Vadodara, January 31
Sachin Tendulkar gave glimpses of his vintage form with an imperious unbeaten century as India thrashed the West Indies by 160 runs in the fourth cricket one-dayer to clinch the series 3-1 here today.

The Indians rode on Tendulkar’s 100 not out to rattle up an imposing 341 for three and then bundled out the Caribbeans for 181 with more than eight overs to spare in what turned out to be a lopsided contest at the IPCL Ground here.

It was Tendulkar’s 41st one-day hundred in his 378th appearance and was aided by a pulled six on bent knees and 10 fours in 76 balls.

The Mumbai batsman completed his hundred with a single off the last ball of the innings, as he moved from 89 to the three-figure landmark from the last five balls of the Indian innings.

Skipper Rahul Dravid (78) and his predecessor Sourav Ganguly (68) also came good to make it a sublime top order performance that was backed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his trademark pyrotechnics, a 20-ball 40 not out that came as icing on the cake.

The West Indian chase was never on as Chris Gayle (6) became Ajit Agarkar’s victim, for the third time in the series, in the third over of the innings.

Zaheer Khan accounted for the in-form Shivnarine Chanderpaul (14) before Irfan Pathan marked his return to the team with the wicket of Devon Smith (24).

Two run outs, including that of skipper Brian Lara (3), made it 83-5 and the match was virtually over then and there.

But the day clearly belonged to Tendulkar who showed his wonted touch to score his first century after four months and 13 ties, his last ton 141 not out also coming against the West Indies in the DLF series in Malaysia in September last year.

Tendulkar, who had scored two centuries at this venue in earlier ties, looked in superb form as he drove straight and to the covers in imperious style of old and pulled the short balls for boundaries. He was dropped by Lara and Dwayne Smith after he crossed the 80s.

Outstanding performance by the Big Three of Indian batting on a benign wicket after Lara opted to field ensured that the hosts bettered the previous highest total at this ground, of 291 by their rivals in their only previous encounter here four seasons ago.

Chasing the huge score was never going to be easy as the Windies found out.

They lost out-of-touch opener Gayle and his in-form partner Chanderpaul cheaply to be 32-2 by the eighth over.

Devon Smith (24) and Samuels seemed to be repairing the damage before the former was brilliantly caught by Yuvraj Singh who showed no ill-affects of his previous knee injury when he caught the ball in mid-air football goalkeeper-fashion to leave the tourists at a difficult 65 for three.

Any chance of a masterly knock in his last ODI in India by Lara was cut short in an unfortunate manner when Pathan deflected a drive by Samuels to the stumps at the non-striker’s end on his follow-through with the Windies great’s bat raised above the ground. He made only three.

Another run out, this time with a direct hit at the striker's end by substitute Suresh Raina from backward point sent back Lendl Simmons for four and half the visitors’ batting line up was back in the pavilion with just 83 on the board.

Samuels (55 in 62 balls, 7x4, 1x6) and Denesh Ramdin (40 in 52 balls, 5x4) put on 65 runs for the sixth wicket before both holed out in the deep with the asking rate having climbed alarmingly. The game was as good as over after this.

For India, Ajit Agarkar impressed and left-arm Zaheer Khan too did his bit and Irfan Pathan, returning after a big break, failed to and looked a bit rusty.

Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, who took two wickets, did their bit to keep Windies under pressure.

The Indians made full use of Lara’s largesse and plundered the West Indies bowling to score runs at a fast clip, by rocketing off to 67 for one in ten overs and 127 for one in 20 at the end of the power plays.

Robin Uthappa once again provided a flying start with a quickfire 28 that included successive sixes off Darren Powell besides three fours in 17 balls.

Ganguly and Dravid, coming to the crease in the seventh over, put on a stand of 101 in 113 balls before the former was stumped when giving the charge to Gayle.

Dravid then had a rollicking partnership of 118 runs for the third wicket with Tendulkar.

Scoreboard

India

Uthappa c Gayle b Powell 28

Ganguly st Ramdin b Gayle 68

Dravid c Simmons b Samuels 78

Tendulkar not out 100

Dhoni not out 40

Extras (lb-14, nb-4, w-9) 27

Total (3 wkts, 50 overs) 341

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-148, 3-266.

Bowling: Powell 8-0-68-1, Dwayne Smith 8-0-49-0, Emrit 9-0-65-0, Samuels 9-0-51-1, Gayle 8-0-34-1, Bradshaw 8-0-60-0.

West Indies

Vadodara, January 31
Crestfallen West Indies skipper Brian Lara today admitted that India enjoyed total domination over them and all the credit should go to the hosts for the way they played in the final ODI here.

Speaking to mediapersons after the match, Lara said, “We competed well in the first three matches, but today was another day when India did not let us off the hook and we also wilted with our bowling and batting, suffering in the process.”

Lara earmarked special praise for Sachin Tendulkar, saying that it was no surprise to him as the Mumbai maestro was capable of producing such great innings time and again. “It was a special innings from him,” the West Indies captain said.

Lara defended his decision to bowl first saying that his bowlers did not bowl well.

“From the beginning we consistently gave six or seven runs an over and Ganguly, Dhoni and Dravid along with Sachin took full advantage. Even during the chase, we kept losing wickets which just added to our misery,” Lara said.

All those doomsayers and ignoramuses (an ignorant person) writing the cricketing epitaph of Sachin Tendulkar would be scrambling to hide under the rocks they came from as the little champion unfurled a stirring and thrilling range of shots to get to his 41st one-day century.

It was a slap in the face for all those doubters, though of course Tendulkar himself would never say or do anything to all those who were taking him apart. When you reach the stage where the little champion is, you don’t go out on the field wanting to silence anybody or to prove anybody wrong. You go there to simply prove to yourself that you can still do it. It is a challenge to one’s own self-esteem and one’s own temperament.

Sure there might be the occasional self-doubt for after all you are human and though you may not read the papers nor watch TV, you still are aware about what is being said and written. Public memory may be short but you expect those connected with the game, be it administrators, former players and regular cricket media to be a little more understanding and aware.

Unfortunately in India, when somebody is down there are very, very few who lend a helping hand to get the person up and there are many, many more, especially from the above mentioned categories to kick you down and keep you down.

From the Chennai one-dayer, Tendulkar’s body language was different. He was looking a lot more relaxed and at peace with himself and that reflected in his batting there. He got out when looking good for a hundred there but here at Vadodara he didn’t miss out as some butter fingered West Indian fielding helped him to get to the three figure mark off the last ball of the innings.

There were questions raised about the Indian skipper too and like Tendulkar, he too does not have to prove anything to anybody. Players of that class and calibre are rare and only in India are they continuously doubted and looked down upon after a couple of ordinary innings. Another such is Sourav Ganguly who was not only doubted but vilified with a whispering campaign that will go down as a shameless chapter in Indian cricket history. They all have got runs and shown that there is nothing to match experience.

Even though Yuvraj did not get a chance to bat as the skipper quite rightly sent Dhoni in to bat and how brilliantly the keeper batted, it was good to see the left-hander bowl, for that proved that his knee injury was alright. Bowling requires the pivoting of the knee and that’s what Yuvraj did with no sign of any discomfort and that’s good news for Indian cricket. He also took a brilliant catch off Irfan Pathan’s bowling, which will help the left-arm medium pacer to retain his place in the side.

After all if he hadn’t taken a wicket there could have been questions asked as to why he should stay when Joginder Sharma was dropped after just one match.

The West Indians would be disappointed at the margin of defeat for the pitch was a beauty to bat on. Agarkar bowled splendidly, as did Kumble and Yuvraj also got the ball to turn appreciably. The Indian crowd would have been disappointed at the lack of a final flourish from Brian Lara probably playing his last game in India but he was decidedly unlucky and when he fails the West Indies rarely win.

A good all-round effort from India and back on familiar territory, they showed that they are a side that are pretty impossible to beat. — PMG

New Delhi, January 31
Indian pugilists dominated in the senior and junior sections to ensure a handful medals in the 10th New Delhi YMCA International Boxing Championship at the YMCA ring at Jaisingh Road here this evening.

In the senior section, Manoj Kumar got the better of Baliyev Bally of Turkmenistan in a close fight in the 64kg semifinal to set up the title clash against compatriot Mahinder. Mahinder pummelled Colin Richard of Mauritius on points in another tantalising bout.

In the 69kg, India had mixed luck as Manish entered with the final with an RSC (referee stopped the contest) verdict after outscoring Bashrar Rahm of Iraq in the third round while Somit of India lost to Kenchowa of Bhutan through a first round RSC verdict.

In the junior section too, Indian boys put up a scintillating display with five of them entering the final.

In the 64kg, Amit defeated Dilbag on points while Suresh made short work of Gyadin Nivesh of Mauritius, scoring an RSC victory, in the 69kg. But in the second 69kg bout, Pradeep of India put up a grand fight before losing to Baimatov Husan of Kazakhastan on points.

In the 75kg, Manjeet (India) was unlucky to lose the bout against Seidalliyev of Kazakhastan as he suffered a numbing blow on the crown of his nose when he was leading 5-2. — OSR

Dubai, January 31
Having played with top three Indian golfers, world No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods is impressed that the sport has made dramatic progress in the country.

Woods has a fairly solid friendship with Arjun Atwal, who plays on the US PGA Tour. They are both members of the same golf club in Orlando.

The American had some words of praise for ace Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, with whom he played the first two rounds of the HSBC Champions in Shanghai last season. At the same event, Jyoti Randhawa led for a brief period and played the third round with Woods.

Before he met Atwal, Woods knew little about Indian golf. He struck a decent relationship with him and got to hear about some names who are making a mark at the top level.

But, Jeev’s back-to-back wins in Japan late last season arrested everyone’s attention, including that of Woods, who wished the Indian and hoped to see him on the US Tour.

About his impression on Indian golf, Woods said, “I think it has progressed dramatically. It was nice to see how well they have played and just the quality of play. I think it’s fantastic that they are playing that well and playing well at the same time as well. So it’s fantastic for all of Indian golf.”

When asked about his start to the season with the win at Buick, Woods was quite happy with the way he had begun.

“It’s always great to win early in the year, especially prior to Augusta. It’s always nice to get a win under the belt and always gives you some good, positive feelings headed towards April (for Augusta Masters).”

On the changes the Dubai tournament has undergone, Woods said, “As far as this golf course is concerned, it has changed. But just the skyline has changed quite a bit. I first played here in 2000 and I believe there were two towers where we teed off and that was kind of the driving window and there was a Hard Rock Cafe and that was it.

“It has changed a little bit since then. It looks like a New York skyline now. It’s pretty impressive what they have done in such a short span of time,” he said.

Asked whether he had an eye on Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors, Woods said: “His is the benchmark in our sport.

Winning 18 is something that hopefully if you’re lucky enough or over a lifetime in your career to have played, that you can come close, tie, or even surpass. It took him a long time, and figure it’s going to take yourself a long time as well if you’re lucky enough to get there.” — PTI

Mandi Ahmedgarh, January 31
Having completed preparations for the 72nd Kila Raipur games, popularly known as mini Olympics, which commence tomorrow, the organisers of the mega event are eagerly awaiting the arrival of sportspersons and fans.

The Grewal Sports Association has decided to introduce basketball and volleyball, along with events for the physically challenged for the first time.

"While basketball and volleyball have been introduced to promote these events on a global level, we have adapted the games to suit the physically challenged sportspersons," Mr Grewal said while talking to The Tribune.

Dedicated to the memory of Babu Raj Kumar, former hockey player, and Nathu Ram, father of renowned Saini sisters, the event is expected to attract unprecedented attention in view of coming Assembly elections.

It is for the first time that the organisers have not invited any political personality to inaugurate the event.

Mr Grewal further disclosed that the state animal husbandry department had agreed to depute a team of veterinary doctors who would issue identity cards after examination of animals participating in various events, including bullock cart race, dog race and camel race. "This will save us from unnecessary criticism on the pretext of cruelty and doping of nonhuman participants," he said, adding that the association would ensure that rules are not violated in any case.

The association will also felicitate Balbir Singh Senior (former hockey Olympian), Ashok Dhyan Chand (hockey), Teja Singh (camel jockey), Manjit Kaur (athletics), Iqbaljit Singh Grewal (hockey), Suman (Basketball), Ajmer Singh Aulakh (writer), Inder Singh (football), Jaspal Bhatti (TV artiste) and Mr Prabhjot Singh (Bureau Chief, The Tribune) for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.