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Windies dominate
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Pitch will not help pacers, says Aaron
Woods looking like ‘old Tiger’
Narang bounces back to win gold
IOA to give more say to sportspersons
MDU emerge champs
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Windies dominate
The day started with the visitors winning the toss and opting to bat. Their openers, Adrian Barath and Kraigg Brathwaite, started cautiously but went through a pretty much chanceless first session. In the post-lunch session, the Indian bowlers continued their toil with only Ravichandran Ashwin causing a little discomfort to the batsmen, with the ball occasionally jumping and beating the bat, or flying off the edge after spinning a little. Dropping catches didn’t help their cause or morale; Laxman dropped two chances, while Dravid dropped one as the two openers completed their half-centuries. But Ashwin’s resilience finally got the better of Barath as he played one on to the pad and as the ball ballooned, Mahendra Singh Dhoni came forward to collect a simple catch. But the West Indies had already reached a healthy position and it was after almost 50 overs and 137 runs that India saw a breakthrough. That brought out Edwards on to the pitch and the tall Barbados batsman was the highlight of the day. But before he could start hurting India, Ashwin removed Brathwaite as once again. The batsman was beaten in flight and the ball jumped to hit his glove, bounced off the pad and was caught by Virat Kohli at short leg. But the rosy part of the story ended there for India. From then on, it was some splendid shot-making by Bravo and Edwards. The bowlers, especially part-timer Virender Sehwag, were sternly dealt with. Ishant Sharma bowled with heart but kept losing his length time and again. Debutant Varun Aaron, who surprisingly came in for Umesh Yadav, produced some speed in the opening spell but he too was not much of a bother. It was only Ashwin who, with his height playing a crucial part, got the ball to do a little more than the rest. There was no spin in the track to talk of and even after the sun had baked the surface dry for over two sessions, there wasn’t a ‘twist in the tale’. Bravo and Edwards dictated play with some exquisite drives and some heavy-handed strokes down the ground. Bravo, who has often been compared to Brian Lara, looked in good touch as he raced to 57 while Edwards stayed unbeaten on 65. The key to the West Indies batsmen making merry at the Wankhede has been simple; they played late and they played well. There was no rushing into a drive, no attempt to hit the ball into the adjoining Arabian Sea and hence, no batting collapse to deal with. It will be a new day tomorrow and for the visitors, it should be the same dedication and focus at work. But can India strike back and get some early wickets in the morning? The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind.
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Pitch will not help pacers, says Aaron
Mumbai, November 22 Speaking to the media after what can only be described as an exhausting opening day, the speedster said he wasn’t expecting the wicket to change in nature over the next four days either. “I think it was about the first 45 minutes or so,” he said when asked if there was anything at all in the track. “Once they crossed that, it was a very good wicket to bat on. And they did it well. “I don’t see the wicket changing in nature as there is enough grass on it to hold it together. That also effectively means that the chances of the ball reversing are reduced. But we can’t complain about all of that. It is still a good wicket for Test matches.” He also said that he was handed his Test cap by V.V.S. Laxman and that he was a little surprised to have made his debut by replacing ‘good friend’ and fellow paceman Umesh Yadav. “We’re good friends, and it was a little surprising. But I guess the management decided to rest him with an eye on the future.” Aaron, who made his ODI and Under-19 debut at the Wankhede as well, said he was not bothered by the wicket and was expecting that they would be able to bundle out the West Indies under 350. “That is pretty much our target for tomorrow. At least we have to ensure that they don’t cross 400 by any means. Should be a good fight from here on,” he said.
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Dubai, November 22 The 51-year-old former South Africa first-class cricketer, took over as ICC chief executive in 2008 and already has a one-year extension, but he has made it clear he does not want another one. "Lorgat has informed the ICC nominations committee, chaired by ICC president Sharad Pawar, that he will not seek to renew his term of office which expires on 30 June 2012," said a ICC press release. Lorgat will step down after the 2012 annual conference of cricket's governing body scheduled in Kuala Lumpur in June after agreeing to only one year extension despite being offered another three year term. Lorgat said he wants to leave the post after the successful hosting of this year's World Cup. "My sense is to step aside after having delivered a successful ICC World Cup and the new global ICC strategy which is now in place," Lorgat was quoted as saying in the release. The World Cup staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was won by India in April. Lorgat said the ICC had also dealt with the important issue of illegal spot-fixing in the sport during his tenure. "We had to protect the integrity of the game and restoring the reputation and image of the ICC and having dealt decisively with the spot-fixing issues, delivered a highly successful World Cup and adopted a new global strategy, I feel the time is right to move on." Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were sent to prison for their roles in the illegal betting scam which marred the Lord's Test against England last year. — AFP
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Mickey Arthur is Australia’s new coach
Melbourne, November 22 ‘‘I think I bring a fresh, unblinkered eye to the role after plotting against Australia when coaching South Africa and having now worked within the Australian system with the Warriors,” he added. Arthur,43 is the first non-Australian coach, though he is planning to take up Australian citizenship. He said he did not expect to face any extra difficulty from being the first foreign coach of the national team. Arthur will take over the post before Australia’s first Test match against New Zealand in Brisbane on December 1. — ANI
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London, November 22 Djokovic, who has had a terrific season winning three Grand Slam titles and claiming the world No.1 ranking in the process, won the hard fought battle 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) here Monday, reports Xinhua. The Serb found Berdych at his best in the first set. The Czech World No.7 needed just one break, and it came in the second game, to take the first set. Djokovic found his touching the second set and Berdych’s game fell apart with a string of unforced errors. Djokovic made it a set-all taking the second set 6-3, but was in danger of losing when dropped his first service game and then faced a match point double-faulting. The Serb recovered to take the 12th game before cruising through the tiebreak. Briton Murray suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of world No.5 Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4, 7-5 in his Group A opening match. "I had a problem with my groin," revealed Murray, who took a medical timeout after the first set. I didn't move particularly great, but I still had opportunities." Murray broke first in both sets, but succumbed to a more consistent Ferrer, whom he defeated in the previous three meetings this year. "He's just very, very solid. He gives you very few points," said Murray. "He returned well today, didn't make hardly any mistakes on the return, so he was always putting pressure on my service game. And that's the main difference." Although Murray still has at least two matches to play in the round robin, the 24-year-old said he will decide later whether or not to play the remaining matches. "I can decide until one minute before the match Wednesday if I want to," Murray added. "So I'll see how I feel tonight and tomorrow and decide." — IANS
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Woods looking like ‘old Tiger’
Melbourne, November 22 OK, it's a small sample. The Australian Open and the Presidents Cup marked only the sixth time since the end of 2009 that Woods has even competed in consecutive weeks. He finished third in Sydney, two shots out of the lead. He played just as well, if not better, at Royal Melbourne, even if his record will show him contributing only two points. Still to be determined is whether the last two weeks represent another tease or substantial progress that Woods really is on his way back. Nine rounds of solid play - mostly in windy conditions - would suggest the latter. Next up for Woods is his season finale in the Chevron World Challenge next week in California. It was a small coincidence that the decisive point in another American win in the Presidents Cup came down to Woods. US captain Fred Couples put him in the 11th spot for the 12 singles matches on Sunday. Woods closed out Aaron Baddeley on the 15th hole with his sixth birdie, the most of any player on another tough day at Royal Melbourne. The comments that followed were not so much of a coincidence. Nothing irritates Woods more than people who either doubt or criticize him, and that list included International captain Greg Norman. Along with saying he thought Woods' dominance in the majors was over, the Shark said he would not have picked Woods for the Presidents Cup, instead choosing PGA champion Keegan Bradley. Couples not only used a captain's pick on Woods, he announced it a month before his team was even decided. "I'm thankful that he picked me," Woods said. "Greg is probably not happy about it after I closed out the cup today." The Presidents Cup was a big step for Woods, and it ended with a small dig at Norman. And there could be more to come. Woods has spent a career wanting to prove the skeptics wrong. He was questioned for overhauling his swing under Butch Harmon after his watershed win at the 1997 Masters, but when he was finished, Woods reached incomparable levels. He won 28 times in a three-year span, and had a stretch of winning seven out of 11 majors. — AP
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Narang bounces back to win gold
Pune, November 22 Air India's Narang, who finished second behind gold medal winner Sushil Ghaley of Army in the prone event, shot his way to the three-position (prone, standing and kneeling) at the Balewadi ranges with a combined total of 1272.0 points, nearly 15 better than Sanjeev Rajput of Navy who edged out army rival Imran Khan to the silver spot by six points. Khan secured the bronze. Onkar Singh of Navy fought a pitched battle with Vivek Singh of Air India before securing the gold in the men's 10m air pistol. The winner shot 676.6 as compared to the latter's 676.5, the four-point cushion that Onkar carried from the preliminary round to the finals making the difference to the final outcome. The bronze went to Om Prakash of Army who pushed his way past Yogesh Singh of Navy by performing slightly better in the finals after the two marksmen shot an identical 577 in the qualifying round. — PTI
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IOA to give more say to sportspersons
New Delhi, November 22 IOA secretary-general Raja Randhir Singh said to begin with, an 11-member Athletes’ Commission will be set up. The sportspersons who have been selected or have qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, will select the committee members from among themselves. He said from among these 11 athletes, two will be elected to the General Assembly and one to the Executive Board with full voting rights. “This step has been taken as per the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Charter and the IOA constitution has been amended accordingly,” Randhir Singh added. He said the newly-constituted Olympic Monitoring Committee, which will have one sportsperson from each sports discipline qualified for the London Olympics in it as member, will start functioning soon. Randhir Singh, who is also a senior member of the IOC and secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), said elections to the Arjuna Awardees’ Association will be held on December 12, to elect new office-bearers. “I, along with Bishan Singh Bedi (former Indian cricket captain) and others, are stepping down from our posts in the association, because we feel that it is time that new blood is infused to the body,” he explained. Randhir Singh disclosed that, as per the IOC Charter, there was a proposal to form an Olympian Association of India (OAI) and a meeting has been called on December 12 for this purpose. “I am expecting a big turnout of Olympians for this meeting and elections,” he said. He noted that it was time sportspersons of all denominations, Olympians and all, united to take active part in the affairs of these associations. Randhir Singh, who has participated in six Olympics, said he understood the feelings of sportspersons and assured that their well-being was the prime concern of the IOA. He hoped that the formation of the OAI will go a long way in helping past and present Olympians, in many different ways.
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MDU emerge champs
Sirsa, November 22 Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU), Meerut, finished second with 19 points, while the Kurukshetra University (KU) bagged third position with 11 points. In the matches played today, Geeta (MDU), who won gold for India in the Commonwealth Games, defeated Pooja Dhanda of KU to win gold in 59-kg category. Kamlesh of Devi Ahilya University, Indore, and Gargi Yadav of CCSU got bronze medals. In the 67-kg category, Nikki (MDU) won gold, Kritishna Arya of Uttaranchal Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya got silver, while Kiran (KU) and Manu Tomar (CCSU) had to be content with bronze. The gold in 51-kg category went to Archna of CCSU, who defeated Sheetal Tomar of the Rajasthan University Jaipur, in the final. Kaushalya (Bombay University) and Rekha Rathore (Kota University) got bronze in this category. Arjuna Award winner wrestler Geetika Jakhar, who was chief guest of the concluding ceremonies, exhorted women sportspersons to work hard to translate their dreams in to reality, as there was no shortcuts to success.
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Indian boxing team for London India second in Test rankings Humpy suffers defeat ONGC Nehru Hockey Bopanna-Qureshi lose Wadekar to be honoured New teams in i1 Super Series Hans swamp Shakti
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on a regular basis, what they did on the opening day of the third and final Test in Mumbai. Dominating all three sessions, they ended at 267 for two. Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo were at the crease, looking almost too comfortable, as the Indian bowling struggled on a flat, lifeless pitch.
Mumbai, November 22
