Hyderabad, November 11
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was very calm and collected, though he has to face many challenges, on the eve of the second Test between India and New Zealand starting at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here tomorrow.

A playful smile never left Dhoni's face even when the lights went off twice when he was addressing the media--there are many teeting troubles as the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is not yet fully complete--and he answered all the tricky questions like the seasoned pro he is. The Indian captain is very keen to address India's second innings collapse in the last few Test matches, and he was also concerned with the lack of success of the Indian bowlers in the first Test at Motera in Ahmedabad.

The second Test here will have many firsts as Hyderabad would be hosting a Test match after a gap of 22 years--they last played a Test here at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in 1988, that too against New Zealand--and two of their star players, VVS Laxman and Pragyan Ojha, saviours at Motera, would be playing in front of their home crowd for the first time.

Though Laxman would be playing his 116th Test match for the country, and is the first Hyderabad player to cross a century of Test matches--former Indian captain Mohd Azharuddin had to stop at 99 Tests--this would be his first Test in the city of Nizams and pearls. Among the three key officials of the Hyderabad cricket Association (HCA)--and all of them were spinners — only president Arshad Ayub had played against the Kiwis, and took five wickets to boot to rout the visitors by ten wickets.

HCA secretary Shivlal Yadav and vice-president Venkatapathy Raju are certainly trying to make up for that lost opportunity by preparing a wicket that would play to the strength of the Indian team. In short, the wicket should aid the batsmen as well as the bowlers (read spinners) as India have depth in both the departments. Speaking from his experience of playing in the IPL and ODI matches at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium, captain Dhoni said the wicket here was flat, with the strip offering only an occasional bounce.

Both Shivlal Yadav and Raju were conspicuous with their presence in the middle of the ground, supervising the preparation of the wicket, since early morning, giving a loud hint that spin could play a lot of tricks in the coming days. "We will certainly go for a strip that plays to our strength", said a top official of the HCA to The Tribune. He noted that Shivlal Yadav had taken an active interest in the preparation of the wicket ever since the Test was allotted to the city, and they want spinner Pragyan Ojha to play a big role in the Test, to emulate the feat of Ayub, as they take it for granted that Laxman will surely deliver with the bat in front of his home fans and well-wishers.

Dhoni discounted the option of playing with five bowlers, as he felt that a fifth bowler would be a luxury for India in this kind of wicket, though he added in good measure that "it will all depend on the wicket". Dhoni said it will be a toss up between S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma as both were bowling well, and were fit for the match, as he clearly understood that Zaheer Khan's place in the team was not negotiable.

Harbhajan and Ojha are sure to handle the spin department once again, while there is little scope to triffle with the top-heavy batting. Dhoni said in so many words that despite his good dispaly from the few chances he got, Murali Vijay would have to wait a little longer to get his place cemented in the team.

The skipper was also not worried about the lean patch of opener Gautam Gambhir, as "he has set such a high bench mark for himself, and he sure would come good", and his own wavering batting form. Dhoni said he could not convert some of the good starts he got into 50s and above as he lost his wickets while trying to accelerate the scoring, and some of the deliveries he fell for were really good. "I got out to some very good deliveries", said Dhoni about his recent get-outs.

Chandigarh, November 11
Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is set to become only the second player in the history of cricket to play six ODI World Cups, was today named the official ambassador of the event to be held in the sub-continent next year.

Tendulkar will be called upon to promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives for the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2 next year, the ICC said in a statement. "There are just 100 days to go and I am really looking forward to playing in another Cricket World Cup," said Tendulkar, who will join Pakistan's Javed Miandad as the only other player to take part in six World Cups.

"In terms of limited-overs cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is the highest level you can play so it is always a thrill to take part in such an important and widely followed event.

"The fact that the 2011 event will be staged here in the sub-continent makes it even more special for me and I am keen to ensure we play well. As a team we would be doing everything we can to win the world cup on home soil," he added. ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the governing body was lucky to get the support of a player of Tendulkar's stature.

"We are very lucky to have such an extraordinary player as Sachin supporting our flagship event.

"I don't think any other player has inspired a nation like he has and the respect and affection he enjoys goes way beyond his native India. Many other athletes and sports fans around the globe admire what he consistently achieves and what he does for cricket," Lorgat said. 

New Delhi, November 11
Yuvraj Singh’s troubles don’t seem to be ending, as his axing from the Test squad is now followed by demotion to Grade B of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s annual Central Contracts, even as the financial remunerations got a boost for all concerned.

Yuvraj was dropped down from Group A after failing to keep his place in the Test team and his place was taken by Suresh Raina, the only change in the top slot, which also includes Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. As per the contract, the players in this group will be paid rupees one crore for the period of October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011. The amount was Rs. 60 lakh last year.

According to a BCCI release, Yuvraj will be joining Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Pragyan Ojha in Group B. They will each get Rs. 50,00,000 each instead of Rs 40 lakh.

Group C consists of S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar. They will each be paid Rs. 30 lakh, a hike of Rs 5 lakh from the last contract.

The match fees for the period would be - Rs 7 lakh per Test, Rs. 4 lakh per One-Day International and Rs. 2 lakh for each T20 game. The Match fee for non-playing squad members will be 50% of the above. The release also added that if a non-contracted player is selected to play for India, he will be given a pro-rata contract in Grade C.

Guangzhou, November 11
Buoyed by their unprecedented success in last month's Commonwealth Games, Indian athletes are now bracing up for the tougher challenge of making their presence felt against regional powers such as China and Korea for a top-five finish at the Asian Games beginning here tomorrow. "We finished number eight in the last Games (at Doha in 2006) with a tally of 10 gold medals. We aim to double that tally here and finish in the top five. The success in the Commonwealth Games has boosted our athletes' confidence," said the Indian contingent's Chef de Mission Abhay Singh Chautala.

In Doha, the Indians hauled in 10 gold, 17 silver and 26 bronze medals. In CWG, India had a record medal tally of 38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze that pushed them to the second spot for the first time ahead of England. Chautala expects the Indians to rip open the gold medal chest on the first day of competitions itself, saying a 1-2 sweep of the men's 10m air rifle featuring star shooters Gagan Narang, the four-gold winner at CWG, and Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist Abhinav Bindra was very much on the cards.

Also present is "Goldfinger" Samaresh Jung, who picked up five gold medals in the 2006 Melbourne CWG, and is to take part in the 25m standard pistol for men. "We are hoping for a 1-2 in the rifle event and two more gold medals at least in billiards," said Chautala. The billiards semifinals and the final are slated for November 14.

Billiards features former world professional champions Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani, among the gold medallists in 2006. A total of 10 men and seven women are in different cue sports ranging from billiards for men to 6-red snooker for women. "We have come with 600-odd players, the biggest-ever for the Games. We hope to double the Doha gold tally and also like in the Commonwealth Games improve our standing," said Chautala.

The last time India finished inside top-five in Asiad was in 1986 at the Seoul Games when it ended up fifth with five gold, four of them from track queen P T Usha, nine silver and 23 bronze medals. In subsequent Games, the country finished a lowly 11th when they were held previously in China (1990 in Beijing) with only one gold medal and 23 overall, 8th, 9th, 8th and 8th in Hiroshima (1994--4 gold), Bangkok (1998--7 gold), Busan (2002--10 gold) and Doha (2006--10 gold). — PTI

Guangzhou, November 11
Star woman shuttler Saina Nehwal will carry the country's tri-colour during tomorrow's Asian Games Opening Ceremony here if ace rifle marksman Gagan Narang pulls out from performing the honour, said Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi.

"We want Gagan Narang to be the flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony but in case he is unable to do so, and we have left it to him to decide on it, then Saina Nehwal would do the honour. She has been kept as the stand-bye," said Kalmadi after the Indian flag was raised at the Games Village here today. The flags of Indonesia and Lebanon were also unfurled at the Village.

Kalmadi said the reason Narang, who bagged four gold medals in last month's Commonwealth Games, may pull out was because the ace shooter's first event was scheduled early on November 13, the day after the Opening. "He has to participate in his first event early morning the next day. We have totally left it in his hands," said Kalmadi.

IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh also said it would be an honour to do the flag-bearer's job but having gone through such an experience in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, attention must also be paid to the fact that Gagan had an event to take part next morning. "I was the flag-bearer at the Moscow Games and it was windy the next day and I could feel stiffness in my arms. The pressure on the arms is different when holding the flag," said the one-time ace shooter and former Asian Games medallist. Star woman boxer Mary Kom said that she was happy for Narang that he has been entrusted with the prestigious task of carrying the Indian tricolour at the Opening Ceremony. — PTI

Mohali, November 11
The beauty of sport is its uncertain nature. What works once, might or might not work again. Ronaldo might score a 30-yard scorcher today, and miss from the spot tomorrow. Punjab, the home team in the Ranji Trophy Elite group match against Karnataka, witnessed this unpredictability first hand today as a wicket that had seemed unplayable to them, turned docile as Karnataka, and Robin Uthappa took charge.

The former India man Uthappa was in a murderous mood as he tore into the ordinary looking Punjab bowling. His 182-ball 149 meant that not only did the visitors overhaul Punjab’s 243, but also took a lead of 103 runs as they ended the day on 346 for 6.

Starting the day, Karnataka openers Pawan and Rahul made their intentions clear as Pawan cut the first ball of the innings to the fence. They built a steady run flow, before Pawan fell to what seemed like a poor umpiring call. Gony dug one short, and it swayed towards the leg stump, Pawan chased it for a flick, but the ball clearly beat him for bounce and deflected off his thigh pad.

Rahul too didn’t last very long after that and he was taken out by a Navdeep Sidhu delivery that spooned from a leading edge. The bowler obligingly completed the catch in the middle of the pitch.

From there on, Ganesh Satish and Robin Uthappa got together for a stroke-filled partnership (130 runs). The two ran hard between the wickets and were pretty much error free till Sathish was run out by Yuvraj for a well made 55. But Uthappa was relentless and he kept up the torture for the home side as he completed his century. It was getting worse for the hosts as Manish Pandey too joined in and matched Uthappa stroke for stroke!

Pandey was the more animated one in the 89-run stand which was broken when he couldn’t resist chasing a delivery by Sidhu that shot up a little more than expected and was well caught by Pankaj Dharmani in the first slip.

Uthappa continued to pile the runs, but finally he was the second run-out victim of the day for a superb 149. At stumps, Karnataka had eased into a comfortable lead with captain Vinay Kumar and left-hander Amit Verma batting on 7 and 21, respectively.

Brief Scores:
Punjab 243
Karnataka 346/6 (Uthappa 149, Sathish 55, Pandey 49).

Mohali, November 11
As the afternoon sun was beating down on the PCA Stadium, Karnataka were making hay under the proverbial sunshine. Then suddenly, the vociferous Karnataka dressing room fell silent. Manish Pandey played one outside the off-stump and was caught at first slip. He had made light work of the Punjab bowling till then, but had suddenly fallen, just one short on his half century. As he walked back, his teammates welcomed him with a timid applause, unsure whether he would be in the mood for any comforting words!

But Pandey, after a brief introspection, was out in the balcony, fooling around with his fellow players and mischief writ large in his smile. But those eyes never moved, they were still on the ground, as if contemplating how he could have handled that one delivery differently. The 21-year-old boy had moved on, but the man who was the first Indian to score a century in the IPL, was clearly feeling let down by himself. He speaks exclusively to The Tribune.

Q: You had a good Ranji season last year. The IPL ton made you a star. How are things looking now?

A: This is not a question that has a straightforward answer. I just know that I have to be ready and till then keep working as hard as possible. I bat at number 5 for Karnataka, and I feel good, but these are things that depend on situations.

Q: Apart from being a confident batsman, you are an electric fielder. Is there anything that you do differently?

A: I stick to my routine. By routine I mean what makes me feel good, suits me and I think is the best for me. A run-out or a catch can change the course of a match, in any format, so concentrating on fielding is almost fundamental.

Q: The IPL teams are to be formed again. What are you looking at?

A: I am hoping that I get listed for the auction, but money will definitely not be the defining factor. I want to play, and just hope that the franchise that buys me, makes me play as much as possible.

Q: How much difference has the last Ranji season made to your game?

A: The confidence that I feel when I bat now is higher. I feel more convinced with my strokeplay. It was a defining season and also the IPL helped me tremendously.

Q: You made your name with T20s, but this is 4-day cricket. How different are the formats?

A: I don’t see the big difference, apart from the format. The game stays the same, you see a good ball, you let it go, you see a bad ball, hit it. I love to play my shots and never stop myself from doing so. Just start steady, and keep building on it.

Q: You were born in Uttaranchal. Ever felt like coming back here and playing your cricket?

A: I was just born there and didn’t even stay there much. It was down to my father’s postings as he is in the Army. I am happy with Karnataka, and like playing for the state.

Q: Do you have any personal goals for the season ahead?

A: I just want to continue on my last year’s performance and keep working as hard as possible. I want to be ready for it when the chance to play for India comes, I should be at my best. 

BRIEFLY

AC Milan's Robinho celebrates after scoring against Palermo during their Italian Serie A soccer match at San Siro stadium in Milan on Wednesday. — Reuters

Haider narrates his story
London: Runaway Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider has admitted that he deserted his team midway through a series as he feared for his life and have asked the ICC to monitor suspected players phone calls and movements to eradicate corruption from the game. In a hurriedly convened press conference at a restaurant in Southall yesterday, Haider confirmed that he had met ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit and spoke at length about his decision to abandon his team in the middle of an ODI series against South Africa in Dubai earlier this week after receiving death threats. — PTI

Cairns to sue Lalit Modi
London: Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns has been given a green signal by a court here to sue former chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi for posting a message on Twitter about dropping the Kiwi cricketer from the IPL auction earlier this year. Modi had said on his twitter page that Cairns was being withdrawn from the auction due to a match-fixing taint. — PTI

HPCA finalises 70 venues
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has finalised 70 venues across the state for holding matches of the second cricket Mahasangram Jaypee Twenty20 here. The technical team of HPCA alongwith district office bearers has finalised the 70 venues, fifteen more than last year as a large number of teams have already confirmed their participation while the last date for sending entries was November 18, Vishal Marwah, honorary general secretary of HPCA said. — PTI

Kumble to take on Maharaja
Bangalore: Former India captain Anil Kumble will be contesting for the Karnataka State Cricket Association's top job against current president Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, on November 21. Former speedster Javagal Srinath is pitted against retired international umpire A V Jayaprakash while Venkatesh Prasad and Roger Binny will contest for the vice-president's post. — PTI

Akram slams PCB
New Delhi: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram slammed the PCB for mismanaging the Zulqarnain Haider controversy and said the inability of the board has left the players insecured and vulnerable. "I feel that the PCB is not capable of handling Pakistan cricket. It has failed to strike a bond of trust with the players, which has left players insecure and vulnerable. "There is a lack of direction and leadership in the PCB and the controversies have been a perennial problem with Pakistan cricket," Akram told Mobile ESPN. — PTI

Amaron Pro Racing
CHANDIGARH: Amaron Pro Racing, a corporate motorsport initiative of automotive & industrial battery maker Amara Raja Batteries Ltd on Thursday announced the launch of India's largest karting challenge 'Amaron Karting Challenge Season 3'. The launch was announced in the presence of Jayadev Galla, MD, Amara Raja Batteries Limited, Mackinlay Barreto, Head - Motorsport, Amaron Pro Racing, Amaron brand ambassadors Karun Chandok, Armaan Ebrahim, Aditya Patel and coach Akbar Ebrahim. The winner will be rewarded with a scholarship of up to Rs 10 lakh. — TNS