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Ganguly hits 144 as India take lead
Ganguly owes it to Chappell
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Sri
Lanka ‘A’ in driver’s seat HP, Delhi win in under-19 cricket
India-Holland hockey series in February Olympians to fight drug menace Salgoacar outplay Mohammedan Sporting Lalit adjudged best gymnast
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Ganguly hits 144 as India take lead
Brisbane, December 7 The pre-series Australian ploy of pressurising the Indian captain with the “chin music” completely backfired as Ganguly responded with characteristic grit to notch up his maiden ton against the world champions. At stumps on the penultimate day, India were placed at 362 for six, a lead of 39 runs, with Parthiv Patel on 37 and Ajit Agarkar on 12 at the crease. Ganguly showed no signs of nerves as he unleashed a flurry of strokes to expose the chinks in the Australian bowling armoury after Sachin Tendulkar perished to a shocking decision by umpire Steve Bucknor for a duck, which reduced the visitors to a precarious 62 for three. The Indian captain found ample support from the stylish V.V.S. Laxman (75) as the duo pulled the team out of the pits with a 146-run fourth wicket partnership on a rain-free day. With just one day left, the match seems to be heading for a draw but the Indians not only proved that they were no push-overs but silenced many of their critics who had written them off before the start of the series. Ganguly and Laxman came together with India, at 127 for four, staring at another batting collapse. The tourists had just lost Aakash Chopra who displayed a lot of guts during his three hour knock of 36. His 65-run association with Ganguly for the fourth wicket was beginning to pull the tourists out of the hole they had dug themselves in when they were reduced for 62 for three in the morning. Chopra, after a 181-minute vigil, snicked Gillespie for a simple catch to Matthew Hayden in the fourth ball after lunch. Sehwag overcame his poor form but not before being dropped on 16 by Damien Martyn in the slip cordon of Nathan Bracken. The right hander punished the Australians for the error with three consecutive boundaries off Andy Bichel in the very next over. But he was out prodding outside the off stump to give Hayden the first of three catches, while also becoming Bracken’s first Test scalp. His wicket was followed by the dismissal of vice captain Rahul Dravid whose low edge off Gillespie was smartly taken by Hayden at first slip. Then came the controversial leg before ruling of Sachin Tendulkar for zero to the same bowler. Steve Bucknor’s decision surprised the batsman as well as the bowler, and TV replays showed that the ball pitched outside the off would have gone well above the stumps. Three wickets had fallen in the space of 22 balls for the addition of one run which handed back the advantage to the Australians. Further danger was averted by the Chopra-Ganguly association. Chopra displayed good technique and temperament before a lapse of concentration led to his down fall. Ganguly and Laxman though were in imperious form and exposed the hosts’ bowling which was without its premier strike bowlers Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne. The duo dished out some top quality entertainment for the Indian diaspora that had gathered to watch their favourite team Down Under. Ganguly began by cutting the seamers over the slip cordon and driving the juicy volleys through the covers. Laxman at the other end played some exhilarating cricket. He rocked on the back foot to pull Andy Bichel to square leg and then punched him through the midwicket. He, however, saved his best for leg-spinner Stuart MacGill whom he drove against the turn past mid-on twice to leave Australian captain Steve Waugh at his wit’s end. Bichel in particular came in for some rough treatment from both Ganguly and Laxman. The Queenslander, bowling on his home ground, turned out to be most expensive bowler with figures of 23-5-118-0. Laxman despatched Bichel to midwicket to bring up India’s 200 in the 60th over. He pulled part time bowler Simon Katich to notch up his half century which came in 73 balls and included seven fours. Ganguly then swept MacGill for hundred, his 11th in Tests, from 135 balls with the help of 13 hits to the fence. It also marked India’s 250 before the umpires called tea. Australia (1st innings): 323 India (1st innings): Chopra c Hayden b Gillespie 36 Sehwag c Hayden b Bracken 45 Dravid c Hayden b Gillespie 1 Tendulkar LBW b Gillespie 0 Ganguly c Gillespie b MacGill 144 Laxman c Katich b MacGill 75 Patel batting 37 Agarkar batting 12 Extras (lb-6, w-1, nb-5) 12 Total ( 6 wkts , 105 overs) 362 Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-62, 3-62, 4-127, 5-273, 6-329. Bowling: Jason Gillespie 25-10-45-3, Nathan Bracken 23-5-76-1, Andy Bichel 23-5-118-0, Stuart MacGill 25-4-85-2, Steve Waugh 7-3-16-0, Simon Katich 2-0-16-0. — PTI
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Brisbane, December 7 Ganguly sent his critics scurrying for cover with a scintillating 144-run knock on a Gabba wicket which had a fair bit of pace and helped his side avert the danger of losing the first Test against Australia. “I believe in my ability to score runs and that is what I look to do. It happens sometimes that people get after you. But you have to take it in your stride. It is a professional sport so one has to just go ahead,” Ganguly told reporters here. Asked what he had to say to his detractors now, he said: “We have a job to do, they have a job to do. So life will go on, the game will go on. I just want to play the game my way. “Frankly too much is made of short-pitched stuff. When you play international cricket you play it all the time. Personally I am happy I could score one of my most special hundreds but looking from the team’s point of view we have scored 350 runs despite just one run coming from our two top batsmen.” Ganguly was effusive in his praise for Australian great Greg Chappell and credited him for the marked improvement in his temperament and technique. “He (Chappell) suggested a few mental and technical adjustments and they must have been good for I now have two hundreds from two Test matches. I have no hesitation in saying he has made a significant contribution to my batting.” Ganguly flew down to Adelaide to get tips from Chappell and has now scored two Test centuries on the trot, having scored one against New Zealand at home recently. The Indian skipper was relieved that for a change this time around his team were off to a good start in a Test series. “It has always been our failing. We lose the first Test and then it becomes difficult to come back in the series. Now we can carry the positives of this Test to the next game.” Under Ganguly’s reign, India had lost the first Test of an overseas series in South Africa (Bloomfontein), England (Lord’s) and Sri Lanka (Colombo) but the present game in all probability looks destined for a draw. The biggest positive to come out from the game was Ganguly’s form itself as Australians have made an art of mentally disintegrating the visiting captain. “As I said before the Test, it was challenge for all of us to find out how good we are with our games. What really pleases me is that most of our guys have had a good stay in the middle. Openers (Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag) looked in good nick while Parthiv (Patel) contribution was significant too. “One can’t miss out on VVS Laxman who batted in glorious fashion and took us past a difficult stage.” Ganguly said the start of the innings was very important and it helped that Sehwag and Chopra have different approach to batting. “Both have different approach to batting and they compliment each other very well. As for Sehwag, I have always believed him to be a special player.” Ganguly said the century today did not mean he could afford to relax in any way as the next game would start afresh and they would have to remain focused. — PTI
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Gordon’s mantra
Brisbane, December 7 The Indian team drew inspiration from the magic phrase after consultations with Gordon at the start of this week. India had successfully worked on the theme “Now or Never” during the World Cup early this year and recorded eight wins on a trot before making it to the final. The Indian team has planned five themes in all for the entire duration of the Australian tour.
— PTI
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Rawalpindi, December 7 Pakistan: Hameed not out 127 Farhat c Oram b Canning 107 Razzaq c Hitchcock b Canning 2 Malik run out 4 Moin c Canning b Hitchcock 14 Mahmood not out 8 Extras:
(b-6, lb-2, nb-2, w-5) 15 Total: (for 4 wkts, 50 overs) 277 FoW:
1-197, 2-204, 3-209, 4-249 Bowling: Tuffey 8-1-0-48-0, Oram 6-1-23-0, Cairns 7-0-38-0, Hitchcock 9-0-56-1, Walker 10-0-45-0, Canning 10-0-59-2. New Zealand: Cumming lbw b Razzaq 17 Jones run out 49 Sinclair run out 36 Marshall not out 62 Cairns c Shabbir b Shoaib 6 Oram run out 1 McCullum lbw b Mahmood 5 Canning not out 23 Extras:
(lb-12, nb-7,w-10) 29 Total: (for 6 wkts) 228 Fall of wickets:
1-50, 2-106, 3-141, 4-155, 5-158, 6-179. Bowling: Shoaib 8-1-36-1, Shabbir 10-1-34-0, Razzaq 9-0-46-1, Azhar 10-0-42-1, Malik 10-0-33-0, Farhat 2-0-18-0, Hameed 1-0-7-0.
— AFP
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Sri
Lanka ‘A’ in driver’s seat Mumbai:
Left hand batsman Tilana Kandamby slammed a lucky 60 off 76
balls and medium pacer Tharanga Lakshita grabbed three wickets for 39
to put Sri Lanka-A in the driver’s seat on the second day of the
third ‘Test’ match against India-A at the Brabourne Stadium here
on Sunday. The visitors, resuming their first innings at 134 for four after bowling out the hosts for a paltry 172, made 226 (all out) off 66 overs to take a crucial 54-run first innings lead, thanks to two good partnerships. Overnight not out batsman skipper Naveed Nawaz (47 off 83 balls with four fours and a six) and Anushka Polonowita (42 off 79 balls with seven fours) added 67 runs in 19 overs for the fifth wicket.
— PTI
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HP, Delhi win in under-19 cricket Patiala, December 7 Scores: HP: 270 for 5(Saurav Rattan 131
n.o, Paras Dogra 39, Pankaj Thakur 37, Sanjay 19, Abid Nabi 2 for 81, Mayank Goswami 1 for 44) J&K: 198 all out
(Vimresh Kaw 74, Abid Nabi 46, Shahid Hussain 20, Mohinder 3 for 53, Kapoor Singh 2 for 49, Saurav Rattan 2 for 24). In another match played at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium here today, fancied Delhi outclassed Haryana by 7 wickets. For Delhi, Shikhar Dhawan (50) and Gaurav Chabbra (65
n.o) played stellar knocks to steer their team safely to the target after Haryana were all out for a paltry 156. Scores: Haryana:
156 all out
(Ankit Rawat 35, Sandeep Singh 37, Lalit Vashisht 39, Kuldeep Singh 4 for 25, Ankur Garg 2 for 23, Wilkins Victor 1 for 29) Delhi:
157 for 3
(Shikhar Dhawan 50, Gaurav Chabbra 65 n.o, Kuldeep Rawat 26 n.o, Saurav Bali 1 for 32, Rahul Rana 1 for 21). |
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Aussie eves clinch Champions Trophy
Sydney, December 7 A goal in the first minute set the tone for a rampant Australia to establish an apparently unassailable lead but a second-half rally by the Chinese after a dreadful opening period set up an exciting finish. The victory was revenge for the Australians who last Tuesday were beaten by China during the round robin stage. The 6,000-strong partisan Australian crowd were cheering within seconds of the push-back. Peta Gallagher robbed Chinas midfield at the half way line before firing a pass to Katrina Powell at the top of the circle. Powell, who finished tournament top scorer with four goals, deflected the ball to the right post which China's goalkeeper Nie Yali failed to clear and Julie Towers scored. Australia kept the pressure on Chinas defence, earning three penalty corners in six minutes and converting the third with a deflection by Suzie Faulkner from Karen Smiths drive from wide on the right of the circle. Australia took a commanding 3-0 lead a minute later with Peta Gallaghers goal from an acute angle on the right, driven over Nie Yali as she came out to try to shut her down. China came back with speed and confidence after the break, pressuring Australias defence and scoring twice in the second half. Zhou Wanfeng took a free hit eight metres outside the top of Australias circle and Fu Baorong deflected inside the left post to wrong-foot Rachel Imison in goal. China set up a frantic finish by striking again with five minutes left on the clock with a goal by Li Shuang but Australia defended strongly to keep China from equalising. The win moves Australia to second in world rankings behind Argentina and ahead of The Netherlands who move down to third. China remain at fourth. “This is the best performance for Australia in a tournament since 2000,” said Australia's coach David Bell. “We have improved in each tournament but feel we have not got the result our improvement deserved.”
— AFP |
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India-Holland hockey series in February New Delhi, December 7 The three Tests would be held in Hyderabad on February 5, 7 and 8, a source in the Indian Hockey Federation told PTI here today. "The dates have been confirmed by the IHF and its Dutch counterpart," he said. It would be the first time in 26 years that India would be hosting the European giants in a one-to-one series. India are scheduled to play in the Azlan Shah Tournament in Malaysia from January 8 to 15 before the all-important Olympic qualifiers in Madrid in March. The series with the Dutch is just the kind of preparation India was keen for in their build-up to the Olympic qualifiers. The Netherlands were originally scheduled to play five Tests in late January but the series had to be put off after the Champions Trophy winners said they were unable to undertake the trip due to "developments relating to team management". The Dutch team was thrown into turmoil after six senior players boycotted their chief coach Joost Bellaart who resigned at the end of October. Bellaart has been replaced by former Australian player and national coach Terry Walsh.
— PTI |
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Olympians to fight
drug menace New Delhi, December 7 He said the Olympians will also wage a “non-compromising” war against doping in sport and against any kind of drug abuse which can harm or endanger the health of athletes. Randhawa said several Olympians from all over the world attended the meeting in Lausanne, which was a highly “rewarding experience”. He said 101 delegates having voting rights and 22 observers (including Randhawa) attended the meeting. He said elections to the World Olympians’ Association, which was formed in 1995, were also held to choose a new set of executive board members, the president, secretary-general and two vice-presidents. Randhawa was deputed to attend the meeting on behalf of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He said he had the privilege of meeting great Olympians like Irena Szewinska of Poland, medallist in the 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games, Ms Charmaine Crooks of Canada, who had participated in the 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics and William Anthony Toomey of the USA, who had won a gold medal in decathlon in the 1968 Olympic Games. He said he will submit a detailed report about what he observed and learned from the Olympians’ congregation to IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh, and will exchange ideas and opinions with Olympians based in Delhi before paving the way to form the Olympians’ Association of India, which has now become a “certainty”. Randhawa said the Olympians must share their experience, encourage youngsters and “be a role model to promote sports in India”.
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Salgoacar outplay
Mohammedan Sporting Margao, December 7 Salgaocar, dominating the match throughout, scored all the goals in the second half through defender Bello Rasaq (59), substitute Samson Singh (77th) and Felix Ibrebru (90th). Mohammedan Sporting, who were pushed on the back foot had a close look at the rival goal only once when an Odafa header in the second half went over off a flag kick taken by Khalid Siddiqui. Salgaocar could have won by a bigger margin had their strikers Felix Ibrebru and Freed Mascarenhas directed their shots on target. Salgaocar, who beat East Bengal earlier, now have six points from their second successive win. Mohammedan Sporting, who have lost both their outings, are still to open their account. Referee Shaji Kurian booked Dharamjit Singh of Salgaocar for indecent behaviour. The Goan giants continued their smooth game and the absence of Tomba Singh was hardly felt in the middle as Dharamjit Singh, Jatin Bist, Climax Lawerence and Andragui Singh combined well to put the rival defence under tremendous pressure.
— PTI |
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Lalit adjudged best gymnast Kapurthala, December 7 In the women’s section Sukhbir Kaur of Gurdaspur was adjudged the best gymnast securing the first position with 29.90 points. Meenakshi of Patiala was second with 29.25 points while, Meenakshi of Gurdaspur finished third with 28.30 points. In the men’s section the other results are: floor service: Lalit Kumar 1, Pardeep Kumar and Puranjiwanjot 2. Pomelled Horse: Lalit Kumar 1, Kuldeep Kumar and Satish Ram Dass 2. Roman ring:
Gaurav Sharma 1, Kuldeep Kumar and Lalit Kumar 2. Vault table:
Jaideep Sharma and Gurbax Singh 1, Deepak 3. Horizontal bar:
Kuldeep Kumar 1, Paramjit Singh 2, Satish Ram Dass 3. Parallel bar:
Paramjit Singh 1, Kuldeep Kumar 2, Gauram Sharma and Gaurav Kumar 3. In the women’s section the results are: vault table: Sukhbir 1, Sonika 2, Meenakshi 3. Verticle Bar: Sukhbir Kaur 1, Rohika 2, Saroj Kuar 3. Floor exercise: Meenakshi 1, Sukhbir Kaur 2, Ritu Bala 3. B team: Sukhbir Kaur 1, Rohika 2 and Meenakshi 3. Rope: Rajni Sharma 1, Renu 2 and Jashandeep 3.
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Dhindsa for
CBI probe New Delhi, December 7
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Football results NAWANSHAHR: Punjab Police, Jalandhar beat CRPF, Jalandhar 3-1 and Sikh National Sports Club, Banga beat RCF, Kapurthala 4-2 to enter the semifinals of the sixth Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Memorial Tournament currently underway at Sikh National College, Banga, about 12 km from here on Sunday.
— OC |
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