London, December 16
Sachin Tendulkar's heroic status will now be implemented even more firmly into a nation's consciousness and he has grown in stature by dedicating his century in the Chennai Test to the victims of the Mumbai mayhem.

This and other comments eulogising Tendulkar highlighted the British media's coverage of the exciting Test match in Chennai that India snatched away from England with a memorable six-wicket victory.

Writing in 'The Guardian', David Hopps said, "England ultimately bowed to Tendulark's unyielding determination to soothe a nation's pain. He wrested victory as his right, his 41st Test hundred transforming an unlikely win into a formality, a six-wicket triumph secured with an hour of light remaining.

"His heroic status will now be implemented even more firmly into a nation's consciousness," he said.

In 'The Times', former England captain Mike Atherton echoed the same view and felt by dedicating his century to the victims of the Mumbai blast, Tendulkar had firmly implanted his stature on the Indian psyche.

"...Tendulkar revealed in a television address when he reaffirmed publicly why he played the game: 'I play for India, now more than ever.' Yesterday he was as good as his word," Atherton wrote.

'The Guardian" went on to claim that Tendulkar's outrage over the terrorist attacks in his home city has been the most enduring image of the Chennai Test.

"His defiant words have felt like an address to the nation," the daily said.

"He speaks of the need to pull together in bad times until the good times return and his vehement final sentence ingrains itself in the memory of all who hear it. 'I play for India,' he spits. 'Now more than ever.'"

In 'The Daily Telegraph', Derek Pringle said it was only befitting that the 'Little Lord' scored the winning runs and felt even only for reasons of compassion, India should have won the match.

"Fittingly, Sachin Tendulkar, India's most iconic player, scored the winning run, the delicate sweep for four also bringing up his hundred to the shrieking delight of the 30,000 crowd," he wrote.

He said Tendulkar's role was not confined to his sublime hundred alone.

"Scoffing mouthfuls of banana to keep up his energy level, Tendulkar's role did not end there. So often the quiet one, he cajoled, encouraged and generally advised all his subsequently partners, including the headstrong Yuvraj Singh, whose unbeaten 85 enabled the pair to add 163 for the fifth wicket," he said.

Hopps too felt though Virender Sehwag's blistering 68-ball 83 swung the match, India owe the win to Tendulkar.

"If Virender Sehwag was the catalyst for India's successful run chase Tendulkar, who batted through all but two overs of the final day for an unbeaten 103 in 196 balls, was the man who delivered it," he observed.

Hopps had a word of praise for England too and he felt the Chennai match proved Test cricket has a future in India.

"Once their disappointment has diminished, England should reflect with satisfaction on the part they played in one of the most politically significant Tests in history.

"The people of Chennai, after initial uncertainty, had come out in force despite heavy security, with about 95,000 spectators watching a game that proved Test cricket still has a future in India," he wrote.

The writer went on to say that India's stupendous show in the Chennai Test would make them optimistic of overtaking Australia as the number one team in the world.

"It was a phenomenal effort for an India side that will believe more than ever that their confirmation as the No. 1 Test team in the world is merely a matter of time," he added.

'Daily Mail' correspondent Paul Newman was effusive in his praise of Tendulkar and said it didn't matter that England lost the Test they should have won.

"Genius is often flawed but it has been impossible to find fault with this extraordinary man from Mumbai since he announced himself to the wider world by taking a stunning catch at Lord's as a 16-year-old with big, curly hair in the Graham Gooch Test of 1960.

"What Tendulkar, now 35 but as dedicated and hungry for success as ever, achieved yesterday was far, far bigger than cricket and the greatest moment yet in one of the greatest careers cricket has known. It simply did not matter that England had lost a Test they should have won," he said.

Colin Bateman wrote in 'Daily Express' that the Chennai Test showed how cricket can make an impact on people's lives.

"Those who believe sport is an irrelevance that can make no real difference to people's lives should have witnessed the scenes at the Chepauk Stadium yesterday.

"The outpouring of joy over Sachin Tendulkar's astonishing century was more than simply a celebration for victory in the first Test against England," he said.

"For the 30,000 people inside the ramshackle ground and for millions of others around the subcontinent watching on their televisions it was confirmation that life can return to normal whatever evil men may do. Tendulkar, India's most famous sportsman, had put a smile back on a nation's face.

"England had played their part in a fabulous contest but in the end they were overwhelmed by Tendulkar's craft and the occasion which stirred the emotions of even the most hardened cricket watcher," added the writer.

Oliver Holt wrote in 'Daily Mirror' that the Chennai Test would go down in the history as an epic encounter. "The 30,000 spectators had witnessed one of the greatest Test matches, a sporting epic, a match that went beyond victory and defeat, a match that eased a nation's agonies with the kind of heroics that, blissfully, did not involve life and death.” — PTI

New Delhi, December 16
After creating history at the World Cup by winning an unprecedented four bronze medals, Indian boxers returned home to a chaotic welcome today which soon became a subject of controversy.

The quartet of Akhil Kumar (54kg), Jitender Kumar (51kg), Dinesh kumar (81kg) and A L Lakra (57kg) were received by Indian Boxing Federation general secretary Col P K Muralidharan Raja.

But within hours of their arrival they found themselves at the Centre of a furore after television channels reported that the IBF had disrespected them by letting them leave in taxis, besides claiming that no federation official was present to receive them.

Ironically the footage flashed on channels had Col Raja in the frame. The reports created a furore and the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha, where speaker Somnath Chatterjee congratulated the team but expressed his displeasure at the reported disrespect shown to the boxers. The men at the centre of the controversy, however, laughed it off.

“The federation officials were there to welcome. Too much was made of the whole thing. We didn’t want this controversy after coming back from a such a big event,” said Jitender.

“See things can always be better organised but to say that we were disrespected is not fair. Col Raja was there to receive us. I have no complaints and I don’t want to say anything more than that,” said Akhil.

Col Raja said he was shocked to see the reports and insisted that the IBF had done what it could to welcome the boxers properly. “The federation did its best. We received them with honour. The IBF had made all the arrangements for the boys to be brought to the hotel from the airport.

“Once they came out of the airport, there were so many people waiting for them. Somebody asked me why wasn’t there any security for them, I told them that we wish we could hire commandos for them but that is not in our budget,” he quipped.

Dinesh echoed the view. “I was happy to see so many people at the airport and I couldn’t care less about everything else.”

London, December 16
England captain Kevin Pietersen revealed he played the Chennai Test with a fractured rib and oozed confidence of playing the Mohali Test as well despite the injury.

"I have got a fractured rib," Pietersen told 'The Guardian'.

"There are no dramas. I will deal with it. I don't like injections. I will just take painkillers," said the England skipper, insisting he would play the second and final Test in Mohali starting Friday.

Pietersen was injured before the fifth one-dayer in Cuttack but the gangling batsman played down his rib injury as he spent agonising moments deliberating England's return to India for the Test series.

Pietersen initially dismissed the injury as a side strain and went on to score a century in the match before things went worse.

In the Chennai Test, which they lost to India by six wickets, Pietersen scored four and one and looked in great discomfort in the field yesterday.

Pietersen was often seen clutching his right side and throwing under-arm.

Two years ago, Pietersen sustained a similar injury while stepping out and trying to hit Glenn McGrath out of the ground at the MCG. — PTI

Chennai, December 16
India's successful run chase of 387 against England here eclipsed many records, but the M A Chidambaram stadium has witnessed some of the most historic events of game and there have been records galore at this venue.

Yesterday, India defeated England by six wickets as it went on to chase a mammoth 387-run victory target which is the fourth highest successful run chase by any team anywhere and the highest on Indian soil.

Virender Sehwag's 319 against South Africa remains the highest individual score by any player on this ground. Sehwag, who was instrumental in giving India a flying start last evening, tormented South Africa March this year as he scored a 304-ball 319.

The win here yesterday must have healed a few wounds for India, especially for Tendulkar, who struck a century to take his team to a sniffing distance from victory, only to see the home team lose the Test against Pakistan by 12 runs in 1999.

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar notched up his record breaking 30th Test hundred on this ground in 1983-84.

It was this venue which witnessed the best figures by a bowler on Test debut. Former leg-spinner and now a national selector Narendra Hirwani claimed 16 wickets for 136 runs on his debut against West Indies in 1988 to put his name straight away in the record books which is still intact.

This was the 50 Test between India and England in India with the home team heading the success ratio.

It was this venue when the famous Test in 1986 between India and Australia ended in a tie which was only the second instance in the history of the game.

In the one-day international former Pakistani batsman Saeed Anwar scored his record breaking 194 against India in the Independence Cup match in 1997. — UNI 

Barasat, December 16
Mohun Bagan bounced back from one goal deficit to register a nail-biting 2-1 win over Air India and set up a semifinal derby against arch-rivals East Bengal in the 30th Federation Cup at the floodlit Vidyasagar Krirangan here today. The three points from the win took Mohun Bagan’s tally to six and share the top spot of Group C with Vasco SC with same goal difference (one).

However, on account of the goal scored — four for Mohun Bagan and three for Vasco — as per the new rules, the green-and-maroon brigade advanced to the last-four stage.

In the first encounter of the day, Vasco SC pipped Oil India Limited 1-0 to keep their semifinal aspiration alive, with hope hinging on the fate of the Mohun Bagan-Air India tie.

After given the lead by Soccor Velho in the first-half, Mohun Bagan equalised through Lal Kamal Bhowmick before a penalty conversion by Marcos Pereira settled the issue for the green-and-maroon brigade.

On a day when Brazilian ace Jose Ramirez Barreto was missing his silken touch and Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia becoming unlucky with his headers, it was substitute Bhowmick who set the ball rolling for the 12-times Fed Cup champions.

Having begun with a half-an-hour delay with the Bimal Ghosh and Co stuck in Kolkata traffic snarl-up, Air India were halted in the field also especially after they got a brilliant start thanks to some goodwork by the unassuming Soccor Velho.

Taking opportunity of Mohun Bagan's mid-field and defensive lapses which gave Karim Bencherifa a torrid time in the first-half, Air India drew first blood in the 26th minute.

Earlier, Ravshan Teshabaev scored late into the second-half to give Vasco SC a 1-0 victory over Oil India Limited (OIL). 

OIL, who were the showstoppers from their group, in fact should consider themselves unlucky after they were let down by their foreign recruit Okwuelum Ezekiel.

Ezekiel missed a penalty in the first-half as OIL failed to take an early lead much to the dismay of their coach Subrata Bhattacharya who later criticised openly the foreign striker.

The effervescent Durga Boro stood out with his sparklers but was just missing out on the conversion today but credit should also go to Vasco goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani who displayed a fine show in front of the bar. — PTI