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Indian juggernaut rolls on
Dravid showers praise on team
Rahul rested; VRV named
in squad |
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Comrades in distress
Zee deal makes BCCI richer by Rs 985 crore
Sania-Huber advance
Bopanna to face Qureshi in opener
Nabi gets suspended one-month sentence
61 athletes tested positive in 2005: WADA
Kapur, Jeev vie for berths
Judoka was murdered by fellow players
FIFA World Cup semis, final
on DD
Basheeru stars in Air-India win
Arrest warrant against Bhutia
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Indian juggernaut rolls on
Kochi, April 6 After relying on the slow bowlers to bundle out the visitors for a modest 237 in 48.4 overs, the home team romped home with 16 balls to spare to record their third series win since October last year. It was a clinical display by the hosts who bowled well on a good batting track before captain Rahul Dravid (65), the in-form Yuvraj Singh (48) and Irfan Pathan (46) played useful knocks to steer the team to the victory target in 47.2 overs and record their eight
consecutive win while chasing. Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the winning shot by taking a single off Gareth Batty to trigger off wild celebrations in the packed galleries at the Nehru Stadium as well as in the Indian dressing room. The victory meant that the remaining three matches of the series have been rendered inconsequential, leaving the Indian team management the option of trying out the bench players. The two teams will now travel to Guwahati for the next match on April 9. India started their chase on a confident note with Virender Sehwag and Dravid negotiating the new ball bowlers with ease to put on 54 runs for the opening wicket in 11 overs. Under fire for his prolonged form slump, Sehwag tried to break the mental shackles with a couple of fluent strokes but once again failed to build on his start, holing out in the deep off Ian Blackwell for 26 which came off 33 balls. Pathan, coming in to bat at number three as he did in the previous tie in Goa, once again justified the faith of the team management in his batting abilities by strewing a 76-run partnership with Dravid. The Indian captain looked in glorious touch throughout his 73-ball knock, cutting and pulling with aplomb. He drove James Anderson for two fours in one over, first driving him on the on side and then unleashing an exquisite square cut. Dravid reached his 69th ODI fifty and seventh against England with a single off Hoggard in 62 balls with the help of six fours. Pathan and Dravid were out to rash shots in the space of three overs when the second powerplay was taken. Dravid was out to a tame catch by Hoggard off Flintoff when he mistimed a drive while Pathan was stumped while going for a huge heave off Blackwell. Even before the Indians could come to terms with the twin dismissals, they received another blow with the struggling Mohamamd Kaif being sent back to the pavilion for 5, India being reduced to 152 for four. Kaif was promoted up the order to enable him to sort out his batting following his disastrous outings in the series so far but the UP batsman failed to make the most of it. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, heroes of India’s 39-run win in Goa, then took the team to within sniffing distance of victory before being dismissed within the space of one ball by James Anderson (2/53) with the score reading 224 in the 42nd over. Dhoni and Ramesh Powar ensured there were no more jitters in the Indian camp by overhauling the target comfortably. Yuvraj Singh, who dismissed Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff, was declared man of the match, his second on the trot in the series. Earlier, the visitors did well to overcome a shaky start and were cruising at 117 for two before they lost wickets in a heap to the slow bowlers to be bowled out in 48.4 overs. Kevin Pietersen top-scored with an 82-ball 77 while Geraint Jones scored a cameo 49 in the only defiance from the visitors on a flat track after Andrew Flintoff (12) won the toss and elected to bat. The efforts of the Indian bowlers and fielders meant England failed to play out their full quota of 50 overs for the fourth time in the series. It was Yuvraj (2/34) who started the slide by breaking the 90-run partnership between Pietersen and Paul Collingwood (36) in the 22nd over as England lost the remaining seven wickets for the addition of just 120 runs. Sehwag, having a nightmarish time with the bat, also chipped in with two wickets while Harbhajan Singh was the most economical, conceding 36 runs off his 10 overs while picking the prized wicket of Pietersen. Scoreboard England Strauss lbw Pathan 7 Prior c Dhoni b Sreesanth 14 Pietersen c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 77 Collingwood c&b Yuvraj 36 Flintoff c Dravid b Yuvraj 12 Solanki b Powar 12 Jones run out 49 Blackwell c&b Sehwag 6 Batty lbw Sehwag 2 Hoggard run out 7 Anderson not out 1 Extras (lb-11, nb-2, w-1) 14 Total (all out, 48.4 overs) 237 Fall of wickets:
1-10, 2-27, 3-117, 4-153, 5-155, 6-172, 7-197, 8-203, 9-231. Bowling:
Pathan 4.4-0-27-1, Sreesanth 5-0-29-1, Agarkar 5-0-28-0, Harbhajan 10-1-36-1, Powar 10-0-41-1, Yuvraj 8-1-34-2, Sehwag 6-0-31-2. India Sehwag c Solanki b Blackwell 26 Dravid c Hoggard b Flintoff 65 Pathan st Prior b Blackwell 46 Kaif c Anderson b Flintoff 5 Yuvraj c Prior b Anderson 48 Raina c Blackwell b Anderson 21 Dhoni not out 10 Powar not out 2 Extras (b-1 nb-7 w-7) 15 Total (6 wkts, 47.2 overs) 238 Fall of wickets:
1-54, 2-130, 3-152, 4-152, 5-224, 6-224. Bowling: Anderson 10-1- 3-2, Hoggard 9-0-59-0, Flintoff 8-0-33-2, Blackwell 10-1-41-2, Batty 8.2-0-41-0, Collingwood 2-0-10-0. —
PTI
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Dravid showers praise on team
Kochi, April 6 “It is a great feeling, everyone has played well. The team had been under pressure at times in the series but we had people who pulled the team out of trouble,” Dravid said after India clinched the seven-match series with a win in the fourth one-dayer. “The important thing is that we had different people who have performed when needed. I am proud of everyone in the squad,” he said. Dravid said the team would continue to play with the same spirit and enthusiasm in the remaining three matches. “We like to keep winning. This is an opportunity to develop the squad and it gives us the option of giving chances to few young boys and see how they go ahead.” Dravid also said he delayed the powerplay option to wear out Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff and it proved to be a successful strategy. “Pietersen is playing well. But these are hot and humid conditions so I just held it (powerplay) back till they were tired.” England captain Flintoff felt that a score of 275 would have given them a chance in the match. He said the failure of batsmen to put up a big score cost them the series. Man-of-the-match Yuvraj Singh, who took two wickets and made 48 runs, said he always enjoyed bowling on turning tracks. “I try to bowl well where wickets help the spinners. Wickets in India suit me, I got the wicket of Flintoff and that put us in the match.”
— PTI Dravid third in Test rankings
Dubai, April 6 After a 1-0 win in the two-Test away series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan gained a rating point and are now placed fourth in the rankings. Pakistan now have 109 point while India are placed third with 111 points. Australia (131) enjoy an 18-point lead on the top of the table over England (113). The bowlers’ list belonged to Pakistan’s new pace sensation Mohammad Asif, who leapfrogged 18 places to 29 after guiding his team to a series win with match figures of 11-71.
— UNI |
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Rahul rested; VRV named
in squad
Kochi, April 6 The selectors included pacer VRV Singh in the only change in the squad that clinched the seven-match series 4-0 with today’s four-wicket victory here. “We will let it be known if there is any change for the last match,” More added. The squad: Virender Sehwag (captain), Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, S Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Venugopala Rao, Munaf Patel and VRV Singh. — PTI
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Comrades in distress
Kochi, April 6 It was on April 2, 2005, that the Delhi batsman made 108 against Pakistan at the Nehru Stadium here. Since then, he has played 37 innings but without a ton. He has scored three half centuries though, against New Zealand (Sep, 2005) in Zimbabwe and South Africa (Nov, 2005) at home and one this year in Pakistan. With the pressure mounting on the 28-year-old to come good, much was expected when Sehwag came out to bat in India’s innings. But once again he flattered to deceive, managing 26 off 33 balls before falling prey to an ambitious shot. Sehwag can cry on the shoulders of another batsman struggling for form in one-dayers — Mohammad Kaif. Kaif’s figures look the more alarming, what with four ducks in his last six outings. — PTI |
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Sachin back home after surgery
Mumbai, April 6 Dr Andrew Wallace performed the surgery at London’s Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth to stabilise Tendulkar’s shoulder joint and reattach a damaged bicep tendon to his upper arm bone. The star batsman was diagnosed with a posterior labrum tear of the right shoulder during the third Test against England in Mumbai last month which ruled him out of the ongoing seven-match one-day series against the tourists. His arm was put in a sling after the surgery. It’s not clear yet whether he would be able to regain full fitness in time for the Indian tour of the West Indies commencing on May 18 for which the squad is set to depart on May 12. The tour, scheduled to conclude on July 4, starts with the five-match one-day series followed by a four-Test rubber. The selectors are expected to meet at the end of the month to choose the squad for the tour.
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Zee deal makes BCCI richer by Rs 985 crore
New Delhi, April 6 Zee clinched the rights — for the period from April 1, 2006, to March 31, 2011 — with an overall bid of $219.15 million (approx Rs 985 crore). The deal will cover a series of one-day internationals to be played by India overseas, outside of the bilateral tours under the ICC Futures Test Programme, which comes to a minimum of 25 matches. “With this deal, the revenues of the BCCI for the next five years will go beyond a billion dollars,” Lalit Modi, Board Vice President and Marketing Sub-Committee Chairman, said while announcing the rights winner. The first of the series would be the two one-dayers against Pakistan to be played in Abu Dhabi on April 18 and 19. The global media rights cover telecast, broadband and radio rights. “Australia, West Indies and England are the other countries that have agreed to play India,” Modi said. “Dubai, Holland, United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are the other venues.” — PTI Zee to sue Lalit Modi
New Delhi, April 6 “We are going to file a defamation suit against Lalit Modi for Rs 50 crore for using filthy and abusive language against Himanshu Modi”, Zee Group Executive Vice-President and spokesperson Ashish Kaul said tonight. The alleged incident happened yesterday when Himanshu Modi protested against a violation by a competitor in the bidding for BCCI’s global media rights for matches at neutral venues in the next five years. Lalit Modi could not be contacted for comments.
— PTI |
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Sania-Huber advance
New Delhi, April 6 In an evenly balanced contest yesterday, Sania-Huber were matched by their opponents shots-for-shots and even faults-for-faults. The first set went the
Indo-Protea pair’s way in which they prevailed 9-7 after being stretched to the tie-breaker, according to information received here. The Spanish girls won the second set 7-6 (8-6) to draw parity. Sania-Huber comfortably sealed the set 6-3 to move into last eight. In the quarterfinals, they meet Nicole Pratt and Bryanne Stewart from Australia. |
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Bopanna to face Qureshi in opener
Mumbai, April 6 Pakistan’s number one player Aisam Qureshi, with a world ranking of 416, would clash with India’s number two Rohan Bopanna (ranking 235) in the first singles match of the best-of-five rubber of the clash between the archrivals, as per the draw done by Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna today. In the second match on the opening day of the tie, India’s number one Prakash Amritraj is to take on Pakistan number two Aqeel Khan. Pakistan sprang a surprise by naming the inexperienced combination of Jalil Khan and Asim Shafik to take on the formidable “Indian Express”, captain Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, in the doubles match to be played on Saturday. In the reverse singles on Sunday, Prakash would clash with Qureshi in the opener to be followed by the last match of the three-day tie between Bopanna and Aqeel.
Asked after the draw of lots whether he was surprised by Pakistan’s decision to field an inexperienced pair against him and Bhupathi, one of the renowned doubles combinations in the world, Paes said, “They can change it one hour before the match.” He also expressed his happiness that Bopanna would open India’s campaign in the tie. “I am happy Rohan gets to play first. Prakash also preferred to play in the afternoon though both were prepared either way,” Paes said. “A Davis Cup match starts once the draw is done. Now we can concentrate on exactly what needs to be done,” Paes said. He expressed happiness that the workload is being divided between four players with him and Bhupathi, winners of a string of Grand Slam doubles crowns, playing on day two. Bopanna, who is a good friend of Quereshi with whom he had played and also won a doubles title a few years ago in the US, said his match against the Pakistan number one “would be a battle of big servers”. Quereshi, who has beaten Bopanna in their only meeting so far in three sets, said it would not count for much in tomorrow’s crucial opening clash. “I have played and beaten him once last year. But the Davis Cup is a different ball game. Playing the opening match does not bother me as last year too I played all my matches first. It does not matter much,” he said. “We are good friends and doubles partners. Definitely the match would be serve-oriented. I am sure the match court would be quick,” he said. Aqeel Khan, Pakistan’s number two player and winner of the men’s singles crown at the nationals in 2004, said he would “depend on my serve and forehand. I have played Prakash before and lost. But Davis Cup is different”. Giving some more inputs on his doubles team members, Shafik and Jalil Khan, Pakistan’s non-playing captain Rashid Malik said that both the players had been doing very well in his country’s domestic circuit but would be making their debut as a combine in the Davis Cup. Both Shafik and Khan have already represented Pakistan in Davis Cup singles play, against Chinese Taipei in February, he added. Schedule: April 7
(10.30 am onwards): first singles: Rohan Bopanna v Aisam Quereshi;
second singles: Prakash Amritraj v Aqeel Khan; April 8 (12 noon onwards):
doubles: Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi v Jalik Khan/Asim Shafik; April 9 (10.30 am onwards):
first reverse singles: Amritraj v Quereshi; second reverse singles: Bopanna v Aqeel Khan. — PTI |
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Nabi gets suspended one-month sentence
Sydney, April 6 Magistrate Charles Rozenscwaja awarded the suspended one-month prison sentence, wholly for 12 months, after he found Nabi guilty of two indecent assault charges of kissing and grabbing while the remaining charge of unlawful assault was withdrawn. The sentence means that Nabi will not serve the term in jail this time but, if found guilty next time, would be automatically liable to the punishment. The ruling does not prevent Nabi, who has been put on the sex offenders’ register in Australia, from leaving the country, implying he could return to India. The Indian masseur pleaded not guilty to the charges but the 16-year-old school girl told the court that Diwan kissed her and grabbed her left breast while she was collecting towels from his room in the Games Village on the morning of March 13. The girl, working for a company sub-contracted by Cleanevent to do some of the cleaning at the Games Village, had said it was her first day of work as a volunteer. The incident happened when the girl was momentarily left alone in the man’s room as the girl’s work partner, a school vice-principal in his 40s, stepped outside to collect a towel.
— PTI |
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61 athletes tested positive in 2005: WADA
Montreal, April 6 WADA said yesterday it tested 3,114 athletes in 40 sports and 119 countries as part of its global out-of-competition doping control programme in 2005. The testing covered world championships in athletics, swimming and weightlifting. In addition to the 61 positives, there were two other anti-doping violations. Of the positives, 32 were for elevated testosterone levels and 16 for steroids. In 2004, WADA conducted 1,848 tests and recorded 19 positives and four other violations. WADA said the rise in 2005 was due to a lower threshold level in testing for testosterone and a “significant increase” in positives for steroids.
— AP |
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Kapur, Jeev vie for berths
Singapore, April 6 Neither has played the British Open, though Jeev qualified for the 2002 US Open and played all four rounds. Amandeep Johl (73) and Rahil Gangjee (77) had a tough task with just one more round to go. The top-three finishers after 36 holes will qualify for the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, from July 20 to 23. The opening-round leader in the 36-hole battle was leukaemia-survivor Jarrod Lyle of Australia, who carded a five-under-par 67. Kapur, last year’s Asian Tour rookie of the year and currently eighth on the UBS Order of Merit, played his way into position but was disappointed to leave shots on the course, missing putts of six feet on the 11th and the 13th. —
PTI |
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Judoka was murdered by fellow players
Hisar, April 6 “One of the killers was jealous of Satyendra for his top positions and also a rival in the 66 kg weight category,” Superintendent of Police (SP) A. S. Chawla told UNI. Without disclosing the names of the killers, he said one of them ran away when the police reached near his house last night in a nearby village. Mr Chawla said both the accused were drunk at the time of the crime. They came in a Santro car along with three other judo players who stayed back in the car while the duo went to Satyendra’s room to commit the crime. One of the five judo players is undergoing training in a camp at Patiala these days. — UNI |
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FIFA World Cup semis, final
on DD
New Delhi, April 6 As per the agreement, reached late last night, DD will telecast the semifinals and finals of the soccer World Cup, Prasar Bharti CEO K. S. Sarma told PTI here. The World Cup is being hosted by Germany from June 9 to July 9. “We have reached an arrangement with ESPN-Star and this will help give DD viewers access to Live action of the climax matches,” Sarma said. — PTI
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Basheeru stars in Air-India win
Mumbai, April 6 A-I’s Nigerian import Basheeru Mohd Abbas provided the star turn for the victors by scoring the first goal in the last minute of the first half and then doing the spadework for the second goal scored in the 58th minute by Paresh Shivalkar. Abbas headed in low to the right of Mahindra custodian Sandeep Nandy off a right cross from Zaheer Abbas to put A-I 1-0 up in the 45th minute of play. A-I got their second goal when Basheeru cut past two rival defenders from the right into the box before laying it on a platter for Shivalkar to find the target (2-0). Mahindra had to wait till injury time for their only goal of the match scored by their Brazilian recruit Jose Ramirez Barretto. Mahindra remained in second place with 20 points on the league table following only their second loss in 10 matches, while A-I remained in seventh spot with their fourth victory in 10 matches that increased their points tally to 13.
— PTI |
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Arrest warrant against Bhutia
Kolkata, April 6 Sadhan Mondal, first Judicial Magistrate of Howrah, directed the Salt Lake police to produce Bhutia on May 20. The national football icon’s luggage was stolen from the Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express on October 31, 2002, and a case was filed with the Shalimar GRP station. Harekrishna Ghorui was arrested on the charge of the theft and Bhutia had been summoned several times for identifying him and to depose in the matter. But as Bhutia had not appeared before the court, a warrant of arrest was issued against him today by the district court. — PTI |
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