Mohali, November 3
Trying as hard as they could, the Hyderabad bowlers just could not bowl out the Punjab openers —that was the long and short of the story on Day Two of the Ranji Trophy Group A match here on Saturday.

The visitors pumped in all the ammo they had but returned empty-handed with their shoulders drooping.

The Punjab openers stonewalled every possible attempt the visitors tried. And it was not that the duo was a star opening pair or well-settled batsmen.

One was a debutant while the other was a struggling opener who had nothing to boast of ahead of the Ranji opener. But full credit to Jiwanjot Singh, who hit an unbeaten century (116) on his first-class debut, and Karan Goel (106), who shook off all the rust he had gathered all this while.

At the end of the day, Punjab were 243 for no loss in reply to Hyderabad’s 258. While Jiwanjot was effortless through the offside, stamping his authority, southpaw Karan pierced through mid-off, point, covers and third man region with his power-packed innings to snuff out the challenge of the visiting team.

Ghaziabad, November 3
Delhi clawed its way back through late strikes of Sumit Narwal but Uttar Pradesh took a vital first innings lead of 57 runs on the second day of their Group B Ranji Trophy match on Saturday.

Burly left-handed opener Mukul Dagar scored an impressive 116 and added 196 runs for the second wicket with Mohammad Kaif (91) as UP reached 292 for six in reply to Delhi's modest first innings score of 235.

Old warhorse Narwal's (3/48) late evening spell however brought smiles back in the Delhi camp as he removed Dagar, Parvinder Singh and Arish Alam to effect a mini slump.

The unimpressive Ishant Sharma finally got a wicket on Saturday when he dismissed Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

UP skipper Suresh Raina went into a shell in the post-tea season and his negative approach rubbed on other UP batsmen as they let Delhi crawl their way back in the match. Raina scratched to remain unbeaten on 19 from 70 balls.

Although, UP enjoy a first innings lead but if Delhi can manage to keep the lead to less than 100, they can still think of an outright result. Much was expected from Ishant as this is the only match before the squad for the first two Test matches is selected but the speedster never looked like getting wickets. There were times when his run-up troubled him as he overstepped while at other times he didn't hit the proper channel.

Ishant, who had removed Tanmay Srivastava on Friday had figures of 18-2-61-2 but more than wickets, what was more disappointing was the lack of discipline in his bowling. With the ever-profligate Pradeep Sangwan and a veteran Ashish Nehra being his partners, the gangly fast bowler never looked like as if he was in his element. Nehra also disappointed as he went for 64 runs in 18 wicket-less overs. The moment Ishant tried to use the short-pitched stuff, Kaif was in perfect position to play the pull shot while stockily-built Dagar repeatedly punched him through the cover area.

His innings of 116 off 214 balls contained 14 boundaries. With the seasoned Kaif for company, the former India U-19 player stamped his authority in his second first-class game. — PTI

Mumbai, November 3
Mumbai piled the pressure on Railways as they amassed a massive first innings total of 570 all out on the second day of a Group A Ranji Trophy tie at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

After Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane had hogged the limelight on the first day with their spectacular centuries, Abhishek Nayar impressed on the second with an unbeaten 107 off 164 balls.

Railways found themselves in a spot of bother losing both their openers, Shivakant Shukla (18) and Amit Paunikar (9) with just 31 on the board. Captain Sanjay Bangar (36 not out) and Nitin Bhille (21 not out) restored some parity with an unbeaten 55-run stand to take Railways to 86 for two at the end of the day's play.Mumbai resumed the proceedings on an overnight score of 344 for four. Rahane could only add 24 runs before he was trapped in front of the stumps by Krishnakant Upadhyay.

Nayar then batted brilliantly with the tail as skipper Ajit Agarkar played a cameo, scoring 20 off 35 balls. Spinner Ramesh Powar (41) played a gritty hand and played a key role in taking Mumbai to their mammoth total. He stitched a 63-run partnership with Nayar for the eighth wicket, ensuring Mumbai crossed the 500-mark.

Anureet Singh and Shukla were impressive with ball taking three wickets apiece while veteran spinner Murali Kartik accounted for two. Agarkar was on target for Mumbai with the ball taking both the wickets to fall in the Railways innings.

Abhishek Nayar needed 16 runs when No. 11 Zaheer Khan came out to bat and on his own admission was sceptical about whether he would able to complete the three-figure mark. “I was sceptical the way things were going because there was bounce and turn on offer. Zak told me to keep playing and he will try,” he said. — PTI

Rohtak, November 3
India pacer Umesh Yadav struck twice in quick succession towards the close to give Vidarbha the edge over Haryana on the second day of their Ranji Trophy group league match here today.

Yadav dismissed Sunny Singh and Rahul Dewan in the space of three overs as Haryana lost two wickets for just five runs at the fag end of the second day after the home side were nicely placed at 88 for one in their second innings.

Yadav has so far taken seven wickets in the match with the five he grabbed in the Haryana first innings.

Haryana had a comparatively good day today as compared to yesterday when they were shot out for just 55 after being invited to bat. They fought back to dismiss Vidarbha for 205 as the visitors could add 127 runs today after resuming at 78 for two at Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium.

At stumps, Haryana were 103 for three from 44 overs with Abhimanyu Khod and Priyank Tehlan batting on nine and five respectively. Openers Nitin Saini (46) and Dewan (31) put on 80 runs from 29.2 overs before the former was out of the bowling of Faiz Fazal.

Haryana now trail by 47 runs with seven second innings wickets in hand and two days remaining in the Group B game.

Earlier in the day, Vidarbha failed to shut the game on the home side as they were all out for 205 in 79 overs. They added 127 runs from 42 overs with none of the batsmen scoring big. Shrikant Wagh top-scored with 44 runs. — PTI

Brief Scores

Haryana: 55 & 103 for 3 in 44 overs (N Saini 46, Rahul Dewan 31; Umesh Yadav 2/44); Vidarbha 1st Innings: 205 all out in 79 overs (S Wagh 44; Mohit Sharma 3/45, Chanderpal Saini 3/47).

Nadaun, November 3
After bundling out Kerala for 229, Himachal Pradesh rode on Paras Dogra's century to reach a comfortable 250/4 at the end of the second day's play in their Group C Ranji Trophy match on Saturday.

Dogra scored a brilliant 121 off 183 balls, studded with 18 fours and three sixes to help the hosts take a 21-run first innings lead with six wickets remaining. Paras’s knock could well be an answer to Kings XI Punjab management.

At stumps on day two, Amit Kumar was unbeaten on 18, while Aatish Bhalaik was yet to open his account.

Resuming at 196 for eight, Kerala's overnight unbeaten centurion Sanju Samson continued with his good work before he ran out of partners at the other end to be left stranded at 127 not out.

Another overnight batsman, Prasanth Parameswaran, who resumed on 13, could add only four more runs before Vikramjeet Malik sent him packing, adding third wicket to his kitty. The last batsman — KR Sreejith — got run out for nought. For Himachal, Malik (3/47) and Rishi Dhawan (3/77) claimed three wickets each, while Gurvinder Singh took two for 47 and Mohinderraj Sharma claimed one for 50.

Replying to Kerala's modest total, Himachal lost Prashant Chopra for a quickfire 24. Thereafter, Aakash Chopra (18) and Dogra put on a 78-run stand together for the second wicket. After Aakash Chopra's departure, C Hemanth Kumar (45) also chipped in with crucial runs.

In another Group C match at Jammu, Jharkhand took a massive 159-run lead over Jammu & Kashmir after posting 354 for eight in their first innings on the second day of the match. Resuming at 81 for one, Jharkhand's overnight batsman Rameez Nemat (75), Saurabh Tiwary (72) and Shiv Gautam (80) made crucial contributions to put their team in the drivers' seat. For J&K, Parvez Rassol was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 96, while Ram Dayal took two for 64. On Friday, hosts were all out for 195.

Brief scores: Kerala 1st innings: 229 all out in 82 overs (Sanju Samson not out 127, Abhishek Hegde 26; Vikramjeet Malik 3/47, Rishi Dhawan 3/77); HP 1st innings: 250/4 (Paras 121, C Hemanth Kumar 45; PU Anthaf 2/38); J&K 1st innings: 195 all out Jharkhand 1st innings: 354 for eight in 116 overs (Shiv Gautam 80, R Nemat 75, S Tiwary 72; P Rassol 3/96). — PTI

Mumbai, November 3
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar today said that Sachin Tendulkar getting some runs under his belt in the Ranji Trophy match before the upcoming four-Test series against England is a good sign.

Gavaskar was one of those who had said the 39-year-old's mode of dismissals in recent matches was concerning.

"He is one the most hardworking studious guys you come across. I think Sachin would have got enough time to think about how he got out. If he has got the runs now, obviously he has worked hard for it.

"The evidence will be seen in the Test matches. The fact that he has got runs is a good sign," Gavaskar told reporters at an event where he was honoured for his 34 centuries by a Swiss luxury watch firm.

Yesterday, Tendulkar roared back to form ahead of the upcoming Test series against England with a strokeful 137 in 136 balls against Railways in the Ranji match. On his earlier comment on the senior batsman's dismissals, he said, "That was the early part of the season.

Some people can be a little bit rusty. India had a rare two months off from international cricket. May be it was a case of rustiness. But he is somebody who would have noticed it himself and studied the videos. So I don't see too much of an issue." Sport-gavaskar 2 last

On the series against arch-rivals Pakistan, to be held in between the Test and ODI series against England, Gavaskar clarified that he has no objection but felt the timing was slightly odd as India would have no rest before facing Australia after the long series against the English.

Gavaskar was moved when presented with a watch and said it will be his 25 years of retirement on Monday and also recounted a nightmarish experience in 1971, just before the series against the West Indies. "In the New York flight I started screaming and the on-board doctor gave me tranquilisers. When we reached an infirmary, the nurse mad a bad face because of the swollen finger and pus. The doctors told me it was lucky we had a stopover otherwise gangrene would have set in and we would have had to chop that finger off.

"I couldn't play the warm up matches because it was my top hand and I couldn't hold the bat, " he said, adding that he noticed a similar thing in the morning but used a band aid this time around," recollected Gavaskar. Gavaskar said India will an edge over England in the upcoming Test series if they manage to win the first match, but added that the hosts' batting line-up looks shaky. "I have always believed that home teams have an edge. — PTI

Mumbai, November 3
Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow hit a resolute century and put on 156-run partnership with Eoin Morgan to rescue England from a precarious position on the first day of their three-day warm-up game against Mumbai 'A' here today.

Bairstow (118) and Morgan (73) pulled England out of the woods by stitching 156 runs for the fifth wicket in just under three hours after Mumbai 'A' bowlers had threatened to bowl the visitors out cheaply in the morning session.

The right-handed Bairstow, who hit 15 fours in his stay of 261 minutes, and left-handed Morgan, who struck eight fours and a six in 191 minutes, joined hands when England were tottering at 64 for four at lunch and were separated only in the final session.

England consolidated their innings further when Bairstow and Samit Patel (59) put on another 107 runs for the sixth wicket to finish the opening day strongly at 338 for six wickets. Patel, who scored a century in the tourists' first warm-up game against India A, and stand-in skipper Stuart Broad (6) were the unbeaten batsmen at stumps.

In the morning, the visitors were rocked by a two-wicket burst from Kshemal Waingankar and a wicket each from first change seamer Javed Khan and captain Suryakumar Yadav, a part time spinner, after opting to bat first.

Morgan and Bairstow then rallied the visiting team by batting with confidence and fluency till the former was dismissed by Shardul Thakur.

In the first hour of play, Waingankar picked up the wickets of opener Nick Compton (1) and Ian Bell (4) but was punished later on with the old ball to finish the day with figures of two for 68. Javed Khan and part-timer bowler Surya Kumar Yadav, the home team skipper, got rid off Jonathan Trott and Joe Root respectively. — PTI

Mumbai, November 3
Mumbai A captain Suryakumar Yadav rued the absence of seam bowler Balwinder Singh Sandhu Jr. as England recovered from a poor start to reach a strong 338 for six on the first day of a warm-up game, here today.

"We had planned to field four fast bowlers but Sandhu was running a temperature. He was a little unwell yesterday itself. And we could not manage our bowling options. Some bowlers had longer spells and some others had shorter ones," said Yadav after his bowlers allowed England to escape from the lunchtime score of 66 for 4.

"In the first session our bowlers got good help from the pitch but later on they batted very well. Both (Jonny) Bairstow and Eoin Morgan (73) batted really well. We could not capitalize on the good start and gave away runs," said Yadav. Mumbai A bowlers sent back Joe Root, Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell before lunch. — PTI

Dongguan, November 3
Gaganjeet Bhullar logged the day’s third best round with a flawless nine-under 63 to zoom up to tied eight place from tied 27th in the $7 million WGC-HSBC Champions on Saturday.

The Indian golfer was the best placed Asian in the world-class field. And with one more round to go, Bhullar at 12-under is six shots behind co-leaders Lee Westwood (61) and Louis Oosthuizen (70), who are at 18-under 198.

Bhullar, 24, who has won twice on the Asian Tour in the past two months, fired nine birdies in a flawless round. The only players to shoot better than Bhullar’s 63 were American Brand Snedeker, who shot a spectacular 60 after narrowly missing out on a magical 59 with a missed birdie chance on 18 and England’s Lee Westwood (61) who went on to grab a share of the third round lead with halfway leader Louis Oosthuizen, who shot a 70.

Bhullar’s senior, Jeev Milkha Singh carded a 73 for tied 46th position on 216.

Four-time Major champion, Phil Mickelson shot a 66 to trail by three strokes in third place as he kept up his bid for an unprecedented third HSBC Champions title.

Bhullar has maintained his impressive form through the season. A week after finishing top-10 at the co-sanctioned Asian Tour and PGA Tour event in Malaysia, he has put himself in position for another terrific showing.

“It was a smooth 63. Trust me, it was a great round. I had 16 greens in regulation, nine birdies, nine pars,” he said. “We kind of expect this kind of round when you play good. It’s been a long time I’ve shot low 60. I came here with a lot of positivity in my game.”

“Hit the ball really well and I made nine birdies and nine pars, probably the best I’ve ever done in my life,” said Bhullar.

“I have shot 62 once in an Asian Tour tournament but to shoot a low number in such a big tournament, it means a lot,” he said. — PTI

London, November 3
Robin van Persie piled on the misery for former club Arsenal as Manchester United went top of the Premier League with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Dutch striker needed fewer than three minutes to put United in front before Patrice Evra doubled their lead in the 67th minute.

Arsenal, for whom this defeat was their third in five matches, then saw this latest loss made worse when midfielder Jack Wilshere, in only his second game back following a long injury lay-off, was sent off for a second bookable offence after he caught Evra on the ankle.

Victory put United two points in front of previous leaders Chelsea.

But the European champions will return to top spot if they win at Swansea later on Saturday. Van Persie, playing against Arsenal for the first time since his £24 million ($39 million) pre-season move from the Gunners, wasted little time in giving United the lead.

He struck in the third minute when, after Thomas Vermaelen failed to clear a Rafael cross from the right, he shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

It was the 29-year-old van Persie’s 10th goal in 13 United appearances.

United should have doubled their lead shortly before half-time when they were awarded a penalty after Santi Cazorla blocked Ashley Young’s cross with his arm.

But England striker Wayne Rooney saw his spot-kick go well wide of Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone’s right post.

However, Evra did reward United’s dominance when he headed in a Rooney cross following a short corner.

Cazorla pulled a goal back for Arsenal deep into stoppage time with virtually the last kick of the match, but defeat meant the Gunners were left nine points off the summit just 10 games into the season.

Premier League champions Manchester City, the only unbeaten side in English football’s top-flight so far this term, are away to West Ham in Saturday’s late kick-off match, having started the weekend level on points with United. — Agencies

New Delhi, November 3
The Randhir Singh group has made a deft move as it is going to field Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) secretary-general K. Murugan for the post of secretary-general in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections to be held on November 25.

Murugan is also the secretary-general of the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association. Randhir, who will contest against Abhay Singh Chautala for the post of president, hopes to garner the votes from South by roping in Murugan, who has the backing of former IOA president B Sivanthi Adityan.

When Adityan was the IOA president in the 90s, Murugan was his eyes and ears in Delhi. With Adityan out of active sports administration, Murugan has been looking after the affairs of the VFI and the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association.

The Randhir group has also arrived at some prominent names for the post of treasurer, including that of All India Tennis Association president Anil Khanna.

The Kalmadi camp is also flexing their muscles, with the many votes at their command. Chautala is expected to gather the votes of not only his supporters, but also that of the Kalmadi group and acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra’s camp.

There is some confusion regarding the voting rights for hockey. The IOA has said that it recognises only Hockey India and only it will be allowed to vote. But the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is determined to cast its votes. IHF secretary-general Ashok Mathur had attended the IOA special General Body Meeting on October 18, following a court. “We have a court order in our favour. We’ll vote,” Mathur said.

The IHF elections, scheduled for November 5, seem to have been put on hold. The IHF was to elect a new president following the resignation of R.K.Shetty, but it is understood that union minister Jitin Prasada was not keen to become the IHF president and IHF hasn’t found a suitable candidate for the post. 

Abu Dhabi, November 3
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton denied Red Bull a fourth successive pole position on Saturday with a sizzling Abu Dhabi qualifying lap that pushed Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel off the front row.

Hamilton, the 2008 champion, will have Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber alongside him for Sunday’s start instead of the German, who had been on the front in all three races to date at Yas Marina.

Vettel qualified third while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the defending Red Bull champion’s closest title rival who has a 13-point gap to close with three races remaining, will line up a distant seventh.

Red Bull had locked out the front row of the last three races.

“It’s the first time for a long time to be ahead of the Bulls and starting at the front,” said Briton Hamilton, who was last on pole in Singapore last month but has always started on the front row in the Emirate.

“It’s going to be tough in the race and I hope we are strong enough to fight them once again. The car’s felt beautiful all weekend,” he added after his 25th career pole.

Vettel, who had brake problems in final practice, was told urgently to stop the car at the end of qualifying but played down the problem.

“I don’t know why I had to stop. I was asked to stop. Probably some problem. But it shouldn’t be something major,” the German, chasing his fifth win in a row and looking good for a third successive title, told reporters. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Watson under injury cloud ahead of 1st test
SYDNEY: Australia have suffered another injury scare ahead of the first test against top ranked South Africa after all-rounder Shane Watson appeared to pick up a calf strain in a first class match on Saturday. The 31-year-old, whose career has been blighted by back and leg injuries, left the field during New South Wales' Sheffield Shield game against Queensland in Brisbane after bowling just one over, local media reported. Watson stopped short after he bowled the final ball of his first over of the day. He then spoke to Australia captain Michael Clarke and left the field shortly afterwards.

Doolan dominates South African attack
SYDNEY: Alex Doolan stroked his highest first class score as Australia A's middle-order coped comfortably with South Africa's pace attack and moved into a 352-run first innings lead by the close of the second day of their match on Saturday. Doolan was on 161 not out when captain Andrew McDonald declared Australia A's first innings closed at 480 for seven after lunch, as the visitors toiled on the slow-paced wicket at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The visitors were 128 for one at the close of play, with Hashim Amla (27) and JP Duminy (two) together after Alviro Petersen was the only South African wicket to fall. — Agencies