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Kohli, Dhoni take the fight back to England
I was eagerly awaiting one long innings: Kohli
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We stuck to our guns and were rewarded: Trott
Don’t read much into India's struggle: Whatmore
Nobody qualified to comment on Sachin: Richards
Indo-Pak T20 postponed by a day
Bundela’s knock takes MP to 281/5 against Punjab
3rd World Cup
Kabaddi
A starry affair Third time lucky: Pakistan no match to India
Saina loses in semis at World Super Series Finals
Oz attack takes charge after Hussey ton
Barry coach of Punjab Warriors
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Kohli, Dhoni take the fight back to England
NAGPUR, December 8 Dhoni’s vigil lasted 246 balls and 397 minutes; Kohli fought hard for 295 balls in 356 minutes — the longest Test innings of their careers.
India were 297 for eight at stumps in their first innings, still 33 behind England. Kohli and Dhoni added 198 runs for the fifth wicket, feeding the hopes of a substantial lead, and a possible series-equalling win. That possibility has practically disappeared after what happened in the last hour of play today. Dhoni especially would wish that he had just the smallest, tiniest bit of patience more. Dhoni was stuck in his 90s for 77 minutes, patiently biding his time. Yet, after he’d reached 99, he could not wait a minute, a second more to reach his century as he sprinted to his doom in the dying minutes of play. Dhoni had struck James Anderson towards mid-off and taken off; from mid-off, England captain Alastair Cook rushed in, grabbed the ball and threw down the stumps. Dhoni was caught a hair’s breadth short of the crease. The captain out for 99, India reduced to 295 for seven, and soon 297 for eight as Piyush Chawla too perished. Hope quietly left the Indian camp right then, and despair crept back in. Two defeats and a pummelling later, India had actually got used to despair -- it's the hope, raised today by Dhoni and Kohli, that was proving to be unbearable. Dhoni and Kohli nurtured that hope with patience today, ball by ball, minute by minute; with caution and a straight bat and an uncluttered mind, they tranquilised the devil in this pitch, on which Sachin Tendulkar had been made to look clueless by Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann and James Anderson yesterday. Run-scoring remained a difficult business as the pitch was slow and this was India’s last experienced pair. The two of them, both under great pressure, batted with resolve. Kohli has had scores of 19, 14, 19, 7, 6 and 20 in this series; his failure has greatly contributed to India’s failure. Dhoni is in the middle of a storm, for former selector Mohinder Amarnath has chosen the middle of this series to reveal that the selectors wanted to sack him as captain. Each time Dhoni meets the media, he’s asked if it wouldn’t be better for everyone concerned if he quit as the Test team’s captain. Dhoni has gone on regardless, and there was no quitting on the field today. Dhoni has a strange, even ugly batting technique. Purists abhor his strong bottom-hand bat grip and shots. Yet there’s something flinty about the man — a mind sharp and hard as rock, and that has taken him so far in international cricket. While he and Kohli batted today, the wicket seemed bereft of any hope for the bowlers — for five hours, not even one convincing appeal was made against either of the two. The two strokeplayers cut out all the fancy stuff. Dhoni followed the policy of taking a half-step forward, bat close to the pad, knees bent in readiness of a ball that could dart through low. Over after over, he repeated the exercise. Kohli was equally resolute but more adventurous. He was more likely to, for instance, rock back and smash balls outside off to the boundary, or drive them through the packed off-side infield. Merely 59 runs were scored in 32 overs in the morning session — very slow going, yet fascinating for the large crowd of over 20,000. The next session was more productive (81 runs) as India reached 227/4 in 100 overs at tea. India still can hope for a positive result, but the final hour has handed back England the control of the match and the series. Hunting in pairs
Score board England 1st innings: 330 India 1st innings (overnight 87/4) |
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I was eagerly awaiting one long innings: Kohli
Nagpur, December 15 Yet, Kohli’s three Test centuries, all made this year, have all been rather slow efforts—116 off 213 balls against Australia in January, 103 off 193 balls against New Zealand at home, and the 103 off 295 balls here. That would probably due to the fact that all three centuries were made when the team was in trouble. India lost in Adelaide and won in Bangalore. In Nagpur, the result hangs in balance. He was out today when beaten by a very fine delivery from Graeme Swann; he was surprised and angry when he fell, probably realising that he needs to make his centuries count by making them much bigger. Later, Kohli said that it was tough going for most of the day, for the wicket was very slow. “It was a slowish wicket, not easy to get the ball away. I had to show some patience and I just thought of applying myself and not think of anything else,” Kohli said. “Just play six balls at a time, one over at a time, that is what we decided out in the middle. It was all about showing patience and just watching the ball and reacting to it rather than thinking about what we are going to be at the end of the day or the end of the session.” “It was about playing over by over and seeing how it goes... And we were able to get a big partnership,” he added. The partnership was quite large, lasting 507 balls and over four hours; at one point of time, it seemed to be reaching match-winning proportions. But after Graeme Swann trapped Kohli LBW, the Indian tail has folded quickly. But Kohli said he retains hope, though his words lacked strong conviction. “If we get whatever lead that we get, if we get a few runs’ lead tomorrow and just let them play five sessions and see how the match goes...” he said. “You never know, if you get two-three wickets like we lost three-four wickets in the end, you never know. Cricket is a funny game, you get some runs’ lead and you put the opposition under pressure, it won’t be easy to defend all day.” “That is not something you can do every Test match. We will just be looking for the one opening and probably get two-three wickets and you never know where the game goes from there.”
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We stuck to our guns and were rewarded: Trott
"I think they played unbelievably well for five hours. Credit to them. But we stuck to our guns and kept the pressure on them and eventually we got the breakthrough and we pushed on and got four wickets," said Trott referring to the Kohli-Dhoni fifth-wicket partnership of 198 that got the home team back in the match. "It's changed the match massively. It's a credit to the guys for sticking out for five hours and not getting a wicket and then coming back to the game and evening things out," Trott remarked further. "You're starting the day at four down and if you take a few risks and lose a few more wickets.....You don't need that," he said referring to India's precarious position of 87 for 4 at the start of the day. "They played well but just as equally, we played well. Great day of Test cricket and we're privileged to be a part of it," he added. According to the England No 3, his captain Alastair Cook effecting a brilliant run-out of his counterpart Dhoni could turn out to be a series-deciding dismissal. "It's still pretty neck and neck but credit to the bowlers and to take the chance and grab it like Alastair did was a game changer or even a series changer. "Dhoni runs very quickly between the wickets so that makes Alastair's effort that much better. Going to his right and throwing down the stumps with the momentum taking him the other way. It's one of those things, a catalyst for changing the game. Hopefully, it can be a game changer for us and hopefully it can add to us winning the game." — PTI
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Don’t read much into India's struggle: Whatmore
Karachi, December 15 "But I wouldn't read too much into it because the results of one Test series doesn't necessarily mean that India is a weak side as we all know how good they have been over many years," he said. The former Australian Test player also felt that off-spinner Saeed Ajmal would continue to be Pakistan's trump card even in the coming T20 and ODI series against India. "Obviously we will select our playing eleven and bowling attack after seeing the conditions on the particular day of the match. But feel we've enough boys in the group to satisfy the requirements of any conditions," he said. Whatmore said Saeed would remain a threat for India even in their home conditions. "If you recall Saeed bowled very well against India in the 2011 World Cup semifinal," Whatmore noted. Inzamam advises Pakistan batsmen to be aggressive Islamabad: Pakistan batting consultant Inzamam-ul-Haq has advised his players batsmen to be aggressive in the limited-overs series against archrival India later this month and predicts the team that handles the pressure better will emerge the winner. Inzamam will spend a week with the players at the camp in Lahore before the team leaves on Dec 22. — Agencies
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Nobody qualified to comment on Sachin: Richards
London, December 15 "Nobody is qualified enough to tell him (Tendulkar) when they think he should go," Richards told 'BBC Radio Shropshire'. There have been questions raised about the 39-year-old Tendulkar's position in the team as he is averaging just 18.66 in six innings in the ongoing Test series against England. "When you're retired, you're retired for a very, very long time. It's like being dead to some degree, so while you're alive and still up for it and still enjoying what you're doing, to me that's what it's all about," Richards said. There have been mixed views on Tendulkar's future with some former Indian cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sourav Ganguly urging him to have a chat with the selectors on his retirement plan. — PTI
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Indo-Pak T20 postponed by a day
New Delhi, December 15 The PCB in its request to the BCCI asked for the Ahmedabad match to be re-scheduled as the fifth death anniversary of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007, falls on that date. The game will now be played on December 28, a BCCI release said. Pakistan will be touring India later this month for a limited-overs series comprising of two Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals. The tour will commence with a T20 match in Bangalore on December 25. While the three ODIs will take place in Chennai (Dec 30), Kolkata (Jan 3) and Delhi (Jan 6). This is the first time in five years that Pakistan will be visiting India for a bilateral cricket series. Right wing outfit Sri Ram Sene has threatened to disrupt the India-Pakistan T20 cricket match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on December 25, and asked the BJP government in Karnataka to refuse permission for the fixture. — PTI
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Bundela’s knock takes MP to 281/5 against Punjab
Gwalior, December 15 Electing to field after winning the toss, medium pacer Sandeep Sharma proved his captain's decision right when he had wicketkeeper Naman Ojha trapped in front of the stumps for two. Next man-in, Rameez Khan (25) combined well with Saxena and stiched a 91-run partnership for the second wicket before the latter was caught by Rahul Sharma off Sandeep. For Punjab, Sandeep finished with an impressive figure of three for 78 while Baltej picked up two for 47. Indian middle-order batsman, Yuvraj Singh, who was dropped from the national squad for the final Test against England, bowled three overs conceding 11 runs. Brief Scores: (MP): 1st innings: 281 for five in 88 overs (Devendra Bundela 92 not out, Jalaj Saxena 84; Sandeep Sharma 3/78) HP recover after bad start against Goa A 154-run fifth-wicket partnership between Amit Kumar and Mukesh Sharma helped Himachal Pradesh post 210 for 5 against Goa on the opening day of the Group C Ranji match at Porvorim in Goa. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the visitors had slumped to 36 for four before Amit (76 not out) and Mukesh (73) resurrected the innings with their defiant stand. Goa's medium pacer Gaurish Gawas earned his maiden first class wicket when he had Himachal skipper Aakash Chopra (2) trapped in front of the stumps. Amit and Mukesh then combined well and revived the team's sagging fortunes. Amit has so far struck 13 fours in his unbeaten 197-ball knock while Mukesh's 179-ball stay at the crease was studded with eight fours and a six. At stumps, Rishi Dhawan was giving company to Amit on 18. For Goa, Gawas and left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati took two wickets each. Brief Scores: (HP): 1st innnings: 210 for five in 90 overs (Amit Kumar 76 not out, Mukesh Sharma 73; Shadab Jakati 2/56) — PTI Haryana bundle out UP Mohit Sharma took 5/47 to help Haryana bundle out hosts for 227 and then themselves reached 32/1 at Lucknow. — PTI
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Indian eves win kabaddi title
Ludhiana, December 15 The India women's team emerged victorious crushing Malaysian team by a margin of 72-12 points. At the end of first half, the Indian team was leading with the difference 42-6 points. Raiders of Indian team Priyanka Devi, Priyanka Pilaniya and Sukhwinder Kaur got 13, 8 and 8 points respectively whereas stopper Jatinder Kaur amd Anu Rani bagged 11 and 10 points respectively. Malaysia’s raider Manpreet Kaur scored 4 points whereas stopper Rekha got 2 points respectively. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal handed over prize money cheque of Rs 51 lakh to the winning team while the runners-up took home Rs 31 lakh. The third position holder Danish women Kabbadi team took the prize money of Rs 21
lakh. Star-studded closing ceremony
It ended with a series of bangs, both figuratively and literally. Whereas the opening ceremony of the third World Cup Kabaddi at Bathinda sought to counter the magnitude and scale of the two previous editions of the event with style and substance, the closing ceremony threw the scale out the window as the 90 minute long affair proved to be a breathtakingly kaleidoscopic spectacle that showcased the energy of the rich tapestry of Punjabi culture. Things commenced with fire dancers of an event management company-Wizcraft-literally playing with fire. Many of them even breathed it down their throats before puffing it out in the form of perilous leaping flames from their mouths much to the delight of thousands of spectators who savoured every moment The sardine packed Guru Nanak stadium stood up as a man to applaud the feats and deeds of these artists although many believed that eulogising Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal through songs and through pyrotechnics of motorcycle riders was taken a bit too far for comfort. The organisers surely deserve a high –five for having planned and executing an event of such a magnitude with clock work precision. The Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his Deputy and several Cabinet Ministers were present on the occasion. Some world renowned faces of Punjabi repute including poet Surjt Pattar, singers Sukhwinder, Daljeet Dosanjh and Inderjit Nikku and TV compere Satinder Satti added spice to the ceremony that had touches of brilliance, beauty and bewilderment. The princess of the night, which in any case turned out to be a highly eventful one, was film actor Katrina Kaif who managed to carry each and sundry with her as she danced her way in the hearts of the people. The Bollywood star, in a feat akin to the one performed by the Spice Girls at the London Olympics ceremony, got the exuberant tone exactly right as she stayed the cynosure of all eyes. |
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3rd World Cup
Kabaddi
Ludhiana, December 15 On the other hand, the Indians, bouncing high on the trampoline of confidence, successfully emulated the ancient battle strategy of Chakravyuh-which ensnares powerful foes in a blooming lotus formation- to down their rivals 59-22 and lay their hands, for the third time, on the trophy in the third edition of the World Cup which concluded at the jam-packed Guru Nanak stadium. Today was the moment of truth. The chalk had to be separated from the cheese. The time had come for the good team to be differentiated from the mediocre one. As the fallen Angel had called out in Paradise Lost: "Speak now or forever hold your peace." The Indians preferred to do the speaking and revelled on the big stage and that too the big occasion as they walloped Pakistan who, at the end of the day, were left flummoxed at the turn of events. On the distaff side, the Indians retained the title by beating Malaysia in a hopelessly lop-sided final which is aptly reflected in the final scoreline of 72-12. At the end of first half, the Indian team was leading with the difference 42-6 points. Raiders of Indian team Priyanka Devi, Priyanka Pilaniya and Sukhwinder Kaur got 13, 8 and 8 points respectively whereas stopper Jatinder Kaur amd Anu Rani bagged 11 and 10 points respectively. Malaysia’s raider Manpreet Kaur scored 4 points while stopper Rekha got 2 points respectively. For Indian women’s team, it was their second successive victory after the women’s category was introduced in the second edition of Kabaddi World Cup. Kabaddi is a sport that requires razor-sharp hand-eye coordination, deep reserves of stamina and pure raw strength. The winners had all these qualities in abundance as they had the audience in a thrall with their pyrotechnics. The writing was on the wall the moment the Indian chalked up a sizeable 12 point lead in the first ten minutes. Raiders Sukhbir Saroya and-Gurlal Ghanour went about their task like true players and were like sportspersons who step through walls of exhaustion which seemingly look impenetrable at first look. Much like cricket, raider Gurlal Ghanour had both a plan and a conspiracy as he repeatedly mesmerised the stoppers with his daring raids. For Pakistan, star raider Lala Obaidullah was hopelessly off colour while Safeeq Bhutt and Vikas Bhutt were never allowed to take control of the proceedings.
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It ended with a series of bangs, both figuratively and literally. Whereas the opening ceremony of the third World Cup Kabaddi at Bathinda sought to counter the magnitude and scale of the two previous editions of the event with style and substance, the closing ceremony threw the scale out the window as the 90 minute long affair proved to be a breathtakingly kaleidoscopic spectacle that showcased the energy of the rich tapestry of Punjabi culture. The princess of the night was film actor Katrina Kaif who managed to carry each and sundry with her as she danced her way in the hearts of the people. The Bollywood star, in a feat akin to the one performed by the Spice Girls at the London Olympics, got the exuberant tone exactly right as she stayed the cynosure of all eyes. Things, however, commenced with fire dancers of an event management company-Wizcraft-literally playing with fire. Many of them even breathed it down their throats before puffing it out in the form of perilous leaping flames from their mouths. The sardine-packed stadium stood up as a man to applaud the feats and deeds of these artists although many believed that eulogising Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal through songs and through pyrotechnics of motorcycle riders was taken a bit too far. The organisers surely deserve a high–five for having planned and executing an event of such a magnitude with clock work precision. Some world renowned faces of Punjabi repute including poet Surjt Pattar, singers Sukhwinder, Daljeet Dosanjh and Inderjit Nikku and TV compere Satinder Satti added spice to the ceremony that had brilliance, beauty and bewilderment.
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Third time lucky: Pakistan no match to India Ludhiana, December 15 On the other hand, the Indians, bouncing high on the trampoline of confidence, successfully emulated the ancient battle strategy of Chakravyuh-which ensnares powerful foes in a blooming lotus formation- to down their rivals 59-22 and lay their hands on the trophy in the third World Cup Kabaddi which concluded at the jam-packed Guru Nanak stadium. Today was the moment of truth. The chalk had to be separated from the cheese. The time had come for the good team to be differentiated from the mediocre one. As the fallen Angel had called out in Paradise Lost: "Speak now or forever hold your peace." The Indians preferred to do the speaking and revelled on the big stage and that too the big occasion as they walloped Pakistan who, at the end of the day, were left flommxed at the turn of events. On the distaff side, the Indians retained the title by beating Malaysia in a hopelessly lop sided final which is aptly reflected in the final scoreline of 72-12. Kabaddi is a sport that requires razor-sharp hand-eye coordination, deep reserves of stamina and pure raw strength. The winners had all these qualities in abundance as they had the audience in a thrall with their pyrotechnics. The writing was on the wall the moment the Indian chalked up a sizeable 12 point lead in the first ten minutes. Raiders Sukhbir Saroya and-Gurlal Ghanour went about their task like true players and were like sportspersons who step through walls of exhaustion which seemingly look impenetrable at first look. In the modern sport of cricket, fast bowlers have plans and spinners conspiracies. Following a cue, likewise here in this sport raider Gurlal Ghanour had both a plan and a conspiracy as he repeatedly mesmerised the stoppers with his daring raids. For Pakistan, star raider Lala Obaidullah was hopelessly off colour while Safeeq Bhutt and Vikas Bhutt were never allowed to take control of the proceedings. Things started moving in favour of the winners, who had the advantage of the home environs, when skipper Sukhbir Saroya and Ghanour scored a series of points in the first ten minutes of the contest. The famous Butt brothers, who till were the fulcrum around which the team’s fortunes revolved, came up with a mediocre performance and this reflected in final result.
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Saina loses in semis at World Super Series Finals
The London Olympics bronze-medallist waged a grim battle against World No. 2 Xuerui and took the match to the decider but eventually ran out of steam. Saina lost 20-22 21-7 13-21 to the Chinese shuttler in 50 minutes at the China Resources Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre. Saina, who has won Swiss Open, Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold, Indonesia Open Super Series Premier and Denmark Open Super Series Premier this year, was eyeing her first WSS Finals title having lost in the title round last year and in the semi-finals in 2009. The World No 3 Saina made a resounding start reeling off six straight points in the opening game. But the Chinese girl clawed her way back to make it 9-9 with Saina being guilty of being a shade slow in her returns. The Hyderabadi girl, however, relied on her fine baseline game to be 16-13 ahead but Xuerui again caught her up at 16-16. Saina made fine use of her trademark crosscourt smashes and drop shots to which Xuerui had no response and took herself on the verge of winning the first game just when the Chinese shuttler made a spirited comeback and won some crucial points to grab the first game at 22-20. Saina had four game points but she failed to convert her chances and Xuerui reeled off six straight points to put
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Oz attack takes charge after Hussey ton
More than two hours of play were lost to rain but the Australians made the most of what time they had on the picturesque Bellerive Oval to take firm control of the opening match in a three-test series. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first Sri Lankan to fall but it was the cheap wickets of the experienced duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene that would have delighted Australia more. Thilan Samaraweera was caught behind off the bowling of spinner Nathan Lyon for seven to bring an end to play and leave opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had made 50 not out, to resume on Sunday with Angelo Mathews. "I think we're in a fantastic position after getting a couple of those late wickets," Hussey said. "You get Sangakarra, Jayawardene and Samaraweera out, they are guys that can make big scores and play in tough conditions. "But we've still got a lot of hard work to do, they'll fight very hard the Sri Lankans, they won't be giving anything up easy." The day had started so well for the tourists when Australia, resuming on 299-4, lost Michael Clarke for 74 in the third over to break the latest in a run of prolific partnerships with Hussey that have produced 736 runs in the last four tests. Young paceman Shaminda Eranga induced the Australian captain into an edge which Sangakkara collected with ease at second slip but it was the last wicket to fall in the hosts' innings. "We weren't really up to it today," Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford lamented. "I think the boys will be busy thinking about what went on today and hopefully we can come out and give it a real fight in the morning." Matthew Wade (68 not out) and Hussey proved just as obdurate in a 146-run partnership and cut loose to pile up the runs when play finally resumed after lunch, racing towards the declaration 40 minutes before tea. Hussey reached his 19th test century in fortuitous circumstances when he was dropped at deep midwicket by Angelo Matthews and the ball bounced across the boundary rope for four. "When you are in the 90s, your mind does funny things," Hussey said. "I couldn't believe I picked him out. I've seen Angelo take some brilliant catches. Sometimes it just happens to be your day." The 37-year-old breathed a huge sign of relief before whipping off his helmet to celebrate his third century in his last four matches and a fifth in six tests against Sri Lanka. It was not his most fluent innings - coming off 171 balls with most of his eight fours struck after he reached the half century - but gave him a tally of 877 runs at an impressive average of 125.28 against the Sri Lankans. "Sometimes you just have teams that you seem to score runs against and there's other teams that you struggle against," Hussey added. "I don't know why, it just seems to happen." Wicketkeeper Wade had reached his own half century with a rushed single as he further cemented his place in the Australia team after his 68 in the last test against South Africa. Karunaratne, playing in only his second test, and Dilshan survived the seven overs between the declaration and tea but Ben Hilfenhaus got the breakthrough soon after the break. The Tasmanian quick got the ball to move away from lefthander Karunaratne (14) and it took a good outside edge before Wade scooped it up behind the stumps. — Reuters
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Barry coach of Punjab Warriors
New Delhi, December 15 Former India captains Jagbir Singh and Mohammad Riaz have also been taken on baord as part of the coaching staff. "We have put together a highly competent coaching team, and are confident that we will be able to raise a highly competitive team of young and experienced players," said Manoj Gaur, Chairman of Jaypee Group. "We have taken the first step to promote hockey in India by participating in the league, and will continue to provide best training and coaching facilities to young Indian players so that they can play at international level and bring India back at top of the world hockey again," Gaur added. HIL signs Teun de Nooijer
Hockey India League today signed legendary Dutchman and three-time FIH World Player of the Year Teun de Nooijer as its third Brand Ambassador for the Hockey India League due to start in January 2013. "It is an overwhelming privilege to join Jamie (Dwyer) and Sardar as Brand Ambassadors f or the Hockey India League. With some of the biggest Indian corporates involved, I have no doubt in my mind that HIL will be a roaring success," De Nooijer stated on his arrival for tomorrow's auctions where he is one of the marquee players. HI secretary general and HIL Chairman Dr Narinder Batra said,"It is an immense honour for having Teun de Nooijer as our Brand Ambassador, who has contributed more than 18 years to international hockey. We already have two World Class players Jamie Dwyer and Sardar Singh on board as our Brand Ambassadors.” — PTI |
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Ludhiana, December 15
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