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| India face West Indies in a must-win match today JODHPUR, Nov 20: Handicapped by the absence of some of the key players, India would probably face their toughest test of the series when they take..........more ICC aware of problems faced by Indians NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Desperate to resolve the contract issue ahead of the World Cup, the International Cricket Council today said it had a "better understanding".........more Ashes
Series ADELAIDE (Australia), Nov 20: England cricket captain Nasser Hussain urged his injury-hit team to remain positive ahead of the second cricket test at the.........more Ranji
Round-up JAIPUR, Nov 20: A fine four-wicket haul by spinner Kulmani Parida helped holders Railways open their account in the domestic season with a point, gained by virtue of their first innings lead...........more |
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Varun Sharma Memorial Basketball
Tournament Parade College to meet Tiger Sports in Women’s final today Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 20: Government College for Women (GCW), Parade and Tiger Sports Club today moved into the Women’s.........more Rakesh
wins Men’s Distt Excelsior Sports Correspondent RAJOURI, Nov 20: Rakesh claimed the Men’s singles Table Tennis title beating Pardeep Kumar 3-1 in the final........more Sunita
Rani is free to NEW DELHI, Nov 20: The Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) president Suresh Kalmadi today said drug-tainted middle.....more Former
title winners chalk NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Spearheaded by International Daljit Dhillon, Jugraj Singh and Olympian Gagan Ajit Singh, former champion........more |
JODHPUR, Nov 20: Handicapped by the absence of some of the key players, India would probably face their toughest test of the series when they take on a resurgent West Indies in a must-win sixth one-day international here tomorrow. Already without batting mainstay Sachin Tendulkar and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, India were dealt a blow when skipper Sourav Ganguly was also ruled out for the last two matches which India must win in order to clinch the seven-match series that the hosts currently trail 2-3. With the bowling department remaining an area of big concern, Ganguly’s absence means the batting is also weakened considerably and the young guns would have to produce something out of the ordinary to turn the tables on a West Indies team which suddenly looks a very transformed side from the one that was badly battered in the test series. However, stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid was looking at it as an opportunity for the youngsters to prove themselves. "It’s a great opportunity for the entire team. There are a few senior players missing and we are trailing the series. But if we can turn it around from here, we will earn the respect of a lot of people," Dravid, who has won both his matches as a skipper in one-dayers, said ahead of the match today. With both Ganguly and Tendulkar missing, left-hander Dinesh Mogia has been asked to open the innings with Virender Sehwag. Though Dravid did not name the final eleven, he confirmed Mongia will get to play his first match of the series tomorrow and take place of Ganguly. Considering the kind of totals being achieved in this series, the start provided by the openers is absolutely crucial and Mongia, who has not done very well in the last couple of games he has played, has a lot to prove tomorrow. All-rounder Ajit Agarkar, who is back into the squad after being dropped mid-way, is also almost certain to play as the second new ball bowler with Javagal Srinath. Even though the absence of Ganguly is likely to be felt acutely, the Indians are not worried much about their batting. It is the other two aspects - bowling and fielding - that they would be looking to improve upon in this match. "Our batting is pretty strong and that is quite evident from the series," coach John Wright said. "But we have been giving too much width to the batsmen with the new ball." "If we bowl well and back up with outstanding fielding, then only can we hope to do well. We must achieve the bowling and fielding standards that we had on the tour of england and in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka," he said. The bowlers have been badly mauled in all the matches of the series — a fact reflected in the veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble being left out of the squad after his poor performance in the first two matches. Even Harbhajan Singh has not been spared by the West Indian batting onslaught though the champion off-spinner has done well in the last couple of matches. In fact, Harbhajan Singh and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik have been the only saving grace for India in the last two matches. But Dravid was non-committal on fielding a three-pronged spin attack tomorrow by including off-spinner Sarandeep Singh who alongwith all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi have been recalled into the national squad after a long time. "Every member of the 15-member squad has a fair chance of playing tomorrow," Dravid said. "In one-dayers, any eleven should be able to do the job." West Indian openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds have been a nightmare for the Indian bowlers in this series and Dravid said his side was working on a few strategies to counter them. "Gayle gives you a few chances early in his innings. We have to hold on to them," he said about the explosive batsman who has already struck three centuries in five matches in this series. All the five earlier matches have been won by the team batting second but both Dravid and Wright said India would not necessarily opt to field first if they win the toss. "If we play good cricket, that shouldn’t really make much of a difference," Wright said. "That is if the nature of the pitch doesn’he pitch here is expected to keep a bit slow and low but there is a bit of moisture on the track right now. So we can assess its nature only tomorrow morning," Dravid said. West Indies, on the other hand, look determined to clinch the series here itself and avenge the loss in the test series. Hooper said india would obviously miss the services of ganguly. "But we are missing players too," he said in an obvious reference to star batsman Brian Lara who missed the tour of India due to an injury. West Indian fast bowler Mervyn Dillon is also suffering with a lower back injury and is doubtful for tomorrow’s match, team manager Ricky Skean Jermaine Lawson, who was to join the team in place of an injured Ryan Hinds, has not arrived from West Indies, having missed his flight. He will now join the team in Delhi ahead of the final match in Vijaywada on Sunday. Teams (from): India: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, V V S Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Sanjay Bangar, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Sarandeep Singh, Parthiv Patel. West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Camnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Vasbert Drakes, Jermaine Lawson, Darren Ganga, Corey Collymore. Umpires: K Hariharan and Asoka De Silva Third umpire: I Sivaram Match-referee: Mike Proctor (South Africa). (PTI) |
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ICC aware of problems faced by Indians NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Desperate to resolve the contract issue ahead of the World Cup, the International Cricket Council today said it had a "better understanding" of the problems faced by Indian cricketers and will make all efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution. In a bid to find a solution to the vexed players contract issue which had almost jeopardised the champions trophy in Sri Lanka recently, top ICC officials met Indian cricket board president Jagmogan Dalmiya here and discussed the issue at length but made no promises of an early settlement. The ICC’s chief executive officer, Malcolm Speed, who was closeted with Dalmiya for over two hours, admitted that it was not an "easy task" to find a solution to the issue but the game’s governing body had started the process. "It is not an easy issue but we now have a better understanding of the problems faced by Indian players. The process has started but there is no quick solution," Speed told reporters after the meeting. "What’s apparent is that the Indian players are the most affected. We came to know who are the players involved. We need to discuss many things before we can find a solution," Speed said. The contract issue involves a controversial clause in the players’ terms form for ICC tournaments that bars cricketers from endorsing products which are in conflict of interest with the official sponsors of the event, for a period of 30 days on either side of the tournament. The Indian players had refused to sign the mandatory form and participated in Champions Trophy only after ICC made an exception and agreed to reduce the restriction period to 17 days after the event. The ICC and the Indian cricket board had agreed to discuss the issue after the Champions Trophy. Describing the meeting as an "administrative discussion", Dalmiya said the BCCI’s viewpoints were put forward and the ICC was made aware of the problems faced by Indian cricketers. "We had a long discussion. He (Speed) gave the ICC’s viewpoint. I will now take up the matter at the Board’s Working Committee meeting," Dalmiya said . Speed, who also met the ICC sponsors during his two-day stay in the city, said his trip was "fruitful" and helped him take the solution-finding process forward. "There was a need to have a discussion on various aspects. I had long meetings with the sponsors, seeking to establish what their priorities are for the World Cup. It is a fairly long process but we are moving forward," Speed said. Speed, who arrived here yesterday, has been holding a series of meetings with the official sponsors who are keen to ensure that they get sufficient mileage from the event. (PTI) |
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Ashes
Series ADELAIDE (Australia), Nov 20: England cricket captain Nasser Hussain urged his injury-hit team to remain positive ahead of the second cricket test at the Adelaide Oval beginning tomorrow. It might be easier said than done. Battered and bruised in the series opener in Brisbane after some early fight, injuries to England’s bowling stocks have robbed the tourists of any competitive edge in another Ashes series. Leftarm spinner Ashley Giles’ broken left wrist suffered yesterday added his name to an already long injury list: fast bowlers Darren Gough and Simon Jones were forced to return home with knee injuries. Hussain had pinned his hopes on giles to turn the form table on Australia on a spin-friendly Adelaide surface, but now needs to put his faith on offspinner Richard Dawson, who will play his first test in almost a year. "The cricket’s not been great here, its as simple as that," Hussain said. "There have been a lot of injuries and we haven’t done the basics right and we have to turn things around pretty soon starting with this week in Adelaide." "One thing you will get from the England cricket team is that they are honest and we know we’re playing a very good Australian side, (but) it’s about time we put things right and that will not come from getting down or depressed." Veteran batsman John Crawley, who is nursing a heavily bruised hip, remains doubtful for tomorrow. Crawley was forced to retire after taking a painful blow from fast bowler Brad Williams in Hobart against Australia ‘A’ last week. "He’s not looking good," coach Duncan Fletcher said after the side’s final training session. "Actually (it) has got worse. He can’t put any weight on that leg." If crawley fails, Robert Key, who hit a defiant match -saving century against Australia ‘A’, will bat in the middle order. Australia will wait until tomorrow before deciding on the injury-prone fast bowler Jason Gillespie to play in his home test. Gillespie aggravated a calf injury during 384-run win but has progressed since following a thorough workout in the nets. Skipper Steve Waugh refused to rule England out of the five-test series, despite Australia’s push to remain the no. 1 test team in the world. Former allrounder Keith Miller, a member of the 1948 invincibles that beat England 4-0 that year in the Ashes, rated the current Australian side as the best, but Waugh refused to get carried away. "Its nice to hear, but everyone’s got a different opinion on what’s going on ... It’s nice to be recognised by your fellow players, but it doesn’t mean you are the best team going around and we certainly don’t want to get a big head out of it." (AP) |
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Ranji
Round-up JAIPUR, Nov 20: A fine four-wicket haul by spinner Kulmani Parida helped holders Railways open their account in the domestic season with a point, gained by virtue of their first innings lead against Rajasthan in their Ranji Trophy elite Group ‘A’ league match which ended in tame draw here today. Replying to Railways first innings total of 384, Rajasthan resumed at 282 for six today with wicketkeeper Rohit Jhalani and Sanjeev Sharma looking set for big scores after having stitched an 82-run partnership. But the early morning life in the wicket spelt doom for Rajasthan. Parida added two more wickets to his tally removing both the overnight batsmen Jhalani (63) and Sharma (34) while speedster Harvinder Singh scalped Sumit Mathur to dash the hopes of the hosts. Parida finished with 4 for 105 as Rajasthan were bundled out for 311 to concede a 73-run lead in the first innings. Railways scored some quick runs with help of Amit Pagnis (49), T P Singh (36) and Santosh Sahu (28) before declaring their second innings at 179 for five. For Rajasthan Rahul Kanwat was the most successful bowler claiming all five wickets to fall in Railways’ second innings. Chasing a victory target of 253, Rajasthan were 99 for one when play was called off. The draw meant Rajasthan could not gather any point from their second match too. (PTI) Karnataka beat Bihar RANCHI: Former champions Karnataka registered an eight-wicket victory over Bihar in the four-day Ranji Trophy plate Group B match at the Mecon Stadium here today. Rowland Barrington (46 n.o) and Vijay Bhardwaj (33 n.o), who resumed the chase at 88 for two this morning, needed just 54 minutes to notch up the required 56 runs as Karnataka coasted to victory without losing another wicket. Bihar had yesterday managed to drag the match into the last day with some gutsy batting by M S Dhoni (93), Sumit Panda (71), Rajeev Kumar (67) and Manish Kumar (59), enabling the home team to set a victory target of 144. Brief scores:- Bihar: 114 and 331. Karnataka: 302 and 144 for two (R Barrington 46 not out, V Bharadwan 33 not out; S Khan 2/38). (PTI) Punjab get one point for its first innings lead over Orissa CUTTACK: The four-day-long elite Group B Ranji Trophy league match between Orissa and Punjab ended in a draw today at the Barbati Stadium with Punjab acquiring one point for their first innings lead. Punjab scored 380 in 130.5 overs in their first innings in reply to host Orissa’s 301 in 109.2 overs establishing an 80 run lead. With this Punjab earned two points. Earlier, Punjab had earned a point from their match with Baroda and Orissa drew blank after their match with Assam ended in a draw. Punjab would meet Assam at Guwahati and Orissa would meet Baroda here in their next matches. In their second innings, Orissa scored 256 at the loss of 6 wickets in 87 overs. R R Parida and Sanjay Satpathy (both not out) were at the crease with 126 and 19 runs respectively at the close of play. R R Parida during his 331 minutes’ stay at the crease hit 19 boundaries. Resuming their score at four without loss, overnight batsman B B C C Mohapatra (09) added only five runs while S S Das scored 39. Pravanjam Maullik and Gautam Gopal also played well scoring 24 and 23 runs respectively. While Subit Biswal failed to open his account Sanjay Raul was sent back to the pavilion when his score was only 4. While Gagandeep Singh and Amit Uniyal took two wickets each Navdeep Singh and Vineet Sharma took one wicket each for the visitors. Following is the score board at the close of the match on the last day of the elite Group B league match played between Orissa and Punjab at the Barbati Stadium here today. SCORES: Orissa ist innings 301 all out in 109.2 overs. Punjab ist innings 381 all out in 130.5 overs. Orissa 2nd innings 256 (UNI) |
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Varun Sharma Memorial
Basketball Tournament Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 20: Government College for Women (GCW), Parade and Tiger Sports Club today moved into the Women’s final in the ongoing Varun Memorial Basketball Tournament currently underway at Mini-Stadium, Parade, here. Now, they will meet each other for the title clash tomorrow at 3 pm. Earlier, in the semi-finals, Parade College defeated MHAC Nagbani, while Tiger Sports downed Vikram Club in other semi-final. Though first semifinal was low scoring, yet Parade College girls dominated the show and entertained the crowd witnessing the match. Sakshi and Bhawana played well for Parade College contributing eight and seven points respectively to the total socre of 19 points against just nine points in the account of MHAC Nagbani. Roopali fought well for Nagbani adding seven points, followed by Meetu, two. Sushil Sajgotra and Amit Gupta were referees, while Bhanu Pratap Singh, Rakesh Anand and Sumeet Kumar were table officials. In the second semi-finals, Tiger Sports Club thrashed Vikram Club in a one-sided match 50-8. Shivani remained in the lime-light for basketing the ball accurately. She contributed 23 points, while Mousmi and Anamika added 10 and six points respectively. From Vikram Club, Nisha (5), Mani (2) and Naina (1) were scorers. Biju George and Sushil Sajgotra were referees, while Rakesh, Arun, Amit, Varinder, Sahil, Uppal and Sumeet Tak were table officials. |
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Rakesh wins Men’s Distt Rajouri TT championship Excelsior Sports Correspondent RAJOURI, Nov 20: Rakesh claimed the Men’s singles Table Tennis title beating Pardeep Kumar 3-1 in the final which was played at Boys Higher Secondary School, here today. In the boys doubles group, the pair of Rakesh and Navneet Sharma defeated Pardeep Kumar and Wali to bag winners trophy. Junior boys singles trophy went to Jagjeet Singh, who beat Shashi Kant in straight sets. Junior boys doubles title went to Jagjeet Singh and Shashi Kant, who defeated the pair of Vinod Kumar and Tahir Sajid 3-1. In the finals and prize distribution function, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Mohammed Din, was the chief guest, who distributed prizes among the winners in various age groups. This championship was organised by the District Rajouri Table Tennis Association. |
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Sunita Rani is free to compete: Kalmadi NEW DELHI, Nov 20: The Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) president Suresh Kalmadi today said drug-tainted middle distance runner Sunita Rani is free to compete as she is not banned. "If she want’s to compete she can compete. At the moment she is not banned," Kalmadi told reporters here when asked whether Sunita Rani is taking part in next month’s National Games. He said AAFI has asked Sports Authority of India (SAI) to test the ‘B’ sample of Sunita Rani taken on September 30 at an IOC accredited lab as recommended by the one-man Salwan Commission. "I just returned yesterday from Monte Carlo. I don’t know whether they have send the sample for testing or not," Kalmadi said. Kalmadi said the AAFI delegation which went to Monte Carlo recently protested against the result of the Seoul dope testing laboratory. Rani was stripped of her gold and bronze medals at the Busan Asian Games after she tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone. "We met the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) general secretary Istavan Gyulai, vice-president Arne Ljungqvist (who is also the chairman of IAAF Anti Doping Commission) and Dr Gabriel Dolle, IAAF anti doping officer and registered our protest," Kalmadi said. Kalmadi said they were given a patient hearing when told about the discrepancies in the lab report. Stating that AAFI pointed out several violation of procedures on legal and technical grounds, Kalmadi said it is hoping for a positive response from the world body. Pointing out more discrepancies, other than the huge difference in the A and B samples taken after the 1500m, Kalmadi said Rani was only orally informed about her testing positive in Busan. "Also she was not given the required time to respond." Kalmadi also said the results of both the samples carried the signature of the same analyst which is not the correct procedure. "Further the dope testing laboratory was not isolated as is the practice and everybody had free access," he said. (PTI) |
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Former title winners chalk out big victories in Hockey NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Spearheaded by International Daljit Dhillon, Jugraj Singh and Olympian Gagan Ajit Singh, former champion Punjab Police thrashed Rock Rovers (Chandigarh) 6-0 in the super league match of the 39th Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament here today. Earlier two other former title holders Punjab and Sind Bank and Bharat Petroleum recorded easy victories over their rivals to garner full points in the super league. Punjab and Sind Bank overwhelmed Karnataka XI 5-0 while Bharat Petroleum defeated S A I XI 4-2. In a one sided tie, Punjab Police pumped in five goals in the second session after leading 1-0 at breather to rout Rock Rovers. The Chandigarh Club put up a good fight in the first half but were totally outplayed by the Punjab Police in the second. (UNI) |
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Unprecedented security cover for one-dayer JODHPUR, Nov 20: Unprecedented security arrangements have been made for tomorrow’s one-day international cricket match between India and West Indies here with the Barkatullah Khan Stadium being virtually sealed by the police. As many as 2,500 policemen and 500 local volunteers are guarding the stadium, named after late Rajasthan Chief Minister, to ensure a smooth and incident-free match, Inspector General of Police (Border), Pukh Raj Seervi, told reporters here today. Sniffer dogs have been deployed in the pavilion as well as in the the area around the stadium, he said. Only spectators having valid tickets would be given entry into the stadium and they would have to undergo security checks at four points. Police have also provided security cover to both the teams who arrived here last evening to play the crucial sixth one-day international match. While players are staying at Taj Hari Palace Hotel, the members of National Selection Committee are staying in Ummed Bhawan Palace Hotel. Strict security cover was also provided to the players during net practice today. The first three matches of the series were marred by crowd trouble but the subsequent encounters at Ahmedabad and Vadodara went off peacefully. (PTI) Muralitharan to undergo Hernia operation COLOMBO, Nov 20: Muttiah Muralitharan is to undergo a Hernia operation, making him a doubt for a one-day international tournament in Australia next month. "His availability for the Australia tour will depend on his speed of recovery," Sri Lanka’s Cricket Board said in a statement today. The off spinner has flown from South Africa, where he played in Sri Lanka’s 2-0 test series defeat, to Australia for surgery. He had already been ruled out of the five-match one-day series against South Africa. Sri Lanka take part in Triangular Series in Australia in mid-December, an event also including England. (AGENCIES) Former title winners chalk out big victories in Hockey NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Spearheaded by International Daljit Dhillon, Jugraj Singh and Olympian Gagan Ajit Singh, former champion Punjab Police thrashed Rock Rovers (Chandigarh) 6-0 in the super league match of the 39th Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament here today. Earlier two other former title holders Punjab and Sind Bank and Bharat Petroleum recorded easy victories over their rivals to garner full points in the super league. Punjab and Sind Bank overwhelmed Karnataka XI 5-0 while Bharat Petroleum defeated S A I XI 4-2. In a one sided tie, Punjab Police pumped in five goals in the second session after leading 1-0 at breather to rout Rock Rovers. The Chandigarh Club put up a good fight in the first half but were totally outplayed by the Punjab Police in the second. Gagan Ajit Singh gave the Punjab cops the lead in the 25th minute but after that the winners had to wait for another 20 minutes for their next goal which was scored by international Daljit Dhillon (2-0).Five minutes later Jugraj Singh made it 3-0 for the cops when he converted a stroke. Dhillon scored his second and team’s fourth goal in the 52nd minute and then Gabbar Singh increased the tally to 5-0 in the 59th minute and in the very next minute Daljit Dhillon scored off a penalty corner to complete the tally 6-0. This was Rock Rovers first defeat in two matches, having won against Railways in the opener yesterday. Punjab and Sind Bank led 2-0 at half time against Karnataka XI. The bank men muffed some good chances otherwise the score would have been much higher in their favourite. Kulwinder Singh (24th) and Harpreet Singh (35th) scored a goal each in the first session. After the lemon break Kulwinder Singh(56th), Jatinderpal Singh(59th) and Baljit Singh Chandi (70th) scored a goal each to make it 5-0 for the bank side. In the first tie of the day, Bharat Petroleum scored two goals in each half to down S A I XI. Syed Irshad Ali and Ajay Saroha scored off penalty corners in 10th and 12th minute respectively to put Bharat Petroleum ahead 2-0. Former Olympian Ravi Naikar made it 3-0 for the oil men in the 42nd minute when he also sent the ball home following a penalty corner. S A I XI came back into the game as they scored two goals in a space of two minutes to reduce the lead to 2-3. B Lajkra scored in the 48th minute and the Kalim Khan reduced the lead further when he scored in the 50th minute. However international M K Prakash sealed the match in favour of Bharat Petroleum when he converted a stroke, making it 4-2 in the 64th minute. (UNI) |
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