|
|
| Srinath dropped, Kumble opts out of team MUMBAI, Nov 25: The national selectors today dropped veteran speedster Javagal Srinath and recalled left-arm spinner Murali Kartik in the 16-member Indian test squad........more Shooting
range of international standard SHIMLA, Nov 25: A shooting range of international standard will be set up with financial assistance from the Central Government near Shimla to impart training to shooters of Himachal Pradesh........more Ponting
up to second in LONDON, Nov 25: (AGENCIES) Ricky Ponting’s innings of 154 in Australia’s second test thrashing of England has helped lift him three places to second........more Punjab
Police pip IA NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Skipper Gagan Ajit Singh scored the golden goal as Punjab Police pipped Indian Airlines 3-2 in the final of the Nehru Hockey Tournament here today marred by Dhanraj Pillay’s unruly behaviour..............more |
|
Balbir Singh Memorial Hockey
Tournament Frontier Club to meet SRTC XI in final today Excelsior Sports Correspondent SRINAGAR, Nov 25: Frontier Club and SRTC XI have moved into the final of the ongoing Balbir Singh Memorial Hockey......more J&K
Police team leaves Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Police today left for the 51st B N Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship........more 3-member
Triathlon team Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: Three-member team, comprising Gulam Hussain, Ganesh Dass and Javed Hussain, has been named.....more State TT
matches Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: Scheduled competitions of the ongoing 24th Stag State Table Tennis......more |
MUMBAI, Nov 25: The national selectors today dropped veteran speedster Javagal Srinath and recalled left-arm spinner Murali Kartik in the 16-member Indian test squad for the New Zealand tour while leg spinner Anil Kumble opted out of it due to "personal" reasons. Wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra, who had been ignored for the test series against England and West Indies at home, has also been recalled in the squad announced by the cricket board secretary, S K Nair here. "The selectors have preferred to rest (Javagal) Srinath for the tourwhile Kumble had made himself unavailable for the Test Series," Nair told reporters after the selection committee meeting. "Kumble had informed the board through a letter that he will not be available for the Test Series due to personal reasons. He will be available for the one-day series," he said. Kartik, who put up an impressive show in the just concluded one-day series against West Indies, has been rewarded with a Test berth in the squad which has just two specialist spinners. The squad for the seven-match one-day series will be announced in mid-December. The team: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Mohammad Kaif, Ashish Nehra, Shiv Sundar Das, Ajay Ratra, Tinu Yohannan. Nair said Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, who missed the one-day series against West Indies due to injuries, were included in the team after being declared fit by the board’s doctor Anant Joshi. Captain Sourav Ganguly, who opted out of the last two one-day matches due to a strained back, has recovered fully, Nair said. Ratra forced his way back into the national team after consistent performance in the domestic matches. Young Parthiv Patel, who kept wickets in both the tests against West Indies, will be the other wicketkeeper. Fast bowler Tinu Yohannan has benefited by the selectors’ decision to "rest" Srinath as the Kerala cricketer gets one more opportunity to prove his worth. Besides Yohannan, the squad has three pacers in the form of Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra. Orissa opener Shiv Sundar Das, who had been a member of the squad but not in the playing eleven for quite some time now, has been included in the 16-member squad though. Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar may continue to open the innings. Captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright were present at the selection committee meeting. Nair said the team will leave for New Zealand from New Delhi on November 30. The Indians are scheduled to play two tests and seven one-day internationals during their New Zealand tour. (PTI) |
 |
Shooting
range of international standard SHIMLA, Nov 25: A shooting range of international standard will be set up with financial assistance from the Central Government near Shimla to impart training to shooters of Himachal Pradesh to enable them compete in various international and national events, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said. The Central Government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 58 lakh for the upcoming shooting range, he said while laying the foundation stone of Rs two crore indoor stadium and unveiling the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at the Government Degree College at Hamirpur last evening. Prof Dhumal said Shooting was one of the main sports in which sportsmen of the state had excelled and brought medals. He said shooter Shamresh Jung, hailing from Sirmour district of the state, had won a gold medal in shooting events in Commonwealth Games. The Chief Minister said the State Government was providing three per cent reservation in Government services to the outstanding sportspersons winning medals in national and international events and also providing cash awards. Stating that there was no dearth of talent in the state, he said necessary infrastructure was being created at block level to facilitate sportspersons to come to the fore so that they could represent the state in various events. He said the stadium to be constructed in the Degree College at Hamirpur would provide ample facilities for sports activities. He said Rs one crore was being spent on construction of a youth hostel at Hamirpur which would provide necessary boarding and lodging facilities to sportspersons in the district. (UNI) |
|
Ponting up to second in world batting ratings LONDON, Nov 25: (AGENCIES) Ricky Ponting’s innings of 154 in Australia’s second test thrashing of England has helped lift him three places to second in the latest edition of test cricket’s batting ratings published yesterday. Ponting, man of the match in Adelaide, has climbed above team mate Adam Gilchrist and also India’s Sachin Tendulkar but remains behind fellow Australian and clear number one Matthew Hayden in the Pricewaterhousecooper list. The only bright spot for England after a miserable start to the series has been the form of Michael Vaughan, who has jumped 11 places to fifth, the highest rating achieved by any Englishman since Graham Gooch. Glenn McGrath’s remarkable consistency has ensured the Australian paceman remains top of the bowling rankings, with spinner Shane Warne moving up one place to third, behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. Test ratings Batsmen Player Country Points Average 1. Matthew Hayden Australia 936 53.56 2. Ricky Ponting Australia 862 49.13 3. Sachin Tendulkar India 856 58.46 4. Adam Gilchrist Australia 855 58.43 5. Michael Vaughan England 848 49.02 6. Jacques Kallis South Africa 843 50.00 7. Inzamam-ul-Haq Pakistan 818 49.52 8. Brian Lara West Indies 814 49.49 9. Damien Martyn Australia 778 49.07 9. Rahul Dravid India 778 54.28 Bowlers 1. Glenn McGrath Australia 919 21.43 2. Muttiah Muralitharan Sri Lanka 874 23.52 3. Shane Warne Australia 855 25.65 4. Shaun Pollock South Africa 853 20.85 5. Harbhajan Singh India 750 26.87 6. Jacques Kallis South Africa 725 28.34 7. Saqlain Mushtaq Pakistan 723 28.11 8. Anil Kumble India 702 28.00 9. Shoaib Akhtar Pakistan 697 27.18 10. Waqar Younis Pakistan 685 23.24 |
|
Punjab Police pip IA to win Nehru Trophy NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Skipper Gagan Ajit Singh scored the golden goal as Punjab Police pipped Indian Airlines 3-2 in the final of the Nehru Hockey Tournament here today marred by Dhanraj Pillay’s unruly behaviour. After both teams were locked 2-2 at the end of the regulation time, the golden goal came five minutes into the extra-time as Punjab Police lifted the coveted trophy for the fifth time. Even as the cops jumped up in joy, an irked Pillay fumed at the umpire for awarding the goal. The controversial striker abused and pushed umpire Javed Sheikh. The technical director of the tournament Kuku Walia later said he would take up the matter with the Indian Hockey Federation. The final, billed to be an exciting contest with several international players in either team, got off to a sedate start. It was Police who drew the first blood through Gagan Ajit Singh in the 11th minute to put police 1-0 ahead with a field goal. At the other end, Airlines, despite trying hard to restore parity, failed to capitalise on some brilliant moves by Pillay. Despite coming close on several occasions, Airlines failed to get past young Jugraj Singh who thwarted many a move. The equaliser came in the 32nd minute when Airlines skipper Dilip Tirkey scored off a penalty corner. Police hit back immediately and again took the lead when Jugraj Singh sounded the boards from a penalty corner in the 34th minute. Technical director of the tournament committee Kuku Walia told reporters that he would put the matter before the technical committee and later forward it to the Indian Hockey Federation. "This was not expected from a player like Dhanraj Pillay and the incident has certainly dented the image of the Indian hockey," he said. Javed Sheikh, who was booed by Airlines supporters after the match, did not turn up during the presentation ceremony. Sheikh later said that he took the right decision as he felt that the goal was very much legal. "I awarded the penalty corner after Rajnish blocked a player inside the circle. The hit was taken correctly and the goal was alright." Supporting the decision of the umpire, Walia termed Pillay’s reaction as "unwarranted". "Though the ball hit Pillay on the leg, the umpire asked the game to continue applying the advantage rule in favour of Punjab Police. But the shocking thing was Pillay’s behaviour," Walia said. Airlines skipper Dileep Tirkey blamed poor umpiring for his side’s loss in the final. "The umpire should be very sure while taking such decisions in crucial matches. I think there was no need to give Punjab Police a penalty corner in the first place." He also underlined the need for introduction of third umpires in important matches. Punjab Police manager and former international Pargat Singh condemned the incident and said that such behaviour from senior players "is killing Indian hockey". (PTI) |
|
Balbir Singh Memorial
Hockey Tournament Excelsior Sports Correspondent SRINAGAR, Nov 25: Frontier Club and SRTC XI have moved into the final of the ongoing Balbir Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament being organised by the Kashmir wing of the J&K Hockey Association at Bakshi Stadium, here. The final will be played tomorrow. Earlier, in the semi-finals, Frontier Club defeated Anantnag XI 2-1. Anantnag had taken first lead when Akhtar Rasool struck for a field goal in the 10th minute. However, the lead was equalised in the 31st minute by Frontier Club through Ashraf on a penalty stroke bringing the score 1-1 at the end of the first half. In the second half, Frontier Club scored the second and winning goal in the 40th minute when Raja Yasir netted the ball on a pass from right flank. The high scoring second semi-final was won by SRTC XI beating Badal Sports 6-3. Ravi Raj scored two goals for the winners in the 6th and 26th minute, while Parminder also struck twice in the 9th and 40th minute. The remaining two goals came through the stick of Jasvinder whose timing was 18th and 58th minute of the match. From Badal Sports, Gurpreet scored two goals coming in 19th and 50th minute, while Sandeep added third goal to the tally in the 46th minute. Ranjit Singh, Harjeet Singh, Yusuf and Gurdeep Singh Sangra were umpires in these matches. Gurcharanjeet Singh was technical delegate. Meanwhile, according to the resident secretary of the J&K Hockey Association, Kashmir wing, G S Bakshi, the final will be played tomorrow at Bakshi Stadium, here. |
|
J&K Police team leaves for Football meet Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Police today left for the 51st B N Mullik Memorial All India Police Football Championship scheduled to start from December 1 at Police Training College, Dargaon in Assam. The team, which was flagged off by the ADGP (Armed), Gopal Sharma, included Riyaz Ahmed, Bilal Ahmed, Sonu, Ajay, Mehrajudin, Ishfaq, Bashir, Zahoor, Arshid, Bilal, Adil Qadir, Shabir, Sajad, Fayaz, Asif Majid, Tanveer, Gurpreet, Shabir, Manzoor, Yasir and Intikhab Alam. Sub-Inspector, Nazir Ahmed accompanied the team as coach and Inspector, Ajay Sharma as manager. |
|
3-member Triathlon team selected for National Games Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: Three-member team, comprising Gulam Hussain, Ganesh Dass and Javed Hussain, has been named by the Triathlon Association of J&K for the forthcoming National Games. The final selection was made after the trials were conducted among the 16 probables at Mansar Lake today. In addition, Firdous has been named standby by the penal of selectors led by Sarabhjeet Singh. According to general secretary of the Association, Sub-Inspector, Sanjeev Gupta and Tourism Officer, Mr Wazir, extended all possible help in conducting the trials at Mansar. |
|
State TT matches postponed for today Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 25: Scheduled competitions of the ongoing 24th Stag State Table Tennis Championship for today, have been postponed due to curfew in the city and same now will take place tomorrow morning. The competitions upto Junior level will be held in the morning session starting at 9 am. These matches will be followed by the competitions in Women’s group at 4 pm and senior Men’s at 5 pm onwards, said Mr Satish Gupta, under whose supervision the championship is being conducted. |
|
Pillay tantrums to the fore again NEW DELHI: The indisciplined and temperamental side of star hockey player Dhanraj Pillay reared its ugly face once again here today when the mercurial forward manhandled the umpires in the final of the Nehru Cup Hockey Tournament between Indian Airlines and Punjab Police. Pillay, who plays for Airlines, did nothing to improve his image - that of a talented but volatile player prone to temperamental bouts - as he argued, pushed and threatened the umpires in the match won by Punjab Police 3-2 via golden goal. The trouble started when Punjab Police were awarded a penalty corner by umpire Javed Sheikh in extra time which was converted in to a golden goal by skipper Gagan Ajit Singh. An infuriated Pillay argued with the umpire asking him to disallow the goal. He claimed that the ball had hit his legs before going into the net. Even during the first half, Pillay had a scuffle with the other umpire Satinder Sharma. Irked over a decision that went against him, he mouthed expletives and threw away his stick in disgust. Later, an unapologetic Pillay misbehaved with the journalists as well. "I don’t want to say anything as I know my career is finished. You can write what you want. I don’t care any more," Pillay shot back at reporters without any provocation. (PTI) Rayudu youngest to score double ton in Ranji Trophy HYDERABAD, Nov 25: With his senior counterparts hogging the limelight by their heroics in the series against West Indies, a milestone by a 17-year-old cricket prodigy went largely unnoticed. Ambati Tirupati Rayudu became the youngest Indian to score a double century in Ranji Trophy Championship when he scored a brilliant 210 in Hyderabad’s first innings against Andhra in a Ranji Trophy tie last week. Rayudu, also the under-19 hero of India’s England tour recently, struck 26 fours and four sixes in his 232-ball knock. And he did not stop at that. He carried his form into the second innings scoring an unbeaten 159 - another record of sorts. Former test stalwart Gundappa Vishwanath and Mumbai’s Amol Mazumdar had scored double tons in their early 20’s in Ranji Trophy. But for the class XI student records would mean little until he makes the national grade. As of now, Rayudu is happy playing "good cricket" which he says is the aim of his life. "I only play my game and don’t think much about it," he told PTI here before leaving for Jaipur to play against Rajasthan in the third match of the elite group. "It’s nice to score runs. I am happy that I managed to score runs against Andhra," he said. A die-hard Sachin Tendulkar fan, Rayudu also likes the batting style of fellow Hyderabadi V V S Laxman and Australian test skipper Steve Waugh. "As a kid I used to watch Tendulkar play and liked him very much. As I grew up I developed a liking for Laxman and Steve Waugh as well," said Rayudu who failed miserably in Hyderabad’s opening match against Mumbai, scoring one run and a duck before coming up with the record breaking feat in the second match. Rayudu found himself in the thick of things at a tender age after being selected in the under-13 Hyderabad team when he was in the fifth grade. He did not get an opportunity to play though. He was also picked in the Rest of India squad for the recent Irani Cup tie against Ranji Champions Railways but did not get a look-in. Rayudu need not complain though as he has age on his side as well as the talent which the national selectors cannot afford to ignore for long. (PTI) Windies dominate averages list NEW DELHI, Nov 25: West Indies, who clinched the seven-match one-day series against India 4-3, dominated the averages list with the consistent Ramnaresh Sarwan and fast bowler Jermaine Lawson topping the charts. While the highest run getter in the series was West Indies opener Chris Gayle who struck three centuries to aggregate 455 runs, Sarwan pipped him in the batting averages. Gayle averaged 85 while Sarwan, remaining unbeaten on three occasions, averaged a stupendous 109. The dependable middle-order bat Rahul Dravid topped the averages list for India with a total of 300 runs at an average of 75. VVS Laxman made the maximum number of runs with 312 but at an average of 62.5. All-rounder Sanjay Bangar also impressed remaining unbeaten on two occasions out of the four innings that he played. He totalled 118 runs while skipper Sourav Ganguly aggregated 237 runs from five matches. In bowling too, it were the West Indies who dominated. Seamer Vasbert Drakes scalped the highest number of wickets with ten dismissals to his credit. Lawson, who played in only the decider yesterday, finished with four wickets at 14.25. Pedro Collins took eight, Corey Collymore six while Gayle and Merv Dillon scalped four apiece. For India, part-time bowler Virendra Sehwag took eight wickets followed by Ajit Agarkar (6), Harbhajan Singh (5) and Murali Kartik (4). (PTI) |
| home | state | national | business | editorial | advertisement | sports |
