EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE In football, anything is possible: Gurpreet Sandhu India Test team Players hail the role of India coach Igor Stimac after the sensational draw against Qatar selection WC QUALIFIERS today Sports Bureau Doha Press Trust of India India’s players were an over­ New Delhi joyed lot after holding reign­ The India senior ing Asian champion Qatar to selection committee a goalless draw in the second will meet here on qualifying round for the Thursday to pick the 2022 FIFA World Cup here squad for the three­Test on Tuesday. series against South Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Africa beginning on who wore the captain’s arm­ October 2. band on the night and put in The main focus will a heroic shift under the bar, be on getting the hailed the performance as a opening combination team effort. right in view of the team’s unimpressive Crucial point record on this front, “I feel extremely proud of coinciding with K.L. the team,” he told the AIFF. Rahul’s long struggle. “Everyone played their White ball vice­ hearts out, and gave eve­ captain Rohit, who rything out on the pitch. couldn’t make the cut in That enabled us to come the playing XI against back to the dressing room sa­ the West Indies, is tisfied, and with a very cru­ expected to be tried out cial point. A big thank you! The Indian players perform the ‘Viking Clap’ routine with fans after the goalless draw in Doha on Tuesday. as an opener. Also in “We have played just two * COURTESY: AIFF contention are Bengal matches, and we have opener Abhimanyu played well, that too against Players hailed the role of At the interval, the coach was in the National team “Qatar are in a different <> We have played just <> Qatar are in a Easwaran, Priyank two powerful teams. It gives the coach, Igor Stimac. “The told us to come out and at­ some seven years back, but league as compared to any two matches, and we different league Panchal of Gujarat and us that added motivation coach has changed everyth­ tack, and enjoy our football. it is a different set­up now. team in Asia and my boys have played well, compared to any Shubman Gill of Punjab. and confidence that in foot­ ing — things we do on and off We played it around, and We are making good pro­ made sprints till the very last that too against two team in Asia and my In the bowling ball, anything is possible.” the pitch,” said Anirudh Tha­ stretched them while main­ gress under [Stimac].” minute. They defended with powerful teams. It boys made sprints department, pa. “I am happy we were taining our shape all such concentration Bhuvneshwar Kumar, gives us that added till the last minute. Bouncing back able to make him proud with throughout.” Critics proven wrong throughout.” who isn’t fully fit, is Going into the match, Qatar our performance. This [re­ Stimac felt that critics of his India will host Bangladesh motivation and They defended with likely to miss out. was ranked 62nd in the sult] has to rank at the top. Emotional players’ fitness had been in its next match of the qual­ confidence such concentration Allrounder Hardik world, some 41 places above Qatar are an extraordinary Central defender Adil Khan proven wrong. ifiers on October 15 in Kolka­ — Gurpreet Sandhu — Igor Stimac Pandya could be back India’s 103. While defeat to side.” was emotional. “I am getting “Against Qatar, we proved ta. in the squad, or Oman in the opening game Young midfielder Sahal goosebumps even thinking to everyone who was talking Stimac exhorted India’s about the passion for foot­ need to be our 12th player. Navdeep Saini could be of the qualifiers was a big Abdul Samad said: “This is of the result,” he said. about a lack of fitness among supporters to fill the stands ball in Kolkata. I want to see We deserve that and I expect roped in as a back­up blow, India bounced back quite unbelievable. We de­ “The self­belief in the the players [that we are fit],” for the occasion. a full house at the YBK Stadi­ the fans to come and help us pacer. admirably. fended well in the first­half. team defines everything. I he said. “We have heard a lot um,” the Croat said. “You get the three points.” Can England save some face? India-A’s celebrations have to wait Hosts drop Roy; Aussies going strong on Smith’s awesome form Visitors’ woes continue on a truncated third day blighted by rain and bad light was send back but he THE ASHES SA-A IN INDIA couldn’t beat Ricky Bhui’s di­ Agence France-Presse M.R. Praveen Chandran rect throw from short London Thiruvananthapuram square­leg. England has dropped Jason Rain and bad light made In­ Mulder’s dismissal Roy for the fifth Ashes Test dia­A wait a day to win the opened the floodgates. Jalaj against Australia that starts unofficial first Test against had Piedt (1) caught by on Thursday, as it looks to le­ South Africa­A at the Sports ’keeper Bharat off a ball that vel the series at 2­2. Hub on Wednesday. bounced and Marco Jansen’s Roy failed to impress in Only 20 overs of play was (0) intended drive off Shah­ the first four matches, either possible on the third day but baz Nadeem ended in Rutu­ as an opener or when he India­A had the South Afri­ raj Gaikwad’s hands in the dropped down the order at cans on the mat at 179 for covers. Klaasen (48) soon Old Trafford, where he made nine when play was called lost his patience and was a top score of 31. off due to bad light, 15 mi­ caught in the deep by Shar­ Paceman Craig Overton nutes before the scheduled dul Thakur off Jalaj before has also been left out for the Work to do: The England batsmen will be keen to change the trend of not giving their bowlers close. The visitors led by 40 bad light forced the umpires clash at The Oval, with Sam enough runs to defend. * AFP runs. to call off play. Curran and Chris Woakes, Heavy rain in the morning The scores: who made way for Overton Oval hungry to win its first Test action in England after Langer, revelling in having wiped out two sessions and South Africa-A — 1st innings: at Old Trafford, coming in. Ashes series in England completing a 12­month ball­ the world's top­ranked bat­ play began only at 3.30 p.m. 164. The England and Wales since 2001 as the peerless tampering ban, has made his sman and bowler at his dis­ The overnight pair of Hein­ India — A: 1st innings: 303. Cricket Board also con­ Steve Smith seeks to inflict mountain of runs despite posal, is urging the other rich Klaasen and Wiaan Mul­ South Africa-A — 2nd innings: firmed that Ben Stokes further pain on the hosts. missing three innings after batsmen to step up in the der didn’t show any signs of Pieter Malan b Siraj 4, Aiden would play as a specialist To stand any chance of le­ he was felled by a Jofra Arch­ match starting on Thursday, discomfort and negotiated Markram c Bharat b Shardul 4, batsman due to a shoulder velling the series, England er bouncer. even though he admits they the bowling with ease. Zubayr Hamza c Bhui b Gow- tham 44, Khayelihle Zondo c injury. will have to find a way to Given a full series, the lack experience. Bharat b Nadeem 10, Senuran England needs a victory to solve the riddle of the im­ freakish Smith might well Joe Root, meanwhile, Aggressive Mulder Muthuswamy lbw b Nadeem 4, draw the series, although movable Smith, who has have been even closer to must inspire his troops to Mulder, in particular, was in Heinrich Klaasen c Shardul b Ja- Australia has already re­ scored 671 runs in just five in­ Don Bradman's mark of 974 one last effort. sparkling touch. He greeted laj 48, Wiaan Mulder run out tained the Ashes. nings at an astonishing aver­ runs for the most runs ever The teams: England: Joe Root Gowtham by lofting him ov­ 46, Dane Piedt c Bharat b Jalaj Captain Joe Root said Roy age of more than 134. made in a Test series, set in (Capt.), Jofra Archer, Jonny er long­on for a six and then 1, Marco Jansen c Gaikwad b had missed out due to The former captain, top of 1930. Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, square­drove a boundary to Addng to the tally: Shahbaz Nadeem picked up one of the Nadeem 0, Lutho Sipamla (bat- Stokes' injury, which meant the international rankings, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam show his attacking mood four South Africa-A wickets to fall on Wednesday. ting) 5, Lungi Ngidi (batting) 0; the side needed re­balanc­ has carried his team's bat­ Pace power Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, early. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Extras (nb-2, w-1, b-8, lb-2): 13; ing. “It's always tough to ting with three centuries and The other key factor for Aus­ Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes. Mohammed Siraj, who Total (for nine wkts. in 55 ov- ers): 179. leave guys out, but Stokesy two fifties, including a dou­ tralia has been the strength Australia (from): Tim Paine was given an extended spell, light stopped play for the sumption.