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Dhoni, Rao, Raina future of Indian batting: Dravid
GCA insures Lankan team
PCB proposes Karachi as Test venue
Former cricketer abuses Woolmer
Hasan Raza to lead Pakistan A
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Scheduling eccentric, says British media
Sandhu questions advancement of Duleep Trophy
Koreans start favourites
Atwal dismayed at lack of recognition
Kapur in joint lead
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India clinch series in style
Pune, November 3 Chasing a stiff target of 262 for victory, the Indians were in a spot of bother at one stage before the new batting sensation Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45 not out) and young Suresh Raina (39 not out) kept their cool to steer the team to a four-wicket victory with 26 balls to spare. It was yet another commendable performance by Rahul Dravid and his men as they not only recorded their fourth convincing win on a trot but also notched up their first one-day win since the tour of Pakistan in March-April last year. Dhoni, who played a sedate knock in keeping with the situation, brought about the remarkable victory in style by clobbering Russel Arnold for two consecutive sixes to send the capacity crowd at the stadium into a frenzy. Captain Rahul Dravid (63), Virender Sehwag (48) and Venugopala Rao (38) were the other notable contributors for India who avenged their recent defeats against Sri Lanka. Put in to bat, captain Maravan Atapattu marked his return to form with a strokeful 87 as Sri Lanka recovered from early jolts to post 261 before being bowled out in 49.5 overs. The wiry Ajit Agarkar was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 5 for 44. Set to chase at an asking rate of over five runs an over, the Indians lost Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh early to be reduced to 34 for two but Dravid steadied the innings with a controlled captain's knock of 63 at the Nehru Stadium. Dravid paced his innings beautifully and also featured in two crucial half century partnerships with Sehwag and Rao. The Lankan attack, barring Muttiah Muralitharan who grabbed 3 for 35, was once again collared by the resurgent Indian batting line-up, this time the young guns eventually seeing India through. Dravid put on 78 runs with Sehwag (48 in 58 balls with 7 fours) in 11.3 overs for the third wicket and then added 64 in 11.2 overs for the fourth with Rao, who impressed in making a quick 38 in 41 balls studded with a six and four fours. Yuvraj Singh, promoted to one down in this match in the continuing experiment with the number three slot by the Indian think tank, did not prosper today while Sehwag lost his wicket after getting another good start, thanks to two dropped catches when on 8 and 20, the culprits being Muralitharan and wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara. When India lost the wickets of Dravid, who faced 72 balls and struck seven fours, and Irfan Pathan in the space of four balls, they were precariously placed at 180 for six in the 35th over. But Dhoni, who had cracked a record breaking 183 not out to help India successfully chase 299 in the previous match at Jaipur for a 3-0 lead, once again guided the hosts to victory in the company of another youngster in Raina. Dhoni's knock of 45 which came off 43 balls contained 2 sixes and a four while Raina took 30 balls to make 39. The duo kept their nerves intact in a tight situation and played sensibly to put on 82 runs in 93 balls for the seventh wicket that piloted India home in the 46th over. The action in the series now shifts to Ahmedabad where the fifth match would be played on November 6. Earlier, Atapattu and all-rounder Tillekaratne Dilshan rediscovered their batting touch to hit half centuries to rescue their team from early trouble. Atapattu made 87 in 100 balls with 7 fours, while Dilshan hit powerfully on way to a 58-ball 52 with nine fours. The duo rescued the Lankans from a difficult 51 for 3 in the 11th over with a 97-run stand in 113 balls. Later another all-rounder Russel Arnold too got into his groove to make a quickfire 32, besides featuring in a partnership of 83 runs with Atapattu for the fifth wicket in 14.3 overs before Agarkar came back for his second spell at the death to mop up the tail. Agarkar was later declared the man of the match. The tourists had been reduced to 51 for 3 when Agarkar trapped openers Kumar Sangakkara (8) and Sanath Jayasuriya (16) within the sixth over. The Indian medium pacers, especially Agarkar, exploited the helpful conditions well to make inroads into the visiting team's top order, before the wicket eased out and played true to the Nehru Stadium tradition. Things looked bleak with the visitors struggling at 51 for 3, but Dilshan, whose previous highest in the series was 23, adopted an aggressive approach to stem the rot in the company of his captain. Dilshan made 52 in 58 balls with 9 fours. The fourth wicket partnership swelled close to the 100-mark thanks to Dilshan's enterprising knock and Atapattu's calm demeanour at the other end before Harbhajan Singh, introduced into the attack soon after India completed their power plays in the 20th over, lured him to his doom. The Lankan all-rounder tried to turn the bowler to leg, but managed only to get a leading edge for the ball to spoon up to Tendulkar at gully. Dilshan's 52 came off 58 balls and included nine fours. Atapattu, who looked composed after a string of poor scores, then shepherded out-of-form Russel Arnold as the two carried the score past the 150-run mark. The Lankan captain duly reached his first half-century of the tour without trying to play big shots in 57 balls. It included four fours. He had come into the tie with a tally of only 22 runs in three innings but seemed to have found his bearings lower down the order. Scoreboard Sri Lanka Sangakkara lbw Agarkar 8 Jayasuriya lbw Agarkar 16 Tharanga c Agarkar Dilshan c Tendulkar Atapattu c&b Sehwag 87 Arnold b Pathan 32 Maharoof b Agarkar 3 Vaas c Dhoni b Agarkar 11 Muralitharan b Agarkar 9 Zoysa run out 2 Fernando not out 0 Extras
(lb-11, w-9) 20 Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 261 Fall of Wickets:
1-17, 2-36, 3-51, 4-148, 5-231, 6-237, 7-241, 8-252, 9-261, 10-261. Bowling:
Pathan 9-0-49-1, Agarkar 9.5-1-44-5 India Sehwag c Arnold Tendulkar b Vaas 11 Yuvraj c Dilshan b Zoysa 10 Dravid c Vaas b Fernando 63 Rao c Sangakkara Dhoni not out 45 Pathan c Sangakkara Raina not out 39 Extras (lb-2, w-4, nb-2) 8 Total
(6 wkts, 45.4 overs) 262 Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-34, 3-112, 4-176, 5-180, 6-180. Bowling:
Vaas 6-1-29-1, Fernando 9-1-43-1, Zoysa 8-0-46-1, Maharoof 4-0-41-0, Muralitharan 9-0-35-3, Jayasuriya 3-0-18-0, Dilshan 5-0-28-0, Arnold 1.4-0-20-0.
— PTI |
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Dhoni, Rao, Raina future of Indian batting: Dravid
Pune, November 3 "It is most satisfying to see players who have not even played 10 games for the country take responsibility and see the side home," he said. Admitting that he himself played a bad shot at a crucial juncture, Dravid said Raina and Dhoni played "brilliantly" under pressure to settle the match. Talking about the gains from the series, he said "we played as a team and everyone contributed towards the cause." Dravid singled out Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh for special praise saying the off-spinner's bowling had made a big difference to the side. Rival captain Marvan Atapattu said, "Things are not going too well for us and these are tough times." "A couple of missed chances cost us and the Indians finished the match pretty well," Atapattu said, adding however that there were clear signs of improvement in the side. Man of the match Ajit Agarkar said he concentrated on hitting good areas and bowling straight. "My action is holding up well as I have worked hard on it. I am getting good swing and reverse swing at the moment," the wiry paceman said.
— PTI |
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GCA insures Lankan team
Ahmedabad, November 3 "Each Sri Lankan player has been insured for Rs 10 lakh each so that any untoward incident during the match is covered by insurance," GCA president Narhari Amin told PTI. The GCA official said Mumbai-based New India Assurance Co Ltd was taking care of the insurance cover for the visiting team while the BCCI was handling the insurance of the Indian team. Moreover, the GCA has insured the match for Rs 50 lakh in case the match does take place at all for any reason while Rs 3 crore insurance cover has been taken for any kind of incident or damage that may occur at the stadium during the match, the official said. The GCA had introduced this insurance cover scheme for the first time during the recent Indo-Pak series when the neighbouring nation's team was touring India and a one-day match was played here. The fifth one-day international to be played in the city here would be a day and night affair. — PTI |
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PCB proposes Karachi as Test venue
Karachi, November 3 According to the new itinerary, which has been sent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for approval, the tour will start in Lahore on January 2 and end in Karachi on February 11. “We have sent a revised itinerary, according to which the first Test will be played in Lahore. Karachi will host the third and final Test and the fifth and last one-dayer,” said Saleem Altaf, PCB Director, Board Operations. “We have basically swapped the first and third Tests in the revised itinerary. I think it is logical, considering that the BCCI had requested the two-day tour opening practice match in Lahore. By doing so, we have avoided lots of logistical hassles and complications,” Altaf said. The first Test was scheduled from January 5 after the two-day game on January 2 and 3 in Lahore. The second Test would be played from January 13 at Faisalabad. The Karachi Test would begin on January 21. The one-day internationals would be played in Peshawar (January 28), Rawalpindi (January 31), Lahore (February 3), Multan (February 6) and Karachi (February 11). Altaf said the PCB had not received any communication from the BCCI on the revised itinerary. The Indian Foreign Ministry was certain to give the thumbs-up to Karachi in the backdrop of an informal meeting between India’s Foreign Minister K. Natwar Singh and PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan last month.
— PTI |
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Former cricketer abuses Woolmer
Lahore, November 3 During a Twenty20 charity match here on Sunday, the former cricketer — a part of the commentators’ panel — launched a verbal attack on Woolmer for ignoring discarded opener Farhat — Ilyas’ son-in-law — and made a series of allegations, claiming Woolmer was here to destroy Pakistani cricket. PCB Director, Board Operations, Abbas Zaidi, confirmed that an inquiry had been ordered into the matter regarding Ilyas’ misbehaviour. “All I can say at this stage is that an inquiry is being held. We do not want anyone to violate the sanctity of the Gaddafi Stadium or bring a bad name to Pakistan cricket,” Zaidi said.
— UNI |
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Hasan Raza to lead Pakistan A
Lahore, November 3 The 14-member Pakistan A team includes former Test players Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Asif, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Khalil. Openers Faisal Athar, Usman Tariq, middle-order batsmen Shahid Yousuf and Rizwan Ahmed, leg-spinner Mansoor Amjad, wicketkeeper Amin-ur-Rehman, off-spinner Arshad Khan and fast bowler Junaid Zia complete the line-up. Raza (23) is one of the two Pakistan A players who have also been named among probables for Pakistan’s first two Tests against England, the other being Arshad. Hasan has the distinction of being the youngest Test cricketer ever — at the age of 14 years and 227 days — when he played made his debut in 1996-97.
— UNI |
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Ponting’s ton rescues Australia
Brisbane, November 3 West Indian fast bowler Corey Collymore led the attack
and ripped through Australia’s struggling middle-order to finish the
day with 4-47. His fellow pacemen Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards and
Jermaine Lawson all captured one wicket each, vindicating Shivnarine
Chanderpaul’s surprising decision to field first in the opening test
of a three-match series. Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist made a
typically brisk 44 during a 104-run partnership with Ponting while
opener Matthew Hayden chipped in with 37 in a 92-run stand with his
skipper, but none of the other batsmen made a meaningful
contribution. Opener Mike Hussey made just one on his Test debut,
Michael Clarke fell for five, Simon Katich went for a duck and
all-rounder Shane Watson departed for 16, raising fresh concerns about
the depth of Australia’s batting in the wake of their Ashes loss to
England. Called into the side when Justin Langer ruled himself out with
a broken rib, Hussey departed in the sixth over when he top-edged an
attempted pull shot off Powell and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin safely
held the catch. Clarke was also caught behind, nicking a swift
leg-cutter from Collymore, then Katich glanced a low catch to Chris
Gayle at second slip as the Australians lost three wickets for 10 runs
in three overs after lunch to slump to 111-4. Collymore also captured
the vital wickets of Hayden and Gilchrist when they were in full swing,
while Edwards trapped Watson lbw and Lawson ended Ponting’s brilliant
innings when he flicked a catch straight to Marlon Samuels at
mid-wicket. Ponting survived two dropped catches and a run-out attempt
to register his 24th Test hundred, joining Indian coach Greg Chappell in
fourth place on Australia’s list of century-makers. He reached triple
figures off 131 balls with a square cut off Gayle that sped to the
boundary rope, raising his bat in triumph to a thunderous ovation from
the Gabba crowd. Ponting was in an aggressive mood from the moment he
arrived at the crease and struck a total of 15 fours in his 213-ball
316-minute innings to save Australia’s blushes against a West Indian
team they are expected to overwhelm. Hayden had a life on 14 when
Chanderpaul failed to hold a sharp chance at short mid-off but survived
to make a valuable contribution that helped rebuild the innings. The
left-hander was in danger of being dropped until he saved his career
with back-to-back centuries in the final Ashes Test and last month’s
win against the ICC World XI but is now back in great form. He has had
to curb his natural aggressive instincts for a more cautious approach
and repelled the West Indian all-pace attack for more than two hours
before Collymore dismissed him after lunch to trigger the
collapse. Gilchrist was far more adventurous, smacking six boundaries
in his 64-ball cameo, but also fell lbw to Collymore just when he seemed
to be heading towards a much bigger score. Shane Warne (31) and Brett
Lee (19) continued their recent form with the bat with an unbroken
46-run partnership in the last hour before stumps were
drawn. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings) Hayden lbw Collymore
37 Hussey c Ramdin Ponting c Sarwan Clarke c Ramdin Katich c Gayle Gilchrist lbw Collymore 44 Watson lbw b Edwards 16 Warne not out
31 Lee not out 19 Extras (b-4, lb-11, Total (7
wkts, 85 overs) 340 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-101, 3-108, 4-111, 5-215,
6-273, 7-294. Bowling: Edwards 17-0 -77-1, Powell 14-0-65-1, Collymore
18-3-47-4, Lawson 12-0-58-1, Samuels 4-0-29-0, Gayle 20-3-49-0. —
Reuters |
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Scheduling eccentric, says British media
London, November 3 But if the Indian cricket Board gets the stick for proposing an itinerary devoid of big centres like Kolkata or Bangalore, the England and Wales Cricket Board is not spared either. "... the itinerary being proposed for the second half of England's winter cricket is indicative of bungling by the Indian Cricket Board and weakness on the part of the ECB," said a report on the website edition of Times, headlined "India schedule tough on England and supporters". Stating that it was "payback time" for England, 'The Guardian' said England administrators had been pressing India to furnish them with an itinerary. "Now feeling as if they are being put under pressure themselves, India have said fine, if you want an itinerary, you can have one. And that is what they have delivered, paying no mind — apart from scheduling Mumbai and Goa together — to potential tourism opportunities. "So no Rajasthan, no Taj Mahal, no Eden Gardens or Lutyen's Delhi, no Bangalore, or Chennai. So Ahmedabad and Nagpur, Faridabad and Cuttack, Indore and Vishakapatnam, Cochin and Guwahati here we come," said the paper.
— PTI |
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Sandhu questions advancement of Duleep Trophy
Aurangabad, November 3 Sandhu, who is here for the Duleep Trophy league match between West Zone and Central Zone, told reporters that in the earlier structure, players used to play in Ranji and the zonal teams, and for the Duleep Trophy they used to be selected on the basis of performance in the Ranji Trophy. With the advancing of Duleep Trophy ahead of the Ranji, the Duleep teams are being selected from among the players who had performed in the previous year, the former medium pace bowler in Indian team observed. India's middle-order batsman and captain of the Central Zone Mohammed Kaif said with the advancement of Duleep Trophy, the youngsters knocking on the door of first-class cricket would have to wait for a longer time.
— UNI |
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Koreans start favourites
New Delhi, November 3 Archery Association of India (AAI) president Vijay Kumar Malhotra said here today that world's top most archers like Yamamoto Hiroshi of Japan in the men's section and Park Sung Hyun and Lee Sung Ji of Korea among women were expected to give the competition a keen edge where the Indian archers would be matching their skills to assess the progress they have made in recent months. Twenty countries have already confirmed their participation while Pakistan and Qatar have also expressed their eagerness to participate though their entries were yet to be received. The countries who have confirmed their participation are Bhutan, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, DPR Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Iran, Bangladesh, Thailand and Iraq. The Indian challenge will be led by Olympians Tarundeep Roy in the men's section and Dola Banerjee in the women's category. The Indian teams are: Men's
recurve: Jayant Talukdar, Tarundeep Roy, Rahul Banerjee and Majhi
Sawaiyan. Women's recurve: Dola Banerjee, Laxmi Rani Majhi, Reena Kumari and Chokrovolu
Swuro. Men's compound: Naresh Damor, Vivek Kumar, V H Lenin and Shivnath
Nagesia. Women's compound: Jhanu Handsa, Bansarlin Dhar, Sakro Besra and Manjudha Soy. Mr Malhotra said besides the Koreas, China, Chinese Taipei and Japan would also bring their best archers to display the kind of sharp-shooting skills never before witnessed in archery competitions in the country. The championship has assumed great significance as the splinter countries from the erstwhile Soviet Union are also fielding their teams in full strength. |
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Atwal dismayed at lack of recognition
Kolkata, November 3 “They are giving the Arjuna to all sorts of amateurs. When amateurs are given preference over professionals, I don’t think that makes sense,” he said on the sidelines of a felicitation programme arranged for him. Queried whether he is hurt at such lack of recognition from the government, Atwal said “I have not much expectation from the government of India. Frankly speaking, I am in a sport where the government can’t do much. I don’t need the government's help to go abroad or participate in any tournament. I play for myself.” “But I have the name India attached to me. Away from home, when anybody asks me where I come from, I proudly say I'm from India,” he said. Asked about his target for the next season, Atwal said, “I believe in keeping my target to myself or only among my close group. I am cautious because whatever I say today may not come true tomorrow. So I will only say that I want to win a tournament early in the next PGA tour”. Atwal said he did not feel intimidated by the likes of Tiger Woods any more. “When I played with him for the first time, I did feel intimidated. But now I don’t care whether it is Tiger Woods or some other big shot”. The city boy, who was accompanied by his parents, wife Kritika and brother at the function organised by the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, named Shiv Kapur and Ashok Kumar as the promising youngsters in the country. “I am honoured by this felicitation at the
RCGC. I am overwhelmed. I have grown up playing golf here. Returning to the city is always very, very special for me,” he said. “Hopefully, I can make it to a point where India can be seen as a global player in golf,” an emotional Atwal, who had four top 10 finishes including a career best tied-second in the USPGA tour this year, said.
Atwal was given a memento and a blazer at the
function.
RCGC captain Aveek Sarkar, former tennis star Naresh Kumar and 1982 Asian Games gold medallist Laxman Singh were present at the function.
— PTI |
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Kapur in joint lead
Rayong (Thailand), November 3 Shiv had a rather average start as he bogeyed the second hole before compensating it with a birdie on the third. He shot a treble of birdies on the seventh, eigth and ninth holes before completing his halfway journey. His bogey-free back nine proved even better. He shot birdies on the 11th and 14th holes and signed off in style with back-to-back birdies in the last two holes. The trio of Harmeet Kahlon, Ashok Kumar and Rahil Gangjee carded an identical two-under 71 to finish tied 20th while Arjun Singh, Amandeep Johl and Digvijay Singh were tied 46th after level-par 73 round. Gaurav Ghei had a poor one-over 74, which earned him tied 65th place. He hit a couple of birdies on the 13th and 15th holes, but bogeys on the third, 11th and 15th holes pulled him back. Vivek Bhandari carded two-over 75, one stroke ahead of compatriot Firoz Ali, while Uttam Singh Mundy had a horrendous five-over 78 to finish way down the leaderboard at tied 118th.
— UNI |
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