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India hope to start on a positive note
Ponting refuses to underestimate India
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India’s tour of Australia
India keen to have Munaf
PCB bans ICL’s contract players
Liberals Hockey
Mallya to consider Karun for 2009
Rathore confident of Olympic medal
Haryana volleyball coach expelled, captain suspended
Mukesh, Dogra prop up HP
Delhi varsity lift overall trophy
Kerala enter quarters
Railways beat Punjab in Senior Nationals
Ahbab Club record upset win
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India hope to start on a positive note
Melbourne, December 25 Unfussy about where he bats — he has occupied the pivotal number three spot by sheer performance — Rahul Dravid has reportedly acceded to his successor Anil Kumble’s request to douse the fiery new ball. But Vinoo Mankad, with hundreds in both Tests, carved a niche for himself at this, the world’s oldest Test venue and biggest stadium (expected to house 75,000 spectators on Tuesday) in the sport. In 1981, at the same venue, Kapil Dev, with five for 28, dismissed the hosts for 83 in the fourth innings on a deteriorating pitch to help the tourists draw a series for the first time in Australia. This, after skipper Sunil Gavaskar — furious at Dennis Lillee’s verbals after winning a controversial leg before wicket decision — almost stormed out of the engagement. But in 2003, the last time the Indians were here, it was just the opposite, with Steve Waugh’s side levelling matters after India had taken the lead at Adelaide. Nonetheless, in the current decade, only the Indians, with four victories to Australia’s as many and three draws in a total of 11 encounters, have competed on equal terms with today’s unbeatables. But the fact that after two indifferent series Australia rebounded by turning the tables on India 2-1 in 2004 was indication that the Antipodeans are more determined and vigilant than before. They also have the talent in batting as well as bowling to impose themselves, notwithstanding the retirement of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn. India, therefore, need to proverbially “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” to resist the punches that will inevitably be thrown at them. This season, the MCG square has been rather benevolent to batsmen. Brad Hogg with his chinaman and googly though returned match figures of eight for 83 for Western Australia. But cometh Boxing Day and the pitch could well be fertile for pace traders, although Shane Warne captured five for 39 on the first day here against England 12 months ago. Kumble is quite capable of replicating this; but sadly for Harbhajan Singh, the conditions call for three quicker bowlers in the Indian line-up. All being fit, one of these will be Zaheer Khan, with two among Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan complementing him. Despite the absence of an injured Sreesanth (India’s best bowler in similar conditions in South Africa last winter) and the decline of Munaf Patel, it’s a more promising attack than four years ago; the lacuna being a lack of genuine pace. While the wicket may flatten out under drier weather and later even encourage spin, it’s unforgivable that the visitors were extended only one warm-up game (which, too, was effectively washed out) by a callous, money conscious Board of Control for Cricket in India. Australia have never played without a specialist spinner since 1992 and it would be surprising if Hogg was overlooked. But India would still need to see off the shine with their early batters if they are to remain competitive. Indeed, India’s strategy has got to be to exhaust the Australian speedsters before freeing their arms. Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Dhoni against tired bowlers could be a real treat! Start of play: 5 am
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Ponting refuses to underestimate India
Melbourne, December 25 “India have been good opponents in the last few Test series. They have played tough, entertaining cricket. They have good batters and among bowlers, Zaheer Khan and RP Singh played important roles in their historic win over England recently,” Ponting said. He singled out India’s batting as a key component in their strategy, though he made it obvious that he wouldn’t let them make runs as quickly as they did last time around. “When we lost to them in Adelaide (four years ago), I think we realised we made them score runs too quickly. We over-attacked them too much. We would start the series keeping these stats in mind. We are prepared this time. We know where to bowl and have set a plan for every batsmen,” he said. Though Australia would be without Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath this time, Ponting gave thumbs up to the bowlers in the ranks to get to terms with the Indian batsmen. “I think we have the bowlers to take 20 wickets in a match.” “Brett (Lee) has been bowling really impressively in all forms of the game. Mitchell Johnson has impressed everyone.” “(Stuart) Clarke is one of the most accurate bowler going around. Shaun (Tait) in two overs can pick up a few wickets which could change an entire game. Same with (Brad) Hogg,” he said. “I am really excited about the variety and quality in our attack,” added the host skipper. Ponting, meanwhile, made it clear that he wouldn’t be overdoing the short-pitch stuff which everyone is encouraging the Australians to throw at the Indians. “It’s important that one doesn’t get carried away. Even if bounce is an important weapon, it’s important how to use them, when to use them. “One must know what to follow it up with, when to relax and that sort of stuff.” Ponting didn’t feel the age of Indian cricketers would be an issue and that they would get tired and fatigued as the tour progressed. “The same has been said about our stars who are getting on in years and I don’t think that’s true at all. Even if their best players are past their prime, they have the ability to stand up series after series.” It appeared an interesting pitch to Ponting who felt it would be a difficult wicket to bat on on the first day of the match. “It must be damp (having been under covers for so long) and toss would be a critical factor. I hope it falls in our favour tomorrow.”
— PTI
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India’s tour of Australia
Things have been pretty one-sided of late, and we are confident that this Indian team will be a lot more competitive than some of the sides that have come here in the recent past. The rhetoric that has been appearing in the newspapers has set the stage for what should be a keen tussle between two teams that look evenly matched on paper. India have a tremendous batting line-up and quality spinners, but whether they have the fast-bowling firepower to help the slow men get 20 Australian wickets, remains to be seen. The Australians are no less formidable in the batting department. Phil Jaques, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke have filled in the slots made vacant by the likes of Justin Langer and Damien Martyn, and they have largely done a good job. The one potential hiccup for the hosts is its bowling line-up. It hasn't been tested too much. The Sri Lankans were beaten 2-0, but anything could have happened had Kumara Sangakkara, who scored a gigantic hundred in the second Test of the previous series, not missed the first. Whether to play four pacemen or include Brad Hogg in the playing XI is one of the critical decisions that Ricky Ponting will have to make on the eve of the Boxing Day Test. You do not need to be a genius to work out that the senior statesmen in the Indian side will be determined to succeed. They will most probably not tour Australia again, and the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman will be looking to make this trip special. The same applies to their skipper Anil Kumble, who bowled so well the last time they were here. A series win over Australia in Australia will be the crowning glory of their respective careers. I think it is necessary to set the record straight on what has been one of the game’s misnomers. Australian wickets are no longer as ‘fast’ and ‘bouncy’ as they were a few years ago. While the strip at Perth is showing signs of returning to its old self, and the track at Adelaide might just assist the fast men a little more than usual, the wickets at Melbourne and Sydney should please the Indians. The tracks there will deteriorate as the match progresses, and if India bat first and get the runs on the board, the spinners will be in an ideal position to pressurize the Australians. There has been a lot of talk about the ‘logic’ behind asking Rahul Dravid to open the innings. I know Sunil Gavaskar is among those who have opposed the move. Personally, I have no problems with it. We have had several such instances in Australia. David Boon and Justin Langer were middle-order batsmen who were asked to open because the situation demanded it. Given that an exciting prospect like Yuvraj Singh has to play, the Indian team management had no option but to do something like this. Rahul possesses the technique and temperament to cope with what is one of cricket’s most critical jobs. I think he will be
fine.— PMG
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India keen to have Munaf
Melbourne, December 25 In a team meeting last night, players expressed concern over the fast bowling resources, in particular its right-hand pacers. It is learnt that bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad expressed concern over the inability of India's right-arm fast bowlers to hit the right length on Australian wickets. The right-arm fast bowlers in the touring Indian squad are youngsters Pankaj Singh and Ishant Sharma, rank rookies, even though the latter grabbed five wickets in only his second Test. The Indian team wants Munaf to be available for selection for the third Test in Perth from January 16-20.
— PTI
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PCB bans ICL’s contract players
Lahore, December 25 PCB chief Nasim Ashraf said, “We were very clear about our policy about the ICL and they (the players) knew that they would be automatically banned from playing cricket in Pakistan if they took part in the league.” He added that all such information were made clear before hand and the players knew all about it. “When those players signed up to play in the ICL and went to India to take part in that tournament they were fully aware of the consequences.” Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Imran Farhat, Shabbir Ahmed and Taufeeq Umar were the six Pakistani players who played in the ICL’s inaugural tournament during November-December. “We have banned the (ICL) players in line with the uniform policy adopted by all leading (cricket) boards around the world.” Meanwhile, the discarded players believe that the stance against them is unjustified and have decided to move court to get a stay order against the reported ban on them. “Cricket is our bread and butter. This is a violation of our fundamental rights,” Imran Farhat said yesterday. “But we will go to court and get a stay order. They cannot stop us from playing even domestic cricket.” Pakistani middle order batsman Mohammad Yousuf, who too was roped in by ICL, cancelled his contract after being convinced by the PCB as it wanted him to be available for national duty. Later, Yousuf signed up with the official Indian Premier League (IPL) that will be staged by the Indian cricket board next April.
— UNI
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Hyo Sik pilots Hi-Fliers’ win
Disappointing a substantial number of supporters, the home team put up a spineless show despite having taken a two goal to nil lead in the first quarter of the match.
The team was never in the match as both the forward line and the defence line seemed shattered and without sting. For the Dynamos, it was only custodian Baljeet Singh, who thwarted many golden chances of the Fliers with his agility and skills. On the other hand, Bangalore Hi-Fliers came back as a strong unit in the second quarter and virtually tamed the Dynamos for the rest of the match. Earlier in the match, which started on a fast note, Dynamos got the lead in the ninth minute. Drag flicker Sandeep Singh brought cheers with his conversion of the first penalty corner. The next minute, a bright chance came with the move initiated by forward Rajpal Singh, who passed the ball to Prabhjot in the striking circle. Prabhjot’s hit was saved by Bharath Kumar brilliantly. Forcing the next penalty corner in 12th minute, Sandeep made the score 2-0 with a perfect flick. In the second quarter, the whole scenario changed as the Fliers team did not give a single chance to the rivals to make any threatening moves. Adopting attacking tactics, their forward line consisting South Korean Hyo Sik, Arjun Halappa, Bimal Lakra and Tushar Khandekar combined well and put many serious challenges to the weak defence line of the Dynamos. The result came in the 23rd minute with the successful conversion of a penalty corner by Sik. The alert Korean swooped on the fumbled stop by goalkeeper Baljeet Singh off Len Aiyappa’s flick and reduced the margin 2-1. The equaliser came in the 37th minute through Sik, who neatly deflected the cross shot off Sandeep Michael into the goalmouth. The third quarter saw some good moves, being created by the Dynamos, who also got a chance in the 39th minute when skipper Rajpal passed the ball to Prabhjot inside the striking circle but his failure to trap the ball wasted that opportunity. It was Cheyanna who sealed the 3-2 victory for the team with his fine efforts in the 67th minute. Len Aiyappa took the flick on the fourth penalty corner but the ball rebounded as Baljit Singh padded away the hit. Cheeyanna, who was positioned on the right side of the ‘D’ pounced on it and scored. Sik was given the Man of the Match award. Shers scrape past Warriors
In the second match of the day, Sher-e-Jalandhar registered a 5-4 victory over Maratha Warriors via sudden death. Both teams remained on 1-1 in the stipulated duration. After the barren silver goal duration of 10 minutes, the tiebreaker could not resolve the deadlock as both the teams finished 3-3. On the second shot of the sudden death by Warriors’ Bharath Chikara, Shers’ custodian Salman Akbar shattered Warriors’ dreams by halting the ball on the way. The first two shots of the Shers, taken by Gurvinder Singh Chandi and Saravjit Singh, were successfully netted. Earlier in the first quarter, Shers drew first blood in the eighth minute through a quick counter-attack. Gagan Ajit Singh, after receiving a long pass into the rival’s circle, passed the ball to Gurvinder Singh. On the return pass from Gurvinder, Gagan gave a quick pass to Jarnail Singh, who made no mistake in sounding the board. After that both teams played on an equal note. The chance for Warriors came in the 58th minute. Korean import Kweeom Moon got a clean pass off Viren Rasquinha in the circle. Wasting no time, he gave a brilliant back pass to Vikram Pillay, who romped home on the run. Salman Akbar was declared Man of the Match. Shers, who got two points from this match, have five points after three matches while Warriors are leading the table with seven points after the same number of matches.
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Liberals Hockey
Nabha, December 25 The other teams to move into the next round were Ideal Hockey Club, Lahore, who scripted an impressive 2-1 win against Western Central Railway,
Jabalpur; Air Force, New Delhi who rolled over Rock Rovers, Chandigarh, 2-1 and Ropar Hawks who downed Eastern Railway, Kolkata
3-1. SRC, Ramgarh, struck a purple patch for the third day running and sent a loud and clear message to other outfits that it was surely eyeing the trophy this time. To upset the applecart of a fancied outfit like Central Railway, Mumbai, by a three-goal margin speaks volumes of the character the army men displayed in today’s contest against their rivals. For
Ramgarh, centre forward Suman Kumar, who is having a fine run in the tourney and who struck the first hat trick of this edition of the tournament today, once again held the spotlight. His darting runs down the middle were a treat to watch and the way he controlled the ball on the somewhat bouncy grassfield indeed came in for fullsome
praise. Suman was helped to some extent by centre half M.Tirkey who fed the centre forward with some good passes.
Suman opened the scoring when he dived to connect the ball sent in from the right flank and sent the custodian the wrong way before caressing the ball home. Two goals more by Suman Kumar and SRC had virtually tamed their rivals who, without an iota of doubt, had taken the field as firm
favourites. It was only when the army team slackened the pace a bit that their rivals managed to claw their way back into the contest. But SRC struck two more goals to down the shutters on Western Central Railway by registering a 5-2 win. Ideal Hockey Club, Lahore, rode on a gallant display by their strikers M.Irfan and Shahzad
Khurram, both of whom struck a goal apiece , to knock out Western Central Railway,
Jabalpur, 2-1.
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Mallya to consider Karun for 2009
New Delhi, December 25 Mallya made it clear that Karun remains on the F1 radar and if he does well in the GP2 series this year, the youngster might end up landing the race driver's job straightway in 2009. "I know his family for a long, long time and he is like my son. He himself felt he needs to spend one more year in the GP2, where he is doing quite well, before he is ready for F1" Mallya told PTI from Malaysia. Mallya's words are sure to come as music to Karun's ear and the youngster seems on the right track to achieve his F1 dream. After his maiden GP2 series victory with Durango Corse in Belgium, Karun has been rewarded with a test driver's role with the Red Bull F1 team. The youngster has also left the mid-field Durango to join top-flight iSports International, which won the championship previous season. It was a significant step in the right direction, considering iSport driver Timo Glock won the championship and was confirmed by Toyota for the next season. In the past, drivers who made the GP2 to F1 transition include 2005 champion Nico Roseberg, who joined Williams, and 2006 winner Lewis Hamilton who was roped in by McLaren. Similarly, doing well on GP2 would open the F1 door for the 23-year-old Chennai driver, believes Mallya. "A new GP2 season beckons him and if he manages to do well — and he would be driving for a top team this time — we might consider him for the race driver's role itself," Mallya said. "I can assure you that he would be considered at least for the test driver's role," he added. Since Mallya joined hands with the Mol family and took over Spyker, now christened 'Force India', he has provided a reasonable budget to the team and set them a target of a podium finish when India hosts its maiden Grand Prix in 2010. Though he has been stressing on skills rather than nationality of the drivers, Mallya reckons having an Indian behind the Force India wheels in the 2010 GP would complete the picture. "A podium finish when India hosts its first maiden Grand Prix in 2010 remains the target of the team and icing on the cake would be having an Indian driver behind the wheels," he said. However, Karun still has some way to go before joining the big league and former Jordan driver Narain Karthikeyan, plying his trade in A1 GP these days, is also out of the radar, but Mallya believes India would definitely have its next F1 diver by 2012. "I think in the next five years, we would certainly have an Indian F1 driver. In fact it can be as early as 2012." And he himself would see to it that new driving talents come up, asserted Mallya. "Force India would also identify driving talents in India and fund their training in the academy at Johor Bahru, here in Malaysia before sending them to France for further training."
— PTI
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Rathore confident of Olympic medal
Jaipur, December 25 "My preparations are on. Whether I will win a gold or not cannot be said but I am confident and would try to give my best," Rathore told PTI here. "I don't feel any pressure because whatever I have achieved cannot be taken away from me and what I would achieve will be decided on the performance of that particular day. I feel my preparations are on the right track," he added. The double trap shooter is here for the National Rifle Shooting Championship revealed he does not have a permanent coach with him but assured that it would not have a bearing on his performance at the showpiece event. "No, I don't have any one coach with me. Whatever I feel is necessary, I do it consulting different people. I have a set of people who help me out. At the moment I am trying to adjust my grip for better results," he said. The army man said shooters had the best chance of returning with a medal in Olympics. "There were six Indians for the previous Olympics, now there are nine and they too have booked their berths well before the last chance of qualification. That means they are better placed. The upcoming four World Cups before Olympics will set the tone," he said. Rathore, who is the sports ambassador of Rajasthan, said he was yet to be briefed about his role on the post. "Let the people concerned decide and come to me if they really want me. Though I was declared Rajasthan's sports brand ambassador by Chief Minister herself nothing has been communicated to me," he said.
— PTI
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Haryana volleyball coach expelled, captain suspended
Jaipur, December 25 Explaining the reason behind the suspension, executive vice-president of VFI, N.D. Sharma said after their match against Services, Om Prakash and Amir used abusive language against referee P K Jagannath and the linesmen. "This was a case of violation of code of conduct and especially the conduct of Om Prakash, a former player of repute and a Dhyan Chand and Arjun award winner, sends a wrong message to the sports fraternity. So the disciplinary committee has decided to ban him from the current championship while Amir has been suspended for two matches," Sharma said after the meeting of the committee. Om Prakash, who was the coach of the silver medallist Indian team in World Youth Games, said the VFI decision was unfortunate. "The spectators and the players were shocked by the poor standard of judgement by the referee and linesmen. Has VFI ever bothered to take action against poor umpiring? Why a Malayali referee was appointed when so many southern players were playing in Services team?" said Om Prakash. "We may pull out the team. What was I supposed to do when there were so many wrong calls at crucial stages. I am going to
talk to my own state association," he added. — PTI
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Mukesh, Dogra prop up HP
Dharamsala, December 25 Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Himachal’s first down batsman Mukesh Sharma played a super innings scoring a century before being caught at 101 by Jhalani off the bowling of Shamsher Singh. H Dogra also played well and scored 71 runs. Opener M. Gupta scored 19 runs and was the first to get out caught by Dhoru on the bowling of Mathur. Sandeep Sharma scored 13 while P. Dogra could not get off the mark, both wickets going to S.G. Gehlot. M.S. Bisla was out on six leg before wicket to Aslam in the 57th over. A. Manu scored only one and was caught by Jhalani off Mathur. Sharandeep Singh (4) and V. Bhatia (13) did not offer much resistance to the Rajasthan bowlers. A.K. Thakur played well for his 22 and remained unbeaten as V.S. Malik, the last man, was caught at 13 runs by Gehlot off Aslam. Rajasthan conceded 17 runs as extra to the hosts. For the Rajasthan side, Mathur and Aslam took three wickets each while S.G. Gehlot and Shamsher settled for two wickets each. In their reply, Rajasthan scored 5 runs without losing any wicket at stumps on the first day. V.A. Saxena was not out on 5 while his partner S. Vijay did not open his account. Scorecard: Himachal Pradesh (1st innings): M Gupta c Doru b Mathur 19, H Dogra c & b Shamsher 71, Mukesh Sharma c Jhalani b Shamsher 101, Sandeep Sharma b Gehlot 13, P Dogra b Gehlot 0, MS Bisla lbw b Aslam 6, A Mannu c Jhalani b Mathur 1, Sarandeep Singh lbw Mathur 4, V Bhatia lbw Aslam 13, AK Thakur not out 22, VS Malik c Gehlot b Aslam 13 Extras: (b-8, lb-5, w-4) 17 Total: (86.2 overs) 280 Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-159, 3-176, 4-176, 5-183, 6-186, 7-190, 8-219, 9-257 Bowling: S Mathur 18-1-79-3, SG Gehlot 20-6-56-2, M Aslam 26.2-7-64-3, Shamsher 18-4-48-2, R Bishnoi 2-0-13-0, NG Gehlot 2-0-7-0 Rajasthan (1st innings): VA Saxena batting 5, S Vijay batting 0 Total: (one over) 5 for no loss Bowling: AK Thakur 1-0-5-0.
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Delhi varsity lift overall trophy
Yamunanagar, December 25 Results: Air rifle (women) Individual – Neha (394, University of Mumbai), Chitrali (391, Univ of Mumbai) and Lajja Goswami (389, Sardar Patel univ, Ahmedabad); Team – University of Mumbai (Neha Chavan, Saudamini Gavankar and Chaitrati K. Joshi), Kurukshetra University (Saroj Bala, Amita and Pradeep), Shiva Ji University of Kohlapur (Bhosale Tejswani Mansing, Thorat Vaishali Shivaji, Mulla Nazim Saukat) and GNDU, Amritsar (Amandeep, Navneet and Janupriya). Air pistol (Women) Individual – Anjali Marva (374, Univ. of Delhi), Shweta (359, KU) and Saumya Sinha (356, Univ. of Delhi); Team – univ of Delhi (Anjali Marva, Saumya Sinha and Yamini), Univ. of Mumbai (Jyoti Rawat, Rajesheri Katkar, Prerna Patil), Kurukshetra University (Shweta, Monika, Anuradha) and GNDU (Kanwaljeet Kaur, Parveen Rani, Juni Katiyal). Air pistol (Men) Individual – Mukul (KU), Vipul (KU) and Santosh Rathor (Shivaji Univ.); Team – Kurukshetra University (Mukul, Vipul, Ankur), Shivaji Univ. (Santosh Rathor, Siddesh Barale, Abhijeet Katker), Univ. of Pune (Mangesh Gosawi, Sideshwa Gore, Ratnesh Sonawane) and GNDU (Nandpal, Gurusahib, Amandeep Singh). Air rifle (Men) Individual – Ravi Kumar Jathav (591, Univ. of Delhi), Parsad Helkar (585, Univ. of Mumbai) and Deepak Saudagar (583, Univ. of Pune); Team – Univ. of Delhi (Ravi Kumar Jathav, Ravi Kumar, Nirvan Singh), Shivaji Univ. (Saran Thorat, Manmit Raut, Rohan Bodke), Univ. of Mumbai (Parsad Helkar, Mahesh Gawate, Rohit Sarda) and Univ. of Pune (Deepak Saudagar, Rohit Addling and Parkash Tayde).
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Kerala enter quarters
Puducherry, December 25 Services, Indian Railways, Tamil Nadu and Punjab had already qualified for the quarterfinals. In another super league match, Punjab defeated Tamil Nadu 100-86. However, the match was inconsequential with both teams having entered the last eight stage. The quarterfinals would begin tomorrow.
— UNI
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Railways beat Punjab in Senior Nationals
Jaipur, December 25 Railways struggled to score against a solid Punjab defence but eventually won 25-27, 25-15, 25-21, 25-19. Meanwhile, in a group ‘B’ match, Services prevailed over Haryana 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, 25-23. Results - men’s section: Orissa bt Gujarat 3-1, West Bengal bt Andaman and Nicobar 3-0, Chandigarh bt Pondicherry 3-0, Goa bt Jharkhand 3-2, Andhra Pradesh bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0, Maharashtra bt Bihar 3-0, Delhi bt J&K 3-0. Women’s section: Uttar Pradesh bt Gujarat 3-0, Punjab bt Mizoram 3-0, Madhya Pradesh bt Uttaranchal 3-0, Chhattisgarh bt Assam 3-0, Jharkhand bt Bihar 3-2, West Bengal bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0.
— PTI
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Ahbab Club record upset win
New Delhi, December 25 After a goalless first session, Ahbab scored the match-winner through Anuj Peter off a cross from Gourav Patra. The victory helped Ahbab pip Youngmen on goal difference and enter the Super League. Hindustan, despite the defeat, finished second in Group B with 13 points to move into the Super League. Ten teams have entered the Super League which starts on December 29. The teams are: Group A: Indian National, Garhwal Heroes, Tarun Sangha, Shastri and Shahdara. Group B: New Delhi Heroes, Hindustan, Indian Air Force, City and
Ahbab.
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BBK DAV win tennis title
Amritsar, December 25
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Ice skating meet from Jan 5
Shimla, December 25
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Melbourne, December 25
India first confronted Australia in Test cricket 60 years ago; unenviably against Sir Donald Bradman’s original “invincibles”. India, predictably, lost the five-Test series 4-0, indeed surrendered spinelessly in the two matches played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
While we Australians want our team to win the upcoming series, what we would like to see first and foremost is a good contest.
Chandigarh, December 25