Bangalore, August 30
Seeking to complete a whitewash, India would again rely on the guile and skill of their spinners when they take on a hapless New Zealand in the second and final cricket Test starting here tomorrow. A 2-0 triumph would go a long way in erasing the bitter memories of the previous season, during which India were routed 4-0 by both England and Australia when they toured there.

The Indians have bounced back in style this season by outplaying New Zealand inside four days in a lop-sided opening Test on the turning track of Hyderabad. Thoroughly outplayed in Hyderabad, the Kiwis will be hoping to find a way to counter the Indian spinners in the second Test, which is expected to be affected by the inclement weather prevailing here for the past few days.

Though Chinnaswamy Stadium curator Narayan Raju talked about a tinge of grass available on the pitch, the New Zealand think-tank is not expecting for a respite from the Indian spinners. They expect the groundsmen to shave the pitch and make sure it is dry.

The inability of the New Zealand batsmen to handle spin was exposed in Hyderabad, where 18 of their 20 wickets fell to the tweakers -- off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 12 wickets and left-armer Pragyan Ojha grabbed six.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is aware of the role the spin duo played in India's victory in the last home Test series against the West Indies in November 2011, during which they shared 42 wickets in three matches.

Among the few positives for the Kiwis, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 52 in the first Test while opener Brendon McCullum managed 42 in an innings of uncharacteristic restraint in the second dig.

But more is required from the Black Caps, who showed a distinct lack of application and patience in the opening match.

Martin Guptill and McCullum will be looking to give a solid platform to the visitors, which is crucial for them to make a battle of it against the formidable Indians.

Skipper Ross Taylor, who hasn't been productive in the last two series, will also be looking to step up to the task without further ado.

While the Kiwi batsmen are sweating it out at the nets, asking their spinners to bowl at them, their seamers are praying for a blanket of moisture for them to exploit the conditions. The weather-man has predicted that for the next five days, Bangalore will witness scattered thunderstorms, which may affect the match.

For India, with youngsters Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli making headlines in the absence of batting greats VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, the spotlight will be on the older generation of batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. — PTI

India: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Subramaniam Badrinath, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina.

New Zealand: Ross Taylor (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Tarun Nethula, Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee, Kruger van Wyk, Neil Wagner, Bradley-John Watling, Kane Williamson.

Bangalore, August 30
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today cautioned his teammates from taking New Zealand lightly and said the visiting team's pacers would look to exploit the overcast conditions during the second Test match, starting here tomorrow.

"New Zealand is a good bowling side and will come up with good bowling plan by exploiting the overcast conditions at Chinnaswamy stadium. The first spell will be really crucial for both sides," Dhoni told reporters here.

"Indian batsmen have to negotiate their pace and they have to get as many wickets as possible," he added. Kiwi pacers had managed to pick up wickets even on the Hyderabad track, which did not assist the fast bowlers much.

Dhoni informed that he has requested the groundsmen here to make a turning track, but said that the batsmen will have to play on whatever pitch is given to them. "The subcontinental speciality should be spin and I think we should stick to it," he said.

Asked if he expected any change in the wicket that still has a tinge of grass on it, Dhoni said it is up to the groundsmen to do the changes. "They are still working on it," he said.

Praising spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha who shared 18 wickets between them in the previous Test, Dhoni said that he would like to get some more assistance from the pitch for his bowlers.

Bangalore, August 30
Struggling New Zealand captain Ross Taylor today urged his batsmen to put up a brave front and adopt aggressive approach to counter Indian spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha in the second Test beginning tomorrow.

"We have to talk among ourselves about tackling Ojha and Ashwin. We have to be brave and courageous to attack them. Then there wouldn't be too many people around your bat hopefully," he told reporters here.

Taylor said his team do not want to look far behind where they lost as many as four Test matches out of five, but desired to look ahead, focusing session by session.

Replying to a question, Taylor said he was working hard to get back among runs and the time was not far away.

"Two 100's in last 30 innings is not great, but I feel I am not far away from making runs. Sometimes you score two centuries in 30 innings and two in couple of innings," he said.

Taylor said he did not wanted to get carried away by the greenish look of the pitch at Chinnaswamy wicket and expressed doubts that the groundsmen would even shave off the grass before the play begins tomorrow.

Skipper Taylor said he would field same squad which played at Hyderabad and it would be an opportunity for the players to showcase the team's ability. — PTI

Chandigarh, August 30
If puny little pig-tailed schoolgirls can moonlight in the treacherous apple orchards of Manali before they leave for school, if they can effortlessly balance a huge pile of cattle fodder on head on their way back home from a Kangra school, if these rosy-cheeked beauties can tread miles of icy slopes in Kinnaur to sustain daily life, they can be champs in the boxing ring too.

Maybe not like Mary right now, but who knows -- a few years of training and they just might. Though Mary's resounding success did not give a cue to Himachal Pradesh Sports Department, someone insightful in the Education Department has taken an initiative to replicate Manipur's Olympic feat in the hill state.

For the first time, the department has included women's boxing in the calender for school and college-level competitions. While the under-19 level will have 46 kg, 48, 50, 52, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66, 70, 75, 81 and 86 kg categories, the under-17 bracket has a special provision for 42 kg weight category, keeping in view the demographic trends.

Confirming the development, an official said, "The Education Directorate has already issued letters to all the Deputy Directors in the State Education Department."

"Mary Kom's early conditioning is more or less same as that of any girl from a remote area in Himachal Pradesh. It inspired us to include women's boxing in the annual calendar for school sports," said coach Naresh Kumar of the Department of Youth Services and Sports, Mandi, on Wednesday.

Had it not been for the feisty Manipuri, the move would not have materialised. Like the women of her tribe, there is a sizeable number of young schoolgirls in the tribal areas of Himachal who live a tough life. In fact, the conditioning of national women's boxers find a strong resemblance in the lifestyle of those living in HP.

"Of course, young girls from Himachal Pradesh can be as good as any other from the Northeast or Haryana. But first, we need to identify the talent and hone their skills," chief national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu endorsed the novel idea.

New Delhi, August 30
Though the result of the India-Cameroon league match tomorrow night will have only academic interest as both the teams have qualified for the final, it may give an idea about who could win the 15th Nehru Cup International Football Tournament.

Defending champions India, after two back-to-back wins against Syria (2-1) and Maldives (3-0), hit a roadblock against a determined and speedy Nepal and dropped their first point. Cameroon, on the other hand, have displayed amazing form against Nepal and Maldives, recording 5-0 and 3-1 wins, after drawing 2-2 with Syria in their opening contest.

It was an easy ride for the African team against the lower-ranked teams, though they seemed to have held back some of their aces. Cameroon took it easy after taking a 3-1 lead against Maldives last night, and even indulged in delaying tactics by playing passing bouts among themselves. They did not press for more goals, though Maldives had been reduced to 10 players at the start of the second half when Ali Ashadh was given the marching orders.

Cameroon are unlikely to reveal their full cards against India either, as they are sure to reserve their best for the title clash on Sunday. For the hosts, however, it will be an important outing, which will give them a chance to iron out their flaws noticed against Nepal. If India take full points off Cameroon, or even share them, it will give a big boost to their morale ahead of the final. The goalless draw against Nepal had spread gloom in the India camp. Coach Wim Koevermans sported a big grin only after Cameroon took a winning lead against Maldives last night, paving India’s entry into the final.

When India won the Nehru Cup successively in 2007 and 2009, after it was revived, Baichung Bhutia played a big part in getting the goals. Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri had formed a potent attacking pair, and they proved the nemesis of the rival teams. Now the burden of getting goals has fallen on Chhetri. Though the young Robin Singh has impressed on being introduced in the second session against Maldives and Nepal, he has not scored a goal.

New York, August 30
British teen Laura Robson ended the singles career of three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters with an emotional 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) victory in the second round of the US Open.