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Wondering, wandering begin for Oz
Captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli during a practice session ahead of the first ODI in Pune on Saturday. — PTI
Bailey worried about team’s consistency
Sachin’s last Tests give us a chance to cope with reality: Dhoni
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Duleep trophy
West Indies A’s Miguel Cummins castled by Zaheer Khan during the last day of the third unofficial Test on Saturday. — PTI
Visa row costs Arunachal archers World Championships
Del Potro blasts Nadal to set up final with Djokovic
Belgium, Germany book World Cup spots
Radamel Falcao converted two late penalties against Chile to help Colombia to a
3-3 draw. — AFP
QBR gets quiet, sober welcome in Delhi
Webber denies Vettel another pole in Japan
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Wondering, wandering begin for Oz
Pune, OCTOBER 12 In all fairness, Bailey was just being realistic. After all, they will need to thrash India 6-1 to become the top side in ODIs — that’s as unlikely as India winning a series Down Under in the heyday of Australia. Yet, memories from the time when Australians would make predictions of whitewash in their favour without batting an eyelid came rushing back when the smiling Bailey threw in the towel without even pretending to be game for it. Maybe the Bailey way of “taking one game at a time” is apt in current circumstances, as India look too strong an opposition to be taken such liberties with for this vastly inexperienced and unknown Australian side. India on a roll
The first hurdle the Australians will come across is the supreme confidence of this Indian side, on a roll in the wake of three back-to-back series/tournament wins abroad — the most notable being the Champions Trophy and the tri-series win in the West Indies. Throw in the home conditions, and this new-look Indian team looks even more unbeatable. And then, as Bailey himself pointed out, there are fearsome power-hitters to contend with. “Batting is their strength — the biggest challenge facing us. You get past one, but the one coming in next could hurt you even more,” he said. Bailey can’t be faulted for sounding a little worried on that count, for Indian batting certainly looks fearsome, packed with power-hitters from top to number seven. Phew! The Australians no longer enjoy the advantage they have traditionally had over India — fielding. This particular squad will be as good as the Australians, if not better, on the field. And how much effort on the field goes into determining the difference between a winner and loser needs no telling. Chink in the armour
The only area of concern this Indian side perhaps has is its death bowling. The Indian skipper has often vented his frustration over the inability of his bowlers to slip in those elusive yorkers in the death overs. That would become only more difficult with dew playing some role and with one man less patrolling the boundary following changes in the field restrictions last year. All in all, the balance seems generously tilted in India’s favour. Yuvi skips practice session
Everything looked perfect as India practiced at the picturesque stadium, hosting its first ODI on Sunday. That was until Yuvraj Singh, the hero of the T20 game in Rajkot, was spotted missing. “It was an optional practice and Yuvraj chose to skip it. He must be doing gym in the hotel…there are no injuries, at least the physio hasn’t told us anything so far,” said Dhoni, explaining Yuvraj’s absence. Or is there something more to it than the skipper cared to reveal? |
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Bailey worried about team’s consistency
Bailey was candid in his admission that India boast of a formidable batting outfit. “India are very good. They deserve to be number one in the world. They were the best team in the Champions Trophy. They are a very well balanced side and we have to combat that. We are well placed to do that.” The Aussies started the tour on a losing note when they were beaten by four wickets in the one-off T20 game at Rajkot, but Bailey saw a few positives for his team from the match. “(There were) plenty of positives. (It was a) good game of cricket. Aaron
Finch's form at the top of the order was great and the way Xavier Doherty bowled was very pleasing. We fielded well, our attitude was good and there were a lot of things to like.” Bailey, however, demanded better show from his bowlers in the ODI series. “I don’t think there were any concerns with the conditions. It was a problem with execution (of plans). We have to play consistent cricket to win the series. The other night we batted really well but didn’t bowl the same way.”
— PTI |
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Sachin’s last Tests give us a chance to cope with reality: Dhoni
Pune, OCTOBER 12 While sounding happy for Tendulkar to leave “on his own terms”, the Indian skipper also seemed pleased that he announced it well in advance, giving his teammates a chance to cope with it. “It may be a situation where players may understand they have got enough time to figure out and believe that it will be the last two Test matches that Sachin would be playing,” he said. And perhaps it’s only fair to the retiring legend and the players he inspired day in and day out that they know when exactly he’s walking away. Just like everyone else who came in touch with Tendulkar over his 24-year-long career, Dhoni, too, learnt several things from the master. “What I learnt from him is how to read the game, especially in the ODIs. Which bowler to go after and what needed to be done at a particular point of time… all those conversations with him helped me understand.”
The Indian skipper also tried to explain how much pressure Tendulkar carried on his shoulders and yet managed to achieve the goals he did. “He had to carry the expectations of so many Indians. And at times, fans expect a lot… to bear all that and come up with such performances is just fantastic. Cricket was of course his passion, but he had to deal with other things that go around in Indian cricket… he had a fantastic career.” Staying true to himself, Dhoni didn’t betray any emotions, and rather chose to enjoy whatever little opportunity was left to play alongside the legend. “His last two matches will give me an opportunity to see a house-full Test match. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think it will happen in next 25-30 years,” he said.
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Day 3: Batsmen have their day out plundering tons
CHENNAI, October 12 Resuming at overnight 137/2, Mukund (111) and Aparajith (109) shared a 190-run third wicket stand to give South the upperhand in the match. Manish Pandey (81) and Chidambram Gautam (69) also chipped in with fine contributions to steer South. For the Central Zone, skipper Piyush Chawla was the top wicket-taker with 4/159 in 43 overs.At stumps, Malolan Rangarajan (30) and Sandeep Warrior (0) were holding fort for the South Zone. Mukund, who was overnight 61, struck 11 fours during his 318-ball stay at the crease. Aparajith, on the other hand, faced 231 deliveries that yielded nine fours and three sixes.Their partnership was broken when Aparajith became Imtiaz Ahmed’s only victim. Mukund followed him to the pavillion in the very next over, caught and bowled by Shrikant Wagh. But Pandey and Gautam ensured that Central Zone got no respite as they shared a 147-run stand for the fifth wicket. Pandey struck 10 fours in his 133-ball knock, while Gautam smashed seven. Brief Scores: Central Zone: 209 all out South Zone: 467 for 9 in 161 overs (Abhinav Mukund 111, Baba Aparajith 109, Piyush Chawla 4/159). North post 591-8 decl, East Zone score 32/1
Ian Dev Singh posted a scintillating 145, while Rajat Paliwal and Nitin Saini also scored unbeaten centuries as North Zone amassed 591/8 declared against East Zone on the third day at Kochi. In reply to North Zone’s first innings score, East could reach 32/1 in 14 overs, still needing 559 runs Brief Scores: North Zone: 591 for 8 decl in 194 overs (ID Singh 145; Sunny Gupta 4/182);East Zone: 32 for one in 14 overs (PP Das 14; Harbhajan 1/2).
— PTI |
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Pujara sees fire in Zaheer-led pacers
HUBLI, October 12 “Their strength was spin and ours was fast bowling. There was enough help for fast bowlers and wasn`t much for spinners. I think their fast bowlers didn`t bowl well, but ours did better which was required,” Pujara told reporters after the match. Out-of-favour Zaheer Khan sparked a sensational West Indies A collapse with his three-wicket burst as the visitors conceded the match at 242 for nine in their second innings in the 13th over after lunch on the final day at KSCA Stadium. The left-arm seamer bagged four for 59 in the second innings to help India A level the three-match series 1-1. Pujara said the team was confident of getting Narasingh Deonarine out as the Indian quickies were getting help from the track. “We knew their wicketkeeper (Chadwick Walton) will not bat (due to injury). So, we wanted one wicket and were confident of having him,” he said. Pujara, who hit a magnificent 306 not out in the first innings, said the failure in first two Test matches motivated him to play a big knock. “When I get to my hundred, that`s when I start playing my strokes because I know the conditions and capitalise on bowlers getting tired. It is not an easy job to bat for nearly ten hours which requires a lot of stamina. I had been working on it for the last four to five months,” he said. The Saurashtrian run-machine rated his third triple hundred as one of the best innings in domestic circuit because the track was helping the fast bowlers. Brief Scores:
India A: 564 for 9 dec (Pujara 306*, Gambhir 123) beat West Indies A 268 and 242 (Deonarine 99, Zaheer 4-59) by an innings and 54 runs.
— PTI |
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Visa row costs Arunachal archers World Championships
New Delhi, October 12 Maselo Mihu and Sorang Yumi — both 15 years old —were to take part in the Championships at Wuxi in the eastern coastal Jiangsu province in China from October 13-21 but the immigration officials at the IGI Airport refused to clear them as they were issued stapled visa by the Chinese Embassy. China issues stapled visas to Indians from Arunachal Pradesh but the Ministry of External Affairs has declared these visas invalid. The two archers — to compete in compound events — now have no chance to take part in the World Championships as the draw will happen on Monday. The Archery Association of India said they tried to get regular visas from the Chinese Embassy here but the Embassy was closed for the weekend. “I don’t know what is happening. We were on cloud nine that we would be taking part in the World Championships and this was to be the biggest event of my career. But my dreams now have come crashing down. I am helpless,” Yumi said. “We even don’t know what is stapled visa or any other visa. I was stopped at the immigration counter and told that I can’t board the flight because of the visa,” she said. “Who would not want to take part in such a big event like the World Championships. Every athlete dreams of taking part in big events like this. But in our case it has gone for no fault of ours,” said Mihu who, along with Yumi, trained at a camp at the Army Sports Institute in Pune. The two archers, who are leaving for home tomorrow, said it will take some time to settle down after the shock.
— PTI |
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Del Potro blasts Nadal to set up final with Djokovic
Shanghai, October 12 The Spaniard had been hoping to celebrate his return to the top of the world rankings this week by setting up a final showdown for the second time in as many weeks with chief rival Novak Djokovic, who beat Jo Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 7-5 to reach the final. But Nadal, one of the fastest athletes on the tour, found himself outpaced after a breathtaking semifinal display of power and touch by the 2009 US Open champion. Del Potro barely allowed Nadal a chance as he raced into a 4-0 lead in the first set before bagging it with a scorching ace. Nadal thought he had broken for the first time to level at 2-2 in the second but Hawkeye disagreed and from then on the world's best player was chasing shadows as Del Potro produced one of the best performances of his career. Nadal fired a service return long on match point to hand a jubilant Del Potro his first win over Nadal since 2009. Second final in a row
Djokovic continued his love affair with the hard courts in China as he swotted aside the challenge of Tsonga to reach the final. The defending champion stretched his unbeaten run in China to 19 matches after he overcame Tsonga 6-2 7-5. The top seed looks like adding another Chinese title to his name after another slick display of returning heaped too much pressure on Tsonga, who unravelled with 35 unforced errors.
— Reuters |
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Belgium, Germany book World Cup spots
London, October 12 Belgium, boasting one of the most talented squads in Europe, will return to the global showpiece for the first time since 2002 after a 2-1 win in Croatia guaranteed top spot in Group A. Perennial finalists Germany's 3-0 home win over Ireland, with goals from Sami Khedira, Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil, put them through from Group C while the Swiss won 2-1 in Albania to wrap up Group E. Holders Spain moved to the brink of qualification after Xavi and Alvaro Negredo struck in a 2-1 win to Belarus. Colombia make the cut after 16 years Colombia fought back with striker Radamel Falcao converting two late penalties against a Chile side inspired by Alexis Sanchez’s first-half brace for a 3-3 draw and the point that put them in their first finals since 1998 with a match to spare.
— Reuters |
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QBR gets quiet, sober welcome in Delhi
New Delhi, October 12 The QBR was to reach India Gate first, but due to a delay in Agra, the baton was first brought to the National Stadium before proceeding to India Gate. The highlight at the National Stadium was the QBR team’s photo session at the Dhyan Chand statue roundabout in front of the stadium, and then inside the stadium with the astro-turf as the backdrop. |
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Webber denies Vettel another pole in Japan
Suzuka, October 12 Vettel, who can clinch his fourth successive world title at the age of 26 on Sunday if he wins and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finishes lower than eighth, had problems with his car's kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and had to settle for second. Alonso, 77 points behind Vettel, qualified only eighth. Lewis Hamilton, for Mercedes, and Romain Grosjean in a Lotus, share the second row while Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa starts fifth.
— Reuters |
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Much water has flown under the bridge since Australia ceased to be the super power on the cricket field. Gone with the top-dog status is the characteristic Aussie confidence, bordering on arrogance at times, and the bloody-mindedness to win at any cost.
London, October 12
Pune, October 12
