India Sports News

Ashutosh Singh banks on his rich form to cut into the Davis Cup team that will take on Uzbekistan in Delhi in February next year. "I am 25. But I have a feeling that I can make the cut for the Davis Cup. Whoever does well in the Grass Court championship stands a better chance. I am not giving in as yet," he said, after practice at the South Club Tuesday. Later in the day, Ashutosh won his singles match against Kaushik Das of Assam 6-1, 6-1 continuing with his form. "This has clearly been my best year. I was selected to represent the country in the India-Pakistan series and played in the Futures and ATP Challengers with reasonable success," the Delhi youth said.
Fifth among Indians on the latest ranking list at 540, Ashutosh has jumped 44 places after making the final of the $10,000 ITF Futures event at Lahore in October. "Earlier, my ranking was around 700. I improved a lot last year, entering the final of three Futures meets. But the memorable one was in Morocco where I defeated Prakash (Amritraj)," he said.
Coming from the family of tennis, the game has been his first love. "My grandfather Jaynarayan was a tennis coach, father Balaram- a Davis cupper and sister Shalini Thakur was a former national tennis champion. It is in my blood. I am passionate about it. It is my love for the game that keeps me going," he said.
Ashutosh want to take part in the Chennai Open after this event and he is well aware that a victory here will fetch him a wild card. "I wish to be there, but it depends on a few other things, other than my wishing for it. I hope I can live up to the expectations," he said.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/19December2007_66233.html

Sandeep Michael scooped over goalkeeper Gurpreet to convert the last chance in the tie-breaker to help Bangalore Hi-Fliers win their opening match against defending champions Orissa Steelers in the fourth edition of the Premier Hockey League in Chandigarh on Friday night. In the regulation time, both the teams were locked 2-all and failed to break the deadlock in the 10-minute extra-time, forcing the match to go into penalty shootouts. In a thrilling and absorbing match, Bangalore had the upper hand with more penetrating moves in the first two quarters, but Orissa drew first blood.
Making the best use of a defensive lapse, Orissa shot ahead in the 25th minute. Eliazer Ekka wriggled out from Hi-Fliers' defender Len Aiyappa on top of the circle, turned around and sent in a blinder to beat Bharat Chetri in the Bangalore goal. However, Bangalore persisted with their attacks and earned a penalty corner in the 41st minute. A defender took Aiyappa's drag-flick on the body and another short corner was awarded. This time Aiyappa's power-packed flick to the roof of the net went in like a bullet.
The equaliser, which came in the 42nd minute, saw both the teams increase the tempo of the game and the huge crowd witnessed some spectacular action. Orissa took the lead once again in the 58th minute converting the third of their five penalty corners. Birender took the push and Ignace set the stage for William Xalxo, who sounded the board with a direct hit. Earlier today, Maratha Warriors thrashed Chennai Veerans 4-1 in a one-sided match.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/22December2007_66491.html

Fresh thunderstorms played spoilsport today to deny India valuable match practice Melbourne with the second day of their three-day warm-up match against Victoria producing just 10 overs. After a delayed start owing to wet outfield caused by Thursday's downpour, the penultimate day's proceeding lasted about just 45 minutes, during which India lost Sourav Ganguly (59) and reached 133 for four before rain put paid to their hopes for a good practice ahead of the Test series against Australia. At stumps, Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 38 and Yuvraj Singh, hoping to retain his place in the Test eleven, was giving him company on six. Allan Wise scalped Ganguly for his fourth wicket of the match.
Resuming on overnight score of 110 for three, Ganguly decided to go after the hosts. He clipped Wise through the mid-wicket region and then cut him for a four before the bowler had his revenge in the same over.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66481.html

Rashid Khan walked away as the champion of the Sunfeast Western India Junior and Sub-Junior golf championship despite a seven-over 77 in the final round at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) in Mumbai today. Rashid who was 14-under par for three days and was looking to break the all time high of 19-under at the BPGC, ended up with seven-under par 273. Chikkarangappa emerged as the champion in the `B' category. The 16-year-old Rashid, who held a 13-stroke advantage over the rest of the field, began with a solid birdie on the par-5 opening hole. But he found the going tough as he progressed, making three bogeys on the fifth, eighth and ninth even as a motley holiday crowd was following the leader.
On the back nine, he over-shot the par-4 11th and made a double bogey. A little later, he lost one more stroke on the 14th, missing a five-footer par putt. Rashid who had put up a brilliant display in the first three rounds was far from his original burst. A birdie on the 12th came as a solace but did not last long as on the par-3 17th he three-putted for a bogey.However he was docked two strokes for moving the flagstick, which was about to obstruct his playing partner Chikkarangappa's putt while the ball was in motion. Hence he ended up with a treble for a disastrous final round of 77. "I did it in good intention but rules are rules. I have to abide by them," said a dejected Rashid. It was a mixed feeling for the youngster who is on a roll. "Although I did not like the way I finished, I am happy for back to back wins at the Nick Faldo Series and here at Sunfeast Western India," said the champion.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66480.html

Continuing the mind game started by Indian skipper Anil Kumble calling Brad Hogg the weak link in Australian attack, Australia's middle order bulwark Michael Hussey retaliated saying his team has a special strategy to handle Indian bowlers in the forthcoming test series. Briefing the preparation of Aussies for the series against India Hussey said, his side has not left any stone unturned in their preparation and they would come hard at the Indians.
"We have done quite a bit of preparation: video footage and all. We have also faced them before. Different guys will have their own plans on how to handle different bowlers," said Hussey, a tower of strength in the middle order with his Bradmanesque average.
As for the pitch, Hussey conceded it was more in favour of batsmen these days at the MCG. "The pitches have changed. I believe it is a bit more batter-friendly. We will just have to wait until we get there to assess the conditions." Hussey's attention was then drawn to the fact that the tourists struggled on the opening day of the tour and that classy Rahul Dravid could be opening the innings in Tests.
Meanwhile, rain played spoilsport today in the three day warm-up match between India and Victoria. India were 133 for4 with Rahul Dravid (38) and Yuvraj Singh (6) at the stump before rain interupted the game.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66462.html

The state of Jammu and Kashmir is all set to host the national football championship for the Santosh Trophy in May 2008, after a gap of 30 years, a top official of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said today. "We are pretty satisfied with the way things are moving in the state for the tournament. The government is also keen to host the tournament, which will also boost the tourism in the state," AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta, who was a part of the two-member inspection committee, told. The two-member team has also submitted a positive report on the preparation for the event earlier this week.
The report will be discussed in the AIFF executive committee meeting Saturday, and is likely to be passed in the annual general meeting on Sunday, said a top official. The north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been hit by terrorism for the past two decades, was awarded the right to host the national championship in 2007. But interestingly the AIFF shifted the championship to Haryana from Srinagar because of infrastructure problems. Two major state associations Indian Football Association (IFA) of West Bengal and Goa Football Association (GFA) also expressed their apprehensions over security issues in the state.
"We have done our inspection in both Srinagar and Jammu and the construction works in the stadiums there are being done at a fast rate. We now have four dressing rooms in the Bakshi Stadium (Srinagar) and the Maulana Azad College ground (Jammu) is also in fine condition," said Dutta. "The Jammu and Kashmir Football Association has done a good job and I think that it has the capacity to host the Santosh Trophy," he added.
Briefing about the security arrangement, Dutta said, the state chief minister has assured that security won't be a problem for the organization of the tournament.
The last time the state hosted Santosh Trophy was in 1978-79 when Bengal defeated Goa in the final.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66444.html

At a time when local football is going through its worst phase, former Indian Football Association (IFA) secretary and All India Football Federation (AIFF) vice-president Subrata Dutta has made it clear that he is unhappy with the poor maintenance of grounds in West Bengal. Dutta said, "The ground conditions here are poor. There is complete lack of infrastructure except for the little we see at Yuva Bharati Krirangan (YBK) and Barasat Stadium (with a capacity of 20,000) of late." He said even the Salt Lake Stadium, as YBK is commonly known, wears a dismal look, though it is famous for its 1,25,000 capacity. "The pitch has not been re-laid for the last two decades. The underground drainage has suffered too. The toilets leak, the seats are broken. As the IFA secretary, I had tried (to improve things), but in vain."
In fact, Dutta had tried to get Stadel Hotel to sponsor a family enclosure near the stadium's VIP zone with bucket seats, catering, sleek toilets and other amenities. This would have encouraged families to come for derby ties and the government would have earned some extra money too.
"But the property belongs to the government and they somehow did not show much interest. Let me bust another myth that the state has a stadium in almost every district as claimed by the sports department. Having a closed enclosure with a few stands doesn't make a stadium. You need to have dressing rooms, proper maintenance facilities and all that. More often than not these are reduced to grazing grounds for cows and goats, than for proper football," he said.
Asked why clubs don't promote their own stadium away from the maidan in the centre of the city, Dutta said, "What can you say. They are too engrossed with their clubs and tents. I had given them a proposal to make social clubs and run them as a profitable business and use the revenue to improve the infrastructure in their ground or buy a plot of land and develop it.
"In other countries, football clubs see their establishment as an entertainment business. People become members of the respective clubs, patronize them, sponsor events, buy merchandise, spend evenings at the club. It is a social spot. But here the idea has fallen flat. They have failed to create a brand image. The problem is the clubs are not run professionally. They are non-commercial ventures. A pastime and a game cannot improve if it is only an honorary service," he added.
Of the big three in Kolkata football, the East Bengal ground can hold 23,500 spectators, the Mohun Bagan ground 19,000 and the Mohammedan Sporting ground 10,000. The Mohun Bagan ground has floodlights. One of the best-maintained grounds in the state is in Kalyanai, about two hours from Kolkata. It has a modified clubhouse with plans for galleries.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66436.html

Riding on a late penalty stroke conversion, Local favourites Chandigarh Dynamos beat former champions Hyderabad Sultans in the inaugural match of the Premier Hockey League's fourth edition at Sector 42 hockey stadium in Chandigarh on Thursday night. Dynamos shot to the lead with Sandeep Singh (59th) converting a penalty stroke and held nerves in dying moments to emerge victorious. Hyderabad defender Nitin Kumar blocked a Prabhjot Singh attempt in the circle and umpire VB Sing had no hesitation in awarding a penalty stroke. Sandeep grabbed the opportunity to give his team a winning start in the prestigious tournament.
The Hyderabad Sultans had their chances after the recess as Sardara Singh and Bikas Toppo made some smart moves but failed to sound the board. Earlier, both the teams played cautiously in the beginning and had an equal share of exchanges and ball possession in the first half. The Dynamos forced the only penalty corner of the match in the 10th minute of the first quarter, but failed to cash in on.
The crowds, which had turned out in good number braving cold weather, kept cheering for their team. Chandigarh forwards led by Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur and Rajpal Singh made some occasional forays but failed to get their act together at the all-important end with Jasbir Singh and Samir Baxla doing well in the Hyderabad defence.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/21December2007_66408.html

The Indians may have done exceptionally well to reduce Australia to 337 for nine in the opening cricket Test but Matthew Hayden reckons the visitors will also find the going tough on a pitch that will "definitely get difficult to bat on over the next few days". Hayden stood out among the Aussie batsmen to score a dominating 124 and gave a healthy start to his team by putting on a 135-run opening stand with Phil Jaques. But the hosts could not capitalise on the solid foundation on the first day. "I think we've lost a few too many wickets, there's no doubt about that, but in my mind it was a difficult enough wicket and those conditions will be revealed over the next four days," Hayden said after the opening day's play. "The fact is we are facing quite a difficult wicket. It's definitely a par effort (Australia's score), but maybe one or two more wickets down.”
"I think it is going to be a wicket that will be definitely hard to score on over the next few days," he said. Hayden said with the wicket getting slower, Australia would make life difficult for the visiting batsmen."They are going to be slow conditions, they are going to be challenging for run-scoring and I think you will see Australia putting the pressure with good in-out fields and really try to constrict India", he said.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66864

Hailing Anil Kumble as a bowler with "outstanding intuition," former Australian captain Steve Waugh said one should never underestimate the veteran leg-spinner. Impressed with Kumble's performance on the opening day of the first cricket Test played in Melbourne Cricket ground, Waugh said Kumble was a clever bowler capable of reading the minds of batsmen well.
Applauding Jumbo's caliber the former Australian captain said, “he(Kumble) possesses outstanding intuition, which enables him to sense complacency or uneasiness from a batsman, and in turn cleverly mixes up his deliveries and angles at the crease.”
"Having played against him many times, I knew never to underestimate Anil Kumble - even though you would never lose any sleep stressing over how to combat his bowling out in the middle," Waugh wrote in his column for daily 'Herald Sun.' "His methods are subtle and often most effective when you think you have him under control, he added.
Analysing his old adversary's performance, the Aussie great said the spinner exhibited great artistry while scalping Phil Jaques and Mike Hussey on Wednesday.
He tempted Jaques with a flighted delivery that was a well-concealed wrong 'un, while Mike Hussey departed to a quicker, flatter wrong 'un that beat him for pace."Both were clever pieces of artistry from a street-fighter, who for many years has been the benchmark in mental toughness in Indian cricket," Waugh pointed.
However, the former Aussie skipper felt that this series would be demanding more on Kumble, as he(Kumble) would play a double role of captain and strike bowler against tough opponents like Australia.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66900

Sachin Tendulkar has reiterated that cricketers must have enough rest in between the series to ward off early burnout. The legendary batsman on Saturday pleaded with cricket authorities to schedule international cricket in such a way that the players enjoy playing the game as well as spend time with their families. Tendulkar, who is on his final tour of Australia, said the workload of international players was too much and they need time to recharge their batteries between the series, and also to iron out flaws in their game. Tendulkar, however, is not sure if the administrators would heed his advice as they are scheduling more cricket than ever before what with the Twenty20 game joining the other two forms of the game.
"We can have more cricket, but it's equally important to have a little more gap in between the tours," Tendulkar said. "Players must get some time to rewind themselves and also spend time with their families. But the international calendar is very tight so there's not much time to go back home and assess things. But that is how the calendar is and there little one can do about it. We just have to get on with it."India could not arrive in Australia any earlier than this week as they had a tight schedule, which included the inaugural Twenty20 championship. This year the Indian players have been constantly playing, and their only rest came in April, following an early elimination from the World Cup in the Caribbean.
In May, they played one-dayers and Tests in Bangladesh, and then in June played South Africa in one-dayers in Ireland and began a tour of England.Since touring England, India won the Twenty20 championship in South Africa, which delayed subsequent one-day series against Australia and Pakistan, plus three Tests against their arch-rivals.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/23December2007_66624.html

Karun Chandhok's fledgling Formula One career received a shot in the arm with Force India part-owner Vijay Mallya promising to consider the youngster for a test driver's role, if not the race driver's seat, in 2009. Mallya made it clear that Karun remains on the F1 radar and if he does well in the GP2 series this year, the youngster might end up landing the race driver's job straightway in 2009. "I know his family for a long, long time and he is like my son. He himself felt he needs to spend one more year in the GP2, where he is doing quite well, before he is ready for F1" Mallya said from Malaysia. Mallya's words are sure to come as music to Karun's ear and the youngster seems on the right track to achieve his F1 dream.
After his maiden GP2 series victory with Durango Corse in Belgium, Karun has been rewarded with a test driver's role with the Red Bull F1 team. The youngster has also left the mid-field Durango to join top-flight iSports International, which won the championship previous season. It was a significant step in the right direction, considering iSport driver Timo Glock won the championship and was confirmed by Toyota for the next season.
In the past, drivers who made the GP2 to F1 transition include 2005 champion Nico Roseberg, who joined Williams, and 2006 winner Lewis Hamilton who was roped in by McLaren. Similarly, doing well on GP2 would open the F1 door for the 23-year-old Chennai driver, believes Mallya
"A new GP2 season beckons him and if he manages to do well ? and he would be driving for a top team this time - we might consider him for the race driver's role itself," Mallya said. "I can assure you that he would be considered at least for the test driver's role," he added. Since Mallya joined hands with the Mol family and took over Spyker, now christened 'Force India', he has provided a reasonable budget to the team and set them a target of a podium finish when India hosts its maiden Grand Prix in 2010.
Though he has been stressing on skills rather than nationality of the drivers, Mallya reckons having an Indian behind the Force India wheels in the 2010 GP would complete the picture. "A podium finish when India hosts its first maiden Grand Prix in 2010 remains the target of the team and icing on the cake would be having an Indian driver behind the wheels," he said.
However, Karun still has some way to go before joining the big league and former Jordan driver Narain Karthikeyan, plying his trade in A1 GP these days, is also out of the radar, but Mallya believes India would definitely have its next F1 diver by 2012.
"I think in the next five years, we would certainly have an Indian F1 driver. In fact it can be as early as 2012." And he himself would see to it that new driving talents come up, asserted Mallya. "Force India would also identify driving talents in India and fund their training in the academy at Johor Bahru, in Malaysia before sending them to France for further training."
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66793

Former champions Bangalore Hi-Fliers rallied from being 0-2 down to register a thrilling win over local favourites Chandigarh Dynamos 3-2 in the fourth Premier Hockey League (PHL) in Chandigarh today. After three matches each, Bangalore have five points while Chandigarh Dynamos remain on six. Bangalore Hi-Fliers' South Korean import- You Hyo-sik, was declared man of the match. After surviving two strong raids by Bangalore, the Chandigarh side struck twice in three minutes, with drag flicker Sandeep Singh netting two stunning goals from two short corners in the 10th and 12th minutes. In the 23rd minute, Bangalore pulled one back with speedy striker Sandeep Michael earning the team's second short corner. Chandigarh goalkeeper Baljit Singh blocked Len Aiyappa's resultant low drag flick but Hyo-sik converted the rebound.
After the first two quarters, Bangalore opened up the game. Despite an element of risk involved, they went all out in the attack and stretched the Chandigarh defence. Bimal Lakra was outstanding in the midfield and got good support from Vikramkanth and Vinay as they completely dominated the midfield and fed the forwards regularly.The Bangalore team also made the best use of the speed and skills of Hyo-sik, who was the livewire of the team with his speedy runs. Bangalore scored the equaliser in the 37th minute as they capitalised on a quick move on the right flank. From the midfield, Vinay put Arjun in possession with a fast pass and the former skipper gave it to Michael.
Michael darted into the middle, cut into the circle and gave a short pass to Tushar Khandekar on the right. With rival custodian Baljit Singh advancing, Tushar gave it to Hyo-sik who made no mistake in tapping the ball into the goal.Bangalore continued to exert the pressure on the Chandigarh goal and forced their fourth and last short corner in the 67th minute to seal the fate of the match. Tushar pushed the ball and Vikramkanth set it up for drag flicker Len Aiyappa. But Singh once again blocked Aiyappa's low flick and this time Cheyanna, a junior Indian camper, slotted home to earn the match-winner for Bangalore Hi-Fliers.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66808

Team India has dialled the number M which answers by the name of Munaf Patel. In a team meeting last night, Team India showed sufficient concern on its fast bowling resources, in particular those of its right-hand fast bowlers, to all but forward the request to the Indian Board. In a team meeting, it is learnt that bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad expressed his concern at the inability of India's right-arm fast bowlers to hit the right length on Australian wickets. The right-arm fast bowlers in the touring Indian squad are youngsters Pankaj Singh and Ishant Sharma, rank rookies even though the latter grabbed five wickets in only his second Test, the final one against Pakistan in Bangalore early this month.
Three other medium-pacers in the squad are all left-arm bowlers -- Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh and Irfan Pathan. While Ishant has been shorlisted in the 12 for the opening match, Pankaj Singh and Pathan have been left out. Opener Virender Sehwag and wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Kaarthick are the others who do not figure in the 12 shortlisted for the game.The right length on Australian wickets is the one bowled closer to the batsmen even though visiting bowlers make the mistake of pitching it short which is meat and drink to the Australian batsmen.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66803

Sher-e-Jallandhar halted the victory march of Maratha Warriors, defeating them 5-4 in the sudden death in the fourth edition of the Premier Hockey League (PHL) being played at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium. In Tuesday's last match, both Shers' and Warriors' were tied at 1-1 in the regulation time after which silver goal also failed to break the deadlock. Even in the tie-breaker, breaker Viren Rasquinha, Shivender Singh were successful for Warriors, while for Shers' Gurvinder Chandi and Sarvanjit Singh found the target.
In the sudden death, Gurvinder Chandi converted the first chance for Shers while Shivender was successful for Maratha Warriors. In the next try, Sarvanjit Singh found the target for Shers, But Shivender Singh failed for Maratha Warriors with Shers' custodian Salman Akbar of Pakistan saving his first shot and then forcing him to shoot wide in his second attempt in the allotted eight seconds for each stroke.Earlier in the regulation time, Shers went ahead in the eighth minute through a Jarnail Singh goal. In the 58th minute, Warriors equalised through Vikram Pillay. Both Shers' and Warriors', had so far, won two out of three matches in the PHL.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66860

In a clear indication that Rahul Dravid will be given the opening slot, the Indian team management has decided to leave out Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Kaarthick from the 12 shortlisted for the first cricket Test against Australia starting today. Sehwag, whose very selection for the tour raised eyebrows as he was not even in the list of probables for the series, has probably been left out to accommodate an in-form Yuvraj Singh.
His ouster paves the way for Dravid to open the innings with Wasim Jaffer, after a gap of two years and the right-hander has already stated that he is willing to do the job for the team's sake.
"If I am asked to open in the Test matches, I will be happy to do so. I am comfortable doing any role that is given to me by the team management. I try and do the best I can, irrespective of where I bat," he had said when the speculation about him opening the batting first started.In the bowling department, it will be a toss up between off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and pacer Ishant Sharma. But after skipper Anil Kumble gave hints of going in with a two-pronged spin attack, Harbhajan's chances of making the playing XI look stronger.
"Yes, there is a case for playing two spinners, but it all depends on how the pitch looks the morning of the match. We will take a final call on the matter tomorrow morning," Kumble told a pre-match conference. Rookie pacer Pankaj Singh has also been left out of the probable 12.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66828

Sourav Ganguly became the seventh Indian to play 100 Tests at the Boxing Day Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. At 35 years and 170 days, he is the oldest Indian to get to the 100-Test mark, though he is the third fastest to do it. Ganguly was honoured with a silver plaque, presented to him by the secretary of the Indian board, Niranjan Shah. He received another plaque from skipper Anil Kumble on behalf of his teammates. The first Indian to play hundred Tests, Sunil Gavaskar, presented Ganguly a bottle of bubbly on behalf of the commentary team. Two other former captains and members of the hundred Tests club, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, stood alongside Ganguly when the national anthem was played. Dravid, who made his Test debut along with Ganguly at Lord's in 1996, is the quickest Indian to play 100 Tests. Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar, the current chairman of selectors, are the other Indians in the elite club. All seven have captained India in Tests.
Having made his Test debut at 23, Ganguly has gone through his highs and lows. He made a century on debut against England and followed it up with another at Nottingham. Most recently, he cracked a career-best double century in his 99th Test against Pakistan in Bangalore before the team left for Australia.
He took over as captain in 2000 and celebrated it as the highest run-getter in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. His best time came in 2001 when he led India to a 2-1 victory over Australia at home after losing the first Test.
In July 2002, Ganguly scored a century in the Test series against England that India managed to draw 1-1 and he then became the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Pakistan in 2004. Later in the season, he was under fire for withdrawing from the last two Tests against Australia after losing the first by a huge margin. Dravid then led the side to a face-saving victory in the last Test in Mumbai to make the series 1-2.
Next year, Ganguly's batting form deserted him against Pakistan and the loss in the Bangalore Test to allow the visitors to level the series not only ended his partnership with coach John Wright but also raised questions about his own position in the side.
He could not pull on with new coach Greg Chappell who had suggested that he should drop himself from the eleven in Zimbabwe. His running battle with Chappell resulted in his being sacked and the installation of Dravid as the captain for the series against Sri Lanka.
After a none-too happy series in Pakistan, Ganguly was dropped for the series against England at home but returned to the side in South Africa when the team did not do well in the one-dayers. He played a notable hand in India winning a Test with a fifty and did not look back after that. He went on to score a hundred at his home ground Eden Gardens against Pakistan and then that double century and a near hundred in the second innings of the Bangalore Test.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66843

An exciting start to the Border - Gavaskar series and it couldn't have been scripted better. A topsy-turvy day for both the sides as the pendulum swung from one pole to another. Melbourne Cricket Ground, hosting it's hundredth test witnessed a perfect first day. Australia decided to bat first after winning the toss. Phil Jacques and Matthew Hayden gave the perfect start to the hosts posting 135 runs for the first wicket. The Aussies were successful in avoiding any fall of wicket in the first session. But session two saw the revival of fortunes of the visitors.
Kumble gave the initial break to the Indian team, when he got opener Jacques stumped on the score of 66. Australian skipper Ponting could'nt do much and was bowled by Zaheer Khan on just four runs. Mike Hussey too had a bad day and was caught leg before by Kumble. However, Matthew Hayden kept going strong and scored his 28th Test century. Michael Clarke and Hayden tried to glue the innings, but Clarke departed on an individual score of 20 runs, R P Singh being the damager this time. Next to go was Hayden on a score of 124, the scorecard reading 241 at that time.
Andrew Symonds came in next and went on a hitting spree. He hit 35 runs facing 42 balls in the process but couldn't continue and had to walk back to the pavilion, the skipper again doing the damage. Adam Gilchrist also tried to bring his team back into the game but he too fell to Kumble. Kumble again entered the scene and sent back Brett Lee. Now it was again the turn of Zaheer Khan as he sent back Brad Hogg.
However, despite Kumble and Zaheer's brilliant bowling performance the Indians failed to pin down the last wicket as Australians ended the day on 337 runs for the fall of nine wickets. Kumble ended the day with a fiver while Zaheer bagged three. Despite regular fall of wickets the Australians are in a good position and the Indians have a grave task at hand, if they want to challenge the Aussies.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports/index.jsp?news_code=66847

Indian shooter, Amanpreet Singh, made the nation's proud by winning silver in the air pistol (junior category) and helping the team in winning a silver medal, in team event, on the opening day of the Asian shooting championship in Kuwait. Singh who score 670.5 points, fell 11.5 points short to Chinese Jiajie Mi who scored 681.8 to win the gold medal. The bronze went to another Chinese Shenghua Jhao with 668.9.
In the team event, Indian shooting team comprising Amanpreet Singh (575), Zakir Khan (561) and Harit Babbr (555) had a total of 1691 out of a possible 1800 to win the silver medal. The team gold medal was won by China with a score of 1707 and Bronze medal went to Thailand with 1683.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/05December2007_65062.html

Indian test skipper Anil Kumble has everything going in his favour these days. Captaining the team for the first time, Anil took the team to an emphatic win against Pakistan in the three match series, with his match winning performance clubbing seven wickets in the match. And now Jumbo has found a place in the ICC ranking of top ten bowler. The newly released ranking by ICC has ranked Anil as the sixth best bowler of the world. Anil shares the rank with New Zealand speedster Shane Bond. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralidharan, who recently became the highest wicket taker in test cricket heads the ICC ranking.
The ranking is dominated by South African Bowlers with three of them (Makhaya Ntini in the second place, followed by Dale Steyn in the third spot and Shaun Pollock eighth) having their name in the the list. The batsman ranking is headed by Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, followed by Jacques Kallis (South Africa) and Kumar Sangakara (Sri Lanka) at second and third spot respectively. However, none of the Indian batsmen found a spot in the ranking. Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is placed at 11th position, whereas Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman have moved one place up to 17th and the 19th, respectively.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/05December2007_65056.html

Former South African cricketer Nicky Boje who presently is in India, to particaipate in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) Twenty20 tournament, is facing the heat of Delhi Police as the latter issued a notice to the cricketer, asking him to be available for investigation in his alleged involvement in a 2000 match fixing scandal. "A notice has been issued to Boje, but no date has been fixed on which he should appear," told DCP, Crime Branch, Madhup Tiwari. Boje has been booked under Section-160 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc).
Boje, who is playing in ICL for 'Hyderabad Heroes' was at the centre of the match fixing scam, along with former South African captain Hansie Cronje and opener Herschelle Gibbs. Earlier, Boje has repeatedly shown reluctance in visiting India, even at the cost of opting out to represent his country on the Indian soil, just to avoid the investigation of Delhi Police.
Delhi Police had intercepted Cronje's conversation with bookies in India, in which, he was recorded striking deals for throwing away matches. Boje and Gibbs were also found guilty of being a part of their captain's conspiracy in the King's Commission inquiry held in South Africa and were heavily fined, but got away with just a six-month ban each, for their involvement.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/05December2007_65043.html

Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday became the seventh Indian to score 6,000 Test runs with his knock of 46 on the fifth and final day of the second Test match against Pakistan in Kolkata. Ganguly, resuming his innings on 24, was just six runs short of the 6,000 mark and duly reached the milestone at the Eden Gardens. He thus became the 46th batsmen in the world to achieve the feet. Only Sachin Tendulkar (11,289), Sunil Gavaskar (10,122), Rahul Dravid (9,622), Dilip Vengsarkar (6,868), Mohammed Azharuddin (6,215) and Gundappa Viswanath (6,080) have scored more runs than Ganguly for India.
It was the Kolkata-based left-hander's 159th innings of his 98th Test match since making his debut against England at Lord's, London, in 1996. In India's first innings, Ganguly reached a long-cherished personal milestone of scoring a century at his home ground. A three-figure knock eluded him in eight Test matches, but in the ninth the 35-year-old finally scored a century.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/04December2007_64921.html

Refusing to bow to Dilip Vengsarkar's demand to either allow him to write columns or compensate, the Cricket Board on Tuesday made it clear that the chief selector was free to make his decisions. "BCCI's stand on Vengsarkar remains the same," Board vice president Rajiv Shukla said. "It's upto him to decide (whether to fall in line or quit). The ball is in his court," he said. Miffed by BCCI guidelines that prevents him from writing columns, Vengsarkar wrote a letter to the BCCI President Sharad Pawar, making it clear that he would continue in the post only if the board withdrew the guidelines or compensated him. Vengsarkar also threatened not to attend Wednesday's selection committee meeting in Bangalore where team for the third Test against Pakistan and the squad for the Australia tour are to be picked.
Shukla, however, ruled out a change in the Board's stance and said, "He has to decide what he wants to do. If he attends tomorrow's selection committee meeting, it would mean he has accepted the guidelines and would continue in the chief selector's post. And we would not have any problem in such a case."
Asked whether he had got any feedback from the board after the letter to Pawar, Vengsarkar said, "No, I have not received any response from the Board." Though chances are slim that Vengsarkar would attend Wednesday's selection meeting in Bangalore, the former batsman confirmed his presence in a Mumbai selection meeting later on Tuesday.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/04December2007_64916.html

The stand-off between Dilip Vengsarkar and BCCI reached a point of no return with the Cricket Board on Monday making it clear that the chief selector was free to quit and ruling out amending the guidelines relating to the selectors' conduct. According to BCCI there was no question of amending guidelines which prevent selectors from writing columns and interacting with the media. "...These guidelines cannot be withdrawn. So Vengsarkar is free to take his decision," BCCI vice president Rajiv Shukla told reporters.
Vengsarkar has reportedly told the board that he would wait till Tuesday and if the guidelines are not withdrawn would put in his papers. Shukla, however, dismissed possibility of any such backtracking by the board, saying, "Now the official position is those guidelines have been framed keeping in mind the constitutional provisions and well-established rules and regulations and they cannot be withdrawn." Vengsarkar too stuck to his guns and sources close to him told PTI that the Mumbaikar "will not compromise with his integrity".
"He is no longer willing to work in these circumstances unless the Board reconsiders its stance. He has made up his mind to put in his papers," the source said.Vengsarkar has also kept his fellow selectors in the loop and on Sunday he met East Zone selector Ranjib Biswal, who is in Mumbai to watch the Ranji Trophy Super League encounter between the hosts and Maharashtra.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/04December2007_64854.html

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given clear indications that it will not take back any guidelines issued by it for the selectors nor would accept any conditions put forward by Dilip Vengsarkar. BCCI hardened its stand after Dilip Vengsarkar presented the Board with three conditions on whose acceptance his continuation as the chief selector depended. Rajeev Shukla, BCCI vice president said that the guidelines issued by the board will not be taken back. Hence, Vengsarkar is free to take any decision. Shukla also said that Vengsarkar told BCCI that if his conditions are not met, he would consider quitting the post. The three conditions put forward by him are - BCCI should take back all the guidelines issued by it. Secondly, he should get the remuneration which he would lose following BCCI's diktat of gagging selectors from writing columns. Thirdly, he should be sent to Australia with the Indian team for it's tour Down-Under.
However, Shukla said, "The official position is that those guidelines have been framed keeping in mind the constitutional provisions and well-established rules and regulations and they cannot be withdrawn." The board recently issued seven-point guidelines which prevent the selectors from writing columns when in office. Vengsarkar agreed to stick to the guidelines but sought compensations for the same.
Accordingly, the board set up a two-member committee, comprising I S Bindra and Arun Jaitley, which shot down the possibility of any compensation to Vengsarkar. The move has miffed Vengsarkar, who immediately returned home from Kolkata and met fellow selector Ranjib Biswal in Mumbai. Sources close to the chief selector said that it was just a matter of time before Vengsarkar puts in his resignation papers.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/03December2007_64789.html

Indian cricket seems headed for a bigger crisis as chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has told the cricket board that he wants to quit his post. Even as Vengsarkar is said to be adamant on resigning, the board is trying to buy time by asking him to stay on till the team selection for the third Test against Pakistan and also for the upcoming tour to Australia. While board secretary Niranjan Shah said he was unaware of Vengsarkar's decision, vice-president Rajiv Shukla said: "He (Vengsarkar) wants to step down. He spoke to board president Sharad Pawar last evening and said so."
On Saturday, Vengsarkar, former India captain, had a long discussion with the Pawar in Kolkata. The two met in a room, which had glass doors and the animated discussion was in full view of the media. Vengsarkar had left Kolkata and both team and board sources in Kolkata refused to speak on the issue, but Shukla did speak out in Delhi.The crisis started with the board wanting him to stop writing columns. The latest problem erupted on Saturday when the venue for the meeting of the selection committee was shifted to Bangalore for December 5, but Vengsarkar seemed to be unaware of this change and had looked irritated. From the tenor of some officials, including Shukla, it seems a prominent section of the board is determined to bring Vengsarkar under control.
Shukla categorically said that the board rules have to be followed. "He is not happy about it (guidelines). But the board has had these guidelines for ages. We cannot flout the rules and regulations. Every selector is expected to stick to those guidelines. No selector has ever written any column so how can you make exception for one person," he said.According to Shukla, the board has asked him to wait. He said national interest should be put ahead of personal issues. Vengsarkar is upset at being asked to stop his column, which he claims was very lucrative. What has also angered him is the allegation that a Kolkata-based company that also manages ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was syndicating his columns.
Some board officials have called it a conflict of interest and initially asked that Vengsarkar be issued a show cause notice. While Pawar managed to stop that show cause notice, Vengsarkar was told clearly that he would have to stop writing as long as he was a selector.The board also issued guidelines for selectors, which included rules for their travel and coming into the dressing room of the team during a match. The board was miffed that the guidelines found their way into the newsrooms of newspapers and TV Channels.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/02December2007_64707.html

Krishnan Sasikiran went as far as 133 moves but was still unable to find the win over Poland's Bartlomiej Macieja that would take him into the last 16 of the chess World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Sasikiran, playing with white, may have missed a win but with lot of complications and time pressure he was unable to complete the game and finally had to be satisfied with a draw. Sasikiran sacrificed a rook for a minor piece in the middle game. Later, Macieja was forced to give back the rook for two minor pieces. But Macieja was able to clean up all his rival's pawns.
Sasikiran had a rook and an extra knight against his rival's rook and a pawn. He picked that last pawn on the board on the 82nd move. But from there on, for more than 50 moves he tried, but could not find that win. When they split the point Sasikaran had a rook and knight to Macieja's rook. Sasikiran will now go into the tie-breaker for the third successive round. His last two wins have come in the Blitz games.Other leading players in the tie-breaker of the third round will be top-seed Vassily Ivanchuk, fourth seed Levon Aronian, Ukraine's Sergey Karjakin, Russia's Peter Svidler and Alexander Grischuk.
Meanwhile, ten of the 16 matches have been decided after the second game of the third round. Another six matches with 12 players will go into the tie-breaker. None of the losers in the first game of the third round were able to find their way back.Moving into the last 16 are, Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria, who stunned one of the favourites Shakriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan 1.5-0.5. Other winners were Alexei Shirov of Spain over American Alexander Onischuk, Michael Adams of England over Zhou Jianchao of China, Russia's Evgeny Alekseev over Laurent Fressinet of France, Swede Magnus Carlsen over Lenier Dominguez Perez of Cuba, America's Gata Kamsky over Bulagria's Kiril Georgiev, Vladimir Akopian of Armenia over Vladimir Malakhov.
Dmitry Jakovenko of Russian moved past Zoltan Almasi of Hungary, Ruslan Ponomariov beat Evgeny Tomashevksy of Russia and Wang Yue beat fellow Chinese Bu Xiangzhi.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/02December2007_64697.html

Known for his provoking comments, former Indian spin legend, Bishan Singh Bedi, has this time accused 'turbanator' Harbhajan Singh of chucking. Bedi said, like Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan's action too is suspicious and the International Cricket Council (ICC) should not ignore this fact. Criticizing ICC for turning a blind eye to these players' bowling action Bedi said that a lot of young bowlers in the sub-continent has started copying the bowling action of these players, these boys will be Test cricketers one day and the ICC is going to have a hell of a problem.
Bedi considers that chucking is a major problem than match fixing and ICC should pay heed to this menace in international cricket. "Chucking is a bigger disgrace than match-fixing because it is done out in the open. It is the scourge of cricket and must be stopped. Match-fixing was disgraceful but no one knew about it, so nothing could be done. Throwing is being allowed to happen in front of 30,000 and 40,000 people," said the former cricketer who has taken 266 wicket in 67 test matches.
Speaking on the new 15 degree rule imposed by ICC in 2005, Bedi said that earlier spinners were permitted to straighten their arms by only five degrees, medium pacers 7.5 degrees and fast bowlers 10 degrees, but the new rule is an allowance to players like Murali, Harbhajan and Akhtar. Australian speedster Brett Lee has also aroused fleeting suspicions of throwing in the past but Bedi said Lee's action is clean.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/02December2007_64690.html

Indian team received yet another blow when master blaster Sachin Tendulkar injured his knee during the second test match at Kolkata. He is a doubtful starter for the final Test against Pakistan beginning on Saturday at the M Chinnaswami stadium, Bangalore. "Sachin, while fielding in the Kolkata Test, aggravated a knee problem which he acquired during the ODI series," Indian captain Anil Kumble told a news conference on Friday.
After reading a report from physiotherapist John Gloster, Kumble said that Tendulkar sought a specialist's opinion after arriving in Bangalore and had been given an injection. Kumble added that though his condition is improving, it is uncertain that he will be fully fit till Saturday morning. Hence, it is wise to opt for a replacement. Delhi southpaw, Gautam Gambhir will joining the team in Bangalore as a replacement of Tendulkar," Kumble said.
India lead the series 1-0 after winning the opening Test match by six wickets in New Delhi. while the second Test at Kolkata ended in a draw. Pakistan would like to square the series after some good performances in the second test.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

India had a rich haul of medals at the Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait, On Friday by winning three gold, one silver and three bronze medals. P T Raghunath gave India the first individual gold medal in Air Rifle men's event. He scored 598 in the qualifying round and won the gold with 103.1 in the final round. Raghunath's efforts were not enough to earn him a berth for the Beijing Olympics because his compatriots Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang have qualified for the 2008 Games in the Chinese capital. A country can earn a maximum of two quota places for Olympics. The Indian team consisting of Narang (594), Bindra (592) and Raghunath won the gold medal in Air Rifle's team event.
In 50M Rifle Prone junior women's event, the team consisting of Lajja Goswami (582), Annu Tomar (581) and Saini Devi (577) shot a total of 1740 points to win the gold medal. Lajja won the individual gold in this event with a score of 582.Kanya Babbar won the individual bronze medal in Air Rifle junior men's with a score of 684.3. The team consisting of Babbar (583), Bibaswan Gaunglee (576) and Minit Shah (577) won the team bronze. In Trap junior men's event, India won the silver medal.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar's meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sharad Pawar has been rescheduled to next week, and its likely to be held on December 14 as per the report by a close source to Vengsarkar. Colonel attended the last meeting of selection committee on December 5 in Bangalore which picked the team for the final test against Pakistan and the 24 probables for the forthcoming India-Australia series.
Earlier, Vengsarkar came back from Kolkata in the middle of the second Test after his demands for the scrapping of the seven-point guidelines issued to the selectors, that included a ban on them from writing columns and talking to the media, were not accepted by the Board. He also dashed off a letter to the BCCI stating his position not to attend the meeting unless his demands were met, but the Board did not budge from its stand.
Hectic parleys over phone with Pawar on the eve of the selection meeting, after the board chief's softening of the stand on the issue, enabled Vengsarkar to make up his mind to proceed to Bangalore and chair the meeting.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

The Newly appointed Indian cricket coach Gary Kirsten landed in the city today for his first interaction with the players since taking up the high-profile job which he described as a "real challenge". The former South African opener, who accepted a two-year contract offered by the BCCI earlier this week, said he had played a lot of cricket in India but now that he was a part of the set up, he wanted to understand the Indian culture better. Kirsten also added that it is a great honour to be associated with the Indian cricket.
"It's great to be back. I am looking forward to the work and am looking forward to meeting up with the guys. I've just come here to meet the players and really just to observe what they do," he told reporters at the airport. The 40-year-old Kirsten, South Africa's batting mainstay during his playing days in the '90s, said he had not put any plan in place for the team yet. "I m not putting any plans in place. I m just here to see how they play there cricket. I have played a lot of cricket against India but now I am a part of the set up, so now I need to see how they work and understand," he said.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

Softening its stand on Dilip Vengsarkar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday asked the Colonel to continue as the Chief Selector till December 16 when a final call will be taken in the general body meeting of the Board. This was announced by the Board president, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday in New Delhi. The statement came after Vengsarkar sent a mobile SMS to Pawar asking him to talk on the issue. The Board also softened its stand on the 'guidelines' saying, "These guidelines are not new. Board has published a book about Code of Conduct for selectors, players, officials and state associations. It has been published long before."
Sharad Pawar was all praise for the selection committee under Vengsarkar. "The selection committee performed really well. There was hiccup in the World Cup, otherwise the team selected by the committee has done really well," said Pawar, adding, "Except Australia, India has beaten all other teams and the credit must go to the selection committee." Pawar also heaped praise on the Colonel portraying him as one of the great batsman of India.On the issue of penning columns for newspapers, Pawar said, "The guidelines which have been issued have clearly mentioned that, whosoever becomes the selector will not write columns or will involve himself in discussions in TV channels. Vengsarkar also mentioned that he will suffer financially if he will not write columns as he will lose 40 lakh in the process. This is a legitimate demand and the final decision on this will be taken in the meeting (general body meet on December 16)." He too played down the controversy surroundings Vengsarkar and Niranjan Shah.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

Former South African opening batsman Gary Kirsten said on Tuesday that he has agreed to be the coach of Indian cricket team from March 1 2008. Kirsten said he would, however, be going with the Indian team to its tour of Australia starting later in December as a consultant with the team. (PTI)
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/sports

Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday overtook Australian great Allan Border to become the second highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket. Tendulkar, who is unbeaten on 32 in the second innings of India's first Test against Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla, now tallies 11,183 runs in 141 Tests and only former West Indian captain Brian Lara, who retired earlier in 2007, lies ahead of the Mumbai batsman. Lara scored 11,953 run in 131 Tests while Border had amassed 11,174 runs in 156 clashes during his career. Interestingly, Tendulkar has played fewer innings (228) than Lara (232), who tops the list while Border's tally came in 265 innings.
Tendulkar reached the milestone in style with a boundary off a Mohammad Sami delivery. He stroked a lovely on drive off the back foot between mid-on and midwicket. The 34-year-old needs a further 771 runs to eclipse Lara's total. Tendulkar also has over 15,000 runs in the one-day cricket. (PTI)
Source:- Sport News

India's unheralded G N Gopal continued to torment former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdhzanov with a second draw sending their first round match of the World Cup into a tie-breaker. Gopal, playing with black, held on for 96 moves before the game was drawn on Sunday. Four of the five Indians will have to go through the tie-breaker to earn a place in the second round. For almost 60 moves from the time the last pair of rooks was exchanged, Gopal and Kasimdzhanov waited for the other to make a mistake with both continuing to have four pawns and a queen. No more pieces were taken from the 36th move onwards.Gopal, rated 2520, as compared to his rivals 2690, will now meet the Ukrainian in two games over the tie-breaker. Abhijit Kunte also held Vadim Zvjaginsev to a draw with black pieces, while Pentala Harikrishna was held to a draw by China's lower rated Zhao Jun. Krishnan Sasikiran was unable to put it past Serge Zhigalko of Russia.
The only Indian to be eliminated was Surya Sekhar Ganguly, who after losing the first game to Sergei Tiviakov of Netherlands was unable to do better than a draw in the next and lost 0.5 to 1.5. There were quite a few unexpected results. After losing their opening games, fancied players like Evegeny Alekseev and Ruslan Ponomariov had to win their White games in order to reach tie-breaks. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov became the first player to advance to the next stage after just an hour of play, beating Khaled Abdel Razik of Egypt 2-0. Alecander Grischuk, Vassily Ivanchuk, Lev Aronian, Peter Svidler, and the majority of favourites followed him soon.
However, 40 players will have to continue their matches. They include Alekseev and Ponomariov, who managed to win their games in demand. Landa (rated 2676) is leaving the World Cup, just like Eljanov (2691), who drew the first game and lost the second to IM Hossain Enamulu (2514) from Bangladesh. (IANS)
Source:- Sport News

Sachin Tendulkar, scored an unbeaten half-century as India registered a six-wicket win on the fifth and final day of the first Test against Pakistan here on Monday, and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Along with Tendulkar (56, 109 balls, 168 minutes, 9x4s), who hit the winning boundary off fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, V V S Laxman (6 not out, 13 balls, 18 minutes, 1x4) was at the crease when the victory was sealed at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium. Tendulkar, looked in ominous form from the start of the day as he middled the ball confidently. Continuing his previous day's form, he pulled Akhtar's first ball for a boundary. In the next over he played an almost identical shot for as many runs off Mohammed Sami. But Ganguly, at the other end, succumbed to his overnight score of 48 (64 balls, 8x4s) as he hooked Akhtar but top edged the ball. Sohail Tanvir at long leg took an easy catch.
Both Akhtar and Sami, relied heavily on bouncers and Tendulkar pulled the short balls most of the times. V V S Laxman, who preferred to leave the short-pitched deliveries alone, also struck a boundary off Sami. Tendulkar, looking aggressive, then reached his career's 46th half-century off a powerful cover drive off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria. The maestro sealed the win with another stinging four, a square cut off Akhtar, which gave India a 1-0 lead in the series.
Earlier Pakistan, won the toss and put 231 runs on board to which India replied with 276 and took a lead of 45 runs. Pakistan, in their second inning, made 247 and India scored the 203 necessary for the loss of four wickets.
India's last Test win against Pakistan had come in March 2005, when they won the second match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, which was eventually drawn 1-1. Pakistan, have not lost a Test series in India for last 28 years. Their previous defeat was in 1979 under the captaincy of Asif Iqbal.(IANS)
Source:- Sport News

Viswanathan Anand may have skipped the World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia beginning on Saturday evening, but there will be five other Indians in the fray in the premier tournament sanctioned by the world's governing body for chess (FIDE). There are 128 players who will be playing in the event to be conducted on a knock out format. The five Indians are Pentala Harikrishna (rated 2668), Krishnan Sasikiran (2661), Surya Sekhar Ganguly (2585), Abhijit Kunte (2547) and GN Gopal (2520). In the opening round, 32nd seed Harikrishna meets Zhao Jun of China (rated 2552), while 35th seed Sasikiran runs into Serge Zhiglako of Belarus (2562). Seeded 79th, Surya Sekhar ganguly (2585) meets Sergei Tiviakov of Netherlands (2643), Kunte meets Russian Vadim Zvjaginsev, the 30th seed, and G N Gopal has the toughest first round against 22nd seed Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan, rated 2690.

With Anand skipping the event, the top seed is Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, who is currently No 2 in elo ratings. Also skipping the event are Vladimir Kramnik, Peter Leko and some others. Ivanchuk, who won the World Blitz Championships this week, meets Pedro Aderito of Angola in the first round. Each mini match will comprise two games, one each with white and black. The winner proceeds to the next round and the loser is eliminated. The tournament runs till December 18. (IANS)
Source:- India Sport News