Chandigarh, November 30
It’s always good to learn lessons from the past. The BCCI, too, seems to have learnt a few as far as touring South Africa, one of the most challenging places to tour, is concerned.

Just as they did the last time India toured South Africa in 2010-11, the BCCI is keen on sending their Test specialists a little earlier to help them hit the ground running when the two-Test series kicks off on December 18. While the players who are part of both the ODI and Test squad – the ODI series starts on December 5 and the team is leaving on December 1– will have some match practice under their belt when the Test series begins, the Test specialists will get just one two-day practice match before they get into the thick of action.

“We are trying to send not only Zaheer but all others in the Test squad too who are not part of the ODI team. The only issue is logistics, the availability of the required number of hotel rooms," said BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel.

Zaheer Khan, opener Murali Vijay, one-down batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, reserve wicketkeeper Wridhiman Saha and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha are part of only the Test squad.

Having drawn the three-Test series on their last visit, the Indian side, without stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman this time around, nevertheless has high hopes.

“We are all confident of doing well in South Africa. We did well in England and then in the West Indies (in ODIs, though). Our aim is to do well in South Africa and win the series,” said Shikhar Dhawan, India’s flamboyant opener.

And there’s a reason why one can’t dismiss Dhawan’s talk of “doing well” as mere bravado. The left-handed opener had, after all, done pretty well in South Africa when he went there with India A a few months back. In one of the List A matches, he had smashed 248 against South Africa A. And that’s what he seems to be counting on. “We have the advantage of having played on these pitches and performed well. I can take confidence from that on this tour,” he said.

Fair enough, but it must be mentioned that the quality of the pitches and obviously the attack is going to be vastly different from what was served during the A tour. And given the drama played out between the BCCI and Cricket South Africa preceding the tour, the hosts might be tempted to spice up the wickets a little more and prove their supremacy on the playing field, if not in the boardroom.

And in such a scenario the experience of someone like Sachin Tendulkar would have come handy for the team. "Sachin paaji was a great player and we will miss him. His experience and presence in the dressing room was big for us. But the good thing is our batsmen are performing well and we have a great fielding side, and that’s a big bonus,” Dhawan said.

India are undoubtedly riding high following their consistent showing in the ODI format over the last six months and some young, talented players like Dhawan coming through. It’s, however, the upcoming tour that’s going to determine how good this team and its individual members are.

—With agency inputs

Tempers frayed quite a few times as Punjab batsmen made heavy weather of what should have been an easy chase against Haryana at Lahli; and (below) the Himachal team after thrashing Assam. Tribune photos: Manoj Dhaka, Kamaljeet

Brief Scores: Haryana: 163 and 155; Punjab: 184 and 135/7 in 45 overs (Sharma 37*, Gurkeerat 37; Mohit 3/38).

Himachal thrash Assam

Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh trounced Assam by an innings and 221 run after the visiting batsmen collapsed miserably on the third and penultimate day of their Group C Ranji Trophy encounter here today.

After amassing a mammoth 463 for nine in their first innings in response to Assam's paltry 81 all out, Himachal bowled out the visiting side for 161 to record the huge win.

Assam were overnight 97 for six Dheeraj Jadhav put up a stiff resistance to post a half century. His 52-run knock came off 125 deliveries and included six hits to the fence.

His was the last Assam wicket to fall in what was otherwise a shambolic batting performance.

Brief Scores: HP: 463/9 dec; Assam: 81 and 161 (Jadhav 52; Dhawan 5/58). — PTI

Chandigarh, November 30
Gaganjeet Bhullar carded a birdie on the last hole of his second round, early Saturday morning, to card a four-under-par 67 after the second round was suspended on Friday and followed it up with a two-under-par 69 to get into a joint lead at 13-under-par 200 at the $750,000 Indonesian Open on the Asian Tour.

Unfortunately, Gaganjeet started his round with a double-bogey seven on the par-five first hole but maintained his composure to make birdies on the third and fourth holes to make the turn at level-par. He dropped yet another bogey on the 10th but birdies on the 13th, 17th and 18th holes saw him maintain his position at the top of the leaderboard, as he tied Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond for the lead at 13-under-par, 200.

“I had a shaky start today. The first hole is a par-five and I never thought that I would start with a double bogey but made back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes. I was striking the ball really good but missed a lot of putts. I have another 18 holes and the battle is on. Jazz is playing good and a lot of other guys are up there but I am feeling at the top of my game and I am hoping to have another good week tomorrow,” said Bhullar who awoke at 3.30am this morning to finish the last two holes of the second round.

An in-form Jyoti Randhawa carded the lowest round of the day, a six-under-par, 65 to move upto to joint fifth with a total of nine-under-par 204. “It was really windy today and I don’t find the greens easy to putt on but I did make some putts today. I hit the ball very well today,” said Jyoti who made an eagle on the 13th hole. “I like the way I am playing and feel good about doing better tomorrow. I just have to do what I did today. If I can do that, I will be happy,” he added.

Anirban Lahiri carded a four-under-par, 67 and moved up the leaderboard as well, in joint 11th place at seven-under-par, 206 for 54-holes and Indian born Daniel Chopra was placed 16th with a total of five-under 208.

New Delhi, November 30
Delhi Golf Club (DGC) amateur Gauri Monga made the Hero Women's Indian Open memorable for local fans as she finished a creditable tied fifth, while overnight leader Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand shot a three-under final round to secure the title with a total of eight-under 208.

In the benign course conditions at the DGC, 20-year-old Monga shot a two-under 70 for the second consecutive day to aggregate three-under 213. She finished tied fifth place with Ladies European Tour (LET) sensation Charley Hull of England, who shot a 72, and US veteran Beth Allen, who carded day's best round of six-under 66.

This is the second-best performance by an Indian at the Hero Women's Indian Open as Meghna Bal and Irina Brar finished tied fourth in the first edition of the tournament in 2007.

Among other Indians in the fray, Neha Tripathi, who is the winner of the order of merit on the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour 2013, shot an even-par 72 to finish as the next best Indian after Gauri in tied 24th position.

Veteran Smriti Mehra (73), youngster Vani Kapoor (72) and amateur Gurbani Singh (70) ended tied 34th, with a total of nine-over 223 each. — PTI

PATIALA, NOVEMBER 30
In a major setback to the top archers and boxers serving with the Indian Railways, the Railways has decided against fielding their teams in the senior national tournaments organised by the Archery Association of India (AAI) and the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) as the Sports Ministry has de-recognised AAI and suspended IBF.

The Railways Sports Promotion Board has informed its players that, being a government institution, it would not allow them to participate in the competitions conducted by these associations. However, if the players get clearance from SAI and the Sports Ministry, the Railways is open to sending them to international tournaments.

The decision has shocked the players concerned. Not competing in the nationals means they wouldn't be considered for national camps. Besides, it could also hit their chances of getting a promotion as they are awarded promotions on the basis their performance in national and international events.

Speaking to The Tribune, IBF secretary general Rajesh Bhandari said the Railways' decision was unfortunate and against the interests of the players and the country.

“When the Sports Ministry is providing all facilities to the IBF, including the venues for the competitions, why is the Railways being so adamant. The government has recently sanctioned a budget of Rs 19.5 crore for boxing, which shows the importance it gives to boxing,” he said.

“During this year's nationals, the Railways didn't let their boxers compete. We didn't include their boxers in the national camp as we had decided to pick campers from national competitions alone. We allowed their girls to join the camp after the intervention of the SAI director general. We warned them if they didn't allow their boxers to compete next year, we wouldn't consider them for international tournaments too. How do we know they are the best unless they compete against others?” he said.

AAI secretary general Anil Kamineni, too, agreed with Bhandari. “We have already written to the Sports Ministry to take up the matter with the Railways. The World Archery Federation has clearly told us that there is no age limit or cap on the tenure for holding a particular post. I hope the Railways will take note of it and allow these players to compete.”

Notably, top Indian archers including Dola Banerjee, Rimil Murmu, Bombayla Devi, Rahul Banerjee and Gagandeep Kaur are working with the Railways. Manoj, Dilbagh, Pinky Jangra and Neetu Chahal are the star boxers.

Dola Banerjee said the decision would harm the players. “Last time also, though we were allowed to compete, we were not given any benefits in the form of promotions for our medals in the senior national. This time, too, we have been banned and if this confusion lingers on, it will have hurt India's chances on world stage. It should be resolved at the earliest,” she said.

Another player, requesting anonymity, however said the associations should refrain from holding nationals till they are recognised. “They should hold open trials to select the Indian teams rather than holding nationals. Why should the players suffer because of their fault?” he asked.

Sports coordinator of archery and gymnastics, Railways Sports Promotion Board, Rajesh Tondon said since AAI, IBF and Gymnastics Federation of India were de-recognised, there was no point in sending teams to their tournaments. “We are not against the players but what is the point in sending the teams if these associations/federations don't accept the norms.”

Macau, November 30
Indian top seed P.V. Sindhu cruised into the women's singles final of the $120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold at the Macau Forum here Saturday.

The World No.11 easily overcame a much lower ranked Qin Jinjing of China 21-13, 18-21, 21-19 in their first-ever encounter. Sindhu took an hour and eight minutes to win the semifinal and will take on World No. 30 and seventh seed Li Michelle of Canada for the first time in the title clash Sunday.

Sindhu, who won the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold in May, has a great chance to bag another Tier-III title before the season ends next month.

The 18-year-old's overall game was much superior to her World No. 780 opponent, who could not stand against the World Championship bronze medal-winning opponent. Sindhu had more number of smashes and net winners over the three games played. — IANS

Chandigarh, November 30
Chandigarh’s Daksh Marwaha had to overcome tough resistance from Uday Mann before winning his first round match in the qualifiers of The Tribune Cup at CLTA, Sector 10 on Saturday.

Daksh, who was solid with his ground strokes, showed a deft touch with his backhand slices. The local lad took the match 7-6(5) in the tie-breaker.

On the first day of this Rs two lakh National Ranking Championship, over 86 matches were played.

In another tight match that went to the tie-breaker, Prabhjot Singh defeated Aman Pandoh 7-6(5).

Later, in a couple of one-sided matches, Raunaq Singh blanked Sachin Choudhary 7-0, while Arun Singh defeated Sahil Saini 7-3. There are 128 participants in the men’s qualifying draw and 32 in the women’s section.

A total of 8 players have been given direct wild card entry in the National Ranking Tournament for boys and girls.

In the men’s section, Kunal Anand (AITA), Yuvraj Singh (AITA), Rahul Seth and Vikrant Dahiya have been given direct entry into main rounds. In the women’s event, Charvi Saxena, Pious Mudgil, Gayatri Kumariah and Abhilasha Vishwanathan, have got the wild card entry. 

Results (Qualifiers)
First Round (men)

Dalwinder Rana bt Mohammad Khan 7-2; Jagmeet Singh bt Puneet Kathpalia 7-0; Jitin Bishnoi bt Uday Pratap Singh 7-5; Ajay Pratap bt. Padam Kumar 7-3; Faizan Khan bt Raghav Talwar 7-6 (3); Sultan Atwal bt Deepak Singh 7-5; Manav Aggarwal bt Neelabh Narayan 7-0; Ominder Baishoya bt Saarthak Jain 7-5; Manik Dawar bt Swasthik Reddy 7-0; Raunaq Singh bt Sachin Choudhary 7-0; Arun Singh bt Sahil Saini 7-3; Ravinder Singh bt Amarjyoti Deka 7-2; Rohan Bhatia bt Kanwalpreet Singh 7-2;Jagtar Singh bt Karan Paul 7-3.

—Incomplete results

Amritsar, November 30
They are the part of Pakistan's women's team for the World Cup Kabaddi, but apart from coming from a conservative society what makes the squad more interesting is the fact that most of the team members have a background in different sports such as athletics, martial arts and weightlifting.

The 19-member women’s squad arrived along with the men's team via the Attari-Wagah border this morning. This is the first time ever that Pakistan is fielding an international women's team in a kabaddi tournament.

Talking to the mediapersons captain Madiha Latif said, “This is the first time that we've come to India and also the first time that we will be playing in an international event in a foreign land. We have players from different disciplines like athletics and weightlifting. All of us have undergone rigorous two-month training at a special camp. I must say the girls have done well in achieving the required fitness level and tactics." To a query about the conservative society in Pakistan, she said, "Things have changed and women in Pakistan are venturing in every field." She added that they are no more confined to the four walls of their houses.

Coming from a martial arts background, vice-captain Sumira Zahoor said they will give their best shot while expressing a hope to make a mark in the event. Aisha Qazi, the trainer-cum-physio, said, “Kabaddi is quite popular in our side of Punjab too and that is why the girls are excited about it.” Qazi is a first-class cricketer and baseball player too. Another team member, Razia Sultana, who is a hammer thrower, said she was looking forward to a memorable experience.

The men's captain Babar Waseem said, "We've infused young blood in our squad and will try our best to win the Cup. We had a special camp for a couple of months in which we trained 40 players, out of which nine were shortlisted, while retaining the existing members to form a 16-member squad.” According to him, kabaddi will boost friendship between the two countries.

Coach Ghulam Abbas Butt said the event augurs well for the bilateral ties as occasions like these boost the people-to-people contact. "This will create an atmosphere of camaraderie," he said while advocating the need for a liberal visa regime. Though the women's team got less time to prepare, nobody could judge from their game that they are playing kabaddi for the first time, he said.

Patiala gets ready for action
Patiala sports lovers are on a new high as the city will play host to the inaugural matches of the fourth World Cup Kabaddi at YPS, Patiala, on December 1. What adds to the charm is that they will get an opportunity to witness both Indian teams (men’s and women’s) in action tomorrow. While the first match will be played between Iran and Spain lads, Indian eves will take on New Zealand in the second match. In the last match, Indian men will take on America. Earlier, four matches were scheduled for Day1 but the match between Argentina and Kenya has been cancelled on the last minute due to delay in the arrival of the Argentina team. The district administration is on its toes making security arrangements for the high-profile event since players from five countries will slog it out in three matches. The district administration is on its toes making security arrangements since players from five countries will slog it out in three matches. — TNS

Bathinda, November 30
Gulzar Singh, a kabaddi player from Sangrur, today cried foul over the selection process. “Despite doing well in trials and attending the training camp I wasn't included in the squad. I played in the first edition but was ousted from the training camp in the second edition after failing the dope test. I have served a two-year ban which finished this year yet the team management is not ready to give me a chance,” Singh said.

“Coach Harpreet Baba asked me to get a separate NADA clearance, which did on November 19,” Singh said, adding: “I was asked to pay for my own test, to which I agreed, yet they did not fix a date for it.” The 32-year-old player alleged that he had done well in the trials yet he was ignored.

Coach Harpreet Baba said, “We have picked the best possible team.”

Cardiff City, November 30
Aaron Ramsey indulged his new goalscoring habit on his return to his boyhood club as Arsenal opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory at Cardiff City on Saturday.

Welshman Ramsey, who spent eight years with the Bluebirds until his five million-pound move to north London in 2008, notched his 12th and 13th strikes of the season and was applauded by the Cardiff fans in Arsenal's 10th win of the league campaign.

Spanish teenager Gerard Deulofeu scored one and inspired Everton to a 4-0 triumph over Stoke City that took them into the top four.

Fulham manager Martin Jol was facing increased pressure after his relegation-threatened side went down 3-0 at fellow strugglers West Ham United, while Sunderland, second from bottom, drew 0-0 at Aston Villa.

Tony Pulis's first game in charge of basement club Crystal Palace ended in a 1-0 defeat at Norwich City. — Agencies

BRIEFLY

New Delhi
Railways pacer makes history, picks ten wickets: Young and unheralded Railways pacer Karan Thakur today created history by becoming the first bowler in CK Nayudu Trophy (BCCI U-25 Meet) to take all 10 wickets in an innings against Baroda at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara. The 23-year-old Delhi lad, who plays for the Railways U-25 side, recorded figures of 28.5-5-77-10 but his team lost the match by 10 wickets as the batsmen failed to score enough runs. Thakur has been regularly training at the MRF Pace Academy and also had sessions with Aussie great Glenn McGrath. "I have been fortunate to have interacted with McGrath sir a couple of times at the academy. He gave some invaluable tips on channel bowling and using the subtle variations. My strength is bowling out swingers," said a beaming Karan.

DAUGAVPILS, Latvia
Mixed day for Indians at World Snooker: Shahbaz Khan reigned supreme on the green baize with a convincing 4-2 win over Finland's Timo Salovaara while Brijesh Damani paid dearly for missing a simple blue against Matthew Bolton of Australia, losing 2-4 in the IBSF World Snooker here today. Khan potted the ball all around the table skillfully to win 50-73 69-23 72-5 10-89 55-42 64-22 . Damani, having lost the first frame, made a spirited comeback to go 2-1 up. He should have gone 3-1 up had he not missed the blue which he played to position himself for pink and black. Damani lost 20-66 63-34 81-4 42-63 37-53 27-65 on the third day of the championship.

NEW DELHI
Indian lifters sign off with 117 medals: Indian weightlifters ended their Commonwealth Youth, Junior & Senior Championships in style, bagging six medals today to take their overall tally to a staggering 117, including 57 gold, on the final day of the event in Penang, Malaysia. Besides 57 gold, Indian lifters also picked 39 silver and 21 bronze.

New Delhi
Tour de India gets recognised by UCI: The Tour de India 2013, the world's biggest cycling event, has been listed in the international calendar of the UCI. The races are scheduled to take place on Dec 15, 17 and 22 in Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi, respectively. The event witness the participation of more than 150 foreign and national cyclists. — Agencies

cape town
Philander shines in South Africa’s win over Pakistan: Swing bowler Vernon Philander sent a strong message to the South African one-day international selectors about his prowess in the 50-over game with a superb performance as the Proteas defeated Pakistan by four wickets in the final match of the series in Centurion on Saturday. Brief scores: Pakistan 179 in 46.5 overs (Misbah 79*; Philander 3/26); South Africa 181-6 in 38.4 overs (de Villiers 48*; Ajmal 2/34). — Agencies