Chandigarh, April 9
N Srinivasan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president who has been forced to give up his position in Indian cricket by the Supreme Court, could be in for further trouble.

Srinivasan represented the BCCI at the International Cricket Committee (ICC) Board meeting today in Dubai, and is thus likely to have a fresh petition filed against him for contempt of court. The source of his trouble is, again, Aditya Verma, secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar. It was largely due to the efforts of Verma and his tireless legal battle that Srinivasan has had to face accountability as BCCI president.

Verma today said that Srinivasan had assured the Supreme Court that until the investigations into the IPL-2013 betting and spot-fixing scandal are completed, he would not discharge his duties as the BCCI president. The Supreme Court had also barred any India Cements employees from being part of the BCCI’s set-up.

Verma today said that Srinivasan has violated these orders of the Supreme Court. “N Srinivasan has attended the scheduled ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on April 9th/10th as BCCI’s representative despite being sidelined form the cricket board’s affairs following the Supreme Court’s directive,” Verma said. “In view of the aforestated directive of the Supreme Court, Srinivasan cannot represent BCCI, being an employee of India Cements and the same is violative of the order of the Supreme Court and thus contemptuous in nature.”

“I will move a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against the office-bearers of the BCCI on how they allowed Srinivasan to represent BCCI at the ICC meeting today after a clear-cut interim order given by the Supreme Court on 28.03.2014,” he said.

Srinivasan’s conflict of interest as BCCI president and IPL team owner had been again brought to the fore during the investigation into the IPL-2013 spot-fixing scandal. Srinivasan’s son-in-law was found to be involved in the scandal by the Justice Mudgal Committee, which probed it. After some very strong observations made by the Supreme Court against him, Srinivasan finally relinquished his position as BCCI president last month.

On the directive of the Supreme Court, Sunil Gavaskar was appointed the working president in matters relating to the IPL, while Shivlal Yadav was given the temporary charge of BCCI president for other administrative matters.

Meanwhile, the BCCI today moved Supreme Court seeking permission to examine MS Dhoni’s deposition before the Mudgal Committee. The BCCI also wants to examine the audio recordings of the depositions of Srinivasan and IPL COO Sundar Raman. The apex court has listed the matter for Friday.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, who has been representing Verma, had earlier accused Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings captain, of lying about the role of Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in the scandal. “Dhoni lied about Meiyappan’s role; there was no need for Dhoni to lie. It is important to have independent probe into IPL irregularities,” Salve had said.

New Delhi, April 9
After giving its consent to the IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of Indian boxing, it seems the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA), the sport’s world governing body, is also doing its best to end the current logjam in the suspended Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF).

AIBA has set up an ad-hoc committee of its own to evaluate proposals from various stakeholders keen on forming the new federation. After suspending India from the international fold in February, the AIBA had sought applications from groups and individuals to come forward and submit their proposals to form the new Indian boxing federation.

“AIBA has received several proposals from different groups but do not wish to communicate on any of those proposals at this stage. An ad-hoc committee is now being set up to evaluate all applications,” AIBA’s PR & Communications Director Sebastien Gillot told The Tribune in an email response from Lausanne.

The faction, led by former Secretary General PK Muralidharan Raja and the West Bengal boxing federation president Asit Banerjee, had submitted a vision document to AIBA last month, promising to implement AIBA’s proposals within six months of taking over. The faction had also claimed to have the backing of 23 of the 35 states and units, and Olympic medallists Vijender Singh and Mary Kom as part of its athlete’s commission.

AIBA informed that it has set an extensive list of “very strict” criteria that will be used to evaluate all candidates. “The AIBA Executive Committee will make a final decision and rehabilitate a national federation for boxing in India as soon as it deems that it has found the right group of people who will support the principles of AIBA in terms of ethics and fairness and who care primarily about the boxers and our beloved sport and not about their personal interests,” Gillot said in his response.

New Delhi, April 9
Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh are the best of friends on and off the field but the current India captain sounded realistic as he said that it would be a tall order for the out-of-favour drag-flicker to make it to the World Cup-bound squad.

Sardar said it was heartening to witness healthy competition in the Indian hockey team at present, which means no player is a sure-shot pick for the World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, from May 31 to June 15.

“It is good to see tough fight for spots in the team. So no player, however experienced, can be certain of his place in the team. Even though I am the captain, my place too is not guaranteed,” Sardar said before leaving for a preparatory tour to Europe. “There is immense competition in the team. There are 3-4 players in every position which is healthy for Indian hockey.”

“Sandeep has been out of the team for quite a while now. But he is a class act and has shown his prowess in the Hockey India League, where he was the top-scorer for the second consecutive time. But, it would be tough for Sandeep (to seal a berth in World Cup team). He needs to put in more hard work to be in contention,” Sardar said.

“Not only Sandeep, it will be tough for every player to make it to the team, including me. At the end of the day it will depend on form and fitness,” the mid-fielder said. — PTI

New Delhi, April 9
The best phase of Heena Sidhu’s career may have “begun” but the recently-crowned world No. 1 shooter says athletes tend to lose focus ahead of Olympic Games due to problems that are not necessarily related to sports.

The 24-year-old recently attained the top spot in women’s 10-meter air pistol, her rise to the numero uno position hastened by two back-to-back medals – gold at the Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait, followed by silver at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Fort Benning, USA last month. “I think maybe the best phase (in her career) has started you can say,” Heena said.

There was bitterness around her selection for the London Olympics two years ago and then there was the heartbreak of missing out on the final.

“The Olympic Games are always a learning experience. It’s not just about shooting, it’s more elaborate and a lot of preparation is required logistically. There is a lot of stress around it and due to these problems athletes tend to lose focus,” she said. “Now I know what needs to be done and I will try to be better prepared if I get to compete in the Olympic Games again.”

This is going to be a busy year for shooting with the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the World Championships all lined up between July and September. As many as 64 Olympic quota places will be up for grabs at the World Championships but for Heena, it is not just about medals and berths.

“I don’t have any materialistic goal as far as quota places or medals are concerned. My scores matter and I am only worried about my technique. If I feel I have given my best I am happy. My aim is to just keep working on it for the rest of my life. It’s an ongoing process. I need to make sure that the technique I have learnt while practising, I am able to duplicate in competition.”

Heena said she was not getting bogged down thinking about the 2016 Rio Olympics. “I am not thinking about Rio at all. It’s just a journey towards being the best shooter.”

Talking about her training, she said, “It’s going on in the correct direction, I don’t want to make any changes right now. I have got a good coach and my husband (shooter Ronak Pandit) is helping me.”

Heena’s next major tournament is the ISSF World Cup in Munich in June. It was in the German city last year when she shot a world record score to win the gold medal, becoming the first Indian pistol shooter to win the top prize. — PTI

Singapore, April 9
Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Singapore Super Series after losing to Eriko Hirose in a hard-fought three-game battle in her opening round singles match on Wednesday.

Saina lost 21-16, 15-21, 11-21 to her lower-ranked Japanese rival. The Indian opened up a 5-2 lead in the opening game and eventually extended it to 13-4, before wrapping it up 21-16. Saina also started the second game well as she took a 4-2 lead. But the Japanese quickly got her act together and from 4-4, she surged ahead to 10-4. Hirose finally stole the game 21-15 to take the match to the decider.

In the final game, the Japanese straightaway moved up 5-0 and continued to maintain a comfortable cushion to seal it off comfortably in the end.

PC Thulasi notched up a 21-13, 21-16 victory over Anna Rankin to set up a second round clash with world No. 2 Yihan Wang.

Earlier in the day, B Sai Praneeth defeated Malaysia’s Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif 21-13, 21-15. He will next take on Zi Liang Derek Wong of Singapore. HS Prannoy, too, produced a good performance to prevail over Thailand’s Thammasin Sitthikom 21-17, 14-21 21-11. He will be up against fifth seed Pengyu on Thursday.

But Anand Pawar’s campaign was over as he lost 10-21, 15-21 to Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka. — PTI

London, April 9
Chelsea reached the Champions League semifinals with a late Demba Ba goal that secured a dramatic away-goals win over Paris St Germain on Tuesday, while Real Madrid held off a spirited Borussia Dortmund fightback.

Chelsea substitute Ba bundled the ball home in the 87th minute to secure a 2-0 win in the quarterfinal, second leg at Stamford Bridge that sent the London club through after a 3-3 aggregate draw.

Madrid lost their return leg in Dortmund 2-0 but went through 3-2 on aggregate against last season’s runners-up having dominated the first clash last week.

The 2012 champions Chelsea were trailing 3-1 after their first leg in Paris but clawed their way back into the tie with a first half-goal from substitute Andre Schuerrle, before hitting the crossbar twice in two minutes shortly after the restart.

The visitors were clinging on bravely, but were undone in the dying stages when Ba scrambled the ball home after a Cesar Azpilicueta shot deflected into his path in the area.

Dortmund ran a below-par Madrid close, with Marco Reus scoring twice in the first-half to give the German side hope of completing an astonishing comeback.

Real’s Angel Di Maria missed a penalty before Reus pounced on a defensive mistake in the 24th minute to slot home Dortmund’s opener before doubling the lead on the night in the 37th from close range after Robert Lewandowski hit the post.

Dortmund missed a great chance to level the tie in the second half when Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan rounded Madrid keeper Iker Casillas but only managed to hit the post.

The draw for the semi-finals will take place on Friday. — Reuters

Augusta, April 9
Playing in the Masters has always been an electrifying experience for Phil Mickelson and this week is no different for the American, even though he is “nervous” about his title bid after recent health concerns.

The left-hander, a three-times winner at Augusta National, says he has fully recovered after withdrawing from last month’s Texas Open with a pulled abdominal muscle but rues the fact that he has not been in tournament contention in recent months. “I’m nervous about this week because I always like coming into this week with a win (earlier in the season),” British Open champion Mickelson said.

“I like coming into this week being in contention a few times and having that confidence and experience to build on. But I have to give myself a little bit of slack, because I have not been 100 percent.”

Mickelson, fresh off a tie for 12th at the Houston Open that marked his best finish in nine starts on the 2013-14 PGA Tour, said he had benefited after doing extensive physiotherapy work to strengthen his back. “Physically, I feel great,” said the 43-year-old who will be seeking a sixth major title this week.

“The parts of my game, if I break them down, feel terrific. But I haven’t put them together this year. I haven’t had the results to fall back on. I haven’t experienced that pressure to feel comfortable in that environment, so I’m certainly nervous.”

Mickelson, a flamboyant player known for his bold approach to the game, has always relished competing at the Masters where ‘risk-reward’ shots are more plentiful than in any other major championship.

“This is my favourite week, and the course is in spectacular condition, as always,” said the 43-year-old. — Reuters

Mumbai, April 9
Leander Paes gave kudos to the Somdev Devvarman-led squad for clinching the Davis Cup play-off berth with a 3-1 away win over South Korea last week, but cautioned that the next tie against Serbia would be a difficult one.

“The next tie is going to be a tough one but kudos to all our boys for a job well done in Korea,” Paes said .

While praising the squad, the 40-year-old said that India need to become stronger in singles play to take on stronger opponents in the World Group. “The boys did well, but at the same time we have a long way to go as far as the singles players are concerned,” said Paes, a seven-time Grand Slam winner in men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Paes felt that India had a few options in doubles play in contrast to the singles and in this respect the victory over Korea was good.

“In the doubles we have quite a few options. As far as the singles go, we had a few options there, but the quality had to get a lot better. And in that the Korea tie was a good one,” he said. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Shikhar Dhawan earns top Wisden honours
London: Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named as one of the five Cricketers of the Year by Wisden for his performance in 2013. His performance in the ICC Champions Trophy was acknowledged by Wisden, which also named Australian duo Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris, England batsman Joe Root and England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards in the list. Wisden editor, Lawrence Booth, however, criticised the sports administrators and dismissed the new ICC blueprint as “colonial-style divide and rule”, that meant “the rich would be getting a whole lot richer”. “Cricket is appallingly administered, and is vulnerable to economic exploitation by the country (India) powerful enough to exploit it and the two countries (Australia and England) prepared to lend their plans credibility,” Booth wrote in the 151st edition of Wisden.

Churchill draw Persipura 1-1, stay afloat for pre-quarters
Margao: Churchill Brothers kept themselves afloat for a knock-out round berth in the AFC Cup after playing out a 1-1 draw against Persipura Jayapura on Indonesia in their penultimate group match here today. After a barren first half, Persipura Jayapura, who held better ball possession in both the halves, took the lead in the 77th minute through Boaz Solossa which was cancelled by Churchill Brothers Balwant Singh in the 84th minute in the Group E match played at Nehru Stadium at Fatorda. Churchill Brothers took their tally to seven points from five matches — the same as that of Home United — but are placed second on head-to-head count. The top two sides qualify for the pre-quarterfinals. — Agencies

Chandigarh golfer Randhir tied third in Kochi
Chandigarh: Chandigarh’s Randhir Singh Ghotra tied for third place after shooting a three-under 33 in the first round of the PGTI Cochin Masters in Kochi. The tournament was shortened to just 36 holes and is being played only on the back nine after the front nine was declared unplayable following heavy rainfall on Monday. Delhi’s Rashid Khan and Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane tied for the lead at four-under in the season’s second PGTI Super Series event. Abhinav Lohan, Shubhankar Sharma, Gulfam, Sanjay Kumar and Randhir are joint third, one stroke behind. — TNS