MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): Rahul Dravid is all set to open India innings in the first Test against Australia tomorrow as the visiting team management has decided to leave out Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik from the final 12.
Punjab southpaw Yuvraj Singh was also rewarded for his superb hundred in Bangalore in the third and final Test against Pakistan earlier this month and he will now bolster the middle order.
Dravid will return to open the innings with Wasim Jaffer after a gap of two years and the former captain has already stated he is willing to bat at any position for the team's sake.
In the bowling department, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is most likely to pair up with skipper Anil Kumble though Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma was also among the final 12.
Rookie pacer Pankaj Singh and left armer Irfan Pathan were the other bowlers left out.
India Final 12: Anil Kumble (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Zaheer Khan, R P Singh, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh.
Malaysian referee pulls out red card, then a gun KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 (Reuters): A Malaysian referee took out his gun and fired warning shots in the air after a local soccer match turned unruly following the suspension of a player.
The referee, who was also a policeman, ran to his patrol car to get his gun after players mobbed him for showing the red-card to one of them, the New Straits Times said.
"We are investigating as to whether the policeman was justified in taking out his firearm and discharging it, and also why he had it with him during the match," Hussin Ismail, police chief in the southern Johor state, said.
The policemen was taken into custody for suspected misuse of firearms.
Five players, aged between 23 and 40, were also being held for questioning and could be charged for rioting, the paper said.
Kasprowicz wants Tait's inclusion for the Boxing Day Test MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): Former Australia fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz has endorsed many of his former team mates' suggestion that Australia should unleash fast bowler Shaun Tait against India as the drop-in pitch at Melbourne will offer little for Brad Hogg's left-arm wrist-spin.
The Queenslander said, "I'd go with four quicks when you are looking for the bowlers who are going to get you 20 wickets ...
On a drop-in wicket it doesn't really offer a lot of turn." He said that Indian's expertise against playing spin bowling is a factor to be considered and Tait's raw pace can trouble India's star studded batting line up.
"Nothing against Brad Hogg or anything, he's a fantastic bowler.
I just think the Indian batsmen are seasoned campaigners against spin bowling and what they don't particularly like is fast bowling," he said.
"Shaun Tait bowling yorkers at 160 kilometres an hour, if you ask most batsmen around, they don't particularly enjoy it.
Certainly if it's swinging in at your toes, it's not all that comfortable to play.
"Bumpers keep the batsmen on the crease, it shakes them up.
You go for the toes for the wickets," he added.
Kasprowicz, who took 113 wickets in 38 Tests said that the Australians have enough variations in their pace attack to make it difficult for the Indians at the Melbourne wicket.
"The mix of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark with left-armer Mitchell Johnson's variation and Shaun Tait as well, you have an arsenal there to go hard at them." He suggested that part-time spinner Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds can be utilised to assist the pacers if needed.
"You've always got (part-time spinners) Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke if you did want to change things around." Amid opinions coming from various former and current players which have been divided, the MCG curator, Tony Ware has suggested Hogg's inclusion for the Boxing Day Test.
Ganguly to complete century of Tests on Boxing Day MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): Former Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly will have an added motivation to leave a mark during the Boxing Day Test which starts tomorrow at the MCG - it will be his100th Test in Indian colours.
However, the 'Prince of Kolkata' seemed unpeturbed by the milestone and insisted that he would not be under any extra pressure to perform.
"It's just another Test match," he said.
If there was any emotion at all it would be one of satisfaction - especially as the achievement will sit beside 311 one-day internationals.
The 35-year-old southpaw is in haloed company and will join an elite club of six Indian players who have represented the country in 100 or more Tests after Dilip Vengsarker, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.
Ganguly's relationship with Australian cricket has always been fraught with tension and drama.
He had a famous fall out with Aussie legend Steve Waugh, with whom he had an acrimonious relationship when they were rival captains.
Waugh has said that he respected Ganguly, even if he didn't necessarily like him.
Ganguly claims they are friends.
"Whatever has happened, it's an effort to win Test matches," he said.
"He is probably one of my role models and he is a champion player.
He didn't want to lose wherever they went.
"He is a legend of Australian cricket.
He lifted Australian cricket." Ganguly, who has an average of 32.46 against Australia, is unfazed by the prospect of the on-field aggression that he is likely to face during this series.
"It happens all around the world, there's something going on the ground all the time, which is not always in a bad sense," he said.
"It's tough competition in the middle and you've just got to live with it.
You have to focus on the game and I'm a firm believer that it's what you do with the bat or ball that matters." 'Dada' is in good nick these days.
He shone with the bat during the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan, scoring a double century in Bangalore.
During the tour match against Victoria, he made a creditable 59, putting up a 83 run partnership with Rahul Dravid.
Unlike last time, Ganguly will not be captaining India in this tour and will not be distracted by the burdens and responsibilities of leadership which according to him makes a big difference.
Ponting confident ahead of Boxing Day Test MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): Exuding confidence ahead of the BoxingDay Test against the visiting Indian team, Australian skipperRicky Ponting said his side has the ammunition to shoot down their rivals.
"I'm very confident in the attack that we've got, that it's going to be good enough to take 20 wickets in every Test we play this summer, so I couldn't ask for anything more," Ponting was quoted as saying by the local media.
According to Ponting, pace spearhead Brett Lee was in the best form of his career while Stuart Clark's record (54 wickets from 11 matches) was among the best in the world and Mitchell Johnson, who had a good outing during the ODI series in India earlier this year, had been impressive.
The weather is expected to remain good on all five days, but acording to Ponting, the early pace-friendly conditions will make the job of the Aussie selectors a tough one.
"You've just got to try to get the conditions right with the players you've got available," he said.
"If it looks like it's going to be pretty damp in the morning then we've got a tough decision to make." Australia must decide whether to go for an all-pace attack or play left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg along with three quicks.
Left-arm speedster Mitchell Johnson and young tearaway Shaun Tait will vie for the third pacer's spot if Hogg plays.
The decision will be a difficult one since Johnson's has an impressive record against the Indians while the in-form Tait's raw pace and knack of ripping through the rivals' batting line-up makes him dangerous.
Australia would not name their final XI until tomorrow morning as the captain and selectors wanted extra time to analyse the MCG wicket which has had its preparations hampered by rain the past week.
Ponting was not too concerned about the absence of Glenn McGrath and spin legend Shane Warne who have both retired.
"(Lee) is a wicket-taking bowler and for different reasons to Shane was," he said.
"That's what Tait is as well.
"If Tait happens to play in this game he's exactly like that, he's a guy who can break a game open in a couple of overs." "So the wicket-taking options we lost with McGrath and Warne, we've just gained other guys in different roles to do that for us," he added.
Ponting is of the opinion that the Aussie attack is more dangerous and boasts more variety than the outfits which struggled to bowl India out four years ago, when McGrath was injured and Warne was suspended.
However, he added a note of caution saying that Australia had learned from prior mistakes and will not bowl too short or over-attack Indian batsmen.
India eyes 2nd spot in ICC Test Rankings as they take on Aussies MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): India is eyeing second position in the LG ICC Test Championship table as it goes head-to-head with Australia in a four-Test series starting here from tomorrow.
India, which is on a high after its 1-0 win over traditional rivals Pakistan last month, is currently on equal points with South Africa and Sri Lanka on 109 but behind the two teams when ratings points are calculated beyond the decimal point.
But Anil Kumble’s side can take an outright lead if it manages to score three rating points in Australia from the 11 available points as only a maximum of two rating points are in the offing for Graeme Smith’s side.
India can collect the required three points even if Ricky Ponting’s side clinches the four-Test series 2-1.
A drawn series, be it 0-0, 1-1 or 2-2 will give India five ratings points and will put it on 113 points.
The visitors will pick up a bagful of points if they manage to beat Australia.
A 1-0 or 2-1 win will put India on 116 points, 2-0 or 3-1 victory will earn it eight points, 3-0 win will place it on 119 points and a 4-0 triumph will help it pocket 11 points.
On the other side of the coin, if India is defeated in the series by a heavier margin, it will lose its current standing.
A 4-0 win for Australia will put India in fifth place behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and England while a 3-0 defeat will drop it to fourth place.
Australia, in contrast, can earn two rating points if it wins 4-0 but will concede as many as 13 points if India wins all four.
A shuffle of ICC Player Rankings is on the cards as Australia captain Ricky Ponting and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis fight for the prized top batting slot and South Africa’s Dale Steyn, Australia’s fast bowler Stuart Clark and Brett Lee, West Indies’ Corey Collymore and India’s Zaheer Khan target upward movement in the bowlers' list.
Australia’s Mike Hussey, who is currently ranked fifth behind Ponting, Kallis, Sangakkara and Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf, has an excellent chance to become the 24th batsman in history to reach the 900-mark.
The left-hander requires just 26 points to earn that rare distinction.
Besides Hussey, India’s Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman and Australia’s Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist will also be aiming for an upward progress.
Clarke and Dravid are currently ranked 11th and 12th and will be aiming to break into top 10 while only one ratings point separates Hayden from seventh-placed Kevin Pietersen of England.
Gilchrist on 16th place has New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming firmly in his sights whereas Tendulkar and Ganguly are on 18th and 19th positions respectively.
For Ganguly, it is his best ranking since 2000.
Among the Test bowlers, Australia’s pace duo of Clark and Lee are at their career peaks, with both having a chance of making the top three by series end.
Indian skipper Anil Kumble currently occupies fifth place, Collymore is the lone West Indies' bowler in the top 20 and is being chased by India’s Zaheer Khan.
The schedule for the Australia- India Test series: 26-30 Dec: first Test, Melbourne 2-6 Jan: second Test, Sydney 16-20 Jan: third Test, Perth 24-28 Jan:fourth Test, Adelaide.
India likely to start with two spinners on Boxing Day: Kumble MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (UNI): Team India is likely to play two spinnersduring the Boxing Day Test with skipper Anil Kumble sayingoff-spinner Harbhajan Singh will feature in the playing XI.
"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 tomorrow morning," Kumble was quoted as saying by the local media.
The pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue of the first Test, is expected to favour the fast bowlers early on the opening day before turning spin friendly later in the match.
Playing two spinners would mean that the Indians will have to choose two pacers from among left-armers RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan.
Kumble stated that his side would bank on their strong batting line-up to put up a big first-innings total that would allow him and Harbhajan to put presure on the hosts with attacking fields in place.
"The key to winning any Test match is to score runs and if you have runs on the board, any team can get under pressure," he said.
"If you have runs on the board there's every possibility you'll end up getting 20 wickets with the pressure you can create.
We have the potential to get 20 wickets, I believe that." None of the Indian bowlers got to see any action in the washed-out tour match against Victoria last week, but Kumble did not seem worried about it and said, "It would have been ideal bowling in a match situation but having said that, they're looking really good." Kumble vowed that he'll bowl and captain the side in a positive frame of mind, and also said he would not be afraid to bowl plenty of overs, despite some bowling skippers' tendencies to under bowl themselves.
"Even if you take the rest days, I bowled 10 overs every day," he said of the recent Pakistan series.
"I don't think I under bowled myself at all.
It all depends on the situation, how it is, I am first a bowler and then a captain.
It's important for me to do my job as a bowler, yes, and then whatever captaincy requires I'll do that, but on the field my job is to ensure that the team does well and I play my part as a bowler." The Indian skipper has an impressive Test record against the world champions, averaging almost six wickets a match.
Harbhajan, who starred in the 2001 series win, scalped 32 wickets in the three match series.
The Men in Blue open their campaign Down Under with the first Test starting tomorrow at the MCG.
India ready to rumble in Boxing Day Test MELBOURNE, Dec 25 (Agencies): An under-prepared but confident India take on champions Australia in the opening cricket Test here tomorrow in a clash between their strong batting line-up and the home side's bowling attack without two of their all-time greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
The Indians will heavily rely on their batting depth as they seek to record a rare series triumph Down Under where the conditions have become far more batting-friendly of late.
India's new found aggression was very much on display during the recent one-day series against Australia and the visitors have braced for the Boxing Day Test with some changes to their batting line-up.
Even though Australia would field only three quicks and the spin diet of Brad Hogg could come handy, the Indians are painfully aware that most of their batsmen have had no time to prepare for conditions which work a batsman inside out.
Only 48 overs over two days was all the Indians could manage from the three-day game against Victoria.
Only Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly could be said to have had a decent hit.
The rest of the batsmen would have to go by memory to pull in their weight.
India practically needs in excess of 400 runs in every innings to make a match of it.
It should not be too difficult for a formidable line-up in conditions that are said to be in favour of batsmen.
All those centuries and runs must count for something even if Australia has an attack which looks threatening enough.
Brett Lee finds himself thrust into the centre stage but Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clarke are no world beaters yet.
Tait is quick while Johnson's medium pace gets the Indian batsmen on the hop but it still is a raw attack.
Lee has experience but others don't and for all the good feel about Hogg, he still is an unproven article in Tests.
Ganguly invariably comes up with a suggestion which turns an atheist into a believer.
He said the other day that India alone is the team which has competed well against Australia be it at home or away.
It's a wicked thought and Australians would struggle to punch holes in it.
Ganguly also wasn't wrong that with Mahendra Singh Dhoni at number seven, the visitors have a better depth than at any time in recent past.
All top seven are potential match-winners and even if two or three come to the party, India could hope to have a score to test the nerves of the hosts.
India's bowling is another matter though.
Apparently, there is no concern on Zaheer Khan but he has not bowled at full tilt for close to a fortnight and it's not a matter to be dismissed outright.
Same is the case with Rudra Pratap Singh whose easiness of manners can't hide his rustiness and the weeks he has spent on the bench in the dressing room.
Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble remain India's prime operators but only a daring captain would put both in the playing eleven.
Kumble does not have the flamboyance of character or the instinct of a gambler to try out his partner-in-crime.
He most likely would hold back and fly in the face of logic that this MCG pitch could help spinners generously from the third day onwards.
Australia sure are favourites for this Test, and the series, but they can write this Indian team off at their own peril.
Dravid is unaccustomed to the role of an opener but the fire still burns bright in him.
Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh would take some handling.
Last time the team was here, they defied all odds and left with honours even, and with a moral victory as well.
It being the last tour of the country by Dravid, Ganguly, Tendulkar, Kumble and Laxman, the ageing stalwarts would not be short on motivation and an Australian attack sans Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne only fuel their hopes for a last hurrah here.
The miserable weather of the last week is likely to give way to bright and sunny spell over the next five days and India would do everything to make hay.
Squads (From): Australia: Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait.
India: Anil Kumble (c), MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Kaarthick, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Pankaj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh.
Umpires: Mark Benson and Billy Bowden Kerala enter QF, Punjab top pool "B" PUDUCHERRY, Dec 25 (Agencies): Riding on a solid performance by sharp shooter Dilwar Singh, former champions Punjab halted Tamilnadu's winning streak 100-85 and topped men's Super League Pool B of the 58th Senior National Basketball Championship here today.
Both Punjab and Tamilnadu, aiming to regain the tile, have already booked their quarterfinal berths with three straight wins in the five-team round-robin league.
In a crucial match, Kerala defeated Rajasthan 103-77 to become the thrid team from Pool B to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Rajasthan now have to play against Uttar Pradesh, the winner from the qualifying league, in the pre-quarterfinal for a place in the last eight.
Punjab cagers hald the edge throughout the match with Dilwar Singh spearheading the attack while Gagandeep Singh and towering Jagdeep Singh gave him ample support.
Their defence and rebound collections were also better than that of Tamil Nadu.
Though Tamil Nadu fought back in the last two quarters through Harish and Chandrasekaran, who sunk in a few three pointers, the team conceded too many free throws.
Besides, they could not penetrate the Punjab defence and were forced to go for long range shots.
Lokesh Yadav and Vineeth Ravi Mathen, who starred will in Tamil Nadu's earlier wins, were not effective.
The exit of Lokesh Yadav and Chandrasekaran, two key players, in the last quarter after they committed five fouls sealed Tamil Nadu's fate.
Youngsters made their presence felt, average year for seniors NEW DELHI, Dec 25 (Agencies): A patch-up between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi for the sake of country's Olympic campaign was a bright note to end an year in which senior pros disappointed and youngsters shone in patches.
As the Olympic year beckons, India's medal hopes got a fillip with tennis ace Bhupathi announcing and Paes endorsing that they are game to shake hands and pair up for the quadrennial extravaganza.
If 2006 ended on a sour note when Lee-Hesh parted ways, this announcement brought smiles on the faces of the game's lovers in the country.
In the year gone by, Paes and Bhupathi were nowhere near winning a Grand Slam, while Sania Mirza missed much of action with injury even though she still managed a career-best singles rankings of 27.
While Paes encountered an indifferent form, particularly in the later part of the year, Bhupathi like Sania was forced out of action due to niggling injuries intermittently.
Paes and Bhupathi at least won two doubles titles each, including Master Series, but Sania failed to add to her lone WTA tour singles title.
While much cannot be complained about Paes and Bhupathi, who, having done a lot for the country, are past their prime, Sania still carries a big burden of hopes of a nation of one billion.
Her best chance in singles was when she reached finals of Stanford, which was also her first Tier II level final, but fell at the final hurdle.
However, her good run in women's doubles continued as she added four more titles to her kitty.
Unexpectedly, the players who were either written off or never carried much hopes provided something to cheer about.
Rohan Bopanna had a memorable year with his maiden singles challenger win at Dublin and five doubles titles, including three with Pakistani Aisam-ul-Haq-Qureshi.
He also played four finals to take his doubles ranking to 66 from 116.
Tara Iyer won four USD 10,000 ITF crowns, including three on the trot and Karan Rastogi ended India's 25-year long drought for a clay court title abroad by winning in Morocco.
Tara, however, was exposed when pitted against higher ranked players.
She lost in the first round in the WTA Sunfeast Open to Flavia Pennetta and her campaign at three consecutive USD 25000 ITF tournaments was cut short in the very first round.
Fitness and consistency, pre-requisites of success in any sport, once again proved be the difference between the Indian tennis players and the champions or good performers from other countries.
Even former Davis Cup captain Vijay Amritraj recently said "the rate of improvement of the foreigners is much more than the Indians." "The standard has improved all over the world whether it be fitness or in physique of the players.
The top-100 rankings of today are comparable to the top-50 rankings of our time," Amritraj said.
Injuries kept chasing Sania all the year, forcing her to withdraw from at least eight tournaments and keeping her away from the court for more than four months.
Sania announced her arrival in 2005 but could not maintain the success and some argued opponents had read her game in the second season.
Mallya promises to consider Karun as test driver in 2009 NEW DELHI, Dec 25 (Agencies): 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 diver'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 told agencies 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.
Cooch Behar U-19 Trophy Rajasthan takes 87 runs 1st inning lead against J&K KT NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, Dec 25: Hosts Rajasthan, after taking a vital 87-runs first innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir in their four-day Cooch Behar Under-19 Trophy tie being played at Jaipur in Rajasthan, were 82 for the loss of four wickets in their second essay at the draw of stumps today.
Earlier, the J&K overnight pair of Mehraj-ud-Din Aditya Partap, who were on 22 and 11 with the total at 45/2, could not made recovery.
Mehraj-ud-din was bowled on 33 by adding another 11.
However, Aditya Partap was bowled on his personal contribution of 20.
After that, Jammu and Kashmir continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 215 runs in 70 overs, conceding the vital lead of 87 runs.
The visitors were in deep trouble at the start of the second day play, but Parveez Rasool’s fine knock of 70 runs took team to respectable position.
He was equally well supported by Ram Dayal, who scored valuable 53 runs.
Mohd Mudassar fine spell brought back Jammu and Kashmir team into the match by sending both openers of the hosts team to the pavilion, when score was 18 for 3.
At stumps, hosts were 82 for 4.
With this Rajasthan took lead of 169 runs with six wickets in hands.
From Jammu and Kashmir, Mudassar bowled 10 overs and took two wickets for 29 runs.
Adnan Nazir got one wicket for 14 runs.
Parvez Rasool, too claimed one wicket for 13 runs.
Brief score: Rajasthan : 302 (first inning).
J&K: 215 (first inning), Mehraj-ud-din 33, Aditya Partap Singh 20, Parveez Rasool 70 and Ram Dayal 53.
Rajasthan :82 for 4 (second inning).
Mohd Mudassar 10-1-29-2.
Adnan Nazir 6-0-14-1.
Parvez Rasool 7-4-13-1.
Manik Gupta 7-3-22-0.
Sameer 0.5-0-0-0 Inter –Distt Athletic meet commences at JU KT NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, Dec 25: As many as 130 athletes from 16 districts are taking part in the two days state level athletic meet in age group of Under-17 years boys which was began at JU campus here today.
SA Wani was the chief guest.
The details: Discuss throw: Raju Kumar (Jammu), Vinod Singh (Udhampur) and Zahoor Ahmed Ahangir (Bandipora).
800 mtrs: Vishal Kumar (Udhampur), Raj Singh (Rajouri) and Mohd Waseem (Poonch), 3000 mtrs: Johni Kumar (Jammu), Mohinder Singh (Udhampur) and Ram Parkash (Reasi).
1500 mtrs: Chaman Singh (Udhampur), Rohit Sharma (Jammu), Abdul Majid Bhat (Baramulla).
Sub Junior TT Nationals Bihar boys outplays J&K 3-1 KT NEWS SERVICE CHENNAI, Dec 25 (UNI): One sided matches were the order of the day in the Sub-junior and Cadet boys and girls national table tennis championship here today.
In the sub junior section in Group G Bihar routed Jammu and Kashmir by 3-1, while J&K also lost their second match against Delhi by 0-3.
Hosts Tamil Nadu had a narrow win over Andhra Pradesh 3-2 in Group B while Chandigarh also had to fight hard to edge out Tripura by a similar margin.
In the girls section North Bengal defeated Assam 3-0 while West Bengal beat Chattisgarh 3-0.
Results: SUB-JUNIOR BOYS TEAM: Group G Delhi bt Manipur 3 - 0 Bihar bt Jammu and kashmir 3 - 1 Delhi bt Jammu and Kashmir 3 - 0 Bihar bt Manipur 3 - 0 SUB-JUNIOR GIRLS TEAM: Group G PuducherrybtRajasthan 3 - 1, Jammu and KashmirbtJharkhand 3 - 1, PuducherrybtJammu and Kashmir 3 - 0, Rajasthan bt Jharkhand 3 - 0 Sr National Volleyball Chsip Assam fight back to beat Jammu & Kashmir 3-2 KT NEWS SERVICE JAIPUR, Dec 25 : Downed in the first set, Assam fought back to beat Jammu and Kashmir 3-2 in men's group D in the 56th Senior National Volleyball Championship for men and women at the SMS Indoor hall here today.
Assam lost the first set 18-25 and then rallied back to win next two sets 25-14, 25-23.
However, J&K spiker equalised the score by winning the fourth set with a margin of 25-22.
In the decider, Assam beat J&K by 15-6.
Assam had to struggle hard to prevailed over Jammu and Kashmir in five sets 18-25, 25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 15-6.
Chandigarh whipped Orissa in straight sets 25-14, 25-20, 25-15 in group E while Gujarat recorded an idential victory over Andman and Nicobar in the same group.
Uttar Pradesh whipped Jharkhand 3-0 facing resistance from their opponents in the first set only in Group F while Puducherry faced little resistance from Goa before beating them 3-1.
In the women's section, hosts Rajasthan routed Assam 25-8 m, 25-19, 25-11 in group D in only 55 minute.
This is the second victory of the home team after they had beaten Haryana.
Gujarat had to toil hard before trouncing Mizoram 3-2 in a match that lasted for 121 minutes in group E.
Jharkhand had no difficulties in disposing of Uttranchal 3-0 in an hour time.
Following are the results of matches concluded today:- Men's Section :- Group D - Delhi bt Himachal Pradesh 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22, Assam bt Jammu & Kashmir 3-2 (18-25, 25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 15-6) Group E- Chandigarh bt Orissa 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-15), Gujarat bt Andman & Nicobar 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) Group F - Uttar Pradesh bt Jharkhand 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-18), Pondichery bt Goa 3-1 (25-23, 15-25, 25-13, 25-15).
Women Section _ Group D - Rajasthan bt Assam 3-0 (25-8, 25-19, 25-11), Group E - Gujarat bt Mizoram 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 16-25, 19-17) Group F - Jharkhand bt Uttranchal 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-10).
Resilient Bangalore Hi-Fliers down Dynamos 3-2 CHANDIGARH, Dec 25 (UNI): Former champions Bangalore Hi-Fliers made a strong comeback after trailing 0-2 to score a thrilling win over local favourites Chandigarh Dynamos 3-2 in the fourth edition of the Premier Hockey League here today.
After surviving two strong raids by Bangalore, Chandigarh Dynamos struck twice in the space of three minutes with drag flicker Sandeep Singh netting two stunning goals from their 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 low drag flick but Bangalore's Korean import You Hyo-sik converted the rebound.
After the first two quarters, Bangalore opened up the game and 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 feeding the forwards well.
The Bangalore team also made the best use of the speed and skills of their Korean player, You Hyo-sik, who was the livewire of the team with his speedy runs.
Bangalore scored the equalizer in the 37th minute capitalizing on a quick move on the right flank.
From the midfield, Vinay put Arjun in possession with a fast wall pass and former skipper gave it to Sandeep Michael.
Sandeep 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 at him, Tushar gave it to Hyo-sik and the latter made no mistake tapping the ball into the right corner of the boards.
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 took the push and Vikramkanth set it up for drag flicker Len Aiyappa.
But Len's low flick was once again blocked by Chandigarh goalie Baljit Singh and this time Cheyanna, the junior Indian camper, slotted home to earn the match-winner for the Hi-Fliers.
Bangalore's You Hyo-sik was declared man of the match.
After three matches each, Bangalore have five points while Chandigarh Dynamos remain on six points.
National Ice Skating championship from Jan 5 SHIMLA, Dec 25 (UNI): The National Ice Skating championship will be held here from January five to six, Bhuvnesh Banga, secretary of the Shimla Ice Skating Club said today.
The championship will be held at the ice skating rink here, which is oldest in Asia.
The Ice Skating Club is the main organiser of the championship.
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