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Harbhajan backs Sourav, slams Chappell
Chappell keen on camp before Lanka series
India beat Australia, clinch series
PCA Colts win, enter quarterfinals
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Sweden take 2-0 lead
Anastasia Myskina of Russia in action against Croatia's Karolina Sprem in the Sunfeast Open final in Kolkata on Sunday. — Reuters
photo
Navjot Sidhu’s son wins in tennis
Ghei finishes tied 12th
Indian eves finish 11th
Delhi juniors win
Rohan, Navita win badminton titles
Death of P.M. Das condoled
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Harbhajan backs Sourav, slams Chappell
Jalandhar, September 25 The first player to speak on the controversy which has engulfed Indian cricket, Harbhajan slammed the “double standards” of Chappell while hoping that the entire issue was resolved at the earliest. “Whenever any controversy surrounds the team, its performance is adversely affected. It will be good for the team if the controversy is immediately resolved so that every player can concentrate on his game instead of getting mental tension,” the off-spinner told PTI in an exclusive interview. Asked about Chappell’s charge that Ganguly was not physically or mentally fit to be in the team, Harbhajan said “It may be the coach’s own observation but as far as I am concerned, Ganguly has been proved as an excellent captain, which is evident from his match-winning record.” Harbhajan also rubbished the allegation that Ganguly was interested only in captaincy and creating differences among team members. “I have played for almost five years under the captaincy of Ganguly and never felt like that. In fact, he takes personal interest to boost each and every player during practice as well as during a match. “Ganguly has rebuilt this team and whatever the team has achieved so far, the credit goes to the captain.” Harbhajan said there was “fear and insecurity” among the players as they were apprehensive about airing their personal views or suggestions even in the dressing room. “The coach’s conduct can create fear among players over asking any suggestion on his weakness from the coach, who may take it as a complaint against him to the Board.” He also said Chappell’s apparent patch-up with Ganguly on the one hand and shooting off a letter to the Board complaining about the skipper on the other, reeked of “double standards”. “Not only me but no other player was aware of Chappell complaining against Sourav. We were all shocked to know about the issue after landing in India. “After the controversy over Chappell’s reported suggestion to Sourav to leave captaincy, everything seemed normal as Chappell himself had said the controversy was over and now everyone should concentrate on the game,” he said, adding that “I do not know what prompted Chappell to send an e-mail to the Board against the captain”. Harbhajan said every player should be asked about his opinion about the captain and the behaviour of the coach with each one of them. “As far as I am concerned, as a senior member of the team, I will reveal the truth if the Board asks for the same. I have a lot to reveal about the Zimbabwe tour but I will do so only at the appropriate time and at an appropriate level.” Harbhajan revealed that he had come to know from his friends that Chappell had accused him of under-performing deliberately under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy during the Sri Lanka tour. “Chappell’s remarks were an attempt to create a rift between me and Dravid for whom I have great regards. Chappell’s remarks have given me mental tension. “It affected my performance on the Zimbabwe tour as well. I could not concentrate on my game due to immense pressure that if I commit any mistake, the coach will definitely make it an issue against me,” Harbhajan said, adding that even now he could not come out of the mental trauma caused by Chappell’s remark. “I am unhappy and disturbed as I am the kind of person who would die rather than deliberately not play well as cricket is not just a game for me. It is like worship.” Harbhajan was also sceptical about the coach’s observations on the attitude of some of the players saying everything could not go wrong suddenly and attitudes of players also could not change overnight. He said the hype over the rumblings in the team was “disgusting” but “as far players are concerned, they are all united and looking forward to prove their mettle in the World Cup 2007. On suggestions in a section of the press that he had some differences with Anil Kumble, Harbhajan said “Kumble is a very good friend of mine and I know him for the past eight years. There were attempts to create differences between us but we are both mature enough to understand all this. “Kumble is a player who has always supported me as his younger brother and I have great regards for him. Where is the possibility of having any differences with him?” Asked to compare former coach John Wright and Chappell, he said in a lighter vein, “Anybody can judge it from the ongoing controversies”.
— PTI
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Chappell keen on camp before Lanka series
Mumbai, September 25 “I have just arrived. But yes, I would like to do something (before the series begins on October 25). If we can get together for 2-3 days before the first game begins, it will be good,” Chappell said on his return this morning from Zimbabwe. “We need to be together for a few days. The short answer to the possibility of having a camp is yes. But I don’t know what the timing should be and other details,” he said. Chappell has already set his eyes on the packed international commitments for India, including the away Test series in Pakistan and the home engagements against England between January and April, 2006. “We have a pretty good record at home but we need to work pretty hard. England, for example, are a different side from what they were in recent times. They are a also a very good bowling side. “History tells you that the best fast bowlers generally win you a Test series. England will come here with a good bowling attack. So we need to play well,” the former Australian captain said. The coach also said he would work with the Indian players so that they could counter the English bowling attack. “Obviously between now and then (till they arrive) we will give due consideration to their fast bowling attack and the sort of situations that’s likely to develop and hopefully we can counter those with the players we have,” Chappell said. Looking ahead, the Australian great said India were lucky to have a fine mix of the young and the old which was a perfect composition for the one-dayers, the focus being the World Cup in 2007. “I think this is the best combination you can have. We have got some very experienced players, especially in batting and spin bowling. Hopefully, Sachin will be back shortly to add to the experience. “You need a dynamic group of players. You need young guys pushing the older guys along. As far as one day cricket is concerned, we are looking forward to 2007 World Cup. We need a good mix of old and new, young and experienced players. “Hopefully, young guys keep pushing through which is a healthy sign,” he said. Talking about the fitness levels needed from a player to fulfil his vision for Indian cricket, Chappell said the fitness required from a 30-year-old in international cricket was the same as needed to be exhibited by a 20-year-old player. “The levels of fitness in international cricket is the same for someone who’s 20 years of age and a 30-year-old player. Slightly different programmes are given to different players taking into consideration a whole range of issues, not least of all age,” he said. But at the same time, Chappell said the minimum standards of fitness needed to be maintained by all as he had seen players who neglected their fitness in their 20s struggling when they reached the 30s. “Basically a minimum standard is required (as far as fitness levels are concerned) of all players. If a player is performing well and is a little less fit and a little bit overweight, he could be given some latitude. But at some stage or other it’s going to catch up with him from my point of view. “In my experience at this level, not only as a player but also as a selector and coach, I have seen a lot of players who had neglected their fitness through their mid-20s. And by the time they get into their 30s, they struggle. “I don’t want to see this happening with some really good players that we have,” Chappell retorted in an indirect way to suggestions that he was overtaxing the players. “I think a few players still need to get themselves fitter and be better prepared for the role they have in the team and that includes some of the bowlers. We will keep putting the demands on them to get those levels (of fitness) up and if we can succeed I think we would be OK”. Elaborating further, he said India had players with some special skills and it was a question of how to blend those to perfection. “We have players who have a special set of skills and that includes Sachin. It’s all about blending these skills and using them in the best way possible. We haven’t got the mix right at the moment but we are getting there,” he said. About spinners beyond Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Chappell said it was dangerous to sit on someone’s laurels and the need of the hour was to keep looking for players to fill in any position created due to lack of form or injuries. “We can’t afford to sit on our laurels at any time. We need to constantly look at domestic cricket. Kumble is still a fine bowler. Harbhajan Singh, who has completed 200 Test wickets, is relatively young for a spin bowler. “But you never know when form or injuries can strike. We need to be aware of what else we have got around.” Chappell also felt that the players perhaps become a bit over anxious when they played ODI finals in which their record is quite poor (19 straight losses). “We got to believe in ourselves in these situations but I have no doubt if we keep making finals we would win some. “Winning needs practice. There’s a lack of collective confidence in these situations. They are probably worried what you guys (media) are going to say,” he said. “In both the finals in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe we got into positions from where we should have won but we didn’t. But if we keep getting into those positions we will win some,” Chappell said.
— PTI |
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India beat Australia, clinch series
Dharamsala, September 25 Winning the toss, India put Australia to bat and the visiting team was all out for 212 in exactly 50 overs. Medium pacer Abu Nachin registered a hat trick by taking the last three wickets on the last three consecutive balls of the Australian inning. He sent back David Warner, P. Darwin and Jackson Bird back to the pavilion. David Warner scored 56 and Phillip Wells also hit a half century. An impressive knock of 42 by Piyush Chawla was instrumental in the Indian win. When heavy showers interrupted play, India were on 154 for four in 33 overs. As per the Duckworth Lewis formula, the targeted score for India was calculated to be 126 in 33 overs, giving India a 3-1 lead in the series. |
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PCA Colts win, enter quarterfinals
Chandigarh, September 25 Before the match, Minerva Cricket Academy were at the No. 2 slot in their pool with nine points, while PCA Colts were at the bottom with three points. Minerva skipper Ranjit Bajaj won the toss and elected to field. His move paid off as PCA Colts were reduced to 29 for 3 before Rahul Arora (28 off 49 balls), Gaurav Marwaha (39 off 81 balls) and Rupeetinder Singh (41 off 70 balls) took the score to 132 for 5. PCA Colts innings folded up for 162 in 47.1 overs. Medium pacer S. Narwal (3 for 26), leg spinner Pradeep Sahu (2 for 28) and medium pacer Vikramjit Malik (2 for 34) were the main wicket takers for Minerva Cricket Academy. In reply, PCA Colts’ Gagandeep Singh Toor removed the top three batsmen of Minerva academy for 15 runs. Then Pankaj Joshi (39) steadied the innings a bit but the wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Minerva were dismissed for 109 runs in 39.4 overs. With this win, PCA Colts logged six points, including a bonus point, to take their tally to nine. This win made them the No. 2 team in Pool C, edging out Minerva Academy on head-to-head count to reach the quarterfinals. Gagandeep Singh, for his 3 for 23, was given the man of the match award. Left-arm spinner Sunny Khosla also captured three wickets for 22 runs. In the match played at Cricket Stadium Sector 16, Mumbai Cricket Association defeated Jharkhand Cricket Association by 112 runs. Batting first, Mumbai scored 269 for 8 in 50 overs with their opener Manish Bangera scoring 78 off 89 ball. He was ably supported by Prag Madkaikar (83 off 103 balls) and they were involved in a second-wicket stand of 99 runs. Rahul (2 for 60) and Shahid Khan (2 for 39) were the main bowlers for Jharkhand. Jharkhand innings folded up for 157 in 39.5 overs as they made an exit from the tournament. Opener Subroto Ghosh (53 off 42 balls) was the only batsman to offer some resistance. For Mumbai, Usman Moulvi, Hitshubachani and Ankit Redkar shared the spoils. With this win Mumbai also entered the quarterfinals where they will meet Bishnoi Cricket Club at DAV, Sector 10, tomorrow. Manish Bangera was declared the man of the match. In the third match of the day, at DAV College, Sector 10, here, Bengal lost to FCI by seven wickets, conceding a bonus point in the process. They could not add to their tally of eight points and failed to get past Punjab, who despite also having eight points, were able to sneak into the quarterfinals. Bengal batted first in a rain-truncated match of 37 overs and were contained for 128 for 6 in 37 overs. Deep Das Gupta (31 off 59 balls) and Manoj Tiwari (35 off 52 balls) were the only two batsmen who showed some resistance. But ultimately they gave up against accurate bowling attack of All-India FCI led by left-arm spinner Anshul Lamba (2 for 16), Akash Malhotra (2 for 18) and Pankaj Thakur (2 for 30). In reply, FCI reached the target of 129 in 24 overs for the loss of three wickets. Their innings was propped up by an undefeated knock by their opener Rajinder Bisht, who scored 66 off 79 balls. |
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Sweden take 2-0 lead
New Delhi, September 25 Johansson wrapped up the match 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4). The match was suspended on Friday afternoon following rain with Johansson leading the second set tie-breaker 5-0. He took just three minutes to sail through the unfinished tie-breaker today, but yet again faced resistance from Bopanna in the third set before wrapping up the rubber after a battle of one hour and seven minutes. The match in all took 232 minutes to be over. In the doubles match, Jonas Bjorkman and Simon Aspelin were a break down in the second set after pocketing the first set against Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi when bad light stopped play late in the evening. Though Leander wanted to continue the match, the chair umpire overruled him. For the first time in recent memory, a Davis Cup match in India will spill over to the fourth day as the unfinished doubles and the reverse singles matches will be resumed tomorrow morning. Bjorkman and Aspelin led 6-3, 1-3 and they hope to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead first thing in the morning if Leander and Mahesh do not push them too hard. Heavy rain washed out play yesterday, and the Swedes were not willing to resume the tie even today, till the courts were fully dry, and fit for play. Despite the repeated requests by chief referee Wayne McKewen to resume the contest, Swedish team non-playing captain Mats Wilander and other team members stuck to their resolve. They were prepared to play the remaining part of the tie on the hard deco court, but the Indian team was not in favour of a change of surface midway through the contest. Eventually, the clash resumed at 3.25 pm after rollers was used to suck out the moisture in the grass. Though Bopanna yet again displayed amazing aggression, he failed to fire in those big points, and bit the dust against a superior calm and collected player. In the third set, Bopanna virtually took off from where he had let off on Friday evening with a daring all-round court craft which left Johansson baffled. But the Swede kept his cool to work his way up by hitting those important points, which Bopanna could neither block nor reply in the same manner. Bopanna also became tentative after he twisted his left ankle, and fell on his back with Johansson leading 15-0 in the eighth game. But he stood on his feet to hold serves in the ninth and 11th games, and slammed some amazing winners to take the fight to the tiebreaker where again he was found wanting. Johansson took a 5-1 lead and after conceding three more points, won the tiebreaker to bag the set and the match. Bopanna blasted several more aces today to take his total tally to 22. He started the third set with a double fault, and hit one more on game point, but managed to hold serve with a brilliant service point. After that Bopanna was at his irrepressible best, giving many anxious moments to his famed rival. Johansson could hold his serve in the second game of the set after saving two break points. Bopanna also failed to cash in on two break points in the 12th game to allow Johansson off the hook. When the doubles started, the light was fading, but Leander and Bhupathi did their best to make a match of it, though the latter struggled to hold his serves in the second and sixth games, saving three break points each before keeping serve. But surprisingly, it was Leander, who was broken in the eighth game to give Jonas Bjorkman and Simon Aspelin the break they were looking for, and then Aspelin held serve to win the set. In the second set, Bhupathi, Aspelin and Leander held serves without much ado, but Bjorkman hit a road block, when he cracked a double fault, and committed a couple of other mistakes to drop serve, with his last shot sailing over the left court. The Indians, at best, can only stretch the visitors as the Swedish pair look too good to go down. |
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Double triumph for Myskina
Kolkata, September 25 Giving a fine exhibition of cool temperament and controlled aggression, top seed Myskina began the day with a straight set annihilation of Croatia's Karolina Sprem in the singles final. The world number 12 Myskina maintained a stranglehold throughout the tie save some brief resistance from Sprem in the stages of the second set to chalk out 6-2, 6-2 win in about an hour at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. A short while later, she hit the courts again with Likhovtseva to steamroll the Uberoi siblings 6-1, 6-0 in a completely one sided doubles final, much to the dismay of the 3,000 Indian fans at the stadium. The
Uberois could do little in the face of some classy tennis from their fancied opponents and repeatedly displayed a lack of coordination and sent easy winners astray. In the singles final, Myskina seemed unstoppable, hitting an array of forehand winners, as her rival looked tentative on her serve and failed to find the measure of the court.
— PTI |
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Navjot Sidhu’s son wins in tennis
Patiala, September 25 Results:
(under-18): Karan Sidhu (YPS, Patiala) b Vibhor Gupta (Welham) 8-0; Aadesh (Modern School, New Delhi) b Parteek Modi (Welham) 8-0. Under-16: Shailendra (Welham) b Pratik (Welham) 8-3; Bhavya (DPS, New Delhi) b Rahul Kumar (Modern School, New Delhi) 8-2; Arvinder (YPS, Mohali) b Aditya (Welham) 8-0; Arjun Sehgal (YPS, Patiala) b Arjun Bhatia (DPS, New Delhi) 8-3; Navinder (YPS, Patiala) b Karan Singh (YPS, Patiala) 8-3; Tajeshwar (YPS, Patiala) b Sudhanshu (Welham) 8-2. Under-14:
Aneet Singh (YPS, Patiala) b R. Vinayak (DPS, New Delhi) 8-2; Ankit (DPS, New Delhi) b Parkash (Welham) 8-0. Under-12:
Karan Bidani (DPS, Mathura Road) b Sahil Verma (DPS, New Delhi) 8-3. |
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Ghei finishes tied 12th
Taipei, September 25 Shiv Kapur (74), who seemed to have put himself in line for an excellent finish after a fine front nine, shot a four-over on the backstretch and ended tied 18th at five-over for the week. While Ghei’s improvement on the final day from 27th to 12th was the best among the Indians, Uttam Singh Mundy (74) also moved from 27th to 21st. Harmeet Kahlon, with a par round, rose from 45th to 29th, while Arjun Singh, who was tied 21st after three rounds, had an error-filled final round of 78 and dropped to tied 35th. Ghei had two birdies on the front nine and but for his lone bogey of the day on the 13th, he would have been inside the top 10. Kapur once again had a poor finish with four bogeys on the back nine, including three on four holes starting from the 14th. He had an excellent start with birdies on sixth and seventh at which stage he was sure of a good finish inside the top 10. On the third day, too, he closed with a double bogey that spoilt his card. Mundy had just one birdie on the seventh, but three bogeys for his 74. Kahlon had three each of birdies and bogeys. Arjun Singh, in sight of a top-20 finish, dropped three shots on the last two holes, including a double bogey on the 18th to end tied 35th. Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, the Asian Tour Order of Merit leader and this week’s title holder, faded badly with an 81, which included a quadruple bogey on the 11th, for tied 35th place on 291. The Asian Tour moves to Beijing next week for the second edition of the Crowne Plaza Open. Atwal tied 53rd
San Antonia (Texas): A horrendous back nine saw Arjun Atwal carding his worst score of the week, a four-over 74, to slip down the leaderboard to the tied 53rd place after the third round at the Valero Texas Open here. Heat and wind tormented the par-70 picturesque LaCantera Golf Club here and the Indian was clearly struggling to cope with the hostile conditions. Beginning with a birdie, Atwal stumbled to a bogey on the very next hole but another birdie on the fourth made things look better before he faltered. His back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth pulled him back as he completed a forgettable front nine. Worse awaited him on his way back. He first bogeyed the 11th and then had a string of three bogeys from 14th to 16th to shatter his hopes of a decent finish and a birdie on the final hole came as little solace for the Indian as he was pushed down the leaderboard. The penultimate round marked the gradual decline in the Indian’s form. Atwal had begun with a perfect four-under 66 and followed it with a level-par 70 in the second round before going into the third. |
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Indian eves finish 11th
Santiago, September 25 Both teams were levelled 1-1 at half time. It was a disappointing show by the Indians — who had finished ninth in the 2001 edition of the tournament.
— UNI |
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Delhi juniors win
Amritsar, September 25 The visitors won the final after a penalty shootout as both teams failed to score any goal during the stipulated time. Delhi earned seven penalty corners, while Punjab got two but nobody was able to convert any of them. For the winners, Major Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Kulwant Singh and Sajan Singh converted the penalty strokes. |
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Rohan, Navita win badminton titles
Ropar, September 25 He defeated second seed Mohammad Saleem 15-5, 15-13. In the women’s singles final, Navita Thakur of Patiala defeated Sehar Chadha of Amritsar 11-8, 10-13, 11-6. In the men’s doubles final, Chanderdeep and Harminder Singh of Patiala defeated Navdeep and Jaideep.
— TNS |
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Death of P.M. Das condoled
Chandigarh, September 25 Describing Dr Das as a perfect sportsman who successfully participated in 28 mountaineering expeditions between 1971 and 2004, Mr Gill said Dr Das was also a competent police officer and an intellectual.
— TNS |
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Jalandhar, September 25
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