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Thursday,
October
16, 2003,
Chandigarh, India
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Dravid skipper; Yuvraj set for debut
Dravid wants team to get basics right
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Ganguly to lead team in ODI series: Leipus Victory an absolute must for India More stories on Chandigarh page
PCA to open 3 more centres
of excellence African athletes start
arriving on Friday Beenamol, Binu
doubtful for Games India look to win hockey title Indian Oil in hockey final Punjab
girls win, boys lose
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Dravid skipper; Yuvraj set for debut Chandigarh, October 15 Chandigarh flamboyant batsman Yuvraj Singh will make his Test debut. The stylish left-hander will come into the side as replacement for skipper Saurav Ganguly, chairman of
selectors Syed Kirmani told TNS. "He has earned a place as Saurav Ganguly has been advised rest," Kirmani said. Ganguly had a minor operation on his left thigh at a nearby hospital yesterday. Though he was back in his hotel room after some time, he has been advised against playing by the doctors. “He was not feeling too great,” Dravid, who addressed the media in his absence, revealed. Ganguly did inaugurate health and fitness centre earlier in the stadium, but his gait suggested that he was in a bit of discomfort. The match is expected to witness a keen battle between the two teams as the winner of the match will clinch the series. Therefore, India would have to be more aggressive on the field and go all out for a win against the Black Caps, who have shown signs of improvement with every outing. They won plaudits from one and all, salvaging an honourable draw when a defeat looked most likely in the first Test at Ahmedabad. The result of the first Test has left much to be desired about India’s performance. The much vaunted Indian spin attack as well as seamers struggled to get rid of the tailenders. Number 9 batsman Daniel Vettori spent three hours, while No 10 batsman Paul Wiseman was at the crease for nearly two hours. And it was this stand which helped the Black Caps avert the follow-on which probably cost India the match. The run rate of the Indian batsmen, touted among the best in the business, has been a matter of debate. Doubts keep on cropping about the veracity of the four-bowler theory, particularly on placid tracks. “Placid Motera track” being responsible for the result as revealed by skipper Saurav Ganguly can only be one of the reasons for the disappointing result and not the only factor behind the result. The Kiwis deserve all the credit for the adaptability and doggedness they have shown on the tour so far. With the first fixture at Vishakhapatnam having been virtually washed away, Kiwis got valuable match practice at Rajkot, where Mark Richardson and Jacob Oram warmed up with valuable centuries. They just got one game to acclimatise to the conditions totally unfamiliar to them but dished out creditable performances. Half-fit Nathan Astle even
vomited on the field but stood firm to deny India a victory at Ahmedabad. The valiant Vettori defied the Indian bowling attack scoring 60 runs which included 10 scorching boundaries. Craig MacMillan grafted invaluable innings of 54 and 83 not out. Even Paul Wiseman, who as No 10 batsman first frustrated the Indians as a batsman and then returned to take four wickets with his off-spin on the track where Indian slow bowlers were not effective. In fact, the result of the first Test has given tremendous boost to the morale of the visitors as was revealed by their coach Ashley Ross during yesterday’s press conference where he besides lavishing praise on the adaptability shown by New Zealand players also talked about their resilience. Indians may not like to read much in the result of the first Test but, the outcome was no less significant for the visitors than a victory. Besides, New Zealand are one side in the world, who have always gelled well as a team. In the absence of tearaway fast bowler Shane Bond and star allrounder Chris Cairns, they do not have big names to boast of in their squad. However, they have amongst them a skipper, who is considered the most shrewd among his contemporaries. Besides being an inspirational leader, Fleming is the key batsman in the side along with McMillan and Astle. And if the greenish Mohali track gets some bounce along with the assistance it generally provides to seamers, the Kiwi seamers have the capability to cause discomfiture to the Indian batsmen, who are always tentative on responsive seaming tracks. India:
Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Akash Chopra, Parthiv Patel (wicketkeeper), Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, L. Balaji and Yuvraj Singh. New Zealand (from): Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Robbie Hart, Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Darryl Tuffy, Paul Wiseman, Michael Mason, Richard Jones, Ian Butler. Umpires: Rudi Koertzen and David Shepherd. Hours of play: 9.30 am to 11.30 am, 12.10 pm to 2.10 pm, 2.30 pm till close of
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Dravid wants team to get basics right Chandigarh, October 15 Dravid has been asked to lead the team after Saurav Ganguly was ruled out of the match due to an abscess in his left upper thigh for which he had undergone a minor operation last evening. Not willing to open his hands in his very first Test as India skipper (he has led India in four one-day internationals), Rahul Dravid was candid when he said that he would not disclose whether he would bat first if he won the toss tomorrow. “I don't want the opposition to know about our strategy”, was his reply. Dravid, who has got some very good scores at the PCA Stadium in previous matches he has played here, said the team would concentrate on playing good cricket and the players would try to get their basics right. “We will concentrate on playing good cricket. Since it is a series-decider, we have to get the basics right and ensure that whatever we plan is implemented,” said Dravid, who added that the playing eleven would be finalised after a discussion with cricket manager John Wright and chairman of the senior selection committee Syed
Kirmani. Dravid said the wicket at the PCA Stadium looked good “but it might slow down as the game goes on”. Asked whether the Indians would be under pressure to force a result in their favour after the Ahmedabad match had ended in a draw, Dravid said: “There is pressure in every game. It may be a decider, but it no different from any other cricket match. You have to play well to win it”. He admitted that he was very excited to lead the country “even it is for only one match”. Asked whether the visitors had adapted themselves to the conditions in India the stand-in indian captain admitted it to be so. “They played quite well to save the Ahmedabad Test. I think their batsmen have adapted to the conditions better.” For the New Zealand squad the absence of Saurav Ganguly from the playing Indian eleven “will give confidence, a little bit of momentum”, their skipper Stephen Fleming admitted. But after battling the heat and humidity in Ahmedabad the visitors are finding the weather at Mohali pleasant and were looking forward to playing on the pacy wicket. “The heat and humidity at Ahmedabad was taxing on our bowlers, especially pace bowlers. We are enjoying the weather here and the temperature look good. The ground too looks fine and the facilities are very good.” The New Zealand captain said the team had fond memories of this venue from their tour of 1999, when they had given India a tough time in the Test match. Fleming admitted that it was always a challenge for a touring team to come good in the very first match away from homer. “But our players adapted well to the conditions.” The New Zealand captain tried to laugh off the injury scare which saw him going for a scan this morning. “One young bowler was making a point. I am alright now.” He said he would finalise his final eleven only tomorrow morning after having one more look at the wicket. |
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Indians
will miss Ganguly Chandigarh, October 15 The Indian team will sorely miss the presence of Sourav Ganguly when they take on New Zealand in the decider of the two-Test series at the PCA Stadium at Mohali from tomorrow after the first Test between the two teams was drawn. At Ahmedabad the Indian skipper had a century against his name in the first innings and a quickfire 25 in the second. More than his bat, it is his cricket acumen that the team will miss. This was one match Sourav must have been desperate to play if for nothing else but to blot out the miserable showing of the Indians when they toured New Zealand early this year just prior to the World Cup. Now the Indian captain will have to sit on the sidelines. What a pity that cricket still does not have the concept of a non-playing captain like in tennis! The Indian skipper was ruled out for the match after doctors advised him rest following a minor surgical procedure at the Fortis hospital last evening for an abscess on his left upper thigh. Once the effect of the local anaesthesia wore off, the pain was severe and there was no way the Indian captain would have been fit for tomorrow’s intense struggle. The Indian captain was present for the net session this morning but did not practice with the team as he was still in pain. He also had a close look at the strip to be used for tomorrow’s match. Eventually it was decided he could not play. While stand-in Indian captain Rahul Dravid declared at the pre-match press conference that Ganguly would not be available for tomorrow’s match, there was no official word from the board on how long the Indian skipper would take to be fully fit. The triangular series involving India, New Zealand and Australia starts on October 23 with the first match at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai between India and New Zealand. |
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Ganguly
to lead team in ODI series: Leipus Chandigarh, October 15 The triangular one-day international series featuring New Zealand and Australia besides hosts India begins on October 23. Ganguly has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand starting at Mohali tomorrow after he underwent a minor surgery for an abcess on the left thigh at a local hospital yesterday. He played the first Test in Ahmedabad last week despite minor pain. The surgery, however, was necessitated after the abcess turned septic and needed to be removed immediately. “I thought I will be okay, but there is a lot of pain and it is just not possible to play,” Ganguly said today.
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Victory
an absolute must for India Mohali and a green top wicket always come hand in glove. The Punjab Cricket Association stadium has always been seam friendly and perhaps it reasons out why India has had a mixed fortune as far as results are concerned in this venue. India will have to make up for the sub standard showing at Ahmedabad, which means, a win is an absolute must. And considering that Kiwis hold a psychological advantage, if the last Test match and Kiwi's ability to play on responsive wickets are any parameters, Indians have added to their existing problems after Sourav was ruled out following a minor cyst operation. The Indian skipper's exit from the scene will have a lot of impact to team's tryst with PCA stadium over the next five days. First and foremost, Sourav was an in-form batsman and it will be unfair on young Yuvraj if an expectation to come on par with the skipper comes calling. Yuvraj is a good batsman and hopefully the opportunity to make his Test debut on his homeground will spruce him to his level best. One thing for sure, the Punjab youngster will never be found wanting to give his 100% in any departments and India should benefit hugely from this committed cricketer. Ganguly's seam-up abilities will also be sorely missed on this wicket and India does not have any other reliable pace option with the exception of the two frontline fast bowlers. It remains to be seen how much will Kumble and Harbhajan extract from this wicket but the bounce should come in handy for both. The team management's decision of not including Agarkar in the playing XI makes no sense to me. Agarkar should be the second choice to Zaheer but by ignoring the Mumbai speedster's experience and variations, India has further restricted its options in the pace category. It will be interesting to see how Rahul Dravid will shape up after thrust with the responsibility at the eleventh hour. We saw his defensive tactics didn't do India much favour at Ahmedabad but it will be not right on our behalf to insult Dravid's astute cricketing sense for a patchy stint in his filler role as Indian captain. On the Kiwi front, things are looking bright. The relatively cooler conditions will add fire to his hardworking fast bowlers and by including Butler in the XII, Stephan Fleming has sounded the warning bells loud and ringing. Their main batsman has been hitting the ball well and both McMillan and Astle are happy with the tag of key batsman. The Indian weakness with fast bowling will be put under tight scanner and a result is always on the cards. A good quality cricket is in the offing. — Dronacharya Sports Promoters Association. |
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PCA
to open 3 more centres
of excellence Chandigarh, October 15 Revealing this here today, Mr I.S. Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, said the centres, being sponsored by Lifebuoy, a Hindustan Lever product, would be opened at Patiala, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Each centre will have coaches, physio and a physical trainer as is the case with the centre at Mohali. Named Lifebuoy Centre of Excellence, specialised training would be provided to the youngsters at these centres, he said. Sixty youngsters have been selected for the Patiala centre after trials. Trials to select youngsters for the centres at Jalandhar and Amritsar would be conducted soon. Such centres would be spread gradually to other districts.
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African athletes start arriving on Friday
Bangalore, October 15 Mr Kalmadi said Asian participants would start flying in from October 20. “All is set and everything is in place,” Mr Kalmadi, also Working Chairman of the Inter-continental games, said. Earlier, “Sheroo”, the official mascot for the mega event, was unveiled at a function, also attended by Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna. Mr Kalmadi said 40 gold medallists of the Busan Asian Games had confirmed their participation. Among the star attractions at the event would be Sydney Olympic Games gold winners in football, Cameroon and top Asian football team Iran. He said President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would attend the closing ceremony, while top dignitaries at the inaugural session would include Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi and Sports Minister Vikram Verma. Twentynine of the 31 Chinese athletes participating in the Games were medal winners either in the Asian Games or Asian Championships, he said, adding the competition would be top level and Indian athletes would get a good opportunity to prepare themselves for next year’s Olympic Games. The Indian stars who would be seen in action include World Athletics Championship bronze medallist Anju Bobby George, discus thrower Neelam J. Singh and footballer Baichung Bhutia. Asked what steps were being taken to make the Games dope-free, Mr Kalmadi said a full dope testing team was coming from Africa. — PTI
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Beenamol, Binu doubtful for Games Kozhikode, October 15 "I am very much keen to take part in the big event. But I am yet to decide on the matter, though I am fully recovered from the injury,’’ she told UNI over the telephone from Patiala training camp. The Busan Asian Games gold medalist is already into short workouts and regular training sessions barefoot after the doctor cleared her. "However, practice with spikes on is yet to begin. My fitness will fully depend how I can cope with this,’’ she said. Though the coach has set Friday session as a "test", she said a final decision would be taken only on October 22, two days ahead of the event. Her brother and silver medallist in Busan, K.M. Binu, is also not fully sure about going to Hyderabad as he was down with fever recently. Binu, who is now back at Kochi, would decide on participation depending on his fitness, family sources said. Beenamol, recently down with a fever due to climatic change, is otherwise fully fit for the Hyderabad Games. The authorities have left the final decision to the runner but advised against taking risk by rushing in for the AAG in view of her Olympic preparations. She has been out of action for a few months now after she sustained the injury at Bangalore. — UNI
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India look to win hockey title
Chennai, October 15 The two Asian giants, clubbed together in group B, are tipped to progress to the semifinal stage as they face Egypt and Zimbabwe, fairly lowly teams, in their inaugural matches scheduled on October 23. While Pakistan play Zimbabwe in their first match, India clash with Egypt in fourth and the last match of the day. The organising committee had appealed to the IHF to include Pillay for the games but later all the top teams including India and Pakistan decided to field second string teams in the build up towards Olympics qualifying tournament in March next year in Germany. The IHF sources said they had to persuade both Malaysia and Pakistan to participate in the games. Malaysia had to cancel their tour of Australia while Pakistan were in no mood to visit India after their Asia Cup loss, they said. The 24 Indian probables for the games are at present undergoing a conditioning camp in New Delhi. The schedule: Group A: Ghana, Korea, Malaysia and South Africa. Group B: Pakistan, India, Egypt and Zimbabwe. Oct 23: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe; Ghana vs Korea; Malaysia vs South Africa and India vs Egypt Oct 24: Rest day Oct 25: Malaysia vs Ghana; Pakistan vs Egypt; Korea vs South Africa and India vs Zimbabwe. Oct 26: rest day Oct 27: South Africa vs Ghana; Egypt vs Zimbabwe; Korea vs Malaysia and India vs Pakistan. Oct 28: rest day. Oct 29: Placing matches and semifinals — Group A1 vs Group B2 and Group B1 vs Group A2 Oct 30: rest day Oct 31: Placing matches and third and fourth qr place match. Final at 7 pm. — PTI
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Hockey team to be named tomorrow Chandigarh, October 15 Recently, an Indian delegation had gone to Pakistan to request the Pakistan Olympic Association to send its contingent. Delegations from Commonwealth nations would reach Delhi on October 29. They would proceed to Hyderabad the next day to watch the games and assess the infrastructure available. |
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Kalam, PM for closing ceremony Hyderabad, October 15 This was disclosed here after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spoke with the Prime Minister. |
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Indian
Oil in hockey final
Mumbai, October 15 IOC, who led 2-1 at half time, scored through Rajpal Singh (57th and 67th), Hamza Mujtaba (19th), Mohd. Nawaz Khan (29th) and Sunil Yadav (47th). Air-India, who came back into the match to take a 3-2 lead by the 38th minute, got their goals through Surinder Kundu (35th and 38th) and Gavin Ferreira (37th). IOC will take on Punjab & Sind Bank in tomorrow’s final. Down by two brilliant field goals after Mujtaba and Mohd. Nawaz scored for IOC, Air-India fought their way back in stunning fashion by slamming in three goals in four minutes to surge to a 3-2 advantage. Air-India gave IOC a huge scare when Surinder Kundu pulled one back on the call of half time, off their seventh penalty corner, to launch his side’s comeback as they went into the breather trailing 1-2. Inspired by Kundu’s goal, former international Gavin Ferreira fired in the equaliser two minutes into the second half, sweeping home off the eighth penalty corner in the 37th. To cap a dramatic sequence of events, the formidable airmen surged to a 3-2 lead through a penalty stroke in the next minute when Harish Kumar was stick-checked by Inder Salaria.
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Punjab
girls win, boys lose Kangra, October 15 The half time score was 40-5. In another match, Gujarat girls were beaten 13-34 by Manipur. At half time Manipur had scored 18 points while Gujarat had 5 points. K. Ranjita and N. Sanjita of Manipur scored 12 and 10 baskets, respectively. Tamil Nadu boys defeated Jharkhand 86-72 with the half time score at 45-33. S. James Jesse and P. Akijan of Tamil Nadu scored 23 and 16 points while S.K. Jahid of Jharkhand was the highest scorer of the match with 25 points. Kerala girls defeated Gujarat 31-13 while Punjab crushed Jharkhand 39-4. Jarkhand girls could not manage a single basket till half time while Punjab had scored 22 points. Kiranjeet of Punjab was the highest scorer with nine points while Pummy followed her with six points. There was no such scores for Punjab boys, who lost to Karnataka boys in a well-contested match Punjab were ahead 40-35 at half time. In the second half Kaushal of Karnataka played a versatile game and brought his team to a winning position. The final score of the game was 76-75. Sukhpal of Punjab scored 18 points. In other matches Andhra Pradesh defeated Uttar Pradesh 56-46, Rajasthan defeated Orissa 53-21 while Delhi beat Chandigarh 78-34. Nitin of Delhi was the highest scorer of the match with 21 points followed by Humayu with 20 points. Dilawar of Chandigarh scored 13 points. In the girls section West Bengal defeated Haryana 38-27 while Maharashtra beat Madhya Pradesh 56-27.
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Govt support assured Chandigarh, October 15 |
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Mahilpur
boys win soccer title Nawanshahr, October 15 During the first half, no team could score a goal. Navtej Singh of Mahilpur scored the first goal in the 75th minute and Palwinder Singh scored the second goal in the fag end of the match. |
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Chandigarh, October 15
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