India
208 for all, Kiwis 52 for 1
Simon Doull
restricts Indian squad
WELLINGTON,
Dec 26: Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin struck
an invaluable, unbeaten 103 defying a rampaging
New Zealand paceman Simon Doull to pull India to
a modest 208 in their first innings on the
opening day of their second cricket test at the
Basin Reserve here today.
Doull made one of
cricket’s most inspired comebacks from
injury to wreak havoc on the Indian batting
line-up with a career-best seven for 65 as
Azharuddin’s decision to take first strike
on winning the toss failed to click on a bright
and ideal day on a slow pitch.
New Zealand, in
reply, had made a confident start, reaching 52
for one in 22 overs, seamer Venkatesh Prasad
removing Matthew Bell for four. Skipper Stephen
Fleming (27) and Matt Horne (16) added 45 runs
for the second wicket.
Indian hopes of a
sound start simply vanished in the face of
brilliant swing bowling by Doull, who had a
superb morning spell of 8-4-15-4 and at one stage
threatened to run away with all ten wickets after
leaving the visitors reeling at 91 for four at
lunch and then at 186 for eight at tea.
Azharuddin stemmed
the rot with a strokeful 21st century in his 93rd
test, repairing the damage by putting on 83 runs
for the fifth wicket with Sachin Tendulkar, who
struck a breezy 47 before falling soon after
lunch.
The Indian innings
seemed in danger of folding up even earlier as
Azharuddin was fast running out of partners, but
Prasad provided him support with an invaluable
58-run ninth wicket stand after contributing the
third-highest score of 15. Spineless Indian
batting saw them straightaway in trouble as
opener Navjot Sidhu and Rahul Dravid fell for
nought with Ajay Jadeja, back as test opener,
adding a measly 10 and a promoted Saurav Ganguly
also falling victim to Doull’s Guile after
contributing just five.
India were left
reeling at 16 for four at one stage. All the four
top order batsmen had no clue to the huge swing
Doull extracted bowling with good rhythm and
close to the stumps.
Veteran Sidhu,
playing his 50th test, fell in the very first
over to begin the early procession as he edged an
intended drive to Fleming at first slip. Dravid
missed most of the six deliveries he faced from
Doull before failing with a half-attempt to play
Doull’s inswinger to be caught in front.
Jadeja misjudged
the line padding up to be trapped leg before and
left-hander Ganguly fell the last victim to
Doull’s devastating first spell by edging a
steer to wicketkeeper Adam Parore. Ganguly was
promoted ahead of Tendulkar and Azharuddin in the
hope that a right-left combination would be able
to counter the prodigious swing extracted by the
bowlers.
Tendulkar, looking
in ominous form, rattled off a quick 75 runs with
Azhar to enable India recover and go into the
lunch interval at 91. The star bat took his time
to settle down before opening out by powerfully
square-driving Doull. He then cut Dion Nash to
the point fence and when two gullies were
introduced, responded with ferocious pulls.
But he perished
soon after lunch flicking Doull uppishly off what
he rated ‘a rank half volley on the leg
stump’ into the hands of square leg Matthew
bell to end his enterprising 72-ball knock which
had seven fours.
Doull delivered
the next blow when he claimed Nayan Mongia a ball
later as the wicketkeeper dropped his wrist but
could not move out of the line of a lifter to
leave India reeling at 98 for six.
Kumble defended
stoutly but could not resist flinging his bat at
Doull, now bowling into the breeze from the far
end, to be caught at Gully and Javagal Srinath
guided Nash into the hands of Fleming at slips to
reduce India to 149 for eight.
Azharuddin,
desperately needing to build a stand, found his
man in Venkatesh Prasad as they built a crucial
ninth wicket stand of 58. Knowing the Indian
captain’s penchant for onside strokeplay the
Kiwi bowlers kept an off-stump line, but he
responded by cutting and steering for most of his
14 fours.
Despite a third
man and deep point being posted, Azhar found the
boundary with regularity. ‘It was a pleasure
to score on the offside and not on the on where I
am favoured to make runs,’ Azhar said after
his unbeaten knock.
Finding Prasad
defend well, Azhar stopped shielding his partner.
Both ran well between the stumps as Azhar moved
into his 90’s with a steer off Doull.
The Indian skipper
reached the landmark in left-arm spinner Daniel
Vettori’s sixth over, slamming a four over
the bowler’s stretched hand and flicking one
to midwicket for a couple. His 21st hundred in
his 93rd test was a sublime effort despite the
pressure to come good.
The innings folded
soon after tea once Prasad departed to end the
stand which lasted 63 balls and came in 105
minutes.
Prasad made an
early breakthrough when he had bell edging to
Mongia for four, but Horne and Fleming played
soundly to see the day without further loss.
SCORECARD:
India 1st
innings:-
N S B Sidhu c
Fleming b Doull 0
A Jadeja lbw b
Doull 10
R Dravid lbw b
Doull 0
S C Ganguly c
Parore b Doull 5
S Tendulkar c Bell
b Doull 47
M Azharuddin not
out 103
N R Mongia c Astle
b Doull 0
A Kumble c
McMillan b Doull 11
J Srinath c
Fleming b Nash 7
V Prasad c Fleming
b Vettori 15
H Singh c Astle b
McMillan 1
Extras (lb-3,
nb-6) 9
Total (in 65.4
overs) 208
Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-2, 3-15, 4-16,5-99,
6-99,7-132, 8-149,
9-207.
Bowling: Doull
24-7-65-7.
Cairns 17-3-69-0.
Nash 14-1-46-1.
Vettori 7-0-20-1.
Astle 2-0-05-0.
McMillan
1.4-1-0-1. (UNI)
Rajasthan
to introduce new sports policy
JAIPUR,
Dec 26:
The Government of Rajasthan will introduce a
new sports policy to check the deteriorating
standards of sports in the state, Minister of
State for Youth and Sports, Bhanwar Lal said here
today.
In an interview,
Mr Bhanwar Lal said he was disappointed to
observe that no Rajasthan sportsmen represented
the country in the recently concluded Asian Games
at Bangkok, while this state had earlier produced
athletes like Sriram Gopal Saini, Raj Kumar, Ram
Niwas, Harphool Singh, Hari Singh, Rajendra
Sharma and Hameeda Bano who earned laurels for
the nation at the international level in
seventies and eightees . Besides these, Barsha
Soni and Gangotri Bhandari had earned laurels for
the country in women’s hockey.
He said the
Government would like to make sports a compulsory
subject in schools. He said, he would soon pursue
this issue with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The Education
Minister would be directly involved in the
development of sports in Rajasthan as schools
were the right place to start with nursing the
talent, the minister said.
He said that
shortage of funds would not be a problem as he
was hopeful of getting the sports budget
increased in the next year’s budget and an
extra fund would also be arranged for the purpose
in the current year, if required.
Expressing
surprise at the non-performance of coaching
duties by about 30 sports officers for many years
the minister said a result-oriented scheme will
be applied for coaches.
He said that all
such sports officers would have to impart
coaching as there was no such provision in the
rules which entitle them sit in the office only.
Mr Bhanwar Lal
said that talented sportpersons would be
identified in various sports disciplines and
special attention paid to them, including
providing coaching facilities.
The minister, who,
on a surprise visit to the Sawai Man Singh
stadium recently, found no trainees and no
coaches, expressed displeasure over the working
of Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC).
Mr Bhanwar Lal
said that he would soon be meeting with the
officials of various State Sports Associations,
sports promoters and experts for seeking their
suggestions for the development of sports in the
state.
Replying to a
question, he said by the end of the next rainy
season, the construction work of the incomplete
indoor stadium will also resume.
The minister
further said that that basic infrastructure
facilities would be made available at all the the
district head quarters. If shortcomings were
found there, the would be removed on a top
priority basis.
Mr Bhanwar Lal
said RSSC will have to make extra efforts for
developing sports in the rural areas as Rajasthan
had enough talent in the rural belt besides the
tribal belt with the latter already having
produced an Olympian archer like Limba Ram. (UNI)
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