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Royal pasting for Delhi
After May, it’s time for new ideas: Siva
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Defending champs Kolkata almost out of play-offs
I had to make some adjustments for T20: Pujara
Vengsarkar calls for ‘additional IPL final’
FIDE suggests sharing match with Norway, India says no
Commonwealth TT: Indian men in final, women settle for bronze
Narang 13th in Fort Benning World Cup
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Royal pasting for Delhi
Jaipur, May 7 Dravid led from the front with a classy 48-ball-53, his fourth half-century in this IPL edition, while Rahane played an equally impressive unbeaten knock of 63 as Royals maintained their impeccable record at home. They now have 16 points with eight wins and look like firm contenders for a berth in knock-out round. Delhi Daredevils, whose season has gone from bad to worse stay put on eight position with six points. Royals registered their seventh win at home with 13 balls to spare, scoring 155 for one. Shane Watson remained unbeaten on 14-ball 28, laced with three fours and one six. Dravid and Rahane added 108 runs for the opening-wicket partnership in just 13.4 overs with the former India captain playing the more aggressive knock of the two. In the process, Royals also registered their highest opening-wicket partnership in this edition of the IPL, surpassing 98 runs against Pune Warriors last week. For Daredevils, Rohrer hit a fine 39-ball 63 under trying conditions while Mahela Jayawardene (34) and Kedar Jadhav (23 no) also chipped in with useful contributions to help their side post a competitive 154 for four but, in the end, the total did not prove to be enough. Royals made a confident start to their run-chase with the trusted opening pair of Dravid and Rahane once again providing their team a good start. Both made short work of Delhi bowlers and enthralled a near sell-out crowd with their vast repertoire of stroke-play. Delhi's misery was further compounded by their butter-finger fielders when Rahane was dropped by Pawan Negi at extra-cover off Morne Morkel when the batsman was at an individual score of 4. Rahane made full use of the reprieve and raised a century-plus partnership with Dravid. It was a treat to watch vintage Dravid show as he cut and drove Delhi bowlers to reach his second successive fifty in the tournament in just 45 balls. The fact that Daredevils made as many as four changes in their bowling department for this game did not come to any help to them as the duo of Dravid and Rahane played them with utmost ease. Dravid was finally out in the innings' 14th over when he was caught by Ajit Agarkar off Siddharth Kaul at long-on while going for an expensive pull. However, Rahane and Watson ensured that Royals remained invincible at home with an unconquered 47-run partnership for the second wicket. Earlier, Rohrer put on display some innovative shots to single-handedly guide Daredevils past 150 runs, which looked unlikely at one stage with the visitors struggling at 78 for four. — PTI Scoreboard Delhi daredevils Jayawardene c Dravid b Trivedi 34 Sehwag b Faulkner 11 Gautam c Samson b Watson 2 Warner c Sachin Baby b Binny 13 Rohrer not out 64 Jadhav not out 23 Extras: (lb 2, w 5) 7 Total: (4 wkts) 154 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-22, 3-47, 4-78 Bowling Tait 3-0-39-0 Faulkner 4-0-38-1 Watson 3-0-21-1 Binny 2-0-3-1 Tambe 4-0-30-0 Trivedi 4-0-21-1 Rajasthan Royals Dravid c Agarkar b Kaul 53 Rahane not out 63 Watson not out 28 Extras: (b 1, lb 1, w 9) 11 Total (1 wkt; 17.5 overs) 155 Fall of wickets: 1-108 Bowling Kaul 3.5-1-23-1 Yadav 3-0-28-0 Morkel 4-0-40-0 Agarkar 2-0-22-0 Negi 4-0-28-0 Rohrer 1-0-12-0
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After May, it’s time for new ideas: Siva
New Delhi, May 7 The former India spinner, though, said the change was good for world cricket. “I have beaten Tim May (in voting). He was there for a while, so he has made contributions and there comes the point when over a period of time, you make your points felt and then you run out of ideas. I think I would bring in fresh set of ideas and I am sure I will be able to cope with the job in the next three years and take world cricket forward,” he said. Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Sivaramakrishnan were elected by a vote of the 10 Test captains as players’ representatives and will serve on the Cricket Committee for a three-year term from 2013. I’m more interested in ICC’s terms of governance: May
Preferring not to say it in as many words, former Australian spinner and FICA boss Tim May today made a veiled reference to his ouster from the ICC’s Cricket Committee, saying he is more interested in the apex body “policing” and maintaining its stated “governance”. There have been allegations that the BCCI forced some of the captains of the member boards to vote in favour of Sivaramkrishnan, who is also a commentator on BCCI payrolls as well as an India Cements employee, which is owned by N Srinivasan. “I am more focused on the ICC policing its own stated standards in terms of governance — this is the real issue not whether I got voted onto this committee,” May said from the US, where he currently resides. Asked whether he feels there has been a deliberate attempt on part of any particular cricket board to influence other member boards, May replied, “This is an issue that has been identified and raised by a number of parties for many years including Woolf Committee’s report on ICC’s governance.” Was he ousted because he was a vocal advocate of implementation of DRS across all Test-playing nations which India has always opposed, he gave a curt reply, “It might be best to ask the BCCI.” There is a perception about May being anti-BCCI but the former offie sought to clear the air. “There are some aspects of BCCI that I am a strong supporter of and there are other aspects that concern me and others. Unfortunately, only the negative stuff gets publicised,” he added. — PTI |
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Defending champs Kolkata almost out of play-offs
Mumbai, May 7 Chasing a total of 170, Knights were bundled out for 105 as Harbhajan Singh (3/27), Pragyan Ojha (2/23) and Mitchell Johnson (2/13) bagged wickets at regular intervals. For Kolkata, Debabrata Das(23) and Jacques Kallis (24) put up a token of resistance only to fade out in the last overs. Batting first, Mumbai got off to a rollicking start as Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar (man-of-the match) got off to a flier. Both almost raised a century stand — 93runs — in 13 overs. Sachin (48) was the first one to go as Rajath Bhatia clean bowled the Master Blaster. Sachin played at breakneck speed, hitting eight boundaries, particularly to Ryan McLaren,and taking up just 28 balls. Mumbai yet again gave a good show at the Wankhede even as KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was forced to watch the match from outside on TV. Scoreboard Mumbai Indians
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I had to make some adjustments for T20: Pujara
Mohali, May 7 “I think ultimately the basic technique has to be there even when you want to accelerate. But it is about shifting gears at the right moment... My basic technique is the same, and it is just about making little adjustments in the game,” the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, who is back from injury, said. Pujara said having Gayle in the line-up also takes some pressure off him. “It takes away some of the pressure and so I can play my natural game. I can take more time, than what is expected in Twenty20, to settle down and then start playing my shots,” he said. Pujara returned to the field last night against Kings XI Punjab, who were guided to a win by David Miller, who struck a 38-ball 101 in a chase of 190. “We were in the game till the 12th over and after that he started accelerating and then onwards it was his game,” he said, praising Miller. Asked how costly was the dropped catch of Miller by skipper Virat Kohli, he said, “Obviously, it was very costly, but it happens at times.” Asked about his return from an injury and if he found the going any difficult last night, Pujara said, “I think initially the ball was doing a bit, so it was little difficult for me as I was coming back after an injury. I didn’t play cricket for a month, but once I got my eye in, I could play my shots easily. Pujara, who opened the innings with Chris Gayle, hit 51 off 48, including eight fours. “I don’t have any issues with my fitness. I have worked hard at the NCA and things are paying off now,” added Pujara. — PTI
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Vengsarkar calls for ‘additional IPL final’
Mumbai, May 7 “The BCCI, in the past, has always come forward and helped in such matters. I earnestly request you to arrange for an additional final of the T20 league on May 28 to be played either at the Wankhede or DY Patil Stadium, after the final in Kolkata on 26th, to raise funds,” Vengsarkar wrote in the letter addressed to board president N Srinivasan. “It will go a long way if substantial amount is raised from the match for this worthy cause.” “I am writing this letter in my personal capacity as a former captain of Mumbai and India. There is a severe drought in most parts of Maharashtra and as a result a lot of people are suffering who need urgent financial help,” he added. Copies of the letter were also addressed to Rajeev Shukla (IPL chairman), Sanjay Jagdale (secretary) and Anurag Thakur (joint secretary). The final is slated to be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 26. — PTI
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FIDE suggests sharing match with Norway, India says no
New Delhi, May 7 Following criticism by many European chess officials for awarding the World Championship final to Chennai, FIDE issued a statement from Baku. On the issue of neutral venue, FIDE pointed out that in the past, both Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov have played in their opponent’s country. It also said that according to its rules the World Championship cycle is not included in the list of events, for which the world body is obliged to have a bidding procedure as in the case of Olympiads. FIDE also revealed that the Paris bid was higher than Chennai’s bid, but the world body went ahead with the Indian city as it wanted “to respect its obligation”. The statement said,”Since the Candidates’ Tournament ended, and GM Carlsen became the challenger of the coming World Championship Match. There have been several developments, mails exchange between all parties (Carlsen, Anand, FIDE), questions asked, and also speculations. “FIDE would hereby like to put forward the current situation regarding this event. “Directly after the 2012 match was awarded to Moscow, FIDE agreed to grant an option to Chennai. The PB and its meeting in Armenia in January decided that FIDE and AGON, who hold the rights for organising the whole cycle of the World Championship, were advised that India would take up its option to organise the World Championship match,” the statement read. “This was done on January 24 in Athens, where both parties agreed not to open a bidding procedure, but to grant an option to India, as requested,” it further added. FIDE also emphasised that according to its rules, the World Championship cycle was not included in the list of events, for which it was obliged to do so (like Olympiads). — PTI
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Commonwealth TT: Indian men in final, women settle for bronze
New Delhi, May 7 The Singapore men downed Scotland 3-1 in their semifinal clash. The Indian eves messed up a golden chance, losing 2-3 to England, who will now take on Singapore in the challenge round. Defending champions Singapore slammed Malaysia 3-0 in the other semifinal clash. India and Malaysia, on the basis of sharing the joint third position, will get a bronze medal each.The Indian men got off on the wrong foot when world No. 69 Achanta Sharath Kamal lost to Samuel Walker 10-12, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11. Walker, ranked 545 in the world, won more due to the folly of Sharath, who, after leading 7-4 and then 10-9, allowed the English player to get the better of him in the first game. Though Sharath managed to win the next at 11-4, he could not capitalize on it to give a hard push to Walker, who eventually cruised to a 3-1 win. Soumyajit Ghosh, however, provided the winning spark as he unleashed his telling forehands and blocked effectively to gain the upper hand. He never loosened his grip to triumph over Andrew Baggaley at 11-7, 11-8, 11-4. The top-ranked English player (145) just could not gather his wits after losing the first two games and surrendered the third rather tamely. Harmeet Desai was found wanting against Daniel Reed and his 2-3 loss brought the hosts back on the brink as it had become inevitable for Sharath to win against Baggaley to keep India on the hunt. Sharath, who had never lost to Baggaley, rushed to a 3-0 win to leave the stage for Ghosh to wage the decisive battle. And the national champion did not disappoint as he walked past Walker in straight games (3-0). Ghosh, instead of taking the credit himself, said it was team effort that clinched the match for India. “I was confident against Baggaley because I had beaten him at the Dortmund World Championships where we beat England for the same score (3-2). Once Sharath won his reverse singles, I was sure we will win the rubber. Even Harmeet played a good game, though it was unfortunate that he lost.”The Indian women suffered a big blow even before they took on England in the semis clash as No. 1 player K. Shamini did not take the field. It eventually affected the team balance, as despite Neha Aggarwal putting up a brave show, maintaining a clean slate for herself, India bowed out of the title race. Though Mouma played a close game against Kelly Sibley, she could only extend her rival and lost the tie at 2-3. Madhurika Patkar went down in straight games to Joanna Parker while Neha Agarwal salvaged some pride for India by beating Hannah Hicks 3-2. Mouma, making amends for her initial loss, brought her experience to the fore to beat Joanna 3-0. But Madhurika only flattered to deceive as she went down to Kelly 11-4, 2-11, 9-11, 6-11 to shut out India’s hopes. “Shamini was lacking in confidence and was carrying some niggles. She wanted to play the third singles. But we couldn’t risk playing her,” explained coach Bhawani Mukherjee. But asked why Madhurika was preferred over Neha as the second player, the coach said it was done thinking that “a good defensive and offensive player would come in handy, but she could not come up to expectations today.” Results (Mens semifinals): India bt England 3-2 (Sharath Kamal lost to Samuel Walker 10-12, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, Soumyajit Ghosh bt Andrew Baggaley 11-7, 11-8, 11-4, Harmeet Desai lost to Daniel Reed 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 7-11, Sharath Kamal bt Andrew Baggaley 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, Soumyajit Ghosh bt Samuel Walker 11-7, 12-10, 11-6). Women: England bt India 3-1 (Kelly Sibley bt Mouma Das 11-5, 9-11, 14-12, 6-11, 11-7, Joanna Parker bt Madhurika Patkar 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, Hannah Hicks lost to Neha Aggarwal 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, Joanna Parker lost to Mouma Das 4-11, 6-11, 3-11, Kelly Sibley bt Madhurika Patkar 4-11, 11-2, 11-9, 6-11).
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Narang 13th in Fort Benning World Cup
New Delhi, May 7 Narang shot 621.5 points in the preliminary stage and missed the final by 0.7 point. The Hyderabad-based marksman needed to score 10.6 in his final shot to qualify but came up with 9.8. Narang was at his best in the fifth and sixth series when he shot 106.0 and 104.6 respectively, but he had conceded much ground in the first four rounds when he had shot 103.5, 101.8, 103.4 and 102.2. Among other Indians in the fray, Chain Singh shot 619.4 to be placed 20th in a field of 47 while Sanjeev Rajput was 36th with a total of 612.0. Former world and Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra was missing from the line-up as he was caught up with a back problem apart from the demands of representing the athletes in the IOC meeting to be held in Lausanne on May 15. Bindra had chosen to skip the second World Cup of the season after a 15th finish in the first World Cup in Korea. He will compete in the Munich World Cup later this month. — Agencies
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Serena makes serene progress into Rd 3
Madrid, May 7 Chasing a fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, Williams had too much power for the slightly-built Dominguez Lino, who nonetheless managed to unsettle her illustrious opponent with some clever drop shots and lobs. Williams, 31, said she had enjoyed the test and the experience would stand her in good stead the next time she came up against a player like the 47th-ranked Spaniard, who likes to mix up her shots. "I made a lot of errors, but her game kind of forces you to make errors," the American told a news conference. "It was a really good clay-court tennis match for me. "Seeing as I have a few more tournaments on clay, it was perfect to play a match like this, so I know if I face another opponent like that I'll have that experience and I'll know how to play." A 15-times grand slam singles champion, Williams will play unseeded Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic or 13th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko for a place in the quarter-finals. Russian second seed Maria Sharapova was due to play her second-round match against American qualifier Christina McHale later on Tuesday. Tomic’s father at centre of probe over altercation
Tennis Australia (TA) is investigating media reports that Bernard Tomic's father John has been involved in an altercation with the world number 49's hitting partner Thomas Drouet in Madrid, official Todd Woodbridge said on Monday. A report on France's RMC radio said John Tomic would appear in court in Madrid on Monday over the incident, which it said had left the Frenchman with a fractured nose and damaged vertebrae. John Tomic called Australian sportswriter Linda Pearce early on Monday but would not elaborate on the reports, only saying: "I just want to say that I'm not in the jail, how they are writing. "Hard to explain to you ... I'm not in the jail, just say like that. Tomorrow I will say." Woodbridge, a former Australian Davis Cup player, said there was little he could add at this stage but confirmed that, to his knowledge, an incident had taken place. — Reuters |
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ITF meet: Vijayant beats Ronit
Rohtak, May 7 Players from seven countries took part in action as Rohtak hosted its first ITF futures tourney. As many as 50 international tennis players including Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupati, international players and members of Indian Davis Cup team, will take part in the eventthe coming days.
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Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane struck fluent half-centuries as Rajasthan Royals inched closer towards securing a play-off berth with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory against Delhi Daredevils in an IPL match here today.
Considered a Test batsman of impeccable technique, Cheteshwar Pujara says he has made some adjustments in his game to adapt to the fast-paced Twenty20 format in the ongoing Pepsi IPL where he shares the dressing room with destructive batsmen like Chris Gayle.
“I think ultimately the basic technique has to be there even when you want to accelerate. But it is about shifting gears at the right moment... My basic technique is the same, and it is just about making little adjustments in the game,” the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, who is back from injury, said.
The FIDE, world chess governing body, has revealed that it tried its best to convince India to allow Norway to stage one half of the 2013 World Chess Championship match but India has refused, accusing the body of “lack of transparency”.
