Chandigarh, March 5
Virat Kohli is a supremely confident individual and his actions and decisions have a stamp of authority, even smugness. Yet, some of his decisions as captain betray rigidity and a lack of empathy for players on the sidelines. Some of his decisions as captain have been quite inexplicable.

Pujara has warmed the bench right through the tournament.

Why didn't quick bowler Ishwar Pandey get a single game in the Asia Cup? Pandey was part of the team on the tour of New Zealand but has not yet debuted for India. Today's match against Afghanistan was the perfect opportunity to blood him.

And exactly what was Cheteshwar Pujara doing in Bangladesh? Not getting a feel of international cricket, surely, for he's played 19 Test matches. He's played two One-day matches, both against Zimbabwe in that country. He was included in the Indian ODI team because of the disasters on the tours of South Africa and New Zealand, where they didn't win a single match.

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar wonders if some players are kept out of the national side to protect some “favourite” players.

“The only thing that comes to my mind is that there is that worry and probably a fear that if these guys do well, what happens to our favourites in the team?” Gavaskar said today. “This is what breeds complacency, guys know, kuch bhi karoon, team main hoon (whatever I do, I'm in the team)”

“Are you worried that Cheteshwar Pujara will score runs so that your favourites who are not consistent might have to make way? Are you worried that Ishwar Pandey will pick wickets, and again some of your favourite bowlers might not be certain of a place in the team, what are you worried about?” the player-turned-commentator asked.

Gavaskar said it was difficult to understand the decision to keep Pujara and Pandey out. “Very hard to understand, to be honest with you, it's baffling,” said Gavaskar. “Some of the players have been playing non-stop, they need a bit of a break before the World Twenty20 starts. The second thing is, if you are not going to give the reserve players a chance, then when are they going to play?” he said.

Incidentally, just yesterday Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu had said that some of the players were fatigued. “We have played a game here just two days after travelling from New Zealand,” Rayudu had said. “Some people are definitely going through some mental fatigue as well… But I'm sure the team management is doing a fantastic job.”

That last assertion is dubious — if some players are fatigued, why aren't the others getting a chance to play?

Perhaps it's not fair to blame only the captain for non-selection of some players, coach Duncan Fletcher is equally responsible. Yet, there was controversy over a strange omissions last year too when Kohli was leading the side.

In Zimbabwe last year, Kohli was guilty of ignoring another India hopeful, Parvez Rasool. Rasool, the most successful off-spinner in the previous Ranji Trophy season, deserved to get an opportunity for India. Kohli didn't play him in even the inconsequential matches after India won the series, saying that he didn't want to disturb the balance of the bowling unit.

Scoreboard
Afghanistan

Noor Zadran c Kohli b Jadeja 31

N Mangal b Mohammed Shami 5

R Shah lbw b Jadeja 9

A Stanikzai c Mishra b Jadeja 5

N Zadran c Binny b Ashwin 5

M Nabi c Karthik b Jadeja 6

M Shahzad lbw b Ashwin 22

S Shenwari lbw b Shami 50

M Ashraf c Kohli b Mishra 9

S Zadran lbw b Ashwin 1

D Zadran not out 2

Extras (lb 2, w 12) 14

Total (all out; 45.2 overs) 159

FoW: 1-30, 2-54, 3-55, 4-60, 5-64, 6-83, 7-95, 8-111, 9-137, 10-159

Bowling

B Kumar 8-1-25-0

M Shami 7.2-0-50-2

A Mishra 10-1-21-1

R Jadeja 10-1-30-4

R Ashwin 10-3-31-3

India

A Rahane lbw b Ashraf 56

S Dhawan b Nabi 60

R Sharma not out 18

D Karthik not out 21

Extras (lb 1, w 3, nb 1) 5

Total (2 wickets; 32.2 overs) 160

FoW: 1-121, 2-123

Bowling

M Nabi 10-0-30-1

S Zadran 6-0-25-0

D Zadran 5-0-25-0

S Shenwari 4.2- 0-32-0

M Ashraf 5-0-26-1

R Shah 2-0-21-0

Cape Town, March 5
South Africa were bowled out for 265 as Australia won the series-deciding third Test by 245 runs at Newlands on Wednesday, leaving their captain Graeme Smith to retire from international cricket with a defeat.

Australia's Ryan Harris took the last two wickets as South Africa came within five overs of saving the third Test on a dramatic day in which a third umpire decision came close to deciding the outcome of the match. However, not even the controversial decision could derail Australia's victory charge, though they left it late in the day to force the win with Harris (four for 32) emerging the hero.

The Proteas looked as though they would escape with a draw as they got within five overs of safety but Harris bowled out Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel to wrap up victory for the tourists.

Vernon Philander was not out on 51 after surviving a controversial moment with 16 overs remaining that left Australia seething. Mitchell Johnson produced a fierce bouncer that clearly caught the right thumb of the South African, who was given out by on-field umpire Aleem Dar.

Philander reviewed the decision and it was overturned based on the view that the batsman's hand was not on the bat handle. Replays looked inconclusive and the Australians were seething, leading to an ugly verbal confrontation between touring captain Michael Clarke and Steyn.

The victory gave Australia the series 2-1. This comes in the wake of their 5-0 thrashing of England in the home Ashes series played earlier this year. — Reuters

Brief scores: Australia 494/7 decl and 303/5 decl, South Africa 287 and 265 (du Plessis 47, Philander 51; Harrs 4/32, Johnson 3/92, Pattinson 2/92)

New Delhi, March 5
With the dates of the general elections released, the IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal said that 60 to 70 percent matches of the tournament will be held in India.

The decision to host “bulk of the matches” in India was taken after a meeting of the BCCI bigwigs, including its president N Srinivasan, senior vice-president Rajeev Shukla, secretary Sanjay Patel, Biswal and IPL CEO Sundar Raman here today.

“Now that the elections dates have been finalised, we are working towards hosting bulk of the matches in India. Since it is the Indian Premier League, we need to accommodate maximum matches in India,” said Biswal.

A BCCI source revealed that matches would be held in India after May 16. As for the foreign venue, Biswal said they hadn't decided it yet. Sources, however, revealed that South Africa has been ruled out from the list of possible offshore venues. That will leave UAE and Bangladesh as the possible venues. — PTI

Chandigarh, March 5
After helping their teams into the final of the Hockey India League (HIL), penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh and midfielder Gurbaj Singh have found a way back into India World Cup probables list. The two former India players are among the 33 probables who will attend the month-long training camp for the World Cup, scheduled for May-June.

While Sandeep, playing for Punjab Warriors, was the top-scorer of HIL with 11 goals, Gurbaj was one of the steadiest midfielders for champions Delhi Waveriders. “I wasn't thinking about the selection, I just wanted to play my best,” said Gurbaj, who has been out of the team since the London Olympics.

Gurbaj added that he felt no pressure to find a place in the team. “I am not a newcomer, having represented India for six years. I am looking forward to working with the new coach; I'll try my best to fit into his system.”

Fifteen players from Punjab have been selected for the camp. “We have talented youngsters coming up from the state. I played with Akashdeep Singh and Talwinder Singh for the Waveriders, who are both exceptional players,” he said, the most experienced from the Punjab lot. 

New Delhi, March 5
The Indian Boxing Federation might be in trouble following its termination by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), but Sports Minister Jitendra Singh today assured the boxers that their training would not suffer and they would be provided with the required facilities.

“All training facilities will be given to the athletes. We will make sure that the athletes don't get affected as long as the IBF is excluded from the AIBA,” said Jitendra.

Meanwhile, clarifying the Ministry's decision on granting Hockey India (HI) the status of a National Sports Federation, Jitendra said: “Overall, all the NSFs, which have been approved by their respective international federations, we would like to approve those.”

The government had sought evidence from HI and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), both of whom remain de-recognised since August 2010, to prove their compliance with requirements for recognition in 2011.

Only HI has fulfilled all the conditions. — PTI

Birmingham, March 5
Women's doubles specialists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to make the main draw of the $400,000 All England Open Badminton Championships at the National Indoor Arena here on Tuesday.

It turned out to be a bad day for Indian shuttlers at the 104th edition of the championships as all others also lost their respective qualifying matches.

Having received a first round bye, Jwala and Ashwini lost in the second round of qualification to Chinese pair of Jin Ma and Yuanting Tang in 54 minutes. The Chinese pair won 14-21, 21-15, 21-17.

Earlier, Mumbai's Anand Pawar was upset by Indonesian Andre Kurniawan Tedjono 18-21, 21-13, 21-19 in the first round of the men's singles qualifiers while Thane girl Saili Rane lost to Ireland's Chloe Magee 21-23, 20-22 in 47 minutes.

Indonesian mixed doubles pair Gideon Markus Fernaldi and Rizki Amelia Pradipta made short work of India's Abhishek Ahlawat and Kristi Das 21-8, 21-8 in only 14 minutes at the Super Series Premier. — PTI

Brief Scores
n Punjab: 232/9 (Mandeep 83, Sohal 43); Services 134 (Verma 41; Kaul 4/14, Gurinder 3/32)

n Haryana 200/6 (Lingwal 51, Dewan 49); Delhi 203/4 in 46.1 overs (Milind 70, Manhas 68)

Lucknow, March 5
Maharashtra were held to a 3-3 all draw by Delhi in their final league match of the 4th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship (Division B) at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium here today.

Despite the draw, Maharashtra, with 11 points, qualified for the semifinals from Pool D. Hockey Gangpur-Odisha qualified for the semifinals from Pool C.

In another Pool D match, Central Reserve Police Force thrashed Vidarbha Hockey Association 4-0.

Big win for Manipur in junior women’s Nationals

New Delhi: Riding on Sarita Devi's nine goals, Manipur women thrashed Tripura 24-0 in a Pool A match of the 4th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship (Division B) in Mysore.

In another Pool A match, Uttarakhand got the better of Vidarbha Hockey Association 7-0. Pooja Bhatt, Anita Maletha and Karishma Nayak scored two goals each to steer their team to a convincing win. — PTI

Pretoria, March 5
Oscar Pistorius told a friend to take the blame for him accidentally firing a pistol under the table in a packed Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013, a month before he killed his girlfriend, his murder trial heard on Wednesday.

Testifying at the trial, professional boxer Kevin Lerena described how he, Pistorius and two others had been having dinner at Tashas restaurant when the gun went off.

The charge of firing a gun in a public place is part of prosecution attempts to portray the 27-year-old athlete, who shot dead model Reeva Steenkamp on February 14 last year, as a firearms-obsessed hot-head.

Lerena said one of the group at the table in Tashas, Darren Fresco, passed his pistol under the table to Pistorius during the lunch, telling him there was a round was in the chamber. "A shot went off. Then there was just complete silence," Lerena said.

Pistorius immediately apologised to his friends and checked they had not been hurt, but then turned to Fresco and asked him to take responsibility, Lerena said. — Reuters

Barcelona, March 5
Barcelona captain Carles Puyol announced on Tuesday that he will leave the club at the end of the season after a hugely successful 15-year career at the Camp Nou.

The 35-year-old, who did not reveal whether he will continue playing elsewhere, has been plagued by injuries over the last couple of seasons and has undergone three knee operations.

"At the end of the season I will leave FC Barcelona. The club are aware of this and we are in agreement," he said. "We will rescind the final two years of my contract that were still to run."

Puyol signed a new deal with the club in January last year, but admitted in June that he would not stay if injuries continued to prevent him from playing a significant part on the field.

And having featured just 10 times this season in all competitions, he said it was time for a new challenge in a less physically demanding environment.

Manchester United captain Vidic to join Inter

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic will join Inter Milan in the close season after eight years of success with the English champions, the Serie A side announced on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Serbia central defender said last month he would be leaving the Premier League club at the end of this term and was looking at moving to a team outside England. — Agencies

Patiala, March 5
Punjabi University distributed cash awards of Rs 1.65 crore among 461 sportspersons during its annual sports prize distribution function on Wednesday.

Shooter Harveen Sarao was given Rs 2.32 lakh, the highest amongst the awardees. Ten renowned sports personalities — Kuldeep Singh Dharni, Harnek Singh, Kartar Singh Pannu, Balbir Kaur Sekhon, Dr. Narinder Kaur, Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Kulwant Kaur, Prof. Darshan Singh, Dr. Charan Dass, Hardeep Singh Shaheed — were given the Life Time Achievement Award for their contribution to sports.

BRIEFLY

Tendulkar better than Lara, says Brett Lee
New Delhi: Retired Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, who has waged many a stirring battle against Sachin Tendulkar, today rated the Indian legend a notch above West Indies great Brian Lara, thus singing a different tune to that of veteran South Africa all-rounder Jaques Kallis. Asked to compare the two great batsmen, Lee said, “I have to say Sachin, because he has that aura when he comes out to bat,” he said at a media conference here. “I have waged many a battle against him and was lucky enough to get him out more number of times than anyone else in the world. But I was also on the receiving end of many hundreds — like the hundred (116) he got at Melbourne in 1999 and the many hundreds he has scored against us all around the world. When you play against Sachin you somehow (have to) find a way to give that little bit extra,” said Lee.

BCCI gives more time to Chandila to file reply
New Delhi: The BCCI disciplinary committee has given former Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ajit Chandila time till March 12 to submit his written reply after the Board’s Anti-Corruption Unit chief Ravi Sawani has found him guilty of spot-fixing during last year’s IPL. Chandila appeared before the BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising President N Srinivasan, Rajeev Shukla and Shivlal Yadav here today and placed his defence on the charges levelled against him. “No one is backing me. I know what their decision will be, probably I will be banned for life. But I haven’t done anything wrong,” said Chandila.

Somdev ousted from Indian Wells qualifiers
Indian Wells: Somdev Devvarman has crashed out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters as the top seeded Indian suffered a first round defeat at the hands of Spaniard Daniel Munoz-de La Nava. Ranked 78th, Somdev lost his first round contest 2-6, 7-5, 3-6 to a player, who is ranked as low as 287. Somdev had beaten Daniel last year in the first round of the French Open. The defeat is Somdev's second successive against a lower-ranked player, having lost to Malek Jaziri (137) at the Dubai Duty Free Championships. Last year also Somdev had failed to clear the first round hurdle at the Indian Wells Masters. He had lost in straight sets to Matteo Viola from Italy. — Agencies