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Sensational Agarkar wrecks Aussies
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Rare
chance for Test win in Australia
Odds favour India, says Buchanan |
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Tendulkar succumbing to own
demons, says Chappell
Lee expects to play remaining Tests Bangar to bolster squad?
Indian polo team returns from Pakistan
Gursharan Singh, Shruti advance Munish sends HP reeling
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Sensational Agarkar wrecks Aussies
Adelaide, December 15 After conceding a 33-run first innings lead, the wiry Agarkar scalped six wickets to bundle out the much-vaunted Australian batting line-up for 196 in their second innings to completely change the complexion of the game on an absorbing fourth day. The Indians were left with a target of 230 runs for recording a Test win on Australian soil after a gap of 22 years but may find the going tough on the wearing track at the Adelaide Oval. The Indians tightened the noose by coasting to a comfortable 37 for no loss with openers Virender Sehwag (25) and Aakash Chopra (10) at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day. The reliable Rahul Dravid rewrote the record books by registering the highest score by an Indian overseas with his career-best 233 before Agarkar took centrestage with figures of 16.2-2-41-6 to tilt the scale in India’s favour. Dravid, unconquered on 199 overnight, continued to torment the hosts as he shielded his tailend teammates to take India to 523 in their first innings, a tremendous fightback after being 85 for four at one stage. The Aussies could never really recover from the early jolts to be skittled out in 56.2 overs towards the end of the day with Adam Gilchrist (43) and Steve Waugh (42) being the notable scorers. The Indians, who had last won a Test match on Australian soil in 1980-81, were helped to some extent by some poor shot selection by the Australian batsmen. Agarkar managed to obtain some swing in the initial overs and drew first blood by getting rid of Justin Langer with a gem of a delivery which trapped the left-hander plumb in front of the wicket. The Mumbai speedster struck again two overs later by evicting the dangerous Ricky Ponting who was caught by Aakash Chopra to leave the hosts gasping at 18 for two. Ashish Nehra was rewarded with a wicket in his very first over by removing the in-form Matthew Hayden who mistimed his drive to see Sehwag pull off a spectacular catch at extra cover much to the delight of his teammates. Damien Martyn and captain Steve Waugh tried to steady the ship by playing cautiously against the Indian bowlers who got some assistance from the track. The fourth-wicker pair took the score to 109 before part-timer Sachin Tendulkar helped the visitors to bounce back again by sending back Martyn (38) and Waugh (42) in quick succession just before the tea break. The hard-hitting Adam Gilchrist tried to launch a valiant counter attack and almost succeeded. He clobbered two sixes, including a pulled six off Tendulkar, and four boundaries during his 45-ball 43. But Gilchrist prospered only because Parthiv Patel messed up an easy stumping opportunity off Anil Kumble when he had scored just 13. The left-hander was deceived by an incoming delivery from Kumble as he danced down the wicket but the young Patel failed to collect the ball cleanly. His belated attempt to whip off the bails gave Gilchrist time to regain the crease. Kumble, however, had the last laugh when he bowled Gilchrist for his only scalp of the innings. The departure of Gilchrist virtually opened up the floodgates as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals and the hosts lost the last five wickets in the space of 13 runs. Agarkar, who claimed two wickets in his first spell, ripped through the late-order batting snapping up four wickets while conceding just four runs to bring the Australian innings to a rather abrupt end. His second spell began by sending back Simon Katich for 32 and then accounted for Andy Bichel (1), Jason Gillespie (3) and Stuart MacGill (1) to notch up his career-best figures. Earlier, India resumed at their overnight score of 477 for seven and were all out for 523 but not before Dravid had accomplished some cherished long-standing records with his career-best knock of 233. Dravid, whose three of the last four centuries have been double tons, began the day on 199 and cut the first delivery from Stuart MacGill past point for four to raise his double century. The vice-captain then slammed a delivery from Gillespie to the cover boundary to go past Ravi Shastri’s 13-year-old record of 206 runs — the highest ever made by an Indian in Australia. Dravid looked in an unrelenting mood as a little later he flicked MacGill past square leg for a single to go to 222 and surpass Sunil Gavaskar’s record of the highest ever score by an Indian on foreign soil. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings) 556 India (1st innings): Chopra c & b Bichel 27 Sehwag c Hayden b Bichel 47 Dravid c Bichel b Gillespie 233 Tendulkar c Gilchrist b Bichel 1 Ganguly run out 2 Laxman c Gilchrist b Bichel 148 Patel c Ponting b Katich 31 Agarkar c MacGill b Katich 11 Kumble lbw b MacGill 12 Pathan c & b MacGill 1 Nehra not out 0 Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-2, nb-2) 10 Total: (all out in 161.5 overs) 523 FoW: 1-66, 2-81, 3-83, 4-85, 5-388, 6-447, 7-469, 8-510, 9-518. Bowling: Gillespie 40.5-13-106-1, Williams 23-7-72-0, Bichel 28-3-118-4, MacGill 44-8-143-2,Katich 16-3-59-2, Waugh 9-2-15-0, Ponting 1-0-4-0. Australia (2nd innings): Hayden c Sehwag b Nehra 17 Langer LBW b Agarkar 10 Ponting c Chopra b Agarkar 0 Martyn c Dravid b Tendulkar 38 Waugh c Dravid b Tendulkar 42 Katich c Nehra b Agarkar 31 Gilchrist b Kumble 43 Bichel b Agarkar 1 Gillespie c Patel b Agarkar 3 Williams not out 4 MacGill b Agarkar 1 Extras
(b-2, lb-2, nb-1, w-1) 6 Total: (all out in 56.2) 196 FoW: 1-10, 2-18, 3-44, 4-109, 5-112, 6-183, 7-184, 8-188, 9-192. Bowling: Agarkar 16.2-2-41-6, Pathan 7-0-24-0, Nehra 7-2-21-1, Kumble 17-2-58-1, Tendulkar 6-0-36-2, Sehwag 3-0-12-0. India (2nd innings): Chopra batting 10 Sehwag batting 25 Extras: (lb-2) 2 Total:
(for no loss in 10 overs) 37 Bowling: Jason Gillespie 4-2-5-0, Brad Williams 3-0-13-0, Stuart MacGill 2-0-11-0, Andy Bichel 1-0-6-0. —
PTI |
Rare chance for Test win in Australia THE cultured innings of Rahul Dravid would pass any test set by the grammarians of batsmanship as well as meet any parameter set by those who set so much store by aesthetics. But, more importantly, by virtue of its sheer length in being the biggest ever score compiled by an Indian batsman overseas, the double century has given India its finest-ever chance to go ahead by a Test in a series in Australia. The peerless display of the ever so correct Dravid who was last man out has completely changed the course of a Test match that is not only intriguingly poised on a knife edge now but is also promising to provide one of the most enjoyable spectacles that cricket can provide of David slaying Goliath in his own backyard. One more memorable partnership between Dravid and Laxman and see what it does to India’s morale as also its position in the match. This is one Indian team that is not only promising to fight to the very last man but is also posing such a threat to the world’s best side as a result of which it is not only the pundits who have had to rapidly revise their opinion in the last two fortnight. As a touring team, India has hardly enjoyed an occasion or two to dream of a series win. While this may sound farfetched at this point in time, it is likely that India can actually win this series if it emerges victorious from the Adelaide Oval. To win the Test, Indian batsmen would simply have to lean on the incipient faith that this is one Australian attack which is not incisive enough to bowl it out. So accustomed are the Australians to exposing the weaknesses of the opposition that they can make extravagant errors in assessing their own. Their inability to even envisage a draw means that they will go into the final day as the underdogs even if it is India that is up against a fourth innings target that can sometimes prove tricky. An Indian team completely transformed by the magical partnership saw another hero emerge from his own inconsistencies to justify his enhanced role as the strike bowler in this match. Ajit Agarkar, so often the under achiever, was, in Zaheer Khans absence, the spearhead and he showed the Aussie quicks a trick or two about how late swing can be more effective than sheer pace. Surpassing himself in terms of combativeness, Agarkar opened up the Australian innings and left it vulnerable to every twist of the screw that the spinners could get in. While Kumble was brilliant in his persistence in an approach that is closer to a pace bowler than a tweaker, it did not come as a surprise that he was not the teams most productive spinner. This is a burden that Kumble has sometimes to bear on behalf of his side. He cramped the batsmen so much that Sachin Tendulkars wayward looking offerings by way of leg breaks from the other end set up two catches for Dravid at slip. The two wickets may as well be credited to Kumble though he, as well as Sachin, will be happy that both Martyn and Waugh were dismissed in time even as they were bringing their obvious competence into play. The only thing that has not improved in this sanguine atmosphere is the keeping of Parthiv Patel whose nervous handling of a stumping allowed reprieve for the dangerously counter-attacking Gilchrist. In teasing him into an indiscretion with a lovely top spinner before it was too late, Kumble had set India firmly on the road to victory. If India did not make it from there on, it would be the batsmens fault alone. The beauty of simplicity seen in all its splendour in Dravid’s masterclass percolated down to all levels with the catching picking up nicely as in Sehwag’s forward dive at cover and one of Dravid’s catches that was owed to great reflexes which may have been honed further by the necessity to keep wickets in one-day internationals. —
UNI |
Odds favour India, says Buchanan Adelaide, December 15 But the coach conceded that they had given much ground to the opposition, requiring 193 runs for a win, despite having a strong advantage initially. “It is our method to try and get as many runs as possible. But there was immaturity how we went about it today. They (batsmen) did not choose the best way to go about it. Consequently, we gave in the opportunity (to the Indians),” the coach said as Australia faced a real threat of losing their first Test at home in four years. “We were satisfied this morning... we set out to limit the Indian total which we did pretty well. We had to establish the required lead by lunchtime tomorrow. Then we would have been in total control of the game. From there on only one team could have won. At this stage, there are two teams still in the contest.” Buchanan strongly backed his side to avert the threat of defeat saying “it has not really gone bad yet. We still have got a lead of 193 runs. We are not going to give in. “The wicket, as we have seen today, is going to play a few tricks. I would not back ourselves out at this stage.” “The odds are in India’s favour. But we have 11 players who are wanting to do their best tomorrow,” said Buchanan while hoping his bowlers would get some purchase from the wicket on the last day of the match tomorrow. —
PTI |
Tendulkar succumbing to own Sydney, December 15 His uncharacteristic dismissal in the second cricket Test against Australia here has once again led to a debate over his form and ability to make runs when it matters. Former Australian great Greg Chappell felt Tendulkar was subdued because he “is weighed down by years of heavy expectations” and self-doubts. Chappell also detected some problems that he believes are blunting the impact of the Little Master. “It is more a case of the 30-year-old succumbing to his own demons rather than great bowling. Sachin looks to me like a man who is struggling to overcome his own doubts and fears and is consumed by anxiety that usually ruins focus and concentration,” Chappell wrote in the ‘Daily Telegraph’. “If Sachin has a weakness some would say it is against quality fast bowling on the bouncy wickets of Australia. If that is true it does not make him Robinson Crusoe. Quality fast bowling on bouncy wickets at one time or another has troubled all good players.” But Chappell said the good news for Indian fans was that Tendulkar has not lost his talent. “He has just lost his way. If he can regain his composure and his focus he will make Australia pay and he will make more runs for his country in Test cricket over the next few years.” —
PTI |
Lee expects to play remaining Tests
Melbourne, December 15 He is rated a strong chance to replace Brad Williams for the third Test against India in Melbourne, starting Boxing Day, after Williams injured his left shoulder in the field in Adelaide yesterday. First Lee must further prove his fitness by backing up for NSW in the Sheffield Shield game against Tasmania in Sydney starting Friday, meaning he could play two Tests immediately after two state matches. “If I was to play the two Test matches, in Melbourne and Sydney, plus the two (Sheffield Shield) games I’d be playing (the same amount of cricket as) four Test matches in just over three weeks, so it’s a lot of cricket especially after coming back from injury too, it’s a big ask,” he said. —
AFP |
Bangar to bolster squad? Adelaide, December 15 Though no such request has yet been made to the cricket board, the team management is likely to do so once the Adelaide Test is over. According to team sources, the Indians suddenly sense a chance to create history after their brilliant performance so far on the tour and want to utilise their bowling resources better. India, who held the upper hand in the first Test in Brisbane and have a chance to win the second Test at Adelaide tomorrow, have been a bit handicapped in bowling with Harbhajan Singh as good as out of the tour and Zaheer Khan missing the second Test because of a hamstring injury. It has limited India’s bowling resources and with back-and-back Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, the team wants to put its best foot forward in a bid to do the near impossible. India currently have two spinners in Anil Kumble and Murali Kartik and medium-pacers in Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar. But given the fear of sudden injury to any one of them, the team management would prefer another back-up cricketer, preferably a bowler-cum-batsman like Bangar. The Indians also realise that they need to go with five bowlers in order to put further pressure on the Aussies and Bangar is seen as a cricketer who could be useful with this strategy. His presence could allow the team to use him as an opener as well as a stock, run-restricting bowler for fast bowlers to come in fresh after each spell. The Indian team management is thinking the strategy could also allow them to play two spinners in Sydney where it offers turn. —
PTI |
Highest scores by Indian batsmen 281 - Vangipurappu Laxman v Australia at Kolkata (2000/01) 236* - Sunil Gavaskar v West Indies at Madras (1983/84) 233 - Rahul Dravid v Australia at Adelaide (2003/04) 231 - Vinoo Mankad v New Zealand at Madras (1955/56) 227 - Vinod Kambli v Zimbabwe at Delhi (1992/93) 224 - Vinod Kambli v England at Bombay (1992/93) 223 - Polly Umrigar v New Zealand at Hyderabad (1955/56) 223 - Vinoo Mankad v New Zealand at Bombay (1955/56) 222 - Gundappa Viswanath v England at Madras (1981/82) 222 - Rahul Dravid v New Zealand at Ahmedabad (2003/04). —
Reuters |
SA forge ahead after Lara’s double ton Johannesburg,
December 15 South
Africa forged 239 runs ahead of the West Indies after Brian Lara kept
the tourists’ hopes alive with a brilliant double century. The South Africans were 88 for one at tea with Jacques Rudolph on 18 and Jacques Kallis on five. Lara was ninth out for 202 in his side’s total of 410, the left-hander batting more than seven hours and hitting two sixes and 32 fours in his sixth Test double century. Scoreboard South Africa (1st innings): 561 West Indies (1st innings): Hinds c Peterson b Nel 10 Ganga c Peterson b Ntini 60 Sarwan c Boucher b Pollock 21 Lara c Van Jaarsveld b Nel 202 Chanderpaul b Ntini 34 Jacobs c Boucher b Ntini 4 Drakes lbw b Kallis 21 Dillon b Ntini 13 Gayle c Kallis b Ntini 8 Edwards c McKenzie b Nel 0 Collymore not out 1 Extras: 36 Total: (all out, 133.5 overs) 410 FoW: 1-43, 2-94, 3-141, 4-266, 5-278, 6-314, 7-380, 8-405, 9-409. Bowling: Pollock 30-7-65-1, Ntini 32-9-94-5, Nel 32.5-11-78-3, Kallis 22-6-53-1, Peterson 13-2-76-0, Smith 4-0-17-0. South Africa (2nd innings): Smith c sub b Drakes 44 Gibbs retired hurt 6 Rudolph c Sarwan b Hinds 44 Kallis lbw b Hinds 44 Boucher st Jacobs b Sarwan 18 Van Jaarsveld run out 15 Pollock b Collymore 10 McKenzie not out 9 Peterson not out 18 Extras: (b-2 lb-3 nb-7 w-6) 18 Total: (6 wkts, decl, 63 overs) 226 FoW: 1-72, 2-145, 3-158, 4-180, 5-188, 6-206 Bowling: Edwards 13-0-60-0, Dillon 10-0-26-0, Drakes 10-2-21-1, Collymore 9-3-19-1, Sarwan 10-0-40-1,Hinds 11-0-55-2 West Indies (2nd innings): Hinds b Ntini 0 Ganga lbw b Ntini 10 Drakes b Ntini 6 Sarwan not out 6 Lara not out 0 Extras: (b-5 lb-1 nb-3) 9 Total: (3 wkts, 10 overs) 31 FoW: 1-5, 2-18, 3-25 Bowling: Pollock 3-1-6-0, Ntini 5-2-12-3, Nel 2-0-7-0. —
Reuters |
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Lara inspired by India’s batting JOHANNESBURG:
Record-breaker Brian Lara has said he was inspired by India’s performance against Australia as he reached his 23rd century for the West Indies on the third day of the first Test against South Africa on Sunday. Lara hit an undefeated 178, boosted at the end of the day by blasting a test-record 28 in one over from left-arm spinner Robin Peterson. The West Indies captain told reporters he had been up early watching TV where India were batting against Australia on the third day of the second Test in Adelaide. “India are taking on Australia, the best team in the world, and we’re taking on the second best team in the world,’’ Lara said.
— Reuters |
Indian polo team returns from Pakistan Amritsar, December 15 The honorary secretary of the Polo Association of India, Col Bhiwani Singh, Commandant of the President’s Bodyguards said India lost a close match 9-10. The match was exciting. A large crowd cheered the home team while few Indian spectators, including Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, Gaj Singh of Udaipur, besides others were on hand to cheer the Indian team. During the 13-day tournament being played at Lahore Polo-Grounds. India in their opening match lost to Australia, in their second encounter, they beat Singapore and then in the final league match trounced Iran. Col Singh said they enjoyed their stay in Lahore as people of Pakistan gave them a warm welcome.
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Gursharan Singh, Shruti advance New Delhi, December 15 Gursharan Singh sensed no chance of victory after he lost the first set, and struggled in the second, but once he achieved a break to go ahead, he was a changed player, and there was no stopping him. On a day of crowded programme, the most notable upset was that of the first-round exit of former junior national champion and seed No 5 Jaco T Mathew of Tamil Nadu, who was beaten in straight sets by Divij Sharan of Delhi 6-0, 6-2. Otherwise, the results went on expected lines. The matches started late due to wet courts following early morning rain, and went on till late in the evening. Top-seeded Vinod Sridhar of Tamil Nadu had an easy opening round outing when he easily disposed of Shryansh Sacheti of Madhya Pradesh 6-1, 6-3. Seventh-seeded Somdev Dev Varman, also of Tamil Nadu, too coasted to a comfortable victory when he got the better of Ashutosh Singh of Delhi 6-1, 6-2. Third-seeded Kedar Tembe of Maharashtra had to bring out his best to tame V.M. Ranjeet of Tamil Nadu 6-4, 6-4 while veteran Saurav Panja of Bengal was stretched to the limit by qualifier J. Vishnuvardhan of Andhra Pradesh before the former prevailed at 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The matches between eighth-seeded Parantap Chaturvedi and Rishi Sridhar remained inconclusive with the scores reading 7-5, 2-6 in favour of Sridhar while Gurmehar Singh of Delhi took a set off veteran Vasudev Reddy of Andhra before trailing in the second set at 6-4, 2-4. In the women’s singles, seeded players brooked no resistance and took their place in the second round. Other results: |
Munish sends HP reeling Patiala, December 15 HP (1st innings): 96 all out (Neeraj 30, Mayank 21, Vishal Sharma 18 n.o, Munish Bhatia 7 for 27, Ankur Jund 2 for 5, Bharat Loomba 1 for 43). Punjab (1st innings): 218 for 4 (Sumit Sharma 84 n.o, Sunny Sohal 55, Sat Pal 45, Sarabjit Singh 15 n.o, Mayank Soni 1 for 44, Vishal Sharma 1 for 59, Anurag Dayal 1 for 22, Shakun Saini 1 for 38). Soccer meet from Dec 20 |
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Sydney, December 15
