New Delhi, March 19
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today defended his insistence on young players at the cost of veterans like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly during the recent tri-series in Australia and said that he had got the team he wanted.

"I was pretty clear about the players I wanted in the side. That's what I said to the selectors as well. You can see the kind of team I got," he said.

Without naming the dropped players, Dhoni said, "It's very important because the process and the timing (of the selection) were criticised a lot. But sometimes it is very important to send the message across, because sometimes people neglect the answer," Dhoni told cricinfo.

The young captain said he told his ODI team-mates to perform in view of the questions being raised about their ability to handle demanding conditions and majority of them having not played in Australia.

"What now? Why are people not asking the same questions now? Because if the result was not in our favour, what would have happened? Would the people have been really behind this side or behind individuals?" an apparently hurt Dhoni said.

"You (the critics) questioned this side but now that it's performed you need to back it," he said of India's first one-day series triumph in Australia in 23 years.

"We all knew, and you all knew, what would have happened if this side didn't do well in Australia. Now that it has done well, why don't you appreciate the performance?"

Dhoni made it clear that the aggressive tactics against Australia in the tri-series were premeditated and not fake.

"In the CB Series you hardly saw any conflict between India and Sri Lanka. If your are playing against an aggressive side, you need to play an aggressive game. Especially against Australia, you can't just look to play and win -- it's batting, bowling, fielding, aggression, everything," he said.

"Fortunately this side has got a few players who can speak and do well at the same time and won't get disturbed by it ... you need to identify those who can be pepped up and do well while they're speaking. In a way I'm fortunate to have those players in the side, rather than ask those who are not comfortable doing it ... I won't name names but there were individuals who were saying things, within the boundaries."

Dhoni asserted that this young side can play aggressive cricket and felt happy that they have set standards on how to play aggressive without affecting their game.

"We had set the standards back in India, when we played (the ODI series) against Australia. We knew what we really wanted to do on the field. If we were not up to the mark in Australia, people would have said it was fake aggression ...

It was not fake aggression, that's how this team can play," Dhoni said.

He would not also want his team-mates to rest on a few laurels like the tri-series win and said they would have to cultivate the winning habit.

"Of course you can't live by it (tri-series victory). You need to perform consistently and if you're raising the standard you have to stand by it. You have to keep on doing well," he said. — PTI 

New Delhi, March 19
Confusion and uncertainty prevailed over the role of FIH nominee Ric Charlesworth as the beleaguered Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) officials spent the whole day to sort out his exact role with the senior men's team here today.

According to sources, the IHF, despite adopting a tough posture, is aware of the pitfalls in case Charlesworth's role is not defined as early as possible because the FIH's executive board is meeting on March 25 in which it is likely to take decision whether to stay put with New Delhi as 2010 World Cup venue or change it.

''This is a real danger, it seems a couple of countries have now shown interest for hosting this event, one of which is Spain which had hosted the first edition of the World Cup in Barcelona in 1971,'' the sources added.

Sources told that Charlesworth may be offered post of ''expert coach'' of the men's senior team but till this evening this could not be confirmed.

Charlesworth has made it very clear that he will like to be associated with the senior national team and will not settle for coaching only the U-21 and U-19 teams.

There is a section in the IHF which is against giving Ric Charlesworth a bigger role in the hockey affairs of the country alleging that he is being imposed on it by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

IHF chief KPS Gill, secretary K Jothikumaran, chief coach J Carvalho, Karnataka hockey association official Krishnamurthy, IWHF secretary Amrit Bose, Chandigarh Hockey Association boss Chandershekher, SAI's PC Kashyap and others officials were involved in a day-long discussions.

Later, Ric Charlesworth and FIH official Bob Davidzon also joined the parleys and after staying for more than three hours inside the IHF chief's official residence, where the meeting took place, left without talking to the media.

Meanwhile, coach Carvalho has said that,''What ever is good for Indian hockey we should all accept that.''

He, however, refused to comment whether he has been asked to continue as the coach of the national team by Mr Gill.

Though the IHF continued to remain tight-lipped, a source who attended the meeting, said "suggestions were sought from various members about how to get out of this stage."

The source added that "nothing had been finalised yet" on the future of roles of Charlesworth and Carvalho as discussions were still on.

"Gill wants to seek views of every member. He even wants to know what the media thinks about the whole issue," he said.

It is learnt that even Gill did not want to tell the office-bearers anything about Charlesworth as the Sports Ministry and he are still having talks with the Australian.

The source said that a strong lobby was there for the removal of Carvalho from the chief coach's post, but the IHF chief did not appear very keen for that keeping in mind India's forthcoming assignment in Australia next month.

"Maybe his future would come up for discussion after that tournament," he added.

A member also raised the question as to why certain players were not included in the team for the Olympic qualifiers in Chile.

The discussion will continue tomorrow and there is a chance that the participants of the meetings held in the last two days maybe invited once again for another round of talks next week.

After several hours of deliberation, Bose told the assembled mediapersons "we are moving forward," while Charlesworth and Davidzon did not take questions. — Agencies

Melbourne, March 19
Urging the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) not to "cannibalise" teams, West Indies coach John Dyson has requested them to allow three of his key players - Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul - to play the first two Tests against Australia.

With West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) admitting that batting mainstays Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul might miss the first two Tests against Australia owing to their IPL commitments, Dyson reminded the IPL authorities their promise not to tinker with the existing international calendar.

"It was my understanding that the IPL chiefs have said that international cricket remains the priority, and now it is up to them to keep their promise," Dyson told 'Sydney Morning Herald' from Guyana.

"...with the amounts of money currently involved, if an IPL franchise was to pressure our players into completing the tournament, they would be in a very difficult situation," he said.

"It's important, then, that they don't cannibalise international or domestic competitions as they stand, because they will presumably need players to come through in the future," Dyson said.

The coach, however, believed he would have all the players at his disposal well before the series against Australia started.

"I expect the IPL to keep their promise, and I expect our players to be back here a week before the Australian series. If they don't, then it's up to the (West Indies) board to decide what the appropriate action is," Dyson said.

IPL Chairman Lalit Modi, meanwhile, put the ball in WICB's court and said, "If the players you have named have made a special arrangement with the board, we will not refuse them.

"But we will request them to talk to their board first and seriously think about their situation. Players should realise their respective boards are their bread and butter.

Earning a few thousand dollars is not worth the risk of compromising your relationship with the home board in the long term," he said.

"At the end of the day, if you are not representing your country, the IPL does not want you. So players should always be mindful of the importance of their relationship with their home board. In our view, the Future Tours Program comes first, the IPL second. The FTP should be sacrosanct," said the BCCI official.

Dyson admitted it was a huge dilemma for the players and had sympathy for the cricketers as well.

"(West Indies quick) Tino Best gave an interview here recently, and I think he said it best. He said when he goes down to his grocery store, it doesn't matter that he plays for Barbados and bowls 90mph. The grocery, like everyone, want money, and not reputation. That is the reality of the situation for teams like ourselves, and I suppose New Zealand," he said. — PTI

New Delhi, March 19
Breaking a long-held tradition, rules were waived to give Virender Sehwag his third out-of-turn promotion by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in recognition of his sterling displays for the Indian cricket team in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and the recent series in Australia.

The ONGC also gave out of turn promotion to the other two star performers of the Indian team Down Under, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma, while Praveen Kumar was handed over his appointment letter and Munaf Patel a memento. The ONGC broke its own rule of never giving out of turn promotion to a player more than twice, when Sehwag was handed over his promotion letter at a felicitation function here.

"What can we do, when we have Viru with us", said ONGC chairman and managing director R.S.Sharma jocularly, when he announced the third out- of-turn promotion for Sehwag.

Later, Sehwag said he took note of the fact that only Munaf Patel was left out of the "out of turn promotion" bracket, as he was regularised in the ONGC only recently.

R.C.Sharma described the five star cricketers in the ONGC rolls as the "panch ratnas" of not only the cash-rich oil corporation, but also Indian cricket, while announcing out of turn promotion for cue sport ace Pankaj Advani, shooter Jaspal Rana, chess queen Koneru Humpy and badminton champion Chetan Anand. Chetan Anand came to the function after helping ONGC lift the badminton team title in the Public Sector Sports Board Championship at the Siri Fort Complex.

Virender Sehwag was accorded the rare honour for being an "achiever of rare distinction", who is a "shining example of talent and commitment" while south paw Gautam Gambhir was rewarded for his "silent, but determined performance" which allowed his "bat to do all the talking".

Ishant Sharma was a "commoner" when ONGC drafted him into their rolls, but in less than a year, the lanky Delhi pacer has captured the imagination of the cricketing world with his rocking bowling feats Down Under.

The Praveen Kumar, who had been consistently delivering in domestic cricket for the past three years, was indeed the "find" of the triangular series in Australia, when he caught the eye of the cricketing world with his searing bowling displays with swing and pace, which earned him two man of the match awards out of the three he played.

Praveen Kumar was set to join ONGC before the Australian tour, but then things happened so suddenly that he flew to Australia to play in the triangular series and make his mark, which really hastened his appointment in the "Navratna" company of the country. 

New Delhi, March 19
Mercurial Indian pacer S Sreesanth today admitted that the threat of an ICC ban has helped him control his temper, which has landed him in trouble on several occasions.

"If I mess up the ICC may ban me for at least three Tests and I keep this thing in mind when I take the field," Sreesanth, who was here to launch a scholarship programme for kids, told reporters today.

"That is one of the reasons that has made me 'shanth' (quiet) now. Even my name says santh. Ayurvedic treatment and yoga is also helping me stay calm," he quipped.

The flamboyant pacer, who has a history of being involved in on-field spats with rival teams, said he has finally learnt to draw the line.

"For instance in Australia, I told myself that there is a very thin line between foolishness and bravery. So everytime I got angry over something, I just rushed back to my run-up to calm myself," he said.

In fact, the tour Down Under was uncharacteristically quiet for Sreesanth where neither his temper nor his bowling could put him in spotlight but the Kerala bowler said he did have his moments despite coming back from an injury layoff.

"I couldn't do all that well in Australia because I was coming back from a shoulder injury and had very little practice going into the series," he explained.

"But I did play my role at crucial junctures and hopefully I will do better in the upcoming series against South Africa," he added.

On the shoulder niggle that has been troubling him, Sreesanth said ayurvedic treatment has helped him recover from a condition where a surgery would have taken him off the game for at least six months. — PTI

Indian Wells (USA), March 19
Ailing with wrist pain, Sania Mirza faltered against defending champion Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in their pre-quarterfinal match at the $2,100,000 Pacific Life Open WTA championships here. 

After a miserable first set, Sania tried to put up some resistance in the second set, stretching it to a tie-breaker but lost 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to the fifth-seeded Slovak yesterday.

Sania was rendered helpless in the first set as Hantuchova saved all eight break points. It looked like a similar story in the second set. Sania was trailing 0-5 but the Indian rallied to level scores 5-5 and made it 6-5 but Hantuchova snatched her lead back and the match went into tie-breaker.

Hantuchova will meet former champion Maria Sharapova of Russia in the quarterfinals.

Sania, seeded 21st, said she played in pain as her recurrent wrist injury had flared up.

"It's very, very painful. I don't know how I was playing out there as the ball was just flying out because I couldn't move my wrist," the Indian said after the match.

Sania also said the windy conditions here had aggravated her problem by affecting her timing of shots.

But Sania is hoping to be in shape for her doubles match after some treatment. "I still have a day. It could be fine by tomorrow morning. It just depends on the day."

Hantuchova said she was expecting a tough match against Sania but felt great to win without losing a set.

"I thought it was a great match. Sania is a great hitter. I was expecting really a tough one, and just being able to be in the quarters without losing a set feels really great."

Leander Paes and Paul Hanley of Australia were ousted in the quarterfinals of the men's doubles event at the $3.589 million ATP event yesterday.

The eighth seeded Paes and Hanley suffered a meek 2-6, 1-6 loss against their third seeded opponents Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, who advanced to the semifinals of the hardcourt event.

Another Indian in the fray, Mahesh Bhupathi, paired with Mark Knowles of Bahamas, is seeded sixth in the event. The duo will play their quarterfinal match against fourth seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram of Israel.

Erlich and Ram defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu of France and Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2 in their first round match late last night. — PTI

Doral (USA), March 19
India's latest golfing sensation S.S.P. Chowrasia and seasoned campaigner Jeev Milkha Singh will spearhead the Indian challenge in the elite WGC-CA Championship, which gets underway here tomorrow.

Chowrasia has been paired with Korean K.J. Choi and Henrik Stenson of Sweden while Jeev will have Retief Goosen and Sean O'Hair for company in the first two rounds.

Last month's Indian Masters triumph catapulted Chowrasia to the top 10 of the European Tour Order of Merit, also earning him a berth for the prestigious event and the son of a former greenkeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club will find himself in an elite league, headlined by the peerless Tiger Woods.

On the other hand, Jeev has twice seen the silverware slip through his fingers this season, including the play-off defeat at the Ballantine's Championship in Korea last weekend.

Jeev, who finished tied 28th last season, however, believes his game was good enough to challenge the best in the business.

"I'm looking forward to Doral now because I'm playing well," he said at the weekend. So maybe, there's something better waiting for me there," Jeev said.

Daniel Chopra will also be in the mix and the Indian-born Swede has been paired with Jim Furyk and James Kingston in the first two rounds of the $8 million event. — PTI

Nice (France), March 19
World champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Peter Leko of Hungary in the rapid game of the fourth round of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid chess tournament here.

The loss proved quite costly for Anand as he lost his lead position in both rapid section and combined standings.

As things stand, Levon Aronian of Armenia, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria share the lead with five points each in the combined standings and Anand is now sole fourth on four points.

In the rapid section, Aronian overtook Anand after beating Magnus Carlsen of Norway and is now sole first on 3 points.

Anand shares the joint second spot in this section on 2.5 points along with Topalov, Leko, and Ivanchuk.

It's a four-way lead in the blindfold and Ivanchuk, Carlsen, Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia are at the helm on 2.5 points each. With 50 per cent score here, Anand is joint fifth on two points.

Things did not go as planned for Anand in the rapid game. Playing the black side of a Sicilian defence, Anand was under pressure when Leko went for an ultra sharp variation and won in just 28 moves.

Earlier, the blindfold game between the two featured a Caro Kann defence where Anand played white. Leko was apparently satisfied with his result from the opening that gave him a reasonable position and Anand decided to repeat moves to split the point.

Ivanchuk celebrated his 39th birthday in style. The Ukrainian beat compatriot Sergey Karjakin in the rapid game and joined the leading group after drawing the blindfold played earlier in the day.

Boris Gelfand of Israeli lost on time in the blindfold game against Loek Van Wely. It was the first time that any player lost his game this way and Gelfand complained of a problem in the software.

According to the version of the Israeli, he was trying to make a move in the blindfold game when the move he intended to play was termed as illegal.

While he tried to think of another move, his time ran out. Later, the arbiters found everything in order and Van Wely was given the point.

The blindfold games are played on a computer screen here with only the last played move is visible to the player whose turn it is to move. — PTI

BRIEFLY

CA welcomes Hair's reinstatement
Sydney: Cricket Australia on Wednesday welcomed Darrell Hair's reinstatement as a Test umpire, saying the controversial official should be able to oversee matches in any Test nation, including Pakistan. The Australian was barred from standing in top-level cricket matches following an abandoned Test between England and Pakistan in 2006, which ended with Pakistan conceding the first Test forfeit in the game's history. Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young said Hair remained one of the game's most technically proficient officials. Hair has said he will be prepared to umpire in Pakistan if called upon to do so, although the Pakistan Cricket Board have shown no sign of altering their stance that what they regard as Hair's error of judgement in the 2006 Test makes him unfit to officiate top-level matches. — AFP

Inzy shocked at Hair recall
Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who was at the helm of the Oval fiasco, has expressed "shock" over the reinstatement of umpire Darrell Hair by the ICC and asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to further review the issue. "It has come as a shocker to me. Especially after all that happened in the Oval Test and afterwards. What more proof they required (that) Hair was not fit to stand in international matches," Inzamam told PTI over phone. Inzamam, currently playing in the Indian Cricket League, felt the Pakistan board needed to learn something from the way the Indian board backed its players on contentious issues and take a stronger stand on the issue. — PTI

Chappell selects 5 youngsters
New Delhi: The trend of smaller centres throwing up talented cricketers continued with four of the five youngsters selected by former India coach Greg Chappell at a trial session hailing from outside the metro cities. Naman Sharma, Gaurav Goel, Abhishek Singh, Bharat Awasthi and Ravindra Solanki were the ones to catch the Aussie legend's eye and would undergo a 10-day coaching stint at an academy in Jaipur starting March 21. Out of the five, only Abhishek, a 19-year-old fast bowler, hails from the capital while the other four are products of smaller cities in Uttar Pradesh. Bharat is a 20-year-old left-arm spinner from Kanpur while Ravindra, all of 19, calls Bareilly his home. Naman, an all-rounder, is from Ghaziabad while batsman Gaurav is from Meerut. — PTI

Dhoni incurs PETA's wrath
New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday incurred the wrath of the Indian wing of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which lashed out at India's one-day captain for recently sacrificing a goat at a Ranchi temple to celebrate Indian cricket team's tri-series triumph in Australia. PETA has shot a letter to the Indian captain asking him to refrain from such acts in future. Claiming that they have been flooded with calls and e-mails from people who were "horrified" by the incident, PETA India's chief functionary Anuradha Sawhney condemned the incident and reminded Dhoni that he was a role model to his innumerable fans. — PTI