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Thursday,
April 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Expert comments — Michael Holding Boje hands SA consolation
win
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JCT beat Tollygunge in NFL
Rati, Sai in last eight 2 UT boys in junior
Indian golf team
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Uncertainty over Harbhajan Georgetown (Guyana), April 10 Harbhajan Singh is the key to India’s scheme of things as they seek to put the past behind and chase their first Test series win outside the sub-continent in 16 years. The wily Sardar has earned a tremendous reputation for himself in the last one year making him one of the main strike bowlers of the team and he is an enigma for the West Indian batsmen, most of whom have never faced him before. His significance can be gauged from the statement of West Indian skipper Carl Hooper who said his batsmen were concentrating hard to devise a way to tackle the off-spinner. “Harbhajan has been good enough to get wickets wherever he goes. I do not know much about him and would have to devise a way myself to play him,” Hooper said. Plus, the wickets in West Indies are no longer as fast as they used to be a decade ago, which explains why the Indians are so anxious that Harbhajan Singh is fit to play. Harbhajan Singh, who experienced a pain in his bowling arm while fielding in a three-day game against Guyana Board President’s XI, may be declared fit to play tomorrow’s match since the MRI report on his injury hasn’t shown anything serious. A final decision would be taken only after the team’s nets session later today. But that solves only part of India’s problems, even though a major one. For, even though the West Indies are at their lowest ebb, India would have to produce more than just individual brilliance if they hope to beat them on their home soil. The West Indies have lost only two home series in the last 30 years and India have failed to put it across even weaker teams like Zimbabwe on their foreign tours. However, the Indian team looks well-equipped to finally end their drought on foreign wickets. With a much better balanced batting and bowling line-up than their opposition, India can actually be termed as favourites. It would be interesting to see what eleven the Indians field in tomorrow’s game. India’s chances, as usual, depend heavily on the performance of their batsmen and it is here that their main worries lie. The Indians have historically been vulnerable on fast and bouncy tracks and it is for the current crop of batsmen, certainly amongst the most gifted in terms of talent, to defy that record. In a surprise move, skipper Sourav Ganguly has announced that he would like to come at number three, a place where his deputy Rahul Dravid has done exceedingly well. Ganguly’s decision might have stemmed from the century knock, his first as captain, that he produced against Zimbabwe in the second Test at Delhi last month but he would be careful enough not to tinker with the balance of the batting order. Despite including Mumbai youngster Wasim Jaffer in the squad, the Indians may be tempted to play Deep Dasgupta as an opener alongwith Shiv Sunder Das purely because he has been able to produce the goods on a few earlier occasions. This series is also being seen as a duel between Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara which shows how heavily the two teams depend on these star performers for their chances. “I hope Sachin doesn’t get set. We have some good bowlers and hopefully we cant get him out. He is obviously going to have his day but we would be hopeful we would have more of our days than he is going have his own,” Hooper said. Despite his string of inconsistent performances, V.V.S. Laxman is another man to watch out for in the series. He has the ability to play the big knock on fast pitches, as exemplified in that classy 167 against Australia in Sydney two years ago, but a lot would depend on whether he able to curb his suicidal instincts. The Indians are most likely to go in with two fast bowlers and two spinners, with Javagal Srinath, who has never played in West Indies, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, if fit, being the candidates. Fellow offie Sarandeep Singh might be the lucky inclusion if Harbhajan is ruled unfit. Like the Indians, the West Indies too are desperate for a win, having lost their five previous Tests in a row. Teams (from): India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Deep Dasgupta, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Mongia, Sanjay Bangar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Tinu Yohannan, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan. West Indies: Carl Hooper (capt), Stuart Williams, Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Brian Charles Lara, Ramesh Sarawan, Ryan Hinds, Junior Murray, Cameron Cuffy, Adam Sanford, Mervyn Dillon, Marlon Black and Mahendra Nagamootoo.
PTI |
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Expert comments — Michael Holding It’s been more than 30 years since India won a Test series in the Caribbean. Back in 1971, their batting was dominated by the great Sunil Gavaskar who scored 774 runs at an average of 154.80. This 2002 tour threatens to be another successful venture as the new master batsman from the Indian subcontinent, Sachin Tendulkar, makes his second visit. His first wasn’t particularly successful for either his team or himself but conditions similar to 1971 prevail in West Indies cricket today. Irrespective of how many runs you get as an individual or as a team, if your bowlers are in-capable of bowling the opposition out twice, you are not going to win too many Test matches. The recent tour of Sri Lanka where the Windies master batsman Brian Lara scored 688 runs in the three Tests but they still lost three-nil is a fine example. Back in 1971, the Windies, with the bowlers available, found the task of getting 20 wickets almost insurmountable, and when they did manage the task, they were unable to do it cheaply enough. India, on the other hand, had a fantastic array of spin bowlers capable of wreaking havoc amongst most batting lineups around the world. Today, with the recent retirements of Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose and the unavailability of bowlers like Franklyn Rose, who got the man of the match award in the first Test when India last visited, plus Nixon McLean, who has decided to ply his trade in foreign lands, the Windies are struggling for bowlers. India, in the meantime, along with the aforementioned Sachin Tendulkar have batsmen of the calibre of their captain Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman, who almost single-handedly turned the tables on Australia on their most recent visit to the subcontinent, to pile on the runs on pitches in the Caribbean. It helps that pitches here have become more and more batsman-friendly in recent years. But as I mentioned before, you need to bowl the opposition out twice and the ammunition for that task is available. Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan may, or may not be effective on these pitches in the Caribbean but the ‘turbanator’, Harbhajan Singh, and the very reliable Anil Kumble will prove to be a handful. With the amount of runs expected to be piled up by their batsmen, the Windies batsmen will have lots of close company, waiting for that one small misjudgment of either spin or bounce that could bring about their downfall. At the time of writing, there is some doubt surrounding the participation of Harbhajan Singh in this first Test but I had the privilege of riding in the lift with him two nights before the game, and he seemed fine. He was returning to his room, with a gentleman who seemed to be a part of the hotel security team and so I quickly grabbed the opportunity to ask of his well being. He seemed in good spirits, as the MRI done in Trinidad on his shoulder, had revealed nothing sinister and was hoping to take his place in the starting line-up. That’s good news for India, they wouldn’t want to be losing the bowler who took over 30 wickets in the three Tests against a side like Australia. Of course, fingers will be pointed to the fact that those performances were at home on spinner-friendly pitches and also to the fact that India on a whole are poor tourists. Those are important factors that the Windies and their supporters will be clinging to, hoping for a turnaround in the recent fortunes of the team. Man for man and purely on cricketing terms, India are favourites for this upcoming series but if their away form continues to be as poor as in recent times, the Windies will not let any opportunity go
abegging. Gameplan |
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Boje hands SA consolation
win
Cape Town, April 10 Boje, who is due to join English county side Nottinghamshire in the summer, scored 49 and took 5 for 21 and was ably supported by a hard-hit 73 by Graeme Smith and a three-wicket opening burst by skipper Shaun Pollock as the hosts at last managed to win one of the one-dayers yesterday. Australia, for whom captain Ricky Ponting was named Man of the Series after leading his side with flair and hitting 283 runs at an average of 47.16, won the series 5-1 with one match tied. Opening batsman Smith hit eight fours in a 79-ball innings to spur South Africa to a highly competitive 249 for seven in a day-night match reduced to 39 overs a side because of rain. Australia were unable to repeat the heroics of the sixth match in Port Elizabeth when they achieved the highest successful run chase in one-day international history. Rocked by Pollock’s early strikes, they were bowled out for 185 giving South Africa victory by 65 runs. South Africa were sent in when the match was scheduled for 43 overs each after rain delayed the start by almost two hours. The overs were reduced further when there was another half-hour break because of rain. Smith (21) playing in his fourth one-day international, followed up innings of 41, 46 and 84 with another impressive performance. The strongly-built left-hander shared stands of 63 with Herschelle Gibbs (27) and 71 with Boje for the first two wickets. Jonty Rhodes gave momentum to the late stages of the innings, hitting an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls which included pulled sixes off Shane Watson and Shane Warne. Maher skied an attempted pull to square leg and Gilchrist was caught at slip when he top-edged a cut. South Africa Smith b Bichel 73 Gibbs run out 27 Boje c Gilchrist b Watson 49 Kallis c Maher b Warne 18 Rhodes not out 39 McKenzie lbw b Warne 0 Boucher c Watson b McGrath 18 Pollock c Watson b McGrath 8 Dippenaar not out 8 Extras (lb-5, w-4) 9 Total (for 7 wkts, 39 overs) 249 Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-134, 3-172, 4-180, 5-181, 6-225, 7-240. Bowling: McGrath 7-0-43-2, Lee 6-0-34-0, Bichel 8-0-34-1, Harvey 4-0-35-0, Warne 8-0-52-2, Watson 6-0-46-1. Australia Gilchrist c Kallis b Pollock 7 Maher c McKenzie b Pollock 8 Watson lbw b Pollock 16 Bevan c Pollock b Boje 55 Martyn c Smith b Kallis 24 Ponting lbw b Telemachus 1 Harvey b Boje 14 Warne b Boje 3 Lee b Boje 28 Bichel not out 15 McGrath st Boucher b Boje 0 Extras (b-2, lb-7, nb-1, w-4) 14 Total (all out, 32.3 overs) 185 FOW: 1-16, 2-16, 3-56, 4-95, 5-98, 6-125, 7-137, 8-138, 9-185. Bowling: Pollock 6-0-28-3, Telemachus 6-0-35-1, Hayward 8-0-52-0, Kallis 6-0-40-1, Boje 6.3-0-21-5.
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Sriram hits ton Jaipur, April 10 After no play was possible on the first day yesterday due to a damp pitch, the start of the match today was delayed by 90 minutes. Scoreboard South Zone (Ist innings): S Sriram lbw b Kanwat 102, M S K Prasad c Jhalani b Pandey 11, Vinay Kumar b Pandey 0, A Yadav st Jhalani b Kanwat 54, V Bharadwaj lbw b Kanwat 16, N Kishore b Parida 2, S Sarath not out 22, H Watekar b Kanwat 9, D Ganesh lbw b Parida 4, Suresh Kumar b Parida 3, R V Prasad b Kanwat 0. Extras (b-6, lb-6, nb-4, w-2) 18 Total (all out, 89.3 overs) 241 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-22, 3-131, 4-184, 5-187, 6-209, 7-223, 8-234, 9-240. Bowling: S Pandey 13-3-41-2, Harvinder Singh 8-1-22-0, K Parida 31-7-67-3, J P Yadav 8-1-25-0, R Kanwat 29.3-6-74-5.
PTI
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West pile up
526 Kolkata, April 10 Resuming at their overnight score of 274 for one, with Hrishikesh Kanitkar on 154 and Nilesh Modi on 88, West continued their onslaught as the pair put on 320 runs for the second wicket to lay the foundation for the huge total. Captain Kanitkar seemed to be in a more aggressive mood and displayed some brilliant shots on either side of the wicket while Modi continued to play the anchor role to perfection. It was East captain Sanjay Raul who eventually broke the marathon second wicket stand when he bowled a tired Kanitkar (197) at the stroke of lunch. Modi made 118. Sitanshu Kotak (50) and Kaushik Aphale (50) also chipped in with useful contributions as West Zone took complete control of the game and put themselves firmly in contention for their 18th title triumph. Nayan Mongia (13) and Sairaj Bahutule (34) were the two not out batsmen at stumps as East bolwers toiled hard for wickets in extremely hot and humid conditions. Kanitkar occupied the crease for 433 minutes and slammed as many as 24 boundaries and two sixes. His partner Modi fell for the addition of just one more run, raising hopes of a fightback by the home team but the two new batsmen Kotak and Aphale also managed to get their eye in. Modi, who was a picture of concentration at the middle, was trapped plumb in front of the wicket giving off spinner Sanjay Raul his second wicket in quick succession. The fourth-wicket pair of Kotak and Aphale stitched 106 runs which put the West Zone innings on track yet again. Both the players seemed to be in no trouble at all as they countered both the paceman and spinners with ease on what seemed a good batting track at the Eden. Aphale completed his half century during the post lunch session but fell to young spinner Sourashish Lahiri soon after while Kotal also perished immediately after notching up his half century with veteran left arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee doing the damage. Amol Mazumder was the lone batsmen who could not get a substantial score as he returned to the pavilion for just 10. West Zone (1st innings): Modi lbw b Raul 118 Godbole C Zufri b Das 18 Kanitkar b Raul1 97 Kotak lbw b Chatterjee 50 Aphale b Lahiri 51 Mazumder c Zufri
b Chatterjee 10 Mongia batting 13 Bahutule batting 4 Extras: (b-17, lb-7, nb-11) 35 Total: (for 6 wkts, 180 overs) 526 Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-353, 3-354, 4-460, 5-462, 6-471. Bowling: Mark Ingty 21-3-86-0, Laxmi Ratan Shukla 17-4-60-0, Utpal Chatterjee 50-14-132-2, Parag Das 7-1-18-1, Sourashish Lahiri 46-10-116-1, Sanjay Raul 39-5-90-2.
PTI |
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CM lays stone of
sports hostel Chandigarh, April 10 According to the department sports officials, the proposed hostel is likely to be completed in one year. It is likely to be built on the south-west side of the existing swimming pool and the sports complex. It will be planned as a three storeyed RCC framed structure in steel shuttering pattern and exposed brick
walls. The total covered area on all the three floors will be 22000 square feet. The hostel will have 23 dormitories and six suites with attached toilets. The hostel will include a dining hall with kitchen and pantry facilities. |
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JCT beat Tollygunge in NFL Ludhiana, April 10 In the first session, JCT players exhibited an attacking game and forced their rivals on the defensive most of time. They threatened the Tollygunge’s territory time and again but their forwards failed to convert the chances that came their way. Tollygunge retaliated and managed to storm the JCT citadel twice but on both occasions, their star striker Akeem Abolanli’s powerful kicks were fended off by goalkeeper Arvind Kumar. After the first barren half, JCT displayed more control in the midfield and also made repeated forays into the Tollygunge territory. In the 53rd minute, Hardeep Sangha and Stephen weaved a good move and the duo barged into the striking zone but Sangha’s lob missed the target by inches. Five minutes later, JCT could have scored a goal but medio Harinder Singh’s sizzler hit the bar. Hardip Saini produced a brilliant goal in the 84th minute to put JCT in the lead. Hardip Gill and Shaminder Singh, exhibiting deft foot work, dodged past deep defenders and entered the danger area. They were swarmed by a horde of Tollygunge defenders who tried to tackle them and in the goal mouth melee, Hardip Saini’s grounder deflected off goal keeper Amit Singha Roy’s hands and the ball crossed the goal line. Referee, Vinod Kumar awarded the goal to JCT. But Tollygunge players were dissatisfied with the decision and argued that the ball had not crossed the goal-line. Tollygunge players made desperate efforts to draw level and mounted pressure on the JCT deep defenders but they held out despite the rough tactics of their rivals.
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Sports sciences centre for GND varsity Amritsar, April 10 Dr S.P. Singh said Guru Nanak Dev University was in the forefront in sports having was won the prestigious Maulana Azad Trophy, the highest honour in university sports for 18 years besides, having produced 18 Arjuna awardees over 30 years since its inception. The Vice-Chancellor added that the UGC had already released Rs 5 crore as the initial amount for academic research and development of infrastructure for sport sciences. The centre for excellence would have state-of-the-art research labs for muscle testing, dope testing, etc. The centre would be the first of its kind in India for providing scientific back-up in sports sciences and would be at par with the best in developed nations. Dr S.P. Singh pointed out that although the UGC would provide about Rs 30 crore for the entire project, the remaining funds would be released based on its performance in the next five years. Sports sciences would comprise two parallel streams. While the first would pertain to the scientific training of selected sportspersons in various disciplines with selections depending on physique. The second stream would provide scientific know-how to meet the required international standards. While concentrating on training, the university would soon introduce new courses, including five-year integrated post graduate degree in sports, masters in sports biomechanics, masters in kineseology, bachelor in occupational therapy, degree in exercise phisology, and postgraduate diploma in advance dietics etc. |
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Rati, Sai in last eight Nagpur, April 10 Rati raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set against Nandini Perumal before winning it 6-1. Weathering a brief resistance from Nandini in the early part of the second set Rati went on to win 6-2 6-3 in about an hour. Second seed Radhika Tulpule showed greater variety and experience in outclassing upcoming junior Ankita Bhambri 6-4 6-1. National grass court champion Sai Jayalakshmi made shortwork of, the only foreign entry, Indonesian Eveline Rusdianto 6-2 6-1. The Indian sailed smoothly showing better courtcraft and stopped Rusdianto from making any inroads. Fifth seed Sheethal Goutham also coasted to a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory over Vandana Murli. Fourth seed Sonal Phadke rallied superbly after losing the first set to win 3-6 6-0 6-3 against Geeta Manoharan. Sonal took a while to settle down before winning in 90 minutes to move into the last eight. Mumbai-leg winner Samrita Sekar continued her good form defeating Medini Sharma 6-3 6-4. Medini put up a stiff fight in the second set before dropping her game in the crucial fifth game. Samrita joined Isha Lakhani in the quarter-final who accounted for Kamini Murgaboopaty 6-0 6-2. Liza Pereira completed the quarter-final line-up beating Anupama Rajur 7-5 6-2.
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2 UT boys in junior
Indian golf team Chandigarh, April 10 The two boys have been doing very well and have showed their class at the trials held at the Jaypee Greens. Top junior golfers from the Asia Pacific region will be seen in action at the meet Mr I.S. Sibia, president of the Chandigarh Golf Club, said the club was proud of the boys who had made it into the India team. He said the club would try to provide the right infrastructure to the junior players who were doing very well in the international competitions. The following is the team for the Asia-Pacific meet: Lakshman Singh (captain), Harinder Gupta and Ajeetesh Sandhu (Chandigarh), Jaskirat Singh Dullet (Patiala), Deepak Kumar, Karan Talwar and Karun Vasudev (Delhi) and Ranjit Singh (Kolkata) |
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Chandigarh, April 10
