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Sehwag’s ton gives India the edge
Sehwag rues missing double ton
Warne the best-ever
leggie: Benaud
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McGrath ‘a master
sledger’
Boje, Gibbs reply
350 cyclists for mountain bike championship
Double delight for Thulasi; Saurabh champ
India-Pak badminton Test
in Chandigarh
Punjab drub Chhattisgarh 5-0
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Sehwag’s ton gives India the edge
Chennai, October 15 The 25-year-old Sehwag, under enormous pressure to deliver after a string of failures, cracked his seventh Test century with a knock of 155 as the hosts put themselves in a comfortable position by taking a lead of 56 runs by the end of the second day’s play. Sehwag accounted for more than half the runs scored by the Indians on a bouncy track at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as the home team reached 291 for six in their first innings on an eventful day which also saw Shane Warne breaking his spin rival Muttiah Muralitharan’s world record of highest Test wickets. Mohammad Kaif (34) and Parthiv Patel (27) were at the crease at stumps and the home team’s quest for a series-levelling victory could hinge on the contribution of the late order batsmen. The normally agile Australians were guilty of dropping four catches to let the hosts off the hook. After losing four middle order wickets for 55 runs, Kaif and Patel stemmed the slide by batting cautiously and putting on an unfinished 58-run seventh-wicket partnership. Kaif gave a good account of himself on Test recall after three years while Patel once again proved to be a thorn in the opposition’s skin with his cheeky innings. Overall, the Indians showed more application and better planning in their batting than they did at Bangalore. No one personified the new found fighting spirit of the team more than Sehwag, who was solid in defence and destructive in attack. His knock came off 221 balls during 356-minute stay at the wicket and included 21 fours. With cloud cover adding to the humidity, the Aussies had a tough day at office although they did manage to peg back India to some extent.
Michael Kasprowicz showed yet again his mastery of the craft of bowling with old ball while Jason Gillespie made the second new ball almost unplayable.
Warne returned figures of three for 95 but the bowler would concede that Sehwag enjoyed the upper hand in their duel.
The visitors were on the defensive for most part but it was their catching which was the biggest let down. Skipper Sourav Ganguly (9) got two ‘lives’ when he was caught off a no ball by Kasprowicz and then Gilchrist dropped a low catch off the same bowler but he failed to make most of those. Later a Kaif edge went abegging in the slip cordon, the bowler to suffer being Warne, but most punishing was the reprieve Warne gave to Patel towards the end of the day when Gillespie was bowling his heart out to break the partnership. The day undoubtedly belonged to Sehwag whose knock swung the momentum in India’s favour. He showed great deal of concentration as India made a cautious start in the morning. He began to play his shots after reaching the 50-run mark but he needed the blessings of Lady Luck to regain his destructive form. A miscued drive off Warne fell in no man’s land and a top edge off Glenn McGrath fell just short of Simon Katich at cover. As he went after Darren Lehmann after crossing the three-figure mark, he missed a reverse sweep and Gilchrist took a tumbling catch. Umpire David Shepherd turned down the appeal and Sehwag pointed to his left arm but TV replays showed a very faint touch off the glove. Resuming at 28 for one, India made a sedate but determined start with Sehwag and Irfan Pathan keen to see off the opening spell of McGrath and Jason Gillespie. The first half hour saw only six runs being added to the total before the batsmen went after Warne. The leg spinner dismissed Pathan (14) for his 533rd Test scalp but that was all he had to show for the day. Pathan, who had cracked his maiden half century in the Bangalore Test, played his nightwatchman role to perfection before he edged Warne to Matthew Hayden at first slip. Australia (1st innings): 235 India (1st innings): Yuvraj c Gilchrist b Warne 8 Sehwag c Clarke b Warne 155 Pathan c Hayden b Warne 14 Dravid b Kasprowicz 26 Ganguly c Gilchrist Laxman b Gillespie 4 Kaif batting 34 Patel batting 27 Extras 14 Total
(6 wkts, 100 overs)291 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-83, 3-178, 4-203, 5-213, 6-233. Bowling:
McGrath 20-3-63-0; Gillespie 27-7-55-2; Warne |
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Sehwag rues missing double ton
Chennai, October 15 “It was especially a great innings as it came against the world champions,” Sehwag said, adding he was waiting for the right ball to hit. This was by way of his explanation for being cautious in the pre-lunch session of India’s first innings. He, however, regretted missing a double ton here. Though the middle order could not deilver the goods, Sehwag said India could pull off a victory if Mohammed Kaif and Parthiv Patel extended the lead to 150 or 200. “If we play well tomorrow, I think a score of this magnitude will be enough to put the Aussies under pressure,” Sehwag said. Talking about criticism he had been facing after his form deserted him, Sehwag said “It is common for people to demand that a player must be dropped when he goes through a bad patch. They praise the same player skyhigh when he gets going,” the Delhi players said. Asked to what extent had Sunil Gavaskar, the team’s new consultant, had helped him along, Sehwag said Gavaskar was there just to help the team along. “He is advising us on things like how to build an innings,” Sehwag said. Sehwag also praised rival spinner Shane Warne after the Aussie emerged as the highest wicket taker in Test cricket. “Warne’s achievement is really great. Claiming 500 or more wickets is not an easy job,” Sehwag said.
— UNI |
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Warne the best-ever
leggie: Benaud
Sydney, October 15 "He thoroughly deserves it as far as I am concerned, he is one of the all-time greats of the game what he has done, not only for cricket in Australia but for spin bowling worldwide has been remarkable," Ponting said. Warne surged to the top of Test cricket's all-time wicket-takers today when he dismissed Irfan Pathan for his 533rd wicket in the second Test match in India. Retired Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who watched Warne claim most of his Test wickets from behind the stumps, felt it was a matter of when and not if Warne would achieve the feat. "With his ability and longevity he was always going to achieve this and I think there is plenty of wickets left in him as well," he said. Former Australian captain and fellow leg spinner Richie Benaud believes Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan would be back soon enough to battle for his record. Warne ( 35) had Pathan caught by Matthew Hayden at slips to overtake Muralitharan's mark of 532, which Warne had
equalled yesterday by dismissing Indian opener Yuvraj Singh in the last over. "It's a great performance by Warney to become the leading wicket-taker, but I believe Murali will challenge again," Benaud said. "He's had a similar shoulder operation to Warne and I believe he'll come back fully fit." Benaud said Warne was "the best leg spinner the world has ever seen. I'm delighted he got it." Former England captain and television cricket commentator Tony Greig said it was Warne's temperament that set him apart. "It was clear very early on that he was going to be a brilliant leg spinner because of the way he spun the ball and his temperament," he said. However, Greig thought it was difficult to compare Warne with great bowlers of other eras. "I think comparisons at the moment are a little bit silly because modern players play so many more matches, so I think you should look at it in conjunction with strike rates," he said. "I'm sure Shane Warne likes to hold the world record, but I'm sure there are other statistics that he's got that he'll value more, such as his strike rate, his performance under pressure and performing in India." Warne's coach Terry Jenner, a former spin bowler, told Britain's Sky Sports: "I think the highlight for us in the spin bowlers' union is to see two spin bowlers at No. 1 and 2. "It's a reward for Shane, for what has been a magnificent service to spin bowling," he said.
—AP |
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McGrath ‘a master
sledger’
“Who is calling me a sledger? Glenn McGrath? Everyone knows he is the master of sledging,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times. Earlier, McGrath had alleged that Harbhajan had unleashed a barrage of abuses against the Australian batsmen, especially Damien Martyn being at the receiving
end. — UNI |
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Boje, Gibbs reply
Durban: The South African cricket board has forwarded the Delhi Police questionnaire filled by Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje to the Indian High Commission in Pretoria.
Both the cricketers were asked by Delhi Police, probing the match-fixing scandal during South Africa’s 2000 tour of India, to respond to the questions in connection with their alleged involvement in the episode.
— UNI SA coach quits Durban:
The recent poor performances by the South African cricket team has found its first casualty in coach Eric Simons, who resigned from his post on Friday, hardly a month before the side is to undertake a two-Test tour of India. Simons is understood to have taken the decision after intense pressure from various quarters, including the media, following the national team’s thrashing in Sri Lanka and in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in London recently.
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350 cyclists for mountain bike championship
Anandpur Sahib, October 15 The meet, being sponsored by cycle manufacturers-Hercules, has attracted as many as 350 cyclists and officials from 21 Cycling Federation of India (CFI) affiliated units. The arrival of Andhra Pradesh squad was delayed due to some technical problems. Raja K.S Sidhu, Secretary-General, Punjab Olympic Association, inaugurated the four-day championship at the Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College in the evening. After taking the salute from the marching contingents, Raja Sidhu unfurled the flag in the presence of top functionaries of the CFI which included its President Mr J.S Grewal. The races will commence from the Lohgarh quila early tomorrow morning. The fort which lies on the outskirts of the town, is best known for being the ordnance factory of the 10th Guru of the Sikhs- Guru Gobind Singh. From here the riders will move over steep mountain hills, tread cautiously over swampy river beds and
treacherous tracks to complete the 7.2 km course. In an attempt to keep the meet clean from the scourge of drugs, the organisers have raped in a dope testing team from NIS, Patiala. The three-member team, has decided to take random samples apart from checking out all cyclists who have a podium finish. The NIS authorities have also been asked to do age verification tests on the participants. Since players are known to jump age categories in their endeavour to excel, the organisers are leaving nothing to chance. A two-member NIS team comprising Dr Mrs Raj Deep Kaur and Dr Jaswinder Singh, has already completed dental maturity test, secondary sex characteristic tests and skeletel tests on all participants who are taking part in the u-14, u-16 and u-18 age categories. In highly doubtful cases, riders will be subjected to the X-rays of specific bones. The SGPC is sponsoring the board and lodging of the cyclists and the accompanying officials. |
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Double delight for Thulasi; Saurabh champ
Chandigarh, October 15 She shocked top seed Ankita Ashok of Karnataka to capture the
singles title while in the doubles Thulasi and Sikki Reddy of BAI
outplayed Ankita Ashok and Nikita Chadha of Gujarat in three games.
Top seed Saurabh Verma of Madhya Pradesh outplayed second seed Raj
Kumar of Punjab to clinch the mini boys singles title. In the doubles,
Raj Kumar and Pranav Chopra emerged the winners. The finals of the
sub-junior section will be held tomorrow at 2 pm. The results: Mini
boys singles: final: Saurabh Verma b Raj Kumar (Pun) 15-13, 15-9; semifinals:
Saurabh Varma (MP) b Dipak Bhisht (Utr) 15-6, 15-12; Raj Kumar (Pun) b
Eshan Naqvi (UP) 15-13, 15-12. Doubles: final: Raj Kumar &
Pranav Chopra (Pun) b Satyanarayan Rao & B Ashok (TN) 15-3, 15-8; semifinals:
Satyanarayan Rao & B Ashok (TN) b V Anvesh & K Nandgopal (AP)
15-12, 15-13; Raj Kumar & Pranav Chopra (Pun) b Sai Praneet &
Ajay Kumar (AP) 15-4, 15-8. Girls: final: PC Thulasi (Ker) b
Ankita Ashok (Ktk) 11-6, 11-0; semifinals: Ankita Ashok b
Vaibhavi Sabnis (Mah) 8-11, 11-3, 13-10; PC Thulasi (Ker) b Saili Rane (Mah)
11-3, 11-5. Doubles: final: S Reddy & PC Thulasi (BAI) b
Ankita Ashok & Nikita Chadha (Guj) 15-10, 12-15, 15-12; semifinals:
Ankita Ashok & Nikita Chadha (Ktk/Guj) b G Divya & Priyanka (AP)
15-13, 13-15, 17-16; Sikki Reddy & PC Thulasi (BAI) b Vaibhavi
Sabnis & Sanyogita Ghorpade (Mah) 15-6, 15-2. Sub-jr boys
singles: semifinals: Samruddha Rathod (Mah) b Suranjan Bhobra (Asm)
15-6, 15-7; Anurag Sharma( UP) b Dibyajyoti Bora (Asm)15-8, 15-2. Doubles:
S Bhobora & D Borah (Asm) b D Nernekar & Annop Kiran (Ktk)
15-10, 15-11; Ram C Vijay & Arun Vishnu (Ker) b N Arun & N
Srijan (AP) 15-13, 15-11. Girls: semifinals: Gayatri Vartak (Mah)
b Ashwini Ponnappa (Ktk)11-0, 11-8; V Ruth Misha (Ktk) b GM Nishchita
(Ktk)3-11, 11-6, 11-5. Doubles: semifinals: G Vartak & GM
Nishcita (Ktk) b V Ruth Misha & Shruti Sridhar (Ktk) 15-7, 15-7;
Ashwini Ponnappa & Nitya Sosale (Ktk) b J Shruthi and Raamya Teja
(AP) 15-5, 15-5. |
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India-Pak badminton Test
in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, October 15 Mr LC Gupta, secretary of the Badminton Association of India, said since Pakistan men’s team was to participate in the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament from October 25 at Hyderabad , so the association decided to hold matches between the two countries to provide exposure to the
players. Top Indian players expected to participate in the Tests are: Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Utsav Mishra, Arvind Bhatt, Sachin Ratti, Sanave Thomas, P Diju, Jaseel Ismail and Rupesh Kumar. |
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Punjab drub Chhattisgarh 5-0
New Delhi, October 15 Though Punjab called the shots from the outset, they took some time to adjust to the uneven ground, and failed to utilise a few scoring chances that came their way in the first half. In fact, they had to wait till the 60th minute to open their account when Gurjeet Singh struck. The second goal came 23 minutes later from Baldev Singh, and the next two minutes produced as many goals with Manjeet Singh finding his golden touch in the 85th and 86th minutes. Praveen Kumar completed the tally in the 90th minute. Punjab fielded seven JCT players in the playing eleven, and they were the fulcrum of their game plan. K.V. Dinesh did a fine job at the rear while Manjeet Singh marshalled the attacks brilliantly, scoring two goals and playing a key role in getting another goal. Punjab need one more victory to ensure a place in the quarterfinal. In another cluster V Meghalaya, trailing 0-2, fought back to pip Tripura 5-2. Swapan Rai scored Tripura’s goals in the fourth and 24th minutes and maintained the lead till one minute before half time when Edmund Kharkungor reduced the margin for Meghalaya (1-2). On resumption, William Vmwi drew parity for Meghalaya in the 62nd minute while Roding Sanga put them in the lead in the 64th minute. Edmund Kharkungor struck home yet again in the 79th minute to enhance the lead (4-2) while Aibokling Kharpran completed the tally at the fag end of the match (5-2). In a cluster VI Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh played a 1-1 draw. Ashraf Qureshi got the goal for Rajasthan in the eighth minute while Joginder Kumar equalised for Himachal Pradesh. Saroj Das of Orissa had the distinction of scoring the first hat-trick of the championship, but his team ended up on the losing side as Sikkim, sans their star player Baichung Bhutia, made a fine recovery to inflict a 4-3 defeat on the former. Though Bhutia was present at the Chhatrasal Stadium, he did not take the field for the match. In an evenly fought encounter, Saroj Das first found the mark in the 31st minute and Sikkim drew parity a minute before half time through Nelendra Dewan. Ten minutes after resumption, Sikkim forged ahead through Ong Tserng Lepcha (2-1). Saroj Das played his way up to pull off the equaliser in the 69th minute. But six minutes later, Sikkim regained the lead through Nelendra Dewan, which was once again neutralised by Saroj Das (3-3). When the match looked like ending in a draw, Sikkim produced the match-winner, with Awashes Subba finding the mark in the 90th minute. Karnataka defeated Haryana 1-0 in cluster VI match at the Chhatrasal Stadium. Xavier Vijakumar scored the match-winner in the 66th minute. |
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