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India-Lanka-NZ
Tri-Series
GND, Punjabi varsities fight like children: Gill
Amir rips thorugh England batting
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Arjuna Awards for AI employees
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Saina crashes out of World Championship
Patiala girl in CWG archery squad
Sutil second fastest
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India-Lanka-NZ
Tri-Series
The third team in fray, New Zealand, is out of the equation after India handed it a 105-run thrashing in the last league match of the series. Fitting the drama that has unfolded in the past two weeks, including the now infamous no ball that Suraj Randiv bowled to deny Virender Sehwag a hundred, India and Sri Lanka have made the finals and it is hard to pick a winner in conditions where the toss of the coin has been of decisive significance. The 105-run triumph over New Zealand may make it seem that India are in a destructive form but the fact remains that had it not been Sehwag's individual brilliance, the Indians could well have found it hard to put it past the depleted but spirited Kiwis. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has admitted that barring Sehwag all the batsmen are struggling on the tricky pitches here and mastering the conditions would be the biggest challenge for both the teams in the match which might also have some tense moments given the build-up so far. Randiv's deliberate no ball incident has added some zing to the rivalry between the two sides, whose way-too-often face offs were becoming dull. Words have been exchanged in the pre and post-match press conferences but in the end, it will boil down to the cricket played on the pitch and that's where the Lankans came out trumps in the league encounter. Thisara Perera decimated the Indian batting and left Dhoni's men to deal with the humiliation of their worst-ever defeat in terms of number of balls left. To their credit, the Indians bounced back well in the do-or-die match against the Kiwis but that could not hide their batting frailties, most significantly the lack of application by the youngsters. In the absence of senior batsmen in Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, it has been left to the Virat Kohlis and Suresh Rainas to deliver for the team but they have let Dhoni down so far. Sehwag's individual brilliance cannot be counted upon to bail India out in every situation and it is important that the rest of the batsmen, including the attacking Yuvraj Singh find their feet. But that would not be an easy task against the disciplined Lankan bowling which has discovered a deadly weapon in Perera. Add to this the ever-reliable Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews and the Indian batsmen may once again find the going tough. Unlike the Indians, the Lankan batting line-up has a settled look with veterans Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakkara and the explosive Tillakaratne Dilshan in reasonably good form. It remains to be seen how the Indian pace troika of Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma contain the islanders this time after being given just 103 runs to defend in the demoralising league-stage defeat. — PTI |
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CWG has a ‘bitter pill’ to swallow
New Delhi, August 27 The company claims it has entered into a contract with the CWG, which the OC denies. Kunnath Pharmaceuticals, which owns the powerful ayurvedic medicine, last week went to town to promote its revitalising drugs. Hemmed in by series of controversies of late, the OC believed that the company was deliberately hitting below its belt and bringing the games a bad name. “Had a big multinational like Pepsi or Coke used the same advertisement, there would have been no problem. But when smaller players like us use it, it becomes a matter of shame for them. The OC should have made its preferences clear right at the outset,” said Mathew Samuel, president, operations and corporate affairs, of the company. He defended the products of the company and said Musli Power Xtra was a natural product for sportspersons with revitalising properties. Hence, the association is under the ‘Official licencee for Health Power”, he said. The company said their contract with merchandising partner of the Organising Committee (OC), Premier Brands, is very much valid as the company has ‘not pulled out of its contract’ contrary to the media reports. “Premier Brands is dealing with the merchandising and licensing under 17 categories for the Commonwealth Games and it had approached us seeing a good business preposition and we went ahead to enter into a contract with the company. It is completely wrong that the company is no more partners with the OC. Both are still negotiating the terms,” said Samuel. What may cause more bemusement in the OC is that the company has also purchased the right to set up four stalls around 13 stadiums for the promotion of company products. “We have also got the permission to set up stalls around the stadiums for promotional purposes, as per the contract. At present we have the authorization for only four stalls and we are seeking for two more,” said Samuel.
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GND, Punjabi varsities fight like children: Gill
New Delhi, August 27 The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had announced yesterday that the MAKA Trophy for the year 2008-09 and 2009-2010 would be awarded to Punjabi University (Patiala) and GND varsity (Amritsar), respectively. But Punjabi contested the Ministry's decision as they felt that the GND varsity were selected for the MAKA Trophy without following proper selection criteria and without convening a meeting of the selection committee. But Sports Minister Dr M.S.Gill clarified that the MAKA Trophy selection was done by a panel of the All India Universities (AIU), headed by its secretary and eminent Vice-Chancellor Dr Beena Shah. Dr Gill told The Tribune that he had been observing a pattern for the past two years that Punjabi and GND varsity invariably fought for the MAKA Trophy, the prize money of which has been hiked from Rs 3 to Rs 10 lakh. He said it was a matter of pride for Punjab that two Universities of the State were always in the running for the MAKA Trophy. “Unfortunately, they fight like children, which is doing no good to Punjab. Both took their battle to court this year, and while GND varsity have withdrawn the case, Punjabi are persisting with it”, Gill explained. He said he took steps two years ago to enhance the value of the MAKA Trophy, and even considerably jacked up the prize money. He said the unhealthy competition between GNDU and Punjabi was brought to his notice by other Universities, who number over 350 across the country. “They fight like children. They challenge the rules,” he added. The Ministry had appointed a committee of experts to simplify the precedure and tighten the rules so that nobody could challenge the choice of the awardees. He said these universities should display sportsmanship and be “proud winners and gracious losers”. Dr Gill said from next year, nobody would be appointed in the selection panel of the MAKA Trophy from neither Punjab, nor neighbouring States like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh or even Chandigarh.
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Amir rips thorugh England batting
London, August 27 Their plight would have been much worse had it not been for a composed and technicall assured innings of 77 not out from Jonathan Trott. He was given excellent support from Stuart Broad (46 not out), who hooked Amir for an effortless six, and shared an unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 83. — Reuters Brief Score: At Tea England 185 for 7 (Trott 77*, Broad 46*, Amir 6-47) vs Pakistan.
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Brasa-HI fall out over Prabhjot’s recall
New Delhi, August 27 Brasa reportedly lashed out at HI and his employers Sports Authority of India (SAI) for not allowing him to select the team as is the trend in most countries. The Spaniard's repeated requests to call back Prabhjot to the camp has fallen on the deaf ears of HI. The 30-year-old Prabhjot, a senior member in the Indian team, was dropped from the squad after India's poor performance in the World Cup at home. India finished eighth in the tournament and senior players like Prabhjot, Deepak Thakur, who were seen as the faces of the revolt against HI on the issue of pending payments, and Sandeep Singh were dropped from the squad. Though Sandeep was later recalled, Prabhjot and Deepak were not fortunate enough. Brasa had been vocal in his demand of getting a free hand in the selection of the team. Meanwhile, Hockey India today lashed out at India's chief coach Jose Brasa for his criticism of the Sports Authority of India and the national body, saying the Spaniard is trying to portray himself as a "martyr" after failing to deliver in his job. His comments have infuriated HI, whose secretary general Narinder Batra said instead of Brasa, it was SAI which had been tolerating the antics of the Spaniard."I talked to a few players and they said whatever knowledge he had, he has given it in the initial few months and now he has nothing new to give. He has no idea about drag-flicks so we had to bring in Jugraj Singh with the team,' he said. Batra alleged that Brasa was creating divisions within the team."He is the biggest mischief creator I have ever seen. He is breaking the team. If HI is asked, we would prefer (national coach) Harendra Singh any day," he said. The HI official, however, admitted that Brasa was right on his point that in no top hockey playing country in the world the selectors pick the team barring India and Pakistan. But he refused to accept that the Spaniard had no say in the selection process. SC go-ahead to HI for CWG
The Supreme Court today allowed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Hockey India (HI) to field the men's and women's teams in the October Commonwealth Games. "We direct as an interim measure that IOA and HI will field the Indian team for men amd women hockey in the Commonwealth Games," a Bench comprising R V Raveendran and H L Gokhale said. The order was passed after Hockey India's rival Indian Hockey Federation admitted that it was not affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Indian Olympic Association also said that it recognised only Hockey India as the National Federation.
—PTI/IANS |
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Saina crashes out of World Championship
Paris, August 27 The Chinese shuttler opened up a 3-0 lead in the first game but Saina made it 6-6 before Wang won eight straight points to hold her fort. The second game was no better as once again the Chinese opened up a 3-0 lead early and kept the distance growing. The Hyderabadi tried her bit but could not sustain for long as her World Championship hopes ended in smoke. Jwala-Diju also lose
Struggling with a sore back, ace shuttler V Diju and his mixed doubles partner Jwala Gutta suffered a straight-game defeat to South Korea's Sung Hyun Ko and Jung Eun in the quarterfinals of the World badminton Championships here today. The ninth seed Indians lost 16-21, 19-21 to the 12th seed Koreans in a 31-minute battle to end India's hopes in the mixed doubles category. It was apparent mid-way through the first game when Diju clutched his lower back that movement at the back court was getting painful for him.Still he managed to earn points but the errors piled on. Jwala Gutta did her bit at the net and once in a while played back court but couldn't stem the aggression of the South Korean pair.
— PTI |
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Patiala girl in CWG archery squad
Patiala, August 27 With this, Gagandeep, a BPEd student of Akal Academy for Physical Education, Mastuana Sahib, Punjabi University, has become the first-ever Punjab archer to be selected for the CWG. The other two archers in the compound round team are Jhanu Hansda and Bhagyawati Chanu. Talking to The Tribune, Gagandeep Kaur said she was overwhelmed by her performance and could not hide her excitement. She said, “It’s been almost one year since I had been practising for this day and finally here I am - a part of the Commonwealth squad. This is like a dream come true. I am thankful to my coach Jiwanjot Singh, director, Sports, Rajkumar Sharma, and president of Punjab Archery Association KS Kang for their cooperation. I would also like to thank my parents for their support”. Gagandeep has already proved her worth in the Asian Championship and Commonwealth event by winning medals. Rajkumar Sharma said the university would give her a suitable cash reward on her return. Her coach said she was a very sincere student and would certainly win a medal in the Games as well. “The Punjab Archery Association has announced the reward of a bow for her and I will give her a cash prize of Rs 51,000. Though there is no encouragement from the state government, achieving this landmark is something really big,” Kang added.
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Spa-Francorchamps, August 27 Sutil's team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi was 15th on the timesheet after the Italian posted 1:51.520 secs on the clock. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was the quickest of the day with a timing of 1:49.032 secs, while Sutil's close mate Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes set the third fastest time. Renault's Robert Kubica was fourth fastest, followed by Felipe Massa of Ferrari. Championship leader Mark Webber struggled in the wet conditions to be 18th on the time sheet. Earlier, in the opening practice session Sutil set the fifth quickest time while Liuzzi was 15th. Alonso also topped the opening free practice session in the morning which was greeted by heavy rains and a cloudy sky.
— PTI
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India would look to avenge the league stage humiliation and clinch their second successive ODI trophy on Sri Lankan soil when they take on the hosts in what promises to be a high-voltage summit clash of the cricket tri-series.
London, August 27
Paris, August 27
Gagandeep has already proved her worth in the Asian Championship and Commonwealth event by winning medals
Dambulla , August 27
New York: