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Wednesday,
September 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Bowlers must back us, says Ganguly
Expert comments: Jonty Rhodes Chetan Sharma writes Faridkot
XI make promising start |
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NIS converted into a virtual fortress Baba Farid school clinch title Chander
Mohan’s plea dismissed
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Bowlers
must back us, says Ganguly
Colombo, September 24 The way India swept aside England in their last league match on Sunday, they certainly lived up to the tag of favourites given to them by English captain Nasser Hussain. But even skipper Sourav Ganguly conceded it won’t be that easy every time especially against a team like South Africa. The formidable Indian batting line-up will be put to a much tougher test tomorrow especially since South African pace spearhead Allan Donald is set to return to the team despite an ankle injury. “We have to play well to win tomorrow. The South Africans are a good side and play as a unit. Particularly, they are a very good bowling side,” Ganguly said. The trio of Donald, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis certainly form a more potent attack than what England had to offer and with Lance Klusener and Makhaya Ntini also likely to play, the five-pronged pace attack can give a lot of headache to the Indian batsmen. And like India, South African batting also has a lot of depth and the experience. The ability to handle spinners has “improved dramatically”, as pointed out by Kallis recently and that has almost nullified the advantage of teams like India which rely more on spin. The Indians are certainly pumped up after registering their 12th win in last 16 matches. Ganguly fondly remembered that his side had beaten South Africa in the previous edition of this tournament and hoped to repeat that result tomorrow. The Indians are unlikely to disturb their winning combination. The only place up for grabs in this well-balanced side, as pointed out by Ganguly, is the number three position for which Dinesh Mongia and V V S Laxman are contesting. Laxman’s dismissal for four against England seems unlikely to be held against him, with Ganguly already having apologised for the mix-up that led to the stylish batsman’s run out, and he would in most probability given another chance tomorrow. There seems to be little problem with India’s batting right now. All of them are in fine form and among the runs. But Ganguly has expressed concerns over his bowling resources. The two left-arm seamers, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan who bowled beautifully against England, are probably overworked and there is no one to replace them with. Ajit Agarkar has not been tried out in this tournament so far and he can be an option, especially since he also did pretty well with the bat on the recent England tour. Ganguly was disappointed that India had allowed England to reach 269 after reducing them to seven for two in the sixth over. “The bowlers must do better. I have full faith in Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and myself, but the bowlers must back us,” he said. South Africa, on the other hand, would feel more comfortable about their bowling than the batting. Certainly, players like Herschelle Gibbs and Kallis, as also Graeme Smith, have had good hit-outs in the tournament but the loss of form of Klusener as a hard-hitting batsman has been a worrying factor. Pollock however was not too much worried about Klusener’s form, saying his batting resources were good enough. “We are pretty confident, as I think India will also be,” he said. Pollock was also impressed by newcomer Graeme Smith, who has come in place of Gary Kirsten. “Smith has proved to be more than an able replacement.” Asked whether Klusener can be asked to open the innings as he had done in Morocco in the three-nation tournament, Pollock smiled and said: “We may spring a surprise on the Indians tomorrow”. But the South Africans were definitely planning their strategy against Sehwag who belted the English attack on way to his second one-day century on Sunday. “They played incredibly well,” Pollock said referring to the innings of Sehwag and Ganguly who too hit a century in that match. Donald agreed with his captain’s assessment. “They can be devastating. Its going to take a huge effort, a skillful effort from us to pull it off tomorrow,” he said. South Africa have reinforced their squad with fast bowler Steve Elworthy and spinner Robin Peterson to replace the injured Nicky Boje and Alan Dawson but it was unlikely that either of them would figure in tomorrow’s match. Both the captains said winning the toss might not make any big difference in tomorrow’s match, but Pollock felt the worn-out track might make batting first a bit more important. Teams (from): South Africa: Shaun Pollock (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Jonty Rhodes, Dale Bekenstein, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Allan Donald, Steve Elworthy, Robin Peterson. India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, V V S Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, J P Yadav. Umpires: David Shepherd (England) and Russel Tiffin (Zimbabwe). TV Umpire: Daryl Harper (Australia). Match-referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka). PTI
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Expert comments: Jonty Rhodes
The first semifinal gets under way at the Premadasa on Wednesday between India and South Africa. The road to the semifinals for the two teams could not have been more different, India were in the toughest group of the tournament but had two easy wins to make it to the semis. The India-Zimbabwe match was a little closer than India’s match against England on Sunday, but India were always in control during Zimbabwe’s run chase. South Africa on the other hand got a bit of a fright from West Indies. We were cruising along comfortably for most of the time, but things got a little tight at the end. In retrospect I think it’s good to have a close match at the group stage because you are better equipped to handle the tension that is invariably part of a semifinal or final. It sets a team up well to handle the pressure environment, and this time round I’m sure the match against India will have plenty of tough moments. The South Africans are a lot more acclimatised to the hot and humid conditions here than the Indians are. We got here well ahead of the tournament and have gotten used to the weather. India got in from England just before their first match and have been struggling a bit. Even on Sunday, one of their bowlers had a bit of a stomach problem while the others also seemed to be struggling in the heat. The conditions are pretty draining and being here for a longer time will definitely help us. From the fielding point of view I prefer fielding in the heat rather than in biting cold. When it is cold the hands hurt more and the ball stings when it hits you. In fact, one of my memories in international cricket was of a hot, humid day in Mumbai during the Hero Cup, when I took five catches. Of course it was almost a decade ago and I was 10 years younger! Fortunately for me, even after all these years I still enjoy running around in the heat and working up a good sweat. The team we have here is not very different from the one that played against India during their tour to South Africa last year. The only new face is Graeme Smith who has come in place of Gary Kirsten. He got his opportunity against Australia last year and played with a great deal of confidence. He averaged over 40 in the one-dayers, which is outstanding against the Australian attack. The way he handled the Australian pacemen was particularly impressive. He is a youngster we all have plenty of expectations of and his positive attitude is a real asset to the team. India too have some pretty good youngsters in their side. I saw the India-England match and was very impressed by the entire team’s performance. Of course some things did go their way when they batted with the ball falling in gaps or just wide of the fielder. But it was a marvelous performance that showed that they are a high-quality side. The younger crop of batsmen have come along nicely for India and their opening bowlers too show promise. As far as we are concerned, we are not unnecessarily worried by India’s performance on Sunday. Firstly, as a team India have often been found wanting in the consistency department. After a couple of good games things can go wrong sometimes. It will be a pressure game and that often does funny things to people. More importantly, South Africa always focuses on their own preparation rather than worry about what the opposition is doing. Of course we know India have players like Sachin Tendulkar who are worrisome to any bowling attack in the world. But he is only human, and sometimes the weight of a nation’s expectations and a few good balls from us can do the trick. We know Tendulkar is due for a big score in this tournament, but then, he is always a threat. Our preparation has been ideal in this tournament. We had a tough match against the West Indies followed by a day off. A couple of days later we had a game against Kenya that provided us with valuable match practice, with all the guys getting a bat. The gaps in the itinerary have actually helped us prepare better and we are absolutely ready for the big game on Wednesday. (Gameplan)
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Chetan Sharma writes Beating England was one thing, getting past South Africa will be another. England were a team just like our own but South Africa are the world’s second best side so the Indians can understand what they should expect tomorrow when they play in the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy. The difference between England and South Africa is that the South African bowlers and fielders will not allow teams to chase big totals. Their bowling is consistent and their fielding brilliant so there are no easy runs to be had from them. It gives them an advantage of at least 20-30 runs on the field which is not easy to cover in international cricket nowadays. In my view it will be the Indian bowling which will be crucial to tomorrow’s result. The Indian bowlers allowed both Zimbabwe and England to recover from bad starts but against South Africa that will be quite a foolish thing to do. In case South Africa are to bat first, the Indian bowlers should try to contain them to around 250 runs or so only otherwise they may rue their inability. All said and done, I would still rank India the favourites to win tomorrow. They are on a winning streak which means they believe in their abilities so no marks for guessing who will be under pressure tomorrow. Last time at Nairobi also India had beaten South Africa and now the present Indian team is much better than it was two years ago. India have the best one-day batting line up in the world with a talented batsman such as Mohammad Kaif coming in only at number 7! They have to keep their cool and play to their potential. If they do so India have a very good chance of making it to the final. I don’t think Saurav Ganguly will make drastic changes in the team. Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan will share the new ball while Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble will be the spinners. If you ask me I would like to play another bowler, preferably an allrounder who will not be a liability as the fifth bowler. I don’t know whether India would take a gamble in such an important match but in place of VVS Laxman I would wish for J P Yadav to play. Yadav is a hard-hitting batsman at the top of the order and I have seen him mature a lot in domestic cricket over a time. Yadav will be of utility to the side because he can also bowl at medium-pace. He is the kind of player who is confident and if he is lucky he can become a permanent fixture of this Indian team. As for tomorrow’s match, there is no scope for errors for any team.
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Ganga to replace
injured Lara St. John’s (Atigua), September 24 Ganga (23) a right-handed opening batsman, has played 12 Tests scoring 563 runs at an average of 20.85. He was captain of the West Indies A-team that recently toured England and Canada. The selectors called-up Ganga yesterday. The West Indies play three Tests and seven limited-overs internationals in India. Lara was hospitalised for “suspected hepatitis” after scoring 111 against Kenya in a Champions Trophy one-day tournament match in Colombo, last week.
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Faridkot
XI make promising start Chandigarh, September 24 Two Army outfits — EME Jalandhar and Sikh Regimental Centre — had mixed fortunes. While EME got past Special Security Bureau 2-0 with both the goals coming in the second half, SRC were unlucky to go down to Central Railway 7-6 in sudden death after rallying superbly to hold the rivals 2-2 in the stipulated period. The Faridkot outfit, comprising youngsters from the Sukhchain Memorial Hockey Club and students from Brajindra College, gave a pleasing display of stickwork. However, they reserved their best for the crucial tie breaker in which they converted all the five strokes in a remarkable display of confidence. CISF missed the last stroke and made an inglorious exit from the tournament. Faridkot XI went on the offensive and held the upper hand in the first half. However, they had to wait till the 25th minute for taking the lead. Paramjeet Singh received a pass inside the striking circle and from the right he unleashed a powerful hit giving the custodian absolutely no chance. In the second half, CISF stepped up the pace which put the Faridkot boys under pressure. On one occasion, umpire Satinder Sharma, who is scheduled to officiate in the Asian Games, flashed the yellow card when Faridkot’s Jagseer Singh made a dangerous tackle on an advancing CISF forward. The equaliser for CISF came in the 45th minute when off a short corner, Mangra Munda deflected the ball into the net. Thereafter, CISF made a couple of more moves but it was the Faridkot custodian Gurpreet who effected some fine saves. In the tie breaker, Faridkot XI found the target through Paramjeet Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Vikramjeet Singh, Jagseer Singh and Parlad Singh. For CISF, the scorers were GV Xaxa, Cyril Ekka, Parmvir, and Bharat Kumar while the last stroke by SK Kiro missed the target. EME Jalandhar, who beat Special Security Bureau, owed their success to Satya and Gurmail Singh. Satya put EME ahead in the 40th minute through a field goal while Gurmail capitalised on a pass by Poonacha in the 60th minute to make it 2-0 in favour of his team. Earlier, Central Railway survived a late second half SRC surge to prevail over the Army men 7-6 in sudden death. Central Railway forged ahead in the 24th minute through a fine field goal by Arif Baig. Shammim Baig added another in the 48th minute to make it 2-0. Thereafter, SRC hit back through skipper Rajpal Singh who first reduced the margin in the 56th minute and then scored the equaliser in the 62nd minute to restore parity. In the tie breaker, both the teams converted four strokes each. For SRC Sukhminder Singh, Harjit Singh, Satnam Singh and Rajpal Singh tasted success while for Central Railway Amit Sen, Mehraj-ud-Din, Dhiraj Wagh, and Anwar Ahmed converted their strokes. In the subsequent sudden death, SRC skipper Rajpal Singh missed his stroke while Dhiraj successfully converted to send a wave of joy in the Central Railway camp. Wednesday’s fixtures: Indian Air Force v Faridkot XI — 1 pm; Central Railway v Ropar Hawks — 2.30 pm; Chandigarh XI v Indian Postal — 4 pm. |
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NIS converted into a virtual fortress Patiala, September 24 Earlier, when IOC prohibited substances were found from the rooms of hostels of some athletes attending national camps in April last year and as the issue was widely reported in the media, the NIS authorities decided to ban the entry of scribes into the hostels of the institute. This decision termed as `irrational’ by many, had the full backing of the top brass of the institute including the Executive Director (academics) Col B.S Ahluwalia who minced no words in telling journalists that they were not welcome to visit national campers residing in the hostels. What has compounded the problem of the management is that the Public Relations Department of Asia’s premier sports institute is virtually non-existent. An already overworked Deputy Director (publications) has been saddled with the work of dealing with journalists. Normally, whenever any top functionary from the SAI Corporate office in New Delhi or the Union Sports Minister visits the NIS, scribes are given no prior information. This Sunday was no different when the newly appointed Sports Minister Vikram Verma visited the NIS. Scribes were stopped at the security check point inside the complex and after getting some harsh treatment from the chief security officer, some of them went back. A local scribe was even asked to leave immediately. Feeling threatened immediately left the complex without meeting the minister. Interestingly, the timing and purpose of the minister’s visit has raised questions. Sundays are off days for sportspersons attending national camps. Moreover many of the camps had wound up with the majority of the campers having left for New Delhi enroute to Busan. Intriguingly, instructions have been issued to chief coaches of national squads not to interact with the media even if it concerns as prestigious an event as the Asian Games. |
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Baba Farid school clinch title Jalandhar, September 24 The final was played at a past pace. In the second half Faridkot school came back strongly and scored in the 61st minute of the game through Harshpreet Singh to equalise at 1-1. In the 67th minute Sandeep Singh converted the team’s 11th penalty corner to clinch the title. For the third place match, PAP Government Senior Secondary School, beat MGN Senior Secondary School by a solitary goal in the 60th minute through Sukhjinder Singh. Parminder Singh of PAP Government Senior Secondary School was declared the best goalkeeper, Sandeep Singh of Baba Farid Public School, Faridkot the best full back, Pardeep Kumar of MGN Senior Secondary School was best half back and Gurminder Singh of Dhudike school was declared the best forward of the tournament. Gursimran Singh of Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Ropar, was declared the
promising player of the tournament.
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Chander
Mohan’s plea dismissed Chandigarh, September 24 In the general body meeting, Mr Abhey Singh Chautala and Haryana DGP M.S. Malik were elected President and General Secretary for a period of four years. Challenging the meeting, the MLA, in his petition taken up by a Division Bench, comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi and Mr Justice Varinder Singh, had added that all decisions taken after the meeting should also be quashed. |
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