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India have edge in Tests: Inzamam
Kalam says it with flowers Irfan displayed tremendous character Poor planning cost Pakistan the |
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Saurav Ganguly undergoes tests Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi dropped Notes from Pakistan
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar regained the top spot in the latest Samsung world ODI ratings while India’s new bowling sensation Irfan Pathan made his debut at the fifth position with 129 points. Tendulkar (90 points), who had a fairly good series in Pakistan, jumped ahead of Aussie wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and skipper Ricky Ponting and was leading them by eight and 21 points, respectively.
India, Pak may jointly organise meets South African leads field in Indian Open Golf Six Punjab players
selected for U-19 zonal academy Nepal soccer team enters Pakistan
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India have edge in Tests: Inzamam
Lahore, March 25 Ahead of the first Test in Multan starting on Sunday, Inzamam, who was devastated by his team’s defeat in the one-day series, expressed the view that the Indians had a psychological advantage going in to the longer version of the game. “Our boys did play well but a win always gives you confidence. I think the edge (in the Test series) might have gone India’s way,” he said. Inzamam, who bagged the man-of-the-series award, said a victory could have come his team’s way in the decider last night had they not lost early wickets in the floodlit tie which India went on to win comfortably by 40 runs. “The wicket was a good one and 294 was not a big total to chase. But unfortunately we lost early wickets and that made batting difficult in the end.” The skipper, however, sought to draw some positives from the 3-2 defeat in the five-match series and hoped his team would be able to do better in the Tests. “I have been playing well, I hope to continue in the same way in the Tests and help the team win. Our players are confident of doing well in five-day games,” he said. But Pakistan do have some batting worries with the form of prolific Yousuf Youhana being a cause for concern. Youhana, the country’s best batsman after Inzamam, made 109 runs from five matches at an average of 21.80 in the one-day series and looked distinctly uncomfortable against Indian seamers. Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly said after the match that winning the fourth one-dayer to level the series 2-2 was crucial for his team as it helped them regain the momentum. “Yes, winning the previous match was a fantastic effort, particularly after being down 95 for four. Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif helped us gain the winning momentum,” he said. Ganguly was all praise for his team for creating history by winning its first-ever series on Pakistan soil. “This team has played some fantastic cricket in the last one year or so,” an elated Ganguly said after the match while heaping praise on the youngsters in the side. “We did not have our key players in the series and for the youngsters to come and do what they have done, particularly in Pakistan, is phenomenal,” he said. — PTI
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Kalam says
it with flowers New Delhi, March 25 A day after the historic win, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam this morning took a stroll in the Mughal Gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and took pictures of the blooming flowers for gifting it to the victorious team. The caption of the photographs, written by Kalam himself, read “The flowers at the Mughal Gardens today
celebrate with their fragrance and beauty, the success of Indian cricket team,” Rashtrapati Bhavan sources said. Kalam, while on a routine walk at the Mughal Gardens this morning, saw the flowers in the garden and asked the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s official cameraman to capture them. After the
photographs were developed, the President took time and wrote a caption of the three pictures. The set of the pictures would be sent to the Indian cricket team in Pakistan soon, the sources said.
— PTI |
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Irfan displayed tremendous character The men in blue have made the country proud. This victory will go a long way in helping Indian cricket grow at all levels. Every win, be it Test matches or one-dayers, throw up a few individuals, who perform like champions. He could be an established player or a completely new entrant. And once the senior members start respecting a youngster for his achievements, the confidence level of that youngster rises to different heights. Wednesday’s victory has put Irfan Pathan on a different pedestal altogether. The Baroda boy displayed tremendous character and temperament under extreme pressure. This pressure-filled tournament was an invaluable experience not only for Pathan, but also for the big guns in the team. Although he was not selected for the first two games, Irfan sat out and watched the nail biting finishes. I know a lot of people, who prefer to feel the heat while sitting in the reserves. But this lad is definitely not one of them. He grabbed the opportunity to establish himself as one of the strike bowlers. On Wednesday night, Irfan Pathan truly looked India’s number one bowler. Hats off to the new Indian spearhead. That leaves me thinking hard about our main bowler Zaheer Khan. He is the most experienced bowler in the side, yet still not at his best. I totally agree that sub-continent wickets are not the ideal platform for any fast bowler to make a comeback from injuries. But as a strike bowler, Zaheer should make quick changes and learn to get back into the groove as soon as possible. In my opinion, he should have played a few four-day Duleep Trophy matches before the tour. Now, I can say that Zaheer should have taken the three-day of four-day games before the tour very seriously like Nehra to get back to full form. The victory in the One-day tourney will have a huge bearing on the Test series. Indian bowlers were far better than their Pakistani counterparts. The Pakistani think-tank was deluded by the raw pace of their bowlers. I am sure, they have finally realised that there is more to fast bowling than sheer pace. On the contrary, the Indians bowlers’ impeccable line and length was far more effective and penetrative. Shoaib Akthar appears to be too obsessed with his pace. His immediate seniors, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis displayed the art of fast bowling. They imparted movement to the ball and were quick too. The two W’s were not only the sultans of reverse swing but also the exponents of new-ball bowling. Shoaib’s few spells might cause some problem to the Indians during the Test matches, but his showings in one dayers will only help Indians to counter him in the Tests more confidently. To me, Imran Khan is perfectly right in asking for a bowling coach for Pakistan. Pakistan is still an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fast bowling, but all it requires is someone like Imran to give polish to the available talent. Sachin’s catch that dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq was the turning point of the match. The dew on the ground by the end of the match fully justified the reason for Inzamam not to field under the lights. If Pakistani main batsmen managed to stay till the end, they, I am sure, would have snatched the game away from the Indians. Laxman’s coming back was also a huge sigh of relief for the Indian camp. India’s mission is half accomplished. It’s time for the Indians to fight for the supremacy in the traditional form of cricket, the Test matches.
— Chivach Sports |
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Poor planning cost Pakistan the Samsung Cup
Poor planning and an unprofessional approach cost Pakistan the Samsung Cup. At the start of the series, I had said that India were the favourites. However, the depleted bowling attack that Sourav Ganguly had for the series made me reassess that prediction after Karachi. Unfortunately, the Pakistan batsmen did not plan their innings well enough to take full toll of that bowling attack. I think the hosts lost the plot when they started their chase by attacking too much. They should have focused on preserving wickets and occupying the crease instead because, if they had learnt from their experience in the fourth game, they would have waited for dew to come into the equation. If they had scored at a less rate in the earlier overs without losing wickets, they could have really attacked in the last 15 overs. The ball was very wet after the second drinks interval, and Balaji even lost the ball once. Unfortunately we had lost too many wickets by then, and this meant there was no one left in the dressing room when scoring was easy. Pakistan will have to work better on their mental discipline and planning if they have to convert good performances into series wins. Yesterday, they opted to bat so that they could capitalise on the dew factor, but they did not plan well enough to do that. This is something a professional side like Australia would never have allowed to happen. Looking at the series, I would say that the Indians won because they played the pressure moments better. There was pressure when Nehra bowled that last over in Karachi and when Rahul Dravid and Mohammed Kaif came together in the fourth game. However, at both these moments and on numerous other occasions they managed to hold their nerve. Another crucial factor was the way Sourav Ganguly used his limited bowling resources. It was tough going for him without his top two spinners. However, he juggled his bowlers around well, ensured that they bowled a good line and length and stuck to the basics. In the final game, I thought Irfan Pathan was superb, because it was his unerring accuracy and discipline which made the Pakistan top order resort to taking one risk too many. He maintained pressure very well and did not tire despite being given a pretty long opening spell. The Indians also benefited from the Pakistan batsmen because they played poor shots at the start of the innings. All the top six wickets fell to poor shots rather than extraordinary bowling. Inzamam-ul Haq also made a mistake by not coming in at three since he was the batsman in form. It is easier to avert a crisis than to get out of one. If Inzamam had come in earlier it might have helped the top order to keep their nerve. Finally, I was extremely disappointed with the bowling because I know that this bowling attack is capable of being a match-winning one. They need to work on the extra balls and it would be safe to say that the three wickets they took of no-balls cost them the series. I had said that the team needs a bowling coach, I think the last two games were proof of that. Aaquib Javed would be ideal for the role since he has the right profile for the job. I have always seen that supremely talented individuals rarely make good coaches, and it is the player who maximises on limited ability who knows how to impart the tricks of his trade better. This is why I thought Mudassar Nazar would make a good coach, and the same holds true for Aaquib. Hopefully the board will take steps in this direction as quickly as possible.
— Gameplan |
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Saurav Ganguly undergoes tests LAHORE: Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly on Thursday underwent medical tests to ascertain the extent of the injury he sustained while fielding in the series deciding fifth one-day cricket match against Pakistan here. While the rest of the team left this afternoon for Multan, venue of the first Test beginning on Sunday, Ganguly stayed back here along with team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus for the tests, media manager Amrit Mathur told PTI. Ganguly’s availability for the Multan match would depend on the results of the tests, Mr Mathur said. “Some more tests would be carried out this evening and only after going through the results we can know how serious his injury is,” he said, adding: “It is too early to say whether he would play the first Test or not.”
— PTI
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Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi dropped Lahore, March 25 The 16-member squad announced by chief selector Wasim Bari retained off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq who was part of the 15-member one-day squad but did not play in any of the five matches of the series won 3-2 by India here last night. Besides Afridi and Younis Khan, Rana-Naveed-ul Hasan was also left out as the selectors opted to go in for specialist bowlers in Kaneria and Umar Gul and middle-order batsmen Misbah-ul Haq and Asim Kamal. “We have given the team enough options for Test matches,” Bari said. India are yet to win a Test match in Pakistan ever since its first tour of the country in 1978-79. Squad: Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzak, Moin Khan, Shoaib Malik, Asim Kamal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Danish Kaneria, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul.
PTI |
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Notes from Pakistan Pakistanis have earned a reputation for being warm and considerate hosts to visiting Indians, and the hotels here are no exception.
Hotel Mel Rose served halwa-puri at breakfast on Thursday in keeping with the religious requirements of many visiting Hindus, who are observing a nine-day period of fasting these days in observance of Navratra. Halwa-puri and chholey are not on the menu of this hotel situated in the Liberty area, but the hotel arranged for vegetarian breakfast when many Indians told them that they could not eat omelette and other non-vegetarian dishes during the fasting period. Although eggs were also served for those who wanted them, those who did not were taken care of by a considerate hotel staff. An affable Vikram Sharma admitted he did not adhere to the religious requirements and ate omelette on Wednesday. “I ate it yesterday - after all, our mata is in India - I hope my act in Pakistan will be pardoned,” he said with a smile. *
It seems even when there is no cricket series between the two countries, India is making its presence felt in Pakistan. A Pakistani policeman said that questions about India and Indian personalities are regularly asked in competitive examinations. Giving his own example, Younis Khan, who was posted at Gaddafi Stadium for the one-day matches, said several years ago when he took the examination for promotion to the havildar rank, his paper had at least one question about an Indian personality. “The question was: Name the current Indian President,” he said. “I wrote K. Narayan Rai as my answer.” When told that his actual name was K.R. Narayanan, he said it did not make any difference. “I still got full marks,” he claimed. *
Pearl Continental, the official hotel of the Indian and Pakistani teams and a host of cricket officials, is living up to the occasion and has tried to gel with the cricket flavour. It has put up a gigantic poster of Pakistan vice-captain Yousuf Youhana playing a sweep shot in its lobby, which is always humming with expectations of hundreds of fans, young and old. They are flocking it almost round the cock in search of autographs and photographs. In one of the restaurants of the hotel, the uniform of male waiters has been changed to go with the cricket atmosphere. They can be seen serving the guests dressed in white flannels, the same as cricketers wear. One waitress said this was done especially for the ongoing series.
—IANS
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New Delhi, March 25 Tendulkar (90 points), who had a fairly good series in Pakistan, jumped ahead of Aussie wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and skipper Ricky Ponting and was leading them by eight and 21 points, respectively. Two other Indian bowlers — Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan — too figure in the top 10 list at the ninth and 10th position in world ODI bowling, a press note said here today. Other Indian batsmen in the top 10 in the world ODI ratings include vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, who were at the eighth and the ninth spot, respectively. — PTI
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India, Pak may jointly organise meets Wagah, March 25 Talking to newsmen after returning from Lahore here today, Mr Bindra said he had discussions with senior Pakistan Cricket Board officials and the Lahore Division Cricket Club for jointly organising tournaments. “The PCA will invite senior former Pakistan cricketers to coach Punjab lads,” Mr Bindra said. The PCA will also work out modalities to invite senior and junior league teams to participate in the state-level tournaments to be held at Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Mohali. The state association will also send teams to Lahore before the Ranji Trophy matches. He said there was a tremendous cricket potential which should be exploited. Answering a question about the atmosphere and goodwill generated during the Indo-Pakistan cricket series, Mr Bindra said the Indian fans were completely bowled over by the Pakistani hospitality and warmth. The Indian cricket fans were delighted over the change in the attitude of the Pakistanis during the current series. Mr Bindra strongly favours relaxation in visa restrictions at least for the sports fraternity. The Pakistan High Commission should establish visa centres in Punjab and India should reciprocate by offering similar facilities at Lahore, he said. Echoing the sentiments of Mr Bindra, over 500 Indian cricket enthusiasts who returned after enjoying the matches said they were overwhelmed by the warm reception in Pakistan. Mr Tarun Khanna, a local resident, said he had no words to describe the warmth extended by the Lahore residents who went out of their way to provide them all facilities. Another Jalandhar resident, Mr Anand Kumar
Duggal, said the love and respect shown to him by his fathers’ friends at Vadala Sandhuan village in Sialkot brought tears to his eyes. The entire village with a population around 10,000 came out to greet him, he said. Another cricket fan, Mr Rampal of Kapurthala said he had never experienced such love and affection in his life. |
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South African leads field in Indian Open Golf New Delhi, March 25 The 21-year-old Horne made a magnificent recovery in the afternoon to hit the front by playing enchanting golf. He struck nine birdies in his 9-under par 63 to take a three-stroke lead over second placed Thawon Wiratchand of Thailand. Thawon totted up a score of 6-under par 66. Just below the Thai in the third place was Indian star Mukesh Kumar, with a score of 5-under par 67. Mukesh Kumar had led the field in the afternoon, but the South African played some superb golf to pull ahead and equal the course record set by Zaw Moe of Myanmar last year. Horne, making his second appearance in the Royal Challenge Indian Open, hit birdies in the first two and last two holes, and in between in the seventh, eighth, 11t, 12th and 15th holes. Defending champion Mike Cunning of the United States was tottering at the 29th position with a score of 1-under 71. In the joint third place was Shammi Khan with a score of 5-under par 67. Amritinder Singh of India, who hit a four-under 68, took the sixth position while another Indian ace, Rafiq Ali, was occupying the 12th slot with a score of 3-under 69. With cricket hogging all spotlight, this prestigious golf event got off to a quiet start, with around 156 players teeing off though the field is not as strong as it has been in the previous years. The matches went on till late in the evening as the opening ended on rather crowded note. |
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Six Punjab players
selected for U-19 zonal academy New Delhi, March 25 Following are the 20 probables: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Tehlan, Gaurav Chhabra, Deepak Rai, Wilkin Victor, Ankur Garg and Gaurav Sharma (DDCA), Udai Kaul, Shiv Karan, Hardevinder, Naresh Gogia, Asim Gupta and Bhrat Loomba (all Punjab), Sunny Singh, Mahesh Rawat, Prem Prateek and Mandeep Singh (Haryana), Barun Sharma and Vikram Thakur (Himachal) and Abid Nabi (Jammu and Kashmir). Stand-byes: Karan Goyal and Sunny Sohail (Punjab), Monty Sharma (Himachal), Vishal Sharma (Himachal), Punit Bisht (DDCA), Deepak Chaudhary (Haryana) and Sobar Joban (Himachal). |
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Nepal soccer team enters Pakistan Amritsar, March 25 Duleep Setri, captain of the team, was looking forward to a keen contest in the tournament.
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