Kochi, November 20
After demolishing the West Indies in Sachin Tendulkar's emotionally draining farewell Test series, the Indian cricket team will look to extend its supremacy in the ODIs as well when the two sides face off in a three-match series starting on Thursday.

The epic farewell is now behind them and the Indians would try and ensure that it is just cricket that is talked about now. The home side already deserves credit for keeping itself focussed on the game in the Tests despite the frenzy surrounding Tendulkar's retirement.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men were clinical, to say the least, in the way they went about their business in the Test series, taking full advantage of the West Indians' shabby show to wrap up two Tests in a matter of five days.

The Indians start firm favourites in the shorter format too with a batting line-up, which is in intimidatingly good form.

Combining Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dahawn in the opening slots has proved to be a masterstroke so far with both scoring heavily in India's last ODI assignment — the seven-match series against Australia.

In fact, Rohit joined the all-Indian club of ODI double-centurions in the last match of that series, smashing a 158-ball 209, which included a record 16 sixes.

At number three, India has another aggressor in Virat Kohli, who would be keen to carry on with the fine form. The middle-order has a solid look to it with the likes of Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni himself.

Of these, Yuvraj would be keen to make his mark after a rather extended ordinary run with the bat.

In the bowling department, Mohammed Shami would be the one to watch out for as he seeks to be India's newest pace hope after the steady decline of senior pro Zaheer Khan, who has been denied a central contract by the BCCI this year.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, an IPL find, and Jaydev Unadkat complete the pace quartet for India with R Ashwin and Amit Mishra manning the spin department. Ravindra Jadeja will return to the side after missing the Tests to nurse a shoulder niggle.

For the West Indies, the challenge could not have been bigger after the Test mauling. Darren Sammy would make way for all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as captain of the side and the visitors would hope to restore some of the lost pride by coming good in the shorter format. The one man who would hold the key to their fortunes and provide much-needed spark is without doubt the dashing Chris Gayle. Gayle had a nightmarish outing in the Tests and was hardly noticeable. The big-hitting batsman would hope to make his presence felt in the ODIs.

A lot would also be expected from the likes of Kieran Powell, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin.

Given that batting was one area which significantly let the team down during the Tests, the West Indians would do well to sort it out to avoid another thrashing.

They are already without big-hitting all-rounder Kieran Pollard, who had to return home due to an injury.

The bowling, led by pacer Lendl Simmons, is in for a tough time as containing Indian batting on the dustbowl home pitches would be a huge ask. — PTI

Mumbai, November 20
Mumbai’s Prithvi Shaw, 14, created a national record today, scoring an astonishing 546 runs, playing for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D'Assisi Borivali in an inter-school match for the prestigious Harris Shield today.

Touted as one of the bright young prospects emerging out of Mumbai school of batsmanship, the state U-16 captain Prithvi hit 85 boundaries and five sixes in the match played at the Azad Maidan.

In the process, Prithvi became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match. Having bowled out St Francis for 92, Prithvi was unbeaten on 257 off 166 balls yesterday and smashed another 289 runs on the day.

"I am feeling good. It is a good score for me and my team. Our coach just asked me to concentrate on every ball. The only plan was to score as many runs as we could. I want to continue like this in future also," he said.

Prithvi eclipsed his senior schoolmate and former India opener Wasim Jaffer's nephew Arman's score of 498, which he scored a few years back. It was Harris Shield, which first brought Sachin Tendulkar into national prominence after his world record partnership of 664 with Vinod Kambli that was broken a few years back.

The previous highest by an Indian in any form of registered competitive cricket is 515 by Dadabhoy Havewala for BB and CI Railway vs St. Xavier's College at Mumbai during 1933-34 season.

This is the third highest score if one goes by all the registered scorecards available worldwide since the inception of competitive cricket. As per available information, AEJ Collins scored 628 not out in a competitive match in England in 1899 and CJ Eady struck 566 in another competitive match in 1901.

There has been a buzz about Prithvi's immense talent in the Mumbai cricket circuit for quite some time. He also went on a cricket scholarship to the United Kingdom where he had trained at the Gloucestershire academy. — PTI

Brisbane, November 20
England are in Australia seeking a fourth Ashes triumph in a row for the first time since the 1890s but they know that if they are to achieve their goal they probably need to get a result at the Gabba.

The Brisbane test is the traditional curtain raiser for Australia's home international season and the hosts have only lost eight test matches played at the ground going in to the start of the 56th on Thursday. Such is the difficulty of breaching the Gabba fortress, the hosts will start the match slight favourites with the bookmakers even though England dominated this year's home Ashes series and Australia have lost seven of their last nine tests.

For touring skipper Alastair Cook, though, the prospect of trying to do what no England team has done since 1986 and win in Brisbane only adds to the motivation.

"This side has done that a number of times, when there've been specific challenges ahead of us, we've delivered," he said. "Whether we can do that this game will depend how well we play, but at the start of the series and at a ground where they have a lot of confidence, that would do us the world of good."

Those challenges include winning a test series in India, ending a three-quarter century drought with victory over the Australians at Lord's and, of course, the first Ashes triumph Down Under in 24 years on their last visit in 2010. Even then, though, they only managed a battling draw at the Gabba after Australian quick Peter Siddle took a hat-trick on the first morning and England were bowled out cheaply in their first innings.

"There's no reason to feel intimidated, a lot of players we have in this squad were here in 2010-11 so we've all got experience of winning in Australia," he added.

Australia have put great store on the settled nature of their team, particularly the batting line-up, with most of their players showing good form in domestic cricket and a one-day series in India.

Australia skipper Michael Clarke remains convinced that his team can beat England if they play at their absolute best. "For us it's about coming out and playing our best cricket in five test matches and hopefully the result will take care of itself," he said. — Reuters

Mohali, November 20
Punjab are back to playing at Mohali. With their decision to take on Mumbai at the more spin-friendly Sector 16 Stadium in their last game not yielding the desired result, Punjab will take on Gujarat on their tested and trusted turf, where they remained unbeaten in the last season and thrashed Orissa in the season opener this time.

Nevertheless, with the chain of victories at home snapped in the last game, Punjab will not have it easy against Gujarat, who have come here with two victories from their three matches. "Punjab are a good team, especially at home. But we are playing well, we have dominated in all three games we have played. So it's going to be an exciting contest and we are looking forward to it," said Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel.

On a wicket that is likely to be more pace friendly than it was in the first game against Orissa, Punjab will hinge their hopes on their seamers, Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma. VRV Singh, who's likely to play this match after a long layoff due to injury, will spruce up the Punjab attack with his pace.

Harbhajan Singh, who picked nine wickets in his first game and eight in the second, will look to carry on with his good form.

Patiala, November 20
Indian women’s hockey team coach Inderjit Singh Gill, 59, died in a road accident near Bhindera village, 14 km from Sangrur, today. His wife Daljeet Kaur also suffered serious injuries and has been admitted at the Civil Hospital in Sangrur.

The accident occurred around 2.15 pm when the two were travelling in their car from Patiala to Sangrur to meet their daughter. The car collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction when the driver of the truck lost control of his vehicle.

The coach died on the spot while his wife suffered rib fractures and other injuries, according Bakshian Singh, Balian police station SHO.

Harphool Singh, the chief hockey coach at the NIS, said that Gill had sought a leave from the camp today noon to meet his daughter, who is married to a navy officer from Faridkot and who was visiting her in-laws.

“Gill’s dedication and passion towards hockey was beyond comparison,” Harphool said. “His only aim was to see the women’s team win a medal at the Olympics. He always said it was just a matter of time before hockey regained its lost glory.”

Gill, who did his NIS Diploma in 1979, started his coaching career in 1986 and had been working with the junior & senior women’s hockey teams since 1999. Gill was part of the coaching staff of the Indian team that won a silver medal at the recent Asian Champions Trophy in Japan. He was also part of the India team in major tournaments including the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in 2002, Asia Cup in 2007, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2012 and the FIH World League Round 2 early this year.

Narinder Kaur Aulakh, his batchmate at the NIS, said she met Gill four days ago at the first ever alumni meet organised by Kurukshetra University.

“He was one of the liveliest players I had come across. He was always full of energy, was ever ready to help others,” Aulakh said. “Unlike many of our classmates who were doing the diploma just to find a good job, he wanted to serve hockey all his life. “

Hockey India condoled the shocking demise of Gill. “He was associated with women’s hockey for a long time and has contributed immensely,” HI president Mariamma Koshy said. “I, on behalf of Hockey India, offer my condolences to the bereaved family.”

Gill will be cremated in Barnala tomorrow.

Inderjit Singh Gill Sports Authority of India coach Inderjit Singh Gill, who did his NIS Diploma of Coaching in 1979, started his coaching career in 1986. He worked with the Junior & Senior women’s teams since 1999. Gill was also part of the coaching staff of the senior women’s team that won a silver medal at the recently concluded 3rd Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Japan. He had been with the Indian women’s team in many major tournaments, including the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, 2002 Asian Games in Busan, 2007 Asia Cup in Hong Kong, FIH Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2012 New Delhi and FIH World League Round 2 in New Delhi in 2013.

New Delhi, November 20
The long-serving Gurbax Singh Sandhu was today retained as the national coach of the men's Indian boxing team till the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

"The Indian Boxing Federation is pleased to announce that Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu will be retained as the Chief National Coach of the Indian boxing team till the 2016 Rio Olympics. This decision was taken in consultation with the Sports Authority of India at New Delhi recently," the IBF, which is currently suspended, said in a statement.

Sandhu, under whose guidance India won its first Olympic and World Championships medal through Vijender Singh (75kg), has been with the team for two decades.

"I had retired in June this year but I am happy to get an extension. I am satisfied with the terms of my contract because my purpose is to serve Indian boxing," Sandhu said. "I am grateful to the IBF and the Sports Authority of India for having faith in me."

Sandhu, who was first appointed as the chief coach in 1993, was picked for a fresh term by a committee under the IBF President Abhishek Matoria.

The committee also included I D Nanavati (Vice President, IBF) and Naraottam Singh Rawat (Chairman, Ring Officials Commission) and they "unanimously agreed" that Sandhu was the "right man to handle the Indian Boxing Team".

"I think Indian boxing has grown by leaps and bounds so far and I would love to see it progressing ahead. That is my aim and desire," said Sandhu.

Sandhu has been with the team in four Olympics so far, including the 2008 Beijing Games where Vijender got India its first medal in boxing — a bronze. — PTI

New Delhi, November 20
Hockey India has appointed former Indian captain Vasudevan Baskaran as the coach of the senior men’s team. Baskaran will work under recently-appointed chief coach Terry Walsh.

Baskaran has joined the senior team’s training camp at the Sports Authority of India Centre in Bhopal for thepreparation of the team for the FIH World League finals in Delhi in January 2014 and the World Cup, in The Netherlands, next year.

Baskaran said: “It’s a pleasant comeback for me with the senior men’s national team. It will be excellent to work with Terry Walsh for the betterment of Indian Hockey”.

HI secretary-general Narinder Batra said Baskaran will form an integral part of the coaching staff headed by Terry Walsh and his valuable experience will help the Indian team in their 2014 World Cup campaign.

Previously, Baskaran had coached the senior men’s national team for ten years.

London, November 20
France produced one of soccer's most famous comebacks on Tuesday to scrape into next year's World Cup finals via the playoffs while Portugal blazed through after Cristiano Ronaldo conjured up a sensational hat-trick.

The two European heavyweights will be joined in next June's finals by Croatia, Greece, Ghana and Algeria after they prevailed in their second leg playoffs.

France had to overturn a 2-0 deficit at home to Ukraine and did so with aplomb, Mamadou Sakho, an offside Karim Benzema and an Oleg Gusev own goal after 72 minutes sending the Stade de France wild as the fans celebrated a 3-2 aggregate triumph.

The 1998 winners had not missed a major tournament since 1994 when coach Didier Deschamps was on the field and he was determined not to let it happen again as France became the first side to fight back from 2-0 down in European World Cup playoffs.

BRIEFLY

Saina wins but Kashyap, Sindhu out in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Saina Nehwal advanced to the second round with an easy win, but it turned out to be a disappointing day for the Indians overall as Parupalli Kashyap and P.V. Sindhu failed to cross the first hurdle in the Hong Kong Super Series in Hong Kong on Wednesday. World No 7 Saina didn’t break sweat as she outplayed Indonesia’s Bellaetrix Manuputty 21-14, 21-16. However, Sindhu lost 16-21,17-21 to second seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand and Kashyap suffered a 14-21,10-21 defeat at the hands of China’s Zhengming Wang.

I’ll retire if I feel can’t play international cricket: Gauti
New Delhi: Out-of-favour India opener Gautam Gambhir is still hopeful of a national comeback and will only call time on his career once he gets the feeling of being out of place in international cricket. “As long as the belief is still there, I can play international cricket, I will continue to play. But the moment I feel I can’t play international cricket anymore, I will retire,” said Gambhir. “I always said that I don’t play cricket to make comebacks. I play cricket because I enjoy the game. The word comeback is not in my dictionary,” said the Delhi captain.

Jeevan, Balaji progress to quarters in Bhopal ITF
Bhopal: There was no surprise today in the ITF Futures tournament as top seed Jeevan Neduncheziyan and second seed N Sriram Balaji advanced to the singles quarter-finals with contrasting wins, here. Jeevan beat Sjaikh Abdullah 6-3 6-2 while Balaji, the week’s runner-up, fought his way to a 7-5 6-3 win over Jannis Liniger from Switzerland. Balaji will now take on Vishnu Vardhan, who Jui-Chen Hung 6-2 6-3 in his second round. Balaji and Vishnu had clashed in the semifinals in New Delhi last week. After exchanging a couple of breaks the first was again on serve but Balaji again broke Liniger in the 12th game to nose ahead. In the second he cashed in on the first opportunity to break his rival at 4-3 and kept that lead to clinch the issue. — Agencies