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Harbhajan not to play; Kartik joins team We can cope with Zaheer Khan & Co Ganguly mature captain HC restrains Zaheer
from tying up
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England cling on after Murali row Ranji
Trophy Mahindras pip
Mohammedans Haryana awards for Afro-Asiad medallists
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Harbhajan not to play; Kartik joins team
Adelaide, December 11 The off-spinner has been left out of the 12 players shortlisted for the match, according to team sources. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, called in as a last-minute addition to the squad, stands a good chance of playing the match as he has been included in the 12-player list and there was also ample indication that India would go into the match with two spinners. The 27-year-old Kartik last played Test cricket in November 2000 when he took two wickets against Zimbabwe in New Delhi. He has played four Test matches and picked nine wickets since his debut against South Africa in Mumbai in Feb 2000. He was the pick of the Indian spinners in the recent tri-series at home troubling both the Kiwi and Aussie batsmen but was surprisingly excluded from the touring party. Harbhajan’s omission was expected after he conceded 169 runs for just one wicket in 35 overs in the Brisbane Test. His indifferent form has led to doubts whether he has recovered fully from the finger injury suffered during this year’s World Cup. Team sources also indicated that India would go into the match with two spinners hoping to exploit the dry pitch at the Adelaide Oval. The experienced Anil Kumble is all set to return to action after missing out on the first Test at the expense of another out-of-form bowler Ashish Nehra. The heroic show in the drawn first Test at Brisbane has not only given the Indians a psychological edge but has exposed a few chinks in the Australian bowling armoury on a pitch designed to suit the hosts. The hosts, who conceded a first innings lead for the first time in 10 home Tests, appeared to lack the intensity in Brisbane but skipper Steve Waugh has warned the visitors to be prepared for a more “aggressive” bowling dose. “As a side, we probably were not as intense as I would have liked in the first Test...We will have to revise our strategies and be a little more aggressive in our bowling,” Waugh said. The world champions were expected to pep up their new-ball attack by including Brad Williams who could test the Indians with his fiery short-pitched stuff. The Australians, who take great pride in their cricket, see the Indians in a new light after the Brisbane encounter and grudgingly acknowledge them as a “competitive side” which is capable of halting their juggernaut. The Indians would definitely take the field at the majestic Adelaide Oval with a positive frame of mind but Ganguly has cautioned his players not to go overboard with the Brisbane display but strive to improve upon their performance. “Both sides got positives out of the Test, but it is a new game here. It is how you play on the given day that matters,” Ganguly said. “You do carry some form into your next game but we will be starting from scratch. What you do on those five days is going to matter. We have to keep improving, particularly in the bowling department,” he said. The form of bowling trumpcard Harbhajan Singh has been a cause of concern for the visitors who may fall back on the experienced Anil Kumble or Kartik to shoulder the spin responsibility. Although Ganguly did not come down too heavily on Harbhajan’s lacklustre show in the first Test, the team management may have to take the unpleasant decision of sacking the “Turbanator” who has been struggling to regain the form which saw him claiming 32 wickets when Australia toured India in 2001. The visitors will be largely depending on their batting might to tame the Aussies and the fact that the team could post a score beyond the 400-mark on a grassy track last week will serve as a huge confidence-booster in the remaining matches. The captain himself led from the front and his classy 144 in the Brisbane Test and has given the home team some sleepless nights, particularly after the pre-series ploy of pressuring him with the “chin music”. Barring Sachin Tendulkar, most of the other top Indian batsmen managed to get some runs in the first Test and will be a little more confident of negotiating the Australian attack. Tendulkar perished to a dubious leg before decision by West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor for a duck and the little genius will be eager to make a significant contribution with his bat. The opening combination has been a perennial problem for India in the longer version of the game and there has been some doubts about whether Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra were technically sound to give the team a solid start. Although the team management may persist with the same combination, it is high time that Sehwag did justice to his potential and came up with big scores on a more regular basis. Australia’s bowling in many ways is like India’s attack. In Nathan Bracken and Brad Williams, they have two bowlers with just a Test between them. Stuart MacGill, despite his four wickets, did not leave an impression on the Indians. Hours of play (all times IST): 6 am to 8 am, 8.40 am to 10.40 am, 11 am to 1 pm. |
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We can cope with Zaheer Khan & Co
Strategies have been unveiled, mini battles won and lost, but the score-line hasn’t changed as we head off to Adelaide to do battle on one of cricket’s great Test match venues. Both teams could claim to have won in a close points decision out of Brisbane, but the reality is, it was a match of fluctuating fortunes and momentum changes that saw neither team take command of the game. Adelaide should provide the spectators with a result because it offers everyone a chance to showcase their skills. It gives assistance to the quick bowlers early on before generally flattening out into a batting paradise before the spinners come into their own late in the match. We have discussed the Brisbane game and have concluded that there are areas that we can control better than we did in that Test. True, we lost momentum because of the rain interruptions, but I still felt that we lacked some intensity on the field. The combined effect of having Jason Gillespie return after a long break, Nathan Bracken making his debut, and Andy Bichel not really bowling to potential gave India an opportunity. It is to their credit that they maximised on these factors to cross our total comfortably. At Adelaide, we will certainly visit the option of having Brad Williams in the side. His style is more suited to short-pitched bowling and that would add a much-needed dimension to the attack. I am still confident that if we play they way we have over the last couple of years it will be very difficult for the Indians to stop us. As far as our batting is concerned, I feel confident that we will be able to cope with Zaheer Khan and company in the sunny conditions at Adelaide. While he did bowl very well on the second day at Brisbane, the conditions were also tailor-made for his brand of bowling. The Adelaide Oval really eases out into a beauty after the initial movement, and this makes it one of the most challenging wickets in Australia, from a pace bowler’s point of view. The Adelaide Oval is a venue that inspires quality play with its outstanding playing surface, tastefully blended grandstands as well as the timeless beauty of the ancient wooden scoreboard and aesthetic beauty of the distant cathedrals. It makes you want to get out there and do the business. One aspect about Adelaide that never changes is the sight of the legendary ‘Nugget’ Rees, a mentor, motivator and great friend to all of us, whose presence always inspires and lifts those around him each and every day he joins us in the dressing room. Nugget is so one-eyed that he has to wear cricket gloves when he’s supporting us, otherwise his clapping can lead to temporary deafness for those in his vicinity. Adelaide Oval also means to me that famous lunch of fresh chicken fillets in plum sauce which has been a constant over the past 18 years and the secret to why I have kept playing! I’ve always said I’d finish if this item was taken off the lunch menu and thankfully for all the other players, it’s outlasted me. This is a great cricket venue and one of my favourites, and as always there will be that special Test match buzz on Friday morning as the crowd goes deathly quiet before the first ball is bowled. Without doubt my most enduring image over all the years playing here is that famous one-run loss to the West Indies, which was probably the hardest loss of my career to digest. After battling so hard and for so many years to defeat the Windies, a victory in Adelaide would have given us the series and an historic moment for our captain Allan Border, who had never been in a winning side against a team that had dominated world cricket for a decade. I recall every team member watching that last intense hour from the viewing area, each one too scared to move in case they jinxed the outcome of what was happening in the middle. Border, as he so often did in those situations, was tossing a cricket ball from hand to hand. It used to be known as his ‘worry ball’ and acted as a security blanket when things got tense. Unfortunately Craig McDermott gloved a Courtney Walsh bouncer onto his grill before it sailed into the safe hands of Junior Murray, sending the Windies straight into party mode, a stark contrast to our camp. The ‘worry ball’ was thrown into the ground so hard it bounced up and hit the roof, which was about the only noise that emanated from our dressing room for the next hour. Thankfully there have been many happy memories to compensate for this one with my 164 against South Africa after coming back from a hamstring injury, is one that sticks in my mind. Technically it was one of my better Test hundreds, given the quality of their attack and that the series was still alive. The controversial decision on South Africa’s next tour involving brother Mark caused much debate at the time. After being struck on the arm, he clipped a bail off with his bat after his arm went dead. It was obviously not part of his shot but the South Africans and in particular Hansie Cronje were incensed as a victory was denied. |
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Ganguly mature captain There is one thing that one should accept on the eve of the second India-Australia Test match beginning at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. That Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has matured into a great captain. The record book suggests that a few more wins will take him past Mohammad Azharuddin, the most successful captain for India. Termed as arrogant, Ganguly has passed severe tests, including difficult series in South Africa twice, including the World Cup. It is never easy to be a captain for that long in a country like ours with garrulous people managing, talking, writing and following the game in huge numbers. It had raised many eyebrows, even among the players, when he had taken over the reigns from Sachin Tendulkar. The only way he could prove that he was more than just a blue-eyed boy of the BCCI was not only to score runs but also produce results. He succeeded in both. I had a chance to see him mature from a young player to a responsible leader. We toured Australia together in 1991, where the media crucified him for his attitude and some of the senior players even found it difficult to accept, what they thought was his naive attitude. He was confined to the drinks trolley except for a chance to play a one-day match at the Gabba (where we recently watched his majestic hundred). By the end of the tour it was clear that he was not favourite of many in the side. It took him five years, scoring heavily and consistently in the domestic circuit, to get the selectors’ nod again and come back into the side. But it took time to shed the tag of an arrogant and indifferent man that he was labelled with during the ’91 tour. He returned to the national team as a changed man in the 1996 tour of England. The first and the foremost thing was to show his ability to score runs in preliminary games. The team management acknowledged his form and inducted him into the second Test at the Lords. A century on debut, and that too at the Mecca of cricket saw the resurrection of Ganguly. From then on there has been no turning back for this Bengali. Staying out of the national team for five years perhaps made Ganguly realise what it meant to him. The commitment of the lethargically effective cricketer has been questioned from time to time, but he has always answered them with the willow at the right time. It wasn’t an easy choice for the team to get a foreign coach. When the time was ripe, Sourav played his cards well to get the coach, which then was an absolute necessity. The turnaround after the first two games in the World Cup was ample evidence of his good captaincy. He fully realises and acknowledges that he has to get results out of his team-mates and his decisions have to be an outcome of consensus. He must be greatly indebted to the seniors who have helped him reach a level where he is not too far from becoming the best captain India has produced. Sourav’s best quality is his ability to remain unperturbed even while facing severe criticism or when he is the target of highly personal and derogatory remarks. India, I have a feeling, start favourites in the Adelaide Test. They have a moral advantage, at least. Though India lost both the matches in the last two outings at this venue, the batsman-friendly wicket has inspired our batsmen to do well. I still vividly recall the magnificent hundred from Azharuddin, which almost won the Test for us in the ‘91 series. The Adelaide Oval is known as a batting paradise and most of the touring teams tend to bat well on this ground. Except for the initial part of the first day, the conditions favour batsmen. Having fielded first in the previous two Tests, the Australians have had the better of their opponents. Though the Australians have retained the same 12 for this Test, a hint by Waugh to play Brad Williams shows a bit of variation cropping up in the mind of the host captain. It obviously means the Australian skipper is not really happy with his attack and believes it requires more than what he has. They are definite signs of vulnerability of the host team. Rated as number one in the world, they are resilient enough to bounce back into the game. Indians are high on the batting with Sachin and Dravid yet to pitch in. With Sourav and Laxman among the runs already, the focus will be on bowling. With Zaheer Khan having proved his class, it is now left to Ashish Nehra to move to the next level. Each over bowled in the Brisbane Test was valuable, for Ashish to come back into form. Ajit Agarkar, I feel, is doing justice to the task he has been assigned to do. Now one is left to ponder on the spinner. The team management’s biggest headache is to choose between Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. It’s embarrassing to have Anil sitting out and the same time its equally awkward to have Harbhajan out of the side. Knowing that the wicket would be on the slower side and since Anil can bowl tight, I am sure the Indian team would be toying with the idea of playing two fast bowlers and two spinners, leaving a seamer out. Finally, the fate of the Test could be decided by the number of maidens bowled. The side, which will be more successful in this aspect, will definitely hold the advantage.
— Chivach Media |
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HC restrains Zaheer from tying up with Globosport Mumbai, December 11 The order was delivered yesterday by Mr Justice DG Karnik on a petition filed by Percept challenging Zaheer’s move to approach
Globosport, promoted by tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, which had given him a new offer after his earlier contract with Percept expired. The judge upheld Percept counsel Virag Tulsapurkar’s contention that his client had the right of first refusal as per their agreement with the cricketer.
— PTI |
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Kale guilty, says BCCI Kolkata, December 11 He said a show cause notice was being sent to Kale asking him to explain why strong disciplinary action should not be taken against him for his ‘misconduct and malpractices’. The BCCI held an hour long meeting at its Kolkata office at Eden Gardens and discussed threadbare the Rao Committee report. Two selectors, More and Roy alleged in writing that Kale had offered each of them Rs 20 lakh as bribe for his inclusion in the Indian team in the on-going Australian cricket series, which Kale, however, denied categorically. The BCCI, however, on the basis of the written complaints of the two selectors, temporarily suspended Kale, and barred him from participating in any matches including the Ranji Trophy. Kale went to court against the “illegal step” taken by the BCCI. But the BCCI, today virtually turned down the court verdict in and decided to serve a show cause notice on Kale. Mr Dalmia said the BCCI after looking into the Subba Rao Committee’s report found Kale guilty of the charges made against him and accordingly action was being taken against him as per rules. He said by pronouncing the disciplinary action against Kale, the BCCI felt no injustice was being done to him. He said the crime which Kale had committed rightly deserved the punishment. |
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England cling on after Murali row
Kandy, December 11 England, frustrated by Sri Lanka’s tailenders in the morning, closed on 163 for four in their first innings, 219 runs behind the home team. The day also ended with Nasser Hussain facing accusations of verbal abuse against Muttiah Muralitharan. The off-spinner continued to be the thorn in England’s side as Sri Lanka, resuming on 277 for seven, added 104 for the last two wickets to be dismissed for 382. Muralitharan then dismissed openers Marcus Trescothick (36) and Michael Vaughan (52). Graham Thorpe was 20 not out at the close, with Collingwood on 19 at the other end and allrounder Andrew Flintoff next in. Sri Lanka filed an official complaint with match referee Clive Lloyd, team sources alleging that Hussain had called Muralitharan a “cheat and a chucker”. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (first innings overnight 277-7): M. Atapattu lbw Kirtley 11 S. Jayasuriya c Read b Giles 32 K. Sangakarra run out 34 Jayawardene c Kirtley b Giles 45 Dilshan c Trescothick b Flintoff 63 Tillakaratne c Butcher b Flintoff 45 Samaraweera lbw Giles 3 Vaas lbw Kirtley 32 Dharmasena lbw Giles 29 Fernando not out 51 Muralitharan b Giles 19 Extras (b-1 lb-15 nb-2): 18 Total (all out, 126.4 overs): 382 FoW: 1-20 2-76 3-84 4-187 5-201 6-206 7-270 8-278 9-354 Bowling: Kirtley 33-10-109-2 (nb-2), Flintoff 24-5-60-2, Giles 37.4-7-116-5, Collingwood 9-3-13-0, Batty 18-3-59-0, Vaughan 5-0-9-0. England (first innings): M.Trescothick c Dilshan b Muralitharan 36 M.Vaughan c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 52 M.Butcher st Sangakkara b Dharmasena 4 N.Hussain lbw Vaas 10 G.Thorpe not out 20 P.Collingwood not out 19 Extras (b-8 lb-7 nb-7): 22 Total (4 wickets, 51 overs): 163 FoW: 1-89 2-100 3-119 4-119. Bowling: Vaas 11-3-33-1, Fernando 5-0-31-0 (5-nb), Dharmasena 12-2-42-1 (2-nb), Muralitharan 16-6-28-2, Jayasuriya 7-0-14-0.
— Reuters |
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Ranji
Trophy New Delhi, December 11 With a five-run lead and two wickets in hand, Punjab have achieved their immediate target of moving ahead in the first innings, and now nurse the hope of scoring an outright victory. An outright win is a possibility if the Punjab tail can mop up some quick runs in the morning. Punjab, resuming at 157 for three wickets, lost three wickets for the addition of just five runs in the morning, but weathered the storm with some disciplined batting, to gather runs at am impressive pace. Ritinder Singh Sodhi’s was the first wicket to fall in the morning when he was trapped lbw by Jaya Prakash Yadav, but only after taking the overnight total from 157 to 191. Sodhi, who resumed at 13, compiled 31 off 76 balls with five boundaries. Pankaj Dharmani, who was unbeaten on 27 last evening, added 16 more runs to his total before becoming the second victim of Yadav, caught at second slip by Sanjay Bangar. From 157 for three, Punjab slipped to 194 for 5. And after the addition of two more runs to the total, wicket-keeper Chandan Madan too was back in the pavilion, becoming the third, and second lbw, victim of Yadav. Punjab were struggling at 196 for 6 at this stage, but Ankur Kakkar, who got a reprieve at his personal score of 29, dropped by Yadav at first slip off Sanjay Bangar, stayed put to play a fine knock to anchor Punjab to safety. He was unbeaten on 82, scored off 242 balls with eight boundaries. Ankur got able support from Amit Uniyal and Gagandeep Singh, who scored 45 and 50 respectively. Amit made 45 off 75 balls with seven fours before he was held by Yadav at point off Harvinder. Gagandeep Singh was run out just after he completed his half century when a throw by Khanolkar from covers knocked off his bails. His knock came off 109 balls, studded with seven boundaries. Novdeep Singh was not out on 1 at draw of stumps. Punjab take on Andhra Pradesh at Mohali and Mumbai in Mumbai in their last two matches while Railways play their last two matches against Mumbai and Baroda away from their home ground. So conceding two points to Punjab is in a way a setback for them. Brief Scores: Railways (1st
innings): 390. Punjab (1st innings): 395 for 8 wickets (Ravneet Ricky 2, Yuvraj Singh 80, Dinesh Mongia 33, Pankaj Dharmani 43, R S Sodhi 31, Ankur Kakkar 82 n o, Amit Uniyal 45, Gagandeep Singh 50, Harvinder Singh 2 for 65, J P Yadav 3 for 57, Kulamani Parida 1 for 107, S Khanolkar 1 for 68). |
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HP need 440 to win Cuttack, December 11 Opener Sandip Sharam and skipper Sangram Singh were batting on 40 and nine, respectively. Orissa, who led the visitors by 130 runs in the first innings, declared their second innings at 309 for eight soon after the tea break. Brief scores: Orissa: 246 and 309 for 8 decl Himachal Pradesh:
116 and 83 for 2. — PTI |
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Baroda follow on Vadodara, December 11 Replying to Delhi’s mammoth first innings score of 510 for seven declared, Baroda folded up for 223 despite a valiant 92 by Jacob Martin to trail the visitors by 287 runs. In their second knock, Baroda were 11 without loss and still needed 276 runs to save the match. Resuming at their overnight first innings score of 25 for one, Baroda batsmen Satyajit Parab and Rakesh Solanki managed to add 36 runs for second wicket before Parab (38) was sent back. Solanki also followed him after adding 46 runs.
— PTI |
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Mahindras pip Mohammedans Mumbai, December 11 In a thrilling encounter, the jeepmen, who were locked 1-1 at the breather, raced away to a hard-earned win. The Kolkata outfit took the lead in the ninth minute when defender Amjad Ali Khan scored off winger Iqbal Shahnaz’s cross. In the 23rd minute the jeepmen equalised when their defender Covan Lawrence’s free kick was headed home by winger Felix Aboagye. Four minutes after half time, Sporting could have taken the lead but their winger Edeh Chidi was intercepted well by Mahindra custodian Kalyan Chaubey when the later was poised to score. The following counter attack proved fruitful for the hosts when their striker Raphael Patron Apakpo lobbed over an advancing Sporting custodian Bivash Ghosh to make it 2-1. Ten minutes later Mahindra skipper Khalid Jameel increased the lead with a long range shot which curled into the goalmouth and five minutes later Mahindra substitute Abhishek Yadav shot over from a close range. In the 70th minute, Sporting winger Edeh Chidi scored to narrow the margin to 2-3 though three minutes later Yadav made up for the earlier lapse when he headed home a Akakpo cross. With just 10 minutes to go for the final hooter, a penalty was awarded to Sporting when their medio Rahim Nobi was brought down inside the box by Chaubey. Striker Dipendu Biswas took the spot kick and scored.
— PTI |
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Haryana awards for Afro-Asiad medallists Chandigarh, December 11 While giving this information here today, a spokesman of the Sports Department said these awards would be presented by the Union Sports Minister, Mr Vikram Verma at the inaugural function of the first hockey Astro-Turf in Haryana at Nehru Stadium, Gurgaon, on December 13. He said the cash awards were being given as per provisions of the sports policy announced by the state government in 2001. The disbursement of the amount to the sportspersons within six weeks of their medal-winning performance indicated the commitment of the state government to promote sports. He said winners of gold medals would be given Rs 10 lakh each, winners of silver medals Rs 7 lakh each and winners of bronze medals Rs 5 lakh each. He said players of Haryana had given an outstanding performance in the Afro-Asian Games. Out of 17 players from Haryana, who represented India in different events, 10 players had won gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. He said gold medallists who would be given a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh included Shakti Singh (shot put), Anil Kumar (discus throw), Neelam J. Singh (discus throw), Jitender Kumar (boxing), Akhil Kumar (boxing), Gurpreet Kaur, Suman Bala, Jasjit Kaur, Surender Kaur (women’s hockey) and Harpal Singh men’s hockey). He said Vijayender Kumar (boxing), silver medallist, would be given a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh and Parmender Singh (boxing), a bronze medallist at the game, would be given a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. |
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Adelaide, December 11
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Kandy, December 11
