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Listless Indians outplayed by Aussies
Batsmen need to be hungry: Ganguly
India swamp Korea 5-0, enter final Paes India's saviour
in Davis Cup |
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Sports festival results Combined Punjab Games in Dec Rare treat for Sursingh residents
An athlete with potential
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Listless Indians outplayed by Aussies
Melbourne, February 6 Chasing a modest Indian total of 222, the world champions raced to the target in 40.1 overs, thanks to a quickfire 80-ball 88 by captain Ricky Ponting and his 139-run stand with half-centurion Matthew Hayden. Beaten hands down in the one-sided contest, India have now 48 hours to regroup for the second final slated for Sunday in Sydney and take the final series to the third match in Brisbane on February 10. India were hardly ever allowed into the game once Adam Gilchrist gave a characteristic whirlwind start to the Australian innings with a 20-ball 38 and Ponting revived memories of his World Cup form with his blitzkrieg. The hosts raced to the 100-run mark while losing just one wicket in the 18th over and although they did lose a couple of quick wickets, it hardly mattered as they had already cantered to the 200 run-mark by then. Nothing seemed to go right for the Indians ever since Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat as they lost six wickets with just 75 runs on the board. It was only through a rearguard action by Hemang Badani (60 no) and Ajit Agarakar (53) that they were saved from further ignominy. The record 102-run stand between Badani and Agarkar for the seventh wicket turned out to be the only saving grace for the Indians who looked a pale shadow of the side that had been quite impressive right through the summer. Having restricted the Indians to a quite manageable total on a good batting track at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Aussies launched the chase in their usual aggressive fashion, entertaining the near 50,000 crowd to the hilt. Gilchrist was simply amazing as he slammed seven fours to rip apart the pedestrian Indian attack before he pulled a catch to Sachin Tendulkar at fine leg off Lakshmipathy Balaji who also picked the only other two wickets to fall in the Australian innings. Ponting then took off from where his deputy left, cracking seven fours and two sixes in his 80-ball knock. He was dismissed when he fine edged to be caught behind by Rahul Dravid. The dismissal of Hayden, who was subdued during his 91-ball 50, was a little dramatic as Balaji made a half-hearted appeal after he had the batsman caught off a half-volley. Umpire Steve Bucknor thought it had carried on the bounce but the third umpire ruled in the favour of the bowler after much thought. Damien Martyn (20 no) then got some useful batting practice in the company of Andrew Symonds (10 no) to take Australia home. That the winning four runs came through an overthrow only summed up India’s miserable day. Earlier, the ghosts of Perth revisited India, despite the wicket at the MCG being not even a shade as bouncy. The star-studded top order batsmen were made to look like a bunch of school boys by Brett Lee and company. With six of the top batsmen back in the pavilion for just 75 runs in 22 overs, India owed their competitive total to Badani and Agarkar whose 63-ball 53 (4x4, 2x6) must have done enough to blow away his batting blues Down Under. The duo stitched the most valuable stand for the Indians, putting on 102 runs off 119 balls for the seventh wicket to better the previous record of 100 runs between Ganguly and Sunil Joshi in Singer Cup in Colombo in 1996. Lee carried his form from Perth, rattling the famed Indian batting lineup once again with his sheer pace and picking two wickets for 34, including the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar (8). But more than good bowling, the Indian batsmen owed their failure to poor application and ambitious strokeplay. Had Ponting not allowed them to run away with some easy runs in the middle overs, the Indian scorecard could have cut a really sorry figure. Scoreboard India: Sehwag c Gilchrist b Gillespie 3 Tendulkar b Lee 8 Laxman c Symonds b Dravid c Hayden b Harvey 12 Ganguly c Gilchrist b Harvey 6 Singh c Gilchrist b Lee 21 Badani not out 60 Agarkar c Lee b Clarke 53 Pathan run out 19 Kumble run out 2 Balaji b Gillespie 2 Extras
(lb-6 nb-4 w-2) 12 Total (all out, 49.0 overs) 222 FoW:
1-6, 2-14, 3-48, 4-48, 5-75, 6-75, 7-177, 8-209, 9-217. Bowling:
Gillespie 10-0-39-2, Lee 9-0-34-2 (nb-3), Williams 10-1-38-1 (nb-1), Harvey 10-0-40-2, Symonds 7-0-47-0 (w-2), Clarke 3-0-18-1. Australia: Gilchrist c Tendulkar b Balaji 38 Hayden c and b Balaji 50 Ponting c Dravid b Balaji 88 Martyn not out 20 Symonds not out 10 Extras (b-6, lb-2, w-8, nb-2) 18 Total (3 wkets in 40.1 overs) 224 FoW:
1-48, 2-187, 3-193. Bowling: Agarkar 9.1-0-58-0, Balaji
10-0-52-3, Pathan 8-0-36-0, Kumble 7-0-36-0, Sehwag 5-0-29-0, Ganguly 1-0-5-0.
— PTI |
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Batsmen need to be hungry: Ganguly
Melbourne, February 6 “We need to be a bit more hungry for runs,” said Ganguly “But it’s bound to happen when you have had a long and consistent series.” Ganguly was hoping that his batsmen would erase the memories of the MCG where they lost the first final by seven wickets and remember the methods which brought them runs throughout the tour. “We have one more chance in Sydney. I hope we forget about it (today’s loss) and bat the way we have throughout the summer. We need to carry a bit of that performance in the next final,” he said. Ganguly denied his side’s poor performance resulted because of tiredness borne out of a long tour. “It’s been a long series but I would be unfair if I said we have been tired.” He also firmly put down any suggestion his side was not positive the way it had been through the summer. “When you lose early wickets it appears we are not positive. There is nothing wrong with our batting even though we haven’t batted well in the last two games.” Ganguly did not blame the pitch either but said it was one of the slowest Melbourne wickets he had played on this tour. Ganguly also came out in support of his openers, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, who suffered their third successive failure of the tri-series. “They have been consistent scorers. Laxman has had a brilliant tour. Since I feel Rahul has also been in good nick, between him and me we are generally swapping the fourth and fifth batting slot.” Ganguly praised the way his tail held out to stretch the total to 222 but said it is the top order which has to perform most of the times. “The lower half batted well but eight out of 10 times it is the top order which must produce runs.” Australian captain Ricky Ponting said it would be very difficult for the Indians to come back from the crushing defeat at the MCG and be a force in the second final. “It will be difficult for them. The momentum is going in our favour and it would be very hard for them to fight against it,” said Ponting after his side thrashed India by seven wickets. Ponting said the failure of the Indian batsmen was because his bowlers were not giving them the length to score in recent matches. “Brett (Lee) and Jason (Gillespie) are bowling that difficult, hard to score length. It was similar with McGrath. That’s been the difference with Brett bowling well in the last two games. He is making it particularly difficult for them to score. “He is not allowing them many drives and they are not able to hit through the covers. He is testing their techniques at the moment.” Ponting opined that the game at Perth, where they smashed the Indians, had put the wind up their tail and Indians were struggling to catch up. “Going back to Perth again, that’s what we exactly needed coming into this final campaign. We played a game there to unsettle a few of their players. The wind we had there has actually put them on the backfoot,” he said. While Ponting hailed their men for peaking at the right time, he said it was always going to be difficult for the Indian batsmen to maintain their terrific form.
— PTI |
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London, February 6 ICC said Venkat may be able to move back to the secondary international panel of umpires if the Indian cricket board nominates him as one of the two umpires it provides to this group. If he is selected, he could be appointed by his home board to future ODI matches, it said, adding Venkat “is yet to confirm if he wishes to make himself available for this panel.” Venkataraghavan, 58, made his debut as an international umpire during England’s series of India in 1992-93 and has stood in 75 Tests and 52 one-day internationals. Paying tribute to Venkataraghavan, ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said “he has stood the test of time in an exceptionally demanding career.” “Venkat came to umpiring after a terrific career as a player, administrator and media commentator,” Speed said adding “he has seen international cricket and international cricket umpiring undergo extraordinary change and has stood up to the scrutiny that now comes with being involved in the game at the elite level.” Describing Venkataraghavan as one of the most outstanding umpires to have stood in international cricket, Speed said “his integrity and passion for cricket are of the highest order and he has helped ensure that the spirit of the game remains in tact for those that will follow.” “As he moves into the next stage of his career, he will be able to reflect on his time as an international umpire with great pride and know that he is respected around the world for his contribution to the game,” Speed added. Venkataraghavan has played 57 tests and 15 ODIs between 1965 and 1983. Before becoming an international umpire, Venkat, who made his debut as a player at the age of 19 against New Zealand in 1964-65 and played his last Test at the age of 38 against Pakistan in 1983-84, was one of the leading figures of the golden era of Indian spin bowling along with B S Chandrashekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and Bishen Singh Bedi. Venkat has also been the manager of the Indian cricket team, a national selector, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Secretary, newspaper and magazine columnist, expert TV commentator. —PTI
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India swamp Korea 5-0, enter final New Delhi, February 6 With the cup winners here qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, the final is expected to ignite fireworks though Indian chief coach Maharaja Kishan Kaushik was not too enthused with the prospects of clashing against Japan. India dominated the match with consistency and accuracy, and went for a blizkrieg in the second half, which produced four goals. Sanggai Chanu opened the sluice gate of goals in the 15th minute when she powered in a sharp field goal and followed it up with another stunning goal four minutes into the second half. Jasjeet Kaur converted a penalty stroke in the 47th minute while Suman Bala scored off the fourth and sixth penalty corners to complete the tally. Suman’s sure-footed sweep of the ball along the carpet caught the Korean girls laden-footed. The beauty of India’s display was that there was no let up in their aggression. In fact, the hosts looked more aggressive in the second session, and there was no sign of tiring out. After wasting their first penalty corner in the ninth minute, there was a dramatic swing in India’s fortune when Jyoti Sunita Kullu failed to push into an empty goal with Korean custodian Houng Hui Moon charging out and missing the ball, in the 15th minute. Seconds later, the Korean goal, which was under a seige, fell when Sanggai Chanu fired a blinding shot, off a Mamta Kharab cross, to open the account (1-0). The goal shook up the Korean girls who mounted sudden counter attacks to have the Indian defence under pressure and earned two penalty corners in quick succession in the 25th minute but Helen Mary padded away the shots to save sure goals. India protected their one-goal lead till half time and four minutes into the second session, Mamta Kharab and Sanggai Chanu once again teamed up to script the second goal. Chanu fired from the top of the circle after Mamta had relayed the ball off a free hit with the ball racing in like an arrow (2-0). Two minutes later came two more penalty corners in a row, but Suman Bala did a flop show. India opened up the flanks to mount their attacks and the hosts were awarded a penalty stroke in the 12th minute when a Korean defender fouled Arlin Kerketta with a back-stick tackle. Spanish umpire Monica Rivera first awarded a penalty corner, but later changed it into a “stroke” after consultation with the other umpire, No Piza Hssan of Malaysia. Jasjeet Kaur’s scoop off the stroke struck the inside of the cross piece before going in (3-0). India could have netted the fourth goal in the 21st minute when Mamta Kharab, speeding down the left flank, showing dazzling speed and stickwork, beat the Korean defence to set up a nice pass for Adline Kerketta to give the finishing touches, but Kerketta drove wide, with the Korean custodian leaving the goal untenanted. And then came Suman Bala’s two spectacular goals off penalty corners. She kept the ball low, swept it along the carpet, to beat the crowded Korean defence, off the fourth and sixth penalty corners, in the 56th and 64th minute, respectively. Though Korea earned seven penalty corners, they could not breach the Indian citadel where Helen Mary stood tall, literally. Japan made short work of China 6-2, after leading by two goals at half time. In other matches, Malaysia beat Sri Lanka 4-0 while Kazakhstan defeated Singapore 4-0. |
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Paes India's saviour
in Davis Cup Invercargill, February 6 Paes has faced surgery for a brain lesion since he last played singles in April when India hosted New Zealand in Davis Cup play. Although India won that match 4-1, Paes lost to Nielsen in straight sets. The Indian captain has made a measured return to tournament play, most recently reaching the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open with Martina Navratilova. With lavish groundstrokes and a powerful serve, Paes took charge of his match against the New Zealand No 1 Neilsen from the opening point. Paes was playing under heightened pressure after Indian No 1 Harsh Mankad lost 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (2) to New Zealand’s Simon Rea, making his Davis Cup debut. Paes showed no signs of pressure, pinning Nielsen to the baseline and finding the lines with accuracy. After sweeping the first and second sets, he came under pressure in the third when Nielsen led 5-3. He fought back to take the set to a tiebreaker in which he served two aces before finishing with a crosscourt volley. Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, formerly the world’s No 1 combination, will team Saturday against Nielsen and Rea in doubles. Reverse singles are scheduled for Sunday.
— AP |
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Mirza awarded wild-card Bangalore, February 6 Sania, who had just claimed her first US title after a four-week coaching stint with Boris Becker's former coach Bob Brett, said she was now eager to prove her mettle on home ground. “My recent coaching with Bob Brett has really helped my game reach a different level. I did pretty well at last year's WTA Indian Open and am eager to win my first professional WTA match at Hyderabad this year,” the Wimbledon girls' doubles champion said.
— PTI |
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Injured Williams pulls out
Tokyo, February 6 Defending champion Davenport powered into the semi-finals by crushing the challenge of Slovak star Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-2 in 52 minutes. In the semi-finals Saturday, Davenport will take on seventh seed Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Montenegro, who breezed past Tatiana Panova of Russia 6-1, 6-1 in only 44 minutes.
— AFP |
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Sports festival results Ludhiana, February 6 In the
womens’ section, Haryana XI scraped past Dhanoa Academy, Jalandhar 2-1 to register their second consecutive victory while Delhi XI stroked out KVM, Jalandhar 2-1 to score their maiden victory. In kabaddi (57 kg), Latalan Gill beat Latalan 18-10, Jhand beat Jatt 19-17 in the 62 kg category, Dhandhra defeated Hambran while Dharmkot beat Jarkhar 21-17. In basketball (boys), Ludhiana Club outplayed Jalandhar 72-59; Kapurthala drubbed Guru Nanak Engineering College 32-28 and Kapurthala routed Jalandhar 65-28. In the girls’ section, Kapurthala beat Ludhiana 29-22 while Khanna beat Moga 45-21. In volleyball, Hoshiarpur blanked Moga 2-0 and the NST, Maustana scored win over Hoshiarpur Police with an identical margin 2-0. Government College, Ludhiana beat Phillaur, while Government College defeated Noormahal. In a nerve-wrecking encounter (basketball), India ‘Green’ overcame stiff challenge from India ‘Blue’, romping home 46-21. |
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Combined Punjab Games in Dec New Delhi, February 6 The disciplines are: athletics for men and women (75 athletes), swimming for men and women (40 swimmers), hockey, basketball, kabaddi (Asian and circle), volleyball, tug of war, cycling (men and women), weightlifting (16 contestants), wrestling and shooting. Randhir Singh said each Punjab province will field a contingent of 350, including athletes and officials. Randhir Singh said during the SAF Games Executive Committee meeting held in Pakistan recently, secretary-general of the Punjab Olympic Association Raja K.S. Sidhu discussed the proposal to hold the games with his counterpart in Pakistan Shahid Ali Khan, who is also the acting president of the Pakistan Olympic Association and worked out the salient features of the games. Randhir Singh said the games were being held with a view to “fostering the spirit of friendship and furthering mutual understanding between the two neighbouring countries in the field of sports”. The Pakistan contingent will enter India through the Wagah border on November 26. They will be provided free transport, board and lodging. The Chief Minister of Punjab would extend his Punjab counterpart in Pakistan an invitation to attend the games. |
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Rare treat for
Sursingh residents Amritsar, February 6 Villagers went into ruptures as the Indians edged out the Pakistan outfit in kabaddi 56-44. The match was a major-attraction as top players of Pakistan participated. Randhir Singh, an Arjuna awardee and native of the village, routed Mohammad Nasir of Pakistan in wrestling. In other wrestling bouts, Jazbir Singh of Jalandhar beat Inderjit Singh of Amritsar while Gurlal of Amritsar got the better of Rajinder Singh of PAP. Partap Singh trounced Jagrup while Gurpratap Singh of Amritsar overpowered Sukhjit Singh of Jalandhar. However, the cynosure of all eyes was wrestling champion Ali Sandhu of Canada who beat Harcharan Singh of PAP. The solitary wrestling match in the women’s section was contested by Beant Kaur of Faridkot and Davinder Kaur of Tarn Taran. Beant Kaur overwhelmed Davinder Kaur easily. Gymnastics by girls of Gurdaspur and a motor cycle show by personnel of Phillaur police academy were the highlights the meet. Wrestlers of Pakistan announced that a horse would be presented to Baba Daya Singh, a local dera head, who gave away the prizes. |
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An athlete with potential Patiala, February 6 Amritpal, a 10th standard student of DAV Police Public School, Jalandhar, set new meet records in both the DAV National school games and the CBSE inter-school athletic championship which was held in Amipura (Gujarat). In the Ranchi meet he garnered gold in the 100m clocking sub-11 second timing and then went on to win the silver in the 400m relay. Amritpal trains regularly at the PAP complex in Jalandhar and at the local Polo Grounds where his coaches work overtime to improve his technique.
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