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SECOND
TEST Arthur admits difficult selection in bowling
Hayden feels a tiger resides inside ‘slight man’ Tendulkar
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Ladies Golf
AIBA denies approving IABF constitution, warns of more action
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SECOND
TEST Hyderabad, February 27 Clarke was good-natured about this line of questioning by the media before the first Test, mildly irritated
during the match and tight-lipped, non-committal after the defeat. Central to this discussion was the nature of the attack Australia chose for the Test match. How could Australia, asked experts, go into the match with just one spinner — when India had packed three in their attack, and considered playing four at one stage! Had the Australia not been doing their homework? Didn’t they see the footage of the India-England series? There are some similarities in the manner India defeated England in Ahmedabad in November, and beat Australia in Chennai two days ago. India won the former by nine wickets, the latter by eight; India batted fourth in both the matches. The greater similarity lies in the sort of attack the two visiting teams opted for. England played the first Test with three specialist seamers, one specialist spinner (Graeme Swann), and one spinning allrounder; Australia went into the Chennai game with three specialist pace bowlers, an allrounder who bowled medium-pace, and just one specialist spinner. Clearly, England were being conservative, bowing to convention and wisdom, by selecting two spin-bowling options; sensibly, they were heedful of the fact that this is India. The Australians were, on the other hand, extreme radicals. They wanted to do it their way, with their main strength, ie pace bowling. Their hand was forced by the fact that they face a debilitating spin crisis in their country; the spiritual sons of Shane Warne — kids who watched Warne in the 1990s and who were supposed to take up his mantle this century — have simply not arrived. After losing the first Test, England turned things around in the second Test in Mumbai; key to this win was the inclusion of a second specialist spinner, Monty Panesar. Equally critical was the knock of 186 from Kevin Pietersen in their first innings in Mumbai — Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 224 in Chennai was the exact replica of this game-changing, series-changing innings. In Mumbai, Panesar and Swann took 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to fall. Now, Clarke is expected to effect a similar change in his team. Australia do have a man who, like Panesar, bowls left-arm spin. But there’s some difference between Panesar and Xavier Doherty — and oh, what a difference! While Panesar is an experienced — if unsettled in the team — customer, Doherty has played just two Tests, for three wickets. Panesar has 596 first-class wickets at 30.22, Doherty is among the also-rans of the spin nether world, with 122 wickets at 44.56. Can he strike some beginner’s luck? Just over four years ago, Australia fielded a debutant against India in the Nagpur Test, a man called Jason Krejza. Kjrejza took 12 wickets in the match, but the Indian batsmen plundered him for runs at will. The hosts won by a massive margin of 172 runs. Nathan Lyon was similarly plundered by India in Chennai. Can Doherty do better? The best case scenario for Doherty personally — a bagful of wickets, hopefully —still may not turn out to be a happy story for Australia. “It’s easy in hindsight having a look at how the wicket ended up, you probably would have liked two spinners on there,” Australian coach Mickey Arthur says. “However, our quicks took most wickets. We didn't get a massive return from spin in this game. I thought James Pattinson was outstanding, so it’s a difficult dilemma.” “I think going to Hyderabad we'll have to look at conditions before we make a proper decision. Looking at the way it ended up probably two spinners [would have been good] but our quicks were the most likely out there, so I am not sure which way really,” the coach added. Not sure really — that’s exactly what India wanted Australia to be after the
first Test.
India 4th; Ashwin GETS career best ICC Test rankings
India moved up a rung to fourth in the ICC Test rankings for teams replacing Pakistan, while veteran Sachin Tendulkar jumped three places to be 17th in the batsmen's chart announced. Among the bowlers, off-spinner R Ashwin was rewarded for his match haul of 12 for 198 in the first Test as he rose to a career-best 11th. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni charged up 15 places to 21st courtesy his maiden double hundred at Chennai. Other centurion of the Chennai Test Virat Kohli has gained 10 places and is now on a career-best 25th position. South Africa consolidated their position on the top of the Test rankings after a thumping victory over Pakistan in the third and the final Test at Centurion. There was no other change in the top 10 of the bowlers' table, Steyn is on top.
— PTI |
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Arthur admits difficult selection in bowling
Hyderabad, February 27 "That’s going to be the million dollar question," Arthur said. “It's easy in hindsight having a look at how the wicket ended up, you probably would have liked two spinners on there, however, our quicks took most wickets. We didn’t get a massive return from spin in this game. I thought Pattinson was outstanding, so it’s a difficult dilemma,” he explained. Arthur said the visiting side, which lost by eight wickets in the first Test, is not sure about the bowling attack for the second Test. “Looking at the way it ended up probably two spinners (would have been good) but our quicks were the most likely out there, so I am not sure which way really,” he said. Xavier Doherty is the second spin option for the Australians if they decide to go for more than one slow bowlers. “I think on wickets like this balls turning into you are just as effective, because you've actually got to play,” Arthur said. “You can’t leave balls alone. Balls coming into the bat on wickets that have crumbled are almost as tough to play. Ideally you want both, and I did a lot of looking at the England series and they used Panesar a lot,” he explained. Arthur said the opening Test was a massive learning experience for the team's only full-time spinner Nathan Lyon. “I think he has learnt from this game that you have got to be really consistent in conditions like this in order to put the batsmen under any sort of pressure, but I think he will grow and he will learn from this game," Arthur said. “It will be interesting to see how he pulls up after this Test match and in terms of information and preparation and everything he worked extremely hard coming into this Test match. Only he knows how he will approach things if he plays in the next Test match and how that is going to go.” — PTI Henriques fined for logo on helmet Moises Henriques was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for sporting a manufacturer’s logo on his helmet, breaching the specific requirements of the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Regulations. During the fourth day’s play in the first Test, the debutant was found to have a manufacturer’s logo on the chin strap of his helmet. Henriques was found to have breached Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel (the "Code") which relates to “breach of the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Regulations during an International Match”, ICC said. Henriques accepted the Level 1 charge and the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad. The charge was brought by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus, Kumar Dharmasena, Vineet Kulkarni and K Srinath. — PTI
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Hayden feels a tiger resides inside ‘slight man’ Tendulkar
New Delhi, February 27 The one thing that always stuck in my mind about Sachin was that his size never ever matched his status," Hayden wrote in a book
'Sachin — Cricketer of the Century' by Vimal Kumar, which will hit the stands in the first week of March. "He was an incredibly slight man for someone who was such a huge brand within the game. It wasn't until I really played against him that I understood that there was a tiger that lay within him: he was a very competitive little man," he said. Hayden also recalled an interesting incident from the 2008 Test series in India. "My favourite Sachin moment was at the Mohali Test where he broke the world record for the most number of Test runs. There was so much excitement around the ground that the fireworks actually stopped play for the better part of 20 minutes, whilst the smoke cleared away," he recalled. Writing in the same book, former Australian coach John Buchanan compared Tendulkar with Australian great Ricky Ponting, who happened to be a contemporary of the Indian. "Statistically, Tendulkar has a better record than Ricky Ponting. If Tendulkar is far more orthodox, far more classical and technical, Ricky is a little more unorthodox," he explained. Buchanan, however, felt it was difficult to choose between Tendulkar and Ponting. "Sachin definitely is a better player of spin bowling, more so on the challenging and spin-friendly wickets of the sub-continent," he said. "I would have loved to see Ricky's domination over spinners in the same way as Sachin's, and vice versa, the Master's audacity on the front foot like the Tasmanian's against the best fast bowlers. "Only if these two qualities were exchanged in their respective games could either of them have bettered Sir Bradman's Test average," he added. Buchanan praised Tendulkar's mental toughness. "Sachin has an exceptional ability to relax and can switch on and switch off with ease without any fuss. To get away from cricket and can come back recharged year after year for decades has been really
marvellous. The Master has been the greatest exponents of doing that."
— PTI |
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For Indian batting to step-up, Dhoni must go for six Hyderabad, February 27 India have struggled to fill up these positions after Ganguly quit Test cricket in 2008, followed by Laxman last year. Dhoni has batted at No. 7 most of his career for India -- in as many as 89 innings out of 116 he’s played overall, for 2,565 runs and an average of 31.66. But go one step up, up to No. 6, and his average balloons to 76.45 from 13 innings. This bewildering spike has been made possible by his last two innings at No. 6, the 99 against England in Nagpur and the 224 against Australia in Chennai. Yet, Dhoni makes a great deal of sense when he says that he’d bat at No. 6 position until Jadeja — or perhaps someone else — becomes confident and secure at that spot. Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid agrees that there’s merit in Dhoni batting at No. 6. “He has moved up the order a little bit which has given him a chance to play such an innings, batting at number seven is difficult. At six, he will have an established batsman before him and an all-rounder after him," Dravid said. "From India's point of view, they will want him to replicate this abroad and if he can actually bat at number six abroad, it will make India a different side, it will change the complexion of the Indian team, the balance of the team will be different,” Dravid said in an interview to a website. “No one is expecting a 200 from him every time he plays abroad but a level of consistency abroad will change the complexion of the Indian side," he added. "I will want him to be at No. 6 and I would like him to make a fist of it at No. 6 abroad as well.... It could allow you to play an all-rounder or someone like Jadeja at 7 and three fast bowlers.” “Till Jadeja is playing I’ve got to bat at No. 6, till he gets comfortable, gets used to Test cricket,” Dhoni himself said. “If he starts to do really well, according to the talent he has, we’ll think about my position later.” Jadeja, to put it mildly, hasn’t looked Test class while batting against England and Australia in his two Test matches; then again, he’s had only two opportunities to bat in Test cricket, both times in very challenging conditions. In Nagpur and Chennai, Jadeja joined Dhoni when India were in trouble, trying to match the opposition total. He didn’t score much — 12 and 16 runs — and didn’t look impressive, or even comfortable. Jadeja is aware that he must improve. “I had two triple centuries in the Ranji season, and obviously for my state team I batted at No. 4 for six years,” Jadeja said in Chennai. “I think that I should play for India, and score runs and take wickets. If I do only one of the two, my image of an allrounder won’t be there. So I have to make improvements in both departments.” “Jadeja has to up his own batting,” Dravid agreed. “It will give a balance and option to the team. Whether they would have the courage to do it abroad, remains to be seen.” |
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vijay hazare
Visakhapatnam, February 27 Put into bat on a placid strip at the Port Stadium, Kerala piled up 320/6 riding on twin centuries by opener Vasudevan Jagadeesh (119) and middle-order batsman Sachin Baby (104 no). In reply, Punjab were bowled out for 274 in 47.3 overs as Gurkeerat Singh (99) and Mandeep Singh (81) half centuries went in vain. Kerala achieved the upset win without their premier pacer S Sreesanth, which makes it even more praiseworthy. The duo of Jagadeesh and Baby added 139 runs for the fifth wicket after Kerala were reduced to 144/4. While Jagadeesh hit eight fours and a six, Baby took only 70 deliveries and 12 boundaries. It was Baby's pyrotechnics which helped Kerala cross 300-run mark. In reply, Punjab were reduced to 24 for three in the first five overs with Yuvraj being dismissed by pacer Prasanth Parmeshwaran, who grabbed three for 40. Fast bowler Sandeep Warrier took two for 46. Gurkeerat and Mandeep did raise visions of an improbable victory by adding 159 runs for the fourth wicket. But the former was unfortunately run-out one short of his three-figure mark. He hit 12 fours while Mandeep hit five fours and a six. Once the India 'A' player was dismissed at team's score at 230, Punjab lost their lower half for the addition of another 44 runs. Brief Scores: Kerala 320/6 (Vasudevan Jagadeesh 119, Sachin Baby 104, Yuvraj Singh 3/39); Punjab 274 in 47.3 overs (Gurkeerat Singh 99, Mandeep Singh 81, Prashanth Parmeshwaran 3/40). Kerala won by 46 runs. Kerala enter semifinal; (Match II): Gujarat 126 in 32 overs (Akshar Patel 30, Sumit Narwal 5/21, Parvinder Awana 2/32). Delhi 130/2 (Gautam Gambhir 44 no, Unmukt Chand 28, Mithun Manhas 23 retd). Delhi are in semifinals.
— PTI |
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Ronaldo puts Real into Spanish Cup final
Madrid, February 27 The Portuguese hit a first half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks. Raphael Varane headed the third after 68 minutes while Jordi Alba got a late consolation. Real Madrid will now take on the winners of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who play on Wednesday, the capital side enjoying a 2-1 lead from their first leg.Ronaldo has now scored in his last six visits to the Catalan capital and came out on top in his personal battle with Lionel Messi, who was largely anonymous in the game. The Argentine, however, has the chance to respond when the pair meet again in the league at the weekend. This was the vital game though for Real who trail leaders Barcelona by 16 points in La Liga after a poor campaign and it is their best chance of picking up some silverware outside of the Champions League, in which they are evenly poised against Manchester United after a 1-1 first leg draw at the Bernabeu. “We knew how to play Barcelona and tactically we came out on top," said Real 'keeper Iker Casillas. "We were well positioned on the pitch and in all areas we were in control. “It was a very strong performance and in defence we were superb. Cristiano was phenomenal. It was a 10 out of 10 performance and we deserve to be in the final. “Cristiano is a vital player for us but while he had an excellent performance so did the whole team. He is a reference for us and has showed his capabililty not just in this game but in other Clasicos. “Hopefully this result can now be a turning point for the side because this is a difficult stadium to play in. Now we are looking to do well in the Champions League.”
— AFP |
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Ladies Golf
Chandigarh, February 27 The 17-year-old has an excellent support system and aims to play professional golf in the future. “I want to play as a professional as golf is my top priority,” she says even though she has to juggle school and golf at the moment. Though she practises with Jesse Grewal and also works with mental coach Irina Brar at the Chandigarh Golf Range, she plays golf at the Army Golf Course in Ambala and was introduced to the game by her father. “My father used to take lessons, discuss the technicalities of the game and even practise his swing in the garden and it just awakened my interest,” she adds. There were a few changes on the leader board after the second and final round and Gursimar Badwal, managed to maintain her position and finished second with a total of 159, just three stories behind Tavleen. She also shot an eight-over-par, 80 today. “I am happy with my game and am glad that I maintained my position to finish as the runners-up.” Gurjot Badwal carded a nine-over-par, 81 to finish in third place, just two strokes behind her sister, while Amandeep Drall who also carded a nine-over-par, 81 to finished fourth. A further two strokes behind, local golfer Jaipreet Ghuman finished the two-day tournament in fifth place. |
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AIBA denies approving IABF constitution, warns of more action
New Delhi, February 27 “The IABF constitution, which was completely revised by the AIBA Legal Department, was only so far sent to the AIBA EC Member from India, Kishen Narsi, on February 11,” AIBA president Ching Kuo Wu said in a letter to India’s IOC member Randhir Singh. “The constitution is still a work in progress and is subject to further consultation between AIBA and the relevant parties in India,” he added. “To be clear, the IABF constitution has not been approved by AIBA whatsoever,” he clarified. The IABF was left flummoxed with secretary general Rajesh Bhandari saying that it is a bolt from the blue. “The letter which the AIBA sent to Narsi stated that the constitution had been approved,” he said.
— PTI Minister writes to IOC on wrestling New Delhi: Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Jitendra Singh has written to the International Olympic Council (IOC) president Jacques Rogge requesting him to re-consider the decision to drop wrestling from 2020 Olympics. — TNS
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Right from the day the Australians announced their XI two days before the first Test started, doomsayers have buttonholed Australia’s captain Michael Clarke and told him that he had got his bowling combination completely wrong.
