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India ready to
counter Aussie backlash Aussies will push
for victory Aussies celebrate
Christmas Bhandari scripts
India ‘A’ win
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Mumbai’s Amol Mazumdar faces Amit Uniyal of Punjab in the Elite Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy match at the PCA Stadium in Mohali in Thursday.
— Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan Railways survive
Baroda onslaught
Delhi CM opens
school games Gymnastics meet
from tomorrow South Zone win V’ball title
for DAV school Skating meet Thind is golf
champion
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India ready to counter Aussie backlash
Melbourne, December 25 The magnificent come-from-behind triumph in Adelaide has given the Indians a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series and the visitors will be keen to keep the mighty Australians on leash in what promises to be an absorbing tussle for supremacy. The return of Brett Lee will no doubt bolster the home team’s bowling attack but the Indians turned on the psychological heat on the tearaway fast bowler by questioning his effectiveness without Glenn McGrath at the other end. The Indians will also have a far more potent bowling attack with pace spearhead Zaheer Khan expected to take the field after missing the second Test because of a hamstring injury. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who was a doubtful starter due to an ankle injury, has been declared fit for the crucial game which means rookie paceman Irfan Pathan would make way to accommodate Zaheer Khan. Lee, who missed the first two Tests because of an abdomimal injury, will be a key component in tilting the scale in Australia’s favour again and allowing Steve Waugh to bid adieu to international cricket on a more sublime note - by reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But Lee’s return has not created much panic in the Indian camp which believed that the in-form batting line-up was quite capable of handling his thunderbolts. “It must be remembered Lee only bowled with McGrath doing his stuff from the other end. Suddenly, he is the spearhead, the pressure will be on him to deliver”, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said. “He’s got a bit of pace, but I’ve always thought of bowling like batting, you bowl in pairs”. The hosts, trailing a series at home for the first time in a decade, will bank on the express pace of Lee to make early inroads into the strong Indian batting line-up which has a big part to play in the team’s quest for the elusive series win. Stung by the Adelaide debacle and the scathing attack from coach John Buchanan who called their performance “soulless”, the hosts have promised to atone for their stunning defeat on a bouncy track at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Waugh conceded that it was an unusual experience for his team to be trailing in a home series but said his players will live up to the tag of being the number one side in the world. “Being one-down with two to go is something that we are not used to...We are looking forward to the challenge”, Waugh said. “It’s a great opportunity for the side to show what they are made of. There has been a lot said about our great bowlers not being there. It’s a good opportunity for all the other players to put their hands up”, Waugh said. The Australians are aware that they have to come up with something different to counter the deadly batting duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman who have been tormenting the world champions with their seemingly unbreakable partnerships. Dravid and Laxman had put on a mammoth 303-run partnership in Adelaide to script India’s incredible victory and Waugh hinted of adopting a new strategy to scuttle the duo. “We’ve had a chat about certain players and we know we have to do some things differently. We will try out new things... We have to play with intent and pressure the opposition. If we do that, we can force mistakes”, said Waugh. The Indians will be heavily relying on their famed batting line-up to tame the Aussies in their own den and captain Ganguly has acknowledged that the outcome of the series could ultimately hinge on which team bats better. “Batting will be the key. If you look why we did well in the first two Tests, as well as our success abroad, its been because we were able to put runs on the board”, Ganguly said. Barring Sachin Tendulkar, most of the other top order batsmen have managed to get some runs but the Indian skipper was not unduly worried over the maestro’s form slump. “I can’t remember Sachin going through a series without putting up a big score...That’s good for us because there are two crucial Tests and if he fires, we are going to be in a good position,” Ganguly said. The teams (from) Australia:
Steve Waugh (capt), Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, Brad Williams, Stuart MacGill, Nathan Bracken.
— PTI |
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Aussies will push for victory This current Australian squad has always prided itself on rising to a challenge to produce its best cricket. During the last five years we have consistently done this to achieve our number one ranking, and invariably we have taken control of most of these series from the very first Test. Being 1-0 down coming into the Boxing Day Test this time around is virtually unknown territory for us, and consequently one of the biggest hurdles we've encountered and a tough one to overcome. I know the guys felt the loss deeply in Adelaide but I was very proud of our efforts on day five, minus our strike bowler on a 40 degree day because we never gave in and as a consequence we were always in the game. If there was one area in which we let ourselves down, it would have to be our shot selection and execution on day four. I'm certainly not reading too much into what happened because we were playing aggressively to enable us to push for a win on day five, which is exactly what we expect from each other. It's only natural that this policy will occasionally backfire, but playing safe and stifling matches is not the type of cricket we want to play. Our aim for the remaining two matches is quite simple - back ourselves, be positive in our intent and push for a victory even if in this quest we don't succeed. Many times in sport you must be prepared to lose if you want to win and this will be our mantra for the next two matches. Personally I can't wait for the Boxing Day Test to start. It is always a highlight for anyone who has worn the Baggy Green to enter the colosseum in front of an 80,000-plus crowd and experience the instant adrenalin rush that surges through your body. I certainly had a cocktail of emotions running through my head as I entered the ground on December 26, 1985. Walking out to bat was almost a blur except for the thought that it seemed an eternity once I left the dressing room till I exchanged small talk with Geoff Marsh out in the middle. In truth I didn't know what to say since I only met Swampy at the team meeting the night before. Back then we used to arrive in Melbourne after having Christmas lunch at home and not three days before as we do now. Seeing Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Vengsarkar and Syed Kirmani out in the middle was intimidating to say the least, and coupled with the fact that we had been sent in on a damp wicket wasn't exactly confidence building. I walked away after making a modest debut with the bat, scoring 13 and 5, but fared a little better with the ball taking two wickets to feel somewhat satisfied but genuinely worried as to whether or not I could survive at this level. Normally my fondest memories personally, revolve around making runs, but I'm proud to say my name is on the honour-board inside the MCG dressing rooms. The 1988 Test against the West Indies was going pear-shaped for me with figures of 0-72 before a minor miracle occurred and I finished with 5-90 including the great Vivian Richards who I snared in both innings — a statistic I'll always treasure. On a not so positive note was the sight of Patrick Patterson storming into our rooms at the end of day four to tell us that no-one was going to be safe tomorrow and that he would kill us out in the middle. Suddenly the mood of our team changed from one of relaxed confidence to chilling fear. Maybe bowling him a few bumpers wasn't the smartest thing to do looking back at the end result! Every Australian batsman dreams of making a Boxing Day hundred, and for me it took a lot of years, falling in the nineties more than once before making it. The century I recall most vividly was the 100 against England most of which was done with the tail-enders and featured a rare hook shot to reach the milestone. Unfortunately the resistance shown in the first innings, didn't materialise in the second and in a marathon session that lasted over three hours, England skittled our tail to win by 13 runs. Looking back if there was one moment I could change in my career, then not taking a single earlier in the over would be it - but trust and having faith in the tail has generally worked well over the years. The MCG is rated by all players as one of cricket's great venues and as such you will always see an exciting Test match because players lift when they are excited and inspired. Since 1985 many things have changed, the dressing rooms have moved, the boundaries have been shortened, the pitches are now dropped in, grandstands have been replaced, the practice facilities have moved, but the one thing that is always a constant is the passionate, sports-loving crowd and the buzz that is unique to the MCG, moments before that first ball on day one.
— Gameplan |
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Aussies celebrate Christmas Melbourne, December 25 As choirs dealt out one after another beautiful Christmas carols, the Palladium at the Crown Casino was witness to kids running around and having a good time with their respective dads who will be doing national duty from tomorrow. Brett Lee was seen dancing with gay abandon wearing a Santa cap. Steve Waugh with his children, son Austin, and daughters Rosy and Lily, was looking relaxed, enjoying some time off cricket. Justin Langer also had three daughters for company: Sophie, Alie and Jessica, and the audience were enchanted by little Sophie. Fast bowler Nathan Bracken was also there, not with children, but girl friend Haily, enjoying the Christmas lunch. The big, mighty Hayden was also present, delicately holding his daughter Grace in his strong arms. Not for him the media glare for his little sweetie-pie. Adam Gilchrist and Brad Williams were engaged in rapt conversation in a corner. “I got a strap for Christmas present, what did you get?” asked Gilly to Williams. “Well none, I got absolutely nothing,” replied Williams.
— UNI |
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Bhandari scripts India ‘A’ win
Kolkata, December 25 The two teams were meeting here in India after a gap of four years and the crowd of 40,000 witnessed a cracker of a match that had all the intrigues of a one-day international. India ‘A’ had scored 329 for six in their innings, setting a near impossible target of 330. Within the first 14 overs, the destiny of the match was decided as Pakistan were reduced to 72 for six. It was India’s latest bowling sensation Amit Bhandari who breathed fire. Bowling with discipline and smouldering aggression, Bhandari returned the top brass of Pakistan batting singlehandedly. First Imran Nazir (0) was bowled trying to force a rising delivery only to get an inside edge onto the stumps. Shahid Afridi (9) was next to follow. He tried to send one from Bhandari out of the orbit and ended up giving a high catch to Yuvraj Singh at point. Salman Butt was the next victim of the Delhi pacer when he holed out to Sarandeep Singh at long off on 12. Bhandari then went on to claim Faizal Iqbal for five and finish of his first spell with 6-1-27-4. Bhandari’s final spell read 10-1-47-4 with no extras and was adjudged Man of the Match. Scoreboard India A: Gambhir c Junaid b Amjad 82 Bangar c Rehman b Lateef 81 Kaif st Rehman b Hafeez 75 Badani b Lateef 0 Yuvraj c Rouf Khan b Afridi 60 Mongia c Asad b Hafeez 0 Bahutule not out 0 Ratra not out 2 Extras
(lb-14, nb-6, w-9) 29 Total (50 overs,6 wkts) 329 FoW:
1/154, 2/194, 3/196, 4/317, 5/322, 6/327. Bowling: A.R. Khan 5-0-35-0, J. Zia 5-0-42-0, A. Bilal 4-1-29-0, M. Hafeez 7-0-58-2, S. Afridi 9-0-49-1, M. Amjad 10-0-51-1, N. Lateef 10-0-51-2. Pakistan A: Nazir b Bhandari 0 Afridi C Yuvraj b Bhandari 9 Butt c Sarandeep b Bhandari 12 Hafeez c Ratra B Patel 13 Iqbal c Bangar b Bhandari 5 Latif c Sarandeep b Yuvraj 128 Asad b Bangar 22 Rehman c Sarandeep b
Bahutule 21 Amjad lbw b Mongia 12 Zia c and b Yuvraj 12 Khan not out 1 Extras
(LB-2, NB-1, W-1) 5 Total (all out in 48 overs) 240 FoW:
1/0, 2/13, 3/26, 4/31, 5/44, 6/72, 7/117, 8/166, 9/233. Bowling: Bhandari 10-1-47-4, Patel 6-0-41-1, Bangar 7-0-40-1, Bahutule 10-2-26-1, Sarandeep 5-2-33-0, Yuvraj Singh 5-0-25-2, Mongia 5-0-26-1.
— UNI |
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Ranji Trophy: Mumbai batsmen find going tough Chandigarh, December 25 On a day when nearly 38 overs could not be bowled due to delayed start on account of foggy weather conditions, strong Mumbai batting line-up found the going tough. Batsmen like Vinod
Kambli, Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane and others in their ranks failed to come good on the seaming track with moisture underneath. Punjab new ball bowlers also maintained tight line rendering the task of the batsmen much more difficult. "It is difficult for a team which does not belong to the region to come and play in such cold and foggy weather on the very first day," said Chandarkant Pandit, Mumbai coach, after the match. "Punjab seamers also bowled well initially," he said. Punjab chose to field first to enable its seamers make use of the track first. And the seamers did not appoint. Vineet Sharma provided a perfect opening to the team scalping Wasim
Jaffer, who edged as away going delivery and was caught by Ricky at second slip. Mumbai had hardly overcome from the jolt when Vineet struck again having Bhavin Thakkar caught behind when the batsman was yet to get off the mark. Mumbai continued to lose wickets as Gagandeep claimed the scalp of promising Vinayak Mane. Mane was middling the ball well until he was trapped lbw to a ball which remained a trifle low. Mane scored 19. Former India player Vinod Kambli departed next after scoring 17 in a similar fashion the bowler being Amit
Uniyal. Robin Morris combined with Amol Mazumdar and both batted with confidence. Morris was more adventurous of the two and hit some scintillating strokes and the lone six of the day.
Mazumdar, on the other hand, was more composed and discreet in shot selection. Both added 79 runs to the total to give stability to the innings before Mazumdar fell towards the end of the day's play. Mazumdar scored 55 runs, the highest from the side. Robin Morris was batting at 45 at close. Keeping his company was Nilesh
Kulkarni, who had yet to open scoring. Punjab were handicapped to a large extent during the day as Vineet pulled the hamstring and was able to bowl only nine overs during the day. "We will not give him bowling and avoid the injury from aggravating in this innings. But he would have to bowl in the second innings," said Bhupinder Singh
(Sr), coach of the team, after the match. Pandit, the former India wicketkeeper whose team has already qualified for the semifinals, was not much perturbed by the team score. "After these two players at the crease, we have Vinayak Samant and Usman
Malvi, who can bat well. Malvi is an all rounder. Morris is also batting very well," he said. "We have no problem playing on the seaming tracks. But such type of weather to which we are not used to made a lot of difference today," said
Mazumdar. Scoreboard Extras:
( lb 12, nb 3): 15 Total: ( for 6 wickets in 52.5 overs): 152 Fall of wickets:
1-12, 2-16, 3-36, 4-67, 5-70, 6-149 Bowling: Gagandeep Singh 21-9-40-2, Vineet Sharma 9-4-24-2, Amit Uniyal 13-1-53-1, Reetinder Sodhi 9.5-2-23-0. |
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Railways survive Baroda onslaught
Vadodara, December 25 SCOREBOARD Fall of wickets:
1/16, 2/36, 3/41, 4/180, 5/209, 6/235. Bowling: Rakesh Patel 20-8-27-2, Shekhar Joshi 13-1-53-1, Ajit Bhoite 29-4-69-3, Tushar Arothe 12-1-54-0, Valmik Buch 18-1-59-0.
UP 214 all out Fine bowling by Prasanth Chandran (three for 43) and Sreekumar Nair (four for 43) helped Kerala to restrict Uttar Pradesh to 214 on the opening day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group ‘A’ encounter at the Fort Maidan Grounds here today. In reply, Kerala were 13 for no loss with C.M. Deepak (eight) and Sujith Somasundar (four) at the crease. Electing to bat, Uttar Pradesh started well with openers Rohit Prakash (26, 91m, 68b, 2x4, 1x6) and Jyoti Yadav (37, 114m, 81b, 6x4) putting on 59 runs. They were well served by Suresh Raina with a neat 74 (175m, 122b, 8x4) and Rahat Elahi (24, 93m, 86b, 2x4). Uttar Pradesh appeared to heading for a modest score when they were 188 for four. But they lost their last six wickets for addition of just 26 runs in 17.3 overs. After Rohit Prakash was run out, Suresh Raina added 31 runs for the second wicket with Jyoti Yadav and 76 runs, highest of the innings, with Rajat Elahi for the third wicket. Raina departed when the score was 196 for six. Kerala bowlers wrapped up the inning early. Rizwan Shamshad and Nikhil Chopra failed with the
bat. — PTI, UNI |
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Delhi CM opens school games Chandigarh, December 25 The games will conclude on December 29. Competitions are being held in eight disciplines. The Chief Minister congratulated all participants and said that Government of Delhi would not leave any stone unturned in promoting sports. Mr Arvinder Singh Lovely, Minister of Education, declared that Delhi was ready to host 50the National School Games in Delhi on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the School Games
Federation of India. Mr P.S. Chhabra thanked the Chief Minister for support in organising the games. As many as 3,500 players from 22 states and 3 UTs are participating, according to a press note. |
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Gymnastics meet
from tomorrow Chandigarh, December 25 Mr Kandhari said, this meet would witness the participation of more than 23 states and union territories affiliated to the Gymnastics Federation of India. The five-day tournament will be held as per the specifications of the international gymnastics body. He said, the artistic event would be organised for men and women while rythmic for women only would be held at the flood-lit hall. Many prominent gymnasts such as Vikas Pandey, Rohit Yadav, Tumpa Debnath, Rajni Sharma and local girl Mala Rawat are in the fray for top honours. Mr Kandhari said the board and lodging arrangements had made in the school itself. Justice O.P. Verma (retd), Governor, Punjab, will inaugurate the meet on December 27 at 11 am while Mr M.S. Malik, Director-General of police, Haryana, will be the guest of honour. On the first day, only the artistic men’s event will be held. |
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South Zone win Patiala, December 25 Scores: North Zone: 169 for 7 ( Ankur Bassi 26, Shikhar Dhawan 33, Gaurav Gupta 22, Mayank Tehlan 28, Uday Kaul 27, R.Vincent 3 for 27, Gaurav Dhiman 2 for 26, A.G Parkash 2 for 28) South Zone:
170 for 4 (Robin 60, Anil Sri Kant 28, Anoop 28, Naresh Gogian 2 for 37) In another match played at the YPS ground, Central Zone downed West zone by 8 wickets. West Zone were undone by the fact that four of their top order batsmen were run out at crucial moments. Scores: West Zone:
156 all out (Kalfal Wagle 39, Nikhil Rathour 36, Shiv Kant 3 for 32, Parveen Gupta 2 for 39) Central Zone:
161 for 2 (Shane Alam 72 n.o, Faiz Fasal 52, Shiv Kant 27, Arif 1 for 28). |
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V’ball title for
DAV school Yamunanagar, December 25 Sacred Heart Convent School, Yamunanagar, attained the third position, Mr Narinder Singh, General Manager, Haryana Roadways, Yamunanagar admired the contribution of the late J.N. Kapoor towards DAV institutions in Yamunanagar district. Mr Vijay Kapoor, chairman DAV institutions, Yamunanagar presided over the function. |
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Skating meet Sangrur, December 25 The Punjab State Junior Volleyball Championship for boys and girls will be held at Mastuana Sahib from December 26 to 28, according to Mr Gurjant Singh, organising secretary. |
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Thind is golf champion Shimla, December 25 He scored the maximum 37 points to romp home against stiff competition from the experienced golfers of the ARTRAC Club and the Naldhera Golf Club. There were 32 participants in all. Col Kadian of the ARTRAC Club was given a special prize for maximum birdies while Raj Kumar Sood got a prize for nearest-to-pin. |
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