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Ganguly’s absence helped us: Haq
Dravid among mentally toughest players: Wright
Sachin holds centrestage
Only a fit Shoaib to be
considered
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Rajinder Singh Jr is hockey coach
AIFF chief to head task force
Dhanraj Pillay felicitated
No pressure on Paes to play, says Mankad
Why golfers suffer the yips
SGFI releases calendar
Patiala on top in u-15 cricket
Blind cricketers
arrive from Pak
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Ganguly’s absence helped us: Haq
Islamabad, April 26 "I think his absence from the last two one-dayers was good for us. It made a difference to us," Inzamam was quoted as saying in local daily 'The News' today. The Indian captain, who was banned for six one-day internationals after the fourth match in Ahmedabad for the team's slow overrate, was not included in the squad for the last two ties at Kanpur and Delhi despite being cleared by the International Cricket Council, pending his appeal against the ban. The Indian selectors did not call up Ganguly for the Kanpur match saying there was little time to change the combination and then ignored him for the decider in Delhi, making it obvious they were not happy with his batting form. Pakistan went on to win the two matches with ease to clinch the six-match series 4-2. Inzamam also rated Ganguly very high as a captain. Asked to compare Ganguly and Rahul Dravid as captains, Inzamam said that Ganguly was definitely a better skipper. "He (Ganguly) has been leading their team for the last five years and he knows each and every player. He is very accomplished at knowing how to utilise each player in his playing eleven," Inzamam said. Inzamam also recalled the final over he faced from Tendulkar in Ahmedabad with Pakistan requiring three runs for a win. "Honestly speaking I was under a lot of pressure when we needed to score one run off the final ball. I just kept on reciting Darud Sharif and hoped for the best. Because I realised then if I did not get the run what would be the reaction back home," he recounted.
— PTI |
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Dravid among mentally toughest players: Wright
New Delhi, April 26 “You only have to see Rahul’s record as a batsman. You do not get that many runs in those conditions through being gentle, the so-called soft or the other nonsense that I hear,” said the former New Zealand captain, who was also the coach of Kent when Dravid played for the English county. Of the 7,696 runs Dravid had scored in 89 Tests, 1,480 had come against Australia in 18 Tests at 51.03. The 32-year-old had scored two centuries, including a superb 233, and eight half centuries against Australia, testimony to his consistency against the world champions. Wright said Dravid was no less aggressive as a captain when compared to regular skipper Sourav Ganguly. At the same time, Wright lauded Ganguly’s contribution as captain. “He is now the most successful Indian captain, result-wise. So I am very pleased for him,” said Wright about the man, who had led India in 47 Tests, the same as Sunil Gavaskar. But in terms of success, Ganguly was No. 1 of the 28 captains who had led India since 1932, when the country was given Test status. Under Ganguly’s captaincy, India had won 19 of 47 Tests, or 40.43 per cent matches, a shade better than Dravid’s 40 per cent success in the five Tests that he had so far led in. Ganguly also had a good record in one-day internationals. He had led in 141 matches, the maximum among the 18 Indian captains, and won 73 of them, for a 51.77 per cent success rate. Wright, who had just completed a successful four-and-half-year tenure with the India team, refused to take the credit for Ganguly’s record. “In what I do, I have to help him and the others achieve the result they want,” he said, typically maintaining a low profile. “I am pleased he (Ganguly) has had great success. We worked together for four-and-a-half years, so we know each other pretty closely,” he said. Instead, Wright chose to give credit to the players for helping Ganguly achieve results. “He has had a great support from Rahul and the senior players. So it has been a nice balance,” said the former left-handed batsman. Under Wright, India played 51 Tests, won 20, lost 15 and drew 16. Of the 130 one-day internationals played under him, India won 68, lost 56 and six matches ended without result.
— IANS |
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Sachin holds centrestage
New Delhi, April 26 But then, it was a benefit tie, and Tendulkar stayed back. For what followed was thorough entertaining cricket and the 3,000 odd fans got full worth of their money at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here today. The Mumbaikar, in city to play a fund-raiser for former India international Gursharan Singh, spent only about an hour on the field but made sure that the event in honour of the former Ranji Trophy winning cricketer was a total success. Early in the innings, Tendulkar was found short of the crease at the non-striker’s end when a full blooded straight drive by Mahendra Singh Dhoni kissed the bowler’s fingers before knocking down the stumps. The umpire’s finger went up spontaneously upon a loud appeal. But K. Hariharan, an international umpire, brought down his index finger in the same flow. Murali Kartik too was quick to mute his celebrations and walk back to his mark. The crowd half realised and half-realised not. And when they fully realised, they decided it did not matter. Tendulkar gave them their due. After a few knockdowns to get the timing right — they did not use the proper cricket ball, you see — the master cut loose. A 54-ball 90 laced with 15 fours and three sixes on all sides of the ground before he holed out to Sourav Ganguly in the deep satisfied the appetite. VVS Laxman (43) and Yuvraj Singh (27) saw the team reach 211 in 28.5 overs before Rahul Dravid (58, 43b) anchored Sourav Ganguly XI to a comfortable four-wicket win. Then again, who cared for the scores, or the cricket itself? Ganguly arrived well after the first over had been completed. The Maharaj resembled a zombie, apparently due to loss of sleep, and took his time to have his cup of tea before taking the field. And after rolling his arm for two overs, Ganguly was happy to let Dravid do the captaining and content to place himself at the boundary by the pavilion, signing autographs to the fans in between play. Ajay Jadeja was happy to be among his former teammates. The highpoint was sharing the strike with Tendulkar. But the partnership shortlived as Jadeja flashed outside off stump and was caught behind — as he often got dismissed in the Test arena. Yuvraj played the shot of the match, a straight lofted drive that perched the white ball in the second tier above the sightscreen. Anil Kumble had a Tendulkar-like reprieve when he was stumped by Parthiv Patel but the umpire immediately no-balled. But the Karnataka bowler, who has happy memories of Kotla, failed to capitalise and was bowled the next ball. The chase was a monotony as the cricketers lost focus and the fans went out of control. Once Sehwag was dismissed, it was chaos with the tiny tots and elderly alike beseiging the dressing room for a photograph or an autograph of their favourite cricketers. The media, fighting for a quote and ‘bite’, added to the confusion. The frail figure of Eknath Solkar went unnoticed. The 57-year-old legend, who took 53 catches in 27 Tests, lives in Mumbai but frequents Delhi. His was a kind gesture to drop in and convey his regards to Gursharan.
— PTI |
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Only a fit Shoaib to be
considered
Islamabad, April 26 Shoaib missed the entire tour of India due to a hamstring injury but has since then returned to domestic cricket and only yesterday took 5-23 in a Twenty20 Cup match. But Shaharyar said that mere four to five overs from a bowler was no proof of his fitness.— PTI |
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Rajinder Singh Jr is hockey coach
New Delhi, April 26 Rajinder fills the vacancy created by the exit of German coach Gerhard Rach, whose tenure was not renewed after the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Rach was the first foreign coach to be engaged by the IHF just 21 days before the Athens Olympic Games last year, after unceremoniously dispensing with the services of Rajinder Singh, who had helped the team win many an important match before they hit a trough. But Rach got the boot after India finished seventh at Athens and fourth in the Champions Trophy. The 46-year-old Rajinder Singh's appointment is specifically for the Aslam Shah Tournament and a lease in his job will be considered only after evaluating his performance in the Kuala Lumpur Tournament. Rajinder, who played for the country in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and the 1984 Olympic Games at Los Angeles, has been coaching the Punjab and Sind Bank for the past 17 years, and his crowning glory came when the Bankmen won the National Championship title in Hyderabad last month. Narinder Pal Singh, who was coach of Hyderabad Sultans, who lifted the inaugural Premier Hockey League in Hyderabad, has been named as the assistant coach. The new coaches will take charge of the 34 probables shortlisted for a month-long camp in preparation of the Aslan Shah Tournament. India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Malaysia are in the fray for the tournament. Three-time winners India will take on South Africa on the opening day at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. Rajinder Singh, reacting to his appointment to the top job, said he was "very happy with the opportunity and will my best to bring laurels to the country". Another former international Romeo James has been appointed as goalkeeper coach. Mr Jyothikumaran said the IHF will also hold a four-nation or a six-nation tournament in Chennai as a curtain raiser to the Champions Trophy tournament to be held at the renovated Egmore stadium. |
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Penalty corners, goalkeeping need attention, says Rajinder
Jalandhar, April 26 Talking to The Tribune over phone, the newly appointed coach maintained that India were expected to do well against major international teams, including Australia and Germany, while the encounter with arch-rivals Pakistan would be a challenge for him. “Though matches against all participating teams in this event are equally important for India, it is always a challenging job to play against Pakistan as people of both countries have great expectations from their respective teams to register a victory. I hope my boys will fight with full zeal to restore India’s supremacy in the international arena,” he said. The chief coach, a member of the 1984 Los Angles Olympics team, would be seen in action to teach the latest hockey techniques to the players during the three-week training camp for probables in Delhi from April 27. Elaborating about his plans to further improve performance of the team, Rajinder said, “My first priority is to improve the performance of the team, which had witnessed an ebb in the past. I think there are two major areas which need immediate attention — goalkeeping and penalty corner conversion. Besides, the boys need to play as a team instead of trying individual hockey, which is not good for the game at all.” The chief coach was of the view that India should adopt an attacking game to keep abreast with the changing hockey scenario in the international arena. “You see, we have to improve our defence as well as attack abilities. I will first try to inculcate a fighting spirit among the boys during their performance on the field as well as when they are off the field,” he added. Expressing concern over the fall in popularity of the game and the lack of enthusiasm for it among the people, Rajinder said there was a need to promote hockey at the club level to restore its lost glory. “Cricket has overshadowed hockey in most parts of the world and the media is also responsible to some extent in this regard. The media should give due coverage to hockey events, as is the case with cricket,” he said. Singh was also of the opinion that to promote domestic hockey in the country, B-grade tournaments should be held on a regular basis, which would help generate maximum jobs for hockey players. “Most of the state and Central departments have stopped funding hockey teams for the only reason that B-grade tournaments are not being organised on a regular basis. The bright hockey players should be offered adequate job avenues to maintain their interest in the game,” Singh said. Rajinder Singh, imparting training to the Punjab and Sind Bank team since 1987, maintained that the time had come to set up hockey training academies at the grassroot level. |
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AIFF chief to head task force
New Delhi, April 26 The Delhi Soccer Association (DSA), along with Manipur, have been selected for the Vision India pilot project. A delegation of the Asian Football Confederation, led by secretary-general Peter Velappan, is currently in Delhi to work out the project details. Briefing newsmen after a two-day workshop here today, Mr Dasmunshi said the AFC delegation will visit Manipur tomorrow to launch the second pilot project there. The AFC delegation yesterday met Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Dutt and senior Sports Authority of India officials seeking their help for the development of the game in Delhi. Mr Velappan said the prime objective of the Vision India Project was to identify talent at the school level. |
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Dhanraj Pillay felicitated
Chennai, April 26 MCC Club Vice-President Premkumar Karra presented a silver salver and a citation to Dhanraj. Speaker after speaker showered encomiums on the 34-year-old Dhanraj Pillay describing him as ''fitness fanatic'' and a role model for youngsters. It was a touching moment when Olympian V Bhaskaran draped a shawl around Dhanraj's neck and the ace Indian forward immediately responded by touching his ''guru's'' feet and sought his blessings. ''For Dhanraj, hockey is everything,'' Bhaskaran, who was a member of the 1980 team, when India last won the gold in Olympics, said. ''He is the greatest player the world has produced. He is the only player to represent India in four olympics, four Asian Games, four World Cups and four Champions Trophy, besides more than 50 Test matches.'' Recalling some of the most defining moments in Dhanraj's career, Bhaskaran pointed out to the skills of Dhanraj while he picked him in the Indian team after the 1989 Nationals at Gwalior. Bhaskaran was the government nominee in the selection panel of the IHF then. ''The best secret for Dhanraj's success is his fitness. He is the fastest Indian, when he covered 30 m in 3.4 secs during training for the Sydney Olympics. He has the best of skills and best trapping in modern hockey,'' Bhaskaran said and rated him on par with Michael Schumacher and Platini. Olympian Mohd Riaz, who had played alongside Dhanraj, said ''I have not seen a player like him. When we have Dhanraj in the team, our job in the defence is easy.'' ''He never likes losing, whether playing for India or for his club or in any tournament. ''Dhanraj was one of the fittest persons and youngsters should look up to him as their role model. He was also one of the finest human beings and comes down the earth to render help to any person,'' Riaz said. Replying to felicitations, Dhanraj said he never regretted being a hockey player. ''I don't regret that I am a hockey player, because I never dreamt that I will play for the country.'' In the end, Bhaskaran presented a photo to Dhanraj as a souvenir. In the photo, Dhanraj is seen carrying the Indian Flag at the Sydney Olympics, conveying the message that Dhanraj is the flag-bearer of Indian hockey.
— UNI |
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Martins nets winner for Dempo
Ludhiana, April 26 Having survived a flurry of JCT attacks in the beginning of the first half, Dempo shot into the lead in the 37th minute following a foul by JCT’s Sukhwinder Singh on top of the box. The resultant free kick by dashing medio Clifford Miranda was capitalised by an unmarked Ranty Martins, who slotted home from close range to make it 1-0 in favour of his team. Thereafter, JCT went all out to wipe out the deficit, but a sturdy Dempo defence manned by skipper Stanley Colaco, Pio Rodrigues and Dominic Noronha proved impregnable. On the few occasions that the JCT forwards did manage to get the better of the rival defence, wayward shooting let them down. Dempo coach Armando Colaco later dedicated the win to the late Cristiano Junior, their Brazilian star, who died after scoring his second goal in the Federation Cup final against Mohun Bagan in Bangalore on December 5 last. “This year all our achievements are dedicated to Cristiano’s memory,” added Colaco. Incidentally, Dempo players, still in mourning after the shocking demise of their team-mate, took the field today wearing black arm bands. Initially, it was JCT all the way, with Harvinder initiating the first move in the fifth minute when he centred from the left for Jaswinder on the right flank. Jaswinder’s well-attempted volley, however, narrowly missed the target. A piledriver by Sukhwinder soon after was fisted out by Dempo custodian Satish Kumar at the cost of a corner. A flurry of attacks by JCT kept Dempo under pressure for some time and off one move, Sukhjinder failed to provide the finishing touch. Dempo counter-attacked through Sri Lankan recruit Kasun Jayasuriya, who managed to enter the box, but his angular shot missed the target by inches. Melwyn Rodrigues, Johnny D’Cruz, Riston Rodrigues and Mario Soares controlled the midfield brilliantly. Medio Clifford Miranda remained a source of inspiration throughout and constantly lent strength to the attack and defence. JCT’s attack, spearheaded by Harvinder, Sukhwinder and Manjit, failed to make much headway. On one occasion, Harvinder aimed a powerful volley from the top of the box, but the ball sailed over
the bar. The fiercely contested tie also witnessed a spate of yellow cards, with Dempo skipper Stanley Colaco being cautioned for a foul. It was in the 37th minute that Dempo forged ahead. Following a foul by Sukhwinder, the referee was quick to award a free kick to the Goans. Clifford Miranda’s free kick found Ranty Martins on the clear and the Nigerian calmly slotted home, sending a wave of joy in his camp (1-0). Shortly before half time, JCT’s Manjit Singh aimed a powerful long ranger, but the ball sailed over skimming
the bar. JCT effected a couple of substitutions in the second half, bringing in Baldeep Singh and Ram Pal in place of Jaswinder Singh and Sakatar Singh, respectively. Manjit was also substituted by Alexander Jebba, but the complexion of the game remained unchanged. Dempo also brought in Ishfaq Ahmed and
Nacimento Silveira, replacing an injured Kasun Jayasuriya and Mario Soares. As the minutes ticked away, JCT appeared desperate for the equaliser which, however, eluded
them till the end. Dempo’s Riston Rodrigues was adjudged man of the match for his stellar role in the
midfield. With today’s victory, Dempo have accumulated 38 points and only one point now separates them from current leaders East Bengal and Sporting Clube de Goa, who both have 39 points. |
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No pressure on Paes to play, says Mankad
Jaipur, April 26 “No, there is no pressure. Leander is the captain, it is his prerogative to decide the composition of the team. We all want the best Indian team to take the field,” Mankad told PTI at the Jai Club courts
here. Paes, the player with most wins in Indian Davis Cup history, chose Mankad and Prakash Amritraj to play the singles matches in the first round against China in Delhi in March. Mankad, however, might run into a player, Denis Istomin, who had defeated him twice on the last two occasions they met in the ITF circuit. “He beat me twice in ITF tournaments (at Delhi 7-6, 7-6 and at Banglore 6-3, 7-6) but now I have matured and am looking forward to play him,” he said. Mankad arrived from Nottingham, where he gave a creditable performance by reaching the doubles final with Mustafa Ghouse and the semifinals of the singles event of a $ 25,000 ATP Challenger event.
— PTI |
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Why golfers suffer the yips
The jerky putting stroke that marks the end of a golfer’s hopes, throwing handicaps awry, may have its roots in a muscle disorder similar to writer’s cramp.
Known as "golfer's yips", the spasms catch players by surprise at the moment they are making a crucial shot on the green. The cause has been put down to the stress of playing under pressure but scientists believe they have traced the origin of the problem to a malfunction of the muscles.
A team from the Mayo Clinic in the US asked 20 male golfers, 10 with yips and 10 without to hit a total of 75 putts at distances varying from three to eight feet from the hole. The golfers were rigged up to a machine that recorded the muscle activity in their arms and were asked to rate the quality of their strokes. Testing before the experiment showed none had any abnormal arm muscle movements at rest, when they held their arms outstretched, or while standing still holding the putter. But at all distances from the hole, half of the golfers with a history of yips had spasms of their forearm muscles just before they struck the ball. Only two of the five were aware that they had had yips. The five golfers who had spasms were also the poorest players. They were older, had higher handicaps and missed more putts and by a greater margin. Among the other group, which had no history of yips, none had abnormal muscle contractions. Charles Adler, one of the researchers who presented the findings to a conference of the American Academy of Neurology in Miami, said: "The co-contractions were similar to those of task-specific dystonias, or movement disorders, such as writer’s cramp and musician's cramp.” The conclusion was challenged by Mike Rotheram, of Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Sport and Exercise Science. Mr Rotheram, who is surveying different sportsmen about yips and in what situations they occur, said the Mayo Clinic study did not prove what was causing the muscle spasms. “I firmly believe there is an emotional element to it. You also see it in other sports, such as darts and cricket.” He said there were two views about the cause of yips. “Some believe they are task-specific cramps and that the more times you do the same movement, you get disruption in the movement programme that carries out that task.”
— The Independent |
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SGFI releases calendar
Chandigarh, April 26 According to the calendar, Chandigarh would host under-17 hockey tournaments for Boys and girls in November this year. The calendar is as under: table tennis: u-14, u-17, handball u-19, fencing u-19, gymnastics u-14, u-17, u-19, chess u-14, u-17, u-19 in Hyderabad in November-December 2005; football u-17 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in second week of November; football u-14 in Bihar in second week of January-2006. kabaddi u-14, u-17 at Chhattisgarh in December 2005. handball u-17, baseball u-19, basketball u-19 and judo u-14, u-17, u-19 at Delhi in last week of December; tennis u-14, u-17, u-19, yoga u-14, u-17, u-19, roller skating u-11, u-14, u-17, u-19, roller hockey u-19 in Gujarat in November-December; table tennis u-19 from December 1 to 5 and football u-19 from September 10 to 15 in Jammu and Kashmir; swimming and diving u-14, u-17, u-19, water polo u-19 in the second week of November and badminton u-14, u-17, u-19 in December in Karnataka; hockey u-19, cricket u-19, throwball u-19, kho-kho u-14, u-17, u-19 in the second week of December in Madhya Pradesh; wrestling u-14,u- 17, u-19, athletics u-14, u-17, u-19, kabaddi u- 19, archery u-14, u-17, u-19, shootingball u-19 in the second week of January 2006 at Maharashtra; basketball u-14 in January in Pondicherry; handball u-14, basketball u-17, wretling u-19, hockey u-14, softball u-19, boxing u-19 in the third week of December 2005 in Punjab; volleyball u-19 in October- November in Rajasthan; ballbadminton u-19 in Tamil Nadu; cricket u-14, u-16, u-19, karate u-19 in December 2005 and January 2006 in Uttar Pradesh. |
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Patiala on top in u-15 cricket
Patiala, April 26 Jalandhar have now conceded a vital 67-run lead to the hosts who will seek to consolidate their position on the concluding day tomorrow. Brief scores: Patiala: (1st innings) 303 Jalandhar: 236 (Pargat Singh 49, Mandeep Singh 49, Pankaj Kumar 35, Bhavish Goel 6 for 74, Amaninder Singh 1 for 74, Prince Rana 2 for 31, Jeewan 1 for 23)
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Blind cricketers
arrive from Pak
Amritsar, April 26 He said the Pakistan team had won the last year’s World Cup. Himself a visually challenged person Agha remarked that he had been to over 30 countries in the world but the visit to India was always thrilling experience. The Pakistan team had arrived on the invitation of the Association of Cricket for the Blind in India.
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New Delhi, April 26
