It’s been a while since Punjabi numbers like ‘Tutak Tutak Tutiyian’ and “Dil Tote Tote Ho Gaya” ruled the popularity charts even in Punjab.

So one was not sure whether one heard right as the familiar sound notes wafted across a practice facility inside the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on Wednesday. But with Virat Kohli showing a couple of ‘bhangra’ moves and Shikhar Dhawan too gyrating a bit, all doubts about the songs were allayed. They were indeed listening to Hans Raj Hans and Malkit Singh numbers; Yo Yo Honey Singh will perhaps have to wait for the next batch of cricketers to break into the cricketing world.

If someone had been looking for any sign of discomfort and tension in the team as a result of the rumblings in the BCCI back home, he would have been utterly disappointed. The team looked genuinely happy, almost detached from the happenings back home, just enjoying its practice session. Even Yuvraj Singh, who must be under tremendous pressure following his poor run in the tournament, was cheerful enough to crack a joke and pull Ravindra Jadeja’s leg.

This is what happened. While playing football ahead of the nets, Jadeja stopped the ball with his hand, and, thinking it hadn’t been noticed by anyone, continued the game. Yuvraj, standing at the other end of the field, shouted at him in visible anger. “Jadu kuch to sharm kar, tere haath men lagi ha baal,” he screamed. (Jadu, have some shame, the struck you on your hand). And as the visibly rattled all-rounder mumbled out some incoherent explanation, Yuvraj broke into a smile, and soon everyone was in splits.

That’s one good thing about this team; the players seem to enjoy each other’s company, and apparently get along quite well. Normally when the team is on a losing spree, as they had been before coming into the tournament, it’s common to hear some frustrated or rebellious voices. In India’s case, there has been none. It was only the skipper who had been admonishing the bowlers for their below par performances, but his public reproach was taken in the spirit it ought to be taken.

Amit Mishra, for instance, couldn’t seem to thank Dhoni enough for his support and “tips”. Even though Mishra had got a chance to play after warming the bench for a long time — the popular perception is that Dhoni didn’t have enough faith in Mishra’s abilities — there was not even a hint of malice or sarcasm as he generously thanked the skipper. Quite clearly, the skipper seems to have the trust and respect of all his teammates. The days when he had to parade the entire team before the press — as he did during the T20 World Cup in England in 2009 — to scotch the rumours of the team being a divided house are well and truly over.

Dhoni is the undisputed leader of the side, and the fact that Virat Kohli, the heir apparent, has huge respect for him has helped in making the side a happy unit. “Dhoni has been a very important player for us in the past few years and has led the team very well. We have been really consistent in the One-day format and one of the big reasons for that has been his captaincy and his consistency with his batting and finishing the games for us,” said Kohli when captaining the side in the Asia Cup.

The importance of everyone being firmly behind the skipper and pulling in the same direction could hardly be overstated, especially in a tournament as big as this.

Bangladesh has broken an Indian record. Not on the cricket field, though. The record the nation shattered, on its Independence Day, was the one of having the most people sing a national anthem together. Until March 26, Sahara India Parivar, the Indian conglomerate, had the record against its name — about 1.2 lakh people had sung India’s national anthem in Lucknow in May last year. Bangladesh, however, smashed the record on Wednesday with over 2.5 lakh people singing the national anthem ‘Amar Shonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobashi’, penned by Rabindranath Tagore. — Subhash Rajta

England captain Stuart Broad bowls in the nets at a training session in Chittagong on Wednesday. AFP

However, their bowling has not been tested as they could bowl only five overs against New Zealand.

SA aim for big win against minnows Dutch

South Africa would look to boost their net-run-rate with a big win against struggling qualifier Netherlands in a Group 1 Super 10 match here on Thursday.

After scraping to a narrow two-run win over New Zealand, riding on heroics of Dale Steyn, South Africa now have a chance to improve on the negative net run-rate (-0.075) as they are unlikely to be challenged by the minnows.

With one defeat and a win, South Africa are placed third with two points and tomorrow is their chance to move up before they face more serious challenge in England on Saturday.

New Zealand too are on two points with similar results but they are placed second due to a better NRR (+0.276). — PTI

New Delhi, March 26
Earlier this year, pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson was the star performer in Australia’s Ashes win with his record 37-wicket haul, four short of Rodney Hogg’s 41 scalps in a home Ashes series in 1978-79.

But, only a year ago, Johnson was almost dropped from the Cricket Australia’s (CA) elite players’ contract list and was not even part of the Australian squad which toured England for the 2013 series.

Injuries to fellow pacers James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in the 2013-14 series opened the doors for Johnson and he blew away the England challenge with his lethal combination of short-pitched bowling and speed.

So, how did this turnaround happen? Here’s the man, whose intimidating pace was a key factor in the Ashes sweep and the match-winning performances in the Test series win in South Africa, himself explaining the process behind his return. “I had a surgery on my big toe in 2012 which put me out of action for a year. I guess it helped me to find my rhythm back as I was able to get away from cricket. It helped me to concentrate on my fitness, work on my line and length. I changed my run-up, making it longer and brought some change to my action,” Johnson told The Tribune in an interview.

Johnson had picked up the injury while batting in the second Test against South Africa in November 2012. He was diagnosed with an injury to his ligaments, commonly referred to as ‘turf toe’.

The belligerent pacer credited his wife Jessica Bratich Johnson, a former model and karate black belt, and Australian fast bowling great Dennis Lillee for his transformation. “My wife stood like a rock by my side. Without her, it would not have been possible. Another person I would like to mention here is Dennis. He invested his time and effort in me so that I could again play international cricket. He pushed me to the limit. I thought I would never get to play Test cricket again but his encouraging words helped me a lot,” he said.

Lillee had once described the left-arm pacer, when he was 17, as a “once-in-a-generation bowler”. When Johnson’s stocks plummeted in 2011, when he finished with just 13 wickets at an average of 56.62, CA had been urged by former pacers to employ Lillee to mentor the paceman.

Johnson, who would be seen plying his trade for Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League 7, has recovered from his infected toe, which had ruled him out of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The infection had affected his right leg and it was a race against time for Johnson to get fit for the IPL. “I was managed by a team of medical specialists. The infection is gone now. I am working on strengthening up my muscles. So, everything is looking good and I am looking forward to playing my part.”

The Punjab franchise boasts of high-profile names in their line-up like Virender Sehwag. “Sehwag is an exceptional player. He has dominated the Australian bowling in the past with his brutal hitting. I am glad that I would be only bowling to him in the nets. He is a valuable player who brings a lot of experience,” Johnson said.

“We have a balanced side, with George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell. I am looking forward to leading the bowling department and helping youngsters. Rishi Dhawan has really impressed me with his recent performances.”

Mumbai, March 26
Injecting a new twist in the BCCI row in the wake of demands for N Srinivasan's resignation, former president Shashank Manohar today demanded the suspension of the IPL till a thorough probe by the CBI is completed.

Manohar, who was succeeded as BCCI president by Srinivasan, was also critical of the decision to stage a part of the 2014 IPL in the UAE next month, which he says “will further tarnish the already murky waters surrounding the tournament”.

“Considering the latest developments in the BCCI, it is my opinion that until the faith of the people in the integrity of the game is restored, the IPL tournament for the 2014 should be suspended. The board members should remind themselves that money/profits is not the aim of the board. The primary duty is to promote a clean game of cricket.”

He said in view of the serious allegations, regarding betting, spot-fixing and match-fixing, the public at large has lost it’s faith in IPL games. “I had said long back, when the scandal broke, that all IPL matches should be investigated. Only then can all the erring parties be punished and the clean-up initiated. What has been revealed lately could well be the tip of the iceberg. A thorough probe needs to be done by CBI as the canvas of the activities extends throughout the country,” he said. — PTI

New Delhi, March 26
Former BCCI president I.S. Bindra feels current chief N Srinivasan should have resigned long time back and said it was his continuation at the helm of affairs which brought Indian cricket to a “sorry state”.

“My view was very clear from last one year. In the first meeting in Chennai I had said the same thing. I have been writing in my blog. He should have resigned long time back. He decided to continue and now it has reached a stage where the Supreme Court had to intervene,” Bindra said.

“Indian cricket has been brought to this far by Srinivasan and some of his friends in the Board. It is unfortunate that the highest court had to intervene.” — PTI

Mumbai: An overwhelming number of people who have responded to an online poll in a popular cricket website want N Srinivasan to resign from his post after the Supreme Court asked him to quit yesterday. According to the online response in 'Cricinfo' to a question whether Srinivasan should quit, close to 90 per cent of people (14524 persons) had replied in the affirmative by noon today. — PTI

Mirpur, March 26
Is N Srinivasan going to step down? Or will he manage to stay on despite the Indian court asking him to go?

The Supreme Court order on the BCCI chief seems to have caught the imagination of everyone concerned with cricket all over the world. The world media at the T20 World Cup has been posing these questions to the Indian scribes, trying to stay updated on one of the most controversial administrators the game has ever seen.

Incidentally, no matter which country they come from, everyone seems to be hoping that the BCCI chief has no more aces up his sleeves and is forced to move out this time, for good.

“Well, he isn’t seen in a very favourable light back in the West Indies. Generally people view him as someone who wants to take over the world cricket, have an iron grip on everything,” said Vinode Mamchan, a senior reporter with Trinidad Guardian.

Coming from the West Indies, the opinion is a little surprising as the two boards share cordial relations and India have played quite a lot with West Indies in recent times. Yet, that hasn’t endeared the BCCI chief to the otherwise warm West Indians.

The vibes from Australia, one of the Big Three apart from India and England in the restructured order, are more or less the same. “His possible exit from the BCCI is a welcome sign… nobody wants a person in a position of power who is a dictator, is greedy for absolute power,” said Gaurav, an Australian journalist working with ABC Radio.

Bangladesh, too, isn’t in love with the man. “Our country didn’t like him for proposing the two-tier system, where we would have played in the lower tier. If he goes from the BCCI, I don’t think he should be allowed to get into the ICC either,” said Arifur Babu, a senior Bangladesh journalist.

Despite their being little support for the beleaguered BCCI chief, except in the BCCI, the restructured world order, his brainchild, will in all probability continue to exist.

“Look, the new order works fine for West Indies. We have played New Zealand and Bangladesh thrice in the last three years. It’s not profitable; it has left the WICB with a deficit. The India tours happened just because of the relations between the two boards,” said Mamchan.

“But in the new scenario, we can now tap into the Test fund when we host unprofitable tours. And with no FTP, we can have bigger tours. That’s why England was in West Indies before the T20 World Cup, and they will be back for Test series too.”

Sounds fine, at least at the moment.

Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), March 26
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand inched closer to clinching the Candidates Chess tournament title after settling for an easy draw with black against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in the 11th round here.

With three rounds to go, Anand maintained his one-point lead over Levon Aronian of Armenia. With two games with white pieces to follow, there is little that can go wrong for the Indian ace.

On a pretty dull day, Russian Peter Svidler played out a draw with Aronian, Dmitry Andreikin signed peace with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, and Sergey Karjakin was held by Veselin Topalov. With all games ending in draws, the leaderboard did not see any change. This Euro 600,000 prize money tournament doubles up as the selection event for the next World Championship challenger.

Anand took his tally to 7 out of a possible 11 and Aronian remained his closest adversary with 6 points.

Kramnik chose the Catalan opening with white pieces and the pressure of having lost the last two games weighed heavy on the Russian. Anand opted for a quiet and fashionable system wherein Kramnik’s attempt to complicate matters did not see the light of the day.

In the early middle game, Anand had a pawn weakness and instead of a passive defence, he sacrificed it for active counter play. Kramnik played on with an extra pawn but had to give it back to release the tension. Soon peace was signed in just 31 moves. — PTI

New Delhi, March 26
Olympian Jude Felix was on Wednesday appointed as the coach of the senior men’s national team by Hockey India (HI).

Felix will join the training camp of the senior men’s team at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the capital tomorrow for preparations of the FIH Men’s World Cup 2014, to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, from May 31 to June 15. He is appointed on a probationary period of three months and will work under chief coach Terry Walsh.

“I am coming with the vast years of my playing and coaching experience at different levels. I am confident that I will be able to make a contribution to players individually and team as a whole. Working with two great coaches in Roelant Oltmans and Terry Walsh, I am looking forward to learning from them and passing on the knowledge to as many coaches as possible in India,” said Felix.

Speaking on the appointment of Felix, Narinder Batra, secretary general, HI said, “We are pleased to appoint Jude Felix as the coach of the senior side. The players are very excited about the World Cup and are practising rigorously in the preparatory camp. The appointment of Felix will help the players to use his vast experience of playing at various international and domestic tournaments.”

Felix, an Arjuna Awardee (1995), was the captain of the Indian team during 1993-95 and also led the country in the 1993 World Cup and the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games.

Felix has played more than 250 international matches and represented India in two Olympic Games (Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992), two World Cups (Lahore 1990 and Sydney 1994), two Asian Games (Beijing 1990 and Hiroshima 1994) and three Champions Trophy (Australia 1985, Pakistan 1987 and Germany 1989).

He has also worked as player-cum-coach with Racing Club in Paris (European league and French League) from 1997 to 2000. He was the coach of the Dutch U-18 national team in Leo Van Der Kar in 1997 and with Singapore Recreation Club during 1995-1997 and 2001-2011.

London, March 26
A clinical double from Edin Dzeko helped Manchester City move second in the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Manchester United on Tuesday while Arsenal’s title hopes all but evaporated in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City.

Manchester City took the lead after 43 seconds at Old Trafford and never looked back, exposing United’s soft centre almost at will with Dzeko and Yaya Toure netting in the second half to inflict another painful defeat on home boss David Moyes.

City, in ominous form after a 5-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, have moved into the slipstream of Chelsea and are three points behind the league leaders with two games in hand.

“It was an amazing game from the first to the last minute,” striker Dzeko later said. “We wanted to start playing our game early, to press high and get an early goal which we did.”

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was, like United’s Moyes, facing difficult questions after his side conceded a 90th-minute own goal from Mathieu Flamini to draw with struggling visitors Swansea on the back of a 6-0 thrashing at London rivals Chelsea.

It looked like Arsenal would claim all three points when second-half goals within a minute from Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud cancelled out Wilfried Bony’s opener.

Everton made it four wins in a row to maintain their own push for Europe as they beat Newcastle United 3-0 away with Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman all on target. — Reuters

Berlin, March 26
Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title in record time by beating Hertha Berlin 3-1 on Tuesday thanks to goals from Toni Kroos, Mario Goetze and Franck Ribery with seven games left in the campaign.

Last season’s treble winners claimed their 23rd Bundesliga crown with a 10th straight away victory, stretching their winning streak to 19 consecutive league games and their unbeaten run to 52 league matches — all Bundesliga records.

“I am satisfied that we did it,” Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, in his first season in charge, said. “A game earlier or later does not matter. Congratulations to everyone at the club. Now we will go out to dinner and celebrate!” — Reuters

Kuala Lumpur, March 26
Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar believe the uniqueness in Team Asia has brought a closer bond between the players who are ready to uphold the honour for Asia when the inaugural EurAsia Cup gets underway on Thursday.

The Indian duo is determined to fire the first salvo in the battle of the intercontinental heavyweights when they take on Spain’s Gonzalo Fdez-Castano and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher in the opening fourball format.

Bhullar believes that Team Asia is prepared for the titanic battle ahead.

“It’s quite cool. We compete against each other very often on the Asian Tour and every week, we see different faces and nationalities but we are pairing up as a team for the first time,” he said. “We’re getting really comfortable with each other and are just waiting for the tournament to start.” — TNS

BRIEFLY

India lose to England in Women’s World T20
Sylhet: India's campaign in the Women's World T20 slipped further off course as they suffered a five-wicket loss to England. Anya Shrubsole and Jenny Gunn wrecked the batting line, which if not for Mithali Raj's half-century might have presented a grimmer sight than the eventual 98 for 9. The two seamers took six wickets, costing only 21 runs. Shrubsole was judged Player of the Match. Brief scores: India 95/9 (Raj 57; Shrubsole 3/6, Gunn 3/15); England 98/5 in 18.1 overs (Taylor 28; Dabir 2/21).

TODAY’S MATCHES Netherlands v S Africa 3PM England v Sri Lanka 7PM LIVE ON STAR SPORTS

SA release Parnell for court appearance
Dhaka: South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell has been released from the squad for a mandatory court appearance in Mumbai, meaning the player will miss Thursday's clash against Netherlands, the team said on Wednesday. Parnell and his then Pune team mate Rahul Sharma were arrested after a drugs raid at a Mumbai party during the 2012 Indian Premier League. Both players have denied any wrongdoing and were subsequently granted bail.

Restrained Gayle a big gamble for Windies
Dhaka: The good news for rival bowlers is Chris Gayle has abandoned his onslaught-from-the outset approach. The bad news is, the West Indies opener has decided to delay his big hitting so he can explode in the later stages. Many observers believe West Indies are taking a huge gamble by taming a wild force with a strategy that could make or break their title defence. The ploy has not really worked so far. Gayle managed just about run-a-ball scores of 34 and 48 in the defeat against India and the win over the hosts, respectively. — Agencies

Bangladesh women lose to West Indies 
Sylhet: The Bangladesh women lost 6 wickets for 8 runs to suffer a 36-run defeat against the West Indies Women in the Women’s World Twenty20 tie on Sunday. Chasing 116 for victory in their opener, Bangladesh were bowled out for 79. They were thwarted by their inexperience in the tournament after bowling their Caribbean opponents out for 115 at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium. This is Bangladesh Women’s first participation in the world event. — Agencies

Schumacher recovery: Ex-F1 doc warns fans must ‘prepare for the worst’
London: Former Formula 1 chief doctor Dr Gary Hartstein has warned that fans must prepare themselves “for the worst” news as attempts to awaken Michael Schumacher continue following his horrific ski accident. Dr Hartstein, who was a key figure in the paddock until the end of the 2012 season, has admitted that the longer it takes, the less likely it is that Schumacher will ever recover. Writing on his personal blog, the American said: “As time goes on it becomes less and less likely that Michael will emerge to any significant extent... And whereas I worried more than a bit about what was going to happen when and if really bad news got announced, I’ve realised that perhaps the lack of status updates has given us all a chance to move on a bit, to process what’s happening, and to start to... detach.”

India beat Pakistan to bag South Asian Handball title
Noida: India clinched the 3rd South Asian Handball Championship title after defeating Pakistan 36-31 in the summit clash here today. Five teams —Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India — took part in the championship.

Sridhar appointed KXIP fielding coach
New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab today announced the appointment of R Sridhar as their fielding coach. Sridhar is a former Hyderabad Ranji left-arm spinner who has played 22 years of top flight cricket in and for Hyderabad. He was with India in the under-19 World Cup as assistant coach.

Vettel, Franklin take Laureus awards in sombre Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur: Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel and American swimming sensation Missy Franklin were named Laureus Sportsman and Woman of the Year on Wednesday in a ceremony filled with tributes to those affected by the missing Malaysian Airlines plane. Franklin, 18, wonthe award ahead of five others including Serena Williams and Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Vettel beat Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Rafa Nadal to the prize. — Agencies

SSCB register 3rd win in Junior Nationals
Chennai: Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) demolished Goa 10-0 in a lop-sided match on Day 3 of the Hockey India Junior Men’s National Championship (Division B) today. In a Pool A match, Steel Plant Sports Board registered their second consecutive win, defeating Hockey Gangpur-Odisha 5-2. In another Pool A match, Puducherry spanked Uttarakhand 10-1 to register their first win. — Agencies