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India keen to finish with a flourish
Kaif, Sehwag get Dravid’s backing
Three to become Test centurions today
U-19 World Cup: 12 bowlers under ICC scanner
Tough task for JCT against Mahindra United today
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Bagan edge out Air-India in NFL
Minister’s kin gets transfer stalled
Samresh’s father unhappy over Himachal Govt’s attitude
Gangjee stays in the hunt
Quitting was my decision, says Rajinder Jr
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India keen to finish with a flourish
Indore, April 14 India’s run of eight successive wins was halted in Jamshedpur, where a determined England pulled off a five-wicket victory, and the home team would now be keen to regain the winning momentum and wrap-up the series with a 5-1 verdict. The return of captain Rahul Dravid will provide the experience in the batting order but the hosts will still be scratching their head on how to handle their two passengers, Virender Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif, who have struggled to come out of a prolong form slump. Although Sehwag has expressed his desire to be rested, it remains to be seen whether the team management gives him a break or another opportunity to rediscover his form. The same holds true for Kaif, who has managed one double figure in his last nine innings. Robin Uthappa is almost certain to make his one-day debut, as he was not given a chance in the last game in Jamshedpur. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being rested, the Indian batting will no doubt lack some depth as his replacement Dinesh Kaarthick does not have the reputation of being as destructive as the Jharkhand swashbuckler. Harbhajan Singh who skipped the practice session today because of a slight niggle may be rested for the match although captain Rahul Dravid said it was not a serious injury. Sitting pretty on a 4-1 cushion, Dravid will continue to experiment keeping with his policy of developing the team. “We are developing by experimenting, which is important to improve youngsters’ skills. We have very good young players who are exciting and talented,” he had said yesterday. After their convincing win in Jamsehdpur, England will go all guns blazing to end the series on a victory note. The smaller ground and batsmen friendly wicket could make a mockery of any target but for the spectators all these ingredients would make a perfect one-day entertainment. Any score a chaseable here and toss would be a crucial factor, curator Samandar Singh Chauhan said. With the mercury soaring to 40 degrees and the dry weather could make life difficult for players of both sides. Heat was also a factor for in the last match and the visitors are still waiting for complete fitness of their heat struck wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Cricket fever in Indore dates back to Holkar era. Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital hosted its first one-day international encounter on December 1, 1983, under the aegis of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, and tomorrow’s face-off at the Maharani Usha Raje Stadium will be the 10th match. Apart from Sachin Tendulkar’s milestone of completing 10,000 runs here, Indore has not proved lucky for the home team. India have lost three encounters and won two at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The Hero Cup match with Zimbabwe was a tie. In other encounters, Australia and South Africa have claimed one victory each. — PTI |
Kaif, Sehwag get Dravid’s backing
Indore, April 14 “Sehwag and Kaif have done well in the past. We know exactly what Sehwag is capable of and we have to get the best out of him,” Dravid said at a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s last and final ODI against England here. “Sehwag has a role in the team and the management and selectors have to pick the best team. Sometimes we need to see some players more,” Dravid said. The Indian skipper, however, did not commit whether Sehwag and Kaif would take the field tomorrow. Sehwag, who is going through serious form slump, had himself suggested at Jamshedpur after India lost the sixth one-dayer that he needed a break. With the series already in pocket, Dravid said it was a huge opportunity for the young players to show their talent. “It is a huge opportunity for young guys, a good chance for them to perform at the international level. We are trying to win every match and to look at the best combination. So it is an opportunity for them to grab and play well,” he said. Dravid also clarified that paceman Ajit Agarkar was not dropped but rested and he was an important part of the ODI side. “Agarkar’s exclusion should not be seen as he has been dropped. It is just that we wanted to give a chance to a young fast bowler. He is very important member of our one-day team. He is going to play a lot of cricket ahead.” The skipper also praised burly off-spinner Ramesh Powar for his gritty performance in Jamshedpur. “It is heartening to have such a player in the team as it gives us more options due to his all round abilities,” he said. Dravid admitted that the top-order needed to fire and praised the middle order for pitching in with useful knocks whenever required. “In the middle order, Raina has come of age, Yuvraj is there, Dhoni is doing well. But yes, we need some more runs from the top order,” he said. He said he could not comment on Karnataka’s Robin Uthappa as he had not seen him playing much. “I haven’t seen much of him myself as I have not played much for Karnataka but selectors have seen him. It is nice to be around the squad because you learn a lot at the international level,” he said. Dravid, who was rested for the last two ODIs, said there were certain gray areas, which the team was looking into. “There are injuries (and) lack of form, especially in the fast bowling department,” he said. Asked whether the team has any long-term strategy in mind with as many as six fast bowlers being packed in the squad, Dravid said they were just looking at the best way to develop them.
— PTI |
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Three to become Test centurions today
Centurion, April 14 Whether Kallis captains the home side will depend on if regular skipper Graeme Smith passes a final fitness Test on his injured ring finger. Smith batted in the nets yesterday and was in some discomfort, but team physio Shane Jabbar was encouraged. “We will treat the finger some more, and then we’ll take a final decision tomorrow,” Jabbar said. Kallis hoped Smith came through, and helped to make his latest milestone match all the more special. “When you play in your first Test, you never really think about playing in a hundred,” Kallis said. “But it is an honour and a privilege, and it will be something to remember in the future. But I won’t be expecting any favours from the opposition because it’s my 100th Test.” Asked for career highlights, he listed his debut against England in December, 1995, and his first Test century against Australia two years later. He needs 160 runs and four wickets to become the first Test player since West Indies great Gary Sobers to reach 8,000 runs and 200 wickets. Pollock was pleased to be marking his 100th Test where he played his first against England. “It certainly is a very proud moment. I’ve really enjoyed my Test experiences,” said South Africa’s most prolific wicket-taker. Pollock, at 32, has given way to the likes of Makhaya Ntini as the team’s strike bowler, but accepted whatever role he was given. He has taken 389 wickets, but claimed only 12 in the six Tests against Australia. Fleming is New Zealand’s longest-serving and most successful captain, who made his Test debut in 1994 against India, and took over the captaincy in February, 1997, in the third Test against England. He owns New Zealand records for the most Tests, most Test runs, and most wins as captain with 27 in 75 Tests in charge. — AP |
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U-19 World Cup: 12 bowlers under ICC scanner
Dubai, April 14 “Those players identified are not eligible for selection for any national team until an assessment by their own board’s bowling advisors confirm either the action is legal or that, although it was illegal, it has now been remedied,” the ICC said in a statement. The ICC, however, did not name the players identified. |
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Tough task for JCT against Mahindra United today
Chandigarh, April 14 Currently placed second with 20 points from six victories and two draws, Mahindra United, under coach Derrick Pereira, are the latest rage in the national circuit. The combination of Brazilian striker Jose Ramirez Barreto and Ghanian Yusif Yakubu has spelt doom for top-notch outfits, including defending champions Dempo Sports Club and former champions East Bengal. Barreto and Yakubu have accounted for 12 of the 16 goals that the team has scored so far. With six goals each, both are among the leading scorers in the current league. Both are not unknown faces in the national league. Barreto earlier played for Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan and emerged as the highest scorer in the NFL in 2000-2001 when he scored 14 goals. Ghanian striker Yakubu achieved the unique distinction subsequently when as a member of Goa’s Churchill Brothers, he was the highest scorer in the NFL twice in succession. In 2001-2002 he scored 18 goals to etch his name in the record books and in 2002-2003 he had 21 goals to his credit, which fetched him the top scorer’s award. Among other notable faces in the ranks of the Mumbai outfit are goalkeepers Subhasish Roy Choudhury and former international Sandip Nandy; deep defenders Mahesh Gawli, Deepak Mondal, and Surkumar Singh, and midfielders Steven Dias, Ghanian David Odeji, and Sushant Mathew, who incidentally scored the equaliser against Bahrain heavyweights Al Muharraq in the AFC Cup in Bahrain on April 11. Former Indian captain S. Venkatesh and international James Singh are also indispensable members of the squad. Mahindra United’s victories in the current league have come against Dempo SC (4-3); JCT (2-1); Fransa Pax FC ( 2-1); Salgaocar SC (2-1); East Bengal (1-0); and Mohammedan Sporting (2-0). The Mumbai outfit have lost only two matches so far. After going down to Sporting Clube de Goa by a solitary goal on home ground on March 26, Mahindra United lost to Air-India 1-2 on April 6. The home matches against Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar were drawn. JCT Mills, who are trailing at the seventh position, have their task cut out. They not only have to keep the marauding Barreto and Yakubu in check but also keep an eye for openings. The mill men cannot afford to miss even half chances and coach Parminder Singh knows that attack is the best form of defence. As such, he will be making optimum use of the talent at his disposal. Recent results have been encouraging. In their last away match, JCT humbled Goa’s Salgaocar SC 3-0 at Goa and a heartening feature was diminutive striker Sunil Chhetri’s return to form as he struck a brace after a long, lean spell. Brazilian striker Marcos Pereira, as usual will be cynosure of all eyes and it remains to be seen whether the return of Rennedy Singh will sharpen the attack. Goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey and defenders Julius Akpele, Daljit Singh and Harish Sharma will have to be extra cautious while opportunist striker Parveen Kumar, the team’s leading scorer, along with Marcos Pereira, who single-handedly demolished Air-India, will have to create openings and exploit the gaps. The role of diminutive winger Baldeep Singh and right-winger Jaswinder may also be crucial. The return of Johnson Banner, who had been sidelined due to injury, is likely to relieve the forward line of pressure. When the two teams last clashed at Mumbai on January 20, Mahindra United won by a narrow 2-1 margin with goals through K. Ajayan and Jose Barreto. Parveen had scored the consolation goal for JCT. Mahindra United, who finished fourth in the NFL last season with 35 points, are eying a podium finish this year although their best showing has been the third position in 2003-2004. As reigning champions in the Federation Cup and runners-up in the Mumbai League and Nadkarni Cup, Mahindra United, no doubt are favourites for tomorrow’s tie but JCT are known for their superb fighting qualities. After all, the mill men have humbled top outfits like East Bengal on this very ground in the past, and every day is a different ball game. The kick-off is at 4.30 pm. |
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Bagan edge out Air-India in NFL
Kolkata, April 14 Bagan’s first goal came in the 10th minute when Hussain found the mark with a rasping shot that gave no chance to Air-India custodian Sundar Rajan. An action-packed second half saw Napoleon Singh convert a penalty to restore parity as he rammed the ball into the
net to the right of Bagan goalkeeper Subrato Pal in the
71st minute. The easiest of set pieces was given after Eduardo was pulled up for an illegal tackle on a rival player.Eduardo regained Bagan’s lead with a smashing header off a free-kick in the 75th minute to make the
scoreline 2-1. Mohun Bagan, who dominated the proceedings throughout the game regaling the home crowd, get back into the running in the NFL after today’s victory. The green and maroons are placed third in the league now. The airmen are still on the eighth position.
— PTI |
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Minister’s kin gets transfer stalled
Patiala, April 14 This decision of the SAI has spread discontent among the coaching fraternity as many believe that Nandlal Thakur, Bilaspur-based SAI kabaddi and kho-kho coach, has managed to “arm-twist” the SAI top brass into getting his transfer order revoked since he is the brother of Himachal Sports Minister Ram Lal Thakur. Despite immense pressure exerted by the coaches on the SAI during the past nine months to take back their transfer orders, the department has refused to listen to them. However, in the case of Nandlal it seems the SAI has bent backwards to see to it that his transfer orders were cancelled. Moreover, Nandlal was posted to Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh), his original place of posting before he was transferred along with other coaches in June last year. Nandlal was one of the 736 coaches who were asked by the SAI to join their new places of posting within 24 hours after the SAI corporate office transferred them on June 30 last year. However, due to protests by the coaches, the 24-hour deadline was extended and the coaches were asked to join their new places of posting by July 20 last year. However, while almost all transferred coaches abided by the order and joined, Nandlal did not join his new place of posting, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalya (JNV), Katihar, Bihar, which falls under the jurisdiction of the SAI’s Eastern Centre at Kolkata. Intriguingly, Nandlal went into “hibernation” for almost seven months. Meanwhile, when he joined at Katihar on February 7 this year, he failed to assign any reason for his long absence and immediately proceeded on six-day casual leave till February 15. Finally, after availing of medical leave, he joined JNV, Katihar, on March 6 and managed to get himself relieved the very next day. In the meantime, the SAI’s Coaching Division, New Delhi, issued a transfer order on February 16, posting Nandlal back to the SAI Training Centre, Bilaspur. When contacted at New Delhi, Mr R.P. Wattal, Director-General, SAI, said Nandlal’s transfer “had not been stalled on any political or administrative grounds”. He said Nandlal had been transferred on “humanitarian grounds since his wife died a few years ago and the coach had to take care of his children”. Mr P.C. Kashyap, Regional Director, SAI Eastern Centre, Kolkata, under whose jurisdiction the JNV, Katihar, falls, refused to comment on the issue. |
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Samresh’s father unhappy over Himachal Govt’s attitude
Nahan, April 14 Recently, Samresh Jung has won five gold, a silver and a bronze medal and his wife won a gold and a silver in the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne. Samresh was also adjudged best athlete of the games. Colonel Jung, while speaking at a press conference held at Paonta Sahib, said his son has not even received a letter of commendation from the HP Government on his success at the Commonwealth Games. Colonel Jung alleged that the state government had not fulfilled its promise to provide a job as DSP to his son despite the fact that the BJP government led by Prof P.K. Dhumal announced it. |
Gangjee stays in the hunt
Beijing, April 14 Gangjee devoured the par-fives with a birdie on each of the four to keep in touch with the leaders with a two-under 70. The 27-year-old Kolkatan was on top of the leaderboard at eight-under, when he was hit by an ugly double bogey and had to settle for an overall six-under 138. Kapur (73) and Ghei (76) were two of the six Indians to miss the halfway cut. Jeev Milkha Singh (69) was lying tied 21st. |
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Quitting was my decision, says Rajinder Jr
Chandigarh, April 14 The Punjab and Sind Bank official said he was not available due to family reasons. “I had even informed the IHF about my problems during the Premier Hockey League in Chandigarh. I somehow continued till I finally told IHF President KPS Gill on the phone on March 30 this year about my non-availability.” Rajinder categorically denied that he was sacked by the IHF. “It was my decision to quit,” the Olympian said. — UNI
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