen times champions Mohun
Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting from Kolkata, Salgaocar, Dempo and Vasco from Goa, Federation Cup champions Mahindra United, Indian Bank and five times champions
JCT, Phagwara are some of the big names in the fray. The winners will pocket a prize money of Rs 4 lakh while the runners-up will receive Rs 2 lakh. The tickets will be priced at Rs 200, Rs 100, Rs 80 and Rs 50. |
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Women’s sports festival from today Chandigarh, October 18 Arrangements for boarding and lodging of players have been completed. Arrangements have also been made to provide refreshments and milk free of cost at the venue of the games. The opening ceremony will be performed by Avtar Henry, Food and Supply Minister, Punjab, at 11 am in Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar. The function will be presided over by Kanwaljeet Singh Lalli, Parliamentary Secretary, Defence Services Welfare. Hockey matches will be held in the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium and competitions in handball and lawn tennis will be held in Burlton Park. Punjab teams for the meet were selected during the Punjab State Women Games at Ludhiana from October 1 to 3. The meet is being organised by the Sports Department, Punjab in coordination with the Sports Authority of India. In the national sports festivals held in various states Punjab had emerged as the overall champions. In the National Sports Festival last year, Punjab were champions in handball, finished second in hockey and were third in lawn tennis. |
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Chandigarh
girls lose Kangra, October 18 In the girls section Andhra Pradesh beat Uttaranchal 58-42 with half time score at 37-20. B. Siyatha of winning team scored the highest number of 23 points. In another match West Bengal beat Chandigarh 65-57. Gurjeet Kaur of Chandigarh scored 20 points. In the pre-quarterfinal in the boys section, Chhattisgarh defeated Uttaranchal 76-40. Kerala beat Uttar Pradesh 68-60 while Punjab outplayed Maharashtra 80-57. In the girls section Madhya Pradesh beat Uttaranchal 47-14. Punjab beat Andhra Pradesh 55-46, Delhi defeated West Bengal 68-46 while Maharashtra outplayed Chandigarh 58-42 in the pre-quarterfinals. |
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SGFI schedule Chandigarh, October 18 Basketball (under-14) boys and girls, and volleyball (under 14,17 for boys and girls) will be held from December 3 to 8 at Chennai. Athletics competitions (under 14, 17, 19 for boys and girls ) will be hosted by West Bengal at
Jalpaiguri. |
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Haryana
Police win kabaddi title Yamunanagar, October 18 |
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Lee to miss Indian tour
