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Vettel makes it four in a row
Pujara may be the man for the middle
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Mumbai on top
Smith demands respect for SA’s kings of the road
Match delayed at Dharamsala
Aparajith shines for TN against Services
Suarez hat-trick keeps Liverpool on Arsenal’s tail
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Vettel makes it four in a row
Greater Noida, October 27
Vettel finished almost 30 seconds ahead of second-placed Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, while Romain Grosjean of Lotus followed to get his second consecutive third place finish.
Vettel logged 322 points to win the Driver’s Championship while his team Red Bull raced to 470 points to take the Constructors’ Championship, with Mercedes trailing in second position on 313.
Red Bull won the title despite Mark Webber’s retirement, with a mechanical problem, to cement an era of absolute dominance by the team.
Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who was the only driver still capable of catching up with Vettell, had a poor run, and finished 11th while his team mate Felipe Massa missed out on a podium finish.
Vettel (26) became the youngest man to win four straight titles, after Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher.
Vettel celebrated his win by doing a doughnut with his car and then jumped to top of the car to wave to the crowd. He was later reprimanded by FIA, while his team Red Bull was fined £25,000.
Vettel’s sixth win in a row, 10th this season, has put him in line for more records, for if he wins the remaining three races, the German will equal Schumacher’s record of 13 wins (in 2004 season). Italian Alberto Ascari drove a Ferrari to nine consecutive wins, but his wins were spread over 1952 and 1953.
After the first lap Vettel led followed by Massa , who started fifth on the grid, but then zoomed to past Webber, Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. But he could not sustain his form and fell behind. Vettel made a quick change of tyres after the second lap and dropped back, but returned to the second place in the 21st lap behind Webber, and then regained the lead in the 30th lap, not to look back.
It could have been a Red Bull one-two as Webber had been keeping behind Vettel for a possible second place, but a gear-box problem forced him out. Webber was unlucky as first Alonso rammed his car, causing damage which required a pit stop.
It was a perfect finish, though, for Vettel as he stepped on the podium to receive the huge cup. He then drank champagne, and carried the huge bottle even to the media interaction, to truly savour his triumph. Vettel said though it was special to win at the BIC, which he likes immensely, he knew it was coming, and therefore his victory last year was rather special. “Today was one of the best days in my life. It’s incredible to beat some of the best drivers in the world. I enjoy being here,” Vettel said. He said he had always maintained a positive attitude, and he always enjoyed being at the paddock. “I like the paddock. It’s not like a prison to me,” he gave out the reasons for his incredible success during the last four years.
results
Indian Grand prix Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull - Renault 1:31:12.187 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes +00:29.823 Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Renault 00:39.892 driver standings Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 322 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 207 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 183 |
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Pujara may be the man for the middle
Cuttack, October 27 The two openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, have contributed 327 runs. In all, Dhoni, Kohli, Dhawan and Rohit have made 714 runs. But in their total of six innings, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja have made 76 runs, ie 19.63 percent. The gulf between the performing batsmen and the stragglers, thus, is massive. Three completed matches in a seven-match series may not provide enough data to judge a player’s form or worth. But we’ve seen enough of Yuvraj and Raina overseas to form a fairly reliable estimate of their abilities. Yuvraj averages 41.25 in home ODIs, 36.70 in the opposition’s home venues. Raina averages 40.92 at home and 30.10 away. They’ve been around long enough to say that a dramatic improvement in their overseas performance is unlikely. Jadeja, surprisingly, does better abroad than at home -- his home ODI average is 30.29, away from home it’s 32.57. From these figures, one conclusion is inescapable -- the Indian middle order has men who are going to struggle away from home. The opposition is aware of who they are. Australian allrounder Shane Watson says that they know there are a couple of Indian batsmen who don’t like short deliveries. “It’s important to get our matchups right when we’re bowling against their batsmen,” Watson says. “Mitch Johnson provides a big X-factor for us. There are a couple of guys who aren’t as comfortable against the short ball compared to some of their other players. I think the important thing for us has just been getting our matchups (getting certain bowlers to bowl at certain Indian batsmen) right.” The Australians have been using Johnson, who seems to have picked up pace out of nowhere at this rather late stage in his career, against the Indian middle order. “It certainly has been a tactic, there’s no doubt, even after seeing what happened in the Twenty20 game in Rajkot, especially Yuvi,” says Watson. Watson names Raina as the second Indian batsmen they target with short bowling. “Yes, also to Suresh Raina... He’s a high-quality, world-class player as well. We’re very lucky to have Mitch in our team bowling the pace and control that he’s got at this point in time,” says Watson. “It’s a huge weapon for us because we know how important their middle order is to their success. We’ve seen it work so far throughout this series. Hopefully it can continue to work for a bit longer.” “In Jaipur we didn’t get a chance to be able to get to that middle order because they batted so well. Apart from that game it has worked really well,” adds Johnson. Two years ago in England, after India were thrashed 4-0 in the Test series, the selectors recalled Rahul Dravid in the ODI team. Perhaps, as we plan the squad for the year-end tour of South Africa, it might be good to be forewarned, and include Cheteshwar Pujara, the best technician among the emerging batsmen, in the ODI squad. Pujara has played only two ODIs, both against Zimbabwe earlier this year. His numbers are horrible -- 13 runs from two innings, including a duck. Both times he was out when he drove with a gap between bat and pad. Yet, in South Africa, he could be the man to plug the holes in the Indian middle order. |
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They came, saw and left a little disappointed
A salute before the swansong
Lahli (Rohtak), October 27 Tau with their earthy khandwas (pagdi) on; weather-beaten farmers with their lingering smiles; rowdy youngsters with parna (towel) resting on their broad shoulders; housewives with veils stretching well below their faces and frightened children; families after families took their seats and waited eagerly. Not to miss out were crisp kurta pajama clad MLAs, MPs, well-fed businessmen with their hangers-on above the pavillion; literally everybody, big or small, were there, with just one wish: to see Sachin bat for one last time. The first glimpse of Sachin was from far as he stood at the first slip, cheering on Mumbai bowlers; when he got closer to them in the outfield, they were almost delirious. The man himself couldn’t remain immune to the feel in the stadium; he kept reciprocating his gratitude by half-waving at them off and on, while keeping his focus on the game. In the background Haryana wickets kept falling, hastening Sachin’s arrival to the crease. Now was the wait for real fare. Will he open or come at one down? Will he play his strokes right away or take time to settle? Can he score a century today or it will have to be tomorrrow? Sadly, those moments of heightened crescendo turned out to be fleeting. Seven balls was all Sachin played. The beginning though was perfect: a straight drive off Joginder’s Sharma’s good length ball. That sent the expectations of everyone in the stadium soaring. At this moment, tea break was the last thing they wanted, but it had to be endured. There was a lot more to endure as the calamity struck in 20.1 over. Mohit Sharma drew Sachin Tendulkar forward by pitching the ball a little outside the off stump. Sachin got to the ball but was done in by the bounce and the ball took a deflection from his right elbow to clip the bails. Sachin was surprised, spectators were shocked. It was only when Mohit Sharma exulted in disbelief, the crowd realized it was for real. By the time Sachin was back in the pavilion, Lahli crowd were milling towards the enclosures gate. The match continued well over 22 overs but this was the end of Sachin, and with him, the end of Day 1 at Lahli. Non stop commentary
Those with a gift of gab invariably find a way to the stands. Not for them the unending queues and the hassle of buying tickets. One such chatterbox, claiming to be a former Ranji player, had a ready advice for Haryana pacer Ashish Hooda. Besides entertaining the crowd with his nonstop verbal volleys, he would instruct Hooda on how to bowl to the Mumbai batsmen. “Kuch ni hai Mumbai Shumbai, bas naam ke hain, inhe ta tu bol ke leley.” Hooda smiled, and just before he was about to start a new spell, there came another advice. “Par dekhiye... Sachin ke agey boliye na”. |
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Mumbai on top
Lahli (Rohtak), October 27 Ajinkya Rahane (44) and night watchman Dhawal Kulkarni (1) are at the crease. Mumbai did not get a good start as openers Kastubh Pawar (4) and Wasim Jaffer (14) were gone within the first 18.1 overs. However, they did well in playing the waiting game, something Haryana couldn’t. No wonder the home team was bundled out in just 35.3 overs as the wicket has a reputation to throw up such disastrous results. The green top offered seam and bounce yet it wasn’t a wicked wicket. Haryana batsmen failed to sustain themselves early on as Mumbai made them play more and more deliveries. Abhishek Nayar (4/38) became their nemesis even as Mohit Sharma (49) saved the home team the ignominy of getting out below 100. Brief scores: Haryana 134 (Sharma 49; Nayar 4/38); Mumbai 100/4 (Rahane 44*) |
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Smith demands respect for SA’s kings of the road
Dubai, October 27 Their emphatic innings and 92-run win in the second Test over Pakistan in Dubai on Saturday, which levelled the series at 1-1, also allowed them to enhance their Test number one status. Since their 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in 2006, South Africa have travelled to India (twice), United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan (twice), England (twice), Australia (twice) and once to New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the West Indies, not losing a series. “I think we have got a lot to do to be compared with great teams, but for us to have that record away from home is an extremely proud one to have,” said Smith, now in his 10th year as captain. “I don’t think many teams in current world cricket can travel as well as we do and be able to perform in all the conditions, the pressures, the environments that you face on the road. I certainly don’t think the team gets enough credit for that, it’s an immense record and one we are proud of.” Smith said that beating Pakistan in their new fortress of the United Arab Emirates was creditable. “This is the first match they have lost in these conditions. They had England come here as world number one Test team and we travelled here in 2010,” said Smith of Pakistan’s 3-0 whitewash of England last year.
— PTI |
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Harbhajan gives his best
Mohali, October 27 And he would have hit the nail right on the head! For, what more the bowler, looking to break back into the national side, could have done or asked for, especially just two days ahead of the selection for the West Indies series and a selector watching him keenly. The off-spinner did need something more solid, something more credible than T20 wickets to add more weight to his claim for a recall. While the T20 wickets, too, have their own value, given the economy rate at which he took them in the IPL, the charm and significance of a five-for or more in the first class cricket can’t be matched. With his T20 wickets not earning him a recall, at least until now, the off-spinner responded with his best in the Ranji Trophy — 6/54 in 28.2 overs, bettering his 6/69 in 1998 against Delhi. He could now look forward to the selection meeting with a lot more confidence and optimism. Even if selection to the national squad is left out of the equation, the off spinner would be mighty pleased with just the way he bowled. It’s has been a while since he had a five-wicket haul; and Sunday’s spell will make him feel a lot better about himself and his bowling. That he picked these wickets on the first-day pitch, and that too at Mohali, makes his feat even more impressive. It indicates he’s genuinely bowling well; he isn’t entirely dependent on the nature of the surface to pick wickets. With Harbhajan bowling well, it’s no wonder that Odisha were bowled out for just 205. The visitors started well, survived the crucial morning hour, and put on 47 runs for the first wicket. Once the openers were removed, Gobind Poddar and Biplab Samantry tried to fight back with a 69-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Harbhajan, however, struck twin blows, sending t the visitors into a tailspin, from which they never recovered. Brief Scores : Odisha 205 for all in 83.2 overs (N. Behra 38, Gobind Poddar 42, Harbhajan Singh 6 for 54, Sandeep Sharma 2 for 49); Punjab 11 for 0. |
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Match delayed at Dharamsala
Dharamsala, October 27 After the Kangra district administration took over the stadium at 2 am in the morning, the gates to the stadium were locked. The police was deputed in and around the stadium and entry into the stadium was denied. Sources said that the district administration didn't know that the match was scheduled at the stadium on Sunday. On learning this, the state government asked the district administration to allow the match. The Himachal team however refused to play. The match could start only at 3pm in the afternoon with the intervention of the BCCI. Only 27 overs could be bowled, with Himachal scoring 136 runs for the loss of one wicket at the draw of stumps.
— TNS |
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Aparajith shines for TN against Services
New Delhi, October 27 Aparajith was at the crease on 109 along with Dinesh Karthik (11) when the stumps were drawn at the Palam ground here after Tamil Nadu opted to bat first. Badrinath scored 81 and shared a 168-run stand for the third wicket with 19-year-old Aparajith after hosts Services, last year's semi-finalists, made early in roads into Tamil Nadu's batting. Pacer Suraj Yadav removed opener Abhinav Mukund (0) without troubling the scorers, getting him caught behind the wicket. Yadav, 26, then castled India batsman Murali Vijay (14) to peg the Southern side at 16 for two. Vijay looked promising as he hit three fours in his brief stay at the crease before being dismissed. The First-class veteran, Badrinath then joined hands with Aparajith to take his side to safety with a century partnership as Services bowlers failed to breach the defences of the two. Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu: 220 for three (Baba Badrinath 109 not out, S Badrinath 81; Suraj Yadav 2/40). |
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Suarez hat-trick keeps Liverpool on Arsenal’s tail
London, October 27 Suarez scored twice in five first-half minutes and again after the break to keep Liverpool two points behind Arsenal, who prevailed 2-0 at Crystal Palace in an early kickoff despite having goalscorer Mikel Arteta sent off. Dark clouds were gathering over Old Trafford where champions Manchester United twice trailed Stoke City before late goals by Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez earned them a 3-2 victory, staving off a fourth league defeat of the season. Surprise package Southampton beat Fulham 2-0 in the day's late action, rising to the giddy heights of third in the table above Everton who won 2-0 at Aston Villa where Romelu Lukaku outshone fellow Belgian Christian Benteke with his side's first. Southampton, for whom Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez scored, and Everton are four points behind Arsenal. Chelsea would move above Liverpool with victory over Manchester City on Sunday. Suarez's first home hat-trick for Liverpool and a brilliant effort by Daniel Sturridge underlined the Merseysiders top-four credentials this season and left manager Brendan Rodgers saluting what is becoming a lethal partnership. Inter resist Verona to move up to fourth
Milan: Inter Milan resisted a spirited fightback to secure a 4-2 win over Verona at the San Siro and leapfrog the league newcomers into fourth in Italy`s Serie A on Saturday. A day after club president Massimo Moratti set a date of November 15 for an official takeover by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, Inter closed the gap on leaders Roma to five points. Inter have made a solid start to this campaign following a disastrous ninth-place finish last season. But despite dominating an entertaining and open encounter at the San Siro, Walter Mazzarri`s side were aided by the defensive lapses which have been one of Verona`s unwelcome characteristics so far this season. Bayern beat Hertha
Berlin: Mario Mandzukic scored twice as nervous Bayern Munich struggled past Hertha Berlin 3-2 on Saturday to stay top of the Bundesliga with second placed Borussia Dortmund claiming a 3-1 victory against Schalke 04.
— Agencies |
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Li Na to meet Williams in first WTA final
Istanbul, October 27 Title holder Williams struggled early on with her own game before overcoming Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the other semifinal to set up a clash between two players over 30. Li's victory means she will climb to third in the rankings and can finish the season on a high in her first WTA Championships final. "It's awesome, because we're both in our 30s and, you know, I think we're both playing the best tennis of our career. We're still getting better," Williams said. "I personally think I can do better. I'm sure she believes she can as well and it's really good to have a peer right next to you your same age doing just as good, so it feels good." Li, who took only three games when she lost to Williams at Flushing Meadows, said: "At the US Open I had already lost the match before I came to the court. Maybe now I have to try to focus on what I should do on the court, not focus on what she does.”
— Reuters |
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Federer strengthens Tour Finals bid with Pospisil win
Basel, October 27 The Swiss will play top seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who has already qualified for next month's London tournament, in the final. The Argentine battled past unseeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4 4-6 6-2. "Hopefully I can get my revenge on him but you know on the top of it I am playing for the World Tour finals," said Federer, who lost to Del Potro in last year's Basel title match. "You know things are looking good. I am not qualified yet but that is not really in the back of my mind. I am just really focused on playing good finals tomorrow." Third seed Federer survived another mid-match dip in form and a determined challenge from his big-hitting opponent to earn the chance to win his sixth title in his hometown tournament and guarantee qualification for the season-ender. Backed by a noisy partisan crowd, he negotiated the first set comfortably, breaking the 23-year-old Pospisil's serve twice. But the lanky Canadian served more freely in the second set and found the corners with some explosive crosscourt groundstrokes. Pospisil looked to have the idol of his junior tennis days on the ropes when he broke serve for the second time in the match in the fourth game of the final set. But Federer brought his experience to bear, coming up with big shots on crucial points to break twice and clinch victory.
— Reuters |
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Vettel became the fourth quadruple champion and only the third driver to land four titles in a row after Germany’s seven-times winner Michael Schumacher and the late Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio by winning the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International circuit in Greater Noida, on Sunday.
AFP
Sebastian Vettel today became only the fourth driver in the history of F1 to win four world titles or more but the German said the realisation of joining the elite list of F1 legends is yet to sink in. By virtue of this win, Vettel has already sealed the world championship title with three more races to go. The German driver has now joined countrymate Michael Schumacher (7 titles), Brazilian Juan Manuel Fangio (5 titles) and Frenchman Allan Prost (4 titles) who have four or more world titles to their credit. “It is very difficult to understand. I was watching F1 on TV when Fernando (Alonso) started racing. Now he is my strongest opponent. Four titles are only a number for me. Now my goal is to win five titles,” Vettel said. “Michael Schumacher came and he had a dominant car. It is incredible that he managed to score more championships than all the true legends. So to finish with people like them is amazing. But I am way too young to understand. Probably, when I will be 60 may be I will realise. It is difficult to realise something than no one can take away from you,” an emotional Vettel said.
— PTI
