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India
Vs New Zealand
Yuvraj, Bhajji will look to cement their places: Dhoni
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‘Don’t create hype over Yuvraj’
Viru, Gambhir yet to fire in series
Vettori, Oram boost for Black Caps
Paes-Stepanek lose to Bryan brothers in final
ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
McLaren refuse to be distracted by talk of Hamilton’s move
Maken issues show cause notice to PCI
BCCI to turn specialised academies into full-fledged ones
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India
Vs New Zealand Buoyant India take on fortified Kiwis
Visakhapatnam, September 7 Yuvraj’s career was in jeopardy when he was diagnosed with cancer last year, but the flamboyant all-rounder fought back after undergoing three cycles of chemotherapy. The 30-year-old has been training hard at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and would be looking to make a statement when he returns to the cricket field in tomorrow's match. It is something that has never happened on the cricket field and Yuvraj will go on to inspire generations when he wears the Indian colours again after more than nine months.. Irrespective of his performance tomorrow, the fact that he beat cancer and returned to the Indian team would become a part of cricketing folklore. “I had played three practice games at NCA. I will get some serious match practice in the two matches against New Zealand scheduled September 8 and 11," he said. "Then, I would be playing two more practice matches. So, you see, I will be having seven games before the Twenty20 World Cup. I will be having enough match practice," he added. His last International appearance was the Kolkata Test against the West Indies in November last year, while it was more than a year ago when he last played a T20 (against South Africa on January 9, 2011). The two T20Is against New Zealand will start India's countdown for the fourth edition the Twenty20 World Cup that gets underway in Sri Lanka on September 18. As it's a jam-packed Twenty20 calendar ahead - the World Cup followed by the Champions League in South Africa—India would be keen for a winning start against the Kiwis. The hosts could not have started their home season on a better note, having routed the visitors 2-0 in the two-Test series. — PTI
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Yuvraj, Bhajji will look to cement their places: Dhoni
Visakhapatnam, September 7 “They will be hungry to cement place in the side. Overall it's good sign... you are more into it. It will be an opportunity for players to get into the groove before going to the World Cup," Dhoni told reporters on the eve of the first T20 game. “It's difficult for the players when you are dropped from the Indian cricket team. Everybody wants to represent the country and wants to do well. If you look at the positives these players will be really hungry to perform and be at their top level. "They can cement their place not only in the T20 side but also in the ODIs and Tests. It's a platform for them to express themselves. So in a way, it's a big positive for us," Dhoni said. Dhoni hoped to get off to a good start in the T20 series, beginning here tomorrow. "Every game is important. It's not about when you are playing. Every game has the same importance. It's a T20 international game. So we would like to start well." On Kiwi side, Dhoni said, “We need to stick to our game plan and our strength, keep working on areas and need to work on like the death overs. We are not thinking too much about opposition. Of course there is a bit of planning involved. It's important to stick to our strengths." Dhoni said. The wicket looks good and that means we will have something for the bowlers. It should come onto the bat nicely. We hope batsmen can play strokes." — PTI
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‘Don’t create hype over Yuvraj’
Visakhapatnam, September 7 “I feel we need to keep as normal as possible. Don't create the hype around him," Dhoni said. On the eve of the match, it was Yuvraj Singh who remained the centre of attention during India's practice session. "The whole world is talking about his comeback in a manner as if they are helping him out. In a way, it puts the burden on the individual. It's important to keep it as normal as possible. Not to let him think what has really happened in his life," he said. Terming Yuvraj as a strong character, Dhoni said that what is important now is that the stylist left-hander should enjoy his second innings. He seemed to be at ease as he middled most of the deliveries and also launched into spinners Piyush Chawla and Ravichandran Ashwin. — PTI
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Viru, Gambhir yet to fire in series
Visakhapatnam, September 7 In the middle-order, Rohit Sharma needs to prove as his place in the team is under pressure from the talented Manoj Tiwary, who has been waiting in the wings. The opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are also yet to fire this season. Sehwag is yet to convert his starts and is due for a big score, while Gambhir too has struggled in the Test series. But he can draw confidence from the fact that he had a fine outing in India's 4-1 and 1-0 victory in ODI and T20 series in Sri Lanka. L Balaji is back in the fold more than three-and-half years after he last played for India. It was his tidy performance for IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders that caught the selectors attention. Off-spinner Ashwin foxed the Black Caps and returned with 18 wickets, he will once again look impress. With Harbhajan, it will be interesting to see if the think-tank goes for an all-offspin attack. — PTI
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Vettori, Oram boost for Black Caps
Visakhapatnam, September 7 New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor feels that return of senior players in Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills will help the Black Caps get into groove. "New players bring in new energy. Now we are looking forward to it," Taylor said on the eve of first match here today. The skipper is hopeful of making full use of the expertise of Vettori, Oram and Mills in the sub-continental conditions. "We have some experienced players in the squad in Oram, Vettori, Mills who have played a lot of cricket in sub-continent. We would like to see how they go in the next couple of games and also in the World Twenty20 (in Sri Lanka)." The Black Caps have an all-win 3-0 record against India in shortest format but it would matter little in conditions suited to India, he added. "It's a record we all would like to keep. But all those games were overseas -- two at home and one in World Twenty20 in 2007. The Indian team play very well at home. They know the conditions well." But he added that the experience of playing in IPL has helped. “Knowing the Indian conditions, made it a bit easier then we played earlier. But the flip side is they know our players a little better as well. We have plans to combat that." About the disappointing Test series where they lost both the matches against India, Taylor said the team was looking forward and to do well in Sri Lanka. “A lot more cricket is coming up. Not only in the T20 International series but the World Twenty20 too. As I said we have some new players coming in. Our World T20 campaign starts now. We are looking forward to how they do here before the World T20." "We will try a couple of different combinations. It's not experimental but more to give the players' some rest. Whoever plays, every time you play to win," he added," he concluded. — PTI
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Invincible Djokovic set for encore
New York, September 7 The Serbian was at his brilliant best, producing 43 breathtaking winners and scrambling around the Arthur Ashe Stadium centre court like a golden retriever, fetching everything the towering Del Potro threw at him. Djokovic eventually won 6-2 7-6 6-4 to go into the last four as the only man yet to drop a set in the tournament but the scoreline did not reflect the intensity of a match where he was pushed to the limit. "Even though it was a straight-sets win it was much closer than the score indicated," Djokovic said in a courtside interview. "I'm just happy to get through." Djokovic's next opponent is the Spanish baseliner David Ferrer, who won a four and a half hour slugfest with Djokovic's countryman Janko Tipsarevic. With both players close to exhaustion after running each other to a standstill in the mid-afternoon sun, Ferrer clawed his way back from 4-1 down in the final set to win the deciding tiebreaker and triumph 6-3 6-7 2-6 6-3 7-6. "It was an emotional match," said Ferrer, who has made four grand slam semis in his career but never a final. Battered and bruised by the battle, Tipsarevic tumbled heavily to the court in the fifth set and twice called on his trainer to have his foot and thigh taped. "I think it was a high intense match with not too many ups and downs," he said. "Both of us are baseline players, both of us are big fighters on court, so something like this was only expected." With the last grand slam of the season reaching its climax, the first trophies were handed out on Thursday when Russia's Ekaterina Makarova and Brazil's Bruno Soares won the mixed doubles final. The pair, who literally teamed up at the last minute when Soares was told he would not qualify for the field with his original partner Jarmila Gajdosova, came from behind to defeat Czech Kveta Peschke and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 12-10 in a deciding tiebreaker after splitting the first two sets 6-7 6-1. "At the very last minute, 11:59, I signed us in. I guess it worked out," said Soares. — Reuters
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Paes-Stepanek lose to Bryan brothers in final
New York, September 7 The second-seeded American brothers went level with Australia's John Newcombe and Tony Roche as the most successful partnership of all time. Friday's win was their fourth at the US Open, following triumphs in 2005, 2008 and 2010. They also won the 2003 French Open, the 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Australian Open titles as well as Wimbledon in 2006 and 2011, a record that also means they are the most successful in the Open era. India's Paes and Czech partner Stepanek had defeated the American duo in the Australian Open final earlier this year. Leander Paes, who has seven grand slam titles, and Stepanek of the Czech Republic advanced past Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez when the Spanish duo were forced to retire with the first set tied 6-6 because of leg injury.Soares-Makarova win mixed doubles title on Thursday beating Czech Kveta Peschke and Poland's Marcin Matkowski 6-7 (8), 6-1, 12-10. The women's doubles final was also set with French Open champions Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy advancing with a 6-3 6-2 drubbing of Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Errani and Vinci will meet the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in Sunday's final. — Agencies
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ITALIAN GRAND PRIX McLaren drivers finish 1-2 ahead of Ferrari at Monza
Monza, September 7 The 27-year-old showed few after-effects from the opening lap crash that wrecked his race last Sunday, when the 2008 world champion was also embarrassed by having to remove various ill-judged ‘Tweets’ containing team information, by outpacing McLaren team-mate and compatriot Jenson Button. Hamilton, linked with a possible move to Mercedes next year, clocked a fastest lap of one minute and 25.290 seconds while Button was just behind him with 1:25.325, a narrow gap that endorsed the overall advantage of the McLaren team ahead of their rivals. These were led by the two Ferraris of Spanish two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Brazilian Felipe Massa who gave a sparse crowd at the old Autodromo Nazionale something to cheer with a show of speed that promised more than it proved. It was, alas, a troubled day for Alonso who suffered an engine failure in the morning session - when German veteran Michael Schumacher topped the times for Mercedes - and then endured brake and gearbox problems in the afternoon. German Nico Rosberg was fifth fastest for Mercedes ahead of Finn Kimi Raikkonen, in the leading Lotus, with Briton Paul Di Resta seventh for Force India ahead of team-mate German Nico Hulkenberg, Mexican Sergio Perez of Sauber and Schumacher. Australian Mark Webber and his Red Bull team-mate defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany were down in 11th and 13th places, either side of 12th man Belgian Jerome d’Ambrosio, on his debut with the Lotus team as replacement this weekend for suspended Frenchman Romain Grosjean. Grosjean was banned for causing the accident that wiped out Hamilton, Alonso, Japanese Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber and himself last Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps. On a perfect late summer’s day in the former royal park, with the air temperature touching 30 degrees Celsius and the track temperature at 42 degrees, McLaren were always fastest in the build up to this weekend’s final race of the European part of the F1 season. Button went top after 16 minutes after Indian Narain Karthikeyan had run off in his Hispania. Rosberg then took over briefly before being succeeded by Alonso before Hamilton and Button re-exerted their control on proceedings with fastest laps in the closing stages. For Hamilton, it was a confidence-boosting outing after his recent problems and though he gave little away it was clear he enjoyed being back at the sharp end of the action after his frustrations in Belgium.India’s Narain Karthikeyan took over in the afternoon and left the crash after a minor crash which briefly held up the session.The HRT development driver was nearly six seconds slower than Schumacher but avoided problems and might have recorded a much faster lap but for a small mistake in sector two. — Reuters
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McLaren refuse to be distracted by talk of Hamilton’s move
Monza, September 7 Rumours about Hamilton’s future have been the main talking point at the Italian Grand Prix but Whitmarsh said it was business as usual for his engineers and mechanics. “Media like that sort of speculation, but Lewis and his management have assured me of their intentions and we’re focused on working together at the moment,” he said in the Monza paddock ahead of Sunday’s race. “This weekend is important for Lewis. He needs to ensure that he gets his championship hunt back on track, and I think that’s what he wants as well. “There’s going to be all sorts of speculation, but we are really focused on making sure we do a good job here in Monza,” added the boss, whose team have won the last two races in Hungary and Belgium. Hamilton was caught up in a first corner pile-up at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa and retired on the spot, leaving him fifth overall in the championship and 47 points adrift of Ferrari’s leader Fernando Alonso, who also drew a blank. The 27-year-old Briton had arrived in Spa deeply unsettled by the death of his aunt and triggered further controversy with a number of ill-judged messages on social network Twitter that were then deleted. “He has been a little heavy hearted, with real and genuine reason of course, and those issues in his personal life have probably had a bigger impact than all of this media hype at the moment,” said Whitmarsh. Paddock opinion is divided on whether Hamilton will leave McLaren, the team he has raced for since his F1 debut in 2007 and that funded him through the various feeder series from karting upwards. Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, has said he expects his team mate to stay but Mercedes have financial clout and are undoubtedly interested in a proven talent with huge name recognition outside the sport. Hamilton’s management have said they remain in advanced negotiations with McLaren. Mercedes have declined to comment on speculation. Whitmarsh said he had been around too long to be surprised by stories possibly blown out of proportion for various reasons, and would not be talking to Hamilton about contracts this weekend. — Reuters
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Maken issues show cause notice to PCI
New Delhi, September 7 “On the basis of petitions received from participating paralympic athletes and others, show-cause notice being issued to the PCI,” Maken wrote on his twitter page. Arjuna Awardee powerlifter Farman Basha is among the parathletes who have complained of official apathy, saying that the passes of escorts and coaches at the Games Village are being used by officials of the PCI. “My wife, Antonia sold her jewellery so I could represent India at the Games. She was also supposed to help me get my way around the events. She’s my soul mate and I owe my success to her. “Sadly, today she’s stranded outside the Games Village, because Paralympic Committee of India members are using the free facilities meant for athletes and their support staff,” he wrote in a petition. Officials from PCI have, however, denied these allegations. “We cannot have an escort for every athlete. We have 10 athletes and only six people have been sanctioned to stay inside the Games Village. We are managing things with some people coming early at the Village and leaving late in the evening,” an official from PCI said. — PTI
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BCCI to turn specialised academies into full-fledged ones
New Delhi, September 7 Currently, the Batting Academy is in Mumbai while the Pace Bowling Academy is in Mohali. The Spinners and Wicketkeepers Academy is in Chennai. According to reliable sources in BCCI, the specialised academies, a brainchild of former president Shahshank Manohar, have failed to create the desired impact after two seasons due to some “valid technical issues”, as one official pointed out. “We have realised that the concept of specialised academies is not working properly. Now look at the pacers’ academy in Mohali and the spinners’ academy in Chennai. The bowlers simply don’t have good batsmen to bowl at,” a senior BCCI official, aware of the developments at NCA, said. “Even the coaches have agreed that bowling in the nets aiming at three stumps is an archaic way of training. Unless they bowl to quality batsmen at the nets, how will they improve? So, this is a conscious decision to turn all three academies into full-fledged ones.” “This will also increase the talent pool as well as ensure that all the players get quality training. This will also decrease the load on NCA which is more of a rehab centre now,” he added. He said that the process to turn the academies into full-fledged ones is already in place, but it still needs to be approved by the working committee of the BCCI, which he termed a ‘mere formality’. — PTI
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After winning his battle against a rare germ cell cancer, India's World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh would be the cynosure of all eyes when he starts his journey back to international cricket with the first Twenty20 match against New Zealand here tomorrow.
New York, September 7
The best XI will get to play. There is nothing about team combination. It's the same team that will go into the World Cup. We are not looking to experiment and will stick to our best XI. We need to stick to our game plan and our strength, keep working on areas.
