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Gagandeep, Joginder for Challenger Trophy
‘Triumphs and Tragedies of Indian hockey’
Inzamam “lucky” to avoid ban, says Ponting
Pietersen hits ton in tied match
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Shoaib must pass fitness test: Shaharyar
Narain clinches F-1
deal with Jordan GP
Sania determined to thrill fans
Shikha cleared to represent India
Commonwealth
Games venues being identified: Sunil Dutt
Karamjit in fencing final
Jamia edge past Ranchi
Rodrigues stars
in Mahindra win
Chandigarh, Delhi win
Patiala pugilist in national camp Pitch and putt
event for
corporate golfers
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Gagandeep, Joginder for Challenger Trophy
Kolkata, February 3 India Seniors: Sourav Ganguly (captain), M.S. Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, S. Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao, Neeraj Patel, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, L Balaji, Gagandeep Singh, Rajesh Powar, Shikhar Dhawan. India A: Rahul Dravid (captain), Dinesh Kaarthick, S.S. Parab, Dheeraj Yadav, Md. Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Murali Kartik, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa. India B: Virender Sehwag (captain), Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir, V.V.S. Laxman, S. Sriram, Rohan Gavaskar, Ramesh Powar, Joginder Sharma, Ashish Nehra, S.S. Paul, Amit Bhandari, A.T. Naidu. BCCI joint secretary Gautam Dasgupta, after announcing the team, said Sachin Tendulkar was not considered upon the advice of physio Andrew Leipus as he needed time to recover from tennis elbow. He also said that Harbhajan Singh will be in Australia at that time for the correction of his bowling style after being reported with suspect action for his doosra. Mr Dasgupta said Bengal pacer Ranadeb Bose, who has taken 40 wickets this season, was considered but he lost out to teammate S.S. Paul, who has found a place in the team after having submitted his fitness certificate. However, there were several new faces who found a place in the India Senior team. Wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni will be playing his first Challenger Trophy, As will be Uttar Pradesh batsman Suresh Raina, Gujarat’s Neeraj Patel, pacer Gagandeep Singh and Suresh Powar. Another keeper Dinesh Kaarthick, like Dhoni, will also feature in the first Challenger when he dons the India A colours. Others who make a cut in the elite 36 are Dhiraj Yadav, Baroda pacer Yousuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa, who would represent India ‘A’. Pacer Joginder Sharma, who went on the Bangladesh tour with India, will play his first Challenger representing India ‘B’. As expected Laxmipati Balaji, who is making a comeback from an injury that left him on the sidelines for well over two months, has made it to the India Senior team. Former Bengal Ranji team skipper Rohan Gavaskar also made it to the India ‘B’’ team. The other pacers who have found a place in the teams as expected are Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and R.P. Singh. The three-hour long meeting was attended by chairman of national selectors Kiran More who also represents the West Zone. Besides him, Pranab Roy (East), Gopal Sharma (Central), Yashpal Sharma (North) and V.B. Chandrasekhar (South) completed the selection committee. BCCI Joint Secretary Gautam Dasgupta was the convener of the meeting, in the absence of Secretary S.K. Nair who is attending the ICC CEO’s meeting in Melbourne.
— UNI |
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‘Triumphs and Tragedies of Indian hockey’
New Delhi, February 3 With super cop KPS Gill at the helm of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), hockey is always in the spotlight. But there are not many authentic accounts of Indian hockey in the book shelves as people who know the game closely have not bothered to put their thoughts into words. Viewed against this background, “Triumphs and Tragedies of Indian Hockey”, written by veteran sports journalist Kishin R Wadhwaney, is a timely product, which provides a perceptive account of Indian hockey—the game and the people who shaped its destiny in the country. The 504-page tome, priced at a steep Rs 600, has foreword by Ashwini Kumar, who once ruled Indian hockey, as the president of the IHF and boss of the Border Security Force, with an iron hand. As the director-general of the BSF, Ashwini Kumar had made the force synonimous with Indian hockey. But he laments at the “decadence and fall from grace” of hockey in the country, primarily because of the switch of the playing surface from natural grass to synthetic material. Ashwani Kumar’s advise to regain India’s lost glory in hockey is to go for more synthetic surfaces, and change in tactics by the coaches, to suit the fast, tough and stamina-sapping methods of modern hockey. |
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Inzamam “lucky” to avoid ban, says Ponting
Melbourne, February 3 Speaking ahead of the best-of-three limited-overs final series starting here tomorrow, Ponting said Inzamam-ul-Haq was “pretty lucky” to be taking the field after being sanctioned for the second time in 12 months. “I know I’m constantly asking the guys to get through the overs quicker and bowl their overs quicker if they can,” said Ponting, who has previously used spinners to speed up his side’s overs. “One-day cricket can be decided by a run or a couple of runs here and there and if I can’t bowl the bowlers that I want to, when I want to, that makes it harder.” Inzamam was fined his match fee for a slow over-rate against the West Indies on Tuesday by Match Referee Chris Broad. The International Cricket Council said in a statement issued in London that because it was his second offence in a year, the charge should have been upgraded to a Level 3 breach, which carries an automatic ban of between two and four Test matches or four and eight one-day internationals. Match referee Broad later admitted he had failed to look at Inzamam’s record. “In applying the provisions of the ICC code I neglected to consult Inzamam’s past record,” Broad said. “It was an honest mistake and the matter has been dealt with.” The ICC confirmed Inzamam would not be banned retrospectively, meaning the skipper is poised to continue his good form with the bat, having struck four half-centuries in the six pool matches this series. Pakistan come into the match after two successive morale-boosting wins following the 30-run victory on Tuesday and a three-wicket defeat of Australia on Sunday. But for the Australians, there is a great deal of speculation about who will fill the opening batting position with Adam Gilchrist following Matthew Hayden’s recent poor form. Ponting was adamant Hayden should be maintained ahead of the rising star Michael Clark, who has stood in with enormous success, but said it would be up to selectors to decide. “It’s going to be a tough selection and as far as I’m concerned, Matthew is our best opener when he’s at his best,” Ponting said. “Quite often there are really tough selections around this team, I think it’s only fair that selectors make those calls. “I’ll get my point across to the team that I want to have, but if there’s something that the other four selectors see differently, then they’ll make that call.” There was a further selection issue for the Australians with three bowlers competing for two spots. Pacemen Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee are both vying for a start, as is left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg. Although he took 5 for 32 in his last one-day match at the MCG, forecast thunder storms could count against Hogg. If it’s going to be a rain-affected game, then it’s generally pretty hard for leg-spinners to hold the ball or spinners of any sort to grip the ball,” Ponting said. Rain prevented either side from getting a net session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but despite 120mm of rain falling at the ground last night, the ground’s new drainage system — installed late last year — meant the wicket and outfield are in good condition. “Even if we get another 20, or 30 or 40mm on the outfield, it will drain straight through and as soon rain stops tomorrow we can uncover and be ready to play,” curator Tony Ware said.
— AFP |
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Pietersen hits ton in tied match
Bloemfontein (South Africa), February 3 South Africa were on target to win as Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs put on 134 off 161 balls for the third wicket, then needed just three off the last six balls with inexperienced Kabir Ali bowling for England. The over had started with South Africa needing eight runs with five wickets in hand. Ali bowled a high full toss which was called no-ball and hit for four by Boucher. But Boucher hit the next ball, another full toss, to Ashley Giles at deep midwicket. Shaun Pollock took a single but Ashwell Prince was run out off the first ball he faced as he fed the strike back to Pollock. Another single from Pollock left new batsman Andrew Hall facing the last delivery. Ali bowled it full and just outside off stump, Hall missed and Geraint Jones made a stumping as Hall stepped out of his crease. “We’re pretty delighted to tie the game after the situation we were in,” said Marcus Trescothick, who acted as captain in the field because Michael Vaughan was ill. The result meant England stayed 1-0 ahead in the seven-match series. South Africa have won only one of their last 14 matches but captain Graeme Smith said his players had put in a big team effort. Scoreboard England Trescothick b Pollock 37 Jones c Ntini b Nel 20 Vaughan run out 42 Strauss c Boucher b Hall 2 Pietersen not out 108 Collingwood c De Villiers Bell not out 11 Extras (lb3, nb2, w5) 10 Total
(5 wkts, 50 overs) 270 Fall of wkts: 1-52, 2-60, 3-67, 4-147, 5-239 Bowling:
Pollock 10-1-52-1, Ntini 10-0-51-1, Nel 10-0-54-1, Hall 10-0-50-1, Smith 2-0-10-0, Kallis 4-0-24-0, Kemp 4-0-26-0. South Africa Smith c Jones b Hoggard 25 De Villiers c sub b Ali 20 Kallis c Trescothick b Giles 63 Gibbs c Gough b Hoggard 78 Kemp b Gough 32 Boucher c Giles b Ali 15 Pollock not out 17 Prince run out 0 Hall st Jones b Ali 0 Extras
(b4, lb6, nb5, w5) 20 Total
(8 wkts, 50 overs) 270 Fall of wkts: 1-47, 2-51, 3-185, 4-237, 5-239, 6-268, 7-269, 8-270. Bowling:
Gough 10-0-49-1, Hoggard 10-1-42-2, Kabir Ali 8-0-56-3, Collingwood 10-0-42-0, Giles 8-0-46-1, Trescothick 4-0-25-0.
— AFP |
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Shoaib must pass fitness test: Shaharyar
Lahore, February 3 “We are very clear on this. Given his persistent fitness problems he has to undergo a fitness test before being considered for selection for the Indian tour. And he will only be selected if the team doctors are satisfied with his fitness,” the PCB chairman told The News. Mr Khan also criticised the quickie for his penchant for consulting the former trainer of the team, Dr Tauseef Razzaq and not the PCB medical team. He said: “I think we have a very competent medical team handling things and they are the best people to judge his fitness.” The PCB chairman minced no words about Shoaib’s erratic behaviour and said, “We have nothing against him. But I am going to have a ‘hard talk’ with him later this week and I am going to give him a fair chance to give his side of the story.” Hinting that the PCB was piqued by Shoaib’s frequent
outnurst, Mr Khan said, “We know he is a valuable player and we know what his worth is. But he does not need to say this himself and when he does not perform it is not good for his image.”
— UNI |
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Narain clinches F-1 deal with Jordan GP
London, February 3 The deal, details of which were not disclosed, makes Narain the first-ever Indian to drive in the elite division of motorsport racing. After signing on the dotted line, Narain said, "my aim has always been to compete in F1, it is where no Indian driver has been before. "I've got the hopes of a nation behind me so I've no choice but to succeed now. "I have tested with three different Formula 1 teams at various circuits and I'm going to give it everything I've got. I am confident that this is going to be a good year for me." Announcing the deal, Trevor Carlin, Jordan's Sporting Director, said, "I know Narain very well because he drove for me in 1998 in Formula 3 and I have run him in various formulas every year since then. We've won a lot of races together. "He's very competitive, a super-quick driver, sometimes a little bit raw and wild in his style but he is a proven race winner and I am confident that in our environment he will thrive. He's ready for F1 now I think he'll do a good job for us." The 2005 F1 championship, consisting of 19 races, starts with the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne on March 6. The Jordan team was founded by former driver Eddie Jordan and has been a launchpad for several renowned drivers, including six-time world champion Michael Schumacher. The team was last month taken over by Schnaider, owner of Canadian conglomerate Midland Group. Narain had high speed driving in his genes, his father G K Karthikeyan being a rally champion himself. Although born in a rich family of Coimbatore with various business interests, Narain had his mind set on cars from an early age. Among his many firsts, most remarkable are his twin wins in the British Formula 3 championships, winning the Korean Formula 3, and competing in Formula Nippon. He is also the first to drive a F1 car, as he test drove for Jordan, Minardi and Jaguar. — PTI
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Sania determined to thrill fans
Hyderabad, February 3 The 18-year-old said she was playing in the WTA tour event, not out of any “obligation” but because it was her home event. “Nobody has forced me to play the Hyderabad Open. I want to play because it is my home event and I want to play in front of home fans,” Sania told PTI. Sania, who became the first Indian woman to reach a grand slam third round at the Australian Open, said “the feeling had sunk in long ago” and she was back to the grind. The 18-year old has been practising and working at the gym to get back to peak form ahead of the $ 140,000 prize money WTA Tour event starting next Monday. Sania said the left ankle, which was injured two weeks before the Australian Open, would not hamper her performance in the Tier 4 event. She said she was happy with such additional responsibilities and attention following her exploits Down Under. “Really it is good for the sport in the country. People are becoming aware that there are other sports where we can excel, not just cricket. Pressure has always been there, it comes with success,” the 2003 Wimbledon girls doubles winner said. But the teenager, playing her first full season on the senior circuit this year, is sure that the newfound stardom will not distract her from the game. “Tennis comes first for me. The attention and interviews are there only because of tennis. If I have an obligation, it will be only second. I will always put tennis first,” she said. After her dream run at Melbourne Park, where she reached the third round before losing to eventual winner Serena Williams, Sania had said that she was re-adjusting her goal for the year, to reach the top-50 in world rankings. But the pundits have always pointed out that reaching top-300 in men’s tennis is more difficult than a top-100 place on the WTA list because the women’s game lacked depth. Sania dismissed such criticism as trash. “If someone compares women’s tennis and men’s tennis, it basically means he doesn’t know head or tails,” she said. “There are a billion people in India, so there are going to be a billion views. “But then everyone has the right to his opinion. Some write about it, others come and discuss it with you. You can’t do much about these things.” The biggest draw at the Hyderabad Open will be Martina Navratilova who will be playing only the doubles. Indian fans would be very keen to see the legend pair up with Sania, but Martina, the thorough professional that she is, would be keen to play with someone who could help her win the title. That doesn’t rule out Sania yet, for she is the defending doubles champion. The Hyderabadi girl has also received a wild card for a $ 170,000 event in Bogota, Columbia, which starts a week after the Hyderabad event. Should she go all the away to play either of the finals at her home town, it is going to be a close run. Not to mention the stress it is going to put on her ankle. Sania, however, is happy to drift into Oz Open mood and is reluctant to come out of it. The Yarra river that runs through Melbourne has a special attraction for her.
— PTI |
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Shikha cleared to represent India
New Delhi, February 3 An Indian-born brought up in America, Shikha, cousin of Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, is currently ranked 149 at WTA. Her performance in US Open last year was exemplary. She beat Saori Obata of Japan and went down fighting valiantly against Venus Williams. Her recent performance at Tier-III Pattaya City WTA in Thailand has been equally brilliant. She qualified for the main draw, beating Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus 2-6 6-2 6-2 and lost to former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez of Spain 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a three-hour slugfest. Shikha is also expected to play at WTA $ 140,000 event at Hyderabad and is the most likely choice for The Asian Oceania Group 1 and 2 Fed Cup.
— UNI |
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Commonwealth
Games venues being
Bangalore, February 3 Talking to newsmen on his first visit to the Sports Authority of India Southern Centre after assuming office, Mr Dutt who also heads the committee said the events would be held in different venues. “In fact I am here to study the infrastructure available and needed to be developed for the Commonwealth Games in Bangalore. And also to study other aspects, including facilities available for sportsperson arriving from all parts of the country and abroad”, he added. He said that Tourism would also be added while selecting the venues for various disciplines. Replying to a question, he said that there may not be dearth of funds for the conduct of Commonwealth Games since Finance Minister P Chidambaram himself was a member of the Finance Committee of the games for which Union Minister Arjun Singh is the Chairman. Stating that preparations have already began for the Games, Mr Dutt said that in Delhi, the main venue, steps have been taken to develop necessary infrastructure, including renovation according to modern requirement and giving a facelift to the Sports village constructed during Asian Games. New highways were also proposed to be constructed so that sportsperson can reach their venues quickly and also enable public can also easily reach the venues to witness the events, he added. To another question, The Minister, however, declined to state as to how many events will be conducted outside the Delhi. He said “that the committees have been formed with experts in every discipline and based on their report decision would be taken”. Like rowing cannot be conducted in Delhi, yachting may be held in Mumbai, conditions, including sea, prevailing at that time. About possibility of Bangalore hosting any event, Mr Dutt said that” it is a good place, I am sure that the members of the committee would keep it in mind and allot some events. However, logistics also to be studied since participants will be coming from abroad and also proper facility should be provided for mediapersons coming from all parts of the country and abroad. Final decision will be based on committees recommendation”, he added. Later addressing sportspersons attending various camps in SAI and coaches, Mr Dutt assured all help from the government. “For the sports I will give any amount required, I would like to have promise to get medals. There will not be any problem for facilities. But it is the desire of the people that we win medal. It is very important to concentrate on games”. The minister suggested that Yoga should also be included in the camp activities. He ended his speech appealing “please bring pride to the country by winning medals”. SAI Director G. Kishore, in his welcome address, sought more funds for the Centre since it is catering to the needs of sportsperson from five southern states. Earlier, accompanied by Karnataka Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Jabbar Khan
Manoli, Mr Dutt went round the Centre. — UNI |
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Karamjit in fencing final
Patiala, February 3 Karamjit will clash with her colleague Gurdeep Kaur who beat Shijna KP of Kanpur University by a 15-8 margin in the other semi final bout. Earlier in the quarterfinals, Karamjit Kaur downed Prabhjot Kaur of Baba Farid University, Faridkot 10-3 while Gurdeep Kaur beat Monika of Kurukshetra University 10-7. In other last eight round matches, G.Gokila of Periyar University downed Harjit Kaur of GND University 10-7 while Shijna KP of Kanpur beat local girl Amandeep Kaur of TIET 10-3. In the men’s sabre event (individual), Preet Mohinder of TIET set up the title clash with Amandeep Singh of Kurukshetra University. In the semifinals, Preet Mohinder downed Rahul of Kurukshetra 15-6 while Amandeep beat Harsimran Singh of PTU, Jalandhar 15-9. Earlier in the other quarterfinals, Preet Mohinder downed Manvinder Pal Singh of Jammu University 10-8 while Amandeep Singh managed to scrape past a fighting Sukhjinder Singh of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 10-9. |
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Jamia edge past Ranchi
New Delhi, February 3 Ranchi, calling the shots from the outset, forged ahead in the 16th minute when Sunil Tirkey slotted home a blinding field goal. But 16 minutes after resumption Pramod Kumar restored parity for Jamia when he converted a penalty corner, and put the Delhi team ahead 16 minutes later when he scored off yet another penalty corner. Bharat consolidated the lead two minutes later when he swept home a quick-silver field goal. Before the start of the tournament, a two-minute silence was observed to mourn the death of former Olympian Vivek Singh, who expired yesterday after a long battle with cancer. The tournament was inaugurated by Hamdard University Chancellor Saiyid Hamid. |
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Rodrigues stars in Mahindra win
Mumbai, February 3 In a match which witnessed below par performances from both the teams, the local outfit, who were reduced to 10 men after their medio Arun Malhotra was given the marching orders for punching Salgaocar winger Felix Ibrebru in the face in the 62nd minute, held on to their one goal cushion with some dogged defensive tactics. In the third minute of the match Mahindra's winger Rauf Khan's fine cross to forward Rodrigo De Almeida went abegging when the later shot wide. With just five minutes to go for the breather Malhotra almost gifted away a goal with poor clearance but Ibrebru, who had only the goalkeeper to beat, shot over. Five minutes after the half time Salgaocar's striker Francis Andrade's fine try off Jyothi Kumar cross just missed the mark. — PTI
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Chandigarh, Delhi win
New Delhi, February 3 Captain Pranav Sharma opened the Delhi account in the fifth minute and also added the third goal. Pankaj Negi scored a hat-trick, scoring the fourth, fifth and sixth goals while Aditya Awasti struck the second goal. Vikram Gill completed the tally. |
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Patiala pugilist in national camp Patiala, February 3 The other two boys from Punjab who have been selected to attend the camp are Saurav (middle-weight) and Gautam Bhargava (light-heavyweight). Barinder Singh, who made his debut for India in the President’s cup held in Indonesia from December 9 to 17, has been included in the welter-weight category.
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Pitch and putt
event for corporate golfers Patiala, February 3 Giving this information to The Tribune, Lt-Col B.S. Chahal, Joint Secretary of the Chandigarh Golf Association, said each corporate body must field a team of at least three players. The performance of all the three players would be taken into account to decide the winner and the runner-up. Entries close on February 23 for which entry forms will be available at the CGA Golf Range and the Chandigarh Golf Club from February 7.
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Trials for Punjab state games on February 9 Patiala, February 3 The selected players will take part in the open Punjab state games slated to be held at Jalandhar on February 25 and 26.
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