Centurion, December 12
Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Wednesday, sought to take the positives from India's 0-2 ODI series loss against South Africa, saying that playing limited overs format first would help his side do better in dealing with pace and bounce in the Test series starting December 18.

"Playing the ODIs before the Tests is good to get used to the pace and bounce. That is the positive we can take from the ODI series," Dhoni said after the third and final One-dayer was washed out due to rains.

Electing to bat, South Africa scored an imposing 301 for eight in their allotted 50 overs, riding on Quinton de Kock's 101 and captain AB de Villiers' 109, before rains denied India to go for the run chase. "We were looking positive at the break. This was one of the best pitches for the batsmen. We exposed their middle order to some extent and we were able to capitalise with the new ball," Dhoni rued.

He was happy that pacer Ishant Sharma, who was struggling for form of late, was among the wickets today with figures of 4/40 from 10 overs.

"If tall bowlers bowl the right lengths you can get wickets. He (Ishant) worked hard with the bowling coach and played a few domestic games after recent loss of form. He bowled brilliantly today."

Asked about the South African side, Dhoni said the strong point for the Proteas was the availability of quality all-rounders. "South Africa have quality all-rounders. Like Jacques Kallis who can be a specialist batsman as well as a bowler. So they have the luxury to go with five specialist bowlers. South Africa are blessed that they have so many seam bowling all-rounders." — PTI

Centurion, December 12
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Wednesday, sought to take the positives from India's 0-2 ODI series loss against South Africa, saying that playing limited overs format first would help his side do better in dealing with pace and bounce in the Test series starting December 18.

"Playing the ODIs before the Tests is good to get used to the pace and bounce. That is the positive we can take from the ODI series," Dhoni said after the third and final One-dayer was washed out due to rains.

He was happy that pacer Ishant Sharma, who was struggling for form of late, was among the wickets today with figures of 4/40 from 10 overs. 

“Ishant worked hard and played a few domestic games after recent loss of form. He bowled brilliantly today,” said Dhoni.

The Indian skipper said South Africa was lucky to have so many quality all-rounders. “They have the luxury to go with five specialist bowlers. South Africa are blessed that they have so many seam bowling all-rounders." —PTI

Johannesburg, December 12
Zaheer Khan, who will be spearheading the Indian pace attack in the two-Test series, feels that one needs to make some adjustments on the “hit the deck” kind of surfaces in South Africa. 

“For a seam bowler, it is important to get the ball in the right areas. The wickets here are hit-the-deck type. Coming from India, one needs to make that adjustment,” he said, on the eve of the India's warm-up game against SA Invitational XI.

Zaheer has been a part of both the Indian teams that won a Test match each during their previous tours of 2006-07 and 2010-11 respectively. “First of all, you got to back yourself and play good cricket. For any team to do well anywhere, you need to have good days together and keep coming back all the time and have the belief. So I would say that was our success mantra during the earlier tours and we will look to do the same this time as well,” Zaheer said. “After whatever the players have seen and experienced, I am sure everyone is analyzing themselves. Come the Test series, it will be a different ball game,” he said.

While the ODI team was busy playing the ODI series , the Test-specialists landed here few days back. Johannesburg has been their base and they have had a few net sessions. “Right now, we have one more practice game here which would obviously be of good help to get used to the altitude and acclimatise to the conditions. Thereafter, I will be looking forward to the Test match.” — PTI

Chandigarh, December 12
Gaganjeet Bhullar carded a sizzling six-under 66 in the first round of the $1 million Thailand Golf Championship, which is being played at the Amata Springs Country Club in Chonburi, to trail first round leader Alex Cejka by two strokes.

Bhullar has displayed some interesting form recently that saw him slumping to a last-place finish at the World Cup, followed by his fifth Asian Tour win the following week at the Indonesian Open and a missed cut last week. “I am due for a good week,” he joked after his round. “However, I am glad this is the last tournament of the season as this is my 13th straight event on tour and I am dying to get back home,” he added.

Gaganjeet found all the fairways today and hit the ball flawlessly to fire seven birdies — on the first, second, third, sixth, seventh, 13th and 17th holes. The only blemish on his card was a solitary bogey on the par-four 14th hole. “It was a steady round and I hit 15 greens in regulation and drove the ball really good. I hit 13 out of 14 fairways and my putting was consistent. There was a margin for improvement but I have three more days to work on my score, said Bhullar who missed a 15-footer for birdie on the last hole.

Chandigarh's Sujjan Singh shot a creditable four-under 68 and was tied sixth alongside defending champion Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia and Mardan Mamat. “I am playing well and am working on stringing together four good rounds to card a good finish his week,” said Sujjan, who started well last week but had an unproductive weekend. Anirban Lahiri and C Muniyappa carded a one-under-par 71, while Himmat Rai and Abhinav Lohan shot a level-par, 72 today.

Jyoti finished the day in 53rd place after carding a 73 and Jeev Milkha Singh was a further stroke behind at two-over-par, 74. SSP Chowrasia carded a three-over-par, 75 while local professional Ajeetesh Sandhu shot 76.

Centurion, December 12
Quinton de Kock, who scored three centuries in the three One-day Internationals against India, has been a pain in the neck for the Indian.

Indian medium-pacer Ishant Sharma, though, thinks that de Kock has been very lucky.

Ishant caused some amusement among the mediapersons when he said: "I think he has been quite lucky. I can say that. Because the ball is getting in between fielders, he is getting top edges, players have been dropping catches off him. I think, you have to take positives. If he is scoring, good for him. What we can do is more important."

You don't score three international centuries in three innings through plain luck. The 20-year-old de Kock, when confronted with Ishant's remarks, barely managed to suppress his laughter. His answer, though, was considered and non-flippant. "He was telling the truth," de Kock said. "I did get a bit lucky today. There were two dropped catches and I was really angry with myself. I just had to go back into my bubble again."

De Kock added that he's matured a lot during this series. "I think I have grown a lot. My confidence was never there before," he said. "It has grown a lot. My work ethic has grown as well."

New Delhi, December 12
France will face Malaysia and The Netherlands will lock horns with defending champions Germany in the semifinals of the Hero Junior Men's Hockey World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, here tomorrow.

Jean-Laurent Kierffer scored a brace as France stunned European champions Belgium 5-4 in a nail-biting quarterfinal match, while Malaysia beat Korea 2-1 in another last-eight match to register their place in the semifinals of the mega-event after a hiatus of 28 years.

Earlier in the day, The Netherlands eked out a hard-fought 3-2 win over New Zealand to progress to the last-four stage, and holders Germany edged past Australia 4-3 in the last quarterfinal.

In the quarterfinal between France and Belgium, the Frenchmen scored through Victor Charlet (15th minute), Hugo Genestet (40th), Kierffer (48th, 65th) and Theophile Ponthieu (58th) to register a hard-earned victory.

Belgium's first goal was an own goal in 29th minute, while Maxime Plennevaux (37th, 47th) and Dorian Thiery (42nd) were the other goal-getters.

It was exciting clash between Belgium, widely expected to do well in this Junior World Cup, and a French team that had only lost to them on an overtime golden goal in semi-finals of the European Cup.

India beat Argentina

India beat Argentina 4-2 in a classification match today to advance to the 9th-10th playoff in the Junior Hockey World Cup.

India went up 2-0 by the seventh minute after goals by Ramandeep Singh and Amit Rohidas. Ramandeep scored the third for his team when he beat three Argentine players in the 31st minute. Argentina got one back when Lucas Martinez scored off a deflection in the third minute of the second half. Two minutes later, Gurjinder Singh converted a penalty-corner for a 4-1 lead. Argentina scored their second in the last minute of the match. Next, India play Pakistan. —PTI

Quartersfinals

* France bt Belgium 5-4

* Malaysia bt Korea 2-1

* The Netherlands bt New Zealand 2-1

* Germany bt Australia 4-3

Kuala Lampur, December 12
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal faced the prospect of an early exit after suffering a second consecutive defeat, going down to Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China in a Group B match of the BWF World Super Series Finals on Thursday.

A bad season only got worse for Saina as the world number six, who did not win a single title this year, failed to recover from the opening match lose and suffered a 9-21, 14-21 defeat to the world number one Chinese in women's singles competition at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium.

It was Saina's sixth defeat to Li. The Indian had lost to Minatsu Mitani yesterday. She will next play Yeon Ju Bae of Korea in the last group match on Friday. Plagued by injuries and inconsistent form, Saina has made early exits throughout the year but she had hoped for a change of fortune in the extremely competitive Super Series Finals. — PTI

Gurgaon, December 12
Top shooters Ronjan Sodhi and Gagan Narang today expressed happiness over India's possible return to Olympic fold if the IOA holds elections without involvement of charge-framed persons and hoped they would be able to compete under the Indian flag in Commonwealth Games next year.

"It is a welcome relief for all shooters. I think we can breathe a little easy," said air rifle shooter Narang.

"It's the greatest feeling to represent our country. Lot of our efforts goes into playing for India at the highest level. Hopefully good sense will prevail and we will be back into the Olympic fold," said the London Olympic bronze medal winner.

"I hope that decision is taken the way it should be. So that we all are able focus on our training. The decision has to be taken soon as we have Commonwealth games coming followed by Asian Games," Narang said.— PTI

Perth, December 12
In a neat moment of sporting synchronicity, both Australia captain Michael Clarke and his English counterpart Alastair Cook will play their 100th test in the third Ashes contest this week.

It is a great achievement for two master batsmen but given their competitive nature, only a win at the WACA will allow either to really enjoy passing what was once the rarest of milestones.

For Clarke, victory would secure a 3-0 series triumph and the return of the coveted urn after three consecutive Ashes defeats at the hands of his country's greatest sporting rival.

“I think that's why it's most special for me, that we have the chance to win the Ashes,” Clarke told reporters at the WACA on Thursday.

“It's obviously fantastic that I've been able to play 99 tests for my country, something I'm certainly proud of, but in regards to it being my 100th test match, it's not my focus, there's enough other reasons why this match is special to me and this team.”

For Cook, a first win for the tourists in Perth since 1978 would arrest an alarming decline in the fortunes of the England team since they arrived in Australia charged with confidence after a dominant 3-0 win back home earlier this year.

“It's a huge honour to join the hundred club and one I thought I'd never get to,” the 28-year-old told reporters.

“It is a special day and it will make it an even more special week if we can produce the sort of performance we know we're capable of.”

That they both reach the milestone in what could be the decisive moment of an Ashes series should not detract from the achievement of two players who will one day go down in the record books as the best their countries have produced.

Clarke is four years the senior and has just edged ahead in the statistics during this series with 26 test centuries to Cook's 25 and 7,940 runs to the Englishman's 7,883.

“I think he deserves a lot of credit for the success he's had over a long period of time and his record is something he should be really proud of,” Clarke said.

“He's a wonderful guy, I really enjoy playing against him. He's a very good captain. He's always been a prize wicket for the Australian team and this test match is no different.” Cook repaid the compliments in kind.

“It's strange isn't it? How it's both captains in the same game,” said Cook.

“He's obviously had an incredible career and he's been the leading batsman (in the world) for the last couple of years. “We've had a fair few battles along the way, both of us, and he's one of these guys when you stop playing cricket you'll remember playing against him.” — Reuters

Jalandhar, December 12
The Indian women proved way too strong for New Zealand and won the 4th World Cup Kabaddi at the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar on Thursday.

Looks can be deceptive, as they say. Probably, the New Zealanders might not have heard of these wise words. On Thursday, the Maoris would have realised how much weight these words have as they faced a bunch of village girls from India.

The Indians had lean frames but were loaded with grit and determination and soon the Kiwis realized it was not just difficult but impossible to beat them at their own game. The final result in favour of India (49-21) told the whole story.

Knowing fully well that they will be playing into the foreigners' hands if they tried to match them physically, Indian girls relied purely on technique to win the contest. Although New Zealand were bulkier of the two teams, Indian stoppers were better in employing clinches; their vice-like grip was impossible to break free. They braved rough tackles and suffered unbearable pain for more than a fortnight to earn their reward.

More than their grit and determination, it is the prospect of good money, probably a decent job and some financial security that kept these girls going. Stopper Annu Rani tackled opponents double her size in almost every match. For her virtuosity, her fearlessness and her consistency she was awarded the Best Stopper prize. Rambateri won the Best Raider award. The champions got a cash prize of Rs 1 crore while the runners up got Rs 51 lakh.

In the third place match, Denmark emerged second runners-up by the skin of their teeth as they beat Pakistan 34-33.

In the men's section, USA were declared second runners-up after they defeated England 62-27. England proved to be woefully short of firepower as both their raiders and stoppers misfired in the third-place match.

Results

* India bt New Zealand (W) 49-21

* Denmark bt Pakistan (W) 34-33

* USA bt England (M) 62-27

Maluka votes for transgender rights

With the gender row a hot topic for discussion in the World Cup Kabaddi, Sikandar Singh Maluka, president of the Punjab Kabaddi Association, today came out openly in support of the rights of the transgender community. He said that transgenders should be given a chance to show their talents in sports. But, he added, “I am not saying that they would be given a chance to play in the next edition of the World Cup, but the proposal could be put up in front of the competent authorities for further analysis.” 

Jalandhar, December 12
While the Punjab government seems helpless in dealing with the gender row over three players of the Pakistan women’s kabaddi team, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to take up the issue.

Sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs have revealed that its State Relations Department will take up the matter with the Punjab Government, which is organising the World Cup Kabaddi.

“There is no problem in the visa. But the issue raised would be taken up with the competent authorities at an appropriate level,” confirmed KS Dhatwalia, Additional Director General, Media Relations, Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Kabaddi Association of England is upset with the “failure” of the Punjab Government in dealing with its complaint, in which it said that some of the Pakistani players were “not women”.

“How can they behave in such an irresponsible manner? The government is saying that they cannot question another country’s legal document. But are they sure about the authenticity of the documents in question?” said Ashok Das, President of the Kabaddi Association of England. “They should have acted more professionally and forwarded our complaint to the competent authorities.”

He alleged that the tournament is being run in an unprofessional manner, and the officials organising the it lack technical expertise. He added that most of the players in the tournament are not even kabaddi players but have been chosen because they are ‘big and strong’.

“Except one or two teams, all teams have part-time players who practise for only a few days and come here to enjoy the luxurious hospitality of the state government,” said Das.

“They could have gone ahead with allowing Pakistan to play, but should have processed our complaint also,” said Ashleen Hunter, England’s captain. “We as players are feeling cheated.”

Sikandar Singh Maluka, state minister and president of the Punjab Kabaddi Association, said that the government is unable to deal with this issue presently.

“We never thought that this sort of an issue would come in front of us during the tournament,” he said. “We will discuss the issue with the competent authorities at an appropriate level.”

Paris, December 12
Arsenal sneaked into the last 16 of the Champions League by the narrowest of margins while Napoli dramatically missed out as the group stage concluded on Wednesday evening.

Napoli beat Arsenal 2-0 in their final game in Group F with second-half goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon. Meanwhile, last season's beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund won too, downing 10-men Marseille 2-1 in France thanks to a late strike from Kevin Grosskreutz after Souleymane Diawara had cancelled out Robert Lewandowski's opener.

That ensured a three-way tie atop the section, with Dortmund, Arsenal and Napoli all finishing on 12 points, and the German side progressed as group winners thanks to their better head-to-head record.

Barcelona secured top spot in Group H thanks to a 6-1 hammering of Celtic at the Camp Nou, which featured goals by Gerard Pique, Pedro Rodriguez, Cristian Tello and a hat-trick by Neymar. — AFP

Results

* Barcelona bt Celtic 6-1

* Napoli bt Arsenal 2-0

* Chelsea bt Steaua 1-0

* AC Milan dr Ajax 0-0

* Dortmund bt Marseille 2-1

* Atletico Madrid bt Porto 2-0

* Schalke bt Basel 2-0

* Galatasaray bt Juventus 1-0

* Austria Wien bt Zenit 4-1 

Hisar, December 12
With the approval for a new hockey stadium and synthetic turf in Hisar coming through, a 24-year-old wait for the hockey players of the region is likely to end soon. 

The State Government has released the grant for the project. Earlier, the Union Sports Ministry had issued a sum of Rs 3.75 crore for the project to the district administration in February this year. NK Garg, chief engineer of the Urban Local Bodies, said, here today, that following administrative approval, the Hisar Municipal Corporation has been assigned the work to float tenders and get the work done.

Yograj Sharma, a social activist who has been associated with the campaign, informed that the stadium would come up on 9.5 acres of land near the Hisar Agriculture University and would be named after the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. 

He said that the demand was first raised in 1989. In 2002 the issue was again put up in front of the then Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti. In 2004, a piece of land was transferred in the name of the District Sports Council. 

In recent times, Hisar has produced many exceptional female players, such as Poonam Rani, and Jasvinder Kaur, who have represented India.

BRIEFLY

Anand in joint lead after two rounds
London: Viswanathan Anand put behind the disappointment of the world championship loss and started his campaign by turning the tables on England's Luke McShane in the preliminaries of the London Classic chess tournament. Anand did well to beat McShane, who is known as the world's strongest amateur. Anand later drew with another Englishman, Michael Adams, with whom he is now in joint lead.

Sreesanth gets married at Guruvayur temple
Guruvayur: Former India pace bowler S. Sreesanth got married to his long-standing girlfriend Bhuvaneshwari Kumari, who is from an erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, at the famed Guruvayoor Sree Krishna temple early Thursday morning. The marriage ceremony lasted for 15 minutes and was attended by close family members of the couple. Dressed in traditional Kerala costumes, the bride and the groom exchanged rings and garlands.

No cheerleaders in IPL-7
Nashik: There will be no cheerleaders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year in the wake of spot-fixing scandal, BCCI vice-president Ravi Savant said. He said a total of 10 changes were recommended by a committee formed by the BCCI after the spot-fixing scandal in IPL-6. “All the recommendations of the committee have been accepted,” Savant said.

Sergio Perez to partner Nico at Force India
London: Sergio Perez of Mexico will partner Nico Hulkenberg at Force India for the 2014 Formula 1 season and 'beyond', the Silverstone based team announced here on Thursday. Perez was linked to a Force India seat after being dropped by McLaren, who decided to go for Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen. — Agencies