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Tuesday,
May 8, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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“Rotation policy being followed” We need to stay positive: Hooper I am bad news for England: Shoaib ACB to define coach’s role
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Govt apathy forced Gurcharan to leave Samuel Banerjee badminton
tournament postponed Former PHA secretary Inderjit Singh dead Chandigarh win
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“Rotation policy being followed” New Delhi, May 7 The national selectors picked three wicketkeepers for the 41-day tour beginning May 28. Surprisingly, they ignored India’s number one wicketkeeper, Baroda’s Nayan Mongia, as well as Delhi’s Vijay Dahiya. They retained Mumbai’s Sameer Dighe and picked up Ajay Ratra of Haryana and Deep Dasgupta of West Bengal with an eye on the “future.” “I do not agree with the selectors’ policy,” former India wicketkeeper Vijay Yadav told IANS. “It seems to me like a rotation policy. After all, what wrong have Dahiya and Mongia done?” Dighe, Mongia and Dahiya all played in the Test and one-day series against Australia in February-March, in which India upset world champions Australia 2-1 in the three-Test series but lost the five-match one-day series 2-3. Now Dighe is expected to be the selectors’ first choice when they pick the final 16, leaving Ratra and Dasgupta to fight it out for the second place. If the selectors decide to depart from the established practice of picking up two wicketkeepers in a 16-member team, they can opt for experience for the two-Test series, to be played before the one-day triangular series involving the West Indies. Said Yadav: “Ratra is a good wicketkeeper, but let him spend some time with the seniors so that he settles down, before making him play. He is already under pressure.” Chandu Borde, chairman of the selectors, had explained while announcing the probables on April 22 that Dighe’s retention was a reward for this gutsy batting in the third Test, and not entirely for his work behind the wickets, which was clearly below par. The 32-year-old was summoned for the Chennai Test after Mongia was injured during the second Test in Kolkata. Mongia has since recovered, and was a member of the Baroda team that won the Ranji Trophy, beating Railways in the final last month. He, however, did not do anything extraordinary behind the stumps and failed with the bat too. The reason for his omission is said to be his “attitude,” which the selectors and John Wright, the Indian team coach from New Zealand, did not like. Wright is believed to have praised the way Dighe fought for victory in Chennai. Both Ratra and Dasgupta are talented and have had a good season that has just ended. Ratra, who also represented the Rest of India against the visiting English under-19 team and the National Cricket Academy, played seven matches in the entire season, during which he took 17 catches and effected four stumpings. Dasgupta’s figures were seven matches, 23 catches and three stumpings. The 25 probables are: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Shiv Sundar Das, Hemang Badani, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Mohammed Kaif, Sameer Dighe, Ajay Ratra, Deep Dasgupta, Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Debashis Mohanty, Ashish Nehra, Rakesh Patel, Harvinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Sairaj Bahutule and Rahul Sanghvi.
IANS |
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We need to stay positive: Hooper St George’s (Grenada), May 7 South Africa dismissed their hosts for 200 before reaching their target with 23 balls to spare, Gary Kirsten top-scoring with 72 and Boeta Dippenaar making an unbeaten 62 in his first international innings in over two months on tour. “We discussed the importance of the weekend,’’ Pollock said. ‘’Two wins back-to-back can have a big impact on the series. We’re really proud of ourselves and the way we’ve played to have won both and the two wins stand us in good stead.’’ South Africa won the two games emphatically and in contrasting styles, amassing an imposing total on Saturday and then chasing comfortably yesterday. “It’s good to have won batting first and then fielding first. Obviously the toss is only there to start the game and it’s good to know that we can win under all circumstances. “It’s also important for us as a team to see Boeta (Dippenaar) come in and bat at three and get some runs. We need to have as much depth as we can and the guys have got to keep realising that they’re all good enough and when they get the opportunity they must take it,’’ Pollock said. The South African captain backed his decision to bowl first with a superb bowling performance, taking 1-16 from his 10 overs. “Having won the toss and elected to bowl I think the fourth or fifth ball went through the top so I thought ‘Oh dear, we’ve made the wrong decision here’. But there was only the one patch which tended to explode and it wasn’t really on a length which bothered our right-handers,’’ he said. Man-of-the-Match Allan Donald finished with 4-38 from his ten overs, despite seeing his first three balls clattered to the boundary by Brian Lara. His first over cost 14 runs. “I could understand the first delivery going for four because it was a rank long-hop, the second one made me sit up and take notice and the third one forced me to wonder whether I was going to finish the over, it was that bad,’’ Donald said with a smile. “I think in situations like that you’ve got to keep positive, keep varying the pace. At that stage I thought he (Lara) was going to try and take me out of the attack but I just had to stay patient. Ten overs for 38, I’ll take that.’’ West Indies captain Carl Hooper struggled to find positives after a bleak weekend for his side in front of two full houses at Queen’s Park Stadium. “I think we’ve had a poor two days,’’ Hooper said. “We didn’t bowl well yesterday and today we didn’t bat well. We’ve got to pick ourselves up now and go to Barbados for the next game. “We’ve now put ourselves in a position where we need to win three games to win the one-day series, which is a big task. We’ve got to stay positive and keep preparing ourselves well and hopefully turn things around.’’
Reuters |
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I am bad news for England: Shoaib Karachi, May 7 Shoaib, who faces a race against time to try and earn selection for the first Test after missing the start of the two-Test tour, said: “I am fit and in a proper frame of mind... They (England) haven’t faced me but I am sure they are aware of what I am capable of. “I am sure it is a bad news for the English team.” Shoaib, one of the fastest as well as one of the most controversial bowlers in the world, failed to fly out with the rest of the 17-man squad last week after failing a medical test. But he was given permission to travel by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) panel of doctors on Saturday. “Shoaib left Lahore for England on Monday morning and in all probability will be available for the second tour match,” director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Munawwar Rana told Reuters. Shoaib, who has just been cleared after being reported for a suspect bowling action for the second time in his career, missed Pakistan’s Test series in New Zealand in March with a thigh injury. The 25-year-old, who has taken 45 wickets in 15 Tests, will be challenging Wasim Akram and Mohammad Sami for a place alongside captain Waqar Younis in the Pakistan pace attack. Question marks remain over his match fitness, though. Shoaib, who had not played in a competitive game since February 28, appeared in a club match on Friday but failed to take a wicket in six overs costing 20 runs. He seemed unconcerned, however, adding: “I think this tour will help me put my cricket back on track. “I think I will be more aggressive and fearsome because I will be trying to make up for the lost time.” The tourists have two more warm-up matches against county opposition before the first Test, starting at Lord’s on May 17. They end their tour with a triangular one-day series also involving Australia.
Reuters |
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ACB to define coach’s role Sydney, May 7 Sources said today the board wants to clearly define the coaching role for the first time after Buchanan made some controversial statements about Shane Warne during the recent Indian tour. Buchanan, one of the major factors behind Australia’s run of 16 winning Tests, was criticised for an outspoken criticism of Warne’s fitness leading into the deciding Test of the Indian series. It has led to claims from an English newspaper that Buchanan could lose his role as a tour selector for this year’s Ashes defence in England. Buchanan said he was surprised at the article and said he had no idea whether his automatic role as joint tour selector would be reviewed by the ACB’s board of directors. But it is believed there is tension between Buchanan and the ACB, which is still expected to renew his contract during the Ashes series. The crux of the issue remains whether the coach should be a behind-the-scenes mentor or a spokesman for the team. Buchanan’s role could be restricted by the ACB despite his outstanding record as national coach — 15 wins from 17 Tests. Buchanan was not coach when Australia won the first of their 16 consecutive Tests against Zimbabwe in Harare prior to November 1999. The Queenslander said he would be disappointed to lose his role as tour selector but admitted it could be seen as contradictory. “It depends on what the role of the coach is on tour and at home and that’s why it’s an important issue,” Buchanan said today. “Being a selector on tour hasn’t necessarily jeopardised that role at the moment but, if it was seen to be, I would probably see there isn’t a role as a selector.” Australian coaches have taken on varied roles since Bob Simpson pioneered the position in the 1980s. Simpson had different roles under captains Allan Border and Mark Taylor while incumbent leader Steve Waugh has a firm say on the current team. Buchanan, who is a former coach of Middlesex, hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with his players, most notably Stuart Law in Queensland and Middlesex pair Mark Ramprakash and Mike Gatting. But his success and support from most players have been unquestioned, leading to his appointment to the Australian position in November 1999 following the retirement of Geoff Marsh. Buchanan was not afforded much credit during Australia’s record-breaking streak, but his role came under question in India when Australia lost their first series in more than 18 months.
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I found Vivian Richards inspirational, London, May 7 “Gavaskar had incredible discipline and consistency and the technique to match and Richards had such aggression. He could destroy the best bowling anywhere. I suppose I like to think I’ve got the qualities of both those players, but it was Richards who, I suppose, I found inspirational,” says Tendulkar, who, at 16, dreamt of being the best player in the world, in an interview to the Daily Telegraph published today. Of his contemporaries, Tendulkar believes Steve Waugh and Brian Lara are the best. Describing him as a rarity in modern sport, the newspaper says that many, including England’s greatest all rounder Ian Botham who believes Tendulkar could go on to be “the finest of all time,” say his best years may still be ahead of him. Tendulkar feels match-fixing in cricket was a “horrible phase and says he was surprised by the depth of the problem. “I think a lot of cricket fans felt badly let down and
disappointed. Although I think the game is far too big to be damaged long-term,” the young stalwart said. Tendulkar told interviewer Sebastian coe “I didn’t expect to read those kind of things in a paper. Luckily, it didn’t affect the morale of the (India) team and I think we all felt our great challenge was to start a new chapter. We were also lucky that our team was a young team and the Indian public did really get behind us”. Although he enjoys the cut and thrust of the one-day game, he recognises that the five-day distance is more challenging and “provides the real test for the batsman or the fast bowler.” Tendulkar considers himself to be a product of the one-day game. Not for him the tortuous arguments of traditionalists versus modernists, says Coe. “The one-day game has advanced, not hindered, the traditional Test series. It has made cricket far more positive. It has improved, without question, the standard of fielding. It has brought massive changes to the game, but it has made it much faster and has changed the fitness level of everybody. “I don’t see a problem in picking two different types of team and if the player can’t adapt he should be left out.” The batting genius considers his greatest innings to have been his 141 against Australia in the Wills International Cup quarter-final in Dhaka in 1998. “Nobody expected us to win. It was the day that everything came together. I can still remember almost every stroke I played that day.” His total came from 128 balls with 13 fours and three sixes. It also got him his 30th Man-of-the-Match award at international level, and he followed this up with bowling figures of four for 38 off little more than nine overs. In the same year, at the age of 25, he set a world record when he scored his 18th limited-overs century, relegating that of Desmond Haynes to second place in the record books. The daily says Tendulkar’s talents were all too briefly on show when he played a season for Yorkshire, in 1992. “It was a tremendous experience and exposure and, in many respects, a highlight for me particularly as I was the first overseas player to play for Yorkshire,” he said, although Sir Len Hutton was probably turning in his grave. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer, but there was just no way I could combine five months’ commitment to the Indian team with a county season. I don’t think it will be possible for me to play for a county”. Tendulkar is keen to go on chasing records and, in the process, ripping the heart out of the world’s best bowlers. He has established unquestionable supremacy over them all, including Australia’s Shane Warne, who he places among a handful of great bowlers against whom he has played, including Sir Richard Hadley, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, although he is unwilling to rank them. According to Coe, there is little hinterland in Tendulkar’s life. Cricket is all-consuming and, apart from a devotion to his family, everything else is on hold until he retires. “I want to stay as fit as I can for as long as possible and focus all my energy on scoring runs. I don’t like living in the past or the future and I certainly can’t think five years ahead,” he said. Only at the end of his career will he make any real attempt to develop his commercial potential which, given his profile in India, is immense. It will be some time before he feels it is right to develop his interests away from cricket. “I would like to be remembered as somebody who tried hard for my country — very hard,” he said. In the piece “Tendulkar at the peak and looking forever upwards”, Coe describes the maestro as great
Indian batsman who remains dedicated to a winning team. “Sachin Tendulkar is a rarity in modern sport. He will freely talk about the great teams in which he has played and even the great players he has played against. But ask him about his extraordinary gifts at the wicket and he digs in, Boycott fashion,” Coe writes. It is not that he is unaware of his status on the
international cricket scene, just that he genuinely has derived “the most pleasure when being a part of a winning Indian team”. And beating Pakistan in the ’92, ’96 and ’99 world cups has given him “three great moments” in his career. Tendulkar, who made his one-day and Test debut for India at the age of 16, is the only player to score five Test centuries before the age of 20 and the youngest player to score 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 runs in both formats. His biggest daily challenge comes not in the chaotic carnival atmosphere of India’s cricket grounds, but in maintaining a private life, away from the constant glare of a grateful but fanatical nation, Coe says. His early interest in the game was nurtured by his elder brother Ajit, who although 10 years his senior, recognised his younger brother’s precocious talent. Ajit was a competent player who has, throughout Tendulkar’s career, been a friend, confidant and, on occasions, assumed the role of coach. “He will still discuss the finer points of my game. There is nobody that knows more about my batting than Ajit. He never speaks publicly about the help he has given me; in fact I don’t think he likes talking! and he certainly doesn’t like watching any match I’m playing in. “It has become quite a joke, because we can never find him when he knows I have to play a big innings. I scored a hundred in a school match and he has not been back since. Somebody rings him up after I have played to tell him what I’ve done and then he’ll watch it on tape.” His father, Ramesh, took a more paternal and laid-back approach to his youngest son’s talent. “He was a writer and poet, not particularly interested in sport, but was always supportive, without putting any pressure on me. He would say ‘whatever you do in life, be sincere and honest,’ I think I have inherited my father’s inner calm.” It is that inner calm that provided such a vital foundation for his debut for India in 1989 against Pakistan in a one-day match at Gujranwala and later that year in a Test at Karachi, against the pace-bowling of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. “I remember walking into the changing room and wondering how I would cope with all the famous names around me and they were all about twice my age. My captain, Krish Srikanth was a great supporter. He sat me down before the game and told me that I belonged in the team, and they were all very proud of my achievement. Nobody made me feel like a teenager.” It soon became obvious that Tendulkar was no ordinary teenager. It was his uncompromising mental and physical approach to the game that set him apart. “I was too young at 16 to be frightened by anything. I went out to play as hard each time as I could. I dreamed of being the best player in the world, but you don’t disclose that. I just wanted to score more runs than anybody else. I know now that it is mental discipline that sets people apart, the ability to think differently and to generate energy in the right direction. Everybody is trying hard, the players who succeed are the ones who push themselves a bit harder.”
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Paes-Bhupathi duo clinches title New Delhi, May 7 The second-seeded Indians sent the unseeded duo packing 7-6, 6-2 in little more than an hour, according to information received here today. The Indians had defeated another unseeded pair of Paul Macpherson/Grant Stafford 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 in the semi-finals. The former world number one combine had won the Verizon Atlanta Challenge last week defeating top seeds Rick Leach (USA) and David Macpherson (Aus) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).
PTI |
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Roddick claims 2nd consecutive title Houston, May 7 “It feels great,’’ said the 18-year-old Floridian after collecting $ 46,000 yesterday, one week after earning $ 54,000 for his Atlanta title. “I didn’t expect it going into Atlanta, but I knew I was playing well coming into here. It’s big any time you win two ATP tournaments in two weeks,” said Roddick, whose current form began with an upset of Pete Sampras on the Ericsson Open hardcourts en route to his first ATP Tour quarter-final. His transition to clay has been perfection. But even with consecutive titles on the slow surface, Roddick was not ready to declare himself a French Open contender. “Anybody who puts me as a contender there is ridiculous,’’ said Roddick, who did not drop a set in his two title runs. But the American could well prove to be a tough early round opponent for anyone at Roland Garros. “I can give most players a match. I just want to go in there and play well. If I play well, somebody is going to have to play well to beat me.’’ The eighth-seeded Lee, the first Korean player to reach an ATP Tour final, stayed with Roddick through nine games. But the American won the final 12 points of that first set by serving two love games and breaking Lee at love. “I just wanted to hold serve and get my feet into the match,’’ said Roddick, who was a bit sleep deprived after not getting back to his hotel until nearly 2 a.m. due to a four-hour rain delay on Saturday and some post-match treatment. “I got that spark at 4-5.” Reuters |
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Indo-Pakistan hockey series approved Dubai, May 7 The UAE Hockey Committee, with backing from the Cricketers’ Benefit Fund Series, organisers of cricket series in Sharjah, had been trying to host the tournament here in early next year and its efforts got a boost when the ruler’s office conveyed its approval to Major Saeed Al Suweidi, the Committee’s general secretary. The approval means the tournament would be held next February at the Central Ministry Command Stadium though the astroturf hockey pitch is yet to be readied. The event was planned for April-May this year but had to be postponed as the facility was not available. With a substantial presence of the expatriate population from the Indian sub-continent here, the hockey tournament is expected to see the same success as the CBFS cricket series in Sharjah. India did not participate in the Sharjah cricket series this year after the government categorically stated the country will not participate at non-regular venues, including Singapore, Sharjah and Toronto, for three years. Sports Minister Uma Bharti is on record stating that restrictions on sporting contacts with Pakistan were limited only to cricket and not other disciplines.
PTI |
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Govt apathy forced Gurcharan to leave Patiala, May 7 A visit to Gurcharan’s native place Machhiwara, near Ludhiana, revealed that his father Jagir Singh, was also kept in the dark by his son and was trying to get in touch with the Army authorities to locate him. Jagir Singh admitted his family had received a letter from Gurcharan’s unit, 17th Sikh Regiment, asking them to produce the boxer. However, the boxer had yet to establish contact with his family, confirmed a family source. After the Sydney Olympics, a disillusioned Gurcharan had confided to this reporter. “My achievement is no less than the effort of K. Malleswari. While Malleswari is hogging all the limelight, neither honour nor financial reward is coming my way”. A close friend of Gurcharan said: “He deserved a better deal. After Sydney, Gurcharan apparently was in a state of depression, though he never showed it. Though some of his coaches tried to console him but nobody could understand the boxer’s angst and agony over missing a Olympic medal by the proverbial whisker.” Interestingly, just after Sydney Olympics, Gurcharan had performed the vanishing trick and nobody had any clue about his whereabouts. At that time he had remained `incommunicado’ for nearly two months and surfaced just days before the Senior National Boxing Championships was to commence at Pune in January this year. A source, who was present at Sydney, revealed that Gurcharan was all set to defect immediately after the Olympics. However, fearing a backlash and adverse publicity, he changed his plans. Gurcharan considered Dronacharya awardee and chief coach of the Indian squad G.S Sandhu as his guide, mentor and philosopher, all rolled into one. However, this time he has even kept Sandhu in the dark about his plans. The question now is whether Gurcharan has left the country for good or will he come back. Sources disclose that going by the clandestine manner in which he has gone, chances of his coming back are remote. However, going by boxers temperament, he may surface from his hideout in the USA and return to his homeland, feel others. |
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Samuel Banerjee badminton
tournament postponed Chandigarh, May 7 She said matches would be played according to the new scoring system. Entries close with secretary, CBPWA on June 10. |
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Former PHA secretary Inderjit Singh dead Chandigarh, May 7 He was the manager of the national hockey team for the World Cup hockey tournament in Pakistan and for other international tournaments in Malaysia and Singapore. He had also played a significant role in moulding the careers of many hockey players of the past, prominent among them are Ajit Pal Singh, Devinder Singh Garcha, Prithpal Singh and Surjit Singh. He retired as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Punjab, in 1984. “Despite himself being a soccer player in his hey days, his love for hockey will be long remembered”, said Garcha. Inderjit Singh is survived by his wife, son and daughter. |
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Chandigarh win Chandigarh, May 7 Narinder Awasthi scored two goals in 30th and 54th minutes while in 65th minute it was the turn of skipper Manmohan Singh, who further consolidated the position 3-0. Earlier, in a UP-Haryana match two goals were scored by Karan Singh and one each by Mohd Hassan and S.Raza. |
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