NAGPUR, Oct 28: Australia laid the foundation for a historic series win on Indian soil with their batsmen doing the consolidation job to stretch their overall lead to 415 runs in the third cricket Test here today........more

Ganguly not ruled
out of fourth
Test: Leipus

NAGPUR, Oct 28: Indian cricket team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus today said captain Sourav Ganguly was not ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia. Leipus said Ganguly was being monitored on a daily basis........more

This is my best
performance in
India: Gillespie

NAGPUR, Oct 28: Australian speedster Jason Gillespie, who brought India on to their knees with an five-wicket burst.......more

No possibility of
miraculous win
by home side

By Allan Border

The best India can hope for from this Test is a battling draw. To me, there doesn't seem to be any possibility of a miraculous win by the home side. Australia are in a strong position, and the chances of their becoming the first team since Bill Lawry's side of 1969-70 to beat India in India, are bright to say the least..............more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Host Shastri Memorial Higher Secondary School lifted the overall trophy in an open judo championship organised at the school’s Patoli branch, here today.........more

Maninder, Arjun
reach men’s final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Maninder Singh and Arjun Kohli today qualified for men’s final while Chandpreet Kour and Svera Jamwal have sailed into the final of junior girls in the ongoing Jammu district............more

Sumesh, Mohit
in snooker semis

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Sumesh Turki and Mohit Mahajan have sailed into the senior snooker last four stage beating their opponents in the quarterfinals..........more

Badshah Club wins
cricket tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Badshah Cricket Club (BCC) clinched Heros of Kargil memorial cricket tournament beating Glamer Cricket Club by five runs in the final which was played at High School (boys), Simbal Camp, near here........more

Makhan, Nidika win long jump gold.......

Australia close escape routes for India

NAGPUR, Oct 28: Australia laid the foundation for a historic series win on Indian soil with their batsmen doing the consolidation job to stretch their overall lead to 415 runs in the third cricket Test here today.

The left-handed Simon Katich took centrestage with a controlled knock of 99 after the visitors refused to enforce the follow on for the second time in the series, despite having a first innings lead of 213 runs by skittling out India for a paltry 185.

Katich missed what could have been his second Test century as he fell to spinner Murali Kartik late in the day but the visitors had put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat by reaching a commanding 202 for three at close on the third day.

First innings centurion Damien Martyn was batting on a cautious 41 and Michael Clarke (10) was giving him company at stumps on what turned out to be a highly disappointing day for the home team.

The Australians, seeking to record their first series win on Indian soil in 35 years, took just 14.5 overs to clean up the last five Indian wickets with the lanky Jason Gillespie doing the bulk of the damage with figures of five for 56.

Glenn McGrath, making his 100th Test appearance, finished with impressive figures of 25-13-27-3 which played a big role in strangulating the Indian top order batsmen on a grassy track at the VCA Stadium.

The hosts who now have to brace themselves up for chasing a huge target in the fourth innings with the visitors still having seven wickets in hand.

Murali Kartik had two for 50 at the end of the day and along with Zaheer Khan was the most effective bowler for the Indians.

Zaheer got the ball to seam after pitching and that troubled the left handers consistently. Hayden (9) in particular was circumspect and was bowled by the left arm seamer after lunch.

Kartik had Langer (30) caught in the deep by Laxman and his quicker one that trapped Katich plumb in front left the batsman one short of what would have been his first hundred overseas.

But, after a lull in scoring in the second session when the scoreboard was stuck at the lunch score of 19 for 45 minutes, the Aussies picked up the scoring rate to tighten the screws on the hosts.

Katich struck Kumble for a four and six in an over before tea. He used his wrist to optimum effect against the spinners to keep the scoreboard ticking.

And if the Indians cherished any hopes of respite after Katich’s dismissal, Damien Martyn (41) poured water on them with his smooth driving.

The first innings centurion opened his account by driving a full toss from Kartik to midwicket fence. He continued to have a stranglehold on the bowlers who soon fell back on the leg-side attack to check the flow of runs.

Clarke joined the party late in the day, cutting Kumble for two successive boundaries.

Sachin Tendulkar pitched in with his seam-up stuff in the second session when the hosts managed to bring down the run rate to a mere 1.6.

But the Indians lost the plot when they pressed on with Tendulkar who failed to produce a wicket which was the need of the hour.

When Kumble and Kartik began to bowl in tandem, Katich was well set.

The left hander brought up his fifty with a cover driven boundary off Virender Sehwag in 91 balls.

The intense battle between the two teams also saw words being exchanged between captain Rahul Dravid and Justin Langer although umpire Aleem Dar intervened to let things not get out of control.

Earlier in the morning, speedster Jason Gillespie helped Australia polish off the last five Indian wickets with the second new ball with an aggressive spell.

The 29-year-old South Australian picked up three wickets to finish with impressive figures of 5 for 56, his eighth five-wicket haul in an innings in 57 tests.

Shane Warne (2 for 47) and Glenn McGrath (3 for 27) picked up one wicket apiece in the morning as India, after resuming at 146 for five, collapsed in a heap within 8.5 overs after the new ball had been summoned.

The tourists bowled out India for a meagre 185 off 91.5 overs in the first innings in reply to their 398. The hosts lost their last five wickets for 39 runs.

Warne accounted for Parthiv Patel in his first over of the morning, by having the Indian wicketkeeper caught in the slip cordon.

Patel and Mohd Kaif, who made the innings’ highest score of 55 with seven fours and a six, put on 47 runs for the sixth wicket in 25.3 overs.

Gillespie then claimed the wickets of Ajit Agarkar (15), Murali Kartik (3) and last man Zaheer Khan (0).

Kumble remained unbeaten on 7 after a stay of 40 minutes.

The task before India to win the match with two days left looked highly improbable. It was way back in 1964-65 against Bob Simpsons Australian team that an Indian squad chased in excess of 250 and won on the fourth innings at home.

Nawab of Pataudi’s India chased 254 and won with just two wickets to spare at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in 1964-65, marking Indias best-ever successful run-chase in home conditions.

There have been other instances when the team has come close to winning after chasing close to 350, the most notable of these being the run-chase in the tied Test between the two countries in 1986-87 at Chennai.

Then India, chasing 348, were all out for 347 and for only the second time there was a tie in Test history. (PTI)

SCOREBOARD

Australia first innings: 398

India first innings (overnight 146 for 5): A Chopra c Warne b Gillespie 9 V Sehwag c Gilchrist b McGrath 22 R Dravid c Warne b McGrath 21 S Tendulkar lbw Gillespie 8 VVS Laxman c Clarke b Warne 13 M Kaif c Warne b McGrath 55 P Patel c Hayden b Warne 20 A Agarkar c Clarke b Gillespie 15 A Kumble not out 7 M Kartik c Clarke b Gillespie 3 Zaheer Khan b Gillespie 0 Extras (lb-10, nb-1, wb-1) 12 Total (all out in 91.5 overs) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-34, 3-49, 4-75 5-103, 6-150,7-173, 8-178, 9-181

Bowling: McGrath 25-13-27-3; Gillespie 22.5-8-56-5;Kasprowicz 21-4-45-0; Warne 27-8-47-2.

Australia 2nd innings

J Langer c Laxman b Kartik 30

M Hayden b Zaheer Khan 9

S Katich lbw b Kartik 99

D Martyn batting 41

M Clarke batting 10

Extras (lb-13) 13

Total (for 3 wkts, 73 overs) 202

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-99, 3-171.

Bowling: Zaheer 14-5-34-1, Agarkar 16-7-25-0, Kumble 13-1-62-0, Tendulkar 8-1-12-0, Kartik 21-4-50-2, Sehwag 1-0-6-0. (PTI)

Ganguly not ruled out of fourth Test: Leipus

NAGPUR, Oct 28: Indian cricket team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus today said captain Sourav Ganguly was not ruled out of the fourth Test against Australia.

Leipus said Ganguly was being monitored on a daily basis and a clear statement on his progress could be made over the coming days after studying what effect the medication has had on his injury.

"The bone scan has revealed that it is not a serious injury. There is a swelling on the lower hip joint caused by the accumulation of fluid which has been causing him (Ganguly) pain," Leipus said.

"He is now receiving medical treatment for this condition and his progress will be monitored carefully over the next few days."

Ganguly pulled out of the third Test at the last moment. His availability for the fourth and final Test, starting in Mumbai on November 3, came in doubt after a brief statement by the team management failed to put a date on his return to action.

The statement merely said that after a medical check-up, it was revealed that Ganguly suffered from "intra-articular pathology of the right hip joint noted by increased synovial fluid accumulation."

Leipus said the cause of the injury was yet to be determined.

Asked if it was the same injury that Ganguly suffered while fielding in the first Test in Bangalore, he said, "I think so." (PTI)

This is my best performance in India: Gillespie

NAGPUR, Oct 28: Australian speedster Jason Gillespie, who brought India on to their knees with an five-wicket burst in the third Test, today termed his performance here as the best on Indian soil.

"Figurewise this is my best performance. I was lucky to be among the wickets in the presence of three other great bowlers," the gangling South Australian said after cleaning up the Indian bottom order to finish with 5 for 56.

"The wicket was a big surprise and a pleasant change for us. It was grassy, it was seaming and there was good carry too. The idea was to bowl in the right areas and keep up the pressure. Our bowlers bowled very well and put the Indian batsmen under pressure," Gillespie said.

"The beauty of this Australian team is we don’t mind who gets the wickets as long as we get them," the 29-year-old bowler said.

Gillespie, who grabbed his eighth 5-wicket-in-an-innings haul in his 57th Test, said that Indian seam bowlers Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan also utilised the wicket very well in the second innings and tied the Australian openers down.

"We were lucky enough to survive the burst. Kato (Simon Katich) and Jl (Justin Langer) batted very well," he said.

Asked about Australia’s plans now to seal the victory in the Test as well as in the series, with the visitors 415 runs to the good at close of day three, Gillespie said he does not want to speculate on the target that will be finally set.

"We are in a pretty strong position. I will not say how many runs will we score more before setting a target. We will keep on batting and see how it goes (on the morrow)," he added. (PTI)

No possibility of miraculous win by home side

By Allan Border

The best India can hope for from this Test is a battling draw. To me, there doesn't seem to be any possibility of a miraculous win by the home side. Australia are in a strong position, and the chances of their becoming the first team since Bill Lawry's side of 1969-70 to beat India in India, are bright to say the least.

The Indians batted rather strangely in the first innings. It was almost as if they had gone into the Test with some pre-conceived 'negativity' regarding the wicket. Remember all the talk of a green-top on the eve of the game? Well, the truth is that while the strip has something in it for the new-ball bowlers, it is a great track for batting once the shine wears off. The ball softens up around the 25-over mark, which means that the batsmen can play their strokes freely. But the Indians seemed to have decided even before going in to bat that they were going to have problems batting on this wicket. They looked almost afraid to play shots and dug themselves into a hole.

Rahul Dravid did well to get through a difficult period early on in his innings, but he then allowed himself to get bogged down.

The Indians have been known to take the attack to the Australian bowlers, but their display in the first innings was an inglorious exception to the rule. Mohammed Kaif was the only player who mixed judicious defence with attack, and his colleagues would do well to learn from him as they prepare to save the match in the second innings.

To add to the woes of the Indians, the Australian bowling was quite outstanding. They stuck to the basics and made life miserable for the out-of-form Indian batters, gradually wearing them down. Shane Warne complemented the pacemen very well, maintaining the pressure from one end as his mates tormented the Indians at the other. His worst delivery of the match got him a wicket, that of Laxman, but I suppose, that is how the game goes.

Like Warne, the Australian top-order batsmen were probably lucky to get away with a couple of close shouts for leg-before in the second innings, but then, fortune generally favours the brave. They batted sensibly against the new ball and then opened out. Katich batted superbly and was unlucky to join the '99 Club'. Martyn looked in fine nick, as he has for most of this tour.

Though a lead of 415 is more than adequate, I believe it will be stretched to 500 in the first session. That will put Australia in an impregnable position. A target of around 500 for the Indians, and almost 150 overs in which to take ten wickets, will allow Gilchrist to maintain attacking fields, and with it, the pressure.

India will face the ominous task of batting for around five sessions to save the game. The way they have batted in the series so far, I don't think they can win. I am not saying that the Indian batsmen are not capable of achieving the target, but most of them are not in the best of form. It will either be a famous Australian win, or a fighting draw.

Host Shastri School bags overall trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 28: Host Shastri Memorial Higher Secondary School lifted the overall trophy in an open judo championship organised at the school’s Patoli branch, here today.

The competition was organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Prof Jigaro Kano, father of Judo by school’s judo coaching centre. Besides the hosts, judokas from nine schools participated.

Shastri School clinched four gold and three silver medals. Second place was secured by Dewan Devi School with three gold and one silver. Third position holder, KV Miran Sahib won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal.

On the basis of his performance, Shubam Raina was adjudged as best judoka of the championships. Later medal winner Judo players in the recently held national championship were felicitated by the school management for bringing laurels to the school and the state. These players were presented track-suits and other gifts.

Chairman, Maa Shakti, Swami Paul was guest of honour of honour in this day long championship while secretary, J&K Judo Association, R C Thakur was chief guest.

Speaking to the participants, Swami Paul highlighted the importance of sports in transforming the youth into responsible and healthy citizens.

Earlier, in her welcome address, Principal of the school, Shakti Kohli highlighted the achievement of the school in different sports disciplines, especially in judo.

The results

Boys 25 kg: Akhil Sharma, Ist; Nitis Singh, 2nd and Uditay Sharma, third. 30 kg: Rohit, Ist; Parveen, 2nd and Ashutosh, third. 35 kg: Shubam Raina, Ist; Tarun Dev Singh, 2nd and Atul Singh, third. 40 kg: Vippan Sharma, Ist; Sahil Bakshi, 2nd and Pawan Deep, third. 45 kg: Rohit Verma, Ist; Akshit, 2nd and Sahil, third. 50 kg: Deepak Dogra, Ist; Sudhir, 2nd and Narender Singh, third. Open: Atish, Ist; Anand Kumar, 2nd and Mohit Labroo, third. Juniors: Adil Choudhary, Ist; Sushant Verma, 2nd and Anil Malhotra, third. Senior open: Sanjay Khajuria, Ist; Sunny Sambyal, 2nd and Rohit Salhotra.