Thursday, February 2, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
एक बच्ची की डायरी पढ़कर आपका दिल फट जाएगा
लोग मांओं, बीवियों और प्रेमिकाओं से मोहब्बत करते हैं, तो फिर बेटियां क़त्ल कर दी जाती हैं? डायरी की आख़िरी लाइन पढ़ते हुए दिल का जो आलम हुआ वह बयान से बाहर है। औरतों की आज़ादी और उनके हक़ों के लिए आज साइंस ने बहुत काम किया है, लेकिन अल्ट्रासाउंड तकनीक को पैदाइश से पहले ही लड़कियों से निजात पाने के लिए जिस तरह इस्तेमाल किया जा रहा है, वह नाक़ाबिले-यक़ीन है।
इस लुहा मुझे उर्दू की मशहूर शायरा ज़ोहरा निगाह की एक नज़्म याद आई। इसे आप भी पढ़िए : ‘तेरे कच्चे ख़ून की मेहंदी/ मेरी पोर-पोर में रच गई मां/ गर मेरे ऩश भर आते/ वो फिर भी लहू से भर जाते/ मेरा क़द जो थोड़ा-सा बढ़ जाता/ मेरे बाप का क़द छोटा पड़ जाता/ मेरी चुन्नी सिर से ढलक जाती/ मेरे भाई की पगड़ी गिर जाती..।’ ज़ोहरा निगाह मुशायरोमें शिरकत के लिए अक्सर हिंदुस्तान जाती हैं। हो सकता है आपने कभी उनकी ज़बान से भी यह नज़्म सुनी हो जो भ्रूण हत्या की कहानी सुनाती है।
पैदाइश से पहले और पैदाइश के बाद बेटियों के क़त्ल के बारे में एक रिपोर्ट हमें बताती है कि एशिया में छह करोड़ औरतें कम हो गई हैं। ये वो बच्चियां थीं जो अपने लिंग की वजह से पैदा होते ही क़त्ल कर दी गईं या अल्ट्रासाउंड रिपोर्ट से इनके जेंडर के बारे में मालूमात करके पैदाइश से पहले ही इनसे निजात हासिल कर ली गई। एक दूसरी रिपोर्ट का कहना है कि सारी दुनिया में यह तादाद 10 करोड़ से ज्यादा पहुंच चुकी है। पिछले वर्षो में जो आंकड़े इकट्ठा किए गए, उनके मुताबिक़ चीन में 3.05 करोड़ , हिंदुस्तान में 2.28 करोड़ , पाकिस्तान में 31 लाख , बांग्लादेश में 16 लाख, पश्चिम एशिया में 17 लाख, मिस्र में 6 लाख और नेपाल में 2 लाख बच्चियां गायब हैं। पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश में नवजात बच्चियों के क़त्ल के बारे में एक रिसर्च रिपोर्ट आई, जो इस कड़वे सच के बारे में बहुत कुछ बताती है।
बात आज के दौर में भ्रूण की जांच के लिए इस्तेमाल अल्ट्रासाउंड की नई टेक्नोलॉजी से शुरू हुई थी। यह मालूम होने के बाद कि बेटी होने वाली है, कई मां-बाप पैदाइश से पहले ही उससे निजात हासिल कर लेते हैं। यह ऐसा तरीक़ा है, जिसमें ज़मीर पर बोझ नहीं होता। दिल को इत्मीनान दिलाया जाता है कि हम अपने माली हालात के सबब या बेटियों को नापसंद करने की ख़ानदानी परंपरा के सम्मान के नाम पर ऐसा कर रहे हैं और इंसानी जान को मारने का गुनाह भी नहीं कर रहे हैं।
यह काम अमेरिका-ब्रिटेन में भी हो रहा है, लेकिन हिंदुस्तान और पाकिस्तान में पैदाइश से पहले ही बेटियों को मौत की नींद सुला देने का यह नया ज़ालिमाना तरीक़ा तेज़ी से फैला है। पाकिस्तान में इस हवाले से सिर्फ़ ज़ोहरा निगाह की नज़्म मेरी नज़र से गुज़री। लेकिन आपके यहां यानी हिंदुस्तान में इस दर्दनाक विषय पर औरतों-मर्दो ने सैकड़ों लिखी हैं।अंशुमाला मिश्रा की एक कविता : ‘मैं हूं एक लड़की/ मैं भी इक इंसान/ मुझे जीने का अधिकार दो/ मुझे बेटे की तरह ह्रश्वयार दो/ मुझे पढ़ने का अधिकार दो/ जिस देवी-दुर्गालक्ष्मी को पूजते हो/ उसका करते हो अपमान/ लड़की को लक्ष्मी कहते हो/ तो फिर क्यों लक्ष्मी को बोझ समझते हो?’ यह कविता पाकिस्तान की कई पत्रिकाओं में छपी और पसंद की गई। इसी तरह हमारे अलीगढ़ में पैदा होने वाली ज़ोया ज़ैदी का भी नाम लिया जाता है। उन्होंने मॉस्को से एमबीबीएस किया और अब अलीगढ़ में ही प्रै िटस करती हैं। हमारे मुल्कों में अल्ट्रासाउंड से लिंग मालूम करने के बाद बेटियां जिस तरह क़त्ल की जा रही हैं, उसने ज़ोया पर गहरे असरात छोड़े। नवजात बच्चियों के क़त्ल का दर्द उनकी शायरी में बार-बार झलकता है। अपने एक लेख में वो उत्तरी भारत के एक बहुत पुराने लोकगीत का हवाला देती हैं : ‘प्रभुजी मैं तोसे बिनती करूं.. पैयां पड़ूं बार-बार.. अगले जनम मोहे बेटिया न दीजो.. नरक दीजो चाहे डार..।’ इस लोकगीत के बोल पढ़ते हुए एक और लोकगीत याद आता है : ‘जो अब किए हो दान ऐसा न कीजो.. अगले जनम मोहे बिटिया न कीजो..।’ हमारे यहां पैदाइश के बाद नवजात बच्चियों के क़त्ल में इज़ाफ़ा हुआ है। एक पाकिस्तानी ग़ैर-सरकारी तंज़ीम के मुताबिक़ 2009 में 1000 नवजात बच्चियां मार दी गईं या वीराने में मरने के लिए छोड़ दी गईं।
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Victoria Azarenka crushes Maria Sharapova to win Australian Open title
Victoria Azarenka claimed her first major title by hammering Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-0 in the Australian Open final to leap to the top of the world rankings.
Eleven months ago, Victori a Azarenka was considering quitting tennis, unsure of whether she really wanted to give the sport her all. On Saturday, with a performance full of power and maturity, she became a grand slam champion and the world No1.
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| Victoria Azarenka: Wins her maiden grand slam with a thumping victory against Maria Sharapova , |
The 22-year-old's 6-3, 6-0 demolition of Maria Sharapova in theAustralian Open final here in Melbourne was as much a surprise as it was impressive. With three grand slam titles under her belt, it was expected that Sharapova would bring her experience to bear on the big occasion. But with her powerful game malfunctioning, Azarenka took advantage to record the biggest win of her career.
After falling to her knees and staring towards her player box with a look of disbelief, the reality of what she had achieved began to sink in. She is the 21st woman to top the rankings since they began in 1975 and the first woman from Belarus to do so.
"It's a dream come true," she said, having accepted the trophy from the former champion, Martina Hingis. "I have been dreaming and working so hard to win the grand slam and being No1 is a pretty good bonus for that." Having changed into a T-shirt that said "I got this" for her media commitments, Azarenka said she was looking forward to celebrating. "I think I am just going to have champagne showers," she said.
The match was billed as the battle of the screamers and the grunts reached 94.3 decibels according to the Whoo-ometer of local broadcaster Channel 7. But it was Azarenka who screamed last as another errant Sharapova backhand went astray.
"Right after the win I couldn't understand what's happening," she said. "I could not believe the tournament is over because it's been so long, this road since Sydney. I didn't have one day off so it kind of kept going, kept going and right now it still hasn't hit me that it's over and I won this. I keep enjoying it."
With so much on the line, it was no surprise to see Azarenka start poorly, with two double faults in the first game to hand Sharapova the break on the way to a 2-0 lead. In the next game, the Russian led 30-0 on the Azarenka serve, but the Belarussian dug deep to hold and, from then on, she relaxed.
How she played, though, was a revelation. From 3-3 in the first set she won nine straight games, ripping apart a below-par Sharapova with a combination of force and greater agility. The Russian's gameplan was to attack, but her radar was off – she hit 30 unforced errors – and she was completely outplayed.
The only question was whether the nerves would return for Azarenka as she tried to serve out for victory. But she saved a break point and then, when Sharapova's backhand found the net, she sank to the ground, her head in her hands.
"I was super nervous," she said. "I couldn't wait to actually go on the court and play. It was a long wait. The first two games were a little bit of a disaster, but then I kind of got the momentum going and I relaxed."
As she left the court, after signing a stack of autographs, Azarenka texted her grandmother, who, along with her mother, was responsible for giving her some perspective.
It was after she had lost a first-round match in Doha last February that Azarenka was at a crossroads, unsure whether the grind of the tennis tour, with its constant travel, was really what she wanted. It took her family to make her realise she actually had it good.
Azarenka is the fourth consecutive first-time grand slam champion on the women's side, but she said the work really begins now. "I really have to keep going the same way," she said. "It's going to be a long year. It's going to be a lot of matches. I just want to keep improving. I feel like there is no limit, if I can try my best every day, I can improve a little bit, little by little. That's my mentality, how I have been working hard. It's just going to have to stay the same."
For Sharapova, who has reached two of the past three grand slam finals, it was a second defeat, having lost to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon last summer. The 24-year-old, who came into the event with no match practice after an ankle injury, was gracious in defeat, admitting she had been outplayed, but rueful that she had failed to produce her best.
"As in any sport, you have your good days and your tough days, and days when things don't work out the way you want them," she said. "But Victoria was better on every level today and she was just too good. From my side, I don't know, the switch just went off."
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England crumble in the desert
Rehman stuns England to give Pakistan series
England collapsed to 72 all out as Pakistan won the second Test in Abu Dhabi by 72 runs and clinched the three-match series.
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| Abdur Rehman: took six England wickets in a stellar display |
The tourists were set a target of 145 to win the match and square the series after their humiliating defeat in Dubai in the opener.
But they paid a heavy price for their cautious approach, with just Andrew Strauss (32) and Matt Prior (18) getting into double figures.
Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman
claimed 6-25 in a magnificent 10.1 overs that completely bamboozled the hapless England batsmen.
claimed 6-25 in a magnificent 10.1 overs that completely bamboozled the hapless England batsmen.England had earlier dismissed Pakistan for 214 to give themselves every chance of levelling the series, but they again failed to deal with the host's triple spin threat of Rehman, Saeed Ajmal (3-22) and Mohammad Hafeez (1-11).
(1-11).Monty Panesar's 6-62 suggested that spin was set to play a key part on day four and England's top order soon found themselve sin trouble.
Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan all went in 22 overs of tortured batting before tea - and the rest followed in less than 15 more as England failed to chase a target as low as this for only the second time in 100 years.
They were lucky too not to be without captain Strauss for half the 32 he eventually managed, following a third-umpire ruling which surprisingly reprieved him on a bat-pad decision.
Cook was first to go, caught and bowled by Hafeez as England's openers struggled to find scoring opportunities past well-set fields as the slow bowlers tested attack and defence on a turning pitch.
Bell was in at number three in place of Jonathan Trott, who spent time off the field because of stomach trouble this morning and therefore had to wait until after tea to bat.
His replacement went in unfortunate circumstances, a diffident defensive shot to Ajmal played with such soft hands that the ball somehow rolled back between the batsman's legs and on to the base of the stumps - just hard enough to dislodge a bail.
If Bell's luck was out, Strauss' had surely been in a few moments earlier.
The ball appeared to run off the face of his bat, on to pad, before being caught low down byAzhar Ali at short-leg off Rehman.
at short-leg off Rehman.After consulting slow-motion video replay, it was unexpectedly concluded that the ball did not carry.
Rehman, however, instead soon had Pietersen lbw pushing forward - even after an England DRS - and two balls later Morgan missed one that turned and kept low to go for a duck.
Strauss had just swept Rehman for four after tea when he went back fatally to Rehman, and was lbw.
Trott came and went in similar fashion, and Rehman had his fifth wicket after Stuart Broad was bowled through the gate for a second-ball duck.
was bowled through the gate for a second-ball duck.Shambolic end
The game was up by then, and it was a matter of whether England could avoid a shambolic end.
They could not as the tail folded in a blur, Strauss and Prior the only batsmen to make double-figures.
Panesar had appeared earlier to put the tourists on course for victory.
In his first Test for two-and-a-half years, his was the outstanding contribution as England finally got through Pakistan's second innings.
Panesar ended a determined fifth-wicket stand between Azhar (68) and Asad Shafiq this morning, and then James Anderson and Broad also struck once each with the second new ball before lunch.
and Broad also struck once each with the second new ball before lunch.Just as Shafiq and Azhar had threatened a century partnership, Panesar got one in the perfect spot to the former - and marginal turn was enough to take the edge for a sharp slip chance, well taken by Anderson.
Yet with each ball that Panesar and Graeme Swann spun past the bat, it was ever more obvious that England would need to bat well when the time came.
spun past the bat, it was ever more obvious that England would need to bat well when the time came.Azhar had survived an lbw appeal on 65 via DRS when Hawkeye suggested a big Swann off-break was beating leg-stump.
But he was unable to take advantage because, as predicted by Broad last night, the new ball proved a telling weapon.
Anderson struck in the third over after it was taken, and it was a big wicket too when he got one to climb to Azhar's gloves and end his 195-ball vigil.
England were into the tail, and Broad made another breakthrough in the very next over - Adnan Akmal chasing a wide drive and edging to slip.
Rehman helped Ajmal to shut England out up to lunch, but lasted less than an over of the afternoon - lbw sweeping at Swann.
Panesar then got enough turn and bounce for Ajmal to glove a catch to slip, and last man Junaid Khan was bowled by the slow left-armer heaving across the line and against the spin.
was bowled by the slow left-armer heaving across the line and against the spin.If that was an embarrassing end to a fruitless match for him, it was nothing compared with what was to follow from England.
Aussies clinch Indian whitewash 4-0
It took less than an hour for Australia to wrap up proceedings on the final day of their fourth Test against India in Adelaide, securing a 298-run win and with it a 4-0 series whitewash.
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| Aussies crushed India to register a comprehensive 298-run win to complete a series whitewash at the Adelaide Oval. |
Australia's 298-run victory was finalised when Nathan Lyon found the edge of Umesh Yadav's bat and Brad Haddin gloved the ball cleanly, which led to celebrations from the Australians. Not wild celebrations, though. The restrained type of self-congratulation that follows a long period of work, with the knowledge that even more toil remains ahead.
That the 4-0 series win was not enough to lift Australia out of fourth position on the ICC rankings is an indication of how far the side had fallen, and how much work remains for Michael Clarke and his men. But they are the on the way up. Their next Test tour is to the West Indies in April, and there they can move up the rankings list, closer to their goal of regaining the No.1 spot.
For India, this was the culmination of a miserable year away from home. They remain in third spot on the rankings, but only just. They began the day at 6 for 166, with no hope of chasing the target of 500 or batting all day to play out the draw. The first wicket came when Ishant Sharma edged behind off Ryan Harris for 2, and that was closely followed by Wriddhiman Saha (3) also edging behind off Peter Siddle.
R Ashwin and Zaheer Khan stole a few boundaries but it was only ever a question of which bowlers would get the wickets. Zaheer skied a catch off Ben Hilfenhaus for 15 and the final wicket came when Yadav edged behind with the total on 201. That gave Lyon 4 for 63, an encouraging end to a series in which he was the least effective of Australia's four main bowlers, against batsmen adept at handling spin.
Harris ended up with 3 for 41 but it was appropriate that all four frontline bowlers, including Man of the Match Siddle, picked up at least one wicket. It has been their constant pressure throughout the summer that has kept India's powerful batting line-up in check. Significantly, it was not until the final Test of the series that India found a centurion, and then it was the newest member of the top six, Virat Kohli.
VVS Laxman averaged 19.37 for the series, Virender Sehwag averaged 24.75, Rahul Dravid 24.25, Gautam Gambhir 22.62, MS Dhoni 20.40 and Sachin Tendulkar 35.87. None of them scored as many runs as Kohli, whose 300 came at 37.50, and such results should encourage the selectors to give more opportunities to fresh batsmen.
The Indian bowlers were also below-par. Zaheer finished with 15 wickets at 31.80, a decent result and an indication that he keeps working hard even in trying circumstances, and Yadav showed promise with his 14 wickets at 39.35. But Ishant's five wickets at 90.20, Ashwin's nine victims at 62.77, and the folly of picking Vinay Kumar at the WACA all stood out as disappointments.
Hilfenhaus and Siddle headed the Australian attack throughout the series, and they were wonderful. Clarke and Ricky Ponting were outstanding with the bat. It was a complete display from an Australian unit that heading in the right direction. And a squad that can always look back on this 4-0 result with pride.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Australia just four wickets away from a whitewash at Adelaide
Whitewash, clean sweep, shutout. Whatever you like to call it, Australia were on track for a 4-0 series victory over India by stumps on the fourth day in Adelaide. Four wickets stood between Michael Clarke's men and the completion of a remarkable feat. India finished the day needing a further 334 for victory, but a comeback from Kapil Dev is more likely than one from India in this match.
At stumps India were 6 for 166, having been set a target of 500. To put that in perspective, the highest successful chase in all of Test history was 418 by West Indies in Antigua nine years ago. The best in Adelaide was the 315 that Joe Darling's Australia chased down against England 110 years ago. In the past century, the highest Test chase in Adelaide was less than half of what India required in this innings.
Ishant Sharma was at the crease on 2 and Wriddhiman Saha was yet to score when India walked off, any minuscule hope they had having disappeared along with VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli in the dying stages. Laxman and Kohli had steadied, relatively speaking, with a 52-run partnership when Laxman fell victim to his own wristy tendencies.
Clarke set a leg slip, a short leg and a short catching midwicket for Laxman facing the offspin of Nathan Lyon, and on 35 the batsman complied with a flick straight into the hands of Shaun Marsh at short midwicket. The ball had rocketed off the bat but Marsh's reflexes were good enough, and Laxman was left to wonder if it would be his final act in Test cricket.
But even more remarkable was Kohli's departure. India had sent in Ishant as a nightwatchman, traditionally a position that requires a lower-order batsman to maintain the strike and protect the specialist. Instead, Kohli wanted so desperately to face the last over of the day that he pushed the final ball of the penultimate over wide of mid-on and raced off for a risky single.
Smart statsRicky Ponting scored a half-century in the second innings to go with his first-innings double-century. This is the second time that Ponting has achieved this feat and the ninth such instance for an Australia batsman.
Since his Cape Town century in January 2011, Sachin Tendulkar has gone 22 innings without a century. This is the longest century drought for him surpassing the 17 innings he went without a hundred between 2005 and 2007.
Tendulkar's average of 35.87 in the series is his lowest ever in a series in Australia and his fourth-lowest overall in series of four or more matches. His lowest average is 33.66 in South Africa in 1992-93.
Rahul Dravid once again had a batting failure taking his run tally to just 194 runs in the series. Except for the 2003 tour, Dravid's average in Australia is just 24.95 in 22 innings.
VVS Laxman ended the series with 155 runs in eight innings at an average of 19.37. This is his second-lowest average in a series (four or more matches) after the 17.57 in the home series against Australia in 2004.
Dravid, the Test record holder for the most catches, failed to take a single catch for the first time in a series of three or more matches since the series against Sri Lanka in 1997.
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag last shared a century stand in Centurion in 2010. Since then, they have aggregated 182 runs in 12 innings at an average of 15.16 with a highest of 27.
The highest score made by any team in the fourth innings to win a Test in Adelaide is 315 by Australia in 1902. The most overs a team has played out in the fourth innings in Adelaide to draw a game is 120 (eight-ball overs), when Australia ended at 273 for 9 against West Indies in 1961.
The ball was collected by Ben Hilfenhaus, whose momentum was carrying him away from the stumps, but his fast throw hit the stumps and Kohli was run-out for 22. It was a remarkable piece of fielding from Hilfenhaus, hardly the nimblest of Australia's fielders, and as Kohli walked off he thumped his fist on his own helmet in frustration at his ill-judged run.
Already Australia had seen the backs of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. It was the wicket of Tendulkar that really got the hosts going, as it left India at 4 for 110 and ensured that despite Tendulkar's greatness, he had had no serious impact on the series, finishing with 287 runs at an average of 35.87.
Tendulkar was caught for 13 at short leg when he inside edged onto his leg off Lyon and the ball bobbed up to Ed Cowan. Tendulkar walked off to a standing ovation, but at least Australian fans will see him bat again, during the one-day series. Another all-time great, Dravid, almost certainly walked off an Australian ground for the last time a short while earlier.
On 25, Dravid's thick edge off the bowling of Ryan Harris was snapped up by Michael Hussey at gully. Australia were making good progress after Sehwag gave Indian fans a brief glimmer of hope with a brisk half-century. He was so aggressive to anything wide of off stump that 54 of his 62 runs came through the off side, including all 12 of his boundaries, as he gave little regard to the risk of being caught.
Eventually his downfall came when he miscued an attempted slog off a Nathan Lyon full toss and was caught at cover. Already India had lost Gambhir, who will finish the series with a disappointing average of 22.83 after he pushed at a Harris delivery and was caught behind for 3.
India had come to the crease after Clarke allowed his own batsmen to play for three overs after lunch in order to set the target of 500, before he declared with Australia on 5 for 167. Ricky Ponting finished unbeaten on 60 and Brad Haddin was on 11.
As Homer Simpson once pointed out after observing that it was time to play the waiting game, "the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!" Such was the case in the first session as Australia accumulated more and more runs without any sense of urgency, despite already having ample to defend, with both teams waiting patiently for Clarke's declaration.
Australia added 104 in the first session for the loss of two wickets. Clarke had just started to lift his tempo against the spin of R Ashwin when he feathered a catch behind for 37 off Umesh Yadav, and Hussey was adjudged lbw to Ishant Sharma for 15.
As the innings moved on, India's batsmen could see that some runs remained in the pitch but the surface was only going to become more difficult, perhaps another reason why Clarke delayed his declaration. Whatever the case, India knew they would have to completely rewrite history in order to escape with a victory.
By stumps, any slim hopes they had were gone.
Smart stats
Ishant Sharma was at the crease on 2 and Wriddhiman Saha was yet to score when India walked off, any minuscule hope they had having disappeared along with VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli in the dying stages. Laxman and Kohli had steadied, relatively speaking, with a 52-run partnership when Laxman fell victim to his own wristy tendencies.
Clarke set a leg slip, a short leg and a short catching midwicket for Laxman facing the offspin of Nathan Lyon, and on 35 the batsman complied with a flick straight into the hands of Shaun Marsh at short midwicket. The ball had rocketed off the bat but Marsh's reflexes were good enough, and Laxman was left to wonder if it would be his final act in Test cricket.
But even more remarkable was Kohli's departure. India had sent in Ishant as a nightwatchman, traditionally a position that requires a lower-order batsman to maintain the strike and protect the specialist. Instead, Kohli wanted so desperately to face the last over of the day that he pushed the final ball of the penultimate over wide of mid-on and raced off for a risky single.
Smart statsRicky Ponting scored a half-century in the second innings to go with his first-innings double-century. This is the second time that Ponting has achieved this feat and the ninth such instance for an Australia batsman.
Since his Cape Town century in January 2011, Sachin Tendulkar has gone 22 innings without a century. This is the longest century drought for him surpassing the 17 innings he went without a hundred between 2005 and 2007.
Tendulkar's average of 35.87 in the series is his lowest ever in a series in Australia and his fourth-lowest overall in series of four or more matches. His lowest average is 33.66 in South Africa in 1992-93.
Rahul Dravid once again had a batting failure taking his run tally to just 194 runs in the series. Except for the 2003 tour, Dravid's average in Australia is just 24.95 in 22 innings.
VVS Laxman ended the series with 155 runs in eight innings at an average of 19.37. This is his second-lowest average in a series (four or more matches) after the 17.57 in the home series against Australia in 2004.
Dravid, the Test record holder for the most catches, failed to take a single catch for the first time in a series of three or more matches since the series against Sri Lanka in 1997.
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag last shared a century stand in Centurion in 2010. Since then, they have aggregated 182 runs in 12 innings at an average of 15.16 with a highest of 27.
The highest score made by any team in the fourth innings to win a Test in Adelaide is 315 by Australia in 1902. The most overs a team has played out in the fourth innings in Adelaide to draw a game is 120 (eight-ball overs), when Australia ended at 273 for 9 against West Indies in 1961.
The ball was collected by Ben Hilfenhaus, whose momentum was carrying him away from the stumps, but his fast throw hit the stumps and Kohli was run-out for 22. It was a remarkable piece of fielding from Hilfenhaus, hardly the nimblest of Australia's fielders, and as Kohli walked off he thumped his fist on his own helmet in frustration at his ill-judged run.
Already Australia had seen the backs of Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. It was the wicket of Tendulkar that really got the hosts going, as it left India at 4 for 110 and ensured that despite Tendulkar's greatness, he had had no serious impact on the series, finishing with 287 runs at an average of 35.87.
Tendulkar was caught for 13 at short leg when he inside edged onto his leg off Lyon and the ball bobbed up to Ed Cowan. Tendulkar walked off to a standing ovation, but at least Australian fans will see him bat again, during the one-day series. Another all-time great, Dravid, almost certainly walked off an Australian ground for the last time a short while earlier.
On 25, Dravid's thick edge off the bowling of Ryan Harris was snapped up by Michael Hussey at gully. Australia were making good progress after Sehwag gave Indian fans a brief glimmer of hope with a brisk half-century. He was so aggressive to anything wide of off stump that 54 of his 62 runs came through the off side, including all 12 of his boundaries, as he gave little regard to the risk of being caught.
Eventually his downfall came when he miscued an attempted slog off a Nathan Lyon full toss and was caught at cover. Already India had lost Gambhir, who will finish the series with a disappointing average of 22.83 after he pushed at a Harris delivery and was caught behind for 3.
India had come to the crease after Clarke allowed his own batsmen to play for three overs after lunch in order to set the target of 500, before he declared with Australia on 5 for 167. Ricky Ponting finished unbeaten on 60 and Brad Haddin was on 11.
As Homer Simpson once pointed out after observing that it was time to play the waiting game, "the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!" Such was the case in the first session as Australia accumulated more and more runs without any sense of urgency, despite already having ample to defend, with both teams waiting patiently for Clarke's declaration.
Australia added 104 in the first session for the loss of two wickets. Clarke had just started to lift his tempo against the spin of R Ashwin when he feathered a catch behind for 37 off Umesh Yadav, and Hussey was adjudged lbw to Ishant Sharma for 15.
As the innings moved on, India's batsmen could see that some runs remained in the pitch but the surface was only going to become more difficult, perhaps another reason why Clarke delayed his declaration. Whatever the case, India knew they would have to completely rewrite history in order to escape with a victory.
By stumps, any slim hopes they had were gone.
Smart stats
- Ricky Ponting scored a half-century in the second innings to go with his first-innings double-century. This is the second time that Ponting has achieved this feat and the ninth such instance for an Australia batsman.
- Since his Cape Town century in January 2011, Sachin Tendulkar has gone 22 innings without a century. This is the longest century drought for him surpassing the 17 innings he went without a hundred between 2005 and 2007.
- Tendulkar's average of 35.87 in the series is his lowest ever in a series in Australia and his fourth-lowest overall in series of four or more matches. His lowest average is 33.66 in South Africa in 1992-93.
- Rahul Dravid once again had a batting failure taking his run tally to just 194 runs in the series. Except for the 2003 tour, Dravid's average in Australia is just 24.95 in 22 innings.
- VVS Laxman ended the series with 155 runs in eight innings at an average of 19.37. This is his second-lowest average in a series (four or more matches) after the 17.57 in the home series against Australia in 2004.
- Dravid, the Test record holder for the most catches, failed to take a single catch for the first time in a series of three or more matches since the series against Sri Lanka in 1997.
- Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag last shared a century stand in Centurion in 2010. Since then, they have aggregated 182 runs in 12 innings at an average of 15.16 with a highest of 27.
- The highest score made by any team in the fourth innings to win a Test in Adelaide is 315 by Australia in 1902. The most overs a team has played out in the fourth innings in Adelaide to draw a game is 120 (eight-ball overs), when Australia ended at 273 for 9 against
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Nadal stops Federer in thriller
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Roger Federer, left, congratulates Rafael Nadal after their semifinal match. |
Federer has not beaten the Spaniard at a Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon 2007. Indeed, his only two wins against Nadal at a major have both come on the grass of SW19 – and Nadal redressed that balance by winning their next Wimbledon showdown in 2008. In 10 meetings at the big events, Nadal has won eight times; in 27 meetings overall, the Swiss has won just nine times.
As Federer’s final forehand sailed over the baseline on Thursday – the 36th forehand fluff from the once mighty Swiss – Nadal celebrated as if he had won the trophy. He had stood firm in the face of everything his old rival had to throw at him and he had emerged the 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 winner. It had taken three hours and 42 minutes of eye-watering effort, but Nadal was through to the final. Again. Federer, meanwhile, retired to lick his wounds.
For almost two weeks, Federer had looked stylish, confident and dominant (he had not dropped a set on his way to the semifinal) and for the first five games against Nadal, he had looked unbeatable. But it did not matter. Not against Nadal.
Nadal had seemed dejected and lost as Novak Djokovic beat him in six finals last year and wrenched the No.1 ranking from his grasp. He did not know how to deal with the new-look Serb, the Djokovic who swept all before him. But put Federer in front of the man from Manacor and suddenly everything changes, suddenly everything becomes clear.
Nadal and Federer have been chasing each other around the globe for the past nine years – there are no secrets between them and neither man can surprise the other. Roger knows exactly what Rafa is going to do against him and, more importantly, Rafa knows that it is going to work.
“We have had good matches over the years,” Federer said. “I enjoy playing him. The crowd really gets into it, which is nice. We have a lot of respect for each other, which is good, too, I think.
“You know, works as well at the highest of levels. We also play well against each other. I always think he plays a bit better against me than against other players, but that's good for him.”
The problem for Federer – and for most everyone else, too – is that Nadal is like a bulldozer. The sheer force and power, both mental and physical, of the world No.2 is enough to crush almost everything in his path. Other men – even men as brilliant as Federer – cannot maintain such relentless pressure over the course of four or five sets but Nadal appears to get stronger with every game that passes.
Once upon a time, Federer was the best front-runner in the business, but then Nadal pushed his way to the fore. Now, aged 30, he can still play brilliantly but he can only do it in spells. There are times when the frustration mounts or the pressure becomes too much – and then Nadal goes for the kill.
For Nadal, beating Federer had been a major stepping stone. After the disappointments of last season’s finals against Djokovic and the injuries he had collected by the end of the year, the very fact he has reached another final means that he is ready to compete with the best again. He is fit, he is playing with passion and aggression – and that bodes well for the rest of the season.
“I am very happy about my result on these two weeks,” he said. “I did much better than what I thought, what I dreamed for three weeks ago. So very happy for everything. It's a fantastic victory for me. Very, very happy playing against the greatest of the history in semifinals, big match on Rod Laver. It's one of the victories that's going to stay in my mind forever, no?
“But if the opponents [in the final] play better than me and he beat me, I going to go home very happy about my tournament. I going to go home knowing that the way that I am working is working very well, and keep working on this way. Probably this way give me a good success in the next months.”
That just leaves one question unanswered: if, as Nadal says, Federer is indeed “the greatest of the history” then what does that make Nadal, his conqueror in 18 of 27 matches? Answers, please, on a postcard.
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