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India out to stop Aussie juggernaut
Sourav Ganguly will have to get the team balance right
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Bhupathi-Mirnyi duo records 1st win Irina is back after 11-month lay-off
Punjab Police, PSB, BSF enter semifinals Mohindera is PFA president
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India out to stop Aussie juggernaut
Bangalore, November 11 Ganguly’s return to the side after a four-week injury lay-off should be a big morale-booster for India, sulking after two consecutive defeats to Australia in Mumbai and New Zealand in Cuttack. India’s roller-coaster show in the tri-series means the hosts are now in a perform-or-perish situation. Though the outcome of tomorrow’s day-night match would not decide as to who would cross swords with Australia in the summit clash in Kolkata on November 18, a victory for India would certainly ease the enormous pressure ahead of their last league match against New Zealand on Saturday. Australia are sitting pretty atop the points table with 23 points, courtesy one defeat and four wins in a row. The Black Caps have 10 from five league engagements while India are on nine from four outings. In view of this and bonus points also coming into play, the India-New Zealand encounter in Hyderabad has turned out to be a semi-final of sorts. But before India can even think about the Hyderabad match, they have to find out ways to overcome the Australian hurdle tomorrow. Ganguly, itching to have a go after missing quite a bit of action, has urged his teammates to “fire” as a team and find their bearings again in the tournament, taking heart from the fact that they did beat the world champions in their first exchange at Gwalior. “We have beaten them (Australia) in Gwalior and hope to do well again,” Ganguly said. The other point in India’s favour is that they will be able to field a near full-strength team tomorrow. Opener Virender Sehwag, who missed the Cuttack match due to an ankle injury, Zaheer Khan (chest infection) and Harbhajan Singh (finger) are all expected to take the field, with a chance also that Ashish Nehra may be fielded for the first time in the tri-series. Anil Kumble is also set to join the side at the Chinnaswamy Stadium after opting out of the Cuttack match due to the demise of his father. Coach John Wright stated the obvious when he said the players would have to pull up their socks if they were to entertain thoughts of putting it across their World Cup nemesis. “It is an important week for us,” Wright said emphasising the need for his players to fire on all cylinders in the match tomorrow. Bangalore has been a happy hunting ground for India against Australia as they have not lost to them in the three matches they have played so far at this venue and Ganguly said the team was keen to maintain its clean slate. For Ricky Ponting’s men, verdict of tomorrow’s encounter is inconsequential but the world champions showed they do not lack motivation even in what may be a dead rubber for them in the match against New Zealand at Guwahati when they overcame odds to inflict their sixth consecutive defeat on their trans-Tasman rivals on Sunday. The indomitable Aussies love to raise the bar constantly and have made it clear they are not going to make life any easier for the Indians. “We want to maintain the tempo. There is always scope for improvement. We will give our best. We will go with our best eleven,” Ponting said to put India up on notice. Going by Ponting’s remarks, Australia, who went into the Guwahati match without firebrand openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden besides their find of the tournament speedster Brad Williams, would also field their best possible eleven tomorrow. What India need to upset the favourites is bucketfuls of resolve and the confidence that they can pull off a repeat of the Gwalior match. — PTI
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Nehra
has to prove himself Bangalore, November 11 “There is a possibility of Nehra playing tomorrow because he has not played much. We have a tour ahead and we can not take somebody who has comeback from injury for a big series like Australia without playing cricket,” he told reporters here on the eve of the triangular series day-night encounter against Australia. Taking over the reins after a gap of almost one month due to injury, Ganguly said the team morale was not down after two consecutive defeats. “The morale looks okay. We know what we have to do to qualify for the final. We need to lift our game,” he said. “We need to play well in the rest of the tournament and get back into the winning habit. So every game is crucial.” Ganguly, who last played in the Ahmedabad Test against New Zealand from before undergoing two minor surgeries to treat an
abscess in his left thigh, said he was fully fit now. “I’m fit now. There is no pain. I’m fit for the rest of the series,” he said. Looking ahead to the series Down Under, Ganguly said a lot has been made out of the gamesmanship between him and Australian Test skipper Steve Waugh during Australia’s last visit.
— PTI |
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Sourav Ganguly will have to get the team balance right Sourav Ganguly plays his cricket hard and aggressive. Sometimes it spills over on the cricket field, putting him into trouble but he’s least bothered. That remains the sole reason why he’s been looked forward to refresh the sagging morale of the Indian cricket team; a bunch he so carefully nurtured over the past two years, when he rejoins his duty as the skipper. He has his task cut out playing against Australia in a crucial day-night encounter in Bangalore. First on his hand would be to decide the playing eleven, for unusually, there are quite a few contenders weighing in with their performances. Who will make way for Ganguly? The selectors will have to decide between the elegant Laxman and the hardworking Badani. Tough call, but the selectors will have to answer it and get it right too. Laxman is the man in form; one who has been consistently registering his name in the thirties before a casual stroke terminates his innings. His strike rate isn’t all that baffling but still when it comes to playing those elegant and exquisite drives, Laxman figures right up there. He’s capable of playing those once-in-a-lifetime innings and the Aussies know better than anybody else. Standing opposite to him is a candidate, who answers by the name of Hemang Badani. He may not be particularly pleasing with his standing shots in the covers but he hits it to good effect. One person, who’s reliably there down the order to get those quick 30-40 runs. Rest assured, he’s an asset in the field, throwing himself on the ground and pulling in those astounding saves. Simply, a brilliant ODI player, India can very well accommodate. On the other hand, I believe that Sehwag is fit and so is
Kumble. Both are automatic selections and in all probability, Kartik and Bahutule will vacate their place. Dravid, given Ganguly’s adamancy over the wicketkeeping issue and the complicating balance of the team, is likely to tow by his skipper’s word and stand behind the stumps. Now, that leaves the pace department. I have been reiterating that Zaheer is struggling with the ball and Ashish Nehra should be drafted in. I was saying this because of the statements made by the team management that Nehra is fully fit and raring to go. What I saw in
Cuttack, I have my doubts over Nehra as well. What was SS Das, not originally a part of the squad doing in the field while Nehra enjoyed the cool comfort of the dressing room? If Nehra can’t field, why the hell is he with the team. Again Nehra is back in contention for Wednesday’s game. Surely, the management can do better than sending confusing signals. This match is particularly important in context to the tri-series. A win here will relieve a lot of pressure going into the last league match against the Kiwis. But it’s easier said than done. Australia has indicated they will not take the game lightly and is likely to field their full side. The wicket throughout this tournament has been the focus of attention but if the recent Challenger series are any indicator, then it will be a conducive for batsmen to improve their batting averages. To sum up, there’s some great cricket action in the offing. Never mind Ganguly’s return to international fold, Dravid and Kumble are playing on home ground. India take on Australia and that’s reason enough for some good quality cricket fare.
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Bangalore, November 11 “He is a solid batsman and one of the top players of the world who I really admire,” Tendulkar said, adding that the first time he saw Dravid was in 1994-95 at Rajkot when a common friend Amol Mazumdar, pointing to the Karnataka lad, said “He is the one to watch out for... he is going to get runs and is going to make it big”. “Then I had said, he is good. We have to see him. Now the whole world has seen him,” said Tendulkar to applause from the audience, including Sadanand Vishwanath, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh. All praise for Dravid’s dedication and sacrifice for the game, Tendulkar said the vice-captain was “very sincere and very honest”. Dravid, who recalled Tendulkar’s game in an under-15 tournament at Cuttack in 1986 where he scored a good knock for West Zone against South Zone, said Tendulkar’s standards were what he had set for to be a good cricketer. “I still remember coming from Bangalore to Cuttack as a 13 or 14 year old hotshot..... scoring a lot of runs in school cricket, thinking that I was a very very good cricketer. But then I saw the young boy (Sachin) from Bombay... he was absolutely brilliant,” Dravid said. “I realised that day I really wanted to play cricket and I wanted to be a good cricketer and these are the standards I have to set for myself,” he said, pointing out that these were some of the tidbits mentioned in the biography. Admitting he was “totally embarrassed” by the appreciation showered by speakers, including sports writer Suresh Menon and St Joseph’s School Principal Father Michael John SJ, Dravid said a lot of things had been exaggerated over a period of time. “If you do some things nicely or well, by the time you are 30 years old, you make it sound that you have done absolutely fantastic. All these things said about me by a lot of people are possibly exaggerated, so when you read this book, read everything with a pinch of salt,” he said. Father John said Dravid was a loyal friend and a great ambassador who visited the home of the Aged or Spastics Society to meet children whenever he had the time. “There are young people here who can take him as a role model. A role model with tremendous achievement and hard work,” he said. “Rahul Dravid: A Biography” has been published by the New Delhi-based UBS Publishers Distributors Pvt Ltd. — PTI
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Bhupathi-Mirnyi duo records 1st win
New Delhi, November 11 Bhupathi and Mirnyi, who lost their opening match to Argentina’s Martin Rodriguez and Gaston Etlis, are now 1-1 in the Blue Group, according to information received here today. Yesterday’s win also helped the pair to remain in contention for the year-end world No 1 ranking overtaking American twins Mike and Bob Bryan, who are playing in the Red Group. Tomorrow, the Indo-Belarussian pair will take on Daniel Nestor of Canada and Mark Knowles of Bahamas, who remained unbeaten after recording their second consecutive win. — PTI
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Irina is back after 11-month lay-off Chandigarh, November 11 It required the nerves of steel to return with such a score with the cream of ladies golf vying for honours on the lush course of the Chandigarh Golf Course. But the new-look Irina, she has lost 6 kg, rallied after a bad first-nine start to shoot two birdies in the return nine for her card of 74. Another Chandigarh girl, Parneeta Garewal, who has been doing well in the practice rounds, finished the day with a seven-over card of 79. This is despite the fact that she had a one-stroke lead over Irina after the first nine. Another Chandigarh lady, Dimple Minocha, who plays with a handicap of 10, returned a five-over card of 77 to tie with Mayali Talwar, Shalini Malik, Shruti Khanna and Anjali Chopra, for the second spot Irina got off to a shaky start dropping strokes in the first, third and fourth holes . But she rallied in the return nine scoring two birdies after a bogey in the 11th hole. On the other hand Vandana Aggarwal played a steady game losing just two strokes to tie with Irina for the lead. In the silver division Rohini Majithia of Delhi played steady golf to lead with a gross 88 while young Shruti Nayak from Meerut took the lead in the nett with a four under 68. In the bronze division Chandigarh ladies Neelu Chopra and Bubbles Singh led in the gross and nett section with scores of 96 and 65, respectively. Bhavna Shetty took the lead in the junior shield section with a gross score of 81 and Vaishavi Sinha was the leader in the subjunior section with a gross score of 85. The prizes for the day’s best gross and nett for the bronze and gold divisions, respectively, were claimed by Neelu Chopra and Dimple Minocha. Fortyeight ladies teed off for the four-day competition with the President of the Chandigarh Golf Club, Raja Malvinder Singh, taking the ceremonial tee off. Lady captain Gaitri M.M. Singh and her team of official and committee members were in attendance The results: Championship Cup (gross): Irina Brar and Vandana Aggarwal 74. Silver Salver Nett (0-12):
Dimple Minocha 67, Shristi Dhaon 71. Challenge Bowl (12-24): Gross — Rohini Matithia and Shruti Naik 88. Nett — Shruti Naik 68, Binny Bath 70. Bronze Plate (25-36): Gross — Neelu Chopra 96, Bubbles Singh 101. Nett — Bubbles Singh 65, Neelu Chopra 70. Junior Shield: Gross — Bhavna Shetty 81 Divya Kapoor 83. Nett — Bhavna Shetty 72, Kanika Minocha 73. Subjunior Shield:
Gross — Vaishavi Sinha 85, Shruti Naik 88. Nett — Shruti Naik 68, Sharmil N. 76. Senior Challenge:
Gross — Renuka Phillips 81, Binny Bath 91. Nett — Binny Bath 70, Renuka Phillips 72. Super Senior Special:
Gross — Dalbir Sahi 100, Gurbrinder Johl 105. Nett — Saroj Joti 78, Dalbir Sahi 80. |
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Punjab Police,
PSB, BSF enter semifinals Jalandhar, November 11 In the women’s section, Northern Railway, Delhi, ousted Air-India, Mumbai, 3-0 to enter the final. Earlier, Punjab Police won their second match in a row. The policemen took an early lead through international Tejvir Singh, who scored a field goal in the eight minute to open the account (1-0). The lead was further consolidated in the 13th minute, when Jasvir Singh, after getting a pass from Tejvir Singh, netted the ball from left flank (2-0). Then former Indian captain Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon, who dodged the defence and easily converted a penalty corner in the 17th minute (3-0). Beleaguered looking Indian Oil team managed to reduce the lead in the 23rd minute through a penalty corner conversion by full back Bikramjit Singh (1-3). Continuing with their attacking moves, the policemen further
improved the tally to 4-1 in the 35th minute through conversion of a penalty corner by Tejvir Singh. The score was 4-1 till the lemon break. In the second half, Punjab Police changed the strategy and controlled the ball most of the time even as the Indian Oil players tried to reduce the lead. Jasvir Singh of Punjab Police scored a field goal in the 64th minute to complete the tally (5-1). The policemen secured a place in semifinals with six points to their credit. In another match, BSF, Jalandhar settled for a draw with Punjab and Sind Bank 2-2 to share equal points even as both the teams made it to the semifinals on points. In the second half, Punjab and Sind Bank opened their account in the 43rd minute as its Baljit Singh Chandi scored an impressive field goal (1-0). The lead was consolidated in the 44th minute, when Jatinderpal Singh made no mistake in converting a penalty corner (2-0). BSF reduced the lead in the 51st minute through a field goal by Harbhajan Singh (2-1). The equaliser came shortly as Amrit Lakra dodged the rivals’ defence to score a field goal (2-2). In the women’s section, Northern Railway opened their account in the 13th minute through a penalty stroke conversion by international Surinder Kaur. In the 23rd minute, Northern Railway was awarded another penalty stroke as Air-India’s Ajanta Devi had stopped Pritam near the “D”. Subsequently, Gurpreet Kaur easily converted the penalty stroke to sound the board 2-0. The score was 2-0 till the lemon break. In the second half, railway eves succeeded in locking the fate of the rivals as its Surinder Kaur easily converted a penalty corner in the 42nd minute (3-0). Tomorrow’s fixtures:
Northern Railways v Dhanoa Punjab Club Air-India, Mumbai v Chandigarh XI. |
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Mohindera
is PFA president Patiala, November 11 The meeting was held in the presence of Mr Zorawar Singh Chauhan, Deputy Director, Punjab Sports Department, who came as observer of the Punjab State Sports Council, and Mr
A.S. Grewal, who represented the Punjab Olympic Association (POA). Mr Mohindera’s name was proposed by Mr B.S Dhillon, Chairman of the Punjab Fencing Association and was seconded by Mr Jodh Singh Grewal. The other office-bearers of the PFA are: senior vice-presidents: Dr Jaswant Singh and Kamaljit Singh; vice-presidents: Mr Jagdeep
Kantore, Mr Kultej Singh, Mrs Darshna Sharma, Mr Sushil Goel, Mr K.P.S. Brar and Mr
J.S. Grewal; organising secretaries: Mr Upkar Singh Virk and Dr Sardari Lal; honorary secretary: Mr Arun Kumar
Vij. The selection committee of the PFA was also constituted during the meeting. Mr B.S. Dhillon has been elected as the chairman while Mr
T.S. Dogra will act as its convener. The other members are: Mr Upkar Singh Virk, Mrs Charanjit Kaur, Mr H.S. Sodhi, Mr Hazura Singh, Mr P.S Bhangu and Shashi Sharma. The technical committee will be headed by Mr Niranjan Singh and its convener will be Mrs Charanjit Kaur. The other members are: Mr H.S. Sodhi, Mrs Jaskirat Kaur, Mr Dheeraj Balraj
Khosa, Mr Rajiv Kumar and Mr Bhupinder Singh. The president and honorary secretary will be ex-officio members of both the selection and technical committees.
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