New Delhi, April 6
Forced to sit out from the home series against South Africa due to groin injury, Sachin Tendulkar has hinted that he will now weigh his career options, without setting a timeline for retirement.

''I am enjoying my cricket at the moment, but don't want to think too much into the future,'' Tendulkar told IBN Lokmat.

''I have been playing almost non-stop for 20 years and want to focus only on the present.''

''I don't want to think too much about the past or the future,'' he added. ''I prefer to take it series by series.''

The master blaster feels sad that winning the World Cup was an ''unfulfilled dream'', saying that he would like to play in the 2011 event.

''Winning the World Cup is certainly still an unfulfilled dream and I would love to play in it,'' he said. ''But 2011 is still some way away, and I don't want to look that far and commit myself to anything.''

Talking about his plans after retirement, he said he will like to remain in touch with the game.

''I would like to spend time with my family, but will in some way be connected with cricket and I would love to be always associated with the game,'' Tendulkar stated.

When pressed further, the 34-year-old said he would consider getting involved in charitable activities.

''I am associated with a number of charities, only I prefer not to talk about it,'' he said. ''I prefer to stay involved in some way with the work.''

Giving the thumbs-up to the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), Tendulkar said Twenty20 cricket was neccessary to popularise the game.

''There have been many changes in the game in the last 18-20 years,'' Tendulkar said. ''Twenty20 cricket is making the game like baseball and football, crowds know the game will be over in three hours. This will help globalise cricket.

''The one complaint I get from foreigners is that not just five days, even the one-day game is too long. They would prefer a game that doesn't go beyond three hours.''

He dismissed suggestions that auctioning of players would destroy the soul of the game. ''No, I don’t think so at all. I never played the game thinking about the money I will make from it, and neither do the youngsters today,''

Sachin said. ''This game has given me sleepless nights just thinking about how I will play the next day. That excitement can never be measured in terms of money.

''Right from the start, all I wanted was to play well and score as many runs as possible. That has been my motivation, not money.''

Talking about the infamous Harbhajan Singh controversy in Australia, he said, ''I defended Harbhajan because he had never said what he was accused of and I felt if we players don't defend him this time, then when will we stand by him?''

''It not just important for us cricketers, but for all Indians staying abroad, not just in Australia,'' he added.''I just felt Harbhajan was a teammate who should be defended and I should take the lead.''

Asked about on-field sledging, Tendulkar said there are certain limits which players should keep in mind.

''There are limits which no cricketer should cross,'' he remarked. ''Somethings will happen on the field, everyone wants to win, and we should be prepared for it, as long as it is within limits.''

He also criticised the media for unfairly creating an impression of a senior-junior rift in the Indian team.

''These reports of a senior-junior rift are totally false. In the team, seniors and juniors respect each other, and we all realise the importance of playing for the country,'' he said.

''The media is damaging its credibility by giving stories without authentic information.'' — UNI

Ahmedabad, April 6
An off-colour R P Singh was today dropped and fellow paceman Munaf Patel was recalled in India's 16-member squad for the third and final cricket Test against South Africa.

RP Singh, who put in a poor performance in both the Tests after coming back from injury, was the only player to face the axe following the team's humiliating innings defeat in the second Test here.

Stocky spinner Powar, who has not been in the Test picture since representing the country in the two-Test series in Bangladesh last May, was also included in the team as cover for captain Anil Kumble, who will have to undergo a fitness test along with paceman Ishant Sharma before the third Test beginning in Kanpur on April 11.

Kumble, whose participation in the second Test was in doubt, is once again under an injury cloud but Cricket Board secretary Niranjan Shah was not sure when the captain got injured in the match.

"His earlier injury must have recurred," was how the BCCI official put it when asked specifically whether the Karnataka stalwart had gone into the tie here without recovering fully from his groin strain suffered in the series opener in Chennai.

Kumble and Ishant will have to undergo fitness test on April 10, according to Shah. The Delhi bowler will arrive here tomorrow to practice with the rest of the team before they proceed to Kanpur on April 8.

"Two selectors, including Sanjay Jagdale, will go and watch the fitness test," Shah told PTI. The squad would be trimmed to 14 after the two players' fitnesses are assessed, he added.

Sachin Tendulkar, who had missed the second Test because of a groin injury, has already been ruled out for the third and final Test which India have to win to level the three match series.

Opener Jaffer is obviously lucky to keep his spot, despite having done very little of note in this series except a 73 on the featherbed at Chennai that followed his flop show in Australia, but Kanpur might offer him a final chance to keep his place.

While the Indian bowlers have had a disappointing outing in both the matches, the selector referred not to make too many changes in the bowling line up, which meant that Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan might continue to be retained in the squad.

The start-stop career of 24-year-old Baroda-born Maharashtra pacer Munaf Patel, who has not played a Test since the second match against Pakistan at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, has also been given a fresh lease of life.

Squad: Anil Kumble (capt.), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, M S Dhoni (v-capt., wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma and Ramesh Powar. — PTI

What a fantastic effort it was by the South African team in Ahmedabad. To win a Test in India in three days is an incredible achievement, and all the team members deserve a lot of credit for that, it's an excellent team effort by our team. Almost all the batsmen have scored runs, and bowlers have got wickets when they were needed. This kind of victory really works as a huge morale booster, and I am sure all the boys will be very confident of winning this series now.

We have played some good cricket in the sub-continent in the past, as well as in India. I remember we won a Test series 2-0 in India in 1999-00 season, and this team will definitely like to repeat that achievement. The victory has also allowed the players a couple of day's extra rest, and surely the boys will be really charged up to put it across the Indians at Kanpur. Knowing most of the South African team members, I am sure they won't take the foot of the paddle, and it will be a real challenge for the Indians to stage a comeback from here.

Once you get bowled out for 76, it is difficult to comeback, and the confidence is obviously not quite high. I believe the Indians will need to do a lot of soul searching before the third Test.

Going into the third Test; the Indian team will have lot of things to worry about, like getting their combination right, what kind of pitch is going to be on offer etc. On the other hand, the South Africans will just need to be focused on the job ahead and concentrate on their skills. They will just need to stay mentally in the right frame of mind, and I am sure they won't be over confident.

Unavailability of Sachin Tendulkar is another big blow for the Indians ahead of the third Test, which is a must win for them now. After receiving such a thrashing, they would have probably been looking at Sachin to make a comeback into the side, just the kind of injection a team needs after losing in three days. The pitch at Kanpur is a factor now. I think they will make a pitch that doesn't offer too much of a lateral movement to seamers, and a kind of low turner, a typical Indian wicket. If there is anything on offer for the quick bowlers, the South Africans will lash on to it.

If the curator comes up with a turning track, then the Indian spinners can really come into picture. Also their part-timers like Sehwag, or even Yuvraj, if they chose to play him, can have a role to play. But, it also depends how much control they both have got.

All in all, the visitors have given themselves an excellent opportunity to win a Test series in India, and I am sure they will be really looking forward to finish the job in Kanpur. — PMG

Chandigarh, April 6
Hyderabad Heroes clinched a thriller, winning the second of the best-of-three finals through a bowl-out against Lahore Badshahs in the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge match here tonight.

After both the sides finished at an identical score of 130 after the stipulated 20 overs, the fate of the match was decided through the bowl-out.

Heroes were on target, hitting thrice, while Badshahs drew blank, missing the target on all three tries to hand Heroes a decisive 3-0 lead.

Having won the first final at Panchkula on April 4 and the second final now, Heroes are the Edelweiss 20s champions.

Badshahs skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq must be very frustrated as Badshahs were in the midst of a purple patch having won all there matches right up to the finals before they were handed successive defeats at the hands of Heroes.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan earlier gave an opportunity to Badshahs claiming a five-wicket haul to ensure that his team ended on level terms with Heroes.

Chasing the 131-run target set by Badshahs, Rana Naved bowled his heart out, resulting in the fall of two wickets in the last over of the innings as Badshahs restricted Heroes to the score of 130. For Heroes, in-form Ambatti Rayudu’s gallant knock (unbeaten 46 runs) went in vain as he was left stranded as the last wicket fell at the other end.Rana Naved conceded a miserly 22 runs in 3.4 overs.

Scoreboard

Lahore Badshahs

Taufeeq c Maher b Absolem 13

Nazir c Rayudu b Reddy 30

Farhat st Khaleel b Binny 30

Inzamam lbw b Reddy 5

Latif b Binny 6

Farhat c Rayudu b Binny 8

Mahmood c Rayudu b Reddy 13

Hasan not out 6

Ahmed st Khaleel b Reddy 0

Sami c Rayudu b Razzaq 8

Extras (lb 7, w 4): 11

Total (9 wickets; 20 overs): 130

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-63, 3-75, 4-84, 5-96, 6-98 , 7-118 8-119, 9-130

Bowling: Abdul Razzaq 3-0-21-1, J Kemp 3-0-18-0, A Absolem 1-0-11-1, N Boje 3-0-20-0, PIS Reddy 4-0-19-4, C Harris 3-0-25-0, S Binny 3-0-9-3.

Hyderabad Heroes

Maher b Ahmed 19

Razzaq c Farhat b Ahmed 19

Rayudu not out 46

Boje b Naved-ul-Hasan 15

Kemp b Nazir 3

Binny c & b Hasan 10

Anirudh b Hasan 0

Harris lbw b Hasan 0

Khaleel run out 1

Absolem run out 2

Reddy b Hasan 0

Extras (b 2, lb 5, w 5, nb 3): 15

Total (all out; 19.4 overs): 130

Fall of wickets: 1-34 , 2-50, 3-79, 4-88, 5-106, 6-107, 7-107, 8-119, 9-130, 10-130

Bowling: Mohammad Sami 3-0-18-0, Azhar Mahmood 4-0-26-0, Mushtaq Ahmed 4-0-19-2, Shahid Nazir 4-0-28-1, Imran Farhat 1-0-10-0, Naved-ul-Hasan 3.4-0-22-5.

Port of Spain, April 6
A patient century from Thilan Samaraweera helped Sri Lanka recover to 268 all out at the close of play on the third day of the second Test, setting West Indies a victory target of 253.

The tourists were reeling at 99 for six but a seventh-wicket stand of 138 between Samaraweera (125) and Chaminda Vaas (45) hauled Sri Lanka back into the game yesterday and the pressure will now be on West Indies's batsmen on a track showing plenty of life.

Samaraweera said that he and Vaas had initially looked at making a target of 150 to give Sri Lanka a fighting chance but now he rated his side favourites.

''We talked about 150 at first, then 200 and 250. Anything can happen in a second innings with uneven bounce and we have a world-class spinner in (Muttiah) Muralitharan.

''The new ball is the key, if we can get a couple of early wickets and then we have a special spinner, my thought is that we will definitely win,'' he added.

Earlier Muralitharan (5-79) picked up two of the last three wickets in the morning session to dismiss West Indies for 294, a first-innings lead of 16 for the home team.

Sri Lanka then slumped to four for two, Malinda Warnapura caught by Sewnarine Chattergoon at third slip for a duck as he poked at a rising delivery from the fiery Jerome Taylor.

Taylor then ran out Michael Vandort for one in superb style, pouncing on a ball pushed to mid-on by Kumar Sangakkara and leaving the opener stranded with a direct hit.

Sri Lanka's woes continued when skipper Mahela Jayawardene (12) chopped at a ball from Fidel Edwards and got an inside edge on to his stumps.

Daren Powell claimed the next victim when Sangakkara (14) cut a rising delivery for Samuels to take a fine diving catch in the gully.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who held together Sri Lanka's batting in the first innings, set about steadying the ship and he put on 41 with Samaraweera for the fifth wicket.

Taylor then cut a ball back between his bat and pad to bowl Dilshan for 25, a breakthrough that was followed after lunch by the removal of Chamara Silva for 13.

With Vaas playing a good supporting role, Samaraweera carefully selected his shots to reach his hundred in 173 balls with 15 fours.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka (1st innings) 278

West Indies ( 1st innings)

Gayle c Vandort b Thushara 45

Chattergoon b Vaas 46

Sarwan c Warnapura

b Muralitharan 57

Samuels lbw Muralitharan 3

Chanderpaul lbw Thushara 18

Smith b Muralitharan 47

Bravo lbw Amerasinghe 26

Ramdin c Jayawardene

b Muralitharan 13

Taylor lbw Vaas 13

Powell lbw Muralitharan 3

Edwards not out 1

Extras (lb-5 w-2 nb-15) 22

Total (all out, 76.2 overs) 294

Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-137, 3-141, 4-177, 5-199, 6-246, 7-266, 8-289, 9-291.

Bowling: Vaas 23-1-76-2, Amerasinghe 12-1-62-1, Thushara 12-0-72-2, Muralitharan 29.2-4-79-5.

Sri Lanka (2nd innings)

Vandort run out 1

Warnapura c Chattergoon

b Taylor 0

S’kkara c Samuels b Powell 14

Jayawardene b Edwards 12

Samaraweera run out 125

Dilshan b Taylor 25

Silva c Samuels b Taylor 13

Vaas c Ramdin b Gayle 45

Thushara c Ramdin b Bravo 10

Muralitharan c Powell

b Taylor 4

Amerasinghe not out 0

Extras (b-1, lb-10, w-6, nb-2) 19

Total (all out, 75.1 overs) 268

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-4, 3-32, 4-32, 5-73, 6-99, 7-237, 8-252, 9-268.

Bowling: Powell 13-4-49-1, Taylor 15.1-1-52-4, Edwards 14-1-62-1, Bravo 19-5-64-1, Gayle 
14-0-30-1. — Reuters

Sakhir (Bahrain), April 6
Giancarlo Fisichella outpaced Lewis Hamilton and cut through a cluttered midfield to finish an impressive 12th as Force India notched up its first double finish of the season in the Bahrain Grand Prix here today.

Felipe Massa, after failing to finish his first two races of the season, bounced back to claim his second successive Bahrain Grand Prix victory as Ferrari managed a one-two finish with Kimi Raikkonen finishing just behind his Brazilian team-mate.

Hamilton had a chaotic start and things just did not fall in place for the Briton who eventually finished behind Fisichella.

Starting 18th on the grid, three-time race winner Fisichella proved why he is considered such a high-quality driver and the Italian came up with a sublime show to finish 12th in the race, ahead of, among others, McLaren's Hamilton, Williams driver Kazuki Nakazima, Toro Rosso's Sibastien Bourdais and Red Bull's David Coulthard.

Team-mate Sutil, however, was involved in an opening lap mess and had to pit his car early with a broken nose.

The German would still be happy with his 19th place, especially after failing to finish the races in Melbourne and Sepang.

Felipe Massa, after failing to finish his first two races of the season, bounced back today to claim his second successive Bahrain Grand Prix victory as Ferrari managed a one-two finish with Kimi Raikkonen finishing just behind his Brazilian team-mate.

Hamilton had a chaotic start and things just did not fall in place for the Briton who eventually finished behind Fisichella.

Force India owner Vijay Mallya was naturally elated with the double finish and asserted that the team showed its potential as a true midfield team.

"Reliability was the priority and the double finish has us vindicated," Mallya told PTI.

"The idea was to bring both the cars home and we achieved just that. Giancarlo finished ahead of McLaren, Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso cars. It was a tough race, tough on the cars and the drivers but the strong finish gives us confidence about a good show in the European circuits," he said.

Asked if he expected Fisichella to come up with a show like this, Mallya said, "We did not qualify well. If you remember, he finished 12th in yesterday's practice session as well. But then we made tactical errors in the qualifying session. Otherwise, a better grid position would have resulted in an ever better show." Though Sutil managed his first finish of the season, the German is yet to live up to expectations.

Mallya, however, was not much worried about the youngster.

"I'm not worried with his performnce. Racing is like this, you can't predict how the car would behave. I have seen enough strange incidents happening.

"Today his car was damaged early that resulted in a broken nose. So I'm not going to hold it against him," Mallya added. — PTI 

Manila, April 6
Arjun Singh signed off with a final round card of one-over 73 to finish tied 22nd while compatriot Himmat Singh Rai came a lowly tied 61st in the Philippines Open here today.

Arjun, in fact, could have finished higher up the leaderboard but for a triple bogey on the par-four 16th hole and then a final hole bogey that took his tally to four-over 292.

Prior to approaching the 16th hole, Arjun looked well placed at three-under after reeling off five birdies as against two bogeys till then.

Rai, meanwhile, finished on a sour note with a disastrous final round of seven-over 79 for a four-day total of 18-over 306.

Houston: A couple of late birdies helped Jeev Milkha Singh avoid an over par finish and turn in a 72 but the effort could not save him from sliding down to the tied 52nd spot after the penultimate round of the $5.6 million Houston Open here.

Jeev's third-round score of 72 took his total to one-under 215.

The 10th tee starter parred his first two holes before picking up a shot on the 12th, which was to be his only birdie in the back nine.

Making the turn one-under, Jeev stumbled to a bogey on the second hole and added to his woes with a double bogey on the sixth. — PTI 

BRIEFLY

Chetan loses in final
Hyderabad: Indian champion Chetan Anand's good run ended, as he was defeated by experienced Thai Boonsak Posnana 21-16, 21-12 in the final of the Yonex Sunrise India Open Grand Prix Badminton Championships here today. The 12th ranked Posnana defeated Chetan in straight sets, in just 30 minutes, to bag $9,000 prize money. Chetan received $4,200 prize money for the runner-up. Speaking to the mediapersons Chetan said, ''I played three tough matches in this tournament, so I was a bit tired and having a slight fever. I was not patient enough today. I thank the crowd for their support.'' In another match, sixth seeded Zhou Mi of Hong Kong shocked second seeded Chinese player Lu Lan 21-14, 21-14. Chinese shuttlers however won mixed doubles and men's doubles titles. — UNI

Bhupathi-Knowles go down in final
Miami: Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles' quest for a third ATP doubles title this season ended in disappointment after a straight-set mauling at the hands of top seeds Mike and Bob Bryan in the final of the $3,77,0000 Sony Ericsson Open here. The fourth seeded Indo-Bahamas pair went down 2-6, 2-6 to the defending champions in a lopsided 53-minute encounter yesterday. The win gave the Americans their first ATP title of the season. — PTI

Mohammad Asif comeback
Karachi: Fast bowler Mohammad Asif makes a comeback to competitive cricket on Monday after a six-month lay-off due to a chronic elbow injury that required him surgery in Australia. Asif will appear for his domestic team National Bank in the national one-day championship semifinals here. Asif has not played competitive cricket since October last year when he was ruled out of the home one-day series against South Africa because of his elbow problem. He also missed the three-Test tour of India. — PTI

Archers outplayed
New Delhi: Indian archers had a disappointing day on Sunday at the Meteksan World Cup as they were outplayed in bronze medal play-off in individual as well as team events. Tarundeep Rai, who put up a consistent showing to reach the semifinals, was outsmarted by Balijinima Tsyrempilov of Russia 99-110 in the third place play-off. The men's recurve team - comprising Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia - could not match their Italian rivals to lose 209-213 in the battle for the bronze medal. — PTI