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Judokas on the mat, literally
Injury rules out Dhoni from Asia Cup, Virat to lead
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Dravid wants Zaheer to take a long and hard look at his future
Ireland stun champs Windies in T20
Sehwag to lead MCC side against Durham
Teams set for HIL semifinals
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Judokas on the mat, literally
Dehradun, February 20
On the other hand are the plush, cosy rooms of Lalit Palace and orderlies serving piping hot foot at the Officers Transit hostel. Among the judokas and accompanying officials, it doesn’t take much to make out who gets what. As many as 650 judokas aspiring to strike gold at the National Youth and Junior Judo Championship being held here will never forget this nightmare for the rest of their lives. Just one night has gone by and two more are still to go but already, each judoka has a nightmare to narrate for when they grow up. The kind of stories you dread and shudder while you narrate, lest they should haunt you again. The setting: a quant hill town, a dilapidated college building by the name of Pestle Weed College and an obscure sports body — Judo Association of Uttarakhand (JAU) — organising the three-day nationals. “The rooms here are damp and stench-filled. Even animals would not go inside such suffocating rooms. We requested the organisers to change the accommodation but nothing has been done so far,” said Anita Polly, the West Bengal team coach. “We are a team of 16 girls, we have been provided one quilt each in a room with broken windowpanes. Either we can use it as mattress or as a quilt in the bone-chilling cold of Dehradun. Someone is bound to get sick here,” said Maria, the coach of the Gujarat team. For 300 girls there are only three bathrooms with broken latches and leaking taps. The rest of the 15 toilets have been locked. If the judokas still have some spirit left, hunger is sure to break it bit by bit. The players were not served any refreshments till 2.30 pm today, when they were given lunch. “Having no other option, players who arrived late Wednesday night and today morning had to be content with snacks bought at a makeshift kiosk near the campus,” said Saraswati Yadav, a player from Orissa. There may or may not be paucity of funds for the organisers, JAU, but certainly there is something brewing up between the organisers and the hosts Pestle Wood College management. Satish Sharma, the working president of JAU, said: “I don’t want to comment on this. I am helpless and have to organise the championship with whatever is provided to me. I am a national level coach and do not wish to get involved in controversies.” Prem Kashyap, the organising chairman and owner of the college, denied any association with the championship. “I have no association with the championship. Kindly ask the JAU working president Satish Sharma,” he said.
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Injury rules out Dhoni from Asia Cup, Virat to lead
New Delhi, February 20 “MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the forthcoming Asia Cup, to be played in Bangladesh, in February-March 2014. He sustained a Grade I left side-strain injury during the course of the second Test against New Zealand. He will be undergoing rehabilitation for ten days,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement. Tamil Nadu’s wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kartik has been picked as Dhoni’s replacement. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked Dinesh Kartik as his replacement in the Indian squad for the tournament. Virat Kohli will lead India in the competition,” the statement said. Kohli has been India’s standout batsman in recent years, stamping his mark in almost every overseas tour with impressive knocks. India will join arch-rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and debutants Afghanistan in the tournament that will start on February 25 and run until March 8. India will begin their campaign with a match against Sri Lanka on February 28, before locking horns with Pakistan on March 2. Dhoni’s captaincy has been a subject of intense criticism following India’s 1-0 defeat in the two-match Test series in New Zealand. While former India skipper Sourav Ganguly called Dhoni’s captaincy “obnoxious”, Rahul Dravid termed it defensive. India have lost their last four series abroad, starting with the 4-0 rout suffered in England and ending with the loss to New Zealand on Tuesday. Away from home, Dhoni has captained India in 23 Tests, of which they have won five, lost 11 and drawn seven.
Pak can’t take struggling India lightly: Abbas
Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas on Thursday said that India should not be judged on the basis of their poor performances in the recent tours of South Africa and New Zealand as they would be a potent force in Asia Cup.
“It would be a mistake to judge the Indian team on the basis of their recent performances because the conditions are totally different in Bangladesh,” said Abbas, the newly-appointed Pakistan consultant. “There will be something at the back of their minds after these losses but it will not be a factor to rule them out of the Asia Cup,” he said. Zaheer, who is also the batting coach of the team, noted that conditions in Bangladesh have favoured batsmen and India had a strong batting line-up. “And there is always that pressure of an Indo-Pak match, so it is going to be difficult for both teams regardless of their recent results,” Abbas said. — PTI |
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Dravid wants Zaheer to take a long and hard look at his future
New Delhi, February 20 Zaheer, who made a comeback to the Test team during the disastrous tours of South Africa and New Zealand after a long injury lay-off, failed to trouble the batsmen. Although he bowled 51 overs and took a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the Wellington Test, he looked far from impressive. “Can he survive five Test matches in England? I am not so sure,” Dravid was quoted as saying by ‘ESPNcricinfo’ “I think it is a question he deeply needs to ask himself. He doesn’t want to end up being someone who struggles his way through to the end. It can be really hard. And we have seen, he struggled to back up time and time again in these two series. So that’s an issue he needs to consider, Indian selectors need to consider,” he said. With 311 wickets in 92 Tests, Zaheer is the second most successful India seamer after Kapil Dev but his career has been plagued by injuries. Dravid said he would hate to see Zaheer end his career on a low. “He has been a great bowler for India, arguably the finest India fast bowler since Kapil Dev. I would hate to see Zaheer Khan end his career bowling 120-125 kph and limp away from international cricket.” “He has done a great job to get himself fit for these two series and to be fair, he has bowled well in patches,” said Dravid. Talking about Indian spinners, Dravid said they had struggled in overseas conditions in the past too and people need to be patient with them. “We will need to show some patience with our spinners, whether it is R Ashwin or it’s (Ravindra) Jadeja, it’s early days for both in international cricket,” he said. “We have seen some greats of Indian cricket, including Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, take a long time to get used to bowling with a Kookaburra ball in overseas conditions.” “I thought we were a little bit impatient with Ashwin. We haven’t given him as much a run as I would like, so I think there is an opportunity for him to get back into the side and play a few more games,” he said. — PTI
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De Villiers holds the fort for hosts
Port Elizabeth, February 20 De Villiers passed 7,000 Test runs and became the first player in history to score half-centuries in 12 tests in a row. It might well have been a better day for the hosts after they won the toss and elected to bat, but Dean Elgar (83) and debutant Quinton de Kock (seven) gave their wickets away with rash shots. The pitch did not have the devil of Pretoria and rendered Mitchell Johnson less effective, the South Africans playing him with relative comfort once the shine had been taken off the new ball. "This is probably the slowest I have ever seen the pitch in Port Elizabeth," said Elgar. "Here patience is one of the key things teams look for. I knew I had to bat long to put us in a good position, first- innings runs here at St George's are golden." Proteas captain Graeme Smith (nine) said at the toss his side wanted to bat first and put Australia under pressure, but it was South Africa who felt the early heat. Smith was struck on the back leg by Ryan Harris with the total on 10 and the umpire had no hesitation in giving him out lbw. In the next over, Johnson breached the defence of Hashim Amla who was also trapped leg before for a duck. But Elgar and Faf du Plessis (55) batted patiently for a third-wicket partnership of 112 before the latter gave a catch to Steve Smith at short leg off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. — Reuters Brief Scores: South Africa 214-5 (D. Elgar 83, F. Du Plessis 55; AB de Villiers 51 not out; Lyon 2-47)
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Ireland stun champs Windies in T20
Kingston, February 20 It was at the Kingston venue where Ireland dramatically defeated Pakistan in a St Patrick’s Day 50-over World Cup match back in 2007. And seven years on from that success, Ireland — the leading non-Test cricket nation — upset one of the sport´s ´big boys´ once again, with former England batsman Ed Joyce making a decisive 40 not out. After the West Indies won the toss and batted, a good all-round Ireland effort in the field saw the hosts restricted to 116 for eight in their 20 overs. Tim Murtagh, Alex Cusack and Kevin O´Brien took two wickets apiece, with Cusack capturing the prize scalp of dangerman Chris Gayle for a meagre innings top score of 18. Ireland, coached by former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, collapsed to eight for two in reply, losing both openers cheaply, before Joyce, the captain of English county side Sussex, and Andrew Poynter steadied the innings. Joyce´s runs came off 49 balls, and it was left to Kevin O´Brien — just one of two survivors from the Ireland team that beat Pakistan at Sabina Park in 2007 — to hit the winning runs as the Irish finished on 117 for four with five balls to spare. Brief Scores: West Indies 116 for 8 (Cusack 2/17, O'Brien 2/17); Ireland 117 for 4 (Joyce 40no). — Agencies
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Sehwag to lead MCC side against Durham
New Delhi, February 20 “Virender Sehwag and Muttiah Muralitharan have been confirmed as part of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) squad that will travel to Abu Dhabi next month,” the MCC said in a statement. Muralitharan will lead the team in the preceding Emirates Twenty20 tournament. Virender Sehwag, who is also confirmed to appear in the MCC v Rest of the World Lord's Bicentenary match on July 5, said: “I was delighted to be asked to play in this match, and being able to captain the MCC side makes it even more of a privilege.” — PTI
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Kroos missile hits Arsenal
London, February 20 A year to the day after the Germans beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in their last-16 first leg tie, Bayern handed out another beating to Arsene Wenger's men at the same stage of the competition. Second-half goals from the outstanding Toni Kroos, who curled in a right-foot shot, and substitute Thomas Mueller put the champions a giant step closer to the quarterfinals. Earlier, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil missed an eighth-minute penalty and David Alaba did the same for Bayern 32 minutes later after Szczesny was dismissed by Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli for clattering Arjen Robben in the area. Arsenal now have to better what they did a year ago in the second leg when they almost defied the odds by coming back to win 2-0 in Munich as Bayern advanced on the away goals rule. The Bavarians returned to London in May to beat Borussia Dortmund in an all-German final at Wembley and Wednesday's game was their first match back in the capital since. Bayern's victory came 24 hours after Barcelona inflicted a 2-0 home defeat on Manchester City, making it unlikely that two of England's dominant clubs will advance much further this season. Arsenal, like City on Tuesday, ended the match with 10 men but unlike their Premier League rivals they took the game to their opponents and, certainly until Szczesny's sending-off, gave as good as they got. “The referee made a decision that basically killed the game," Wenger told reporters. “I think our keeper went in for the ball, he touched Robben who made more of it (than he should) and I told Robben that. “It isn't over because we will fight until the end. Last year we lost here and won there and we have to try and do that again." Pep Guardiola, who took over from Jupp Heynckes as Bayern coach in the close season, said his team were somewhat fortunate. “We were lucky,” said the Spaniard. "Our keeper Manuel Neuer, the best in the world, showed his qualities. “After that we played better and started dominating the game and in the end we deserved to win it.” Bright startArsenal, mindful that Bayern virtually had last year's tie won inside the first 20 minutes, ripped into their opponents from the start but their early dominance failed to produce a goal. The London club's attacking opening should have brought them the lead when Rizzoli awarded a penalty after Jerome Boateng tripped Ozil. But the German playmaker wasted the spot kick with a soft chipped attempt down the middle that Neuer easily saved. Arsenal kept surging forward with Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain having chances to score. — Reuters
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Ranchi, February 20 The Jharkhand capital will see the first semifinal between the Delhi Waveriders and the Uttar Pradesh Wizards which will be followed by Punjab Warriors against the defending champions Ranchi Rhinos. Though the Waveriders missed out on the top slot in the points table, they will have their work cut out to beat the Wizards and qualify for the final. On the other hand, the Roelant Oltmans coached Wizards will still have last year's semifinal against the Rhinos fresh in their minds; and this time around they will be in no mood to miss out on the bus to the finale. The Warriors are pitted against the Rhinos which, for both teams, will be their third match in succession. In the last two matches, Warriors showed they were the better team but they will not forget that the Rhinos were playing with their key players missing out because of injuries. With table-toppers Warriors wanting to continue their onslaught, the Rhinos will go all out to defend the title in front of their home crowd. HIL on Thursday advanced the match timings for the first semifinal on Saturday and the bronze medal playoff on Sunday. The first semifinal and the third and fourth position playoff, scheduled for 6 p.m. earlier, will now be played at 5.30 p.m here at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. The change has been done to accommodate additional training period for teams between the matches. — Agencies
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Gold medal rematches bring back buzz
Sochi, February 20 The men's ice hockey gold medal will be the last decided in Sochi, handed out just hours before Sunday's closing ceremonies and the host nation will not be part of the excitement after crashing out in the quarter-finals. As Russia slowly get over the disappointment of their exit, the rest of the sport's fraternity are preparing for a pair of intriguing gold-medal rematches on Friday that could provide some of the most memorable moments of these Games. North American neighbors Canada and the United States will meet in a rematch of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic final won by the Canadians on a golden goal from Sidney Crosby. The other semi-final is also a gold-medal rematch with Finland and Sweden facing off just as they did in the 2006 Turin final won by the Swedes. "2010 is all over with and we're on a new opportunity both for them and for us," said Canadian head coach Mike Babcock. — Reuters
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On one hand there are damp, moss-laden rooms, bare minimum quilts, and hardly a sight of mattresses. There is, though, the luxury of toilets but it’s making life miserable with stench emanating 24x7.
Under-fire India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup due to a side-strain he suffered during the second Test in New Zealand, paving the way for Virat Kohli to lead the side.
Former captain Rahul Dravid feels it is time for Zaheer Khan to start deliberating on his future as it would be difficult for the senior pacer to survive the rigours of five Test matches when India tour England later this year.
Sindhu reaches world number 9 in BWF ranking
Ganguly wants Harbhajan, Ojha back in Test squad