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India, Australia renew battle
Jumbo decision on the way? |
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Ganguly’s retirement will distract India: Ponting Jeev to give best shot Golfers Daniel Chopra of Sweden (L) and Jeev Milkha Singh of India pose with the trophy at a Pro-Am Event at The Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi on Wednesday, ahead of the Hero Honda Indian Open tournament. Chopra is one of the favourites for the Asian Tour event, which boasts a prize fund of some $1 million and begins today. — AFP
CEC wins TT tourney
New PCB chief promises change
Jolt to Chautala faction of HOA
HAP overall champions
Suresh, Ashish win Raid de Himalaya
Shooting championship at Phillaur
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India, Australia renew battle
Bangalore, October 8 After taking the entire cricket fraternity by surprise by deciding to quit after the current series, Ganguly would be hoping that the closing chapters of his career are nothing short of fairytale as India seek to make amends for the home series loss in 2006. The Bengal left-hander's pre-series retirement announcement is reminiscent of his one-time bitter foe and former Australian captain Steve Waugh's swansong, that completely shifted the focus of the 2004 series Down Under on him. "Let me play without any pressure on me" was Ganguly's plea to chief selector Krish Srikkanth when he confided in him about his retirement plans but having announced his decision, the left-hander will be expected to play out a special innings to end his career which was as much glorious as controversial. With Ganguly's retirement, murmurs have started of a phasing out of the other seniors of the squad and the trio of VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid would feel the heat if they fail to perform. The turmoil in the Indian team, however, gives no reason to the visiting Australians to celebrate as they battle their spin demons on the dry and hard tracks here. Skipper Ricky Ponting has been a dud with the bat in India despite having over 10,000 Test runs under his belt. The feisty right-hander is desperate to end his India curse but with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh promising to be at their tormenting best, the task seems easier said than done. In fact, quality spin is what gives India the edge in the series because the visitors, after the retirement of Shane Warne, have not managed to find a decent replacement and on tracks where even Warne struggled in his hey-days, the likes of Cameron White and Jason Krejza look hardly threatening. But the upper-hand in spin does not mean that the Indians can afford to take their world champion rivals lightly. The Australians boast of a more lethal pace battery led by the in-form Brett Lee, who would be supported by Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson, and the Indian susceptibility to the rising ball is well documented. The hosts pace challenge would be spearheaded Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma but they are unlikely to generate the kind of pace which can match Lee and Co. "We need to put up more runs on the board before the bowlers can take up the task of bowling the opposition out twice," said Indian skipper Anil Kumble, making it clear that batsmen hold the key to India's chances. The bitter past, that ranged from minor spats to an ugly race row, and the one-on-one rivalries like the one between Australian opener Matthew Hayden and Harbhajan add another dimension to the series which would be contested as much on field as off field. The mind games have already started with Indians harping on Aussie spin woes and the Australians promising to give back as good as they get, setting the stage for a nerve-wracking and high-voltage series.
— PTI Teams (From): India: Anil Kumble (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S. Badrinath, Rudra Pratap Singh, Amit Mishra. Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Jason Krejza, Phil Jaques, Peter Siddle, Douglas Bollinger. Pitch report The two captains said the wicket looked hard and good to bat on. Ponting commenting on the pitch said it was hard and at least the first two day's would give batsmen the best choice to put up a good score. According to curator Narayana Raju, the pitch would play true on the first three days, atleast before offering slow turn on the last two. “The recently laid wicket has settled down after the first match against Pakistan. It was more bouncy then. But the match will last all five days,” he said. Venue stats India at Chinnaswamy Stadium Tests: 17; Won: 4; Lost: 6; Drawn: 7. India vs Australia at Chinnaswamy Stadium Tests: 3; Won: 0; Lost: 2; Drawn: 1. Weather The forecast of a few spells of rains in the next two days has come has a dampener for fans. Hours of play 9.30 am to 11.30 am; 12.10 pm to 2.10 pm; 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm.
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Bangalore, October 8 Bangalore is not scheduled to host any Test matches at least till November 2009 when Sri Lanka tours India. The venues for the three Tests against the Lankans have not yet been decided which means that the earliest next Test here would not be before November-December 2009. By November-December 2009, Kumble would be in his 39th year and is highly unlikely to be playing Test cricket. However, he may play in the two-Test series against England in November-December this year during which Bangalore will not be a venue. Asked specifically about his retirement plans at the pre-match press conference, Kumble said he would make an announcement as and when he decides to retire from international cricket. “I will let you know when my last series is, I am someone who will take a call. At this moment, I don’t want to say yes or no. I think let’s stop all this for now. Let the players decide when they need to go. Thank you so much,” a furious Kumble said. On being probed about his comments in a syndicated column that the first Test against Australia starting here tomorrow would be his last at his home city, the visibly miffed veteran leg-spinner retorted, “There are millions of newspapers in India and I don’t know which newspaper you are talking about.” The 37-year-old captain said he has never planned beyond one series at a time and therefore although the first Test against Australia would be his last in his home city, he cannot say when his swansong appearance will come about. “Certainly this is my last Test match in Bangalore. I don’t know when the next Test match is. I don’t want to look that far away. As I have always said, I take one series at a time. So this certainly will be my last Bangalore Test,” he said. Asked whether Ganguly’s retirement would be a distraction for the team’s preparation, Kumble said, “I dont think it’s a distraction. It’s his personal choice. He has had a fantastic career. Hope that this series will be good for him. Not just for him but for Team India as well. That will be the focus for us, got out there and do the job for the team.” — PTI
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Ganguly’s retirement will distract India: Ponting Bangalore, October 8 “It (Ganguly’s retirement) will certainly create distractions. And we have experienced it when Steve Waugh, Warne, McGrath and Adam Gilchrist retired,” Ponting said ahead of the first Test here tomorrow. “The decision takes pressure off Sourav but puts pressure on some others and the Indian players will certainly be facing that for the next four weeks. I’m sure the crowd in India will be eager to come out and see Sourav play his last Tests. And that will add to the overall spectacle of the series,” said Ponting. The visiting skipper said his deputy Michael Clarke will be available for the first Test. “Probably Jason Krejza or Cameron White, one of them will play. We will finalise it tomorrow morning.” Ponting seemed to be quite satisfied with the pitch for the first Test and said, “The pitch has changed a little bit compared to what it was yesterday afternoon. It looks very good to me.” Sehwag’s cheating claims insulting
Ricky Ponting today reacted angrily to Virender Sehwag’s claims that the Australians had cheated during their 2-1 Test series victory Down Under, saying he felt insulted by the Indian opener’s outburst. Sehwag said yesterday that India suffered the most out of a “catching pact” during his team’s tour of Australia early this year, whereby the opposing captains agreed to take the fielder’s word on the legitimacy of close catches. “There is no point in having a catching pact when the Australians are claiming one-bounce catches,” Sehwag had told a TV channel. Ponting returned the volley today, suggesting the Indians had short memories. “That’s fairly insulting (to say we claimed catches that weren’t). In the first innings (in the Sydney Test) I didn’t claim a catch of which I wasn’t 100 per cent sure,” Ponting said ahead of the first Test starting here tomorrow.
— PTI |
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Jeev to give best shot New Delhi, October 8 It rankles Jeev that he always falters in this richest tournament at the Delhi Golf Club course, but this time around, in the 45th edition of this $1 million prize money event, he is determined to set the record straight, now that he would be teeing off tomorrow as the best-ranked Indian player in the field. But the going will not be easy for Jeev, as defending champion Jyoti Randhawa, who has been the champion for the past two years, would settle for nothing, but a "hat-trick of wins". If Jyoti makes it three-in-a-row in this Asian Tour event, he would have not only lifted the title four times, but would also become the most successful golfer in the history of the Indian Open. But the competition would be tough and keen for Jyoti too, as fancied players like Daniel Chopra, a two-time winner on the US PGA (Professional Golf Association) Tour, Mark Brown of New Zealand and six other former champions would also push the limit of their talent to excel, as they are not here to enjoy the greens and cool climes of the Delhi Golf Club. But in the run-up to the Indian Open, the 36-year-old Jyoti's morale got a big boost when he defended the PGTI (Professional Golfers' Tour of India) DLF Masters crown last month against a strong field. |
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CEC wins TT tourney
Jalandhar, October 8 The CEC team comprised Manoj Kumar, Balbir Singh, Deepak Singh, Parmod Kumar and Abhay
Sartora. They registered victories in their matches against ACET, Amritsar, as well as
B.H.S.B.I.E.T, Lehragaga. They won the trophy after giving a determined fight to Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda, and
IET, Bhaddal, as they won three out of five matches against each of these colleges. In addition to awarding the trophy, the PTU selected Manoj Kumar, captain of the CEC team as the best player of the tournament. He will represent PTU in All-India Inter Zonal University Competitions. Congratulating the coach Kamaldeep Singh and other members of the team, Satnam Singh Sandhu, chairman and Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal, president, Chandigarh Group of Colleges granted a cash prize of Rs 5000 to each team member. They also added that they attached as much importance to sports, and other extra mural activities, as to academics with a view to develop the overall personality of the students. Dr
G.D. Bansal, director general, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, revealed that after winning the competition for the last two years, the students had made an extra effort to bring the trophy to CEC this time too. Dr. Bansal was confident that the students of CEC would win a number of trophies in other sports including cricket, weightlifting and power lifting. |
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New PCB chief promises change
Karachi, October 8 73-year-old Butt, who was officially announced as the chairman of the board today, said that he would make every effort to clear all the wrong deeds of the board. "My mandate is for three years and my job is to clean up things and ensure that cricketers, who form the backbone of the board, are given more important roles in the set-up," Butt said. An indication of how things will change in the board came when Butt arrived at the Gaddafi stadium with Saleem Altaf, the former director special projects, who was sacked by former chairman Nasim Ashraf. Also accompanying Butt was another former employee Asif Sohail, whose contract was not renewed by the board. Former Test wicket-keeper Butt said that the governing body of the board has become active again and he intended to make changes in the governing body with the approval of the chief patron of the board. Butt was always at loggerheads with Ashraf and on several occasions, as a governing body member, he objected to the board's policies on several issues.
— PTI |
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Jolt to Chautala faction of HOA
Chandigarh, October 8 The interim orders were issued by Anshul Shukla, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Panchkula, on a civil suit filed by P.V. Rathee, president of the HOA, seeking permanent injunction against Chautala and Malik. The judge also restrained the two defendants from participating in the election to the governing body of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to be held on October 10 in Pune. They were also restrained from using the banner of the HOA “in any manner” till the next date of hearing. The court also issued notices to Chautala, Malik and the IOA for November 20. Meanwhile, Rathee announced that the Haryana state games would be organised in Sonepat on November 10.
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HAP overall champions
Karnal, October 8 Inspector and Olympian boxer Vijender Singh was declared best sportsman of the year. Ravinder of Haryana Armed Police (HAP) and Reena of Ambala range were declared best man and woman athlete. The HAP range excelled in boxing, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo,
kabbadi, swimming, volleyball, wrestling, and athletics (men) events while Special Range performed well in basketball, weightlifting (women) and athletics (women). |
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Suresh, Ashish win Raid de Himalaya
Shimla, October 8 The eight-day 'Raid', stretching across 2,400 km, tested both man and machine to the ultimate in the most rugged and inhospitable terrain of the trans-Himalayas. "Suresh has become the five-time champion in the X-treme, while Ashish has won the rally for the third time in the bike category," Manjeev Bhalla of the Himalayan Motorsport Association on Wednesday told IANS from Leh. Bhaskar Rumani, who was leading in the bike category till day five, was injured in an accident near Baralacha pass, one of the world's highest motorable roads.
— IANS |
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Shooting championship at Phillaur
Chandigarh, October 8 Cadets from NCC’s 17 directorates spread across the country are participating in the championship. The weapons being used are the .22 peep sight air rifle, .177 peep sight air rifle, .177 open sight air rifle and the .177 air pistol. — TNS
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Spain stretch lead at top of FIFA world rankings
Zurich, October 8 |
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Sourav Ganguly will be
the cynosure of all eyes as he attempts to script a resounding end to his roller-coaster cricket career when India take on Australia in the opening match of what promises to be a high-voltage four-match Test series starting here tomorrow.
Bangalore, October 8
Jeev Milkha Singh will spare no effort to give his best shot at the Indian Open Golf Championship to erase a blot in his career as he has neither ever won this prestigious title, nor finished among the top ten.
