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Embarrassment at Colombo
VVS’s dubious distinction
Undone by Murali: Kumble
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A perfect game, says Jayawardene
Powell cruises to 100m win
Dola wary of Beijing wind
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His Time has come
Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore finds a mention in the 'Time' magazine's list of 100 most compelling athletes to watch out for in the Beijing games. Rathore is the lone Indian in the list of '100 Olympic Athletes to Watch'. 'Times' noted that the 38-year-old double-trap shooter is among the country's best hopes for a medal. "A colonel in the Indian Army, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is among India's best hopes for a medal in Beijing... He picked up the sport after training as an Army marksman and won a silver in Athens, but that feat didn't change India's long history of indifference to sports other than cricket and field hockey games against Pakistan," the magazine said. Hope for Iraqi athletes? A glimmer of hope that Iraqi athletes could be reinstated for the Beijing Olympics after their nation was banned from the August Games did little to cheer Iraq’s seven-member squad. Dejected Iraqi athletes reeled with disappointment even as the IOC said there was a slim chance that they may yet be able to compete in the Olympics. “There is a slight hope that remains,” an IOC spokeswoman in Geneva told AFP on Friday. “The dateline for athletes is open until the end of July. Provided that the Iraqi government stops interfering, the suspension on the Iraqi Olympic committee could be lifted.” But the comments brought little cheer to the athletes. “There is a small hope, but we are not expecting much,” Hamzah Hussein (32), one of two Iraqi Olympic rowers who had hoped to be heading to China, told AFP in Baghdad. Do you know?
And this too
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Embarrassment at Colombo
Before a smattering of spectators at this salubriously tropical venue encircled by rich, green foliage, the indefatigable Murali improved on his showing at the same Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) stadium in 2001 by enticing 11 wickets for 110 runs, which included a devastating spell of six for 26 in the tourists’ second outing. India, in fact, ignominiously raised an earlier surrender by an innings and 77 runs, also at the SSC seven years ago. As for Mendis, taking time off from the barracks, he boasted a bag of eight for 132 on debut. Where the Indian spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh made little impression, this newcomer cast a spell. India were dismissed in the second innings for their lowest all-time total against Sri Lanka of 138 - the fitness of the Sri Lankan fielders contributing as much to the success. Murali flighted the ball beguilingly, generated unexpected pace and bounce off the wicket and turned his doosras with an amazing reverse flick of the forearm and wrist. A Sunil Gavaskar or Gundappa Viswanath would undoubtedly have coped. But not the much-vaunted current generation, even on an unthreatening track. Murali’s prodigious talent and Mendis’ deception mesmerised them. India commenced Day 4 on 159 for six in the first innings. Anil Kumble was adjudged “not out” to an apparent appeal for a catch at slip. But a referral to the TV umpire declared him leg before wicket. Indeed, India disintegrated to 188 for nine before young Ishant Sharma resisted with the lonesome V.V.S. Laxman. On resumption, the Deccan dazzler had cover driven Mendis and pulled Murali for boundaries, but subsequently retreated into a shell to veritably creep past his half century before misreading a tossed up googly from the former. Ironically, he had refused an easy run in same over to shield Sharma. He was, now, comprehensively bowled. 377 runs in arrears, India were inflicted the humiliation of a follow on. Furthermore, they failed to remain unscathed in the half hour before lunch as Virender Sehwag became a victim of another umpiring review, ruled lbw, when previously the ball was probably interpreted as having pitched outside leg stump. Laxman was promoted to join Gautam Gambhir. But the Hyderabadi artist was again duped by a wrong ‘un from Mendis, which this time rapped his rear pad. None of his other millionaire colleagues in the middle order justified their remunerations either. Sachin Tendulkar was deemed on reconsideration to have gloved a sweep. Saurav Ganguly was caught in the off-side cordon to one that spat at him like a cobra. Rahul Dravid handsomely on-drove Mendis for four, but thereafter inside edged the same bowler to short leg as tea beckoned. The lower order only delayed the inevitable. India occupied the crease for a mere 45 overs, earning the dubious distinction lowering their erstwhile poorest score of 180 at Galle in 2001. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st Innings) dec for 6: 600 India (1st innings): Gambhir c Samaraweera b Murali 39 Sehwag c Warnapura b Kulasekara 25 Dravid b Mendis 14 Tendulkar b Muralitharan 27 Ganguly c Kulasekara b Murali 23 Laxman b Mendis 56 Karthik c and b Murali 9 Kumble lbw b Mendis 1 Harbhajan c Warnapura b Murali 9 Zaheer lbw b Mendis 5 Ishant not out 13 Extras (lb-2): 2 Total (all out, 72.5 overs): 223 Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-79, 3-79, 4-123, 5-138, 6-147, 7-170, 8-181, 9-188 Bowling: C Vaas 5-0-23-0, N Kulasekara 11-2-42-1, A Mendis 27.5-5-72-4, M Muralitharan 29-4-84-5. India (2nd innings): Gambhir st P Jayawardene b Murali 43 Sehwag lbw b Murali 13 Laxman lbw b Mendis 21 Tendulkar c Dilshan b Murali 12 Dravid c Warnapura b Mendis 10 Ganguly c Dilshan b Muralitharan 4 Karthik c M Jayawardene b Murali 0 Kumble b Murali 12 Harbhajan b Mendis 15 Zaheer b Mendis 3 Ishant not out 5 Total (for all out): 138 Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-53, 3-82, 4-95, 5-103, 6-103, 7-103, 8-120, 9-133, 10-138. Bowling: Vaas 5-0-27-0, Kulasekara 9-3-25-0, Mendis 18-3-60-4, Muralitharan 13-3-26-6.
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Saturday’s defeat is India’s third biggest in Test annals — their highest two defeats being by an innings and 336 runs in the 1958-59 Kolkata Test against West Indies and by an innings and 285 runs in the 1974 Lord’s Test against England. India conceded a first innings lead of 377 runs — their second highest against Sri Lanka, next only to their trailing by 415 runs in 1997-98 at RPS, Colombo Test when Sri Lanka replied with 952/6 in response to India’s 537 for eight. India’s 138 in their second innings is their lowest completed innings total against Sri Lanka, eclipsing their 167 in 73.2 overs at Chennai in 2005-06. Sri Lanka’s win by an innings and 239 runs is their third biggest victory-margin in Tests, their top two being by an innings and 254 runs against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2003-04 and by an innings and 240 runs against Zimbabwe at Harare in 2003-04. Sri Lanka registered their fourth victory (all in Sri Lanka) in 27 Tests against India — lost 10 and drawn 13. Sri Lanka’s win by an innings and 239 runs is their biggest victory against India, surpassing their win by an innings and 77 runs here in 2001-02. V.V.S. Laxman (56) registered his best innings against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, obliterating his 25 here in 1998-99. Laxman’s second half-century against Sri Lanka is his 34th in Test cricket. Muttiah Muralitharan’s Test figures of 11 for 110 are his best in a Test against India, eclipsing 11 for 196 here in 2001-02. On both the occasions, he got the Man of the Match awards. Muralitharan has got Man of the Match award 19 times so far. Muralitharan has now captured five wickets in an innings 65 times, extending the world record he holds. His tally includes six such instances against India. Muralitharan, for the first time against India, has bagged five wickets or more in each innings of a Test match. Laxman and Ishant Sharma put on 35 runs — India’s best partnership for the tenth wicket in Sri Lanka, surpassing the 30 between Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad here in 2001-02. Laxman (56 & 21) became the first Indian batsman to be dismissed twice on the same day against Sri Lanka — Mendis captured his wicket in both the innings. Ajantha Mendis’ figures of 8 for 132 are the best by any Sri Lankan bowler on Test debut, bettering Kuruppurachchi’s 7 for 85 against Pakistan in 1985-86. — PTI
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Undone by Murali: Kumble
Colombo, July 26 "Both the spinners Murali and Mendis bowled really well. Mendis is a tremendous find for Sri Lanka, but you certainly can't take Murali out of the picture. He eventually was the the deciding factor for us," Kumble said after India slumped to their third heaviest defeat, by an innings and 239 runs. Kumble acknowledged that after the hosts had posted a mammoth 600 for six in their first innings, it was always going to be a Herculean task for the famed Indian batting order to save the match. "After conceding 600 runs in the first innings, we knew it was always going to be tough for us to draw the match. "Obviously, if we would have batted first then the advantage could have been on our side in this pitch," Kumble said.
— PTI |
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A perfect game, says Jayawardene
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene hailed his players on Saturday for what he described as a "perfect game" after winning the first test against India by an innings and 239 runs.
Four Sri Lanka batsmen scored centuries as they piled up 600 for six, spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (11-110) and Ajantha Mendis (8-132) shared 19 wickets and the fielding was superb. "The guys did brilliantly," Jayawardene told reporters after Sri Lanka's biggest test win on home soil. "Everything went to plan and I guess it was a perfect game for us. "We batted well to put them under pressure when they batted and then we bowled and fielded exceptionally," he added. "Once we enforced the follow-on we knew we had to be patient because the pitch wasn't doing too much. "We were lucky to get a couple of early wickets and after that Murali bowled brilliantly and Ajantha kept the pressure going at the other end. Special credit should go to Murali and Ajantha for how they bowled on what was a good batting track." Jayawardene gave the new umpire referral system the thumbs up. "If it wasn't used in this test we'd probably have had four bad decisions go against," he said.
— Reuters |
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London, July 26 The Jamaican clocked 9.94sec to win ahead of Trinidad's Marc Burns (9.97sec) in a race yesterday which had been originally billed as a clash with world champion Tyson Gay. However, the American pulled out after failing to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered during the Olympic trials last month. Powell had defeated compatriot and world record holder Usain Bolt in Stockholm on Tuesday in a time of 9.88sec, but a tough headwind compromised the Jamaican's attempts to press faster yesterday. Two weeks after setting her 23rd polevault world record in Rome, Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva narrowly failed in her bid to make it 24 when she attempted to clear 5.04m. America's Jenny Stuczynski, Isinbayeva's closest rival, only cleared 4.81m and looks powerless to prevent the Russian from successfully defending her Olympic title. Bolt wins 200m
Jamaica’s world 100 metres record holder Usain Bolt sounded another warning to his Olympic rivals with an impressive winning time of 19.76 in the 200 metres at the London Grand Prix today. Bolt, who set the year’s best time of 19.67 two weeks ago, broke the UK All Comers record of 19.84 held by American world champion Tyson Gay, who would be one of Bolt’s main rivals if the Jamaican decides to run in the 100 at the Beijing Games. “It was pretty good...I came out here with a plan and I did execute it well,” the 21-year-old said. Bolt, who could compete for a 100-200 sprint double at next month’s Games, said: “I’m still not sure about doubling in Beijing. My coach will make the decision. I’d definitely like to double, I think I could do well in both.”
— Agencies |
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New Delhi, July 26 Lest it sounds an excuse, Dola clarifies that conditions do remain same for all the participants but says while other countries get to practise in windy conditions throughout the year, the Indians do not enjoy the same luxury and that often shows in events like these. "Weather matters a lot in archery and wind is a huge problem. We generally practise in enclosures which negates the wind factor and that often comes as a handicap," Dola told PTI. “Whenever you go out for competition, it's generally done in open field where you are vulnerable to the conditions. “That's why we decided to practise away from the place marked for us in the SAI centre in Kolkata," she added. That, however, does not mean Dola or her teammates are low on confidence. "We have a decent chance and we just pray not to be pitted against Korea in the initial rounds. "Among us, (L) Bombayala Devi has been very consistent over the last couple of years, while Pranitha (Vardhineni) is also in good form. I think I'm also peaking at the right time. I have not had a great year so far, compared to my performance last year but I'm happy that I've come out of the slump," she said. — PTI
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Colombo, July 26
Tennis world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic said representing Serbia at Olympics would be the fulfilment of a long-term dream. Ana is one of Serbia's best hopes for a medal. "I don't want to put myself under any pressure and any medal would be a fantastic achievement."
Winning eight medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics Aleksandr Dityatin of the Soviet Union set the Olympic record for the most medals at one Games. As of 2007 he still holds this record, now along with American swimmer Michael Phelps, who tied it at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was also the first male gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of ten in an Olympic competition, a feat he accomplished in the long horse vault. Dityatin was also all-around World Cup champion in 1978 and 1979. Dityatin's first Olympic success was at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where he won two silver medals - on the rings and in the team competition. In 2004 Dityatin was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Colombo, July 26