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Tuesday,
January 7, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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We don’t want to break winning habit Wright defends Ganguly
Dope tests for Indian cricketers |
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Indian soccer squad named
East Bengal, Salgaocar in semis Punjab Police lift hockey title Amit wrecks East Zone AI Academy, PSBA triumph Ankur Jund to lead North Zone
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Sachin Tendulkar may play tomorrow Wellington, January 6 Tendulkar today said after the nets that his prospects of playing in the fifth one-dayer were very bright, a view backed by physio Andrew Leipus. “He should be alright for this game,” said Leipus as the batsman came to the nets and practiced hard. Tendulkar, world’s leading run scorer in the shorter version of the game with 11,544 runs and 33 centuries from 300 outings, is expected to boost the morale of the tourists whose poor run in the series continued after being drubbed in the first four one-dayers of the seven-match series. At the nets, Tendulkar batted with all the earnestness of a batsman keen to make a mark, even asking Virender Sehwag to refrain from practicing in the nearby nets. He was all keyed up and gave vent to his frustration whenever he failed to connect his flicks down the legside. He did appear a batsman short of match practice at the nets. Indian coach John Wright hoped that the return of Tendulkar would augur well for the side which is low on confidence. “The return of Tendulkar will clearly help. We can turn things around in the next few days.” Meanwhile, New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond will play against India in the fifth one-day international against India on Wednesday after coming through a provincial match untroubled by a side strain, the team’s selectors said today. Bond played for Canterbury against Wellington in a one-day match yesterday. However chairman of selectors Richard Hadlee said out-of-form batsman Craig McMillan was not included and instead would play for his province in domestic one-day and four-day matches. “Craig has been struggling for form with the bat and has some technical issues to address,’’ chairman of selectors Richard Hadlee said today. “We think it would be easier for him to do this at a domestic level where there is less pressure.’’ McMillan has scored just 62 runs at an average of 8.85 against India in both test matches and the four previous one-dayers. Allrounder Chris Cairns, who has undergone two knee surgeries in recent months, also played for Canterbury in the same game as Bond and scored 25 but did not bowl. Hadlee said Cairns would play alongside McMillan on Tuesday with a view to drafting him into the New Zealand side for the sixth one-day international in Auckland next Saturday. New Zealand have already won the seven match series after taking an unassailable 4-0 lead with a five-wicket victory in the fourth match on Saturday.
PTI, Reuters |
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We don’t want to break winning habit We go into the last three games against India with the series under our belt thanks to yet another extremely disciplined bowling effort. Once again we used the bounce well on a wicket that was pretty good. At present we are playing on momentum and the winning habit is so addictive that the boys don’t want it to break just yet. The performance of Andre Adams, who was making a comeback, proved that when you have bench strength every player tries to make the most of the chances that come by. We now have the luxury of quite a few all-rounders in the side, a situation that will only get better once Chris Cairns returns to the side. The only worry is that our batting has not been firing and this is why we plan to take first strike if we win the toss in any of the next three games. Since we have already won the series, we should take the opportunity to get practice in various aspects of the game, including setting a target. This series has been undoubtedly tough for batsmen, and the only way to get runs has been by grafting. I took the opportunity to spend some time in the middle in Queenstown and it was quite a relief to be among the runs once again. I want to ensure that all the top order batsmen get a similar amount of time in the middle, and given a chance I’d definitely bat first. The Indians have set such low totals in three of the four games that we were actually let off the hook in spite of some pretty ordinary batting. We have been experimenting with various batting orders and bowling combinations over the last 18 months, so I feel we are done with that stage of our preparation. From now on, the correct thing to do would be to rotate the bowlers and give them ample practice in the middle. Shane Bond was cleared by the physio and has played two domestic games last week, so he will be playing the next three games. We might consider giving Tuffy a break, but he seems to be enjoying bowling at the Indians so much, that it will take some convincing! In fact, we have really played superb cricket to completely put India out of the competition. I still feel that the Indian batting line-up is capable of firing, but time is certainly running out. I hear that Sachin Tendulkar will be making a comeback in the game at Wellington, so maybe that will boost the visitors’ confidence. Losing six games in a row can really dent one’s self-belief and a lot rests on Tendulkar’s shoulders from here on. Our job is to ensure that the Indians stay on the mat and the Black Caps are focusing on not getting complacent. We want to keep the winning habit but this time I would like the batsmen rather than the bowlers to set up the win.
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Wright defends Ganguly
Wellington, January 6 Saurav will be fine. Being the captain of India is a tough job and we’re all under pressure. We haven’t had a run like this before. “It’s a difficult time for a captain when things are not working for you. I think you’ll find he’ll be opening the batting in Wellington (venue for fifth one-dayer), leading from the front,” Wright said. Ganguly failed to contribute much with the bat scoring just 29 runs from four innings in the two-match Test series against New Zealand and he followed it up with a sequence of low-scores - 14, 0, 4, 2 - in the first four one-dayers of the seven-match limited overs series. “It’s upto the coach and the captain to supply some leadership and the players have to go out there and fight. That’s one of the things which has helped us in the past year,” the Indian coach said. Wright said he hoped a turnaround in India’s fortune when Sachin Tendulkar returns to the side for the fifth one-dayer. “The return of Tendulkar will clearly help. We can turn things around in the next few days,” he said. Tendulkar, world’s leading scorer in the shorter version of the game with 11,544 runs, is likely to play on Wednesday after missing the first four matches due to a twisted right ankle. India will revert back to Virender Sehwag and Ganguly opening the innings in the fifth game, with Dinesh Mongia coming in at No 3.
PTI |
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England beat Aussies
Sydney, January 6 Veteran paceman Andy Caddick captured seven wickets in an inspired display of fast bowling as Australia collapsed to be all out for 226 in their second innings chasing 452 to win. “It was a great Test match, one of the best I’ve ever played in,’’ England captain Nasser Hussain said. “But let’s not suddenly make out everything’s turned round.” It’s the same old story really, we lost the Ashes 1-4, that’s the bottom line.’’ Australia resumed the final day at 91 for three, needing to bat through the entire day on a crumbling Sydney Cricket Ground pitch to save the Test, but folded quickly to be all out 48 minutes after lunch in just 54 overs. Australia’s defeat was their first on home soil against any country in more than four years and their heaviest loss to England since they were beaten by an innings and 14 runs at Melbourne in December 1986. “I’m disappointed but you’ve got to give credit to England, they played very good cricket in this Test match,’’ Australia captain Steve Waugh said. Caddick captured the wickets of Andy Bichel, Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill after dismissing Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting on Sunday to finish with seven for 94, his second best return in 62 Test appearances.
Reuters Scoreboard England (1st innings): 362 Australia (1st innings): 363 England (2nd innings): 452 for 9 decl Australia (2nd innings ): Langer lbw b Caddick 3 Hayden lbw b Hoggard 2 Bichel lbw b Caddick 49 Ponting lbw b Caddick 11 Martyn c Stewart
b Dawson 21 Waugh b Caddick 6 Love b Harmison 27 Gilchrist c Butcher
b Caddick 37 Lee c Stewart b Caddick 46 Gillespie not out 3 MacGill b Caddick 1 Extras
(b-6, lb-8, w-3, nb-3) 20 Total (all out in 54 overs) 226 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-25, 4-93, 5-99, 6-109, 7-1 39, 8-181, 9-224. Bowling: Hoggard 13-3-35-1, Caddick 22-5-94-7, Harmison 9-1-42-1, Dawson 10-2-41-1. |
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Dope tests for Indian cricketers Wellington, January 6 The players are expected to go for the test shortly, according to a member of the Indian team requesting anonymity adding that each and every member of the touring squad has already given his consent for a dope test in writing. The test, the source revealed, is an internal measure intended to avoid any embarrassment for India in the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. The Tendulkars, Gangulys and Dravids, among others, will open themselves up for examination of such nature for the first time in their career. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already issued a warning to all the 16 participating teams that dope test in the World Cup is a mandatory obligation required by the South African government. It is the first time a dope test will be officially conducted for a cricket tournament. The ICC sent a list of banned substances to the Indian board in August last year to ensure that all concerned should know what is banned. “They have been strongly urged to make sure there is not an inadvertent breach of that doping policy — we can’t afford to have that happen in cricket,” chief executive of the ICC Malcolm Speed had said. Indian team physio Andrew Leipus said adequate measures are being taken to ensure no untoward incident happens in South Africa. “It will be a national tragedy if a positive result was to come out in World Cup — though I don’t think Indian cricketers could take drugs to enhance performance on the field,” Leipus said. Leipus confirmed he has the list of banned substances supplied by the ICC and the board-appointed doctor, Dr Anant Joshi, is currently busy looking at the Indian drugs which could be of similar generic - but in a different name. “It could be perfectly normal for a cricketer to take a D’ Cold to combat blocked nose. But it contains ephedrine which is a banned substance in the list,” the physio said.
PTI |
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Fitness programme “must start at junior level” Chandigarh, January 6 But those wins seem to
be a thing of the past. Six defeats on the trot in New Zealand, two in Test matches and four in the one-dayers,
has left the Indian cricketers a shattered lot. Certain critics are of the view that the team has lost confidence and would find it very difficult to regain it if a concerted effort is not made by each and every member of the touring party, a view also echoed by cricket coach John Wright. Dr Ravinder Chadha, a former national selector who was doctor-cum physio of the Indian cricket team which last toured New Zealand in 1998-99, feels that the batsmen in the present team have failed to adjust to the fast wickets. Dr Chadha spoke to TNS on a number of issues concerning Indian cricket, the poor performance of the players and the correctives which can be taken to put Indian cricket back on track The following are extracts from the interview: Q: How was the performance of the Indian team which toured New Zealand last time in 1998-99? A: We started off badly and lost the first match against Central Districts in only two and a half days. Thereafter, the batsman adapted very quickly to the conditions and we won the second practice match. In the five match one-day series, out of first four matches India won two matches, one match was won by New Zealand and one match was washed off. The last one-day game at Christchurch would have been won by the Indian team but for some umpiring mistakes. Ultimately, New Zealand won and the series was levelled at two all. Q: What is the reason for the Indian team’s poor performance? A: The Indian batsmen have failed to adjust on the fast wickets though they got sufficient time to adapt to the conditions. But it would be unfair to complain about the wickets which is the host’s prerogative. When teams visit India we provide them with tracks which suit our spinners. Secondly, all teams playing against India have identified the weakness of the Indian players against short-pitched deliveries which they are exploiting to their advantage. The glaring example is the last one-day series against the West Indies where we lost at home. Q: What is the future of the Indian team? A: I am very confident, in case we win one match it will boost the team’s confidence and our performance will certainly improve. I vividly recollect the Australian team which toured India in 1997 lost the Test series and the first match of the triangular one-day series which had Zimbabwe as the third team. India then lost to the Australians at Kanpur and ultimately also the finals at Delhi. Q: What about Sachin Tendulkar’s frequent injury problems? A: Sachin has already a defect in the lower back i.e.
spondylitis for which he should take a break between the series especially in hot humid conditions. The other injuries which Sachin had suffered in the recent past like hamstring muscle sprain, ankle injury etc. are routine injuries which any player can suffer. Q: What about the fitness level of the Indian team? A: In spite of the appointment of a foreign coach physio/trainer, the fitness level of Indian team is nowhere near the Australian and South African teams. It is not possible to improve the fitness of the players when the team is playing round the year with no time for camps. Fitness can only be improved from junior level cricket where apart from aerobic fitness, strength training should be given priority. There is a wrong notion that strength training leads to stiffness of the muscle and young players are advised to avoid this important aspect which leads to frequent injuries among Indian cricketers. Players all over the world undertake strength training at a young age to raise their fitness level and therefore they are less injury prone. I feel that this important aspect should be given priority right from the junior level. |
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Indian soccer squad named Kolkata, January 6 “If we win this tournament, it will be as good as winning the LG Cup in Vietnam last year’’, he saidd. The players selected for the squad are: Rajat Ghosh Dastidar (Mohun Bagan), Virender Singh (Punjab Police), Rennedy Singh (Mohun Bagan), Asim Biswas (Tollygunge Agragami), M Suresh, S Venkatesh, Subhash Chakrabarty, Alvito D’ Cunha (East Bengal), Nasim Akhtar, Debjit Ghosh, Abhisek Yadav (Mahindra United) Samir Naik (Dempo), Selwin Fernandes, Abhoy Kumar, Jules Alberto (Vasco), Roberto Fernandes, Lawrence Climax (Salgaoncar), Joe Paul Ancheri, I M Vijayan, Harbinder Singh (JCT). Custodian Sandip Nandy (East Bengal), mid-fielder Basudev Mondol (Mohun Bagan) and striker R C Prakash of Mahindra United have been dropped from the squad. While Constantine and Aloke Mukherjee will be the chief coach and assistant coach of the team, Sukhwinder Singh would accompany the squad as the
technical director. UNI |
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East Bengal, Salgaocar in semis New Delhi, January 6 In the first semifinal contest tomorrow, Mohammedan Sporting will take on Army XI while East Bengal will meet Salgaocar in the second semifinal on Wednesday. Fourteen times champions East Bengal were under no pressure when they met MEG in their last group B quarterfinal league match on a day of bone-chilling cold. East Bengal had recorded a facile 4-0 victory against Air-India. MEG, who had lost to Air India by a lone goal, required to beat East Bengal by a margin of at least of five goals-an impossible task by Air-India’s standards. With nothing much to fear about, East Bengal took it easy. Yet, it came as a big shock when a goal fell against their name. And goalkeeper and captain S Mukherjee was largely responsible for the goal as the ball dropped off his hands following a free-kick taken from the right by MEG stopper Shiyad, and skipper Ajith Kumar pounced on the loose ball to tap it home (1-0). East Bengal then went on a prowl, putting the MEG goal on a virtual siege, but a tight MEG defence ensured that the East Bengal forwards did not succeed in hitting the target. Forwards Trijit Das, Gonsalves and substitutes Jiten Rai and S Malsawmtluanga made several attempts to break through the MEG defence, but all their attempts came unstuck. East Bengal, however, sailed into the semis with a plus-four goal advantage. Assam Regimental Centre proved to be a sitting duck for Salgaocar who scored at will to register a handsome victory. The inept goal-keeping of Jembo Singh added to the Assam team’s woes as all three goals resulted due to the custodian’s lapses. The first goal was scored in the 12th minute when Sebastiao Endro’s powerful shot came off the post, and Dudu dashed in to connect home the rebound (1-0). Eight minutes into the second half, Dharamjit Singh floated a forward pass, Dudu trapped it, sidestepped an advancing custodian and placed it into an empty goal (2-0). Five minutes later, Dudu completed his three-in-a-row feat when he pushed the ball in after medio Denis Cabral’s
powerful attempt deflected off Jembo Singh (3-0). Salgaocar, who had beaten Punjab State Electricity Board 2-0 in their opening group D match, entered the semifinals with an all-win record. |
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Punjab Police lift hockey title New Delhi, January 6 In a match that provided sheer entertainment for the scattered crowd that had gathered, the pendulum swung from one team to another before a brilliant field goal from Punjab Police skipper Gagan Ajit Singh turned the tables on Indian Airlines. However, the euphoria was short-lived for the airmen as Punjab Police equalised a couple of minutes later, again off a penalty corner by Baljit Singh Dhillon, levelling the score 1-1 at half time. The second half saw some action-packed hockey being played, with both the teams trying their best to get one up on each other. The scoreline would have looked much different had it not been for the Indian Airlines goalkeeper Ashish Ballal. It was Gagan Ajit Singh who scripted the turning point of the game in the 60th minute, sprinting past the IA defence and slamming the ball into the board to propel his team to a 2-1 lead.
PTI |
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Amit wrecks East Zone Bangalore, January 6 After scoring 238 for five wickets in the stipulated 50 overs, North bundled out their opponents for 171 in 42.2 overs with Mishra claiming five wickets conceding just 20 runs from 9.2 overs. North Zone got five points, including a bonus point for their comprehensive win. North Zone: 238 for 5 in 50 overs (Akash Chopra 60, Mithun Manhas 77; Rohan Gavaskar 2/46).
East Zone: 171 all out in 42.2 overs (Subhomoy Das 42, Rohan Gavaskar 29 and Prabhanjan Mallick 22; Amit Mishra 5-20).
PTI |
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AI Academy, PSBA triumph Kota, January 6 Punjab and Sind Bank Academy (PSBA) warded off a determined challenge to prevail over District Hockey Association XI 2-0 in another match. Playing an attacking game, Air India got off to an excellent start when they scored two goals in the first half. Kamalesh scored both the goals for the winners. Air-India started the second half on a positive note when Hanza increased the lead to 3-0. However, Signals bounced back in style pumping in two goals in quick succession to reduce the margin. The winners, however, played with determination to deny any further chance to their opponents. In the second match, though PSBA made several impressive moves right from the
beginning, they failed to score any goal in the first half. However, they pumped in two goals through Damandeep Singh in the second half to emerge winners.
PTI |
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Ankur Jund to lead North Zone New Delhi, January 6 The North Zone selection committee, comprising Anurag Thakur (Himachal, Chairman), Sunil Saggi (Punjab), Tilak Singh (Jammu and Kashmir), Ashwani Kumar (Haryana), Dilip Vengsarkar (Chairman, Talent Research Development Officer), Surender Khanna (chief TRDO) and Sunil Dev (convenor, Delhi), picked the team in Delhi. The team: Ankur Jund (Punjab, captain), Gaurav Chhabra (Delhi, vice-captain), Gaurav Sharma (Delhi), Mandeep Singh (Punjab), Mayank Sidana (Delhi), Rupeetinder Singh (Punjab), Uday Kaul (wicketkeeper, Punjab), Naresh Kumar (Punjab), Ankur Garg (Delhi), Lokesh Sharma (Haryana), Hardavender (Punjab), Monty Sharma (Himachal), Vikram Thakur (Himachal), Wilkins Victor (Delhi) and Mudassar Mushtaq (Jammu and Kashmir). Stand-byes: Anurag Dayal (Himachal), Punit Bisht (Delhi), Lalit Vashisht (Haryana) and Munish Raghuvanshi (Jammu and Kashmir). |
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