The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Break shackles, play freely, Kumble tells batsmen Sydney, January 1 Skipper Anil Kumble once again stressed the need for his batsmen to break the shackles and play freely as India geared up to avenge the Melbourne humiliation by the Australians in the second cricket Test at the SCG here tomorrow. "It's very important to get partnerships. When we had that 60-70 run stand (between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly) it was fine. When we have a partnership, it's important to go on and make a big score," said Kumble looking ahead at the second Test against Ricky Ponting's men after losing the four-match series opener by 337 runs. Kumble once again called on his batsmen to lift their attitude. He urged them to relax and bat their natural way. "I thought our batters were very uptight in Melbourne. They needed to play their natural game," he said. Speculation is rife that India could be investing in Virender Sehwag in this game but Kumble chose to sidestep the matter. "He is an attacking option. Before he lost form and was made to sit out, he was a very important member of the side. He does bring in that carefree attitude into the team," he said. Kumble said Sehwag has looked in touch in the nets but stopped short of revealing anything about the final composition for the match tomorrow. "From whatever we have seen in nets, he looks good. His form is not a concern because he is hitting the ball well," Kumble said. The Indian captain refuted suggestions that after the thrashing they got in the Melbourne Test, the visitors needed to spend more time in the nets to be back in form. Instead he advocated a switch off from the game for his embattled team. "For some people it is said that if you are seen on the field, you are better prepared. For some, you feel you need a break and get away from it. To think about what went wrong," he explained. "It was important for us to switch off and remember all the positive things we have done in the past. One extra hit in the nets won't make you a better player. "It's the same. If the mind is thinking positive, then the running between the wickets becomes better," he said. — PTI
	Dravid needs a chill pill: Shastri Melbourne, January 1 Former captain Ravi Shastri wants Rahul Dravid to relax and keep off training before the Sydney Test and the rest of the team to be more aggressive if the Indians are to challenge Australia this southern summer. Shastri said the game's finest strokemaker should unclutter his mind. "Dravid needs to take a chill pill," Shastri said. "He needs to go and relax, have a good New Year and stay away from the nets as much as possible and just go out and bat. He's a great player." Shastri said the entire batting line-up needed to find a way to prosper against Australia's menacing pace attack and the troubling spin of Brad Hogg, who confounded Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh with unplayable flippers. "If they sit back now and think about what they did wrong, I think it will be to do with their strategy, going forward into the next Test," Shastri said. "They need to decide how to approach this Australian attack. "They will have to think about who are the players who will take the attack to the opposition and who are the players who will hold the innings together." Dravid's form remains a key concern heading into the second Test, starting on Wednesday at the SCG. He took 41 balls to get off the mark in India's first innings and eventually made just five, and didn't look much better in the second when finishing with 16 off 114 balls. Shastri praised Australian skipper Ricky Ponting for his handling of wrist-spinner Hogg, who now appears to have rubber-stamped his spot for the rest of the summer. "He (Hogg) will go into the next Test in a very positive frame of mind. But credit must be given to Ponting for giving him the confidence to bowl that long spell." — IANS
	India’s tour of Australia Dravid needs to back his ability Allan Border writes I hope that the Indian team has collectively and individually sat down and made a New Year's resolution to turn their cricketing fortunes around. Their performance in the first Test was well below par and the team has been widely criticised for it, and rightly so. The good news is that there are three Tests to be played and therefore plenty of opportunity to get themselves back in the series. The Sydney Test provides a fresh start. Getting the right eleven on the paddock is the first consideration. There has been a lot of talk about Rahul Dravid and his place in the team. There is absolutely no reason that he cannot make a go of opening in Test cricket. His technique and character are perfectly suited to the job. The only hurdle seems to be in his own mind! That is the crux of the question. Rahul appeared to be very negative about taking on the role and it showed in his batting. If I was the Indian coach, I would be having a long heart-to-heart chat with him, reminding this fine young man that form is temporary and class is permanent and that he possesses a ton of the latter. He just needs to free his mind and be positive and back his abundant ability. His actions at the top of the order might well dictate to the other players in the team that they too have the quality and the class to take the fight to the Aussies. The message is that they won't achieve this with timid hearts. The next change on my list would be to take a big gamble and pick Sehwag to open with Dravid. Give him a licence to go out and really take on Brett Lee and Co. Positive attitudes can be very infectious. The rest of the batting I would leave as it is. I know that there has been a groundswell of discontent towards Yuvraj Singh but I remain a huge fan of this gifted young man. I'm not sure what gets him fired up or in fact what buttons to push but he must be cajoled into producing something special. He has the talent and skill to be a match winner for India much in the same mould as Australia's Andrew Symonds. The only other change that I would consider is to the quick bowling stocks. R.P. Singh did a reasonable job in Melbourne but I believe that India would be better suited to having a right-arm quickie to provide more variation. One of the positives that came out of the Melbourne Test was the bowling and the fact that the Indian bowlers showed that they could worry the Aussies and could create enough chances to bowl them out twice. They, however, need much better support in the field. There is no excuse in the modern game for the sloppy fielding performance that the Indians put on in Melbourne. The coaching staff should be working on the boys overtime in this area. There is no doubt that this Indian squad has the firepower and quality players to match it with the Aussies. The big difference between the sides is the passion, pride and preparation that the Aussies bring to the table every day! They back themselves to win the big moments of each day and each session. Can the Indians turn things around and play to their undoubted potential in Sydney? As I have said in a previous article, every cricket lover in Australia hopes so! The Sydney wicket will provide a better surface for both teams than the one in Melbourne. Indian teams in the past have always performed well in Sydney and once again the visitors should enjoy the conditions. 2007 finished badly for the Indians. Hopefully, the start of a new year will bring the best out in the tourists and we can start 2008 off with a bang! — PMG
	Watch out for Sachin: Waugh Sydney, January 1 Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the “danger man” as far as Australia is concerned and will hold the key for the Men In Blue if they have to turn the tide against a rampaging Aussie attack, asserts former captain Steve Waugh. “You could see the way he played in the first innings. He was set for a big score. I think he is the danger man in Sydney for Australia,” Waugh said. “He has set himself for a very big series here. His form has been up and down for the past 12 months. He hasn’t got a lot of runs against the top Test nations.” Waugh is not kidding. With the kind of stats Tendulkar has in Sydney, it will not be wrong to say that the master blaster has a liking for the SCG. In three Tests against Australia at the SCG, he has amassed 498 runs at a mindblowing average of 249. In 1991-92, the 18-year-old Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 148, becoming the youngest to record a century in a Test in Australia. All-time great Neil Harvey, at 19, was the previous youngest to hit a Test ton in Australia. In his next SCG Test, in 1999-2000, Tendulkar scored only 45 and 4. Then he batted and batted in the January 2004 Test, scoring 241 not out and 60 not out in the final Test. The wonder boy had become an elder statesman as India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Interestingly, Waugh has reposed his faith in Dravid as a opener, amidst calls for a change in the opening slot. The 42-year-old rooted for Sehwag saying, “I would bring in Virender Sehwag to open the batting with him. If Sehwag comes in and plays his shots, his natural way will take pressure off Dravid.” “Wasim Jaffer would have to be the guy who misses out. After his second-innings dismissal when he got out on a no-ball and two balls later played a soft, wafty shot, that wasn’t a Test batsman’s shot,” Waugh told ‘Herald Sun’. When quizzed about Dravid’s decision to relinquish the captaincy, Waugh said, there may issues ‘behind the scene’ that probably prompted his decision. Waugh said, “I was quite surprised when he relinquished the captaincy because I knew he really valued that and cherished that role. There may be issues going on behind the scenes that people don’t know about.” Giving a word of advice to the former India captain Rahul Dravid, Waugh said, “He has to take in the attitude that he doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. He has done everything you could possibly do in cricket — just go in with a clean slate and enjoy yourself,” he added. — UNI
	Farhat, Taufiq to move court Karachi, January 1 Pakistan's discarded openers, Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar, who are contracted players of the rebel Indian Cricket League, have decided to move court against the Board's decision to stop them from playing domestic cricket. Farhat said today that he and Taufiq had held discussions with their lawyer and decided to file a petition in a civil court against the Board. "This is the only option available to us at the moment. Because by stopping us from playing for our department, the board is basically endangering our private jobs," Farhat told PTI. The board has said it had followed a policy of the International Cricket Council and member boards in instructing all its affiliated departments not to select those players for domestic tournaments who have signed contracts and played in the ICL. Farhat and Umar played in the inaugural edition of the ICL in India along with Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood and former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq. The PCB has also said those playing for ICL will not be considered for national selection. Farhat said he and Taufiq had taken a joint decision to move the court but were not aware what the other players have planned. — PTI
	Chennai Open Nadal makes winning start Chennai, January 1 Spanish world number two Rafael Nadal overcame late resistance to reach the ATP Chennai Open second round today but second-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis was knocked out. Top seed Nadal defeated Mathieu Montcourt 6-2, 6-4 after the tenacious French baseliner broke his serve and engaged him in long rallies in the final stages. Baghdatis, world number 16 and a 2006 Australian Open finalist, went down 6-3, 6-4 to unseeded Dutchman Robin Haase, leaving his preparations for the year's first grand slam in tatters. Eighth seed Marc Gicquel of France also lost, going down 7-6, 6-4 to Kristof Vliegen of Belgium. Montcourt featuring in the main draw of an ATP event only for the sixth time, grew in confidence in the final stages against French Open champion Nadal, who lost in the doubles first round on Monday. Nadal next faces qualifier Rajeev Ram, an American player of Indian origin, who defeated Russian Yuri Schukin 7-6, 7-6. Baghdatis failed to find his rhythm against Haase, who used his height advantage, a stunning forehand and drop shot to great effect. The 22-year-old Cypriot produced a last-gasp effort by saving five match points in the marathon final game before losing. Other results: Nicolas Mahut (France) beat Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) 6-3, 6-3; Carlos Moya (Spain) beat Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-4, 6-1; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) beat Alexander Peya (Austria) 6-4, 6-4; Werner Eschauer (Austria) beat Bartolome Salva-Vidal (Spain) 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4; Lovro Zovko (Croatia) beat Thierry Ascione (France) 6-4, 6-0. — Reuters
	India beat Oz in Hopman Cup Perth, January 1 Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna beat Australia 2-1 in a Group A encounter to keep India afloat in the Hopman Cup here today. Sania overcame a stiff challenge from Alicia Molik to win the women's singles clash 6-2 2-6 6-4 to give India a 1-0 lead. However, Bopanna lost to Peter Luczak 7-6 6-3 as the sixth-seeded hosts levelled the contest. Sania and Bopanna then defeated Molik and Luczak in a closely fought mixed doubles encounter to pull off their first victory in the tournament. The Indian duo won the deciding match 6-2 4-6 7-6 (13/11) after a tussle lasting 77 minutes. The Indian pair, which lost its opening tie to the United States, have one win and one loss. The top team in each group advances to Friday's final. Sania, who almost lost the final set after being 5-1 up, acknowledged that it was never easy against a tough opponent like Molik. "I almost lost that one. 15-40, love-40, it does not matter, she can come up with a big serve at any time," she said. In their next group engagement on January 3, seventh-seeded India will take on Czech Republic, seeded third in the tournament. — PTI
	I-League: Dempo, JCT on top New Delhi, January 1 After eight rounds, Dempo Sports Club and JCT are perched at the top of the I-League table while Mohun Bagan continue their revival following the win over arch-rivals East Bengal. Dempo were held to a 1-1 draw by Mahindra United at Margao, while JCT earned three points from their 2-0 victory over Viva Kerala. JCT thus bridged its two-point deficit with Dempo and the two teams are now locked on 18 points with the Goan outfit having a slightly superior goal difference. Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia warmed the hearts of the Bagan fans when he netted the solitary goal against East Bengal as the maroon brigade notched up their second successive win. The team coached by Brazilian Carlos Roberto Pereira da Silva have accumulated seven points from their last three matches and find themselves fifth on the table. On the other hand, things are going in the wrong direction for East Bengal as their defeat in the Kolkata derby was their fourth in succession. The Federation Cup champions are in the seventh spot with their tally stagnant at seven. Sporting Clube de Goa claimed the much-needed three points when they beat Air India by a solitary goal in Margao but things are looking bleak for Savio Medeira's Salgaocar Sports Club, who remained rooted at the bottom after a 1-5 thrashing at the hands of Churchill Brothers. The loss would be all the more disappointing as they let go an early lead to allow Nigerian sharpshooter Odafe Onyeka Okolie to pump in four goals. Salgaocar are winless in the league so far and have accumulated just three points. They seem to be favourites for the drop at this stage. Churchill's win took them within two points of the lead and the Durand Cup champions will be looking to make the title chase a three-horse race. — PTI
	Sultans drub Veerans Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Chandigarh, January 1 Riding high on a brace each by Sardar Singh and budding drag flicker Divakar Ram, Hyderabad Sultans drubbed Chennai Veerans 5-3 in the fourth edition Premier Hockey League match at Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, here today. The win also kept the hopes alive for the Sultans (8 points) of reaching the top-four bracket. They face Maratha Warriors tomorrow in the penultimate league match of the PHL. In the high scoring match, the first quarter saw four goals, three by Sultans and one by Veerans. Showing good coordination, the Sultans stunned the defence line of the rivals by netting their first goal through Bikas Toppo in the fifth minute. The Sultans forward line consisting Bikas Toppo and brothers Sardar Singh and Didar Singh attempted another attack to earn the first penalty corner just another two minutes. On the push off by Sardar Singh, Nitin Kumar set the stage for Divakar Ram, who dragged the ball to aim and doubled the margin. The third goal for the team came in the 14th minute when Adnan Maqsood sent a fast cross from the right corner of the striking circle of the Veerans. Skipper Sardar just directed the fast pass home. Veerans forced three penalty corners in the first quarter but Raghunath could open the account only on the third one. He again converted the next one that came his way in the 22nd minute. Danish Mujtba missed a golden opportunity, as he could not shoot a reverse hit properly in the empty goal post of the Sultans. At half time, the score was 2-3. Divakar converted the short corner to extend the lead in the 39th minute. Sardar Singh dribbled from the right side of the centre line and darted into the striking circle, beating all defenders before hitting a successful shot from almost zero angle of the ‘D’ line. Veerans struggled hard in the final quarter but could only reduce the margin in the 64th minute through Joost Van Den. Sardara Singh was declared the Man of the Match. Today’s match Hyderabad Sultans v Maratha Warriors: 6 pm
	Hockey eves to train in Canberra New Delhi, January 1 The women's hockey team will train in Canberra from January 8 to 19 as part of their preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament. The Indian Women's Hockey Federation (IWHF) has selected a squad of 22 players and three officials for the training-cum-practice matches. The squad: Gongala Dipika Murthy, Marita Tirkey, Suman Bala, Binita Toppo, Nilima Kujur, Mukta Prava Barla, Binita Xess, Gagandeep Kaur, Rossalind Lalchhanhimi Ralte, Asem Monorama Devi, Thokchom Ranjita Devi, Kirandeep Kaur, Mamta Kharab, Saba Anjum, Thokchom Anuradha Devi, S. Ranjita Devi, Ritu Rani, Soundarya Yendala, Asunta Lakra, Rajwinder Kaur, Poonam Toppo and Joydeep Kaur. Officials: G.S. Bhangu (chief coach), Vasu Thapliyal (asst coach) and Vikas Dhawan (physiotherapist). IWHF secretary Amrit Bose said the squad will play matches against the Australian Capital Territory/Canberra Labour Club, State Institute of Sports/State Academy of Sports, South Wales Institute and the Australian Capital Territory men's team. — TNS
	Haryana men win v’ball title Jaipur, January 1 Haryana blanked Tamil Nadu 3-0 to lift the men's title while Kerala derailed defending champion Railways 3-2 to snatch the women's crown in the 56th National Volleyball championship here today. Winner in 1983 and 2004, Haryana thrashed Tamil Nadu 25-19, 25-21, 25-23 in a lop-sided contest while Kerala eves rallied to upstage Railways 25-27, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-10. The Haryana team, under Sanjay Singh, blocked exceedingly well and also mixed placements cleverly to dominate all three games and take the wind out of Tamil Nadu's sails. Sanjay Singh, Dinesh Singh and Raghuveer Singh shone for the Haryana team. Earlier, Ashwani S. Kumar led from the front as Kerala dethroned Railways to clinch the women's title in a thrilling final. After finishing runners-up behind Railways in the last two editions, the Kerala eves proved third time lucky. While Ashwani was the architect of Kerala's triumph in the summit clash, she had two trusted allies in Tiji Raju and P.V. Sheeba. Kerala seemed heading for a disaster as Railways won the first two games but a wrong serve allowed them to make a comeback in the match and win the first game of the day. Winning the third game provided Kerala the much-needed impetus and with their coach E.K. Renjan making shrewd substitutions to block the Railway spikers, they went on to win the next two games to complete a spectacular win. Tamil Nadu eves won the bronze by beating West Bengal 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23). Kerala routed Services 3-0 to bag the bronze in the men’s section. — PTI
	Shastri Club hold IAF Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 1 Five-time champions Shastri Club rallied to hold defending champions Indian Air Force (IAF), New Delhi, 1-1 in a Delhi Soccer Association Group B Super League match at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. Air Force, dominating from the start, forged ahead when inside-right G.S. Sandhu dodged past the rival custodian to put the ball in. But Shastri drew parity nine minutes before half time through their Nigerian striker Emanual, who scored after a goal-mouth scramble.