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Aussies conquer ‘final frontier’
Couldn’t execute plans, says Dravid
Younis hits ton as Pak take lead
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National car rally gets under way
Irina golf queen for sixth time in row
India-Pakistan badminton
Test today
Punjab in final despite Manipur protest
Jugraj stars in PAP win
Punjab cops in semis
Nalin-Sunil duo wins TT title
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Aussies conquer ‘final frontier’
Nagpur, October 29 With this win, the ruthless world champions conquered the oft-quoted ‘final frontier’ of former captain Steve Waugh. The Australian team, without the services of injured captain Ricky Ponting in the first three Tests and ably led by his understudy, wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, totally outclassing the clueless and rudderless home team in all parts of the game. After setting the hosts an imposing target of 543, the Australians bundled out the home team for an embarrassing 200 as India crashed to their biggest Test defeat by runs with an entire day to spare. It was a bigger thrashing than the 329-run defeat they had suffered at the hands of South Africa in Kolkata during the 1996-97 series. The battery of Australian speedsters exploited the grassy track at the VCA Stadium to devastating effect as they ran through the brittle Indian batting line-up with ease in what turned out to be ridiculously lop-sided encounter. The lanky Jason Gillespie, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, again emerged as the main wrecker with figures of 4-24 as the Indian batsmen surrendered tamely to fold up in just 53.3 overs. Resuming at the overnight score of 202 for three, the visitors rattled up runs at a furious pace through Damien Martyn (97) and Michael Clarke (73) before declaring the innings at 329 for five just a few minutes before the lunch break. Australia, 1-0 up coming into the match following the 217-run win in the series opener at Bangalore and the drawn second Test at Chennai, wrapped up the series ahead of the now inconsequential fourth and final match commencing at Mumbai on November 3. Australia, thus, also clinched a series triumph in India for the first time since Bill Lawry’s team had out-battled Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s home squad in the five-Test series 3-1 between the two countries in 1969. The series loss was also the first one for the hosts since the 0-2 whitewash by South Africa in 2000. Incidentally, India have not won a Test match at home since 2002, even as they have left behind the tag of poor tourists with regular wins overseas of late. Today, the Indian top order was blown away by a furious burst of fast bowling by the Australian pace trio of Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz who reduced the hosts to a sorry-reading 37 for 5 before tea after the hosts commenced their run chase just before the close of the first session. Gillespie, who started the Indian slide towards the ignominious defeat, finished with superb innings figures of four for 24 and match analysis of nine for 80. McGrath and Kasprowicz played the perfect foil by capturing two wickets each. Shane Warne sent back Virender Sehwag, the hosts’ highest scorer, and last man Zaheer Khan to start the celebrations for the visitors. But for a fighting half century by opener Sehwag, who made a 94-ball 58 with eight fours, and the stubborn resistance offered by tailenders Ajit Agarkar (44 not out) and Parthiv Patel (32), India could have been bowled out for their lowest-ever Test score at home. Sehwag took the battle to the Australian ranks with his forthright play even as wickets were tumbling like nine pins at the other end, and put on 65 runs in 68 minutes with Patel. The duo’s determined approach helped the team to cross 75, the lowest Test innings score made by India at home in 1987 against the West Indies at Delhi. The sixth wicket pair also showed in clear measure that there was nothing wrong with the well-grassed wicket, which was still assisting the faster bowlers with some lateral movement and bounce but was not unplayable. The big three of the Indian batting — stand-in captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman — could muster only six runs between themselves and proved unequal to the arduous task of batting out five sessions to earn a draw. By tea, India were tottering at 84 for the loss of five wickets with the lone show of defiance being exhibited by the flashing blade of Sehwag. The batsmen who were packed off in short shrift before the tea break were Aakash Chopra, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Mohammad Kaif, the top-scorer with 55 in India’s first innings tally of 185. Gillespie uprooted the middle stump of Chopra and the leg stump of Dravid with his fast in-dippers and left India at a sorry 9 for 2 in the sixth over. Australia (1st innings) 398 India (1st innings) 185 Australia (2nd innings) Langer c Laxman b Kartik 30 Hayden b Zaheer 9 Katich lbw Kartik 99 Martyn c Patel b Zaheer 97 Clarke c Kaif b Kumble 73 Gilchrist not out 3 Extras
(15-lb, 1-b, 2-w) 18 Total (5 wkts, 98.1 overs) 329 Fall of wickets:
1-19, 2-99, 3-171, 4-319, 5-329. Bowling: Zaheer 21.1-5-64-2, Agarkar 21-7-68-0, Kumble 21-1-89-1, Tendulkar 8-1-12-0, Kartik 26-5-74-2, Sehwag 1-0-6-0. India (2nd innings) Chopra b Gillespie 1 Sehwag c Clarke b Warne 58 Dravid b Gillespie 2 Tendulkar c Martyn b McGrath 2 Laxman c McGrath b Kaif c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 7 Patel c Gilchrist b Gillespie 32 Agarkar not out 44 Kumble b Gillespie 2 Kartik c Gilchrist b McGrath 22 Zaheer c Langer b Warne 25 Extras
(lb-2, nb-1) 3 Total (all out, 53.3 overs) 200 FoW:
1-1, 2-9, 3-20, 4-29, 5-37, 6-102, 7-114, 8-122, 9-148. Bowling:
McGrath 16-1-79-2, Gillespie 16-7-24-4, Kasprowicz 7-1-39-2, Warne 14.3-2-56-2.
— PTI |
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Couldn’t execute plans, says Dravid
Nagpur, October 29 “It is probably disappointing with the way we batted but all the guys fought hard and showed the right attitude. Unfortunately we could not execute our skills and plans,” Dravid said after the 342-run loss in the third cricket Test at the VCA ground here. Once again, as in the first Test in Bangalore, the lower order outscored the top five batsmen who between them managed only 37 runs. “It was a hard game and we were outplayed by the Aussies,” Dravid said. “The conditions here suited them. But probably they adapted to the conditions better. “They have a good team, they have been coming here quite often and that helped them. We obviously need to get better, improve individually,” he said. An emotional winning captain Adam Gilchrist maintained the team’s victory, Australia’s first since 1968-69 when Bill Lawry’s side won 3-1, would rank ‘right up there’ among other wins he had featured in but refused to rate it as the best ever. “At the start of the series I told you that we are not going to make it big. It is a wonderful experience, an emotional experience. It is right up there,” Gilchrist said after the match. Nevertheless, he acknowledged Steve Waugh’s support back home in the team’s preparation. “Lot of hard work and preparation. All that and our
perseverance has paid off,” Gilchrist said. “I would like to thank all people back home for supporting us. Steve Waugh, and Shane Watson who was with us till couple of days ago, our wives and families. “It has been an outstanding tour. Our batting won the series for us. The idea has been to build up good first innings scores and give the bowlers a chance to have a go at the opposition. “The wicket suited our bowlers but the batsmen also showed we can bat. Everyone chipped in. I could not have asked for anything more from our guys,” he said. Man of the match Damien Martyn, who scored back-to-back centuries in Chennai and here, paid tribute to the collective effort of his team mates. “It is good to get runs here. The guys have worked hard and the series win, coming after 35 years, caps months of hard work,” he said. “The Chennai Test could have gone either way but we came here confident of winning.”
— PTI |
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Younis hits ton as Pak take lead
Karachi, October 29 Younis and Haq put on 149 for the third wicket as five Sri Lanka bowlers toiled without success in the second session. Earlier, Pakistan lost Yasir Hameed (3) and Imran Farhat (72) before lunch to Farveez Maharoof and Chaminda Vaas, respectively. Kumar Sangakkara kept wickets for Sri Lanka in place of Romesh Kaluwitharana, who did not take the field after injuring his hand while batting on the first day. Back in the Test side after being ignored by the selectors for more than a year, Younis played with application and purpose to score 124. Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Faisalabad by 201 runs. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings) 208 Pakistan (1st innings) Hameed c Sangakkara b Farhat lbw Vaas 72 Younis c Samaraweera b Haq batting 79 Riaz Afridi b Vaas 9 Extras (lb-5, nb-6) 11 Total
(4 wkts, 82.4 overs) 298 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-135, 3-284, 4-298. Bowling:
Vaas 17.4-0-57-2, Maharoof 17-3-46-1, Fernando 13-1-62-0, Herath 20-1-73-1, Mubarak 4-0-23-0, Jayasuriya 5-1-20-0, Samaraweera 6-0-12-0.
— Reuters |
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National car rally gets under way
Chandigarh, October 29 The first car to be flagged off was a Maruti Baleno driven by the overall championship leader, VR Naren Kumar. Representing MRF Limited, Naren and his co-driver D. Ram Kumar are competing in the 1600cc category and have collected 31 points from four rounds so far. They are two points ahead of Vikram Mathais (co-driver Sujith Kumar), also driving a Baleno. The clerk of the course, Navaz Sandhu, expressed the hope that the rally would be full of excitement and devoid of any mishaps. Her husband, Karandip Sandhu, currently placed seventh in the 1600cc category with 10 points, was brimming with confidence and aimed to gain maximum points from this round. The lanky Naren Kumar looked far from complacent despite being in front. He said yesterday’s recce had made him familiar with the route and its hazards, even though he admitted that drivers from the north, like Karandip and Sunny Sidhu, had a slight edge. The rally is being held in four categories — 1600cc, 1400cc, RSC and Maruti Gypsy. The first leg of the fifth round will begin at Hotel Peterhoff, Shimla, tomorrow at 7am. Covering 341.62 km, it has six special stages — three starting from Chawsa and finishing at Pansora, and the other three from Nayanagar to Chabal. This leg will end at the same hotel in the evening. The second and final leg, covering 250.57 km, will start on October 31 in the morning and conclude in the afternoon on The Ridge, Shimla. This leg has two special stages, both starting at Pansora and finishing at Chawsa. A well-equipped trauma care ambulance, provided by Fortis Heart Hospital, will remain ready at the service park in Solan to deal with any emergency. Various participating cars will be allowed to undergo service within a stipulated time at this spot. The first four rounds of the eight-round rally were held at Nashik, Bangalore, Cochin and Goa. The remaining three will be organised at Delhi, Mangalore and Pune. |
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Irina golf queen for sixth time in row
Chandigarh, October 29 Playing a par game today Chandigarh’s golf icon finished with a score of 295. This was eight strokes better than her nearest rival, Bhavna Shetty, the upcoming junior from Mysore, who finished with a score of 303. The other Chandigarh ace, Parnita Garewal, finished just one stroke behind to occupy the third spot. Anjali Chopra of Delhi did not have a good day and slipped to the fourth place. In the Challenge Bowl competition Laverry Kumar clinched the title with a gross score of 363. Two strokes behind was Rohini Majithia. The results: Overall champion:
Irina Brar 295, Bhavna Shetty 303, Parnita Garewal 304. Silver Salver (0-12):
Nett — Nitika Jadeja 283, Shraddanjali Singh 292. Challenge Bowl (13-24):
Gross — Laverry Kumar 363, Rohini Majithia 365; Nett — Mani Chander 292, Pikka P Singh 302. Bronze plate (25-36):
Gross — Apurva Gupta 306, Deepu Dhanoa 308; Nett — Manashree Ghosh 234, Arshia Singh 237. Junior Shield:
Gross — Bhavna Shetty 303, Vaishavi Sinha 318; Nett — Apurva Gupta 282. Senior Challenge:
Gross — Lalita Balasubramanium 243; Nett — Dalbir Sahi 223. Subjunior:
Gross — Vaishavi Sinha 318; Nett — Laverry Kumar 291. |
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India-Pakistan badminton
Test today
Chandigarh, October 29 The Indian side will have Utsav Mishra, Sachin Ratti, Hemant Duggal, Rupesh Kumar, Sanave Thomas, Jaseel P Ismail and V Diju while Pakistan team would comprise Wajid Ali, Zeeshan Omer, Ashraf Masih, Mohammad Waqas Ahmed and Tahir Ishaquemir. Syed Naqi Mohsin, manager of the Pakistan team who is also the Senior Vice-President of the Pakistan Badminton Federation said the initiative taken by the BAI would provide more exposure to Pakistan players. He said in December Punjab players from Pakistan will also play in the Punjab Games. He said they had been invited for the Syed Modi International Prize Money Badminton tournament to be held at Lucknow from December 8. |
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Punjab in final despite Manipur protest
New Delhi, October 29 In a match of fluctuating fortunes, the teams failed to score a goal in the regulation 90 minutes of play. The 30 minutes of extra time produced two goals, one in either half, with Punjab hitting the mark first through Parveen Kumar, in the 11th minute of the first half of extra time, while Manipur pulled off the equaliser through Tomba Singh in the 10th minute of the second half (1-1). The script would have been different had not a goal scored by L Tiken Singh been disallowed a minute before the end of extra time. Tiken Singh’s shoe came off while right-footing the ball into the goal, which was brought to the notice of referee N Suresh by the Punjab players. The official promptly negatived the ‘goal’, paving the way for the tie-breaker shoot-out. Punjab’s goalkeeper Th Kameshwar Singh stood out as he brought off two brilliant saves, to baulk L James Singh and Y Raju Singh. The penalty shoot-out began in style, when N Rajesh Meetei deceived Kameshwar with a low, angular shot as Manipur took an overall lead of 2-1. Manipur’s hopes brightened when
substitute goalie K Bijen Singh deflected the spot kick of Punjab’s Harvinder Singh. Bijen Singh had replaced Manipur’s No 1 custodian H Noren Singh at the
begining of the second half of extra time after he conceded a goal. However, Kameshwar stopped the next two kicks by James Singh and Raju Singh. Harpreet Singh, Daljit Singh and Gurjit Singh Atwal hit the target for Punjab. Then Manipur scored through M Bijen Singh and S Dharamjit Singh (4-4). Defender Harish Sharma, who had fashioned Punjab’s goal in the extra time, dispatched a rising shot, which hit the inside of the cross bar before bouncing in (5-4). The Punjab players jumped in joy as the Manipur warriors and their hundreds of supporters trooped out in mournful
silence. Manipur’s W Tomba Singh was declared the IOC man of the match. But Manipur lodged a protest with the organising committee for disallowing their second goal, as they contended that a FIFA ruling has allowed a goal to be scored even if the scorer loses his shoe while effecting the scoring shot. Technical Director BS Chauhan, however, said there was no chance of the referee’s decision being overruled, though the All India Football Federation would be at liberty to take penal action against the
whistleman. Kerala have an old score to settle with Punjab as the first time they clashed in the final, way back in 1988 at
Quilon, Punjab tamed the hosts 6-5 in sudden-death tie-breaker. The present Kerala team manager CC Jacob was then the coach of the team. If Punjab have survived to see another day, full credit goes to their defence-line of Harish Sharma, Jaspal Singh, Harpreet Singh and Tapan
Bhattacharya. Whenever the defence was breached, Kameshwar Singh was there under the
bar, as dependable as ever, to blunt the rivals’ shots. It was an even fight, but Manipur put the Punjab defence under strain. Punjab coach Parminder Singh said his instruction to his boys was to play their natural attacking, forthright football. The tall, sturdy Punjab players had the better of the defending champions in aerial duels and long passes. Punjab broke the ice in the 11th minute of extra time. Off a partially cleared corner kick, Harish Sharma floated a diagonal pass into the far post, which was headed in by Parveen Kumar, who charged into to connect, but weakly, and the ball fell and rolled in. A few minutes earlier, the Punjab goal was lucky to survive when Kameshwar Singh
deflected Tomba Singh’s stiff shot. |
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Jugraj stars in PAP win
Jalandhar, October 29 PAP edged out CRPF, Delhi, by a solitary goal, which was scored by Jugraj Singh through a penalty corner in the 17th minute. CRPF boys missed many chances to equalise. In the 58th minute, Jugraj missed a golden chance when his penalty corner drag flick kissed the bar and went out. In the second match, Rail Coach Factory beat Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, 4-1. The railmen went ahead in the fifth minute when Rop Singh scored a field goal. In the 40th minute, Satinder Pal converted a penalty corner for RCF. In the 49th minute, Rop Singh struck once again for RCF. In the 56th minute, Jagmohan Singh, captain of RCF, scored a field goal. The lone scorer for the Surjit Academy was Bikramjit Singh. In the third match, Namdhari XI defeated CISF, Delhi, 3-1. They drew first blood in the 14th minute when Karamjit Singh scored a field goal. In the 27th minute, CISF’s Paramvir reduced the margin through a penalty corner. In the 52nd minute, Sher Singh made the score 3-1. In the fourth match, Punjab National Bank, Delhi, beat Corp of Signal, Jalandhar, 5-3 in a tie-breaker. Both teams were locked 0-0 at the end of the stipulated time.
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Punjab cops in semis
Nabha, October 29 RCF also entered the semifinals by their 3-1 victory against Western Railway, Itarsi. In the semifinals tomorrow, Punjab Police will square off with PSEB and JCT Academy will take on RCF. Despite putting up an inspid display Punjab cops managed to pump in two goals during the first half. Striker Harpreet Singh collected a pass from Vijay Pal and lobbed the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper. Minutes later Vijay Pal sent in a sharp carpet drive which was deflected into the goal off a defender’s leg. These two efforts were enough to knock the fight out of the Society students who did play well in patches in the second half. RCF were lucky to surge ahead in the first quarter when a Western Railway defender unwittingly steered the ball over the goal-line. The lineman Inderjit Singh was quick to raise the flag signifying a goal.
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Nalin-Sunil duo wins TT title
Rohtak, October 29 The results: Women singles (finals): Monika b Bhawna 4-0. Mixed doubles: Monika/ Nalin beat Jainender/Sweta. Women doubles: Richa/ Sidhi b Monika/Steffi.
— OSR |
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