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Commonwealth Bank Series
India made heavy weather of modest target |
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WADA wants two-year ban on Ashwini & Co
Yuvraj blames himself for treatment delay
Pep urges Contador to fight doping ban
Wade, James turn on the Heat
Quiros set for Dubai hat-trick bid
Hockey: Sahara renews sponsorship
Thanga's brace helps Mizo team win
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Commonwealth Bank Series  Kohli,
Ashwin, Jadeja shine in 4-wicket win over Sri Lanka Zaheer claims two wickets
Sachin misses half-century
Perth, February 8 After restricting Sri Lanka to 233 for right, the Indians chased down the target with 20 balls to spare after suffering a mid-innings collapse which reduced them to 181 for 6 in 36 overs. Ravindra Jadeja (24) and Ravichandran Ashwin (30) then kept their nerve and put on 53 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket stand to guide India home. It was India's second win in what has turned out to be a rather nightmarish tour of Australia. The victory capped a brilliant match for Ashwin who also claimed 3 for 32 while Sri Lanka batted first for their 233 for 8. In-form Virat Kohli (77) and Sachin Tendulkar (48) had played a good hand among India's top-order batsmen but the rest were guilty of playing indiscreet shots to leave the team in the lurch. Virender Sehwag (10) began blazingly by smashing off-side fours off Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga before he tried to help a rising delivery over the slips and was caught on the run by the third man fielder.
Sachin Tendulkar (48) appeared in splendid touch and it appeared that he would finally complete his historic 100th international century before he tried to cut an Angelo Mathews delivery too close to his body and dragged the ball on to his stumps. Tendulkar faced 63 deliveries and hit five fours in his knock. Before he was out, he put on 75 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli off 98 balls. India then lost three wickets to poor shot selection and suddenly the match had swung back in balance. Rohit Sharma (10)'s cut shot went straight into the hands of point fielder while Suresh Raina (24) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (4) holed out to a pull-shot which neither the deliveries nor the situation demanded. Kohli, on 62, was suffering from hamstring pull when his partner Raina attempted a horizontal bat shot off the very next delivery to get dismissed. His 24 off 27 balls had promised a lot, especially in the manner he got a couple of boundaries through the off-side. India took the batting Powerplay in the 36th over and the game took a still more dramatic turn. Kohli slammed a Dhamika Prasad delivery straight for a tremendous six but then ran for a non-existent run off the final ball of the over. Lasith Malinga, at mid-on, made a smart pick-up and threw down the non-striker's stumps in one motion. Kohli went flat to reach his crease but he was well short. The young Delhi batsmen, incapacitated by a hamstring strain, needed to be carried off the field. Kohli faced 94 balls for his 77 runs and hit eight fours and a six. India, six down for 181 in 36 overs, were in a spot of bother. Then Jadeja and Ashwin got together, playing sensibly and rarely offering a chance before winning with 20 balls to spare. Earlier, India gave a compelling performance in the field to restrict Sri Lanka to 233 for eight. Spin twins Jadeja (1 for 41) and Ashwin (3 for 32) squeezed the runs dry while veteran pacemen Zaheer Khan was brilliant up front with two critical wickets. Zaheer began with the scalp of opener Upul Tharanga (4) in his second over and then returned midway to send back Kumar Sangakkara (26) to finish with two for 44 from his allotted overs. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also put up an impeccable show, having a hand in two stumpings and a run-out, beside taking a spectacular catch. Sri Lanka had things in control when Tillakaratne Dilshan (48) and Sangakkara (26) put on 62 runs for the second wicket. Apparently, a platform had been laid and Sri Lanka were eyeing a total in excess of 250 runs. But it all changed when Sangakkara departed, caught brilliantly by Dhoni, diving to his left, off Zaheer Khan who returned for his second spell in the 17th over. India then wrested back control, conceding at one stage only 44 runs from 15 overs. The bowling Powerplay, which India took in the 16th over, cost only 11 runs for a wicket. — PTI Scoreboard Tharanga c Tendulkar b Zaheer 4 Dilshan c Kohli b Jadeja 48 Sangakkara c Dhoni b Zaheer 26 Chandimal st Dhoni b Ashwin 64 Jayawardene c Rohit b Ashwin 23 Perera st Dhoni b Ashwin 7 Mathews not out 33 Thirimanne run out 7 Kulasekara c Rohit b Vinay 7 Malinga not out 1 Extras (lb 6, w 7) 13 Total (8 wkts; 50 ovrs) 233 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-74, 3-100, 4-152, 5-172, 6-189, 7-204, 8-228. Bowling: Zaheer 10-1-44-2, Praveen Kumar 10-0-54-0, Vinay 10-1-56-1, Jadeja 10-0-41-1, Ashwin 10-1-32-3. India Sehwag c Kulasekara b Malinga 10 Tendulkar b Mathews 48 Kohli run out 77 Rohit c Dilshan b Perera 10 Raina c b Mathews 24 Dhoni c Malinga b Prasad 4 Jadeja not out 24 Ashwin not out 30 Extras (lb 5, wd 2) 7 Total (6 wkts; 46.4 ovrs) 234 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-89, 3-122, 4-157, 5-167, 6-181. Bowling: Malinga 9-0-49-1, Kulasekara 8-0-38-0, Prasad 10-0-47-1, Mathews 9.4-1-31-2, Perera 5-0-37-1, Dilshan 5-0-27-0.
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India made heavy weather of modest target
India made hard work off a none too daunting score set by the Sri Lankans, but by winning the game have opened their account in the tri series. A team with a strong batting line up like India is always likely to take it easy when it is not chasing a big target, and that is what seemed to have happened as batsman after batsman cast their wickets away carelessly and caused some tension in the dressing room.
He was lucky in that, both Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga thought that the other was going to take the catch and the ball dropped safely to the turf for the winning run. That dropped catch also summed up Sri Lankas efforts. They are a much better batting side than what they produced. Admittedly it is their first game after a short break and there is always the time difference which is especially hard on the body clock coming to Australia and New Zealand, still the batting effort looked listless and lackluster.
Dilshan took a long time to get going as did most of the other batsmen and apart from Angelo Mathews nobody seemed in any rush whatsoever. Mathews is a terrific cricketer, who can bat down the order and his seam up bowling gets him wickets on pitches that help and he is a brilliant fielder anywhere. If he had not come in and played the innings that he did, the Lankans wouldn’t have managed 200. Dinesh Chandimal batted well and he too is a fine prospect for the Lankans. The senior men Sangakkara and Jayawardene got starts, but were unable to convert these into meaningful scores. Sri Lanka will need to score more than 250 since apart from Lasith Malinga, there appears no other bowlers who can trouble the batsmen and keep them quiet. Only if their batsmen click will the Lankans be able to pressure the opposition with their limited bowling resources. The Indians have only themselves to blame for making such hard work of a small target. Sehwag as is his wont played an adventurous shot with no freedom of the hands and so didn’t get enough power for it to clear the fielder. The Tendulkar, Kohli partnership was an indication of how the baton is being passed to the next generation. Tendulkar was middling the ball fluently and in his company young Kohli was also striking the ball sweetly. It all looked rosy till Tendulkar too was cramped for room and bowled off the inside edge. Rohit Sharma and Raina fell without looking settled and Raina must realize that even though the boundaries have been brought in considerably the Australian grounds are still a little too big for all the lofted shots to come off. Dhoni also fell cheaply and it was thus left to Ashwin’s common sense approach to settle the issue in India’s favour. India have opened their account, but will know that they have to bat and bowl better than this if they are to remain a threat in the
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WADA wants two-year ban on Ashwini & Co
New Delhi, February 8 Akkunji, her Commonwealth and Asian Games 4X400m relay gold-winning quartet member Sini Jose, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas were banned for one year, along with three other athletes, in December last by a National Anti-Doping Agency panel, virtually ending their London Olympics dreams. They had been handed a reduced punishment of one-year ban on the ground that "the athletes were not found guilty of intentionally taking the banned substances". The four athletes had since appealed against the one-year ban, praying before a NADA Appellate panel headed by CK Mahajan that they be absolved of all punishment as they had consumed the banned substances on the orders of their coach. The NADA Appellate panel had reserved its decision on the matter but with the WADA also appealing against the reduced ban of one year, the panel is expected to reopen the case. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 15. NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said that the WADA had filed an appeal against the reduced penalty and the matter would come up before the NADA Appellate panel on February 15. "WADA has filed an appeal, seeking a harsher punishment of two years under the Rules," Bhatnagar said. — PTI |
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Yuvraj blames himself for treatment delay
New Delhi, February 8 "I'm recovering well yes its tough but tough times don't last tough men do! I will fight and come back as a stronger man cause I have the prayers of my nation!," he added. Yuvraj's father and former Test cricketer, Yograj Singh had said that the treatment of his son got a bit delayed. Yuvraj also sought to clear the air surrounding Jatin Chaudhary, who first brought to light the cricketer's illness. "I see a lot of peopl blaming Jatin Chaudhary but he is at no fault, he only tried to help it was my decision to go with alternative medicine," the 30-year-old batsman wrote. The cricketer added that he was looking forward to meet Tour-de-France champion Lance Armstrong for the inspiration he can get from a former sportsperson who fought cancer to win laurels later on. "I look forward to meet Lance Armstrong soon and take inspiration!," he wrote. Yuvraj also thanked all his fans and media for their wishes and respecting his privacy. "Thank you again to all my friends back home! Thank you to the media for there support and respecting my privacy," he wrote. "Thank you to (sports minster) ajay maken! mr omar abdullah and mr narendra modi for there kind words!" Yuvraj said that he was looking forward to represent the country again after recovering from his illness. "and of course everyday I look forward to come back and wear my india jersey my india cap and represent my country again jai hind," he wrote. He also thanked IPL team Pune Warriors owner Subrata Roy for his support. "Thank you sahara shree for his support and thinking bout me as his family!" Yuvraj is likely to be out of action for some time and will miss the IPL. — PTI |
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Pep urges Contador to fight doping ban
Madrid, February 8 "In these situations, and I speak a bit from personal experience, there is only one person who knows what happened, that is him," Guardiola said in comments replayed in Spanish media Wednesday. "And if he knows that he really is innocent as he says publicly and privately, he should defend himself until the end of the world and for as long as it takes. The truth always comes out in the end." Guardiola was speaking at a press conference on the eve of Barcelona's King's Cup semi-final second leg against Valencia on Wednesday and his comments were published in sports dailies including Mundo Deportivo. The Catalan coach was banned for four months after he tested positive for nandrolone in 2001 while playing for Italy's Brescia but he was cleared by a criminal court on appeal in October 2007. The Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport banned Contador on Monday for two years following a positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol. Contador on Tuesday said his lawyers were looking into a possible appeal, which must be lodged within 30 days. He argues he is the victim of a contaminated steak eaten during the 2010 Tour de France "My lawyers are looking into all the possibilities. We will continue to fight until the end," he told a packed news conference in his hometown of Pinto just south of Madrid. Backdated to August 2010, when he announced the news of his positive test weeks after his third yellow jersey triumph, the ban means Contador can return to competition on August 6, 2012. As well as ruling him out of this year's Tour de France and the Olympic Games in London, he will be stripped of several other wins of year 2011. — AFP |
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Wade, James turn on the Heat
Miami, February 8 Miami led 84-78 with just over nine minutes left before embarking on an 8-0 run that padded the advantage to double digits and helped the Heat (19-6) move within a game of the conference-leading Chicago Bulls. "The final score was not indicative about how competitive and close that game was," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "That team is improved. We did some things well on both ends of the court, but we did some things to allow them extra possessions to get back into the game." The Cavaliers (9-14) are moving forward from losing James to Miami in 2010 with a surprisingly solid start to the season behind No. 1 overall draft pick Kyrie Irving, who recorded 16 points against the Heat. Antawn Jamison had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who kept pace with the Heat for three quarters before losing steam in the fourth. Miami led by just six after three quarters before stepping up the pressure in the fourth. Chris Bosh had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, who held the Cavs to just 39 percent shooting. — Reuters |
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Quiros set for Dubai hat-trick bid
Dubai, February 8 If the Spaniard manages to successfully defend his crown, he will have won all three tournaments in Dubai in his last three starts. After winning the 2011 Dubai Desert Classic following a thrill-a-minute final round, Quiros also won the season-ending Dubai World Championship in emphatic fashion in December. Quiros' final round last year was a wild roller-coaster. After making a second-round four-under par 68 to ensure he made it to the weekend rounds, he added two further 68s to win by one shot over Dane Anders Hansen and James Kingston of South Africa. The final 68 saw him playing with a heavily taped forearm, and he made an eagle two, a hole-in-one and a triple bogey where he lost this ball in one of the palm trees. The Spaniard will definitely need all that heroic play if he wants to continue his winning form. The $2.5 million tournamenthas again attracted a very good field, including the world number two and 2009 champion Rory
McIlroy. — AFP |
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Sania records first win of season
Pattaya, February 8 The unseeded Indian took one hour and 32 minutes to tame her rival. Sania now has a tough ask at hand as she faces world number 16 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the second round. Sania had played in Auckland and Australian Open before this tournament and had lost in the qualifiers and first round respectively. Sania, world number 111 in singles, will also play in the doubles along with her Australian partner Anastasia Rodionova.— PTI |
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Hockey: Sahara renews sponsorship
New Delhi, February 8 Sahara India disclosed here on Wednesday that it would sponsor the men's and women's senior and junior hockey teams for a period of five years. The sponsorship amount is 170 percent higher to the sponsorship amount given earlier by Sahara to the hockey team. Sahara India first came forward to sponsor Indian hockey in 2003 with the intention of supporting the national sport, but later riveted its attention to cricket, a virtual cash cow. But after falling out with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently, Sahara renewed its sponsorship of hockey with Hockeyt India. Sahara has assured its "whole-hearted" support for the development of hockey, and the latest sponsorship deal is a part of Sahara’s program to promote sports at ground level. Sahara has already adopted boxing, wrestling, archery, shooting, athletics and tennis, covering support of a total of 95 sportsmen in these six games, who are potential medal winners for the London Olympics 2012. Sahara India chairman Subrata Roy said, “It (hockey) is our national game and we are proud to be associated with this game and are elated to continue our patronage and support for the game. We will achieve greater laurels and success in the sport of hockey in the coming years and Sahara India Pariwar is committed to the development of sport at all levels.” |
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Thanga's brace helps Mizo team win
New Delhi: Denghming Thanga scored a brace to power Luangmual (Mizoram) to a 2-1 win over Mumbai’s PIFA Colaba in the 2nd Division I-League match at Ambedkar Stadium here today. Denghming Thanga struck in 27th and 86th minutes while George Udo scored the solitary goal for PIFA in the 85th minute. Luangmual’s consistent attacks at the rival goal paid when Thanga headed the ball past the PIFA custodian through a cross from the left flank to give his side a 1-0 lead. — TNS |
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Perth, February 8
Madrid, February 8
It was left to Ashwin’s ice cool temperament to ensure that there was no reverse, though he too got a bit carried away going for a glory shot for the winning runs when a gentle push could have done it.
"I see few people trying to blame my guruji for delay and BCCI! Again wrong, it was my decision! The president and the members of BCCI have been a huge support in my tough times and because of them, I'm getting the best treatment! Thank you again BCCI," Yuvraj wrote on his 'Twitter' page. 
