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Don’t give up on hockey yet
World champion Heena shoots gold in Asian meet
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Amit to lead in World Cup in the absence of Sushil, Dutt
Autopsy details moves Pistorious to tears
Talks on, decision in three days: Biswal
Djoko in Rd 3, says room for improvement
Saina seeks third Swiss Open crown
Ronaldo strikes gold as Real Madrid reclaim top spot
Railways beat Baroda by 93 runs, enter quarterfinals
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Don’t give up on hockey yet
Chandigarh, March 10 This display of an extraordinary acceleration by the 19-year-old was one of the many examples of the potential the Indian youngsters have. Nevertheless, a lot remains to be done before this potential can translate into solid performance at the international level. "There is a great potential in India; the HIL showed that," said Hardeep Singh Grewal, a former India player. "Our players matched the foreign players in pace, and their fitness level has also improved a lot." Grewal added that there were at least 10 young players like Akashdeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Thimmaiah, Rupinderpal Singh or Affan Yousuf who have the potential to become world class players. But, he said, a lot of work needed to done to make these players world beaters. "Their physical strength has to be improved to match that of the foreign teams. More importantly, their mental strength has to be improved." Tactical understanding
The run brought the UP Wizards' forward, Thimmaiah, to the top of circle with a clear try at goal, and the easiest angle to score from. But the overwrought teenager scuffed the shot. "They have a lot of speed but don't know what to do with it," Grewal added. "It is understandable as it takes youngsters years to grasp the tactical aspect of the game." What Grewal hinted at was that over the years many youngsters have shown potential at the junior level (where the game is more skill and speed based), but apart from a few, none have been able to shine at the senior level. "Hockey has changed a lot; it has become more like a game of chess. They need to do extra work on developing their understanding of the modern game," said Grewal. MK Kaushik, coach of the Indian team, said, "We have the foreign coaches who are working with these youngsters." India has hired foreign coaches for many years now. So why are our teams still failing in the tactical department? "Our players have low grasping power. Their state of mind has to be changed. They are happier going for a two-hour run, rather than sitting for a 30-minute video session," said Ashish Balal, former India captain. "The management has to come up with more exciting ways to teach the players." Balal added that there was great need for a psychologist who could understand the different cultures and lifestyles of India. "We have players from different states and different cultures. A Punjabi has to be handled differently than an Adivasi from Odisha. A coach is too busy to do that." Confidence issues
There is another big problem which has regularly hurt the Indian team — the junior players not being able to make a successful transition to senior level. "Ramandeep Singh is a fantastic player. But he has put immense pressure on himself after the HIL auctions. He is trying too hard," added Balal. "There should be a psychologist whom someone like Ramandeep can approach." "The role of the senior players becomes important in these situations. The Indian team lacks a leader. Sardar Singh is a great player but hope he can become a great leader," added Balal, who himself came into the side when he was only 17 years old. "This is a reason why Indian youngsters player so well in HIL. Every team had a great leader such as Moritz Fuerste for Ranchi Rhinos or Teun de Nooijer for the Wizards or Mark Knowles for Punjab Warriors." This being an important year, with the World Cup and the Asian Games, Indian fans will be hoping for a good show by the team. But both Grewal and Balal said that it would be impractical to expect any drastic change in such a short period. Though Kaushik said that the management had set 2016 as their target, there was no special plan regarding the youngsters. |
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World champion Heena shoots gold in Asian meet
Kuwait City, March 10 After her standout performance in qualification round, Heena was ranked number one with a score of 386/400. She maintained her lead in the final round and shot 200.3 to emerge winner. Chain Singh won the top prize with a score of 206. In the qualification round his score was 619.6. The team consisting of Heena (386), Shweta Chaudhary (378) and Harveen Srao (374) won the silver medal in team event with a total score of 1138/1200. In the men's team event, Chain Singh (619.6), Ravi Kumar (620.7) and PT Raghunath (615.8) won the bronze medal. The gold and silver medals were won by China and Iran. Heena is presently the world record holder in finals with a score of 203.8, which she shot at ISSF World Cup in Munich last year. The silver medal was won by WU Chia Ying of Chinese Taipei with 198.3 while the bronze went to Al Balushi Wadha of Oman with a score of 177.3. Chaudhary, who also made to the finals of individual event, was ranked 5th. Her qualification score was 378 and in finals, she shot 131.8. In the women's air pistol team event, there was tie with China who also had identical total score but on the basis of inner 10 score, the Asian giants won the gold. The bronze medal was won by Chinese Taipei with a total score of 1134/1200. In the men's air rifle event, another Indian, Ravi Kumar, who reached the finals, was ranked 6th. His scores were 620.7 and 119.6. Till now India have won three gold, two silver and two bronze medals. — PTI
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Amit to lead in World Cup in the absence of Sushil, Dutt
New Delhi, March 10 The Indian contingent, comprising of Dahiya (57kg), Bajrang (61kg), Rajnesh (65kg), Amit Dhankar (70kg), Praveen Rana (74kg), Pawan Kumar (86kg), Satyavrat (97kg), Krishan Kumar (125), along with three coaches Anil Mann, Anil Kumar and Vinod Kumar, left for the American city last night to attend a preparatory camp, which will conclude on March 13. Two-time Olympic champion Sushil and London Games bronze medallist Yogeshwar have been given rest by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) from national duties. The two celebrated grapplers haven't taken the mat since their medal-winning feat at London Games in 2012 and both are eyeing return at the Commonwealth Games in July this year. Before the Commonwealth Games, Sushil and Yogeshwar are expected to compete in two invitational tournaments in May-June in Italy. Sushil will compete in 70kg while Yogeshwar will be seen in action in 65kg. "We have a good chance of winning the medal in all eight weight categories. We had a good pre-tournament preparation at the Sonepat centre and all the boys are ready to take on the world's best at the championship," chief national coach Vinod Kumar told PTI before leaving for Los Angeles. — PTI
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Autopsy details moves Pistorious to tears
Pretoria, March 10 The testimony of pathologist Gert Saayman was interrupted twice by Pistorius' sobbing and retching but the defence team argued against an adjournment, saying a break would not improve the 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic athlete's state of mind. Earlier, Judge Thokozile Masipa imposed a broadcast blackout on Saayman's testimony out of respect for Steenkamp's family and to prevent viewers such as children from accidentally hearing its contents. "Broadcast would compromise the privacy of the deceased, hurt the interests of the Steenkamps and be against the morals of society," Saayam said when he took the stand to argue for a temporary broadcast blackout of the trial, which had so far been shown in its entirety on live television. Masipa, who has been presiding over the week-long trial, extended the ban to live reporting on Twitter. In his testimony, Saayman confirmed that Steenkamp died from multiple gunshot wounds, having been hit in the head, arm and hip by three shots fired through the locked door of a toilet cubicle. A fourth round fired by Pistorius missed. As Saayman spoke, Pistorius sat with head bowed, covering his ears with his hands and a white handkerchief. Sayaam is the first expert to testify at the trial, which has so far heard several witnesses who reported hearing a woman screaming before a volley shots in the early hours of February 14 at Pistorius' home. The killing stunned South Africa and the millions of Pistorius supporters around the world who admired the athlete as a symbol of triumph over physical adversity. — Reuters
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Talks on, decision in three days: Biswal
New Delhi, March 10 “We will announce the detailed itinerary of IPL after receiving the clearance from the Union Home Ministry on the issue of security during the matches in India. We are having a series of meetings with Home Ministry officials and will get a clearer picture in another three days time,” Biswal told PTI on Monday. Biswal, a former national selector and manager of the 2011 World Cup winning team, had earlier stated that the “aim is to accommodate as many matches as possible in India as this is the Indian Premier League”. While speculations are on about possible off-shore venues with Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerging as frontrunners. South Africa is also in the reckoning but Biswal refused to divulge any information about the off-shore venues. “I will only reveal the details once we get the okay from the home ministry. I will not react to the speculations about the possible venues,” the former Odisha captain stated.
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Gavaskar wants Dravid as national coach
New Delhi, March 10 "Rahul Dravid is one man who is enormously respected and is a successful captain having won series in the West Indies and England. When he speaks, the Indian players, some of whom are superstars, listen to him as they know how much preparation went into his game," he said. He was scathing while talking about Fletcher's role as the chief coach since his appointment post 2011 World Cup win. "I know it's only 11 months for the World Cup and people don't want to tinker with support staff. But had it been the staff of 2011 (Gary Kirsten, Paddy Upton and Eric Simons), I would have agreed. But what has Fletcher done. He has done nothing. His achievement as a cricketer wasn't anything incredible. He was an ECB reject. The ECB dispensed with his services," a livid Gavaskar said. "A coach has to be somebody who is in touch with the modern game and take the team forward. If Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh all stalwarts of Indian cricket can be dropped on poor form, then why not support staff." "Fletcher never had credentials of Gary Kirsten or John Wright, who were achievers in international cricket," he said. Gavaskar said that the flip side of appointing someone who had retired just a couple of years back is that he might carry some "residue from his playing days". "You don't want a situation where the past can come in the way. But India do need a younger man who's in touch with the modern game," he said. "Kirsten was never the most talented cricketer but he was very successful in both Tests and ODIs. He did it the hard way and when he spoke to the players about value of hard work and training, they listened to him. You need someone with a positive outlook, with fair bit of receptivity and flexible thinking," the legendary opener said. He said that India as a team has not improved one bit in these three years. "In Fletcher's tenure, there has hardly been any improvement as a team. There has been no improvement of players individually as well. Somewhere, this slide needs to be stopped. There is still 11 months left for the World Cup. It's a lot of time and the current lot has done nothing," he fumed. Gavaskar spoke about how Indian teams over the years got major success under former India players. "Look what we did after the 2007 World Cup disaster. Ravi Shastri (Bangladesh), Chandu Borde (England), Lalchand Rajput (World T20 in South Africa), Chetan Chauhan (manager in Australia) were there with the teams. We had an incredible year," he said. "In 1983 World Cup, we had an Indian as a manager (PR Man Singh) and in 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, it was Erapalli Prasanna who was the manager. Which means we have capable people who can successfully run the team," he said. — PTI
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Djoko in Rd 3, says room for improvement
Indian Wells, California, March 10 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain bounced fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Bautista, ranked 53rd in the world, used a punishing ground game to notch his third career win over a top-10 player. Sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro pulled out with a left wrist injury. The same injury had forced the world number seven to retire from his first round match in Dubai last month. In other second-round matches, Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun defeated German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2. Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland led the way into the women's fourth round of the $12 million combined WTA and ATP Masters tournament. Radwanska thumped 48th-ranked German Annika Beck 6-0, 6-0. Radwanska next faces France's Alize Cornet, who battled for three hours and 26 minutes to beat 14th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-3. It was the second-longest match of the year on the WTA Tour, after Maria Sharapova's three-hour, 28-minute win over Karin Knapp at the Australian Open. Paes-Stepanek in pre-quarterfinals
Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek fought their way into the pre-quarterfinals after a tough first round win over unseeded Jerzy Janowicz and Philipp Kohlschreiber. The Indo-Czech pair needed a Super Tie-breaker to beat the Polish-German team 7-6(6) 3-6 10-5 in one hour and 38 minutes in their opening round of the $5,240,015 hard court event. Paes is the only Indian left in the men's tournament after Rohan Bopanna's defeat in the doubles along with his partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi. Somdev Devvarman could not make the singles main draw. — Agencies |
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Saina seeks third Swiss Open crown
St. Jakobshalle, March 10 Saina, the London Olympic bronze medallist, had clinched the title in 2011 and 2012 and the Indian will look for a repeat performance when she starts her campaign against a qualifier in the women`s singles competition on Wednesday. Seeded sixth, Saina, who had reached the semifinals last year, is coming into the tournament after crashing out in the quarterfinals of the All England Open in Birmingham, UK last week. The 23-year-old Indian is likely to face World No. 1 and top seed Yihan Wang in the quarterfinals if she manages to cross the first two rounds here. It was at the London Olympics where Saina had faced Yihan last time. The Chinese had retired from the play-off because of a knee injury, thus paving the way for the Indian to win the coveted bronze. However, Saina holds a rather unimpressive 1-6 record against Yihan and she will have to play out of her skin if she has to cross the last eight stage. World No. 9 P V Sindhu too will be eager to get over her forgettable All England debut when she plays in the Swiss Open. Her first round opponent Beatriz Corrales of Spain has already withdrawn and the Hyderabadi is likely to sail into the quarterfinals. The World Championship bronze medallist, Sindhu is seeded seventh and is likely to face the newly-crowned All England Champion Shixian Wang in the quarterfinals. Seeded third, Shixian has been in red-hot form as she defeated Saina, Yihan and Olympic champion Li Xuerui in straight games in the quarters, semis and finals en route to the All England title. Sindhu, however, will take inspiration from her 2-0 record against the former World No. 1 during their last two encounters last year. Shixian will open her campaign against India`s Saili Rane, the only other Indian in the main draw of women’s singles. In the men’s singles category, Parupalli Kashyap, seeded third, will begin his campaign against Holland`s Erik Meijs and is likely to advance into the quarterfinal without much ado. The World No. 18 Indian had played a three-game match against Kenechi Tago where he lost from a game and 10-7 up in the first round of All England and Kashyap will look to make amends for his showing at Swiss Open here. Kashyap is likely to face sixth seed Tien Chen Chou of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals. Thailand Open winner Kidambi Srikanth, seeded fifth, will be up against World No. 42 Henri Hurskainen, while Mumbai’s Anand Pawar will meet Malaysia`s Kok Pong Loke. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will start their campaign in the main draw after receiving a direct qualification. — Agencies
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Namdhari XI in semis
Lucknow, March 10 With their fourth consecutive win, Namdhari topped the points table in the Pool A. Irrespective of the final result, it was Rajasthan who took the lead in the 29th minute through Saif Ali Khan. But Namdhari drew level at the stroke of halftime from a penalty stroke which was perfectly converted by Santa Singh (35th). In the second half, Namdhari were the aggressive among the two sides and surged ahead in the 42nd minute through a penalty corner conversion by Bhagat Singh Dhillon. Namdhari sealed the match in their favour in the 65th minute when Santa Singh scored his second goal of the day, this time from a field effort. In the second match of the day, Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd were held to a 1-1 draw by Jammu and Kashmir. After a barren first half, Jammu and Kashmir went ahead in the 53rd minute through Amrinder Singh's goal before the Mumbai outfit equalised in the 63rd minute through Kuldeep's strike. The third game of the day between Bihar and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) also ended in a draw. Meanwhile, in the last match of the day Himachal Pradesh eked out a fighting 2-1 win over Uttarakhand in Pool B. HP took the lead in the 28th minute through captain Gaurav Kumar. But Uttarakhand leveled the scores in the 56th minute from a penalty corner which was converted by Vikram Singh before HP scored the winner in the 65th minute when skipper Gaurav scored his second goal of the day to ensure a win. Results: Pool A: Namdhari XI beat Rajasthan 3-1; Bihar 5 beat Sashastra Seema Bal 5; Pool B: Mumbai 1 drew Jammu & Kashmir 1; Himachal Pradesh beat Uttarakhand 2-1. — PTI
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Sopot, Poland, March 10 A blistering start propelled the reigning Olympic and world 100 metres gold medallist to the fastest women's 60 metres in four years, 6.98 seconds, as she made a triumphant debut at world indoor championships in Sopot, Poland. Only six women have ever run faster. Americans dominated the three-day meeting in Sopot, Poland, capping the championships with a world indoor record in the men's 4x400 metres as Kyle Clemons, David Verburg, Kind Butler III, and Calvin Smith Jr. triumphed in 3 minutes, 2.13 seconds. The time was 0.70 seconds faster than the 15-year-old record set by a U.S. team at the 1999 world indoor championships. Fraser-Pryce had never run in the indoor meeting before this week. "It is an amazing feeling," the 2008 and 2012 Olympic 100 metres gold medallist told reporters after becoming only the second woman to hold world titles at 60, 100 and 200 metres. Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure took the silver in 7.01 with American Tianna Bartoletta third in 7.06. Yet Fraser-Pryce said running indoors was not a favourite of hers. “To be honest I don't like it,” the Jamaican said with a chuckle. "There is so much that can go wrong in a 60. Not nailing the start....You have persons that don't nail the start can win a 100...But in the 60 you have to get going.” That Fraser-Pryce did as she replaced two-times champion and fellow Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown as the global 60 metres champion. Campell-Brown, rusty after missing the season as she successfully overcame a doping charge, finished fifth in 7.13. Three-times 3,000m champion Bernard Lagat was also denied a repeat title. Kenyan Caleb Ndiku turned on the afterburners in the final 500 metres and sped to victory in 7:54.94 with Lagat claiming silver in 7:55.22. — Agencies Speedometer * Runs the fastest women's 60 metres in four years, 6.98 seconds * Becomes only the second woman to hold world titles at 60, 100 and 200m
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Ronaldo strikes gold as Real Madrid reclaim top spot
Madrid, March 10 The result puts Carlo Ancelotti’s side three points ahead of Atletico Madrid and four ahead of Barcelona, who suffered a shock defeat at Real Valladolid on Saturday. Real Madrid took just 11 minutes to open the scoring, with Ronaldo rising much higher than anyone else in the penalty area to head home Angel Di Maria’s corner kick delivery. Keylor Navas was keeping his side in the contest, pulling off a number of saves to keep the score at 1-0, smothering a shot from Karim Benzema and tipping a header from the French striker on to the post just before half-time. However, Los Blancos doubled their lead four minutes into the second half, with Marcelo guiding a right-footed shot into the net from just inside the box following good exchange play with Ronaldo. Levante were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of David Navarro for a late challenge on Ronaldo, and the away side shot themselves in the foot again when Nikos Karampelas turned the ball into his own net to seal a 3-0 win for Real Madrid. Wigan Athletic stun Man City to enter FA Cup semis Second-tier Wigan Athletic stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup for the second season running with a shock 2-1 quarter-final victory at a disbelieving Etihad Stadium on Sunday. City, newly crowned League Cup winners, were bidding to avenge their 1-0 defeat in last season's final, but instead it was the holders — managed by former City striker Uwe Rosler — who advanced to a last-four date with Arsenal. Toni Kroos admits Man U is ‘a possibility for me’ Bayern Munich forward Toni Kroos left the door open for a switch to the Barclays Premier League in the summer amid reports Manchester United have expressed interest. The 24-year-old has a season remaining on his contract with the reigning Champions League title holders, but a renewal has reportedly stalled and a profitable sale may interest Bayern as United plan a massive overhaul at the end of the season. — Agencies Ronaldo dethrones Beckham as world's richest footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has gone past England soccer legend David Beckham to become the richest footballer in the world with earnings of 122 million pounds. Beckham, who was last year's richest with 165 million Pounds, was not considered for the annual Goal Rich List after his retirement. Ronaldo signed a new 76 million-Pound deal with Real Madrid last year and also boasts of a lucrative Nike sponsorship deal. Barcelona striker Lionel Messi finds himself in second place with 120.5 million Pounds, his ad deals for Adidas and Turkish Airlines being one of the reasons for the wealth.
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Railways beat Baroda by 93 runs, enter quarterfinals
Kolkata, March 10 For Railways, who won the toss, Chanderpal Saini put up a fine show as the No 8 batsman's unbeaten 45 from 60 balls, (4x4) in a 64-run partnership with Karn Sharma (41 from 36 balls; 2x4, 1x6), propelled his side to 230/9 after they were reduced to 126/6 in the 31st over. Defending a modest total, Railways were given a fine start when pacer Anureet Singh’s wicket-maiden first over in which he castled Saurabh Wakaskar before Amit Mishra (3/22), Krishnakant Upadhyay (2/29) and Saini (2/13) bundled out Baroda for 137. Upadhyay gave Singh a fine support at the other end while Anureet was in the middle of a fine first spell that read 6-2-12-1. The intent was missing from Baroda who put up a listless batting while there was no lack of steam from the Railways attack with second change bowler Amit Mishra keeping up the tempo with his accurate medium pace. Mishra took two wickets in successive overs including the prized scalp of Ambati Rayudu for two. The Pathan brothers — Yusuf and Irfan — could not do much in the crunch match. Brief Scores: Railways: 230/9; 50 overs (Chanderpal 45*, Amit 42; Vishwanath 4/50, Munaf 2/27, Lukman 2/52) beat Baroda: 137; 43.3 overs (Irfan 38; Amit 3/22) by 93 runs. — PTI
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India's ace shooter Heena Sidhu produced some excellent shooting to clinch the air pistol women's gold medal while Chain Singh bagged the yellow metal in men's air rifle event at the 7th Asian Championship in Kuwait on Monday.
"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius broke down on Monday when a South African court heard details from the autopsy of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom the track star is accused of murdering on Valentine's Day last year.
Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 38th goal of the season in a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man
Levante.
