The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sehwag set to play today

Adelaide, February 18
With their campaign for a berth in the cricket tri-series final thrown into jeopardy, India may discard their five-bowler theory and recall Virender Sehwag when they take on Sri Lanka in a crucial game here tomorrow.

Stung by yesterday's debacle when the young batsmen failed to chase down a meagre target of 204 runs against Australia, India is likely to revert to its seven-batsmen format as they seek to put is across the islanders to revive their hopes of making it to the final.

It brightens up the chance of Sehwag returning to the line-up as the dashing opener, more than his fitness, was removed for tactical reason in the game against Australia on Sunday.

With hosts Australia virtually assuring a place in the final having bagged 17 points from five matches, much will depend on India's performance against the Sri Lankans in the day-night encounter. The Indians were in the second position on the points table with 8 points from five games while Sri Lanka had six points from four matches.

Sehwag has a bruise near his right shoulder but that alone was not the reason to keep him out of the playing eleven.

Faced with a choice of dropping a batsman, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed trust on out-of-form Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa but the plan came unstuck as the duo failed.

India are likely to once again seek deliverance from the senior pros and it puts Sehwag firmly in the picture.

Sehwag has not been in the best of nick in this one-day series but his association with Sachin Tendulkar is key to India's plans.

All the three teams have struggled to come to terms with the new white ball and bowlers of all the teams have had a field day.

India needs its batsmen to fire big tomorrow if it has to hold back the charge of the Lankans.

The Lankans have won only one game but the equation is slightly in their favour going into tomorrow's match.

Both sides need at least two wins under their belt but whereas India has just three games left of their lined up games, Sri Lanka has four matches to go for their desired wins.

India are likely to add an extra batsman to the squad as the Adelaide Oval pitch is likely to get slower because of the persistent heat.

The bounce, evident in yesterday's game, may not be as pronounced tomorrow on the worn-out pitch.

India is banking on Sri Lanka's batting to once again misfire tomorrow as it has done all through the summer.

But for Kumar Sangakkara, who has 132 runs from four games at average of 44, none of the other Lankan batsmen have scored even 100 runs from the competition so far.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene has 63 runs from four games while Sanath Jayasuriya has 43 from equal number of matches.

Sri Lanka's bowling, though economical, hasn't been as destructive as well.

Lead bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas have only six wickets between them and their averages of 58.66 and 60.00 also does not make it a pretty reading.

Lasith Malinga, with seven wickets at 29 apiece, has been their stand-out bowler though against the Indians he went for 56 and 45 runs from 10 and six overs.

The conditions at the Adelaide Oval are expected to be blistering in terms of heat. The scorching sun of the last few days is unlikely to yield tomorrow.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni sure would be looking to win the toss and post a big total to keep themselves in hunt for a place in the final. — PTI

	Cap on income irks players So worked up were the Indian cricketers that they hardly discussed the defeat at the hands of the Australians, instead they were more worried about the kind of money they could generate from the IPL Adelaide, February 18 The Indian cricketers, it is learnt, are not too happy with the cap on income they can make from the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). According to IPL rules, each franchise could spend up to $ 5 million in buying up players for a team and an icon player, named by IPL as the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh are to get $ 400,000 for a year. The auction for the players will take place in India on Wednesday. Indian cricketers feel that they should at least be getting more money than the Australian cricketers - somebody like Adam Gilchrist - will have a base salary of $ 275,000 while Ricky Ponting's starting price would at least be $ 350,000. "Our match fee structure is better than the Australians. Besides, I don't think Australians would have the same kind of pull for fans as compared to a star Indian cricketer," said a senior Indian batsman on condition of anonymity. Indian cricketers though are unlikely to take up the cudgels and would sign on the dotted line even though there is a swell of anger on having been offered contract so late on the day. The Indian cricketers were offered contracts only a couple of days ago in Adelaide whereas Sri Lankan signees, for instance, were presented with their contracts last month itself. So worked up were the Indian cricketers that they hardly discussed the defeat at the hands of the Australians after Sunday's match, instead they were more worried about the kind of money they could generate from the IPL. It's a bad focus to have before tomorrow's critical game against Sri Lanka but Indian cricketers haven't been able to tear themselves away completely from the happenings on the IPL front. Despite their reluctance, cricketers though are likely to sign up on the dotted line. It being a young team, most members of the team are not quite sure if they are in a position to raise the "banner of revolt" against their employers, BCCI. They are also stung by past experiences when Board came down hard on any thought of "uprising" which players might have entertained among themselves. Players are also feeling added pressure to win tomorrow's game as they feel a poor performance against Sri Lanka could affect their "bidding price" in the auction on Wednesday. — PTI
	Tour Diary Dhoni defends the indefensible Ashis Ray Most newly appointed cricket captains enjoy a honeymoon period with media. But from all indications, the happy phase for Mahendra Dhoni is approaching an end. Indeed, his impatient outbursts on at least two occasions may hastening the process. Dilip Vengsarkar had conveniently passed the buck about the exclusions of Sourav Ganguly (average 41) and Rahul Dravid (average nearly 40) by saying the selectors had granted a unit the captain had demanded. It would have been appropriate of Dhoni to demonstrate respect for players who had rendered outstanding service to India instead of referring to their alleged poor fielding and running between wickets. Now, he has attempted to defend the indefensible by insisting it was correct to send in Irfan Pathan at number three. To sacrifice himself and shield Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, himself and Robin Uthappa from the shine and hardness of the ball is absurd. The last mentioned is an opening batsman. What is he doing at number seven? Also, to drag the issue of his run out into the public domain was most uncaptainlike. Then there is the burning issue - Yuvraj. Given his left-hander’s limited overs record, there is justification to persevere with him. On Sunday, the Chandigarh batsman failed for the 10th consecutive innings on this tour of Australia. There would have been talk of resting Sachin Tendulkar if he had performed as abysmally as Yuvraj has done. Frankly, there is no evidence of confidence, form or timing in his showing, notwithstanding his last innings of 26. But touch can inexplicably reappear. Time in the middle is a great healer. If he is to benefit or his captain is to assist him, he should bat no lower than number four, so that he may build an innings, rather than be in a rush for runs. By deputing him lower and lower in the order, Dhoni seems to be worried Yuvraj may accentuate a crisis rather than provide stability. Yuvraj certainly deserves one more opportunity. However, Dhoni’s sweeping declaration that he will play the entire series regardless of his display is obstinate; and rather forecloses his options. Continued frustration may also become counter-productive for Yuvraj. Dhoni’s authority as leader slightly eroded after his inability to impress as a batsman in the Tests in Australia, cumulatively reflecting a problem on bouncier, seaming or swinging conditions outside the sub-continent. It’s difficult to earn respect from Test match champions, if you are yourself not successful at that level. Dhoni would have done himself a favour by phasing in youngsters, rather than accommodating them wholesale. A formula of playing two among Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid in a one-day XI - and gradually one of the three - would have been sensible. While Ganguly’s athleticism is questionable, it’s certainly not as weak as Munaf Patel’s. More importantly, in the last full series they were together - against England last summer - Tendulkar and Ganguly produced three century partnerships in seven games - and India won these games. The 1st-wicket stands registered by India in the Commonwealth Bank Series so far are 12, 68, 18, 45 and 20. The importance of substantial associations at the top of the order is inestimable. Anyone who witnessed Dravid’s spectacular essay of 92 not out at Bristol in August should know what this extraordinary batsman is capable of. His ability to finish a match or handle a sticky situation would have balanced the present inexperience in the Indian middle order. In short, there is only one solution for Dhoni’s faltering relationship with media - a winning streak; and qualification into the finals of the CB Series.
	Nielsen plays down Ponting-Bhajji spat ‘Ponting’s poor form a worry now’ Adelaide, February 18 Australia coach Tim Nielsen today played down the brief exchange of words between Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting in yesterday's match and admitted the home captain's poor form has become a worry for the team. Ponting, who has been Harbhajan's bunny in the Test series against India, could not hide his glee after his nemesis was out in yesterday's match which the hosts won by 50 runs. Ponting appeared to say something to Harbhajan as the Indian left the crease but his coach felt there was not much to make out of it. "It's been a long summer and there is a bit of feeling between the sides. But it's not different to what has always happened in the 100 years of the game. "Only because it's between India and Australia, Harbhajan and Ponting and those sort of things and people notice it more," he said. "I don't think it isn't there in the games against Sri Lanka but they are not noticed as much," Nielsen added. He, however, was candid enough to admit that the top order was not firing on all cylinders and the captain has not been at his best, to say the least. "Ricky has set such high standards over the last four or five years that everyone wants to see a bit more on the screen," he said. "He's not having the season he would like. He hit the ball pretty hard but straight to point. He is showing good form in the nets but is under pressure for not contributing as he would like to," Nielsen said. "Our top order has missed out. It's not been easy to force the pace," Nielsen added. The coach now wants his batsmen to hit more shots down the ground than get caught in the slip cordon for the rest of the series. "Our batsmen have got caught in the slips and square of the wicket mostly in the series. I would like them to hit down the ground a bit more," said Nielsen, as he answered persistent questions about the failure of his batsmen. "Our middle order hasn't jelled and that's no secret. Players know it, they are desperate for answers and it's time to refresh and clear up your thinking." Nielsen credited the bowlers of this tournament for making life difficult for the batsmen. "There are four or five bowlers in this tournament who have bowled well into 140-plus and with the new ball swinging, it has made life difficult for batsmen. "We have three or four guys who are missing out and we can improve but there's no panic." There, however, has been an exception and Nielsen heaped praise on Michael Clarke who has gone from strength to strength in the series. "He has had a very good World Cup. He was tremendous in Tests as well and now is doing a great job in the one-day series," Nielsen said. — PTI
	Chennai Super Kings launched Chennai, February 18 India Cements Limited, a franchisee of the Indian Premier League, today christened its team 'Chennai Super Kings' and unveiled its logo at a glittering function here. Former opener Krish Shrikkanth has been roped in as the team's brand ambassador, while his contemporary and state mate V B Chandrasekar, a former national senior selection committee member, would be in-charge of picking the players. Company vice chairman and Managing Director N. Srinivasan uveiled the team logo and said it was a red letter day for Tamil Nadu cricket. "It is a red letter day in the annals of Tamil Nadu cricket. I am thrilled to announce the team name and unveil its logo in the midst of luminaries of the state who have played cricket with distinction," he said. Srinivasan said there would be eight foreign players in the team with four of them in the playing eleven for a match. "Like other franchisee holders, the Chennai team has to wait for the auction on Wednesday (to bid for foreign players) to be over to know the names of players," he said. Since the IPL has made it mandatory for a team to have a minimum of 16 players and the maximum to be left to the team, "We plan to have 23 players in 'Super Kings'," said Srinivasan. — PTI
	IPL bidding Team not distracted: Pathan Adelaide, February 18 Left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan today denied the team was distracted by the imminent bidding for the Indian Premier League and promised that it would come out firing in the crucial tri-series encounter against Sri Lanka. As players have been in dialogue with two members of the IPL governing body in Australia - Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri - it was deemed to have had an effect on their focus in yesterday's game. Pathan said the team discussed the areas which required improvement after their 50-run defeat against Australia yesterday. "It was a useful meeting in the sense everyone discussed the areas where the team needed to improve. It was useful and I'm sure the positives from it would be seen on the field tomorrow," Pathan told reporters. Indians badly bungled in chasing down a meagre target of 204 against Australia, a defeat that has put in balance their chances of qualifying for the finals. The Baroda bowler, who returned figures of 4-41, hoped the miserable show by the batsmen would not be repeated. "In a way it is good. The team is young and the boys are going to learn from it. It's not that you immediately are going to find your feet in international cricket. It's going to take some time," he said. But Pathan did not agree that the poor performance was the result of any let up in their commitment. — PTI
	‘I’m committed to IPL’ Mumbai, February 18 Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar visited the internationally famous Haji Ali shrine here, this afternoon, and offered special prayer for the victory of his team and his country. Akhtar, who was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, was accompanied by some of his friends. The shrine which is in the middle of the sea, saw Akhtar, also known as the 'Rawalpindi Express', walking the distance to the shrine after getting down from his car. Shoaib Akhtar is in the city to take part in bidding for players for the DLF Indian Premier League Twenty20 championship, which will take place here on February 20. Shoaib has come here two days before the actual bidding takes place to hold talks with franchises, ahead of the bid process, which he will also attend. He stated ''My commitment to the DLF IPL is absolute. There is a lot of talk flying around players at the moment regarding the new Twenty20 competitions. I have signed with the DLF IPL and I am excited about the upcoming bid process and also finding out which franchise I will play for.'' The Pakistani pacer stated, ''I cannot wait to be allocated to a city and franchise. My contract with them will be a three year deal initially, so I am in it for the long haul. I cannot wait to interact with the local fan base and become one of their 'own' players.'' — UNI
	3 more New Zealand players eye ICL Wellington, February 18 After Shane Bond and Andre Adams, New Zealand are reportedly in danger of losing three more players to the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). According to the New Zealand Players' Association (NZPA) two current members of the national team and another fringe international player had been in contact with ICL representatives. Heath Mills, the NZPA manager, did not reveal any names but said he was aware ''of three other players who have spoken to agents regarding the ICL.'' Last year's inaugural tournament of the ICL, featured Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Daryl Tuffey and Hamish Marshall, with Bond and Adams in line for the 2008 edition. Chris Martin, another New Zealand player who might benefit from such negotiations after he was overlooked by the Indian Premier League (IPL) said the ICL was a lure but he had not given up hope of becoming involved in the IPL. ''A contract with the IPL is the dream result, really,'' he said. ''I'm enjoying playing for New Zealand and, hopefully, I'm playing my way into a position where I can get a contract.'' Mathew Sinclair, former Test opener might be another candidate as he fights to keep his place in the Test side while attempting to regain a spot in the ODI line-up. — UNI
	Indian golfers for German tourney Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 18 Three winners of the Indian final will be fielded in the world final of the Mercedes Trophy Golf Tournament, to be held in Stuttgart, Germany later this year. Players who emerge victorious in the three regional tournaments in North, West and South will play the national final at Pune on March 16. Over 200 players participated in the North-East Zone event played in Delhi, the West Zone tournament will be played in Mumbai on 23 and 24 February, while the South Zone leg will played in Bangalore from March 8. Managing director and CEO of DaimlerChrysler India Dr Wilfred Aulbur said here today that the winners of the India finals will be allowed to take their spouses along for the world final in Germany.
	Cuban delegation visits NIS Our Correspondent Patiala, February 18 A four-member high level delegation from Cuba visited the NIS under an agreement for promoting co-operation in the field of sports inked between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation, Cuba. The delegation comprised Jose Rovera Rodriguez (combat sports, sports medicine and training methodology) , Erie Rayer (physical education, pedagogical psychology), Lazers Fernandez Castellanos (sports management, sports psychology and research) and Ms Melix Aviles (rythmic gymanstics and sports pyschology). The purpose of the visit was to promote the development of physical education and sports in both the countries and also to exchange literature, information and experience in the field of physical education and sports. During the visit, the Cuban delegates were invited to a detailed power point presentation by the NIS executive director L.S Ranawat in which the working of the NIS was presented. The members also paid a visit to the NIS museum, faculty of sports sciences and sports medicine and also appreciated the facilities available at the institute.
	North, South in final Ashok Sethi Amritsar, February 18 North Zone would clash with South Zone in the final of the Vizzy Trophy cricket tournament. The final will be played on Wednesday at the Gandhi Ground here. In the first semifinal, North Zone beat East Zone by an innings and 189 runs. East Zone in their second innings were all out for 213 runs. Amit Kumar was the highest scorer for East Zone with 45. For North Zone Gaurav Gambhir grabbed 4 wickets for 66. In the second semifinal, South Zone defeated West Zone on the basis of their first innings lead.

BRIEFLY

Jeev rises to 83rd
New Delhi: Jeev Milkha Singh's second place finish in the Jakarta Open pushed him 10 rungs up the ranking ladder, just behind compatriot Jyoti Randhawa, who remains India's highest ranked golfer at 82nd. Randhawa, ranked 85th last week, moved up three places after his tied seventh finish in Jakarta following a sensational final round of 62. He is also the second highest ranked Asian, though way behind of eighth placed Korean stalwart KJ Choi. Indian Masters winner SSP Chowrasia, who skipped the Jakarta event, is the third Indian on the chart at 164th, followed by Gaurav Ghei (214) and Shiv Kapur (267). Arjun Atwal (375) and Rahil Gangjee (392) are the two other Indians inside the 400-mark. — PTI

Sania slips to 32nd
New Delhi: Sania Mirza slipped out of top 30 bracket after losing three positions to be 32nd in the latest WTA Rankings issued on Sunday. Sania, who will open her campaign at the Qatar Open on Tuesday, however, maintained her doubles ranking at 23. India's second best women player, US-based Sunitha Rao had her singles ranking intact at 182 though she lost one place in doubles to be 126th. In the ATP list, doubles duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have maintained their top-20 positions at 15 and 19, respectively. — PTI

DAV College win
New Delhi: Lakhwinder Singh pumped in a brace as DAV College, Jalandhar, downed Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC), Ramgarh, 2-1 while Army XI defeated Northern Railway 2-0 in the 4th Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Tournament here on Monday. In a largely listless encounter, SRC took the lead in the 21st minute through Harwinder Singh. However, Lakwinder converted two penalty corners in the 50th and 56th minutes. In the other match, Dhananjay Mahadik (19th) and Anil Ekka (34th) struck in the first half as Army XI went into the half-time break with a 2-0 lead. The second half failed to produce a goal as the armymen hung on to their lead. Army XI will now take on DAV Jalandhar in their next match. — UNI

Coughlin sets record
NEW YORK: American Natalie Coughlin surprised herself by breaking her own 100 m backstroke world record clocking 59.21 seconds in the preliminaries of the Missouri Grand Prix. Coughlin, the reigning Olympic champion, took more than two tenths of a second off the previous mark of 59.44 seconds. Zimbabwe's Kristy Coventry shattered the 200 backstroke record on Saturday. Coughlin's world record was the third this weekend globally after Australia's Eamon Sullivan broke Alexander Popov's eight-year-old mark for 50 freestyle yesterday in Sydney to inherit the title as the fastest swimmer in history. — Reuters

Shane Watson
Brisbane: Injury-plagued Australian all-rounder Shane Watson says he is looking for more cricket and sees playing for an English county as his chance to return to the international arena. At least two English counties are understood to be interested in contracting Watson, who wants a lengthy stint to put his fitness problems behind him. The 26-year-old Queenslander has endured another injury-interrupted Australian summer where he has been sidelined three times with hamstring problems. – AFP

Teen upsets Blake
Delray Beach (USA): Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori stunned American top seed James Blake 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win the ATP title here. The 18-year-old, ranked 244th in the world, claimed his first career crown and became the first Japanese man to win a tour event since Shuzo Matsuoka in Seoul in April 1992. Nishikori, who had to qualify to get into the main draw of the $411,000 hardcourt tournament, was playing in his first ATP final on Sunday. — AFP

Anand wins
Morelia (Mexico): World Champion Viswanathan Anand bounced back with an emphatic victory over Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Morelia-Linares chess tournament here. Anand, who had started off with a victory over Alexei Shirov of Spain in the opener, played his third decisive game on the trot after losing the second round game against Morelia-nemesis Levon Aronian. The victory over Carlsen kept Anand's score with black at 100 per cent thus far as the Indian ace while it also helped Anand to elevate himself to the sole second spot on two points out of a possible three. — PTI

Karun Chandok
Sentul (Indonesia): India's Karun Chandhok was unable to secure a podium finish in the second round of the GP2 Asia Series here with iSport International, despite matching the speed of the leaders throughout the weekend. The track conditions created some of the most difficult driving conditions in GP2 history, due to a combination of the track surface breaking up and heavy rain. After a wet free practice, Karun started the feature race in sixth position, and made up one position on the opening lap when he passed Christian Bakkerud (Super Nova). The Indian driver now heads to Europe for six days of testing with the all new 2008 GP2 car in preparation for the GP2 series. — UNI