SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI




THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

SL Tour of India
3rd Test: Day 2
Viru has a ball, with the bat
Virendra Sehwag gestures as he completes his double century on the second day of the third and final Test at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.Mumbai, December 3
Virender Sehwag clobbered a breath-taking unbeaten 284 as India rode on his brutal assault to take complete control of the third and final cricket Test against a hapless Sri Lanka here today.





Virendra Sehwag gestures as he completes his double century on the second day of the third and final Test at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. — PTI

Ranji Trophy
Punjab thump HP
Mohali, December 3
Punjab’s Vishwas Bhalla bats against Himachal at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Thursday. This has been Himachal’s script this season. For the third straight time in five fixtures, after taking a first innings lead, they have ended on the wrong side.


Punjab’s Vishwas Bhalla bats against Himachal at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Thursday. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu







EARLIER STORIES

Sri Lanka fight back
December 3, 2009
For the series to the top
December 2, 2009
Irfan hails ‘inspirational’ Sree
December 1, 2009
Might retire before 2011 WC: Murali
November 30, 2009
‘Celebrations after series win’
November 29, 2009
100th Test win for India
November 28, 2009
Sree rips Lanka apart
November 27, 2009
CWG: Trial games for athletics in jeopardy
November 26, 2009
Two much for Sri Lanka
November 25, 2009
Dhoni: Viru is licensed to thrill
November 24, 2009

Four services lifters test positive
Bathinda, December 3
In a development which has opened a can of worms for the already beleaguered Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), four top services weightlifters have tested positive for using International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned drugs.

FIBA Asian U16 Championship
India beat Hong Kong
Pune, December 3
India beat Hong Kong 74-49 in the ongoing FIBA Asian U 16 championship for women here at the Balewadi Sports Complex. From the outset, both sides were looking balanced, at least on paper. But it were the hosts who took initiative to surge ahead with a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes of the contest. With sustained efforts the lead had swollen upto 31-21 at the break.

Sukhvir Grewal Sukhvir Grewal to oversee implementation of PYKA
Chandigarh, December 3
Former international and coach of the 1992 Indian Olympic hockey team Sukhvir Singh Grewal has taken over as Technical Adviser to Punjab Sports Department to oversee implementation of the Panchayati Yuva Krida Abhyan (PYKA) in the state. Sukhvir Grewal, who played for India for a number of years, had also worked on the faculty of National Institute of Sports, Patiala.



Top


 

 

 


SL Tour of India
3rd Test: Day 2
Viru has a ball, with the bat

Mumbai, December 3
Virender Sehwag clobbered a breath-taking unbeaten 284 as India rode on his brutal assault to take complete control of the third and final cricket Test against a hapless Sri Lanka here today.

Replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 393, the 31-year-old Sehwag set the Brabourne stadium ablaze with a stunning display of strokeplay as the hosts raced to a record score of 443 for one at close on an extraordinary second day’s play.

Sehwag plundered runs at will as he not only notched up his 17th Test ton, his sixth 200 plus total, but laid the platform for India to push for victory which would take them to the number one position in the ICC Test rankings.

Fastest double hundreds

Balls

Player

153

Nathan Astle

168

V Sehwag

182

V Sehwag

194

V Sehwag

211

Herschelle Gibbs

212

Adam Gilchrist

220

Ian Botham

222

V Sehwag

227

V Sehwag

229

Aravinda D’ Silva

What can still happen tomorrow

l If Sehwag completes his triple century tomorrow, he will become the only player to surpass 300 thrice. He will overtake Don Bradman in doing so.
l If he scores 37 more runs through boundaries, he will also become the highest run-getter through boundaries in a Test innings.

With the Delhi dasher tearing the Lankan bowling attack to shreds with his unbeaten 284 coming off just 239 balls, the Indians scored at an amazing rate of 5.60 runs per over to post their highest ever single-day score on a Brabourne track which seemed to have eased out considerably.

Rahul David was giving Sehwag company on stumps on a day which saw a number of batting records fall by the wayside. The day clearly belonged to the hosts as they took less than half an hour to polish off the remaining two Sri Lankan wickets and had taken a lead of 50 runs by the end of the day, scoring more than 400 runs in a day for the second consecutive Test. — PTI

Didn’t want to give Lanka a chance: Sehwag

Virender Sehwag said he knew a big score was within his grasp in the series after thumping an unbeaten 284 in the final test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

“In the last Test in Kanpur I missed it,” he said. “This time I didn't want to...I was hitting only the bad balls.” Sehwag scored 131 in the first innings in Kanpur which India won to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the opening test had ended in a draw.

“In the last two tests I gave a couple of chances. This time I didn’t want to give that chance,” he said of his spectacular 239-ball knock studded with 40 fours and seven sixes. Sehwag, who has hit three of the four fastest double hundreds, reached his double century in 168 deliveries — New Zealand’s Nathan Astle holds the record for the fastest in 153 balls — and passed the 6,000-run mark in test cricket.

“After lunch we stepped it up. I was seeing the ball very well, so I thought let me bat the way I know I'll do better than others,” he said. India plundered 351 in the final two sessions.

“It is a good track to bat on,” Sehwag said after his onslaught. Sehwag was severe on master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. “Murali is a big challenge to face. Against Murali, you have to attack otherwise he will dominate. So I decided to dominate, that is why he is on the backfoot,” Sehwag said after taking 78 runs off the bowler. — Reuters

Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (1st Innings)
(overnight 366-8)
Mathews run out 99
Murali not out 4
Welegedara lbw b Ojha 8
Extras (b-4, lb-6, w-2, nb-4) 16
Total (all out; 94.4 overs) 393
Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-128, 3-187, 4-188, 5-262, 6-329, 7-359, 8-362, 9-379.
Bowling: Zaheer 19-2-70-1, Sreesanth 16-1-82-1, Harbhajan 32-3-112-4, Ojha 23.4-1-101-3, Yuvraj 4-0-18-0.

India (1st Innings)
Vijay lbw b Herath 87
Sehwag not out 284
Dravid not out 62
Extras (lb 3, nb 7) 10
Total (for one wicket in 79 overs) 443
Fall of wicket: 1-221.
Bowling: Welegedara 16-2-73-0, Kulasekara 12-0-84-0, Herath 22-2-112-1, Murali 20-0-119-0, Mathews 6-0-36-0, Dilshan 3-0-16-0.

Top

 

Ranji Trophy
Punjab thump HP
Amit Khanna
Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 3
This has been Himachal’s script this season. For the third straight time in five fixtures, after taking a first innings lead, they have ended on the wrong side. Visitors slumped to another embarrassing defeat today while Punjab notched up their second consecutive victory of the season here and earned five crucial points that should in all probability ensure them smooth passage into the next level. Himachal had earlier lost against Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.

Punjab now has 15 points from five matches against Himachal’s only four from an equal number of encounters. The two teams have played 18 times against each other till date and Punjab have emerged victorious on 17 occasions. One match was drawn.

On a day more or less of academic interest, Punjab completed the formality of overhauling the paltry total of 93within the first session on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Super League engagement with Himachal here. Himachal were bowled out for 82 in the second innings yesterday. Though Punjab lost two wickets in the process, Himachal never looked like scripting any miracle on the helpful Mohali strip.

Ravi Inder and Vishwas Bhalla batted confidently and scored at a brisk rate to quickly raise 50 on the board. Both defied morning blues and negotiated innocuous Himachal attack with contempt.

Ravi played with panache and twice cover drove Thakur in the 13th over. Bhalla followed suit and punched one staright back to the ropes in the next over off Dhawan. Against the run f play, Ravi was eventually prised out by Kuldeep Diwan with the teams’s score reading 58. He made 32. In the 30th over, with scores levelled, Bhalla danced down the track and lifted Diwan towards mid-wicket fence to score the winning boundary.

“It is good to get into a winning mode early in the season. We played better cricket throughout the match. Boys are in great shape and looking forward to the next encounter with Orissa. Our bowling has been on target for the most part, though I am a bit concerned about the batting department which needs more consistency,” said Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh Sr after the match.

Before this match, Punjab were third in the table with 10 points and the win here should strengthen their case for the next round, though the picture will be clearer tomorrow after the other matches get over. Punjab play Orissa next at Chandigarh from December 8.

Haryana ride on Joginder’s ton

Former India medium pacer Joginder Sharma scored a valiant century lower down the order and rescued Haryana from a precarious situation to a safer spot.

Brief Score:
Haryana (1st Innings) 170
Andhra Pradesh (1st Innings) 138
Haryana (2nd Innings) 238 (Joginder 110, Sahabuddin 3 for 68)

J&K struggle

Brief Score:
J&K (Ist Innings) 171
MP (Ist Innings) 519
J&K (2nd Innings) 206 for 7 (Mane 59, Sudhindra 3 for 42).

Top

 

Four services lifters test positive
Ravi Dhaliwal

Bathinda, December 3
In a development which has opened a can of worms for the already beleaguered Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), four top services weightlifters have tested positive for using International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned drugs.

The IWF is already facing the prospect of a ban which will stop India from taking part in the Commonwealth Games and this latest development is not going to help the Federation’s cause any further.

IOA sources claim that Services lifters have always been regarded as ‘clean’ and the fact that four of their lifters have tested positive has sent shock waves among the weightlifting fraternity of the country. The erring lifters were caught on dope by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) during the inter services weightlifting championship held at Jamnagar (Gujarat) last month.

They have been identified as G.Damodaran, A R Balgan and V Biju (Army) and A K Dubey (Air Force) and all the four were found to be on anabolic steroids.

G Damodaran, who is in the Commonwealth Games camp, is facing a life ban as this is his second doping offence while the three others may escape with 2 year bans because it is for the first time they have tested positive.

Earlier Damodaran tested positive during the 2006 senior National meet held at Vishakapatnam for which he was banned for two years. “The International Weightlifting Federation is all set to ban India from junior and senior International meets. Now with four services lifters testing positive, it may even clamp a ban on India’s participation in the Commonwealth Games where the India were aiming for a handful of medals,” revealed an IOA official.

During the Jamnagar meet, the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) requisitioned the services of NADA in an attempt to see that the inter services meet ends on a clean note.

NADA officials, on their part, took 16 samples, out of which 4 returned positive. Like All India Police Control Board and Andhra Pradesh Weightlifting Association who are currently serving bans, SSCB may be banned from taking part in National championship for a period of one year.

Said Dr Ashok Ahuja, former head of the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Medicine department, “The latest development is indeed unfortunate. Nobody expected lifters from the disciplined forces to use IOC banned drugs. There should be more stringent checking procedures in place to ensure that the sport stays as clean as a whistle.”

Top

 

FIBA Asian U16 Championship
India beat Hong Kong
Pradeep Tewari
Tribune News Service

Indian Captain Amruta in action on Thursday.
Indian Captain Amruta in action on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Pune, December 3
India beat Hong Kong 74-49 in the ongoing FIBA Asian U 16 championship for women here at the Balewadi Sports Complex. From the outset, both sides were looking balanced, at least on paper. But it were the hosts who took initiative to surge ahead with a 5-2 lead in the opening minutes of the contest. With sustained efforts the lead had swollen upto 31-21 at the break.

Trailing by four points (11-15), Hong Kong took a time out in the second quarter and it provided to be only a marginal success as the Indian brick-wall defence continued to hold on tight. On the other hand, the hosts rampaged the rival citadel to score at will and took the score to 31-21 at the break.

But as the match progressed, the Hong Kong defence tightened up and their close man-to-man marking foiled many Indian moves. But sustained pressure paid off again and the home team increased the gap to 60-43, at the end of the third quarter. Although Hong Kong fought back in the last quarter, it was not simply not their day and India walked away with a 74-49 win. But still it was almost certain that India will not be among the top nations that will fill the semifinal slot. It looks as if China and Chinese Taipei from group A, while Japan and Korea from group B, will move up into the last four stage.

Earlier, in the opening match of the day, Japan trounce Malaysia 112-26. In another match, Korea got the better of Sri Lanka. Lanka are one of the two teams who have failed to register a single win in the tournament, the other one being Singapore.

Top

 

Sukhvir Grewal to oversee implementation of PYKA
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 3
Former international and coach of the 1992 Indian Olympic hockey team Sukhvir Singh Grewal has taken over as Technical Adviser to Punjab Sports Department to oversee implementation of the Panchayati Yuva Krida Abhyan (PYKA) in the state.

Sukhvir Grewal, who played for India for a number of years, had also worked on the faculty of National Institute of Sports, Patiala. Besides representing Panjab University, Indian Universities, Punjab Police and Indian Airlines, he took to coaching after retiring from competitive hockey. He also remained with the training of India junior hockey teams for a number of years. Of late he has been closely associated for reviving hockey at grass root level.

Talking to The Tribune here this evening, Sukhvir Grewal said that his main job is to organise rural sports at village, block, district and state level under a centrally funded scheme.

Each village will be given a one-time grant of Rs one lakh for the development of infrastructure or a minimum of a level playfield where the village boys and girls can come, train, practice and hold their competitions. In each village, a known sportsperson or physical fitness trainer or physical education teacher would be employed on honorary basis and would be paid Rs 6000 per annum as honorarium.

Punjab, says Sukhvir Grewal, has chosen for inclusion in the scheme games like hockey, kabaddi, track and field, football, volleyball, kabaddi, kho kho and basketball. The annual budget will be around Rs 250 crores that will cover in the first phase 1200-odd villages and 14 blocks.

Top

 
 BRIEFLY

Saina Sportsperson of the Year
NEW DELHI:
India’s badminton sensation Saina Nehwal was on Thursday declared the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for her stupendous show in 2009. The Hyderabadi shuttler became the first Indian to have won a Super Series title when she triumphed in Indonesian event in June. She also broke into the top-10 zone this year. India cricketer Virat Kohli was adjudged the Young Player of the Year while India’s Davis Cup Squad was named as the Team of the Year. — PTI

I have let my family down: Woods
ORLANDO:
Golfer Tiger Woods, engulfed in speculation over his private life after a car accident in the middle of the night, apologised on Wednesday for “transgressions” in a statement that apparently addressed allegations he had extra-marital relationships. “I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves. I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart,” Woods said. — Reuters

Pakistan 161 for 6
wellington:
The weather took time to clear up but by the end of a shortened, disrupted first day at the Basin Reserve's 50th Test, both had taken firm hold of this match. Daniel Vettori sent Pakistan in after winning the toss. And after an unusual first bout of Pakistan control, New Zealand struck back to leave Pakistan at 161 for 6, bad light stopping play early. — Agencies

In this file photo Amelie Mauresmo holds her trophy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.Amelie Mauresmo retires
PARIS:
Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo announced her retirement on Thursday. “I came here to announce the end of my career,” she told a news conference before bursting into tears. Mauresmo first topped the rankings in September 2004 and clinched her two grand slam titles in 2006 when she won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. — Reuters




In this file photo Amelie Mauresmo holds her trophy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. — AFP

Top

HOME PAGE | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Opinions |
| Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi |
| Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail |