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Younis, Youhana lead strong Pak reply
Scoring 400 runs is first target: Youhana
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Kumble, Harbhajan bring excitement
Lanka to tour
India in April
Narain gears up for Malaysian Grand Prix
Advani wins world billiards title
Chandigarh shooter clinches bronze
Tennis coach L.D. Kapoor dead
Rana Sodhi on Commonwealth Games panel
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Younis, Youhana lead strong Pak reply
Kolkata, March 16 Youhana brought up his 13th Test hundred in dramatic fashion off the last ball of the day as he smacked Harbhajan Singh for a four to midwicket to bring the curtains on a day of dominance for Pakistan. Younis Khan, under pressure to hold his place in the team following failures in the warm up game and the first Test, blunted the Indian attack with his dogged persistence to notch up his seventh career hundred at the Eden Gardens. The duo's record third wicket stand of 203 runs saw Pakistan post a healthy 273 for two, still 134 runs behind India' 407, at close on the second day. The partnership between Youhana and Younis surpassed Pakistan's previous best for the same wicket against India -- 155 between Shoaib Mohammed and Javed Miandad at Chennai in 1987. Earlier, India's tail waged long enough to frustrate Pakistan and post a healthy total. India found unlikely batting heroes in Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble who added 44 runs for the last wicket to help the hosts make 407 before being bundled out half an hour before lunch. Pakistan made a confident start to the day's play when they picked three quick wickets to reduce India to 363 for nine but Harbhajan and Kumble proved to be a thorn in their flesh. Harbhajan struck a 39-ball 27 with four hits to the fence while his slow bowling partner Kumble remained unbeaten on 21 with an equal number of boundaries. Resuming at 344 for six, India lost Dinesh Kaarthick for the addition of one run to the board. The wicketkeeper batsman failed to add to his overnight score of 28 and was run out in the second over of the morning. Two more wickets fell inside the 10th over with Balaji (3) Irfan Pathan (8) struggling to reproduce their batting skills witnessed in the first Test. That meant India had lost seven wickets for 85 runs from being 278 for two at one stage yesterday. Abdul Razzaq brought the innings to an end when he had Harbhajan leg before the wicket to return with figures of three for 62. Shahid Afridi (3-80) and Danish Kaneria (3-136) were the other successful bowlers for Pakistan. Pakistan made a solid start in response to India's first innings total with a pugnacious performance by the top order. Shahid Afridi, who had pitched in with three for 80 with the ball, provided the visitors a brisk start with a whirlwind knock of 29 from 21 balls. Afridi's bludgeoning innings, filled with seven fours, was nipped in the bud but the batsman had served the purpose of taking the wind out of India's sails. The new ball combination of Irfan Pathan (1-42) and Laxmipathy Balaji (1-39) did not look as menacing as it did in the first Test and although Taufeeq Umar (18) fell at 70, Younis Khan and Youhana were able to bat freely. Younis, who had failed both in the three-day warm up game as well as the series opener, found his form in time for his team as skipper Inzamam-ul Haq could not bat at his regular number four position. Inzamam had been off the field with an injury for better part of the day yesterday. Younis found able support in Youhana and the two milked the Indian bowling with some sharp running between the wickets. Anil Kumble went wicketless in his 20 overs while Harbhajan Singh, introduced late in the day, found the two well settled by the time he came on. Pathan seemed to struggle for rhythm while Balaji's inexperience showed in bowling to batsmen high on confidence. Younis Khan had faced questions back home when he was handed the vice-captaincy for the series. He had to first prove his worth as a batsman and the horrendous run at the start of the series did not help. But donning the mantle of captaincy as Inzamam recuperated from an injury on the field yesterday must have worked wonders for Younis' confidence. Whereas he had got out to hesitant strokes previously, today he was collected and technically sound. He was repeatedly rapped on the pads by Kumble, a chink in the armour in spotting the straighter one, but was brilliant in cutting the leg spinner through point. Younis reached his century with a miscued pull off Pathan. He had so far faced 167 balls and hit 14 fours. Youhana, at the other end, was his usual lazy elegance. He was on top of Harbhajan Singh from the outset as he drove him confidently on the front foot. Fittingly, his century came off the same bowler in the last over of the day when he pulled him through midwicket, 13th boundary of a blemishless knock. The last session once again proved bad for India as Pakistan plundered 126 runs. Scoreboard India (1st innings): Sehwag c Inzamam b Afridi 81 Gambhir lbw Kaneria 29 Dravid c Akmal b Kaneria 110 Tendulkar c Akmal b Afridi 52 Ganguly c Akmal b Razzaq 12 Laxman lbw Razzaq 0 Kaarthick run out 28 Pathan c Younis b Kaneria 8 Balaji b Afridi 3 Harbhajan lbw Razzaq 27 Kumble not out 21 Extras
(b-2, lb-12, w-6, nb-16) 36 Total (all out in 111.1 overs) 407 FoW:
1-80, 2-156, 3-278, 4-298, 5-298, 6-344, 7-345, 8-3357, 9-363. Bowling:
Mohammad Sami 22-3-76-0, Mohammad Khalil 11-3-39-0, Danish Kaneria 35-1-136-3, Abdul Razzaq 22.1-4-62-3, Shahid Afridi 11-0-80-3. Pakistan (1st innings): Taufeeq c Harbhajan b Balaji 18 Afridi c Tendulkar b Pathan 29 Younis Khan batting 108 Youhana batting 101 Extras
(b-1, lb-8, nb-7, w-1) 17 Total (for 2 wkts in 66 overs) 273 FoW: 1-35, 2-70. Bowling:
Irfan Pathan 16-3-73-1, Laxmipathy Balaji 13-1-55-1, A Kumble 20-2-72-0, S Ganguly 2-0-12-0, Harbhajan Singh 15-1-52-0.
— PTI |
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Scoring 400 runs is first target: Youhana
Kolkata, March 17 “Now the match is at a well balanced stage. But if we can add another 150 to 200 runs tomorrow, the pressure will be on them,” said Younis, who scored his maiden ton against the home team on the second day today. Younis, however, said the tourists were cautious against any downfall in the morning session tomorrow as it would be suicidal after such a solid start. Youhana, looking cool and poised after notching up his 13th Test century, sounded equally cautious. “Our first target will be to cross the 400 mark.” The duo, who stitched a record third wicket partnership of 203 runs against India, said they had focussed on sticking to the wicket and keeping the scoreboard moving with singles. “This put pressure on the rival bowlers,” Younis said recalling a similar long stand against Australia in the recent Melbourne Test. Stating that the Indian bowlers did try their best and also bowled well on a docile track, he said “our approach in concentrating on singles did let them down a bit. Also, they were unlucky that some chances were missed.” Youhana, who has been quite consistent in the Pakistan middle order, said the Eden wicket was pretty slow and therefore “the bowlers could not do much”. About their strategy to build the innings, Youhana said “we were telling each other that if we can stick to the wicket, runs will come without much difficulty”. Younis, who had faced questions back home after he was handed the vice-captaincy for the series, said he was happy not to have let his teammates down. On his part, Youhana, the former vice captain, said “whoever may be in the position, it doesn’t make any difference. We all play for the team”.
— PTI |
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Kumble, Harbhajan bring excitement
Kolkata, March 17 The duo came together after the fall of wickets of Dinesh Kaarthick, Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji within 45 minutes of play in the morning, when the Indian total was 357. Harbhajan and Kumble batted with vigour, increasing the team’s run-rate. The Indian innings ended on 407 runs. *** Pakistan’s Younis Khan and Yousuf Youhana added thrill and excitement to not only Pakistan’s cricketers and supporters, but also Indian cricket fans present at the Eden Gardens, who cheered and applauded the two batsmen. The batmen also received a warm reception at the end of the day when they returned to the pavilion, and later, at the hotel. *** Jagmohan Dalmiya came out with an explanation for the poor attendance at the Eden Gardens, admitting that the timing of the match was wrong as most students were appearing in examinations or preparing for joint entrance examinations. *** At least 24 journalists from Pakistan had been granted permission for stay in the city and cover the Test, for which they were thankful to the Indian Government. |
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Lanka to tour
India in April
Colombo, March 17 “The final dates and venues for the tour are now being finalised,” a cricket board official confirmed today. The last-minute tour will upset the plans of three players, who had been expected to fly to England in mid-April to play county cricket during the first half of the summer. Chaminda Vaas (Worcestershire), Sanath Jayasuriya (Somerset) and Upul Chandana (Gloucestershire) will now not be able start their county season until the first week of May.
— Reuters
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Narain gears up for Malaysian Grand Prix
New Delhi, March 17 In a press note released by his team Jordan here today, Narain said, “After the first race in Australia, I went directly to Malaysia to prepare physically for the tough weather conditions. I have trained a lot outdoors, about four hours a day, especially doing some cardio work. I have also been around the track and the first thing I have noticed are that it is not very clean and it is very wide. I think it will suit my style of driving. I am a little bit worried about the very hot conditions here in Malaysia as it is very humid. It will be very challenging, but I will push hard for it as I did in Australia, and hopefully finish the race again”. |
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Advani wins world billiards title
New Delhi, March 17 Advani thus became the second cueist, after Malta’s Paul Mifsud, to have both billiards and snooker amateur world titles under his belt, according to information received here today. Currently the national champion, who also held the Asian title, Advani beat Joshi 151-107, 150-57, 150-93, 151-65, 44-151, 151-62, 30-150, 151-68 in the final. This was Joshi’s third straight defeat at the hands of the teenager. Advani had won the IBSF world snooker title in China in 2003. — UNI |
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Rafick plays seven-under
Chandigarh, March 17 Another Kolkatan SSP Chaurasia began his quest for a back to back win as he submitted a card of four under 68 being tied with Digvijay Singh for third spot. The money list winner last year Ashok Kumar along with Arjun Chaudhri, who also had a bogey- free round, finished at the fifth spot submitting a card of three under 69 to finish his day’s play. Current money list leader Mukesh Kumar was tied for the seventh spot along with day-one dynamo Pappan, Vishal Singh, Yusuf Ali, Jaiveer Virk and Chini Ali as they all returned two-under 70 cards. Rafick Ali, currently fifth on the Amby Valley PGAI Order of Merit list, made a good start with a bogey- free round. The Kolkatan Pro came up with seven birdies as he hit birdies on the eighth and ninth holes to finish three under at the end of the front nine. “While playing the back nine I faced a little problem on the 15th hole because of the narrow fairway”, said Rafick. He finished the back nine after firing four birdies on the 10th, 13th, 16th and 17th. “The course is very good and very challenging too. My game today has been satisfactory but the score would have been better if I would not have missed the birdie putts on the second and 12th hole,” added Rafick. Harinder Gupta made his intentions clear to be in the top contenders’ list for the winning cheque as he completed with a total of six under 66 to be one stroke behind the leader. The Chandigarh champ started off his round with a birdie on the first hole followed by subsequent birdies on the sixth and seventh hole on the front nine with three under along with two bogies on the third and fourth hole to make the turn. He also shot an eagle on the par-5 second hole. He finished his back nine with four birdies and a bogie. “I played extremely well today. I was also feeling very confident and my swing and putting also has improved a lot. I hit the ball very well today and also the Chandigarh Golf Club being my home course gave me a lot of confidence,” said Harinder. In a title drought since the Tata Open in November last year the Indian Tiger Ashok Kumar showed immense improvement as he came back with a total of three under 69 to be placed at fifth spot jointly with Noida’s Arjun Chaudhri. Ashok after a troubled front nine with a score of two over, showed a lot of confidence as he hit three continuous birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th hole accompanied by an eagle on the 16th hole. Bhullar and Wahi lead amateur race: Leading amateur golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar finished at the top spot among amateurs along with Raghav Wahi as they submitted cards of one over 73 each. Top Scores: Pros (after 18 holes): Rafick Ali 65; Harinder Gupta 66; SSP Chaurasia and Digvijay Singh 68; Ashok Kumar and Arjun Chaudhri 69; Mukesh Kumar, Pappan, Vishal Singh, Yusuf Ali, Jaiveer Virk, Chini Ali and Sheeraz Kalra 70; Amit Dube, Amritinder Singh, Arjun Singh, Binod Pandey, Dinesh Kumar and Shamim Khan 71. Amateurs (after 18 holes): Raghav Wahi and Gaganjeet Bhullar 73. |
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Chandigarh shooter clinches bronze
New Delhi, March 17 India collected one gold, two silver and as many bronze medals today and now has 11 gold, eight silver and five bronze from the championship — a National Rifle Association of India release said here today. Pemba Tamang was bang on target in the rapid fire pistol event and shot 760.6 (565+195.6) to ensure the gold. Canada’s Melody Igorov (750.6) won the silver while the bronze went to Indian Vijay Kumar who shot 748.3 (564+184.3). Meanwhile, Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore could not beat his trainer Australia Russel Mark and settled for silver in the double trap event. It was a sweet revenge for Mark who was outshone in the men’s double trap team event where Rathore had shot 93, compared to Mark’s 90 earlier this week. But in the individual event today, Mark avenged that and had the last laugh with an impressive shot of 173 (134+39). Rathore (130+38) and Canada’s Casselle Nathan (127+41) were tied for the second place with an identical score of 168. The tie was broked in the fifth station and Rathore pipped his rival to silver. Though her illustrious compatriots Anjali Bhagwat (552) and Kuheli Gangulee (551) disappointed finishing poor 14th and 17th respectively, Meena Kumari shot 661.5 (568+93.5) to win the silver. R. Spicer of England totalled 669.3 (575+94.3) to win the gold while the bronze went to S Sultana of Bangladesh who tallied 656.2 (556+100.2). In women’s air pistol event, Harveen Saro — a first-year student from Chandigarh — bagged the bronze in her first international competition. The promising shooter totalled 472.5 (372+100.5) to finish in the medal bracket behind the Australian duo of Yauhleuskay Lalita (488) and Mackenzie Pamola (484.5).
— UNI |
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Tennis coach L.D. Kapoor dead
He introduced tennis in Chandigarh and it was under his guidance that the courts at the CLTA, Sukhna Lake, the YMCA and Mt Carmel School came into existence. He gave Chandigarh many international and national players. Kapoor had celebrated his 63rd birthday on March 10. After retiring from government service, he was chief coach-cum-director of two famous academies of Chandigarh, i.e, the YMCA Total Tennis Academy and the Mount Carmel Tennis Academy which had over 200 trainees. A large number of trainees converged on his Sector 23 house on learning of his death. Among the over a dozen tennis tournaments organised by him, the latest and the most prestigious was the Indo-Pakistan Friendship Tennis Series in January this year in which players from the two neighbouring countries completed for the first-ever tennis series. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. While the eldest son, Pawan Kapoor, is an international player, the younger, Devender Kapoor, and the two daughters, Asha and Varsha, have the distinction of having played at the national level. His cremation will take place tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Sector 25 cremation ground. |
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Rana Sodhi on Commonwealth Games panel
The apex committee headed by the Chairman, Mr Sunil Dutt, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, will be responsible for the conduct of the Commonwealth Games-2010 and also for coordinating with other sub-committees. The minutes of all the other committees relating to conduct of the Commonwealth Games-2010 will be submitted to the apex committee periodically for its
information. It will have all such powers that would be necessary for giving guidance when required. |
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Chandigarh, March 17
Chandigarh, March 17
