Page 22 - AT

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 8 January 2019

India secures historic test series win on Australian soil

By KEIRAN SMITH more often than not when test matches without scor-
Associated Press those big moments came ing hundreds,” Paine said.
SYDNEY (AP) — India cel- up, Virat (Kohli) scored “But when guys are in their
ebrated an historic test se- a century or (Chetwesh- third, fourth test matches,
ries victory in Australia af- war) Pujara scored one or it’s hard. We had so many
ter the weather-affected (Jasprit) Bumrah bowled a starts, throughout this se-
fourth match at the Sydney great spell and got them ries, it’s just the experience
Cricket Ground finished in through those moments.” of learning how to convert
a draw. India, which only needed them.”
Captain Virat Kohli’s team to avoid a defeat here to India won the first test at
entered the final day with clinch the series, effec- Adelaide by 31 runs and
hopes of a 3-1 series victory tively ended this match as last week’s Boxing Day test
and also its first win at the a contest by scoring 622-7 in Melbourne by 137 runs to
SCG since 1978, but rain declared over almost two retain the Border-Gavaskar
meant there was no play full days after Kohli won trophy. Harris’ series-high
on Monday and umpires India’s Kuldeep Yadav, left, and Ravindra Jadeja hold the the toss and batted. Man- score of 79 for Australia
called it off early. The draw Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they celebrate their series win over of-the-series Pujara (193) made it the first first time in
gave India a 2-1 series win. Australia after play was called off on day 5 of their cricket test scored his third century of any test series of three or
“A very proud moment,” match in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. the tour and Rishabh Pant more matches since 1958
Kohli said. “More so be- Associated Press made 159 not out as the In- that a team had a high-
cause for the last 12 months through Australia’s lower on four — when bad light dia squad demonstrated it est score below 80, ac-
we understand what we order with only a late 42-run stopped ended play on was a class above an Aus- cording the Australian As-
have gone through as a rally by Mitchell Starc and day four. tralian team weakened by sociated Press. It was also
team, we understand the Josh Hazlewood taking the The last time Australia was the absence of the banned the first time ever Australia
kind of cricket we have hosts to 300 for just the sec- required to follow-on at senior batsmen Steve Smith has gone through a four-
been able to play. ond time this series. home was in 1988 against and David Warner. test home series without a
“But the fact that the re- Marcus Harris top-scored England at the SCG, a Underscoring the current single batsman scoring a
ward has come in the most for the hosts with 79, Aus- match which finished in a malaise of Australian crick- century. While India goes
historic series for Indian tralia’s highest individual draw. et without its star players, home to celebrate its first
cricket is the cherry on the score in the series. “We’re really disappoint- Australian batsmen have test series win here in 12 at-
top of the cake.” Leading by 322 runs, Kohli ed,” Australia captain Tim scored only one century — tempts, Australia’s selectors
Six hours of play was also had little hesitation in en- Paine said. “We know we Khawaja’s 141 against Pak- have a matter of days to
lost on Sunday because of forcing the follow-on and had some guys missing but istan in Dubai — in a year, consider an overhaul of the
poor weather, but Kuldeep Australia reached six with- we honestly felt coming while India had five centu- Australian batting lineup for
Yadav still had time to take out loss in its second innings into this series that in Aus- ries in this series alone. the upcoming two-test se-
his second five-wicket haul — with Harris unbeaten on tralia, we could beat India. “Clearly, we know we’re ries against Sri Lanka in Bris-
in tests as India rattled two and Usman Khawaja “Throughout the series, not going to win too many bane and Canberra.q

Vonn plans return to World Cup at speed races in Austria

By ERIC WILLEMSEN The 34-year-old American back seems opportune,
Associated Press was initially planning to re- with six speed races sched-
Lindsey Vonn is planning to tire at the end of this sea- uled over the next three
return from injury this week- son, but the injury setback weekends.
end for speed races in Aus- prompted her to announce Vonn has competed in St.
tria, resuming her quest her participation in one Anton twice before. She
for the all-time record for more series of speed races won two events on back-
World Cup wins. in Lake Louise next season. to-back days in December
“I’m NOT done yet!!!,” Vonn Vonn was also expected to 2007, and she placed sixth
wrote Monday on Insta- compete at next month’s and fourth, respectively,
gram alongside a video on world championships in in January 2013, when she
her training during her re- Are, Sweden. was returning to the circuit
covery. “It’s been a tough 6 Over her career, Vonn has after a three-week layoff
weeks but I’m on skis again had a long list of ailments, caused by an intestinal ill-
and excited to get back in In this Feb. 4, 2018, file photo, United States’ Lindsey Vonn including torn ACLs, frac- ness.
the starting gate. See you celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women’s tures near her left knee After St. Anton, the wom-
in St. Anton this weekend.” world Cup downhill race, in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany. joint, a bruised shin, broken en’s World Cup moves to
St. Anton am Arlberg is host- Associated Press ankle, broken arm, sliced Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy,
ing a downhill on Saturday, mar Stenmark in the 1980s. a bone bruise on Nov. 19, right thumb and concus- on Jan. 19-20 and Gar-
followed by a super-G the Focusing on her special- just over a week before her sions. She missed the 2014 misch-Partenkirchen, Ger-
next day, with training start- ties of downhill and super- scheduled season start with Sochi Olympics after dam- many, the following week.
ing Thursday. It’s the first of G, Vonn skipped technical two downhills and a super- aging her right knee. Each resort will host one
three consecutive week- races in October and early G in one of her favorite re- Still, she was closing in on downhill and one super-G.
ends of speed racing. November before hurting sorts, Lake Louise, Alberta. Stenmark’s record toward Vonn has won four over-
The women’s World Cup herself in a training crash at Later, Vonn also missed a the end of last season, all World Cup titles and 10
record holder needs five Copper Mountain in Colo- super-G in St. Moritz, Swit- when she won three of the medals at major champi-
more victories to break the rado. She hyperextended zerland, as well as a super- last four races to raise her onships, including downhill
overall record of 86 wins, and sprained a ligament G and a downhill in Val tally to 82. gold at the 2010 Vancou-
set by Swedish great Inge- in her knee and suffered Gardena, Italy. The timing of her come- ver Games.q