Kingston (Jamaica), June 23
Drained after hitting another one of his typically resolute hundreds, veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid said it was tough adjusting to the conditions in the ongoing first cricket Test against the West Indies here.

Dravid, for whom the 112-run knock on the third day of the match yesterday was his 32nd Test century, confessed he found the effort physically very demanding at the Sabina Park.

"It was tough physically. I came here just three days ago. The jet lag, getting up early morning, having not played a Test for a long time and playing in these hot conditions has been very tiring," remarked Dravid, who batted for over 400 minutes for his 112 runs and hit 10 fours and a six from the 274 balls he faced.

"You could do as much physical workout; do the bike and gym and run laps of ground but the sheer effort of batting and fielding and staying on the field and then immediately come to bat, needs practice.

"I sweat a lot so physically it's always been a contest for me. That's why I have to work harder on my fitness for I know the way I bat, I have to stay in for long periods." "But it was a big Test match and I was fired up...I felt as if I was in my space. Hopefully, we can win the Test and get a day's rest." Dravid's example was lost on young batsmen, such as Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who are seen as India's next generation of Test batsmen.

"I try telling them (the youngsters) to weather the storm; go through the intensity of a spell which might last 8-10-12 overs."

"You fight your way and then it becomes easy. It's easy to get caught up when things around you are buzzing with noise; balls are flying and spinners are getting big help. You then start thinking it's hard. But if you last it out, it becomes easier," Dravid said.

"Today in the morning, Ravi Rampaul kept it tight. I knew I had to go through that spell. You need to back yourself; need to enjoy the contest. It's going to get easier and then you must be there to capitalise on it," said Dravid, allowing a rare peek in his batting methodology.

"I remember in Johannesburg (in 1997), Donald and Pollock were bowling a great spell and I thought it was really tough and I would never be able to play. You need to get through it, fight your way, grit your teeth. Suddenly, it gets easier." Dravid managed to make 148 runs in that Test which happened to be his first century in his ninth match.

Dravid claimed the intensity of the contest at Sabina Park, ironically, helped him get into his space.

"I love the contest. When you are back to the wall, it improves your concentration, your focus. It helped me focus my mind, get it in the right place and I felt in control.

"For long periods of time, I didn't score many runs but considering the wicket it probably was the right thing. " — PTI

Chandigarh, June 23
The mind alone has the power to alter reality. It is the mind that creates our world, and makes us see, sense and believe in it. Everything we do, even the physical activity, is only manifestation of a thought.

No wonder that when India won an individual gold medal at the Olympics for the first time ever in 2008, there was a mind - calmer, sharper and more aware than anything else - behind it. The man with the gun was Abhinav Bindra, but the words in his head, the thoughts in his system were those of Dr Amit Bhattacharjee, Bindra’s mental trainer of 17 years.

With Bindra now qualifying for the London Olympics, Bhattacharjee cannot afford to rest easy. He has to be on the job, trying to ensure that when the time comes, the ward is calm, composed and every bit the champion he is expected to be. Bhattacharjee is using a new technique - bio-mechanics of the nervous system - and he explains why. “Sportspersons like Abhinav, who rely so much on a relaxed mind, ironically undergo sustained stress. This in turn affects the hippocampus, a part of the limbic brain, which controls learning and memory. Stress disturbs heart rate stability and breathing patterns,” he says.

“Shooting, or for that matter archery, are sports that are highly affected by the stress hormone. This hormone is secreted by the adrenal gland and interferes with the functioning of the neurotransmitters, the chemical which brain cells use to communicate with each other.

“This hormone also diverts blood glucose to the exercising muscles, hence lesser energy reaches the brain and causes tremors. In a sport where the one moment decides everything, this can be extremely damaging. Therefore we have devised techniques to work towards easing the mind as it becomes a must in crucial situations, and it has worked really well for Abhinav,” Bhattacharjee says.

Bhattacharjee, who works with the PGIMR, Chandigarh, has been with Bindra since his starting days. The ace shooter, who is known in sporting circles for his calm and composed manner, has thanked Bhattacharjee on numerous occasions and realises the importance of having someone who understands the stress he goes through in crunch situations.

“Abhinav is very hard-working and extremely dedicated. That is why I keep moving around trying to get the best for him. We have already spent around Rs 40 lakh on getting the right equipment for his training. Also the staff at the ICMR has been a lot of help. Especially, Dr. V.M. Katoch, who is the Secretary, Health and director-general at ICMR.”

But the approach to sports in India is something that still baffles Bhattacharjee. “We concentrate so much on infrastructure, equipment and other stuff. But what the authorities forget is that all of this begins in the mind of a sportsperson. We don’t have any set-up that caters to mental training of these players but if we are trying to plan the future of sports in India, a mental training centre is an absolute must.

“In fact I would like to plead with the authorities to include it in the school syllabus, as starting early will be a massive help to all kids. Look at China, they have been doing so well because they understand the importance of a stable mind,” says Bhattacharjee, who has travelled the Far East extensively, trying to broaden his own horizons about understanding the mind. Bhattacharjee has worked with many other young sportspersons as well, ranging from the Indian archery team, to Zoravar Thiara (equestrian) and Sayantan Das (chess). He has also worked with the Army shooters at the Mhow cantonment. 

Pune, June 23
India Under-23 could only earn a 1-1 draw against Qatar Under-23 in the second leg at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune to lose the first round Pre-Olympic qualifier (AFC) 4-2 on aggregate…

Lalrindika failed to score a penalty for India in the first half but an own goal from Khaled Muftah gave Bulpin’s boys the lead in the second half. However Qatar avoided defeat as Mohammed El Neel netted the equalizer.

Despite losing 3-1 in the first leg, India coach Desmond Bulpin named an unchanged starting lineup with C.S. Sabeeth once again partnering Jeje Lalpekhlua upfront in a 4-4-2 formation. As mentioned in the preview, Milan Singh and Jagtar Singh replaced Zakeer Mundampara and Snehashish Chakraborty in the match squad.

Qatar coach Bernard Simondi made just one change from the match in Doha as Al Khalfan, the scorer of Qatar’s first goal in the first leg, dropped to the bench while Mohammed El Neel, who scored the third after coming off the bench, was given a start.

Despite having a two goal cushion, Qatar were operating in an attack minded 4-2-3-1 formation, looking to cancel out Jeje’s away goal.

Like in the first leg, Qatar skipper Hassan Al Haidous was looking dangerous in the early stages but the West Asian nation were not able to create any clear cut chances.

It was India who created the first opportunity of the game when a long throw from captain Raju Gaekwad found its way to Jeje but the Mizoram born striker failed to get a proper connection to it.

Qatar’s first shot on target came from striker Al Ansari who did well to make some room for himself, just outside the box but his effort was straight into the hands of Laxmikant Kattimani.

In the 20th minute when Qatar right wingback Murad Naji handled Jeje’s shot inside the box to give away a penalty to the hosts which Lalrindika failed to convert from the spot as his weak spot-kick was well saved for a corner by Qatar keeper Al Sheeb.

Despite having more of the possession, Qatar were not getting behind the Indian defence but just after the half an hour mark Mohammed El Neel did find himself in a good position. However his cross was easily held by Kattimani.

Meanwhile at the other end, Jewel Raja’s effort from a free-kick went straight into the arms of Al Sheeb. Jeje was involved again three minutes later when he picked up the second ball, after Sabeeth won the initial header, and tried to lob Al Sheeb but the Qatar custodian got his fingertips to it for a corner.

El Neel did put the ball in the back of the net but the flag was up and the Qatar winger got booked for playing on despite the referee’s whistle. — Agencies

Jakarta, June 23
Defending champion Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Open Super Series after registering a straight-game victory over Petya Nedelcheva in the second round on Thursday.

Fourth Seed Saina took just 31 minutes to dispose off Petya 21-18, 21-9 and will take on the winner of eighth seed Tine Baun and Japan's Ayane Kurihara in the quarterfinal on Friday.

In the first game, Saina opened up a four-point lead at 6-2 and though the Bulgarian caught up with her at 12-all, the Indian was successful in keeping her nose ahead to pocket it after a close-fight.

The 21-year-old Indian turned more aggressive in the second game and after leading 5-2 kept taking giant strides forward to widen the gap and eventually took the game away from Petya.

Saina won the Indonesian Open twice on consecutive years in 2009 and 2010. Commonwealth Games gold medallist duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa continued to have an indifferent form as the Indian pair lost a hard-fought second round match to sixth seeded combo of Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii.

The unseeded Indian pair lost 20-22, 21-18, 18-21 to their Indonesian counterpart in a women's doubles match which lasted an hour and eight minutes.

Jwala and Ashwini had suffered defeat against South Korean pair of Kyung Eun Jung and Ha Na Kim in the Singapore Open in the first round. — PTI 

London, June 23
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott feels cricket-playing countries should combine to outvote BCCI's opposition to the Decision Review System in the ICC even though most of them are "frightened to death of India's financial power". "If a majority of the ICC countries believe that the DRS is a good improvement for international cricket, they should vote for it and say, 'Sorry India, you are in a minority.' It's supposed to be a democracy around the world, where the majority takes precedence," Boycott told 'ESPNcricinfo'.

"But there is fear to offend, and some countries are totally afraid to offend India. The sooner they get around to it and say, 'No. Since a majority of us believe it is good, we're going to do it,' the better. Simple as that. India won't like it, but you can't be run by one country," he added. — PTI 

BRIEFLY

MS Dhoni for honorary rank of Lt Colonel
Ranchi: After Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in line to be conferred an honorary rank in the defence forces. Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda yesterday wrote to the Ministry of Defence recommending that Dhoni be awarded the honorary rank of Lt Colonel for his stupendous performance and leading team India to lift the World Cup trophy after a gap of 28 years, a government official told PTI here today.Former captain Kapil Dev got the honorary rank in the territorial army in 2008 while Tendulkar honoured with the rank of Group Captain in Indian Air Force in 2010.Dhoni is already a brand ambassador for Project Tiger.The Income Tax department, meanwhile, is also reportedly trying to rope in Dhoni as its brand ambassador, as the skipper had been the highest individual tax payer in Bihar and Jharkhand for the last two fiscals. — PTI

WICB calls on Gayle, WIPA says he might apologise
Kingston: The long-standing feud between Chris Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board could finally end as the WICB wants to meet him again after Players' Association vice-president Wavell Hinds said the batsman is willing to apologise if needed. Gayle was left out of the West Indies squad for the ongoing Test series against India after a June 14 meeting to sort out their differences ended on a stormy note. The feud originally started when Gayle criticised the WICB for leaving him in a lurch during his injury problems. But after months of bickering, the WICB has written to Gayle again stating that "the June 14 meeting failed as the discussions were repeatedly diverted to peripheral issues instead of being focussed on finding a constructive solution to the matter before us". "However, the Board does recognise your contributions to West Indies cricket and the value which you bring to a West Indies team; and remains available to meet with you, should you be willing to do so, so that we can bring some resolution to this matter. We await your response to discuss a mutually acceptable way forward," — PTI

BCCI didn't pressurise ICC on ICL issue: Arendse
Johannesburg: Former Cricket South Africa President Norman Arendse has rubbished ex-IPL chairman Lalit Modi's claims that the ICC was pressurised by the BCCI to ban the ICL. Modi had claimed that the ICC constitution was changed in dealing with the ICL issue but Arendse said clauses were added to its operating manual to clarify what constitutes disapproved cricket. "There were no undue processes, incentives offered or pressure exerted on the ICC to outlaw the ICL," Arendse, who was a member of the ICC's executive board at the time when the ICL and IPL were being conceptualised, told ESPNCricinfo. Arendse, who served as CSA President in 2007 and 2008, said, "The issue of the IPL was tabled at an executive meeting. "The BCCI informed the board of the ICL and the IPL and said that because the IPL was their creation, they were not prepared to endorse the ICL and give their players permission to play in it or for it to use their grounds," he said. — PTI

Bethanie goes Gaga at Wimbledon
London: Known as the ‘Lady Gaga of tennis’, Bethanie Mattek-Sands baffled the viewers when she appeared on the Wimbledon court in her second round match against Japan’s Misaki Doi in a quirky Gaga-inspired outfit. The American stepped out on court in war paint and a white bomber jacket decorated with spray-painted white tennis balls chopped in half. The outfit was complemented by an armful of colourful tattoos, socks pulled up to the knees and the face paint, reports the Daily Mail. However, the 26-year-old claimed that was actually a couple of anti-glare patches. British designer Alex Noble designed the one-sleeved white dress that the No. 31 seed wore. — ANI