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Aussies beaten fairly, squarely
Thrills at end but Oz crushed again
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We were under pressure chasing 133: Dhoni
After Dhawan, Pujara goes for scans
Viru-Gauti begin their ‘second innings’
Bangla umpire banned for corrupt practices
Golf Round-up
SAI to hike diet money of junior campers
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Aussies beaten fairly, squarely
Mohali, March 18 India now have, for the first time, defeated Aussies three time in a row in a series. After plummeting to 0-3 in Mohali, the Aussies suffer the ignominy of losing eight of their last 10 Tests in India. Down 0-2, and coming into the Test beset with indiscipline lack of players to choose from, the Aussies’ back was always against the wall. But posting 400 runs in the first innings kept the hosts on the toes. They almost negotiated their way out in Mohali, and the loss of a day’s play brightened their chances of securing a draw. But one man had other ideas. Shikhar Dhawan. The debutant Delhi opener, with his quickfire innings right at the start, took away all the inherent advantage that Aussies had begun with in a four-day game. Virender Sehwag was not there but Dhawan did not let his absence pinch the team. It was only because of his rollicking start that India could surpass the Australian total in double quick time. And that effectively set the tempo for the match. India had runs on board and a little extra time to apply the choke in the second innings of Australia, though Mitchell Starc (35) and Xavier Doherty (18) in 44-run partnership for the ninth wicket were looking like runaway success. When India came out to bat for the chase of 133 runs in a little less than two sessions on a slow track, they were not in danger of losing the match. But Murali Vijay (26), Cheteshwar Pujara (28), Virat Kohli (34) and Sachin Tendulkar (21) took their sweet time to safety. MS Dhoni (18*) hit three consecutive fours (off Mitchell Starc’s 34th over) and Ravindra Jadeja (8*) on the non-striker end finally quelled the excitement brewing in the camp. Till then Aussie shoulders had not drooped and their pacers tried their bit as the runs and balls difference closed in towards zero. Finally, India won by six wickets and aptly Shikhar Dhawan was crowned the Man of the-Match. The win may have come against a depleted and an inexperienced side, but it does not take anything away from India, who too are in the same predicament of rebuilding. Most importantly, the series win has brought many positives for India. The openers are firing, though Delhi’s Dhawan is likely to miss the final Test due to the injury he sustained yesterday while fielding; then tweaker Ravichandran Ashwin is on a roll and MS Dhoni has the option of picking up one spinner from Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh. Dhoni, on being asked whether this win has brought cheers to him, said he was “already happy with 2-0 scoreline.” “We have exploited the conditions well. Even the fast bowlers have done well despite conditions helping spinners. Jadeja’s inclusion has helped. It meant we were playing with five specialist bowlers,” he said. “We bowl 12-125 overs on an average to get teams out, so we get tired. It was one of the best batting exhibitions when it comes to batting in pairs, Vijay and Dhawan. The pitch got better to bat on a bit. There were foot marks, but I don’t think it was alarming. Bhuvnesh’s wickets in the second innings helped us win the game. We may try a few things in Delhi but it is important to win all Tests,” the captain added. Scoreboard Australia: 408 India: 499 Australia 2nd innings Warner c Dhoni b Kumar 2 Cowan lbw b Kumar 8 Hughes lbw b Ashwin 69 Smith b Kumar 5 Lyon c Dhoni b Ojha 18 Clarke c Pujara b Jadeja 18 Haddin lbw b Ashwin 30 Henriques c & b Jadeja 2 Siddle b Ojha 13 Starc c Ashwin b Jadeja 35 Doherty not out 18 Extras: 5 Total: (all out; 89.2 ov) 223 Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-35, 3-55, 4-89, 5-119, 6-123, 7-126, 8-143, 9-179 Bowling Bhuvneshwar 10-1-31-3 Ishant 9-1-34-0 Ashwin 31-9-72-2 Jadeja 16.2-6-35-3 Ojha 21-6-46-2 Tendulkar 2-0-2-0 India 2nd innings Vijay st Haddin b Doherty 26 Pujara lbw b Lyon 28 Kohli c Hughes b Siddle 34 Tendulkar run out 21 Dhoni not out 18 Jadeja not out 8 Extras: 1 Total: (4 wkts in 33.3 ov) 136 Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-70, 3-103, 4-116 Bowling Starc 10.3-1-51-0 Siddle 11-2-34-1 Lyon 5-0-27-1 Doherty 7-2-24-1 jadeja shows fiver to clarke
Three matches after the Indian rockstar Ravindra Jadeja debut series, Australian skipper has fallen to him in five out of six times. On the fifth and final day of the third test, Jadeja got him LBW once again. This time however, the Saurashtra all rounder could not hide his emotion and signaled an open hand closing in a fist and then again opening it, as if waking up the departed batsman to wake up to the reality and also to celebrate his bunny’s fall.
— TNS Injury likely to keep Dhawan out of Delhi Man of the Match Shikhar Dhawan is likely to miss the fourth and final Test against Australia, which begins in New Delhi on Friday. Dhawan had hurt himself while fielding at the boundary yesterday and had been taken to hospital for scans and did not open the innings today. Asked how serious Dhawan’s injury was, captain MS Dhoni said: “He may not play in the next Test. You will get an official word on it.” — TNS Clarke not certain to play Delhi Test
Michael Clarke’s participation in the fourth Test is shrouded in uncertainty due to his sore back, which has opened up the possibility of Shane Watson taking over the mantle in case the regular skipper misses out. Clarke said if he is ruled out of the match, Watson, one of four players to be suspended on disciplinary ground ahead of the third Test, will lead the side in the match starting in Delhi from March 22. “If I am unavailable due to my fitness, I don’t know.. I haven’t spoken to the selectors, but I would imagine that Watto will be the captain, that’s for sure,” Clarke said. The equation between the all-rounder and the team management has improved over the past few days, with Watson flying back to India for the final game. Asked about his back problem, Clarke said, “It is pretty sore, fortunately we’ve got a few days before the next Test so I want to spend as much time with (physio) Alex (Kountouris) I can to get it right. “It is the same problem I’ve had since I was 17 years of age and I’ve been trying to manage it through my career. The next four days will be no different and I will have plenty of treatment and try to get it right.” Clarke said he will do everything it takes to overcome the problem before the start of the Test. “My fingers are crossed I will be doing everything I can to give myself the best chance. I guess I am always pretty positive, touch wood I haven’t missed a Test match due to injury so far in my career and I wouldn’t like this to be my first one. If I can’t perform at my best, if I feel I am going to let the team down, I won’t be taking the field.”. Watson to join team in Delhi
Australia’s vice-captain Shane Watson, who left for India on Monday to join the cricket team for the fourth cricket Test in Delhi starting on Friday, is hungry to play more Tests. “I’ve had several constructive discussions with team management back in Mohali over the past few days. We’ve spoken about how we are going to work together to move forward, as Australia attempts to climb back to the top of the ICC rankings,” said Watson. “I’ve a burning ambition to be an Australian Test player for as long as I can be and help Australia win Test series’ as well as the ICC Tournaments,” he said.
— Agencies |
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Thrills at end but Oz crushed again
Mohali, March 18 Exactly a year on after India’s destruction on Australian wickets, the shoe is on the other foot, and it fits the Australians perfectly. India won by six wickets, and it seemed the match was fought closely, but that’s an illusion. Australia were crushed. The first day of the match was lost to rain. Early starts on the next four days made up for lost time, making time for up to 398 overs to be bowled in five days; the usual number for a full match, at 90 overs a day, is 450. Thus, 52 overs were washed away in the rain of the first day. India won the match in the final minutes of the fifth day’s play. The match was won with 2.3 overs left to be bowled — this may raise the impression that the race was tight. That’s not true. Australia did get a hiding here. It wasn’t as bad as the first two Tests — the first match was over with two sessions left, the second with five sessions remaining — but it still was a hiding that the Australians received here. India won the Test match with over one-and-half session’s overs — 52, to be exact — still to be bowled. In the final analysis, Shikhar Dhawan’s first Test innings was decisive. His speed of scoring stunned the Australians; it gave the Indians time to bowl Australia twice. The Australian batting prove brittle - this wicket had no devil in it, yet Australia lost 20 wickets on it with much to spare. They scored over 400 in the first innings, yet lost the game easily — you won’t see that too often in Test cricket. This suggests a polarisation of powers; clearly, India in India far outweigh Australia on the scales. India lead Australia 3-0, their best result ever against this opposition. Australian captain Michael Clarke agrees that the scoreline is quite fair. “I think it’s probably a very fair indication of where both teams are at,” Clarke said. “I don’t want to talk for India. But for the Australian team it’s probably a fair indication. We’re playing some really good, consistent cricket at home back in Australia, in conditions we’re very used to, very accustomed to, but we’re not performing as well as we’d like when we go overseas in conditions we’re not used to.” Clarke, to his great credit, did not try to waste time. As India chased 133 required to win, they had a minimum of 27 overs to face. Australia ended up bowling 36 overs - clearly, Clarke wasn’t interested in wasting time. “We still believed that we could win the Test,” Clarke said. “We thought there were going to be opportunities to take wickets, knowing that India were going to have to score at a decent pace. In that first hour when we went out and bowled we could have taken as much time as possible, wasted time to slow the scoring and not bowl many overs because I knew once 3.30 came around, we had to bowl 15 overs in the last hour.” “We are disappointed, but hopefully we can finish on a high in Delhi. Over two years, we have been consistent at home, but not away from home,” Clarke added. “We continue to learn, there are some positives but there are areas we can get better.” |
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We were under pressure chasing 133: Dhoni
On being under pressure: “With one batsman less and with our lower order not scoring enough runs, yes we were under a bit of pressure,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference. “It got close in the end. If you see I don’t gamble...we had everything to lose, nothing to gain. We had one batsman less, from seven to 11 we have not scored enough runs. It’s important that batsmen who are set are there till the end. Vijay got out when he was playing well,” Dhoni said.
On Mohali track: “I felt that it was the best wicket to bat on over the last three Tests. It becomes slightly easier to bat if you play a few deliveries.” Asked how tough wicket-taking was on this wicket, Dhoni said, “The first innings (on Day 1) was tough to bowl, for taking wickets. There was not enough pace and bounce in the wicket. “But that first session was crucial from our point of view. Though we could not take a wicket we kept things quiet tight. In the second session of the first day there was a slight bit of turn and we got a few wickets. “The same thing happened with us too while batting (when Australia fought back with a few wickets after the huge 283-run opening partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay),” he added.
On exacting revenge: Dhoni said, “You have to see the stakes, whether you are buying tickets for USD 5 or USD 500. The previous series doesn’t really matter.”
On Shikhar Dhawan: “I think it’s important to back yourself. Shikhar batted himself to play a few shots and once he got to the 50, he was determined to make a big one. His knock gave us the momentum we needed,” Dhoni said.
On Bhajji's future: "We brought him into the squad as Australia have quite a few left-handers. But now with Matthew Wade going and Brad Haddin coming in, Pragyan (Ojha) was a good option."Though he has not played in the first two Tests, Pragyan has been bowling very well."
— PTI
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After Dhawan, Pujara goes for scans
Pujara along with team’s physio Nitin Patel and Ashok Dinda, reached at Fortis hospital for a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imagining) scan of his knee. He was attended by doctors for over one and half hour and was discharged after the preliminary tests. “He is good with running but feeling uncomfortable while sitting and putting pressure on the muscle. He is also not comfortable with his hamstring movement. The MRI scanning is a precautionary measure to know about the exact location of the injury. Rest, I am joining the team in another 45 minutes will explain then” said Nitin Patel, while talking over the phone with a member of the squad, from the hospital. Hospital authority refused to comment. |
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Viru-Gauti begin their ‘second innings’
Gurgaon, March 18 While Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India were inching towards a 3-0 series win over Australia, Gambhir and Sehwag, clad in their yellow Delhi jerseys, were getting ready to chase down a 161-run victory target against Punjab with not even 100 people in attendance. This was a battle not to chase down a stiff target but to save their international careers which have been affected by ‘Cyclone Dhawan’ and ‘Operation Vijay’. Nearly five years of stupendous success, one could have hardly imagined that both will be in their cricketing gears but around 450 kms away from Mohali where they would have ideally liked to be. So how was their performance on the day? On paper, certainly impressive as they added 76 runs in a little more than eight overs with Sehwag cracking 36 off 26 balls, including five boundaries, and Gambhir anchoring the chase with a 54-ball 68. Looks like good preparation for IPL but there’s more to that. Beyond the numbers, their performance certainly wasn’t something to write home about. Sehwag started by lifting seamer Sandeep Sharma over mid-on for a boundary but the next couple of fours were streaky shots. Sehwag was playing without those spectacles but the manner of his run-out will again put questionmarks on his casual approach. Won’t repeat unruly behaviour: Praveen
Indian pacer Praveen Kumar is remorseful and has vowed not to repeat the incident in future. “It was wrong on my part. The episode should not have happened. I regret it now,” Praveen told PTI while recalling the incident. “I have learnt how to control my anger. I need to be cautious while expressing my emotions on the field. It happens sometimes when things do not go your way. I have moved on from that incident as it’s history for me now. It won’t happen again. “I have with me 4-5 UP teammates who always advice me on what is right or wrong for me. Sudeep Tyagi, Tanmay Shrivastava and Suresh Raina create a homely environment for me and their advice has always helped me a lot,” he added.
— PTI |
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Bangla umpire banned for corrupt practices
Dhaka, March 18 The 49-year-old Shah had stood in 40 one-day internationals before corruption charges against him were brought up by an Indian television channel during a sting operation last year. The BCB formed a special committee which recently completed its inquiry and submitted its findings to the cricket board. “The inquiry underlines the BCB’s zero tolerance policy on corruption in the game and signifies the Board’s commitment towards upholding the spirit of cricket,” the statement said. Another Bangladeshi umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat was cleared of any form of misconduct. Several first class umpires from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, were allegedly exposed of corrupt practises in a sting operation.
— AP |
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Rafa is the man to beat, again
Indian Wells, March 18 The Spaniard’s pulsating 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of the BNP Paribas Open served as a timely reminder that the claycourt specialist will once again be the player to beat at the French Open starting in late May. “He’s like always, like in the past, he’s playing so solid, so strong,” purred Argentine Del Potro who, while bitterly disappointed after his defeat at Indian Wells, felt Nadal was back to his very best. “He’s very strong mentally. He has big talent, as well. He beat very good players here at Indian Wells. He’s gonna be fighting for the first position (in the rankings) very soon.” A few weeks ago, claycourt specialist Nadal was not even sure if he would be able to play on the punishing hard courts at Indian Wells, a surface where his all-action, counter-punching game has often been least effective. However, the world number five decided to return to the California desert venue where he had previously clinched the BNP Paribas Open in 2007 and 2009, and he ended a week of steady progress by landing his 22nd ATP Masters title. The Spanish left-hander may initially have had his doubts over how his knee would stand up to his most rigorous test since returning to the ATP circuit last month, but those soon abated as he passed the test with flying colours. “It’s sort of expected, considering the success throughout his career that he had on all the surfaces,” world number one Novak Djokovic said of Nadal’s comeback form before the Serb was ousted by Del Potro in the semi-finals. “Obviously he’s building the confidence. He feels good, and he’s very motivated, I’m sure, to perform his best. He’s been playing great tennis.” Roger Federer, crushed by his long-time rival Nadal in the last eight, never doubted that the Spaniard would thrive and move fluently on his return to the ATP circuit. “He’s not going to come back if he’s not well,” the 31-year-old Swiss said. “He’s not going to come back half broken. I expected him to tear through the clay. I expected him to be tough here.” Nadal was euphoric after winning his third Indian Wells title, having dispatched second-ranked Federer and sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych along the way. “That makes an emotional week for me,” the 11-times grand slam singles champion smiled after beating 2009 U.S. Open champion Del Potro, the seventh seed, in a fluctuating match lasting two hours 29 minutes. “It’s a very important victory for me, winning against the best players of the world on a surface that is good for them. Seriously, it’s impossible to have better comeback, no?” Nadal, who had won two ATP titles on the clay of South America last month after reaching three finals in his first three comeback events, was delighted to erase memories of his low points while on the sidelines last year. “In terms of competition, the worst (moment) was for the Olympics, when I had to take the position to not go to Olympics,” said the Spaniard, who had to skip the London Games after his 2012 campaign came to an abrupt end last year following a defeat to Czech Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon.
— Reuters |
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Messi brace in Barca win
Barcelona, March 18 The World Player of the Year was in devastating form along with David Villa, laying on the first for the Spain striker before Villa returned the favour twice, either side of the break. Messi took his La Liga tally for the season to 42 goals and he last failed to find the net in the league at Celta Vigo on November 3. Barcelona moved on to 74 points with 10 games left, ahead of champions Real Madrid in second who came from behind to beat Real Mallorca 5-2 at home on Saturday. “We have recovered the intensity, we are in the Champions League quarter-finals, and now we welcome the break for the March internationals,” Barca sports director Andoni Zubizarreta told Spanish television. “Villa is feeling better every day on the pitch and he has fought really hard to be able to enjoy these moments.” Atletico Madrid were a point further back in third after Diego Costa scored twice in a 2-0 victory at Osasuna that kept them hot on the heels of their King’s Cup final opponents. Messi had already hit the crossbar with a free kick when he laid on the opener for Villa to sweep in Barca’s first after 25 minutes. Villa, steadily cementing his place back in the side, released Messi on a breakaway to score just before halftime and he repeated the feat in the 57th, leaving the Argentine to burst past his marker and lob the keeper. Substitute Raul Tamudo pulled one back for Rayo with his first touch in the 70th minute as chances fell to both sides in an open final period when Messi almost completed his hat-trick. The only downside for Barca was a first-half hamstring injury to defender Adriano Correia that will rule him out for up to six weeks. Atletico’s combative frontman Costa, called up to Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil squad for their friendlies against Italy and Russia, finished off a counter-attack at the second attempt in the 35th minute at Osasuna. Just after the re-start he guided Koke’s free kick into the net from close range and he came close to completing a hat-trick in a typically bruising encounter in Pamplona. Costa was forced to limp off with an ankle injury midway through the second half.
— Reuters |
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Golf Round-up
Gaganjeet Bhullar — who headed into the final round saying “you never know what can happen tomorrow, golf is a crazy game” — gave the winner a tough challenge as he carded an eight-under-par 64 in the final round of the Avantha Masters to move into second place with a total of 20-under-par.
The Kapurthala golfer is in good form after an excellent performance last week which earned him 12 Official World Golf Ranking points and moved him to 85th in the world, up from 107th previously. This week’s finish will also help him to gain a full European Tour card for the 2014 season and has moved him to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with earnings of $262,648. “It was a positive week and I am very happy with my game,” said Bhullar. “I am confident that with my current form another tournament win is just around the corner.” It was also a good week at the office for Jeev who finished 11-under-par. “I played really well this week — I made 22 birdies but made a few unforced errors. Overall I see my game moving in a positive direction and I just need to focus on my routine and I am sure the results will follow,” said Jeev. After an exciting week at the Avantha Masters, which also saw the lowest winning score carded in five years of the Avantha Masters, at the Jaypee Greens Golf and Country Club last week, Indian professionals Gaganjeet, Jeev Milkha Singh, Anirban Lahri, Digvijay Singh, Himmat Singh Rai, SSP Chowrasia, Shiv Kapur and Jyoti Randhawa headed for the European Tours Maybank Malaysian Open. Meanwhile, the sixth leg of the Women’s Professional Golf Tour of India will be played at the Panchkula Golf course from Tuesday. “We have had a busy season and this is our seventh week in a row,” said Smriti. “However, it is always exciting to compete and we are all looking forward to another week.” |
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SAI to hike diet money of junior campers
New Delhi, March 18 The senior archers get Rs 400 per day while for the juniors get only Rs 300 per head. The diet money is apart from the food suppliments of Rs 250 and Rs 100 given to them, respectively. A sum of Rs 984 crore has been earmarked for the training of the juniors and sub-juniors as part preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games. The scheme will be spread over six years, starting before the 2016 Olympic Games.
— TNS |
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Mohali, March 18
Mohali, March 18
