Jaywant Lele

BCCI yet to decide
about indoor series
against the Aussies

MUMBAI, June 28: Indian cricket team’s participation in the three-match limited overs indoor series against Australia in September was yet to be approved by the cricket. ......more

Harbhajan aims
to be an all-rounder

BULAWAYO, June 28: Having proved his credentials as a deadly off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh is now concentrating his energies on improving his . . ...more

Anand goes down to Kramnik in Chess

MAINZ (Germany), June 28: Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik of Russia capitalised on an optical Bluthan Anand in the third game of the Maniz Chess Classics Rapid Festival here to record the first win in the. . ...more

ITF Women’s Masters Tourney
Sheetal tames Sonal; to vie for top honours with Megha

NEW DELHI, June 28: Fourth seed Sheetal Goutham shattered top seed Sonal Phadke’s dream of a championship ....more

Sixteen outstanding
Army sportsmen felicitated

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28: Lt General Vijay Oberoi, Vice Chief of Army Staff, in a function held at South Block, New Delhi, felicitated 16 Army Sportspersons today....more

Mountaineering
expedition flagged off

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28: A mountaineering expedition consisting of ten members from 107 Air Defence Regiment was flagged off by Lt Gen Naresh Chand, Director General, Air Defence Artillery from Stock....more

KCCC beats
Challenger Club, enters
semis of Tamar Cup

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28: Kishen Chand Cricket Club (KCCC) today entered the semi-finals of the Ist Hot Weather Tamar Cup Cricket Tournament beating Challenger Cricket Club by eight wickets in the first quarter-final played at M A Stadium, here......more

Cultural organisation
holds ‘Jhankar 2001’

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28: Nav Durga Kala Manch, a cultural cum social organisation has celebrated its annual feature, "Jhankar 2001" at Abhinav Theatre, Jammu.......more

BCCI yet to decide about indoor series against the Aussies

MUMBAI, June 28: Indian cricket team’s participation in the three-match limited overs indoor series against Australia in September was yet to be approved by the cricket board, BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele said today.

Lele, who was here on way to Chennai, told PTI that a decision whether to accept the invitation from the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to play would be taken at the Board’s working the third week of July.

"We had asked for a change in the dates from the ACB as they clashed with the Asian Test Championship tie with Pakistan from September 13-17 and the ACB has acceded to our request," he said.

"However, the final decision whether to send a team for the series rests with the working committee," Lele said.

The ACB yesterday said the three matches against India will be held on September 21 and 23 (Colonial Indoor Stadium in Melbourne) and September 26 at the Gabba in Brisbane. (PTI)

Harbhajan aims to be an all-rounder

BULAWAYO, June 28: Having proved his credentials as a deadly off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh is now concentrating his energies on improving his batting too in order to

The 20-year-old, who earned the sobriquet of ‘turbonator’ for his record 32 wicket haul in the home test series against Australia, has made the headlines on the Zimbabwe tour for different reasons.

Despite being the second highest wicket-taker for India in the test series, it was his gutsy contribution with the bat in both the tests that was more acknowledged.

And Harbhajan himself knows his batting only too well.

"I think my footwork is not very good but my eyesight is very good. I can spot it (the ball) early," he told PTI in an interview. He said his crucial knock of 45-runs in the Chennai test against Australia had given him the confidence that he can get some runs too.

"The point is if you bat well in an international series once, you have the confidence to do it again. (after the knock against Australia) I said to myself: `if you can get it against Australia, you can get it against any team’."

"In the Ranji Trophy too this year, I have made good scores. So whenever I got a chance to go in the middle, I always felt I could contribute 30-40 runs," he said.

"(But) There are a lot of improvements needed in my batting and I will try to improve more and more as the next few series are going to be only tougher," he said.

The emphasis in no way at the cost of his bowling and Harbhajan continues to be as impressive as he was during the Australian series though the number of his victims has certainly come down.

"After the Australian series, people expect me to take wickets whenever I come in to bowl. I take it as a positive sign. But the conditions and wickets here (in Zimbabwe) are different," Harbhajan, who has gone wicketless in the two one-day internationals in the Triangular series so far after taking eight wickets in the two tests, said.

Harbhajan said he was happy with the way he has bowled in Zimbabwe especially against Andy Flower who has the reputation of being one of the best batsmen against spin and has an awesome record against India.

"I am happy (with my bowling). I did get him (Andy Flower) out in the second innings of the Harare test," said Harbhajan who had worked out a plan for the wicketkeeper batsman, trying to make him drive all the time and not allow him to cut or flick.

The off-spinner was of the view that line and length was the most essential weapon for any bowler and, when combined with subtle variations, it can yield results on any wicket anywhere in the world.

"Line and length are the key. If your line and length are good, you can take wickets anywhere in the world. But variations are also important. It is very essential that a spinner possesses them. If you bowl with variations, it would not be easy for batsmen to get going on any surface," he said. Harbhajan described himself as an "aggressive" bowler and said he preferred someone who can restrict the batsmen to bowl in tandem with him from the other end.

"I always bowl to take wickets and not to contain batsmen. I don’t get joy if I bowl 20 overs and concede only 30 runs. My feeling is, if I bowl 20 overs, I should have four or five wickets.

"I would love to have a bowler at the other end who keeps runs down to a trickle. It is a great help because you know the batsmen would try to go after you and then you have a chance.’’

"When Anil (Kumble) Bhaiya comes back, it would be great, because he is a big bowler and he has always done well for India in every condition. It would be great to operate with him," he said.

The Punjab youngster admitted that he is more comfortable bowling to right-handers than the left-handers which is quite contrary to what other off-spinners in the game feel.

"I am different and it is because of a logical reason. Against right-handers, I can plan my attack better than against the left-handers. I am also not very comfortable going round the wicket."

But despite being a right-hander, it is Australian captain Steve Waugh whom Harbhajan named as the most difficult batsman to bowl to.

"Steve Waugh has to be the best batsman I have ever bowled to. He seems to know much ahead what I would be bowling. I really enjoyed when I took his wicket in the last series." "After the game was over, I went to him and said ‘you are a great batsman’. And he encouraged me by saying I was a good bowler as well," Harbhajan said with a grin.

He admitted that he was having problems adjusting to the Kookaburra ball. "It is just a matter of habit. Someone like Shane Warne likes bowling with Kookaburra ball. I think we would have to learn fast how to bowl in these conditions. More so since most of our cricket in the next season will be played abroad, so it makes sense to get used to kookaburra balls.’’

"I will be trying hard to use them at home, how to deceive batsmen in the air and keep a good line and length," he said.

That seems to be bad news for the batsmen as Harbhajan looks all set to become what match-referee Denis Lindsay says ‘a monster in the making’. (PTI)

Anand goes down to Kramnik in Chess

MAINZ (Germany), June 28: Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik of Russia capitalised on an optical Bluthan Anand in the third game of the Maniz Chess Classics Rapid Festival here to record the first win in the ten-game match.

The win was followed by a draw in the fourth game last night and Kramnik now enjoys a 2.5-1.5 lead over Anand.

It was a Berlin defence of the Ruy Lopez in the third game and Anand went on an attack in the queen-less middlegame.

Kramnik deviated from a dismal loss against Kasparov and ran his king to safety on the queenside before initiating his counterattack on the kingside. In the opinion of experts and analysis engine fritz, Anand held a slight advantage for the major part of the game with imaginative deployment of pieces and had a firm control of the only open (Queen) file of the game.

However as the dust began to settle, Anand lost control of the game and a momentary lapse of concentration on the 24th move cost him dearly. "I could see it coming", said Anand, when Kramnik delayed the pawn capture on his turn. The finale was picturesque as Kramnik, in a span of just three moves, crashed through on the kingside with a simple pawn advance.

Anand’s active rook on the eighth rank became vulnerable and there was no respite for the world champion. The game lasted 27 moves.

In the second game of the day, the theoretical discussion on the Queen’s gambit accepted was continued and Anand did not face any trouble in equalising in the ensuing middlegame.

Kramnik went for an attack against the king but timely manoeuvring by Anand steered the game to a draw through repetition of moves after 25 moves.

After the rest day today, Anand who has a reputation of bouncing back from difficult situations, is expected to fire on all cylinders in the fifth game on Friday.

In the fisceher random chess match being organised simultaneously, GM Peter Leko continued to excel and extended his lead to 3-1 over GM Michael Adams of England after the fourth game.

The third game was a big surprise for the advocates of this form of the game as a perfectly normal position was reached in the middlegame. The structure infact resembled some of the popular opening set-ups and both the players looked on familiar territories for the first time. The result was a draw after a few minor pieces were traded.

Leko played the fourth game with vigour and went for the king right from the word go. Adams did not get many chances in the game despite his valiant attempt to launch a counter attack on the king. In the end it was a tactical shot that caught Adams’ king at the edge of the bove 29. (PTI)

ITF Women’s Masters Tourney
Sheetal tames Sonal; to vie for top honours with Megha

NEW DELHI, June 28: Fourth seed Sheetal Goutham shattered top seed Sonal Phadke’s dream of a championship showdown in the $5,000 ITF Women’s Masters Tournament here today.

Bangalore girl Goutham used her characteristic chip and charge tennis to outwit the tournament favourite Phadke 4-6 6-2 6-3 in a repeat of this year’s Indore-leg semi-final which also saw Goutham victorious.

In the second all-southpaw, all-Mumbai semi-final, Megha Vakharia outslugged another unseeded player, Isha Lakhani, 6-2 7-5 in an hour and a half.

Phadke took off confidently as Goutham double-faulted in the second game to give her a 2-0 lead which she enhanced to 5-1 by breaking Goutham again in the sixth game.

In a sudden twist of events, Phadke double faulted thrice in the seventh and lost her serve. Goutham seized the opportunity and broke Phadke again in the ninth to make it 5-4 only to falter in the next game to hand the set to Phadke.

In the second, Phadke was only a shadow of her fighting self as she gave into the guiles of Goutham who broke her in the third game with a spectacular half-volley drop.

Unable to handle the pressure mounting on her, Phadke became more erratic. Sensing this, Goutham unleashed her top-spinners and lured her opponent into making more mistakes which did pay rich dividends for her. She won though Phadke had sent down six aces in the confrontation which went on for one hour and 45 minutes.

Left-handers, Vakharia and Lakhani made their feud memorable with each matching the other stroke for stroke especially in the second set in the latter made a valiant attempt to stay in the match.

The 26-minute who-will-thwack-the-ball-better first set was taken by Vakharia hands down 6-2 breaking Lakhani thrice en route. But Lakhani, never one to go down quietly, was all fired up in the second as she taunted Vakharia with her shrieks and fist-pumping after snatching a point.

Both players parried breaks to level at 5-5. The next two games were excitement-filled as in the 11th Vakharia chopped off two break points to even at deuce. The game then saw four more deuces before Vakharia managed to hold serve.

The see-saw tussle spilled into the 12th game in which Lakhani’s effort went in vain despite erasing four match points as her rally strayed off the base-line much to the relief of a tiring Vakharia.

Goutham will feature in both the singles and doubles final tomorrow as she and partner Liza Pereira who are top seeds will take on third seeds Preeti Rao and Samrita Sekar. (PTI)

Sixteen outstanding Army sportsmen felicitated

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, June 28: Lt General Vijay Oberoi, Vice Chief of Army Staff, in a function held at South Block, New Delhi, felicitated 16 Army Sportspersons today.

Out of these sixteen sportsmen, eleven belonged to Engineers, four were from the Sikh Regiment and one from Corps of Signals.

Subedar Maj Gurtej Singh of Bengal Engineers Centre, Kirkee led these sportsmen for the felicitation function. He has outstanding performance in Rowing with 13 gold, one silver and five bronze medals.

Subedar K Gajendran of Madras Sappers, also in Rowing, has three gold, an equal number of silver and one bronze medals to his credit.

Other sportspersons from Sappers were Sapper Sunil Kakade (Rowing), Ashish Singh (Rowing), Satish Shirsat (Rowing), Jasbir Singh (Rowing), Suresh L (Rowing), G Nagraj (Rowing), Nb/Sub P Anil Kumar (Athletics), Lavi L (Boxing) and G S Shiva Kumar (Boxing).

Nb/Sub P Anil Kumar participated in Olympics 2000 and won gold in 100 meter (new record) and 4x100 meter in addition to winning silver in 100 meter at Asian Track and Field Championship 2000.

Other eminent sports persons felicitated today were Sep Taranjit Singh of Sikh Regiment (Boxing), Sep Gurmail Singh of Sikh (Boxing, Sep Hardeep Singh of Sikh (Boxing) and Hav Khima Nand Belwal of Signals in Boxing.

Addressing these sportsmen, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi complimented them for their achievements and disclosed that efforts were being made to provide better infrastructure and additional facilities for the sports in Army. He said that the Army will provide better coaching alongwith other facilities and it is for the sportspersons to put in their best efforts.