 |
|
|
Mumbai pauses to welcome heroes
Aussie challenge excites Dhoni
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Yuvi gets Porsche, RP Mercedes
ONGC men, S. Rly eves win
Victorious Anand extends lead
One-dayer vs S. Africa ‘A’ called off
AFC Cup Pakistan
ex-captains rue India jinx
|
|
Mumbai pauses to welcome heroes
Mumbai, September 26 "I have heard, Mumbai never stops, but we brought the city to a complete halt," exclaimed the batting maestro as a sea of humanity braving heavy rains descended to welcome the Twenty20 World Cup heroes. The police estimate that more than a million Mumbaikars may have thronged the 30-kilometre route from the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport at suburban Andheri to the Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai to cheer Team India. The cricketers took nearly five hours to complete the journey as their convoy crawled at a snail's pace despite the best efforts of the traffic police to clear a path through the dense human foliage. Dhoni and his men in blue were not complaining though. Like man of the final match, Irfan Pathan, most of the out-of-towners were simply left stunned at the collective outpouring of joy. Pathan, on board the open-top double-decker bus exotically named Neelambari rechristened temporarily as Vijay Rath, kept shooting with his digital camera pausing only when its memory card filled up. His colleague Sreesanth displayed his trademark jig atop the bus as the public kept demanding encores. Yuvraj, fuelled by the rain as much as euphoria over his six sixes against England, did the bhangra almost till the convoy reached the Wankhede Stadium. Politician bask in glory
Along with the public, the politicians cutting across affiliations were in full force to bask in the reflected glory of the victors. BCCI president and NCP honcho Sharad Pawar along with other office-bearers were there early at the airport to receive the team which landed at around 8.30 am. With Pawar were Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil, officials like Lalit Modi, Rajeev Shukla and secretary Niranjan Shah were also present. The honours quickly completed, the crowd took the winners in its warm embrace. Music bands put out spontaneously by various organisations and impromptu gatherings of school students complete with garlands and flowers gave the impression of one long mela. At the Wankhede Stadium that was specially opened for the public, there was no breathing space. At the felicitation ceremony, even the normally dour-looking Sharad Pawar had more than a sparkle in his eyes. "I wish to congratulate the entire team. I wish to specially congratulate Yuvraj Singh for his six sixes," Pawar said. But the Maratha strongman's real love - politics- was evident at the way seating arrangements were made at the venue. Politicians occupied the front row at Wankhede, while members of Team India got the second row. Fans breach security
However, the ceremony was marred angry fans who tried to gate-crash the event after they were unable to enter the stadium. Police said nearly 3000 people ran into the ground after breaking a security barrier causing a security scare. The players had to be rushed to the dressing room to prevent them from being caught in a stampede. It was clear that the last over of the thriller T20 final with Pakistan would be played again and again. Dhoni relieved that moment again when he recollected his thoughts to the audience. "I thought the ball will land behind Sreesanth. But when Misbah hit the ball, I was just watching Sreesanth's hand all the while. The team needs one or two characters like him," Dhoni said. The long-haired wonder from Jharkhand expectedly went to bat for his compatriots from the boondocks. "Small town guys are mentally stronger as they don't have the resources," Dhoni said. Bomb scare
Meanwhile, there was a bomb scare after the police recovered six crude bombs from outside the Andheri railway station just a few km from the Mumbai airport where the cricket team landed this morning. Police said the bombs were recovered following strict security operations carried out in the area. The recovery was made early this morning, police said. However the recovery of the bombs were kept secret for much of the day so as to avoid panic. Police officials felt, an explosion however small, could have been catastrophic at a time when millions descended on the roads to welcome the cricketers. Kapil's bouncer
Meanwhile, Kapil Dev who led the country towards its first World Cup Cricket win in 1983, has thrown a bouncer asking the Income Tax department to waive tax on the cash awards bagged by Team India. "One look at the performance of the Twenty20 World Cup team should be enough to prove that their prize money deserves to be exempt from tax. The BCCI should request the government not to levy tax on their incomes," Dev said in his statement. Kapil Dev is now heading the rebel Indian Cricket League set up by Zee TV boss Subash Chandra. However, the BCCI itself has shot down the idea. The BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty has been quoted by the local press as saying that there was no reason why the players should not pay tax like everyone else. Though awards given by the government are exempt from tax, the BCCI is an autonomous body and the prizes announced by it are not tax exempt though the central government can grant reliefs. All the 15 members that were part of the Twenty20 squad will collectively earn Rs 12 crore as prize money. In addition there are prizes announced by different sponsors. Sahara India, the main sponsor, has announced free houses worth over Rs 4 crore for the players who will get a free house each at any location in the country. "The team members are free to choose the location of their homes from across 217 cities in India," Subroto Roy, Managing Worker, Sahara said. The Maharashtra government is giving Rs 10 lakh each to Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma, who hail from Mumbai. The Uttar Pradesh government will award RP Singh with Rs 10 lakh for his brilliant performance during the inaugural T20 World Cup.
|
|
Aussie challenge excites Dhoni
Mumbai, September 26 “It would be exciting against Australia, especially since it would be our first home series after the World Cup,” Dhoni said after the team’s felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni, who was appointed ODI skipper after Rahul Dravid relinquished the captaincy earlier this month, said he would look to the senior players for support in the series beginning on Saturday. “There are senior players in the side who I can look for support. Besides, Yuvi and Bhajji are also in the side. I don’t really think about the future, that will help me in the coming series," he said in an interview to NDTV. Asked if he felt any pressure of captaincy as Dravid quit citing pressure as a major reason to step down, the Jharkhand player said “I have not reached that stage yet.” Dhoni, however, agreed that it would be very hectic for him as he would directly head to Bangalore for the first ODI. “I will be directly going to Bangalore and I'll miss home a lot,” said the wicketkeeper batsman, who is constantly on the job since leaving home in July for the long tour of United Kingdom and then straightaway heading to South Africa for the Twenty20 World Cup. — PTI
|
|
|
Yuvi gets Porsche, RP Mercedes
Mumbai, September 26 Yuvraj Singh, who hit six consecutive sixes in an over against England, was given an additional Rs 1 crore for the feat, while BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi presented him with a Porsche sports car. The Maharashtra Government also presented the team with a trophy at a public felicitation organised jointly by the BCCI and the state administration at the Wankhede Stadium here. Neosport presented pacer R P Singh with a Mercedes car while the cricket board presented cheques of Rs 15 lakh each to the support staff in recognition of their contribution in the team's victory. Rs 22 lakh for Pathan brothers
Vadodara: Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) on Wednesday announced a cash award of Rs 11 lakh each to Pathan brothers Irfan and Yusuf, for their outstanding performance in the Twenty20 World Cup. A working committee meeting of the BCA also decided to organise a grand felicitation function in honour of the two local lads and present the awards sometime before the fifth ODI scheduled to be played between India and Australia here on October 11. The BCA vice-president Sanjay Joshi, who had a telephonic discussion with Irfan regarding the association's plan to honour them, said since Irfan was unlikely to return to the home town immediately because of the upcoming seven-match ODI series against Australia, a suitable date for the programme would be fixed to enable both the brothers to attend the function. Uthappa to get Rs 3 lakh Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government today decided to award Rs 3 lakh to Robin Uthappa, member of the Indian cricket team that won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said here. Talking to reporters after a cabinet briefing, Achuthanandan Rs 5 lakh had already been announced for S Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala. Though Uthappa's family was settled in Bangalore, his mother hails from Kozhikode in Kerala. Rs 2 lakh for R P Singh Kanpur: Paceman Rudra Pratap Singh, who played a stellar role in India's historic triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, will be receiving an award of Rs 2 lakh from Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). "R P Singh would be given a prize of Rs 2 lakh from the UPCA for his outstanding performance during the finals of the Twenty20 World Cup," BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla told PTI Bhasha. But, unfortunately, Piyush Chawla, who was also part of the victorious team will get nothing from the association. "Piyush Chawla did not play in the final and so there is no plan to award him," said Shukla. The Uttar Pradesh government has already announced to confer RP with Manyavar Kanshiramji International Sports award which carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. Fans to honour Rohit, Joginder Jaipur: Adding to the fortunes of the members of Twenty 20 World Cup winning Indian cricketers, All India Brahmin Parsuram Sena, a Brahmin youths' outfit, has announced to honour Rohit Sharma and Joginder Sharma with cash awards of Rs 51,000 each. The organisation convener Mitrodyaya Gandhi said here that the two emerging players had contributed well in Team India's mission World Cup. He said the due would be felicitated at an impressive function to be held in Chogan Stadium here next month. —
Agencies
|
|
|
ONGC men, S. Rly eves win
Gidderbaha, September 26 With three internationals, captain Jairam Jat, Sambaji Kadam and Dileep, the Army team resisted the ONGC well in the first quarter and even led with a score of 27-22 in the first quarter. The second quarter witnessed a faster game with both rivals jostling neck and neck till half time when the score stood at 47-44 in favour of ONGC. There was no look back for the ONGC in the second half, who went on the offensive with their star shooters Tirseep Rai and Suresh Ranot taking rebounds and scoring well. Tirseep Rai scored 27, while Suresh Ranot bagged 24 points. The Army men lost ground in the third quarter, as Jairam Jat and Navneet Singh struggled in vain to narrow down the margin of 17 points.
|
|
|
Mexico City, September 26 While the rest of the 11th round games ended in draws, Anand went for the kill against Morozevich and achieved it in great style to take his tally to an extremely impressive 7.5 points out of a possible 11. In the process, the Indian ace also extended his lead to a whopping 1.5 points over nearest rival Boris Gelfand of Israel. Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, perceived as the only big threat in Anand's quest for the title at the start of the championship, gave up hopes of defending his title after his quick draw with compatriot Alexander Grischuk while a tiring Boris Gelfand also played it safe against Russian Peter Svidler. The other game of the day was fought harder between Levon Aronian of Armenia and Peter Leko of Hungary but that too reached a deadlock. As things stand, Gelfand, on six points, is half point ahead of Kramnik, Aronian and Leko while Grischuk (5) is another half point behind for his sole sixth spot. Morozevich, who had created a major flutter earlier by beating Kramnik, is now in company of Svidler at the bottom of the table on 4.5 points. — PTI
|
|
|
One-dayer vs S. Africa ‘A’ called off
Ahmedabad, September 26 Umpires A.V. Jaiprakash and C.R. Mohite, after their second inspection of the pitch and outfield at 10.45 am, called off the match as the lush green carpet at the Motera stadium was completely soggy and slippery. The umpires had made their first inspection at 7.15 am. Though the main wicket was completely dry, the match would not be possible as the outfield was wet and slippery, the umpires said. The next two matches are scheduled at Baroda on September 28 and at Rajkot on September 30. —
UNI
|
|
|
AFC Cup New Delhi, September 26 Serbian defender Milan Bugonovic converted from the spot deep into stoppage time as 10-man Al Nejmeh drew 3-3 to advance to the last four of the competition for the third year in a row with a 5-4 aggregate. It was almost a miraculous comeback from Derrick Pereira’s team, who came with a 1-2 deficit after the home leg at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium. It seemed all over when the home side took a 2-0 lead in the first half at Beirut Sports City Stadium through strikes from Mohammad Ghaddar, who had scored a brace in the first leg, in the 12th minute and Croatian forward Ante Milas (23rd) for a 4-1 aggregate lead last night. But Mahindra pulled a goal back through Congolese striker Edson Minga Dico (33rd minute) before the break and Harpreet Singh (64th) and Andrews Pomeyie (78th) found the net in the second half to level the score, a result which would have seen Mahindra progress on the away goals rule. — PTI
|
|
|
Pakistan ex-captains rue India jinx Karachi, September 26 "But they said that the thriller was good for the game generally, and that at least Pakistan had recovered from their disastrous show at the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year," The News reported Wednesday. Another former captain, Javed Miandad, blamed Pakistan's defeat on the lack of planning. "We have maintained our losing streak to India in World Cup matches and I would blame poor planning for that. Why did Malik not come in at number three instead of Kamran Akmal?" Miandad wondered. Intikhab Alam, also a former captain, said India holds a psychological edge over Pakistan in big games. "The World Cup jinx continues and India seems to have an edge over us in all World Cup matches," he maintained. — IANS
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
