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Fatigue Factor: How much will it cost India?
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Nadal, Ivanovic crash out
This combo of two pictures of Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic shows them during their respective matches in Paris on Sunday. — AFP
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Delhi eves, lads emerge champs
Hiddink savours dream end to Chelsea reign
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Fatigue Factor: How much will it cost India?
But the concerns start when Dhoni goes further, elaborating that team’s most experienced pacer Zaheer Khan was less than fully fit. The skipper hoped that the injured left-arm bowler would be available for the holders’ lung-opener against Bangladesh on June 6 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The Indian bowling spearhead Zaheer missed a larger part of the just-concluded IPL-2 in South Africa. Though nothing emerged officially about the fitness of Zaheer, his continued absence pointed to the recurrence of the shoulder injury. The left-arm seamer played just matches before the injury surfaced. The bowler took six wickets at the economy rate of 6.76. With just five days to go for the key event and the top India bowler having injury concerns is not an encouraging sign. Ishant Sharma, his new ball partner, would not be entering the T20 World Cup neither with a fresh pair of legs or ideas. Leading the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling attack, the wiry Ishant bowled his heart out. The modest success that he achieved with the ball (11 matches 11 wickets, economy rate 6.90 with 2-15 best figures) and the fact that his team was the favourite punching bag in the tournament, earning the dubious distinction of finishing last in the tournament, will definitely be in the back of his mind. Ishant admitted that the 37-day event was the toughest period of his life which saw his team go through 10-game winless streak. How well a young Ishant is able to cope up with the situation remains the moot question.
Gambhir had been in awesome form prior to the IPL-2, scoring an avalanche of runs in the previous series. His marathon 643-minute effort saw him graft match-saving 137 in Napier against New Zealand, prompted Sehwag to comment that his Delhi mate was the best opener India had produced after legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Intimidating exploits in the field spelled speculation that, particularly from Martin Crowe that Sehwag was the most destructive contemporary batsman. But the IPL saw a sudden dip in his performance. At times, a lacklustre Sehwag looked like going through the motions as the Delhi Daredevils who were ousted in the semifinals. While Gambhir finished the league with 286 runs from 15 games at 22.00 per match with just one fifty, Sehwag fared even worse and had to be content with 198 runs from 11 matches at 19.80 runs, again with a lone fifty. Dhoni did admit that the fatigue factor was an issue but was wishful in saying that he was confident that the players will soon get back to their best. But in a competition when a slight slip could prove dear, India would have been better served if they more gap between the two events to rest the tired limbs. One fondly wishes India all the best in the premier event. How much toll the gruelling 37-day IPL grind has taken on players only time will tell. If it fails to measure up to the people’s colossal expectations or do justice to their potential, will the “overkill” of the game not be a key reason?
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Nadal, Ivanovic crash out
Paris, May 31 Soderling paid little attention to the script as he brought the world number one down on his knees in a 3-1/2 hour tussle. "I have to accept with the same calm when I win than when I lose. After four years, I lose here, and the season continues," a gracious Nadal told a news conference. Nadal, who had thrashed Soderling 6-1 6-0 in Rome last month, said he could not keep his nerve in they moments of the match. "Sure, he did well. He did very well but I didn't play my best tennis. I didn't play my tennis, and for that reason I lose. That's it," he said. "I was not calm enough to face the important points, so I had to fight. But sometimes fighting is not enough. You have to play a good level of tennis. "Sometimes people think I win because I'm physically fit, but, no. When I win, it's because I play well, and that wasn't the case today." Soderling, seeded 23rd, was jubilant. "I told myself this is just another match," said the jubilant 23rd seed, who will next face either Nadal's fellow Spaniard, 10th seed Fernando Verdasco, or Russian Nikolay Davydenko. "All the time, I was trying to play as if it was a training session. When I was 4-1 up in the tiebreak, I started to believe. "I tried to keep telling myself I had to believe. I played a great match. If he thinks he plays bad, that's his choice." A half-hearted Ana Ivanovic surrendered her French Open crown without much of a fight when she was totally outclassed in the fourth round by a Belarussian teenager who never lost belief. Victoria Azarenka has been rising up the ranks steadily and she finally announced her arrival on the big stage when she condemned the Serbian eighth seed to a 6-2 6-3 defeat. As Ivanovic bid an early farewell to Roland Garros, champion-in-waiting Dinara Safina's headlong charge towards a maiden grand slam title showed no sign of running out of steam. The Russian top seed flattened Aravane Rezai 6-1 6-0 to charge into the quarter-finals. Men's third seed Andy Murray was also in sparkling form as he strung together four successive wins on his least favourite surface for the first time by stamping out the challenge of Croatia's Marin Cilic with a 7-5 7-6 6-1 win. Murray let out a big yawn as he walked on to Suzanne Lenglen Court but it was Cilic who was soon wishing he had stayed in bed when 40 unforced errors flew off his racket to help the Scot on his way. The win not only made him the first Briton to reach the last eight since 2004 but kept Murray in the race against Roger Federer to secure the world number two spot by the end of the tournament. Former world number one Justine Henin urged Safina to stamp her mark on the sport and the Russian appears to have taken the message to heart, dropping only five games in four rounds at the claycourt major. Slovak Dominika Cibulkova made it through to the last eight of a grand slam for the first time when she outwitted Hungarian Agnes Szavay 6-2 6-4. The 20th seed sealed victory over Venus Williams's conqueror with a sweetly struck forehand down the line after a long rally. Fernando Gonzalez lived up to his nickname of 'Speedy' as he darted into the last eight with a 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over Romanian 30th seed Victor Hanescu. The Chilean has yet to drop a set at this year's event. — Reuters
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Delhi eves, lads emerge champs
Patiala, May 31 He said that he had once seen the game on his foreign tour and was unaware that the game had now reached India. He was glad that Punjab was one of the pioneer states in which the game had prospered a lot. He congratulated the association for their efforts. Association president Harjit Singh Sohi and general secreatry T.C. Sharma expressed relief on the successful completion of game. Sharma said initially players were apprehensive about the tournament keeping in the view the situation of Punjab at that time but with time everything was under control. The teams which participated in the championship were:Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, India Public Schools, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, PEPSU and Punjab. Results (Men category): In the final match, Delhi drubbed Rajasthan by 3-0 and lifted the trophy. On the other hand, Uttarakhand defeated Chattisgarh by 5-3 to win the bronze medal. (Women category): Delhi defeated Punjab by 2-0 in a very tough match and won the championship whereas bronze medal was bagged by Haryana. They defeated Uttar Pradesh by 3-2. |
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Hiddink savours dream end to Chelsea reign
Chelsea's players presented Hiddink with an engraved watch and a signed shirt as a thank-you for his revitalising four-month spell in charge, but the only gift both the manager and his players really wanted was the cup. After Louis Saha's stunning goal just 25 seconds into the match, Chelsea showed the calmness that Hiddink demands of his players and equalised through Didier Drogba before Lampard hit the long-range strike that sealed a 2-1 win. Although he has enjoyed European Cup-winning success with PSV Eindhoven, as well as impressive World Cup campaigns with Australia and South Korea, Hiddink hailed the victory as one of his finest. "It was one of the biggest achievements of my career, winning in the Mecca of world football, the FA Cup is something you cannot believe," Hiddink said. — AFP
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Chandigarh, May 31
Paris, May 31
Four-times champion Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday, beaten 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6 by Sweden's Robin Soderling in one the biggest shocks ever seen at Roland
Garros. The world number one, who was seeking a record fifth successive title, had taken a 31-0 record into the contest as he had not lost a match at the claycourt grand slam since his Paris debut in 2005.
Chandigarh, May 31
Concerns are already there regarding the continued slump in the form the opening duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. There are reports of the dangerous openers being thwarted by the fatigue factor due to the non-stop cricket played by the team over the past so many months.
The last edition of the T20 World Cup, which pushed Dhoni & Co into the limelight, was a turning point in
Rohit Sharma’s career.
RP Singh was instrumental in cleaning up the top orders and paving the way for Mahi’s men to become champions in ’07.
London, May 31
Lee expects tight Ashes
Newcastle for sale