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Wednesday,
April 2, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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New-look squad likely for Dhaka meet Dravid to marry Nagpur doctor Monument for Indian cricketers in SA
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Rotating vice-captain for SA Move to bring Olonga to
Kiwi club DAVIS CUP
Indian Oil, BSF
set up title clash Bagan-JCT tie at Ludhiana AG Jharkhand hockey champs Sub-junior Punjab basketball Football
academy inaugurated
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New-look squad likely for Dhaka meet Mumbai, April 1 Some of the in-form India-A players, who toured the West Indies to take part in the Carib Beer series, were likely to be rewarded with berths in the senior team as the selectors may take the opportunity to test the temperament of these youngsters. Having played non-stop cricket for the last 18 months, batting maestro Tendulkar and vice-captain Rahul Dravid have decided to skip the series to recover from finger injuries while paceman Ashish Nehra has been ruled out of action for at least five months because of an ankle injury he sustained during the World Cup semi-final encounter against Kenya. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath and leg spinner Anil Kumble were almost certain to be rested for the series which also features hosts Bangladesh and South Africa as the other two teams. Speedster Aavishkar Salvi and Irfan Pathan, leg spinner Amit Mishra, openers Gautam Gambhir and Akash Chopra and middle order batsman A.T.P. Rayudu are definitely in the reckoning for a place in the squad. All these young players have been very impressive at the domestic level and could get the nod from the selectors, who have often reposed faith on the youngsters keeping the future in mind. The 21-year-old Mumbai pacer Salvi had an outstanding tour of the Caribbeans capturing 31 wickets and was singled out for special praise by India ‘A’ coach Ashok Malhotra. The Delhi openers Gautam Gambhir and Akash Chopra were also quite impressive during the tour collecting 617 and 545 runs respectively and one of them could be tried out in the opening slot, particularly in the absence of Tendulkar. Captain Sourav Ganguly is also reportedly keen to take rest though it is unlikely that the cricket board will concede his request in view of the injury-induced absence of some of the seniors. If he does manage to convince the bigwigs, the selectors may have to name a stand-in skipper. The younger members of India’s World Cup squad like Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Sanjay Bangar and Harbhajan Singh were expected to be retained. With Dravid opting out of the tour, young Parthiv Patel was almost certain to don the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Though Patel was part of the World Cup squad, he did not get to play a single match. There is some doubt about Dinesh Mongia’s selection as the left-hander was far from impressive in the World Cup, totalling just 120 runs in six innings. Leg spinner Amit Mishra, who was part of the Indian squad during the home series against Zimbabwe, was likely to take Kumble’s place in case he is rested though off-spinner Sarandeep Singh also has an outside chance. Pacers Tinu Yohannan and L. Balaji, despite being a little inconsistent during India-A’s tour of the Caribbeans, also have a chance of making it to the team.
PTI |
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Srinath, Kumble opt out BANGALORE: Indian bowling spearhead Javagal Srinath and spin ace Anil Kumble have opted out of the triangular one-day series in Bangladesh from April 11 to 20. Chairman of the Selectors, Brijesh Patel, told PTI here today that Srinath had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India that he “is exhausted” after the World Cup campaign and needs rest. Kumble said he had written to the BCCI of his inability to turn up for the tournament, also involving South Africa. Kumble, who watched most of the World Cup action from the sidelines, said he needed to sort out “some issues” and remain inside the country for some time. Vice-captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and left-arm medium pacer Ashish Nehra are also unavailable for the series. Patel said the team for the Dhaka tournament would be announced in Mumbai tomorrow. Meanwhile, Srinath said he needed to think about his future in international cricket and would spell out his intentions soon.
PTI |
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Sachin to miss action for 2 months MUMBAI: The finger injury to Sachin Tendulkar will not only keep him out of the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh but from all international engagements for two months. Tendulkar, the top-scorer at the World Cup with a record 673 runs, said his finger needed to be operated upon and would keep him out of action for two months.
PTI |
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Dravid to marry Nagpur doctor Nagpur, April 1 Confirming the marriage, Dr Vijeta’s father S.P. Pendharkar , a retired IAF Wing Commander told UNI here today that Dravid had a long association with their family. “The marriage is fixed but the date has not been decided so far. The wedding, though, will take place in May this year only,’’ he said. When asked whether the marriage would be held in Nagpur, Mr Pendharkar said the place would be decided later. It may also be solemnised in Bangalore. “We will hold talks with Dravid and his relatives in this regard’’, he said.
UNI |
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Monument for Indian cricketers in SA Johannesburg, April 1 “Despite their failure, we think that the boys did a wonderful job to reach the final,” Aziz Sejawal, founding member of the newly established Fellowship of Ordinary Lovers of Indian Cricket (Foolic), told IANS. “We negotiated with cricket authorities at the Wanderers here to commemorate for posterity the fact that they got to the final for the first time on the African continent.” India lost the World Cup to Australia in the final match. The organisation has already secured a sponsorship for the project from a leading Indian motor vehicle manufacturer that has achieved much success in South Africa with its trucks with specially designed tyres for the rough African terrain. The company’s CEO, Mahendra Jithoo, said they did not want to make a huge fuss about the sponsorship and would prefer to remain anonymous. “We will finance the costs of bringing different indigenous trees from India to South Africa to be planted at the Wanderers Stadium, where the final match was played,” said Jithoo. Sejawal said most of the trees would be those known colloquially here as “the pride of India,” to symbolically represent the Indian team that had played at the Wanderers. “We will make a bronze plaque with the name of each of the players to be placed next to each tree, giving details of the tree itself as well as the history of the player at the time of the game. Sejawal said Foolic hoped to have the entire project in place by April 1 next year, when India would play in a triangular series with Canada, to be hosted by South Africa.
IANS |
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Lara better prepared after introspection Bridgetown, April 1 “It’s a great challenge for me again,” the 33-year-old Lara said at Kensington Oval yesterday after his appointment by the West Indies Cricket Board. “I’ve had two years of introspection, two years of looking and seeing where I’ve gone wrong,” Lara said. “It was a period of learning. A lot of things I had done two years ago, I don’t think I’ll be doing now.” Lara replaces Carl Hooper, whose two years at the helm ended with a disappointing 2003 World Cup campaign in South Africa, where the West Indies failed to advance past the first round. “Other than Carl, myself and Ridley (Jacobs), there is not much there in terms of experience,” Lara said. “So I think it would be a dereliction of duty if I was presented the job and to turn it down. I see my responsibilities and I want to play a part.” He captained the West Indies in 18 Tests and 44 one-day internationals between 1997 and 2000. The Trinidadian double world-record holder resigned after a tour of New Zealand in 1999-2000 in which West Indies lost both Tests and all five one-dayers. At the time, he cited “moderate success and devastating failures that have engulfed West Indian cricket” as among the reasons for his quitting. He missed the subsequent home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan for personal reasons before returning to the team on the 2000 tour of England. Since then, he has been sidelined at times by injury and illness, but has remained the team’s premier batsman when available. Lara said he learned a lot as “one of the guys in the team” under first Jimmy Adams and then Hooper, but was looking forward to making his presence felt again. “Definitely it will be a different style ... it will definitely be Brian Lara you’re seeing out there,” he said. He was also optimistic in his outlook for the Australian series, which begins on April 10 with the first Test in Georgetown, Guyana. “I wouldn’t take the job if I didn’t think we could win the series,” Lara said. “We’ve got a team that is full of a lot of potential. We need to shape our characters especially in these tough times, especially against the best team in the world. There is no better opposition to do that against,” Lara said. During the Australians’ last Caribbean tour in 1999, then-skipper Lara produced three centuries, including a double, in four Tests. The series was split 2-2.
AP |
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Rotating vice-captain for SA Johannesburg, April 1 The National Selection Committee of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) has decided to work though a process to identify the right candidate during the series. This will be done during the triangular one-day-international series against Bangladesh and India and the two-Test series against Bangladesh.
IANS |
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Move to bring Olonga to
Kiwi club Hastings, April 1 Olonga, the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, was suspended from his Harare cricket club and may face treason charges carrying a penalty of death after he and team-mate Andy Flower made a political protest at the cricket World Cup. They wore black armbands during their opening match against Namibia to “mourn the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe”. Cricket fan Earl Stevens said today he was leading a campaign to get Olonga here. “It really is a crying shame what’s happened in Zimbabwe. It’s a country that should have everything and they’ve got nothing,” Stevens said. “Firstly, we need to see if we can get him over here. Secondly, we need to find out where he is to get information to him, and thirdly, we would need to organise a job for him and accommodation and financial support to get him here.” He had approached Central Districts coach Mark Greatbatch, who has agreed to consider the prospect of employing Olonga, and Napier MP Russell Fairbrother, who said he would “push as hard as he could to do something politically.”
AFP |
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DAVIS CUP Kolkata, April 1 “Winning a best of five-setter in such hot and humid conditions would be a test of endurance. The outcome will largely depend on how the two teams prepare themselves in the next few days to adapt to the conditions,” Krishan told a press conference here. Asked whether the hosts would have a distinct advantage over their rivals on the grass court at South Club, Krishnan said the grass was never an easy surface to play on, and the Indians, despite their last year’s 4-1 victory against the Kiwis, had a battle on their hands. “There is not much difference between the teams. Whatever the scoreline may suggest, last year’s engagement at Wellington was highly competitive. I think it will be the same this time,” Krishnan said. While terming India as the favourites, New Zealand captain Glenn Wilson echoed Krishnan’s views, saying it was always risky to predict the outcome on grass. “On the basis of their performance against us last year, India start as clear favourites. But then, grass is a big leveller. Anything can happen on this surface,” he said. Wilson said Alistair Hunt, who has an ATP singles ranking of 1336, had good experience on grass, while his No 1 player Mark Nielsen was also used to the surface. Asked to spell out his team’s strategy, Wilson said the Kiwis would play a serve and volley game, waiting for mistakes on the part of the Indians. Queried whether the heat and humidity would be a factor, Wilson said “Obviously. But on grass points are shorter. It would have been much more difficult on clay where rallies are longer. I think we can cope up with the grass surface easily.” Both the non-playing captains showered praise on the Kolkata South Club courts. Krishnan said it was great to again play at the South Club, where the Indians have fond memories of beating many formidable sides, including Italy and Switzerland. “The court is very good. It is flat. The courts in our country are not that flat,” Wilson said. The Kiwi captain also refused to disclose his side’s doubles combination saying the various options would be looked into after the opening day’s results. “But I know that doubles will be a tough proposition for us against the Indian pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who are one of the best in the world,” he said. The organisers announced that the draw for the tie would be held on Thursday at the South Club and would be presided over by West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty. Being jointly hosted by the Bengal Tennis Association and the South Club, the rival teams would play two singles matches on April 4, while the doubles is slated for the next day. The reverse singles would take place on April 6. This is the fifth meeting between the two teams. While New Zealand won the first three encounters, Indian emerged victorious last year. The Indian team management today announced that Vishal Uppal has been included as the fifth member of the squad. Meanwhile, Mark Nielson threw a challenge to the hosts saying that he was a much improved player than last year when the two sides met at Wellington. Nielsen beat Harsh Mankad to win the only match for his side at Wellington, as India won the tie 4-1. Denying that he would be under pressure being the highest ranking player in the two sides, Nielsen said “on the contrary, (Leander) Paes will have to handle more pressure, as he has to carry the Indian team”. Nielsen, who has an ATP singles ranking of 338, however, praised Paes saying that the Indian was very aggressive and the main hurdle in the way of the visitors. “But I am a much improve player than last year. I hope to put up a good show here,” said Nielsen, who had lost his Davis Cup match against Paes last year. Asked whether he felt confident on grass, Nielsen, basically a baseline player, said “when I play, I always give my best, whatever the surface”.
PTI |
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Pressure on England to halt Turkey’s march
Slaley, England, April 1 The group seven match in Sunderland is a pivotal one for both teams. Turkey rattled up nine points in their opening three games while England have managed seven after spluttering to a 2-2 draw with Macedonia last October. With only group winners qualifying directly for the finals in Portugal and runners-up going to the play-offs, England may yet pay a high price for their draw in Southampton. Another one tomorrow would almost certainly leave them needing to beat the World Cup semi-finalists in October’s final qualifier in the cauldron of Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen stadium. Now distinctly on the cards, it is precisely the scenario which manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had wanted to avoid ever since the fixture list was first published. Eriksson’s side, who huffed and puffed their way to a 2-0 victory in Liechtenstein on Saturday, have certainly not shown the kind of form needed to beat such skilful and well-drilled opponents. Lacking real conviction and creative spark, England still appear to be wrestling with the demons of a dismal second-half display against Brazil in last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat. The loss in Shizuoka, preceded by fine wins over Argentina and Denmark, has been followed by a scrappy 2-1 win in Slovakia, the draw with Macedonia, a humiliating 3-1 friendly defeat by Australia and Saturday’s laboured victory in Vaduz. Turkey will not be quaking in their boots. Instead, they will be looking to exploit any wayward passes or missed tackles in a game which could well be decided by a single defensive error by either side. Sol Campbell should return to central defence after an Achilles problem, but his team mates clearly need to raise their game. The likes of Ilhan Mansiz, Nihat Kahveci and Hakan Sukur, who like midfielder Tugay Kerimoglu plays his club football for Blackburn Rovers, will provide the immediate threat. Attacking midfielder Yildiray Basturk is another potential matchwinner. Though Rustu Recber, linked with Arsenal by recent British media reports, is an outstanding goalkeeper, England’s hopes will be pinned on Michael Owen out-foxing a sometimes suspect Turkey defence with his blistering pace. As ever, it places a heavy responsibility on the Liverpool striker, who scored his 20th goal in 46 appearances for his country with Saturday’s opener against Liechtenstein. Unfazed, Owen told reporters on Monday: ‘’I enjoy that role. ‘’If loads of people are rooting for you and wanting you to do well there are two ways to go — you either crumble under the pressure or you thrive on it. ‘’I like to think I thrive on it.’’ England can also take comfort from past results against Turkey. They have yet to concede a goal after seven wins and a 0-0 draw, while two 8-0 victories in the 1980s helped to bring the scoring aggregate to an impressive 29-0 in England’s favour. However, statistics from a different era can be a treacherous guide to the future. Turkish football has developed faster than any other in Europe in recent years, starting with Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup final win over Arsenal in 2000 and continuing with last year’s World Cup run to third place. Probable teams: England: David James; Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Bridge; David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Kieron Dyer; Emile Heskey, Michael Owen Turkey: Rustu Recber; Fatih Akyel, Alpay Ozalan, Bulent Korkmaz, Emre Asik; Okan Buruk, Ergun Penbe, Tugay Kerimoglu, Yildiray Basturk, Nihat Kahveci; Ilhan Mansiz.
Reuters |
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Iraq - Vietnam tie put off Zurich, April 1 FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said they had been unable to communicate with the Iraqi FA and had postponed the fixtures until later dates.
Reuters |
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Indian Oil, BSF
set up title clash
Kolkata, April 1 Indian Oil, who drew first blood from a penalty corner through Kamalesh Kumar in the 24th minute, squandered the lead as Sharanjit Singh converted from a penalty corner in the 54th minute to restore parity in the keenly contested encounter at the Mohun Bagan ground. As the match rolled into the tie-breaker after the two rivals finished 1-1 in scheduled time, PSB paid a heavy penalty for a miss by Sharanjit in converting a stroke. Indian Oil players, who netted all the five strokes, won 6-5 to move to the final in the very first appearance of the oil PSU team in the prestigious tournament. In the other semifinal, BSF took an early lead in the fifth minute as Christopher Ekka converted a penalty corner. Army, however, drew level minutes before the final whistle as Avtar Singh found the target in the 63rd minute. In the tie-breaker, the BSF players made no mistake in converting the strokes while Army wasted two shots to concede a 2-4 defeat. Earlier, Army staged a superb comeback in the game after conceding an early lead and made frequent forays into the opponents’ half, but were done in by poor finishing. The armymen, in fact, failed to utilise any of the 16 penalty corners being awarded to them. In the tie-breaker, BSF skipper Harbhajan Singh netted the first goal before Davinder Kumar, Christopher Ekka and Sushil Kumar converted their chances. Avtar Singh and Harpreet Singh scored for Army, but vital misses by
C.S. Khalko and Sanjay Routh saw them bow out of the championship. In the Indian Oil vs PSB match, the oil PSU utilised the very first penalty corner as Kamalesh Kumar, getting the ball from Prabhjot Singh, made no mistake in finding the target. PSB, on the other hand, made the scoreline 1-1 from the last of the seven penalty corners awarded to the side. Bikramjit Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Deepak Thakur and Khushmeet Singh scored in the tie-breaker for Indian Oil while Ajitpal Singh, Rajbir Singh, Jatinderpal Singh and Harpreet Singh netted for
PSB. PTI |
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Bagan-JCT tie at Ludhiana Chandigarh, April 1 According to Arjuna awardee Inder Singh who is also the secretary of the Punjab Football Association, the timing of the match has been changed in view of the advancing summer. The match will be played at 4 p.m. On April 13, JCT will meet Dempo Sports Club in their last home match. This match will also be played at 4 p.m. |
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AG Jharkhand hockey champs Chandigarh, April 1 Earlier, A.G. Punjab, dominated the first half but their forward line could not capitalise on the opportunities. A.G. Jharkhand, too, could not succeed. After resumption of the play, both teams tried hard to take the lead. A.G. Punjab got six penalty corners while A.G. Jharkhand availed of five but none could be converted. As the match progressed, A.G. Punjab, were awarded a penalty stroke but Ravinder Kumar missed it. A.G. Jharkhand’s Kaleshwar Singh ultimately tilted the scales in his team’s favour at the fag end. |
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Sub-junior Punjab basketball Ludhiana, April 1 Players born on or after January 1, 1990 are eligible to take part in this meet. Entries close on April 10 with Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, honorary general secretary, PBA, at 48-B, Tagore Nagar, Ludhiana. Performance during this championship will be considered while finalising the Punjab teams for the forthcoming National Sub Junior Championship slated to be held from May 16 to 22 at Nagaon (Assam). |
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Football
academy inaugurated Fatehgarh Sahib, April 1 Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), Governor, Punjab, was supposed to
inaugurate the academy. He could not make it because of some urgent
work. The function was attended, among others, by Ms Harbans Kaur
Dullon, MLA, Mr Ravinder Kumar, SDM, Khamano, Mr Balwant Singh, DSP,
Khamano, Mr Iman Singh Mann and sarpanches, panches of 40 villages.
Addressing a gathering, the Deputy Commissioner expressed concern
about poor performance in hockey, football, badminton and volleyball.
He inspired the public to take interest in the games. He also donated
football sports kit, volleyball net and weight-training equipment Ms
Rupinder Kaur is the Director-Principal of the school as well over all
in charge of the academy. In fact, it was due to her efforts and her
husband Harjit Singh that the academy has come into existence and that
it is going to give a big boost to football in the area.
Mr D.K. Sharma is appointed coach of the academy. He has around 24
years’ experience in this field.
The academy is run by the Dashmesh Education Society. |
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HOA seeks NRIs assistance Chandigarh, April 1 In a statement here today, the president of HOA, Mr Abhey Singh Chautala, said it was necessary to develop infrastructural facilities to give a new direction to sports in the state. He urged NRIs for their assistance as the HOA was not getting any financial help from any other source. |
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National TT camp Patiala, April 1 Those who will be attending the camp are:
men — S. Raman, Sobhajit Saha, Soumyadeep Roy, A. Sarath Kamal, Sourav
Chakraborthy, Ranbir Dass, Shivani Dutta and Arunav Ganguly; women — Mouna Das, Poulomi
Ghatak, Mamta Prabhu, Vishakha Vijay, Sushmita Roy and Nandita Saha. OSR |
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Cricket tourney Patiala, April 1 Brief scores:
MES: 73 all out (Ajay Handa 48, Mohit Mohindera 3 for 15, Arjun 2 for 21 and Navjot Singh 2 for
17). NICS: 74 for no loss (Harjinder Singh 34 n.o. and Kunwar Raina 22 n.o.) |
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Tennis meet Chandigarh,
April 1 |
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