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No controversy on opening combination, says
Indian Cricket Captain
Wednesday, June 30, 2004. New Delhi : The Indian cricket captain, Sourav Ganguly, claimed there was no controversy and the matter would be sorted out before the Test series against Australia gets underway. He said a decision will be taken keeping the team's interest in mind. Ganguly had anointed the aggressive Yuvraj Singh as the new Test opener during the fitness camp in Bangalore recently. Hutch launches cricket commentary on mobile phones
Mumbai : Cellular service provider Hutch announced the launch of cricket commentary on mobile phones in three languages - English, Hindi and Tamil, for the forthcoming cricket season. The company brought ten of its lucky users face to face with Indian team vice-captain Rahul Dravid. They were chosen from amongst 10,000 users who had downloaded, played and uploaded their scores on the Rahul XI Mobile Game. Dravid said he enjoyed playing games on his mobile phone while travelling and especially when waiting to catch a flight. The company has signed up three ex-Test players for the service - Sanjay Manjrekar (English), Arun Lal (Hindi) and L Sivaramakrishnan (Tamil), along with Harsha Bhogle who would give commentary in English. We have to play to our best potential in
Asia Cup, says Rahul
New Delhi : The Indian cricket vice-captain, Rahul Dravid, is expecting a tough competition from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asia Cup cricket tournament. Dravid said the team will carry the confidence from the Australia and Pakistan tours to the one-day tournament, but will not make the mistake of being "over-confident". He said : "We did well last season and would look to carry forward our good performance to this season as well. In the Asia Cup, we have to play to our best potential. We are certainly confident but not over-confident." Dalmiya will take over as President of Asian
Cricket Council
New Delhi : The Indian Cricket Board chief, Jagmohan Dalmiya, will take over as the President of the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) at its Annual General meeting to be held in London. ACC presidents are appointed on a rotational basis and this time it was India's turn to head the regional body after Bangladesh. Dalmiya will take over from Mohammad Ali Asghar of Bangladesh whose two-year term comes to an end. The ACC annual meeting will be attended by all its 20 members. Pakistan beat India by 6-1 in four-nation
Robobank hockey tournament
Amsterdam : Pakistan defeated India by 6-1 in the four-nation Robobank hockey tournament match. The huge loss virtually killed India's hopes of playing in the final of the tournament which also features Germany and Holland. The one-sided contest saw Pakistan scoring three goals in each halves. Shakeel Abbasi (7th), Sohail Abbas (28th, 43rd), Shabbir Hussain (33rd), Kashif Jawwad (55th) and Nadeem Khan (64th) scored for the winners while India's lone goal came through Deepak Thakur three minutes before the half time. Shreya bags gold in ITTF Junior Circuit championship
Taiyuan : Shreya Ghosh of India upset top-seeded Li Chao of China to win the gold medal in the ITTF Junior Circuit championship in Taiyuan, China. Ghosh defeated local lass 4-0 in the finals of the under 12 section to win the gold. Paddlers from sixteen countries including China, Chinese Taipei, UK and Korea took part in the June 23-27 championship. Achanta clinches gold in men's singles in
16th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship
Kuala Lumpur : In the final match of the men's singles in the 16th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Achanta Sharath Kamal of India defeated compatriot Soumyadeep Roy. It was for the first time that two Indians clashed for the title in the championship. Kamal recorded a facile victory over Roy in straight sets 11-8 11-5 11-6 11-8 to claim the gold medal. Roy was unable to match up with his own dream run in the tournament. IM Sriram Jha takes title of 42nd National "B"
Chess Championship
Vijayawada : International Master (IM) Sriram Jha of LIC emerged victorious in the Indian Oil Xtra Premium 42nd National "B" Chess Championship here. The progressive score came into picture as Jha was tied at ten points with Goodricke National Chess Academy's Saptarshi Roy. Jha had a healthy progressive score of 76.5, while Saptharshi Roy 67.5. Jha said : "My goal is to earn the GM title". WGM Dronavalli Harika of Wipro, who agreed for a truce with Rahul Shetty of Indian Airlines in just four moves, finished third with a better progressive score of 75 though she tallied 9.5 points tying with 13 others. Pradeep and Saraswati take win men's and
women's titles
Hyderabad : Pradeep Kumar of the Army Boys Sports Company won the men's titles in the 2nd series of AP state level road races sponsored by the Hyderabad 10K Foundation and conducted by the Athletic Coaching Academy (ACA) near the Gymkhana grounds here. Saraswati of SAI (Sports Authority of India) also won the women's titles. About 2000 runners took part in the programme. Former All England badminton champion P Gopi Chand graced the occasion. K Surender Reddy, Secretary Inter-University Tournaments, Osmania University gave away the prizes. Shikha bags silver in Malaysian Open swimming
championship
Bangalore : Shikha Tandon was the lone Indian swimmer to claim a medal on the final day of the Malaysian Open swimming champion Kuala Lumpur. She bagged a silver in the 50 metres freestyle by clocking 27.04 seconds. It was well below had personal and national best of 26.50. Reshma Millet who timed 28.14 seconds finished eighth. Holland beat India by 2-0 in four-nation
Robobank hockey tournament
Amsterdam : Holland defeated India by 2-0 in a league match of the four-nation Robobank hockey tournament here. India suffered the loss in their first match of the competition with the hosts scoring on either sides of the break through Teun de Nooijer (30th minutes) and Ronald Brouwer (39th minutes). India were undone by some close misses and failure to convert even once from as many as seven penalty corners. Pakistan Cricket Board bans cricketers from
talking to media
Islamabad : The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has banned Pakistani cricketers from talking to the media. The captain and the 25 probables, attending a fitness camp at Lahore, including fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, have been barred from talking to the media. The order was issued by both the PCB Chief, Shaharyar Khan, and the Chief Executive, Ramiz Raja. All-India Junior ranking badminton championship
starts from today
Bangalore : A clutch of top junior players will be seen in action in the Union Bank's All-India junior ranking badminton championship which gets underway at the KBA Stadium on Saturday, with a huge schedule of qualifying round matches. The championship which carries an overall prize money of Rs. 1 lakh is being conducted by Padukone Sportrs Management, under the auspices of the BAI and KBA. The championship would help the Indian junior players, who are bound for ABC Junior championship to be held in China later in July, to test their skills. Anand Pawar, who heads pack in the under-19 boys' section, will be challenged by host of other talented youngsters like P Kashyap, Jishnu Sanyal and Anshuman Hazarika. Anand underwent a two-month training in Indonesia recently. A total 16 events will be played in the championship, ranging from under-10 singles and doubles to under-19 singles and doubles. Kapil's lighting company likely to get Rs 4
crores contract to floodlit Brabourne Stadium
Mumbai : The former Indian cricket captain, Kapil Dev's lighting company "Dev Musco Lighting" is likely to get a Rs four crore contract to floodlit the Brabourne Stadium at the CCI (Cricket Club of India). It would finalize during an executive committee meeting on July 7. Dungarpur said : "Infact Kapil was very generous when the GCA (Gujarat Cricket Association) wanted to install lights at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad as he let them pay the expenses on installment basis". Kapil's company has also done a very good job at the PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) Stadium in Mohali, the Barabati Stadium in Orissa and the Amby Hills Golf Course in New Delhi. Indian Airlines win Super "A" division title
New Delhi : Indian Airlines won the Super "A" divison title in the DDCA league here. In the final match, Indian Airlines defeated Dena Bank by 51 runs. Batting first, Indian Airlines scored 305 runs for the loss of six wickets in 55 overs. Manvinder Bisla scored 115 runs, Zeeshan-ul-Yaqeen scored 61 runs and Vijay Dahiya scored 57 runs. In reply, Dena Bank scored 244 runs in 55.1 overs. In their second innings Indian Airlines scored 134 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 30 overs. Bisla were 54 runs (not out) and Rajat scored 32 runs. In reply, Dena Bank scored 244 runs in 25.4 overs. Bhupathi-Mirnyi enters in second round at Wimbledon
London : Third seeded Mahesh Bhupathi of India and his partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus, entered into the men's doubles second round at Wimbledon with an easy straight set victory over Hicham Arazi and Joshua Eagle here. Bhupathi-Mirnyi won 6-3 6-4 against Morocco's Hicham and Australian Eagle in the first round. Bhupathi-Mirnyi will meet the winners of the match between Dutch duo Raemon Sluiter-Martin Verkerk and Spaniards Juan Ignacio Carrasco-Tommy Robredo. 21-member Indian team will participate Asian
Badminton Championship for disabled
Bangalore : According to the report, a 21-member Indian squad will participate in the Asian badminton championship for the disabled. The championship will be held in Kuala Lumpur from July 14 to 18. The team members are Shiba Prasad Das, Ramesh Tikaram, B Anand Kumar, K Venkatesh, Jayadeepan, Kalaimani Gopinath, S R Kanti, S Raghuram, V Anjana Reddy, P Sridhar, Haryana Veer, Ananth Mahale, Nusurl Hassan Khan, Amrendra Behera, Harish Bist, Manoj Khaire, Satya Prakash Tiwari, Prakash Nadar, Parul D Parmar and Pushpalatha. Tejaswi Rao moves into quarterfinals of ITF
Tennis tournament
Hyderabad : According to information received here, Tejaswi Rao of Hyderabad moved into the quarterfinals in the ITF tennis tournament held in Bandung (Indonesia). Tejaswi Rao defeated the fourth seed Riyo Sekiguthi of Japan by 2-6, 7-2, 6-3. Tejaswi is making his debut in the ITF circuit. Tejaswi also reached the doubles semifinals. There is no fee pay cut for players, says BCCI
Mumbai : The BCCI clarified that the proposed reduction in match fees, plus logo money for players after the introduction of the contract system would be more than compensated by the retainer fees for those who are placed on contract. The BCCI Joint Secretary, Ratnakar Shetty, said : "It's wrong to say that there is a pay cut as any perceived reduction in match fees that is being proposed, but not been finalised yet, would be more than compensated by the retainer fees they would be getting annually." As per the formula worked out by the two parties, the players would be divided into three grades for annual contracts worth Rs 60, Rs 30 and Rs 15 lakh each. Former Indian Cricketer Vishwanath will take
charge of Natwest series
Mumbai : The ICC (International Cricket Council) has appointed the former Indian cricketer, Gundappa Vishwanath, as match referee for the Natwest series, starting on London on June 24 between England, New Zealand and West Indies. The ICC said in a release Daryl Harper and Rudi Koertzen from the Umpires panel will alternately stand with a local official during the series. The Natwest series will be the first ODI (One Day International) series with matches that would have a minimum of 20 overs for the side batting second. I sadly Jemima and I are divorced, says former
Pak cricketer Imran Khan
Islamabad : The former Pakistani cricketer, Imran Khan, said he had divorced his wife, the British socialite, Ms. Jemima. He said : "I sadly announce that Jemima and I are divorced." He said : "This was a mutual decision and is clearly very sad for both of us. My home and my future is in Pakistan. Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan." Ms. Jemima campaigned on Khan's behalf in the 1997 elections, but he failed to win a single seat. In the October 2002 National Assembly elections, Khan's party won just one seat, that of his own. The couple had vowed to live together forever, refuting theories that a typical English socialite like Ms. Jemima would find it hard to adjust to the ways in a conservative Islamic country.They also endured a US paternity suit brought by Sita White who alleged Khan was the father of her daughter as well as intense media coverage of their relationship. It is believed that recently, weeks before White died of cancer, Khan took custody of her child. Ms. Jemima immersed herself in Pakistani culture after marrying Khan in 1995, winning her grudging respect in the Muslim country of 150 million people. The divorce has come not as a surprise as there has been speculation for several months that the celebrated couple had fallen apart. Ms. Jemima (30) has been spending more and more time in London where she is studying for a master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Fast bowler Ashish Nehra rules out any major
change in his bowling action
Kolkata : Fast bowler Ashish Nehra ruled out any major change in his bowling action. He said he will be able to remain fully fit during India's busy schedule in the coming months. He said : "At this stage of one's career it is not possible to bring about any major change in the bowling action. A little bit of change here and there one can do. But nothing major." He refused to give much importance to former Australian quick bowler Bruce Reid's observation that he change his "risky" action which made him prone to injuries. He said : "Everybody has his own opinion. But each bowler has his own style." Harikrishna earn draw in first game of second
round of World chess championship 2004
Tripoli : Indian Grandmaster P Harikrishna played out a well-fought draw against Ukranian Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk in the first game of the second round of World chess championship 2004 underway here. On the other match, International Master Neelotpal Das held Armenian GM Ashot Anastesian to a creditable draw with white pieces. The result saw him and Neelotpal being the two Indians left in the fray. Harikrishna could not do much against the solid play of Ivanchuk, the finalist of the last World championship held in Moscow in 2001. Shoaib having second thoughts about Asia Cup camp
Islamabad : The "Rawalpindi Express", Shoaib Akhtar, is now having second thoughts about reporting for the Asia Cup cricket tournament training camp in Lahore. Earlier, Akhtar said he has been "hurt" and "disturbed" by statements of the Pakistani captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board). Inzamam said Shoaib had cost Pakistan more defeats than victories and that he would personally supervise the fitness test of Shoaib Akhtar. He was also upset after repeatedly reading statements from the board officials that he would only be considered for the Asia Cup if he is was fit and he would get no preferential treatment. Zaheer and Harbhajan have been named in 20-member
probables list for Asia Cup
Bangalore : Opener Aakash Chopra, medium pacer Munaf Patel, Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir and spinner Sairaj Bahutule were dropped as the selectors pruned the list of probables for next month's Asia Cup in Sri Lanka here. The selectors decided to confine themselves to 24 probables. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, on a comeback trail from injuries, have been named in the 20-member probables list for the Asia Cup. The BCCI secretary, S K Nair, announced the probables list to the media after the selection committee had met earlier at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here. He said : "The probables will attend the camp at Chennai from July 3 to 8. Coach John Wright along with support staff, physio Andrew Leipus and trainer Gregory Allen King, will supervise the camp. Besides the 20 probables, eight fast bowlers will also be called to Chennai to assist in the cricket sessions." Sri Lankan cricketers will dedicate two-Test
series to teammate Muttiah Muralitharan
Darwin : Sri Lankan cricketers arrived in Darwin with captain Marvan Atapattu confident the rest of his players will lift their games to make up for the man who usually takes half of the opposition wickets. The first Test begins on July 1 in Darwin and the second on July 9 in Cairns. Sri Lanka's cricketers said they will dedicate the two-Test series against Australia to teammate Muttiah Muralitharan, who pulled out of the tour for personal reasons. Atapattu said : "I'd love to have him here but he's made a personal decision and we have to wear it. But it is going to be hard to take 20 wickets without him." However, he said Muralitharan would be difficult to replace. India beat US by 7-0 in Hockey match
New Delhi : India defeated US by 7-0 in the first of their two friendly matches at Moorpark College, California. Strikers Deepak Thakur and Baljit Singh Dhillon scored a brace each. The Indians, for whom the matches would be the last phase of their Olympic preparations in the country, did not have to push hard in the match against their 24th ranked opponents, consisting of members of the National senior and junior teams. Anju Bobby George wins bronze in Prefontaine Classic
New Delhi : Anju Bobby George won the bronze in the Prefontaine Classic at Eugene, Oregon, USA. He was behind Americans Marion Jones and Grace Upshaw with a wind-aided 6.83 metres. This is Anju's second medal in Grand Prix this season and third overall. She had won at Doha last month. Jones was on 6.93 and Upshaw a wind-aided 6.88m, achieved in the second round. Jones, disappointing in the 100m, came into her best form in long jump to reach 6.93m on her fourth attempt. She had a lucky 1.0m/s wind-speed for her winning jump that put her in fourth spot in the season's lists for legal marks. The American superstar had an excellent series of 6.55, 6.88, 6.82w, 6.93, 6.89 and 6.77. India wins Rexello Castors Peace Cup
Chandigarh : According to the report, India blanked Pakistan 3-0 in the three-Test snooker series to win the Rexello Castors Peace Cup. The Indians won the third 6-1 to avenge the series defeat in Karachi last year. World amateur champion Pankaj Advani regained his form to give India a brilliant start in the opening encounter outwitting Pakistan's young talent Imran Shahzad in straight frames 94-0, 75-6. Asian champion Alok Kumar put India 2-0 ahead defeating Pakistan's top ranked Khurram Agha 77-27, 76-1. In the doubles, Manan Chandra and Asian Games gold medallist Rafat Habib overcame a mid-match slump to beat Pakistan's Imran Shahzad and Muhammed Atiq Buksh 67-34, 21-64, 85-19. Paes and Jonathan reach semifinals of
Ordina Open Tennis tournament
New Delhi : Leander Paes of India and Erlich Jonathan of Israel has reached the semifinals of the Ordina Open event in The Netherlands. They defeated the French duo of Thierry Ascione and Michael Llodra by 6-3 6-2 in the second round. In their opening match, Paes and Erlich had recorded a convincing 6-4 6-2 win over the Czech pair of Petr Pala and Tomas Cibulec. Now they will take on Martin Damm and Cyril Suk of Czech Republic in the next round. Decision not to join Australian tour was final, says Muralitharan
Colombo : Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan said he had nothing against Australians. He also said he would tour Australia in the future, but maintained that he will not be part of the Sri Lankan cricket team in the upcoming two-Test series. He said : "There is no hatred. People have to put behind hatred and get going. I will go to Australia." Muralitharan will join thousands to raise funds on Sunday, the same day his Sri Lanka teammates leave for Australia. He said his decision not to join the Australian tour was final. None of Indian players will be given permission
to take part in USA's league
Thiruvananthapuram : The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) said that none of the Indian players will be given permission to take part in the USA's pro-cricket league. A BCCI release issued by its secretary, S K Nair, said : "The BCCI has been receiving queries with regard to the participation of some Indian cricketers like Vinod Kambli, Rohan Gavaskar, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Sanghvi, Sarandeep Singh, Amit Mishra, Ajay Ratra, Amit Bhandari and others in an event called American pro-cricket. The release said : "The ICC (International Cricket Council) has communicated to all its members, including the BCCI, that it had not approved the event and that the event did not have the support of the United States of America Cricket Association either." Seven wrestlers will represent India in
Olympics Games
New Delhi : Seven wrestlers will represent India in the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Athens from August 13. This is for the first time that so many grapplers have qualified for the Olympics from India. Six wrestlers will take part in freestyle and one in Greco-Roman events. Indian men's team scores 1969 to gain 5th place
Kolkata : The Indian men's team, comprising Tarundeep Rai, Satyadev Prasad and Majhi Sawaiyan, scored 1969 points to gain the fifth place in the qualification competition of the German Grand Prix archery meet at Wyhl. World champion Korea took the top spot with 2019 while China (1982), Great Britain (1980) and Italy (1970) finished in that order. The women's team also finished fifth The women's team would be challenged by 12th ranked Georgia. Murali decides to withdraw from Sri Lanka's
forthcoming tour to Australia
Colombo : The Sri Lankan spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, decided to withdraw from Sri Lanka's forthcoming tour to Australia. According to a Sri Lankan cricket board official, the star off-spinner has been upset by criticism of his bowling action. He became the leading wicket-taker in Test history last month. He met with officials on Friday to discuss his decision. Delhi will be hosting Indo-Pak hockey first match
New Delhi : Delhi will be hosting the first match of the Indian-leg of the much-awaited hockey series against Pakistan in October. The IHF (Indian Hockey Federation) announced the matches of the Indian leg would be held in Delhi on October 4, Chandigarh on October 6, Hyderabad on October 8 and Bangalore on October 10. The IHF President, K P S Gill, said the first leg in Pakistan, the arch-rivals will play four Tests at Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore, The matches in Pakistan will be held on September 25 at Karachi, September 27 at Quetta, September 29 at Peshawar and October 1 at Lahore. India needs one defensive opener whose technique
is correct, says Sehwag
Bangalore : Former India Test captains Polly Umrigar and Nari Contractor have not taken kindly to dashing batsman Virender Sehwag's view that he preferred a defensive player to partner him as opener. Indian captain Sourav Ganguly may have anointed the aggressive Yuvraj Singh as India's new Test opener, but regular opening batsman Virender Sehwag said that he would prefer a "defensive" partner for negotiating the new ball. He said : "India needs one defensive opener whose technique is correct, who can easily play the initial 15-20 overs." Asked who he thought would be the perfect opening partner for him, Sehwag said : "My combination is very good with Sanjay Bangar and Aakash Chopra because both are defensive players and they can play 15-20 overs easily and I can go for my shots." 3rd National Circuit athletes meet to start
in Chennai today
Chennai : The third National Circuit Athletics Meet is set to start later today at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. In all, 135 athletes from all over India will be seen in action. Top athletes from across the country will be eager to return their best distances or times in 11 men's and eight women's events, slated to be held in the final domestic circuit meet before the Olympics. Handful of them would be going all out to achieve grade 'A' or 'B' norms set by the International Atheltic Federation and also the prize money. India wins relay silver in 11th Asian junior
athletics championships
Ipoh : India won a relay silver and added two more bronze medals to its tally on the concluding day of the 11th Asian junior athletics championships here. The Indian men's team of Pramod, Bacchu Durlav, R. Bangaraiah and Sunil Kumar took the silver behind Saudi Arabia in the 4x400m relay, clocking 3:13.99. Saudi Arabia timed 3:09.02. In men's hammer Madhu Kumar threw to a distance of 65.25 metres to claim the bronze while Pritam Bind took the third place in the men's 1500m in a time of 3:53.62. Bangladeshi cricket selectors announce 14-member
squad for Asia Cup tournament
Dhaka : Bangladeshi cricket selectors announced a 14-member squad for the forthcoming One-day International Asia Cup tournament in Sri Lanka. Test opener Javed Omar will replace Hannan Sarkar, who was dropped because of "poor performance" during the West Indies tour, while top order batsman Shariar Hossain has been left out because of a back injury. The Chief National Selector, Faruq Ahmed, said : "The team played well in the West Indies, so we did not make much changes." The selectors retained 31-year-old Habibul Bashar as captain. The team will start training on Wednesday under national coach Dav Whatmore before departing for Sri Lanka early next month for the tournament. I am going to prepare for Test opening, says Yuvraj
Bangalore : Yuvraj Singh said he will prepare for the Test opener with a changed mindset and use the opportunity to score big knocks. He said : "It's going to be a change in the batting order, and I have to go up the order. I am going to prepare for it, I will practice with the new ball. It's a different challenge. He also said : "I think it's an advantage because if one sees through the new ball, one can also score big runs. So, I am looking forward to the challenge." Sandy Gordon arrives at Bangalore fitness
camp for Indian probables for Asia Cup
Bangalore : The renowned sports psychologist, Sandy Gordon, arrived here for week-long fitness camp for the Indian probables for the Asia Cup. The camp will continue till June 19. For the first time, their blood and urine samples were collected to assess factors like allergy to food and weather while on tour. The probables have been divided into two groups and both starts the day with a morning yoga session. Among other exercises, the probables are subjected to static hold, bench push and pull ups. On the first day of the camp, the players underwent medical check up.
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