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Series, reputation at stake
Tendulkar set to become most-capped Test player
‘Expectations are god’s gift, not burden’
Tours abroad help us understand our shortcomings: Anwar
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‘Takeover process to be completed by Aug 30’
Kalmadi feels the heat
England work on fighting qualities for Ashes
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Trailing 0-1, India cannot settle for anything but an outright victory to square the series. Although they don't have to worry about their top position in the ICC rankings, the Indians do have a few selection dilemmas to deal with on the eve of the match at the P Sara Oval. With Suresh Raina scoring a century on debut in the drawn second Test, the place of an off-colour Yuvraj Singh, who was down with flu, is uncertain for the series finale. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was non-committal on which of the two would make the playing XI and it remains to be seen whether Yuvraj's past reputation can score over Raina's red-hot current form in the final consideration. Another Indian concern is opener Gautam Gambhir, who was nursing inflammation in his knee, which forced him to sit out the second Test. Although he was seen practicing in the nets yesterday but whether he is fit enough to make the team is not yet known. Veteran Sachin Tendulkar, who is set to surpass Steve Waugh's record of being the most capped player in Test cricket if he plays tomorrow, was also down with a groin problem, which did not allow him to take the field on the final day of the second Test. But the 37-year-old iconic right-hander, who scored a fifth career double hundred in the second Test, also practiced in the nets yesterday, an indication that he would be padding in his record 168th Test. Apart from these minor injury concerns, batting form is hardly an issue for the Indians, who piled up a whopping 707 runs in the first innings of the second Test in reply to Sri Lanka's 642. Gambhir out, Harbhajan doubtful
Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was today ruled out of the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka after failing to recover from a knee injury, while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is also a doubtful starter for the match beginning here tomorrow. Announcing the developments, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Gambhir has not recovered from the injury which had forced him to sit out of the drawn second match while Harbhajan is still uncertain for the final match of the three-Test series, which the visitors are trailing 0-1. “Gautam (Gambhir) is injured. He wont be playing tomorrow. Right now Harbhajan is also doubtful for the match,” Dhoni told reporters on the eve of the third Test which starts at the P Sara Oval here. “There is bit of niggle in his (Harbhajan's) calf. Not sure how serious it is, so we will take a call on him before the game,” he said. The development means that Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay, who scored a half-century in the first innings of the second Test, will yet again open the batting with Virender Sehwag as Dhoni has rejected the possibility of fielding a makeshift opener in the crucial match. Raina or Yuvraj?
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today refused to reveal whether Suresh Raina will retain his place in team for the third Test, starting tomorrow, or will make way for fit-again Yuvraj Singh. Raina made a sensational debut in the second Test by scoring a century and the kind of form he is in, the team management would not like to drop the diminutive southpaw. But Raina earned his first Test cap because of an indisposed Yuvraj, who is now fit to play.Asked who will get the nod tomorrow, Dhoni chose to keep the cards close to his chest. “That’s a difficult one. You (reporters) have a half-an-hour serial to run today and tomorrow. So I will protect the decision till tomorrow morning,” he said at the pre-match press conference. Malinga still uncertain: Sangakkara
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara today said although fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who missed the second cricket Test against India with a knee injury, has recovered he is still uncertain for the third and final match of the series starting here tomorrow. Malinga had a good bowling session today but Sangakkara said it would be a tough call to take a final decision on the pacer's selection. “Malinga is back and strong. He had a good bowl today but wait for an update. It’s a pretty tough call (on Malinga's selection). Ultimately, it’s a feel thing. Malinga has to feel fine and strong not just physically but more importantly mentally and it is important that he is supported by the squad, the selectors irrespective of whatever happens out there in the middle," Sangakkara told reporters on the eve of the match. Asked about opener Tharanga Paranavitana’s condition, Sangakkara said, “Tharanga Paranavitana is fine. He got hit on his unprotected left hand while being at the non striker's end when Dilshan smashed one back at him. He's fine.” Sangakkara said the P'Sara wicket here is looking good but reckoned it would be difficult to get all 20 Indian wickets. —
PTI |
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Tendulkar set to become most-capped Test player
The 37-year-old champion batsman, who holds almost every batting record that is there in international cricket, will overtake retired former Australian captain Steve Waugh when he plays in the 169th match of his career tomorrow. Tendulkar, who has been around for two decades now, has also played 442 one-day internationals, just a couple of matches less than Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya's record of 444. Tendulkar has scored 13,742 runs in 168 Tests at an average of 56.08, notching up 48 hundreds and 55 half-centuries in the process. He has 17,598 runs, including 46 centuries, in his 442 one-dayers. Tendulkar also holds the distinction of being the first batsman to score a double hundred in the ODIs. But despite these astonishing feats, Tendulkar remains hungry for more runs and after getting his fifth Test double hundred in the second Test against Sri Lanka, the diminutive batsman urged critics to stop talking about his age. “As long as you are mentally strong and prepared to go through the grind, age really does not matter,” Tendulkar said after the drawn Test here. “I think everyone should just stop talking about the age factor. If I can score a double hundred at 37, I don't think age really matters.” Most capped Test players so far: 168 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 168 - Steve Waugh (AUS) - retired 156 - Allan Border (AUS) - retired 146 - Ricky Ponting (AUS) 145 - Shane Warne (AUS) - retired 141 - Rahul Dravid (IND) 140 - Jacques Kallis (RSA) 134 - Mark Boucher (RSA). — PTI
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‘Expectations are god’s gift, not burden’
Colombo, August 2 Tendulkar will play his 169th Test when he takes the field against Sri Lanka in the third game of a three-match series here tomorrow, surpassing the 168 played by former Australian captain Steve Waugh. The 37-year-old said touching the milestone is like a dream realised sooner than expected in his two-decade-old cricket career. "It has been a long journey. I still remember the first Test match that I played in Pakistan. The 1989 was completely different feeling altogether compared to the other form of cricket that I played," he told reporters. "I am very happy that I have had the privilege of having had such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 Test matches is fantastic. Really pleased with that. "The journey has gone by very quickly. Quicker than I expected. The time flies and you just need to enjoy it. It is a circle,” he added. Sachin said he had his rough times but has managed to cope with them by hard work. "Sometimes there are rough patches. But the simple formula that I have followed is that whenever I have gone through such phases, I have found reason to work hard.” — PTI
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Tours abroad help us understand our shortcomings: Anwar
Chandigarh, August 2 Q: Being in the land of players like Figo and Ronaldo, you guys must be soaking in a lot of inspirational stuff? A: It is a great experience to be part of this change that Indian football is seeing right now. We feel like there is a plan in place to ensure the systematic development of all attributes of a player. It is really helpful and all players are making the optimum of it. And with so many legends to think and talk about, their tales being the stuff of evening gossip, the passion never relents. Q: What exactly is the difference that makes other countries, especially European ones, do so much better? A: Europe is dominating world football now. And it has done it for a while, and will continue to do so for the time being. If anyone had any doubts about this an all-European final in South Africa dispelled them. They have all the right things like stadiums, weather conditions and player training programme to make sure that every kid who believes he has what it takes to be at the highest level, gets a chance to prove himself. Q: You mean the skill level might be the same, but the opportunity to turn raw talent into genius has been harnessed well by European countries? A: Yes, that is pretty much the case. Take for example the case of Portugal. They might not have set the World Cup on fire, but it wasn’t a bad outing. The kind of training, fitness and practice facilities they offer to the kids, we might struggle to find them for our national team in India. It is tours like these that tell us about our shortcomings and give us a chance to improve. Q: For you, personally, how has this tour been helpful? A: By the time the I-League season ended, I had picked up an injury and that meant that I missed out on the action for about a month. This tour has given a new dimension to my fitness. Not only have I regained shape, I have also improved on some aspects of my game and gotten to know ways to keep improving even when we head back.
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‘Takeover process to be completed by Aug 30’
So far, the OC had taken over only two stadiums - the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Though much work is needed to be completed at the Nehru Stadium, the OC cannot wait any further to begin the overlay works. OC secretary-general Lalit Bhanot said the formal takeover of all other completed stadiums would begin tomorrow, and 700 personnel had already been shifted to these stadiums to complete the takeover process. “Our venue operations teams have already moved to the stadiums and started making an assessment, preparing an inventory along with the service manager of the venue owners. This exercise will continue for a few more days,” he said. Though the test event for boxing was held a few weeks ago, the OC will formally takeover the Talkatora Indoor Stadium tomorrow only, though the overlay works had been going on at the stadium for the past 15 days. Bhanot said the OC was hoping to complete the overlay works in most of the stadiums by August 15 and the rest by August 30, leaving the OC a buffer of an entire month of September to get the rest of plans in place. He said the stadiums would be taken over only after all the mandatory clearances like safety of the building, fire certificate, and power certificate were provided by the venue owners like the CPWD, the DDA, the NDMC and other agencies. Bhanot said there was no delay, and the OC was ready to host the games as far as the technical installations were concerned. AAI chief seeks probe into CVC report Archery Association of India (AAI) president Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra has demanded a high power independent inquiry into the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report regarding corruption in the 2010 Commonwealth Games projects "so that the guilty should not go unpunished". Prof Malhotra, who is also a senior vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association and president of the General Association of National Sports Federations (GANSF), said there was concern over the poor construction quality of the stadia for the games. "It is shocking that despite spending a huge amount of money, most of the stadiums were not fully fit and ready to host the events", he elaborated. He said there was a general sense of antipathy, cynicism, concern and worry about the games as "the common man on the street is worried not only about the massive corruption, but also about the image of the country". He said the CVC had confirmed "our worst fears which we had been expressing for the last three years that there had been inordinate delay, corruption and compromise with the quality of construction works of the stadia". He said it was shocking to see the weightlifting stadium at the Nehru Stadium complex, which was built at a cost of Rs 80 crore, sporting a leaking roof on its inauguration day yesterday. "Even the show piece Nehru Stadium, re-built at a cost of Rs 600 crore, is also not fully ready for the games", Prof Malhotra pointed out. He said wasteful expenditure of thousands of crores in the name of beautification of Delhi had created a total mess in the Capital and it was unlikely that these works would be completed before the games. He said though Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and the Group of Ministers were making tall claims that the Delhi Games would be the best-ever, the ground reality was totally different as there was apprehension that the games may not live upto expectations.
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In a significant development, IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh called for an emergency meeting of the Organising Committee's Executive Board, saying the allegations were “grave”. In a letter to OC chairman Kalmadi, Randhir, who is also the OC Vice-Chairman, said the meeting should be called immediately considering the gravity of the allegations. “In pursuance to media reports about financial irregularities alleged in the Queen’s Baton Relay at the Buckingham Palace, since the situation is grave, the discussion should be held immediately,” Randhir said in his letter. Randhir was supported by OC treasurer Anil Khanna and IOA vice-president V K Malhotra, who also wanted an immediate meeting to discuss all the unsavoury developments. Kalmadi is said to have agreed to the demand and called a meeting of the Executive Board on August 5 but it could not be immediately confirmed. A major scam hit the CWG OC on Friday when it came to light that a little-known UK firm was paid lakhs of pounds for its "services" during the London leg of the Queen’s Baton relay. Kalmadi had admitted that there was no contract under which payments were made to the company which was roped in “at the last minute”. Kalmadi, who convened a press conference to clear the air, said the Indian High Commission had recommended the name of A M Films, and “if there is something wrong there, I am not responsible for it”. — PTI
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England work on fighting qualities for Ashes
Nottingham, August 2 Victory, achieved with a more than a day to spare at Trent Bridge yesterday, was ultimately crushing with Pakistan bowled out for 80 - their lowest Test score against England - in pursuit of what would have been a new world record fourth innings victory total of 435. Pakistan had no answer to James Anderson, who once again revelled in the swing friendly conditions for a Test match-best return of 11 wickets for 71 runs, including a second innings haul of six for 17. However, there were moments when England's batsmen struggled against the likes of Pakistan pacemen Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul before going 1-0 up in a four-Test series that resumes at Edgbaston on Friday. What really pleased Strauss was the way Eoin Morgan, whose 130 was his maiden Test century, and Paul Collingwood, who made 82, put together a fifth-wicket stand of 219 that helped take the hosts to 354 in their first innings after they'd faltered at 118 for four. —
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heir top ranking may not be at a stake but injury-hit India are grappling with selection dilemmas as they go into the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka here tomorrow, hoping to avoid a series defeat.
New Delhi, August 2
Colombo, August 2
Colombo, August 2
New Delhi, August 2
New Delhi, August 2
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