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Wednesday,
January 15, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Hold heads high, Ganguly tells players India “real threat”
at World Cup Team will miss
Laxman England to play in
Zimbabwe |
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India hold Lanka, enter semis Maher to replace Gilchrist
Boppana, Sridhar in second round
North lift Vinoo Mankad Trophy Andhra weightlifters excel Tara Chand badminton CAT summons SAI DG
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Kiwis cruise to 6-wicket win Hamilton, January 14 Put in to bat first on a seamer-friendly wicket, the Indians struggled to reach the three-figure mark to be all out for 122, failing again to last their quota of 50 overs. New Zealanders achieved their target after initial hiccups to win the match by six wickets and the series 5-2. After registering their lone victories of the tour in the last two matches while chasing the target, it was back to square one for the Indians with the batsmen floundering once again when asked to bat first on a wicket that belied expectations and offered generous support to the seamers. The top six batsmen were back in the pavilion with just 44 runs on the board and it required gutsy performances from Yuvraj Singh and Anil Kumble to carry the team past the three- figure mark. Yuvraj top-scored with 33 while Kumble made 21, putting on a 49-run partnership for the seventh wicket that saved the tourists some blushes in an otherwise disappointing outing. New Zealand too lost a few early wickets and were 32 for three at one stage, but captain Stephen Fleming struck timely form to guide his side to the target in just 28.4 overs. Fleming remained unbeaten on an attractive 60. This was India’s seventh defeat in nine matches, including the two Tests, on the tour, in probably the worst preparation for next month’s World Cup in South Africa. Javagal Srinath, who has been outstanding in the one-day series claiming 18 wickets from seven matches, claimed two scalps today but let go the opportunity of completing 300 wickets in one-day internationals. He dropped an easy return catch from Scott Styris which would have made him only the fifth bowler in history to join the 300-club. As has been the trend on this tour, the Indian batting problems started early with the first three wickets dismissed for just 17 runs. Last match centurion Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed cheaply for four and one, respectively, before Dinesh Mongia earned a first ball duck. Sehwag attempted a cut against a rising delivery from Kyle Mills and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum. Daryl Tuffey then gave India a double blow in his fourth over when he sent back Tendulkar and Mongia off successive balls, both the batsmen being caught by Fleming in the slips. This was the third failure in a row for Tendulkar who had missed the first four one-dayers due to an injury. Mongia, who was included in India’s World Cup squad in place of V V S Laxman, also failed to make any impression in the three matches he played after joining the team late on this tour. Captain Saurav Ganguly and his deputy Rahul Dravid tried a recovery exercise but could not carry on for long. Both of them looked comfortable against the New Zealand pace attack but were out within four balls of each other at the total of 44 to leave India in a hopeless position. And when Mohammad Kaif was dismissed for a duck at the same total, India were staring at the possibility of being shot out for less than their lowest score of 108 against New Zealand. However, Kumble came up with a stubborn resistance in company of Yuvraj Singh, who has had a few decent scores in this series. The two slowly took the score to 93 in the 34th over before Yuvraj fell to Scott Styris. SCOREBOARD India: Ganguly b Adams 15 Sehwag c McCullum b Mills 4 Tendulkar c Fleming b Tuffey 1 Mongia c Fleming b Tuffey 0 Dravid c Styris b Mills 12 Yuvraj c Vincent b Styris 33 Kaif c McCullum b Adams 0 Kumble c Fleming b Adams 21 Zaheer c McCullum b Styris 5 Srinath lbw b Adams 15 Nehra not out 2 Extras: (lb-5, w-6, nb-3) 14 Total: (all out, 44.5 overs) 122 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-17, 3-17, 4-44, 5-44, 6-44, 7-93, 8-98, 9-117. Bowling: Tuffey 10-1-26-2, Mills 10-1-29-2, Adams 8.5-3-21-4, Styris 10-3-23-2, Vettori 6-0-18-0. New Zealand Fleming not out 60 Sinclair b Srinath 3 McCullum lbw b Zaheer Khan 4 Cairns b Srinath 11 Styris b Kumble 29 Vincent not out 5 Extras: (lb-6, w-6, nb-1) 13 Total: (for 4 wkts, 28.4 overs) 125 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-12, 3-32, 4-116. Bowling: Srinath 8.4-2-28-2, Zaheer Khan 9-2-38-1, Nehra 5-0-28-0, Kumble 4-0-16-1, Ganguly 2-0-9-0.
PTI |
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Hold heads high, Ganguly tells players Hamilton, January 14 Ganguly spoke briefly, after India lost the seventh and last one-dayer to New Zealand by six wickets, telling his boys not to feel low despite the disappointing results on the tour. “I know it’s not gone our way, but keep your heads high. We are a good side and I know we’ll do well in the future,” he said thanking his teammates for the “hard work they have put in.”
PTI |
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India “real threat”
at World Cup Hamilton, January 14 In encouraging words for the Indian team, which was annihilated by the Kiwis in both the Test and the one-day series, Fleming said India’s poor batting show had a lot to do with the nature of the pitches which were “very, very bowler-friendly”. “We know you’ve got more talent than what the pitches here allowed you to show and we know that you will be a real threat in the World Cup. We look forward to seeing you in the Super Sixes,” Fleming said.
PTI |
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Team will miss Laxman The Indian team must have been relieved as the tour came to an end. Ideally, they would have wanted to sign off with a win but with the kind of form the Indian batsmen are in, it was no surprise or shock that they lost yet again. As I said yesterday, the Indian batting epitomises all that is ugly and disgraceful. They began the tour with the tag of the world’s best around them, but unfortunately many reputations have been torn apart. A batsman of Sachin Tendulkar’s ability has managed just two runs in the three innings in the
one-dayers, so you know what must have happened to the rest. Even Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have struggled while Dinesh Mongia and Mohammad Kaif have also been exposed by the New Zealand bowlers. How I wish the selectors had not made the mistake of axing
V.V.S Laxman for the World Cup. I just pray I am proved wrong but I think the team will miss Laxman at the World Cup. The true bounce on South African pitches would have assisted Laxman’s back-foot
strokeplay, but nothing can be done about the selection now. Poor Laxman had to pay the price for failure of big names! Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh were the ones who showed some spine. Sehwag hit two centuries, though I felt he could have done even better, while Yuvraj tried his best to handle the pressure. But in the absence of any support from the stalwarts, it was all futile. Hats off to Javagal Srinath for the way he bowled in the series. It should be good news for the Indians but whether he repeats it at the World Cup remains to be seen. I feel spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble will be important factors at the World Cup because the Cup will be played when the South African season is approaching its end, so the pitches may have some wear and tear. But what I am worried right now is the confidence level of the players. They made mistakes in New Zealand and they ought to learn from the mistakes. If they want to do well at the World Cup, remember, they can’t afford to repeat those mistakes. |
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England to play in
Zimbabwe London, January 14 Five days ago Culture, Sport and Media Secretary Tessa Jowell told the ECB that the government opposed the match in Harare against Zimbabwe because of security concerns and what she called the appalling human rights record of President Robert Mugabe’s government. Australia, Pakistan, India, Namibia and the Netherlands are also scheduled to play in Zimbabwe.
Reuters |
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India hold Lanka, enter semis
Dhaka, January 14 Needing only a draw to make it to the last four stage of the tournament which they have traditionally dominated, the Indians were a pale shadow of themselves but were lucky enough to keep themselves on course for a hattrick of titles. The Indians qualified to the semi-finals as the second team from the group behind Pakistan who maintained an all-win record by winning all their three league matches. After a barren opening session, young striker Ashim Biswas put the defending champions in the lead just two minutes before the long whistle. But the euphoria was
short-lived as the islanders managed to restore parity in the very next minute through substitute A Chrysantha in a match which seldom rose to great heights. Handicapped by the absence of four key players, including star striker Bhaiching Bhutia, the Indians struggled to find any rhythm against the Sri Lankans who gave very little room for
maneuvers. Although both India and Sri Lanka completed their league engagements with four points each, the Indians moved into the semi-finals on goal difference.
PTI |
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Maher to replace Gilchrist
Brisbane, January 14 “We are trying to cover as many bases as we can ahead of the one-day World Cup starting next month,” Buchanan said. Australia will be defending their crown in the 14-nation contest in South Africa and Zimbabwe. “What can potentially happen in in the World Cup is that Adam suffers an injury, which would make him unavailable for a game. “Now is a good opportunity to give Jimmy a run through. “He can get some experience which he may not normally get under very good match conditions against a very good side. “We don’t know if there will be other opportunities for him — we will assess things as we go on. These things will be decided on a match-by-match basis. “If another opportunity presents itself — and it is appropriate — we would do it again.” Selectors have decided to rest Gilchrist — rated the world’s top wicketkeeper-batsman — after a recent heavy workload in the Ashes series and the early tri-nations clashes. They want to have a close look at Maher, 28, a makeshift gloveman who has kept only once for his Queensland state side — and that was six years ago. Buchanan said as well as doing the ‘keeping job, Maher would probably open the batting with Matthew Hayden. “It might depend on how he goes if he has to keep first, but that is the plan — that he would be a straight replacement. “I am sure he is going to be a very sore boy after 50 overs behind the stumps. When you are not used to it, it is a tough job.” Gilchrist admitted this week that he was feeling the effects of a heavy playing schedule. Star fast bowler Glenn McGrath, struggling with a lower back strain, practiced in the nets here today and a decision about whether he would play against Sri Lanka would be made early tomorrow, Buchanan said. “With Glenn, it is just a case of seeing how he pulls up in the morning,” he said. “He will probably have a light roll of his arm in the morning, and if all is okay, he will be on the park.” McGrath said his back had felt comfortable at training. “I bowled the equivalent of seven or eight overs, and it feels pretty good. The real test, though, will be in the morning. “I have sometimes in the past felt good in the nets and then been tight the next morning. If it feels as good tomorrow morning as it does now, there is a big chance I will play.” With fellow paceman Andrew Bichel already ruled out of the match through injury, Brad Williams and Nathan Bracken have been drafted into the squad with at least one of them almost certain to play. There was no decision yet on whether Williams or Bracken would get the one spot open if McGrath was deemed fit to play.
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Serena survives, Seles sails through
Melbourne, January 14 The American world number one fought back from a set down against Frenchwoman Emilie Loit, who played out of her skin to threaten what would have been a sensational upset. Williams eventually squeezed into a second round meeting with Belgium’s Els Callens after winning a dramatic 2hr 8min duel 3-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 on the Rod Laver Arena centre court. While Williams was labouring to victory over Loit, there were no such worries for Belgian fourth seed Kim Clijsters, who revelled in the vocal support of the Australian fans to cruise into the second round. Clijsters, the girlfriend of men’s world number one Lleyton Hewitt, breezed past Samantha Reeves 6-2 6-1. She left the court to a rapturous applause from Australian fans, who have clearly adopted her as one of their own. Clijsters, is regarded as the biggest threat to the dominance of the Williams sisters in the women’s event. But she declined to assess her chances of prevailing over the American duo after her win, which set up a meeting with Hungary’s Petra Mandula. Top seed Lleyton Hewitt came through a torrid five-setter to beat Swedish qualifier Magnus Larsson 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 in the first round. Hewitt, bidding to become the first home winner of the Australian Open in 27 years, will now play compatriot Todd Larkham in the next round. Slovakian teenager Lubomira Kurhajcova received a rude introduction to grand slam tennis today when she was trounced 6-0 6-1 by Monica Seles. Kurhajcova crashed to defeat in just 45 minutes, one of the fastest matches of the tournament so far, as her nerves got the better of her on the Rod Laver Arena. Hopelessly outclassed by the former world number one, Kurhajcova’s sole moment of celebration came midway through the second set when she won her only game of the match, throwing her arms in the air in triumph. Ninth seed Andy Roddick fought his way back from losing the opening set and trailing 4-1 in the third to beet Zeljko Krajan 6-7 6-2 7-6 6-3 in the first round. Sixth seed Roger Federer was made to work hard as he came through a three-hour tie with Brazil’s Flavio Saretta, winning 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 6-3. Another Brazilian, Gustavo Kuerten, came through a testing encounter with Morocco’s Hicham Arazi, winning 6-4 7-6 (10/8) 6-3. Last year’s finalist Marat Safin meanwhile, seeded three, overcame Raemon Sluiter of the Netherlands 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4. As the remaining first round 64 singles ties got underway the issue of drugs was back on the agenda with Grand Slam doubles champion Mark Woodforde saying he suspected some players were using performance-enhancing drugs. Random drug blood testing has been introduced at the Australian Open amid fears that the use of EPO, or erythropoietin which boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, has become prevalent in tennis. The now-retired 11-times Grand Slam doubles champion Woodforde praised the introduction of random blood testing to catch drug cheats. Woodforde, who formed the ‘Woodies’ combination with Todd Woodbridge, said he and other players still involved in the sport questioned the use of drugs in the sport.
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Boppana, Sridhar in second round New Delhi January 14 Boppana, the only seeded Indian in the fray here, demolished compatriot and wild card entrant Vishal Uppal in straight sets in one hour and 11 minutes. Boppana proved too strong breaking Vishal’s serve thrice in the match winning 7-5, 6-4. Although Vishal started strongly forcing a break in the fifth game, he could not counter the all-round consistency - a feature of Boppana’s game. Asian junior champion Sunil Kumar Sipaeya toppled the eighth-seeded Suwandi Suwandi of Indonesia 6-4, 6-4. The 567th-ranked Sipaeya played well from the backcourt to tame the 493rd-ranked Suwandi. It was a comedy of errors in the first set as both players lost serve a number of times. In the fourth game, Sunil lost serve making it 2-2. He came back after being down 4-2. He took three games in a row attacking the net with volleys and drop shots to shut out his opponent. Sunil went 1-0 up in the first game of the second set taking a break. That was it all and he never looked back winning the set and the match comfortably.
UNI |
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North lift Vinoo Mankad Trophy Rohtak, January 14 As expected, the final day of the match turned out to be a day of performing formalities only. In reply to North Zone’s first innings total of 376, East Zone were struggling at 88 for 5 after being dismissed for 72 in their first essay to face the humiliation of a follow on at the close of third day’s play yesterday. Though the sixth wicket stand between yesterday’s not out batsmen — Abhishek Choudhary (44) and Dinesh Mahanta (39) worth 46 runs off 60 minutes delayed the outcome of the match which was nothing but a one-sided affair. Once the pair was
separated at 116, it took another 9 overs for the North Zone bowlers to pack the East Zone innings at a total of 141. The entire innings lasted just 197 minutes. North Zone
(first innings): 376 for 8 wickets (declared). East Zone (first innings): 72 East
Zone (2nd innings): Abhishek c Shikhar Dhawan b Abhishek Sharma 44, Avik lbw Abhishek Sharma 22, Rakesh Mohanty st. Deepak b Aparajit 2, S. Biswal lbw Aparajit 0, Niranjan lbw Abhishek Sharma 6, S. Sarkar c Bisla b Rajesh 2, Dinesh c Salil b Abhishek Sharma 39, Pravat Nayak lbw Aparajit Singh 16, Tushar Saha lbw Abhishek Sharma 0, Amber Roy not out 0. Extras
((b-4, lb-5, nb-1) 10. Total for 9 wickets (in 52.4 overs) 141. Fall of wickets:
1/46, 2/49, 3/51, 4/65, 5/70, 6/116, 7/131, 8/133, 9/141. Bowling: Kuldeep Rawat 7-1-21-0, Sachin Rana 3-0-20-0, Rajesh 16-4-33-1, Aparajit 12.4-2-30-3, Abhishek Sharma 14-4-28-5. |
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Andhra weightlifters excel Kurukshetra, January 14 In powerlifting the day belonged to Karnataka who won 5 gold and 1 silver followed by Kerala with 2 gold medals. MTNL Delhi, NTD Delhi and Uttar Pradesh West, won one gold each. Powerlifting 100 kg: 1 G. Rajappa Karnataka — (612.5 points), 2 Joyti Saini — (Punjab 612.5 points), 3 S.K. Malhotra (MP — 550 points). 110 kg:
1 K. Gangappa (Karnataka — 580 points), 2 M.J. Chandrashekar (Andhara Pradesh — 430 points, 3 Sharda P.
Tiwari (MP — 360 points). 110+ kg: 1 Satya Prakash (UP West —395 points, 2 U.N. Singh (UP East — 340 points, 3 Raj Kishore Sharma (NTR Delhi — 250 points). |
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Tara Chand badminton Chandigarh, January 14 Mr Devender Singh further told that this mega event, first of its kind to be held at Panchkula will be conducted at the new badminton hall in the sports complex, Sector 3, built by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) at a cost of Rs 1.33 crores. It will have the participation of nearly 300 players in both boys and girls section. Those participants appearing in the main draw, will be given free lodge and boarding facilities. The first two days of the meet will be devoted to qualifying rounds since a large number of players will converge to the city. Yonex brand of shuttlecocks will be used in this meet and the Badminton Association of India has sent its technical personnel for the smooth conduct of the event. |
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CAT summons SAI DG Patiala, January 14 The coaches have filed a civil petition against the DG over SAI’s refusal to implement the assured career progression (ACP) scheme as recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission. Under this scheme coaches were assured of financial upgradation after every 12 and 24 years of service respectively. The coaches are apparently disgruntled with the pick and choose policy adopted by SAI which on the one hand has promoted scores of employees working in the administrative wing while on the other hand it has ignored the coaching cadre. |
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