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Thursday,
April 3, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Mishra, Gambhir for Dhaka tourney Sahara gifts dream apartments to Indian cricket players Pak face Zimbabwe today McMillan axed for Lanka tour Must-win game for Elite A |
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Bopanna 2nd singles player BSF lift Beighton Cup Defeated Freeman pondered quitting Hero awards for 20 sportspersons Women footballers revolt Jaspreet reaching home today Punjab Police score win Sports academy for Anandpur Sahib
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Mishra, Gambhir for Dhaka tourney Mumbai, April 2 The vacancies arose after top batsman Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Ashish Nehra opted out of the tour on various grounds. The rest of the members of the World Cup squad have been retained including those who did not get a look-in -- Sanjay Bangar, Ajit Agarkar and Parthiv Patel. The only surprise inclusion in the squad announced by cricket board secretary S.K. Nair was offie Sarandeep Singh who has been recalled after a fairly long gap. "These players got the nod on the basis of their consistent performance in the domestic cricket and during India A's tour of West Indies," Nair told reporters. V.V.S. Laxman, skipper of the India A team, and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik were not considered for selection as they were carrying injuries. Team: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Avishkar Salvi, Amit Mishra, Sanjay Bangar, Abhijit Kale, Zaheer Khan. Nair said both Tendulkar and Nehra will have to undergo surgery and could be out of action for at least five to six weeks. "Srinath had asked for rest while Kumble said he had some urgent personal matter to attend to. So they were not considered for selection," Nair said. The 21-year-old Mumbai speedster Salvi's inclusion was a foregone conclusion after his stellar performance during India A's tour of the West Indies. He was dubbed as the "find of the tour" by coach Ashok Malhotra after he grabbed as many as 31 wickets. Gambhir, who aggregated 617 runs on the tour and has been on the selection fringe for quite some time, was finally rewarded for his consistency over the past two years. In Tendulkar's absence, Gambhir is expected to take the opener's slot alongwith either Sehwag or captain Sourav Ganguly. Middle-order batsman Kale will be stepping into the shoes of Rahul Dravid who pulled out due to a finger injury sustained during the World Cup semi-final against Kenya. The Dhaka tourney will offer young Parthiv Patel, the lone wicketkeeper in the squad, a chance to showcase his skills with the gloves after he was forced to watch the World Cup action from the sidelines. The selectors preferred to strengthen the spin department considering the slow tracks of the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka by inducting three specialist spinners at the expense of a medium-pacer. The team will leave for Dhaka from Kolkata on April 9.
PTI |
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Sahara gifts dream apartments to Indian cricket players Amby Valley (Lonavla), April 2 The cricket team and their families which have been avoiding media and public glare since their return from the South Africa tour could not have asked for more. The head of the Sahara Parivar Subrato Roy announced the names of the members of the cricket team at a function held near the pond in the breath-taking surroundings of Amby valley. Felicitations on behalf of the Sahara Parivar came from none other than actress and beauty queen Diya Mirza who put vermilion tilak on the foreheads of the cricketers. All eyes were set on the legendary superstar Amitabh Bachchan who along with old friend and Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh handed over the ownership certificates of dream seven-room apartments in Amby Valley to all the members of the Indian cricket team. The certificates designed like posters in horizontal format read: “In appreciation of their brilliant performance in the ICC World Cup 2003 in South Africa, Sahara India Parivar takes immense pride in honouring (the player) with the gift of a seven star deluxe suite apartment in the world cup enclave at Amby Valley.” As promised by the head of the Sahara empire and Managing Worker and Chairman, Subrato Roy, the keys of the dream homes in World Cup Enclave will be handed over to the cricketers on January 26. Roy showed the team and their family members models of the suite and said that Amby Valley spread over 5000 acres would emerge as the world’s best living centre. The dream homes measure 1600 square feet carpet area and have a market value of Rs 1.75 crore each. Mr Bachchan favoured resumption of cricket matches between India and Pakistan. He said that art and politics should be kept separate and matches between the two countries should not be dictated by politics. He, however, said that government decisions cannot be overlooked. He said that even though cricket evokes a lot of interest in India other games as hockey are equally interesting and ought to be encouraged. Asked to name his favourite sportsman in the Indian cricket team, Mr Bachchan said: “Sab ke Sab achche hain (all of them are good). There is not a single person who does not deserve to be in the team.” Mohd Kaif, applauded for his responsible innings against Pakistan, said that they felt hurt that their houses were attacked back home after they lost to Australia in the league stage. He, however, said that senior members of the team cheered them up. Sachin Tendulkar said he would be happy if Amby Valley is developed for cricket and expressed the hope that Subrato Roy would be receptive to the idea. The coach of the Indian team John Wright could not attend the function as he had to go back to New Zealand to attend to his ailing father. Kapil Dev, former captain of the Indian team said that the team played extraordinary cricket. Looking back at 1983 when the team lead by him won the world cup, Kapil Dev said: “I’m happy to see that in our own country, sports is coming up. My advice to the team is to keep up the
good work. I think they have done extremely well. They were excited for the finals and did not play to their full potential. For the first time all the three bowlers bowled fantastically.” Asked if it was appropriate to remove captains of a team as has been done by Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies after a disappointing performance, he chose to disagree. He said: “If changing and chopping can win the matches, everybody can do that.” |
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Pak face Zimbabwe today Sharjah, April 2 Sri Lanka and Kenya were unconvincing semi-finalists at cricket’s four-yearly showpiece, Zimbabwe fared poorly in the Super Sixes while Pakistan were knocked out in the preliminary round. Pakistan, finalists four years ago, responded to the embarrassing exit by sacking eight senior players, including the legendary Wasim Akram and captain Waqar Younis, and handing the reins to seasoned wicket-keeper Rashid Latif. They also brought back former captain Javed Miandad as coach after South Africa-based Englishman Richard Pybus quit in disgust, saying he was frustrated at the inability of unnamed senior players to adjust to new side as. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, persuaded a reluctant Sanath Jayasuriya to continue as captain, but lost the services of batting great Aravinda de Silva, who retired after the World Cup to become a national selector. Mahela Jayawardene, who averaged a meagre three runs in the World Cup, and fellow middle-order specialist Russell Arnold, were omitted for the Sharjah event, but both are expected to play in the two-Test home series against New Zealand. Zimbabwe, led once again by Heath Streak, have been hit by the retirement of four stalwarts, Andy Flower, Henry Olonga, Guy Whittall and Alistair Campbell. Flower and Olonga opted to leave Zimbabwe after winning acclaim for their protests against the Robert Mugabe government during the World Cup, Whittall said he had played long enough while Campbell quit after being ignored for Sharjah.
AFP |
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McMillan axed for Lanka tour Auckland, April 2 McMillan had a wretched domestic summer but retained his place in the recent World Cup, where he continued to fail and his omission has opened the way for Matthew Horne to return to the squad. Off spinner Paul Wiseman has also been recalled to back-up left-armer Daniel Vettori on the spin-friendly pitches for the two-test tour. Test squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Robbie Hart, Matthew Horne, Richard Jones, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent, Paul Wiseman. The first Test begins in Colombo on April 25. One-day squad:
Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris,
Mathew Horne, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram,
Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori. An additional player will be added after the Test series. The first one-day international is against Pakistan on May 11.
Reuters |
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Must-win game for Elite A Bangalore, April 2 Elite A must pull off a win in this match for the eight points they desperately need to merely keep themselves in contention for the trophy. With only nine points so far in the tournament, their title hopes also depend on the outcomes of other last leg matches. Plate B are currently on top with 16 points from three games, including the eight points from the only win of the tournament so far when they defeated Plate A by an innings and seven runs here earlier. Elite A skipper Reetinder Singh Sodhi, back after missing two games due to a finger injury, said the team had nothing to lose and would push hard for a win. He also hoped that the inclusion of Sanjay Bangar and Gautam Gambhir would bolster the team. Elite B captain and wicket-keeper M.S.K. Prasad, standing in for Rohan Gavaskar, said the team batting first would have the advantage on the well-worn Chinnaswamy Stadium track. Fast bowler Avishkar Salvi and middle-order batsman A.T. Rayudu are the new inclusions to the Elite B squad. Teams: Elite A: Reetinder Singh Sodhi (captain), S. Sriram, Akash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Sanjay Bangar, D. Vinay Kumar, Deep Dasgupta (wk), Gagan Kheda, Y. Venugopal Rao, Devang Gandhi, Sarandeep Singh, Rahul Kanwant, Irfan Pathan (jr) and R. Bose. Elite B:
M.S.K. Prasad (captain and wk), Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Amit Pagnis, Arjun Yadav, A.T. Rayudu, Gyanendra Pandey, Sourasish Lahiri, Sairaj
Bahutule, Amit Uniyal, Harvinder Singh, Avishkar Salvi, Sangram Singh and Romesh Pawar.
UNI |
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I owe it to Navratilova: Paes Kolkata, April 2 It was around this time last year that Leander was in the midst of a career crisis and tied up with tennis queen Martina Navratilova. This partnership helped him to aim for the top spot as he scripted a phenomenal return, overcoming the confusion of losing Mahesh Bhupathi as a partner along with a host of other problems. Talking to UNI after his practice at the South Club, he said: “I owe it all to Martina. She has completely changed the outlook of my life and provided me with a renewed zest to strive for the best. Just stepping into the court with her is magical, not to mention winning the Grand Slam title.” Paes and Navratilova won the Australian Open mixed doubles titles this year. Wiping the sweat of his body, a leaner and fitter Paes continued: “The woman is just incredible. Even during practice, I used to watch her run for the balls that were wide of the tramlines. What she has been able to do at her age made me believe I can do it too. So I am looking at life now with renewed vigour and setting new goals.” Paes added that he was looking forward to meeting Steffi Graf and Andre
Agassi at the French Open mixed doubles. After struggling to find a suitable partner in the doubles game Leander made a colourful start to the year tying up with another Czech David Rikl.
UNI |
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Bopanna 2nd singles player Kolkata, April 2 Veteran Leander Paes will be the other singles player and will also team up with Mahesh Bhupathi for the doubles, non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan told reporters after the evening practice session at Calcutta South Club. Krishnan said Paes was a lot more positive and fitter than last year. "He seems to be in a very good momentum. He had a good run with David Rikl," Krishnan said. Praising Bopanna, Krishnan said that the Bangalore player had a good Futures tournament in Mumbai and was improving fast. "However his acid test will be on the match court," Krishnan said. Bopanna said having won a match against Japan he was now feeling more confident and hoped to do well. However, he said that New Zealanders need not be written off as both Mark Nielsen and Alistair Hunt had pretty good serves. With Mahesh Bhupathi taking to the practice court alongside estranged doubles partner Leander Paes, the Indian team was all geared up to take on New Zealand on Friday. Paes and Bhupathi, the former numero uno duo in world doubles circuit, split up for the second time last year, but would play together again against New Zealand on Saturday to bolster the Indian challenge.
PTI |
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BSF lift Beighton Cup
Kolkata, April 2 Christopher Ekka, Sushil Kujur and skipper Harbhajan Singh scored the goals in the 24th, 60th and 64th minute. With this victory, BSF won this coveted cup after a gap of four years and for the fifth time. They last won the world’s oldest hockey title in 1998. Earlier they won it in 1971, 1972 and 1996. The win also fetched BSF Rs 1.25 lakh cash which was the winner’s stake while Indian Oil received Rs 75,000 as runners-up. An ecstatic BSF captain Harbhajan Singh, after winning the first major hockey title this season, said: “We were confident from the beginning as the tournament was played in the grass on which we are quite
accustomed. I’m really happy that we have been able to live up to the expectation.’’ Indian Oil captain Jaswinder Singh, was, however, critical about the condition of the ground and said: “The ground is uneven and bumpy which disturbed our movement. Moreover, most of our players are used to playing on the artificial turf.’’ Belying the expectation, Indian Oil, with as many as four internationals in their fold, failed to combine though world cuppers Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur moved in tandem to force a few moves initially which, however, proved abortive. It was Indian Oil which first came near scoring in the 11th minute. But a Lakhwinder attempt off Deepak Thakur hit the post after beating rival keeper K.M. Subbiah. BSF, who began the day on a comparatively slow note, slowly made their presence felt and went ahead in the 24th minute to some extent against the run of play when they were awarded a penalty corner. Collecting the ball from Davinder Kumar following the penalty corner, defender Christopher Ekka banged the board with a powerful hit (1-0). The goal made a radical change among the policemen, who started more initiatives with Iqbaljit Singh and Christopher Ekka moving in tandem and dominated the proceedings thereafter, specially in the second half. The second half saw BSF starting with renewed vigour and came near increasing the lead twice within nine minutes after the changeover. But first Harbhajan Singh was late to take the hit and then Sushil Kujur’s hit missed the target narrowly. Both of them, however, made amends for their lapses by scoring soon. In the 25th minute after the changeover Harbhajan neatly collected a pass from his compatriot from the right flank and sent it towards the Indian Oil “D’’. Kujur, who was inside the “D’’, smartly deflected the ball home (2-0). Inspired with the lead, BSF were all over the ground and they pumped in one more goal four minutes later. This time Harbhajan, collecting a nice pass from Davinder Kumar, found the target with a fine reverse scoop (3-0). Indian Oil, however, had the consolation of winning the ‘Man of the Match’ award which went to Prabhjot Singh.
UNI |
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Defeated Freeman
pondered quitting London, April 2 “Suddenly I found myself thinking: Oh God, maybe I should retire. I had all these extreme feelings. I was worrying about whether I still had it or not.”
AFP |
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Hero awards for 20 sportspersons New Delhi, April 2 In the second meeting of the HISA, which was attended besides Kapil Dev, by veteran sportspersons P.K. Banerjee, Jaideep Mukherjea, Michael Ferreira, Diana Eduljee, Praveen Thipsay, Eliza Nelson, Shantaram Jadav, Premchand Degra, Sanjay Sharma, Khazan Singh and Moraad Ali Khan, it was decided to given 20 sports awards for the calendar year January 2002 to December 2002. Some other prominent members of the academy, Olympians P.T. Usha, Milkha Singh and Pargat Singh, were conspicuous by their absence. The awards include Lifetime Achievement Award, Best Sportsman of the Year, Best Sportswoman of the Year, Best Male Achiever of the Year, Best Female Achiever of the Year, a special award for sports for good, and outstanding performances in chess, badminton, tennis, cricket, golf, football, hockey, cue sports, athletics, kabaddi, shooting, weightlifting and from one from archery, bodybuilding, adventure sport, wrestling, boxing, squash, table tennis and swimming. Kapil Dev also announced the appointment of ace shooter Moraad Ali Khan as the vice-president of the HISA, who will be primarily responsible for day-to-day running of the academy. Digressing from the issue on hand, Kapil, the former Indian cricket captain, said it was time the Indian cricket players got the much-needed rest to recharge their batteries, instead of making them play cricket and more cricket. He said this in reference to the upcoming tour of the Indian team to Dakha (Bangladesh). Director of Hero Group Pawan Munjal said his company would look after the affairs of the academy till it started generating its own funds for sustenance and growth. “This is a continuity of the group’s commitment to Indian Sport other than cricket”, he said. The HISA was launched in India on August 2002 in New Delhi. Legendary hurdler Edwin Moses of the USA had launched the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation-India Project in Mumbai on February 4. Mr Munjal also announced the launch of a nation-wide public poll contest for the two popular awards categories — Best Sportsperson of the Year and Best Sportswoman of the Year. He said the winner of these awards would earn a trip to Monte Carlo, to witness the Laureus World Sports Awards in May, 2003. The contest will be launched on April 10. |
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Women footballers revolt New Delhi, March 2 The women’s footballers have decided to raise their voice in a hard way to be heard by the powers that be as the AIFF had not apparently followed the decisions and directives taken at a meeting convened by the Sports Ministry on June 8, 2001 with regard to policy making in women’s football in the country. The Women’s Football Federation of India
(WFFI), which is headed by Mr Kirti Azad, has alleged that the women’s team selected by the AIFF was not the “real Indian team”, as a majority of the players playing under the
WFFI, have not found a place in the team. A general body meeting of the WFFI will also be held on April 7, to chalk out the annual calendar of the federation for 2003-2004. A delegation of the
WFFI, led by its secretary Krishna Singh, had met secretary-general of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Peter Velappan when he was in Delhi to attend the Conference of Indian Football on March 14. The Conference of Indian Football, conducted under the aegis of the AFC and the
FIFA, had a fair representation of women footballers. Mr Veleppan had assured the WFFI to sort out its differences with the
AIFF. |
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Jaspreet reaching home today Chandigarh, April 2 Jaspreet’s mother, and Mr G.S. Malhi, secretary, Punjab Kabaddi Association, are reaching Delhi to join POA officials and all arrangements to escort her back have been finalised. A Red Cross ambulance has been requisitioned from Chandigarh. She will be received at the Faridkot stadium at 2 p.m. by the secretary-general of the Punjab Olympic Association, besides Mr Veenu Prasad, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, and Mr Inderjit Singh Sekhon, chairman, Baba Farid Trust, a voluntary group headed by Col Gurpratap Singh Sekhon. The POA has already borne the expenditure on her treatment at Chandigarh and at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, amounting to Rs 5,07,000. The chairman of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre has informed that exercise apparatus will be needed to enable her to maintain the degree of recovery which she has achieved during her treatment in New Delhi. For the same purpose the POA has sanctioned Rs 10,000 for purchase, of the apparatus which she will need for the rest of her life. On recommendations of the doctor in New Delhi, the POA has paid Rs 48,000 for fabrication of a modern wheel chair for Jaspreet. The POA has also approached the Baba Farid Trust for monetary assistance and life pension for the disabled athlete Mr Inderjit Singh Sekhon has also agreed to give a monetary help of Rs 10,000 to Jaspreet Kaur. A committee under the chairmanship of Col Gurpratap Singh Sekhon has also been formed to rehabilitate her. The Faridkot district administration has promised to find suitable employment for her. The Sports Minister, Punjab, has also agreed to consider grant of pension to Jaspreet and has also sanctioned an amount of Rs 15,000 from his discretionary funds. Mr Veenu Prasad, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, has also sanctioned a sum of Rs 20,000 for Jaspreet. Jaspreet holds a diploma in computer operations. |
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Punjab Police
score win Jamshedpur, April 2 Both the teams missed a couple of chances in the barren first half. Punjab Police scored soon after the play began in the second half when striker Manjit Singh received a pass on the top of the box from a melee and did not miss the opportunity to score after beating the onrushing goalkeeper (1-0) in the 49th minute.
UNI |
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Sports academy for Anandpur Sahib Kharar, April 2 A group of 100 sportsmen in various disciplines would be given admission in this academy. This was announced by Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Sports and Youth Services Minister, Punjab, while addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the block level rural sports stadium being constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh at Kurali today. He said such stadiums would also be constructed at Patiala, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Mr Kang announced that since Kurali had produced many hockey players, it would be the centre for hockey promotion and an academy would be set up here. He said swimming pool and gym with latest facilities would also be set up in Kurali. Mr Kang also gave away sports kit costing about Rs 32 lakh to youth club of the area. |
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Chamba beat Solan Chamba, April 2 Score: Chamba: 192 all out (Rohan b Rahul 25, Pankil b Amit 0, Mukesh b Amit 4, Chandan Puri 100 not out. Karan Deep lbw 20, Bedi b Sarabjeet 1, Adhar run out 3, Varun lbw Gaurav 2, Ashit lbw Sarabjeet 2, Arpeet run out 3, Parteek run out 2. Extras: 30. Total: 192. Bowling: Amit 8-0-30-3, Avinesh 6-0-42-0, Ishan 3-0-10-0, Sarabjeet 7-0-17-2, Rahul 3-0-14-1. Solan:
113 all out: Sarabjeet b Ashit 28, Nikhil b Karan Deep 8, Gaurav b Karan 6, Jaikaran b Ashit 16, Neeraj b Mukesh 12, Ravi Kant b Chandan 11, Amit not out 5, Avinesh b Chandan 2, Sunil b Varun 3, Rahul lbw Chandan 1. |
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Amby Valley (Lonavla), April 2
