Chennai, March 27
Virender Sehwag led India's riposte with a feisty unbeaten fifty as the hosts refused to be buried under South Africa's run mountain and promised a runfeast in the first Test here today.

After the visitors capitalised on the M A Chidambaram Stadium's lifeless track and India's listless attack to amass 540, Sehwag (52) and Jaffer (25) responded well to take India to 82 for no loss at stumps on the second day.

Sehwag's unbeaten 52 came off 61 balls and included six boundaries and a six.

Even though the hosts got off to a good start, they still trail by 458 runs and just cannot afford to get carried away, especially when they need another 259 runs to escape the ignominy of a follow-on.

Not to be bogged down by South Africa's mammoth score, Sehwag and Jaffer began with a flurry with the Delhi opener deciding to set the tone and Makhaya Ntini bearing the brunt of his belligerence.

In Ntini's first over, Sehwag first drove him for four and followed it up with an upper cut that cleared the vacant third man boundary for a six.

Sehwag's daredevilry proved contagious as an otherwise sedate Jaffer repeated the trick in the sixth over with Ntini again at the receiving end. Both the openers will return tomorrow to continue the good work and reduce the gap.

Earlier, resuming at 304 for four, South Africa maintained their upper hand in the first two sessions and almost every batsman contributed his mite to hoist their first innings total to a commanding 540 before being all out.

The visitors began this morning from exactly where they had left it yesterday and boundaries came thick and fast with both overnight batsmen Hashim Amla (159) and AB de Villiers (44) showing scant respect for India's ragged bowling attack.

Realising the futility of pace, India skipper Anil Kumble began the day with a two-pronged spin attack but neither the leg-spinner nor his spin twin Harbhajan Singh could make a dent as both the batsmen looked rock solid.

Amla chose S Sreesanth for special treatment and hit the Kerala speedster for three successive boundaries to breeze to his first century against India and there was no let up even after he achieved the milestone.

At the other end, de Villiers too played his natural strokes much to the dismay of their jaded hosts. He, in fact, looked set for a half century before the right-hander threw it away by chasing Sreesanth's wide delivery as M S Dhoni took a smart catch behind the stumps. That marked the end of his 66-run stand with Amla.

Mark Boucher (70) replaced de Villiers in the middle and ensured the run flow continued unabated. He milked the Indian attack with consummate ease, while Amla crossed the 150-mark at the other end.

The bearded South African of Indian descent, however, could not go far from there and though India's fielding remained sloppy throughout the day, Amla fell victim of an almighty mix-up with Boucher.

Boucher pushed a Kumble delivery to cover and set for a run before changing his mind. Sreesanth threw the ball at the wrong end where Boucher had made his ground. However, Dhoni, in possession of the throw, had ample time to throw it back to Kumble who whipped the bails off with Amla short of ground.

After dominating the Indian bowlers, it was possibly the only way Amla could have been out and his dismissal dropped curtains on his 406 minute vigil during which he faced 262 balls and hit 20 boundaries. Boucher, however, went about his job as if nothing had happened and he used his feet well against the spinners to reach his fifty.

Virender Sehwag intervened to break the partnership and it came when Boucher's looping top edge had Rahul Dravid beneath it. But by then, Boucher had posted his highest score against India and took the team tally past the 500-mark. His 70 came off 146 balls and included nine boundaries.

Even Morne Morkel (35) had some fun with the bat before Harbhajan caught him off his own bowling and then scalped Paul Harris (5) and Dale Steyn (15) to finish with five for 164. 

Scoreboard

South Africa (1st innings)

Smith c Laxman b Kumble 73

McKenzie c Dravid b Harbhajan 94

Amla run out 159

Kallis c Jaffer b Harbhajan 13

Prince c and b Kumble 23

De Villers c Dhoni b Sreesanth 44

Boucher c Dravid b Sehwag 70

Morkel c & b Harbhajan 35

Harris c Dhoni b Harbhajan 5

Steyn c RP b Harbhajan 15

Ntini not out 1

Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-1, nb-1) 8

Total (all out, 152.5 overs) 540

Fall of wickets: 1-132, 2-196, 3-244, 4-291, 5-357, 6-456, 7-510, 8-520, 9-529.

Bowling: RP 23-1-111-0, Sreesanth 26-5-104-1, Kumble 45-11-106-2, Harbhajan 44.5-4-164-5, Sehwag 11-1-37-1, Ganguly 3-0-12-0.

India (1st innings)

Jaffer batting 25

Sehwag batting 52

Extras (lb-5) 5

Total (no loss, 21 overs) 82

Bowling: Steyn 6-1-27-0, Ntini 7-1-26-0, Morkel 5-1-15-0, Harris 3-1-9-0. — PTI

Chennai, March 27
S. Sreesanth claims yoga and meditation have helped him calm down but going by his antics on day two of the first cricket Test against South Africa, the Kerala speedster remains very much an angry young man on field.

After toiling without any success on day one of the first Test, frustration seemed to have got the better of the sprightly pacer whose volatile temper once again found a manifestation this morning.

After delivering the first ball of his third over, Sreesanth came running up to AB de Villiers at the striker's end in a threatening manner and mouthed something.

In contrast, de Villiers preferred his bat to do the talking and seemed to have settled the score with a scorching boundary off the pacer that only enraged Sreesanth.

And when de Villiers edged him to perish caught behind, Sreesanth gave a stare at the departing batsman and screamed which threatened to land him in trouble before substitute fielder Yuvraj Singh rushed in to embrace the pacer and drag him away.

The animated celebration, however, did not go unnoticed and umpire Tony Hill had a word with Sreesanth when the bowler collected his cap at the end of the over.

Already a Match Referee's favourite, Sreesanth had earlier announced that he would remain his aggressive self but would never overstep the line.

In between deliveries, he could be seen returning to the bowling mark, clenching fist and apparently telling himself to cool down. But once he had the ball in his hand and the batsman at sight, Sreesanth's combative streak took over and the speedster in fact would be hoping to escape yet another visit to the Match Referee's room. — PTI

What a fantastic effort by the South Africans it has been so far in Chennai. The visitors proved that they are true professionals and kept behind all the controversies that surrounded them before the start of the series. There was a big selection controversy before the Indian tour started, then there was a lot of talk about the Proteas being under-prepared for this series, as there was no practice game before the first Test. 

Then they lost some key players like Andre Nel because of injury. So, when one looks at all this, South Africans have really done well to score 540 in their first innings. Once on the field, they have kept all the controversies behind them and stayed focused on the game.

It looks a very good batting surface, as was evident even when the Indians batted. The ball is coming on to the bat nicely and there is hardly any lateral movement for the fast bowlers. It's a tough job for new-ball bowlers in such conditions, with the scorching heat also being a factor. In such scenario, bowlers could end up trying for more, knowing that pitch is not going to assist them too much. I think that's what happened to both Sreesanth and RP Singh. But they are young, and it's a good learning experience for them. Another important thing for quick bowlers in these conditions is to bowl with a lot of accuracy. It's important to bowl wicket to wicket, with straight fields, and not giving anything away.

As far as South African bowling is concerned, Steyn and Morkel will try to make an impact every now and then, but in general, bowling accurately is the way to go. With heat being a factor, it is important that pace bowlers are given short bursts so that they can conserve some energy for the last session of play.

Left-arm spinner Paul Harris is a key bowler for us in this game. He has been a fantastic find and bowls accurately. Others also need to chip in and support him.

By posting 540 runs on board, the visitors have put the Indians under pressure. But the home-side have got off to a good start, but still need another 248 runs to avoid the follow-on, and until they get there, pressure will continue to be on them.

One might say that by scoring over 500 runs, South Africans have made themselves safe in this Test match. Though it will be difficult for them to lose from here, I have seen enough cricket to know that there are no certainties in this game. A lot depends now on how the pitch plays. If it starts crumbling towards the end of day three, as is the case very often in the sub-continent, then we are in for a very interesting game.

Finally, a word or two on Hashim Amla. He hasn't played a lot of cricket in sub-continent and to score 159 in the first Test of a series, and that too against the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan is a big achievement. Agreed, the ball didn't turn too much for the Indian spinners, but still this innings will give Amla a lot of confidence. — PMG

Kolkata, March 27
Lashing out at the BCCI, India's World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev today described as "traitor" anybody who said that cricketers playing in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) were not eligible to turn out for the country.

"If anybody, be it any person or any organisation, says these boys cannot play for India and constantly opposes ICL, I'll consider him a traitor," Kapil Dev, chairman of the ICL, said lashing out at the board.

"I would like to send a message to the BCCI. Please answer one question. Am I doing something wrong? Are these cricketers who play in ICL not Indians? They all want to play for the country. Why shouldn't you allow them?,” Kapil asked.

The legendary cricketer was addressing an ICL media conference in the presence of Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, West Bengal sports minister Subhas Chakraborty and a large number of film personalities and cultural bigwigs of Bengal.

Kapil said he and others involved with the ICL were 'not at all afraid' of the BCCI. "Had we been afraid, then we would not have come this far. It is not that we abhor fights. If a fight is based on ethics, it is welcome but let it not be a boxing match," he said.

Turning emotional, the great all rounder of yesteryears said he wanted the BCCI to be the father figure and the IPL the 'elder brother' to ICL.

"Ideally IPL should be the elder brother to ICL and BCCI should be a father figure. You know if a younger son does anything wrong, the father does not throw him out," he said. — PTI

Georgetown, March 27
Chaminda Vaas took five for 61 to lead Sri Lanka to an historic first win in the Caribbean, defeating West Indies by 121 runs with 6.4 overs left in the opening Test yesterday.

West Indies, resuming on 96 for one and needing 437 for victory, tried holding out for a draw and was bowled for 315 at Providence Stadium.

Ace offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who bowled for most of the final day, chipped in with three for 112.

"These two have been warriors for us and it was an amazing effort today again from those two guys," captain Mahela Jayawardene said. "Vaasy was exceptional today. Murali bowled one end throughout.

"It wasn't an easy pitch to get wickets. Dwayne (Bravo) and Ronnie (Sarwan) batted really well, up front. We had to be very patient, wait for our opportunities. Hats off to the four bowlers." Thilan Thushara, Vaas' seam bowling mate, weighed in with two for 70, and Rangana Herath conceded only 44 in 22 overs.

Sri Lanka lost 1-0 on both previous visits to the Caribbean in 1997 and 2003.

In a tense final hour Vaas bagged both final wickets with the new ball.

He forced Jerome Taylor to edge a delivery to second slip, then four overs later and about 15 minutes from stumps, he got Daren Powell to loft to midoff where Muralitharan grasped a stunning, one-handed catch over his head to provide Vaas with his 12th five-wicket hauls in Tests.

Vaas, named man of the match, took 8-109 overall and scored a half century.

"It's very important for me since it's my last tour to the West Indies," Vaas said. "I'm very happy the way we played and it's a good win for us." West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who dropped himself down the order after a first-innings duck, provided stern resistance at the end with an unbeaten on 51. 

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka (1st Innings) 476 for 8 dec

West Indies (1st Innings) 280

Sri Lanka (2nd Innings) 240 for 7 dec

West Indies (2nd Innings)

Smith c Thushara b Vaas 10

Bravo c and b Muralitharan 83

Sarwan lbw Thushara 72

Samuels c Sangakkara b Vaas 10

Chanderpaul b Vaas 3

Gayle not out 51

Hinds c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 10

Ramdin c Jayawardene b Thushara 1

Benn lbw Muralitharan 7

Taylor c Dilshan b Vaas 12

Powell c Muralitharan b Vaas 14

Extras (b-25, lb-3, nb-14) 42

Total (all out, 106.2 overs) 315

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-156, 3-171, 4-178, 5-212, 6-229 7-231, 8-244, 9-291.

Bowling: Vaas 22.2-7-61-5, Thushara 17-2-70-2, Herath 22-7-44-0, Muralitharan 45-6-112-3. —AP 

Patiala, March 27
Overnight leader Mansher Singh continued with his dazzling form and secured the first position in the men’s trap event on the second day of the 6th Sardar Sajjan Singh Sethi Memorial Shooting Championship held at the new Moti Bagh shooting range here today.

Zorawar Sandhu, who earlier had lost some ground to Manavjit Sandhu, came second in the event when he pipped to the post his rival in the tie-breaker after both shooters had accumulated 135 points apiece. Birendeep Sandhu. Anwar Sultan and Anirudh Singh came fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Meanwhile, ace shooter and Athens Olympics silver medallist Capt Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has confirmed his presence in the championship and will take part tomorrow in the double trap event.

In the finals held today, Mansher Singh went on to win the event with a score of 139 points. Others who took part in the event were Nayab Khan, Darius Chenai, Vikram Deo Singh, Raninder Singh, S.M. Faisal, Gautam Gianchandani and Ranajit Norbis.

Chandigarh, March 27
Ashbeer Saini could not have asked for more. This 14-year-old Kapurthala boy created a flutter on the opening day of the Centurion Bank of Punjab Open Golf Championship today when he shot a blemish-free five under par 67 to share the lead with the seasoned 42-year-old Mukesh Kumar of Mhow (MP) on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Cluib here today. 

Just one stroke behind the joint leaders was Vishal Singh from Jaipur.

The five-under card by the two leaders is enough evidence of how the greens are playing. To top it, 20 players returned under par cards on the opening day.

Ashbeer Saini, playing in a professional tournament for the first time, sank birdies on the second and seventh to be two under par 34 on the first nine. He kept up the momentum on the return nine shooting birdies on the 11th, 14th and 15th to be five-under par.

A Class IX student, who took to golf at the age of 10, Ashbeer said, "Even though I had a great day, I never thought I would be the joint leader. My putting stood out as I made 24 putts in all. I also hit the fairways and made lots of greens in regulation. I will try not to come under pressure tomorrow and will play to the best of my ability.”

Mukesh also had a blemish-free card firing birdies on the second and eighth for a two-under par 34 first nine score. He shot birdies on the 13th, 14th and 16th on the return nine to finish with his five-under par score.

Mukesh, who shot his best seven under par 65 on the same greens 14 years back, was all praise for the greens. He said, "The fairways and greens on this course are in very good shape and in order to get a good score, one must place the ball well off the tee.” He was happy that a water feature had come up near the 18th hole.

Mukesh was concentrating on professional golf tours in the country. "Playing on the Asian Tour requires a lot of money. But it is good the Professional Golf Tour of India are introducing more and more prize money tournaments".

Vishal Singh shot 68 to be placed third at the end of round one. The professional from Jaipur sank birdies on the second, seventh, ninth, 13th and 14th and dropped a bogey on the eighth.

Kapurthala's Gaganjeet Bhullar, veteran Vijay Kumar and C. Muniyappa from Bangalore fired rounds of 69 to be tied fourth.

Nice (France) March 27
World champion Viswanathan Anand’s form in rapid chess was found wanting again as he squandered the lead against Boris Gelfand of Israel and settled for a 1-1 draw in the 10th and penultimate round of the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here.

Anand won the blindfold game showing his depth in preparation but slipped yet again in his favourite Rapid format, giving Gelfand a chance to equalise.

The Indian now stands joint sixth in overall standings with just one round to go.

Levon Aronian of Armenia won the tournament with one round to spare after settling for two draws with Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Sledging within limits okay, says Ishant
New Delhi: At a time when BCCI is hell bent on banning sledging from cricket, India's pace spearhead Ishant Sharma feels there is nothing wrong with some banter on the field as long as it remains within acceptable limits. "There is nothing wrong with having a word or two as it shows aggression. But it is important that the aggression remains controlled aggression," Ishant said here on Thursday. "One should be careful not to over-react as it can affect one's game. I have learnt about it and am a thinking bowler now," the Delhi speedster, who was himself fined for showing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds the way to the pavilion after dismissing him in the recent tri-series, said. Aussie seamer Stuart Clark has also argued that a blanket ban on sledging would make the game "boring" while former skipper Mark Taylor had suggested a card system to deal with improper behaviour. — PTI

SAFF Cup
Panaji: India may have won SAAF Cup football tournament four times but national coach Bob Houghton says defending the title this time would not be an easy job. "We are placed in a tough group along with Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. Playing against Maldives will be tough as they are the host team and Pakistan have a few English footballers playing on dual passports, so it's going to be an interesting SAFF tournament," he said. The pre-national camp began yesterday to select few youngsters who will be joined by the seniors from April 5. — PTI

Easy win for AIIMS
New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) scored a fluent 3-0 victory against Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) in a Group A match of the DSA Chief Minister's Cup Institutional League at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Thursday. Arun Kumar hit the first goal in the fifth minute, Rajan scored the second in the 16th minute while Nand Kishore rounded off the tally in the 18th minute. In a Group B match, Delhi Administration were held to a goalless draw by Food Corporation of India. — TNS