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Jaffer certain to sit out
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Bhajji will have a role to play
Anand in 3rd place
IPL
Hockey series from tomorrow
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Jaffer certain to sit out
Final Test today
5.30 am to 7.30 am,
Adelaide, January 23 After the striking success with three faster bowlers in the 3rd Test, India would have been expected to retain a winning combination. However, the wicket at the salubrious Adelaide Oval here has a reputation of suddenly deteriorating on the fifth day; and South Australia normally play two spinners at home. Thus, the visitors are pondering over re-summoning Harbhajan Singh.
If the Punjab off-spinner gets the nod, will he replace one of the quicker bowlers or will India opt for five bowlers? The first will be unfortunate, for none of the trio deserves to be dropped, while the other, though a audacious move, would, arguably, debilitate the batting. Indian helmsman, Anil Kumble did not rule out any permutation - Dinesh Karthik replacing the out-of-form Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid moving back to opening the innings, or even Irfan Pathan facing the new ball. At the same time, the Indian think-tank may have to take into account the load endured by their bowlers in the previous game; and, therefore, their ability to deliver within four days of an energy-sapping engagement. Virender Sehwag’s utility as an off-spinner cannot be ignored, either. And Kumble is the highest wicket-taker in the series so far (jointly with Brett Lee), although a bit expensively. The Karnataka veteran assessed the pitch as a good batting track, which may turn towards the end of the match. At the same time, he felt the ball would swing, indeed reverse swing, given the hard, dry surface. Bowling coach, Venkatesh Prasad has, in fact, been working on his young wards to sharpen the latter skill. The hosts are also facing a conundrum - whether to revert to left-arm wrist spinner, Brad Hogg, who was omitted at Perth, or retain Shaun Tait at his home ground, given his ability to generate reverse swing. If it’s a matter of variable bounce towards the business end of the match, Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting believes a fast bowler can be as effective in such conditions as a spinner. But the aggressive talk from the Aussies has come more from Mathew Hayden, who is fit to return to the top of the batting order, and to a certain extent from Lee, than the others, though all seem to be convinced Harbhajan will be recalled. Since the introduction of 90 mandatory overs in a day, the Adelaide Oval has produced positive outcomes, despite big totals in the first two innings. Last winter - the most recent evidence - England, enjoying first use of the strip, amassed 551 for six, yet lost the match, after leg-spinner Shane Warne, with four for 49, was instrumental in dismissing them for 129 in the second innings. Australian media have characteristically highlighted the exclusion of Dravid and Sourav Ganguly from the Indian squad for the triangular one-day (with Sri Lanka as the third participant) series in this country next month, suggesting turmoil in the Indian camp. The two batsmen’s fielding and running between wickets appear to have worked to their disadvantage. There is, admittedly, some heartburn over Mahendra Dhoni, whose future as a Test batsman outside the subcontinent is questionable, dictating the futures of two of India’s most prolific run-getters. Kumble conceded Dravid and Ganguly were “disappointed”, but has spoken to them about focussing on what’s undoubtedly a huge fixture for Indian cricket. Both Dravid and Ganguly are, in fact, professional enough not to be distracted. Indeed, past record demonstrates such rebuffs make them even more determined. India have mixed memories of the Adelaide Oval. They have lost here five times in eight appearances. But drew in 1981, spearheaded by a blistering hundred from Sandip Patil, and 1985, while emerging victorious four years ago by four wickets. They can also take heart from Vijay Hazare becoming the first Indian to notch up centuries in both innings at this historic ground in 1947-48 and for almost chasing down a target of 492 in the 4th venture in 1977-78 - falling short by just 47 runs. Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Asad Rauf (Pak). Match Referee: Mike Procter (South Africa)
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Don’t judge us too soon: Ponting
Adelaide, January 23 "I think one loss is probably a little bit early to be calling that this team is on the slide. We have had it before. “We had it before the World Cup, eight or 12 months ago now, we went through the World Cup undefeated," Ponting said. “We have just gone 16 Tests matches in a row it has only been done once before by another Australian team. I don't think we have too much to worry about just yet," he added. Ponting refused to divulge details about the Australian team composition for the fourth and final Test and said he was still to make up his mind on whether to persist with pacer Shaun Tait or bring back spinner Brad Hogg. “I think historically spin has probably been the preferred option for the Australian team to play in most conditions around the world." “But when you have someone like Taity - a wicket taker like that in the room as well, it gives you lots of options but makes your decision very difficult as well," he added. But if spin was to be Ponting's option, the Australian skipper said he would try not to put too much pressure on Hogg.
— PTI
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Bhajji will have a role to play
With two of the three outcomes still possible going into the last Test, the series has set up nicely, isn't it? The performance of the Indian side should give them a lot of confidence going into the Adelaide Test.
It's interesting to see both the teams facing a sort of selection dilemma for the match. With all three seamers coming good in Perth, India would be mulling over whether to bring Harbhajan back. And looking at how the Adelaide wicket has played traditionally, I think Harbhajan will have a role to play. That brings us to the next question: should India go in with five bowlers or not? When you're 2-1 down in the series, I'd like the captain to take the attacking option. And for me, going in with five bowlers is the attacking option. At Adelaide the first two days are ideal for batting. And in such conditions, you pin your hopes on your top five to do the batting for you. And if at all, the tail will have a role to play, they showed in Perth that they are not rabbits with the bat. They have a lot to offer. Anil Kumble, RP Singh and Harbhajan are good to get 30 to 40 runs each, especially when the conditions are good for batting. Kumble has been really positive throughout the series and he will opt for the attacking option. That brings us to who should be the batsman to be benched. And for me, it's not that difficult to decide. Wasim Jaffer might be a passenger anyway as I don't think he will be able to face Brett Lee's heat. So it would be the best possible option for him to swap with Irfan Pathan. Opening the batting with Pathan looks to be the best option if you don't want to upset the balance too much. Put Pathan at the top of the order. It would mean Rahul Dravid stays at No. 3 and Virender Sehwag takes more responsibilities. For Australia, Matthew Hayden's return to the side makes a hell of a difference. He is such an attacking player that the sheer manner in which he bats gives the whole batting order a lot of confidence. And he loves batting at the Adelaide Oval. It will be interesting to see whether the Indians get swing, and if they do, it will be really interesting to see. Australians are still pondering over four fast bowlers and I get the feeling that they will bring Brad Hogg in again. And I don't think Indians will mind it much. But I would now be plump on using Shaun Tait again. I know he didn't have a good game in Perth. I believe that the match would have helped him really and with Adelaide being him hometown, I am sure he will have a role to play. Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds can do the job as spinners for us. A lot has been made in India about dropping Sourav Ganguly for the ODI tri-series. It's a very emotional thing in India, particularly in Kolkata. But I think MS Dhoni has got it right. It's time to start looking ahead for future. I don't think most of these seniors are going to figure in the next World Cup. And don't forget that India won the Twenty20 World Cup on the back of the youngsters. So I think it's a very good move to bank on them and groom them for future. And the announcement had to be made in the middle of the Test series. That's a common practice; even we do it in Australia. It's a simple matter of logistics. When you have logistical things like the travel and visa arrangements have to be taken care of, the announcement has to be made in the middle of a series.
— PMG
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Ivanovic eclipses Venus; Federer reaches semis
Melbourne, January 23 Venus Williams went the way of sister Serena, battered by a Serb baseliner, and James Blake was pulverised by Roger Federer. Wimbledon champion Venus was swept aside 7-6, 6-4 by fourth seed Ana Ivanovic and top seed Federer smashed Blake 7-5, 7-6, 6-4. Ivanovic will meet Daniela Hantuchova in the semis after the Slovak pummelled Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2. Federer reached his 15th straight grand slam semifinal in imperious fashion, smashing Blake off court in a slugging battle. Following Ivanovic's victory, men's third seed Novak Djokovic made it a super Wednesday for Serbia when he beat Spain's David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 to seal a spot in the last four. It may take more than self-belief given that next up is the magnificent Federer bidding for his 13th grand slam title. Venus had been looking to avenge Serena's quarterfinal loss to Serb Jelena Jankovic, but the result was the same as she floundered on a sun-drenched centre court. The American simply committed too many errors and allowed her 20-year-old opponent to dominate from the baseline. Ivanovic grabbed her opportunity with both hands. Venus and Ivanovic took to court after a double-quick opening match between Hantuchova and Radwanska. Hantuchova, a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, the US Open and Melbourne Park, made the final four of a grand slam for the first time. Djokovic survived a late bout of nerves to oust fifth seed Ferrer. The Serbian wasted four match points and was broken when serving for victory before pulling himself together. "I even surprised myself the way I played, especially in the first two sets," Djokovic said. "In the end, I was very very nervous, there's no excuse for that, and I was behaving really really badly. Bhupathi-Knowles enter semis Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas moved into the semifinals of the Australian Open men's doubles with a thrilling three-set win over top seeds Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, of the US in the quarterfinals today. Sixth-seeded Bhupathi and Knowles won 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) against the Americans in an encounter that lasted two hours, 24 minutes. In the semis scheduled for Thursday, Bhupathi and Knowles will face eighth seeded Israeli pair of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich. Ram and Erlich defeated
the French duo of Fabrice Santoro and Marc Giquel 6-4, 6-1. — Agencies
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Wijk Aan Zee (Netherlands), January
23 World champion Anand signed a quick draw with Israel's Boris Gelfand in just 25 moves from a Cataland opening but climbed to be tied third place with five points. In group B, P. Harikrishna and Koneru Humpy played and drew against each other in ninth round and in Group C, Parimarjan Negi was held to a draw by Mark van der Werf. For Anand, it has been a great move upward after losing his opening game against Teimour Radjabov. Since then, he has won two and drawn five. Harikrishna is tied for fourth place and Humpy is tenth. In Group C, Negi is tied for third place. Negi's rise is also phenomenal as he began with two losses. In group B, Hari and Humpy played a 28-move draw. Hari now has five points in tied fourth place, while Humpy has four points in tied 10th. In Group C, Negi drew in a Gruenfeld in 56 moves. He has 5.5 points and shares third place with Friso Nijboer.
— UNI
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IPL
Mumbai, January 23 The IPL Council, headed by BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, is to meet here tomorrow before the names of the successful bidders are announced. The base price for the bids is $50 million and some of the names doing the rounds are: Ambani brothers Mukesh and Anil, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, consumer durable major Videocon, real estate firm DLF and liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Modi could not be reached to confirm the number of bids or names of bidders received so far.
— PTI
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Chennai, January 23 The Test series against a strong Belgium, who have already qualified for the Beijing Olympics by defeating World Cup champions Germany in the European Qualifiers, will be the right kind of match exposure for the team's preparation for the March 1 to 9 event in Chile. After the Test series, the Indian team would travel to Perth for training cum competition. Apart from playing some matches with the local teams, India would also play some practice matches with China.
— UNI
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