The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Kumble happy with Eden pitch Kolkata, November 27 Indian skipper Anil Kumble today saw the pitch at the Eden Gardens and expressed his happiness. The Indian team came to the city in the afternoon and immediately after completing the formalities of checking in Anil Kumble and team manager Lalchand Rajput set out for Eden Gardens. Later Mitra told UNI, “Both the skipper and manager were pleased to see the pitch. The skipper felt that the pitch would be on a slower side. But he was happy.” Mitra further said, “It would be a traditional Eden pitch where there will be a purchase for everyone who applied themselves. While the pacers will get some help in the morning, the pitch will take spin later in the match. The batsmen will also find the pitch a good one to bat on.” Kumble and Rajput, then went and met CAB president Prasun Mukherjee and jt secretary Samar Pal. Pal said, “Kumble praised the face lift that Eden Gardens got and hoped to enjoy the match here.” — UNI
	Down with fever, Akhtar hospitalised Kolkata, November 27 Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar was hospitalised today after complaining of fatigue caused by fever, a team official said. "He was suffering from fever and got very tired after arriving here from New Delhi," the official said. "So he has been taken to hospital, probably to be put on a drip." The injury-prone Shoaib took six wickets in the first Test against India, his first Test since January. The visitors have more fitness concerns with skipper Shoaib Malik nursing an ankle injury suffered during a game of soccer after Monday's defeat in Delhi. Batsman Misbah-ul Haq is recovering from fever and throat infection that he was suffering from during the match. However, fast bowler Umar Gul has been cleared to play in the second Test after missing the opener due to back trouble. "Gul will be available for selection," the official said. "His scan report was seen by the Pakistan medical board and it has cleared him." — Reuters
	Teams arrive amidst heavy security Kolkata, November 27 Following an e-mail threatening the India-Pakistan cricket Test match, the two teams arrived here amid heightened security for the second Test starting November 30 at the Eden Garden. As part of the security drill, the members of the two teams boarded buses from the apron area at the NSC Bose International Airport after getting off from a Jet Airways aircraft from Delhi and were escorted by Kolkata Police commandos to their hotel, which has been turned into a virtual fortress. The Indian team sources said several members have not yet arrived. Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Karthik, R P Singh and S Sreesanth and fielding coach Robin Singh will arrive tomorrow. Danish Kaneria and Mohammed Yousuf of the Pakistani team would arrive later this evening. The managers of both the teams were briefed by the police brass about security guidelines, Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Administration), P K Chatterjee said. Supervised by a deputy commissioner of police, a large contingent has been deployed in and around the hotel. Chatterjee said a bomb disposal squad has also been posted at the hotel, along with sniffer dogs. Chatterjee said: "We have taken all possible security measures. There is no room for any mistake." He said that keeping in mind an email threat against the match, Deputy Commissioner Dilip Banerjee had been asked to oversee the security measures with the help four senior police officers. While the Rapid Action Force of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is in charge of the four entry points to the hotel, the Quick Reaction Team and Special Action Force of the Kolkata Police as well as bomb experts have been deployed inside the building. Earlier the entire hotel was sanitised with metal detectors and sniffer dogs. Even the routes the two teams will take to the stadium have been put under watch. The Indian and Pakistani teams are staying on the first and second floors respectively. Chatterjee said that the police have arranged for baggage scanners like those at the airports. — Agencies
	I love challenges, says Dravid Kolkata, November 27 Former India skipper Rahul Dravid, who returned to the Indian team after being dropped for the ODI series against Pakistan, today said every adversity was a new challenge to excel and prove his ability. Talking to the media while inaugurating a photo exhibition at Behala College in the southern fringes of the city, he said, “I think I love challenges. There is a certain desire and hunger in me that eggs me on to prove myself.” “I surely enjoy pressure. Whenever the team or I am on the back foot, I see it as an opportunity to showcase my skills and prove a point,” Dravid, nicknamed 'The Wall', for standing tall amid ruins of Indian batting time and again, said. He then went on to add that in studies if one sees adversity as a threat there is a possibility that he will fail. “In sports, it's the same,” said Rahul, who made his way back to the side scoring a spectacular century in the Ranji after being dropped from the side in the one-day series against Pakistan. Asked what records he had in his mind, Rahul, the fighter said, “After playing for so long, you stop thinking about records. I want to do the best I can. The numbers and runs don't matter much anymore. What matters is whether I can win matches and play critical innings when the team needs me and if I can continue to do that I will be happy.” He then went on to add that “in order to succeed at the international level, one needs to sharpen other skills too, but most important thing was to love the game, love cricket.” “You need to work hard, learn to stay focussed, but most importantly you need to rediscover yourself as a person and love the game,” he said. Asked how he managed to handle the private and professional life, he said, “I owe it to my family, my parents, my wife and my little son. They always support me and help me focus. I like to keep my personal life away from the professional life. And they help me maintain that. My family is precious to me.” “Love for the game needs a lot of sacrifice. I had very supportive parents. It was a case of time management between school and cricket. So I had to sacrifice on films, friends and a lot of other things. But I enjoyed doing what I was doing,” he added. Asked to comment on his love affair with Eden Gardens, he said, “It is a venue where I have one of my most memorable innings.” “Laxman and myself had that partnership that helped us win against Australia after they had induced a follow-on on us. They had won 16 Tests on a trot before that. And winning that Test was all the more commendable.” On March 14, 2001, V.V.S. Laxman rewrote history books making an unbeaten 275 with Rahul Dravid, who batted heroically for an undefeated 155. — UNI
	‘Sreesanth must rein himself in’ Melbourne, November 27 Indian pacer S Sreesanth's continued inability to "rein himself in" when under pressure could end up costing his side dearly during the upcoming cricket tour Down Under, feels Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds. The burly right-hander, who had a series of confrontations with the mercurial pacer during last month's one-day series in India, however, made it clear that he held no grudge against the Keralite. "He's just got white-line fever. He has got it that bad, he couldn't rein himself in when he lost it a bit," Symonds was quoted as saying by 'The Herald Sun'. "It will be interesting to see how he is received over here. I don't dislike him. Off the ground he was always polite. I saw him in the hotel and he always said 'g'day' and that," he added. "But, as I said, he's just got white-line fever and sometimes he just loses control." Sreesanth is currently out of action due to a shoulder injury but is expected to be fit in time for the Australia series which starts December 26 here. MacGill to miss series Sydney: Australian leg spinner Stuart MacGill is all set to undergo a knee surgery which will make him unavailable for the home series against India starting next month. MacGill, a veteran of 42 Tests, consented to have the surgery in a last ditch attempt to prolong his playing career and regain full fitness for a gruelling year ahead, which includes tours of Pakistan, India and the West Indies. The 36-year-old, who has suffered knee, elbow and weight problems in recent times, has already gone under the knife this season. He has had two bouts of surgery in the past six months in a bid to fix a knee injury, which he suffered during John Buchanan's boot camp before the 2006-07 Ashes series. He struggled during Australia's victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test last week, bowling well below his best. MacGill's domestic team New South Wales (NSW) has also announced that he would not feature in their table-topping Pura Cup clash against Victoria, starting on November 30. If things go as per plan, MacGill would be available for the final rounds of the Pura Cup and for the Pakistan tour. This news comes as a boon for 'chinaman' Brad Hogg, who will replace MacGill in the Australian side for the Boxing Day Test against India at Melbourne. The in-form all-rounder has been in very good form this season, having claimed 13 wickets at 23.38 in three Pura Cup matches for Western Australia. He also completed a successful one-day tour of India last month, claiming 11 wickets in seven matches. Australia will play their next series featuring four Test matches at home against India starting next month. — Agencies
	Bangladesh drop Nafees for New Zealand tour Dhaka, November 27 Opener Shahriar Nafees has been dropped from Bangladesh's squad for the one-day series in New Zealand starting next month, officials said today. Off-spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah also failed to find a place in the 15-member squad, chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP. Mohammad Ashraful was retained as captain. Nafees was replaced by teenager Junaid Siddique, who scored 71 against Pakistan in the only match he played during the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September. Paceman Nazmul Hossain returned to the squad after more than a year in place of Mahmudullah, who has played just one one-day international. "Since the Twenty20 World Cup, Siddique has been playing some impressive cricket. We thought he has now become mature enough to play one-day international cricket," Alam said. — AFP
	Beckham’s strike in vain Sydney, November 27 David Beckham lit up the Olympic Stadium with a stunning free kick but failed to inspire his LA Galaxy team mates in a 5-3 friendly loss to Sydney FC today. The former England captain brought a crowd of over 80,000 to their feet when he curled in a trademark strike from 25 metres but it was a rare moment of joy for Galaxy who struggled in coach Ruud Gullit's first game in charge. "I was really happy to score in this game after all the build-up," Beckham told a news conference. "It was an entertaining match with a few goals and that's what the fans wanted." The 32-year-old Beckham suffered an ankle injury early in the match and watched helplessly as his team gave away three early goals to hand their hosts a 3-0 lead. Beckham, playing in a deep-lying midfield role, hobbled on in obvious discomfort but he took his chance of glory two minutes before halftime. Galaxy were awarded a free kick in a central position and, as he has so many times before, Beckham carefully placed the ball on the turf. He stepped up to whip the ball over the Sydney wall and it fizzed into the top corner of the net beyond the despairing dive of goalkeeper Clint Bolton. "In that sort of situation, there is always a certain amount of pressure but it's something I have always practised," said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder. "That always gives me a chance to score from positions like that." Galaxy pulled another goal back soon after the interval through striker Edson Buddle but Sydney, inspired by Brazilian Juninho, restored their two-goal cushion when Robbie Middleby tapped into an empty net. Beckham was the victim of two strong challenges and he was booked in the 64th minute for retaliating with a late tackle on Middleby before Galaxy defender Kevin Harmse was sent off as tempers flared. "It got heated but there are not many games these days that are friendlies," Beckham said. "It was all good fun and we had a laugh about it at the end." Sydney defender Iain Fyfe bundled the ball home from close range five minutes from time and US international Landon Donovan completed the scoring in the dying seconds. — Reuters
	Tiger to take part in Dubai Desert Classic Dubai, November 27 Tiger Woods will return to Dubai for the third successive year for the Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club from January 29 to February 3, 2008. A media communication on Monday from the organisers said the World's No. 1 player, who won the title in Dubai in 2006 and finished third last year, has confirmed his participation in the event though he is still finalising his schedule for 2008. Woods is also working with his design company on developing a 7,800-yard, par-72 course named Al Ruwaya in Dubailand. Woods, who first appeared in the Desert Classic in 2001, finished tied third in the 2007 edition of the European Tour event, two shots adrift off eventual winner Henrik Stenson. Arguably the most remarkable golfer of the modern era, Woods had his moments, but poor putting blew his chances. "Well, that's one of the worst putting weeks I have had in a long time... very frustrating," said Woods who, for a change, wore sunglasses during the tournament. Tiger is looking forward to getting to Dubai and playing in what he called "a fantastic event". "I always enjoy visiting Dubai - it's an extremely hospitable place where the people and the tournament organisers treat the players so well," he said. "The level of competition is always extremely high; so I know I'll have to play my best golf. It's a great venue, the course is always in immaculate condition and the weather reminds me of back home in Florida," said Woods who has also been amazed by the progress of Dubai. "From the time I first came to play here in 2001, I wanted to be a part of this amazing vision," Woods had commented after unveiling plans for Al Ruwaya course in The Tiger Woods Dubai. 'Golf in Dubai', the promoters and organisers of the Dubai Desert Classic, were equally delighted to welcome Woods back. "We are naturally delighted and proud that Tiger Woods has agreed to join us for the 2008 Dubai Desert Classic," said Mohamed Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO. "Having the world's greatest golfer play in your event is something many tournament organisers dream of. So for us to be able to welcome him to the Majlis Course for the fifth time in eight years is a major boost for golf in the Middle East, especially Dubai." — IANS
	Last hope Bopanna ousted New Delhi, November 27 A profligate Rohan Bopanna squandered several opportunities and went down to second-seeded Igor Kunitsyn of Russia in the first round of the ONGC ATP Challenger tournament here today. Bopanna, on his way to script an upset, lost three match points and handed the Russian a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win at the DLTA courts. The fall of the big-serving Bopanna marked the end of the Indian challenge in the singles of $50,000 hardcourt event as Harsh Mankad and Karan Rastogi had lost their opening round encounters earlier today. Mankad went down 7-5, 6-2 to Alberto Francis of the United States while Rastogi found the going tough and lost 6-3, 6-3 against Wesley Moodie of South Africa. Other Indian challengers Tushar Liberhan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sunil Kumar Sipaeya and Navdeep Singh had lost yesterday. Among others, Pakistan's Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi, seeded sixth, had to toil hard for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Ivan Sergeyev of Ukraine. Bopanna did everything in his endeavour to win the match but tripped on the verge of victory. After pocketing the first set and leading 5-4 in the second, the Davis Cupper lost three match points in the next game on his own serve. Bopanna fought back in the next game and answered as he knows best with his booming serves to snatch three break points in the 11th game, but frittered away all of them to witness his own peril. A rejuvenated Igor banked on the opportunity to make a comeback while Bopanna looked out of sorts in the decider. Earlier, the first set saw Bopanna in cruise control mode. He served big and rushed to the net often to destabilise Igor. Whenever he found himself in a soup, he relied on his power-packed serves to get out of trouble. The Indian broke Igor in the blemish free eighth game and pocketed the set in style. In the second set, Bopanna broke Igor in the third game and looked in command to grab the match. But the twist in the tale unfolded quite late in a dramatic manner. With the prospect of defeat almost certain, Igor woke up from a deep slumber and did the unthinkable. The 10th game of the second set was fought tooth and nail. With 40-30 up, Bopanna lost one and then gave away the advantage twice. The Indian was again up 0-40 in the next game but Igor came back to take it away. After levelling 1-1, Igor looked a different player. — PTI
	India a top priority: AFC chief Sydney, November 27 Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam has vowed to continue to give full support to India's development in football through the Vision Asia Project. ''India is top priority for us (the AFC) and we will invest more in improving the game there,'' Bin Hammam told reporters here ahead of tomorrow's 2007 AFC Player of the Year award ceremony. ''Historically, India has strong football roots. Some of the oldest clubs and competitions are in India. Some clubs have a fan following of more than 20 million fans, in and outside India. That is an indicator to the popularity of the game,'' he said. ''The AFC is trying to introduce professionalism in football throughout Asia with Vision Asia,'' Bin Hammam added. India is one of the seven pilot countries in the Vision Asia development project along with neighbours Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Oman, Vietnam and China. Recently, an AFC Professional League Committee's Inspection team visited various cities in India, meeting with federation and club officials, touring training centres and stadia, and attending matches. All India Football Federation's (AIFF) has also promised the AFC team to ensure that the criteria set for participation in the AFC Champions League will be met in due course. — UNI
	Chess World Cup Sasikiran only Indian to advance to 2nd round Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia), November 27 Grandmaster (GM) K. Sasikiran edged out Bulgarian GM Sergei Zigalko in a blitz game to become the only Indian to make it to the second round of the Chess World Cup here. However, the other Indians could not make it through the tie-breaks to advance in the elite event. GM G.N. Gopal put up a heroic fight before losing to former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov. Gopal, who had drawn both his classical games against his celebrated opponent, also managed to hold his own in the rapid games. Kasimdzhanov finally prevailed in the blitz games by a 1.5-0.5 margin. Harikrishna made a disappointing exit from the World Cup when he lost his rapid tie-break match 0.5-1.5 to Chinese GM Zhao Jun. Abhijit Kunte lost the rapid match 0.5-1.5 to Russian GM Vadim Zvjaginsev. Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran played well in the endgame to outwit his opponent when the clash was heading towards a draw. He obtained a slight advantage with the white pieces against the Queens Indian defence. The middle game was hard fought and Zivalgo prevented Sasikiran from making significant progress. The Indian continued to enjoy a slightly superior position in the endgame, but a draw seemed likely. However, Sasi was in no mood to concede a draw easily and played inventively to force exchange of rooks in favourable circumstances. His knight proved clearly superior to his opponent's bishop and the Indian GM won the game after a long tussle lasting 101 moves. The second blitz game went without any difficulty for Sasikiran and he easily secured the draw to advance to the second round. — PTI
	Punjab teams enter next round Tribune News Service Kapurthala, November 27 Hosts Punjab moved into the next round in both boys and girls under-19 categories at the 53rd National School Games (Handball) in progress here at the Guru Nanak Stadium. Punjab boys outplayed J&K 18-4. Jagtar Singh of Punjab shot seven goals while Kesar of J&K scored three goals. In the girls section, Punjab girls crushed Bihar 18-0. Gurpreet of Punjab scored 10 goals. In other league matches in the boys category, Tamil Nadu beat West Bengal 26-4, Delhi outplayed Chandigarh 24-10, Maharashtra defeated HP 19-17, UP beat Andhra Pradesh 19-11, Chattisgarh outplayed Madhya Pradesh 27-11, Kendriya Vidyalaya defeated Tripura 20-13, Rajasthan beat Navodaya Vidyalaya 19-17 and Haryana defeated Uttranchal 30-12. In the girls section, Maharashtra defeated Navodya Vidyalaya 20-6, Chandigarh beat UP 12-1, Rajasthan outplayed MP 28-6, Tamil Nadu defeated Tripura 13-5, Delhi beat Gujarat 33-6, Haryana outplayed Kerala 15-8 and Uttaranchal defeated Bihar 21-4 in their respective league matches.
	Dempo take on Sporting Clube today Margao, November 27 Flying high on Nigerian forwards Ranti Martin and Edeh Chidi and a 3-0 win over Salgaocar in the lung opener, defending champions Dempo are looking to score full points against Sporting Clube de Goa in the second round ONGC-I League match to be played here at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, tomorrow. Dempo has a well balanced squad and looks formidable both on paper and in experience with a potent strike force and an efficient midfield consisting of hardworking Brazilian Roberto Mendes D'Silva (Beto), Climax Lawrence, Jerry Zirsangha or Nicolau Borges providing them with stability in the middle. The foreign recruits - Edeh Chidi, Ranti Martin and Beto - combine well and give their rivals a harrowing time. The trio is quick in seizing the chances that come their way. The defence will be marshalled by Mahesh Gawli, Valeriano Rebello, John Dias and Samir Naik. Besides, they have quality players on the bench as well. Dempo coach Arman do Colaco said that he was happy with his team's performance and added that the boys were in good spirit after a comfortable win against Salgaocar in the inaugural match. Every match in the tournament is important for us and we look forward to a similar performance with other opponents, he added. Sporting's Peter Valles said that Dempo is a strong team but his boys will try their best for a victory. But this depends on how his boys perform tomorrow with only one foreigner in the team. Sporting Clube de Goa, who suffered a 0-3 defeat against Churchill Brothers in the opening match needs to bounce back and for this their midfield should put up a superlative performance and the forwards need to find the target. Much will depend on Bibiano Fernandes, Micky Fernandes, Joseph Pereira, Cavin Lobo and Bisheshwar Singh in the midfield and new foreign recruit Junior Elijah, Freddy Mascarehas or Lavino Fernandes in the forward line. — UNI
	Indian Oil open campaign with big win New Delhi, November 27 A four-goal blitz in the second half enabled defending champion Indian Oil to open the defence of their title with an emphatic 4-0 win over South Central Railways (SRC) in the 18th Shastri Hockey tournament here today. Runners-up Bharat Petroleum, however, split points with Army XI as the two teams played a 4-4 draw. In other fixtures of the day, Indian Airlines and PNB played 1-1 draw while Air India downed Namdhari XI 3-2. The first match saw SRC putting up a good fight against Indian Oil in the first session but caved in unexpectedly in the second half. Indian Oil took the lead in the 48th minute through Tyron who scored off a second penalty corner. Two minutes later, Tyron increased the lead when he scored his second goal. Jaswinder made it 3-0 in the 61st minute and Ranjodh Singh completed the tally a couple of minutes before the close. In an engrossing match in which Army XI thrice took the lead but failed to hold on to it and had to be content with a draw with Bharat Petroleum. Bharat Petroleum dominated the procedings and should have won easily but for the muffed chances. They earned as many as eight penalty corners but could convert only two. Army XI received five penalty corners and they also converted two of them. Gurpreet Singh put Bharat Petroleum ahead when he converted a penalty corner in the 25th minute. Army XI drew parity five minutes later through Jerum Kujur and then went ahead two minutes later with AK Ekka scoring off a penalty corner. A minute before the breather, Bharat Petroleum equalised with Amar Aiyamma scoring a fine goal. In the second session, Army twice gained the lead but could not hold on to it. AK Ekka and D Mahadik were the goal getters for Army while Gurpreet Singh and Jarnail singh scored for Bharat Petroleum. — UNI