SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

champions trophy
Rohit must rise to the top of order
The first sighting of Rohit Sharma, six years ago, brought with it a moment of epiphany. The boy was 20, the boy was a genius. He was wristy, classy, something really special. The talent of Rohit Sharma demanded fulfilment. Over the past six years, though, it’s been a largely disappointing journey.


Rohit Sharma has flattered to deceive time and again. Now is the time for him to deliver.
— File photo

Rohit Sharma has flattered to deceive time and again. Now is the time for him to deliver

India or South Africa India, we don’t care: Cook
Cardiff, June 17
Having endured a “stressful” journey to book a Champions Trophy's semifinal berth, England captain Alastair Cook said he didn't really care who — India or South Africa — awaits his team in the last-four stage of the tournament.



EARLIER STORIES



Punjab Police beat Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala 2-0 to win the All India Hot Weather football meet in Mandi on Monday
Punjab Police beat Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala 2-0 to win the All India Hot Weather football meet in Mandi on Monday. Tribune photo

Australia down in the dumps
London, June 17
Australia have fallen on really bad days if media ask the captain if there’s a rift in the team. This, obviously, was never asked during the good days when they were invincible. In good times, rifts get buried under the wins and runs and wickets.

Corporate houses keen to cash in on ‘brand’ Dhawan
New Delhi, June 17
With three consecutive centuries in international cricket, India`s newest batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan`s brand value is on the upswing as some of the major corporate houses are showing a lot of interest in the 27-year-old opener after his on-field exploits.

Jaya frustrates Oz bowlers
London, June 17
Mahela Jayawardene struck an unbeaten 84 to propel Sri Lanka to a fighting 253 for eight in their ICC Champions Trophy match against Australia on Monday. The Lankan batsman took just 84 balls for the knock as he helped his team to overcome two quick blows and put them back on the rails.
Shane Watson (centre), Mathew Wade celebrate the fall of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s wicket during the Champions Trophy match at The Oval, London. — AFP
Shane Watson (centre), Mathew Wade celebrate the fall of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s wicket during the Champions Trophy match at The Oval, London

At 40, Paes sets his sight on seventh Olympics
New Delhi, June 17
At the age of 40, Leander Paes has won everything that a tennis player dreams of but the Indian tennis legend wants to keep going and play in his seventh Olympics Games. Paes, who celebrated his 40th birthday today, is considered one of the greatest tennis players in the world with 13 Grand Slam titles.

 

 


Paes, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday, wants to push himself even harder. — File photo


Paes, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Monday,  wants to push himself even harder

Russian judoka commits suicide

Moscow, June 17
Russian judo champion Elena Ivashchenko committed suicide last Saturday because of her failure during the London Olympics, a judo official said Monday. Elena Ivashchenko, 28, a four-time European champion (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012), jumped from the 15th floor in the Siberian city of Tyumen, reports Xinhua.

Suffering from acute depression, Judoka Elena Ivashchenko jumped out of fifteenth floor of a building
Suffering from acute depression, Judoka Elena Ivashchenko jumped out of fifteenth floor of a building.

Justin Rose wins US Open
Chandigarh, June 17
It was a great Sunday for Justin Rose and the English golfing community. Sixteen years after Nick Faldo won the US Masters and 43 years after Tony Jacklin’s US Open win at the Hazeltine Golf Club, an Englishman won the US Open championship as Rose recorded his first major victory. The 32-year-old held back tears as he looked up to the sky just before holing his final putt. “The significance of the day was not lost on me. I was looking up to dedicate this win to my dad,” said Justin, whose father was his first coach.

 

Justin Rose celebrates after winning the US Open, his first major title, on Sunday. — AFP


Justin Rose celebrates after winning the US Open, his first major title, on Sunday

Italy, Spain win Confed cup openers
Rio de Janeiro, June 17
Mario Balotelli scored the winner and Andrea Pirlo, capping a majestic 100th international appearance by scoring with a 30-metre free kick, provided the inspiration as Italy beat Mexico 2-1 in their opening Confederations Cup match on Sunday.

 

 


Andrea Pirlo scores Italy’s first goal in their 2-1 win over Mexico in Confederations Cup on Sunday. — AFP


Andrea Pirlo scores Italy’s first goal in their 2-1 win over Mexico in Confederations Cup on Sunday

Spurs stun Heat to close in on title
San Antonia, June 17
Tony Parker shrugged off a nagging hamstring injury and Manu Ginobli came out of a slump as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 on Sunday to move one win away from a fifth NBA title.

Tony Parker shoots under pressure against Miami Heat during game 5 of the NBA finals on Sunday. — AFP


Tony Parker shoots under pressure against Miami Heat during game 5 of the NBA finals on Sunday





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champions trophy
Rohit must rise to the top of order
The talented batsman needs to grab this opportunity and deliver on his yet unfulfilled promise
Rohit Mahajan in England

The first sighting of Rohit Sharma, six years ago, brought with it a moment of epiphany. The boy was 20, the boy was a genius. He was wristy, classy, something really special. The talent of Rohit Sharma demanded fulfilment. Over the past six years, though, it’s been a largely disappointing journey.

It almost defies belief that Rohit has played as many as 91 One-day Internationals but not a single Test match — while several lesser players, by luck or design, have played a few.

It also defies belief that Rohit averages only 31.42 in the 91 ODIs he’s played. Or that his only two ODI centuries have come — in a matter of three days in 2010, oddly enough —against the lesser bowling attacks of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

He averages 21.44 against Australia, 21.25 against South Africa; 34.25 against England, 31.87 against Pakistan; against the humbler teams, his average is 62.90 vs West Indies and 63.50 against Zimbabwe. Is it possible that the initial appraisal of the young genius, six years ago, was erroneous? Not really. The eye didn’t lie — Rohit remains a genius as a stroke-maker. It’s the invisible part of his batsmanship, his mind, that seems to have not complemented his work with the bat.

The other day, cricketer/media professional Sanjay Manjrekar was musing on this problem. Just look at Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, Manjrekar said. “Both got good starts in the first two matches,” he said. “Rohit got 65 and 52. Shikhar got two centuries. There is a lesson in this for Rohit to learn from the Delhi batsman.”

Good move?

Indeed there is, and maybe Rohit is learning. Maybe the move to the top of the batting order — in the absence of a place for him in the middle-order — would help him, as a similar move way back in 1994 helped another Mumbaikar, Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit seems to prefer the No. 5 position; his batting average at that spot is 45.36, nearly 1.5 times his overall average.

He first opened for India in 2011, and has now batted at No. 1 or No. 2 in eight matches, and averages a shade above 31.37 there.

Apart from those two centuries in 2010, Rohit has crossed 50 twice in a row on only two occasions; one was in 2011, when he made 72, 90* and 95.

Needs consistency

But it was only against West Indies, and it was at home. The other occasion came here at the Champions Trophy, when he made 65 against South Africa and 52 against West Indies.

As Manjrekar notes, Rohit must become more consistent; for that, he perhaps needs to review his shot selection. It seems that he’s still prone to sudden rushes of blood. 
That was what caused his end against South Africa at Cardiff, with an avoidable pull in the air when the score was 127/0; or with an edge down the leg side to a harmless delivery against West Indies; or with a catch to midwicket off an equally harmless ball from Saeed Ajmal in Birmingham last Saturday.

Rohit, perhaps, did lose his way a bit right at the start of his international career —remember, the big money and the glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League hit Indian cricket in 2008, just at the time he was trying to make his place in the Indian team. By all accounts, Rohit was not able to deal with it in the ideal manner. But, having frittered away the initial opportunity, he did work hard in the nets to come back into the Indian team.

Rahul Dravid is among Rohit’s admirers — well, who isn’t? Dravid also seems to think that for Rohit, it’s a matter of wanting to do well, for there’s no doubt over his ability. “It is a question of him now converting it and having the hunger and desire when he has in good form to actually stack them up," Dravid said last Saturday.

Talent such as his must not be allowed to waste. It’s as if he owes it to his team and his fans — more than he owes to perhaps even himself — to ensure that he realised his potential.

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India or South Africa India, we don’t care: Cook

Cardiff, June 17
Having endured a “stressful” journey to book a Champions Trophy's semifinal berth, England captain Alastair Cook said he didn't really care who — India or South Africa — awaits his team in the last-four stage of the tournament.

England beat New Zealand by 10 runs in their rain-curtailed and tense final group match on Sunday. If the hosts finish top of the group, they would face South Africa, while a second place would have them square off against India.

“We don't mind who we play. We are just glad we are in there. We look forward to the semifinal against whoever that might be,” said Cook, who was adjudged man of the match for his 64.

“It was quite a stressful day, especially with those last few overs. We thought we were above the rate but Anderson and Williamson took it on, luckily we got over the line,” he added.

Reflecting on the performance, Cook lauded his bowlers. “It was a very fine bowling performance. We were very good in the field today and I thought we were good with the bat, maybe 10 runs short. We're happy to be in the semifinal, that was a good performance.”

‘England bowlers pushed us back’

New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum said it was good spells by English pacers early on which put them on the backfoot. “England bowled outstandingly well at the start of our innings and set us back,” he said.

“Kane and Corey gave us a chance but it wasn't until they got going and in the end we were short. It's one of those things (dropping catches), Nathan is normally very good.

India retain same squad for WI tour

The selectors decided to retain the Indian squad that is currently taking part in the Champions Trophy for the tri-series in West Indies starting June 28. — PTI

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Australia down in the dumps
Rohit Mahajan /TNS

London, June 17
Australia have fallen on really bad days if media ask the captain if there’s a rift in the team. This, obviously, was never asked during the good days when they were invincible. In good times, rifts get buried under the wins and runs and wickets.

In the wake of the Homeworkgate during the disastrous tour of India, Australia banned four players for a Test. This included the vice-captain, Shane Watson, who gave back as good as he got when he was criticised publicly by an Australian official.

Insiders describe captain Michael Clarke as authoritarian and a “control freak”. Coach Mickey Arthur talks about bringing a “culture” into the team. Meanwhile, the team meanders along, having lost some wonderful players to retirement, struggling to find players have as good. Then came David Warner’s attack on Joe Root at 2 am in the night, in a Birmingham pub. That let the team down, says Clarke. “The feeling in the camp has obviously been a little bit different over the past few days because there's been a little bit of disappointment in one of our players with what's happened over the past week,” Clarke said.

Clarke added that that incident was dead and buried. But he should know that it’s not. It’s live, for it is part of the contemporary story of the crumbling away of the Australian cricket team and its ethos.

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Corporate houses keen to cash in on ‘brand’ Dhawan

New Delhi, June 17
With three consecutive centuries in international cricket, India`s newest batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan`s brand value is on the upswing as some of the major corporate houses are showing a lot of interest in the 27-year-old opener after his on-field exploits.

For the company that manages the enormously talented left-hander, Dhawan is certainly a "brand in the making". “Shikhar has grabbed whatever opportunities he has got with splendid performances. Since he is at a nascent stage in his international career, I would call him a brand-in-making at this juncture. But certainly, he has a huge potential as far as his commercial viability is concerned," Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone said.

To a query about Shikhar`s brand value since his stunning Test debut in Mohali and his back to back hundreds in the Champions Trophy, Sajdeh said, "we are in talks with some of the leading business houses. I can tell you that atleast 3-4 Corporate Houses have shown keen interest in roping in Shikhar.” — Agencies

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Jaya frustrates Oz bowlers

London, June 17
Mahela Jayawardene struck an unbeaten 84 to propel Sri Lanka to a fighting 253 for eight in their ICC Champions Trophy match against Australia on Monday. The Lankan batsman took just 84 balls for the knock as he helped his team to overcome two quick blows and put them back on the rails.

He was involved in 65-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal, who contributed 31. Australia will need to chase down the target in 29.1 overs to ensure a place in semifinals from group A alongside England. — TNS

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At 40, Paes sets his sight on seventh Olympics

New Delhi, June 17
At the age of 40, Leander Paes has won everything that a tennis player dreams of but the Indian tennis legend wants to keep going and play in his seventh Olympics Games. Paes, who celebrated his 40th birthday today, is considered one of the greatest tennis players in the world with 13 Grand Slam titles.

He is the only tennis player in the world who has featured in six consecutive Olympics. But the Indian says he still has a lot of fire in his belly to improve his game and play in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

"At this stage my showcase is full, I have earned enough o support my family. I have got to a stage, where I have a career Slam, that is epitome of my career. At this stage why I still want to play is that I want to keep getting better. Fitness wise I want to push myself to get to seventh Olympics, which is three years down the line," Paes said. Paes said he will reunite with his Czech partner Radek Stepanek, with whom he won the Australian Open last year to complete his career Slam.

An injury to Stepanek followed by surgery forced Paes to look for other partners and no partnership succeeded.Paes, whose has dropped out of top-10, said he was looking forward to play with Stepanek again. They will start with a tournament in England, which will be a warm up for the Wimbledon. Paes said today's birthday was special since his daughter prepared a chocolate cake for him. — PTI

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Russian judoka commits suicide

Moscow, June 17
Russian judo champion Elena Ivashchenko committed suicide last Saturday because of her failure during the London Olympics, a judo official said Monday. Elena Ivashchenko, 28, a four-time European champion (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012), jumped from the 15th floor in the Siberian city of Tyumen, reports Xinhua.

“Her depression started after her defeat at the Olympics. She really punished herself for it. She had beaten several times before those athletes she lost to (in London),” director of the Tyumen Judo Olympic training centre Vyacheslav Yurlov said. Last summer, Cuban judoka Idalys Ortiz dumped Ivashchenko out of the competition and subsequently won the gold. Ivashchenko finished seventh in London. “It seems that she couldn’t cope with the emotional pressure of it all, so opted for suicide,” Yurlov said. The European Judo Union called her “one of the strong pillars of the Russian women’s team and in her category”. “Her performances and her personality will be forever in our minds,” the union said in a statement Sunday. — Agencies

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Justin Rose wins US Open
Shona A Singh

Chandigarh, June 17
It was a great Sunday for Justin Rose and the English golfing community. Sixteen years after Nick Faldo won the US Masters and 43 years after Tony Jacklin’s US Open win at the Hazeltine Golf Club, an Englishman won the US Open championship as Rose recorded his first major victory.

The 32-year-old held back tears as he looked up to the sky just before holing his final putt. “The significance of the day was not lost on me. I was looking up to dedicate this win to my dad,” said Justin, whose father was his first coach.

A level-par 70 in the final round was good enough to earn him his first major championship victory with a total of one-over-par for the week. It has been a tough journey for Rose who grabbed the limelight when he holed his chip on the final hole of the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to finish fourth. However he missed 21 cuts after turning pro that very day at Royal Birkdale and did not win his first European Tour event till 2002. Meanwhile, Phil Mickleson, who was clearly the local favorite carded his sixth runner-up finish at the US Open. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said, as he has been close to winning so many times. Having won the US Masters three times and the PGA Championship once, this is the only major played on American soil that continues to elude him.

It was an inspirational week all around. The Web.com Tour saw 48-year-old Scott Parel, who has played over 160 events on tour, win the Air Capital Classic. Indian professional Arjun Atwal missed the cut while Daniel Chopra finished tied 36th with a four day total of five-under-par. Meanwhile, Craig Hocknull won the Arizona Open on the mini-tour, carding a total of 16-under-par.

On the European Tour, Irishman Simon Thornton holed a ten-footer for par on the last to get into a playoff that he eventually won to card his maiden European Tour victory at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open at the St. Omer Golf Club in France. The only Indian here in the field Shiv Kapur, missed the cut.

On the Asian Tour Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng won the Queens Cup. India’s Anirban Lahiri finished tied tenth at four-under-par while Rahil Gangjee tied for 47th place.

Jeev Milkha Singh, who has recovered and is looking forward to being back in contention will play the BMW Open in Munich this week. Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur will also participate in the tournament.

JUSTIN ROSE- FACTS FILE:

Full Name: Justin Peter Rose

Date of Birth: July 30, 1980 (age 32)

Place of Birth: Johannesburg

Nationality: England

Turned professional: 1998

Professional titles: 14

PGA tour titles: 5

Major title: One (US Open in 2013)

Prize Money: $24,052,907

World Rankings: Third

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Italy, Spain win Confed cup openers

Rio de Janeiro, June 17
Mario Balotelli scored the winner and Andrea Pirlo, capping a majestic 100th international appearance by scoring with a 30-metre free kick, provided the inspiration as Italy beat Mexico 2-1 in their opening Confederations Cup match on Sunday.

Pirlo’s goal was entirely worthy of the hallowed Maracana, which provided the perfect stage as he became the fifth Italian to reach a century of full internationals. The 34-year-old brought the fickle and notoriously difficult-to-please Maracana crowd to its feet as he curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner in the 27th minute from distance.

The crowd chanted Pirlo’s name before and after the goal, the rarest honour for a foreign player on a stage previously graced by the likes of Garrincha, Pele, Zico and Romario.

Balotelli’s goal was more about power as he latched on to Emanuele Giaccherini’s flicked pass, barged past defender Francisco Rodriguez and fired the ball past Jose Corona with 12 minutes to go.

Javier Hernandez had replied for Mexico with a penalty seven minutes after Pirlo’s masterpiece. The match was again played against the backdrop of teargas and rubber bullets as riot police confronted protesters outside the stadium.

A similar demonstration had marred the match between Brazil and Japan in Brasilia.

The protests are against the amount of public money being spent on staging the event and next year’s World Cup.

World champions ease past Uruguay

Recife: Goals from Pedro and Roberto Soldado helped Spain cruise to a 2-1 victory over Uruguay, and reinforced their position as tournament favourites.

Luiz Suarez scored a late consolation for Uruguay but Spain dominated the game from start to finish and could easily have won by more.

Fabregas, Pedro and Andres Iniesta all came close in the first quarter of an hour before a 20th minute corner was knocked out of the Uruguay box as far as Pedro whose fierce shot was deflected by Diego Lugano past a helpless Fernando Muslera. 
Iniesta and Fabregas orchestrated Spain’s second with Iniesta dragging defenders one way and Fabregas instead passed to Soldado who coolly slotted home. — Reuters

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Spurs stun Heat to close in on title

San Antonia, June 17
Tony Parker shrugged off a nagging hamstring injury and Manu Ginobli came out of a slump as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat 114-104 on Sunday to move one win away from a fifth NBA title.

Parker scored a team-high 26 points as the Spurs rolled to a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. “It was a physical game. Great game. I was just trying to pace myself better, if I can say that, during the game,” Parker said.

Ginobli, who had been the target of criticism for his recent lack of production, gave the Spurs a much-needed spark with 24 points and 10 assists for his best game of the Finals as the Spurs closed in on their first NBA title since 2007.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points for the top-seeded Heat, who have alternated wins and losses over their last 12 playoff games and head home needing two consecutive wins to retain their title.

Game Six is on Tuesday in Miami. — Reuters

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 BRIEFLY

India draw Argentina 3-3
New Delhi:
India paid the price of poor defending as they conceded a goal four minutes from time to play out a 3-3 draw in FIH World League Round 3 match on Monday. India, who dominated the match throughout, fought back in a remarkable fashion from a goal down in the first half and took the lead twice only to be denied a win in their last Pool B match by poor defending. India scored through Mandeep Singh (46th), VR Raghunath (47th) and Kothajit Singh (53rd) while Marcus Child (6th), Stephen Jenness (51st) and Blair Hilton (66th) found the target for New Zealand.

Som bows out of Wimbledon qualifiers
London:
Somdev Devvarman missed chances galore, including a match point, as he crashed out of the Wimbledon qualifiers after losing (6-7 (4) 6-4 16-18) first round match against Australia's Matt Reid. Somdev, who is ranked 78 places above the Reid at 135, frittered away a good start to lose in his opening round.

Sports Sciences workshop gets underway
Patiala:
A six-day workshop on Sports Sciences kicked off at the SAI Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports.Cuban experts Dr Jorge Antonio, Specialist Doctor in Sports Medicine Ainaldo Roger, High Performance Methodologist; and Prof. Juan Antonio of High Institute of Physical Culture, will take part in it. The workshop is being attended by about 70 experts, the coaches and scientists, from various regional centres of SAI, LNCPE, Thiruvanathapuram, and Laxmibai National University of Physical Education, Gwalior.

Junior wrestlers return with rich medal haul
New Delhi:
The Indian junior wrestlers, who participated in the Asian Junior Free Style, Greco Roman and Female Wrestling Championships at Phuket [Thailand] from 12th to 16th June, returned home with a rich medal haul. In free style, the Indian boys annexed three gold, two silver and two bronze medals, to win the overall team championship. The girls bagged two silver and three bronze medals while the Greco-Roman team lifted one silver and five bronze medals. It was for the first time Indian team made such a huge medal collection in the Asian Junior Meet. The medal winner were: Mangal Kadyan (50kg free style gold); Pradeep Kumar: 60kg free style gold; Sumit: 96-kg free style gold; Vikas: 66kg free style silver. — TNS

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