 |
|
|
India may play 3 spinners: Wright
Ponting looking for a 3-0 verdict
No respite for India, says Buchanan
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malik steers Pak to series-levelling victory
Over 90 pilots to vie for honours
Dhruv prevails over Gagandeep
Kalmadi, Randhir re-elected
Prepare for 2012 Olympics: Rathore
HP to set up shooting range
Ranjit hockey yet to be revived
Lyallpur school win
Nehru hockey title
Haryana trounce J&K by 40 runs
Punjab Ranji squad announced
Punjab in command
against Haryana
15 teams arrive for Chandigarh Horse Show
|
|
India may play 3 spinners: Wright
Mumbai, November 1 “We reckon the wicket is going to offer bounce and turn. It had been watered last night and may be watered today. The option of going in with three spinners has to be considered. I can’t say exactly now whether it will happen. “We will decide on the morning of the match after looking at the wicket, but it’s not out of the question,” Wright said. “We need a good wicket. We have got batters who need to get good scores. I hope the wicket holds up for all five days and offers turn on the third, fourth and fifth days,” Wright said. Asked who would open the bowling with Zaheer Khan in case the Indians decided to go in with all three spin bowlers — Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik — Wright said, “Sachin (Tendulkar). He’s been bowling quick in the nets.” All three spinners have tasted success against the visitors in the previous Tests. Harbhajan got 11 wickets in the first Test at Bangalore, Kumble secured 13 at Chennai in the second Test to win the man of the match award. Kartik bowled well after returning to the eleven after nine months and was among wickets (five) at Nagpur in the third Test. India have already conceded an unassailable 2-0 advantage to Australia in the series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and are playing for pride and to get some form under their belt ahead of the two-Test series against South Africa commencing later this month. “The series is lost for us. We have four new players. It’s a fresh start for us. We are playing for form and pride and we want to win this Test match badly. We are eager to perform,” Wright said. “It was very disappointing to lose the match at Bangalore and then with what happened at Chennai... The last match (at Nagpur) was a tough match. They played well. The conditions suited them. It looks likes the conditions will favour ourspin bowlers here. We see it as an opportunity to win. But we have to get runs on the board,” the coach said. India were bowled out for 185 and 200 at Nagpur and barring Virender Sehwag, who had fired away at Chennai and Nagpur, the other top-order batsmen have looked a pale shadow of their former selves. Wright said personally the series loss had been the most disappointing for him since he took over as the Indian team coach. “We had played three times against Australia since I came on board. And this is the first time we have lost. That’s pretty disappointing. Equally disappointing is we have not competed and fought with the bat. That has not happened.” Wright said he was not in favour of chopping and changing the line-up. “We have got class players like Dravid, Laxman, Sachin and Sehwag. People can go three or four games without scoring runs. The key is to stick with them till they completely regain their confidence,” Wright said. “I do believe they will get runs eventually. I would have stuck with them, the 6-7 batters we have had in Tests over the last few years,” Wright said. “We were getting it right in Chennai but then we played against a very good attack in Nagpur on a wicket that was helping them (Australian bowlers). “I think these boys will turn it around which is very important with the series against South Africa coming up. The team is determined to win and are ready to take up the challenge,” the Indian coach declared. Wright also complimented the Australian team for the way they had played in the series. “They are playing significantly better throughout their (batting) order than in the 2000-01 series. Their bowlers too have
performed better. They have combined very well as a team. “You can see their development when they continue to get used to these conditions. They were here last year playing one-day cricket. Then they were in Sri Lanka. “Similarly we showed last year in Australia and earlier in England and in the World Cup in South Africa that we have started coping a lot better in those conditions and scored runs,” Wright pointed out. He dismissed the suggestion that Sachin Tendulkar had rushed his comeback. “He felt he can play (in Nagpur). I have a lot of trust in him,” Wright said.
— PTI |
|
|
|
|
Ponting looking for a 3-0 verdict
Mumbai, Nov 1 "We have been at the receiving end here a few times, and I think the guys would be keen to finish off the series the way we started," Ponting told reporters here. Ponting, who missed the first three Tests against India because of a thumb injury, will return to take over the captaincy for the inconsequential match beginning here on Wednesday. "I don't think our performance will slip," said Ponting who will replace the injured Darren Lehmann in the team. Australia have already clinched the four-match series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead with a comprehensive 342-run victory in the Nagpur Test. Ponting was pleased with the way his team adjusted to the varying conditions at different venues. "This probably is the toughest series because the conditions vary from one venue to the other. In Bangalore, it was a turning track, in Chennai it was very humid and in Nagpur it was quite pleasant, and to get adjusted to these conditions quickly is pretty tough." Ponting was all praise for Aussie speedsters -- Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprovicz -- and Adam Gilchrist who led the side in his absence. "Our fast bowlers made it all look very easy but I can tell you it was very tough. The bowlers kept up the nagging length and executed the plans perfectly and the batsmen scored runs when most needed on wickets which were helpful to spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. "Gilchrist led the side from the front and I think he handled the team very well which has helped us be in the position we are in now," Ponting said. Hinting that fast bowler Brett Lee might play in the Mumbai Test, Ponting said "he (Brett) has not played in any of the Tests on this tour and he is likely to do so in the last Test here." On his injury, the skipper said "I have fully recovered and even when I batted I did not experience any pain today." Ponting said the side could boast of having four-five players who could step into his shoes any time. "In fact, we have four-five players who can lead the side equally well and this has taken the pressure off me as the team's interest comes first and as long as the team is winning it does not matter who leads the side." Asked how he compared himself with former skipper Steve Waugh, who is hailed as one of the best Aussie captains, Ponting said "I knew I would always be compared with Waugh when I took over. I do things a bit differently than him because we are two different individuals. He has his own plans and I have my own. "However, one thing is very clear that Steve and Mark Taylor before him, helped me in every way when I made my Test debut at the age of 20." Ponting said the atmosphere in the Aussie dressing room was always "full of fun".
— PTI |
|
No respite for India, says Buchanan
Mumbai, November 1 “There is no such thing as dead rubber in my dictionary and we will be playing for a win. Our strategy is simple, play to win.” Buchanan, who was speaking to mediapersons at the Wankhede Stadium where the fourth Test will be played, hinted that there might be a change in their
strategy of playing three quicks and a spinner saying “we might play two spinners.” He also did not rule out Brett Lee’s chances of playing, saying “Brett Lee is an option open to us and we will decide on the morning of the match”. On the fitness of captain Ricky Ponting, Buchanan said everything was pointing in the right direction and “we are monitoring his finger injury. He has been practising since Nagpur and he stands a very good chance to play.” Buchanan also described this tour as something special which he would always remember. “This tour has been the highlight for all of us and Adam Gilchrist has done a fantastic job on and off the field as the captain.” He said the key to this tour had been “us trying to enjoy the Indian culture as well as using our collective experiences here to our benefit.”
— UNI |
|
Malik steers Pak to series-levelling victory
Karachi, November 1 The win levelled the two-match series 1-1 and prevented Sri Lanka from completing a hat-trick of victories in Pakistan after their successes in 1995-96 and 1999-2000. Chasing 137 for victory after Sri Lanka had made 406 in their second innings, Pakistan were struggling on 57 for four until Malik, with an unbeaten 53, and Razzaq, not out on 35, steadied things. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings): 208 Pakistan (1st innings): 478 Sri Lanka (2nd innings): Jayasuriya c Malik b Atapattu c Hameed Sangakkara c Akmal b Naveed 138 Jayawardene c Hameed Samaraweera c Younis Mubarak c Farhat b Kaneria 2 Kaluwitharana b Kaneria 7 Vaas not out 32 Maharoof b Kaneria 3 Herath c and b Naveed 6 Fernando c Akmal b Naved 4 Extras
(b6, lb10, nb12) 28 Total (9 wkts, 140 overs) 406 Fall of wickets:
1-117, 2-170, 3-253, 4-333, 5-351, 6-359, 7-360, 8-364, 9-387 Bowling:
Naved 24.5-4-83-3, Afridi 12-3-45-0, Razzaq 29-8-99-0, Kaneria 60-20-118-7, Malik 16-5-45-0. Pakistan (2nd innings): Hameed c Atapattu b Herath 15 Farhat c Jayawardene b Vaas 19 Y Khan c Atapattu b Vaas 14 Youhana lbw Herath 1 Malik not out 53 Razzaq not out 35 Extras
(lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total (4 wkts, 37 overs) 139 Fall of wickets:
1-31, 2-43, 3-47, 4-57 Bowling: Vaas 14-0-45-2, Maharoof 2-0-13-0, Herath 15-2-63-2, Jayasuriya 3-0-6-0, Fernando 3-0-11-0.
— Reuters |
|
Paragliding Cup Vibhor Mohan Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, November 1 More than 90 pilots, including 18 Indian pilots, have registered for the competition. The flying tasks for the tournament will witness international competitions for professional paragliders and free flying for amateur pilots, who possess national certificates equivalent to IPPI-3. The take off site at Billing, situated at a height of 2,290m is 14km away from Bir and offers an opportunity for high altitude and cross country flying for more than 200km. The landing site at Bir, at a height of 1,480m is sheltered by mountains and surrounded by tea gardens. The state government has set up a rescue, retrieval and safety committee, headed by the Director, Western Himalyan Mountaineering Institute, Manali. Rescue and safety teams, each five in number will be equipped with the latest equipment. Police personnel and home guards will also be deployed at the take-off and landing sites. The military hospital of the area has also been put under high alert for immediate medical assistance, said an official. An almost flat valley, the Bir-Billing site is has already witnessed two pre-World Cup competitions during the past two years. A world record was also made here in 1992 by French pilot Xavier Remond, who flew 130.9km to set the ‘out and return world record’.
|
|
Dhruv prevails over Gagandeep
Ludhiana, November 1 The excitement started in the opening games of the tournament when Dhruv went down fighting in the initial three games. But the young talented player from Ludhiana showed his tenacity and skills to finally overcome the challenge and wrap it up with narrow margin. Earlier, Michael Ferreira, former world billiard champion inaugurated the championship in which as many as 167 players from all over the country were taking part. Speaking on the occasion, Michael said that India had tremendous talent in cue sports and this was evident from the sterling performance of players like Alok Kumar, Devender Joshi, Rafath Habib, Manan Chandra and Dhaminder Lilly. Striking a note of caution, the four-time world champion said that a dangerous trend for cue sports had started with the Maharashtra government imposing entertainment tax of Rs 5000 per table used for the game. This move would kill this game in the country. This move should be opposed, he appealed. Mr D.S. Bains, President, Punjab Billiards Association, welcomed Michael Ferreira and other dignitaries present on this
occasion. In a major upset of the day, ace player Dhruv Sitwala was trounced by Bhim Singh 5-1. Dhruv never found his rhythm and Bhim potted ball and ball to leave Dhruv gasping. First day’s results:
N Kumar b B Bharti 5-1, Manish Behal b Deepak Dhanda 5-0; Shyamla Sharma b Sameer Bhalla 5-4; Dhruv Verma b Gagagdeep Singh 5-4; Harpreet Singh b Valnlanghaka 5-1; Firoz b Amit Makkar 5-1; Amit Verma b Sagheer Ahmed 5-3; Sudeep jain b Hony Chadha 5-4; Divya Sharam b N Laddi 5-4; Arjun Chopra b V Chowdhary 5-4; Mohit Aggarwal lost to Kush Kuber 3-5; Sanju Vohra b Puneet Kansal 5-3; Bhim Singh b Dhruv Sitwalla 5-1; D Raj Kumar b Gurpreet Singh 5-3; Romy Malik b Kapil Kaneja 5-4; Jai Ganesh b Kamal Chhabra 5-2; H Singh Grover b Raju Makkar 5-1; Bhim Singh b Japmeet Singh 5-3; Arpit Seth lost to Chirag Thakkar 4-5; Ayush Kumar lost to Ashish Dhanda 3-5; Sachin lost to Karan Sharda 0-5; Lalbaiakarga b R Singama 5-2; Amit Kothari lost to Vinayak Aggarwal 2-5; Sandeep Samuel b Alpesh Vaghela 5-3 and Harshal Thakkar b Sunil Rastogi 5-2. |
|
Kalmadi, Randhir re-elected
New Delhi, November 1 Olympian and Asian shooting champion, Randhir Singh is also the secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and a member of the International Olympic Committee. All the new office-bearers were “unanimously” re-elected. However, Delhi Olympic Association president Raj Chopra has been replaced as the treasurer by Mr Ashok Matto, the former president of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation. Raj Chopra has been elevated as a vice-president. The IOA annual general meeting (AGM), attended by a record 150 members, were held at the newly constructed Olympic Bhawan at the institutional area in South Delhi. Addressing reporters after the elections, Mr Kalmadi said a “record number” of 94 members representing 32 national federations and 55 members representing 32 national sports federations and 55 members from the 28 state Olympic Associations and IOC member Randhir Singh attended the AGM. Mr Kalmadi said his name was proposed by Archery Association of India president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, former IOA president Shivanti Adityan, Cycling Federation of India president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Randhir Singh. There was no formal election as such, and the AGM has authorised Mr Kalmadi to nominate the other office-bearers. Kalmadi said the “Olympic Bhawan” has been constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore, which will now be the headquarters of the IOA. The IOA team includes one senior vice president (Vijay Kumar Malhotra), 11 vice-presidents, 12 associate vice-presidents, six joint secretaries and five associate joint secretaries. Besides the office-bearers, there will be a 25-member executive committee, comprising 10 members from the state Olympic associations. Ten commissions have also been formed and the head of each commission will have the status of vice-presidents. |
|
Prepare for 2012 Olympics: Rathore
Chandigarh, November 1 “There is no time left to go talent hunting for the 2008 Olympics,” he said. “Instead we should pick up people and ensure that they get proper funding and training support to prepare for the 2012 Olympics,” he said while interacting with mediapersons during a visit to the Chandimandir Military Station today. Major Rathore, who won the silver medal in shooting at Athens, said he had worked out his schedule to prepare for the next Olympics and would begin training shortly. “A major factor is funding,” he said. Funds are expected from the Ministry of Sports and the Army, with some inputs from the corporate sector. He said funds for Athens Olympics came only six months before the games although he had been preparing for it for several years, “Though there are no dearth of funds in the country, it is important that they come in time,” he said. He said the Army was open to the idea of him featuring in advertisements endorsing products to generate funds. The ace shooter is planning to change his equipment and go in for guns which are ‘tailor-made’ to his requirements. On coaching, he said the country should get out of the habit of hiring former Soviet coaches. Australian coach Mark Russel had agreed to train him for Beijing, the cost of which would be Rs 3 crore. The Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Shooting Championships are on his agenda before he targets the next Olympics. He also suggested a system of a national sports lottery, the money generated from which could be used to promote deserving sportspersons. Earlier, addressing officers, troops and school children, Major Rathore urged them to take up sports as it built character, leadership qualities and team spirit. Major Rathore said he didn’t receive any support from any quarter, until he won his first medal against all odds in 2002. That made him determined not to ask for help, but to help himself, which made a difference. In reply to a question whether the Army should take over training sportsmen for international events, he said the Army’s discipline enabled it to do anything. A better option would be to instill self-discipline in the society, he added. Speaking at the occasion, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen JJ Singh said Major Rathore’s achievement was a result of hard work, dedication and love for sports. General JJ Singh inaugurated a 10m indoor shooting range named after Major Rathore. Armymen as well as their wards would be able to use it. The Army Commander also interacted with shooters from Army schools and Kendriya Vidyalaya. |
|
HP to set up shooting range
New Delhi, November 1 The Minister urged the Centre to provide assistance to lay 200 meters synthetic track at the high-altitude training centre at
Shilaroo. He said a sports hostel with an estimated cost of Rs 61.66 lakh has been constructed in Bilaspur. The main outdoor sports stadium in Bilaspur was coming up at a cost of Rs 187 lakh. The stadium will include a synthetic athletic track with eight lanes and hockey field with
astroturf. |
|
|
IOC, Namdhari XI in last eight
Jalandhar, November 1 The star-studded Indian Oil defeated experienced Punjab Police team in a well-contested match by 3-2. In another match, Namdhari XI and Air India Mumbai played a 2-2 draw. The most sensational match of the day was played between Punjab Police and Indian Oil Corporation. In the first half of the match, the Punjab Police dominated the proceedings as they went ahead in the 18th minute when international Tejbir Singh scored a brilliant goal from a calculated pass of Daljit Dhillon. In the 38th minute, Deepak Thakur of Indian Oil converted a penalty corner for equalizer. In the 46th minute, Baljit Dhillon struck for the police men through penalty corner, making it 2-1. After two minutes, Prabhjot Singh struck for Indian Oil. Deepak Thakur struck again in 61st minute through penalty corner as 3-2. Both teams qualified for quarterfinals as Indian Oil got six points and Punjab Police got three points. In another match, Namdhari XI and Air India played a draw 2-2. With two draws, Namdhari with two points entered the quarterfinals whereas Air India after two matches had just one point and are out of the race. Northern Railways girls lost their match to spirited Chandigarh by solitary goal scored in the second minute by Parkash at 1-0. The other between Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala and Western Railways, Mumbai, ended in a draw of 1-1. |
|
Ranjit hockey yet to be revived
Amritsar, November 1 It had been declared that besides top teams of the country, hockey clubs from Pakistan would be invited to take part in it. However, the authorities have shown their inability to hold the tournament this year. It was to be part of the second Amritsar Heritage Festival to be organised here from November 18 to 23. Deputy Commissioner Raminder Singh said the tournament could not materialise due to unavailability of funds. He said around Rs 7 lakh were required to hold it, of which Rs 5 lakh were to be given by the state government. He said the state
government had expressed its inability to provide the money owing to a financial crunch. He said the District Hockey Federation
(DHF) had to deposit Rs 2 lakh with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) to organise the tournament. But it could deposit only Rs 25,000 with the IHF as security. He stated that the security was refundable and could be used next year too. He said the DHF was also facing paucity of funds as it had to deposit Rs 5 lakh with the IHF to hold the recent India-Pakistan match. A meeting regarding reviving the tournament after eight years had been organised on June 15 under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner. A press statement had then declared that top national hockey teams, including the Railways, Indian Airlines, BSF, Punjab and Sind Bank, Namdhari XI, Punjab Police, CISF, Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil, Air-India and teams from the Army would be invited. The tournament was started in 1969-70 and had been an annual feature till 1995. Though it used to draw top teams of the country, it was discontinued. |
|
|
Lyallpur school win
Nehru hockey title
New Delhi, November 1 Earlier, local challenger, Guru Harkrishan Public School (GHPS) scored twice in each half to outplay Town High School, Sundergarh (Orissa) 4-0 to clinch the third place. In an uneven final, which produced good hockey in bits and pieces, the two Jalandhar teams failed to score in the regulation period resulting in a tie-breaker. Lyallpur school had few good chances but their forwards failed to make use of them and for a brief period model school took control of the procedings in the mid field but they also could not translate the advantage into goals. In the tie-breaker Lyallpur Khalsa converted all their five strokes through Prem Kumar, Jatinder Pal Singh, Paramjeet Singh, Parmod Dhir and Kulwant Singh. For Model School, Harpreet muffed the first penalty that made all the difference as other four Jagjit Singh, Manpreet, Mandeep and Bachittar Singh were on the target. In the third place match, Yudhvir Singh, M.M. Das, Sandeep Antil and Jatinder Singh scored a goal each for GHPS against Town High School. The
tilte winners received a cheque of Rs 96,000 for their efforts. —
UNI |
|
|
Haryana trounce J&K by 40 runs
Rohtak, November 1 Batting first, Haryana lost opener Sant Kumar for a duck followed by another zero-run dismissal of number three batsman Sandeep Singh. It was the pair of Ankit Rawat and Mandeep Singh (30) which added 96 runs for the third wicket. Rawat saw the dismissal of two more fellow batsmen at the other end before finding an able partner in Chander Pal. Saini, who contributed 40 runs in their joint venture worth 71 runs off 76 balls. Ankit Rawat scored his hundred runs off 141 balls. He hit 7 fours and a six to complete his century. He was finally dismissed at 118 in Haryana’s total of 234 for eight in 50th over. Vijay Dogra and Adil Shaukat bagged two wickets each. In reply, Jammu and Kashmir were dismissed for 194 in 48.4 overs. The 74-run knock by opener Ian Dev Singh and an innings of 33 runs by middle order batsman Shaukat Ahmed proved futile as their other batsmen failed to apply themselves. Mandeep and Prateek took two wickets each. Haryana gained four points from this victory and Jammu and Kashmir failed to get any point. |
|
|
Punjab Ranji squad
announced
Chandigarh, November 1 PCA secretary M P Pandove said a selection committee meeting was held today to finalise the 17 players. The
squad: Dinesh Mongia (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Pankaj Dharmani,
Reetinder Sodhi, Harbhajan Singh, Ravneet Ricky, Ankur Kakkar, Binwant
Singh, Gaurav Gupta, Navdeep Singh, Rajesh Sharma, Vineet Sharma,
Gagandeep Singh, Amit Uniyal, VRV Singh, Chandan Madaan and Sandeep
Sawal. |
|
|
Punjab in command
against Haryana
Rohtak, November 1 Resuming their innings from the overnight score of 83 for 2 in reply to Haryana’s first innings. Total of 161, Punjab raised their total in first essay to 390. Besides 125 runs from Himanshu Chawla and 77 runs by Gurnoor Singh, half century by Siddarth Kaul and his stand with Anshul Tripathi for the last wicket worth 82 runs were the other highlights of second day’s play Anshul contributed 19 runs as Punjab gained a first innings lead of 229 runs. Jayant Yadav was the most successful Haryana bowler. He took 5 wickets for 105. At draw of stumps, Haryana were 35 for 2 in their second innings. They still need 195 more runs to avoid an innings defeat. |
|
|
15 teams arrive for Chandigarh Horse Show
Chandigarh, November 1 The teams have started
practice sessions. As many as 35 teams are expected to participate in the show. Army teams from 61 Cavalry, Army Service Corps Centre and College, Remount and Veterinary Corps, Indian Military Academy, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force will compete for top honours. The event is being organised by the Western Command’s Shivalik Riding and Pony Club at the Railway TA Ground adjoining Kalagram. The event will be formally inaugurated on November 6. Besides the National Preliminary Jumping Championship, other equestrian events would include trick riding, dancing horse display, tent-pegging, buggy and gig show and ladies hacks. A dog show and a sky diving display are also scheduled. |
|
|
Rural sports festival
organised Ambala, November 1 In volleyball match the team of Saran village of Yamunanagar district got first prize while the team of Kapoori village (Patiala) was second. In Kabaddi National style the team of Ramgarh Rode village (Kaithal) was declared first while Harigarh Keenan (Kaithal) got second position. Similarly in kabaddi Haryana style the team of Ghanaur village (Patiala) was awarded first prize while Jakhouli village (Kaithal) adjudged second in the competition. In 55 kg Haryana style kabaddi Lohsimbli village secured first position whereas Kaleran village achieved second place. Gurwinder Singh of Ghanaur village was declared man of the tournament. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Vijay’s earnings