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Dravid crosses milestone
India-South
Africa series
Still chance of a result: Dravid
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Sehwag misses Lara's record
Heroes tame Lions, storm into semis
Mukesh leads by 5 strokes
Celebrities add lustre to shooting meet
‘Sutil need not worry’
Bhim Award for physically challenged
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Dravid crosses milestone
Chennai, March 29 In a change of trend after three days of lop-sided battle between the bat and the ball on a docile pitch, South African bowlers finally made a mark today and bartered 159 runs for nine Indian wickets that did not allow the hosts to stretch their first innings lead beyond 87 runs. And after restricting the Indians to 627, South Africa were 131 for one in their second essay with in-form duo of Neil McKenzie (59) and Hashim Amla (35) in the middle when stumps were drawn with the visitors leading by 44 runs. All dreams of Sehwag crowning his swashbuckling triple century by beating Brian Lara's record of 400 runs in a Test innings evaporated early as the opener was caught in the slips after adding only 10 to his overnight score of 309. He thus set a new record for the highest Test score by an Indian, beating his own 309 against Pakistan in 2004. Dravid, who had refused to be enthused by Sehwag's dashing strokeplay even yesterday, continued to plod to the detriment of his team's requirement for quick runs. He hit 111 and in the process became only the sixth batsman in Test history to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs. Dravid's strike rate of 38 deprived India of valuable time, but other batsmen did nothing to push for a big lead over the South Africans whose bowlers took nine Indian wickets for 159. As the game stands, unless India take quick wickets early on the fifth day, the match is headed for a draw. When India resumed their innings at 468 for one this morning, the main focus point was whether Sehwag can break Lara's record. Makhaya Ntitni, however, had other plans and the South African spearhead dealt a double blow to send groans across the MA Chidambaram Stadium. First he induced an edge from Sehwag that flew to Neil McKenzie in the slips and in his next over, the South African had Sachin Tendulkar caught by Jacques Kallis, again in the slips, for a duck to silence the vociferous crowd. Sehwag could add just 10 runs to his overnight score and his 319 was the result of his 304-minute stay in the middle which produced 42 delectable boundaries and five breathtaking sixes. Sourav Ganguly (24) too got going but the left-hander could not convert the start and bottom edged Paul Harris to perish caught behind. Batting at 79, Dravid flicked Morne Morkel and completed a single to join Brian Lara (11,953), Tendulkar (11,782), Allan Border (11,174), Steve Waugh (10,927) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) in the elite league. Never the one to break into a wild celebration, Dravid raised his bat, took off the helmet and kissed it before acknowledging the rousing standing ovation from the crowd that included wife Vijeta and son Samit. Ntini finally cut short Dravid's stay when Kallis took a sharp catch in the slips. Dravid's 291-ball 111 included 15 hits to the fence. Once Dravid exited, India's lower order was exposed and suddenly Dale Steyn decided to live up to the pre-series hype around him. The Protea tearaway came up with a four-wicket burst that rocked India's lower order. Steyn had MS Dhoni (16) caught beind before he went on to disturb the furnitures of Anil Kumble (3), Harbhajan Singh (0) and RP Singh (0). — PTI Scoreboard South Africa(2nd innings)
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India-South Africa series What a superb fight back by the South African team, after being literally clobbered to all parts of the ground by Virender Sehwag on day three of the Chennai Test. The pitch is an absolute batting beauty, and it takes a lot of heart to be a pace bowler is such conditions. The way Sehwag batted on Friday, it looked quite possible that the hosts will take a lead of around 175 runs, and then will put the Proteas under a lot of pressure on a deteriorating fourth day track. But thanks to some quality pace bowling by Ntini and Steyn, the visitors restricted the lead to double figures. And to make things even better, openers Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie gave the Proteas another good start. That has now brought the visitors right back into this match. After being kept on the field for one full day in the energy sapping heat of Chennai, and being hit to all parts of the ground by a dashing Sehwag, Ntini and Steyn bowled with a lot of fire today. They learned from their mistakes, and bowled a lot more accurately. Not giving Sehwag any loose balls to hit boundaries is one way of getting him out, and that's what Ntini achieved, as the Delhi dasher wasn't allowed to hit a single four today. He played a rash shot, probably first in his superb knock, and that was that. Proteas did well not to allow other Indian batsmen to raise the scoring rate, and to dismiss them for 627 was quite an achievement, considering the fact that India were 468 for one after day three. In between, Rahul Dravid played a knock that is so typical of him, and had he not done that, India's lead could have been minimal. Having said that, I think Indians will be disappointed with their lead, after Sehwag had put them in a position from where they could have really won this game. It was not just the number of runs that Sehwag scored, but the manner in which he scored them, that enabled the Indians to dictate terms. After restricting the Indians, it was important for the South Africans not to lose any early wickets and skipper Smith and Neil McKenzie, the man in form, ensured that. It was important that the Indian seamers didn't get a couple of quick wickets, because then it would have been really tough for the middle-order batsmen to face the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan on a track which is helping the spinners now. So all credit to McKenzie and Hashim Amla for batting well, as they had done in the first innings. McKenzie has made a fantastic comeback into Test cricket, and he has really been a find for the Proteas in that regard. As far as tomorrow is concerned, I can't see the South Africans setting the Indians a target. Considering the fact that this being the first Test of the three-match series, I don't expect any bold declaration from the visitors. So, it's crucial for them to bat well in the first session. If they go into lunch without losing any more wickets, the game will be safe for the Proteas. — PMG
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Still chance of a result: Dravid
Chennai, March 29 India squandered a commanding position at the start of the day and by stumps, the Proteas had not only erased the first innings deficit of 87, but had gone in front by 44. But Dravid was optimistic that all was not lost yet. "There is still a chance of a result. I would rather be in our dressing room than in theirs (South African). But it will require a big effort from the bowlers tomorrow," the former skipper, who completed 10,000 runs and his 25th Test hundred in his knock of 111, said. The Indians will need to get breakthroughs early on the final day, Dravid felt. "The first session tomorrow will be crucial. We have two quality spinners (Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh). If we can get a few early wickets, it will not be easy for a new batsman coming in." Dravid added 268 runs for the second wicket with Virender Sehwag (319) and said it was a privilege to watch such a high class innings from the other end. "It was an exceptional and breathtaking innings. Only he could have played such an innings. The range of shots was special - 360 degrees round the wicket. "The pace at which he scored was amazing. It was like watching a highlights package. At times, it was difficult to keep my emotions in check," he said. Though Sehwag failed to break West Indian legend Brian Lara's world record of 400 runs in an innings, Dravid said there should be no regret. "When the day started, there was anticipation from us and the crowd. We felt that if he bats for two hours, he may get closer, if not break it. But nothing to regret, Sehwag had played one of the finest innings," he said. The Karnataka batsman was especially proud of the number of big partnerships he has been involved in over the years. "This is not something one sets out to do, but I am proud of my role in that regard. It shows the quality of the players we have and the batsmanship they can show. We have had a very good batting line-up for a long time now," he said. "We do share our successes and moments of glory. Anil's 600 wickets is an amassing achievement and a special one. Sehwag's feat yesterday is truly special and one of the best that I have witnessed. I was lucky to watch two best innings from the other end and the other is by (VVS) Laxman when he made 281 against Australia in Kolkata. It feels great for us, a generation of cricketers setting such records." On the personal front, he expressed happiness that he got a ton after a relatively barren patch of late. "The last one year has been a tough one and I played well in patches. It is all part and parcel of game. I have been fighting, particularly after a finger injury in Adelaide," Dravid said. On joining the elite 10,000 bracket, which has members such as Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid said "I am elated to be in that club and it is a great company. Both of them are great batsmen. I know that Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis are also going to get there soon." On rating his 25th ton, Dravid said "it is hard to place it. I do not rate any of my hundreds but I place the hundreds which end up in the team winning the match. "It is a proud moment. I grew up dreaming to play for India. Looking back, I feel that I have exceeded my own expectations and that of others. To do it in Chennai with my parents and family watching is great," he said. But Dravid said achieving the 10,000 milestone in one-day internationals was also a cherished feat. "Getting 10,000-plus runs in one-day matches is special. 'Starting out as a particular kind of player, I have to adapt learning different skills, playing in different batting slots and adapted to the shorter version too. That gave me satisfaction as I was able to accomplish all that. "Achieving this in Test cricket is much more difficult. The runs are the toughest to get in Test cricket. I will cherish my 10,000-plus in Test cricket," Dravid added. — PTI
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Chennai, March 29 Sehwag looked well on course to break Lara's record of 400 after plundering 309 at better than run a ball at draw of stumps on the third day yesterday. But 27 minutes into day four, the Delhi-dasher fell to a Makhaya Ntini delivery in the slips. But before heading back to the pavilion, Sehwag had bettered his own previous best of 309 - against Pakistan in 2004 - to take both the number one and two spots in the Indian record books. The right-hander, who hit the fastest ever triple century, faced 304 balls during his 531-minute stay at the crease that also saw him hit 43 boundaries and five sixes as South Africans scurried for cover. The opener is only the third batsman - after Lara and Sir Don Bradman - to have two triple hundreds under his belt. His record-breaking innings included a 268-run second wicket stand with Rahul Dravid, who also went on to achieve a personal milestone by becoming the sixth overall and the third Indian batsman to score 10,000 runs with his 25th hundred. For Sehwag, the innings not only got him a bagful of records, but also helped him prove that despite all the talk about his lack of technique he still belonged to the big stage. "I had to prove that I belong at this level and wanted to get back my place in the side," he had said yesterday after initially admitting that even he had been left speechless with his display. Sehwag missed a year of Test cricket after he was omitted from the side following the tour to South Africa in early 2007. He returned to the team for the Perth Test against Australia in January this year and justified his recall with a century in the following Test in Adelaide. — PTI
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Heroes tame Lions, storm into semis The hosts registered their fourth straight win at home, beating the Lions by 33 runs. Chris Harris and Ibrahim Khaleel were declared as joint winners of the Man of the Match award. The Heroes opened their batting with Jimmy Maher and the explosive Abdul Razzaq. Debutant paceman Ishan Malhotra struck early claiming the wicket of Mehar. Malhotra next sent back Rayudu for 12 in the fifth over. Razzaq got into the act in the sixth over with four consecutive boundaries off Tuffey, taking 17 runs of the over. Cairns, however, brought on the experienced Mongia in the seventh over to slow down things and he responded immediately ending Razzaq's dangerous cameo of 26 runs, assisted by some smart piece of stumping from Sarabjeet. With spin operational at both ends, the Heroes' batting was in a bit of a bother. At the half way mark of their innings, the hosts were placed at 65 for four. It came down to the dangerous duo of skipper Harris and Kemp to deliver the final onslaught and they did a good job of it by taking the score to 127 for 5 by the 18th over. Some lusty hitting from the duo helped the Heroes set a competitive target of 149. In reply, it was a positive start from the Lions with Elliott playing some exquisite shots taking the score to 31/0 at the end of the third over. Cairns brought on his spinners to stop the Lions' charge and it yielded dividends with the first breakthrough in the form of Vincent's wicket off Boje. It was the young Absolem, who put the Heroes in the driver's seat with the wickets of the dangerous Elliott and Sarabjeet, setting back the Lions at 47 for three in the seventh over. The Heroes displayed remarkable discipline with the ball in the crucial middle orders, resulting in the spiraling rise of the required run rate for the Lions. At the 15th over mark, the Lions were in a slump at 84 for five, needing another 65 off only 30 balls at over 13 runs per over. In the end, the Lions fell short of the target by 33 runs. Brief Scores: Hyderabad Heroes 148 for five (Harris 38, Kemp 35, Ishan Malhotra 2 for 22) win by 33 runs runs against Chandigarh Lions, 115/9 (Elliott 34, Mongia37, Absolem two for 17 and Harris two for 14). — UNI Badshahs record 6th straight win Lahore Badshahs romped to their sixth straight victory beating Kolkata Tigers by 22 runs in Edelweiss Twenty20 tournament of Indian Cricket League (ICL). Badshahs scored 153 for four in their stipulated 20 overs before restricting Tigers to 131 for seven at Lal Bahadur Stadium here Friday night. It was an important match for the Tigers, who needed a win to stay in contention for a semi final spot. But Badshahs had the last laugh. Hassan Raza, who scored 48 for Badshahs, was declared the Man of the Match for his fighting knock. Put into bat, Badshahs were 53 for two at the halfway stage. Taufeeq Umar scored 41 before Shiv Sagar foxed him to put the Badshahs in a bit of a bother at 83 for three. But Naved Latif (30) and Raza shouldered the responsibility well. The Tigers had a shaky start when Azhar Mahmood (2/25) sent Subhomoy Das back without troubling the scorers. Fine pace bowling by Azhar and Mohammed Sami (1/21) had the Tigers on their knees at 10 for three. The Tigers were staring at an uphill task of needing 113 off 66 balls at around 11 runs per over. Arshad Khan was turning the ball a mile and soon got the big break with the wicket of Craig McMillan (30), leaving the Tigers' reeling at 59/5. Rohan Gavaskar (46) played a lone hand but fell short. Brief scores: Lahore Badshahs 153/4 (T. Umar 41, H. Raza 48, Shiv Sagar 1/14); Kolkata Tigers 131/7, (Rohan Gavaskar 46, C. McMillan 30, A. Mahmood 2/25).
— IANS
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Aiyar apologises to KPS Gill
New Delhi, March 29 ''I have no hesitation in publicly tendering my apology to Gill for this unintended slur on his unblemished reputation,'' Aiyar said in a statement. ''At no time have I said or implied that Gill had misused funds made available by government to the IHF for any personal purposes,'' he added. Squarely putting the blame on the news channel concerned, the minister said his comments were ''twisted beyond its intent.'' ''This was an unforgivable distortion by the news channel concerned of a single sentence wrenched out of context and twisted beyond its intent by the anchor's commentary.''
— UNI |
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Mukesh leads by 5 strokes
Chandigarh, March 29 Mukesh's blemish-free 68 took him to a comfortable 12 under par 204 and he seemed all set to conquer his third title of the season in the Professional Golf Tour of India event. Kapurthala's Gaganjeet Bhullar managed a one-under par 71 to be second placed, five strokes behind the leader in the Rs 25 lakh prize money tournament. Vijay Kumar occupied the third slot, just one stroke behind Gaganjeet. Although Mukesh has built up a sizeable lead the final day tomorrow could throw up surprises as Gaganjeet is capable of returning very low scores in the final round. The professional from Mhow sank a birdie on the second and played eight pars for a one-under front nine. He picked up pace on a bogey-free back nine firing birdies on the 13th, 17th and 18th to finish with a four under par 68 and an overall tally of 67+69+68=204."I've led for three consecutive days of a tournament after a very long time and it feels great. My putting was good on the front nine today even though my hitting was quite ordinary. I then got aggressive on the back nine and as a result picked up some birdies," said Mukesh. Gaganjeet Bhullar (69, 69, 71) is placed second heading into the final round. His total moved to seven under 209 after he carded one under 71 in the third round. Bhullar sank birdies on the sixth, 13th and 17th and dropped bogeys on the first and ninth on Saturday. Vijay Kumar (69, 69, 72) lies third at six under 210. Chandigarh's Harendra Gupta (71, 72, 68) and Delhi's Manav Jaini (71, 70, 70) are tied fourth with an overall score of five under 211. Another Chandigarh-based professional Sujjan Singh (71, 75, 67) is tied sixth along with C Muniyappa (69, 70, 74). The two have a total of three under 213. Chandigarh's big-hitter Gurbaaz Mann's 66 on Saturday was the best round of the tournament so far. He had shot 73 and 75 in the first two rounds. Mann is currently placed tied eighth as his total stands at two under 214. The Chandigarh golfer was one under at the turn having made birdies on the third and sixth and a bogey on the ninth. He then had an incredible back nine as he sank four consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 14th and another one on the 16th. Arjun Singh (72, 74, 70) is tied 10th at even par 216. Digvijay Singh (76, 72, 70) is in tied 17th position at two over 218. Harmeet Kahlon (71, 72, 75) and first round leader Ashbeer Saini (67, 73, 78) joined Digvijay in tied 17th place. The scores (after third round): Mukesh Kumar 67+69+68=204, Gaganjeet Bhullar 69+69+71=209, Vijay Kumar 69+69+72=210, Harendra P. Gupta 71+72+68=211, Manav Jaini 71+70+70=211, Sujjan Singh 71+75+67=213, C. Muniyappa 69+70+74=213, Gurbaaz Mann 73+75+66=214, Md Islam 70+73+71=214, Anura Rohanna 72+75+69=216, Arjun Singh 72+74+70=216, Himmat Singh Rai 71+75+70=216, Vinod Kumar 71+72+73=216, Rafick Ali Mollah 71+72+73=216.
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Celebrities add lustre to shooting meet
Patiala, March 29 The qualification rounds of the skeet event were held on the concluding day of the meet today./ After two more rounds slated to be held tomorrow morning, the final will be held in the afternoon. However, Naveen Jindal was allowed to shoot all his five rounds today as a special case and he ended up with a score of 103. Skeet shooting has targets thrown at set trajectories from points on a semicircular arc. Targets are thrown in a variety of trajectories, angles, speeds, elevations and distances and are meant to be the most similar to hunting live birds. The aim is to hit as many targets and this what shooters like A.D Peoples and Mairaj Khan did today as they emerged joint winners with 71 points each after the three qualifying rounds. Man Singh (70), Arozepal Singh (67), Baljeet Singh (66), Rahul Rai (66), Shivinder Behal (65), Saravdeep Mann (65) and Smit Singh (64) were the other shooters who followed the joint winners - A.D Peoples and Mairaj Khan. To liven up the proceedings on a day when only the qualification rounds were held, Patiala MP Preneet Kaur also made an appearance at the range. Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Sania Sheikh won the event by accumulating 67 points and was followed by Rashmee Rathore with 65 points.
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‘Sutil need not worry’
New Delhi, March 29 Though Sutil's potential as a driver has never been in question, the German has failed to finish both the races in Australian and Malaysian Grand Prix so far this year. In contrast, his elder teammate and three-time Grand Prix winner Giancarlo Fisichella has looked impressive behind the wheel of the VJM01, finishing a creditable 12th in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Kolles, however, pooh-poohed speculations that Sutil's unimpressive show might lead to his ouster and said, "That's not the case at all." — PTI
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Bhim Award for physically challenged
Chandigarh, March 29 While stating this today, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the decision to give away the highest state award to a physically challenged sportsperson was taken to boost the morale of the physically challenged persons and encourage them to join the main stream. The other five outstanding sportspersons of Haryana, who would get Bhim Award for the year 2007-08 are Vijender Singh for boxing, Manoj Kumar for Shooting, Bhupinder Singh for athletics, Joydeep Kaur for hockey and Meena Kumari for wrestling. Hooda said as per the sports policy, each recipient of Bhim Award would get Rs 1 lakh in cash, an idol of Bhim, a scroll, a blazer and a tie or scarf. — TNS
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Badshahs record 6th straight win
Hyderabad, March 29 Badshahs scored 153 for four in their stipulated 20 overs before restricting Tigers to 131 for seven at Lal Bahadur Stadium here Friday night. It was an important match for the Tigers, who needed a win to stay in contention for a semi final spot. But Badshahs had the last laugh. Hassan Raza, who scored 48 for Badshahs, was declared the Man of the Match for his fighting knock. Put into bat, Badshahs were 53 for two at the halfway stage. Taufeeq Umar scored 41 before Shiv Sagar foxed him to put the Badshahs in a bit of a bother at 83 for three. But Naved Latif (30) and Raza shouldered the responsibility well.
— IANS |
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