OID‰‰†‹K The Times of India, New Delhi, Monday,January 13, 2003 Best is back Soccer star slain Ernie earns record George Best can’t be kept Former Russian soccer star Ernie Els shot an 8-under out of the action, despite a Yury Tishkov was found 65 to tie for the all-time liver transplant. The soccer dead from gunshot wounds 54-hole record at total legend is enjoying the in Moscow. The killing was 25-under during 3rd round recuperation on a snow reportedly related to his play at the Mercedes golf truck in New Zealand business activities championships in Hawaii Until recently,I gave India a chance of making the last four but the New Zealand tour has exposed them. I’m yet to find a great bowler: Sehwag Andrew Hudson AFP By Ahmed Abbas Rizvi can employ the cut shot. No, I don’t. It’s my scoring But I said I should not be SPORTS DIGEST TIMES NEWS NETWORK There were those who believed shot, so even if I get out in that dropped if I don’t score in two that you would be exposed on region, I’m not bothered. If I games. The coach and the cap- AP Hamilton: When most batsmen seaming tracks. make a century,most of my runs tain said nothing would happen have looked weepy and apolo- I never felt so. I got a hundred will come in the point and third and we are just trying. They said getic in this series, Virender Se- on a seaming track in Notting- man region. if you don’t succeed, we would hwag has used his willow like a ham (in England). That gave me You don’t seem to get overawed again put you back in the middle whiplash. He has looked a bats- a lot of confidence. I came here by the bowlers’ reputations. order. But it doesn’t matter man in a different plane — unre- thinking the wicket would be the If a batsmen gets conscious where I bat; I just love batting — strained by conditions, limitless same as in Nottingham. But about the bowler, he won’t be whether No.1 or No.7. in his superabundance and these were very different. able to bat. So, when I bat I don’t You have come a long way since supreme in self-belief. India look There’s been some criticism of get bothered who is in front of that blazing century in Colombo. unbeatable as long as he is at the your footwork as well. me. I am more concerned about How do you look back at the past crease. When he departs, like on Every batsman has some how to play my shots and where year and a half? Saturday, they start sinking to strengths and weaknesses. I The more you play the more the depths of mediocrity. think I am doing well for myself, experience you get. You keep Excepts from an interview though there’s always room for “I am not bothered by learning. I have been fortunate with ‘Cyclone Sehwag’ who has improvement. I am not bothered to have five seniors who keep ad- scored 295 runs in the six match- by criticism — by players, com- criticism.Whatever I have vising me. I have learnt a lot in es of the One-day series — more mentators or media. Whatever I to do, I have to do myself. the last one year. than double the amount of the have to do, I have to do myself. If You have worked hard on your second-best batsman, Kiwi’s somebody is giving me gaalis, I If somebody is giving me fitness as well. You have the high- Mathew Sinclair (143). don’t have to answer back. I let gaalis, I don’t have to est points in the fitness tests. Two hundreds already in a se- my bat do the talking. All of us have been working ries which has produced just four Did you have to make any tech- answer back. I let my bat hard on our fitness and it has im- other scores in excess of 50. How nical adjustments here? proved a great deal. The entire does that feel? No. In Tests, I had problems in do the talking.” team is working on fitness, be- It feels great to have scored the first three innings and then I cause we realise that if we do it, two hundreds in a series where spoke to Sachin (Tendulkar). He to play them. the fielding of the team will im- USA’s Andre Agassi has his shirt the ball has seamed so much and said most of us are getting out on Who would you rate as the best prove. Each one of us has been off to combat the heat as he where there is no guarantee that the front foot. He said that if we bowler you have faced? given a training schedule, which practises for the Australian Open you’ll make even 20. I have just don’t allow the ball to move, then I don’t think I have faced any involves eight sessions in a week tennis tournament in Melbourne tried to play my normal game. If we could avoid getting out. great bowler. — two aerobic, two anaerobic, on Sunday. you are willing to bat according That’s why we decided to stand Like Sachin, your career too two strength, two stability and to the quality of the wicket, you outside the crease. has blossomed once you started two upper body. Match washed out: The One-day will make runs anywhere. What about opening in Test opening the innings in One-day How have your preparations Deodhar Trophy league match be- You don’t seem to be affected on matches? Internationals. been for the World Cup? tween Central and East Zone at being beaten by deliveries. I just try to stay put at the On the Sri Lanka tour (where I am happy I have been select- MCC ground in Margao on Sunday When you know you will be crease for as long as possible. he opened for the first time), ed but there is no extra special was called off due to wet wicket and beaten twice, thrice in an over The longer I stay at the crease, Sachin was missing. Four open- feeling about it. For me they are outfield following overnight rain. Um- why let that bother you? I just the more runs I can score. ers had been tried in as many just normal matches. I will try to pires K G Laxmi Narayan and Sravin- wait for the loose deliveries. Do you get distracted when op- matches to partner Sourav Gan- perform well. On good batting dran, who inspected the pitch for the Since there is no chance to posing captains pack the offside guly.He asked me if I could open wickets, I would look to score second time the afternoon, were not play cover-drives, I just wait for you, especially the point re- in the next two games. Though I more than a hundred — a big sastified with the damp spots creat- for the short ball so that I gion? have never opened, I was willing. hundred. ed on the wicket due to seepage of water from the covers and took the consent of both the captains before taking the final decision. Both the Bachchan bash lands Shoaib in soup teams got one point each. PTI Zaheer has been a revelation Islamabad: Trouble-prone speedster Shoaib However,Shoaib took over a week in reach- Akhtar has landed in a spot once again for ing home. He made a detour to Durban to Mud-wrestling banned: STRAIGHT DRIVE thing away from the way India has While both Zaheer and Javagal his “erratic” behaviour and meeting Bolly- meet Indian film stars. The South African Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) come back to restore some pride. Srinath are bowling quite well, our wood stars in South Africa in defiance of media was all awash with his photographs, Stephen Fleming has banned mud-wrestling in the Virender Sehwag’s century in the batting has not been too good. The team orders. posing alongside Bollywood legend Amitabh country, WFI president M.S.Mallik The scoreline in the series has last game is among the best you conditions continue to have a huge Shoaib rubbed many of his team-mates on Bachchan. “I have let the PCB know about said on Sunday. Talking to reporters changed from 4-0 to 4-2 over the last would ever see in not-so-ideal condi- impact on the cricket and both sides after the WFI general body meeting, the wrong side during the tour. The fast my experiences in Zimbabwe and South one week and that is something we tions. And on the bowling side, it are still struggling in the batting bowler was finally released during the One- Africa. I’ve also outlined the Shoaib case to Mallik said the governing body re- was really amazing to see Zaheer department. I only hope that all the solved that mud-wrestling should be are not too happy about in the Kiwi day series due to a sore knee and was told to them. But I have filed no official complaint,” Khan keep going, in spite of the suc- big guns will be firing all cylinders banned. A wrestler found participat- camp. I have to admit that the boys return home and seek treatment. manager Nasir said. PTI in the World Cup.