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Inept batting display costs India series
We were a bit too defensive, says Ganguly
Tendulkar surpasses Gavaskar
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I attended meeting as ICC Director, claims Dalmiya
Aussies tighten grip on Test
Kanwalpreet suspended
for two years
India hold Germany
Bhupathi wins in doubles; Paes bows out
Delhi Govt to help DDCA speed up work
Athletic circuits at Patiala, Ludhiana
Karate-Do team announced
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Inept batting display costs India series
Bangalore, March 28 The Indians, facing a daunting target of 383 for a victory, seemed to be weighed down by the target and paid a heavy price for their defensive approach as they were bundled out for 214 with just six overs left on a pulsating fifth day at the M Chinaswamy stadium. After a promising start when Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir put on 87 runs for the opening stand, the hosts seemed to bring down the shutter a little prematurely after the in-form Sehwag's dismissal. And the resulting defensive tactic backfired on a pitch of variable bounce as they suffered a middle order collapse. From 164 for seven, the lower order, led by Anil Kumble (37 no) waged a courageous battle but their efforts went in vain and the end came with six overs remaining in the day's play. It was a fantastic Pakistani team effort with Shahid Afridi (3-13) delivering the crucial blows, taking the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. Mohammad Sami (2-84) and Danish Kaneria (2-46) kept coming back at the Indians with accurate and probing spells while off spinner Arshad Khan, in his comeback match after four years, pitched in with 2-21. The memorable win helped Pakistan level the series and shed the underdog tag attached to them at the start of the tour while the Indians let go an opportunity to become the second highest ranked team for the first time ever. A draw would have put them on par with England, instead they now remain in the third place in the ICC Test team rankings.
If only one of the big guns had fired. As it were, the quartet of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman could muster just 39 runs between them. Tendulkar (16) in the process became India's highest run-getter surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's aggregate of 10,122 when he reached five. But for Dravid (16), it was another extreme from scoring two separate centuries for the second time in Kolkata. Kumble waged a lone battle towards the end with a counter-attacking 37 that came from 52 balls with seven fours. Although the number of overs remaining for the day kept dwindling to add to the gripping climax, the Pakistanis new the prey was bleeding and it was a matter of time the kill was completed. Younis Khan, with a record double century in the first innings, was named man of the match. It would have been of little consolation for Sehwag that he was adjudged Man of the Series after his innings was cut short by wrong calling by his opening partner Gautam Gambhir. Shahid Afridi (2-10) struck twice in the post lunch session to derail the Indian innings. Pakistan got their first breakthrough when Sehwag (38) was run out by a direct hit by Abdul Razzaq in the morning session. Resuming at 25 for no loss, India made a cautious start. But it was not long before Sehwag opened his shoulders and launched into the rival bowling. Sehwag hit three successive fours of Razzaq in his second over and an uppish off drive off Danish Kaneria beat the mid off fielder. Sehwag was beginning to collar the Pakistani attack when the run out came against run of play. Gambhir called for a single after nudging Kaneria to mid on. But when he sent Sehwag back, it was too late and Razzaq's accurate throw knocked down the stumps at non-striker's end, much to the relief of his teammates. Sehwag's 38 came from 53 balls, spanned 104 minutes and contained six fours. Gambhir reached his second career 50 with a single off Kaneria. But in the second over after lunch, he was adjudged leg before to Mohammad Sami. Ten runs later, Rahul Dravid prodded at off spinner Arshad Khan, and Younis Khan at silly point plucked out of thin air a sharp reflex catch. Afridi then trapped VVS Laxman (5) plumb in front with a faster one before he left captain Sourav Ganguly (2) in disbelief with a huge leg break that knocked his off stump. Tendulkar remained on five, the runs he needed to go past Gavaskar, for 55 minutes before he turned Kaneria down to third man. The Mumbai batsman was reprieved when Asim Kamal failed to hold on to a catch at forward short leg when Tendulkar was caught off guard by a rising delivery from Sami. Kamal, however, made amends for it as he made no mistake the second time when Afridi forced a bat-pad catch from the master batsman. The Pakistani spinners bowled a tight line and length. At one stage, Kaneria continuously bowled five maiden overs. The field set up was attacking too, eight men around the bat in umbrella formation. Pathan was somewhat unlucky when his straightforward defence to Arshad Khan bounced off his boot to Youhana at silly point. Although he was out for zero, his association with Kumble for the eighth wicket was worth 25 runs. Harbhajan Singh (8) lasted 22 balls before Kaneria had him caught by Younis Khan. Kumble chose attack as his mode of defence but Pakistan cleverly concentrated on the other end. Kaneria brought the curtains down on a thrilling encounter when he had Balaji (0) leg before. Scoreboard
Pakistan (1st innings): 570 India (1st innings): 449 Pakistan (2nd innings): 261 for 2 decl. India (2nd innings): Gambhir lbw b Sami 52 Sehwag run out 38 Dravid c Younis b Arshad 16 Tendulkar c Kamal b Afridi 16 Laxman lbw b Afridi 5 Ganguly b Afridi 2 Kaarthick b Sami 9 Kumble not out 37 Pathan c Youhana b Arshad 0 Harbhajan c Younis b Kaneria 8 Balaji lbw b Kaneria 0 Extras (b-8, lb-8, nb-5, w-10) 31 Total (all out in 89.5 overs) 214 FoW: 1-87, 2-108, 3-118, 4-127, 5-135, 6-164, 7-167, 8-189, 9-210. Bowling: Mohammad Sami 21-5-84-2, Abdul Razzaq 13-3-34-0, Danish Kaneria 24.5-10-46-2, Shahid Afridi 17-7-13-3, Arshad Khan 14-8-21-2.
— PTI |
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We were a bit too defensive, says Ganguly
Bangalore, March 28 "With just one wicket down at lunch we did not think we will lose nine wickets. But we were a bit too defensive after lunch and Pakistan bowlers did a very good job," Ganguly said after India lost the third and final Test by 168 runs. Chasing a target of 383 runs, the hosts went into lunch at 102 for one but then wickets continued to tumble at regular interval as the Indian innings folded at 214. Asked to comment on the wicket, Ganguly said the pitch was good even on the fifth day and gave full credit to the opposition. "It was good wicket. It was a bit up and down but that is expected on the fifth and final day but it was surely not unplayable." On India's game plan going into the final day, the Indian skipper said they had decided to just go in and bat and not worry about the target. Ganguly said the upcoming one-day series would also be a close encounter as the pitches would be flat and added that they would try and give their best. Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq was visibly elated with his team's performance and gave full credit to his bowlers and vice-captain Younis Khan for the win. "The boys worked really hard and showed tremendous character, especially Younis, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami and Shahid Afridi," Inzamam said. Inzamam, who became the first Pakistan captain to lead his team to victory in his 100th Test match, said this tie was special for him as he not only scored a century but more importantly his team won and levelled the series. He said they were hoping to take at least two to three wickets in the first session but were a bit unlucky and could manage only one. "But then the bowlers came back really well and we could finish off the Indian innings," he added. Man of the Series Virender Sehwag said he was very disappointed with the loss and added that individual performances do not matter if the team goes down. The opener said he was at ease in the middle and was in fact eyeing the target of 383 while he was batting. "In my mind I was going for the target. I was playing well but was unfortunate to be run out," said Sehwag, who made 201 in the first innings. On the pitch, Sehwag said the onus was on the batsmen to cope up with it. "It was an easy wicket for those who were willing to play their natural game." Man of the match Younis Khan thanked the entire team for their support and added the series taught him how to handle pressure. "It will go a long way in helping me improve my game." — PTI
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Tendulkar surpasses Gavaskar
Bangalore, March 28 Tendulkar, who was four runs short of Gavaskar’s mark when he went into bat in India’s second innings, struck a boundary off fast bowler Mohammed Sami to be on par with the former captain. He surpassed Gavaskar with a single off the bowler’s next over. Tendulkar, playing his 123rd Test, had gone past West Indian Brian Lara’s aggregate of 10,094 runs in the first innings. The Mumbai batsman, became the only fifth batsman ever in the game’s history to score 10,000 runs or more in the second Test in Kolkata last week. He is now third in the all time list with only former Australian captains Allan Border (11,174) and Steve Waugh (10,927) ahead of him.
— PTI |
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Inzamam slapped one-Test ban
Bangalore, March 28 Inzamam, who achieved the rare feat of leading his team to victory in his 100th Test, was also fined 30 per cent of his match fee by ICC referee Chris Broad after the team’s 168-run victory at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. The Pakistan captain was lucky to escape a ban for his team’s slow over rate on their tour Down Under recently. Broad was the match referee then, too. Inzamam would now miss Pakistan’s first Test against the West Indies in the Caribbean in May this year.
— PTI |
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Laxman dropped
Bangalore, March 28 Also not to make it to the 14-member team was leg-spinner Anil Kumble, but the Karnataka bowler’s omission was due to injury rather than cricketing form. The team: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Laxmipathy Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik.
— PTI |
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I attended meeting as ICC Director, claims Dalmiya
Chennai, March 28 In an affidavit in response to contempt proceedings initiated against him for attending the March 17 executive board meeting of the ICC, Dalmiya contended that he attended the same as an ICC Director. On Jaunary 25, the civil court judge Mohideen Pitchai restrained the BCCI from nominating Dalmiya as its representative to any ICC meeting. The interim restraint was ordered by the judge on a suit filed by the city based Sir Theagaraya Recreation Club. Dalmiya’s affidavit was in response to the notice issued to him by the judge on March 18 on a contempt application filed by the club against him for attending the meeting held a day earlier. The judge also issued a notice to BCCI Secretary S.K. Nair. On March 24, the judge issued notices to ICC chief Ehsan Mani and BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra after ICC spokesman Brendan McClement claimed that Dalmiya attended the meeting as a representative of the BCCI. Appearing for Mani, senior counsel Sidhartha Shankar Ray sought further time to file a counter, stating that the notice reached the client only yesterday. The judge then adjourned the case to April 12. Later talking to mediapersons, the club’s counsel, senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram, said a letter would be despatched today to Dalmiya, asking him to substantiate his claim. She pointed that in his affidavit, Dalmiya had not given any proof that he attended the meeting as ICC Director and not as representative of the BCCI. Contending that the civil court’s January 25 order only restricted BCCI’s adjourned annual general meeting or any further adjournment from appointing him as its representative to ICC meetings, Dalmiya said the scope of the original suit was limited and restricted only to the meeting of January 14 last for any adjournment thereafter. He said upon conclusion of the meeting, the relief in the suit itself had become infructuous and consequently, the interim application had also become infructuous. “Therefore, the scope of the proceedings could not have been extended beyond the AAGM,” he claimed. In October 2001, he had assumed office of the Director of the executive board of the ICC and of ICC Development, representing the BCCI. He was still holding the post, Dalmiya said and clarified that it was in this capacity that he attended the March 17 executive committee meeting of the ICC. Besides, he said, the judge’s order had been challenged in the high court and was still pending. — PTI
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Auckland, March 28 A typical Gilchrist assault carried Australia to 383 in their first innings, a lead of 91. Then McGrath had New Zealand on 11 for two in their second innings, still trailing by 80 runs and with openers Craig Cumming and James Marshall back in the pavilion. A stop-start day with four stoppages for rain and bad light failed to deter an Australian side determined to ram home their dominance after winning the first Test inside four days and being denied by rain from taking the second. Gilchrist continued his summer assault on New Zealand’s bowlers and was unbeaten on 60 from 62 balls when Australia’s first innings ended. The onslaught included 10 fours and a six, and shattered New Zealand when they thought they had a chance of getting back in the game. New Zealand 1st innings: 292 Australia 1st innings: Langer b Franklin 6 Hayden lbw b Franklin 38 Ponting c McCullum b Astle 105Martyn b Wiseman 38 Clarke run out 22 Gillespie c McCullum b Martin 35Katich c Wiseman b Franklin 35Gilchrist not out 60 Warne c Fleming b Franklin 1Kasprowicz b Franklin 23 McGrath c McCullum b Franklin 0 Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-9) 20 Total (all out, 118.1 overs) 383 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-84, 3-187, 4-215, 5-226, 6-297, 7-297, 8-303, 9-377 Bowling: Martin 21-4-92-1, Franklin 26.1-3-119-6, Astle 21-7-50-1, Vettori 19-4-47-0, Wiseman 31-7-64-1. New Zealand IInd innings Cumming lbw b McGrath 0 Marshall c Langer b McGrath 3 Marshall batting 3 Fleming batting 1 Extras (lb-4) 4 Total (2 wkts, 4.5 overs) 11 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-9 Bowling: McGrath 2.5-0-7-2, Gillespie 2-2-0-0. — AFP
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Kanwalpreet suspended
for two years
New Delhi, March 28 Thakur had to be hospitalised after he was beaten up by Kanwalpreet during a Super League match in the Ranjit Singh tournament between Punjab Police and Indian Oil in Delhi. “After the incident we had got the report as well as the recommendations from the tournament committee. Going through the matter, IHF President K.P.S Gill suspended the player for two years,” IHF secretary K Jothikumaran told PTI over phone from Hyderabad. Deploring the incident, Mr Jothikumaran said teams like Punjab Police would be asked not to encourage such acts of indiscipline. “We will be writing to the department not to encourage such acts. This is highly deplorable,” the IHF Secretary said. Kanwalpreet has already been barred by his employers Punjab Police for six months over the incident. Thakur had suffered a nasal fracture and hand injuries and had to spend a couple of days in a Delhi hospital following the assault at the Shivaji Stadium on Feburary 25. Mr Jothikumaran said the IHF was also investigating into claims made by another IOC player Vikramjit Singh that he was beaten up by Punjab forwards Gagan Ajit Singh and Daljit Singh after a match between the two sides at the senior National Championships in Hyderabad yesterday. Vikramjit had accused the two players of hitting him with a hockey stick near the players’ dressing room after Punjab’s 0-2 loss in a Super League match. “We had an inquiry after the tournament director Peter Menses gave his recommendations. Both the teams and the players presented their cases before the technical committee,” he said. Jothikumaran, however, did not reveal the outcome of the hearing. “This is what I can say at this moment and nothing more than that.”
— PTI |
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Kuala Lumpur, March 28 The Prabodh Tirkey-led Indian team conceded the lead in the 18th minute and trailed for most part of the match before a goal against run of play in the 66th minute by Sandeep Singh earned them a point. India, the defending champions, won 3-1 against South Korea yesterday. Today’s game saw the first half being lashed by heavy rain, with players from both teams concentrating mainly on midfield play. The first goal of the match was scored by the Germans in the 18th minute through a penalty corner. The second half was dominated by the Germans, who displayed exquisite stick work and seemed totally in control. An equaliser from India came four minutes before the end of play with full back Sandeep Singh scoring through a penalty corner. “We are lucky to survive today’s match. It has been a good lesson for the boys,” a relieved coach Harendra Singh said after the match. Singh added that full back Ajmer Singh and goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza showed their brilliance to ensure that the Germans did not score any more goals in the second half. “The Germans dominated the second half completely, we are lucky to get a goal,” he said. Teams from India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Germany, England and South Korea were taking part in this tournament. The Germans lost to England yesterday 4-3, while the match between Malaysia and Pakistan ended in a goalless draw. Singh said the tournament would serve as a good platform for the forthcoming junior World Cup, to be held from June 29 in Rotterdam, Holland. “The boys will know where they stand at the end of this tournament which is like a mini-World Cup,” he said. — PTI
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Bhupathi wins in doubles; Paes bows out
New Delhi, March 28 Fifth seeded Bhupathi and his Australian partner defeated Jiri Novak and David Rikl of Czech Republic 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 in their opening round of the $ 3,450,000 Tier 1 event, according to information received here today. Paes and Zimonjic, the seventh seeds, lost after a tough three-set battle against Jose Acasuso of Argentina and Nicholas Lapentti of Ecuador. They went down 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (10-8) 3-6.
— PTI |
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Delhi Govt to help DDCA speed up work
New Delhi, March 28 The match has received world-wide attention as Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is expected to watch the match. Mrs Dikshit and Municipal Commissioner of Delhi Rakesh Mehta today inspected the stadium and promised the DDCA officials that no effort would be spared to get the bureaucratic tangles unknotted for the smooth conduct of the match. Mrs Dikshit said the DDCA and the MCD will work hand in hand to get the necessary formalities cleared for hosting the ODI as the stadium, under renovation, would not be fully complete when the match is hosted. |
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Athletic circuits at Patiala, Ludhiana
New Delhi, March 28 The following are the venues and dates of other events: Throws and pole vault competitions (all age groups): May 9-10 in Delhi; 1st National Domestic Athletics Circuit: May 17 in Delhi; National Youth (Under-18) Championship: May 18 to 20 in Bangalore; Federation Cup National Athletics Championships for seniors: June 1 to 3 in Delhi; National Inter-State Athletics Championship for seniors: July 3 to 6 in Bangalore; Combined Events Competitions (all groups): August 1 and 2 at SAI Centre, Bangalore; South Zone Junior Athletics Championships: September 19 to 21 at Cochin; West Zone Junior Athletics Championships: September 22 to 24 at Bhopal; East Zone Junior Athletics Championships: September 22 to 24 at Gaya (Bihar); 3rd National Inter-District Athletics Championships (sub-junior): October 3 to 5 at Kurukshetra; National Inter-Zonal Junior Athletics Circuit: October 31 in Delhi; Federation Cup National Athletics Championships for juniors: November 5 to 7 at Ernakulam; National Open Athletics Championship: November 25 to 29 in Hyderabad; National Junior Athletics Championships from November 25 to 29 at Coimbatore; National Cross Country Championships on Feb 5 at Pune; Federation Cup National Cross Country Championship: Feb 26 at Munnar (Kerala). |
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Karate-Do team announced Ambala, March 28 In sub-junior boys, Saurabh, Rajat Jain, Deepak Rathi, Deepak and Sunil Rathi have been selected. In sub-junior girls, Itisha, Jagriti, Priti Vats and Anuradha have been selected. In junior boys, Indersain Tak, Naveen Kumar, Rajesh Kumar and Ashok Dangi have been selected while in junior girls, Rekha has been selected. In senior men, Vikram, Vinay Kumar and Shiva Panchal will take part in the championship, Vimal and Mahinder Kaur white in senior men category, have been selected. |
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Wrestling meet
Alamgir, March 28 |
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India beat England in
Women’s World Cup
Durban, March 28 Chasing a modest target of 140 runs, the Indians had a disastrous start as they were reduced to 35 for 3 in 20 overs before Chopra (64 not out) and Dhar (42 not out) took them to victory with 4.1 overs to spare.
— PTI
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Anand routs Leko
Monaco, March 28 After a wonderful start that fetched him as many as nine points from first 10 games, the Indian ace hit a temporary low against Russians Alexander Morozevich and Evgeny Bareev and could muster just 1.5 points in four games against them.
— PTI |
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