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India hope to maintain good form
in one dayers
Pathan a revelation of tour Down Under Ganguly flays Bucknor Last two Tests haven’t been easy |
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Azad for Kapil-Imran Trophy Delhi beat Punjab
Prakash loses; Indian challenge ends Top seeds emerge winners East Bengal down Haywards Ashish, Dhruv win snooker titles
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India hope to maintain good form Melbourne, January 8 Australia had defeated India in the 2003 World Cup final and then in a tri-series final at home. In the last year the Indians have been outclassed in three of the four matches the two sides contested. But the momentum has shifted dramatically in India’s favour in the last few weeks and Australia, struggling with the form of their bowlers, have an added worry on the count of Ricky Ponting. The Australian captain is down with a virus bug in the stomach which has led to selectors delaying the announcement of the 12 for the game. However, Ponting remained upbeat about his prospects on playing tomorrow. “I feel a bit better today than I was yesterday, I just had the whole day in bed yesterday,” he said. “I have had a pretty lazy day so far today, probably I will not do too much training but just try and recover as well as I can and make sure I am right for tomorrow morning.” Ponting’s absence, if it so happens, will leave a big hole at the top of the order but Australia have enough one-day specialists to plug the gap in the abbreviated form of game. Andrew Symonds, Michael Clark and Michael Bevan provide great depth to Australian batting and are capable of playing long innings, as well as shore up the bowling with their varied styles. Australia’s bowling is gearing up for another bout with the Indian batsmen who have been in marauding form this summer. The top order is proven one with Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly providing the thrust and Rahul Dravid holding the innings in the middle. |
Dravid will keep wickets: Ganguly MELBOURNE: Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly today urged his team-mates to carry their good form in Tests to the one-day series and make up for their recent poor show against Australia whom they run into in the tri-series opener tomorrow. “We were beaten by them in the World Cup, we lost to them in the triangular at home last year. But that is past and we need to carry on the good work of Test series,” Ganguly said on the eve of the day-night match here. “Rahul Dravid will keep wickets and Virender Sehwag would open the innings with Sachin,” said Ganguly.
— PTI |
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Pathan a revelation of tour Down Under The era of Waughs have come to a magnificent end. There was a wholehearted acknowledgement by the entire cricketing world, which witnessed the retirement ceremony. In his speech, after thanking everyone responsible for building his career, Steve Waugh carefully thanked the selectors for having patience and faith in him. The legend also revealed the importance of good family backing throughout his career. Steve Waugh has been a role model not only for the kids in their formative years of cricket but also to the senior members of some national teams, who hold him in very high esteem. I can remember how our Rahul Dravid use to emulate Waugh. Rahul’s aggressive walk onto the field to bat with rigorous rotation of the arms is a leaf taken out of Steve’s book. Steve rightly said, even they couldn’t win the series which would have been really befitting, he enjoyed the tough competition and challenge posed by resolute Indians. The Indian team was infected with an incurable need to produce results in Australia. The series being levelled with the tourists always in the driver’s seat showed the unbelievable dominance that the Indian team had over their opponents. Coming to the absorbing contest at the SCG, it was always an arduous task for the Indians to force a result. Yet again Rahul and Sachin disdainfully attacked the Australian attack to put up a formidable target. Brett Lee was off colour and this series has also taught him the right lesson. Lee’s words were louder than his action. Nathan Bracken and Brad Williams have tested the hardships of a Test match. It’s always the case when you have bowlers like
McGrath and Gillespie operating for years which leaves the second-rung players to take a long time to establish themselves at this level. The revelation on this tour is the emergence of Irfan Pathan. I feel he has showed the right temperament required for international cricket. To add to his line and length, which was impeccable, the ability to move the ball was natural to this lad. The crucial wickets he picked were well deserving and not out of sheer luck. In fact, watching those dismissals carefully, one found that he had outplayed the batsmen with is ability to earn the wickets than the errant batsmen gifting away their wickets. In the beginning of the series Anil made a brutally honest statement saying his records were poor abroad and that paid rich dividends by the end of the series. The lion-hearted Kumble, once again proved all his critics wrong. A simple person, Anil has produced extraordinary results all the way. A bowler is twice his ability if the batsmen put a decent score on board and a bowler’s ability can be reduced to half while defending fewer runs on board. Anil rightly said in the interview that the difference between the tour of 2000 and now is that batsmen are giving a good score for the bowlers to defend. Anil was severely handicapped without the support at the other end Murali Kartik will have to measure his performance and scale it up to the next level. It is only true to say that a good Test cricketer can make definite adjustment to become a good one-day cricketer whereas a one-day cricketer finds it difficult to get a firm footing in Test cricket. Kartik has age and opportunity and one can only hope that the graduation comes quickly for him. The Indian batting, needless to say, is the best batting line-up in the world but the team management needs a pat on their back at the same time. Induction of Bruce Reid has helped the bowlers for sure. The contribution of Sandy Gordon has made a huge difference to the side in terms of attitude. Sourav has yet again proved to be the best in business. Although Australians appear better in the shorter version of the game, the exuberant Indian team might script another surprising one-day series.
— Chivach Media |
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Ganguly flays Bucknor Melbourne, January 8 In the mandatory captain’s report to the ICC, Ganguly has sharply criticised Bucknor for both his conduct and his decision-making ability, highly-placed sources said tonight. In the column of the captains’ report where an umpire is judged on his conduct and his decision-making — marked as very good, good, average, poor and very poor — Ganguly has given the West Indian umpire very poor numbers. The Indians were peeved with the 57-year-old Bucknor for turning down appeals against Justin Langer and Damien Martyn on the final day which they believe were clear-cut cases of leg-before decisions. Langer survived the shout from Ajit Agarkar while Martyn benefitted from Bucknor’s largesse after left-arm spinner Murali Kartik had hit him in front of the stumps. The Indians also have not taken kindly to his hauling of young wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel with a pointed finger in front of thousands of spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground and millions on television.
— PTI |
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Last two Tests haven’t been easy Not surprisingly, the Sydney Test will not carry any pleasant memories for me. After all, I gave away 200 runs for my four wickets, something I hope will never happen in my career again. It was also the unluckiest game for me personally because it was really frustrating to get an early wicket off a no-ball in both innings. However, I must learn from that bitter experience, and right now my main objective is to ensure that I don’t overstep during the VB Series. All in all, I would like to put the Sydney Test behind me and look ahead in a positive frame of mind to the one-day series. These last two Tests have not been easy for me, and I have to admit that this Indian team, the batting in particular, is the best I have seen on our shores since I started playing the game. This does not surprise me, since I have always felt that India have the most talented batting line-up. If they had a bowling attack to match and if they had done a few things differently in the last two days of the Sydney Test, things could have been even better for them, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, and in the final analysis I would say that 1-1 was a fair scoreline. The final Test was a must-win game for us in many ways, first because we are extremely proud of our Test record at home, and secondly because we wanted to give Stephen Waugh a memorable, winning send-off. It is to India’s credit that they foiled our plans right from the start, thanks to a superlative batting display from Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. I guess you cannot always control the game, especially when you drop early chances, and that was a valuable lesson we learnt in the course of the Test. Fortunately, the crowds at the SCG did ensure that Stephen’s send-off was special, with the captain himself playing a very crucial hand of 80. I have never seen such a farewell being given to any cricketer in the world, and it was proof of the fact that good things happen to good people. The glowing tributes and memorable gestures on that day were a true reflection of the love and admiration Stephen the cricketer and Stephen the human being got from the cricket-loving public. It was particularly heartening to see that the Indian section of the crowd greeting him with as much warmth as the rest of the crowd, and I’m sure his charitable work and his cricket have ensured that he has the good wishes of the most ardent Indian supporter. Coming back to the VB Series, I feel pretty confident going into the tournament because I have always enjoyed bowling to the Indians in the limited overs game. Things might me a little more challenging this time round with the Indian batsmen so high on confidence, but my aim is to keep it simple — bowl fast and accurate. I am really happy with the way 2003 went for me, particularly in the World Cup, and I would like to replicate that form in the VB Series. Right now, an India-Australia final seems very much on the cards, but one must not take the Zimbabweans for granted. Many new players are coming into the Australian one-day side and that is a positive thing since they will not have any pre-conceived notions about what has gone by in the Test series. I look forward to serious contributions from Michael Bevan and Michael Clarke, who have been in good nick in the domestic circuit. Fortunately
for the side, Ricky Ponting, who was felled by a stomach bug on Tuesday night, has recovered quickly and will be fit to lead the side in the tournament opener tomorrow.
— Gameplan |
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Azad for Kapil-Imran Trophy Chandigarh, January 8 In a letter, Azad, who has produced a number of Test cricketers, including Kapil Dev, Ashok Malhotra and Yograj Singh, said: “With India and Pakistan resuming cricket ties in March this year after a very long gap, it will be the most opportune time to name the series — Indo-Pak series for the Kapil-Imran Trophy like the Gavaskar Border Trophy in the recently concluded India-Australia Test series. “Kapil Dev Nikhanj and Imran Khan are the living legends of cricket in the world. These great all-rounders from the Indian subcontinent are a consistent source of inspiration to the younger generation. Kapil Dev Nikhanj was declared the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century. Fiery all-rounder Imran Khan is the most respected cricketer the world over. Besides taking 362 wickets, Imran has more than 4000 runs to his credit. “Kapil Dev spearheaded the Indian victory in the 1983 World Cup in England. Similarly, Imran Khan, who has now turned a politician in Pakistan, too led his country to a remarkable title triumph in the World Cup in 1992 in Australia. “Keeping in view the contributions made by these Gentlemen of Cricket, I personally feel that by introducing a joint trophy in their names for the forthcoming series between the two countries will be an appropriate step to honour Kapil Dev and Imran Khan.” Azad has faxed a similar letter to the President of the Pakistan Cricket Board. “I am sure that the cricket crazy fans in India and Pakistan will appreciate the BCCI-PCB effort for introducing the Kapil-Imran Trophy,” concluded Azad. India-Pak cricket Islamabad: Pakistan and India could end up playing at least 15 limited-over cricket matches this calendar year if the proposed Friendship Cup takes place. The Pakistan Cricket Board said it has received a proposal from its Indian counterpart to play a Friendship Cup series of six one-day internationals this year. PCB Chief Executive Rameez Raja said yesterday at a press conference in Karachi that the proposal was in addition to the scheduled three-Test and five one-dayers the two teams would play in March-April this year.
— PTI |
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Delhi beat Punjab New Delhi, January 8 Delhi now have 18 points with a match to go against Jammu and Kashmir while Punjab have 15 and face Haryana in their last round-robin match. Punjab will now have to win their final round and hope J and K to do the improbable of defeating Delhi to nurture hopes of winning the title. Delhi could have sealed the issue by overhauling the Punjab total of 207 in less than 40 overs and won with a bonus point, which would have ensured them the title irrespective of what happens in the last round. Brief scores: At Palam ‘A’: Punjab 207 in 49.4 overs (P Dharmani 78; A Bhandari 3-47, N.S. Negi 2-28, S. Gill 2-36, Sarandeep Singh 2-39) lost to Delhi 208 for 2 in 45 overs (M. Manhas 91 no, V. Dahiya 82 no). Points: Delhi 4, Punjab 0. At Palam ‘B’: Jammu and Kashmir 185 in 49 overs (Kawaljeet Singh 69, Altaf Ahmad 30; Manish Jha 3-35, Fazil Mohammad 3-28, S V Ghag 2-28) lost to Services 186 for 3 in 35 overs (Yashpal Singh 94 no, Sarabjeet Singh 53 no; Surender Singh 2-47). Points: Services 5, J and K (-1). At Harbaksh Stadium: Haryana 237 for 6 in 50 overs (Chetan Sharma 102, Ajay Ratra 41, Shafiq Khan 30; Vinod Minhas 2-39, Nischal Goud 2-27) beat Himachal Pradesh 157 all out in 40.3 overs
(Nischal Goud 50, Sangram Singh 40; Mahesh Rawat 2-22, Sourav Virmani 2-23, Amit Mishra 2-23).
— PTI |
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India go down to Germany; Pak win Kuala Lumpur, January 8 At half time Germany led 2-1. Though on paper India have a new look team but at least 12 of the players have represented the country at the senior level. So one cannot call this team exactly an under-strength squad. Germans were simply too powerful and fast and they outlasted their rivals by sheer stamina and speed. Indians muffed four penalty corners while Germans were very decisive with their penalty corners as they converted three of the four that came their way. For the Germans, veteran Bjorn Michael(2) and captain Florian Kunz (one) scored. Sandeep Singh reduced the margin for the losers when he scored with a superb drag flick in the 19th minute. Three penalty corner goals dominated the first half with no real attacking play at either end to provide the momentum. The Germans seized the initiative from the start and by the fifth minute had gained a penalty corner. Flicker Bjorn Michael converted with ease sending the ball to goalkeeper Kamaldeep Singh’s right. Three minutes later, another penalty corner and the Germans increased their lead. This time it was skipper Florian Kunz who hit the target and India seemed heading for a heavy defeat. But the young Indians, with their veteran duo of Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Dhillon leading their attack, soon settled down and managed to string together some effective attacks. In the 20th minute the Indians gained a penalty corner and defender Sandeep Singh, playing his first senior international, scored with a low flick. The Indians had problems trying to get a grip on the midfield where the trio of Ignace Tirkey, Vikram Pillay and Arjun Halappa often had to fall back in defence to try and keep the Germans at bay. Dhanraj, Baljit, Sandeep Michael and Tushar Khandkar had chance in the forwardline but their tendency to hold on to the ball also did not help.
Pakistan, on the otherhand, made short work of the Asian Games winners with Rehan Butt (2), Nadeem Ahmed and Shabbir Hussain scoring field goals. The Koreans, thanks to a virtual gift goal, replied through Seong Jong Ho and Lee Jung Seon. A last minute strike by Kuhan Shanmuganathan helped Malaysia come from behind and force a 3-3 draw with Spain. The Malaysians were lucky to survive as they trailed 2-3 with a minute left on the board. At this juncture, they forced two penalty corners, the second of which was converted by Shanmuganathan. In the process, the full-back achieved a hat-trick, having scored the previous two Malaysian goals. The Spaniards, with a bunch of veterans in the line-up, including those who had carried the side to the finals of the 1996 Olympics and the 1998 World Cup, played well within themselves to contain Malaysia who enjoyed support from the terraces.
— UNI, PTI  |
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Prakash loses; Indian challenge ends Chennai, January 8 The US-born Prakash, who has settled down in India now to graduate to play for his home country, seemed to be justifying his wild card entry into the ATP Tour opener this year. For some time on the centre court, 20-year-old son of former ace Vijay had everyone spell-bound. Unleashing some breathtaking passing shots and volleying at the net, Prakash up 4-3 had his French challenger under pressure breaking him in the eighth game and pounding down two aces in the ninth to wrap up the first set in 30 minutes. The sparse crowd was in raptures. But the Frenchman, who had upset sixth seed Rafael Nadal from Spain on day two on the centre court, recovered in time and gave no quarter to Prakash. The second set belonged completely to Ascione as Prakash, watched by his father, uncle Anand, and grand parents, Robert Amritraj and Maggie Amritraj, from the sidelines and cheering a few of his breathtaking winners, could do little after drawing level 1-1. Ascione pinned down Prakash whose serve wilted. He wrapped up the set in 23 minutes breaking Prakash in the sixth and slammed down three aces in the seventh to win it 6-1.
— UNI |
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Top seeds emerge winners Amritsar, January 8 In the girls category top seed Alisha Talwar got the better of Shubneet Sandhu 6-1, 6-2, while in the other match, Mallika Babbar defeated Ramina Sadana 6-0, 6-0. In boys singles, top seed Manav Dhawan outplayed Satvir Singh 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals, while second seeded Shaolin Chandan faced difficulty in winning against unseeded Kushagra Mahajan of Punjab 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Third seeded Sunil Kumar beat Keshav Mahajan 6-2, 6-2, while Harmanbir defeated Simran Cheema 6-2, 7-6. |
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East Bengal down Haywards
Kolkata, January 8 Nimble-footed Baichung Bhutia struck against the run of play in the opening session before Christiano Junior scored late in second half as the local giants carved out their second win on the trot to take their points tally to 14 from eight matches. Haywards are three points behind. East Bengal, who returned to their winning ways with a solitary goal win over Mahindra United in the previous encounter, were on the defensive for most part of the first 45 minutes at the Salt Lake Stadium, as the visitors launched a series of raids but lost at least five gilt-edged opportunities. But the locals, guided by a brilliant display from the Brazilian striker Junior, put up an improved performance after the breather to establish their sway over the proceedings. The Goans, who paid dearly from their inept finishing, were also unlucky in the closing stages as a powerful chip from Francis Andre went out after grazing the bar. Vasco hold Tollygunge MARGAO: Tollygunge Aggragami wasted clear chances as they played a goal-less draw against Vasco in a lacklustre match of the 8th National Football League at Nehru Stadium, here today. Vasco, who drew their sixth match, have collected 9 points from eight matches while Tollygunge have 7 points from eight matches. The first-half was mainly confined to midfield and Vasco played a dominant role upfront but failed to punch holes in the rival defence as their final passes went astray.
— PTI |
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Ashish, Dhruv win snooker titles Ludhiana, January 8 In the senior section, Ashish in his second semifinal league encounter survived some anxious moments against Sheetal Verma, also from Ludhiana before emerging victorious by four frames to one. Ashish ran over Sheetal Verma 90-17 in the first frame. Ashish pipped him 58-46 and then drubbed Sheetal 66-37 to take 3-0 lead. In the fourth frame, Sheetal, kept his cool and played a calculated game to unsettle Ashish 17-107 and narrowed down the lead 3-1. In the fifth frame, Ashish looked a changed man, giving no chance to his rival to win it 101-39, wrapping the issue 4-1. In the last league semifinal, Ashish Dhanda and Dhruv Verma fought a ding-dong battle and the former,
ultimately came out triumphant 4-3. In the first frame, Ashish went on to win 100-29 but went down fighting in the next frame 29-65. In the third frame, Ashish waged a spirited battle before going down 58-61. Ashish was in his true elements in the fourth frame when he demolished Dhruv 93-08 with a 56 points break to level the score at two-all. Ashish won the next frame at 72-45. However, in the sixth frame, Ashish appeared to be a shadow of himself as he lost it quite tamely 08-105. In the deciding game, Ashish put his act together to rattle the junior top seeded Dhruv 103-18 to bag the title. In the junior section, Dhruv faced a little challenge from Amit Yadav whom he outnumbered by four frames to one to retain the title. In the first frame, Dhruv scraped past 48-45 to take the lead but lost the second one 44-71. He trampled Amit in the third frame 92-31 to enhance the lead 2-1. Dhruv went on to score an emphatic victory 78-22 to consolidate the lead 3-1 and then won the fifth frame with sweating much at 111-14 to emerge as the champion. Mr Sidharth Chattopadhya, DIG, Ludhiana range distributed the prizes. |
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Amritsar judokas to the fore Amritsar, January 8 Harpreet Kaur clinched the gold in 57 kg category. Earlier, she had won bronze medal in the Junior Asian Judo Championship at Thailand last month. Rajwinder Kaur grabbed a gold medal in 65 kg while Ranjit Kaur (44 kg), Baljit Kaur (72kg) and Neena (40 kg) won a bronze medal each. Three out of these five judokas have been adopted by Citizen Forum Sports Wing. |
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