 |
Friday,
November 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Kartik’s inclusion likely
Expert comments Vivian Richards |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chetan Sharma writes New panel to probe Sunita case
Seventh National Football League kicks off today Jalandhar athletes steal show PSB, BP move into final Ferozepore archers excel Anjali consolidates lead PPA, Rock Rovers advance Punjab cops win
|
|
Kartik’s inclusion likely
Ahmedabad, November 14 Following crowd violence in all the first three matches, security concerns have taken the centrestage at this volatile venue which had witnessed crowd trouble in an earlier match also, incidentally involving West Indies in 1993. Heavy security arrangements have been made in the city and the stadium has been virtually turned into a fortress after International Cricket Council threatened to review the status of venues where crowd trouble is incessant. Aside from all the security paraphernalia that has kept their minds engaged no doubt, the Indian team was thinking about the strategy to adopt in the only day-night game of the seven-match series which they trail 1-2. And it seems Kartik, who was included in the squad in place of leg-spinner Anil Kumble for the next two one-dayers, and, possibly allrounder Sanjay Bangar, form an important part of the team’s strategy as the hosts try to add more variety and sting to their bowling attack. Bangar, who broke into the one-day team on strength of his fine all-round performance in the Tests, is also likely to get his first game of the series, most probably in place of J P Yadav. Kartik has fully recovered from a wrist injury that kept him out of a Ranji Trophy match recently and is almost a certainty for tomorrow’s game. The Railways bowler told PTI from his hotel room that his wrist, which was in bandage till a couple of days ago, was perfectly fine now and he was looking forward to playing tomorrow. The sacking of Ajit Agarkar and Kumble for two matches due to their lacklustre performances, provides a fine opportunity and also a lot of responsibility on Kartik who will be playing a one-dayer after a very long time. Despite the focus being on the bowlers, the Indians realise that it is their batting which will be the key to their fortunes. The Indians have put up good scores in all the three matches but they realise something extra is required to counter the sudden resurgence of West Indian batting. As a result, there is a chance of either Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif being promoted in the batting order and given more overs to play. These two batsmen often don’t have much to do coming at number six and seven and the Indians think their awesome talent can be put to a better use at a position like number four. Skipper Saurav Ganguly, who has delayed his arrival here from Kolkata where he had gone to visit his ailing father, helped himself to a good score in the violence-affected match at Rajkot and so did his opening partner Virender Sehwag who blazed his way to a brilliant unbeaten century to leave behind two low scores. West Indies, on the other hand, are boosted by the return of their captain Carl Hooper who had missed the match in Rajkot due to a minor injury. Meanwhile, the district administration is taking no chances to ensure an incident-free match and has come up with three- tier security arrangement at the Motera Stadium. Time of play: 2:30 pm to 6 pm and 6.45 pm till finish.
PTI |
|
Expert comments Vivian Richards A lot has been written about the misbehaviour of certain sections of the crowd in each of the three one-dayers of the ongoing TVS Cup. My opinion is that it should have been nipped in the bud after what happened in Jamshedpur. The events there should have sounded a warning to administrators in the next six venues that they needed to beef up security and get their basic infrastructure in order. If one warning was not enough a repeat performance from the spectators stopped the game briefly in Nagpur. However, people looking after the ground facilities in Rajkot were still not able to ensure player safety. If that was not bad enough, there were statements issued by the administrators at this venue that the West Indians overreacted when they refused to return to the field. Such comments by self-appointed pundits are way out of line. What should we have waited for, a player’s head to be busted? Will the sight of a bleeding player being taken off the field be necessary for the administration to take crowd trouble seriously? As far as I am concerned, accusing us of overreaction is merely an attempt by certain officials to defend their turf after failing to provide adequate security. Fortunately, things have not been as bleak for the West Indians on the field. We are still 2-1 up, and must not let fatigue wear us down. It was a little worrying to see the bowlers struggling to defend a total of 300 at Rajkot. Vasbert Drakes is still reasonably fresh, but some of the others looked a little shabby. At this stage, being tired is simply not an excuse for our bowlers. We did not do well enough in the Test series for bowlers to cry off on grounds of stress and exhaustion. Moreover, it was only a three-Test series. I have always felt that winning gives you strength, and the players must keep an eye on the 2-1 scoreline and seek inspiration from it. If you are a pro, this is simply not the time to be rested. Tomorrow’s is the only day-night match in the series. We are having a late evening practice today so that we can judge the conditions and see whether there is any dew factor that might make the toss crucial. Captain Carl will also see whether he is fit enough for the game. The initial plan was for him to last out this series before getting some rest and treatment. However, if he feels unable to carry on, we will have to rest him since we would not like to take any risk with his knee before the World Cup. The batting for both sides has been consistent in all three games. For the visitors, it was great to see Ramnaresh Sarwan pulling us through in the first two wins. He has been magnificent in all the games and once again showed his class. The only cause for concern is that in Rajkot he once again feel short of three figures. We have spoken to him about this inability to reach three figures at length. You are never really up there in the elite list of batsmen till you get to the magical figure of 100 a couple of times. Also, we know Sarwan is classy even without him scoring a century, I’m sure his game will only improve once he proves to the world and more importantly to himself that he can get a ton. Judging from the outside,
maybe he needs to be a little stronger physically to cope with the stress at this level. He might have to rework his training routines to equip himself when he enters that 80-plus zone — when one is tired and tense about reaching a hundred. Sarwan has been the player of the tournament so far, and a century from him would be the icing on the cake.
Gameplan |
|
Chetan Sharma writes LEAVING aside the crowd fiasco, this India-West Indies one-day series is poised in a very interesting position. West Indies may be up by one match, but the fact that India finally showed their class in the last one-dyer makes them favorites in the coming matches. All eyes will be on the Indian strokeplayers at Ahmedabad in tomorrow’s match. Virender Sehwag played a blinder at Rajkot and though the knock was marred by the unruly crowd, I am sure Viru’s adrenaline must be pumped up for the rest of the matches. Without Sachin Tendulkar in the team, Viru is India’s most destructive batsman and the pitch at Ahmedabad should be to his liking. Usually it is flat and full of runs so we can expect a mountain of runs in the match. If Viru gets going, nothing like it as it is going to be a festive time for the spectators. Generally, both the teams have batted well in the series. On the other hand, the bowling has been pretty disappointing. India have twice failed to defend big totals while West Indies struggled even after posting 300 runs at Rajkot. It may have something to do with the flat pitches but the bowlers need to pull up their socks quickly. The Indian fast bowlers and spinners have looked out of sorts. They had a good Test series but with the West Indian batsmen playing with positive intent in the one-dayers, our bowlers are clueless as to what line they should bowl. I for one never expected this turnaround but frankly, there has to be a blessing in disguise for the Indians here. The World Cup is not far away and it is time we got to analyse our bowling shortcomings. If India are to have a good World Cup, their bowlers need to do well. We need to have a solid frontline attack with good back-up support in South Africa. That’s why a player like J P Yadav or Sanjay Bangar should be tried in the line-up. They can bat as well as send a few overs of medium pace. Well, for now, the World Cup can wait while the Indians battle the West Indians for honours in this one-day series. But all of us will keep a close watch on the behaviour of the crowd. I just pray there are no disruptions now. |
|
New panel to probe Sunita case New Delhi, November 14 The committee will inquire “into the circumstances responsible for and leading to Sunita Rani testing positive (for anabolic steroid nandrolone) during the Busan Asian Games”. A ministry spokesman said the “committee will, inter alia, go into the role of the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI), the Sports Authority of India, manager of the team, the accompanying coach and suggest measures, which could have been taken to avoid such a situation, ascribe responsibility,
wherever possible, and recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such instances”. The spokesman said “during the deliberations, the committee may consult experts in sports medicine or any other related field, or any report/literature available on the subject and recommend measures for prevention of doping in sports”. The committee will submit its report within three months from the date of its constitution. The one-man Sushil Dutt Salwan commission, appointed by the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI), in his report submitted to the federation on Monday, had given Sunita Rani a clean chit. The Salwan Commission, after questioning 19 persons, had come to the conclusion that Sunita Rani was not guilty of any doping misdemeanour. But the Ministry has apparently not taken cognizance of the report as it feels that “it’s not official”. “We want to get to the root cause of the doping problem prevalent in the country, and find a lasting solution to eradicate the menace”, a spokesman of the Ministry clarified. He said the commission’s brief was not to put Sunita Rani in the dock, but to find out how such a thing had happened at Busan and fix responsibility for it. But the move by the ministry will only reopen the old wound, and Sunita Rani will once again be put on close scrutiny. Sunita Rani had perhaps heaved sigh of relief when the Salwan Commission exonerated her. AAFI president Suresh Kalmadi, who is now in Monte Carlo to attend a meeting of International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), had asserted that no effort will be spared to get Sunita Rani’s name cleared of the doping stigma at the IAAF level. Mr Sushil Salwan and AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot were to join him there at Monte Carlo, but it is learnt that Salwan has pulled out of the delegation and now Kalmadi and Bhanot will plead Sunita’s case. Interestingly, the ministry had threatened to order a CBI probe into the Sunita Rani case, if so warranted. When Kalmadi was questioned about the CBI inquiry when he released the Salwan Commission report, he had retorted: “Ask the Ministry”. Now the Ministry has responded with another probe panel. |
|
Seventh National Football League kicks off today
Chandigarh, November 14 The NFL, played on home-and-away basis, has been attracting the best talent with almost every participating club going all out to woo top footballers. However, in a slight deviation from the past, the All-India Football Federation has cut the quota of foreigners who can be registered by the clubs. Accordingly, each club can now register four foreigners, of which three can play which is one less than the number allowed in the previous years. Defending champions Mohun Bagan after having dispensed with the services of several national stars like RC Prakash, James Singh and Bungo Singh have recruited some promising youngsters from Meghalaya and Tata Football Academy besides SK Sanjib, formerly of ITI. However, the most notable inclusion is that of Brazilian striker Jose Ramirez Barreto ,who initially seemed hesitant to don the green and maroon jersey once again. Mahindra United, who finished sixth last season, have become the first club to hire a European player this time. According to Mahindra United president Alan Durante, Czech Strandel Petr will be a key figure in the midfield. The club has also hired the services of a foreign coach, Karel Stromsik of the Czech Republic for a staggering amount of Rs 30 lakh. Stromsik played as goalkeeper for the erstwhile Czechoslovakia in the 1982 World Cup. Defender Odartey Lawson of Ghana and Monga Aby Samson of Ghana’s Atlletico Club, a native of Ivory Coast, are the other foreigners who will be seen in action. The club has dispensed with the services of Nigerians Bernard, Christopher and Ankela. Churchill Brothers have also included some new faces from Mohammedan Sporting and ITI. East Bengal have recruited several talented stars like Alvito D’Cunha formerly of Salgaocar and S. Venkatesh of Mahindras but their star attraction may be Brazilian defender Douglas Silva Dos. Goa’s Salgaocar SC who finished fourth last season have recruited some new faces from Delhi besides some national stars from Mohun Bagan and Air India. Vasco SC also from Goa have benefited from the transfers of a couple of players from ITI who in turn hired Mohammed Najeeb and Bastin Jose of Mahindras and Goa Football Association respectively. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited lost the services of R. Ravi Babu and Peter Siddique while Tollygunge Agragami of Kolkata have roped in Syed Minhazul Islam of Indian Bank besides some new faces. Dempo SC of Goa, who are back in the league having finished winners in the second division last season, have signed up East Bengal stars K. Ratan Singh and Bijen Singh besides Raman Vijayan formerly of Mahindras. Also back in the NFL are Indian Bank, runners-up in the second division. These two outfits have replaced FC Kochin and Punjab Police who were relegated last season. Punjab’s JCT Phagwara, the only team from north India in the NFL, have also introduced some changes in the roster. Back into their fold is Nigerian defender Musa Aliu, who till recently was playing in Vietnam. JCT have also recruited two Ghanians, goalkeeper Mansuru Mohammed, and forward Kwabena Yeboah. The registration of another Ghanian, defender Ishau Yaro, is also not ruled out. Besides, the team will be strengthened by the inclusion of internationals IM Vijayan and Joe Paul Ancheri. Among the old faces are striker Hardip Gill, midfielders Hardip Saini and Ram Pal and dashing winger Jaswinder. The winners of the seventh NFL will pocket Rs 40 lakh; runners-up Rs 25 lakh; and third position holders Rs 15 lakh. The next two teams will get Rs 7 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively. ‘Man-of-the -match’ awards,though not in cash, are also being instituted as was the practice in the inaugural edition.  |
|
Jalandhar athletes steal show Ludhiana, November 14 In the girl’s section, Mandeep Kaur and Rajdeep Kaur Saini emerged the fastest runners of the meet in the u-19 years and u-14 years category. Sukhpal Singh of Jalandhar was declared the fastest runner among boys u-19 section. Amritsar won one gold each in boys and girls sections. Mandeep Kaur and Amarjeet Singh annexed gold for their district in the u-17 years category. Amritsar won three more gold medals as Atinderpal Kaur (3000 m walk u-19), Heera Singh (long jump u-17) and Gurpreet Singh (long jump u-14) proved their supemacy over others. Results: Girls U-19 3000 m walk: 1-Atinder Pal Kaur (Asr) , 2- Rajvinder Kaur (Rpr ), 3- Sukhdeep Kaur (Jal) Boys U-17 3000 m walk: 1 Hardeep Singh
(Ldh), 2 Rajesh Kumar (Asr), 3 Satguru (Sng). Boys U-17 long jump: 1 Heera Singh
(Asr), 2 Baljit Singh (Kpt), 3 Mandeep Singh (Hsp) Boys U-14 long jump: 1 Gurpreet Singh,
(Asr), 2 Sukhpreet Singh (Kpt), Narpinder Singh (Kpt) Boys U-14 discus throw: 1 Amritpal Singh
(Gdp), 2 Gurwaryam Singh (Asr), 3 Harjinder singh (Mks) Girls, U-14 discus throw: 1 Navneet Kaur
(Bth), 2 Neelam Jit Kaur (Ldh), 3 Sarvjit Kaur (Ldh). Girls U-14, high jump: 1 Jasveer Kaur
(Ftg), 2 Sukhdeep Kaur (Fzr), 3 Aruna Rani (Jal). Girls U-17 high jumps: 1 Rajveer Kaur
(Sng) 2 Pritpal Kaur (Sng), 3 Kuldeep Kaur (Pta) Girls U-19 high jump: 1 Veerpal Kaur (Mansa), 2 Malkit Kaur
(Asr), 3 Rajrani (Fzr). Girls U-19, 5000 M: 1 Rajveer Kaur (Sng), 2 Baljit Kaur
(Asr), 3 Harjeet Kaur (Ldh). Boys U-19 5000 M: 1 Balwinder Singh
(Jal), 2 Mandeep Singh (Ftg), 3 Rachhpal Singh (Asr). Girls U-19 100 m: 1 Mandeep Kaur
(Jal), 2 Gurvinder Kaur (Asr) 3 Harpreet Kaur (Bth). Girls U-14 100
m:1 Rajpreet Kaur Saini (Jal), 2 Ripneet Kaur (Jal), 3 Manpreet Kaur
(Sng). Boys U-14 100 m: 1 Rajinder Singh (Sng), 2 Malkit Singh
(Sng), 3 Gurpreet Singh (Asr). Boys U-14 100 m: 1 Harjinder Singh (Sng), 2 Malkit Singh (Sng), 3 Gurpreet Singh (Asr). |
|
PSB, BP move into final Jalandhar, November 14 Punjab Police opened their account in the 28th minute, when Olympian Baljit Singh converted a penalty corner. Though PSB gained three penalty corners in the first half, they failed to convert any. In the second half, the bank men entered the field with full determination and virtually outclassed the rivals. Punjab Police’s Baljit Singh got an opportunity to score a field goal in 36th minute, but he scooped the ball too high. PSB scored the equaliser in the 37th minute, when Jatinderpal Singh succeeded in converting a short corner. The lead was further improved 2-1 as Jatinder Pal Singh easily converted another penalty corner in the 39th minute. The star player of the day Jatinderpal Singh scored a hattrick when he scored a field goal in the 51st minute. Punjab Police’s Baljit Singh converted penalty corner in the 62nd minute to reduce the margin 3-2. The result of second semi-final between Bharat Petroleum and Air-India went in favour of the former through the tie-breaker 7-6. The hostile attitude of the players of both the teams was very much visible. Bharat Petroleum opened their account through a field goal by Sabu Varkey in the third minute. In the second half, Air-India managed to score the equaliser in the 57th minute through shot corner by Anil Aldrin. Sandeep scored a field goal in the 58th minute to make it 1-2. The equaliser for Bharat Petroleum came through Amar Aiyamma in the 69th minute. The match was decided in the favour of Bharat Petroleum in the tie-breaker round 7-6. In the women’s section, Northern Railway knocked out Punjab White 10-0. Neha of Northern Railway scored three goals, while Simarjit and Raminderpal scored two goals each. Other scorers were Manjinder, Kiran and Sandeep Kaur. |
|
Ferozepore archers excel Sangrur, November 14 Both Sangrur and Ropar bagged silver and bronze medals one each. In individual performance, Ferozepore’s Amarjeet Kaur, Varinder Kaur and Rajbir Kaur snatched gold, silver & bronze medal by securing 306, 201 & 154 points respectively. In the same section Sandeep Kamboj & Navdeep Brar both Ferozepore snatched gold and silver medal by securing 567 & 525 points while Harmanjot of Ropar snatched bronze medal by securing 482 points. The results:
Archery: Tearn boys: 1. Ferozepore 762, 2. Ropar 530, 3. Sangrur 440. Girls: 1. Ferozepore 661, 2. Sangrur 403. Tug of War: Final: 1. Jalandhar, 2. Ludhiana, 3. Sangrur. Hockey (quarterfinal) boys: 1. Ferozepore beat Muktsar 3-0, 2. Ropar beat Bathinda 4-2, 3. Ludhiana beat Fatehgarh Sahib 1-0, 4. Jalandhar beat Patiala 4-0. Girls: 1. Jalandhar beat Bathinda 2-0, 2. Moga beat Patiala 4-0, 3. Muktsar beat Ludhiana 2-1. Kabaddi (Girls): 1. Jalandhar beat Kapurthala, 2. Mansa beat Sangrur, 3. Faridkot beat Patiala. Boys: 1. Hoshiarpur beat Ferozepore, 2. Faridkot beat Gurdaspur. Volleyball: Boys: 1. Sangrur beat Bathinda 2-0, 2. Patiala beat Hoshiarpur 2-0. Girls: 1. Jalandhar beat Amritsar 2-1, 2. Sangrur beat Bathinda 2-0. Kho-Kho (quarterfinal): Girls: 1. Sangrur beat Amritsar 8-2, 2. Jalandhar beat Bathinda 11-1, 3. Ludhiana beat Hoshiarpur 7-4. Boys: 1. Patiala beat Bathinda 9-4, 2. Sangrur beat Ropar 12-2, 3. Hoshiarpur beat Moga 10-6, 4. Ludhiana beat Jalandhar 13-13. Football: 1. Kapurthala beat Ropar 2-0, 2. Nawanshahr beat Gurdaspur 1-0. |
|
Anjali consolidates lead New Delhi, November 14 For defending champion Irina Brar, it was a nightmarish round, an 8 over par 80 with seven bogeys and a double bogey and just one birdie. Six strokes behind Irina in third position is Sanam Merchant, the long hitting southpaw from Mumbai. Mayali Talwar, junior No 1, finally came into her own with a card of 75 to take the fourth position with Shruti Khanna on 237. Mayali leads for the Siel junior girls trophy by two strokes. One stroke behind is Vandana Agarwal on 238 followed by junior Manavi Halvasia on 239 and Ayesha Kapur on 240. For Anjali it was a dissapointing penultimate round as she hit only seven regulations and holed on a single birdie but with the hefty lead she enjoys, the coveted title is well within her grasp. The four-day tournament ends tomorrow.
UNI |
|
PPA, Rock Rovers advance New Delhi, November 14 Rock Rovers, Chandigarh made heavy weather of their 3-2 win over ONGC XI while SAI XI overpowered Sikh Regt Centre 4-2. In the first tie of the day, after a goalless first session, police academy took the lead in the 44th minute through Harmik Singh who scored of a penalty corner. Williamjit Singh made it 2-0 for the police, 15 minute later, as he also scored following a penalty corner.
UNI |
|
Punjab cops win Kohima, November 14 Punjab Police today defeated SSB, Delhi, 5-3 in the tie-breaker in the last semifinal today to register their berth in the final. In a rough match, both the teams fought neck-and-neck, where referee had to show one red card and three yellow cards. In the 51st minute of the match SSB striker Sanjoy Roseilly was taken out of the field on stretcher with bleeding face.
UNI |
|
Haryana win Madhuban, November 14 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video (
