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Ranji Trophy
NZ tour will help in 2015 World Cup
preparation: MSD
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Fed-Edberg racquet under spotlight in Australian Open
Punjab, Haryana boys in quarterfinals
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VRV at his menacing best
Scalps 5 as Punjab beat J&K by 100 runs to make it to semis for 2nd successive season
Vadodara, January 11 Seamer VRV Singh returned with a five-wicket haul as Punjab dismissed Jammu and Kashmir, chasing a target of 324, for 233 in their second innings. Singh ran through the lower middle-order, dismissing skipper Parvez Rasool (10), Manzoor Dar (10), Obaid Haroon (0) and Samiullah Beigh (2) in quick time to derail J&K's chase at the Moti Bagh Stadium. Punjab will now face Karnataka in the semifinal to be held in Mohali from January 18. First down batsman Hardeep Singh, who was retired hurt at the score of 43 and came back to bat again when the score read 146/7, was unbeaten with a 135-ball 76, which was studded with nine hits to the fence.
Chasing 324, J&K resumed their second innings at 77-2 on Saturday but their hopes of successfully chasing the target for a maiden semifinal appearance in the Ranji Trophy came crashing soon. In the second over of the day, Ian Dev Singh (18) was sent back to the hut by pacer Manpreet Gony as J&K slipped to 80 for three. Overnight batsman Hardeep was then retired hurt with the total reading 113 for three, bringing two new batsmen Rasool and Ram Dayal to the crease. Sandeep Sharma made good use of the opportunity by cleaning up Dayal (14) in the 40th over and two overs later, VRV Singh triggered a collapse with a twin-strike in the 43rd over, leaving J&K reeling at 135/6. Singh returned again in his next over to get rid off Dar. Hardeep then came back to the crease but VRV Singh continued his dismantling job by dismissing Beigh when he had him caught by Inder Singh in the 47th over to reduce J&K to 149 for eight. Umar Nazir Mir was the last to be dismissed in the 64th over as Punjab cemented their place in semifinals.
Maha upset for Mumbai
Mumbai: Defending champions Mumbai were shockingly shown the door by minnows Maharashtra, who showed tremendous resilience to record a come-from-behind eight-wicket victory for a place in the semifinals. Set a target of 252 to chase for only their third outright victory in the long-running competition over the 40-time winners, Maharashtra rode on an unbeaten century from Kedar Jadhav (120 not out) and his superb 215-run unconquered third-wicket stand with 19-year-old Vijay Zol (91 not out) to turn the tables on the home team on the fourth day of the five-day match.
Jadhav, who made 51 in the first innings and also crossed 1000 runs for the season during this excellent knock, faced 144 balls and hit 14 fours and three sixes in his 239-minute knock. It was the latter's fifth century of the season and ninth in his first-class career since debuting in 2007-08. Karnataka beat UP
Bangalore: Riding on right arm leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal’s five-wicket haul, Karnataka beat UP by 92 runs to enter the semifinals at Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing a target of 333, UP were bundled out for 240 in 65.3 overs. Batting first, Karnataka had scored 349 all out in the first innings. In reply, UP declared their first innings at 221/9 and their bowlers came back strongly to skittle Karnataka all out for 204 in their second innings.
— PTI Brief scores Punjab: 304 & 296 beat Jammu & Kashmir 277 & 223 (Hardeep 76*, Reshi 34; VRV 5/43, Gony 3/43). Mumbai: 402 & 129; Maharashtra: 280 & 252/2 (Jadhav 120*, Zol 91*; Zaheer 2/51). Karnataka: 349 & 204 beat Uttar Pradesh: 221/9 decl & 240 (Srivastava 44, Chawla 44; Shreyas 5/59, Mithun 3/71) Bengal: 317 & 267 (Saha 81, Shukla 76; Anureet 5/72); Railways: 314 & 117/3 (Kartik 56, Paunikar 41; Shukla 1/17).
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NZ tour will help in 2015 World Cup
preparation: MSD
Mumbai, January 11 “As far as experience is concerned, yes the next World Cup will be in Australia and New Zealand, so most of the players will get the feel, about the wickets. When I first went to New Zealand, the fielding position was very confusing. The shape of the grounds are very unusual,” Dhoni said during his team's pre-departure press conference. “We had to keep fine leg very deep and from a wicket keeping angle it looked like it was square leg. So it takes time to adjust. Overall, it would be a good exposure,” Dhoni said at the pre-departure conference here today. He predicted an exciting series in New Zealand and said that some of the matches could be high scoring, especially with the new ICC rules. “The grounds in New Zealand are different. In most places, there are drop-in pitches. It has been seen that the matches can be high scoring, especially with the new rule changes. When we went last time, we had played according to the old rules. And according to the new rules, probably some of the matches could be high scoring. But it will depend on what kind of wicket we are playing the match. If it is a flat wicket, small ground, and if there is a good partnership, the batsmen bat well, then in that scenario you can see that there could be lot of high scoring matches,” Dhoni added. “In their team, they have lot of interesting talents, there are many new players who are doing well and it is also their home condition. So I think overall, it looks exciting. It looks like an exciting series. Let's hope for the best,” he said. The Indian captain said the previous series in South Africa yielded a lot of positives for the team, without elaborating. Dhoni announces first edition of bike festival
MS Dhoni has launched the first edition of Southeast Asia's largest bike extravaganza, the Bike Festival of India (BFI), which will be a unique platform for biking enthusiasts to come together to be a part of this first-of-its-kind biking adventure in India. While adventure is an integral part of BFI, the most unique feature is that it accentuates the importance of safe biking. South East Asia's leading biking festival, launched yesterday night, will bring together over 120 biking communities from across the country to participate in a series of events as part of the festival. The finale of the event will be held in October at the BICin Greater Noida. —
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Fed-Edberg racquet under spotlight in Australian Open
Melbourne, January 11
The Swiss has been overshadowed by Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in recent years, winning only one grand slam title (Wimbledon 2012) since his 2010 victory Melbourne Park and dropping to sixth in the world rankings. However, the 32-year-old told reporters on Saturday that he could fly below the radar. “I definitely have less pressure this year, less to lose," he said. "I'm not the defending champion or any of that. “So I should be able to play more freely, and other guys are supposed to make their move or defend again, all these things. “Things are maybe a little bit more comfortable this year around. But at the same time maybe the draw becomes tougher in the process. "But I'm happy I'm back here, I'm very proud of my grand slam streak (57 straight slams). I hope I can keep playing for a long time." Federer is playing with a slightly bigger racket-head but it is the addition of former world number one Stefan Edberg to his coaching team which has caught the imagination. The unflappable Swede, who served and volleyed his way to six grand slam titles, is to work with Federer for 10 weeks this year, including the grand slams. “I'm just really excited that he's taken up the offer because I didn't think he was going to do it because he's got a life," he said. "He doesn't need this. "For me, clearly it's very exciting to have him as part of the team. I'm looking forward to every week I'll spend with him on the tour this year." Four times the champion in Melbourne, Federer is seeded to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round, with Andy Murray and Nadal potentially between him and another final. So long the favourite for every tournament, Federer is beginning to get used to being in the shadows of Nadal and Djokovic, who won three of the four grand slams in 2013. ‘Faster’ Melbourne Park courts not to Rafa's taste
Rafa Nadal thinks Melbourne Park's resurfaced hardcourts are playing faster than ever and may not provide a good show for fans. The speed of the blue Plexicushion courts has sparked debate this year, with some players adamant they have picked up in pace, while tournament director Craig Tiley says they were re-laid with exactly the same surface as previous years. — Agencies |
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New Delhi, January 11 New Zealand scored three field goals — one in the first half and two in second — through Shea Mcalesse (1st minute) and Stephen Jenness (40th, 50th minutes) to register their first win. India managed to reduce the margin of defeat just two minutes from the hooter through Mandeep Singh. Just like yesterday, the Indians looked rusty and out of sorts against New Zealand today. India struggled throughout the entire first half and failed to create a single open chance. There was no co-ordination between the midfield and forward line and the Indians were guilty of easily giving away the ball to their opponents. The defence yet again struggled to deal New Zealand's persistent threats. Tainted Bhanot walks in as chief guest
Scam-tainted Lalit Bhanot's presence as the chief guest during the India-New Zealand match raised eyebrows, especially after the suspended IOA secretary-general is facing corruption charges related to the 2010 CWG. Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra refused to comment on the issue.
— PTI Results
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Punjab, Haryana boys in quarterfinals
Dehradun, January 11 Joining them in the last eight are Sports Authority of India (SAI), Karnataka, Rajasthan, hosts Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. Haryana boys defeated Manipur 25-22, 25-9, 25-17, while their female counterparts outclassed Karnataka to make it to the quarterfinals. Despite the 25-20, 25-15, 25-17 loss, Karnataka also booked spot in the last eight. Continuing their dream run, Kerala girls defeated Punjab 25-15, 25-7, 25-12 to enter the quarterfinals, while Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan also confirmed their spots in the quarterfinals. Earlier, Karnataka boys thrashed Uttar Pradesh 25-16, 28-26, 25-22, 25-20, while Uttarakhand had to face defeat at the hands of Rajasthan with a score line of 25-20, 25-22, 25-19. Chandigarh lost 25-16, 25-20, 25-15 to Andhra Pradesh. SAI faced little challenge from Maharastra, winning 25-17, 25-15, 25-12, while Tamil Nadu came back after losing the first game to beat Kerala 25-27, 25-14, 25-18, 25-15. In the other matches in the girls category, Uttarakhand couldn't progress despite beating Odisha 25-7, 25-10, 25-11, while in an inconsequential match Chattisgarh defeated Jharkhand 25-7, 25-21, 25-12.
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Jammu and Kashmir's dream run in the Ranji Trophy came to an end after Punjab defeated them by 100 runs to enter the semifinals of the premier domestic event on the fourth day of their last-eight stage match in Vadodara on Saturday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that the upcoming tour of New Zealand will be an ideal exposure trip for his young brigade as it prepares to defend the World Cup, which will be held in just over a year's time in the Trans-Tasman nations.
