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India survive Shiv scare
A hard-fought win
Asif, Kaneria put Pak on top
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Aussies thrive on Kiwi largesse
Mixed luck for Paes
Anand bows to Topalov
Kapur freezes at finish line
PAU Academy boys in semis
JCT wary of Ranti Martins as Dempo eye win
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India survive Shiv scare
Nagpur, January 21 Under enormous pressure to arrest their sliding fortunes in ODIs of late, the hosts rattled up a record 338 for three on a placid track and managed to stop the Caribbeans at 324 for eight to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series at the VCA stadium. Shivnarine Chanderpaul cracked an unbeaten 149 off 136 balls and almost took the game away from the hosts in the high-scoring encounter which entered the record books for the highest run aggregate of 662 in an ODI match in India. The visitors needed 20 runs in Sreesanth’s last over but it turned out to be a tough ask as they managed just six much to the relief of a capacity Sunday crowd which witnessed a real batting feast. It turned out to be a triumphant return for comeback man Ganguly who missed his century by a whisker but proved that he still had plenty of cricket left in him, unleashing a barrage of strokes on both sides of the wicket. Put into bat, India’s new left-handed opening combination of Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir (69) provided a flying start with a 144-run partnership while Mahendra Singh Dhoni (62 not out) and Rahul Dravid (54 not out) also chipped in with rollicking knocks. The two teams will now travel to Cuttack for the second game to be held under floodlights on Wednesday. Chanderpaul scored his fifth century and opening the innings with Chris Gayle (52), kept the West Indies in the fight till the end but the required run-rate kept climbing steadily and the West Indies fell short in the end. West Indies seemed in with a very good chance after Chanderpaul and Gayle put on 80-run opening partnership in 12.1 overs. Chanderpaul then partnered with skipper Brian Lara, who made 31 off 23 balls with two sixes, for a quickfire stand of 66 runs in 44 balls. Tendulkar, utilised as the fifth bowler by Dravid, deceived Lara by bowling wide of his off stump when he saw the rival captain stepping out to loft him for a six and was stumped by Dhoni. Chanderpaul lost his partners steadily at the other end but mounted an all-out late assault on the Indian medium pacers Ajit Agarkar and S. Sreesanth, but finally it all came to nought. The left-hander stepped up the tempo and took his team close to needing 64 runs in the last five overs. But it all went in vain when requiring 49 off the last three overs, West Indies managed to get 34, mainly because of Chanderpaul's buccaneering innings. India, who lost to the West Indies 1-4 on their previous bilateral series in the Caribbean and lost 0-4 on the South Africa tour to the home team, thus scored a morale-boosting victory in the lead-up to the March-April World Cup. Ganguly, coming back into the one-day fold after a gap of 15 months, thrilled the crowd with his strokes before missing what would have been his 23rd century by a whisker through a run-out. He also put on 144 and 70 runs for the first two wickets with fellow-opener Gautam Gambhir and a subdued Sachin Tendulkar (31) to provide the early stability to the Indian innings. Consolidating on this strong beginning, skipper Rahul Dravid and Dhoni got involved in a rollicking fourth wicket stand to power India to their best total against the West Indies and fell short of the highest score at this ground by only 12 runs. India’s highest ever against the visitors was 325 for five at Ahmedabad in 2002-03 and the highest at this ground was 350. The left-handed Bengal stalwart and former skipper, playing his first ODI since the final against New Zealand in the tri-series in Zimbabwe in September 2005, exquisitely timed the ball and hit three sixes and 11 fours before he was unfortunately run out while scampering for a quick run at the non-striker's end. Gautam Gambhir, coming in to open the innings in place of out-of-favour Virender Sehwag, made a stylish 69 in 76 balls studded with ten fours. Ganguly and Tendulkar kept the pressure on the West Indies, scoring 70 in 78 balls. The splendid foundation was taken full advantage of by Dhoni, who blasted 62 off only 42 deliveries with four sixes and three fours. Dravid joined in the party and hit three sixes. The fourth wicket duo put on 119 in 71 balls and help India add 112 runs in the last 10 overs. India thus bettered their previous best score of 325 for five, made in 2002-03 at Ahmedabad, against the West Indies. Scoreboard India Ganguly run out 98 West Indies Gayle c Dravid b Harbhajan 52
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India began their run-up to the ICC World Cup with a hard-fought win over the West Indies. The win was even more significant for the way the Indians kept their cool in spite of the challenge by the West Indies batsmen, as they chased a massive total put up by the Indians. Their challenge was set back when their skipper Brian Lara was out-thought by Sachin Tendulkar, and was smartly stumped by Dhoni.
After that, the West Indians didn’t really have any player to stay with Shivnarine Chanderpaul as he played one of the finest innings seen in one-day cricket. It was a close shave in the end for the home team, but that’s the best way to begin a campaign where not only one’s skills are tested but also one’s temperament. The Indians owe a big thanks to their opening pair of Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir, who put on a big partnership and gave the team just the kind of electrifying start that is needed in limited-overs cricket. Both Gambhir and Ganguly were making a comeback to the Indian ODI team, and both batted as if they were never away from the team. Gambhir, in the past, has not helped his cause by being a tad too impetuous and trying to score a boundary every ball, but here, he seemed a lot more patient without wasting a scoring opportunity. What can one say about Ganguly, other than the fact that he is silencing all those who doubted he had an international career left. He was superb as he carved the Windies bowling as only he can. If this knock doesn’t prove that there was injustice done to him in omitting him from the limited-overs squad, then nothing will. The way he has returned to the Indian team, it could well be a massive irony if his batting and occasional bowling make India rediscover their winning ways and thus end up saving the job of the person who has tried every trick in the book and some underhand ones, too, to finish the prince of Kolkata’s career. The Nagpur pitch was pretty much a son-in-law one, and the son-in-law also enjoyed himself, as did Dhoni and Tendulkar, who showed that if they had more overs to bat, then they, too, could have got more runs and provided more entertainment to the goodly crowd. The little champion batting in the middle-order is a good move by the team, as in the absence of Yuvraj, they don’t have a batsman capable of the finishing touch. Of course, Tendulkar’s centuries have come as a top-order batsman, and so he may well prefer to be at the top than wait his turn to bat in this form of the game. The West Indians never wilted under the burden of chasing such a mammoth total, and they had Chanderpaul to thank for taking the fight right to the Indians. India will be breathing easy, but they know that even at home, it may not be as easy as it has been in the past.
— PMG
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Asif, Kaneria put Pak on top
Port Elizabeth, January 21 Opening bowler Asif took five for 76 and leg-spinner Kaneria claimed four for 105 as South Africa were bowled out for 331 in their second innings. Jacques Kallis made 91 for South Africa. No other batsmen could make a half-century although there were useful contributions down the order, including a last wicket stand of 41 between Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini. Asif, Kaneria and Mohammad Sami had to carry a heavy bowling load because of the absence of injured fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. Asif sent down 38 overs and Kaneria 51.2, while the less successful Sami bowled 29. Scoreboard South Africa (1st innings)
124 Pakistan (1st innings) 265 South Africa (2nd innings) Smith c Inzamam b Asif 10 Pakistan (2nd innings) Hafeez not out 8
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Aussies thrive on Kiwi largesse
Sydney, January 21 Man-of-the-match Clarke was dropped twice in his 75 and Hussey escaped a run-out chance in an unbeaten 65 that guided Australia to their victory target of 219 with eight balls to spare. Australia’s win was their fourth from as many matches in the triangular competition that includes England and left New Zealand winless after the games. New Zealand got themselves into a position to threaten Australia but squandered their chance with sloppy fielding. Earlier, Craig McMillan smashed 89 to help the Kiwis recover from a disastrous start and post a respectable score of 218. — Reuters
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Melbourne, January 21 On a day when Russian seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina were also hustled out, Lucie Safarova played the match of her life to shatter Mauresmo’s title hopes in the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3 win. As the 19-year-old Czech sealed the defending champion’s fate after 89 minutes and held her arms aloft to lap up the applause from the hollering fans, a forlorn Mauresmo was left to digest her worst showing in Australia since losing in the fourth round in 2001. Shahar Peer continued a day of upsets by becoming the first Israeli woman to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam when she humbled third seed Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2. Seventh seed Dementieva’s fragile serve was once again exposed during a 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Czech Nicole Vaidisova, who at 10th is now the highest seed left in the bottom half of the draw. Serena Williams lived up to her status as a dangerous floater as she claimed the scalp of in-form 11th seed Jelena Jankovic with a 6-3, 6-2 hammering. In the men’s section, the youthful exuberance of Serbian tyro Novak Djokovic proved no match for the touch and finesse of Roger Federer. The defending champion never allowed the hyped contest to get out of hand and rolled over the 19-year-old 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round. Safarova’s boyfriend, 13th seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, demolished Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the last 16. Federer’s potential semifinal opponent, sixth seed Andy Roddick, ensured coach Jimmy Connors would not have to endure a wasted trip by overcoming the firepower of big-serving Croatian Mario Ancic 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. Roddick will meet compatriot Mardy Fish, who overcame 16th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer 6-1, 7-6, 2-6, 7-5. Li Na’s record-breaking run on the tennis circuit continued when she became the first Chinese player to reach the fourth round of the singles draw at Melbourne Park. A quarterfinalist at Wimbledon last year, Li completed a terrible day for the Russians when she upstaged ninth seed Safina 6-2, 6-2 and will next run into three-time champion Martina Hingis. Anna Chakvetadze of Russia also made it to the fourth round, beating unseeded Croat Jelena Kostanic Tosic 6-4, 6-4 and will play Swiss eighth seed Patty Schnyder for a place in the quarterfinals. Slovak Daniela Hantuchova defeated American Ashley Harkleroad 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-3 and will now play in-form fourth seed Kim Clijsters. — Reuters
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Mixed luck for Paes
Melbourne, January 21 Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm crashed out following a shocking 5-7, 6-7 (7) third-round loss to the unseeded French duo of Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut. Later, Paes teamed up with Samantha Stosur of Australia in mixed doubles to whip Yuves Allegro of Switzerland and Elena Bovina of Russia 6-2, 6-2 in the 40-minute first-round contest. Meanwhile, Mahesh Bhupathi and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek rallied from a set down to upset ninth seeds Lucas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to enter the third round of
the men’s doubles event today. — UNI
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Anand bows to Topalov
Wijk Aan Zee, January 21 This was Anand’s second loss in three days and left him struggling at just four points while the Bulgarian, with five points, moved into second spot behind Teymour Radjabov of Azerbaijan. Playing with black pieces, Anand erred at critical junctures while Topalov kept on tightening the noose making the Indian resign after 35 moves. In the C group being played simultaneously, Parimarjan Negi suffered his second loss going down to Swede Emanuel Berg after a tough fight. Playing black, Parimarjan was outdone in a long-drawn queen-and-pawns endgame arising out of a Sicilian defence.
— UNI, PTI
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Kapur freezes at finish line
Abu Dhabi, January 21 Paul Casey produced a stunning comeback to win the title by one shot. Starting the final round three shots off the pace, the Englishman carded a closing 65 for a 17-under-par total of 271 to beat off a strong challenge from Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson and claim the $ 333,330 prize. Gangjee tied 5th
Karachi: Rahil Gangjee had a roller-coaster round of one-under 71 as he finished tied fifth after looking good for a better placing in the Pakistan Open which ended at the Karachi Golf Club on Sunday.
— PTI
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Chinese girl wins marathon
Mumbai, January 21 The women’s marathon had a surprise winner from China, Xiao Shu Yang. She was followed by Leygai Nejash and Jeniffer of Ethiopia in second and third places, respectively. Both Kelai and Xiao took home $31,000 and $25,000 in prize money, respectively. The Indians finished far behind. Ram Singh Yadav was the pick of the lot, finishing 16th clocking 2:20:34 seconds. Among Indian women, Leelamma Alphonso clocked 2:59:49 to finish 16th overall. The hosts bagged the honours in the 21 km half marathon. Pune’s Deep Chand (1:08.03) followed by Bhairav Singh Lone (1:08:25) and Sachin Sonawane (1:08:27) took the top three places. In the women’s category, Madhuri Gurnule secured the first position, followed by Saviola Oppliegar of Switzerland and Bhagwati. According to the organisers, more than 30,000 took part in the marathon, a record since the event began four years ago. The participants included movie stars, models, socialites and corporate bigwigs. Among the celebrities who ran were Manisha Koirala, Rahul Bose, Shobha De and Jaspal Rana.
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Jalandhar, January 21 Model School lads played a fast and aggressive game and dominated from the beginning as the Delhiites were to be at a receiving end. Model School’s Captain Jagroop Singh opened the scoring, finding the mark in the fifth minute through a penalty corner. After conceding an early goal the Delhi team were under pressure and it took them sometime to charge-up their forward line. In the meantime, Model School’s Hardeep Singh scored a fine field goal in 40th minute giving the team a 2-0 winning lead. The GPS boys also made some moves and earned four penalty corners but they could not utilise any of them to open their account. Besides the trophy, the winner team got a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh while the runners-up got a trophy and Rs 60,000. Lyalpur Khalsa School, Jalandhar, which finished third, received a cash prize of Rs 40,000. Shahbaz Ali of Pakistan’s Lahore XI was declared best player of the tournament while Model School’s Amandeep Singh was declared best goal keeper. Lyalpur Khalsa School’s Ramesh Kumar (full back), GPS Delhi’s Vikas Sharma (half back) and Lyalpur Khalsa School’s Taranjit Singh (forward) were also rewarded for their individual performances in the tournament. — UNI
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PAU Academy boys in semis
Ludhiana, January 21 PAU Academy lads scored a 3-0 win over Thapar Hockey Academy, Sansarpur, while Ranjit Singh Academy registered a 8-3 victory over Sarih XI to advance to the last-four stage. Surjit Academy qualified for the semifinals despite a 1-1 draw with Khalsa School, Amritsar. The winner of tomorrow’s match between Baba Bakala Academy and Khalsa School will be the fourth semifinalist. In other matches, Baba Uttam Singh Academy, Khadoor Sahib, defeated Gopal Dass Hockey Academy, Kurali, 2-0, while Cheema Academy, Batala, prevailed upon Ropar XI 2-1.
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JCT wary of Ranti Martins as Dempo eye win
Ludhiana, January 21 Having split points with Churchill Brothers in their previous tie after beating Mohun Bagan and losing to Mohammedan Sporting, JCT will leave nothing to chance as further setbacks will only mar their prospects of finishing in the top bracket. Dempo, winners of the NFL title in the ninth edition, and more recently as champions in the Durand Cup, are also eyeing victory in their second away match. “ We are positive as we have played well in our last two matches and we will go all out to log full points,” said Dempo coach Armando Colaco while talking to TNS here this evening. Dempo did make a sluggish start when they lost the lung opener to defending champions Mahindra United 1-2 at Mumbai on January 7. But thereafter, there has been no looking back. They went on to trounce Mohammedan Sporting 5-0 in the second round on January 12 in Goa, which incidentally is the biggest victory margin in the NFL so far. In the third round, Dempo defeated Sporting Clube de Goa 3-2 on January 18. In both the matches dashing Nigerian striker Ranti Martins scored two goals each. “They are a good side with sound credentials and skilled players like Ranti Martins. Their victory over us in the Durand Cup final was largely due to Martins’ effort and as such we have to be cautious,” said JCT coach Sukhwinder while talking to TNS today. Undoubtedly, among foreigners engaged by Indian clubs who inspire their outfits to new heights, Ranti Martins stands out as a beacon of motivation for his team. As the NFL’s highest scorer last season with 14 goals, Ranti not only won the golden boot but also picked up a cash prize of Rs 50,000. This season, he is again in devastating form having played a crucial role in all major tournaments. On November 27, Dempo for the first time won the Durand Cup, defeating JCT 1-0 at New Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium with Ranti Martins scoring the match winner. In the Federation Cup he carried his team into the semifinals with the match winner against East Bengal. Dempo do have quality players after veterans like deep defender Stanley Colaco retired at the end of the previous season. The current lot includes Jerry Zirsanga, Bolaji Majek, international Samir Naik, Isfaq Ahmed, Brazilian medio Roberto Mendis da Silva, formerly of Mohun Bagan, midfielder Climax Lawrence, international Clifford Miranda, Joaquim Abranches, and Anthony Pereira, who scored two goals along with Ranty Martins against Mohammedan Sporting. Nevertheless, the maiden title win in the Durand Cup is the only significant achievement of Dempo this season. In the Federation Cup, the Goans lost to Mahindra United 2-4 in the tie-breaker to finish fourth on December 29. JCT, under the watchful eyes of former national coach Sukhwinder Singh and Parminder Singh, are banking on Nigerian striker Edeh Chidi, and internationals Rennedy Singh and Sunil Chhetri upfront. With goalkeeper Karanjit Singh performing creditably, and the defence manned by Harpreet, Anwar, Daljit and Jaspal, displaying good understanding, the role of winger Baldeep and medio Adebayo Tokunbo could be crucial. Adebayo hurt his shoulder in the tie against Churchill Brothers but has recovered. Stopper back Anwar has also recovered from a bout of fever. The Goan outfit had a practice session at the stadium this morning while JCT opted to stay at Phagwara. In the 10th NFL, JCT held Dempo to a goal-less draw at Ludhiana while the mill men lost the away match at Goa by a 0-3 margin. Tomorrow, the pendulum could swing either way, given the present form and composition of the two teams. The kick-off is at 2 pm.
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