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Windies rub salt into India’s wounds
Sachin’s absence was the key: Lara
Fielding let us down: Dravid
Rahul prone to run-outs
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Indian men, women suffer defeat
Turin, May 29 Indian men suffered their second defeat in the 37th edition of the Chess Olympiad going down to defending champion Ukraine in the seventh round while their women counterparts were outdone by United States in quick time here.
Rifle shooters come a cropper in World Cup
Jeev continues to top Order of Merit
Barreto to join Mohun Bagan
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Windies rub salt into India’s wounds
Port of Spain, May 29 Tigers in the sub-continent, they have transpired to be lambs in the Caribbean, the historical win-loss ratio between the two sides in this part of the world now stretching to 15-5 in West Indies' favour. Brian Lara veritably caught the Indians unawares at every step. He astonishingly handed the new ball to Wavell Hinds, better known for his batting. The Jamaican struck in his very first over with an innocuous looking outswinger to remove Robin Uthappa and soon also had the dangerous Mahendra Dhoni playing on. Every time Lara wanted a wicket, he waved a magic wand; and a scalp would appear. In contrast, no matter what his counterpart Rahul Dravid did, it backfired. His dependability with the bat, too, deserted him. With wickets falling at regular intervals, India inexorably hurtled to defeat. A flicker of hope arose with the association between Virender Sehwag, who top-scored with 95 off 103 deliveries (his 23rd ODI 50), and Yuvraj Singh, who for the first time on the tour seemed to rediscover his timing and placements. But, having strained a hamstring, the latter failed to reach the pitch of a dipping googly from the left-arm Dave Mohammed to be bowled through the gate. Jerome Taylor, the right arm fast medium bowler, then returned to capture three quick wickets, including the one of Sehwag, to dash India's expectations. The Delhi opener's innings, coupled with his bowling figures of one for 29 in 10 overs, certainly merited the attention of the man of the match adjudicator. But the award went to Dwayne Bravo for his unbeaten 62, which included a 36-ball 50, the best display in the West Indian venture. The shock of plummeting to fifth from third in the International Cricket Council's ODI rankings, updated on Saturday, made no difference, as India, seeking a consolation win, fielded abjectly to transmit the initiative to West Indies. Dhoni let off Chris Gayle before he had opened his account, while Uthappa spilled Bravo at deep midwicket when he was 22. From the morning, though, Queen's Park Oval was in celebration mode. Patrons had packed the stands to bid farewell to Trinidad and Tobago's greatest cricketer, the left-handed Lara in ODIs. Music blared, dainty hips wiggled and a capacity crowd gave him a thunderous cheer. The Prince of Port of Spain's last exhibition, though, was not an extended affair. He pottered around until memorably waltzing down the pitch to Harbhajan Singh to smack the off-spinner for a straight six. This was enough to give his ardent fans their money's worth. He was run out in pursuit of a second run. The gangling Gayle, dropped off Shantha Sreesanth's second ball, cashed in with booming drives, searing cuts and slog sweeps, before Sehwag bamboozled him in the air. His 26th ODI half century off 61 balls made India pay dearly. Earlier, Sewnarine Chattergoon shouldered arms to a ball from Ajit Agarkar that swung in to the left-hander. It was the Mumbai medium pacer's 251st ODI victim. Ramnaresh Sarwan, voted the man of the series, was on this occasion rather off-colour, hitting a solitary four in his 23rd ODI half century, before recklessly charging out to a good length ball from Sreesanth. But it was not destined to be India's day. Scoreboard
West Indies Gayle b Sehwag 51 Chattergoon b Agarkar 0 Sarwan b Sreesanth 52 Lara run out 36 Bravo not out 62 Hinds c Sehwag b Agarkar 32 Smith b Patel 1 Ramdin not out 1 Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-13, nb-3) 20 Total
(6 wickets, 50 overs) 255 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-90, 3-137, 4-165, 5-243, 6-251. Bowling: Sreesanth 10-0-62-1, Agarkar 10-1-44-2, Patel 10-0-64-1,
Harbhajan 10-0-52-0, Sehwag 10-0-29-1. India Uthappa c Ramdin b Hinds 0 Sehwag c Gayle b Taylor 95 Dhoni b Hinds 14 Dravid run out 18 Yuvraj b Mohammed 26 Kaif c Gayle b Taylor 12 Raina c Ramdin b Taylor 2 Agarkar c Smith b Gayle 21 Harbhajan c sub b Mohammed 26 Patel c Chattergoon b Mohammed 0 Sreesanth not out 2 Extras
(lb-4, w-14, nb-2) 20 Total (all out, 48 overs) 236 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-26, 3-73, 4-130, 5-170, 6-180, 7-189, 8-230, 9-231. Bowling:
Hinds 5-0-28-2, Taylor 10-0-48-3, Mohammed 9-1-39-3, Smith 5-0-28-0, Bravo 9-0-45-0, Gayle 10-0-44-1.
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Sachin’s absence was the key: Lara
Port of Spain, May 29 “I think the West Indies team is a better one-day team than this Indian side. But the absence of Sachin Tendulkar was the key,” Lara said basking in glory after his side triumphed for the fourth straight time over India at the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday. “Sachin Tendulkar is a major factor in Indian cricket, take it or leave it. He can make a big difference in any series. Just look at the ICC Super Series, we lost all the one-day matches as well as Tests because he was not there. “When you miss someone who has played over 300 one-day internationals, the best batsman in the world, a vital spoke in the wheel, it is tough. But we are happy that we’ve won and India has got to go back to the drawing board and rearrange things.” Lara said it felt great that his side had put it across a team that is better than New Zealand and Zimbabwe, two sides it has beaten in recent past. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry and we did well. Greg (Chappell) statement gave us a big fillip. I spoke to the boys after the game in Jamaica and said how can we lose a game by one ball and not win the next one. “It worked. We improved game-by-game, evident from the transformation of guys like Fidel Edwards, who bowled here excellently on Friday. “Maybe, the Indians were a little tired as (Virender) Sehwag put it. Let’s hope they come out rejuvenated on Friday (for the Test series),” Lara said. The star batsman cautioned his side to take the Indians seriously for the forthcoming Test series. “We have played five days of cricket against India. But now 20 days of cricket, four Test matches and I am sure the guys know that is the ultimate. We’re will enjoy this but we know how important the next month and a half is. Test cricket is the true test of character. This is not playing at your best on that day but about who plays best over 15 sessions of cricket.” Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was named man of the series, hoped to take the good form into the Test series and be more consistent about his performance. “Test matches are totally different kind of format. There are more attacking fields and your shot selection has to be spot on. At the end of my career, I want to be remembered as a great cricketer, somebody like Tendulkar, Lara, Ricky Ponting or Rahul Dravid. “In order to be considered great cricketer, I have to be consistent in different conditions. I am always trying to work on my batting and hope to have at least six or seven more years of international cricket.” Sarwan, touted as the next captain after Lara, termed the latter as an inspirational figure in the dressing room. Lara’s role has been outstanding. He has made younger players come out and give suggestions, Sarwan said. Windies name Test squad
Left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed was recalled as West Indies selectors largely retained the triumphant one-day squad for the first Test against India beginning in Antigua on Friday. The two players who were left out were Dwayne Smith and Sewnarine Chattergoon who was castled for a duck in the last one-dayer yesterday, the only look-in he got in the five-match series which the West Indies clinched 4-1. The 26-year-old Mohammed, who last played for the West Indies in 2004, was rewarded for his consistent first-class performances and his match-winning show in the Carib Beer Challenge. The wicketkeeper’s slot was given to 21-year-old Denesh Ramdin ahead of Jamaica’s Carlton Baugh, according to a statement from the West Indies Cricket Board. Ramdin was dropped for the third and fourth matches of the one-day series but the selectors retained faith in his services in the longer format of the game. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who missed the final two one-day internationals in Trinidad due to a hamstring injury, is back along with Daren Ganga, the Test opener, who toured New Zealand recently. The squad: Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Dave Mohammed.
— PTI
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Fielding let us down: Dravid
Port of Spain, May 29 “We have to ask ourselves this question very seriously if bringing in (experienced) people actually strengthen your field or does it weaken it. I guess that is the question you should be asking yourself seriously,” Dravid said in the post-match conference after India lost the fifth one-dayer by 19 runs yesterday. Dravid was peppered with questions if lack of experience was the key reason why his side was thrashed in the ODIs. “The absence of Sachin Tendulkar because of injury could not be helped but there has been a feeling here that the presence of a Laxman, Ganguly or Kumble was sorely missed in this squad,” he said. The skipper said if he had to mention one single reason, which affected his side in the one-day campaign, he would put it down to fielding. “They outfielded better than us in the tournament. After the first game, it showed in some of the matches which were very close, including the one of today,” he said. “Our throwing has not been good from the deep. Our throwing arms have not been good and today they took us on in the final overs,” Dravid said. He said despite being unable to play big shots on these slow wickets, the Indians once again resorted to aggressive methods in the final game and consequently hurt their chances. The Bangalore batsman admitted the last two games of the series have probably been the most disappointing ones of his fledging career as captain. Dravid said his side would now concentrate on the Test series and once they return home, they would distill their experience and work out strategy for the World Cup. Dravid also admitted that his side missed the experience of someone like Sachin Tendulkar whose bowling “would have been ideal in these conditions”.
— PTI
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Rahul prone to run-outs
Port of Spain, May 29 The Indian captain, who was once again a victim of run out dismissal in the fifth and last one-dayer against West Indies here yesterday, is not far behind the biggest culprit, Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu and Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq, notorious for his lethargic running in between the wickets, in the list of maximum number of run-outs. The Sri Lankan heads the list with 40 run-outs followed by Inzamam with 39. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is a close third on 38 while the Indian stalwart is fourth on 33. Mohammad Yousuf (Pak), Mark Waugh (Aus) and Mohammad Azharuddin (Ind) complete the top six list with 32 dismissals each by way of run-out. In Tests, Dravid has been run out nine times compared to former Australian skipper Allan Border’s highest number of 12. West Indies legend Gary Sobers and his compatriot Carl Hooper occupy the second slot with 10 dismissals ahead of Dravid.
— PTI
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Chess Olympiad
Turin, May 29 After Viswanathan Anand drew with former world championship challenger Vassily Ivanchuk on the top board, Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran and GM Sandipan Chanda also managed draws in their games. But, former world junior champion P. Harikrishna’s shock defeat proved too costly for the Indians as they lost 1.5-2.5. Overnight leader Armenia had it easy with a 3-1 victory over giant killer Netherlands with a 3-1 margin in the 7th round and maintained their full point lead over nearest rival Russia that also scored an identical victory over Belarus. While Cuba stands sole third on 19.5 points following a crushing 3.5-0.5 victory over Indonesia, it now looks a two-horse race for the medal between Armenia and Russia. With six rounds to go, the Indians are currently on the joint 14th spot with 18 points in their bag and will meet Bulgaria in the next round. Meanwhile, Indian women suffered a 0.5-2.5 defeat at the hands of the United States. In the absence of Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, who opted out for this round, the Indian eves simply lacked the skills to take on the fifth seed US. Women Grandmaster D. Harika was the only saving grace for India as she did well to hold Anna Zatonskih on the top board while Swati Ghate and Mary Ann Gomes ended on the losing side against Irina Krush and Rasudan Goletiani, respectively. The Russian women stretched their lead to a full point over Ukraine after scoring a splendid 3-0 victory over Slovakia in their seventh round game. The second-placed Ukraine was also in fine fettle scoring a 2.5-0.5 victory against Romania but their effort to catch up with Russia at the half way stage went in vain. The Russian eves took their tally to 17.5 points out of a possible 21. — PTI
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Rifle shooters come a cropper in World Cup
New Delhi, May 29 Anjali, who has already secured the Olympic quota place at the World Cup in Resende, Brazil, finished 31st with a tally of 575 in the 50m 3 Position event yesterday. The Indian fired 194 (96, 98) in prone, 192 (96, 96) in standing and 182 (94, 95) in kneeling positions. Another Indian Olympian Deepali Deshpande finished 26th after scoring 577. She shot 197 (98, 99) in prone, 188 (95, 93) in standing and 192 (97, 95) in kneeling. Narang, also a quota place holder, who had finished fourth in the 10m Air Rifle event in the same event, failed to advance beyond the elimination round with a score of 1144. Sanjeev Rajput ended up 42nd with a score of 1148. Juniors win
five medals
The Indian shooting team won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the junior international shooting competition in Suhl, Germany. The 35-member Indian contingent was up against some tough competition from shooters from 23 countries during the May 23-28 event. In air rifle (men), the team comprising Hardeep Singh (587), Ful Chand Bangar (592) and Navnath Farthate (588) shot 1767/1800 to win the gold medal. In the same event, Ful Chand won the bronze with a total score of 691.3 (592+99.3), according to a press statement issued by the National Rifle Association of India today. Amanpreet Singh clinched the silver in air pistol junior men’s event with a score of 576+96.7 (672.7). The Indian team of Om Prakash (567), Zakir Khan (572) and Amanpreet Singh (576) won the bronze. India’s double trap team consisting of Mohammad Asab (109), Asher Noria (107) and Sangram Dahiya (78) won the third bronze medal for the country with a score of 294/450. In air pistol junior women’s event, Harveen Sarao finished seventh with 469.4 (376+95.8), while Navdeep Kaur ended up fifth in the air rifle event with 394+96.7.
— PTI
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Nadal sets clay record Paris, May 29 The Spaniard won 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Centre Court to record his 54th successive win on his favourite surface. Former champion Gaston Gaudio marched into the second round with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over Croatian qualifier Roko Karanusic. Gaudio, the 10th seed who won the claycourt Grand Slam title in 2004, ended a three-match losing streak with a stylish display on Court Suzanne Lenglen. In the women’s section, Russian 18th seed Elena Likhovtseva, who reached the semifinals of the French Open last year, suffered a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing by Croatia’s Karolina Sprem at Roland Garros today. Swiss seventh seed Patty Schnyder made light work of Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek, winning her first-round match 6-1, 6-2. Schnyder, who reached the quarterfinals of the claycourt event in 1998, wrapped up the match in only 57 minutes with a crunching forehand winner. World number two Kim Clijsters survived a second-set scare to reach the second round with a 6-0, 7-6 win over France’s Virginie Razzano. — Agencies
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Sania’s match at 2.30 pm today Chandigarh, May 29 Sania had lost to Gisela Dulko of Argentina in the first round of the Grand Slam event in 2005. Myskina, the 10th seed, won the French Open title in 2004 but crashed out in the first round last year. — TNS
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UP boys rally to beat Gujarat
Ludhiana, May 29 Gujarat cagers established 11 points lead over their rivals. However three pointers in quick succession by Rajnish and SA Hauque of Uttar Pradesh forced them on back foot. At half time, UP boys were trailing by one point (44-45). Rajnish and Haque not only anchored their team to wipe out the lead but also steered it to surge ahead which finally saw them to wrap up the issue. Vishesh and Arjun too played well for the winners, contributing 27 and 28 points, respectively, while Rajnish chipped in with 20 points. For Gujarat, Mahipal and Swapnil scored 32 and 25 points, respectively. In another match in the boys section, Maharashtra beat Pondicherry 93-41. The main contributors were Parag and Akshay who scored 14 points each while Shoain netted 12 points. For the losers, Ganesh was the top scorer with 15 points, followed by Raksha who made 12 points. Tamil Nadu survived some anxious moments against Orissa before romping home victorious 79-64 and Delhi, thanks to fine performance by Sunil Ratti and Humayun who netted 15 and 10 points, respectively, beat Jammu and Kashmir 63-34. The lone fighter for the losers was Sunil Bajaj who scored 25 points. In the girls section, Delhi proved too good for Andhra Pradesh whom they outclassed 73-42 while Madhya Pradesh beat Jharkhand 49-10. Earlier, Haryana boys prevailed over Jharkhand 92-85; Rajasthan trounced Himachal Pradesh 95-15; Kerala beat Manipur 64-38; Andhra Pradesh outwitted Jammu and Kashmir 81-24; Karnataka beat Jammu and Kashmir 67-16 and Tamil Nadu defeated Rajasthan 84-44.
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Four Indian kids to be FIFA flag-bearers
New Delhi, May 29 Shreshth Shah from Kolkata, Ajiteshwar Singh from Delhi, Sachit Kamlesh Yadav from Mumbai and P.S. Sudarshan from Bangalore were selected on the basis of passion, skill and knowledge of the game among the children who registered for the contest organised by ESPN-STAR Sports and Adidas. The four winners will now go for an all expenses paid two nights and three days return trip to Germany for watching one match during the World Cup. The winners will be flying to Germany on June 20 and will be joined by children from across the globe.
— UNI
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Jeev continues to top Order of Merit
Kuala Lumpur, May 29 Rising star Park Jun-won, who finished runner-up at Manila yesterday, walked home with $ 21,700 and broke into the top 60 on the Order of Merit in 57th position with his season’s haul of $ 24,190. Aussie ace Scott Strange, who won the 90th Philippine Open title yesterday, climbed up six spots to be ranked 10th with total earnings of $ 149,024.
— PTI
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