S P O R T S

Indian batsmen provide ideal start
Mohali, October 17
The day belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. The maestro created a slice of history, overtaking Brian Lara of West Indies as the highest scorer of runs in Test cricket.
Well done, mate: Virender Sehwag (L), Anil Kumble (C) and Amit Mishra applaud after Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Brian Lara’s record of maximum runs in Test cricket at PCA stadium in Mohali on Friday. Tribune photo: Kamal Kishore

India-Australia Test series
Sachin atop batting’s Mt Everest
The moment all of India was waiting for came first ball after tea, when Sachin Tendulkar opened the face of his bat and pushed the ball wide of the point region to get three runs that took his total score in Test cricket past another legend, Brian Lara.

Don’t tell me when to quit, says Tendulkar
Mohali, October 17
“There were stones and stones along the path and I have been lucky enough to convert these into milestones,” quipped Sahin Tendulkar after he emerged the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

Tigers cut Giants to size
Hyderabad, October 17
In the eighth match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship, the Royal Bengal Tigers defeated the formidable Delhi Giants by 35 runs at the LB stadium in Hyderabad last night.

Commonwealth Youth Games
Saina clinches gold
Pune, October 17
Saina Nehwal survived some nervous moments to claim the girls singles gold of the third Commonwealth Youth Games at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here today. Fifteen-year-old Sikki Reddy gave Saina the jitters before the Beijing Olympic Games quarterfinalist wrapped up the tie 23-21, 22-20 to clinch the gold on the fifth and penultimate day.
Saina Nehwal in action at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune. — PTI

JCT take on Mahindra United today
Chandigarh, October 17
The I-League bandwagon is set continue with Ludhiana-based JCT FC set to take on Mahindra United at the Guru Nanak stadium in Ludhiana tomorrow. JCT will be riding high on their success in the initial stages of the league this year. They had drubbed Mohammedan Sporting in the last home game 2-0.

B’desh 183 for 4 on Day 1
Chittagong, October 17
Mehrab Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim shared a record fifth-wicket stand for Bangladesh who reached 183 runs for four at the close on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.

Surjit hockey begins today
Jalandhar, October 17
The silver jubilee edition of the Indian Oil Servo Surjit hockey tournament will also have Pakistani flavour as three teams from across the border would compete in the event, beginning here tomorrow.

Collegians earn full points
New Delhi, October 17
Collegians beat Delhi Tigers 2-0 to earn full points in a Group B match of the Delhi Soccer Association Open Clubs League at the Race Course ground today. Prasant (6th) and Bhavik (28th) struck the goals.

ICL threatens to take legal action
Mumbai/New Delhi, October 17
A day after their talks with BCCI officials failed to make any headway, the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) today made it clear that it would continue to seek recognition from the ICC and threatened to take legal recourse if the vexed issue was not resolved amicably.

Anand draws first blood
Bonn, October 17
World Champion Viswanathan Anand crashed through the defences of Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the third game of the world championship here at art and exhibition hall.

Campbell propels Rockets to victory
Chandigarh, October 17
An unbeaten 92 by Campbell propelled Ahmedabad Rockets to a nine-wicket victory against Mumbai Champs in the ninth match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship at the LB stadium in Hyderabad tonight.

Indian batsmen provide ideal start
Gopal Sharma
Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 17
The day belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. The maestro created a slice of history, overtaking Brian Lara of West Indies as the highest scorer of runs in Test cricket. Other batsmen also chipped in with decent contributions as India finished Day one of the second Test against Australia on a happy note at the PCA Stadium here today.

It was a day when all the focus was on Tendulkar. Already the highest run scorer in the one-day cricket, the batting maestro established himself at the top of the order in Tests also during the course of his priceless knock of 88 runs as India finished the day at 311 for 5.

Opener Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly also dug in and batted well to put the team in a comfortable situation. Ganguly looked untroubled during his unbeaten knock of 52 runs. It was the 142-run stand between Tendulkar and Ganguly for the fifth wicket which saw India recover in time after the twin dismissals of Gambhir and Rahul Dravid in quick succession earlier in the innings.

Seemingly under no pressure to overhaul the record which remained out of his grasp first during the three-Test series in Sri Lanka and then during the first Test in Bangalore, Tendulkar gave a masterly batting display, cruising past the rare mark with the minimum of fuss.

He was confidence personified during his 111-ball knock in which he struck 10 fours. The legendary batsman scored at quite a brisk rate and was at ease playing all round the wicket.

Selected for the first two Tests, former skipper Ganguly batted with a lot of responsibility. The former skipper took his time to settle down. Once into his groove, he played some meaty strokes, off-side being his favourite area.

When on 37, the former India skipper completed 7,000 runs in Tests, only the fourth batsman from India after Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to complete the feat.

Earlier, Virender Sehwag and Gambhir provided India a solid start. As usual, Sehwag was at his flamboyant best, while Gambhir also looked solid at the other end. Both played some bold strokes to frustrate new ball bowlers Brett Lee and debutant Peter Siddle as runs came at a fast pace.

Sehwag was first to perish after India had accumulated 70 in 14 overs. After he had struck six lusty hits to the fence, he bacame Mitchell Johnson’s first victim, edging him behind the wickets after contributing 35.

Going through a purple patch, Gambhir did well to carry his excellent form into the match. After he was struck a nasty blow right at the start of the innings from Siddle, whose delivery rose dangerously and struck the left-handed batsman on the back of the head, Gambhir came into his own.

The left-handed batsman grew in confidence as the innings progressed and played some pleasing strokes. He was particularly impressive playing on the rise and pierced the field from extra mid-off to cover with ease. When set for a big score, Johnson consumed the dashing batsman getting him caught behind when he was batting on 67.

At close, Ganguly was batting on 52. Keeping him company was nightwatchman Ishant Sharma on 2.

Scoreboard
India (1st innings)

Gambhir c Haddin b Johnson 67

Sehwag c Haddin b Johnson 35

Dravid b Lee 39

Tendulkar c Hayden b Siddle 88

Laxman c Haddin b Johnson 12

Ganguly not out 54

Ishant not out 2

Extras (b-4, lb-2, nb-3, w-5) 14

Total (85 overs, 5 wkts) 311

Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-146, 3-146, 4-163, 5-305

Bowling: Lee 18-5-56-1, Siddle 18-2-80-1, Johnson 20-3-68-3, Watson 14-3-47-0, Clarke 7-0-28-0, White 8-0-26-0.

India-Australia Test series
Sachin atop batting’s Mt Everest
Sunil Gavaskar writes

The moment all of India was waiting for came first ball after tea, when Sachin Tendulkar opened the face of his bat and pushed the ball wide of the point region to get three runs that took his total score in Test cricket past another legend, Brian Lara.

It has taken some time coming and the wait has been a bit excruciating, simply because after his magnificent form in Australia where he got two of the best Test hundreds that one could see, everybody felt that the few remaining runs would come in one Test if not one innings.

After getting a duck in the only Test he played against South Africa, he then had one of those rare bad patches on the Sri Lanka tour where he could not even get 100 runs in three Tests.

When he failed to do it at Bangalore when he was set and looking good, the anxiety levels increased. Maybe not for him, but definitely for all those who love Indian cricket.

They were aware of the pressures to perform that the senior players were under, and they were perhaps worried that it would get to him too. But they haven't realised that a boy who made his debut in Tests at the tender age of 16, and has been the cynosure of all eyes since then, is made of sterner stuff and is unlikely to be fazed by all this fuss and attention.

He was understandably a bit cautious as he played himself in and inched towards the required runs to overhaul the record but once past it, his body language changed.

The shoulders, which looked a bit hunched were now wide, and the gait which was just a bit careful now became positive, and the back lift and the movement of the feet was secure and certain. Free of the pressures of expectations, he was like his old self and so looked lighter on his feet. He went after the bowlers and the trademark drives and punches off the back-foot on either side of the wicket were on display.

It was a loose shot that got him out to the second new ball. Maybe he may have forgotten for a moment that the new ball will have a little more bounce and will also move a bit more than the old one.

Like in Bangalore, when he drove uppishly at White, and missed out on a half century and gave the debutante his first Test wicket, he missed out on another Test century and gave Peter Siddle a moment to cherish when Matthew Hayden took a fine low catch at first slip.

The crowd was stunned in its disappointment but will go back knowing they were there when an Indian climbed the big peak and became the highest scorer in the game's ultimate contest, Test match cricket.

Well done Sachin, India is proud of you as it has always been, but more so now that you are on top of the Mount Everest of batting. — PMG

Don’t tell me when to quit, says Tendulkar
Gopal Sharma
Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 17
“There were stones and stones along the path and I have been lucky enough to convert these into milestones,” quipped Sahin Tendulkar after he emerged the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

“I am quite pleased with the knock. We had lost three wickets with not much on the board. It was important to forge a partnership, which came along with Ganguly,” he said when asked how he felt after reaching the milestone.

Quizzed whether there was any pressure on him when he came out to bat, the Mumbai batsman replied: “I knew it was coming. I had to go out and play. But there was no burden in the mind as such and I tried to watch every ball as closely as possible.”

When he scored those three runs which took him past Brian Lara, Tendulkar looked towards sky as if muttering something. When asked about it, he said, “When I looked up I had two things in my mind. Firstly, I was thanking the Almighty. Secondly, I was remembering and thanking my father whom I miss. Had he been alive he would have been a very proud man.”

Tendulkar looked relaxed at completely at peace with himself while replying to volley of queries in this hour of glory as he emerged the highest Test run getter after breaking Brian Lara's record of 11,953 runs today.

Dwelling on a host of issues, Tendulkar observed, “It has been a fantastic journey with several ups and downs. There have been challenges which I have tried to overcome.”

Asked whether he slept well before the night before, Tendulkar nodded in agreement saying, “It has been like that with me. It is not about the record, but it is pressure of Test cricket. It happens to me before all the matches. That is the way I get ready for the battle next day.”

Reminded that his record against the mighty Australians was stupendous and whether he planned this record against the same team, he replied: “It is just a coincidence that it happened against Australia. It could have been against any other team, but I am happy that it came against the top team in the world.”

“I need not prove anything to anyone. During the 19 years that I have played at this level, I have never played to prove anything. If I am able to contribute to my team’s cause I am happy. People can have and express their opinion. But what is important to me is planning and discussion in the dressing room,” Tendulkar replied when reminded of all the hoopla and hype about the pleas that time had come for the Fab Four to quit.

Asked to single out one innings, which he would rate as special, the batting maestro stated: “The first hundred I scored in England will always be special. The subsequent tour of Australia was very good where I had good knocks at Sydney and Perth. These knocks gave me immense confidence and I started believing that I can now score runs anywhere.”

Serving a warning to bowlers, he said; “I am feeling good at the moment. People tend to have their opinion. What is going in my mind is important. It is not for any X,Y, or Z to tell me to quit or start playing.” 

Tigers cut Giants to size

Hyderabad, October 17
In the eighth match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship, the Royal Bengal Tigers defeated the formidable Delhi Giants by 35 runs at the LB stadium in Hyderabad last night.

McMillan won the toss and elected to bat. The Tigers opened with their in-form combination of Marshall and Dasgupta.The partnership was broken when Marshall was run out while trying to steal a single of a misfield.

The fall of the second wicket brought the experienced McMillan to the middle.Wickets kept falling but McMillan was not perturbed and with some help from Klusener brought the Tigers to a very competitive 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Delhi Giants tried to put up a fight but Gunawardene was the only one who could manage to show some resilience as he top scored for his side with 25 runs. J.P. Yadav also made a valiant 24 but ultimately the Giants fell short as they scored 136 runs for the loss of eight wickets, losing the match by 35 runs. — UNI
Scoreboard
Royal Bengal Tigers

D Dasgupta b Murtaza 26

H Marshall run out 23

Jhunjhunwala c Atapattu b Bond 0

McMillan c Atapattu b Bali 69

Klusener c Bali b Srivastava 22

Gavaskar c Bali b Murtaza 12

Adams run out 7

M Diwakar not out 1

Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-3, nb-2) 11

Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 171

Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-37, 3-66, 4-136, 5-155, 6-167, 7-171

Bowling: Srivastava 4-0-34-1, Sudhindra 3-0-22-0, Bond 4-0-23-1, Jai P Yadav 2-0-19-0, A Murtaza 4-0-19-2, A Bali 2-0-36-1, Benkenstein 1-0-12-0.

Delhi Giants

Benkenstein c Klusener b Tarafdar 3

Gunawardene b Tarafdar 25

Atapattu st Dasgupta b Chandana 19

S Abbas Ali c Diwakar b Adams 18

Nixon c Adams b Chandana 5

A Bali c Chandana b E Ahmid 12

Jai P Yadav run out 24

Sudhindra b Adams 12

Bond not out 7

Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-7, nb-1) 11

Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 136

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-43, 3-71, 4-73, 5-82, 6-89, 7-125, 8-136

Bowling: S Tarafdar 4-0-19-2, M Diwakar 1-0-12-0, Klusener 3-0-17-0, AR Adams 4-0-34-2, Chandana 4-0-24- 2, Eklak Ahmid 4-0-27-1.

Commonwealth Youth Games
Saina clinches gold

Pune, October 17
Saina Nehwal survived some nervous moments to claim the girls singles gold of the third Commonwealth Youth Games at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here today.

Fifteen-year-old Sikki Reddy gave Saina the jitters before the Beijing Olympic Games quarterfinalist wrapped up the tie 23-21, 22-20 to clinch the gold on the fifth and penultimate day.

It needed a string of unforced errors from Sikki to enable Saina pocket the first game after she was down 17-18 at one point of time. Saina capitalised on her opponent's errors to take the lead at 20-18.

Sikki bounced back to level the scores at 21-21 and it was then that the India number one's experience came to the fore. She produced a spectacular smash to close the game.

The second game was no different as each time Saina tried to put Sikki on the mat, she would bounce back.

Saina extended her lead to 6-2 before Sikki closed down the gap to 8-5. Some errors by the Hyderabadi ace saw Sikki back on level terms at 9-9 before the 15-year-old opened up a two-point lead.

With the game oscillating from one to the other, it was Saina's turn to forge ahead. She was just two points away from victory at 19-13 when her rival won four consecutive points as the crowd egged her own.

However, an overhead smash helped Saina stretch her lead and when Sikki's shot went beyond the line, the match was all over.

Pugilist Nanao takes gold

Nanao Singh Thokchom gave India its first gold medal in boxing when he outpointed his Wales opponent Zack Davies 25-10 in the light flyweight (48 kg) category here today.

Nanao Singh started the bout with an air of confidence which was very much evident in the first round itself when the Indian took a comprehensive 6-1 lead over his Welsh counterpart.

Nanao Singh having taken the initiative, did not let go the advantage of such a huge lead in the first round as he became more forceful in the second round. He took nine points to two in the second round to extend his lead to 15-3.

From there, it was no looking back as the Indian gave Zack absolutely no chance with a tight defence and attacking his opponent.

Nanao Singh completed the formalities in the next two rounds to score a resounding win on points at 25-10 to take the gold.

Meanwhile in the flyweight (51 kg) category, Daniel Chapman of Wales managed to win the gold. He outpointed England's James Dickens by 8 points to 7.

Daniel Chapman took a slender one point lead after the first round, but the Englishman came back in the second to square the bout at three points each.

Daniel then won the third round by a slender one point margin again and then both boxers finished level on points in the fourth and final round.

Yuki Bhambri retires

Yuki Bhambri's campaign in the singles ended on a rather dismal note as an injury forced him to concede his semifinal match against Finbar Tearney, while in the girl's singles, Kyra Shroff entered the final of the girls singles here today.

The second seeded Bhambri was struggling from the very start of the match and lost the opening set 2-6. However, after not being able to get himself in the best of shape, the Indian decided not to risk himself and retired with scores 2-6, 1-4.

In the girls' doubles, the Indian pair of Kyra Shroff and Pooja Venkatesha had to be content with a silver medal after the Australian duo of Jade Hopper and Monika Wejnert had them under control to win the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

The Indian challenge in the girls' singles section will be spearheaded by Kyra Shroff who defeated Australian Monika Wejnert 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in just under two hours.

Meanwhile, Poojashree Venkatesha also faltered when she was looking good to make it to the final of the girls singles. She was handed a straight-set defeat by Heather Watson of Guernsey 2-6, 1-6. — Agencies

JCT take on Mahindra United today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 17
The I-League bandwagon is set continue with Ludhiana-based JCT FC set to take on Mahindra United at the Guru Nanak stadium in Ludhiana tomorrow. JCT will be riding high on their success in the initial stages of the league this year. They had drubbed Mohammedan Sporting in the last home game 2-0.

JCT will once again be looking towards their Brazilian star Eduardo to lead the forward line as Indian defender Anwar Ali will marshall the defence. Defending champions Mahindra United are witnessing a torrid start to the season as they lie at the bottom of the table. The match begins at 3.30 pm.

B’desh 183 for 4 on Day 1

Chittagong, October 17
Mehrab Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahim shared a record fifth-wicket stand for Bangladesh who reached 183 runs for four at the close on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday. 

Mehrab (79) and Rahim (59) produced an unbroken stand of 139, surpassing the previous best fifth-wicket partnership of 126 made against Sri Lanka in 2001 in Colombo. — Reuters

Scoreboard
Bangladesh
T Iqbal c McCullum b Vettori 18
J Siddique lbw O'Brien 0
R Saleh b O'Brien 20
Ashraful lbw Vettori 2
M Hossain not out 79
M Rahim not out 59
Extras (b-4, lb-1) 5
Total (4 wkts, 94 overs) 183
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-34, 3-40, 4-44
Bowling: Mills 14-6-25-0, O'Brien 17-9-25-2, Oram 15-11-9-0, Ryder 3-1-10-0, Patel 17-5-59-0, Vettori 28-10-50-2.

Surjit hockey begins today

Jalandhar, October 17
The silver jubilee edition of the Indian Oil Servo Surjit hockey tournament will also have Pakistani flavour as three teams from across the border would compete in the event, beginning here tomorrow.

The opening match will be played between former champion Punjab and Sind Bank (Delhi) and Border Security Force (BSF) at Surjit Hockey Stadium, Burlton Park.

The government has given a green signal to all three Pakistani teams - Javed Hockey Club, Gojra, Crescent Hockey Club, Sialkot and Independent Hockey Club, Sargodha - to participate in the tournament, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, the organising secretary said.

Pakistan Hockey Federation is also sending two umpires - Dilawar Hussain Bhatti and Shakeel Ahmad - to supervise the matches, he said.

The tournament would be played on knockout-cum-league basis. The teams have been divided into four pools of three team each for the league stage.

Former champion Punjab & Sind Bank (Delhi), BSF (Jalandhar) and Javed Hockey Club (Gojra-Pakistan) are in Pool A.

Bharat Petroleum (Mumbai), Independent Hockey Club, Sialkot (Pakistan) & Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, are in Pool B.

Air India (Mumbai), Punjab Police and winners of the qualifying match between Punjab National Bank (Delhi) and South Centre Railway (Secunderabad) would form Pool C.

Current champions Indian Oil (Mumbai), Crescent Hockey Club, Sargodha (Pakistan) & Namdhari XI (Sirsa) are placed in Pool-D. — PTI

Collegians earn full points
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 17
Collegians beat Delhi Tigers 2-0 to earn full points in a Group B match of the Delhi Soccer Association Open Clubs League at the Race Course ground today. Prasant (6th) and Bhavik (28th) struck the goals.

Lodhi Athletic Club prevailed over Columbas Youngsters 2-0 at the Race Course ground. Imran and Yudishter scored the goals.

Hans Club beat Victory 2-0 at the Ambedkar Stadium. Striker Abhishek accounted for both the goals, scoring once in each half.

ICL threatens to take legal action

Mumbai/New Delhi, October 17
A day after their talks with BCCI officials failed to make any headway, the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) today made it clear that it would continue to seek recognition from the ICC and threatened to take legal recourse if the vexed issue was not resolved amicably.

Accusing the BCCI of taking a "rigid stand" during the talks, the ICL said it was looking at other available options to achieve their objective of getting recognition from the cricket's world governing body.

"The BCCI does not seem to be in the mood to resolve the issue. We will continue to pursue our pending application (for recognition) with the ICC and all other options available to us, including legal," a spokesperson for ICL told PTI.

Asked whether this means the ICL was thinking of even dragging the ICC to court, the spokesperson said, "As of now, we have not taken a decision. We will figure it out."

Talks between officials of the BCCI and ICL on the latter's pending application for recognition to the ICC failed in New Delhi yesterday, leaving a question mark on the possibility of the two bitter rivals reaching a common ground.

The two parties met following directives from the ICC, but failed to make any headway on the contentious issue.

"This morning, there was a meeting at Delhi between officials of BCCI and ICL to see if there was any common ground. The talks failed and there are no plans for any further meeting," BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a terse press release yesterday.

ICL chairman Kapil Dev said he was disappointed by the failure of their talks with the BCCI to gain recognition for their Twenty20 league.

If you ask, I'm of course disheartened. We have 300 youngsters but the other party is not even ready to talk said Kapil, who was not a part of the meeting with the BCCI yesterday. — PTI

Anand draws first blood

Campbell propels Rockets to victory
Tribune News Service