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India’s reputation Steyned
RIL, Sahara in race to buy Liverpool?
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‘Wish to get rid of T20 specialist tag’
Force India unveils new car VJM03, testing from today
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India’s reputation Steyned
Nagpur, February 9
The miracle that India needed to save the match did not happen and even though Tendulkar (100) starred in two brief partnerships and the tail wagged for a while too, it was not enough to avert what was Mahendra Singh Dhoni's first Test defeat as captain that came with full one day to spare. Following on, the home side that resumed on 66 for two this morning, folded for 319 in their second essay to allow South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Down the order, Wriddhiman Saha (36), Harbhajan Singh (39) and Zaheer Khan (33) showed the kind of grit that was missing in most of their frontline batting colleagues. India will now have to win the next match in Kolkata, starting on Sunday, failing which they would surrender the number one Test team's tag to the South Africans. The defeat also exposed the batting frailties of the home side which sorely missed veterans Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, both recovering from injuries, in the middle order. Tendulkar's 46th Test century, his fourth against the South Africans and first at home against the Proteas, was the lone significant knock in the entire Indian innings. Tendulkar added 72 runs with Vijay for the third wicket and another 70 with Dhoni for the fifth. Steyn destroyed us, says Dhoni
A humbled Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today conceded his side had no answer to Dale Steyn's devastating pace in the first Test against South Africa but vowed to bounce back for a series-levelling win in the second match in Kolkata. "We were completely outplayed in all departments of the game. It was a good wicket to bat on the first two days and Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla played brilliantly for South Africa to put up a huge total. Then Dale Steyn produced sensational fast bowling spell," Dhoni said after the home side were handed an innings and six run defeat. "Steyn's bowling, I think was the best I have seen in the last two years, at least as far as conventional swing bowling goes. Seven of the 14 dismissals of our batsmen were great deliveries," he added. He said the change of ball after tea yesterday was the turning point of the match. "The ball was changed at tea break and we lost five quick wickets. It changed everything. Once we lost Virender Sehwag, I got out immediately and the ball was reversing. After that it was difficult for the tail-enders," Dhoni said. Dhoni refused to blame his bowlers for allowing South Africa to pile on a huge score in their first innings but said even on the flattest of pitches, international bowlers are expected to take wickets. Saha dropped, Sree
in for 2nd Test
Wriddhiman Saha got the axe while the trio of S Sreesanth, Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina were named in the 15-member Indian squad for the second cricket Test against South Africa starting on Sunday in Kolkata. Veteran batsman VVS Laxman, who missed the first Test as he had not fully recovered from a finger injury, is certain to play, which is apparent from the fact that the selectors have withdrawn his cover Rohit Sharma from the squad. Pace duo of Sudeep Tyagi and Abhimanyu Mithun, who were part of the 15-member squad for the first Test but could not make it to the playing XI, were also axed, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement. —
PTI Scoreboard India (1st innings): 233 India (2nd innings): Overnight 66/2 Vijay c Morkel b Harris 32 Tendulkar b Harris 100 Badrinath c Boucher b Parnell 6 Dhoni c de Villiers b Harris 25 Saha lbw b Steyn 36 Harbhajan lbw b Parnell 39 Zaheer c Harris b Kallis 33 Mishra b Steyn 0 Ishant not out 0 Extras (b 15, lb 8, w 6, nb 2) 31 Total (all out, 107.1
overs) 319 |
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RIL, Sahara in race to buy Liverpool?
Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy have reportedly set their sights on buying debt-ravaged Liverpool FC from their American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Junior. According to The Times, approaches for buying of ownership stakes in the club began as early as November and some preliminary talks have taken place.
Both Ambani and Roy have reportedly indicated that they are ready to pay off Liverpool’s £237 million debt in return for a 51 per cent stake in the club. However, Christian Purslow, the Liverpool chief executive, denied any knowledge of either bid. Each deal requires that the present owners make a commitment to take no dividends or expenses out of Anfield for three years to allow the club to resume a secure financial basis. One of the potential owners has also indicated a willingness to allow supporters to take a 10 per cent stake in Liverpool. A source close to Hicks and Gillett said the duo would reject on principle any bid that left them with less than 50 per cent of the club's shares unless it involved either of them selling out entirely. A sale of more than half of the total stake would mean they would lose control of the club. It is understood that Liverpool's banker, the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, is pressing Hicks and Gillett to cut their asking price. The bank declined to comment yesterday, but a source close to RBS said there has been plenty of interest in Liverpool from investors. However, the source added, the owners are blocking all deals on the table because they refuse to budge on price. Roy, whose interest appears more serious, has been linked with ownership of one of the next IPL franchises, possibly to be based in Lucknow, where the Sahara Group is based. —
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‘Wish to get rid of T20 specialist tag’
New Delhi, February 9 Pathan's unbeaten 210, his maiden double century, helped West overhaul a mammoth 536-run target, a feat never achieved before while chasing in world cricket, and the Baroda batsman termed the knock his best ever. "Definitely it is the best innings of my career so far and I scored a hundred in the first innings as well. I had played a 187-run knock in first class cricket before and also took 10 wickets in the same. I hope this Twenty20 specialist tag goes out now," Yusuf told 'PTI-Bhasha'. Pathan is baffled how the tag got attached to his name when he has performed well enough in the four-day games in domestic cricket. "I don't know why this Twenty20 tag is there with my name? We play four-day matches in first class cricket. Although there are 50-50 and Twenty20 games in first class cricket but Ranji and Duleep Trophy are long format games," he said. Yusuf, a prominent member of the inaugural Indian Premier League winners Rajasthan Royals, last played an ODI for India in September last year. The Baroda batsman conceded that being out of the national team hurts and making a comeback is difficult. "You feel bad when you get dropped. So I focus on my performance, it's our job to impress selectors. There is stiff competition for every place in the team as there is lot of talent around," he said. —
PTI |
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Force India unveils new car VJM03, testing from today
Force India's chairman Vijay Mallya said his team is looking forward to a strong performance right from the start of the year in Bahrain. "I don't think I am being over-proud when I say 2009 was an exceptional year for us. The bare statistics say it all: one podium, one pole position, one fastest lap, a further five top 10 starts and 13 points. We've learnt from our experiences and we've come out a better team: resilient, resourceful and now resurgent. "I hope 2010 will see this great progress carrying forward. We've got one podium so far but I would hope that, this time next year, I'm talking about more points and more podiums. I'm confident we can get this, why not aim high?," he said ahead of the car testing starting from tomorrow. Adrian Sutil, who scored his first point for Force India at Monza in September last by finishing fourth, said he would look for a strong performance from the first race itself. "2010 is a really important season and we are very optimistic about doing well. I think this year it's important to be consistent from the first race. I'd like to be in the midfield and be competitive from Bahrain. "It's the first time we have been completely on schedule so I feel this will be the first season when I can show from the beginning to the end what is possible with the car and what I can do. I hope we will be strong from the first practice session," Sutil said. VJM03, an evolution of last year's VJMO2, incorporates the package of rule changes introduced for this year, including the requirement for a larger fuel tank, necessitated by the ban on refuelling, and a switch to narrower front tyres. Design director Mark Smith explained, "The VJM03 is definitely an evolution of the VJM02 in terms of the design philosophies we have developed at Force India over the last year. We are very happy with the direction, therefore we have opted to evolve the car rather than significantly revise. "Obviously one of the major aspects we have had to contend with are regulation changes which have had a considerable impact on some aspects of the design of the car. The removal of refuelling from races increases the amount of fuel needed to be stored in the cars -- almost twice the amount we ran in 2009. "There is a compromise now: either make the car much longer or wider, or, as we have done, a combination of both. This of course has influenced the mechanical design solutions and also the aerodynamics, specifically with respects to the diffuser and bodywork." —
PTI |
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Sachin Tendulkar's defiant ton merely delayed the inevitable as India crashed to a humiliating innings and six runs defeat.
Jerez, February 9
