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| Thursday, March 15, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Laxman (275 n.o.) leaves Australians
clueless
Laxman eyeing triple
ton
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SA-Windies Test ends in
draw Tied Test began era of success: Border TN cruise into last eight Another goal-less draw for
JCT Warm welcome for
Gopi Fissures surface in
JFI India score third successive
win SAI drifting away from
agenda Champions India go down to Ukraine ITI score solitary
goal win Award for
Tiger
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Laxman (275 n.o.) leaves Australians clueless Kolkata, March 14 The feared Australian bowling attack failed to take a single wicket through the day as the two Indian batsmen added a record 357 runs for the fifth wicket and were unseparated at the close of the fourth day’s play with India having made 589 for four. Laxman surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s 236 not out to make the highest individual score by an Indian in 70 years since the country started playing Test cricket and in the process left open a host of possibilities on the final day of the Test tomorrow — a draw, an Indian win or an Australian win — in a match the visitors hoped to wrap up in three days as they had done in Mumbai. With India already having a lead of 315, skipper Saurav Ganguly may declare before lunch tomorrow to have a go at the formidable Australians. Before doing so, he may wait for Laxman to touch the 300-run mark. After the ignominious defeat at Mumbai and poor show by most of the Indian batsmen in the first innings here, the pair brought a welcome change displaying tremendous grit, and patience and looked a picture of confidence all through the day. The pair played with flamboyance, making the formidable Aussie bowling line-up look very ordinary. Aussie skipper Steve Waugh, tried every combination, giving as many as eight bowlers a hand without an inch of success. Laxman made his intentions clear by smashing Glenn McGrath to the fence off the first ball of the post-lunch session and the Indian batsmen kept up the tempo by unleashing a barrage of fours. With Laxman and Dravid going great guns, the formidable Australians suddenly looked quite ordinary as they tended to bowl a number of loose deliveries which were promptly despatched to the ropes. Dravid, who began rather tentatively, but grew in confidence as the day wore on, did not allow himself to get bogged down like on previous occasions. He kept the scoreboard ticking with gentle pushes and nudges and struck fours when the loose balls came his way. Captain Steve Waugh rotated his bowlers in a bid to break the marathon fifth-wicket partnership but without much luck as the Aussies were made to toil for the whole day. Dravid reached to the three-figure mark with an on-drive off Shane Warne much to the delight of the Eden Gardens crowd who had plenty to cheer about during the day. With the spinners failing to make of an impact, Steve Waugh brought back his pace spearheads McGrath and Gillespie but the move only helped the Indians to accelerate the scoring rate. Matthew Hayden was called in to bowl shortly before the tea break and Dravid greeted him by pulling his first ball to the square leg fence while Michael Slater bowled the last over before the break. Though the Aussie bowlers were maintaining a good line and length on a flat track, the Indian pair continued to keep the pressure on them cutting, driving and sweeping at elan as the situation demanded. After setting up an attacking field with four slips and two gullies initially, Steve Waugh soon placed his fielders all around the ground to check the run rate. But Laxman and Dravid, none of whom gave any chance today, were like men possessed as they picked up gaps at ease and rewrote many a record displaying complete authority on the game. The Australian toil temporarily came to a respite when the umpires signalled for the end of the day’s play with Laxman and Dravid remaining not out with 275 and 155 respectively. While Laxman played for a mamoth 609 minutes and faced 438 deliveries to hit 44 boundaries, the highest number by any Indian in Test cricket, Dravid was at the crease for 396 minute to play 318 balls and force nineteen fours. This is Laxman’s second ton. The first one being against Australia also, when he scored 167 at Sydney in 1998-99. Laxman today became the highest scorer for any Indian in Test cricket when he surpassed 236 made by Sunil Gavaskar at Madras against West Indies during 1983-84. Laxman also emerged as the highest scorer by any Test players in Test matches held in India. He broke West Indian Rohan Kanhai’s record of 256 made at Eden Gardens during 1958-59. Laxman and Dravid were also involved in a 357-run unbroken partnership which is highest among the Indians in fifth wicket and second among all the wickets. The earlier record in fifth wicket for Indians was 214 by Ravi Shashtri and Md Azharuddin made at Eden Gardens during 1984-85 series against England. The highest partnership in any wicket in India is still hold by Pankaj Roy and Vinod Mankad who made 413 against New Zealand at Chennai in first wicket during 1955-56. Laxman, promoted to one drop after his sparkling 59 in the first innings, seemed to be in no trouble at all as he along with the compact Dravid carried the bat through the day. The entire Eden Gardens crowd as well as the Australian players gave Laxman and Dravid a standing ovation as they returned to the pavillion after the day’s play which was completely dominated by the Indians. The weary Australians, who have been on the field for the last three days, seemed to have run out of ideas as the bowlers struggled to contain the run flow. The home team now seems almost certain to put an end to Australia’s record-smashing 16 consecutive Test wins having managed to take a lead of 315 runs with six wickets still intact. The hosts, who lost the first Test in Mumbai by an embarrassing ten wickets, will try to score the runs fast tomorrow before declaring their second innings and have a go at the Aussies. SCOREBOARD Australia (Ist innings) 445 India (Ist innings) 171 India (IInd innings) Das hit wicket b Gillespie 39 Ramesh c M. Waugh b Warne 30 Laxman batting 275 Tendulkar c Gilchrist b Gillespie 10 Ganguly c Gilchrist b McGrath 48 Dravid batting 155 Extras (b-6, lb-12, nb-12, w-2) 32 Total
(for 4 wkts in 165 overs) 589 Fall of wickets: 1/52, 2/97, 3/115, 4/232. Bowling: McGrath 33-12-81-1, Gillespie 31-6-115-2, Warne 34-3-152-1, M. Waugh 18-1-58-0, Kasprowicz 28-6-93-0, Ponting 12-1-41-0, Hayden 6-0-24-0, Slater 2-1-4-0, Langer 1-0-3-0.
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Laxman rewrites Gavaskar’s record Kolkata, March 14 The lanky batsman from Hyderabad, who waged a stirring battle to save India from the ignominy of an innings defeat, reached 237 runs in the second innings 33 minutes after tea on the fourth day of the second cricket Test against Australia here today. Laxman who has struck a purple patch, surpassed the previous best of 236 scored by Sunil Gavaskar against the West Indies in the sixth Test at Madras (now Chennai) in the 1983-84 series. The 26-year old Laxman took a single to deep mid-wicket off part-time bowler Mathew Hayden to equal Gavaskar’s 17-year old record. Two balls later, he pulled the same bowler to the on-side for another single to achieve the remarkable feat that came in 524 minutes off 369 balls, and was studded with 40 spectacularly executed hits to the fence. Laxman, who made his debut for India against the same Australians in the Ahmedabad Test in 1996-97 scoring 11 and 51, seemed to have finally done justice to his talent in his 21st Test. Continuously in and out of the squad, Laxman staged a comeback to the national side in the Mumbai Test following his consistent performances in domestic cricket this season. Though he scored just 20 and 12 in the first Test of the ongoing series, he was on song here yesterday hitting up his second Test ton to rescue India from a perilous situation. Laxman, who also scored his maiden Test hundred (167) against Australia in Sydney in the 1999-2000 series, started his superb task yesterday morning itself when he notched up 59 in the first innings before Australia enforced the follow-on.
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Laxman eyeing triple ton Kolkata, March 14 “I am very thrilled. It is very satisfying. Score of 300 is what I am aiming at now. But that is secondary for the main aim is to get quick runs tomorrow morning and put pressure on the rivals,” Laxman told a post match press conference after breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s test record of 236 runs against West Indies at Madras in 1983-84 and Rohan Kannai’s 256 at the same venue in 1958-59. Asked what was his strategy when he and Dravid went to bat this morning, Laxman said: “We thought of playing session by session without giving away any wickets.” On the motivation behind the superb performance, he said: “I played every delivery according to its merit. Dravid and I have had a lot of big partnerships in domestic cricket. So we told each other — lets do it again.” “The support from the dressing room was also tremendous. Every knock is satisfying. More because of the circumstances under which it came,” he said.
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The best comeback I’ve seen What a fantastic fourth day India had at the Eden Gardens! Both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid played superbly. Laxman’s innings is the best Test knock I have ever had the privilege to see. He dominated a high quality attack, and along with Dravid has put us in a situation from where we can win. This is a superb achievement considering we were following on. Watching Laxman bat one got the feeling that he has a lot of time when he plays the fast bowlers. I just feel his knock is the beginning of a career that has got lots to offer to Indian cricket. It was a good decision on behalf of the team to send him in the number 3 slot particularly after he batted so well in the first innings. I also appreciate Dravid’s gesture of volunteering to bat at No. 6 for he has also scored runs at No.3 for India. It is good to see such an atmosphere in the team and I appreciate my deputy’s attitude. I am very happy for Dravid as I always knew what a class player he is. He is a tough-minded fellow and his unbeaten century proved once again that he deserves to be rated among the best in the game. It is easy to sit from outside and comment on the abilities of those in the middle. It also shows how low-minded some people are, that they put their own guys down after just one failure. It’s unfortunate that these people, who have frozen when it came to deliver in the middle sit in judgment of others. At the same time it’s great to have such wonderful guys in the team. Today the morning session was a test of character for us, and I must say both Laxman and Dravid came out with flying colours. Cricketers are a superstitious lot and I was proof of that today. I normally skip shaving on a match day. Today, when Dravid and Laxman went out to bat I was sitting bare-chested with a towel around me. I remained that way for almost the entire day so that neither of the guys in the middle got out! Just goes to show you that the game makes you do new things everyday. It will be an important day tomorrow. We will probably look to bat for an hour and then put them in. The pitch is now five days old and the ball is turning a little and the bounce is uneven. I am keeping my fingers crossed as far as the outcome of the match is concerned. I once again congratulate the boys for a tremendous fightback. This is the best comeback I’ve seen after a team has been made to follow on. A special word for the fantastic atmosphere in Eden Gardens. It is great to see good people turning up in all four days of the Test match. The ground looks in fantastic condition and the crowd support was amazing.
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SA-Windies Test ends in draw Georgetown, March 14 South Africa were 142 for two when play was called off yesterday half an hour early from the scheduled close. They had been set 306 to win off 76 overs, a challenge which was unlikely to be accepted on a slow pitch. Gibbs made an aggressive start, however, surviving a dropped catch as South Africa scored 25 off the first five overs. Gibbs, on two, edged Mervyn Dillon at shoulder height just to the right of West Indian captain Carl Hooper at second slip. Hooper got both hands to the ball but could not hold it and the ball flew to the boundary. Gibbs and Gary Kirsten put on 66 for the first wicket before Kirsten was caught at short leg off leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine for 24. Gibbs went on to reach his fifty off 106 balls with seven fours. Jacques Kallis (30) helped Gibbs add 68 for the second wicket before being trapped leg before wicket by a ball from Nixon McLean which kept low in the last over before the final hour started. Earlier, Ramnaresh Sarwan fell nine runs short of a maiden Test century when he was run out shortly before the West Indian declaration. Sarwan (20) made the highest score by a West Indian in a Test against South Africa in reaching 91 before he was out as the batsman sought to force the pace. Sarwan fell victim to agile fielding by Gibbs at short fine leg. Sarwan had started for a run but was sent back by partner Ridley Jacobs. Sarwan, one of three batsmen aged 21 or younger who made half-centuries for the West Indies during the Test, batted for 211 minutes, faced 181 balls and hit nine fours. Both teams were able to take some encouragement from the match as they go into the remaining contests of a five-Test series. The West Indies halted a slide in which they had lost their previous seven Test matches. All of their losses were abroad. SCOREBOARD West Indies (Ist innings): 304 South Africa (Ist innings): 332 West Indies (2nd innings):
Hinds c Boucher b Donald 14 Gayle c Boucher b Boje 44 Samuels b Kallis 51 Lara c Pollock b Ntini 45 Sarwan run out 91 Hooper c Cullinan b Boje 35 Jacobs not out 18 McLean lbw b Boje 0 Extras: (b-10 lb-10 w-2 nb-8) 30 Penalties 5 Total:
(for 7 wkts, decl) 333 Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-78, 3-147, 4-210, 5-299, 6-333, 7-333. Bowling:
Donald 20-8-51-1, Pollock 17-4-51-0, Kallis 15-2-36-1, Boje 37-13-93-3, Ntini 20-5-50-1, Klusener 8-1-27-0. South Africa (2nd innings): Kirsten c Hinds b Ramnarine 24 Gibbs not out 83 Kallis lbw b McLean 30 Cullinan not out 4 Extras: (b-1) 1 Total: (for two wickets) 142 Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-134 Bowling: Walsh 10-3-19-0, Dillon 5-1-21-0, Ramnarine 27.3-14-46-1, McLean 10-3-25-1, Hooper 14-8-23-0, Sarwan 1-0-4-0, Samuels 2-0-3-0.
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Tied Test began era of success: Border Sydney, March 14 “Australian cricket started to get back on track from around that point,” Border said. Border and his 1986 team-mates departed today for India to play a 40-over match to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the tied Test. The limited-overs match in Chennai on Friday, is being played to raise funds for the victims of the massive earthquake that struck Gujarat in January. The match had originally been organised to raise awareness about the second tied match in Test history. “History hasn’t treated it as kindly as the first one, which is understandable given the enormity of the first tied Test (the 1960 match between Australia and West Indies in Brisbane),” Border said. “From my point of view, once all was said and done, we were all quite happy with the tied result — that we hadn’t fought that hard for five days to come away with nothing.” While in the sub-continent, Border will watch the first day’s play of the third test between Australia and India, also at Chennai, starting on Sunday and admitted he couldn’t wait to get there. “I think the Australians are a fantastic side,” Border said. “They’ve got half-a-dozen world-class players who I believe, when we look back on their careers, will rank right up there in the top echelon.” “I’m quite amazed they’ve won so many (Tests) on the trot - it remains to be seen how long that goes on — but they’re ahead of the pack because of the preparation they put in.” Border admitted the present team was much better prepared mentally than the previous Australian outfits. “I remember going to India in 1979 and it was portrayed as a ‘nightmare on Elm Street’-type tour - that you got sick every time, you could get any sort of disease,” he said. “But those barriers have been broken down. The current players look forward to a trip to India; they know it’s a really good tour. Of the original line-ups, only Steve Waugh and Mohammad Azharuddin are not playing, while Kapil Dev is an uncertain starter. Waugh will be playing the third Test while Azharuddin was banned from cricket for life after being found guilty last year of match-fixing.
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TN cruise into last eight Chennai, March 14 Two-time champions, Tamil Nadu, who made to the next grade by virtue of their 227 run first innings lead, declared their second innings at 515 for eight. Delhi, requiring to make 743 runs in 39 overs for a win, were able to muster 149 for the loss of opener Akash Chopra (61, 11x4) when the rival captains agreed for a draw at the end of the eighth mandatory over. In Tamil Nadu’s second innings, left handed S. Sharath made a superb 224 (352 b, 29x4, 3x6). He put on 142 runs for the fifth wicket with S. Mahesh, who made 71 before being caught at long off of Herinder Choudhury. Reuban Paul made 28 and Vidyuth was out for 42 (6x4, 2x6). For Delhi, medium pacer Amit Suman and Gautam Ghambir took two wickets each, while Virendra Shewag and H. Choudhury were the other wicket takers. Ghambir (69, 8x4) and Mithun Minhas (10) were at the crease when play ended. Railways advance PUNE: Railways, having recorded their highest aggregate of 656 for five in their second knock against hosts Maharashtra, however, made the quarterfinal knock-out stage by virtue of their 123-run first innings lead as their five day Ranji Trophy knock-out pre-quarterfinal tie ended in tame draw at the Poona Club ground here today. Scoreboard Railways (Ist innings): 431 Maharashtra (Ist innings): 308 Railways (IInd innings): (overnight 314 for four): Yere Goud not out 221, Abhay Sharma b Kondhalkar 188, Shreyas Khanolkar not out 17. Extras (byes-1, lb-2, nb-5, w-3) 11. Total
(for five wickets in 194 overs and 719 minutes): 656 Fall of wickets:
5/630 Bowling: Milind Kulkarni 25-9-58-0, Sachin Aradhye 29-7-76-1 (w-3), Iqbal Siddiqui 28-7-85-2 (nb-1), Mandar Sane 22-4-88-1, Satyen Lande 33-6-111-0, Surendra Bhave 5-1-13-0 (nb-4), Hrishikesh Kanitkar 10-0-26-0, Abhijit Kale 11-1-54-0, Jaideep Narse 12-0-59-0, Kaushik Aphale 13-0-63-0, Sanjay Kondhalkar 6-0-20-1. Orissa in quarters CUTTACK: East Zone champion Orissa today entered the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals in style by registering a thumping 420-run victory over Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy pre-quarterfinal match being played at the Barabati Stadium here. Resuming their overnight score of 228 for 4 in the second innings, Orissa declared 299 for 4 with an unbeaten century by skipper Sanjaya Raul(113) and a half century by pace bowler Debashis Mahanty(50). Needing 649 runs to win Jammu & Kashmir collapsed to 229 all out. Orissa will now play the quarterfinal Ranji Trophy match with the winners of Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra Pradesh on March 22. This is the second time in the history of Orissa cricket that it has reached the quarterfinals stage.
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Another goal-less draw for
JCT Ludhiana, March 14 Although the draw left Vasco coach Derrick Pereira somewhat satisfied, JCT had little to cheer about as the mill men failed to capitalise on numerous scoring opportunities. The Phagwara outfit clearly dominated the proceedings for a major spell but a goal eluded them. Vasco, playing in the league for the first time after gaining promotion from the second division, also hit back with some fine moves and on one occasion Edson Wanderley’s chip to the left saw the ball striking the goalpost. The draw, which incidentally was the seventh for JCT after six defeats, only added the mill men’s frustrations. With the league past the half-way stage, grim prospects of relegation may haunt the Phagwara outfit in the days to come. Despite honours being shared at the end of the gruelling encounter, one man stood out for JCT. He was the energetic and aggressive Jaswant Singh on the left flank. Son of former international G.S. Parmar, Jaswant displayed marvellous fighting qualities. For a change, Hardip Sangha was also brought in to bolster the attack but he failed to achieve anything worthwhile. JCT dictated terms from the opening minute and a free kick awarded after striker Hardip Gill was
brought down went waste as Sangha’s piledriver landed safely in Brazilian goalie Rogerio Ramos’ hands. This was followed by an excellent attempt by Jaswant. Having dodged two
defenders, he aimed a powerful shot but failed to beat Ramos. He again relayed the ball for the advancing Hardip Gill who, however, failed to connect the ball by a whisker with only the goalkeeper at his mercy. Yet another cross by Jaswant from the left corner saw Ramos making a neat collection. The JCT goal had a narrow escape midway through the first half following a defensive lapse by wing back Daljit. Daniel Colaco rushed forward in an attempt to beat Arvind Kumar under the JCT bar but luckily the ball went over the goal-line. Soon after Vasco had another good opportunity when Edson Wanderley found himself in an enviable position inside the box after Arvind had advanced out of charge but luckily stopper back Tarsem Kumar made a goal-line save. On commencement of the second half, Vasco almost achieved success after Edson Wanderley had a clear view of the goal having managed to cut through a horde of defenders. However, his chip to the left of Arvind saw the ball striking the upright. JCT also had a good chance thereafter but Hardip Sangha muffed the chance. Medio Harinder did try to make amends with a power-packed shot from 30 yards but the ball sailed over skimming the horizontal. A cross by the hard-working Jaswant from the left saw Gill glancing a header for Sangha who failed to do the needful. Sangha was again in a one-to-one situation with the goalkeeper but Ramos proved unbeatable. Vasco tried to mount pressure through Uzbeki Khoshimov Avazbek. Towards the end, Avazbek aimed a powerful long-ranger which Arvind managed to punch away. Vasco made a couple of substitutions with Edson Wanderley making way for Kishore Palkar and the veteran Khogen Singh along with Santano Colaco also joining the fray but a goal eluded them. At the fag end, JCT had a golden chance following Hardip Gill’s cross into the box but unluckily skipper Ram Pal failed to connect. JCT will now meet another Goan outfit, Churchill Brothers here on March 18 while Vasco will travel to Thiruvananthapuram for an away match against the State Bank of Travancore on the same day. |
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Warm welcome for
Gopi New Delhi, March 14 At an impressive function arranged in his honour by his employers Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at the conference hall of the Press Information Bureau, Gopichand was handed over his promotion order as manager (sales) by Petroleum Minister Ram Naik. He was also presented with a cash award of Rs 25,000 by the Petroleum Sports Control Board. Gopi’s mother, Subbaravamma, watched from the ringside as her proud son hogged all the spotlight. Gopi’s father could not make it to Delhi, as he had to attend an urgent business meeting in Mumbai. “It’s a great moment for me. Words cannot express what I truly feel. I like to thank the IOC for the kind of support they’ve given me over the years”, the shuttle king said. “So many people have contributed for my success—coaches (Mohd) Arif, Prakash (Padukone), (Ganguly) Prasad, Dr Ashok Rajgopal, my parents... thanks to all of them who helped me reach this far”, noted the champion. Twentyseven-year-old Pullela Gopichand, the five times national champion, is only the second Indian, after Prakash Padukone, to lift the All-England title. Former Asian champion Dinesh Khanna had reached the semifinal of the All-England in 1966. Gopichand said he went to the championship well-prepared, but “I was taking one match at a time, which helped me remain focussed”. He said the turning point came after his semifinal victory over Danish No 1 Peter Gade Christensen. “After that, I was confident of pulling it off in the final against Chen Hong of China”. He said his strategy for the final was to indulge in long rallies, with a little bit of net deception, and then tire the Chinese out with aggressive
play.”When he was tired, I went for the kill”, said Gopi. Prakash Padukone, who flew in from Bangalore to specially attend the function, said when he took Gopi under his wings in 1996, he had found a lot of similarities in Gopi’s game with that of his. “Gopi is both aggressive as well as deceptive. He has a lot more speed, and better grip”, said Padukone with all modesty. Gopichand said his grooming under Padukone helped him sharpen his skills, and mature as a player. He also gave due credit to Chinese coach Wan Xian Ming, under whom he trained from 1991 to 93, for his coming off age as a world class player. |
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Fissures surface in
JFI Patiala, March 14 The trials ended in a stalemate with one faction headed by JFI selector and technical committee member Munawar Anjan confirming that only those judoka’s who win their respective bouts in yesterday’s trials will make it to the Asian championships, while the other faction insisted that only those judokas who win their bouts in their respective weight categories in the Senior National Judo Championships slated to be held at Lucknow from March 31 to April 4 will make the trip to Ulan Bator. Even after the trials ended late yesterday evening, the judokas were a confused lot with no JFI official in sight to clarify the real position. Such was the comical and absurd atmosphere in which the trials were held that Sydney olympian Brojeshwari Devi, who finished a creditable 9th in the Olympics in the 53 kg weight category, was squarely beaten in her bout by Anshu Dalal but Brojeshwari still stands a chance to qualify if she wins in the Lucknow nationals to be held just two weeks from now. Similar is the case of Bangkok Asian Games star and Commonwealth Championship silver medallist Kamla Rawat who in yesterday’s trials had to taste defeat at the hands of Manipur’s Tambi Devi. However, Kamla Rawat may still make the trip to Mongolia provided she wins the final in the nationals. Sources reveal that this reasoning of the JFI is a bit harsh on some highly talented judukas, including Tambi Devi and Anshu Dalal who pinned down their much famed rivals in the trials but, unfortunately, may find themselves out in the cold when it comes to selecting the final team for the Asian meet. Earlier, the trials had to be postponed by nearly four hours, when certain NIS coaches insisted that a particular girl, who is a trainee at the SAI Centre of Excellence here, be allowed to take part in the trials. However, the JFI selectors put their foot down by saying that the girl had already lost in the preliminary trials held at New Delhi on February 14 and was not
eligible to take part. However, amidst all the confusion, the JFI rushed through with the trials with none of the judokas who won their bouts knowing for sure whether they have been selected or will their fate be known only after the national championships. Even the JFI officials, who conducted the trials, were not sure of the status of the trials. |
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India score third successive win Dhaka, March 14 Today it beat hosts Bangladesh 2-1. With three wins in as many matches India is at the top of its pool and will take on a team placed second in the other pool in the semi-finals on March 18. Bangladesh, however, made the Indians work hard for today’s win. Every good move by Indian forwards was thwarted and they had to wait till the 23rd minute for a lead. The first goal came through the stick of captain Baljit Singh Dhillon. One goal down the hosts pushed hard and in nine minutes later restored parity through Moududur Rahman. Indians came on strongly in the second half and Arjun Halappa scored the winning goal for them in the 42nd minute. After surging ahead the Indians decided to slow down the pace. They relied more on ball possession and any attacks that were mounted were few and far between. Bangladesh made efforts to seize the initiative but they were denied any breakthrough. In a Pool ‘B’ match China beat Egypt 3-2. Egypt surged ahead in the third minute through Mohamed Kamal’s goal but China’s Guangfen Yang equalised in the 23rd minute. Three minutes later it was China’s turn to take a lead. This time Yang Weng scored. Abdala Gad made it 2-2 in 42nd minute. In the 42nd minute Wang again scored to complete the scoreline.
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SAI drifting away from
agenda Chandigarh, March 14 The SAI has formulated a number of schemes since its formation nearly two decades ago but most of these have been abandoned, one after the other. The National Search Talent Contest (NSTC) scheme proved to be highly popular and a trainee groomed under this scheme was taken care of by the Sports Promotion Development Area (SPDA) and the Sports Training Centre Scheme (earlier hostel scheme). Now the SAI has been left only with the STC scheme, with negligible presence in schools. Last year in the northern centre of the SAI, new sports training centre was planned at Sector 42. There were many request applications from various schools of the region but they were turned down. Coaches were deputed at various schools at the whims and fancy of the high ups. Under this scheme Badal in Muktsar district of Punjab was allotted disciplines of athletics, basketball, hockey, shooting and volleyball. The decision seemed to have been taken in hurry to please the political boses but no coach is SAI willing to go there. Coaches who did not have a good rapport with their superior were transferred there. The STC at Dharamshala was allotted the disciplines of athletics, hockey, volleyball and judo. But no trainee was selected for judo at that centre last year. This year hockey, which could have shown good results, remained without a coach while there were six hockey coaches in Chandigarh. Coaches for shooting had to come from Phillaur. Eighty per cent of the budget allocation for the SAI is to be spent on administrative costs and only 20 per cent on the development of sports. In Chandigarh, there is one STC for girls at Sector 18 but there is none for boys. The NSTC scheme has been stopped and there is no scheme for children below 13 years. Ms Uma Bharti, the Union Minister for Sports, said the main thrust point should be on school sports but had lamented that after school there was no one to adopt them. Training abroad begins at the age of six plus. At the ATP Challengers tennis meet, Israeli coach Ronen Moralli said six plus was the right age to begin coaching in tennis. Athletics and gymnastics should be taken up at five plus but not in India where the SAI is disbanding its schemes for training-youngsters. Surprisingly, the SAI has not been paying attention to the budding generation of athletes and has been focussing on sportspersons who are already trained upto a certain level. Not many parents know about the real working of the SAI since it has not made any impact at the school level. |
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Champions India go down to Ukraine Dubai, March 14 Ukrainians were superior in all departments of the game but Indians showed they were no push-overs either. However, fatal flaws in India’s defence proved their undoing in the match which Ukraine won 25-21, 25-20, 25-20. The results were no indication of the resistance put up by the Indians who fought tooth and nail with a packed stadium cheering them all the way but the solid defence of Sereda Serhiy kept Ukraine from crumbling. Indian coach Shyam Sunder Rao said it was almost impossible to hold out against such a powerful side as Ukraine with only ‘Tony’ Tom Joseph leading the Indian assault.
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ITI score solitary goal win Bangalore, March 14 The all-important goal was scored by Nigerian striker Kenneth C. Ugwa through Peter’s shot in the 43rd minute. With three points from this match, ITI, who scored a win after 10 matches and avenged their lone-goal loss to Mahindra United in Mumbai, took their point tally to 12. Mahindra United have 14 points from 13 matches. Local outfit should blame themselves for not winning by a big margin as they were guilty of wasting at least half a dozen open chances. UNI |
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Award for Tiger Orlando, March 14 |
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HOOPER HAD THE
CONFIDENCE KOURNIKOVA OUT BREAK FOR BECKHAM ALI NOT BITTER |
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