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Thursday,
October
9, 2003,
Chandigarh, India  
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Dravid leads India to safety
Tendulkar’s dismissal put me under pressure, says Dravid
New Zealand bowling lacked the bite |
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Dungarpur lambasts Imran MacGill included
Anju looking beyond
Olympic gold
Sania enters pre-quarters; Shruti ousted AITA series tennis results JCT down Mahilpur Academy 2-0 CISF, PSB Academy in final GND varsity eves win
in netball Kakkar wrecks
Chandigarh Patiala
defeated
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Dravid leads India to safety
Ahmedabad, October 8 It was a slow and steady progress for the Indians but for the post-lunch session when they lost debutant opener Akash Chopra (42) and batting star Sachin Tendulkar for eight. Though runs were not exactly flowing, the Indian batsmen gave a vent to their penchant for strokemaking in patches with Dravid hitting as many as 13 fours in 110-run knock and Laxman unleashing six boundaries for his unbeaten 56 after skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket. Dravid, who came in when the team’s score read 35 for one, played the sheet-anchor role to perfection, adding 115 vital runs for the unfinished fourth wicket with the stylish Laxman. The final session proved to be the most productive for India with Dravid and Laxman negotiating the pace-spin attack with ease and elan to add 100 runs to the total. Having scored centuries in the Irani Cup and the Challenger Trophy in the lead-up to this Test, the Indian vice-captain settled into a rhythm early and was rewarded for his patience when he reached his 15th Test century with a four off speedster Daryl Tuffey. Dravid, surprisingly, scored most of his runs on the off-side and executed his drives with near perfection. His 100 came off 211 balls with the help of 12 fours. A prolific scorer in the last season as well, Dravid seems to have struck the right note at the start of the fresh cricket season and has now 5717 Test runs to his credit. Laxman, dropped from the one-day team after India’s tour of New Zealand in December and January, also took a cue from ‘The Wall’ and had hit six fours for his unbeaten 56. The Indian innings, which was cruising at 76 for one at lunch, suddenly found itself in disarray when debutant Chopra and Tendulkar returned to the pavilion in quick succession. Reduced to a shaky 134 for three, things did not exactly look bright for the Indians but the ever-dependable Dravid combined with Laxman to arrest the slide. Chopra showed some promise during his 42-run knock, weathering the blows and early onslaught of a raw new-ball attack comprising Tuffey and Jacob Oram with patience and determination. The right-hander played with a straight bat to most of the deliveries and it was no surprise that he took as many as 116 balls to score his runs with four boundaries to his credit. A bigger disappointment was in store for Indian fans when Tendulkar, playing his first match since a finger operation after the World Cup, was caught in the slips by Nathan Astle off medium pacer Scott Styris. Another talented batsman who was left rueing the missed opportunity to score some big runs against a mediocre attack was Virender Sehwag. Under the scanner for throwing his wicket in reckless fashion, Sehwag was expected to play a patient knock to drive home the point that he had ironed out this weakness of his but he once again was guilty of being over-ambitious. The Delhi Ranji captain got a reprieve early on in his 29-run knock when Craig McMillan failed to latch on to a difficult chance off paceman Daryl Tuffey to concede a six, the only one of the innings, but Sehwag failed to make the most of it. Though the decision of umpire David Shepherd to adjudge Sehwag leg before wicket off Tuffey was dubious as the ball looked like missing the leg stump, there was no denying that Sehwag found it difficult to curb his natural aggressive skills — he had hit three fours and a six already in his 32-ball innings. SCOREBOARD India (1st innings): Chopra c and b Vettori 42 Sehwag lbw b Tuffey 29 Dravid batting 110 Tendulkar c Astle b Styris 8 Laxman batting 56 Extras
(lb-3, nb-1) 4 Total (3 wkts, 90 overs) 249 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2 107, 3-134. Bowling:
Tuffey 21-3-77-1, Oram 22-7-50-0, Styris 15-4-41-1, Vettori 23-6-64-1, McMillan 4-1-6-0, Wiseman 5-0-8-0.
— PTI |
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Tendulkar’s dismissal put me under pressure, says Dravid
Ahmedabad, October 8 Dravid, who cracked an unbeaten 110 in the first innings against New Zealand in the first Test match here, also told reporters after the day’s play that he was keen to make the most of the opportunity he got and was confident of scoring his fourth century against the Kiwis. “There was a little bit of pressure after Tendulkar got out and we needed a good partnership at this crucial point. “But I have been playing alongside Laxman since my junior days and I knew we could come up with a partnership as our tuning always matches with each other’s game,” Dravid said. “When I started playing a slow game, Laxman speeded up his game and vice versa and it helped us to come with a good partnership,” Dravid said. The duo had scripted a historic partnership to help India snatch a Test victory against world champions Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in early 2001. On the Sardar Patel wicket, Dravid said it was a good track to bat though a bit slow . However, he hoped that the wicket would crack so that it would help the Indian spinners later in the match. “The Kiwi seamers were restrictive in the first two sessions and moreover the outfield here is not one of the quickest. They bowled to a plan and I think we should have got another 30 to 40 runs as our target was around 280 on the first day”, Dravid said. On debutant Aakash Chopra’s knock of 42, the Karnataka star said it was a good effort and he was playing the new ball bowlers well. “With a little more experience he can improve”. Scott Styris, who got the prized wicket of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, said he was reasonably pleased with the bowling and it was always “great to get a batsman of his class out cheaply.” When asked whether the Kiwis had a specific game plan to get Sachin out, the allrounder said: “We have a strategy for all the players and it would be wrong to single out any one.” “Though it is a fantastic batting wicket, it is beginning to break up. Our seam bowlers did pretty well to restrict India’s run rate,” he added.— PTI
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New Zealand bowling lacked the bite A
run rate of five an over with the new ball, a solitary slip fielder standing with a sweeper cover and third man guarding the off-side fence. Welcome to modern day Test cricket. As Daryll Tuffey runs in to bowl to Sehwag, give credit to Stephan Fleming for surprising everybody with this unusual field and unveiling the changing face of cricket's traditional version. It had become a rule of sorts to start off with three slips, one gully, silly point and a short leg, while the batsman were expected to swell the maidens' quota of the bowlers. But Sanath Jayasuriya, Michael Slater, Mathew Hayden, Marcus Threscothick and Sehwag would have none of it. They love dominating the bowling and irrespective of one-day or Test cricket, they play true to their playing style, fearless of losing their wicket. It helps the spectators too to an extent that watching five-day cricket is now possible without that mandatory cup of coffee! Ditto for Fleming. I admire the Kiwi captain for adopting innovative strategies to dismiss the batsman rather than waiting patiently, perched in the slips for the batsman to tire out and throw his wicket. What was good to see from the Kiwis was they were willing to try hard, never mind the unresponsive wicket, in a rather planned manner. Nevertheless, it happens only in India. No amount of planning and preparation can help you under that merciless sun on a turf which is tailor-made for the batsman. And New Zealand bowlers learnt it the hard way. With the exception of Vettori, the New Zealand bowling lacked the teeth to trouble the opposition and I feel, Fleming will have a real tough task in getting the reigning the Indian batsmen under control. Tuffey was good in patches but I feel New Zealand were guilty of trying too hard and in the process forgetting the basics of bowling with the new ball. It was important to get early Indian wickets for the Kiwis but both Tuffey and Jacob Oram got it all wrong. Agreed, the Indians don't like the smell of leather under their nose but to pitch short consistently on this track demanded some explanation. It allowed debutant Aakash Chopra to settle down and get his feet moving while Sehwag was happy to provide some entertaining cricket. I feel, the Kiwis should have tested Aakash more on that corridor of uncertainty, pitched the ball up to the batsman, forcing the batsman to play at the ball. By allowing him to leave the rising ball, the Kiwis did a favour to India. Chopra was solid and along with Rahul Dravid, showed the world that the policy of 'wait and watch' batting is still the best way out. Chopra must have wished about getting a century on debut and sitting in the pavilion he must have repented on wasting such a fine start. A momentary lapse and a dream remains a dream. Laxman was looking at ease during his tenure at the wicket and this is warning bells for the Kiwis. It was nice to see the stylish Hyderabadi come in ahead of Sourav at number five, giving him a huge opportunity to come up with a big knock and rest every rumours about his uncertainty in the team line-up. Laxman is a big match man and capable of getting double hundreds.
— Dronacharya Sports Promoters Association
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Dungarpur
lambasts Imran
Ahmedabad, October 8 Dungarpur, who is here to witness the ongoing first Test match between India and New Zealand, told reporters that Imran had no business to comment on Tendulkar on the eve of the big match as the world’s best batsman had won many matches for India. Speaking to the media in Dubai on Sunday, Imran had said that Tendulkar was not a match-winner when compared to Viv Richards and he still needed to perform at crucial times. "Both are talented but the only thing about Tendulkar is that he needs to be a match-winner," Imran Khan was quoted as saying in media reports. "Sachin is a role model throughout the world and Imran, who is a very poor administrator and an unsuccessful politician had no business to comment on Sachin, without any provocation, and compare him to (former West Indies captain) Viv Richards," he said. Dungarpur said Late Sir Don Bradman had compared Sachin’s batting to his own batting before his death and that itself was the biggest compliment for any batsman. Imran, who was a great bowler during his playing days, should not have made such a silly comment. "According to me, it was totally uncalled for and I am sure Imran is totally mixed up in his thoughts." The Indian crowd and players respect Imran and this kind of comment has not done any good to Imran’s reputation, he added. A visibly upset Dungarpur said "I spoke to Sachin today and told him that I have to speak to the media about this issue and you (Sachin) should not worry about such things and concentrate on the game."
— PTI |
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MacGill included Melbourne, October 8 Captain Steve Waugh’s attack will be led by Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Andy Bichel and MacGill after uncapped paceman Brad Williams was named 12th man. Hard-working seam bowler Bichel and experienced batsman Damien Martyn replace McGrath and Martin Love. MacGill has taken 42 wickets in seven Tests this year, prompting Waugh to tell critics his fellow New South Welshman was “not in Shane’s shadow’’. Warne is nine wickets away from becoming only the second bowler in Test cricket to take 500 wickets while MacGill (32) has claimed 131 victims from 25 matches. Martyn (31) returns to the Test team for the first time since his unbeaten 88 from 84 balls in Australia’s World Cup final win over India in March. Australia: Steve Waugh (captain), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Andy Bichel, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Stuart MacGill, Brad Williams (12th man). — Reuters
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Leander
Paes returns to India
Mumbai, October 8 “I
am feeling better and hope to come back to the court within two to
three weeks,” he told reporters at the airport on his arrival home
from New York. Commenting on the match, he said the boys fought well against a strong team and hoped that with such a talented bunch of
youngsters, India would produce better results in future matches. Leander also thanked Mahesh for giving him support when he needed it most. “I am really very grateful to Mahesh for supporting me during this crucial period of my career.” On teaming up with Bhupathi in future, Leander said “we are
definitely playing together in Davis Cup and Olympics. However, regarding other tournaments, we will discuss it once I come back on court”. Paes returned home by a British Airways flight from Orlando, where he was admitted to a hospital for a brain lesion a week before the US Open last month. The tumour turned out to be a mere parasytic infection of tapeworm rather than cancerous as the doctors feared. Paes was earlier scheduled to
retune on Sunday last but on way back home he went to New York to see someone, his family sources said.
— PTI
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Anju looking beyond
Olympic gold
Chennai, October 8 “I have said earlier that I am looking beyond an Olympic gold. My goal is to cross the 7.20 metre mark, before I hang up my boots,” she said at a felicitation function organised by her employers Chennai Customs. Anju said she had already started training for the Afro-Asian Games at Hyderabad, from October 24 to November 1. Replying to felicitations, Anju said she was conscious of the people’s expectations. She also thanked her colleagues for always standing by her and said she would dedicate herself to win the gold at the Athens Olympics. The lanky Kerala athlete was also presented with a purse of Rs 5 lakh by P.R.V. Ramanan, board member of Customs and T.R. Rustagi, Chief Commissioner of Customs. Ramanan said he had been closely following Anju’s progress. “She has the potential to win a gold in world championship, but it came as a
surprise when she won only a bronze medal,” he said. Walter Davaram, former DGP and vice-president, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, said Anju had not belied anyone’s expectations, right from the junior level. “She is aiming at winning the Olympic gold and also the Rs 1 crore cash award from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister,” he said.
— PTI |
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Sania enters pre-quarters; Shruti ousted Hyderabad, October 8 The 16-year-old top seed Indian won 6-1, 6-1 to book a berth in the last eight, according to information available here. The other Indian in the fray, Shruti Dhawan went down 2-6, 4-6 against Sandy Gamulya of Indonesia in another second round encounter. The other five Indians in the draw had perished in the first round yesterday. In doubles, top seeds Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi reached the quarter-finals defeating Chattida Thimjapo and Varanya Vijuksanaboon of Thailand 6-1, 6-2.
—PTI |
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AITA series tennis results Patiala, October 8 Other results: (Under-14, Boys) (All first round results): Sidharth Singh (Chandigarh ) beat Japjit Singh (Punjab) 6-1, 6-1. Mandeep Singh (Chandigarh) beat Gurinder Singh (Punjab) 6-3, 6-3. Ankit Badani (Punjab) beat Jashanveer Singh (Punjab) 6-2, 6-2. Saurav Sharma (Punjab) beat Aseem Jain (Punjab) 6-1, 6-0. Inderjot Singh (Punjab) beat Karanvir Singh (Chandigarh) 6-0, 6-0. Puri Anant Bidur (Chandigarh) beat Jaivardhan Gupta (Chandigarh) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Noor Mohammad
(TN) beat Dev Karan Singh (Chandigarh) 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Ketan Gupta (Punjab) beat Jasjit Singh (Punjab) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Sanam Bhargava (Chandigarh) beat Arpit Goyal (Punjab) 6-2, 6-1. Arjun Sehgal (Punjab) beat Brij Pal Randhawa (Chandigarh) 7-5, 6-1. Ujwal Khanna (Punjab) beat Nitin (Chandigarh) 6-3, 6-3. Ramit Kapur (Punjab) beat Sandeep Chugh (Punjab) 6-2, 6-1. Youvresh Bansal (Chandigarh) beat Gaurav Inder Singh (Chandigarh) 6-3, 6-0. Harry Singh (Chandigarh) beat Akshey Chopra (Chandigarh) 6-3, 7-5. Aneet Singh Benipal (Punjab) beat Garry Singh (Chandigarh) 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. (Boys, under-14, Doubles): (All first round results): Ramit and Gurinder beat Noor Mohammad and Brij Pal 6-7, 6-3, 6-1. Ankit and Ujwal beat Gauravinder Singh and Jasjit Singh 6-0, 6-4.
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JCT down Mahilpur Academy 2-0 Patiala, October 8 JCT shocked their rivals in the 5th minute of the match when Gurpreet gave a neat pass to winger Yadwinder Singh who deftly placed the ball into the netting. Stung by this reverse, the Mahilpur lads started attacking with verve and their forward line comprising Sakattar Singh and Goldy combined well. However, whatever moves they strung together were thwarted by the agile JCT defenders and goalkeeper Mukhwinderjit Singh. Midway into the second half, Amandeep Singh set up striker Yadwinder Singh who scored his and his teams second goal when his powerful shot brooked no resistance from the goal tender. In the second match of the day, Muslim club played fluently to register an impressive 3-0 win against Diamond club, Kalka. Striker Inderpal Sibia made a solo dash through the centre but found Kalka defender Romi making a superb goal line save after the goaltender was beaten. After a barren first half, things hotted up for the Malerkotla boys and midway into the second half Vijay received a diagonal pass from a colleague and he side stepped the keeper to score his team’s first goal. In the 70th minute, Amarinder Singh’s angular shot beat the keeper all ends up and the Muslim club boys completed the rituals when Amarinder scored his second goal to enable his team record a 3-0 verdict. Earlier, in a match played yesterday evening, Guru Gobind Singh Football Society, Jalandhar downed A.G Haryana by 2-0 with the scorers for the Jalandhar outfit being Harvinder Singh and Sandeep Singh. |
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CISF, PSB Academy in final Mandi, October 8 In the women’s section, Dhona Academy HMV Jalandhar outplayed STC Chandigarh 4-0 while Dhona Academy Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar beat HP Eleven 2-0. The match between Indian Air Force and CISF started on a part note and Sukhbir of Air Force converted a penalty corner in the 26th minute of the game taking 1-0 lead for its team CISF toiled hard and succeeded in forcing a penalty corner in the 30th minute. Cyril Ekka guided the ball beautifully into the goal and equalized the score. Thereafter, CISF tightened their grip and Irfan Ahmed converted a penalty corner by taking a strong hit in the 41st minute. This goal proved a match winner as CISF booked a berth in the finals. In the second semifinal, Punjab and Sind Bank snuffed out the challenge from ITBP. ITBP earned two penalty corners in the early minutes of the game but failed to sound the board. PSB boys moved in good combination and Major Singh made no mistake and fired a superb field goal in the 10th taking an early lead of 1-0. At breather session the scores were 1-0. After the breather, ITBP boys mounted pressure and got one penalty corner in the 41st minute of the game. Anthony hit hard and netted the ball for an equaliser. Both the teams failed to consolidate their score in the normal time. Tie-breaker was applied where PSB boys snatched a win and a berth in finals winning 4-3. |
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GND varsity eves win
in netball Amritsar, October 8 In the eves section, Guru Nanak Dev University routed GGDU, Bilaspur, 44-9 while Bangalore University beat Punjabi University, Patiala, 22-19. In another match, Delhi University defeated Osmania University, Hyderabad, 22-18. In the fourth match, Pune University got the better of LNIPE University, Gwalior, 39-21. In the men’s category, GND University outplayed PRSS University, Raipur, 36-17 while Bangalore University thrashed GGD University, Bilaspur, 35-21. Delhi University outclassed LNIP University, Gwalior, 28-20. In the last match of the day Punjabi University, Patiala, defeated Pune University 38-21. |
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Kakkar
wrecks Chandigarh Ludhiana, October 8 Brief scores: Ludhiana 188 Chandigarh: 154 all out in 72 overs ( Vishwas Bhalla 17, Prabhjot Johny 37, Vipul Sharma 16, Aseem Gupta 47, Ankur Kakkar 6 for 25, Gaurav Marwaha 2 for 22. |
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Patiala
defeated Patiala, October 8 Chasing a target of 208, the host’s batting line up floundered despite a
resilient innings of 64 by Reetinder Sodhi. Opener Binwant Singh scored 56 but took as many as 84 overs to notch up this total which ultimately proved to be Patiala’s undoing. Most of the batsmen played indiscreet shots and failed to read the situation properly even as the bowling was pedestrian in nature. |
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