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God’s in Eden
Richardson promises a fight
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Dravid marvels at Sachin’s focus
Indian women thrash Malaysia 5-1, enter ACT final
Koevermans to get extension
Yuki wins Traralgon Challenger title
Vettel brings record in sight with 7th straight win
Veteran thrower wins gold in world meet
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God’s in Eden
Kolkata, November 4 Idols are being made. Amid fanfare, to the joyous beats of drums and chants of bhajans, they’re then being immersed in the Ganges and the Hooghly. The ones representing the gods, depicting the fearsome Kali, are ending up in the water. The one representing a human, the gentle man-boy Sachin Tendulkar, is going to endure.
Tendulkarmania has gripped Kolkata, the city of emotional excess. Drama, emotion and spectacle have become central to the celebration of Tendulkar. Subtlety, never our strong point, has been immersed in the holy waters. Thus, just in case the number has slipped Tendulkar’s mind, he’s presented a massive bouquet of flowers with "199" written on it as he arrives in the city on Diwali night. Outside the airport, a thousand people have gathered, including members of the indefatigable Kolkata media corps. An encounter with them would have been lengthy and possibly unpleasant — Tendulkar successfully evades them all. He can’t escape himself, though. His face stares at you, and him, in the streets, from big hoardings and cutouts. They’re often accompanied by quotes on him by many cricketers, most often Don Bradman. He can’t escape himself at the Eden Gardens ground — the first sight he saw after alighting the team bus and entering the gates was his cardboard cutout in whites on the right. On the left is a collection of his photographs — there he’s with his parents, here with his children, and over there with Amitabh Bachchan. There’s more — past the glass door, before the dressing room, Tendulkar encountered a life-sized wax statue of his, helmet in left hand, a raised bat in the right, a grin on his face. Its creator, Sushanta Ray, a worthy artist and a humble man, stood next to the statue. Tendulkar came in, walking between two rows of schoolboys (not a single schoolgirl) who wore T-shirts with his face in the front and the number ‘199’ at the back. Was there a mechanized shower to spray confetti and rose petals on him? Yes, there absolutely was. A crowd of photographers had ranged itself in a semi-circle in front of his statue. They implored him to stand next to the statue for a photo-op. With that amicable smile of his, Tendulkar went past his likeness and into the dressing room —cricket before anything else. Tendulkar stepped into the ground a few minutes after 11. He remained the focus of the concentrated gaze of hundreds of watchers for the next two hours. He bowled a few looseners (off-spinners, it must be recorded), had a long chat with coach Duncan Fletcher, and went in to bat at 11.33. For the next 32 minutes, Tendulkar batted in this net. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and the nets bowlers bowled to him — even Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with his medium-pace; then the spinners had a go at him, including Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and Murali Vijay. Then, after a break, Tendulkar went to the nets at the other side of the ground; the bowling here was less lethal — only Indian team’s video analyst Dhananjay and a few nets bowlers. Taking it easy for once Tendulkar was, obviously, batting only to get a ‘feel’ of the ground, the conditions. He did not instruct the bowlers to bowl to him in a specific manner. His most serious batting sessions are extremely focused, designed to work on a certain aspect of his batting. Today it wasn’t so. Thus he told a nets bowler, a schoolboy leg-spinner: “Just be consistent — bowl at the length and line you’re bowling at, that’s all.” At the end of practice, the photographers were again in front of the wax statue, making a tremendous din. Only in Kolkata is it possible to hear such a massive noise made by so few people. The wait for Tendulkar ensued; with each passing minute the noise increased. Then he arrived, wearing the India blue, his feet in bathroom sandals, and the place exploded into a crescendo of sounds and flashes. Tendulkar met his creator — the creator of the wax statue, at any rate — and said a nice word in his ear. He put his left arm around the waist of own statue and smiled left, right and centre as photographers called out to him to look in their direction. When there were calls from the overhead balcony, he turned around and smiled heavenward. Later, reports emerged that Tendulkar was unhappy with the Cricket Association of Bengal for “going overboard with the celebration” — someone who “heard” this from “someone” circulated this account. The one man who could have confirmed this, Tendulkar himself, said nothing. The statue was equally silent. Here, there, everywhere Tendulkar is more than mere wax, though; he’s also metal (he’s on the match coin), paper (he’s on the match ticket), and he’s aural (he’s the subject of a special music album). He’ll be everyman — reports say that 70,000 Tendulkar masks will be given to the spectators. On the second day, a big Tendulkar face will be formed in the stands by raising placards; on the third day, 199 Tendulkar balloons, his face on them, are going to be released; there are reports that Mamata Banerjee would felicitate him, and that Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan will be there to honour him. He’ll be in the air, for an aircraft is to hover over the ground and shower down 199 roses. No, the roses won’t have Tendulkar’s face on them. No, they would not smell like him. If, somehow, those plans don’t materialise, and you miss Tendulkar in Kolkata, fear not — a Tendulkar Tableaux is going round the city. It has two cutouts of the master, and several pictures. Iconism has gripped the city.
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Richardson promises a fight
Kolkata, November 4 That’s what team manager Richie Richardson, the former West Indies captain, said today. West Indies were beaten in India the last time they toured here. They’re a decidedly less fearsome opposition than, say, South Africa in South Africa. The pitch here looks like a turner, and some plans for Tendulkar’s farewell are a bit uncertain because officials aren’t sure if the match would go to five days. West Indies don’t inspire hopes of a great contest. Chris Gayle was supposed to discuss this and other cricketing matters with the press today. However, the hall in which the meet was to take place was, for hours, occupied by Kolkata Police as they finalised their plans to secure the Eden Gardens during the Test. Richardson, substituting for Gayle, talking just after practice, said his team is going to fight hard. “We're happy to be here and celebrate Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series but we're here to play hard cricket. We would be very, very competitive,” Richardson said today. “He's second to none. The appetite he has shown for scoring runs is really remarkable,” Richardson went on. “His desire and dedication to play the game are... It's difficult to put it in words. Normally, if a person becomes famous, his attitude changes but Tendulkar has remained humble. This is the greatest quality in him. People will always love him.” Asked about the blazing form of the Indian batsmen in the recent ODI series against Australia, Richardson said: “I know that they are in good form but Test cricket is a different ball game altogether.” Is the hype around the Test match going to put India under pressure? Richardson thought not. “The atmosphere is really amazing but having said that once a player steps on the grass, we're all at the same level,” he said. “So, I don't think they will be under any kind of pressure.” — TNS
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Dravid marvels at Sachin’s focus
New Delhi, November 4 “It’s incredible the way Sachin has managed a lot that happened around him. With so much going on around him, with so much happening around him, he never said in his career that ‘I want to do other things, I should move on or it’s too hard’. His love of the game stood out above all, he’s been able to maintain that balance,” said Dravid. Dravid, who spent more time with Tendulkar on the cricket field and shared numerous partnerships with him in the middle, said the batting legend will miss the camaraderie he shared with his colleagues and the dressing room environment. “He will miss the bonding that you get in a team, the camaraderie. He will miss that focus, that goal, striving for something, excelling in it and try to become better at it. When I tried to do something out of cricket after my retirement, I found out that I am not good at them.” Dravid said Tendulkar always looked at getting the best out of his talent. “Cricket always remained his primary focus, he never shifted from his primary focus. It was always going to be about time to be the best cricketer I can be,” he said. Dravid said he never saw Tendulkar getting publicly angry. “I have never seen him getting publicly angry, never seen him getting upset in a public situation. In the dressing room, he might be upset of some wrong decison but never publicly,” he said. — PTI
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Indian women thrash Malaysia 5-1, enter ACT final
New Delhi, November 4 After being locked 1-1 at half time, India scored four field goals after the changeover to register their second consecutive win in the four-team women's competition. India, who stunned higher-ranked China 4-2 in their tournament opener, will take on hosts Japan on Thursday in their last round-robin match, which will also be a dress rehearsal ahead of Saturday's final. With two wins from as many games, Japan also sealed their place in the final of the women's event. Japan today defeated China 5-1 in another match. Against Malaysia today, the Indian girls were slow to get off the blocks. It was Malaysia who took lead in the 15th minute through a penalty corner conversion by skipper Nadia Abdul Rahman. But India hit back nine minutes later when Poonam Rani (24th) converted a penalty corner to level the scores. In the second half, it was India all the way as Neil Hawgood's girls displayed incredible attacking hockey to run away with the match. Namita Toppo (44th minute), Ritu Rani (52nd), Amandeep Kaur (54th) and Deep Grace Ekka (65th) scored for India to take the game out of Malaysia's reach. — PTI
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New Delhi, November 4 The committee focused on planning Grassroots and Youth Development Programmes and producing more number of 'quality' coaches by proper coach education programmes. The bigger role and responsibilities of state associations were also highlighted and it was decided that the parent body will be stricter on the associations to enforce a proper scouting in place. Bhutia suggested that I-League players be allowed to do coaching courses with an eye on having more number of 'quality' coaches. “I-League players should be allowed to do Coaching Courses for having better Coaches,” Bhutia suggested. “It is time to put our foot down and get the state associations going in order to have the best players in our Regional Academies. Otherwise all the hard work put in by our Coaches and Rob goes down the drain,” Bhutia added. “Clubs need to release players for National Camps for longer periods. We all need to realize that national team’s success is the only way for football to grow in India.” — PTI
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Carslen arrives for a duel with Anand
Chennai, November 4 Carlsen, who faces defending and five-time world champion Anand in a 12-game contest, was received at Kamaraj International Airport by FIDE Vice-President D V Sundar, AICF President J C D Prabhakar and World Championship Organising Secretary V Hariharan. The formal inauguration of the FIDE World Championship will be done on November 7 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The first game is scheduled for November 9. The sponsor of the tournament is the Government of Tamil Nadu which has allocated a record budget of Rs 29 crores. The colour for the 12 games would be known at the draw of lots which would be done by Jayalalithaa during the inauguration ceremony. The player who gets white in games 1, 3 and 5 will get white in games eight, 10 and 12. — PTI
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Yuki wins Traralgon Challenger title
New Delhi, November 4 The 21-year-old Indian pipped his higher-ranked rival 6-7 (13) 6-3 6-4 in the final, which could not be completed yesterday due to rain. Yuki, ranked 277, was leading 4-2 in the final set yesterday when skies opened up and forced suspension of play. Playing his second Challenger final of the season, the Indian youngster took the court today and held his nerves to emerge winner against a player, who was ranked 149 places above him. It was Yuki’s third straight win over a higher-ranked opponent in this tournament. He had beaten Japanese Tatsuma (191) Ito and James Duckworth (147) of Australia en route to final. The victory was a sweet revenge for Yuki as he had lost to Bradley in July this year in Binghamton. Yuki had won his first singles title on the Challenger tour last year in Uzbekistan. In September, Yuki had ended runner-up to Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu in the Kaohsiung event in Taiwan. — PTI
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Champions
League
London, November 4 Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid have also won all three games to date while Manchester City, who have won two and lost one match, can also secure their place in the knockout round with another win over CSKA Moscow in Group D. Barcelona, who have dropped two points, will qualify if they win at home to AC Milan in Group H and Manchester United will take a big step towards the last 16 if they win at Real Sociedad. Bayern visit Czech club Viktoria Plzen, who they beat 5-0 at home two weeks ago, Paris St Germain are at home to Anderlecht after winning 5-0 in Brussels. Real Madrid go to old rivals Juventus who they beat 2-1 last time out and Atletico Madrid are at home to Austria Vienna after winning 3-0 there on October 22. Manchester United will be looking for another win over the Spanish side after beating them 1-0 at Old Trafford while Barcelona will be seeking victory against an out-of-sorts AC Milan at home after drawing in Italy two weeks ago. European champions Bayern should have no trouble in their Group D match in Plzen following their demolition of the Czech champions at home. On Saturday Bayern struggled past Hoffenheim 2-1 to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga and equal a 30-year-old league record with their 36th straight game without defeat. Real Madrid cruised into a 3-0 lead against bottom side Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday but were unconvincing and survived a scare when they conceded two second-half penalties before securing a nervy 3-2 win. “The second half (against Rayo) was a disaster,” Ancelotti said. “We can’t let teams back into a game like that when you have the quality of Real Madrid.” — Reuters
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Djokovic targets year-ending hat-trick
Paris, November 4 The Australian Open champion, and six-time Grand Slam title winner, is pooled with his Paris semifinal victim Roger Federer as well as Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro and Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the World Tour Finals in London, but has only 48 hours to recover before his opening match against Federer. Djokovic claimed his 40th ATP title on Sunday in his eighth final of a year which has seen him win over 60 matches to put him on the heels of Rafael Nadal for the world number one spot. “I am definitely playing the best tennis this year, including the start of the year with the Australian Open and Dubai that I had a great run.” “You know, summer was up and down, and now again I’m playing on a very high level and have lots of confidence in myself, in my game,” said the Serb, who added the Paris title to previous wins at Melbourne, Dubai, Monte Carlo, Beijing and Shanghai as well as reaching the final at Wimbledon and the US Open. “I’m at the good spot at this moment. I enjoy competing. I have a right schedule, even though, you know, it’s going to be three weeks now in a row for me: Paris, London, and the Davis Cup final. Every day really matters now for me to do things properly in order to play all the matches at a high level.” — PTI
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Vettel brings record in sight with 7th straight win Abu Dhabi, November 4 Webber regained his momentum by the 20th lap as he overtook Rosberg, but by then Vettel was long gone. Fernando Alonso bullied through to a gritty fifth, but no action was taken against the Spaniard for exceeding track limits. — Agencies
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Veteran thrower wins gold in world meet
Patiala, November 4 Ajmer Singh, a retired SP from Punjab Police, belongs to Sondian village in Fatehgarh Sahib District. Speaking to The Tribune, Ajmer Singh said that he used to take part in sports from school time. “A good football and kabaddi player in school and college, I started hammer-throwing in college and went on to become inter-university champion in 1959. After joining Punjab Police in 1959, I became champion in numerous All India Police Games and National Championships. I held the record in hammer throw from 1960 to 1975,” Ajmer said. Ajmer has the distinction of winning gold for India in the 1st Asian Track and Field Championship held in Philippines in 1973 for which he was promoted by the Punjab government to Inspector. Since 1980, he has taken part in many veteran/master sports events and has won seven gold medals, three silver medals and four bronze medals.
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Kolkata, November 4
Champions
League
