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March
9, 2005 |
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Seamers
send Pak packing
Chandigarh, March
8
Indian medium-pacer
Laxmipathy Balaji signalled his return to Test cricket with a
career-best figure of five for 76 as Pakistan, after losing
three quick wickets before lunch with only 89 runs on the
board, did well to recover to end day one of the first Test
against India at the PCA Stadium at Mohali today at 312 all
out.
Doing
well against Pak a challenge: Balaji
Mohali,
March 8
“It is always a challenge to do well against Pakistan,”
Laxmipathy Balaji, who emerged hero for India taking his
maiden five-wicket haul and playing a key role in India
restricting Pakistan to a modest total in the first Test here.
Turning
Point
The toss held the key
THE
toss was crucial at the PCA Stadium at Mohali on Tuesday. And
it also turned out to be the turning point of day one of the
first Test between India and Pakistan.
It’s
more than cricket as peaceniks join the game
Chandigarh,
March 8
The title of a book on the match-fixing scandal was called
‘It’s Not Quite Cricket’ but going by the emotional high
on both sides of the border as the Indo-Pak Test series
started today in Mohali shows that it is much more than
cricket.
In video: Pakistani
visitors bowled over by Indian hospitability. (28k,
56k)
United
colours of a passion — cricket
‘Them’
become ‘us’ at Mohali
Chandigarh,
March 8
Emotions of Friendship, love, and brotherhood between
traditional rivals ruled the first day of the test series
between India and Pakistan, both inside and outside the
stadium. Professing a lasting relationship strengthened with
emotional bonding, Indians and Pakistanis took the bilateral
ties between the two nations a step ahead, using cricket as an
anchor.
Sharmila
lost, and found
Mohali,
March 8
In the Punjab Cricket Association stadium here a few friends
were discussing cricket when suddenly bollywood actress of
yesteryears Sharmila Tagore appeared and asked “Where was I
sitting?”
Cricket
match: who will pay for security?
Mohali,
March 8
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) and the Punjab police
seem to be heading for conflict on who will pay for the
security by the Punjab police inside and outside the stadium.
Poor
occupancy in hotels
Guests go for
budget accommodation
Chandigarh,
March 8
Several city hotels which had cancelled corporate bookings to
host Pakistani visitors have been incurring heavy losses as
most of them have gone elusive.
Razzaq
repays debt
Chandigarh,
March 8
The ace Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq had been waiting
for seven years to repay his debt to a local doctor who had
operated upon him in 1997 when the player injured his leg in a
match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Mohali.
Counters
set up for guests from Pak
Chandigarh,
March 8
The Sector 17 market is wearing a festive look these days.
Different counters have been set up by the Municipal
Corporation and the Traders Association, Sector 17, in order
to help the guests from Pakistan.
Police
extends visas of 12 Pak guests
Mohali,
March 8
Pakistani visitors to Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula now can
travel up to Delhi and Ajmer.
Cops
at PCA stadium go without water
Mohali,
March 8
The 2000 police personnel on guard duty outside the Punjab
Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here today went without
water for over 7 hours. The men were called for duty at 6 am
in the morning and till lunch time at 1 pm, no arrangements
were in place for water for these policemen.
Sight-seeing,
not match, interests visitors
Chandigarh,
March 8
Even as the Pakistan cricketers had a tough time against the
Indians at the PCA Stadium in Mohali today, a large number of
young visitors had a gala time outside the stadium.
Celebrity
status giving Pakistanis tough time
Chandigarh,
March 8
Their crossover from Wagah gave them a high. A welcome exuding
Indian warmth, red carpets rolled out wherever they went, the
Pakistani nationals couldn’t have asked for more and thus
began their Indian dream. After all, camarderie was all the
Indo-Pak cricket series was about. That, of course, is
history.
‘Pak
guests’ pockets picked’
Mohali,
March 8
Though the first day of the Indo-Pak Test match remained
peaceful, complaints of pick pocketing were received.
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March
8, 2005 |
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India
likely to play 3 seamers
Chandigarh, March
7
The start of a Test
series is always a very testing time for any captain. It will
be more so for Sourav Ganguly when his squad take on Pakistan
in the first Test beginning at the PCA Stadium in Mohali
tomorrow.
Yuvraj, Nehra
left out of squad
Mohali,
March 7
In what could be termed as a jolt to local fans, swashbuckling
batsman Yuvraj Singh and pace bowler Ashish Nehra have been
left out of the Indian squad for the first Test beginning at
the PCA Stadium here tomorrow.
‘Musharraf
won’t watch Kolkata Test’
New
Delhi, March 7
There is no truth in reports that Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf would be watching the Indo-Pak cricket match in
Kolkata, sources told The Tribune today.
India
have edge in Tests: Rameez Raja
Wagah,
March 7
Former Pakistani batsman Rameez Raza today said India had an
edge over Pakistan in the Test series. He reached India along
with 578 Pakistani cricket enthusiasts today to watch the
first Test.
Bonhomie
won’t distract us from cricket
Baisakhi has come a month
earlier to Chandigarh. The weather, which was bitingly cold
just 10 days ago, has become extremely pleasant, and the
entire city is getting ready for the meeting not only of the
two teams but also of the Indian and Pakistani supporters.
Peace
warriors’ Test begins
Chandigarh,
March 7
The ‘warriors’ are here again after a gap of six years.
The last encounter at Mohali, a one-dayer, was tense and
tough, and even before the teams had landed, battelines had
been drawn. It was the first thaw and the colours of bonhomie
were muted.
Only
Hindu in Pak team visits Mansa Devi temple
Chandigarh,
March 7
Pakistani player Danish Prabhashankar Kaneria visited to Mata
Mansa Devi temple here, today. He is the only Hindu player of
the visiting Pakistani cricket team. He had ‘darshan’ of
goddess seek blessings. He was taken to the temple in a
Tribune car.
Pak
cricket fans turn businessmen
Sell dry
fruits, cloth
Chandigarh,
March 7
Pak guests who have come to the City Beautiful to watch the
high profile Indo-Pak Test match were seen in a different
orole taoday. Some of them have brought ‘saugaats’ for
their brethren here, but at a price.
Pak
team to miss Shoaib Akhtar
Chandigarh,
March 7
The Pakistan XI will certainly miss their star bowler Shoaib
Akhtar since he gives a scare to Indian batsmen. This was
stated by maestro spinner Harbhajan Singh. He came to the DAV
College cricket coaching centre, Sector 10, at the invitation
of DAV College Principal Subhash Marriya and former Test
player Yograj Singh. He was accompanied by local Indian team
manager Ranjit Bajaj.
In
hearts and homes of people
Mohali,
March 7
It is in the hearts and homes of the people of this township
that Pakistan and India came to being the one nation that we
were before the Partition. For those Mohali residents who had
offered to accommodate Pakistani visitors, the morning dawned
with their wishes coming true. And for the “brothers”
across the border, the greetings and welcome they received in
these houses was beyond their imagination.
Examinations
play spoilsport, say students
Chandigarh,
March 7
The Indo-Pak match is being held at the wrong time in the city
and school students couldn’t agree more. While cricket is
weighing on their minds, they have the arduous task of keeping
their heads buried in their books since it is examination time
as well. The excitement in the city is almost infectious and
the students are having a tough time keeping the cricket
frenzy at bay.
Do
away with trade barriers, say Pakistani guests
Chandigarh,
March 7
Impressed by quality products available at less rates in
India, a section of young Pakistani traders stressed the need
for doing away with trade barriers to allow an integrated
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh market to take on the European
Union.
Shakeel
dreams of a role in Indian films
Mohali,
March 7
Here is a fan from Pakistan, the likes of whom Sanjay Dutt
will not even find in India. Shakeel, a budding journalist
from Pindi, Pakistan, has a collection of over a thousand
photos of the actor. “The craze started in 1992 when I saw
his film “Khalnayak.” Since then I have collected each and
every picture of Sanjay Dutt. I have at least 30 albums of
these pictures now,” he said.
CM to
host dinner for Pak guests
Chandigarh,
March 7
The Chandigarh Club will host qawaalli night to entertain
guests from Pakistan on March 11. It has been also chosen as
the venue for hosting dinner for 2500 persons from Pakistan by
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on March 9.
Police
counters to assist Pak guests
Chandigarh,
March 7
The police has set up special counters at Cricket Stadium in
Sector 16 and at the police Headquarters in Sector 9 to
provide information and assistance to Pakistani guests.
Panchkula
impresses visitors from Pak
Panchkula,
March 7
The 300 Pak visitors to the township, impressed by the lush
green gardens, compare it to Islamabad — the most beautiful
city in Pakistan. In town as part of the team visiting India
for the Indo-Pak test match at Mohali, the visitors from
across the borders say that they were impressed with the
gardens here.
One
held for selling tickets on black market
Mohali,
March 7
A resident of Phase X here was today arrested on a charge of
selling tickets on the black market of the cricket Test match
between India and Pakistan starting tomorrow.
Bureaucrat
couple’s son has brush with cops
Mohali,
March 7
Ranjit Bajaj, local manager of the Indian Cricket team and son
of a Punjab bureaucrat couple, had a scuffle with a policeman
here outside the PCA main gate this afternoon.
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