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Yuvraj, Nehra left out of
squad
‘Musharraf won’t watch Kolkata Test’
India have edge in Tests: Rameez
Raja
Bonhomie won’t distract us from
cricket
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Anand closes in
on Kasparov
IOA official
flays cut in
sports budget
France oust Sweden; Croatia stun
USA
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Yuvraj, Nehra left out of
squad
Mohali, March 7 “Yuvraj and Nehra are out of the playing eleven. Laxman will play,” Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly revealed here today.
Yuvraj is a regular member of the one-day squad, while Delhi left-arm seamer Nehra, whose career has been plagued by a series of injuries, had recovered just in time to be ready for the series against the arch-rivals. Both had done exceedingly well for North Zone in the recent Duleep Trophy.
Ganguly, however, refused to reveal the composition of the team. Any decision regarding fielding two spinners (Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh) or one will be taken tomorrow after seeing the condition of the wicket, he stated. The Mohali track is known to help seamers early on and Tamil Nadu seamer Laxmipathi Balaji is widely expected to get the nod for the choice of the third seamer to lend variety to two left-armers Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, who are expected to share the new ball in the Test. Balaji had played a crucial role in India’s historic victory in Pakistan last year. “Ours is a balanced side. The boys have been together for quite some time now and playing well,” said Ganguly, the most successful Indian captain. Elaborating on the team, the left-handed batsman said, “Some of the players are in peak form. Let’s see how they perform in the middle.” Asked whether four defeats on the trot the team suffered against Pakistan in one-dayers would be on his mind tomorrow, Ganguly said the defeats were not in Tests, adding, however, that Bob Woolmer was a competent coach and was sure to make a difference for Pakistan. “Obviously, both teams would go for victory. We will play hard cricket and go all out to win the series,” he said. Refusing to take the visitors lightly, Ganguly said the Pakistan side, though young, was very talented and India would have to work hard if they wanted to win. “We are not the favourites,” Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan skipper, was candid enough to admit. “But we feel we are capable of winning.” “It is a good wicket for Test cricket and help fast bowlers. Overall, it would enable good cricket for five days. There will be equal chance for batsmen, who concentrate hard initially,” he said. When asked whether his team would play with revenge in mind, Pakistan having lost both the Test as well as the one-day series when India visited Pakistan last year, the Multan batsman said revenge was not the motive, but added that his team would make honest efforts to win the series. Surprisingly, Inzamam did not sound disappointed that the three-day practice match at Dharamsala, the only one before the start of the series, was largely washed out. “The conditions that prevail in these parts of India and Pakistan are almost similar. Therefore, the washout will not make much difference,” he observed. “Danish Kaneria is our most successful bowler for the past two years. The wickets will help him probably after two days of play. He can be dangerous and win matches for Pakistan,” he replied when asked about the prospects of the leg-spinner in the series. Inzamam said he, along with middle order batsmen Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan, would have to share a lot of responsibility and lead the way for the youngsters. About the chances of hard-hitting all rounder Shahid Afridi making it to the playing eleven, the Multan batsman, the mainstay of Pakistan batting, said a final decision on team composition would be taken just before the start of the game adding, however, that Afridi did well in Australia during the recent tour. Elaborating on his team's chances, he said: "India have a little edge as they have experienced players in their ranks, whereas I have young players at my disposal." Not attaching much importance to the absence of injured fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam said the young fast bowlers selected for the series were all very hard working and would not let the team down. Discounting any fitness worries, Inzamam said he had fully recovered from the injury he sustained during the Australian series. |
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‘Musharraf won’t watch Kolkata Test’
New Delhi, March 7 They said reports to this effect were “speculative and baseless”. The Government of India was yet to take a decision on reported remarks of General Musharraf, suggesting that he was game for some cricket diplomacy, though he would not like to come uninvited. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Navtej Sarna, when asked by reporters at his briefing this evening whether India had responded to General Musharraf’s suggestions for an invitation, said he was not aware of any such thing. |
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India have edge in Tests: Rameez
Raja
Wagah, March 7 Pakistan had an advantage in one-dayers due to the presence of all-rounders, he added. He denied that frequent ties between India and Pakistan would dilute the intensity and competitiveness of matches of the two neighbours. |
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Pak players told to avoid media
Karachi, March 7 “After the experience we had in Dharamsala, where there were about 70 or 80 mediapersons, including TV crew, wanting to interview our players all the time, we realised this sort of thing could be a distraction for them (players) in the build-up to the first Test,” team manager Saleem Altaf was quoted by The News as saying. “So, for the moment we’ve decided that no player can speak to the media without getting permission from us and until this first Test business is over, we don’t intend to entertain any interview requests from anyone,” he told the newspaper. Interestingly, most of the Pakistan cricketers, including captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, have contracts with the Indian electronic and print media. —PTI |
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Shiv Sena to stage protest
Ludhiana, March 7 The police detained Shiv Sena state president Ravinder Arora along with 15 other activists from different parts of the state. Raids were on to detain other leaders and activists of the organisation. District president Amar Takkar told The Tribune over phone that Shiv Sainiks had reached Mohali and two buses would leave for Mohali tomorrow morning. |
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Bonhomie won’t distract us from
cricket
Baisakhi has come a month earlier to Chandigarh. The weather, which was bitingly cold just 10 days ago, has become extremely pleasant, and the entire city is getting ready for the meeting not only of the two teams but also of the Indian and Pakistani supporters.
Most of the visitors from across the border speak Punjabi, and the language is making the bonding between the hosts and the guests a lot easier. I have always been pretty close to Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi, and we always speak to each other in our mother tongue. Since encounters between the two teams are always tense, a little Punjabi banter always helps. Yesterday, the Indian players had a hectic day of practice after which I took them to my salon. I have a little place in Chandigarh, Sylvie’s, which was inaugurated by Sourav Ganguly and Ashish Nehra last year. Yesterday, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan dropped in at the salon, but the huge crowds that gathered to see them prevented them from having a haircut. Incidentally, I have decided that Pakistani fans are welcome to my salon, and the staff will be happy to spruce them up free of cost. All they have to do is produce proof of their nationality and they are welcome to a free pedicure, haircut, manicure, the works. With all the goodwill, bonhomie and hospitality around us, it would be easy to get distracted from the cricket, but all of us are pretty focused on the job at hand. This is one of the most keenly-fought rivalries in sport, so everyone will want to be in their best form. Personally, the contest that inspires me most is when we play Australia. Ever since I made my debut, we have been involved in some unforgettable battles with the Australians, both home and away. What is more, they are undisputed champions right now, and doing well against them gives any player real satisfaction and pride. The India-Pakistan tussle, on the other hand, is a keenly fought one because of the weight of expectations that people bring to the game. It is an emotional encounter where everybody plays and watches with a great deal of anxiety. This makes it a high-pressure situation, but I would appeal to our supporters to be good-humoured right through the series, through our highs and lows. We had good nets this morning, and the ground looks really good. Traditionally, Mohali has been pace bowling territory, and nip in the air that lasts for an hour into the first session could prove difficult for batsmen. The wicket has a nice green tinge to it, which has got pace bowlers from both sides pretty keyed up about tomorrow’s game. Both teams are ready for the contest, and once again I would appeal to our supporters to be gracious and friendly with our neighbours, irrespective of the match situation. Every Pakistani visitor should go home saying that India is their favourite destination for a holiday — even better than Switzerland! —
Gameplan |
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Anand closes in
on Kasparov
Linares, March 7 Anand took his tally to 5.5 points from nine games so far but still remained a full point adrift of the Russian world number one, who has played an equal number of games. The Indian ace, ranked number two in the world, moved to sole second spot following his victory as Bulgarian Veselin Topalov split his point with Corus champion Peter
Leko. The other game of the day between local lad Francisco Vallejo Pons and English Michael Adams also ended in a draw. —
PTI |
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IOA official
flays cut in
sports budget
New Delhi, March 7 Prof Malhotra, who was the president of the All-India Council of Sports when the BJP-led coalition was in power at the Centre, said it was shocking to know that the budgetary allocation for sports for the current financial year had come down from Rs 50 crore to Rs 48 crore. Prof Malhotra, who now heads the revived General Association of National Sports Federations (GANSF), pointed out that though the total Central Plan Allocation had been hiked by 40 per cent, from Rs 1,50,818 crore to Rs 2,11,253 crore, sports and games had been given a raw deal as there was only a marginal increase in sports allocation, from Rs 252 crore last year to Rs 279.71 crore. He explained that the actual amount earmarked for the training and grooming of teams and other related matters would be far less if the Rs 45 crore allotted for the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games capital expenditure was deducted from the 2005-2006 Plan Allocation. “Then there would be a decrease of 7 per cent in the sports allocation”, he observed. Prof Malhotra, who also heads the Archery Association of India, said a high-level delegation of representatives from the IOA and national sports federations would soon meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to bring to his notice this anomaly in the allocation for sports and for taking remedial measures. He blamed the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports for the reduction in the budgetary allocation for sports as it had not been able to exhaust last year’s allocation. Prof Malhotra rapped the government for giving “secondary treatment to sports” though the government would be spending crores in creating infrastructure for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He noted that it was “extremely shocking and beyond comprehension” to learn that four important schemes had been abolished without offering any plausible or convincing reason. He said the grant for the creation of sports infrastructure had been reduced from Rs 18.50 crore to zero while no amount had been earmarked for the promotion of sports at the university and college levels, which was Rs 13 crore in the last Budget. |
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Woods regains number one
spot
Toronto, March 7 Trailing Mickelson by two shots at the start of play, Woods mounted one of his patented charges to card a final round six-under 66 at Miami’s Doral Resort for a 24-under 264 total yesterday. The victory was Woods’s second of the season and returned the 29-year-old American to the top of the rankings, ending Vijay Singh’s 26-week reign as number one. Woods had held top spot for a record 264 consecutive weeks before being dethroned by the Fijian last September. The final round of the $ 5.5 million event took on the feel of a heavyweight title bout as the two most popular players on the PGA Tour went toe-to-toe on the famed Blue Monster, treating the huge galleries to a pulsating afternoon of golf. Having lost to Woods all three times they have clashed in a final round, a deflated Mickelson slumped off the 18th bloodied but unbowed demanding a rematch as soon as possible. Trailing by a single shot as they made the turn, Woods turned up the heat, catching Mickelson with a birdie on 10, then shocking the US Masters champion with an eagle on the par-five 12th to surge two clear. Mickelson, however, demonstrated plenty of grit of his own, holing back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th to pull level and set the stage for a dramatic finish. With the holes dwindling and pressure mounting, Woods and Mickelson both carded their only bogeys of the day on the 16th, the shortest par four at Doral. On the 17th, Woods displayed the determination and focus that has been the trademark of his brilliant career, draining a 28-foot birdie putt to seize control. —
Reuters |
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France oust Sweden; Croatia stun
USA
London, March 7 The 3-2 victory yesterday was the fifth for France in their 12 meetings with Sweden, and the first since the French won the the 1996 final 3-2 in their last clash. Russia also advanced to the quarterfinals, beating Chile 4-1, while the Netherlands finished off a 3-2 victory over Switzerland and Romania completed a 3-2 win over Belarus. Australia and Argentina both capped off 5-0 sweeps, the Australians vanquishing Austria and Argentina beating the Czech Republic. Slovakia, who eliminated defending champion Spain on Saturday, finished off a 4-1 victory. Fernando Verdasco earned Spain’s lone consolation win. Croatia took an insurmountable 3-1 lead over the United States after Ivan Ljubicic outlasted Andy Roddick in a taut five-set marathon. The remaining reverse singles match became essentially an exhibition with doubles specialist Bob Bryan subbing for Andre Agassi. With their victories, France will meet Russia in a rematch of the 2002 final and Slovakia will face the Dutch in the quarterfinals from July 15-17. In the other quarterfinals, it will be Australia vs Argentina, and Romania will go up against Croatia. —
AP |
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Baisakhi has come a month earlier to Chandigarh. The weather, which was bitingly cold just 10 days ago, has become extremely pleasant, and the entire city is getting ready for the meeting not only of the two teams but also of the Indian and Pakistani supporters.
London, March 7
