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Kohli, Jadeja rockstars in Indian win
ranji semifinals
Mumbai left in the lurch as 4th day’s play called off
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Lance Armstrong
Saina sinks in Malasysia Super Series
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Kohli, Jadeja rockstars in Indian win
ranchi, January 19 India first bundled out the visitors for a paltry 155 in 42.2 overs riding on Ravindra Jadeja's 3/19 and then chased down the target with 21.5 overs to spare to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match match series. Nearly 40,000 vociferous spectators at the newly built JSCA Stadium cheered Kohli and other Indian batsmen as they went about the run chase without much fuss in what turned out to be a rather lop-sided contest. The script unfolded like a dream for home boy Dhoni as he won the toss and his bowlers responded magnificently by skittling out the visitors for a meagre total though it was not a difficult wicket to bat on. Only Joe Roots (39) could hang around for long while opener Ian Bell (25) and Tim Bresnan (25) were the other contributors as England lost wickets at regular intervals. Apart from Jadeja, R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma chipped in with two wickets apiece to maintain the pressure on the hapless Englishmen who never recovered from the early jolts. India also lost opener Ajinkya Rahane (0) early but Gautam Gambhir (33) and Kohli steadied the innings to some extent by putting on 67 runs for the second wicket. After Gambhir's dismissal, Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (30) accelerated the pace of scoring with a flurry of explosive shots much to the delight of the home crowd. Yuvraj was, however, out with 12 runs left. Kohli blasted as many as two sixes and nine fours during his knock which formed the cornerstone of the Indian response. Dhoni hit the winning runs by pulling Steven Finn to the square-leg boundary to trigger off scenes of celebration in the galleries and the Indian dressing room. The biggest positive for India was Kohli's return to form as he became the second fastest batsman — behind Vivian Richards — to get into the 4,000 ODI runs with his 22nd half-century. With 12 runs required, Yuvraj was bowled by James Tredwell as Dhoni, who usually bats at number seven, promoted himself to number four with the crowd welcoming their hero with a deafening cheer. Finn was brought into the attack with England looking for Dhoni's wicket for a possible an anti-climax but it was the Indian captain all the way. Even his shot that hit the stumps raced to a boundary taking India five runs off the target. Chasing a small target, India did not have any trouble barring the third over blip when Finn bowled Rahane for a duck with a delivery that nipped back, crashing the right-hander's gate before uprooting the off-stump. The English bowlers tested the Indian top-order with raw pace and bowling short but did not have much impact as the home side cruised to 48 for one in 10 overs. The stage was set for Kohli to get back his silken touch and the right-handed youngster did exactly that with an aggressive approach. James Dernbach bowled short with 140-plus kmph to Kohli who responded well with three boundaries on the trot as the whole stadium erupted in joy. Unchanged squad for last two ODIs vs England The BCCI named an unchanged 15-member squad for the remaining two ODIs to be played at Mohali and Dharamsala respectively. — PTI Score board England Cook lbw b Shami 17 Bell c Dhoni b Kumar 25 Pietersen c Dhoni b Sharma 17 Root c Dhoni b Sharma 39 Morgan c Yuvraj b Ashwin 10 Kieswetter b Jadeja 0 Patel lbw b Jadeja 0 Bresnan b Ashwin 25 Tredwell not out 4 Finn c Yuvraj b Raina 3 Dernbach b Jadeja 0 Extras: (lb 6, w 9) 15 Total: (all out; 42.2 overs) 155 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-68, 3-68, 4-97, 5-98, 6-98, 7-145, 8-145, 9-155 Bowling Bhuvneshwar 10-2-40-1 Shami 8-0-23-1 Ishant 7-0-29-2 Jadeja 6.2-0-19-3 Ashwin 10-0-37-2 Raina 1-0-1-1 India Gambhir c Root b Tredwell 33 Rahane b Finn 0 Kohli not out 77 Yuvraj b Tredwell 30 Dhoni not out 10 Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 5) 7 Total: (3 wkts; 28.1 overs) 157 Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-78, 3-144 Bowling Finn 9.1-0-50-1 Dernbach 5-0-45-0 Bresnan 7-2-31-0 Tredwell 7-1-29-2
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ranji semifinals
Rajkot, January 19 Harbahajan grabbed four for 60 — his best figures in the current Ranji season as Saurashtra were bowled out for paltry 170 which meant Punjab were required to chase 349 in 109 overs as the hosts had a commendable 178 run first innings lead. The visitors were 45 for two, needing another 304 runs with eight wickets in hand. In-form players Jiwanjot Singh and Taruwar Kohli were dismissed by left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat. However Punjab's chances will depend on how the trio of Ravi Inder Singh, Mandeep Singh and Uday Kaul negotiate the spin twins offie Kamlesh Makvana and left-arm spinner Vishal Joshi. Punjab made a spirited comeback after being dismissed for 299 in the first innings with Harbhajan opening the bowling attack alongside Siddharth Kaul, who snapped three for 53. It was the senior spinner who removed the stodgy veteran Shitanshu Kotak (53), Aarpit Vasavada (6) and Kamlesh Makvana in one of his spells as Saurashtra from a relatively comfortable position of 102 for one lost seven wickets for the addition of 28 runs. With the fourth day's track offering some help, Harbhajan got appreciable turn and bounce as none of the Saurashtra batsmen looked comfortable during the 26 overs. — PTI Score board Saurashtra 1st innings 477 Punjab 1st innings 299 Saurashtra 2nd innings Kotak c&b Harbhajan 53 Jogiyani c Jiwanjot b Bipul 29 Dave lbw b Harbhajan 23 Shah c Amitoze b S Kaul 2 Jackson not out 44 Vasavada c U Kaul b Harbhajan 6 Makvana c Mandeep b Harbhajan 0 Joshi c Mandeep b S Kaul 0 Unadkat b S Kaul 0 Jadeja lbw b Ladda 5 Trivedi lbw b Bipul 0 Extras: (b 4, lb 2, nb 2) 8 Total: (all out; 63 overs) 170 Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-102, 3-109, 4-117, 5-123, 6-123, 7-130, 8-130, 9-169 Bowling S Kaul 16-5-53-3 Harbhajan 26-6-60-4 Ladda 13-5-30-1 Bipul 7-2-15-2 Mandeep 1-0-6-0 Punjab 2nd innings Jiwanjot c Vasavada b Unadkat 11 Ravi Inder batting 10 Kohli c Kotak b Unadkat 13 Mandeep batting 11 Extras: 0 Total (2 wkts; 19 overs) 45 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-30 Bowling Unadkat 6-2-16-2 Makvana 4-0-15-0 Jadeja 6-2-4-0 Joshi 3-0-10-0 Punjab need another 304 to win |
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Mumbai left in the lurch as 4th day’s play called off
New Delhi, January 19 The pitch and ground had taken a full soaking when Thursday night's rain and hailstorm blew off the covers, exposing the wicket and the outfield to elemental fury. Though it was bright and sunny today, the ground was still soggy, and the pitch was not completely dry for play to commence. The umpires made several inspections before finally calling off the day's play at 3.15 p.m. BCCI curator Venkat Sundaram helped out the Services' ground staff to drain out the water and get the field ready for play. "But the wicket had soaked so much that we are trying to dry out the residual dew to enable play to commence tomorrow", Venkat said. But he did not say categorically whether play would begin on time on the morrow, though he said no effort would be spared to prevent further loss.
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Life ban is like death penalty: Armstrong
New york, january 19 In the second and final part of a televised interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey broadcast on Friday, Armstrong conceded he deserved to be punished for years of doping that helped him win a record seven Tour de France titles. But Armstrong said the penalty he was given by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) was much harsher than the sanctions dished out to other self-confessed cheats, who were given lesser sentences for testifying against him. "I am not saying that's unfair, I'm saying it is different," he said. "I deserve to be punished but I am not sure I deserve the death penalty." The 41-year-old said he had no ambitions to return to professional cycling but wanted to be able to compete in sanctioned events like the Chicago marathon. "With this penalty, this punishment, I made my bed," he said. "Would I love to run the Chicago marathon when I am 50? I would love to do that but I can't." Struggling at times to control his emotions, Armstrong admitted he was ashamed of what he had done and that he felt remorse. He was closest to tears recalling the moment he told his children that the accusations against him were true. "I saw my son (Luke) defending me and saying, 'That's not true' ... that's when I knew I had to tell him. He never asked me, 'Dad is this true?' He trusts me," Armstrong said. "I said, 'Listen, there's been a lot questions about your dad, did I dope and did not dope? ... I want you to know that it is true'. "I told Luke, 'Don't defend me anymore ... if anyone says anything to you do not defend, just say, hey my dad said he was sorry.'" Already banned for life and stripped of all his race wins, including his seven Tour de France wins, Armstrong said he lost about $75 million when his sponsors deserted him last year after the USADA released its damning report on him. — Reuters
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Yet another Federer milestone
Melbourne, January 19 The Swiss 17-time major winner and second seed was pushed before clinching a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over the 43rd-ranked Tomic in almost two hours on Rod Laver Arena. British third seed Murray earlier marched on at the expense of his Lithuanian practice partner Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, while former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro was a shock big-name casualty on day six. Argentina's sixth seed Del Potro crashed out to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in five sets. Federer was stretched at times in a compelling night match before becoming the first man to win 250 Grand Slam matches with his victory over Tomic to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the 12th straight year. The 31-year-old world number two, who is chasing his fifth Australian crown, will now face big-serving Canadian 13th seed Milos Raonic in the round of 16 on Monday. It was a much-improved performance from 20-year-old Tomic, who lost starry-eyed to Federer 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth round at last year's Australian Open. Murray put away Berankis in the day session on Rod Laver Arena. Murray will next play the winner of an all-French clash between Gilles Simon-Gael Monfils. In the day's shock result, 36th-ranked Chardy raced to a two sets to love lead, before Del Potro pulled back to level the match only for Chardy to go on and win 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 3-6, 6-3 on Hisense Arena. Chardy will now face Italian 21st seed Andreas Seppi in an unexpected matchup. Seppi upset Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic in another five-setter. Del Potro has yet to win from two sets down. Elsewhere, 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had few problems with Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to set up an encounter with with fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Good day for Indians
It turned to be a good day for India at the Australian Open as veteran Mahesh Bhupathi entered the men's doubles third round while Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna progressed to the mixed doubles second round with their respective partners. Bhupathi and his Canadian partner Daniel Nestor, seeded fifth, defeated Romania's Victor Hanescu and Slovak Martin Klizan 6-1 7-6 (8) to enter the third round. They next face unseeded Italian combination of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, who shocked 12th seeds Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram 6-2 7-6 (3). — Agencies |
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Saina sinks in Malasysia Super Series
Kuala Lumpur, january 19 Saina was not in her elements as she failed to break the solid defence of Tai, who played like a girl possessed to notch up a 22-20 21-14 win in a 35-minute match. The sixth seed was better at the nets and also used hersmashes to good effect against Saina, who succumbed to her second loss to Tai. The Taipei girl had defeated the Indian during the Denmark Open in 2011. The 22-year-old Indian was lagging 1-3 initially but she soon wrested the lead with a cross court shot at 5-4, which Tai failed to return. But with the Indian succumbing to a series of unforced errors, Tai went into the breather at 11-6. Saina was erratic after that, allowing Tai to widen the gap and she eventually earned a five-point cushion at 20-15 with an over the head return. However, Tai made too many unforced errors after that, which allowed Saina to save five game points but the Indian faltered at the nets twice to give Tai the bragging rights, leading 1-0. In the second game, Tai once again opened up a 8-3 lead. — PTI
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Indian bowlers put in an inspired show before Virat Kohli returned to form with a rollicking unbeaten 77 as the hosts spanked England by seven wickets in the third one-dayer to make captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's first match in his home town a memorable one.
Roger Federer claimed a Grand Slam milestone as he fought off the challenge of rising local star Bernard Tomic to join Andy Murray in the last 16 at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The Swiss 17-time major winner and second seed was pushed before clinching a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over the 43rd-ranked Tomic in almost two hours on Rod Laver Arena.
