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India seek consolation win
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Aussies to remain full strength
Ganguly eyes 100th wicket, Zaheer 200th
Broad’s report mentions racist chants: Oz media
‘Monkey chants not racism’
Sreesanth unfazed by Chappell criticism
Anand wants to renew rivalry with Kasparov
Olympic torch relay
Zurich Open Hopman Cup CAT rules in
favour of Sinha
Top amateurs
for Samarvir Golf
Military World Games
Carvalho confident team will qualify
Punjab Kho Kho meet begins
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Mumbai, October 16 The series so far has been fought both on and off the playing arena and the formidable Australians, well known for their aggressive approach, will be keen to maintain their stranglehold on the hosts in the last game to be played under lights at the Wankhede stadium. The visitors have already taken an invincible 4-1 lead and the home team can at best reduce the margin and gain some confidence ahead of the forthcoming series against arch rivals Pakistan. The Indians, who were accorded a tumultuous welcome in this city three weeks ago on their return as Twenty20 World Champions, have to put in a far more inspired performance to stop the Aussies from increasing the victory margin. The home team has to sort out quite a few chinks in their armoury as it has failed to click as a unit in all departments of the game. "We have not performed well in all departments of the game at the same time except at Chandigarh where we did so and won," captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. He said the Indian bowling at the death and batting between the 20th and 40th overs needed improvement to counter the mighty Australians. The Aussies are expected to make a few changes in their ranks to give a chance to the bench-warmers. The hosts would like to be consistent in their batting throughout their innings and the fact that they spoilt a good start in Nagpur must be pinching them like anything. With former captain Rahul Dravid clearly out of touch, even a change in the batting line-up cannot be ruled out as Dhoni might promote in-form Yuvraj Singh and dashing Robin Uthappa up the order. However, Dhoni will rely on the experienced opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who have so far put up creditable stands of 91 and 140 in two matches to give India a solid platform to move ahead. Except for the Chandigarh ODI, the bowlers have not delivered the goods and allowed the Aussies to notch up scores in excess of 280 in five of the six matches so far. The pacers, including the experienced Zaheer Khan, have struggled to settle down in the series and find the formula to bind the Aussie batsmen. Fielding has also been a major let-down for the home team which has grassed chances which proved costly in the last game. The rampaging Australians will have nothing to lose in the final match as it will give them a chance to test their unused resources like pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark. Matthew Hayden, who missed the Nagpur ODI due to hip injury, is again a doubtful starter for tomorrow's clash but that hardly threatens to affect the Australian combination. — PTI
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Aussies to remain full strength
Mumbai, October 16 Ponting said the side will remain unchanged if injured opener Matthew Hayden fails to pass a fitness test tomorrow morning. With an unassailable 4-1 lead, the Aussies were expected to include reserves like Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the last match tomorrow but Ponting made it clear that the visitors were not too keen on experimenting. "Matty did a fair bit of running today. He is 85-95 per cent. We will see how he pulls up tomorrow morning as a result of that. At the moment he's not certain he will be playing. We will make a decision tomorrow," Ponting declared. The skipper once again played down the ongoing war of words between the two sides and said it was high time the focus came back on the on-field action. Ponting said after the second game at Kochi things have become quiet. "Too much has been made (in the media) about this. After the second game this series has been played in a very good spirit. Nothing has happened since then. It's better (for the media) to start focusing on the good cricket played by both teams," he said. "We play our cricket very tough and hard on the field. We want to play good cricket and entertain the crowd. We have done it here on a number of occasions and we will do it in Australia too," he emphasised. Ponting rubbished suggestions that his team had come here with the aim of seeking vengeance for the defeat to India in the Twenty20 World Cup semifinals. "We did not come here seeking vengeance on anybody. This series is no different from the others we have played. And every match too is the same. We were disappointed for not making the Twenty20 Cup final, but some time it happens in cricket. We did not play at our best," he said. "We came here and played some excellent cricket. We played some of our best cricket in the last two games," the right-hander said. On the brilliant performance of Australian spinners, Ponting singled out chinaman bowler Brad Hogg for praise, saying the under-rated cricketer's wrong 'un was difficult to pick for a batsman. — PTI
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Ganguly eyes 100th wicket, Zaheer 200th
Mumbai, October 16 Fast bowler Zaheer Khan can also hope to make the match at his home ground memorable if he grabs five wickets. It will take his tally to 200. If 35-year-old Ganguly dismisses one Australian batsman at the Wankhede Stadium he will become the 12th Indian and the 88th player in the world to take 100 ODI wickets. This will be Ganguly's 307th ODI and he has scored 11,274 runs. Anil Kumble, who has retired from ODIs, is the leading Indian wicket taker in this form of the game - with 337 from 271 matches. Retired Pakistani left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram holds the world record with 502 scalps in 356 matches. Zaheer does have a five-wicket haul in an ODI, against Sri Lanka in Goa this February. If he repeats that feat Wednesday, another person on the ground who will be thrilled will be Sudhir Naik, who spotted the talent in Zaheer when the young lad came to Mumbai from Srirampur.
— IANS
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Broad’s report mentions racist chants: Oz media
Melbourne, October 16 The former England opening batsman has filed a report to the sport's world governing body mentioning that there were racial taunts during the game, which Australia won by nine wickets. However, it was unclear whether Broad filed another critical report in this regard about the match at Nagpur, where all-rounder Andrew Symonds was allegedly the victim of monkey chants, Fox Sports reported. An ICC spokesman confirmed that Broad had alerted the game's governing body of his concerns. The spokesman said that the match referee has a standard anti-racism proforma to fill in at the end of every Test and one-day international. "It just so happens that he filled it in slightly differently from the norm," the spokesman was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) has expressed its sympathy with BCCI over the difficulty in countering crowd racism. CA public affairs manager Peter Young, also Australia's anti-racism officer, said "It can undeniably be difficult with spectator comment. Most of the time you don't get to hear it." He said Australia had similar problems when South Africa's players complained of racial abuse, in Afrikaans, during its tour two years ago. "When South Africa was here two summers ago, no one from CA or any of the state associations ever heard the comments and it made it very hard to locate the alleged offenders and then take action. "All we could do was go through the policy and reinforce all those things that we were able to reinforce the training of venue staff, ensure the communication to spectators was clear and the like," he said. Young hinted the Indian board could initiate its own probe if it felt the need to do so. "The code doesn't say you have to receive an official complaint before you investigate it," he said. CA had left the matter to the ICC and was waiting to see what it does. "The ICC has taken the issue up. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is," he said. — PTI
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Melbourne, October 16 "What is Andrew Symonds complaining about -- monkey noises?" Waugh said on Fox Sports' 'Inside Cricket'. "Does that come down to racism, without actually saying any words. I don't know." Waugh, who made several tours of India during his career, said such taunts were part of the game. "It didn't worry me. I don't know if we are getting a bit precious here, really," he said. Former captain Allan Border agreed that the crowds always tried to irritate the visiting side. "There has always been taunts from crowds, from as long as I can remember," Border said. But the incident has been taken up by the Australian Cricketers' Association and the players' world union, the Federation of International Cricketers. FICA chief executive Tim May said he would discuss the matter with CA chief executive James Sutherland. "I will be quizzing James as to what happened and the positions Cricket Australia and the ICC are taking," May was quoted as saying by the 'Herald Sun'. — PTI
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Sreesanth unfazed by Chappell criticism
Melbourne, October 16 "I feel I am OK. I feel Ian should really look at the video of the last few games. I don't need a ban," Sreesanth was quoted as saying in the 'Herald Sun'. "I am not bothered, but I do respect Ian Chappell. I loved the way he played the game. However, I do not need a break. If there is change from me, it will be for good," the mercurial bowler quipped. Sreesanth drew flak for his aggressive behaviour in the series, which became all the more harsh after he failed to make much impact with the ball. Chappell, in his coulmn, said the speedster was an "accident waiting to happen".Sreesanth said he was trying to find the balance between good and bad behaviour. "I can learn. I'm grown up enough to realise how to play cricket. I love the game. It's not a new Sreesanth. I am trying to find that exact limit between really bad and really good. See how far I can go," he said. Sreesanth said Indians would prefer to remain quiet after having lost the series. "Even if we win the next game, the series still belongs to Australia, so it's a time they can say anything. It's a time for us to keep quiet and hopefully we can defeat them in Australia. It's cricket, you never know. We've got four matches there and you never know, we might win 4-0," he said. — PTI
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Anand wants to renew rivalry with Kasparov
New Delhi, October 16 Anand has managed to defeat Kasparov only eight times in 78 matches - classical as well as rapid chess - in his career and lost 27 games before the former undisputed world champion quit active chess. "Yes, if Kasparov is interested. It will be very interesting. For me, it will be a nice challenge. There is a match waiting for him if he wants," Anand said. "I can assure him that it will be less dangerous than his current occupation," he quipped, referring to the former champion's dabbling in political matters. Anand said beating Kasparov was even more satisfying than winning the recent World Championships title. The world's top-ranked player, who returned home to a tumultuous welcome a fortnight after becoming the first Asian to win the undisputed World title, said he did not want to compare chess with cricket. "I don't know about the comparison. You try to do the best for your sport and you don't lose the focus. That's the way it should be." His love for chess remained as fresh as it was when he began to play the game. Anand said he was in holiday mode at present but admitted he would have to guard against complacency. "Now I want to finish first in every tournament, but complacency is one danger," he said and added "I still make a lot of mistakes. On a good day it is different but when I botch up somethings I make mental notes of what went wrong." — PTI
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Olympic torch relay Mumbai, October 16 Maitra, who hails from Kolkata, is one of the finalists among 17 others from eight countries including Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and US. "It feels great to be nominated among the finalists and this is the biggest thing in my life. I am extremely excited about it and looking forward to a chance to participate in the relay," Maitra said. Maitra, a mechanical engineer and MBA, lives in Kolkata with his father and relatives and has been a voluntary member of CRY - an NGO working for the welfare of children. The 2008 Olympic Torch Relay is the longest ever relay in the Olympic history as it will be passing through all five continents. — PTI
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Zurich Open
Zurich, October 16 Sania, who made her comeback last week following a brief injury lay-off, conceded a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Michaella for another first round exit after her forgettable performance at the Kremlin Cup, where she had lost to Gisela Dulko of Argentina. The 30th-ranked Indian could convert only three of the eight break points, while wildcard entrant Michaella clinched six of the seven that came her way. This added to the woes of the Hyderabadi, who was clearly behind her opponent in terms of holding serves. In the doubles, Sania partnering with Patty Schnyder of Switzerland will take on Peng and M. Tu of the USA.
— PTI
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Hopman Cup Melbourne, October 16 Last year, India qualified for the event after winning the inaugural Asian Hopman Cup. They went on to upset Croatia and the Czech Republic before a loss to Spain prevented them from reaching the final. Sania and Bopanna were undefeated in the mixed doubles and finished second in their group last year, which led to the organisers extending a direct invite to the pair this time. "I am delighted to invite India directly into the field. It's a just reward for their challenge last year and for Sania's considerable progress this year," tournament director Paul McNamee said. — PTI
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CAT rules in favour of Sinha
New Delhi, October 16 The CAT went through his file notings and the correspondence between the SAI and the Sports Ministry before ruling that he be reinstated. Dr Sinha, an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, said the CAT ruling has vindicated his stand that he had been unjustifiably removed from the SAI. But a top source in the SAI said the CAT ruling was not binding on it as it can be challenge in the court.
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Top amateurs for Samarvir Golf
Chandigarh, October 16 The IGU-recognised tournament, which forms the seventh leg of the Indian Amateur Golf Tour, is held every year in memory of Samarvir, who was an outstanding golfer of the city. The tournament will see a clash of leading amateurs. And leading the pack will be second-ranked Abhishek Jha. Top-ranked amateur Simarjeet Singh, who is three-time Sri Lankan amateur champion, will give him stiff competition. But the one player to watch out will be No. 7 ranked Manav Das of Ambala, who won the Noida Open Amateur and finished second at the Jaypee Amateur. Others who could sparkle and provide the challenge on a given day are Gagan Verma, H.S. Kang, Vikram Rana and Saurabh Bahuguna. Kapurthala's junior golfer Ashbeer Saini and local lad K. Raghav Bhandari are also shaping into good fighters.
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Military World Games
Hyderabad, October 16 Edrees Hawsawi of Saudi Arabia (50.26 sec) won gold while Brazil's Thiago de Jesus Sales (50.98) pocketed the silver. Francis wins 100m
Samuel Francis of Qatar became the fastest man of the Games after winning the 100m sprint and established a new CISM record in the process today. Francis, who clocked 10.10s. Collio Simone (10.29s) of Italy and Lukasz Chyla (10.39s) of Poland won silver and bronze. Meanwhile, India's international quarter-miler S.K. Mortaza finished a disappointing eighth in the 400m final clocking 48.12s which is below his season's best timing of 47.42s that he ran in the Pune leg of Asian Grand Prix in June. India beat Latvia
India scored a morale-boosting straight-set victory over Latvia to keep their hopes of a semifinal berth alive in the men's volleyball competition here today. The hosts were in their elements today after the setback against China yesterday and came out 25-17, 25-19, 25-16 victorious against the East Europeans in a Group B league match. India lose in quarters
India's football campaign came to an end today after Egypt defeated the hosts 1-0 in the quarterfinal. A solitary goal by Lt Colonel Abdul Naser in the 101st minute clinched the match for the visitors who are among the favourites.
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Agencies
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Carvalho confident team will qualify
Hyderabad, October 16 Indian team's coach Joaquim Carvalho expressed confidence that he would achieve his goal of guiding India to the Beijing Olympics. He said the team is on course for the aim after achieving three podium finishes, including the Asia Cup triumph in Chennai. The first camp, with about 50 players, will start in Bangalore on November 5 and will be of one-month duration. "I assessed some under-21 players at a camp in Bangalore last month. Based on their performance, I have picked 12 boys for the senior camp. The future of Indian hockey rests with these boys. I will be working with them and they will learn a lot playing alongside the seniors in the first preparatory camp," Carvalho told PTI. Thirtythree players will attend the second camp. The final camp would be organised at venues where the Premier Hockey League (PHL) is to be held. — PTI
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Punjab Kho Kho meet begins
Sangrur, October 16 The meet was inaugurated by deputy commissioner V.K. Ohri. About 500 players are taking part. Results: Men’s section: Ferozepur beat Kapurthala 5-2 points, Mansa beat Bathinda 6-4, Amritsar beat Mohali 5-4. Women’s section: Mansa beat Barnala 5-1, Amritsar beat Ferozepur 6-5.
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