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Humiliation at Motera
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Tendulkar ruled out of third Test
Nadal, Davydenko in Miami final
Mankad in Davis Cup squad
Chetan cruises into final
West Indies-Sri Lanka Test
PCB seeks explanation from Lawson
Give players freedom: Kapil
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Humiliation at Motera
Ahmedabad, April 5 After being blown away for a mere 76 on the first morning of the match, the Indians were never in the game and were bundled out for 328 in their second innings to give the visitors victory by an innings and 90 runs and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Weighed down by South Africa's first innings lead of 418 runs, the hosts had to play out of their skin to save the match but that did not materialse as the Proteas pacers rattled them for the second time in the lop-sided match. Only Sourav Ganguly (87) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (52) were the bright spots in the Indian second innings as they added 110 for the fifth wicket. For the South Africans, Makhaya Ntini (3-44) Dale Steyn (3-91) and Morne Morkel (2-87) shared the spoils on a sporting track, on which the Indian bowlers hardly got any assistance. The two teams will now travel to Kanpur for the third and final Test beginning April 11 and the pressure will squarely be on the home team which has no option but to win to level the series. The last time India lost at home by an innings was against the same opposition in 1999-2000 by an innings and 71 runs in Bangalore. The Indians were rocked in the opening session itself by losing their top three batsmen after a start of 31 and were left struggling at 95 for three wickets at lunch. Sehwag, in his short stay of 32 minutes in which he faced 20 balls, played half-cock to a sharp incoming ball and was rapped on the pads by Ntini. Dravid, who batted for five minutes under an hour and hit two fours, fended a short ball from the tall Morkel straight to de Villiers in the slip cordon. Jaffer, looking ill at ease from the beginning and playing and missing often, was dismissed in similar fashion when he edged a loosely played drive off Kallis. Laxman, who made a brief but attractive 35 in 45 balls with six fours, was out to a loose shot and gave Morkel his second wicket of the innings. Ganguly and Dhoni, let off twice, strung together a stand of 110 runs for the fifth wicket to keep the Proteas bowlers at bay till the former edged an intended drive off first innings chief destroyer Dale Steyn. The left-hander looked surprised to be given out as his bat hit the ground before the ball seemingly took the edge, as indicated by television replays. Till his dismissal, the former captain looked well set to compile his 16th Test hundred as he caressed the ball to the off-side in his much-admired fashion and also played a few straight drives with lan against the rival pace bowlers. Dhoni, who was dropped hooking Steyn on the long-leg fence by Makhaya Ntini and then survived a stumping chance off left-arm slow bowler Paul Harris, fell at 268. For the second time in the match, he played a loose shot just before the second new ball was due, and edged Ntini low to Smith at first slip. Scoreboard India (first innings): 76 South Africa (first innings): 494 for 7 dec India (2nd innings): Sehwag lbw b Ntini 17 Jaffer c De Villiers b Kallis 19 Dravid b De Villiers b Morkel 17 Laxman c Boucher b Morkel 35 Ganguly c Boucher b Steyn 87 Dhoni c Smith b Ntini 52 Pathan not out 43 Kumble b Harris 5 Harbhajan lbw b Steyn 4 RP Singh c Kallis b Steyn 8 Sreesanth b Ntini 17 Extras (b5, lb7, nb5, w7): 24 Total (all out; 94.2 overs): 328 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-64, 3-70, 4-125, 5-235, 6-268, 7-273, 8-292, 9-306. Bowling: D Steyn 23-1-91-3, M Ntini 16.2-3-44-3, M Morkel 20-0-87-2, J Kallis 10-3-26-1, P Harris 25-4-68-1. — PTI
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Ahmedabad, April 5 Speaking to newspersons after South Africa had taken a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, Kumble said, ''We had our chances even though we put up a terrible batting performance in the first innings.'' The partnership between Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, who was later named man of the match for his double hundred, turned to be crucial as a wicket there and the match could have taken a different course. On his bowlers not being able to take wickets, while the South Africans twice managed to dismiss India within a day, Kumble said de Villiers and Kallis played very well. ''Our bowlers did not lack the effort, in fact all of them gave more than 100 per cent, but Kallis and de Villiers were exceptional,'' he remarked. Kumble, however, sounded upbeat about the form of his batsmen going into the third and final Test which India must have to win to level the series. ''All the batsmen got starts in the second innings, but unluckily they could not convert those starts into big scores for the team,'' he added. On the controversy regarding the pitch, Kumble made it clear that he was not the type of person to give instructions to the curator on the type of wicket he wanted. ''We play on the wicket which is given to us without complaining,'' he said, adding, ''this wicket played the same throughout the three days.'' On the next Test match, the Indian captain said his team was confident of staging a comeback. Smith looks for 2-0 series win
Describing the innings victory over India as a perfect Test win, South African captain Graeme Smith today said his team would now focus on claiming the series 2-0. "The Test was a perfect one from start to finish. We dominated from the day one. We performed according to the game plan and took wickets at the right time. We will replicate what we did in Ahmedabad in the third Test. We want to win the series 2-0," Smith said after his side's innings and 90-run victory here today. "It was a terrific team effort. (Jacques) Kallis and de Villers batted fantastically and others also contributed. It was one of those games in which everything worked for us," he said. Asked whether they will go to Kanpur with a psychological advantage after today's huge win, Smith said the team would remain focussed for a series victory. "We have a few extra days at our disposal. We want to remain in focus and win the series. My primary focus will be on how to keep the team in the right frame of mind," he said. The Proteas' skipper praised man-of-the-match A B de Villers, who hit a superb maiden double hundred (217 not out).
— Agencies |
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India-South Africa series South Africa won the Ahmedabad Test in three days and have now ensured that they cannot lose the series. If anything, going by the way the Indian batsmen struggled against the new-ball attack of the South Africans, the Kanpur Test could turn out to be another match that the Proteas can win. What was disappointing was that the Indian batsmen seemed to have learnt little from the first innings and what had happened in Australia and have committed the same mistakes. Wasim Jaffer got out for the second time in the match jabbing hard at a delivery that left him. He was out regularly this way in Australia and hasn't learnt anything from those dismissals. Batting in Test cricket is about playing with soft hands but Jaffer keeps pushing hard at the ball and ends up being caught in the slips with his bat well away from his body. This is something that opening batsmen, particularly the orthodox ones, should not be doing and it is a weakness that is likely to be exploited by bowlers who can get the ball to move away from him. Rahul Dravid who is technically so sound is also jabbing hard at the ball and, moreover, is playing at deliveries well outside the off stump. A lot of this is the side effect of limited overs cricket where batsmen cannot afford to have too many dot balls and so they keep pushing at deliveries that they would normally leave alone. Also in limited overs cricket, batsmen tend to get away because the slip fielders are removed in a matter of couple of overs and so the thick edges can go safely to the third man region. Dravid has to have a long look at the videos of his batting and see for himself how far his front foot goes outside the off stump and how he lunges for deliveries he would be better off leaving alone at least at the start of his innings. This is all the more necessary on pitches where there is a bit of extra bounce and lateral movement. In recent times, Dravid's front foot drives have more of the bottom hand than the top hand controlling the shot and therefore, he is not looking as solid as he does normally. The other problem with the Indian batting lineup is that when boundaries are hard to come by and loose deliveries are not on offer, they are unable to take the quick single to rotate the strike. When the ball goes towards the boundary, the batsmen are able to take only two when the opposition invariably takes three. This lack of athleticism makes a huge difference to the total and in a low scoring game can be the difference between winning and losing. Sourav Ganguly batted splendidly. He is at his best when he is looking the ball in the eye. While it is understandable that a batsman can be tentative to start with, in his case he tends to be too conscious of a particular line of attack and anticipates it which can cause problems if the ball is bowled not where he is expecting it. He may have been a touch unlucky on missing out on a century as the bat hit the ground at the same time the ball passed it but at least, he had in his partnership with Dhoni ensured that India were not going to be dismissed for an embarrassing total again. The vice-captain too batted with responsibility till the lapse in concentration after getting to a half century. Pathan tried to delay the end and Sreesanth true to character played to the gallery. The sad part of India’s tail is that despite seeing how the opposition lower order batsmen try and stick around and make it hard for the opposition bowlers to get wickets, they don't seem to learn anything from them. South Africa were the more focused and more determined team as they have shown from the first Test itself. They have come with a purpose, a plan and are going all out to make it a success. As for India, the less said about the purpose, plan and approach the better. Imagine losing at home in three days. What can be more telling than that? — PMG
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Tendulkar ruled out of third Test
New Delhi, April 5 BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said Tendulkar, who sustained the injury during the drawn series opening Test at Chennai, had not recovered sufficiently to play in the third Test from April 11-15 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. "Sachin Tendulkar will be unavailable for selection for the third Test match due to his right groin injury. Sachin's recovery is making good progress but he has not recovered sufficiently to be available for the third Test," Shah said in a statement. "This decision has been taken to give Sachin the opportunity to make a full recovery from this injury. Sachin has a rehabilitation programme to continue with and will be monitored closely," he said. Team selection today
Ahmedabad: The national selection panel, headed by Dilip Vengsarkar, has an unenviable task ahead when it meets here tomorrow to choose the squad for the crucial third and final Test starting in Kanpur on April 11. The quandary they are facing is about the changes to be made to provide the cutting edge to the team, for what has become a must-win game for India at Green Park. One of the changes expected at the top is that Wasim Jaffer as after his flop show in Australia and here he could be axed. The obvious replacement, in such eventuality, is Delhi left-hander Gautam Gambhir, who has cemented his place in the ODI team but is yet to do so at the highest level of the game. If the batting lacked guts and character on a wicket with a greenish tinge on the first morning, the bowling also lacked the necessary bite on the same track.
— PTI |
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Nadal, Davydenko in Miami final
Miami, April 5 Nadal, the second seed, will play in Sunday's championship match of the $ 7.54 million event against the Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko who overpowered US sixth seed Andy Roddick 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in the other semifinal. "He's physically so fit," Davydenko said of Nadal. "It's amazing. And for him, I think he doesn't care, playing night session or day session. He runs so much. You know, he fights." Nadal, seeking a $ 590,000 top prize, is attempting to become the first Spanish player to win this event. He lost to world No. 1 Roger Federer in the 2005 championship. "I arrive here and I practise every day very well," Nadal said. "I said before tournament I was playing very well, and right now I am in the finals. So anything can happen in this final." The 21-year-old left-handed Spaniard will be seeking his 24th career title and first this season in Sunday's final. — AFP
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Mankad in Davis Cup squad
New Delhi, April 5 He will be the fifth member of the team, taking the place of Somdev Dev Varman, who had a disastrous outing against Uzbekistan here a couple of months ago. Though Harsh had been part of the Davis Cup team in the past, he could never cement his place in the team. He now stages a comeback following his title victory in the $10,000 ITF Tournament in Chandigarh, albeit after Rohan Bopanna pulled out due to an injury. The All-India Tennis Association had earlier announced that Leander Paes will be the playing captain of the team, consisting of Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj. Mankad, who last played in the Davis Cup in 2005 against Uzbekistan in Jaipur, had been out of action for almost a year due to a knee injury. |
Hyderabad, April 5 The unseeded Indian did short work of his English opponent 21-16, 21-9 in the semifinal to set up a summit clash against Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand tomorrow. Fifth-seeded Ponsana came back from one game down to beat Sho Sasaki of Japan 19-21, 21-14, 21-15 in the other semifinal match. In women's singles, second seed Lan Lu of China defeated third seed compatriot Lin Zhu of China 17-21, 21-7, 21-10 to set a final date against six seed Mi Zhou of Hong Kong who beat Eriko Hirose of Japan 18-21, 21-12, 21-12 in the semifinal. In men's doubles semifinal, unseeded Choon Eng Chew and Chong Ming Chan of Malaysia upset the second-seeded combine of Chandra Wijaya of Indonesia and Tony Gunawan of United States 21-18, 9-21, 21-19. — PTI
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West Indies-Sri Lanka Test
Port-of-Spain, April 5 West Indies closed on 268 for seven in reply to the visitor's first innings total of 278. The home team received contributions from most of their top order, but only Sarwan passed the half-century mark. Left-handers Chris Gayle (45), Sewnarine Chattergoon (46) and Devon Smith (47) fell short. Muralitharan claimed Sarwan, Smith and Marlon Samuels on his way to three for 64. Left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara impressed with two for 72, including the wickets of captain Gayle and veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka stretched their overnight 217 for five to 278 all out. Chamara Silva shepherded the lower order before he was last out for a topscore of 76. Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (1st innings) Vandort c Ramdin b Edwards 30 Warnapura c Chattergoon b Edwards 35 Sangakkara c Ramdin b Edwards 10 M Jayawardene b Taylor 26 Samaraweera c Gayle b Taylor 6 Dilshan c Ramdin b Edwards 62 Silva c Powell b Bravo 76 Vaas c Ramdin b Powell 1 M Mirando run out 1 Muralitharan c Bravo b Powell 8 I Amerasinghe not out 0 Extras (lb-8, w-5, nb-10) 23 Total (all out, 64.5 overs) 278 Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-72, 3-93, 4-112, 5-117, 6-222, 7-224, 8-240, 9-255 Bowling: Powell 17-7-59-2, Taylor 17.2-7-74-2, Edwards 18-4-84-4, Gayle 2-2-0-0, Bravo 10.3-2-53-1. West Indies (1st innings) Gayle c Vandort b Thushara 45 S Chattergoon b Vaas 46 Sarwan c Warnapura b Murali 57 Samuels lbw Murali 3 Chanderpaul lbw Thushara 18 D S Smith b Murali 47 Bravo lbw Amerasinghe 26 Ramdin batting 5 J Taylor batting 1 Extras (lb-3, w-2, nb-15) 20 Total (7 wkts, 63.5 overs) 268 Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-137, 3-141, 4-177, 5-199, 6-246, 7-266 Bowling: Vaas 16.5-0-67-1, Amerasinghe 12-1-62-1, Thushara 12-0-72-2, Muralitharan 23-3-64-3.
— AP |
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PCB seeks explanation from Lawson
Karachi, April 5 "We have told Lawson we would like him to concentrate on his job and leave administrative matters to the Board in future. He has great responsibility on his shoulders and shouldn't be commenting on such issues," a senior official said. "We have asked Lawson for an explanation as he is not supposed to give media statements on matters which are not in his domain. Certainly the ban on Shoaib is purely an administrative matter of the Board," he added. Lawson had said that Shoaib's ban was sad and that the fast bowler had lot of potential but lacked responsibility. He had also said Shoaib's ban was a loss to Pakistan cricket. The official said the Board had also taken note of statements made by batsman Younis Khan and a member of the Board's governing body on the ban. Sources said Lawson had been told by senior officials to avoid speaking to the media on contentious issues as it created more controversies and damaged the image of Pakistan cricket. "Lawson has also been advised to avoid giving comments to foreign publications on contentious issues like the Shoaib Akhtar ban," one source said. The PCB recently introduced some stringent clauses in the central contracts for players making it clear they couldn't speak to the media without the permission of their manager or the Board.
— PTI |
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Give players freedom: Kapil
Chandigarh, April 5 During a tete-a-tete with newsmen, Kapil Dev, chairman of the ICL’s Executive Board, was forthright in his opinion on a number of issues. Barring the issue of the ban imposed on players by their respective boards for participating in the ICL, an issue on which he was quite resentful, the legendary all rounder looked like a man on the mission out to achieve something tangible. His views on various issues: On the hurdles ICL is facing: I never expected there will be so many hurdles on the way. Right from the time we embarked on the new venture (ICL), we have faced one problem after another. But we are not worried. We are just promoting the game of cricket and hope to come out triumphant. So many reporters from Pakistan have come to cover the event. This shows the seriousness which the people even from across the border are attaching to the event. The coming of these mediamen is a victory for us. On the acrimony between the ICL and the various cricket boards: Differences of opinion should be there. If we differ on certain issues, they are bound to give better results. On the most important issue of the ban imposed by cricket boards on players opting to play in the ICL tournaments: We are not doing anything bad. We have provided players a platform to play and showcase their talent while playing alongside the best in the business. A player should be free to choose the platform from which he wishes to play. He should have the freedom to choose the platform from where he wishes to earn his livelihood. Let them do (cricket boards) whatever they want to. The issues, whenever they crop up (e.g. stoppage of pension of players by the BCCI who have thrown their lot with the ICL and the case is going on in court) will be taken care of. We will keep on doing what we have chosen to do. Hum to apni gaadi chalatey rahenge! On talent hunt by the ICL: I will be touring 10 to 15 Indian cities this summer to identify talent. In fact, boys from smaller cities and towns have more fire in their belly. They have the zeal to do well at the higher grade. After the youngsters are identified, we will organise camps for them and try to hone their skills. On the Indian team’s performance in the on-going Test series against South Africa: After the World Cup debacle, the BCCI had ruled that the players will focus on the game and desist from attending functions which could distract them. But in the wake of the launch of the IPL, the directive is not being adhered to and the performance of players is there for all to see. On the match proposed by Inzamam-ul Haq between the ICL XI and the IPL XI: Yes, Inzamam put forth such a proposal. But first let IPL unfold. They have yet to show to the people what they have to offer. On infrastructural and other problems: I has always been a player and never been into the organisational aspect. We are learning. The problems we face are being taken care of. It will be unfair to compare this venue with a stadium like PCA which is truly international in every aspect. But we will keep working until we achieve our goal.
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Ahmedabad, April 5
India-South Africa series
In video (
As the second ICL Twenty20 tournament (Edelweiss 20s Challenge) nears completion with Hyderabad Heroes winning the first of the best-of-three finals against Lahore Badshahs at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium at Panchkula on Friday, former World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev, by and large, was satisfied with whatever he had achieved for the
ICL.
