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Chance to prove our mettle, says Dravid Rahul Dravid addresses a press conference in Mumbai on Monday prior to the Indian team’s departure for South Africa. — PTI photo
Yuvraj to miss entire SA tour
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Pawar calls up Ashraf to clear the air
Team India disoriented, says Ranbir
Pakistan scent victory
Rly teams march into women’s final
Delhi school clinch Nehru hockey title
Professional boxing body launched
Atwal stars in BSF victory
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Chance to prove our mettle, says Dravid
Mumbai, November 13 Dravid said it was imperative for the established batsmen to score runs during the South Africa tour, which assumes importance with the World Cup round the corner. “We have to adjust to the bouncing ball in South Africa, that will be critical. The batsmen have to show patience. I think the courage and character of the team will be tested,” Dravid told a pre-departure press conference here today. India will play a five-match one-day series and three Tests. “We have not done well in the past few months, but I want to view this tour as a great opportunity,” he said. The captain said the wickets in South Africa would allow the batsmen to play their shots. “The wickets will give us a chance to play shots. On the low and slow wickets here, the backfoot game was taken out. It will give us a lot more options to play our shots”. The Karnataka batsman said the absence of Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of the tour because of a knee ligament injury, would be missed but it would give an opportunity to some other player to prove his worth. “Yuvraj had a great run for the last one and half years, but we cannot do anything about injuries. It will give another youngster an opportunity to put in some good performances,” Dravid said. “We missed Sachin (Tendulkar), Viru (Sehwag) and Harbhajan at some stages. It is always disappointing to lose a key player. Youngsters learn from these opportunities and hopefully when Yuvraj is back, we will have a better team.” Asked whether the additional responsibility of captaincy was affecting his batting, Dravid said, “I am constantly learning, facing new challenges. I have done well as a batsman even when I am captain. I am pretty confident in handling the two roles. “What is important is to score the runs, that applies not only to me but to everybody,” he said. Dravid said the team had worked on the grey areas and was going into the series with a positive frame of mind. “We have worked on the areas which need improvement. We are pretty clear what we need to do. Such tours tend to bring people together and I hope we can play some good cricket.” Coach Greg Chappell, who was also present at the press conference, said the team had the wherewithal to do well in South Africa as the wickets there will favour strokeplay. “We have some players who have done well. The tracks there will give us more options for playing strokes unlike the wickets in the sub-continent. But what is most important is to put the basics together. Dravid felt that despite not having a chance to play any cricket for more than 10 days, all the players were in the groove, having trained with their respective Ranji Trophy squads after India were knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy on October 29. “I have been practising with the Karnataka Ranji team and so have all the other players. We have the batsmen and the bowlers to take on South Africa. The batsmen need to show patience and courage.” Chappell brushed aside the fact that India have not won a Test match in previous trips to South Africa. “History is not going to make much of a difference. We went to the West Indies where we had not won for 35 years and came back with a Test series win. We formulated a gameplan and stuck to it. We need to do the basics well.” Chappell said the series would offer the team a chance to develop as a unit. Chappell sprang to the defence of left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan who has been struggling with his form of late. “Irfan is a young bowler and is still developing. He’s a more than useful all rounder. But he’s just 22 (years old). Not many players have become great at that age over the last 50 years,” he said. The India coach also praised the bowling attack as a whole and said he had been impressed with their progress so far.
— PTI
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Yuvraj to miss entire SA tour
New Delhi, November 13 Yuvraj underwent a fitness test under the guidance of physio John Gloster and Dr Anant Joshi at his residence in Gurgaon near here today after which the BCCI said his injury would be reassessed after eight weeks to ascertain whether a surgery was still required. As of now, no surgery would be done to treat the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on his left knee, sustained while playing kho-kho with team-mates on the eve of India’s Champions Trophy match against Australia last month. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said a rehab programme had been designed to “give the best chance” to Yuvraj to recover in time for World Cup, to be held in the West Indies in March-April 2007. “Following discussions John Gloster had with Dr. Anant Joshi and other associated parties we feel that ACL management plan will give Yuvraj the best chance of being available for the WC 2007 and subsequent series to follow,” he said in a statement today. The plan involves following a non-surgical rehab path initially with constant reassessment. Since the next assessment is slated only after eight weeks, it renders the 24-year-old left-hander unavailable for the South Africa tour, which commences tomorrow and comprises five ODIs and three-Test series. After the eight-week period, a thorough appraisal of the overall stability of the knee would be undertaken and depending on the findings, a decision on whether to pursue conservative management or opt for surgical intervention would be taken, the BCCI said. “We would anticipate that at this point Yuvraj will have returned to running activities and as a result the best indications of the overall stability of the knee can be revealed,” it said. Yuvraj’s availability for World Cup had been questioned by former India physio Andrew Leipus who said ACL injuries take a lot of time to heal and are difficult to treat without surgery. “It will be touch and go for the World Cup (for Yuvraj) because of the length of time it takes to recover from such an injury. My understanding is he will have to undergo surgery as the torn ligament needs to be reconstructed,” Leipus said. Leipus’ statement could ring true because it took almost a year for England paceman Simon Jones to recover from a similar injury. Yuvraj, a key one-day player and crucial to India’s World Cup plans, has amassed 4286 runs from 159 matches at an average of 34.84 and a strike rate of 85.78.
— PTI
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Pawar calls up Ashraf to clear the air
New Delhi, November 13 Pawar held a long telephonic discussion with PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf during the day in the wake of reports that the PCB was unhappy over the allotment of matches for the mega event to be jointly hosted by four Asian countries. “There is no question of any confrontation with the PCB over the allotment of World Cup matches or on any other issue,” BCCI’s Media and Communication Committee Convener Rajiv Shukla told PTI. “Mr Pawar will resolve the issue with Ashraf across the table,” he asserted. Shukla said after having consultations with former PCB chief Shaharyar Khan, Pawar had signed some agreements, but now if there was any communication gap or misunderstanding, it would be sorted out amicably. “We maintain good relations with the PCB and will continue to do so,” he said. Ashraf had taken scribes by surprise at a press conference in Karachi yesterday when he said that it was not finalised if India would host the World Cup final. “I don’t think so that it is final that India would host the final. I don’t think so,” he had said. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were jointly awarded hosting rights of the 2011 World Cup by the International Cricket Council this year and the senior officials of these boards have already held meetings to discuss the share of matches. According to earlier announcements, while India would host 22 matches and the final, Pakistan will have 16 games, Sri Lanka nine and Bangladesh six. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will host the semifinals, while Bangladesh would organise the opening ceremony. — PTI
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Team India disoriented, says Ranbir
Chandigarh, November 13 “The team has gone backward instead of forward since my tenure as the BCCI chief,” said Mr Mahendra, who was here in connection with a function in the Haryana Assembly. He said at present the Indian team was giving the impression of lacking in orientation. “Nowadays, nobody knows which two players will open the batting for India or who will come at the one-down position. Even I cannot tell who are the two opening batsmen for India,” Mr Mahendra said. On the issue of rehabilitation of former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Mr Mahendra said grounds should be prepared by the former cricketer as well as the BCCI for a reconciliation.
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Pakistan scent victory
Lahore, November 13 Yousuf’s 192 helped Pakistan score 485 in their first innings, before they caught the tourists napping at 74-3 at close on the third day at Gaddafi stadium. The West Indies had made 206 in their first innings. The Windies, who need another 205 runs to avoid an innings defeat with seven wickets in hand, now look to their captain Brian Lara who was unbeaten on 28 at close with nightwatchman Fidel Edwards not out on five. Lara, whose first two scoring shots were boundaries, survived some anxious moments before bad light stopped play 20 overs early. The West Indies had a disastrous start to their second innings when Daren Ganga failed to beat a throw by Imran Farhat from square-leg after being sent back by Chris Gayle in the fourth over. Gayle followed his fellow opener as he edged paceman Umar Gul to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal after scoring just 11 to leave the West Indies tottering at 20-2. Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan took the score to 56 when Gul struck again by trapping Sarwan in front of the wicket for 23. However, television replays showed Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva again faltered with the ball hitting the batsman high on the pads. Earlier Yousuf, who was unbeaten 107 overnight, continued his good batting form to pile the agony on the tourists. Yousuf hit 24 boundaries and a six in his 20th Test hundred and added 139 runs for the fifth wicket with Shoaib Malik (69) and another 148 for the seventh wicket with Akmal (78). His eight-hours and 21-minute-long innings finally ended when he missed a
flight delivery from off-spinner Gayle and was stumped by wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin. Resuming at 265-4, Shoaib Malik was caught at short mid-wicket off a miscued on-drive for 69, and in the next over Abdul Razzaq (five) edged Taylor for a regulation catch behind the stumps to leave Pakistan at 285-6. Malik, who missed Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year with an elbow injury, hit 10 boundaries in his 155-ball knock and provided able support to Yousuf after Pakistan lost their way at 140-4 on Sunday. West Indies applied pressure but once again luck deserted them. Scoreboard
West Indies (1st innings) 206 Pakistan (1st innings) Hafeez lbw Taylor 57 Farhat lbw Taylor 9 Younis c Sarwan b Edwards 11 Yousuf st Ramdin b Gayle 192 Inzamam b Mohammed 0 Malik c Mohammed b Taylor 69 Razzaq c Ramdin b Taylor 5 Akmal c Lara b Gayle 78 Nazir c Collymore Gul not out 16 Kaneria c Ramdin Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-8, w-6) 25 Total
(all out, 146 overs) 485 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-45, 3-133, 4-140, 5-279, 6-285, 7-433, 8-444, 9-446. Bowling:
Edwards 26-3-109-1, Taylor 33-7-115-4, Collymore 25-6-63-0, Bravo 20-3-63-0, Mohammed 31-4-98-3, Gayle 10-3-24-2, Sarwan 1-0-2-0. West Indies (2nd innings) Gayle c Akmal b Gul 11 Ganga run out 5 Sarwan lbw Gul 23 Lara not out 28 Edwards not out 5 Extras
(lb-1, nb-1) 2 Total (3 wkts, 21 overs) 74 Fall of wicket:
1-16, 2-20, 3-56. Bowling: Gul 9-1-39-2, Nazir 8-3-27-0, Razzaq 1-1-0-0, Kaneria 2-0-7-0, Malik 1-1-0-0.
— AFP
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Chopra, Ricky prop up North
Kolkata, November 13 Chopra (135 batting) and Ricky (122) stitched together a 214-run partnership for the second wicket as North Zone reached 321 for 2 when the day’s play was called off due to bad light at the Eden Gardens. With eight wickets still intact, North now have a lead of 25 runs over Sri Lanka A, who made 296 in their first innings. Skipper Mithun Manhas (29 batting) was giving company to Chopra at close of play today. The day started off sensationally, with North Zone losing opener Gautam Gambhir (7) in the second ball of the morning without any addition to the overnight score of 51-0. The left-hander, who played sedately yesterday, edged Ishara Amarasinghe’s delivery onto his stumps. Chopra and Ricky, however, poured cold water on the Sri Lankan excitement as they negotiated the initial movement in the pitch successfully before launching the attack. Ricky, lucky to survive on five when his snick of pacer Akalanka Ganegama was dropped by wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva, grew in confidence and the pair took North to 137-1 at lunch. Chopra completed his hundred before the tea break by playing spinner Rangana Herath to deep cover for a couple. The opener took 228 balls to reach the personal milestone, his previous ton in first-class cricket having come in 2003 while turning out for the Board President’s XI against New Zealand.
— PTI
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Fitness vital for longevity: Walsh
New Delhi, November 13 “You got to look after yourself and strike a balance. Match fitness is the best. Then you will last longer; you can survive”, said the genial giant, who was in Delhi today as the “Ambassador at Large” for his country Jamaica on a promotional tour of the 11th World Cup, to be held in the Caribbean islands in March-April, 2007. The 44-year-old icon, who still looks fit like a fiddle, conceded that too much cricket was being played these days which eroded the fitness of the players. “But it is up to the boards to decide how much cricket they want to play so that their bowlers and other players can play to their potential without burnout”, he noted. Walsh said wickets of doubtful character have been affecting the fast bowlers of late, and this trend would be corrected in the coming World Cup. He said the pitches for the World Cup were being re-laid to give it even bounce.
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Rly teams march into women’s final
Jalandhar, November 13 In the semifinals, Central Railway routed Chandigarh 4-0, while Northern Railway thrashed Pepsu 6-0. For Central Railway, the goal scorers were Ranjeeta (15th and 25th minutes) and Sarita (27th and 56th minutes). The Northern Railway-Pepsu encounter was also a one-sided affair. Pritam and skipper Gurpreet Kaur scored two goals each. Balwinder opened the account with a field goal in the third minute. Pritam scored a goal on the rebound from a penalty corner. In the 31st minute, Gurpreet Kaur converted a penalty corner. In the 33rd minute, Pritam scored again. In the second half, Gurpreet Kaur converted a penalty corner (41st minute). In the 57th minute, Ramneek Kaur scored the sixth goal. Tomorrow, in the men’s semifinals, Indian Oil will take on Punjab Police, while Punjab and Sind Bank face Bharat Petroleum. Doordarshan will telecast live the men’s semifinals, the women’s final and the men’s final on DD Sports. The men’s semifinals will begin at 12.30 pm and 2 pm tomorrow. The women’s final will start at 11 am on Wednesday, followed by the men’s final at 1.30 pm.
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Delhi school clinch Nehru hockey title
New Delhi, November 13 Sundergarh forged ahead in the sixth minute when Dharamdas Vengra weaved his way up to score. A minute later, Laxmi Shankar Yadav restored parity for GHPS by converting a penalty corner. Twentysix minutes after resumption, Sajjan Singh put the Delhi school in the lead off a penalty corner while Deepak Kullu quickly pulled back the equaliser for Orissa. Two minutes later, Satish Kumar struck the match winner, and GHPS held on to the slender lead to pocket the top prize of Rs 96,000. Sundergarh got Rs 64,000. Earlier, Government Model School, Chandigarh, fought back brilliantly to defeat Union Academy, Delhi, 4-2 to finish third.
— OSR
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Professional boxing body launched
New Delhi, November 13 The IPBA, launched by former amateur world number four Rajkumar Sangawan, will give chance to boxers to prolong their careers in an alternative set-up. Television personality Charu Sharma is the vice-president and Dronacharya awardee OP Bharadwaj is also extending his services to the association, which will work parallel to the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation.
— PTI
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Atwal stars in BSF victory
New Delhi, November 13 Earlier, Salgaocar overcame State Bank of Travancore 2-0. Julius Akepele and Felix Chimaokwin scored the goals. Seven-time champions BSF and two-time champions Salgaocar will clash for a berth in the pre-quarterfinal on Wednesday.
— OSR
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Hours before embarking on a gruelling tour of South Africa, Indian captain Rahul Dravid advised his team-mates not to be weighed down by their past failures but treat the series as a challenge and an opportunity to excel.
New Delhi, November 13
