CHENNAI, Mar 17: Many may be oblivious to it: like the autorickshaw driver, who on seeing the rush of cricket lovers at the counters of the M A Chidambaram Stadium, asks "when is the match, sir?".....more

Fleming seeks
something special to win

CHRISTCHURCH, Mar 17: New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming called for a something special from his side when they go into the fourth day of the second test against .......more

England grab test
series win in Lanka

COLOMBO, Mar 17: England pulled off a 2-1 victory in the three-test series against Sri Lanka when .....more

Anand faces Kramnik
in Amber Blinford
Chess Tournament

MONTE CARLO, Mar 17: World champion Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand of India starts as the.....more

ITARSI (MP), Mar 17: Eight teams will participate in the six-day All India Rajiv Gandhi...........more

Kabaddi Asso deputation
calls on Director YSS

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Amateur Kabaddi Association.....more

Camp for junior
women cricketers
from March 20

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Women Cricket Association has decided.....more

Christian Star gets
walkover in Football

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 17: In the ongoing Ist Wazir Masih Memorial Football Tournament, Christian......more

Battle of wits to decide the series, begins today

CHENNAI, Mar 17: Many may be oblivious to it: like the autorickshaw driver, who on seeing the rush of cricket lovers at the counters of the M A Chidambaram Stadium, asks "when is the match, sir?"

When his query was answered, he shoots back in all innocence, "India-Pakistan sir?" little realising that it is the Aussies whom India would be taking on in the third and the final test at the historic Chepauk Ground beginning tomorrow.

The Kangaroos have been brought down to earth, with their 16-wins-on-the-trot record being brought to an end at long last single-handedly by India’s toast at the Eden Gardens, Hyderabad hero V V S Laxman not to speak any less of Bangalore boy Rahul Dravid.

The Aussies will be under pressure after seeing victory being snatched away from them in the second test at Kolkata. However, manager Steve Bernard says that inspite of the pressure, the mood in the camp was "upbeat." The boys have realised that the winning record had to be broken someday or the other.

But, the Aussies are all the more determined to do well, Bernard said.

Indian captain Saurav Ganguly too admits that the pressure is on India to repeat the Kolkata performance. The mood is that of happiness, but pressure or no pressure, we are realistic to the fact that another test has to be won, he added at a press conference last evening.

However, going by the history at Chepauk, which according to Curator Parthasarathy, would be sporting and most expectedly last the entire five day duration of the match, with spin being the main weapon to decide the winner.

Interestingly, former Indian captain Ravi Shastri has already gone on record saying that the wicket at Chepauk will aid spin from day one itself.

Obviously realising the spin factor which has been dominating any contest barring a few instances, at the Chepauk, the Indian selectors have brought in Mumbai spinners Sairaj Bahutule, the leggie and left-armer Nilesh Kulkarni. Nilesh was last picked for the Indian squad in the rained-off Nagpur test in the 1997-98 series against Sri Lanka.

The Indians are also likely to miss stumper Nayan Mongia who may be replaced by Mumbai stumper Samir Dhige, whom the selectors have reportedly asked to join the squad in Chennai. However, manager Chetan Chauhan indicated that Mongia has fit after having recovered from the fracture on the bridge of his nose.

Meanwhile, there is some confusion in the Aussie camp with star leg spinner Shane Warne being badly hit in the Kolkata test. The burly spinner, preferred ahead of Stewart McGill by the Aussie selectors, was also hit for the maximum number of runs in his illustrious career so far.

The Aussies are likely to bring in off-spinner Colin Miller (63 wickets in 17 tests so far) as off-spinners have always been a deciding factor at Chepauk down the years.

They are also likely to drop another of their stars, batsman Ricky Ponting and bring in Damien Martin. Ponting has been a bunny of sorts for India’s off spinner Harbhajan Singh so far in this series.

The Indian selectors have also recalled Orissa medium-pacer Debashish Mohanty who passed into record books in the Ranji Trophy Championship this season bagging all ten wickets in an innings. Mohanty may be preferred to Srinath if the latter who had suffered a fracture in the first test is not fully fit.

Mohanty was in the wilderness after India’s disastrous tour to Australia last year.

India will also be going into this test with happy memories of a resounding win against the Aussies in 1998 with the now out of -action star leg-spinner Anil Kumble and the dropped left armer Venkatapathi Raju doing the star turn.

Out of the seven test matches between the two teams in Chennai, three were played at the Nehru Stadium in 1956-57 (first test), 1959-60 (third test) and 1964-65 (first test) and four in M A Chidambaram Stadium in 1969-70 (fifth test), 1979-80 (first test), 1986 (first test which turned out to be the historic second tied test in the annals of cricket) and 1998 (first test).

The teams: Australia (likely xi):Steve Waugh (Capt), Michael Slater, Mathew Hayden, Justin Langer, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting or Damien Martin, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne or Michael Kasprowicz, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Colin Miller.

India (from): Saurav Ganguly (Capt), R Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das, S Ramesh, Sachin Tendulkar, V V D Laxman, Hemang Badani, Nayan Mongia or Samir Dhige, Javagal Srinath or Debasish Mohanty, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Sharandeep Singh, Sairaj Bahutule and Nilesh Kulkarni.

Umpires: A V Jayaprakash (India), Rudy Kuertzen (South Africa). Third Umpire: C R Vijayaraghavan. Match referee: Cammy Smith. (UNI)

Fleming seeks something special to win

CHRISTCHURCH, Mar 17: New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming called for a something special from his side when they go into the fourth day of the second test against Pakistan tomorrow, needing to draw level in the three-match series.

"We’ve got to knock them over before lunch and we need a lead to be able to push ahead and set them a target. I don’t think they will declare, so we have to get them out," Fleming said.

Pakistan, having won the first test, were 341-6 at stumps today, replying to the home side’s first innings of 476.

He noted three Pakistani wickets in the last session today helped, adding: "It’s a very flat wicket and we need to get more in the first session tomorrow."

New Zealand’s tough day was aggravated by injury to debutant medium fast bowler Chris Drum, who fell awkwardly in the field and dislocated his right shoulder. Fleming said Drum will not bowl again in the match and is doubtful for batting.

"It’s yet another blow for us," Fleming said. "But we can’t dwell on it and we just have to carry on as best we can".

"It was bad luck for Chris, and for the team because he was due to come back on to bowl within an over or two. He had a lot of work to do for the rest of the afternoon before the accident." (REUTERS)

England grab test series win in Lanka

COLOMBO, Mar 17: England pulled off a 2-1 victory in the three-test series against Sri Lanka when they won the last test by four wickets in a compelling finish today with two days to spare.

After skittling Sri Lanka for 81 in their second innings, England needed 74 to win but were reduced to 43 for four at one stage by the loss of Michael Atherton (13), Marcus Trescothick (10), Michael Vaughan (8) and Alec Stewart (0).

However, Graham Thorpe Coolly steered the touring team to their target late on the third day with 32 not out after earlier completing an outstanding unbeaten 113.

A total of 22 wickets tumbled in three absorbing sessions of cricket which reached a peak as Sri Lanka were dismissed in 28.1 overs for their second lowest total in tests. Their worst was 71 against Pakistan at Kandy in 1994.

England had taken a first innings lead of eight after the century by Thorpe, who stood firm while his side slipped from 175 for four overnight to 249 all out just after lunch in reply to Sri Lanka’s 241.

When the home country batted again, Darren Gough and Andy Caddick made inroads with a three-wicket burst before left-arm spinner Ashley Giles and off-spinner Robert Croft accelerated the decline.

Giles snapped up four for 11 in 9.1 overs as Sri Lanka succumbed under mounting pressure, their last seven wickets crashing for 24. (REUTERS)

Anand faces Kramnik in Amber Blinford
Chess Tournament

MONTE CARLO, Mar 17: World champion Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand of India starts as the hot favourite and will be the main attraction at the Tenth Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament beginning here today.

The 13-day tournament features 11 other Grandmasters including Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who defeated compatriot Grandmaster Gary Kasparov in a match organized by Braingames last year.

Anand, twice winner before of this competition, is likely to face challenge from Grandmaster Alexei Shirov of Spain in the rapid version of the games while his main contemporary in the blindfold variety will be Kramnik.

The tournament shall be played on the play-all system and each competitor will get to match wits against his rival twice, once in blindfold and once in rapid. The rapid games shall be of about an hours duration while in the blindfold only the last move played by his opponent shall be visible to the player to move.

Both the games will be played on latest technology chess clocks and the players will gain time as they complete a move.

This year the prize fund shall be 1,37,250 dollars in all and the prizes will be distributed to winners in rapid, blindfold and overall winner, based on the points they score at the end of the event.

The tournament was formally inaugurated last evening with a cocktail party and dinner that was immensely enjoyed by the participants.

List of the participants:

Viswanathan Anand (India), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Anatoly Karpov (Russia), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Ljubomir Ljubojevic (Yugoslavia), Jeroen Piket (the Netherlands), Alexei Shirov (Spain), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Loek Van Wely (the Netherlands), Zoltan Almasi (Hungary). (UNI)

Rajiv Gandhi Women Hockey Champ begins today

ITARSI (MP), Mar 17: Eight teams will participate in the six-day All India Rajiv Gandhi Women Hockey Championship beginning here tomorrow.

The inaugural match will be played between Central Railway, Nagpur and Steel Authority of India Limited, organising committee president Jagdish Agarwal informed. (UNI)