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India look to consolidate
Australian media hails Dhoni’s brigade
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We are still the best: Clark
Action likely against Symonds
Split not a matter of concern: Bhupathi
Manhas props up North Zone
Chowrasia tops Asian Tour Order of Merit
Nehru Hockey
Soccer tourney
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Canberra, February 11 Yuvraj, regarded as a one-day specialist, has been struggling to find peak form ever since he landed in Australia and the Indians will be hoping that the dashing batsman rediscovers his touch quickly. The five-wicket win against the Australians in Melbourne yesterday will serve as a huge morale-booster for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his young brigade who will now seek to consolidate their position on the points table by putting it across the islanders in the first day game of the tri-series. The Indians were currently on top of the points table with eight points from three matches, while Australia were close behind with seven points from three matches. Sri Lanka were at the bottom of the table with two points from as many matches. The two sides have so far been adopted completely opposite strategies in the tournament. While the Indians have played an aggressive brand of cricket, the Lankans have been quite tentative in their approach. The difference between the two sides was vividly evident when Sri Lanka chose to hang back against Australia in Sydney whereas Indians looked Australians in the eye at the MCG and the latter blinked. The Indians bat deep and have a varied bowling attack attack and their eagerness in the field has been a revelation. Their batting, despite stutters in the middle, is invariably revived by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the latter half and tricky situations are easily overcome. Sri Lanka's two main strike bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah Muralitharan, can be accurate but what the team needs is the fire power to blast the opposition out. Their batting was awful in Sydney when they collapsed in a heap for 128 runs but they would be encouraged by the sight of the pitch Manuka Oval here which is flatter and more suited to batsmen. The conditions are likely to remain the same through the length of the match and it could well be a game between the batting sluggers of the two sides. Sri Lanka desperately needs its prolific opener Sanath Jayasuriya to fire for he invariably holds the key to good totals for his side. Sri Lanka does not bat that deep so it's essential for the marauding left-hander to come good for his side. Much of Sri Lanka's successes in recent times, including their progress to final of the 2007 World Cup, was built around their bowlers restricting the opposition to manageable levels rather than their batsmen chasing huge totals. Murali was the key to this plan but the master bowler needs early wickets from his seamers to pile the pressure on the rest. His contest with Sachin Tendulkar is likely to be the highlight of tomorrow and it certainly is drawing crowd to the ground which isn't big but gives the spectators an immediate feel of the action in the middle. This is only the second one-day international ever played in Canberra and the build-up so far has been extremely enthusiastic. India's only worry for the moment appears to be the form of its' vice-captain Yuvraj Singh. The dasher from Punjab is threatening to slip into oblivion with his run of successively poor scores on the tour. Tests or one-dayers, Yuvraj hasn't fired a bit. So far he is enjoying a long rope of luck and his poor scores have still not raised questions over his presence in the eleven. But one or two more poor outings and Yuvraj could well be cooling his heels on the bench. It's as much a concern to him as it is to Indian cricket given his stature in one-day cricket. Teams (likely): Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (Capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumara Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapudegera, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Muthiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Ishan Amerasinghe. India: Mahindra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth.
— PTI
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Aussie reign over: Jayawardene
Canberra, February 11 ''It does open things up now. If we win, everyone has got one win each,'' Jayawerdene said while speaking mediapersons here. ''Yes, they are playing some good cricket but on and off. They are being pushed to the limit which is a good thing. ''The rest of the world is catching up to them, especially in one-day cricket.'' With yesterday's five-wicket win, India now is at the top of the tri-series standings. Sri Lanka will take on India at Manuka Oval tomorrow. The 30-year-old Jayawerdene said his side will make sure to improve their performance from their last outing so as to make the the competition more interesting. “We just need to make sure that we give our best shot and make this tournament much more interesting than what it is,” he said. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 125 to Australia's 253 in a dismal batting display against Australia in Sydney on Friday, with the Aussies winning by 128 runs. ''We just need to come back strong after the last outing that we had. Our batting is a bit of a concern. ''For us we need to think positive. We think we can win the next four or five games in a row and get ourselves into that final,'' he said. He said India will have a challenge ahead of them to continue their Melbourne's performance consistently. ''The challenge for them will be to try to be consistent over a period of time. They are playing some very good cricket, there's no doubt about that,'' Jayawardene said.
— UNI
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Australian media hails Dhoni’s brigade
Sydney, February 11 Melbourne's The Age said: "Indian youngsters get under Australia's skin". The Sydney Morning Herald wrote: "India harness fire within for a daring assault" and "Hot pace works a Sharma for tourists". The Australian said: "India young guns bowl series to life". The Daily Telegraph headlined: "Test great labels firebrand quick a future No. 1" and "Young general leads his troops with style". The euphoria amid the approximately 10,000 Indian fans, waving the tricolour and creative banners in a sea of blue at the MCG Sunday night, made one ABC Radio National commentator ask: "Are we in India or Australia?" Chloe
Saltau, writing in the Fairfax newspapers, said: "Spearheaded by a long-haired teenager
(Ishant Sharma) and steadied by a batsman (Rohit Sharma) who has not yet turned 21, India hustled to a memorable victory over the world champion Australians in Melbourne to bring the one-day series to life." While Australian crowd favourite Sachin Tendulkar put on a show in his final appearance at MCG, Saltau wrote: "This was a victory for India's younger generation... The Indians have repeatedly claimed they are the only team capable of beating Australia at home and last night's victory has injected some interest into a triangular series marred by bad weather and Sri Lanka's limp performance against Australia in Sydney." The 49,329 spectators got their money's worth. The contest intensified and tension gripped the carnival spirit in the stands. In cricket, until the winning run is scored, anything is possible. Eminent writer Peter Roebuck wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald: "India dared to attack the Australians and it produced the tussle of the season. “The hosts met blow with blow, creating a gripping contest between two committed and well-matched pugilists... Throughout its course the Indians played with conviction." Of Sharma's fiery spell, Roebuck wrote: "Youth knows nothing of mortality let alone fear... Combining pace, cut and bounce, he asked a question with every ball." Praising the Indian captain, Roebuck wrote:
"(Mahendra Singh) Dhoni had grabbed his opponents by what President Nixon was once pleased to call 'the short and
curlies' and did not mean to let go... Clearly the Indians have learnt how to handle these opponents. It is not a matter of words or gestures but conviction."
— IANS
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Melbourne, February 11 In the ongoing Commonwealth Bank series, India defeated Australia by five wickets yesterday at MCG to move to the top of the tri-series' standings. Clark denied claims that suggested the visitors had a psychological edge over Australia before yesterday's encounter and said his team would look to reassert its dominance in world cricket. ''I keep reading certain members of their team saying we are scared and things like that, I find that pretty much laughable to be fair,'' Clark said. ''They can think whatever they want I suppose. They've made bold statements for a little while now, I had a good bit of a laugh about it.'' He said his team is enjoying the competition posed by India which has played good cricket on this Australian tour. ''We are going through a stage where India are playing good cricket and our guys are really excited and really keen to show everyone that we are still the best team in the world. ''On any day, if we are not on our game, any team can beat us. And we've seen that over the years that if we don't play cricket to our levels or our expectations then it doesn't matter who we are playing against, we can be beaten.'' The 32-year-old pacer added that his team fell a few runs short but conceded that they fought well after being bundled out for 159. ''In hindsight, yeah, we were probably 30 or 40 (runs) short,'' Clark said about yesterday's performance. ''Pretty disappointed after yesterday but today's a new day ... a couple of wins and we are right back at the top of the table again,'' he said.
— UNI
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Melbourne, February 11 CA public affairs manager Peter Young yesterday stood by the board's decision to put the column on hold, and held Symonds responsible for breach of contract which is worth $ 500,00. ''The players have a contract. In the contract there are requirements relating to public comment and the obligation to not disparage various parties and also it's a contractual issue,'' Young was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. ''The players sign that contract.'' he added. He said 'The Sunday Telegraph' had emailed him the column with only a 30-minute deadline to have it approved by CA lawyers before going to print. ''Had the column been received in the morning, all parties could have worked through the issue... The problem we had with his comment yesterday is it's clearly based on a complete lack of understanding of the detail of what's going on. ''What we suggested yesterday was 'let's have a discussion' and our chief executive James Sutherland rang and left a message asking Andrew to give him a call,'' he said. Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) president Darren Lehmann came in support of Symonds, saying the players should be allowed to put forward their views. ''It's hard for both but we have to make sure the players feel they can have their say,'' he said. ''I don't know the extent of Andrew's article. So until we know what's in there it's hard to make a judgment call I suppose. But you want to make sure the players feel they can have freedom of speech,'' he added.
— UNI
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Force India no pushover: Fisichella
New Delhi, February 11 In an interview with the official Formula One website, the former Renualt driver asserted that Force India was not there just to make up the numbers and said people should watch out in the second half of the season. “I am looking for points - as many as I can get. Then we will work together with the technical people to gradually improve the car and I want to be their guiding force,” Fisichella said. “Looking at everybody’s lap times now I believe we will not have a car that will be last anymore. But it is better to wait and see what happens in Melbourne after Q1,” he added. “As for real improvement, I would realistically say that the second part of the season is when I expect that we will catch up. Watch us then,” said the driver, oozing confidence. A three-time winner on the F1 circuit, Fisichella clocked the fourth-fastest time at the Barcelona test earlier this month, much to the delight of the outfit. “I am happier now because we are doing a lot of important work with the 2007 chassis in preparation for the 2008 car. All this work is necessary and it resulted in a good lap time in Barcelona, especially as it was clocked on the first day, when the track is normally slow,” he said. “We have now found the best mechanical set-up with the old aero package so that now we know how quick the car can be without the improvements,” added the Italian. Fisichella admitted that Vijay Mallya, co-owner of the team, was not in the traditional mode of the F1 decision-maker, but said he found nothing wrong if he demanded results. “I am still in the middle of learning about Vijay. I have simply not spent enough time with him so far. But what I see is a man who has a huge passion for the sport, and one that brings a huge new audience to the F1 table. “But like any successful businessman, he also wants to see results. There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. Fisichella also confirmed that he had shunned offers from Renault and BMW Sauber to be a test driver. “Yes. But honestly that was never an option for me. I want to race. Dwelling on his career, Fisichella felt joining Force India handed him a new challenge and he was determined to come off with flying colours. “For sure the general opinion was that I should have quit Formula One. On the contrary, I like challenges and I love the sport and I want to prove everyone wrong. “The management of Force India is very focused and they know what they want. The people out there do not understand it, so it is up to us to show them how things have changed,” he said. The new Force India car, which was launched at a glitzy ceremony in Mumbai last week, will hit the track in Barcelona from February 25, he said. “Adrian Sutil and myself will have three full days to test it before everything gets wrapped up for the first race Down Under,” Fisichella said.
— PTI
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Split not a matter of concern: Bhupathi
New Delhi, February 11 "... it is unfortunate that there are too many issues which obviously we don't see eye to eye on and you know at the end of the day as long as we can put our best put forward playing for India that is what everybody cares for," Bhupathi said as the duo decided to play together again in the Olympic Games in Beijing. The Bhupathi and Paes duo was popular as 'The Indian Express' in the players' initial days but they split due to difference of opinion on various issues. The two joined hands only to play for the country but there was a question mark on their teaming up again after the Doha Asian Games in 2006. "It is a mixture of things, small things, large things which snowballed into the fact that is the place where we are today," told a TV channel today.
— PTI
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Rajkot, February 11 North Zone, at one stage looked headed for a collapse as their top-order batsmen failed, leaving them 28 for three. However, captain Mithun Manhas (88) and Yashpal Singh (25) steadied the innings by putting on 54 runs for the fourth wicket. North Zone, who elected to bat after winning the toss, lost openers Akash Chopra (10) and Shikhar Dhawan (18) cheaply. Karan Goel was bowled by medium pacer SS Paul for nought. The North Zone captain was heading for his century when he was caught by substitute S Sarkar off spinner Niranjan Behra for 88. His innings was studded with 13 fours and a six off 131 balls. Brief scores: North Zone (1st innings): 260 for seven in 90 overs (Mithun Manhas 88, Amit Mishra 52, Uday Kaul 40 not out; SS Paul 4-60, D Mohanty 2-28).
— UNI
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Chowrasia tops Asian Tour Order of Merit
New Delhi, February 11 Chowrasia, who was ranked a lowly 388 last week, had a meteoric rise in the ladder which now has him at 161 after his yesterday's triumph at the Delhi Golf Club. Jyoti Randhawa, however, remained the highest ranked Indian golfer at 85 despite his poor tied 22nd finish here.
— PTI
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Nehru Hockey
New Delhi, February 11 DAV had a shaky start as Ashok Kumar of CRA scored in the 15th minute to put his team in the lead. Major Singh scored in the 25th minute to help his team draw
level. Sonepat took the lead again in the second half as Ashok scored in the 38th minute, but the Chandigarh team levelled the score in the 41st through a field goal by Ajay Kumar. Major then got his second goal in the 50th minute to secure victory. In another match, Sunil Kujur scored in the 30th minute to put Municipal College,
Rourkela, 1-0 up. However, Jasdeep Singh scored in the 47th and 51st minutes as Khalsa College,
Jalandhar, sealed a 2-1 victory. — UNI
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Umrao Singh elected AFI chief
Chandigarh, February 11
He has been one of the longest serving presidents of a state sports association. He has been the president of the Punjab Athletics Association since 1957.
For him, it will be his third term in office as President of the Athletics Federation of India. Earlier terms were 1967-68 and 1972-76. At the annual general meeting of the Athletics Federation of India held on Saturday, besides Umrao Singh as president, Lalit Bhanot was elected secretary of the federation. The House also decided that the outgoing president, Suresh Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot would continue to be permanent representatives of the Federation in the Indian Olympic Association. Harish Sharma of Basketball Federation of India attended the meeting as a special observer of the IOA. The Federation also made it mandatory for all athletes to attend the camps organized by it, failing which disciplinary action could be taken against them. The Federation also decided to organise Senior South Asian Athletics Championship at Kochi, Junior South Asian Championship at Pune and Asian All-Star Athletic Meet at Bhopal in
2008.
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Soccer tourney
New Delhi, February 11 In all, 16 teams will battle it out in a league-cum-knockout format for the top prize of Rs 2
lakh. The meet will start at the Ambedkar Stadium here tomorrow. The runners-up will get Rs 1 lakh, while the semifinalists will earn Rs 50,000 each.
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