Hobart, February 28
Virat Kohli blasted an unbeaten 133 as India snatched an incredible victory against Sri Lanka by chasing down a mammoth 321 in only 36.4 overs to rekindle their hopes of making it to the final of the tri-series, at Hobart on Tuesday.

Needing to win the crucial game in 40 overs in order to get a bonus point and stay afloat, the beleaguered Indians pulled off a sensational victory when it mattered the most riding on Kohli's breathtaking assault and useful contributions from all the other top-order batsmen.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 320 built around Tillekaratne Dilshan's career-best 160 not out and Kumar Sangakkara's 105 but Indians left the islanders stunned by achieving the target with 80 balls to spare and more importantly inside the required 40 overs. They maintained an unbelievable run-rate of 8.75 runs per over throughout the chase.

Kohli smashed 16 boundaries and two sixes during his whirlwind 86-ball knock. He completed his ninth ODI ton and his second against Sri Lanka in 76 balls.

India will now have to await the result of the last league match between Australia and Sri Lanka to know their fate. They will qualify to the finals only if Australia beat Sri Lanka in the last league game.

Australia, who are already through to the finals are leading the table with 19 points while Sri Lanka and India are tied on 15 points with the latter having completed their league engagements.

Much as Kohli deserves to be applauded, no less critical roles were played by openers Virender Sehwag (30, 16 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Sachin Tendulkar (39, 30 balls, 5x4) as well as the two subsequent batsmen, Gautam Gambhir (63, 64 balls, 4x4) and Suresh Raina (40, 24 balls, 3x4, 1x6).

Kohli shared two century stands - 115 runs off 109 balls with Gambhir and then of 120 from only 55 balls with Raina.

India always kept themselves in tune with the required run-rate of eight per over, reaching 160/2 in 20 overs; being 230/3 in the 30th over and the final 91 runs came off only 40 balls.

Sehwag and Tendulkar began belligerently and 50 runs came in the first six overs itself. The floodgates opened in the second over from Kulasekara when Sehwag lofted him over mid-off. Sehwag then square drove the medium-pacer and didn't spare Lasith Malinga either. Twice bludgeoning him past midwicket and once lofting him over square leg for a six.

Tendulkar wasn't a slouch either. He twice square drove Kulasekara to fence and once smashing Malinga through covers. — PTI

Scoreboard
Sri Lanka
Mahela c Sehwag b Jadeja 22
Dilshan not out 160
S’kara b Praveen 105
Perera run out 3
Mathews c Ashwin b Zaheer 14
Chandimal not out 2
Extras: (b-3, w-11) 14
Total: (4 wkts, 50 ovrs) 320
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-249, 3-279, 4-309.
Bowling: Zaheer 9-0-61-1, Praveen 9-0-64-1, Yadav 8-0-56-0, Jadeja 9-0-43-1, Ashwin 10-0-52-0, Sehwag 3-0-24-0, Raina 2-0-17-0.

India
Sehwag c Dilshan b Maharoof 30
Tendulkar lbw b Malinga 39
Gambhir run out 63
Kohli not out 133
Raina not out 40
Extras: (b-4, lb-6, w-6) 16
Total: (3 wkts, 36.4 ovrs) 321
Fall of wickets: 1/54 2/86 3/201.
Bowling: Malinga 7.4-0-96-1, Kulasekara 8-0-71- 0, Maharoof 3-0-21-1, Perera 7-0-59-0, Mathews 7-0-44-0, Herath 4-0-20-0.

Hobart, February 28
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today described his side's incredible seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the crucial tri-series match here as one of the best ODI victories he has been part of.

"This was one of the best ODI cricket I have been a part of. That was fantastic right through the very start of our chase. When you need 321 off 40 overs, you need a good start. You need the quantity, but the quality also. Overall it was a fantastic performance," said Dhoni after the match.

Needing to chase down a mammoth 321 in 40 overs in order to get a bonus point and stay afloat in the tri-series, India rode on Virat Kohli's unbeaten 133 off 86 balls to snatch an incredible victory in only 36.4 overs.

Dhoni said the top-order comprising Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhit provided the right kind of start to his side's chase. "First 10 overs, we got the 90-odd runs on the board. It was a great start and we just need to carry on the momentum. Sachin, Sehwag gave us the good start and then Gambhir chipped in with useful contribution," he said.

Dhoni said that he wanted to keep Sri Lanka down to 270 after winning the toss but failed to do it. "We wanted to keep them down to 250, maximum 270. We knew we had the firepower, but still 320 was more than we could digest. But once we got that start, we knew we could kick on," he said.

The Indian skipper added that with their hopes of advancing to the finals of the tri-series hanging on the result of Australia-Sri Lanka match on Friday, they would like to spend a couple of days shopping.

"We are going on a couple of days of shopping, and some practice at the same time. It's not in our hands now," he said.

Man-of-the-match Virat Kohli said that it was a great team effort to chase down the huge target like 320 inside 40 overs. — PTI

New Delhi, February 28
The Indian hockey team are back in elite Olympic company, after a four-year hiatus, and they now look ahead at the London Olympics 2012, aiming for a medal. India’s standout performance in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium here, winning all their six matches, which included an 8-1 whipping of France in the challenge round, was testimony to the fact that the game is back on its feet, and throbbing. From here on, the eight-time Olympic champions should race ahead, and not fall back. Even if they don’t win a medal in London, the attempt should be to finish among the top four, to avoid the rigmarole of playing the Olympic qualifiers again.

Bad coaches, vindictive administrators, whimsical team selection etc, had colluded to make the game slither into the abyss, after India failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics four years ago. And India were out of the Olympic fold, for the first time in 80 years. It was a no-win situation for Indian hockey when warring hockey bodies, indiscipline among the players, and coaches without control, all played havoc in the arduous task of lifting the game from the morass. Imagine, a player of Sandeep Singh’s utility and calibre was cast aside by coach Joachim Carvalho for the Olympic Qualifiers in Santiago (Chile) in 2008, and India expectedly lost to Britain, unable to cash in on the penalty corners. But another coach, A.K.Bansal, in a manner of speaking, resurrected Sandeep’s career when he was brought into play, though he was injured, against Belgium in the final of the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in Kuala Lumpur, 2009. Sandeep scored two vital goals to help India win 6-4 and annex the title, after a gap of 13 years.

The appointment of Michael Nobbs, the former Olympian from Australia, as the chief coach of the Indian hockey team seven months ago, almost instantly made the hockey graph rise, which has now culminated in India qualifying for the Olympics. The advantage of having a foreign coach like Nobbs is that he works on his own terms, and picks the players on merit, without bothering about other factors. His only agenda is to mould a winning combination from the best talent available, and in the process, if he has to sacrifice some top players like former captain Rajpal Singh and versatile forward Arjun Halappa for reasons of indiscipline and lack of fitness, so be it.

It is indeed a matter of pride for Haryana that two of India’s best players hail from the State. Sandeep Singh (Shahabad) and Sardar Singh (Sirsa) are world class players, who would play a decisive role in India’s Olympic campaign. Even the core group of the women’s hockey team belong to Shahabad, not to talk of the champion boxers and wrestlers Haryana has produced.

The end justifies the means, and Nobbs was a satisfied man at the end of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, though his task begins now. He has transformed the players like no other coach had done in the recent past - though his predecessor Jose Brasa did bring in some success - making them fit, fast and agile, to sustain their attacking game from start to finish. The tendency to lapse into errors, and getting tired at the fag end of a match to concede last-minute goals, is a thing of the past. The Indian team now play as a unit with precision passing, ball control and player movement. When a scoring chance materializes, there is always one player at the right spot to make the kill. “Nobbs is the best coach I have played under”, said Sandeep in an exclusive chat with The Tribune.

But the coach’s game and strategic planning will be stretched to the limit when India meet the big boys in the battle field. “In the last seven months, we have played against only two very good teams - Belgium and Pakistan. Our mettle will be tested when we play against teams like Australia, Germany, Holland, Spain, England etc. But the Olympic Qualifying Tournament has proved that the present Indian team are no pushovers”, observed Balbir Singh.

But Hockey India have planned many exposure trips for the hockey team before the Olympics, to make them battle fit. But Nobbs knows his job, and he has said the lessons learnt from the qualifiers would be assimilated in future coaching camps, to iron out the grey areas, particularly in defence. He has brought back attacking hockey, which has been India’s wont for long, effectively combining the tactics of the Orient and the Occident-implementing the Australian-style of attacking hockey with courage and conviction, and their counter attacks are as quick and deadly. But the Indian defence was also caught napping on a few occasions, when rivals counter-attacked, and this is an area where Nobbs would have work up an effective strategy to plug the loop-holes. For the tough and ready European and Australian would not give much leeway for the Indian forwards to manoeuvre, and they pack their defence with more men to prevent easy and soft goals.

Sunil, Shivendra Singh, Yuvraj Walmiki, Tushar Khandekar and Gurwinder Singh Chandi give solidity to the attacks, Sardar Singh is the roving mid-fielder and game-changer while Sandeep Singh is the goal-machine. Captain Bharat Chetri and V.R.Sreejesh have played true under the goal, and overall, India have effective players for all slots. And physical trainer David John has played no mean job in making the players battle-fit.

The good time is rolling in for Indian hockey, and hope they gain in strength from here on.

New Delhi, February 28
Monetary rewards continued to trickle down for the Indian men's hockey team as Sahara India Pariwar today announced a cash incentive of Rs 1.27 crore for the players and support staff of the side that emerged winners in the just-concluded London Olympic qualifiers.

India trounced France 8-1 in the final on Sunday to seal a place in the upcoming London Olympics after having missed the Beijing Games four years ago.

And it prompted Sahara, the official sponsor of the national game, to reward the players and team officials for their feat. — PTI

Chandigarh, February 28
In a virtual snub to the World Series Hockey (WSH) that begins from tomorrow, star players from the Olympic qualifiers have decided to miss the first edition of the tournament. The opening match between Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshah, to be held tomorrow at the hockey stadium, sector 42, will witness no names from the team that caught the nation’s attention, due to the ongoing tiff between HI (Hockey India) and IHF (Indian Hockey Federation), which is backing the event.

Elaborating on the situation, Harendra Singh and V Bhaskaran, coaches of Chandigarh Comets and Bhopal Badshahs, respectively, revealed that there had not been any sort of a positive response from these players and there was very little, if any, chance of them turning up for their respective franchisees in the WSH.

“This is not a good gesture for the promotion of hockey. You can’t stop anyone from playing. Why are these players are being stopped? They are mature enough to take decisions and they should understand that no one can steal their performances on field.” said Bhaskaran.

Adding further, Bhaskaran said, “We have not received any positive response. The senior players should come and participate in the tournament not only to promote the game but to inspire the young generation. The authorities should not spoil the game just for keeping themselves embroiled in a tussle over power to run the game.”

On other hand, Harendra Singh, the coach of Chandigarh Comets also confirmed the non-participation of their main players in the tournament. “We do not know what is happening in the capital. We are here to play the game and we will do it. My only duty is to guide the team and rest, I don’t want to comment on the politics part. The show must go on and hope it will become the best platform for the players, who want to make a name for themselves in the sport” said Harendra.

On issue of captaincy he added “We have decided that the captain of team will be made on rotational basis, so that there will be no conflict over it”.

New Delhi, February 28
Former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr M.S.Gill said it was in the interest of Indian hockey to allow the conduct of the World Series Hockey (WSH) as the event would hugely benefit the players as well as the game in the long run. He said nothing should be done by Hockey India (HI) and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to throttle the WSH with their bullying tactics.

He said so many hockey players, particularly from Punjab, the hub of Indian hockey, have been signed up with the WSH franchisees, and they stand to gain much financially if the league is allowed to run, as scheduled. While congratulating the Indian team for the mesmerizing victory in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Gill said the construction of perhaps one of the best hockey stadiums in the world-the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi-was done without any hassle as the Sports Ministry, headed by him then, went out of its way to ensure that the stadium was constructed without any glitches for hosting the World Cup first (2010), followed by the Commonwealth Games.

He wished that the Indian team would carry forward their good work in the Olympic qualifiers to the London Olympics as well. He said India was perhaps the only country having two international stadiums in Delhi and Chandigarh, and the FIH move to hold many more tournaments in the coming years was because of India’s capacity to generate huge sponsorship money.

“India is the cash cow of the FIH, as no other country can generate as much money for the world body by way of sponsorship, as in India. They made a booty from the World Cup, and they are now looking to generate more money from the country”, Gill told The Tribune.

He said it was unfortunate that the FIH president was trying to kick up a row regarding the conduct of the WSH as his statement that unless the players play under the Hockey India banner, they would face censure.

Patiala, February 28
Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has today announced the much awaited list of pugilists who will take part in the Asian Continental Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament scheduled to be held at Astana, Kazakhstan from April 5 to 12. Vijender Singh (75 kg) will lead the 6-member squad, including Suranjoy Singh (52 kg), Shiva Thapa (56 kg), Sumit Sangwan (81 kg), Manpreet Singh (91 kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91 kg).

Notably, these final selection trials were held at NIS, Patiala, from February 24 to 26 and the selection committee included Government Observer M. Venu (Dronacharya Awardee and Arjuna Awardee), Padam Bahadur Mall (Arjuna Awardee), Rajendra Prasad (Arjuna Awardee), Devarajan (Arjuna Awardee), Md Ali Qamar (Arjuna Awardee), Jitender Kumar (Arjuna Awardee), GS Sandhu (Dronacharya Awardee & Chief National Coach), BI Fernandez (Cuban Coach), Dr CK Jerath (Vice President, IABF) and Brig PK Muralidharan Raja (Secretary General, IABF).

After this announcement, Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh is the sole boxer out of the five Indian players who represented India in Beijing Olympics - Jitender, Akhil, AL Lakra, Vijender Singh and Dinesh- whose chances to represent India in London Olympics are still alive. While Jitender and Dinesh could not make it to the team during trials, Akhil Kumar was unable to take part in the trials as he was unable to manage his weight due to an injury. Four Indian players who have already qualified for the London Olympics include L. Devendro Singh (49 kg), Jai Bhagwan (60 kg), Manoj Kumar (64 kg) and Vikas Krishan (69 kg).

Talking to The Tribune in this regard, Brig PK Muralidharan Raja, Secretary General of the IABF, said the Indian contingent was very strong and he was hoping that at least three players should qualify. “We are keeping our fingers crossed but even if two players qualify, we shall be happy because it will be better than our last time performance,” he added.

He further informed that the Indian Men’s Boxing Team will leave for Kazakhstan on April 1 so as to acclimatize them before the competition starts April 5. The available quota places for London Olympics in various weight categories at the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament are 52 kg (4 places), 56 kg (3 places), 75 kg (4 places), 81 kg (3 places), 91 kg (1 place) and +91 kgs (1 place).