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Indian eves rout Kazakhstan, enter semis
India-Holland hockey series from today Asian hockey skills fascinate Walsh
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Hughes pokes holes in India’s armoury Indians tentative against quick bowling My mind has played a bigger role: Laxman Indian colts defeat Australia Incentives for sportspersons BSF, Punjab cops in title clash Baljinder, Gurmeet best athletes Jaskiran to lead
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Indian eves rout Kazakhstan, enter semis New Delhi, February 4 Japan sneaked past Korea 4-3 in the afternoon to top Pool B, with an all-win record. India will take on Korea in the first semi-final on Friday at 11.30 am while Japan will clash against China in the second semi-final at 2.30 p m. There will be no match tomorrow. China defeated Malaysia 7-1 and Singapore edged past Sri Lanka 1-0 in other matches. India were expected to crush the weak Kazakhstan by a huge margin, which they did with a lot of conviction, to gain a one-goal advantage over China to top the pool. Earlier in the morning, China crushed Malaysia 7-1 and had they scored one more goal, they would have taken the top slot in the pool. India scored 13 goals while China could strike 12 while both the teams conceded three goals each. But there does not seem to be much advantage for India in taking on Korea in the semi-final if the latter’s fightback against Japan was any indication. Though Korea is learnt to have left behind some of their key players, who are gearing up for the Olympic competition, they ran Japan close, after trailing by four goals in the first half, before losing by a narrow margin of 3-4 in their last Pool B match. Korea were on a prowl in the second half, but muffed too many penalty corners and a penalty stroke, to spoil their party. India, for the first time in the championship, played a free-flowing game and also converted three of their 11 penalty corners. But India’s handsome 8-0 victory still fell short by one goal of their previous best against Kazakhstan--the 9-0 victory they notched up in the fourth edition at the National Stadium in 1999. Surinder Kaur dashed into hit home the first goal for India just seconds into the game and two minutes later, she was again on target to put the hosts 2-0 ahead. The trend of the match had been set though after the initial fury, the Indian girls found goals hard to
get, and the third one came off a penalty corner only in the 28th minute when captain Suraj Lata Devi pushed one in (3-0). A minute after resumption, Sanggai Chanu converted another penalty corner to enhance the lead (4-0). Thereafter, goals came short spells with Saba Anjum and Adline Kerkett (two in a row) finding the target in that order. Sanggai Chanu rounded off the tally by powering home another penalty corner (8-0). Yet, the final tally looked a little inadequate as the Indian girls, despite enjoying total grip of the match, failed to cash in on a number of easy chances, and the penalty corner woes continued to dog them though the convertion rate was better. Chief coach M.K. Kaushik indicated that he had no plans to substitute Suman Bala as the prime ‘hitter’ of the corner as she is still the best bet and has delivered when it mattered most. China were through with their 7-1 triumph over Malaysia at the practice ground outside the main stadium when the Indian eves were cornering Khazakhstan like lambs to slaughter inside. Though China were allowed to score only one goal in the first half, they let themselves go in the second session after Malaysia brought up the equaliser five minutes into the second half, to run away with a huge victory. Their captain Ma Yibo scored the last two goals off a penalty corner and a penalty stroke to share the scoring honours with Chen Qui Qi, who too knocked in a brace of goals. Ali Li, Lihua Gao and Xuejiao Huang were the other goal-getters. Nadia Nurul pulled off the lone goal for Malaysia. There was keen interest in the Korea-China match as the teams had indulged in unfettered scoring in their previous two pool matches. Japan, who had knocked in 36 goals in two matches, looked set for another high-scoring contest when they led by 4-0 at half time. But the Korean girls virtually turned the match on its head on resumption with an attacking display to socre three goals to narrow the margin of defeat to 3-4. Japan and Korea converted two penalty corners each though Korea earned 11 penalty corners to Japan’s five. |
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India-Holland hockey series from today
Hyderabad, February 4 The Test series assumes importance as both the teams are eager to finetune their skills before they go for the kill in the all-important qualifiers. After their debacle in Kuala Lumpur in the Azlan Shah Cup, India have fielded their best available 21 players led by veteran
defender Dilip Tirkey, keen as they are to make most of this preparatory opportunity for an entry to Athens Olympics in August. Holland, despite being defending Olympic champions, have to go through the grind of qualifiers due to a new rule which allows only continental champions a direct berth. Germany, the European champions, made it to the showpiece four-yearly event on this account. India lost out on a chance for direct entry after they were defeated by South Korea in the final of the Busan Asian Games, 2002. Indian coach Rajinder Singh said his team, which would gain a lot from playing the Olympic champions, could not have asked for better preparations. “Since Holland is a top notch team, we could not have asked for a better
match-practice before the pre-Olympic tournament and Olympics,” he said and promised intense hockey from his boys. “We are working hard on penalty corners, both in attack and defence. We are aware of our deficiencies. Also we are missing the services of (penalty corner specialist) Jugraj Singh,” Rajinder Singh said. “But the team will take bold initiatives and experiment with the available players keeping an eye on the events ahead.” The coach defended the move to field youngsters in Azlan Shah saying, “we have a huge player base and there is no reason why we should not experiment with them at tournaments. We were successful with our
experiments in Afro-Asian Games. (In Azlan Shah) though there were good individual performances the team could not get its act together.” Rajinder Singh was also confident that star forward Dhanraj Pillay’s absence would not have any bearing on his team’s chances. “Certainly not. We have players who can fit into anybody’s shoes. They are strong and mature and will get a chance to prove themselves,” said Rajinder who was involved in an infamous brawl with Pillay at the Chennai airport after India’s Asia Cup victory. The Dutch, on the other hand, were also hopeful of a good show despite the heat and humidity here.
“It is a bit humid here but we will overcome it,” said coach Terry Walsh.
— PTI |
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Chennai: Pakistan’s Faize Mohammed and Amarjit Singh of Malaysia will be officiating as the neutral umpires for the three-Test hockey series between India and Olympic champions Holland beginning at the Gachibowli Astroturf stadium in Hyderabad from Thursday, according to Indian Hockey Federation secretary K. Jyothikumaran. Amarjit, who had officiated in the Olympic Games and the World Cup, would also be at the next Olympic Games in Athens in Greece in August this year. Faize is a grade one international umpire. — UNI
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Asian hockey skills fascinate Walsh
Hyderabad, February 4 In an exclusive chat with UNI here, Walsh dwelt on many aspects. A relaxed Walsh, having been entrusted with the assignment only last month, was happy to be in India. “The Asian hockey skills have always fascinated me. It is a special brand, something you don’t get to see often. Now, the essence is not the same due to the lifting of the off-side. Midfielders do not enjoy the same status as they did by right before. It has boiled down to the forwards hovering inside the circle, to do the finishing act.’’ “Gone are the days when the teams could relax with a three or four goal lead,” said Walsh. “Just see what happened to India, seemingly sitting pretty with a 3-0 lead against Holland in the Champions Trophy last year. Now, there is more thrust on the penalty corner conversions. Teams like Holland, always had specialists like Paul Litjens and Floris Bovelander in the past and they have Bram Lomans and Teun de Nooijer in the present squad.” Walsh hoped for some quality contest ahead of the pre-Olympic qualifiers at Madrid. Though Holland are the reigning Olympic champions, as per the new FIH rule, it is mandatory for them to play. Ever an optimist, Walsh said it would be a test of endurance to be pitted against the other top teams in the qualifiers. But, that has to wait. Walsh’s immediate objective is to ensure a good show tomorrow, to strike the early dent. The key to the pack is the dangerous striker Teun de Nooijer, named the 2003 ‘Player of the Year’. He has the support of the towering Bram Lomans and Taeke Taekema, two penalty corner specialists. The former Australian player, who coached his country to a bronze in the 2000 Olympics, feels the imperative need of sustaining the momentum. He had a word of praise for the Indians, for their remarkable consistency, winning laurels and keeping up the good work. — UNI
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Players considering Pak tour boycott?
Melbourne, February 4 Players seem to have called upon the meeting to win wider support for boycott rather than limit it to a couple of senior players only. The tour to Pakistan is going to generate such passion that nobody wants to be seen alone in deciding on the issue one way or the other. They would rather look to be united in the stand than appear to be the odd men out. The Indian team management has repeatedly denied any such move on the part of players but more and more voices within the Indian team suggests impression to the contrary. It was in Melbourne alone, during the second Test in December, when the word first went around players' reservations on tour to Pakistan. Since then the preparation for the tour has gone ahead and players now have no choice but to take a stand since the tour to Australia is coming to a finish. Another reason for players to deal with the issue firmly is because it might hamper their preparation for the finals which they dearly want to win. Indians have had a brilliant tour to Australia and they are keen to leave the shores with the one-day trophy in their baggage. Players, it is learnt, remain unconvinced about the security aspect of the tour even though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced they would be accorded presidential level of security. A lot hinges on the upcoming tour, certainly financially for the Pakistan Cricket Board who are looking at a profit of at least $ 20 million. Decisions at many fronts at the administrative level still remain to be taken but there are indications that things would be hammered out by the time the week is out. If players make known their stance to boycott the tour, it would once again pit them against the BCCI after the "ambush marketing" deadlock in 2002. The board, it is learnt, has been in touch with players over the last few weeks. Captain Sourav Ganguly reportedly is keen to lead the side to Pakistan, provided he has the full-strength team at his disposal. — PTI
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Hughes pokes holes in India’s armoury
Perth, February 4 “They have some deficiency in one-day cricket,” said Hughes who played in 70 Tests for Australia and captained in 28 of those in the 1980s. India’s batting
inadequacy was exposed on the bouncy WACA pitch against Australia last Sunday, and their bowlers have so far found no answer to the powerful Australian batting line-up. Hughes, however, felt the Asian giants have to rectify their traditional weaknesses in the limited overs game if they nourished hopes of beating Australia in Australia. “They are not the best of runners between the wickets and their fielding can lag. At best it is average,” he said. Hughes picked V.V.S. Laxman and skipper Saurav Ganguly as two batsmen who were not the best of runners between the wickets. “Laxman and Ganguly don’t run all that well. That’s their deficiency in one-day cricket, though I must admit Laxman remains my favourite batsman. I would go anywhere to watch him bat.” Hughes felt though the Indian batsmen’s technique was exposed at Perth over the two final league games, they should be back to their best on the friendlier tracks at Melbourne and Sydney. “Well certainly their techniques were exposed here against some real pace. They were not going back and across on this strip where the bounce was good,” Hughes said. “But Indians are going back to wickets they have liked this summer. They have been very good batting wickets and have not deviated too much". “Australians would have hoped they were a bit harder and quicker and force the players to go right back. They would have been disappointed with a few wickets which were prepared this summer.” Hughes said India had the potential to be a power in world cricket given the strength of their batting and the quality of the up and coming fast bowlers. “The Indian top six are all a bit different. Ganguly is different to Dravid, Laxman is different to Tendulkar". “Then you have Irfan Pathan who is very, very impressive. A few can do what he does and he is just quick enough". “You don’t have to be (bowling at) 150 or 155 kmph. If you do not do enough with the ball, most fellows would hit you for fours. Brett Lee has shown that". “Pathan is between 135 and 140 and pushes the ball across the right-handers or lets the ball come back in as a left-arm bowler. There will always be chance to nick it". “It doesn’t matter who you are if it lands in the middle and starts to go towards the off, you would struggle". “When Harbhajan and Zaheer come back from injury, and with Pathan and Balaji showing their wares, India will have a very good bowling line-up.”
— PTI |
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Indians tentative against quick bowling I wanted to neatly cut out the WACA wicket and carry it as excess baggage to Melbourne, but sadly, that’s just not possible! It was really wonderful to bowl on a WACA wicket that was reminiscent of what wickets used to be like in Perth and indeed in many parts of Australia till a couple of seasons ago. There was pace, bounce and carry for the quick bowlers, and I was relieved when I was told that I would be playing on Sunday morning. As soon as I saw the hard surface, I knew that this was my best chance to return with good figures so that I could even up my personal contest against the Indian batsmen. I hit the crease well and bowled the right length to extract maximum advantage from the track, and the same was true for Jason Gillespie, Brad Williams and Andy Bichel. I am personally encouraged by two factors. Firstly, I have regained my pace and am bowling as well as I did at this time last year, during the VB Series and the World Cup. Secondly, I watched the Indians last evening against the Zimbabweans, and they were struggling even while batting second, especially against the quicks. This suggests that they might be tentative against quick bowling in the next game as well. We know that the Melbourne wicket will be easier for the Indians, but I am confident that if we bowl the right length, like we did in Perth, the Indians will find the going tough. To be fair to the Indian batsmen, the WACA was a wicket loaded in favour of the quicks, and both sides know that conditions will be very different in the all-important finals. Having said that, it was nice to test the in-form Indian batting line-up, and I really regret the fact that we did not get to bowl to them on the WACA wicket for a Test. Hopefully, we will get a chance to do that when the Indians tour next time. From the Indian point of view, it must have given them some heart that they managed to reach 200-plus thanks to some stubborn resistance from the lower order. Adam Gilchrist, who was captaining in the absence of Ricky Ponting, had gone straight for the jugular by using the top-line bowlers in one go, so the lower order batsmen did have more relaxed times against the part-timers. We landed in Melbourne a couple of days ago, and the weather has been pretty erratic with frequent rains. This could mean that there will be some moisture and grass on the wicket that is being prepared for the first final. This will make the first 15 overs of the game very important, irrespective of who takes first strike. After the first hour things might ease up a bit, so the bowling side would like to take as many wickets as possible. The Perth game was the first one in which we did not allow the Indians to build a partnership. The quick succession of wickets was what broke the back of the Indian batting, and we will have to replicate that kind of sustained pressure at the start of the Indian innings if we want to restrict the Indians. I am feeling a lot more confident right now, and am thankful that I could avoid most of what was written about me after my return. My team-mates advised me to keep away from the sports pages and news channels, and I think that really helped me concentrate on working hard. Pressure is something you put on yourself, and I hope I can repay Ponting and coach Buchanan for their faith in me by keeping up this form in the finals.
—Gameplan |
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My mind has played a bigger role: Laxman “Disappointment of missing out the World Cup will always be there but at the same time it was yet another learning curve in my career. Brooding over the issue was not my agenda as I became more resolute to face the brutal facts of life”, says VVS Laxman in an exclusive interview to Javagal Srinath. Srinath:
There is a pivotal transition in your career all of a sudden. Your tremendous form has continued from the Test matches to the
one-dayers. Have you made any changes in this particular series? Laxman: First of all, I am really pleased with the team efforts and satisfied with my quest to do well. A result in our favour in the Sydney Test match would have been ideal for our efforts. Personally, I have played the game with freedom and responsibility within the framework of my strength and weakness. My mind has played a bigger role on this tour. I was determined to build my innings. Srinath: You have been tried in every slot in the Test matches and the
one-dayers. What do you say? Laxman:
Opening the innings never came naturally to me and henceforth I was inconsistent. I was caught in a double mind. I was not sure whether to play my shots or to see the shine off the ball. Whenever I failed to deliver, the selectors branded me as a non-regular opener and tried regular openers. During the South African series in India I was again dropped. After much contemplation about my career, I was sure that I was only good to be a middle-order batsman and not an opener. I expressed my reluctance to open the innings to the team management. Thank God, I realised well in time about the things I could do and couldn’t do. There has been a steady progress in my game since the Zimbabwe series. Now, I am confident about what I am doing and how I should be going about things. Srinath:
Selectors were regularly dropping you from the one-dayers. What could be the reasons for it? Laxman:
I am still evolving in the one-day format. I wasn’t rotating the strikes that easily. At the same time, I was never given a consistent run. Although I realised it a little late, I have worked hard on the requirements of the one-day game. Ever since 2001, I have been able to analyse it well and my approach at the moment is much better in the shorter version of the game. Srinath:
But you were not picked up for the World Cup. Laxman:
The whole world understands the significance of the World Cup. Disappointment of missing out the World Cup will always be there but at the same time it was yet another learning curve in my career. Brooding over the issue was not my agenda, as I became more resolute to face the brutal facts of life. My family members bailed me out of dejection. Srinath:
Tell us something about your batting understanding with Rahul Dravid. Laxman:
A lot of things have already been said about it. The truth is that we know each other more at the centre than in the dressing room. It has become a habit for us to stay together at the wicket since the time we were playing under-19 cricket. The trend continued in the Duleep Trophy and other representative matches. Our understanding with each other has produced some great results for the country.
— Chivach Media |
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Cuttack, February 4 Chasing a target of 206, India managed to score 208 only in 32.5 over loosing six wickets. Earlier Australia were all out for 205 in 47.3 overs. For India, D. Karthik scored a quick fire 59 not out from 54 balls and S. Singh made 55 from 66 balls to register the Indian win. While Karthik’s 59 included nine fours S. Singh hit eight boundaries. At the end of the game D. Karthik was batting at 59 and A. Sharma at 01. R. Uttap scored 37. Before Karthik came to bat India lost five wickets for 89. But Karthik and S. Singh reversed the trend. For Australia C. Huckett and S. Coyte took two wickets each giving 54 and 45 runs, respectively, while G. Puttand and J. Mangan took one wicket each. Earlier Australia won the toss and elected to bat and were all out scoring 205 in 47.3 overs Australia: Tim Paine lbw b R.P. Singh 1, Theo Doropoulos b A. Sharma 65, Callum Ferguson c A. Sharma b VRV Singh 4, Ahillen Beadle c P. Gupta b A. Sharma 35, Adam Crosthwaite c S. Raina b Rayudu 40, Ken Skewes b A. Sharma 0, Scot Coyte lbw b S. Raina 1, Stephen O’Keefe st Kartik b P. Gupta 13, Cameron Huckett c VRV Singh b Rayudu 29, Gary Putland c R.P. Singh b P. Gupta 1, Josh Mangan not out 0. Extras (b-1, lb-6, nb-2, w-7) 16. Total (all out in 47.3 overs) 205. Fall of wkts: 1/7, 2/22, 3/92, 4/132, 5/132, 6/135, 7/170, 8/181, 9/198. Bowling: VRV Singh 5-0-26-1, R.P. Singh 5-2-14-1, Suresh Raina 10-1-36-1, Praveen Gupta 9-0-34-2, Abhishek Sharma 10-0-42-3, Sekhar Dhawan 2-0-16-0, Ambati Rayudu 6.3-0-30-2. (Scoreboard incomplete). — UNI |
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Incentives for sportspersons Chandigarh, February 4 The state Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, decided to introduce an award for sports coaches, enhance the amount of Bhim Award, diet money and scholarships and give several cash incentives to individual as well as team events at the national and international level by amending the sports police of 2001. Women players winning gold, silver and bronze medals in the National Women Sports Festival would be given Rs 10,000, Rs 7000 and Rs 5000, respectively. The winners in the all-India rural sports festival would also get similar cash awards. The winners of the gold, silver and bronze medals in the international veteran athletics championship would be given Rs 20,000, Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively. The winners of the national veteran athletics championship would get Rs 7,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3000, respectively. Cash awards of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, would be given to the winners of the Special Olympic(international) for mentally and physically challenged sports persons. The winners in the world marathon for mentally or physically challenged persons would get Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000. The cash awards of same amount would be given to the winners of the Asian and Commonwealth Games for mentally and physically challenged persons. For the winners in the National Special Olympics the award money would be Rs 7,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000, respectively. In team events, each member of the team in the National Games would get Rs 51,000, Rs 31,000 and Rs 21,000 for winning gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. In case of a national championship, the award money would be Rs 31,000, Rs 21,000 and Rs 11,000. Each member of the winning team in the National School Games, all-India inter-university tournament, the National Women Sports festival and the all-India rural sports tournament would get Rs 10,000, Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively. The Cabinet also revised the amount of scholarship admissible to students. In case of colleges Rs 1800 per annum would be given to the first position holder at the national or state level tournament or championship. The second position holder would get Rs 1200, while the third position hold would get Rs 900 per annum. The amount of Bhim Award has been doubled from Rs 50,000. The special award comprises Rs 1 lakh, a statue of Lord Krishna, a scroll, a blazer and tie or scarf would be given to those coaches of Haryana who trained players of national and international repute.
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BSF, Punjab cops in title clash
Lucknow, February 4 In the first semi-final at the PAC ground, BSF and Manipur fought a pitched battle and tried their best to surge ahead of each other. BSF went into the lead in the 33rd minute through Santosh Kunjaur, but Manipur equalised just seven minutes later when N. Desh Kumar found the net. The two teams were tied 1-1 at half time. The teams rallied hard in the second half but both of them failed to score. In the first half of extra time, BSF’s Santosh scored the all-important goal in the seventh minute to help his team win 2-1. In the second semifinal, Punjab Police beat Assam Rifles by a solitary second half goal. The scorer in the 74th minute was Harjinder Singh. The final will be played tomorrow, while Assam Rifles will take on Manipur for the third place playoff. — UNI
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Baljinder, Gurmeet
best athletes Amritsar, February 4 In kabaddi women (national style) ITI Jandiala stood first. In kabaddi men (national style) ITI Dayanand, Amritsar won the first place. In kabaddi women (Punjab style) ITI Jandiala bagged the first position and in men’s category ITI Kalannour was the winner. In Volleyball (men) ITI Lopoke trounced ITI Pathankot 25-12. ITI Pathankot men and women won their matches in badminton of both the categories. Government Art and Craft, Amritsar, won the overall athletics championship in the men’s section with 20 points. In the women’s category, ITI Gurdaspur for women secured the championship with 40 points.
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Jaskiran to lead Patiala, February 4 The other members of the team are: Lakhwinder Kaur, Sharanjit Kaur, Manvi, Mandeep Kaur, Rajni, Rajwinder Kaur, Lagandeep Kaur, Vandana, Virenderpal Kaur, Parvinder Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur, Virpal Kaur, Kiranjit Kaur and Gunwant Kaur. SAI coach Mr Harpreet Singh and Ms Paramjit Kaur will accompany the team as the coach and manager respectively.
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Badminton
championship Patiala, February 4 The events in which matches will be held are men, women, boys and girls (u-19, u-16, u-13) and veterans (men and women, above 45 years).
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