Sports India

Coach Greg Chappell has described the performance of the young pace bowlers in India’s series win in the Caribbean as “outstanding” and said the team now had the bowlers to win under any condition.

“We have won with three young fast bowlers and it’s a credit. Along with Irfan Pathan, we have got four fast bowlers of variety which would help us to play under any condition, inside or outside India. I think we are better equipped than ever before,” Chappell said.

The Australian great however made a plea not to over-react to the series triumph.

“I have been in cricket for long to know that you can’t overreact to anything. Good or bad. We shouldn’t get carried away. We have a lot of work to do before we become a very good Test team,” remarked Chappell as he prepared to leave for a short vacation to the United States.

The series victory was India’s first significant rubber triumph outside the sub-continent in 20 years.

Chappell said it took time to build a strong Test team and people should not expect miracles overnight.

“England beat Australia in the Ashes last year and it took them five years to build that team. I don’t know why there is expectation that we can do it in 60 minutes. Playing good Test cricket takes 20 to 30 Test matches before a player really understands what Test cricket is all about,” the coach added.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid hailed his team after they completed their first test series triumph in the Caribbean in 35 years with a 49-run victory over the West Indies in the fourth test on Sunday.

After setting the West Indies a target of 269, India dismissed the hosts for 219 with eight balls left on the third day to snatch the series by a 1-0 margin.

“It was a team effort. Everyone in the team contributed at various stages,” Dravid told reporters.

“Our seam attack was brilliant throughout the series. Our spinners were brilliant throughout the series. Everyone chipped in at various stages and made a contribution to this win.”

Dravid, on his third trip to the Caribbean, won the man of the match award for scores of 81 and 68 on a difficult pitch and was adjudged man of the series for an aggregate of 496 runs.

“Winning the series is the most important thing,” he said. “We played the better cricket right from the first test after the first two days. It’s nice that it all bore fruit in the end and we won the series.”

Dravid also described the pace attack, that comprised Munaf Patel, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Vikram Singh and Irfan Pathan as the best Indian seam attack he had seen in a long time.

“They bowled well throughout this series. I have seen fine spells in my career, but this is the best I have seen throughout a series since 1996 when I saw Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad bowl well in England,” he said.

“They are young and inexperienced, yet they did it. Patel and Sreesanth played most of the games here. Singh also did well and Pathan did well when he played.”

Dismissed for 200 on the opening day of the fourth Test, India struck back strongly on the second morning here at Sabina Park. Sreesanth uprooted the dangerous Chris Gayle’s off-peg in the first over as the left-hander played inside the line. Nought for one.

The first runs on Saturday came in the fourth over when Daren Ganga edged Munaf Patel at catchable height between second and third slip. Brian Lara, who walked out at three in place of the injured Sarwan, pulled, cover-drove, and glanced Sreesanth, whose radar seemed to lose calibration.

On Friday, Rahul Dravid kept India in the game with an innings that commingled great mental control and the highest levels of defensive play. Having decided to bat, the right move considering his team’s composition, the skipper saw his openers dismissed in the first 20 minutes.

“The wicket was challenging to bat on,” said Dravid. “The ball stopped and came on, and in the morning it seamed around a bit. We expected to play out that juice in the wicket. The idea (behind batting first) was to get them batting fourth against two quality spinners.”

Uneven bounce

There was enough surface moisture and uneven bounce to make life difficult. Dravid and Laxman played out the period till lunch with utmost caution. Runs came at under one an over — the West Indies bowlers bowled excellent lines to deny India’s batsmen room.

With neither the quickest between wickets, the sharp single — a lifeline on such a track — never made an appearance. India made 29 off 29 overs in the first session: as tough as the track was, and as disciplined as the bowling was, India should have turned over the strike better, and scored at least 25 more.

“I think we did well to bat out till lunch,” said Dravid. “The key was to get through the new ball. Unfortunately we lost Laxman immediately after the break.” The 31-year-old played a slack stroke outside off to be held at gully; the painstakingly put-together foundation was ruined. Yuvraj Singh began to strike it sweet — no little achievement considering everyone else struggled with timing.

A critical juncture had arrived: Yuvraj needed to stay with his skipper to ensure a score of near 300 — a total that would give India early control. But, Jerome Taylor, much like he had in the third Test, removed both Yuvraj and Mohammad Kaif.

Middle-order collapse

The 22-year-old quick did the duo in with the two-card trick; except, he needed only a card for each. A sharp yorker beat Yuvraj’s lofty back-lift and hit shoe, as the left-hander limped off. Kaif was given a bouncer that lifted.

“I think we lost a wicket too many in the middle order,” said Dravid. “A couple of partnerships would have helped us get to 250-260 which is a good score on this wicket.”

Dhoni slashed fatally, to leave India at 91 for six. Anil Kumble, who averages over 25 in his last ten Tests, made his second successive forty to give his skipper crucial support, putting on 93 in 29.2 overs for the seventh wicket, and falling two deliveries before the second new ball was due. The innings drew high praise from Dravid.

The Indian captain, who thrillingly pulled Taylor twice before lunch, flipped and off-drove in the five-and-a-half hour knock marked by the soft-handed defensive stroke.

“It’s not a score we’ll be happy with, but we fought back well from 92 for six,” said Dravid. “It’s a fighting score. This innings gave me great satisfaction because it was one of the most challenging purely from a batting point of view.”

Taylor cleaned up the tail to finish with his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

TOP-SEEDED women’s doubles pair Samantha Stosur and Lisa Raymond have crashed out of Wimbledon, losing in straight sets to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez in the third round.

Spain’s Ruano Pascual and Argentine Suarez beat Australia’s Stosur and her American partner 6-4, 6-4.

Second seeds Rennae Stubbs of Australia and Cara Black of Zimbabwe fared better, beating France’s Stephanie Cohen Aloro and Spain’s Maria Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 6-4.

In the men’s doubles, it was Australian versus Australian when Todd Perry teamed with Swede Simon Aspelin to beat last year’s champions, Stephen Huss and his South African partner, Wesley Moodie, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).

Australia’s Ashley Fisher and American partner Bobby Reynolds lost to top-seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, who won 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Perry and Stubbs won their mixed doubles second-round match against Aspelin and his Chinese partner, Tian-Tian Sun, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, while Stosur and Leander Paes of India beat Australia’s Paul Hanley and Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine, 4-6, 6-3, 12-10.

Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva defeated Fisher and fellow Australian Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-1, while Max Mirnyi of Belarus joined China’s Jie Zheng in beating Huss and Bethanie Mattek of the US 6-2, 6-2.

■RAFAEL Nadal is considering suing a French newspaper that loosely linked him to a Spanish doping probe.

Nadal called the report in the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche “nonsense” and strongly denied ever using performance-enhancing substances. “I’ve never taken anything in my life, and I never will,” he said.

A Spanish doping investigation that led to the exclusion of several top cyclists from the Tour de France also reportedly involves athletes from other sports.

Citing unidentified sources, Le Journal du Dimanche reported on Sunday that Nadal could be one of those other athletes.

“I don’t want to speak about untrue statements,” Nadal said through a translator. He said his manager was speaking to lawyers about pursuing legal action.

Nadal beat Irakli Labadze 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time. The two-time French Open champion has won a record 60 consecutive matches on clay.

One victory, two runner-up finishes, another top-10 and four rounds against the best in the world at the US Open - this has been the success story so far for Indian stalwart Jeev Milkha Singh.

If Asian Tour players are asked to vote for their Player of the Year nominee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Singh was to receive the majority of votes from his peers following a bumper first half of the season.

Sheer determination has driven the Indian ace back to dizzying heights after his well documented struggles with a wrist injury. Until the late 1990s, Singh, the first Indian to excel on the Asian Tour with four victories, was a force in the region and soon graduated onto the European Tour and then performing with valor.

But as if to test his commitment and determination in the game, Singh’s world fell apart after he suffered a long-term wrist injury. He lost his card in Europe, struggled with his form and ultimately lost confidence.

The road back was long and windy and several final-round collapses did not help in Singh’s struggles. Frustration crept into his golfing world but like a true warrior, his conviction and family support took him out of his shell and he was soon on the comeback trail.

While taking the slow path to recovery, Singh channeled his attention on positive mindset books, hoping to get a lift in his spirits. He continued working on his game with childhood friend and fellow professional Amritinder Singh in Chandigarh and in 2006, the puzzles all started to fall into place.

“There has been a lot of frustration. There have been tournaments that I would have liked to win and lost the tournament. Maybe I put too much pressure trying to win. Maybe instead of focussing on my routine, I maybe focussed on winning which was wrong,” said Singh.

After seven years without a win, Singh finally returned to winning ways in April when he lifted the Volvo China Open trophy in emphatic fashion. Prior to that, there were signs of a Singh revival as he was second in Pakistan and seventh in the TCL Classic in China.

“I just went in there (the final round) with reverse psychology thinking that if it doesn’t happen, never mind. I just wanted to give it my best shot. And it worked out perfect for me,” said Singh on his Volvo success.

“When I was injured, I didn’t know if I was going to come back in the sport. When I came back I wasn’t thinking the same way. I was struggling, I was putting pressure on myself and I was getting down. And after that, you don’t think right. I started working hard and the wrist became better and things started looking better for me.

“This is a game that you have to try on every single shot. If you give up, you have no chance.”

As the Asian Tour takes its traditional summer break till mid-August, Singh will have the comfort of knowing that he is sitting comfortably atop the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit with winnings of US$441,758. He also became the 10th player to join the million-dollar club in career earnings in the region with a haul of US$1.06 million.

“I want to win our Order of Merit,” said Singh. “I’m going to play in several more big events on the Asian Tour and hopefully, I’ll do enough,” added the Indian, who will split his schedule between Asia, Japan and Europe.

Now back in the winner’s fold, Singh’s confidence has been soaring. He has gone on to notch two top-10s on the Japan Golf Tour and qualified for his second US Open, which he successfully made the halfway cut.

“I’ve got a lot of trust after winning the Volvo China Open,” said Singh. “I now trust my game under pressure and I believe in myself. That’s taken me ahead. There is self belief. I’ve worked quite hard although there could be a lot more improvements.”

This could well spell trouble for Singh’s chief rivals as the battle heats up for the coveted UBS Order of Merit crown.

Other contenders ready to strike include Korea’s Charlie Wi, winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open where he dethroned two-time Asian number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.

It was a memorable victory for the 34-year-old Wi, who had lost his playing rights on the US PGA Tour only months early and he was returning to Asia in an attempt to rebuild his confidence and game. Wi has also posted a third place finish at the OSIM Singapore Masters and was tied ninth in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.

Australia’s latest bright spark Andrew Buckle is also tipped for glory after a couple of near misses in the first half of the season. He emerged second best in the Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open in March and finished one stroke behind winner Johan Edfors at the TCL Classic in Sanya.

Big-hitting Buckle has also impressed on the Nationwide Tour in the US, winning on his maiden professional tournament in May. His success, no doubt, underlined the strength in depth on the Asian Tour but all eyes will certainly be on the race for Asia’s finest players to claim the UBS Order of Merit crown and the Players’ Player of the Year Award when the season comes to a close in December.

A brace of opening birdies sent Jeev Milkha Singh on a flying start to day three of the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship outside Tokyo and, potentially, within sight of another 2006 victory.

Singh, the current leader of the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, recorded a third round of three-under par 67 at the Shishido Hills Country Club, which saw the Indian star move into a tie for ninth place at one-under-par 209 at the US$1.3 million (approx) event.

Tatsuhiko Takahashi leads the way, despite play being suspended for two hours this morning due to torrential summer rains and wind squalls.

However, the weather cleared by the afternoon, in time for Takahashi to complete his round of 68 and an aggregate of five-under 205. Evergreen 51-year-old Tommy Nakajima is one shot back, with three players – including overnight leader Toru Taniguchi – sharing third another stroke adrift.

Singh, who has enjoyed a banner year thus far in 2006 with a European Tour victory and seven top-10s, was delighted with another solid round. “I played very solidly today and started off really well, with a birdie at the first and a birdie on two. It was pretty good after that and there was only one mistake.”

Singh frustratingly three-putted the fourth hole for bogey, although rallied to record a birdie on the par-five sixth hole. Another birdie came at the par-three 16th hole, where title-sponsor UBS is offering a kilogramme of pure gold worth about $20,000 for a hole-in-one this week.

Clearly, Singh was unaffected by the weather. “In the wet conditions, it works both ways. The rough is wet and it is tough to get it out of it, but if you hit it in the fairway it gets easier because you can fire it at the flags. Today I played rock solid and just made one mistake, which was the three putt.”

After two solid days, Filipino ace Frankie Minoza slipped down the leaderboard when he shot a 72 in the third round. He had previously fired back-to-back 70s in the first and second rounds respectively. Minoza dropped two shots today in the eighth and 18th holes and failed to card a single birdie at the challenging Shishido Hills Country Club.

“Two bogeys and no birdies told the story today really. The conditions made it a little bit easier because you could attack the flag and the greens were soft, but you still have to hit the fairway. It is almost the same tomorrow,” said Minoza.

“I hit the ball good today but missed two drives, which cost me bogeys. I lost one right on 18 and one left on number eight, but that’s golf and I will try again tomorrow. I will just go for it tomorrow. I am already two-over, so I need to make eight or 10 birdies which will be tough.”

CAPTAIN Rahul Dravid was satisfied by his near six-hour vigil that prevented a complete India collapse on the first day of the fourth Test against the West Indies in Kingston on Friday.

India, choosing to bat first after winning the toss, was dismissed for 200 just before the close. While wickets fell at regular intervals, Dravid defiantly resisted the West Indies attack with an innings of 81 that lasted more than five-and-a-half hours.

“It was one of the most challenging innings I`ve played and very satisfying as well. In conditions like that, you`ve got to fight hard for runs,” Dravid told reporters after stumps.

“It was just a pity that I got out at the end of the day. When I look back on this one, it will give me a lot of satisfaction.”

It was a modest total by India, but it represented a recovery after they were struggling on 91 for six just before tea. Most of the damage was caused by fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who took career-best figures of five for 50.

“It`s probably a score which we can fight with, but we`ve got to bowl well. It`s not a score we`re happy with, there is no doubt about it, but it`s a score to fight with,” Dravid said.

“At 91 for six, we fought back well. We`ve got something on the board. It`s just important how well we bowl now. If we bowl well and can restrict West Indies to a decent score, we have the advantage of batting third and forcing West Indies to chase a target.”

The pitch offered more assistance than the surfaces used in the previous two Tests, offering the West Indies pacemen plenty of bounce, but Dravid said it was lacking in pace.

“It was a strange sort of wicket. Normally on wickets that seam, you can play a few shots because the ball comes on to the bat. But the ball just did not seem to come on to the bat in the morning. There was no real pace off the wicket,” Dravid said.

Describing Rahul Dravid as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, India coach Greg Chappell said the captain was a constant learner of the game and was prepared to take tough decisions, which has helped them win their first Test series in the West Indies in 35 years.

“His captaincy has been very good. He is improving all the time. Most importantly, he is prepared to take the tough decisions. Batting first in Antigua or here wasn’t the easiest of decisions but they were the best decisions. He is continuing to improve on his captaincy and he will until the last day when he retires,” said Chappell.

Chappell also said Rahul’s batting in this series was outstanding and it makes him one of the best batsmen of all time.

“Dravid’s performance in the tour has been outstanding, his performance in the last two innings was fabulous. On that wicket, he was the outstanding batsman on both sides. What’s great about him is that he is continuously striving to be better,” Chappell said.

“For a batsman to have that dedication, the desperation, determination and the technique to cope with difficult conditions is fantastic. He is one of the best batsman for any team, anywhere, anytime. He makes runs anywhere and does it consistently, that’s why he is such a great player,” said Chappell.

Chappell also said it was very heartening for him to see the young fast bowlers learn quickly.

“We have been able to win a Test series with young fast bowlers is a great credit to them. The boys have learnt quickly and adjusted to the demands of Test cricket, it’s heartening. To win anywhere you need good pace bowlers, with the young four fast bowlers we have got the variety and depth to look forward with confidence to play anywhere,” said the Indian coach.

Having defeated West Indies in their backyard, Chappell feels that the team should not get carried away.

“Its great feeling that this team has done something that hasn’t been done in 35 years. It’s a good step forward. It’s a part of development for this team, for Rahul Dravid’s team to become a good Test playing team. But we still have a lot of work to do. We are at no point short of being a great Test team. This is a very important step in that process,” he said.

“We need to be careful, we should not expect players to be able to play immediately. I think Test cricket takes 20-30 matches before a player really understands what Test cricket is all about, what the demands are and how different they are from one-day cricket.

It is all part of the job that we as coaches have to do — to keep expanding their minds as much as their bodies to understand Test cricket,” he added.

Sourav Ganguly slammed a 51-ball 73 to script an 11-run win for Northamptonshire in their Twenty20 Cup match against Worcestershire.

The former India skipper opened the innings yesterday and gave a flying start to Northamptonshire while tearing apart the Worcestershire attack. He hit seven boundaries and four towering sixes before being run out.

After departure of his opening partner Usman Afzal at the team total of 30, the left-hander along with Rob White (66 off 37 balls) hammered the opposition bowlers and forged a vital 105-run partnership.

Northamptonshire scored 190 for the loss of three wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Ganguly shone with the ball as well to claim the wicket of Ben Smith with his gentle medium pace. The Bengal player returned bowling figures of 4-0-32-1.