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Monday,
December 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Kiwis beat
India by 4 wickets Not the end of the world: Ganguly
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India faltered at crucial moments Aussies thrash Lanka Innings win for Haryana Six-wkt win for Rajasthan
National Games end amidst fanfare POA to honour medallists Football: Punjab keep honours intact Sweet revenge for TN against Punjab
Good response to inter-state golf PSIEC in final Rural soccer results
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Kiwis beat India by 4 wickets
Hamilton, December 22 Having comprehensively beaten the visitors in three days in the first Test last week, New Zealand wrapped the two-match Test series with a four-wicket win in a rain-hit match which saw less than two day’s play. Only 507 runs were scored by the two teams in four innings for the loss of 36 wickets on a pitch designed to aid the home side. In losing the series 0-2, the Indians, strong on the feather-bed wickets at home, maintained their dismal record of not winning a series abroad for 17 long years. Even their New Zealander coach John Wright’s knowledge of home conditions here was of no help. “Stripped naked” — the expression used by Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian opening batsman and now a TV commentator, to describe the Indian batting performance in the series — summed up the failures of the Indian batting stars who pop out of TV screens at home every few minutes to sell motorcycles, credit cards, biscuits and other commodities to cricket-hungry millions, and enrich themselves.
In the four innings of the two Test matches, Sachin Tendulkar and the other big names of the Indian batting scored only 535 runs. Tendulkar made a total of 100 runs in four innings but the failures of skipper Sourav Ganguly (a total of 29) and V.V.S. Laxman (a total of 27) underlined the dismal performances, the sole exception being Rahul Dravid with an aggregate of 131. Defending a modest target of 160 runs, the Indian bowlers did well to reduce New Zealand to 105 for five on the fourth morning today, almost reworking their first innings magic when they had bowled the hosts out for 94, but failed to provide the finishing touches. After captain Stephen Fleming had laid the foundation with an important knock of 32 runs, Jacob Oram put on useful partnerships down the order with Scott Styris and Robbie Hart on a pitch that had improved considerably compared to the other two days of play. In the end, New Zealand went past the target with relative ease to post their first 2-0 series win against India. The Indians began the day on a high note with Tinu Yohannan providing the breakthrough in the third over of the morning. Opener Lou Vincent, who was dropped by Sanjay Bangar yesterday, edged Yohannan to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel who gleefully accepted the first of his four catches today. Vincent made nine runs. Mark Richardson and Fleming put on 22 runs for the second wicket before Nehra, who was the most impressive bowler today, claimed the first of his three wickets. Richardson edged a Nehra delivery to Patel after scoring 28 runs from nearly two hours of batting. Fleming batted comfortably and seemed to have no problems in negotiating the three-pronged Indian pace attack which operated for almost the entire morning session. Fleming, whose 32 came off 58 balls with five fours, put his side firmly on course of victory in company of Craig McMillan before getting out to a irresponsible shot that brought the Indian back into the game. Fleming attempted to hook a Nehra delivery when he was not in a position to do so and scooped a simple catch for Zaheer Khan at short mid-wicket. The wicket of Fleming pumped up the Indians who bowled with renewed vigour and were successful in dismissing two more recognised batsmen before the lunch interval. Nehra trapped McMillan (18) leg before wicket in his next over with a delivery that straightened after pitching, while Zaheer Khan, who took a career-best five-wicket haul in the first innings, sent back Nathan Astle (14), out to a brilliant catch by Patel who flung himself full-length to his left to hold on to a low chance. SCOREBOARD India (Ist Innings): 99 New Zealand (Ist Inning): 94 India (2nd Innings): 154 New Zealand (2nd Innings): Richardson c Patel b Nehra 28 Vincent c Patel b Yohannan 9 Fleming c Zaheer b Nehra 32 McMillan lbw b Nehra 18 Astle c Patel b Zaheer 14 Styris c Patel b Harbhajan 17 Oram not out 26 Hart not out 11 Extras
(lb-4, nb-1) 5 Total (for 6 wkts, 56.2 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-52, 3-89, 4-90, 5-105, 6-136. Bowling: Zaheer Khan 13-0-56-1, Yohannan 16-5-27-1, Nehra 16.2-4-34-3, Harbhajan Singh 11-0-39-1.
PTI |
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Not the end of the world: Ganguly
Hamilton, December 22 Conceding that New Zealand had played better cricket, Ganguly said he did not want to make any excuses for his team’s loss. “But the scores in the two Tests will give the answer. Just two fifties from the Indians and one from New Zealanders in four innings probably show it wasn’t an easy time for the batsmen,” he said. His dream of winning a Test series abroad once again shattered, Ganguly promised a better performance from his team in the upcoming seven-match one-day series which, he said, would be “a different ballgame”. “I am disappointed with the way the (Test) series went for us. But this is not the end of the world. “We now have to prepare for the one-dayers and hopefully we will come up with a much improved performance,” he said. New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming complimented his bowlers for their excellent performance in the series and said they used the favourable conditions very well. “It is one thing to have helpful conditions and quite another to be able to use it to your advantage and put the balls in the right place. Its great to captain a bowling unit as the one we have right now,” he said. But Fleming admitted to being nervous throughout his team’s chase today. “It was pretty intense. Half an hour of lack of concentration could have turned the game. We were pretty nervous. I thought the game was in the balance. In such kind of conditions, none was able to dominate the game,” he said. On the other hand, Indian coach John Wright conceded that his team did not look good enough for the home side in either of the Tests. “We were not good enough to win on either occasion. We probably needed more runs to give us a better chance,” Wright said. “But I am pleased with the way we competed in this match, particularly in the field.” Ganguly felt the batsmen had fell below expectations in the second innings. “The wicket had eased a bit and I thought we could have had another 40-50 runs for the game.” Wright made a pointed reference to the pitches in the two venues being watered before the game when ideally they should have been left to dry out as much as possible. PTI
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Thiruvananthapuram, December 22 The national selectors, who had witheld the names of two players in the squad they picked on December 18, took the decision to include the two pacemen after discussions via tele-conference, Mr Nair said in a press note here today. The team management has been instructed to retain Ashish Nehra who is part of the Test squad currently touring New Zealand. Patel will be joining the team very soon, the note said. PTI
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New Zealand drop Styris Hamilton, December 22 New Zealand squad for first two ODIs against India: Stephen Fleming (Wellington, captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond (both Canterbury), Paul Hitchcock (Wellington), Kyle Mills (Auckland), Brendon McCullum (Otago), Craig McMillan (Canterbury), Jacob Oram (Central Districts), Daryl Tuffey (Northern Districts), Mathew Sinclair (Central Districts), Daniel Vettori (Northern Districts), Lou Vincent (Auckland).
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India faltered at crucial moments Once again, the Indian team will return from a foreign field with empty hands and blank faces. They had a good chance to redeem themselves in the Hamilton Test but they faltered at the most crucial moments. In the end, the Indians got a 2-0 pasting in the Tests, less than two months ahead of the World Cup and now I have serious doubts about the confidence level in the team. I wouldn’t say the Indians were disgraced in this Test, as they were at Wellington, but a defeat is a defeat and it is time vital issues are not swept under the carpet by our board and the selectors. I wonder whether a batsman will be punished from among the stars as India failed to even get to 200 in the four innings they batted. This must rank as the most disastrous outing for Indian batsmen in my memory, far worse than even tours to Australia and South Africa. If you ask me, the Test future of at least a couple of batsmen should be probed more critically now. I know people will say the Indian bowlers failed to bowl out the New Zealanders within the set target today but in the end, this Test was lost not due to bowling but our batting. Had they scored another 40-50 runs, India would have won the Test and drawn the series. At least they would have come back with their honour intact. And, if you believe me, the New Zealand batting was as fragile as the Indian, so I am sure they would have succumbed to the pressure. Ashish Nehra resurrected his Test career with a brilliant performance today. His was an important role on the deciding day and he toiled hard, almost single-handedly. Our main strike bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh on the other hand were slightly off colour today and I think it reflected in the final outcome. But I must also say that it was easiest to bat today than on the last two days in the Test. The damp spots had dried up because of sun shine so the ball was coming onto the bat better. At one stage, our bowlers had opened up the game but ultimately, the team which held its nerves better won the day. |
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Aussies
thrash Lanka
Perth, December 22 In a one-sided clash under a thunderous sky before a sell-out crowd of 24,500, Australia hammered 305 for five wickets — their highest total on the ground — before skittling their opponents for 163 in the day-night match. Australia’s win takes the home nation back to the top of the competition ladder with 17 points — five more than England. Sri Lanka, having lost their first three matches in the tournament, are trailing with a solitary point and now face a huge task to qualify for the best-of-three finals late next month. Belligerent left-hander Darren Lehmann smashed his third century in one-day international ranks as Australia pummelled the Sri Lankan attack after batting first when skipper Ricky Ponting won the toss. Then Australia’s pace and spin bowlers teamed up to rout their opponents in only 43 of their allotted 50 overs. Speedster Brett Lee led the way with 3-23 from seven explosive overs. Scorecard Australia: Lehmann b Nissanka 119 Hayden c Jayawardene Ponting b Nissanka 17 Martyn c Arnold b Nissanka 9 Bevan not out 40 Campbell c Arnold b Watson not out 25 Extras:
(w-13, nb-2) 15 Total: (5 wkts, 50 overs) 305 FoW: 1-162, 2-202, 3-219, 4-223, 5-253. Bowling: Vaas 7-0-47-0, Gunaratne 4-0-30-0, Fernando 10-1-55-1, Nissanka 8-0-54-3, Arnold 9-0-46-0, Jayasuriya 7-0-44-1, Mubarak 5-0-29-0. Sri Lanka: Atapattu c Campbell b McGrath 15 Jayasuriya c Bichel b Lee 3 Mubarak c Hayden b Jayawardene c and b Arnold c Bichel b Hogg 15 Sangakkara c Bevan b Kaluwitharana c Bevan b Vaas c Martyn b Lee 7 Nissanka not out 5 Fernando b Lee 0 Gunaratne c Campbell Extras: (b-4, lb-3, w-6, nb-3) 16 Total:
(all out, 43 overs) 163 FoW: 1-15, 2-24, 3-25, 4-60, 5-61, 6-140, 7-153, 8-160, 9-160. Bowling: Glenn McGrath 8-2-22-2, Brett Lee 7-1-23-3, Brad Hogg 10-0-43-1, Darren Lehmann 5-1-13-1, Andy Bichel 8-0-28-0, Shane Watson 5-0-27-3.
AFP
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Innings win for Haryana
Gurgaon, December 22 Resuming their second innings at a healthy 136 for two but a huge 266-run lead weighing on their mind, Bihar lost their remaining eight wickets for 69 runs as Mishra (4 for 104) and Sharma (3 for 55) struck at regular intervals to bundle out the visitors for 218. Sharma who had grabbed six wickets in the first innings, finished the match with a rich haul of 10 wickets. Rajiv Kumar (68), M.S. Dhoni (40) and Tariqur Rehman (33) were the only batsmen to offer some resistance to the Haryana bowlers. Bihar fighting with their back to the wall, started cautiously but lost well settled Rehman who was trapped in front by Sharma for 33 in the 12th over of the day. Sumit Panda (20) and Mihir Diwakar (24) frustrated the Haryana bowlers by stubbornly blocking for 22 overs towards the end of the day before off spinner Gaurav Vashist send back both of them. Scoreboard Bihar (1st innings) 225 Haryana (1st innings) 491 Bihar 2nd innings: Ranjan c Phagna b Joginder 6, Dhoni c Shafiq b Amit Mishra 40, R Kumar c Phagna b Joginder 68, Tariqur Rehman lbw b Joginder 33, Aamir Hashmi c and b Amit Mishra 5, Manish Kumar run out 4, Anand Kumar c Chetan b Amit Mishra 6, Sumit Panda c Chetan b Gaurav 20, Mihir Diwakar st Phagna b Gaurav 24, Shahid Khan c Rajesh b Amit Mishra 1, S.B. Chaubey not out 0, Extras (b-7, lb-3, nb-1) 11. Total: (all out, 81.1 overs) 218 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-66, 3-150, 4-163, 5-165, 6-169, 7-189, 8-205, 9-218. Bowling: Joginder Sharma 24-7-55-3, Sumit Narwal 4-1-12-0, Amit Mishra 36.1-11-104-4, Gaurav Vashisht 17-6-37-2. PTI
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Six-wkt win for Rajasthan
Jaipur, December 22 The win earned Rajasthan two points and they now have four points from as many matches. Himachal have also played four matches but have just one point. Chasing a modest victory target of 96 runs at the K L Saini Stadium here, the hosts resumed at their overnight score of 35 for no loss. Opener Vineet Saxena (11) could not stay long and was bowled by Ashok Thakur. Jhalani (35) played sensibly to get Rajasthan within sight of victory before Thakur trapped him leg before. The hosts lost two more wickets before Kishan Choudhary (3 not out) and Sumit Mathur (4 not out) steered them to a pre-lunch victory. Himachal had made 166 runs in their first innings and Rajasthan took a 100-run lead scoring 266. Scoreboard Himachal (1st innings): 166 Rajasthan (1st innings): 266 Himachal (2nd innings): 195 Rajasthan (2nd innings): Vineet b Thakur 11, Rohit Jhalani lbw b Thakur 35, Afroj Khan b Shakti 10, Nikhil Doru st Sangram b Vishal 6, Kishan Choudhary not out 3, Sumit Mathur not out 4. Extras (b-20, lb-4, nb-2, w-1) 27 Total (for 4 wkts, 27.4 overs) 96 Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-60, 3-75, 4-92. Bowling: Ashok Thakur 13-6-19-2, Shakti Singh 5.4-2-16-1, Amit Sharma 2-0-14-0, Sandeep Sharma 1-0-4-0, Ashish Kapoor 1-0-8-0, Vishal Bhatia 5-1-11-1. PTI
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J&K beaten Pune, December 22 Maharashtra secured two crucial points with this victory. Chasing a target of 193 runs, Maharashtra made 195 for five in 27 overs with captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar scoring 81 runs with one six and eight hits to the fence off 64 balls. Barring middle order batsman Abhjijit Kale who managed to score 36 runs, other batsmen, including openers Sandeep Lele (20) and Niranjan Godbole (14) caved in cheaply. Ranjit Khirid made eight runs.
PTI |
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National Games end amidst fanfare Hyderabad, December 22The 32nd National Games today drew to a close amidst a dazzling razzmataz of hi-tech gadgetry showcasing the rich cultural tradition of hosts Andhra Pradesh. While the opening ceremony on December 13 focussed on the nation’s underlying principle of unity in diversity with a well thought-out Spirit of India show, the two-hour long closing function paid tributes to sportsmanship and sporting excellence through audio visuals and presentation of trophies to the top achievers. The 10-day spectacle, widely rated as the best Games ever, was officially consigned to history as Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi declared the Games closed in the presence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after the athletes marched in hand in hand promising to meet again in Assam three years later for the next edition of the Games. Asserting India should be in the forefront in international sporting arena, Prime Minister Vajpayee today said the Centre would extend all financial help in promoting sports. “The Centre will not lag behind in spending money on promotion of sports and it is my desire to see India in the forefront,” Mr Vajpayee said while addressing the concluding ceremony of the 32nd National Games here. Pointing out that in modern sports, a lot of equipment was needed for training sportsmen, Mr Vajpayee said he was told by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that he had imported some equipment and more was needed to prepare teams in various disciplines. “There are many things which divide the country but sports is one sphere which unites it,” Mr Vajpayee said. “Sports does not discriminate...it does not see colour.. it has a strong power to keep the country united,” the Prime Minister said. PTI Recalling how he would watch hockey being played in his younger days and how India was ahead of other countries in the game, Mr Vajpayee said there were other disciplines including football and volleyball in which the country had slowly progressed. “I can only watch games and appreciate but it is my desire that India should be in the forefront in international games and our players bring laurels,” he added.
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POA to honour medallists Chandigarh, December 22 Mr Dhindsa, who is also the Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister, said the second position claimed by Punjab in the medals tally was very satisfying as the hosts, Andhra Pradesh, had benefitted from outstanding athletes from other parts of the country it had recruited on the eve of the National Games. He congratulated Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, Chef-de-Mission of the Punjab contingent for the excellent showing. Mr Dhindsa said the Punjab’s contingent’s 150-medal tally was all the more satisfying as some of the top athletes, including Asian Games gold medallist Bahadur Singh (throws) and runner Sunita Rani could not participate in the Hyderabad Games. In the 31st National Games held at Ludhiana, Patiala, Jalandhar and Sri Anandpur Sahib, Punjab won the overall trophy by heading the medals tally. Though it finished behind hosts Andhra this time, its medal tally had been as impressive this time as it was two years ago, Mr Dhindsa said. Mr Dhindsa further said that the Punjab Olympic Association would organise a special function to felicitate all medallists of the Hyderabad National Games. Mr Dhindsa also expressed sorrow Bhupinder Singh
Bodhi, District Sports Officer, Jalandhar, and son of former national coach and star Gurcharan Singh
Bodhi, who died a few days back. |
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Medal tally Hyderabad, December 22 State
G
S
B
Total
Andhra
93
86
63
242
Punjab
54
37
55
146
Services
48
34
34
116
Manipur
38
24
31
93
Karnataka
28
40
35
103
Kerala
21
24
23
68
Haryana
19
22
32
73
Maharastra
16
22
42
80
West Bengal
12
11
19
42
Tamil Nadu
10
13
23
46
UP
8
9
12
29
Delhi
6
18
27
51
Uttaranchal
5
1
4
10
Madhya Pradesh
3
8
15
26
Jharkhand
3
4
4
11
Gujarat
3
3
7
13
Chhattisgarh
3
1
1
5
Andaman Nicobar
2
2
6
10
J & K
2
1
4
7
Chandigarh
1
6
12
19
Assam
1
4
6
11
Goa
1
2
4
7
Orissa
1
1
4
6
Mizoram
1
0
4
5
Rajasthan
0
4
3
7
Meghalaya
0
2
1
3
Bihar
0
1
0
1
Himachal
0
0
2
2
Sikkim
0
0
1
1
Total
379
380
474
1233
(Two bronze medals were awarded in tennis and table tennis individual and boxing events. Two silver have been awarded in one swimming event. Two bronze were also awarded in taekwondo. In roller skating and swimming there were joint winners in one event each. In gymnastics there were joint winners in four events. Two bronze were awarded in badminton, fencing and judo and tennis team and table tennis events).
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Football: Punjab keep honours intact Hyderabad, December 22 While games like tennis and boxing — held a stone’s throw away from the soccer stadium — drew large crowds, empty galleries greeted footballers even as Punjab men and Manipur women retained their titles. With the National Football League in full swing, big guns like Punjab and Bengal had to do with second and even third string players. The police games also robbed the former of the services of front-ranking stars of Punjab Police and Border Security Force. Consequently, the fare dished out was at best mediocre, though it gave an opportunity to promising footballers to showcase their wares. The surprise packs of the tournament were Services and Tamil Nadu, though they lost in the semis.
PTI |
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Sweet revenge for TN against Punjab Hyderabad, December 22 The 101-74 verdict showed Tamil Nadu were never actually threatened by their opponent. In the women’s section, Chhattisgarh playing only their second National Games, rose to great heights and in the title clash against hosts Andhra Pradesh, rallied remarkably to clinch the crown after a 80-72 win. In the league phase also, Chhattisgarh, had outsmarted Andhra on their way to the
semifinals. PTI
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Good response to inter-state golf Chandigarh, December 22 Most of the teams have arrived and they seem to be more enthusiastic to take part in the first edition of the inter-state championship. Most of them were of view that this event should have been included in the Hyderabad National Games which concluded today. They think that participation here will be a big consolation for them. CGA president Desh Prem Azad and General Secretary C.S.R. Reddy promised to professionally organise the competitions. A technical committee has been constituted to look after the technical aspects of the competitions. The committee comprises Col J.S. Gill, Col H.S. Baidwan, Lt-Col B.S. Mangat and Mr Vivek Vahi. K.D. Jyoti has been appointed starter while Dimple Minocha, Jaishree Thakur and S.S. Bala will be the scorers. A referees committee has also been formed. Golfers from Punjab, Service Sports Control Board, Railway Sports Control Board, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and hosts Chandigarh have staked their claim for the top honours. Giving details of the tournament CGA officials said a team would consist of four players. The best three cards will be considered to determine the team champions. There would also be team trophies for the first and second runners-up. Individual prizes will also be given to the winners and first and second runner-up. The best gross cards on both days will also be decided. The newly elected President of the Chandigarh Golf Club, Raja Malwinder Singh, will inaugurate the tournament with a ceremonial tee-off at 8.30 a.m. on December 23. The Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh will be the chief guest on December 24 and distribute the prizes at 6.30 p.m. at the Chandigarh Golf Range. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Golf Association has announced its team which will consist of Sandeep Sandhu, Sujjan Singh, Dinesh Kumar and Kuldip Singh. |
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PSIEC in final Jalandhar, December 22 PSIEC crushed Ludhiana XI 6-0 and Starch Mill Phagwara outclassed Sports Wing, Badal 7-0 in the women’s section and in boys’ section PAP Academy and Punjab & Sind Bank Academy settled for a draw. Defending champions Punjab and Sind Bank suffered the first defeat at the hands of Punjab Police 2-3. The match between PSB Academy and PAP Academy was played at a slow pace. Jatinder Pal Singh of PSB Academy succesfully converted a penalty corner in the 25th minute to open the account for his team. The score was 1-0 at the lemon break. In the second half, PAP Academy scored the equaliser when Sharanjit Singh made no mistake in converting a penalty corner in the 44th minute. The match ended in a draw. In a one sided affair, Sukhjit Startch Mills, Phagwara, secured a place in the finals by crushing rivals Sports Wing Badal 7-0. In another match PSIEC dominated over Ludhiana XI. PSIEC’s Arur Bhalla scored a field goal in ninth minute. In the second half, Arur Bhalla struck two goals in the 35th and 44th minutes while team-mate Vandana also scored twice for PSIEC. Manpreet Kaur converted a penalty corner. |
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Rural soccer results Chandigarh, December 22 In hard-fought match in group ‘C’ on the 3rd day of the tournament, Langeri beat Bombeli 5-4 via tie breaker. In other matches Kaindhowal defeated Jaitpur 3-1; Kalewal Fattoo beat Kaharpur 4-3 via the tie breaker and Lehri Khurd got a walk over against Panjaura. In all 52 teams. from villages are taking part in the 10-day Tournament being organised by the local Youth Sports Club and Gram Panchayat in collaboration with Punjab Sports Department. |
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Thapar
Academy, Ropar Hawks win Nabha, December 22
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Hamilton, December 22
Video
