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India fight hard but can’t stop Windies
Dhoni out, Virat to lead
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The battle of the familiar foes
fake domicile?
Serena sent packing
Gerrans takes Stage 3
Majestic Brazil crush Spain to win Confed Cup
The Brazilian team celebrates after winning the Confederations Cup, at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil defeated world champions Spain 3-0 in the final on Sunday. — AFP
Buffon’s heroics wins Italy bronze
Formula 1: Officials back drivers’ calls for urgent inquiry into Pirelli tyres
Mo Farah sends timely reminder to rivals with win
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India fight hard but can’t stop Windies
Kingston, July 1 Chasing a modest target of 230, West Indies made heavy weather of the chase despite a sparkling knock of 97 by opener Johnson Charles but finally managed to register their second win in the tournament with 14 balls to spare. With nine points from two matches, West Indies are in with a bright chance of making it to the finals. It was sweet revenge for the hosts, who had lost to India in the course of their unbeaten Champions Trophy triumph. Kemar Roach (14 not out) got himself a perfect birthday present as he guided West Indies by keeping cool lower down the order. He flicked Umesh Yadav (3/43) towards square leg to bring up the victory in a match where fortune swung like a pendulum. The foundation of the victory was laid by opener Charles who faced 100 balls hitting eight boundaries and four huge sixes. He added 116 runs for the fourth wicket with Darren Bravo (55) and the victory didn’t look out of sight. The Indian bowlers made a fantastic comeback as they got some quick breakthroughs before Roach finally sealed it for the hosts. At the start of the chase, Windies were in dire straits as they lost both Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels within the five overs and were placed at 26 for three. Yadav removed the opposition’s best batsman Gayle (11) and followed it up with the wicket of Devon Smith (0) while Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled Samuels (1) to reduce West Indies to 26 for three. Gayle was dismissed when a delivery from Umesh rose awkwardly and it hit the upper portion of his bat. The resultant catch was taken by Suresh Raina stationed at short cover.— PTI dhoni out of the tour Mumbai: MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a hamstring injury. Virat Kohli will lead the side. Dhoni strained his muscle while batting in the first match against the hosts. Ambati Rayudu will replace him in the team. India play Sri Lanka in the second match of the series, on Tuesday. Scoreboard Rohit c Charles b Sammy 60 Dhawan c & b Roach 11 Kohli c Gayle b Sammy 11 Karthik c & b Samuels 23 Raina c Ramdin b Roach 44 Dhoni b Best 27 Jadeja b Best 15 Ashwin not out 11 B Kumar not out 5 Extras: (b 5, lb 6, w9, nb 2) 22 Total: (7 wickets; 50 overs) 229 Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-39, 3-98, 4-124, 5-182, 6-197, 7-212 Bowling Roach 10-2-41-2 Best 10-0-52-2 Sammy 10-3-41-2 Pollard 1-0-8-0 Narine 10-0-56-0 Samuels 9-1-20-1 West Indies
Gayle c Raina b Yadav 11 Charles c I Sharma b Yadav 97 Smith lbw b Yadav 0 Samuels b B Kumar 1 Bravo c Dhawan b Ashwin 55 Pollard c Karthik b I Sharma 4 Ramdin b Ashwin 4 Sammy c Ashwin b I Sharma 29 Roach not out 14 Narine c Dhawan b Raina 5 Best not out 3 Extras: (lb 2, w 5) 7 Total: (9 wickets; 47.4 overs) 230 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-25, 3-26, 4-142, 5-155, 6-161, 7-197, 8-211, 9-220 Bowling B Kumar 7-1-36-1 Yadav 9.4-2-43-3 Jadeja 10-1-50-0 I Sharma 9-0-51-2 Ashwin 10-0-44-2 Raina 2-1-4-1 |
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Dhoni out, Virat to lead
Kingston, July 1 Batsman Ambati Rayudu will be flown in as Dhoni's replacement. “Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of the ongoing tri-series in the West Indies, due to a hamstring injury. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked Ambati Rayudu as his replacement in the squad. Rayudu will join the team at the earliest,” BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement. “Virat Kohli will lead India in the remainder of the tri-series,” the statement added. Dhoni did not keep wickets against the West Indies during the team's tri-nation series opener in Jamaica yesterday after sustaining a hamstring injury while batting. Dhoni handed over the wicketkeeping duties to teammate Dinesh Karthik in the match, which the West Indies won by one wicket at Sabina Park here. The 31-year-old skipper, who led India's triumphant campaign at the ICC Champions Trophy, was to be examined by the doctors. |
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The battle of the familiar foes
New Delhi, July 1 While India will look for their first win of the tour, it will be interesting to see how the Lankans cope with the prospect of having to contain a strong Indian line-up. The over-reliance on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, as exposed in the last game, could prove to be their undoing.– PTI TODAY’S Match |
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Chargesheet filed by vigilance will fall flat on its face: HPCA
Gaurav Kanthwal /TNS
The official, however, took a defensive stance when asked about the legitimacy of the domicile certificates furnished by three HP Ranji Trophy players. “We have no authority to check whether the certificates are legal or not. The vigilance bureau is the investigating agency, the onus is on them to prove the accused guilty. As far as we are concerned, we will abide by the decision taken by the court,” he said. The Sunday Tribune (June 30), in a front page story, 'HP Ranji cricketers in vigilance net for forging domicile certificate' had mentioned that the vigilance bureau had not ruled out the involvement of cricket body's district officials. Marwah criticized vigilance bureau's contention, claiming it was him who provided the copies of certificates to them for verification. “The State Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau could not even manage to get the original certificates. I gave them the photocopies of the bonafide certificates from the HPCA records,” he said. The sleuths are, however, convinced that they have water tight case. “It's a document-based investigation. If there is forgery, false documentation or cheating, there is no escape,” said an official. Sources say panic has already set in among the players in question and they have been calling their well-wishers in HPCA but to no avail. Majority of the players, and those under investigation, are from Haryana and ply their trade in Club-level cricket in Delhi. One of the accused, Vikramjeet Singh Malik, hailing from Haryana, was a part of Kings XI Punjab for last five years earning Rs 30 lakh per annum. He had taken NOC from HPCA, the parent body with which he had registered allegedly on illegal certificate. This year Malik played for Rajasthan Royals in the play-offs. The genesis of 'migratory birds', as one official likes to call them, is embedded in the HPCA's rule which states that a bonafide HP resident, any player studying in HP school or serving in Himachal Pradesh for the last two years is eligible for the state team. It is the latter clause that has been exploited to the hilt. Interestingly, in 54 years of HPCA’s existence, only a handful have made it to the national teams, and that too in age group cricket. In recent times, Prashant Chopra and Ankush Bains played for India U-19. Though born in HP, they have little connection with the state. While Prashant plies his trade in Sec-16 Chandigarh, Ankush is a Delhi-club product. Only Sushma Verma, who was a part of Indian women team, can be termed a genuine Himachal product.
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Serena sent packing
Just when it seemed that this year's grasscourt major had exhausted its quota of shocks with grand slam champions Rafa
Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all blotted out of the draw by the second round, along came Sabine
Lisicki.
The German jettisoned the American holder 6-2 1-6 6-4 to leave Wimbledon gasping in disbelief once again. Lisicki also struggled to catch her breath. “I'm still shaking, I'm so happy,” gulped a tearful Lisicki, who fell flat on her stomach in her moment of triumph. “It's amazing, I love this court so much. It's unbelievable!” She walked on court armed with the knowledge that she was on a 34-match winning streak and had suffered only two losses all year. That record failed to salvage her Wimbledon dreams and her exit left world number four Agnieszka Radwanska as the highest seed and Czech Petra Kvitova as the only former champion still alive in the women's draw. Eighth seed Kvitova dispatched Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(5)6-3 to set up a last-eight meeting Belgian Kirsten Flipkens. Sloane Stephens was the only American to reach the quarterfinals by defeatingPuerto Rican Monica Puig 4-6 7-5 6-1. Robson falls Laura Robson began the second week of Wimbledon looking to become the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals since 1984 but took just over 90 minutes to depart in tears as she was beaten in straight sets by Estonian Kaia
Kanepi. Haas undone Novak Djokovic beat Tommy Haas 6-1 6-4 7-6 after a gruelling fightin the third set. The Serb finally has the last laugh with a a ripped forehand winner down the line. Djokovic now meets Tomas Berdych, who beat Bernard Tomic 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4. Bops, Hesh win, Sania crashes out India had a decent outing with Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi progressing to the quarterfinals of the men's doubles event with their respective partners even as Sania Mirza crashed out of the women's doubles competition. Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France stunned Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares to breeze into the men's doubles quarter-finals, while Bhupathi and Austrian Julian Knowle defeated Canadian combination of Jesse Levine and Vasek Pospisil. In women's doubles Sania and Liezel Huber exited in the third round. They were shocked 2-6 6-3 2-6 by unseeded Japanese-South African combination. — Agencies
Results Women’s singles 4th rd |
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Gerrans takes Stage 3
Bastia, France, July 1 Gerrans looked to have the finish line in sight with about 100 meters to go, though the Slovakian rider put on a late sprint and almost caught him. But Gerrans dug deep to clinch his second career Tour stage win. Spaniard Jose Joaquin Rojas finished third. “To beat a guy like Sagan in a sprint like that, I’m very happy,” the 33-year-old Gerrans said. Gerrans was slowing up, but just managed one last effort to throw his bike forward the way a 100-meter runner would dip for the line. “I wasn’t sure if I had won—a half-wheel length?!” Gerrans said. “All went perfectly well, my team took great care of me after the last climb.” He will also need to thank his countryman and teammate Simon Clarke, who placed himself in the early breakaway. “It was the team plan. I was brought to the Tour de France to join breakaways, so I made sure I did my job,” Clarke said. “I was quite relaxed today and when you’re relaxed it means you have good legs.” It was a particularly welcome win for Gerrans’ Orica Greenedge team after the confusion of Saturday’s first stage, when the team bus was stuck on the finish line. — Agencies * 1 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 3:41:24 *
Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale Pro Cycling * Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team *
M Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step * Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team General Classification *
Jan Bakelants (Bel) RadioShack Leopard 12:21:27 * Julien Simon (Fra) Sojasun 0:00:01 *
Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge * Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quick Step *
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling |
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Majestic Brazil crush Spain to win Confed Cup
Rio de Janeiro, July 1 Two goals from Fred and a stunning left-foot shot from Neymar gave next year’s World Cup hosts their fifth straight win in the competition as they clinched the trophy for a third time in a row. Spain endured a miserable night with Sergio Ramos missing a penalty early in the second half and Gerard Pique sent off for a lunge on his new Barcelona team mate Neymar after 68 minutes. Fred put Brazil ahead after two minutes, Neymar added a majestic second just before halftime with his fourth goal of the tournament and the crowd erupted again when Fred made it 3-0 two minutes after the re-start with his fifth of the competition. The Maracana crowd taunted Spain and chanted “the giant is back” as Brazil overpowered Vicente del Bosque’s team whose last competitive defeat was against Switzerland at the 2010 World Cup. Fast first goals Brazil started this competition just over two weeks ago with a third minute goal against Japan and began this final in similar fashion with an even faster opener. Fred’s second minute hook-in while he was sitting on the ground lacked the powerful beauty of Neymar’s strike against Japan, but its impact was even more emphatic. The crowd, who just minutes earlier gave a rousing rendition of the Brazilian national anthem, raised the decibel levels even higher in celebration to settle Brazil’s nerves, unsettle Spain and put the hosts firmly in control. Oscar should have quickly doubled the lead but fired wide after eight minutes when Fred set him up with a clever backheel, while Paulinho went close in the 14th minute when he had Spain keeper Iker Casillas back-pedalling to keep his lobbed shot out. Spain were clearly rattled by Brazil’s rampaging start and they survived another scare when defender Alvaro Arbeloa escaped with a yellow card when he was the last defender and sent Neymar tumbling. Spain showed patches of their usual self-assured control, but they also looked tired following Thursday’s exhausting semi-final victory over Italy. In contrast Brazil, with Fred, Neymar and Paulinho looking fresh and powerful, continually had Spain on the backfoot with a series of swift breaks, often initiated by Brazil were 2-0 ahead within three minutes. Oscar provided the final pass to Neymar who smashed an unstoppable angled left-foot shot past Casillas into the roof of the net. The third goal came after another sweeping move with Paulinho finding Fred wide on the left after Neymar shimmied out of the way of the ball. Fred unleashed another unstoppable low shot past Casillas. The rest of the second half proved to be just as miserable for Spain. — Reuters I don’t think I could feel any better than how I am right now. Now I am able to dream that we have an idea, that we have a path ahead of us, and that we have a good team to play in the World Cup next year as equals with other strong contenders.
— Everybody thinks that Spain should win every match and reach every final but it’s not as easy as that. This team doesn’t need a wake-up call, nor do we need a defeat to regain our motivation. In one year’s time we’ll be back here as world champions to defend what’s ours.
— |
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Buffon’s heroics wins Italy bronze
Salvador, July 1 Italy, who had Riccardo Montolivo sent off 10 minutes from the end of extra time for a second bookable offence, twice led only for Edinson Cavani to pull Uruguay level each time. Cavani missed two chances to complete a hat-trick and win the match for the Copa America champions deep into extra time. Italy finished the match utterly exhausted after playing extra time in tropical conditions for the second time in four days, following their semi-final defeat by Spain on penalties in Fortaleza on Thursday. To make matters worse, Sunday’s match kicked off at 1300 local time with most of the pitch bathed in sun. It was so hot that most of the seats in the sun were left empty with fans only taking their places after they had moved into the shade. “It wasn’t easy to give all they had when they were running on empty,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. Several matches at next year’s World Cup will also be played at 1300 in tropical venues, although governing body FIFA has rejected criticism and said that conditions are suitable for football. Buffon, who saved penalties from Diego Forlan, Martin Caceres and Walter Gargano, added: “We have shown great character because today it’s been really tough.” “It was a great tournament but unfortunately, against Brazil and today, we didn’t quite have enough,” Uruguayan captain Diego Lugano said in a touchline interview. — Reuters
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Park makes history with US Open win
Chandigarh, July 1 The 23-year-old South Korean shot eight-under-par to card a four stroke victory at the Women’s US Open in Sebonack Golf Club, NY - her third ‘consecutive’ major victory of the year. This makes her just the second woman professional in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Tour (LPGA) to win the first three consecutive major championships. Legendary golfer Babe Zaharias is the only other woman golfer to achieve this feat in 1950. Park, who has a reputation of being an excellent putter says, “I don’t know what I did today, its something great and its scary to think what I am capable of doing.” She now plans to buy a home in Las Vegas and will head to the Old Course at St. Andrews for the Women’s British Open in August attempting to win her fourth consecutive major though she said yesterday that, “I have just won three in a row. It’s too early to think about the next one.” However nothing is easy and to win a complete Grand Slam this year she will have to win five championships as that is the number of major championships the LPGA tour currently hosts. Regardless of what she does in the future, she has caught the attention of golfers all over the world who will be watching Inbee Park as she attempts to rewrite history next month. It was business as usual on the PGA Tour where Bill Haas won the AT&T National with a three-stroke victory on Sunday carding his first win in over a year. Meanwhile, Englishman Paul Casey won the Irish Open last week in a thrilling finish to the event after he holed a 45-foot putt for eagle on the last hole to claim his 12th European Tour title. Casey finished the week at 14-under-par, while Robert Rock and overnight leader Joost Leuten finished tied second at 11-under-par. Unfortunately, both the Indian professionals - Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chowrasia - playing the event missed the cut with identical totals of four-over-par. “It was a tough scoring week and it becomes difficult to make the cut anytime you do not card under-par scores. However I am looking forward to next week,” said Jeev who will play the Alstom Open de France this week. They were joined by Rory McIlroy who also missed the cut after shooting a two-over-par in the first round. Rory, who seems to be struggling to find his form is now looking for a better driver after his much advertised putting woes. He has just two weeks before the Open Championship in Muirfield and needs to get his game and equipment sorted soon if he wants to have a shot at winning the years third major. Back home, Anirban Lahiri continued his excellent form as he won the PGTI Players Championship in a playoff from Shamim Khan at the Oxford Country Club in Pune. “I am delighted to win on the PGTI Tour after a gap of two years and this layout suits my game as this is my second victory on this course,” said Anirban, who won the event a day before he turned 26. Shamim Khan, who tied Lahiri with a total of ten-under-par after regulation play but lost the playoff, finished second while Rahil Gangjee and Sri Lankan Mithun Perrera tied for third place.
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Formula 1: Officials back drivers’ calls for urgent inquiry into Pirelli tyres
Silverstone, England, July 1 Todt called for an immediate proposal after the analysis of yesterday’s failures, ahead of next weekend’s German Grand Prix at Nurburgring. Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery declared that the blow-outs had been unforeseen, despite other failures, and refused to be drawn further. “Obviously today wasn’t foreseen,” Hembery said. “We’ve seen something new, a different type of problem. We’re currently performing our analysis because we’ve got to go away and understand what’s happened today. When we’ve got the facts we can understand what’s happened and get to the core of the issues.” Several drivers echoed Hamilton in venting their anger. Mark Webber said all of them were nervous driving round with their teams recommending that they avoid the kerbs and take it easy in the high-speed corners. Fernando Alonso had a very narrow escape as he was following Sergio Perez when the Mexican’s tyre exploded, sending debris flying backwards at high velocity. “I was so scared and so lucky, because I missed the contact by one centimetre,” the Spaniard said. Perez agreed with his race rival. saying, “This is unacceptable, we are risking our lives and we shouldn’t wait until something happens to all of us. If it happens at 250kmh it will be a big shame, so Pirelli have some work to do.” Perez’s failure set the seal on another miserable race for McLaren, in which its drivers plunged from sixth and seventh places behind the safety car to just a 13th place finish for Button. “Our pace wasn’t too bad, but the last stint was particularly tough,” Button said. “After the final safety car there wasn’t a lot of tread left on my tyres, so getting them up to temperature was very tricky – we struggle with that anyway. In the closing laps, I was vulnerable. For safety reasons, the reasons behind this weekend’s tyre failures need to be addressed. It’s dangerous for the driver of the car, because he can lose control; but it’s also dangerous for the driver of the car behind, because you can get hit by a belt of rubber,” Button said. Fellow Briton Paul di Resta had a happier time after his problems in qualifying relegated him to the back of the grid. “That wasn’t the cleanest of races for me, but given everything that’s happened this weekend I think we can feel satisfied with two points today,” he said. “It was a bit of a scruffy race because I lost my front wing, which probably cost me a couple of positions. Altogether, a weekend of highs and lows.” — The Independent
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Manchester, July 1 Nearly two months after being hired as successor to Ferguson, Moyes was met by a row of photographers under grey skies when he arrived at United’s training ground to start his planning ahead of the new season. Moyes has already put his stamp on the new role, bringing in three coaches from former club Everton to join his backroom staff, but it’s the future of Wayne Rooney that will be the Scot’s biggest priority this week. Speculation over where the England striker will be playing next season has been dominating the sports pages in British newspapers this off-season – and will continue to do so until he sits down with Moyes and the pair decide where Rooney’s future lies. Rooney, who isn’t due in for the first day of training until Wednesday or Thursday, sat out the final matches of Ferguson’s 26-year tenure after putting in a transfer request because he was frustrated at being substituted in some matches last season, notably the Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid. Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with the burly striker, even though Ferguson insisted before he ended his time at United that Rooney wouldn’t be leaving. The situation is even more delicate because it was Moyes who sold Rooney to United back in 2004, when manager of Everton, and then launched successful legal action against the striker over allegations in Rooney’s autobiography that the Scot leaked details of a private conversation to the media about the factors behind the move from Everton. — Reuters The pair’s relationship has improved since then, but Moyes has to decide whether to persevere with a player who has tested the patience and loyalty of United fans after putting in two transfer requests in 2 1/2 years. If there is no official announcement regarding Rooney over the next week, the make-up of the United squad to tour the Far East from July 10 will make interesting reading. Life at United will be much different compared to Moyes’ 11 years at Everton, where he was heralded as one of the brightest managers in English football despite never winning a major trophy. Silverware will be demanded at United in the first year of his six-year deal, with the northwest club having been accustomed to capturing titles under Ferguson. Moyes will also be under the spotlight much more off the pitch. United’s global appeal was further underlined Monday when it added True Corporation Plc, one of Thailand’s leading telecommunications companies, to its growing array of commercial sponsors on a three-year deal. True will become United’s official mobile partner for Thailand, the club’s official in-house TV broadcaster in the country and also be the associate match sponsor for the Bangkok leg of the preseason tour, when United plays Singha All Stars on July 13. Moyes will need his squad to be in perfect shape for the start of the new Premier League season, with United having been given a tough early fixture list that includes games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the opening five matches. Steve Round will be Moyes’ assistant, replacing Mike Phelan, after being the Scot’s No. 2 at Everton since July 2008. Former England international Chris Woods also arrives from Goodison Park to be goalkeeping coach and Jimmy Lumsden will be another coach on United’s books. “I have worked with Steve, Chris and Jimmy for a number of years and I am delighted they have decided to join me at this great club,” Moyes said. “They bring great qualities in their respective fields and I know that, like me, they feel that this is a challenge to relish. “I have great faith that, together, we can build upon the success this club has enjoyed over many years.” Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice chairman, said: “This is an exciting and challenging time for the club and I have great belief that David and his team will have all the energy and attributes needed to help this club continue in its long-standing traditions.”
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Mo Farah sends timely reminder to rivals with win
Birmingham, July 1 Farah was locked in battle with Ethiopian Yenew Alamirew around the final lap of the Diamond League event but the Briton kicked hard over the final 200 metres, bringing the cheering crowd to its feet as he crossed the line in 13 minutes 14.24 seconds. “It was important that I won the race. The conditions were tough today,” Farah told reporters after a much slower lap of honour where fans were treated to his ‘Mobot’ celebration. — Reuters
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The Indian cricket team’s nine-match winning run came to an end after the West Indies held their nerve to snatch a thrilling one-wicket victory over Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men in their ODI tri-series preliminary match.
The Indian cricket team was dealt a major blow on Monday with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni being ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing tri-nation ODI series due to a hamstring injury, prompting the BCCI to appoint Virat Kohli as the stand-in skipper.
Bastia, France, July 1
Brazil humbled world and European Champions Spain with a crushing 3-0 win in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday, ending their opponents’ three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matches.
Two goals from Fred and a stunning left-foot shot from Neymar gave next year’s World Cup hosts their fifth straight win in the competition as they clinched the trophy for a third time in a row.
Chandigarh, July 1
London, July 1
RESULTS STAGE III
