DELHI

THE HINDU

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012

SPORT

19

India set to lose No. 2 spot

DUBAI: Having conceded a 0-3 lead to Australia in the fourTest series so far, the Indian cricket team is all set to lose its second place in the ICC Test rankings to South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar has lost three rating points to be placed at ninth spot in the table, while V.V.S. Laxman is 21st, down by three. Virender Sehwag is 24th (down by two), Gautam Gambhir is 32nd (down by one) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 40th (down by four) in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. Only exception is Virat Kohli, whose contributions of 44 and 75, have provided him with a leap of 39 places that puts him in 66th spot. PTI

Indias chinks have been thoroughly exposed

CRICKET / Seven away Test defeats in a row have laid bare teams brittle character
Vijay Lokapally
NEW DELHI: Indian cricket has contrasting reputations; very good at home but abysmal overseas. Seven away-from-home Test defeats in a row have exposed the brittle character of the team when challenged by quality opposition in exacting conditions. From seam and swing in England to pace and bounce in Australia the Indians have failed miserably to adapt. A successive whitewash stares at India in Australia. Daggers are out. Critics, including the one-Test wonders in TV studios, are baying for blood. Sack the seniors and bring in the youngsters. Not overnight, please, Bishan Singh Bedi pleaded. It can only be a process, not a knee jerk reaction. He is right. It can only be a process. Indias preparations, according to Bedi, were barest minimum and expectations out of place. At home, Australia is a very tough competitor. They play very hard and not like we do (in domestic cricket). They take great pride in their baggy green (national cap). Do we? It is not such a bad team, insisted Kapil Dev. Why dont we give credit to the Australian team too. If I have to blame, I will blame the seniors. They should have taken the responsibility as they have in the past. They should have worked together to improve Indias overseas record. But that doesnt happen when you look for personal performances and milestones. It is for the seniors to take the call.

Kolkata takes trophy

HYDERABAD: Kolkata recorded a 30-run win over Hyderabad in a crucial round-robin league match to clinch the All-India Jiji Irani Trophy cricket tournament here. Former India captain Nari Contractor and Farokh Engineer, former India wicketkeeper, gave away the prizes. The scores: Kolkata 205 for ve in 30 overs (Rayzad Bulsara 76, Manoj Irani 75, Zarkash Daver four for 40) bt Hyderabad 175 in 29 overs (Khusal Jilla 61). Surat 206 for six in 30 overs (Adil Doctoe 35, Yohan Bharucha 74) bt Jamshedpur 166 for six in 30 overs (Yiun Dotiwala 55).

THE TRIUMVIRATE: V.V.S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar will all take the call when the time comes. But the recent performances have hurt their reputations in a big way and critics are baying for their blood. PHOTOS: AFP, REUTERS & AP
sponse. The seniors certainly have to look at their future. Would they not like to end their career on a high? I dont think we failed because of them. It was a collective failure. Remember, these seniors have contributed enormously in making winning a habit. They have to bite the bullet yes, before or after Adelaideleave it to them. The seniors, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag, will all take the call when the time comes. No doubt about it. The selectors have those plans in place. In any case, these seniors have hardly been a burden. But England and Australia have hurt their reputations in a big way. I know they will take a call. But Laxman, Dravid and all took their places by performing well, said Kumble. Kumble added, We need to start looking at ourselves. It had to happen. Dont blame the seniors. They did not bat as well as they are used to, but then which youngster has stepped up and taken the responsibility? Lack of partnerships from the top have consistently hurt India. What has hurt most is how a team, with the most experienced batting line-up in the world, could make only two 300 and plus totals in 14 innings! The sequence of totals in the last seven Tests is appalling: 286, 261, 288, 158, 224, 244, 300 and 283 in England; 282, 169, 191, 400, 161 and 171 in Australia. Difcult to pinpoint one reason or one aspect, argued Dilip Vengsarkar. The failure has been collective. So blame the entire team. India has failed in all the departments of the game. And that would include administration too. The decline in the standard of rst cricket, and coaching methods at the junior level, has hardly helped. The grooming process is poor for the juniors who hardly get to even interact with senior cricketers. The scheduling of international matches clashing with domestic season happens only in India, said Kapil. Bedi did not support slamming the team. They have lost, yes, but why do we get carried away by one-day performances. Please accept you are not good. You have to look to improve. I will hold the team management too responsible. The togetherness was missing. Sourav Ganguly has been ballistic in his comments on air and acidic in his column. There is talk about Laxman being dropped for the Adelaide Test. If thats the case, the same rule should be applied to other players as well, he wrote, without naming the obvious other players. Kumble struck a reasonable note. It hurts because overall, not one person stood up. If batsmen have failed, so have the bowlers. There was none to break the long partnerships. Not one bouncer was bowled at (David) Warner at Perth. Where else would you bowl a bouncer? At Kotla? India needs to improve in all departments. No doubt we have to improve our record overseas but it wont happen overnight. This season the chinks got exposed thoroughly in England and Australia. lia. To me, this was the weakest bowling that Australians had in many, many years. They were very inexperienced. It has to be the worst phase of Indian cricket in my memory. Seven Test losses in a row with the verdicts being so overwhelming is awful indeed. Analysing Dravids struggle, Vengsarkar felt, He has had the tendency to play across the line. But look at his awesome record and contribution to Indian cricket. Let us not be harsh on him. Bedi also stood by Dravid. Being bowled is just one more way of getting out. It doesnt mean you are a bad batsman. He was mainly getting out to a good ball. He didnt play a bad shot and in any case every bowler is entitled to a wicket-taking ball. There was support for Laxman too. Kumble asked, Laxman has played 133 Tests but has been asked 100 times when would he retire. Just not fair to a great batsman. Said Bedi, Can anyone deny his stupendous contribution to Indian cricket; an absolute giant. Please dont pull the stalwarts down. Many who criticise them are not t to even tie their shoe laces. Why are we not taking the technical committee to task? The technical committee is incharge of cricketing matters including pitches, domestic format, etc. Kapil observed, The Indians are not used to that bounce and pace, and the length too (in Australia). They cant bowl well on those pitches; cant leave the ball. Lot of things they cant do. So, let Dhoni take the responsibility. He is the captain and it was his duty to motivate. He obviously failed. India faces another possible nightmare at Adelaide unless the seniors rise to the occasion. It would be their last Test appearance in Australia.

Thrilling win for RMPA

NEW DELHI: Chander Pal Saini (56 not out) and Ashish Hooda (three for 15) enabled Niz Sports register a thrilling win over Ram Pal Cricket Academy (RMPA) by two wickets to enter the nal of the 16th Sahibzada Ajit Singh cricket tournament here on Monday.
The scores: RMPA 168 for seven in 30 overs (Puneet Walia 50, Pawan Negi 36, and Ashish Hooda three for 15) lost to Niz Sports 169 for eight in 30 overs (Chander Pal Saini 56 not out, Rohit Dubey three for 23).

No resistance
Vengsarkar asserted, They are all experienced and know it well but no one offered resistance. Everyone has some technical problem but then you have to adapt when it matters. Even I thought this was Indias best chance to win a series in Austra-

Collective failure
Anil Kumble was characteristically mellowed in his re-

Pakistan, England aim to bury spot-x bitterness

DUBAI: Pakistan and England hope to move on from the infamous 2010 spot-xing case when they go into the rst of three Tests from Tuesday in their rst encounter since the scandal that rocked the game. Salman Butt, then Pakistans Test captain, and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were handed lengthy bans by the International Cricket Council last year before being jailed by an English court. The trio, and their agent, Mazhar Majeed, were charged with conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lords Test in 2010. To their credit, Pakistan has not lost a Test series since then as Misbah-ul Haq has led them admirably, both on and off the eld. However, the prelude to this series shifted to the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns in Pakistan was overshadowed by talk of the scandal, much to the anger of Misbah. Its two years now and we

FOOTBALL

Inter Milan wins derby to resurrect title hopes

ROME: Inter Milan thrust itself back into the Italian League title race with a crucial 1-0 win away to city rival AC Milan at the San Siro on Sunday. Veteran Argentine forward Diego Milito rolled back the years to score the only goal of the game and move fth-placed Inter to within ve points of its neighbour, which is a point behind leader Juventus. The top three picked up only a point between them with Juventuss 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari enough to see it take over sole ownership of top spot. Third-placed Udinese lost 3-2 at Genoa and with fourthplaced Lazio winning there are now just six points separating the top ve.

Yogesh to lead
NEW DELHI: Yogesh Kumar will lead the Delhi team in the 48th National junior football championship to be staged from January 18 at Siliguri and Cuttack. Delhi will play against Manipur, Assam and Karnataka in that order on alternate days from January 19. The team: Lalruatpuia, Sarthak Raina, Yogesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Nimdorjee Tamang, Albert Rai, Malay Khatri, Dhruv Chatrath, Gopal Pathak, Mayel Lepcha, Prabal Deka, Dhruv Pargai, Manas Bodh, Shantanu Bera, Uday Sahni, Real Singh, Dilli Ram Sanyasi, Gaurav Gusain, Sarthak Kumar, Kshitij Darbari, Rachit Bisht. Chief coach: Abhijoy Basu; Assistant coach: H.S. Bisht.

BSES draws with Faith Club

NEW DELHI: Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES) played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Faith Club in Pool B of the 1st Praveen Kaur memorial hockey tournament at the Khalsa ground here on Monday. Anand, Parveen Kumar and Raju scored for BSES, while Mahesh Dayal got a hat-trick. In another Pool B match, Motilal Nehru College (Evening) overcame Kirori Mal College 3-1. Vikas, Vishal and Amrit scored for the winner, while Rocky reduced the margin for KMC. In Pool A match, Singhu Sports Club beat Rajput Club 4-0. Manish Kumar scored three and Madan Lal scored one. In the Rattan Singh Anand memorial volleyball tournament, Northern Railway beat Ramjas College 25-20, 8-25, 25-18 and Delhi Juniors 25-22, 25-17. Ramjas later lost to Delhi Juniors 15-25, 19-25.

have moved on from that diffcult period, said Misbah, who was not selected for that 2010 tour. We want to focus on cricket. That is what we have been doing for a year and a half and that saga is past for us. Misbah said all the talk was aimed at unsettling Pakistan. Since the Lords Test, Pakistan drew 0-0 with South Africa, beat New Zealand 1-0, drew 1-1 against the West Indies, beat Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka 1-0 and Bangladesh 2-0. Misbah credits his players for the unbeaten run. The credit goes to the team and to players. After that difcult time, everybody stuck to the task, gathered their thoughts and everybody wanted to prove to the world that we are good players and a good team, said Misbah. England captain Andrew Strauss, who led his team to a 3-1 win in that 2010 series, also showed resolve to move on. The spot-xing stuff is something were desperately

keen to move on from, said Strauss. Whats happened before is water under the bridge and I hope both sides can play the game in the right spirit. Pakistans squad still has paceman Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal and Imran Farhat despite their names being mentioned by Majeed during the trial proceedings. But Strauss has no complaints over their inclusion. Its their (Pakistan) obligation and duty to pick the best side they think is available to them, Strauss said.
The teams: Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Tauq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shaq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman England (from): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Steve Davies, Monty Panesar and Ravi Bopara. AFP

and a goal apiece from Xavi and Alexis Sanchez red Barcelona to victory after Ruben Castro and Roque Santa Cruz had levelled for Betis.
The results: Italian League: AC Milan 0 lost to Inter Milan 1 (Milito 54); Cesena 3 (Mutu 19, 39-pen, Rinaudo 45-og) bt Novara 1 (Morimoto 89); Chievo 1 (Sammarco 50) bt Palermo 0; Fiorentina 0 lost to Lecce 1 (di Michele 70); Genoa 3 (Granqvist 49, Jankovic 50, Palacio 71) bt Udinese 2 (Ferronetti 14, di Natale 75-pen); Juventus 1 (Vucinic 7) drew with Cagliari 1 (Cossu 47); Lazio 2 (Hernanes 20pen, Klose 90) bt Atalanta 0; Parma 3 (Biabiany 23, Valiani 66, Giovinco 90) bt Siena 1 (Grossi 79).

EXCITED: Inter Milans Diego Milito celebrates the goal against AC Milan in the Italian League on Spanish League: Atletico Madrid 3 (Falcao 40, 51-pen, Ribas 80) bt VillarSunday. PHOTO: REUTERS
minutes after the break through Andrea Cossus sumptuous hit from outside the box. Juventus did at least set a record for their longest unbeaten start to a season, surpassing the 17 games it managed in 1949-50. Barcelona squandered a two-goal lead before seeing off 10-man Real Betis 4-2 to cut Real Madrids lead at the top of Spanish League back to ve points on Sunday. Two goals from Lionel Messi

Juventus match drawn

In Turin, Juventus opened the scoring on seven minutes with a stunning team goal that involved a mesmerising exchange of passes and culminated in a tap-in for Mirko Vucinic. But Cagliari drew level two

real 0; Osasuna 0 lost to Racing Santander 2 (Stuani 39-pen, 70-pen); Athletic Bilbao 0 drew with Levante 0; Sporting Gijon 2 (Galvez 36, Trejo 90+2) bt Malaga 1 (van Nistelrooy 88); Barcelona 4 (Xavi 10, Messi 12, 86pen, Sanchez 75) bt Real Betis 2 (Ruben Castro 32, Santa Cruz 52).

Agencies

BADMINTON

Top stars for inter-State and National meet

Avinash Nair
BANGALORE: Saina Nehwal and a host of internationals will be seen in action at the inter-State and Open National badminton championship beginning with the qualifying rounds at the K. Raheja KBA stadium here from Tuesday. While the rst two days will see the qualifying rounds of the open National, the inter-State event will be held on January 19 and 20 while the Open events will commence from January 21 with the nals slated for January 25. Saina (according to her employers) will be there for the team events though it will be clear about the overall participation of the cream of Indian players, only on the 18th,

My men are right on track: Balaji

Special Correspondent
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan had training sessions at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. The two sides meet in a ve-day Ranji Trophy nal here from January 19. Tamil Nadu captain L. Balaji told The Hindu: My men are right on track. We are geared up for the challenge of the nal. Balaji felt the team had bonded well as a group. Mentally, as a unit, we have moved to another level this season. We have come through difcult situations. We do not depend on one or two individuals.

stated Tournament Director and former National champion and National coach U. Vimal Kumar, at a press brieng here on Monday. The International circuit is on and most of the players are keen on improving their ranking points. Also since most have not played in the national circuit they have not been seeded, which means a top player like Ajay Jayaram (World ranking of 27) can play the seeds as early as in the rst round, which makes this Nationals an open one. As many as 15 players in the mens list can win the title this year, added Vimal.

Young brigade
While Arvind Bhat, the defending champion and Anup Sridhar, National champion in

Faith posts win

NEW DELHI: Faith Club held Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES) to a 3-3 draw in a Pool B match of the Praveen Kaur memorial hockey tournament at the S.G.T.B. Khalsa ground, here on Monday. In another Pool B engagement, Motilal Nehru College (Evening) defeated Kirori Mal College 3-1. Singhu Sports Club outplayed Rajput Club 4-0 in Pool A.

Right attitude
Balaji elaborated on the topic, We have fought hard for every run, every wicket this season. I like this attitude. We have looked into the eyes of the opposition as we have walked in. We have had good players in the past too. But our aggressive approach this season has been the biggest transformation, he said. In a side with several international stars including himself, Balaji had special words of appreciation for the less-celebrated middle-order batsman R. Prasanna the left-hander has been the architect of several rescue acts and paceman V. Yomahesh who has bowled and batted with heart.

2006 (when Bangalore hosted the nationals last) are amongst the cream who look forward to script a victory here again, it will be the young brigade headed by Sourabh Varma and Sai Praneeth, both from PSPB and a host of others who are likely to hog the limelight. Among the women P.V. Sindhu (World No. 30), the talented Andhra Pradesh girl, has made waves this season and should be the rm favourite (although not seeded here for paucity of National points) with the likes of P.C. Thulasi, Neha Pandit and Sayali Gokhale who are poised for honours. Bangalore which is hosting the senior Nationals for the third time, having done it before in 1962 and 2006 before this, has seen the emergence of

top players who went on to do India proud. It was here again in 2006 when Aparna Popat, in her swansong year, downed Saina Nehwal in the nal of the womens singles. Saina now is a household name with her exploits world over and is currently ranked in the top ve at the International level. In the inter-State event, the powerful Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) will be the team to beat in both sections, though Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Air India can pose stiff challenges especially in the womens section. Guru Sai Dutt (World No. 39), Anand Pawar (66) and Anup Sridhar (96) along with Ajay Jayaram (27) will provide the challenge for the seeded players in the Open event.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: L. Balaji, seen with coach Abdul Jabbar during a practice session in Chennai on Monday, has done well in the Ranji Trophy this HYDERABAD: Malabar Prince (A. Raseason. PHOTO: V. GANESAN
Trophy in 1988. Balaji said: I like a challenge and the nal will be one. Rajasthan is a capable team but we will approach it like any other match. kar admitted that he and Aakash Chopra, another experienced former India batsman, carried much responsibility, the Rajasthan skipper felt the younger players such as Robin Bist and Rituraj Singh had displayed plenty of promise. Bist has footwork and balance. He is one for the future. Rituraj is a young, promising paceman. He swings and seams the ball both ways and can be slippery. Kanitkar said Tamil Nadu had home advantage but added his side had the depth and the all-round ability to cope with the conditions.

Malabar Prince wins Delhi Race Club Trophy

Condential. Owner: Mr. M.A.M.R. Muthiah. Trainer: Satheesh. 3. NORTHERN DANCER PLATE (D. II), (1100m), Cat. II, Maiden 3-y-o only (Terms): Dark Avenger (A. Imran K.) 1, Ocean Side (P.S. Chouhan) 2, Kohinoor Revanta (C. Henrique) 3, Fighting Fit (N. Ravinder S.) 4. 1-3/4, s hd., 1-1/4. 1m 07.46 s. Rs. 15 (w), 8, 7, 6 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 17, F.P.: Rs. 50, Q: Rs. 26, Tanala: Rs. 80. Favourite: Kohinoor Revanta. Owners: M/s. Mir Hyder Ali Khan & Laksh Bhatia. Trainer: S. Abbas. 4. NORTHERN DANCER PLATE (D. I), (1100m), Cat. II, Maiden 3-y-o only (Terms): Cannon Ten (N. Rawal) 1, Gold Coast (S. Sreekant) 2, Great Warrior (Deep Shanker) 3, Any Given Time (Ch. K. Chary) 4. Not run: Dastaan. 3-1/2, 1-1/2, nk.. 1m 07.47 s. Rs. 86 (w), 14, 16, 16 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 53, F.P.: Rs. 747, Q: Rs. 345, Tanala: Rs. 5063. Favourite: Any Given Time. Owner: Mr. K.R.K. Raju. Trainer: Prasad R. 5. JOCKEY V. RAJASEKHAR MEMORIAL CUP (D. I), (1600m), Cat. III, 5-y-o & over rated upto 50: April Showers (P.S. Chouhan) 1, True Star (Sk. Sharookh) 2, Iceland (S. Sreekant) 3, Copertina (P. Venkat) 4. Not run: The Himalayas. 7, nk., 1. 1m 41.25 s. Rs. 14 (w), 6, 9, 11 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 28, F.P.: Rs. 111, Q: Rs. 51, Tanala: Rs. 595. Favourite: April Showers. Owners: Mr. Ahmed Alam Khan & Dr. Mustafa Alam Khan. Trainer: Deshmukh. 6. MOUNTAIN LILY PLATE (D. II), (1400m), Cat. II, 5-y-o & over, rated upto 75: Rosemead (A.K. Pawar) 1, Hard Kingdom (S. Nayak) 2, Power Colors (S. Sreekant) 3, Aarohan (P. Sai Kumar) 4. Not run: Brianna. 2-1/2, 1-1/4, 1. 1m 25.31 s. Rs. 20 (w), 8, 8, 20 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 27, F.P.: Rs. 81, Q: Rs. 50, Tanala: Rs. 645. Favourite: Hard Kingdom. Owners: Mr. T. Venkatram Reddy representing M/s. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. & Mr. M. Rama Krishna Reddy. Trainer: L. DSilva. 7. JOCKEY V. RAJASEKHAR MEMORIAL CUP (D. II), (1600m), Cat. III, 5-y-o & over rated upto 50: Style Ikon (K. Anil) 1, Green Gift (P.S. Chouhan) 2, Deccan Storm (N. Rawal) 3, Combined Force (Henrique) 4. S hd., hd., 2-1/2. 1m 40.88 s. Rs. 43 (w), 9, 6, 19 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 16, F.P.: Rs. 110, Q: Rs. 42, Tanala: Rs. 798. Favourite: Green Gift. Owner: Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy. Trainer: Satheesh. 8. DELHI RACE CLUB TROPHY (1600m), Cat. I, 4-y-o & over: Malabar Prince (A. Ramana) 1, Carte Blanche (N. Rawal) 2, The Leader (A. Imran K.) 3, Vijay Monarch (P.S. Chouhan) 4. Nk., 1-1/2, 3/4. 1 m 37.16 s. Rs. 75 (w), 18, 34, 8 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 141, F.P.: Rs. 3489, Q: Rs. 1296, Tanala: Rs. 17303. Favourite: Vijay Monarch. Owners: Mrs. Syed Shazia Hassan, Mr. Satyanarayana Reddy Pannala & Mr. C.H. Krupakar Reddy. Trainer: Faisal Hassan. 9. MOUNTAIN LILY PLATE (D. I), (1400m), Cat. II, 5-y-o & over, rated upto 75: Menlo Park (A.K. Pawar) 1, Arabian Dancer (A. Imran K.) 2, Indian Storm (P.S. Chouhan) 3, Red River Rebel (Nitin Singh) 4. 2-1/2, 2, 2-1/2. 1m 25.87 s. Rs. 99 (w), 18, 6, 12 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 24, F.P.: Rs. 333, Q: Rs. 86, Tanala: Rs. 2107. Favourite: Arabian Dancer. Owners: Mr. T. Venkatram Reddy representing M/s. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. & Mr. M. Ramakrishna Reddy. Trainer: L. DSilva. Treble (i): Rs. 215 (247 tkts.); (ii): Rs. 924 (93 tkts.); (iii): Rs. 21679 (six tkts.). Consolation: Rs. 4293 (112 tkts.). Jackpot: Rs. 2,24,414 (ve tkts.)
...ND-ND

Great comeback
Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar not only led Rajasthan to its maiden Ranji title last year but orchestrated a tremendous comeback this year as the side nds itself in the summit clash again. Its an honour to be in a Ranji Trophy nal in successive years. We have worked hard, found answers even when we were on the brink of elimination in the league phase, he said. While the left-handed Kanit-

ENGAGEMENTS
At New Delhi Chess: Parsvnath International Open, fourth round (10 a.m.), fth round (4.30 p.m), Ludlow Castle Sports Complex, Near Kashmere Gate Metro Station. Hockey: Mens series, second Test, India v South Africa, National Stadium, 5 p.m. Tennis: ITF juniors tournament, DLTA Complex, Africa Avenue, 10 a.m.

Leading by example
Balaji has led by example and his incisive opening burst against Mumbai in the seminal played a signicant role in Tamil Nadu entering the nal. Two-time winner Tamil Nadu last triumphed in the Ranji

mana up) won the Delhi Race Club Trophy, the main event of the races here on Monday. The winner is owned by Mrs. Syed Shazia Hassan, Mr. Satyanarayana Reddy Pannala & Mr. C.H. Krupakar Reddy and trained by Faisal Hassan. 1. BEST OF FUN PLATE (1200m), Cat. III, 4-y-o & over, rated upto 25: Uno Mas (A. Imran K.) 1, Genius Queen (P. Sai Kumar) 2, Girnar (Satish Nayak) 3, Visakha (N. Ravinder Singh) 4. Not run: Dartos The Muscle. 1-3/4, s hd., 3/4. 1m 15.28 s. Rs. 13 (w), 7, 7, 7(p), S.H.P.: Rs. 20, F.P.: Rs. 65, Q: Rs. 45, Tanala: Rs. 104. Favourite: Girnar. Owners: M/s. Shabir Ali Khan, G. Chandra Shekher & V.B. Udayashanker. Trainer: Zoheb Shaikh. 2. MIGHT IS RIGHT PLATE (1200m), Cat. III, 4-y-o & over, rated upto 50: Handsome Hunk (B. Dileep) 1, Condential (A. Imran K.) 2, Aneres (P. Venkat) 3, Maid for Love (Nitin Singh) 4. Not run: Vijays Rose. 1/2, 3-1/2, 1-3/4. 1m 13.97 s. Rs. 23 (w), 8, 6, 38 (p), S.H.P.: Rs. 18, F.P.: Rs. 64, Q: Rs. 26, Tanala: Rs. 1093. Favourite: