Hyderabad, October 12
The Indian team, sans Gautam Gambhir, who is presently playing in the Challenger Trophy at Nagpur, arrived here today and had a lenghty practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium ahead of their first ODI against England here on October 14.

England, having arrived early, and played two good practice games against Hyderabad XI, which they won by convincing margins, opted to rest. The visitors have tested both their batting and bowling strengths, and might have been pleased by the results they got during the practice games.

But Indian captain Mahender Singh Dhoni and his colts could arrive here only today as some of them were busy playing in the Champions Challenge T20 Championship.

And they made full use of the time available to practice. They first had a limbering up session of football, before moving into the practice nets outside. But before that, Dhoni tested his keeping skills on the main ground, where two wickets are being prepared for the ODI.

No indication was available which turf would eventually get the nod, but an official of the Hyderabad Cricket Association said the idea would be to provide an ideal pitch, which would aid both the bowlers and the batsmen.

Since two white balls will be used for the first time in an ODI after the 1992 World Cup, the bowlers and batsmen will get an even chance to show their mettle, and the pitch will not be loaded for just one tribe.

Understandably, the Indian team gave equal importance to both batting and bowling at the nets, and Dhoni in particular had a lengthy go at his batting.

In the later part of the ODI series in England, Dhoni had come good with the bat, when the top guns misfired. Though none talk of a grudge series against England, as a retribution to the 8-0 walloping India suffered in England (4-0 in Tests, 3-0 in ODIs and 1-0 in T20), the Indian players are obviously looking forward to draw blood, to show the visitors that the hosts would be lions in their own backyard, as the English had done back home recently.

The Indian team management hope that in the absence of stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, the lesser players will get a chance to showcase their talent, and it was now upto the young boys to seize the chance with both the hands. India will be looking forward, in particularly, to the emergence of some match-winning bowlers, as the injured Zaheer Khan is out, and others had not really lived up to their potential in England.

There is good response for ticket sales, though Hyderabad had been immobilised for the past 23 days due to public transport strike, expressing solidarity with the ongoing Telengana agitation.(Secunderabad, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and the Osmania University adjacent to the stadium all fall in the Telengana territory).

Jalandhar, October 12
Holders Indian Oil, Mumbai entered the semi-finals of the 28th Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey tournament after beating Punjab Police 4-1 in the last league match here today.

While star-studded players of Indian Oil proved their mettle, Punjab Police failed to make a mark as the absence of Gagan Ajit Singh took a heavy toll on them.

It was in the 8th minute that Indian Oil opened its account with Dharmvir Singh scoring off a penalty corner. Gagandeep Singh sounded the board from a pass by Deepak Thakur from the left flank in the 19th minute of the game to make it 2-0. At the lemon break Indian Oil were leading 2-0.

The first twenty minutes of the second half remained goalless as both teams missed chances. In the 59th minute, Indian Oil’s Sarbjeet Singh scored a field goal.

Later, Jagmit Singh and Dharmvir Singh scored for Punjab Police to complete the tally (4-1).

Nagpur, October 12
Robin Uthappa and Srikkanth Anirudha rained fours and sixes on their way to blistering centuries as India Green posted an imposing 348 for nine against India Blue in the third match of NKP Salve Challenger tournament here today.

Openers Uthappa (132) and Anirudha (111) set the VCA Stadium on fire as they tore apart India Blue bowling attack, hitting fours and sixes almost at will before the former retired hurt after a 203-run stand in just 23 overs. Uthappa had to retire as he could no longer use a runner under the new rules of the ICC meant for international matches that the BCCI decided to apply in domestic tournaments.

However, he came back to the crease after Ishank Jaggi got out in 34.1 overs and finally departed for a well-made 132 off 103 balls, studded with 14 fours and three sixes.

The opening duo of Uthappa and Anirudha hit 22 fours and six sixes during their partnership after India Green were asked to bat. Pacer Pradeep Sangwan was once at the receiving end of their ire as he was hit for three sixes in consecutive balls by Anirudha in the fourth over though he invited the batsman with short balls.

Uthappa was not the one to leave behind as three overs later he hoisted Mishra for a huge six. He followed it up with another six from the same bowler and later off Pragyan Ojha. Sangwan, who conceded four boundaries in the eighth over, was taken off after his first spell of four overs yielded 37 runs.

None of the bowlers came out unscathed as Irfan Pathan conceded 23 from two overs before being taken out while Mishra was equally costly as he bled 26 runs in his first spell of two overs.

Parameswaran and Ojha had longer first spells but bled 37 and 33 runs from five overs each, respectively. The opening duo competed each other in the batting blitzkrieg as India Green's 100 came in 11th over.

Uthappa's 50 came off 33 balls and 100 in 70 balls with 12 fours and three sixes. Anirudha was equally aggressive with his 50 coming from 39 balls and century from 78 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

Mohammed Kaif, who came in after Uthappa retired hurt, did not stay long at the crease as he was out for 11, six overs later when he was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Mishra. That led to a mini batting collapse as three wickets fell in the space of 16 balls for the addition of only 18 runs. India Green slumped from 241 for one to 259 for four. — PTI

New Delhi, October 12
Indian Olympic Association acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra today applauded the Indian archers for their performances in the current year, where they have won a record 37 medals, including 13 gold, 16 silver and 8 bronze medals.

The women archers had created waves by beating champions South Korea in the semi-finals of the World Championships at Turin and had won silver for the first time in the team event of the competition.

Hailing their achievements, Malhotra said the achievements have proved that country has immense sporting talent but it needs to be harnessed and nurtured. Malhotra, who is also the president of the Archery Association of India (AAI) said, “We are proud of our Recurve women team for their outstanding performance. Deepika Kumari deserves to be singled out for her contribution to Indian archery. The way she reached the final of the World Championship and then won a silver medal in the play-off, gives us hope that she will earn a medal in the London Games also.” Indian archers have so far clinched four quota places (three women’s, one men’s) in the London Olympics.

Malhotra also praised Jayanta Talukdar for booking a Olympic berth."India still have chance to claim two places in the men’s Recurve category through a team qualification tournament at the World Cup Stage III at Ogden (US) from June 17-23 ,” he added.

He said the same women’s team - Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro -- will represent India in the Olympics. Three others - Rimil Buriuly, Laxmi Rani Majhi and Seema Verma -- have been selected as stand-byes.

In the men’s Recurve section, Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das, Rahul Banerjee, Mangal Singh Champia and Thupuvoyi Swuro have been short-listed as Olympic probables. Of these, two will be selected through the trials to be held in 3rd week of March to join Talukdar in first three World Cups - 2012.

The AAI, for the first time, has distributed Rs.4,00,000 among the top-ranked archers based on the results of selection trials at Kolkata in September. Before this, a total cash award of Rs.32,00,000 was disbursed to top 32 elite Recurve and Compound men and women archers (Rs.1,00,0000 each) in 2011 for equipment support.

Panchkula, October 12
The Business Today Honda Pro-Am of Champions is all set to tee off at the Panchkula Golf Club on Saturday.

As many as 100 golfers would be vying for honours in the one-day event which will see three players qualifying for the National final to be held early next year.

The event will also visit Kolkata (November), Bangalore (December), Mumbai (February) before the Delhi National finals to be held in March 2012.

The event will be played on a stable ford format with 75% of the handicap being applied for scoring purposes. The individual winners in the 0-10, 11-18 and 19-24 handicap categories respectively and the winning team consisting of four players will qualify for the National final.

Apart from the main trophies, a mega prize of a brand new Honda CRV car will be awarded to the first player to card a hole-in-one on the par-3 number four hole (incidentally there has not been a single taker in the tournament’s 16-year history) and an international trip to Dubai by The Address Group to all the winners of individual categories and winning team.

Apart from the hole-in-one prize, the players will be tested in all the departments of the game such as the Closest to Pin, Longest Drive, and Straightest Drive.

The event — in its 17th year now — is being sponsored by Honda SIEL Cars India and co-sponsored by Franklin Templeton Investments & ITC Hotels while The Address is the international destination partner, Ping is the equipment partner, Neo Sports is the TV partner, Golf Digest is the official magazine partner and Ballantine the beverage partner.

The par-72 Panchkula Golf Club which has also hosted many National events is all set to host this mega event.

New Delhi, October 12
The 48th edition of the US$ 1.25 million Hero Indian Open, the richest tournament in India, is all set to tee off at the Delhi Golf Club course from tomorrow. A champagne event on the Asian Tour, the Indian Open, once again, will see some of the top Indians, as well as some reckoned faces from the European circuit, in the fray.

Among those in the line-up is Italian Edoardo Molinari, who with a world ranking of 55, is the top golfer on display here. He is determined to make the most of his debut here with a victory.

The Indian challenge boasts Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, currently No. 2 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as well as young golfers like Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who have done well on the circuit over the past couple of years.

Siddikur of Bangladesh, who has had a fine season, would be joined by Swede Rikard Karlberg, the defending champion.

Also to be seen in action will be Jyoti Randhawa, who has had some great displays at the DGC.

Molinari will be seeking a third victory in Asia but admits he needs to be at his best to upstage the stellar Asian Tour luminaries this week.

Apart from the success of the trophy and prize money, the top six and 10 players on the Order of Merit after the Indian Open will qualify for the WGC-HSBC Champions in China and CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia respectively.

Lahiri is aware of the high stakes. “There’s a lot to play for,” he said. “The winner this week will get into both those big events. But if you think about the results, you tend to forget about the routine and process so I’m going to keep it simple and play smart golf.”

Molinari is seeking his third win on the Asian Tour. However, both his successes came in 2009, so he’ll be keen to get back to winning ways. “It is my first time playing in India and it will be awesome to get a victory here,” he said. “I’ve never played in India but I’ve have played in the other Asian Tour and European Tour co-sanctioned events in Asia and I know some of these guys here will put up a strong challenge.”

Kapurthala lad Bhullar is a shining example of how even players from small towns can make it big. He has been suffering from a fever and had even thought of withdrawing.

“I have a high fever and I’m thinking of withdrawing,” he said. “But this is my National Open and I’ll try my best to step up tomorrow and do my best.”

Patiala, October 12
After the men had put their skills to the test during the World Championships at Baku, it’s now the turn of the women to prove their worth, with the beginning of the 12th Senior National Boxing Championship at the TT Nagar Stadium, Bhopal, from today.

This championship assumes added importance with the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Championship and the London Olympics fast approaching. The World Championships will be the only qualifying tournament for women's boxing at the Olympics. The event will serve as a selection trial to short-list the final core group for the World Championships and the Olympic camp, beginning from October 23 at the National Institute of Sports here.

The championship will witness some good performances with 40 medals at stake in 10 weight categories. Though many good boxers are in the fray, all eyes are fixed on one weight category - the flyweight 51-kg. Five- time world champion M.C. Mary Kom and former world champion L. Sarita Devi will both feature in this division.

Mary jumped to the 51-kg class for her preparations for the Olympics (only three categories are included in the programme for London - 51kg, 60kg and 75kg) and has come in direct competition with her Manipur colleague and reigning national champion Sarita Devi.

While both players have left no stone unturned in the preparations, Sarita Devi is looking at this opportunity to prove her worth against Mary Kom.

Talking to The Tribune, Sarita Devi said she was not scared of facing Mary. In fact, it would be great to face a tough competitor and she was well prepared. “I have been honing my skills for five to six hours every day and the addition of women’s boxing in the Olympics has certainly been a motivator,” she said.

“I know the going would be really tough but I am all set to face anyone that comes between me and my dream of winning an Olympic medal,” she added.

Sarita picked up boxing early and burst into National limelight after winning gold in the 2005 Senior Women’s National Championships and followed it up with a spectacular performance in the 2005 Asian Women’s Boxing Championships where she won gold.

In 2008, she won gold in the Asian Championships and International Witch Cup and a bronze in the World Championships. Recognising her contributions to boxing, the Government of India honoured her with the Arjuna Award in 2009. Competing in the 51 kg category, Sarita, besides being a world champion, has won the National championship four times and the Asian Championship four times consecutively.

Patiala, October 12
As many as 10 samples of kabaddi players out of 21 have tested positive for banned substances after the report was declared by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) today.

Talking to The Tribune, Director Genral of NADA Rahul Bhatnagar said that in the wake of the forthcoming World Kabaddi Cup, NADA had collected a total of 51 urine samples and deposited in the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) on October 6.

“Laboratory analytical reports in respect of 21 samples have been received so far from National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL). As many as 10 samples have been found positive, thereby resulting in anti doping rule violation. The first notices along with provisional suspension have been issued to the concerned players. The prohibited substances found in these cases are Stanozolol, Boldenone, Nandrolone and Phentermine (stimulant)” he added.

“I have communicated to Pargat Singh in this regard so that the Kabaddi World Cup should not degenerate into a farce. The concern is also being communicated to the International and Indian Kabaddi Federation as well,” Bhatnagar added.

Director sports Pargat Singh could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. The selection Trials of World Cup Kabaddi, Punjab 2011 was held at Ludhiana on October 5 where Dope Control Programme was also organised.

New Delhi, October 12
Former champion Isha Lakhani continued to rock and roll as she dumped second seed Sharmada Balu out of the Fenesta National tennis championship on Wednesday at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association court here today. .In what has been an upset-ridden women’s draw, Isha drew on her treasure of experience to oust Sharmada 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.

Isha entered the tournament without much pretension. But having found the rhythm and the range in her shots from the qualifying phase onwards, it has been a good run for her.

Up next for Isha is seasoned pro Sheethal Goutham, who outlasted Uttar Pradesh girl Shreya Pasricha 6-2, 6-3.For sheer consistency and the ability to frustrate opponents in the long rallies, Sheethal used to be a tenacious player. Even now she can hang into the rallies without getting flustered as she had little problem in defeating Shreya.

Another big winner on Wednesday was Rutuja Bhosale from Pune. In the women’s draw, the teenager thumped Delhi’s Nehal Sahni 6-2, 6-0.A day earlier, Rutuja, who trains under Sandeep Kirtane in Pune, had ousted top seed Prerna Bhambri.In the girls’ under-18 event, Rutuja beat Likitha Shetty 6-0, 6-4.

Vishnu Vardhan again caught the eye in the men’s section as he destroyed Ronak Manuja 6-2, 6-1. Vishnu, however, was circumspect when asked how he was playing.“I mean it has been going smooth so far, I haven’t had to do much,” he said. Lower down the draw, Yuki Bhambri took time before settling down to beat Lakshit Sood 6-2, 6-4. In another match, Saketh Myneni outgunned PC Vignesh 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

BRIEFLY

Sahara Group buys stake in Force India F1 team
New Delhi: With just 19 days to go for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Sahara Group today bought 42.5 percent stake, worth USD 100 million, in the Vijay Mallya owned Force India F1 team, which has been re-christened as Sahara Force India. Sahara Group, headed by Subroto Roy, inked an agreement with Mallya's UB Group, which will also have 42.5 percent stake in the team. The remaining 15 percent will be with the Mol family. Mallya will continue to be the Team Principal. Liqour baron Mallya had bought the Spyker Ferrari F1 Team in 2007, reportedly for about for 90 million euros. He then renamed the team as 'Force India' for the 2008 season. — PTI

Indian lifters impress
New Delhi: India's impressive show at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships continued as their medals tally swelled to 33, including 15 gold, on the second day of the competition at Cape Town, South Africa, today. Shaya Devi (53kg senior women), Pramila Krisani (53kg youth girls), Matsa Santoshi (53kg junior women), L Ajit Singh (50kg youth boys) and Apurba Chetia (56kg youth boys) were among the gold medal winners. Indians have, so far, also won 12 silver and six bronze medals. — PTI

Indian swimmers shine
New Delhi: Led by Virdhawal Khade, Indian swimmers continue their impressive run at the 7th Asian age group swimming championship as they bagged two gold, three silver and two bronze on the third day today to take their tally to 24 medals in the event at Jakarta. Ace swimmer Khade has contributed four of the seven gold medals and two silver in India's impressive tally. On the day, Richa Mishra gave India another gold in 400m individual medley category after clocking 5:11.23. — PTI

Durand: Pune FC lose
New Delhi: Pune FC's dreams of extending their historic run ended with a 0-2 loss to defending champions Prayag United in the semis of the 124th Durand Cup here at the Ambedkar Stadium today. Prayag United scored once in each half, first through Lukram James Singh in the 29th minute and the another through Joshimar Martins in 81st minute. The loss was Pune FC's second to Prayag United in the six encounters they have played in the elite division. — PTI

Anand beats Vallejo Pons
Bilbao: World Champion Viswanthan Anand defeated Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain in the 10th and final round to avoid a last-place finish at the fourth Final Masters chess tournament here. Languishing at the bottom of the table at the start of the final round in the six-player double round-robin event, the onus was on Anand to come out with flying colours and for once, Vallejo's luck in the tournament deserted him as the Indian scored his second victory against the Spaniard. — PTI

Clean chit for Oz players
MELBOURNE: An ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officer has rubbished alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed's claim that Australian cricketers were involved in match-fixing, saying the world body had "no evidence" of any wrongdoings carried out by the Aussies. According to a report in 'The Australian', former Scotland Yard police officer, Alan Peacock, who has been with the ICC's ACSU since its inception in September 2000, insited at the Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, that there was no evidence of corruption against Australian cricketers. "We have no evidence that the Australians have committed 10 brackets a day, or any brackets," Peacock said. — PTI

India win basketball gold
New Delhi: Indian men and women's teams won gold medal in 3-on-3 (3x3) basketball competition of the South Asian Beach Games in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, after defeating the home side and Maldives in their respective finals. In the men's final, India defeated Sri Lanka 21-16 with Jagdeep Singh scoring eight points. They had won all three of their group games, defeating Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Indian women defeated Maldives 17-7 in the final to win gold. — PTI