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Cabinet backs New Delhi’s bid for 2014 Asian Games
Kotla gets green signal for one-dayer
Mongia relieved
A tale of two captains
Hard to believe that we lost
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We are ready for the contest: Intikhab
Mohali sports complex to come
up this year: Sodhi
Wrestling meet begins
IOC, PSB enter final
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Cabinet backs New Delhi’s bid for 2014 Asian Games
New Delhi, March 29 The Cabinet approval came barely two days ahead of the closing date for
submission of bid documents, which closes on March 31. New Delhi has already hosted the games twice - the inaugural edition in 1951 and in 1982. “Unless the government gives its approval, the bid will not be taken seriously. Therefore, the Cabinet has given the green signal to IOA to make the best possible bid,” Minister of Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy told newspersons after the Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “Substantial sports infrastructure requirement would be met from the infrastructure created for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.’ Apart from strengthening our relationship with participating countries, the XVII Asian Games in New Delhi will enhance India’s prestige. It will help in promoting sports culture in the country and would also improve the quality of sports infrastructure in the NCT of Delhi,” an official statement said. “New Delhi would be the venue as in 2010 it is hosting the Commonwealth Games. For the Commonwealth Games, New Delhi would be creating the infrastructure facilities and will be upgrading them for the event,” Mr Reddy said. IOA President Suresh Kalmadi welcomed the move and said, “Since it (Asian Games) is coming in the backdrop of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, same infrastructure could be used for it.”. The Games are expected to cost $ 150 million. “Maybe, we would need two or three indoor stadiums more,” he added. Mr Kalmadi said that the all the necessary document would be submitted to the Olympic Council of Asia in Kuwait within the next two days. The 2006 Asiad will be held in Doha, Qatar, and the next edition in 2010 will be held in Guangzhou, China. Jordan has already bid for the 17th edition of the Games in 2014 and some other cities are also expected to submit their bids before the deadline closes on March 31. The bid winner would be announced in September. Significantly, President APJ Abdul Kalam, in his address to both Houses of Parliament recently, had spoken about bidding for 2016 Olympic Games. |
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Kotla gets green signal for one-dayer
New Delhi, March 29 And the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) had a 'double delight' when the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Pitches and Grounds Committee chairman Venkat Sundaram also endorsed his approval to the ground as he found no problem with the pitch and ground
conditions. Venkat, after a final inspection of the Ferozeshah Kotla ground today, declared that there was no problem with the pitch and outfield, and there was no problem with the ground either. But it was Shaharyar Khan's "approval" that pleased the DDCA bosses the most as now, they can go ahead with the preparations to receive one of the most well-known heads of states expected to come calling--Pakistan president Pervez
Musharraf. Shaharyar Khan was pleased to see the green ground on which the transplanted grass was slowly setting in and the pitch, which is also looking good, was firming up too. The PCB chief, after a look at the ground, said "seeing is believing as the pitch is ready and the outfield is good". He noted that the construction on the stands would not be completed and the fans would not be able to fill in the stands to the capacity. But he was confident that about 30,000 people would be able to make it, and felt that such a turnout would be good enough too, though he would have liked the Stadium to be filled to its capacity--around 60,000 plus. |
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Mongia relieved
Mohali, March 29 Mongia, who was part of the Indian squad which reached the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa, was at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium practising hard with the Punjab team. Along with batting, Mongia is taking his left-arm bowling in all seriousness. “It (bowling) certainly adds to your utility as a player,” Mongia said. During his stint with an English county last year, Mongia, besides being a successful batsman, was a big success as a bowler. In the County Championship and the Twenty20 Cup, Mongia emerged the most economical bowler. When on song, Mongia is a delight to watch. Capable of playing strokes all round the wicket, Mongia is equally at ease clearing the field with forceful lofted strokes. A veteran of 49 one-dayers, Mongia’s abilities with the willow were on full view when he hammered an unbeaten 159 in the series decider against Zimbabwe at Guwahati in 2002. Having observed Mongia closely during the entire season this year as captain of Punjab Ranji squad, Punjab coach Intikhab Alam looked supremely confident of the abilities of the Punjab skipper. |
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A tale of two captains
If there were any moral winners in the three-match India-Pakistan Test series which concluded at Bangalore on Monday, then undoubtedly it would be Pakistan. And for the visitors their star was their captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who led his team right from the front, marshalling his depleted bowling resources with immaculate skill, motivating the young batting talent in the squad to give their best and, wonders of wonder, even leading the fielding right from the front with sliding stops, a thing he probably had never done ever since he started playing Test cricket in 1992.
In contrast, the Indian team, which on paper was touted as having the best batting line-up in contemporary international cricket, played like novices, first allowing the first Test at Mohali to peter out into a draw after having a stranglehold at the end of the fourth day’s play and then losing the decider in Bangalore. If Inzamam led from the front the Indian captain Saurav Ganguly did not have a clue what had gone wrong with his team in crunch situations. True, the Indians did perform in patches but when the chips were down as in Bangalore the captain did not show the requisite leadership skills to pull him team out of the tight spot. Not only did runs elude the Indian captain’s bat but he could not even motivate his team to play to their full potential, especially on the last day of the third Test at Bangalore when India could not hold on in the 90 overs of play with all 10 second innings wickets in hand. And if the Indians won at Kolkata the effort was more individualistic than any team effort. Take away a couple of individual performances like those of Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid then there was hardly any difference between the two contesting teams. And the 1-1 series result is a true reflection of the strength of the two contesting teams. And if there was at all any differences between the two teams it was Inzamam. In any case, Inzamam was a man under tremendous pressure. His team was touted as the underdogs even before they had landed in India, smarting as they were after the battering they had received at the hands of Australia Down Under just before coming to India. Not only was his star bowler Shoaib Akhtar ruled out unfit, but commentators at home had said even before the team had left for India that it was perhaps the weakest Pakistan team to have taken on India. But then the Multan-born batting star had other ideas. He not only motivated his young players to give their best (which they did) but was able to carry the battle into the Indian camp with devastating effect. In fact, the performance of the two contesting captains gives a picture of the performance of the two teams. While the Pakistani captain was able to stand up to the guiles of all the Indian bowlers, the batting of the Indian captain just could not get going in all the three matches. At times, it seemed he was trying to shield himself from the Pakistani bowlers as in the second innings of the Bangalore Test when he came in to bat after V.V.S. Laxman. But that too did not help India’s cause since Ganguly lasted just 14 balls before being bowled by Shahid Afridi. Inzamam set the tone of the contest with two half centuries in the series opener at Mohali. In his first innings, in which he scored 57 runs, he was willing to play the waiting game as he batted for a total of 159 minutes. In contrast, his second innings 86 came in 150 minutes. The Indian captain, on the other hand, had a score of just 21, a laborious effort which came in 100 minutes of batting before Danish Keneria ended his misery. In the second Test at Kolkata, which India won by 195 runs, Inzamam failed with scores of 30 and 13 in the two innings. But here again, the Indian captain failed to come good on his home ground with scores of 12 and 12. It was at Bangalore where the Pakistani captain showed why he is described as the coolest international captain. His brilliant 184 in the first innings probably set the tone of the huge Pakistani total which played such a deciding role in the Test. In contrast, the Indian captain looked a pale shadow of his former shelf as he went through the motions without anything tangible to show. In the first innings he pottered around for 18 minutes for his one and in the second, when it matted the most, he was at the crease for 16 minutes for his two. |
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Hard to believe that we lost
When we started the fifth day, all was well with Virender Sehwag playing with his usual aggression and confidence. He looked so much in command that the only way he could have got out was through a run out. Sadly for us, that’s exactly what happened and after that things went from bad to worse. Most experts will say that Sehwag’s run out was the turning point of the game. However, Rahul Dravid’s dismissal was equally crucial. He is the kind of batsman who instils confidence in the team and as long as he is in the middle everyone feels assured that things can’t go too wrong. However, once he was dismissed, there was a rapid slide. Everyone who saw the game would know that most of the troubles our batsmen faced were self-inflicted because we retreated too much into a shell. Our over-defensive approach allowed the Pakistan captain to set umbrella fields with more and more fielders close in. I have no answers as to why we went into a shell in the post-lunch session, but that period is what changed the course of the game. To be fair to the visitors, they dominated the game right from the first day. We had a dream start when both the openers fell with the score on four. But after that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan batted wonderfully to take the game away from us. We were targeting Inzamam who is a very dangerous batsman but it was Younis who surprised us with his guts, stroke-play, defence and stamina. That 300-plus partnership is what set the victory up for their team, and even though we made some sort of a comeback on the second day, 570 was a mountain of runs. We did ourselves no favours when our batsmen kept getting out after settling down. Thanks to Sehwag we reached 449 even after batting below our potential. Armed with that huge lead, Pakistan really attacked our bowling, but since our gameplan was to bowl in the rough, our attack was blunted since the emphasis was on keeping runs down rather than on attacking. I would have liked to attack but by the time I came in to bowl, in the 34th over, there was very little left for me to do. I had bowled well in the first innings to claim six wickets, which is why I was even more disappointed that I could not help my team a little more in the second innings, when the Pakistanis were really having a go at us. The Pakistani onslaught meant that I will have to wait a while longer for my 200th wicket. I know that my captain Sourav Ganguly is under a lot of fire from all quarters, but the team is rallying behind him. All he has to do is spend some time in the middle and I’m sure he will come back well in the one-dayers. There is no question about his ability and class, so it’s only a matter of time before Sourav comes out of this trough. I’m not very certain about what happens two weeks from now. The BCCI has appealed to the ICC, and I am awaiting their verdict on the match referee’s report. I will follow whatever guidelines the board sets for me, and I would like to thank them for their support over the last 10 days.
— Gameplan |
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We are ready for the contest: Intikhab
Mohali, March 29 In the absence of regular skipper Dinesh Mongia, who has been chosen for the 14-member Indian squad for first two one-day matches against Pakistan, the mantle of leading the Punjab side facing Railways in the Ranji Trophy Elite group final at the PCA Stadium starting here from tomorrow has fallen on the seasoned Dharmani. This is Punjab’s only second entry to final after they won the coveted title way back in 1993. And if Dharmani can lead his side to victory in the final, Dharmani will leave an indelible mark in the history of Punjab cricket. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dharmani has been a reliable performer with the willow, besides being remarkably agile behind the stumps. With 30 victims behind the stumps in the previous six matches and a string of impressive knocks under his belt, the Patiala-based player looks well aware of the responsibility thrust upon him during the practice session on the eve of the match. “There will be extra burden on him, but he is looking extremely focused and disciplined,” team coach Intikhab Alam said about the key Punjab batsman. It was Dharmani who kept Punjab afloat in the semifinal match against defending champions Mumbai last week. He came up with a match-winning knock of 86 not out when Punjab were in the dumps. In the first innings, when Punjab were skittled out for a meagre score of 125, Dharmani was the highest scorer for the side. “Every player in the team has been assigned a role to play. They have not disappointed as every player has performed in one match or the other,” the former Pakistan skipper said. “Though Railways are a balanced team, we are prepared to give our best,” Alam said, adding that if Punjab players played to their potential, they were sure to emerge winners. The genial coach revealed that three regular seamers — Gagandeep Singh, V.R.V. Singh and Vaneet Sharma — would play in the match, while all-rounder Reetinder Sodhi would be there to lend his useful support. Former leg-spinner Alam said the players were aware of the importance of the contest. The absence of Mongia, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh would provide an opportunity to the youngsters to do well and prove their worth, he stated. “They know that a good performance here can catapult them to the centrestage and put them in reckoning for selection to the national squad,” he remarked. For Punjab, who had been struggling to get past the semifinal stage in the domestic championship, Alam’s contribution, during his first year as a coach with the team, had been immense. Mongia and Dharmani spoke about the excellent man-management skills of the former Pakistan leg-spinner while hailing his knack of getting the best out of each player. Sodhi recalled how the pep talk given by the coach when the team were in a precarious situation in the semifinal match against Mumbai did the trick and resulted in victory for the team. For Punjab, seamer Gagandeep Singh has been in terrific form. By sheer weight of his performance, he had forced his way into the Indian team during the recent Bangladesh series. Seamer Vineet Sharma is a dependable seamer, while young Chandigarh seamer V.R.V. Singh has done well in whatever opportunities he has got so far. In Harvinder Singh and J.P. Yadav, the seamers, and off-spinner Kulamani Parida, Railways have an impressive bowling attack. They, however, will sorely miss the services of wily left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who along with Mongia, figures in the Indian squad for the first two one-dayers against Pakistan. Skipper and all-rounder Sanjay Bangar is a cool customer and can chip in with either bat or ball. In batting, Railways will depend on opener Amit Pagnis, Bangar, T.P. Singh and Yere Goud to put enough runs on the board. If one goes by the record of the Railways this year, an engrossing contest should be in the offing. |
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Aussies rout Kiwis, wrap up series 2-0
Auckland, March 29 In a frantic chase to beat rain and fading light, captain Ricky Ponting blasted an unbeaten 82 at a run-a-ball pace and Justin Langer was on 59 when they reached their 164-run target in the 30th over-under the Eden Park floodlights.
— AFP |
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Mohali sports complex to come
up this year: Sodhi
Chandigarh, March 29 Rana Sodhi said under a new scheme floated by the Sports Department, commercial projects like a starred hotel, multiplexes and showrooms would be constructed along the periphery of the sports complex, situated right opposite the PCA Stadium, and the money so raised would be used for the construction of the sports complex. He was hopeful that around Rs 100 crore would be raised by the sale of these commercial sites. He disclosed that a proposal to this effect had already been sent to the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and he was hopeful that the proposal would be cleared soon. The lease money from these commercial plots would also be used for the maintenance of the sports complex. Rana Sodhi disclosed that the department was also not averse to the BOT scheme in regard to this project, but nobody had come forward to execute the project. “It is because of this that a decision in principle has been taken to sell commercial plots on the periphery of the project,” he said. If executed, this would be the first-of-its-kind scheme in the entire country. Rana Sodhi said the department was constructing a string of rural stadia across the state to promote sports at the grassroot level. While the construction of three such stadia, at Jalandhar, Gurdaspur and Ferozepore, was cleared in the last Annual Plan, this year, three more stadia, including one in Sangrur district, were likely to come up. These village stadia had a 400-metre track, volleyball, kabaddi and basketball courts and facilities for football, wrestling and badminton. These rural stadia would become the focal point for sports in a district, said Rana Sodhi, an international shooter. Together with this scheme, the department was promoting the rural sports club concept at the village level. The government would provide equipment to these clubs while the department would send part-time coaches to impart training to the village youth. To prepare sportspersons for the Indo-Pakistan Punjab Games, the second edition of which was scheduled to be held in Lahore in November or December this year, the Sports Department would start coaching camps very shortly. Rana Sodhi said the department was also planning to send state-level coaches for refresher training abroad, subject to the availability of funds. He would like hockey coaches to be sent to either Holland or Germany, football coaches to Europe and shooting coaches to Italy. This would enable the coaches to further hone their skills. Rana Sodhi said the names for the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards, which had not been awarded since 1996, would be announced by the end of April. The cash prize for these awards, given to 15 persons annually, had been raised from Rs 21,000 to Rs 1 lakh per head. From this year, the Raja Balendra Singh Award would be given to the best sports promoter of the state. The cash prize for this award would be Rs 1 lakh. |
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Wrestling meet begins
Alamgir, March 29 |
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IOC, PSB
enter final
Hyderabad, March 29 PSB rallied from one goal down to beat Services 2-1 for a place in the final. Chandrasekhar Xalxo scored for Services before Navpreet Singh netted twice to give PSB a hard-fought win. Deepak Thakur and Prabjot Singh both struck twice for IOC while Dhanraj Pillay netted the lone goal for Indian Airlines. — PTI
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In video (
Even 24 hours later, I can’t believe that we lost the Bangalore Test in such a disappointing manner. It was a case of everything going wrong for us – from the luck factor to our own gameplan, while everything went right for the Pakistanis.
