The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	India go down fighting Vikramdeep Johal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 17 Pakistan warded off a spirited challenge from India to win 2-1 in the opening encounter of the six-match series for the Airtel Cup at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today. Led by Ignace Tirkey in the absence of newly married Dilip Tirkey, India put up a good fight, especially in the second half, but failed to capitalise on most of the chances that came their way. A new-look Indian forward line, comprising Didar Singh, Rajpal Singh, Tushar Khandekar and Arjun Halappa, played an attacking game and troubled the rival defence time and again. However, their finishing left a lot to be desired. Halappa, who led Bangalore Lions to victory in the recently concluded Premier Hockey League, was a livewire on the field as he made a number of good moves. Didar, the player of the tournament in the PHL, was guilty of muffing up several opportunities in the first half. Pakistani forwards, on the other hand, were erratic on the whole but they still managed to score two goals. Muhammad Shabbir and Shakeel Abbassi were superb at times, but Rehan Butt had an ordinary match. Indian defenders Harpal Singh and Kanwalpreet Singh often kept them at bay, not letting Dilip’s absence to be felt. Pakistan drew first blood in the 11th minute when Tariq Aziz latched on to a pass from Muhammad Shabbir and beat goalkeeper Bharat Chhetri with a fierce hit. Tejbir Singh earned the first penalty corner for India in the 22nd minute, but Didar’s uppish drag-flick was gloved over the bar by Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akbar. India got two more penalty corners (29th and 66th minutes) but all went abegging. Incidentally, drag-flicker Sandeep Singh was brought in for some time only in the second half, and he wasn’t on the field when India were awarded the three penalty corners. Pakistan consolidated the lead in the 56th minute when they converted a penalty corner (they got five in all). Muhammad Imran’s drag-flick was stopped by Chhetri, but Abbassi madeno mistake in scoring off the rebound. The induction of Didar’s brother Sardara Singh in place of Rajpal in the second half proved to be a fine move. Sardara combined well with the other forwards as India made desperate attempts to reduce the margin. Off one such move, Halappa gave a precise pass to Khandekar, who hit home from the top of the striking circle in the 63rd minute to bring some cheer to the near-capacity crowd. A charged-up India tried hard to equalise, but Pakistan hung on the lead to emerge victors. Surprisingly, the atmosphere at the stadium was not as electric as that witnessed during the PHL finals. Indian coach Rajinder Singh Junior rued the team’s failure to convert some chances into goals but still expressed satisfaction at their overall performance. Pakistan captain Muhammad Saqlain praised his team’s effort, even as he lauded the performance of the Indian forwards. Shakeel Abbassi was declared the man of the match. Earlier, before the start of the match, five hockey Olympians were honoured, namely Islauddin, Zakauddin, Tanvir Ahmed Dar (all from Pakistan), Balbir Singh Sr and Harmeek Singh (India).
	Venues of Pak leg of hockey Tests changed Islamabad, February 17 The Pakistan Hockey Federation has swapped the venues of the first and third Tests of the Pakistan leg of six-match bilateral series against India in the wake of unrest over the cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. In the new schedule, the first match will be played at Lahore on February 22 and the third at Rawalpindi on February 26, according to a PHF official said today. “The venues have been swapped for the safety reasons,” the official said. The venue of the second Test at Faisalabad on Feb 24 and dates of all the three matches remained unchanged in the new schedule for the Pakistan leg which would be played after the Indian leg. — PTI
	Nimbus bags global media rights from BCCI Mumbai, February 17 The BCCI today resolved its contentious telecast issue by awarding Nimbus Communication International the global media rights for all international and domestic cricket matches to be played in India for the next four years. Nimbus bid the highest amount of $ 612.18 million to acquire the rights for a period from March 1, 2006, to March 31 2010, ahead of nine established media houses. The contract includes rights for cable, broadband and direct-to-home but excludes mobile, BCCI Vice-President Lalit Modi told a press conference here. “We are happy to announce Nimbus as the winner of the global media rights and look forward to a successful partnership with them, and ensure great coverage and penetration for the game amongst the people world over,” Modi said after the meeting of the BCCI Marketing Committee. Sports broadcasters ESPN-Star Sports, SET Satellite Singapore PTE, Zee Telefilms Ltd, media corporations Reliance Infocom, Sahara One and US players like Direct TV and Eco Star were in the fray for the lucrative contract which was surrounded with controversies since last year. The bidding procedure saw US-based Direct TV and Sony Television getting disqualified. The neck and neck race saw public broadcaster Prasar Bharati remaining away from the entire bidding procedure and is expected to sign content sharing agreements with the private broadcasters. The BCCI will gain a huge Rs 3,354 crore from the sale of rights and sponsorship as against Rs 359 crore for the last four years. Nimbus had quoted an amount of $ 504.09 million for national matches and $ 108.09 million for international events involving the national team. ESPN-Star Sports had quoted $ 550.08 million while Zee Telefilms had quoted $ 513 million for the rights. Sony Television, which had quoted $ 478 million, was disqualified. The Indian team is expected to play 23 Tests and 54 to 56 one-day internationals during the four year period. The contract terms include BCCI logo to be displayed on global feed as well as features like Vizrt Graphics, Ball Speed Monitoring, Snickometer, Telestrator, Hawkeye, Zoomer and Dartfish. The broadcaster will be using a minimum of 25 cameras for the telecast of each match. Nimbus will also telecast 72 days of domestic cricket matches. — PTI
	Pakistan fell to Rahul’s captaincy Javagal Srinath At times, captaincy is just not all about picking the right eleven or doing the right moves on the field. It is also important of captains winning the right toss at the right time. To translate the strategies discussed in the team meeting into realities on the field, winning the toss sometimes become a highly crucial factor. Rahul winning the toss at Multan on Thursday certainly did not make the host skipper any more comfortable as he was already leading a depleted side. Throughout the tour, Shoaib Akthar’s pace and Shahid Afridi’s flamboyant batting were the main threats to the tourists. The absence of this dangerous duo created a big void in the Pakistan team. Hence, the belief of winning the match was certainly low on the host side. Losing two key players and then the toss was a double blow for Pakistan. For India, the performance of the youngsters was a treat to watch. The three relatively new fast bowlers, Irfan Pathan, Shreeshanth and RP Singh, looked a formidable lot under the given conditions. Three fast bowlers operating for Indian is not new but the trio bowling in tandem with a common purpose is a rare sight. Kamran Akmal’s dismissal was meticulously executed. When such plans fetch desired results, it automatically helps to build a tremendous understanding between the captain and the bowler. Shreeshanth caught the eyes with better pace and attitude, but this time it was R.P. Singh who proved to be the dark horse. He was simply outstanding. A bouncer that rattled Shoaib Malik was followed by an intelligent spot on in-swinger to pack Younis Khan back to the Pavilion. An unassuming character, R.P. Singh, in fact, is the sharpest of the lot. His easy run up to the wicket with a deceptive quick arm delivery can bemuse batsmen. Pakistan batsmen are natural stroke players. And in one-dayers, the idea of settling down at the wicket does not exist. But in this game, the hosts went about defending the first few overs, which looked completely out of sorts. They curtailed their natural instinct and fell for the tourists’ ploy. Salman Butt’s tentative footwork for the away balls was worked out very well. Shoaib Malik got out on a well directed short-pitch. Time and again he has exposed his vulnerability to such deliveries. Akram Kamal was a victim of good a piece of captaincy by Dravid. Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf again got out on good balls. On the whole it was not the batsmen who gave the wickets but the bowlers literally bowled them out working on their weaknesses. I cannot imagine if Yuvraj Singh had ever been so consistent in his career. Yuvraj’s shots were powered with his high back lift and Rahul’s dogged determination did not allow Pakistan to make an impact. Suresh Raina exhibited top class maturity in his approach towards the game. He not only has a great technique to play fast bowling but has a good cricketing acumen especially while picking the right bowlers to play shots. Rotating the strike and good running between the wickets can bail the batsmen out of any difficult situation. Rahul captaincy was remarkable. Each and every Pakistan dismissal looked very well scripted. This series win is an important achievement in his career as a leader. It’s never an easy beginning for him. Even in his own career, he took time to settle down in the shorter version of the game. Here, after taking the reigns over from Ganguly, which was again not under best circumstances, Rahul had to make a lot of efforts to reach the stage where he is now today. The usual practice in the one day format is to win the toss and elect to bat. Invariably, the team that bats second tends to succumb under the pressure of chasing the runs on board. But in this series, while the team batting second has suffered mostly, the team bowling first has always driven the team to an advantageous position. It proves the pitches in this series did have a definitive role for the bowlers. — PTI
	Graphite-reinforced bat illegal: ICC Dubai, February 17 The International Cricket Council said the graphite-reinforced bat, used by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, was illegal. The ICC said the Marylebone Cricket Club had told it that the graphite-reinforced bat contravened one of its laws and “in the MCC’s view was illegal”. The Australian bat manufacturer Kookaburra has agreed to the immediate voluntary withdrawal of its graphite reinforced bat from the international cricket. The offer was made after the ICC informed Kookaburra that it had received an opinion from the guardian of the Laws of Cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) that the bat contravened Law 6 and, in the MCC’s view, was illegal. “With several players in the world currently or soon to participate in international cricket matches, Kookaburra have undertaken to re-supply all international cricketers with alternate bats as soon as possible,” the ICC said. The MCC investigated the bat’s design in April to see if it complied with laws regarding the composition of the blade, the thickness of any covering material, and the damage it does the ball. The ICC approved the bat the following month, despite the MCC’s concerns that the thin film of carbon graphite gave the user an unfair power advantage. The ban only applies to international cricket. — PTI, AP
	Pak colts set up title clash with India Colombo, February 17 A high-voltage final was set up when defending champions Pakistan brushed aside the Australian challenge to book a spot in the title contest against arch-rivals India in the ICC Under-19 World Cup. The Aussie youngsters were no match for the Pakistani boys and went down by 163 runs in the second Super League semifinal at R Premadasa Stadium here tonight. India made it the final by beating England on Wednesday. Electing to bat, Pakistan came back from 80 for 5 to score 287 for 9 before bundling out Australia for a paltry 124 in 32.3 overs. A 160-run stand between Riaz Kail (84) and Ali Asad (69) turned the disastrous start into a position of strength for Pakistan, who would try be the first team to retain the title. Later, off spinner Usman Malik (3-17) and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim (3-16) ripped apart the Australian batting line-up after Jamshed Ahmed had dismissed two top-order batsmen. — PTI
	Motorcyclists thrill at Kila Raipur Our Correspondent Mandi Ahmedgarh, February 17 The Kila Raipur Sports Festival commenced at the Grewal Sports Stadium near here today. The festival was inaugurated by Mr Lal Singh, Power, Irrigation, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, Punjab. On the first day the spotlight was on the feats performed by various individuals and teams of the Punjab Police and PAP, Jalandhar. Motorcycle gymnastics, horse pegging and other equestrian events fascinated the spectators most while heats of bullock cart (groups of four) races and dog races were the other attractions. In athletics, Dharminder Kumar of GTB, Khanna, Jasmail Singh of Rahon, Rattandeep Kaur and Amandeep Singh of Sunam emerged as fastest runners by winning 100 metres in their respective categories followed by Gurpreet Singh of GTB, Khanna, Deepti of Sangrur, Harjinder Singh of Mastuana and Gurpreet of Narangwal. In junior hockey, Kila Raipur defeated Ropar 2-1. The District Hockey Association, Patiala, held Sangrur 2-2 while Khalsa College, Ludhiana, defeated Khalsa School girls 2-0. In kabaddi, Lassara village defeated Gujjarwal village by a narrow margin. Meanwhile, Mr Lal Singh announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the organisers and confirmed that the national festival status given to the games by the Union Government earlier would continue and the sate government would take up the issue with the authorities concerned.
	Bangalore Open Kostanic, King enter semis Bangalore, February 17 Sixth seed Jelena Kostanic of Crotia and Vania King of the United States entered the semifinals of the $ 175,000 WTA Bangalore Open Tennis Championship here today. King defeated Camille Pin 6-2, 7-6, (9-7) while Jelena had a easy passage with her opponent Maria Elena Camerin of Italy retiring from the match after Jelena was leading 4-2 in the first set. Maria had in the path to quarterfinals ousted second seed Shahar Peer of Israel. King the youngest in the tournament won the first set effortlessly at 6-2. However in the second, Pin, who had defeated Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, fought bitterly before going down 7-9 in the tie breaker and enabled King to win in 150 minutes. King in her post match comments said that she had committed many mistakes in the second and conceded points to Pin who led 4-2 at one stage. “I fought with determination to win the match, having come all the way to India and I succeeded,” she said. — UNI
	Indian men enter Thomas Cup finals Jaipur, February 17 India today booked a berth in the Thomas Cup badminton finals by upsetting Hong Kong 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at its Asian Zone qualifiers here. Chetan Anand, Anoop Sridhar and a duo of Rupesh Kumar and Thomas Sanave displayed brilliant skills to carve out the narrow win to storm into the finals of the World Team Badminton Championship to be played in Japan in May. India has reached the final only for the third time after playing at the top level in 1988 and 2000. India, pitched in group ‘C’ in the Asian zone qualifiers had defeated Singapore with a 4-1 margin yesterday and put up a fighting performance to outclass Hong Kong to become one of the four top teams qualifying from the toughest Asian Zone. Indian women, however, missed the bus as they could not match the guiles of Singapore girls and bowed out 0-5 in last match today. — PTI
	Sasikiran finishes third Moscow, February 17 Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran stole the final day honours by clinching a sparkling win against overnight joint leader Kiril Georgiev of Bulgaria in the ninth and final round but finished third in the ‘A1’ group of the Aeroflot International Open chess tournament here. The victory helped Sasikiran in tying for the top spot along with GM Jobava Baadur of Georgia, 2003 winner Viktor Bologan of Moldova, and twice world junior champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. As the ties were resolved, the first place went to Baadur and Bologan finished second while Sasikiran ended up third. Sasikiran turned out to be the lone prizewinner from India in the premier ‘A1’ group as GM Sandipan Chanda settled for a quick draw with Konstantin Landa of Russia and national champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly followed suit with Michael Roiz of Israel. In the ‘A2’, there was no good news for the Indians as double GM norm holder Neelotpal Das was held to a draw by Dmitry Andreikin of Russian and Vladimir Kosyrev, also of Russia, comprehensively beat GM R.B. Ramesh. On the brighter side, Indian youngsters Parimarjan Negi, Abhijeet Gupta and Deep Sengupta ended the event on a positive note. Negi and Gupta drew their final round games while Sengupta defeated Duris Aurelien of France. All the three stand to gain important rating points from the event. — PTI