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Tactful Tendulkar plays it his way
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‘We’re gearing up nicely for World Cup’
‘Boxers subjected to pregnancy test’
Junior women lose to Kiwis
Punjab athletes threaten to move to Haryana
Punjab captian Anmolpreet scores 322
Real ease into Champions League last 16
Ronaldinho abuse reveals soccer racism in Mexico
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Tactful Tendulkar plays it his way
Mumbai, November 5 “Anjali was with me then, so need I say more?” said Tendulkar ahead of the launch of his much-awaited autobiography Playing It My Way in which he has made this claim about Chappell. Chappell, described by Tendulkar as a “ringmaster” who imposed ideas on players, has denied ever making such an offer to the now-retired batsman. But Tendulkar’s teammates like VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have backed his claims. Asked why he did not reveal this to Dravid, who has refused to comment on the matter, Tendulkar said for him, the issue had ended after refusing the offer. “I didn’t want to do all that (tell Dravid about it). As far as I was concerned, the matter was over right there because I didn’t accept it, so I felt the battle was over. And I didn’t want to create that atmosphere in the team because it was just the beginning of my stint with Greg,” he said. He also said that initially he had told some of his teammates to give Greg some time to settle down in his job when they complained against him but later found out that things were only getting worse. I had asked players to give Greg some time
“I remember precisely the first two tours I missed and there was controversy in Sri Lanka and in Zimbabwe and I wasn’t there on both those tours. We played the Challenger Trophy and while driving back from Mohali, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, possibly Harbhajan Singh and a couple of guys were there,” he recalled. “We were all travelling together and that is when the players said that ‘we don’t feel comfortable under Greg.’ I clearly told them he had joined us and we should accommodate him and give him a chance. I said we should let him settle down (because) for any coach to settle down it does take time, so allow him that. “I said ‘I feel you guys are rushing in and it is unfair’ and I had sided with him. But along the period I experienced with him, I think, in retrospect, the players were right,” he added. Wanted to boycott Oz tour during ‘Monkeygate’
Prime witness to one of the biggest controversies that rocked Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has finally spoken about the anger and sense of betrayal he felt during the ‘Monkeygate scandal’ in Australia, revealing that he took the lead in threatening a boycott of the tour at the peak of the furore. “Anil Kumble (the then captain) and I took the lead and it was unanimously decided that we would boycott the tour if Bhajji’s ban was upheld,” Tendulkar writes in the book. “I want to state very clearly that the incident arose because Andrew Symonds had been continually trying to provoke Bhajji and it was inevitable that the two would have an altercation at some point. While walking up to Bhajji to try to calm things down, I heard him say ‘Teri maa ki’ (Your mother...) to Symonds. It is an expression we often use in north India to vent our anger and to me it was all part of the game,” the batting maestro said. Fixing: Didn’t know, so didn’t comment in book
Sachin Tendulkar has shied away from touching on perhaps the darkest phase in Indian cricket —the match-fixing scandal —in his much-awaited autobiography, saying he chose to skirt the issue as it would have been “unwise” to comment on things he was not fully aware of. “I think whatever things I knew 100 per cent I have revealed because I back up those things. But the things I am not aware of fully, it would be unwise to comment on those,” Tendulkar said. “I should have some evidence, I should know something in detail to talk about it because then it makes sense and it will be appreciated by people. But if I just start talking then it will not have any value,” he said. — PTI dressing room during the Chappell era Sourav Ganguly:
It was very disappointing. I didn't even know if I would make it to the (2007 World Cup) team. I think we had the strongest squad but we didn't make it. But we had some good things happen after that. Winning in England under Rahul. That was very, very satisfying. Rahul Dravid:
2007 for me as a captain was a tough moment. It was a difficult time for me, not qualifying for the second stage of the World Cup. There are ups and downs and that is how sport is and how life is. VVS Laxman:
When you go out to bat, you want to do with a clear frame of mind. Already, there is lot of expectations, so when you go out, you have to go out with a relaxed frame of mind. Cricket is a sport, not a job or profession. Unless you are enjoying yourself, you can't do well. Sachin Tendulkar:
I agree with Laxman. The atmosphere [under Greg Chappell] could have been better. It wasn't a healthy atmosphere. I felt that wasn't happening under Greg. The environment was very negative and it was downfall from there. Dravid declaration with
Sachin on 194* in Multan 2004 Dravid: Every time I get asked about Multan, if I had got a rupee, I would be a multi-millionaire. If you have 16 years together as players, there are going to be times when there are disagreements. You are going to agree to disagree. You are all trying to do your best for your country. That we are still friends after 16 years is what matters. The memory for me was giving Sachin the ball and he got Moin out. And the whole team walked off together celebrating that wicket. That’s what it was all about. Tendulkar:
Normally disagreements take place in the dressing room behind closed doors. The whole world saw this but that doesn’t mean we are fighting or not talking to each other. We closed that chapter immediately. What matters is we continue to be friends. Playing with Sachin Dravid:
When I first started to bat with him, he would in and I would be a bit nervous and thinking Sachin Tendulkar is coming to bat with you, don't run him out. And he would ask you, 'What's happening?' I thought he is taking the mickey or do I really have to answer him. I was that nervous. Then I realised later he was just eager to know. Laxman:
I heard a lot about Sachin and Shastri from Amol Muzumdar. Amol used to adore Sachin. Had a poster in his room and would literally take Sachin's blessing whenever he went out to play cricket. The first time I met him was in 1996. Even then you could see how humble he was. He made me feel so comfortable when I made my debut under his captaincy. Ganguly:
We would finish training by afternoon. We would go back to the dormitory but Sachin would keep practising with a tennis ball. He was my room-mate at the MRF Pace Academy. And he would walk in the night. One night he got up, walked around his bed and came back to sleep. The next night I saw the same thing again. He said: ‘I have issues. So I had to stay awake the rest of the night.’ When Sachin had Anjali running after him Going to his house:
He told me to pretend I am a journalist. I went to his house nicely dressed in a salwar kameez. I think his sister-in-law was there and was peeping from the curtain. No female journalist had ever come to interview him at the house. Getting engaged:
I had to tell his parents we got engaged. He was in New Zealand and had just started to open. Things were going well. He said let’s get engaged. I said okay. He was 21 then. He said there is no time to waste so you have to go and tell my parents. What we really want to hear about...
Sachin Tendulkar has eschewed controversy all his life — this means he's not spoken the inconvenient truth about several incidents and issues he's been privy to over his 24 years in the Indian team. These are some of the things we really want to read... The days of the fix Exactly what happened in those dark days? Eventually, some Indian players were penalised. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Tendulkar was aware of and working against the fixing problem in the team - how could he remain unaware, anyway? Sydney 2008 During the “Monkeygate” controversy, when Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a monkey, Tendulkar (who was batting with Harbhajan at the time) said in the initial inquiry that he hadn’t heard what was said. In a later hearing, though, Tendulkar said that Harbhajan has used a Hindi cuss word, that sounded like ‘monkey’. Australian players have called Tendulkar a liar in their books. What does Tendulkar say? Skipping Tests Immediately after the 2011 World Cup, Tendulkar preferred to play for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but rested for the Test series against West Indies. He's always professed that Test cricket is the best form of the game and playing for India the highest honour, but he put country below club (and money). Why? Declared on 194 not out In the Multan Test of 2004, captain Rahul Dravid declared the innings when Tendulkar was batting on 194. Tendulkar was very upset, and said: “I needed only another three or four overs at the most to get to 200... We'd discussed the declaration at tea, but I didn't know it was round the corner. It was surprising.” Wonder if Tendulkar detailed this incident fully in the book. Actor Tendulkar Just to save tax on money earned from TV commercial a few years previously, Tendulkar in 2011 contended that his profession was that of an actor when he was appearing in TV commercials. Rajya Sabha Why did he agree to accept the Rajya Sabha nomination if he was not interested in attending its sessions? Even a year after his retirement, his Rajya Sabha attendance remains one percent. — TNS |
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‘We’re gearing up nicely for World Cup’
Ahmedabad, November 5 “I have been very impressed with Umesh (Yadav) since he came back from injury. He has been bowling quick and has also been consistent,” said Kohli. “He's hitting good areas with good pace and that's giving batsmen trouble on flat wickets. He's working on his death bowling too,” said Kohli. Talking about other members of pace attack, Kohli said: “Ishant (Sharma) has been playing Test cricket for a while now, so he knows what to do and how to do it. Obviously he will have good and bad times. He also bounced back pretty well after not having such a very good ODI season. “Coming closer to the World Cup it's great to see all these guys bowling really well as a strong pace attack in Australia will give us an added advantage,” said the stylish batsman. Kohli also praised the batting. “It has come together nicely over the past one or one and half years. It's not like it has happened recently, it's a gradual process and the guys are more comfortable batting in their spots. The whole idea of this series is to try different people at different positions and see how they react to those situations, but it's not like neglecting the fact that we have to win the games… this is just a phase leading up to the World Cup,” said Kohli. Kohli also singled out five likely candidates to fill in the all-rounder's slot in the World Cup, capable of delivering it big like Mohinder Amarnath did in 1983 and Yuvraj Singh did in 2011. “We have had a few people coming in now. (Ravichandran) Ashwin has been more than good with the bat in certain situations, a very intelligent cricketer. There is (Ravindra) Jadeja and everyone knows how capable he is. He's been a perfect all rounder for us. “Now we also have Akshar Patel whose temperament has been amazing. I have seen him in the two games now and in IPL, he's a very strong character. We have Stuart Binny as well. “All rounder has been the X factor for us in the previous World Cups. Any of these four people or even (leg spinner) Karn Sharma can be very handy with the bat. Come the World Cup, you can have any of these people come up and be the star of the tournament. We definitely have many options. Even if one has a brilliant tournament, it will be very helpful for us,” he said. Kohli said that Jadeja has been left out of the team to give him some rest after he had played non-stop cricket, besides giving newcomer Patel chance to grow in confidence. “The decision not to play Jadeja was more to figure out how much we need to play him before the World Cup. He's been playing non-stop cricket it's about managing that (work load) from team management point of view. Other than that we were looking to give more chances to Akshar as well as we believe he's a confident guy, he's got the right kind of temperament to deliver at the right situations for the team,” said Kohli. — PTI
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‘Boxers subjected to pregnancy test’
New Delhi, November 5 According to SAI consultant Dr PSM Chandran, who is also the president of the Indian Federation of Sports Medicine, the tests were conducted on all boxers, including unmarried and juniors, by the SAI. “These boxers have been compelled to undergo pregnancy tests by Boxing India. They ordered and the SAI followed suit. Pregnancy tests were carried out on eight young unmarried boxers, some even juniors, a classic case of human rights violation,” Chandran made the revelation in a press release. “The shocking thing is that it was done against rules. In the AIBA Technical Rules, which came into effect on August 31, there is no provision to subject boxers to pregnancy tests. The rule states ‘Women boxers must additionally submit a non- pregnancy declaration along with the medical certificate. For boxers under the age of 18, this non-pregnancy declaration must be signed by at least one of their parents or legal guidance’,” said Chandran. “The boxing administrators, insensitive to human rights, goes beyond this rule and calls for tests to confirm that the girls are pregnant or not,” Chandran said. When contacted, SAI Executive Director (Teams) Sudhir Setia said they didn't flout any rule. “Under the AIBA rules, a medical certificate of the federation doctor, declaring that the boxer is not pregnant, has to be provided to the world body. This is not the first time our women boxers have been subjected to such tests. No junior boxer was subjected to the test,” said Setia.
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Gritty India stun Australia 2-1
Perth, November 5 India started aggressively and kept the opponent defence busy in the first two quarters. They managed to sneak behind the Australian defence and create good opportunities. However, Australia drew first blood in the 30th minute when Matt Gohdes deflected in a cross. In the third quarter, Australia earned a penalty corner which was defended well before the visitors counter-attacked. Sardar Singh’s long pass found Ramandeep Singh in the Australian circle and the Punjab forward made no mistake in netting the ball, helping his team equalise in the 33rd minute. The equaliser saw India increase their tempo as they attacked yet again in the very next minute. This time, it was SV Sunil who single-handedly took the ball to the circle and cleverly put it past the goalkeeper, giving India the second goal and the lead. In the fourth and final quarter, both India and Australia fought neck-and-neck. India continued their attacking game till the last minute and tried to create more chances but they were now up against a defensive Australia, who managed to hold on till the final whistle. The third match of the series will be played on November 8. — PTI
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Stratford, November 5 After a barren first half, Rachel McCann put the Kiwis ahead in the 54th minute through a penalty corner conversion. Danielle Sutherland made it 2-0 for the hosts when she struck a field goal in the 63rd minute. In the next minute, Namita Toppo struck to reduce the deficit. However, the Indian team could not get the equaliser and the hosts ran away with the win. The Indian team played aggressively but failed to penetrate into the rival defense. The second match of the series will be played tomorrow. — PTI
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Anelka fires again as Mumbai beat Delhi
Mumbai, November 5 The win helped the hosts zoom up to third spot on the table with nine points from six games while the visitors, who have six points in their kitty, slipped to sixth position. Mumbai made a nervous start as the Delhi side kept possession for major periods of the first half. Syed Rahim Nabi, for the second time in the tournament, picked up an injury early on and was forced off with Peter Costa coming on to replace him. Nabi’s injury pegged back the Mumbai side as the visitors moved the ball around well with Delhi’s Steven Dias causing a few problems for the hosts from the right with his runs and crosses. Mads Junker was, however, unable to get on the end of any of the crosses as Mumbai custodian Subrata Paul came bravely off his line a few times to thwart any danger. As the half progressed, Mumbai slowly began to get into the groove. Jan Stohanzl collected the ball in midfield, ran towards the goal and unleashed a thunderous effort that sailed over the bar. Lalrindika Ralte tested Delhi goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout a few minutes later with a shot from distance, but the tall Belgian goalkeeper made a comfortable save. The closest either team came to scoring was when Andre Moritz picked up the ball and threaded it through to Anelka on the left who lobbed a beautiful pass across the goal to an unmarked Subash Singh who fluffed the chance. After the change of ends, Mumbai came out firing on all cylinders while Delhi were content to play the waiting game. But just when Delhi went for the offensive, Mumbai scored from a counter-attack in the 59th minute. Stohanzl collected the ball in the midfield and released Subhash down the right who lobbed the ball over a defender on to Anelka, who placed it past van Hout into the top left corner with a sublime left-footer. — PTI
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Jaisha strikes second gold, Luka best woman athlete
New Delhi, November 5 Railways’ Jaisha clocked 4:17.80, well below her meet record timing of 4:11.83, in a mediocre field to win gold. ONGC’s Sini Markose (4:21.89) and Sakshi (4:22.15) finished second and third respectively. Jaisha, 31, who bagged a bronze in women’s 1500m race in Incheon, had also won the 5000m gold here on the opening day. “I am happy to end the season with this performance. This will give me confidence for the next season. I will take part in the National Games and also have a foreign training stint in China next year,” she said. Asian Games silver medallist Tintu Luka also grabbed her second gold after she anchored the Railways team to gold in 4x400m in a time of 3:47.77, ahead of ONGC (3:49.93) and Kerala (3:56.40). Luka, who also won gold in 800m, was adjudged the best female athlete of the championships, while Ankit Sharma, who set a new meet record in long jump (7.87m), was named the best male athlete. Manikanda Arumugam, also of Railways, was the third athlete to run away with two gold medals from the championships. He added the 200m gold, finishing in 20.98secs, to the 100m gold he won on the second day. In men’s triple jump, former national record holder Renjith Maheswary, representing Railways, finally had something to cheer about in an otherwise disappointing season as he won gold with an effort of 16.09m. Current national record holder and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Arpinder Singh of ONGC finished third with an effort of 15.89m while U Karthik of Services was second with 15.95m. Asian Games gold medallist Seema Punia did not turn up for the women’s discus throw event but made her presence felt in the VIP stand. Punia was one of the several top athletes who skipped the season-ending meet. In Punia’s absence, ONGC’s Navjeet Kaur Dhillon, who won a bronze in IAAF World Junior Championships earlier this year, bagged the gold with an effort of 55.33m. — PTI
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RCF women in Surjit hockey final
Jalandhar, November 5 For RCF, Amandeep Kaur scored four goals, while Vatrika Singh, Ramngaihzv Ali and Anuradha Devi scored one goal each. In the other match, Punjab XI and Haryana XI shared one point each after a 2-2 draw. The Punjab girls took the lead in the 32nd minute when right full-back Ritu converted their first penalty corner. Ritu scored another goal to give Punjab a two goal lead. Haryana XI reduced the margin in the 58th minute through Jyoti Gupta and in the 63rd minute Jyoti equalised. With 9 points, RCF top the points table and enter the final, while the other team will be decided after the match between Rest of Pakistan and Haryana XI. Presently, Punjab XI have four points from their three matches whereas Haryana XI have one point from their two matches. The Haryana girls will only qualify for the final if they beat Rest of Pakistan by a margin of four goals. Indian
Oil enter semis
In the men’s section, Indian Oil defeated Indian Overseas Bank 4-1 to enter the semifinals. The bank team took the lead in the 5th minute, when it earned its first penalty corner. Their penalty corner expert D Matthusalvan did not make any mistake to sound the board. Trailing by one goal, Indian Oil started building their moves from the right flank and in the 11 minute Prabhjot Singh equalised. After the lemon break, Indian Oil started the game in a planned manner and increased the lead in the 47th minute when Deepak Thakur scored a field goal. Thakur and Prabhjot again scored in the 57th and the 62 minutes respectively. |
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Punjab athletes threaten to move to Haryana
New Delhi, November 5 Arpinder Singh, Khushbir Kaur and Navjot Kaur have put the state government on an ultimatum that if they don’t receive the promised cash incentives in coming days, they will be forced to move to the neighbouring state in search of a better sporting future. Though, the Punjab government has announced that it will honour 28 players from the state, who won medals at the Incheon Asian Games and Glasgow Commonwealth Games on November 11, and distribute Rs 4.29 crore among them, most of the athletes are still apprehensive of Parkash Singh Badal-led Akali government’s good intentions. “Punjab government has done nothing for the state athletes. Whatever sporting success we have achieved today, it’s the result of years of blood, sweat and tears, but to the government, it counts for nothing. Ours is the only state in the country, which does not acknowledge the hardships of its athletes,” triple jumper Arpinder, who won a bronze at Glasgow CWG, told The Tribune. Arpinder, who hails from Harsha Chhina village in Amritsar, said he doubts that the state government would give away the cash awards this time too. “Since winning my first international medal at the 2010 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, I have not received a single penny from the government. On the other hand, look at Haryana, they have distributed crores of rupees among the medal winners and provided them the job security. Since Punjab does not encourage its players the way Haryana does, I would be willing to represent that state at the National Games,” he added. Wrestler Navjot, who won bronze in the 69kg at the Glasgow CWG, said despite winning medals at the international events, she is yet to get a permanent job with the Punjab government. “In Haryana, international medal winners get jobs like Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), but in Punjab, they would be offered the rank of a constable. Despite repeated calls to the sports officials, I have not got my due. It’s a hopeless situation here. There is no motivation to represent your state at the international events,” Navjot said. “The time has come to make a decision and move to Haryana, where you get the job security and financial incentives. If the Badal government doesn’t give away the cash awards on November 11, I would be forced to take the difficult step,” the grappler from Tarn Taran near Amritsar added. There’s a reason why Punjab athletes have started drawing comparisons with athletes from Haryana. Those who win medals at the international events would end up getting cash rewards running into millions, good jobs and luxury cars. Sample this — a gold medallist from Haryana at the Asiad and CWG will get cash awards of Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore each, up from Rs 25 lakh and Rs 15 lakh respectively. Silver and bronze medal winners at the Asiad would now get Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh, instead of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively. Silver and bronze medal winners at the CWG will get Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, instead of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. Another athlete from Punjab, India’s leading race walker Khushbir Kaur, has echoed this similar sentiment and showed her interest in moving to Haryana. “Like other medal winners from my state, I, too, haven’t got the promised amount and job. What other option do I have?” she asked.
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Punjab captian Anmolpreet scores 322
Chandigarh, November 5 Anmolpreet Singh scored 322 runs off 401 with 34 boundaries and four sixes. Punjab scored 753 for 4 in 164 overs before declaring. Anmolpreet and Mansab Gill added 327 runs for the third wicket before Mansab was castled by S Khajuria. He scored 133 off 263 balls studded with 16 boundaries. Brief Scores: J&K: 195 & 143/4 in 61 overs (Pundir 65*; Bhargav 2/34); Punjab: 753/4 (Anmolpreet 322, Navneet 154*, Mansab 133, Sanvir 85). — TNS
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Real ease into Champions League last 16
Paris, November 5 Madrid recorded their fourth win in four Group B games, and their 12th consecutive victory in all competitions, beating Liverpool 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to a first-half Karim Benzema goal. Meanwhile, Dortmund shrugged aside their dreadful domestic form to maintain their perfect record in Group D, crushing Galatasaray 4-1 in Germany. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen won to close in on qualification for the last 16 while Juventus, Basel and Benfica all recorded precious victories but Arsenal threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Anderlecht in London. The game came in the 27th minute, Benzema converting a Marcelo cross at the back post. — PTI
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Ronaldinho abuse reveals soccer racism in Mexico
Mexico City, November 5 The upbeat mood didn't last long. Even before he had played his first match, he was the subject of a racist attack, the kind that has become common for black soccer players across Europe. Mexico has a history of racism on the pitch. But it was largely overlooked until the arrival of Ronaldinho. Racism in Europe often involves white against black. But in Mexico and other parts of Latin America that have mixed-race societies, it can involve dark-skinned people shouting insults at other dark-skinned people. Carlos Trevino, a former official of the Queretaro state government, launched an attack on Ronaldinho on his Facebook page before the Brazilian had played a single game. He had only just arrived in town, causing minor pandemonium, when Trevino exploded. "Seriously, I try to be tolerant, but I hate football and the idiotic phenomenon it produces," Trevino wrote. "I hate it even more because people flood the streets, meaning it took me forever to get home. And all this to see an ape; a Brazilian, but an ape just the same." Following a wave of criticism, Trevino apologized to the club and player. But he received no punishment, which typifies how Mexican football officials have dealt with the growing problem. Decio de Maria, president of Liga MX, Mexico's top league suggests racism is not a problem; just misunderstood. "Mexico is not a racist country," he said. "This is a country where we use nicknames. On the streets, they single people out. There are profanities that, when they are said, do not mean what they literally mean. Calling someone by a nickname is not discrimination. Those who cross the line should be taken to court," said de Maria. — PTI
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