 |
|
|
Spin twins floor Lankans
Form of top order worrying, says Sehwag
India, Pathan move up in rankings
Lankans lacked the killer punch: Moody
Jayasuriya recalled
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Namdhari XI, BPCL sail into semis
Bharat Petroleum players in action against Signals during a quaterfinal match of the 35th S.N. Vohra Gurmit Hockey Tournament in Chandigarh on Thursday.
— Tribune photo by Pradeep Tiwari
DAV girls excel at TT meet
Delhi, Jalandhar schools in final
Karan packs off Sanam
India lead in Asian team chess
Trekking expedition begins in Dalhousie
|
|
Spin twins floor Lankans
Ahmedabad, December 22 Chasing a victory target of 509, the islanders resumed at 235 for six and the spin magicians made quick work of the remaining four batsmen in only half an hour and 7.3 overs. Kumble and Harbhajan had an equal share of the morning spoils. Kumble made his 100th Test a memorable encounter by applying the finishing touches to a great personal and team series with the last wicket of Malinga Bandara who was caught at second slip by first innings centurion V.V.S. Laxman to start the home team’s celebrations even as spectators were walking into the stadium. The Karnataka man started the Lankan slide by having overnight batsman Farveez Maharoof leg before in the second over of the morning. It was the ace Bangalore leg-spinner’s 31st five-wicket haul with second innings figures of 5 for 89 and match analysis of 7 for 176 which left him only 15 wickets adrift of the 500-wicket mark. Equally impressive was Harbhajan who ended with three second innings wickets for 79 runs and a ten-wicket haul for the match while conceding 141 runs, his fourth in 50 Tests. Harbhajan added the scalps of overnight left-hander Jehan Mubarak (18) and Muthiah Muralitharan (3) to his kitty in the morning after having sent back Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu last evening. He had taken 7 for 62 in the Sri Lankan first innings. The match and rubber ended at 10.30 am after a delayed start for half an hour due to a wet outfield because of dew. India had beaten the visitors by 188 runs in the second Test at Delhi after the opening rain-ruined contest was drawn at Chennai. The series victory for the home team was their sixth out of eleven contests with the Emerald islanders going back to the inaugural one-Test series in 1982-83. Lanka have won two of these, both at home, and the other three have ended in stalemates. The tourists are yet to win a Test on Indian soil in 14 attempts. It was also the hosts’ tenth Test win out of 26 contests between the two teams. The writing was on the wall for Sri Lanka when they started the day in a hopeless situation with their main batsmen back in the pavilion leaving the rest with the arduous task of defying the rampaging Indian spin duo for the entire last day for an improbable draw. Whatever little fight that the Lankans would have envisaged last evening evaporated this morning along with the dew under the morning sun as Kumble and Harbhajan quickly polished off the remaining four batsmen without much ado. Harbhajan’s first over did not produce a wicket, but things started to happen in Kumble’s opening over when he trapped Maharoof leg before by beating the all-rounder’s defensive bat. Maharoof made two and was out without any addition to Lanka’s overnight score. The left-handed Mubarak, unbeaten on 18 overnight, fell at the same score by edging Harbhajan Singh’s sharply spinning away ball to first slip fielder Laxman in the very next over. He had occupied the crease for 74 minutes and faced seven balls today. Ten runs were added before Muralitharan was castled by Harbhajan while trying to heave him over the leg side in the fifth over of the day. He made three. The end came four runs later when Bandara, who made 11 (24 minutes, 21 balls, 1 four) and showed some defiance in the morning, fell edging Kumble to second slip fielder Virender Sehwag to fittingly provide the veteran slow bowler the icing on his 100-Test cake. Kumble was declared man of the series for his heist of 20 wickets (three in Chennai, 10 in Delhi and seven here) while Harbhajan’s ten-wicket match haul got him the man of the match award. Scoreboard India (1st innings)
398 Sri Lanka (1st innings) 206 India (2nd innings) 316 for 9 decl Sri Lanka(2nd innings) Tharanga c Gambhir
b Kumble 47 Atapattu c Kaif b Harbhajan 16 Sangakkara lbw Kumble 17 Jayawardene c&b Agarkar 57 Samaraweera c Kaif b Kumble 5 Dilshan c Dhoni b Pathan 65 Mubarak c Laxman
b Harbhajan 18 Maharoof lbw Kumble 2 Bandara c Sehwag b Kumble 11 Muralitharan b Harbhajan 3 Malinga not out 0 Extras
(b-1, nb-7) 8 Total (all out) 249 Fall of wickets:
1-39, 2-84, 3-89, 4-96, 5-201, 6-229, 7-235, 8-235, 9-245. Bowling:
Pathan 9-1-31-1, Harbhajan 31-7-79-3, Agarkar 11-3-18-1, Kumble 34.3-9-89-5, Sehwag 3-0-18-0, Tendulkar 4-0-13-0. Man of the match:
Harbhajan Singh. Man of the series: Anil Kumble.
— PTI |
|
Form of top order worrying, says Sehwag
Ahmedabad, December 22 “We are concerned about the lack of runs from our opening batsmen and the top order and would be working to put this right,” Sehwag, who led the side here in the absence of the unwell Rahul Dravid said after the win over Sri Lanka which sealed the rubber. “We have batted well in away series in the recent past and I hope our top order does well on the tour to Pakistan,” he said. India lost half their side for 100 or less in both innings of the match before the lower order did the rescue act. The Delhi batsman was otherwise all praise for his side saying the whole “attitude in the team had changed.” “We are enjoying our cricket and working hard. Maintaining a winning habit is also important,” he said. Mentioning Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni for special praise, Sehwag said their presence “lifts the side”. About Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, he said they were “fantastic bowlers and it was tough to take the ball away from them when they were on song”. Sri Lankan skipper Marvan Atapattu said his “We had our chances in Delhi and here too, but Laxman and Pathan took the game away from us,” Atapattu said, adding “it was always tough to play two good spinners on a helpful pitch.” Man of the Series Anil Kumble said it was a pleasure to be bowling with Harbhajan Singh at the other end. “It is good to bowl in partnership as it keeps the pressure on from both ends. “It also motivates me as we have a healthy rivalry between us to take more wickets,” the leg-spinner said. It was a great way to complete 100 Tests by claiming 20 scalps in a three-Test series, he said. “It is a great honour to be only the fifth Indian to make a century of Tests,” Kumble said. Harbhajan Singh, adjudged Man of the Match for his 10-wicket haul, said he was constantly working to improve as a bowler. “I am working with Ian Frazer and trying single wicket bowling and other new things to become a better cricketer,” the Punjab off-spinner said. Meanwhile, Sehwag issued a warning to Pakistan ahead of their upcoming series across the border, saying India had the bowling wherewithal to take advantage of whatever kind of tracks the hosts
prepared for the three-Test rubber. “If they are giving us good bouncy and seaming tracks, then our bowling is also good and they would also struggle because their batsmen are
not technically good,” Sehwag said. “Last time they had given us good, flat tracks and we had won the (Test and one-day) series over there,” Sehwag said after leading India to a big win over Sri Lanka in the third Test here today. “If wickets are supporting fast bowlers we would play three fast bowlers and if wickets don’t support fast bowlers we would play two spinners and two fast bowlers. It would depend on conditions in Pakistan,” he added. “We are trying to build good opening partnerships and our confidence is very high. We are confident of handling the Pakistan bowlers who did well recently in Pakistan (against England),” he said. Speaking about the experience of captaining the side, Sehwag said it was an honour but also a tough job after missing the second Test at Delhi because of a viral infection. “It was an honour to lead the side. But it was tough as I did not play in Delhi, but the senior players and others supported me,” he said. “We had a bad phase last year, but now we have worked hard on our game which is showing in the results,” Sehwag said.
— PTI |
|
India, Pathan move up in rankings
Dubai, December 22 It was the first time India have reached that high in the four-and-a-half year history of the official ICC Test Championship race since it was launched in May 2001. Australia still maintain a comfortable lead with 128 points in their kitty. The Islanders, meanwhile, are languishing at 7th spot with paltry 96 points. In the LG ICC Test Player Rankings the news is just as good for India with Irfan Pathan once again capturing the headlines. The left-hander closed the gap to the top three all-rounders — Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff and Shaun Pollock. In the batting list India can bask in the continued presence of three of their batsmen in the top 10. Rahul Dravid, who missed the final Test in Ahmedabad, is holding firm in fifth spot, Virender Sehwag is seventh and Sachin Tendulkar is ninth. Team rankings: 1. Australia; 2. India; 3. England; 4. Pakistan; 5. South Africa; 6. New Zealand; 7. Sri Lanka; 8. West Indies; 9. Zimbabwe; 10. Bangladesh.
— PTI, UNI |
|
Lankans lacked the killer punch: Moody
Ahmedabad, December 22 “We have been beaten 2-0 in this Test series but a lot of positives have come out. We had not competed over five days which cost us, but we had India on the ropes in all three Tests, though the first one was rain-affected. We had not been thrashed,” Moody told reporters after India’s thumping 259-run win in the third and final Test here. “We have competed, but were caught napping for two or three of the days allowing India to come back into the game. The morale of the team and team spirit is high,” he insisted after the series loss to India, their sixth out of eleven bilateral contests. “We lacked the killer instinct to take ten wickets in an innings (after having India struggling at 97 for 5 and 100 for 5 in the two innings here),” the Australia-born coach said. Moody also bemoaned the collapse of his batting line-up from good starts in the second Test at Delhi before losing the match by 188 runs. “We had a huge advantage in Delhi when we were 117 for two (in the first innings) but failed to capitalise and lost it. It was due to lack of concentration that we lost crucial wickets at the fag end of a session. We also failed to deliver the finishing blow to the Indian team,” he pointed out. “Some of our bowlers also could have bowled better,” he said. Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu said the Indian spinners got a bit more bounce than his own team-mates. “They got a bit more bounce than our spinners. I was talking to Harbhajan who said the extra bounce was due to the brand of balls used here (SG balls). The Lankans are more familiar with the Kookaburra brand. “The Indians were also fortunate to win the toss both at Delhi and here and put their bowlers to exploit the wicket,” he added. Atapattu also said Irfan Pathan had handled Muthiah Muralitharan very well. “Out of the Indians, Pathan had handled Murali the best,” he said. Moody also praised the Indians for their team effort and for fighting back from difficult situations in the series. “It was a good team effort by the Indians to come back from difficult positions,” Moody said. “India are a real force at home. They carry a huge momentum along in media, in crowd support. They are a difficult team to play in a home series.” The Australian, however, said there have been some positives from the series, Moody said. “Upul Tharanga batted very well (in the second innings). He was one of the bright spots who is a good opener in the making. (Leg-spinner Malinga) Bandara also bowled well. He’s a fighter and a competitor,” he added. Moody refused to name India or Pakistan as clear favourites in their forthcoming Test and one-day battle in the latter's backyard. “India have done well recently. Pakistan have done equally well, if not more. Both are my favourites,” he opined.
— PTI |
|
Jayasuriya recalled
Colombo, December 22 The 36-year-old left-hander had been dropped from the just-concluded Test series against India after a poor run in the preceding one-dayers which India won 6-1. But India’s 2-0 victory in the Test series today, after thumping Sri Lanka by 259 runs in the third Test in Ahmedabad, forced the selectors to bring back their most experienced
player. Jayasuriya, who scored a century and two 50s in recent domestic matches after recovering from a shoulder injury, will undergo a fitness test before the team’s departure for New Zealand next
week. Jayasuriya is Sri Lanka’s most successful one-day player with 10,207 runs and 267 wickets from 345 matches.
— AFP |
|
Namdhari XI, BPCL sail into semis
Chandigarh, December 22 While Namdhari XI routed Canara Bank 7-1 after leading by 3-1 at half time, star-studded BPCL prevailed over Corps of Signals 3-1to sail into the last four. Packed with several internationals and Olympians, including Sukhbir Singh Gill and Sabu Varkey, BPCL were well served by current India players like William Xalco, Tushar Khandekar and Ravi Pal, who did national duty in the recently concluded Champions Trophy at Chennai. Corps of Signals, finalists of the 2002 edition, did try to put up a fight but had to surrender in the face of sustained pressure. Full back Len Aiyappa, who last played for India in the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament after a memorable performance in the Afro-Asian Games at Hyderabad in 2003, showed sparks of brilliance with his neatly executed drag flicks. In the ninth minute, Aiyappa had a close miss when his drag flick off a short corner was blocked by a rival. Signals also forced a
penalty corner in the 20th minute but off the resultant hit, Rakesh Kumar missed a golden opportunity as he failed to tap the ball into the goalmouth. It was in the 25th minute that BPCL shot into the lead. A hit by Olympian Sabu Varkey, who represented India in the Atlanta Olympics, from the right corner was neatly deflected home by Pundalik Bellary (1-0). A counter-attack by Signals saw skipper Paramjit Singh narrowly missing the mark while another attempt by Sunil Lakra was thwarted by the BPCL custodian shortly before half time. In the second half, Signals had a gilt-edged chance when NS Salaria got past the entire defence. With only the goalkeeper at his mercy, he calmly scooped the ball over the goalkeeper’s head to restore parity (1-1). A penalty corner earned in the 53rd minute fetched BPCL the second goal as Len Aiyappa’s drag flick was bang on target (2-1). Four minutes from the end, another field goal by Amar Aiyamma off a deflection made the issue safe for BPCL (3-1). Prabhdeep Singh of BPCL was adjudged ‘man of the match.’ In the last quarterfinal, Namdhari XI, with international Harpal Singh in their ranks, overwhelmed Canara Bank 7-1. Harpal, who represented India in the Champions Trophy at Chennai earlier this month, displayed good form and was a pillar of strength in the defence. The Namdharis made a promising start as Joga Singh’s field goal in the opening minute put the bank men under pressure. The second goal followed in the third minute when Gurpreet Singh converted a penalty stroke (2-0). Another field goal in the 12th minute by Gurcharan Singh boosted the tally to 3-0. At the stroke of half-time, Canara Bank managed to pull one back when KP Dinesh brilliantly connected a pass from the goal-line to beat the custodian (1-3). However, the second half was completely dominated by the Namdharis. Gurcharan Singh’s drag flick off a short corner in the 50th minute made it 4-1 while a goal by Joga Singh in a melee boosted the tally to 5-1 in favour of Namdhari XI. Anmolak Singh’s hit off a rebound fetched the Namdharis their sixth goal while a field goal by Sardar Singh a minute from close completed the rout (7-1). Friday’s fixtures: (semifinals): Punjab and Sind Bank v BPCL — 1 pm; Namdhari XI v PNB —2.30 pm |
|
DAV girls excel at TT meet
Chandigarh, December 22 The under-14 team, comprising Naina Suri, Barbie Nagpal, Aishwarya Arora and Sayesha, lost to MS Vidya Nagar, Nagpur, in the final while Hansraj Model School, Delhi, were placed third. In under-16 section, DAV team, comprising Sunanda, Mahima Singla and Kanvi Nagpal, won the bronze. Mr I.S. Sandhu, Director Sports, Chandigarh, gave away the prizes. The overall running trophies went to u-19 (Senior Division) girls: Padma Shri Bala Bhavan Senior
Secondary School, Chennai; (u-19 boys) Mayoor School, Ajmer; and under-14 (boys) Kolaperumal, Chennai. Results:
Boys (u-19) — Mayoor School , Ajmer, 1, Hansraj, Delhi 2, Sachdeva, Delhi 3; boys (u-16) — Mayoor School, Ajmer, 1, Bhavans Rajaji Vidya Ashram 2, PSBB , Chennai, 3; girls (u-16) — St Johns Senior School, Chennai,1, Manavsthali, Delhi, 2, DAVPS-8, Chandigarh, 3; boys (u-14) — Kola Perumal, Chennai, 1, Hansraj, Delhi, 2, Chinmaya Vidyalaya 3; girls (u-190 — PS Senior Secondry School, Chennai, 1, Hansraj, Delhi, 2, New Era, Delhi, 3; and girls (u-14) — M.S. Vidya Nagar, Nagpur,1, DAVPS-8, Chandigarh, 2, Hansraj, New Delhi, 3. |
|
Delhi, Jalandhar schools in final
Chandigarh, December 22 In the semifinals played today, GHP School edged out Government Model Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar, 5-4 in the tie breaker while Lyallpur Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar, prevailed over Town High School, Sundergarh, 3-0. GHP School and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar, were level 1-1 in regulation time but in the tie breaker, the Delhi outfit converted four strokes while the Jalandhar team could convert only three. The Jalandhar team took the lead in the 22nd minute when Lakhwinder Singh converted a penalty corner but the equaliser followed soon after when Sajjan Singh of GHP School converted a penalty stroke to put his side on even terms. With the issue remaining deadlocked, the match stretched into the tie breaker in which GHP School scored through Jagwant Singh, Satish Lama, Kulwant Singh and Sajan Singh. For the local team, only Deepak Sharma, Bikramjit Singh and Jagjeet Singh were on target. In the second semifinal, Lyallpur Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar, forged ahead in the 15th minute when Manjit Singh converted a penalty corner. In the 53rd minute, Vikramjeet Singh converted another short corner to make it 2-0. Five minutes from close, Daler Singh scored a field goal to seal the fate of the rivals. The final will be played at 11 am tomorrow. This will be preceded by the match to decide the third and fourth positions. |
|
Karan packs off Sanam
New Delhi, December 22 Rastogi will take on former Davis Cupper Vishal Uppal in the semifinal. Vishal easily disposed of Yasser Arafat 6-2, 6-3 to make the last four grade. Top-seeded Rohan Bopanna matched big serves with double faults to overcome the challenge of Divij Sharan at 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Rohan will take on Vishnu Vardhan in the semifinal. Vishnu moved into the semis when his rival Ashutosh Singh retired from the contest due to back pain when he was trailing 5-7, 3-4. In the women’s section, top-seeded Rushmi Chakravarthy weathered a mid-match slump to overwhelm Sandhya Nagraj 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 while second-seeded Isha Lakhani of Mumbai tamed Sonal Phadke 6-3 7-5. |
|
India lead in Asian team chess
Isfahan (Iran), December 22 With a depleted field in absence of defending champion China, the Asian team championship just has six teams competing this year, including two from the host country. The other participants are Turkmenistan and Vietnam, apart from India and Afghanistan. The Indians are led by Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran on the top board. IM Sundar Rajan Kidambi dropped half point on the third board against unrated Farazi Khaiber but the other members GMs Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Abhijit Kunte and Sandipan Chanda coasted to easy victories to help India emerge as sole leader with 3.5 points. On other boards, Turkmenistan and Iran ‘B’ took a point each from second seed Vietnam and third seed Iran ‘A’, respectively. Sasikiran was rested in the first round game and Abhijit Kunte took board one for India to crush Asefi Zaheeruddeen of Afghanistan.
— PTI |
|
Trekking expedition begins in Dalhousie
Dalhousie, December 22 Nearly 800 participants from 19 states are taking part in this programme. The first batch of 50 participants was flagged off by Captain Bandari, Chairman, Guru Nanak Public School, Dalhousie. Mr. Nitin Valmiki from Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai, is helping the participants in stargazing at Khajjiar and Mr Susant Kumar Das from Bhubaneshwar in bird watching. Mr. Parvinder Singh Chauhan, field director, explained the salient features of this trekking programme. The warden of the Youth Hostel welcomed the gathering. Mr V.N. Pratap, co-director, proposed a vote of thanks. SD College in final
Ambala, December 22 Varun was awarded with the man of the match title. Brief score: DAV College 116 all out in 35 overs (Parminder 23, Manish 21, Varun 3 for 19, Rajneesh 2 for 40, Pankaj (Jr) 2 for 11). SD College: 117 for 1 in 14.5 overs (Prince 50 n.o., Varun 38, Neeraj 26 n.o.).
— TNS |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video (.jpg)
.jpg)
Chandigarh, December 22
