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Dhoni & Co need to go all out
From cherubic kid to a legend |
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‘Today’s tie virtually a final’
Comeback man Kartik confident
Smith puts SA on top England thump Lanka
Jones faces further action
Sharapova,
Bartoli, Mauresmo ousted
Jeev, Jyoti all set for face-off
Rural Games get under way
Football
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Vadodara, October 10 The eight-run victory over Ricky Ponting's men and the semi-final win over the Aussies in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last month clearly indicated that when put under severe pressure, even a champion team can feel the heat and fumble. This is exactly the kind of situation that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team would be aiming to put the visitors in again when the two clash in another high-voltage tie in front of a capacity 20,000-crowd at the Reliance Stadium here. If India manage to turn the tables here again, they would have beaten Australia in two successive games for the first time in six years. But to achieve that, they need to show the sort of aggression they displayed in South Africa and in the fourth ODI two days ago. A pointer to how rattled the Australian captain was when Dhoni and Robin Uthappa took the attack to the visitors is the fact that the visitors' best bowler on view - speedster Brett Lee - did not complete his quota of overs despite having given away very few runs in his first spell. The match will assume importance for Sachin Tendulkar as it will mark his 400th appearance in one-dayers and the star batsman will be keen to make it memorable. The Indians have improved with every outing which would not have been lost on the Australians who are bound to come back strongly. The Indians failed to bat out the 50 overs at Kochi and Hyderabad and tasted defeat but lost only four wickets while piling up an imposing 290 at Chandigarh, a clear indication of the upward swing in their batting graph. The opening start given by the most successful one-day combination of Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly on a wicket where the ball was darting around initially also played a very important part in the Indians' setting the Australians a stiff asking rate. The Indians would be looking for yet another big stand from the two senior statesmen of the team. The power and thrust given to the Indian innings in the middle by the flashing bat of Yuvraj Singh and, towards the end, by Dhoni and Uthappa clearly upset the Australians' bowling rhythm in the last match. Somewhat troubling has been the form of Rahul Dravid, looking a pale shadow of his usual self, and the tail as usual has not delivered. However, the bowlers have shown gradual improvement. Spearhead Zaheer Khan, who has given away runs easily, also managed to keep his part of the bargain when it mattered most to stop the visitors short at Chandigarh. Rudra Pratap Singh has recaptured his rhythm after being dropped after the Bangalore game and his dismissal of the rampaging Andrew Symonds at a vital stage followed by the superb run out of Brad Hogg off the next ball turned the previous match in the home team's favour. The inspired selection of left-arm spinner Murali Kartik to bowl in tandem with the constantly improving Harbhajan Singh has worked wonders as the two have put the skids on the Australian scoring in the middle overs. The hosts would want to see an encore from the spin duo in what is expected to be a high-scoring match. The Australians must be eager for the return to form of their dashing opener Adam Gilchrist whose run of poor scores at the top is hurting their cause. The wicketkeeper has only 59 runs in the four matches of the series so far while his opening partner Matthew Hayden has been his imperious self with blistering knocks that have fetched him 261 runs with three half-centuries. Symonds has been another thorn in the flesh of the Indian bowlers who are searching unsuccessfully for the desired formula to dismiss this player, who can turn around the course of a match in a short time, cheaply. Brad Hodge has flopped in all the matches while Michael Clarke has gone off the boil somewhat after a classy innings at Bangalore and the Australians would be tempted to bring back Brad Haddin in place of the out-of-form Hodge. If the hosts win to level the series, it would be their second successive one at this venue this year after the triumph over the West Indies in January.
— PTI
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From cherubic kid to a legend
Vadodara, October 10 It will be yet another milestone achieved by the master craftsman who chose the momentous occasion to drive down memory lane and relive every moment of that fascinating journey from a cherubic school kid to a legend. Tendulkar, who will follow Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya into the one-day record books, said that tomorrow will be no different. He would aim to do what he has done in these 18 years - score runs and help India win the game. "I am hoping I will perform well and get runs to help India win the game," said the 34-year-old batsman ahead of the fifth match in the series. "My approach would be the same. I would treat it as just another game as 400 is just a number and my approach to it would be as normal as ever," the soft-spoken Tendulkar said. "I am taking each match at a time. The 400th one-dayer happens to be against Australia. It could have been against any other team. My preparations are not going to be any different," he added. He said that the series against Australia is going to be a very competitive. "Our preparations have been good so far and I am hoping is that we can implement our plans tomorrow," he said. The only time Tendulkar got flustered during the chat with the media at the team's practice area was when a scribe asked him why his performance had been more downhill than uphill during the current year. "Please check your records," he retorted. Asked to single out a few memorable ties, Tendulkar listed some of the most memorable moments that fans would recount with great relish. The 1993 Hero Cup semi final against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, his desert storm-interrupted attacking knock at Sharjah against Australia in 1998 and the subsequent final against them. The superb innings of 98 with 12 fours and a six against the fiery Shoaib Akhtar and company of Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup tie at Centurion Park in South Africa were Tendulkar's best and he fondly recollected those moments. "The Hero Cup semi-final in Kolkata when I bowled the last over. I have a very strong memory of that. Then the matches in Sharjah in 1998 (when he smashed 143 and 134 in successive matches against Australia, including the final which India won) and the World Cup match at Centurion against Pakistan. "These have been some very important matches. These are some wonderful memories," said the holder of the record for the most number of Test and ODI centuries. The Hero Cup was the tournament where his magical bowling arm won India the semifinal against South Africa. The last over of that match was surprisingly bowled by Tendulkar who, watched by a capacity crowd of over a lakh, persuaded his captain Mohd Azharuddin to give him the ball. The Proteas needed six runs to win and the batsmen at the crease, Brian McMillan and Allan Donald could get only three against the little champion. Tendulkar is the most prolific one-day batsman in the history of the game with 15,563 runs in his 399 ODIs to date. He has a world record of 41 centuries in the format at an average of 44.21. He has been also useful with the ball taking 152 wickets at an average of 44. In comparison, Jayasuriya has 12,178 runs in 401 ODIs at an average of 32.73 with 25 hundreds. A look at the 10 players with the highest number of ODIs to their name reveals that it has four Indians — Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly — three Sri Lankans and two Pakistanis. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh is the only person in the list from outside the sub-continent with 325 matches.
— PTI
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‘Today’s tie virtually a final’
Vadodara, October 10
"The last game was a terrific game of cricket and India have made it 1-2 and the series is alive. Tomorrow is a very important game for us and we would treat it as a final. You know the Australian team is at its best in such games," Ponting said at the match-eve media conference today. But the Australian skipper was also aware of the heat and humidity factor which can trouble the visitors at the Reliance Stadium here. "We have practised extra hard today. We made sure we have lot of intakes of fluids as it's very humid out there and the temperature is around 38 (degress celcius)," he said. Ponting felt that the way two six-footers- Andrew Symonds and Mathew Hayden- have imposed themselves on the bowlers with their size and power was an indication of how cricket will be played in future. "Hayden and Symonds are imposing batsmen. Both are six-feet and go down the track to put pressure on the bowlers. With more of Twenty20 cricket coming up batsmen like me may be forced to restrict ourselves to Test cricket," he said with a smile. The Australian captain felt that the key to his team's success with the bat will be to keep enough wickets when the spinners operate in the middle overs with the new rules making it mandatory for change of balls after 34 overs. "That was the time earlier when the ball used to become soft and darker in colour. Now we get a harder and whiter ball after 34 overs and that's why scores get accelerated in the last 16 overs. We need to keep enough wickets in our hand when the spinners bowl. That will make playing them a lot more easier," Ponting said. Ponting felt that both the teams have kept their over-aggressive posture under wraps after the second game at Kochi in which, according to the Aussie captain, things went a bit over the top. "In the second game things went a bit over the top. The match referee spoke to both the teams after that match (at Kochi). But that's the way international sports are played these days. However the last two games have been played in the right spirit. I am hoping that it continues and the series ends on the right note," he said. — PTI
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Vadodara, October 10 Kartik, who recently got his 14th recall to the Indian team after a gap of 20 months and proved his worth in the fourth ODI in Chandigarh, said he was no more a youngster who would buckle under pressure at the big stage. "I was not under any pressure in the Chandigarh match as I have come to a stage in my life when I am enjoying just playing. Probably the pressure would have been felt had I been 21 or 22 years of age," said the 31-year-old spinner, who made a memorable comeback by choking the Australian run-chase at the death and helping India win their first match of the series. Admitting that he was bit demoralised when he suffered a shoulder injury after the tour of Pakistan last year, Kartik said, "the period away from the game (after shoulder trouble) was a bit difficult. They were lonely moments. And then when I came back I was not part of the Indian team." Kartik said captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's confidence on him was as good as the faith shown to any other member of the team. "Whenever you are picked to play you give 100 per cent and the confidence factor for the captain is there about all eleven in the team, not just me alone," he said. On the crucial 48th over, which he bowled successfully to push Australia to back foot, Kartik said the previous over by Rudra Pratap Singh, who captured two wickets, made things easier for him. "The over preceding mine bowled by R P Singh was very important as two wickets fell and there were two new people at the crease. It made things a bit easier," he said. Kartik said they would aim at keeping the winning momentum going as the Australians were tough competitors. "We have the momentum now against Australia after being 0-2 down. It would have been difficult had it become 0-3. "Now it's important we keep it up because if they got their leg on you keep it on you. We have to get that leg away. We managed to do it.
— PTI
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Lahore, October 10 The tourists’ skipper batted patiently to score 75 from 164 balls with 11 fours in a second innings total of 154 for two that gave South Africa an overall lead of 305 runs in the match. The visitors bowled out Pakistan for 206 runs for a first innings lead of 151 after Makhaya Ntini took three wickets in one over before the interval. Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, playing in his final Test, added just four runs to his overnight total of 10 before he was snapped up by Mark Boucher off Kallis. Boucher completed 400 dismissals in Tests as Misbah-ul-Haq was caught after top scoring with 41.
— Reuters Scoreboard South Africa (first innings) 357 Pakistan (first innings) Butt c Smith b Harris 40 Akmal c Smith b Harris 52 Y. Khan b Nel 3 Yousuf lbw Steyn 25 Inzamam c Boucher b Kallis 14 Misbah c Boucher b Ntini 41 S. Malik c Amla b Steyn 1 A. Rehman not out 25 U. Gul lbw Ntini 0 Kaneria c Boucher b Ntini 0 Asif c Amla b Harris 4 Extras
(lb-1) 1 Total (all out, 63 overs) 206 Fall of wickets:
1-90, 2-93, 3-99, 4-123, 5-149, 6-150, 7-189, 8-189, 9-189 Bowling: Ntini 8-1-42-3, Dale Steyn 12-3-60-2, Nel 16-3-39-1, Paul Harris 20-5-57-3, Kallis 7-3-7-1. South Africa (second innings) G. Smith not out 75 Gibbs c Akmal b Gul 16 Amla b Abdul Rehman 17 Kallis not out 37 Extras
(nb-1, b-8) 9 Total (2 wkts, 55 overs) 154 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-66 Bowling: Asif 4-1-14-0, Umar Gul 12-2-40-1, Danish Kaneria 21-4-54-0, Abdul Rehman 18-3-38-1.
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England thump Lanka
Colombo, October 10 It was England’s first series win on the subcontinent since 1987. England have an unassailable 3-1 lead with one match remaining. A lacklustre display by Sri Lanka’s top order meant they were restricted to a modest 211-9 after winning the toss and England surpassed this with 19 balls remaining in the fourth one-day international being played here. Kumar Sangakkara (69) and Chamara Silva (67) rescued Sri Lanka with a 126-run partnership after an early collapse left Sri Lanka in trouble on 20 for 3. Anderson finished with 3 for 33 and Sidebottom had figures of 3 for 27 from his 10 overs. Kevin Pietersen ended his lean run in the series with a characteristically aggressive unbeaten 63 from 75 balls. Brief scores: Sri Lanka: 211-9, 50 overs (Sangakkara 69, Silva 67), England: 212-5, 46.5 overs (Cook 80, Pietersen 63 not out). — Reuters
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London, October 10 International Olympic and track and field officials are prepared to wipe her name officially from the record books, strip her of her world championship medals, pursue her for prize money and appearance fees and possibly ban her from future Olympics in any capacity. Meantime, Jones' relay teammates also stand to lose their medals. Jones gave back the five medals she won at the Sydney Games on Monday following her admission that she was a drug cheat, and also agreed to forfeit all results, medals and prizes dating back to September 1, 2000.
— AP
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Sharapova,
Bartoli, Mauresmo ousted
Moscow, October 10 Sharapova, who had been nursing a shoulder injury, made 45 unforced errors and served seven double faults in a match lasting one hour 49 minutes. Russia's Vera Zvonareva recorded her first career win over Amelie Mauresmo when she came from behind to beat the sixth-seeded Frenchwoman 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Kremlin Cup first round today. After battling for over two hours, the unseeded Russian scored a decisive break in the ninth game of the third set. Marion Bartoli was also sent home by unseeded Russian Vera Dushevina 2-6, 6-0, 6-4. On a day of upsets, seventh seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland was also knocked out by another unseeded Russian Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-4.
— Reuters
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Jeev, Jyoti all set for face-off
New Delhi, October 10 And pushing Jeev and Jyoti will be Gaurav Ghei, who had come within a whisker of winning the Indian Open a few times, having had half-a-dozen top ten finishes. Like Ghei, Jeev too has never won the Open title, and they would be striving to set that record straight. "It will be nice to compete once again in India. Who does not love playing at home?" Jeev had said the other day. The Indian Open has a prestige of its own as the longest-running sports event in the country. And the enhanced purse of $500,000 is a great attraction for players. Five players, who between them have won the Open title six times in the last seven years, are in the fray, headed by Jyoti Randhawa. Jyoti, who first won the Indian Open title in 2000, and wrested it again last year, will have to battle it out in a fancied field comprising former champions Thaworn Wiratchant (2005), Mardan Mamat (2004), Mike Cunning (2003) and Vijay Kumar (2002). Also in the fray are another former champion Ali Sher (1991 and 1993). With the Delhi Golf Club offering a stiff challenge this time, the competition is expected to be keen. Last year witnessed low-scoring rounds and Jyoti Randhawa clinched the title after a thrilling sudden-death play-off with SSP Chowrasia and Vijay Kumar.
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Rural Games get under way
Hoshiarpur, October 10 Earlier, the Games were inaugurated by Tiksan Sood, minister for parliamentary affairs, forests, medical education and research, Punjab. The minister took salute from contingents from various districts of the state, comprising about 1,900 players and 150 officials. Arjuna Awardee Gurdev Singh (football) lit the flame which was carried by Parminder Singh (basketball), Sandeep Kaur (volleyball), Manjinder Kaur (hockey), Baljit Dhillon (hockey), Saroj (hockey), Prem Chand Degra (bodybuilding). Umesh Kumar, a distinguished athlete of Hoshiarpur, took the oath.
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Having managed to halt the Australian juggernaut in its tracks at Chandigarh, India will seek to carry the momentum when they go into the fifth cricket one-dayer here tomorrow, hoping to level the seven-match series.
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Stung by the defeat to India at Chandigarh, Australian captain Ricky Ponting is not in a mood to concede more ground and cautioned the home team that they will treat the fifth cricket
one-dayer tomorrow as a virtual final.
