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‘Need to look beyond results’
Baroda beat UP, are T20 champs
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Dipika loses to Sherbini in Texas Open final
Lee-Hesh or move forward: Selectors need to decide on direction, says Oza
Himachal lad eyeing India slot through IPL
Emotional Bubba wins Masters
Schumi showing small signs of progress: Manager
Indian super league
Atletico extend lead, Costa injured in win
Ferrari F1 boss Stefano quits
Oscar, girlfriend ‘argued’ on night she died The Blues keep up pressure on Liverpool Hull enter FA Cup final
Advani exits from World Snooker
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‘Need to look beyond results’
Chandigarh, April 14 Today, former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad, no longer working with any IPL team, spoke some truths about the tournament, truths that no one associated with the tournament as player, coach, official or commentator dares to speak. “It (coaching in the IPL) is an amazing challenge because you are only looked at as per your achievements and the results that you have given to the team,” Prasad said today. “It's not about what sort of a contribution you are making to the team. That is a sad part actually. “Here not only the franchise owners or people should not only look at results but also look at developing players,” he said. “Whether the people in the management, the coaching staff are they doing that or not, that is also very important. But that is not the case in most of the franchises, I would say, because they are only looking at the result.” Prasad, who took 96 and 196 wickets in Tests and ODIs respectively, also seemed unhappy that IPL teams do no hire Indians as coaches. Of the eight teams in the IPL, only one — Kings XI Punjab — has an Indian as the head coach. “It is an Indian Premier League. It is good to have a mix of foreign coaches, foreign players, because you are definitely going to improve your knowledge of the game, but it is not that all foreigners are knowledgeable,” Prasad, who briefly was India’s bowling coach, said. “Please let us not go by that. I think that is something which people need to understand,” said the 44-year-old. “I have seen so many players who are better than the foreign players. So many coaches in India who are better than the foreign coaches, who are part of the IPL set-up now.” Prasad himself had worked as bowling coach with two IPL teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, but is no longer part of any team’s set-up. “It is disappointing in a way because it is something that I feel every franchise needs to look at — having Indian coaches as part of their team management —for a simple reason that only four foreign players can play in the 11 and the remaining other seven are Indians,” he said. Prasad said the break would help him analyse things from outside that he hoped would stand him in good stead next year. “It is disappointing to miss out but there is always a learning (process). It is always good to step back and then look at the scenario from outside and then learn a few more things, so that you are better as a coach and better as a person when you start doing this, hopefully from the next year onwards,” he said. |
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Baroda beat UP, are T20 champs
Mumbai, April 14 Yadav smashed a six off the penultimate ball after Kumar just scored a single in the four balls he faced. With a boundary needed to win, Baroda's left-arm medium pacer Rishi Arothe kept his cool, and dismissed Yadav with a low full toss. Baroda had previously won the title at the Brabourne Stadium in 2012. Earlier, put in to bat, Baroda posted 144 for seven, thanks to a quickfire 31-ball 42 by skipper Aditya Waghmode. Waghmode and Kedar Devdhar shared an 80-run stand for the first wicket but the skipper's dismissal in the tenth over triggered a collapse, and Baroda could add just 64 runs in the last 10 overs. Praveen Kumar and Ali Murtaza scalped two wickets each while Amit Mishra and Prashant Gupta picked a wicket apiece. In reply, UP suffered a setback when opener Mukul Dagar was dismissed in the fourth over but Prashant Gupta and Eklavya Dwivedi forged a 98-run stand for the second wicket to steer the team towards the target. Last-match centurion Gupta continued in the same vein, smashing a 53-ball 68, studded with eight fours and a six. Dwivedi made 56 off 47. UP lost the plot after Gupta was caught at mid-on by Abhijit Karambelkar in the 17th over. His dismissal disrupted the momentum, and eventually they finished three runs short of the target. Brief scores: Baroda 144 for 7 (A Waghmode 42, K Devdhar 26; P Kumar 2 for 24, A Murtaza 2 for 22) beat Uttar Pradesh 141 for six (P Gupta 68, E Dwivedi 56; L Meriwala 3 for 31). — PTI
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Dipika loses to Sherbini in Texas Open final
New Delhi, April 14 Pallikal, the world No.12 from Chennai, was celebrating the biggest Tour final of her career, while world junior champion El Sherbini was continuing the form of her life which had seen the youngster reach last month's WSA World Championship final after upsetting world number one Nicol David. Both players started off battling some early nerves, getting tangled and playing several lets, but El Sherbini quickly settled to take the first game. Pallikal showed more patience in the second game, working solid tight drives and controlling the pace well, giving El Sherbini fewer options to take the ball in short. El Sherbini stepped up in the third game, working in nice holds and great length, adding some of her trademark sublime drop shot nicks to take the lead. The fourth was the closest of the games, point for point to seven-all with both girls working more length and showing good patience before attacking. El Sherbini managed to pull away and gain a couple of points, giving her a cushion at 10-7. Pallikal fought back, but El Sherbini held on to take the match and the title.
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Lee-Hesh or move forward: Selectors need to decide on direction, says Oza
Mumbai, April 14 “Our selection committee including captain (Anand Amritraj) and coach (Zeeshan Ali) would decide on whether we need to go backwards or keep faith in the youngsters who did well against South Korea,” Oza said. Oza also said that AITA would decide on the team composition for the September 12-14 home tie against Serbia in July. “The current lot of players prefer the hard courts and not grass as was the case with earlier players. The tie would most likely be held on hard courts,” said Oza. Oza’s reply was in reference to Paes’ declaration that he is willing to be part of the squad as a player or captain or to help out the team if called upon by AITA. Earlier, Paes had announced that he was unavailable for national duty in 2014. “If there is a need for me, I will. If need be to play or captain or help out, I’m still very open about it,” he was quoted as saying. His one-time partner Bhupathi had told reporters during a promotional event here that he was always available to play for the country, having earlier said he was set to retire after this year's Wimbledon Championships in June-July. “I am always available. I think it is important because the doubles will be pivotal in that match, so let's see how things pan out,” Bhupathi had said last week here. India defeated Korea 3-1 earlier this month to make the Davis Cup play-off grade. Bhupathi has launched the International Premier Tennis League which has signed up Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among other top players.
— PTI 4 Indian juniors to fulfil Wimbledon dream
New Delhi: Channeling the same ‘dare to dream’ mantra their illustrious forebears adopted on their way to international success, four young Indian players will head to London to play at the world famous All England Club as part of a new initiative, ‘The Road to Wimbledon India’. Adil Kalyanpur from Bangalore and runner-up Siddhant Banthia from Pune, along with girls winner Shivani S Ingle from Pune and runner-up Aarja Chakraborty from Noida have won a chance to play alongside the best juniors from Britain in a 64-strong field at the HSBC National Finals at Wimbledon from August 11 to 16. The initiative is designed to give the under-14 players an opportunity to improve their game. The four were selected after competing in a series of qualifying events involving more than 200 children across the country. The new initiative was launched by Tim Henman in January this year on his maiden visit to the country. It was for the first time that Wimbledon event was hosted outside the UK in India.
— TNS |
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Himachal lad eyeing India slot through IPL
New Delhi, April 14 The 24-year-old was bought for Rs three crore at the back of a solid show in the Ranji Trophy where he was the highest wicket-taker besides scoring 450 runs. He said his focus was to perform his dual role so well that he gets a shot at being the seaming all-rounder India is looking for a long time. The expectations have increased from the lad from Mandi after he did well in the recent domestic T20 games in Mohali. “There is no point putting pressure on myself. It has been a good time for me and my family since the auction. I am not really distracted by the attention and the focus is on playing good cricket. Hopefully, it will get me into the Indian team,” Dhawan said.
— PTI |
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Emotional Bubba wins Masters
Augusta, April 14
Fan favourite Watson, who landed his first major title with a thrilling playoff win over South African Louis Oosthuizen in 2012, mixed five birdies with two bogeys to card a three-under 69 on a warm but mainly overcast afternoon. The 35-year-old from Florida, known for his distance off the tee, his pink-shafted driver with a pink head and his often audacious shot-making, covered the back nine in even par to post an eight-under total of
280.
“This one is a lot different,” a teary-eyed Watson, who had produced surprisingly disciplined golf for most of the week, said before being helped into the coveted green jacket by last year’s Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia. “The first one for me (his 2012 Masters win), it’s almost like I lucked into it. This one was a lot of hard work and dedication. “After giving away that jacket last year, I wanted it back. I told Adam we could just swap it back and forth every year. I never loved green so much,” added the American, who became the 17th player to win the Masters more than once. Spieth, at 20 aiming to eclipse Tiger Woods by becoming the youngest player to win the Masters, had to settle for a share of second place at five under after signing off with a 72, finishing level with Swede Jonas Blixt (71). “That was fun, but at the same time, it hurts right now,’’ Spieth said. “I wanted to get in contention on the back nine Sunday, but didn’t come out on
top. “I took it all in, standing ovations for both of us to each green. It was a dream come true. Hats off obviously to Bubba, because when he’s driving the ball well out here, he’s very tough to beat.” Pony-tailed Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, at the ripe age of 50 and aiming to surpass Jack Nicklaus by becoming the oldest Masters winner, placed fourth after also carding a 71. American world number seven Matt Kuchar, seeking his first major victory, briefly held a share of the lead after three holes but then struggled on a layout running fast and firm on the way to a 74 and a tie for fifth with Rickie Fowler (73). German veteran Bernhard Langer, a double Masters champion, rolled back the years with a closing 69 to finish at even par, level with five others including Rory McIlroy (69) and American Jimmy Walker (70). Scott’s title defence began well enough with opening rounds of 69 and 72 but he lost momentum over the weekend with scores of 76 and 72, dropping back into a tie for 14th at one over, level with U.S. Open champion Justin Rose (74).
— Reuters
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Schumi showing small signs of progress: Manager
“There are moments when he is awake and moments when he is conscious, which make us happy and give us great courage. Of course I am not a doctor, but medically, there is a distinction between being awake and being conscious, the latter meaning there is an ability to interact with his surroundings.” “I don’t want to disclose details out of respect for the family, but we have no doubt at all in the abilities of the doctors treating Michael, they are experts in their field.” Kehm stressed that any interaction with Schumacher is “on a very limited basis” and added that “a medical prognosis is not possible” due to the nature of his injury. Kehm said Schumacher’s constant media speculation, particularly in German newspapers, has caused the family some anguish. “What upsets the family most is media quoting doctors who are not treating Michael and untruths are constructed from these.”
— PTI |
Atletico’s presence will benefit football: Ganguly
Kolkata, April 14 “It’s just out of passion... Actually we are happy that they (Atletico) are putting in a lot of interest. You can see it in some other way like they have jumped up and given the name,” Ganguly, former Indian cricket team captain, said. “You have to accept that they are one of the best teams in the world. We have to accept that if they become part of the Indian football, the sport will be benefited in the end.” The city franchise is the only team in the eight-team league to have on board a foreign club. “The involvement of such a strong professional unit is a massive step forward. Hopefully they can make a difference and raise the standard of the players in the city,” added Ganguly. — PTI
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Atletico extend lead, Costa injured in win
Barcelona, April 14 Costa slammed into the post while poking in his 26th goal of the season in the 84th minute, opening a cut on his left shin and requiring the stadium’s medical crew to carry him off the pitch while he covered his face and muffled his screams. While his teammates looked distraught as he writhed on the pitch, Atletico said less than 10 minutes after the match on Twitter that “luckily Diego Costa only has a cut after hitting the post.” “He’s fine, calm, a cut doesn’t do any more harm,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said about his leading scorer. Despite the scare, Atletico took advantage of Barcelona’s loss on Saturday to open up a three point lead over Real Madrid with Barcelona another point behind.
— PTI |
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Ferrari F1 boss Stefano quits
London, April 14 Ferrari have not won a driver’s world championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, although they were constructors’ champions in 2008. At the most recent race in Bahrain, Alonso and his Finnish team mate were ninth and 10th. “There are particular moments in all of our professional lives where you need the courage to take difficult and very painful decisions,” Domenicali, who had been principal since January 2008, said. “It is time for a significant change. As the boss, I take responsibility, as I have always done, for our current situation.
— PTI |
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The IPL kicks off a season of love-fest in Indian cricket — with so much money on offer, everyone associated with the tournament goes on an overdrive to gush about the IPL and promote it.
Sharing a dressing room with Sachin Tendulkar is a memory that Rishi Dhawan would cherish all his life. Now, the young Himachal Pradesh all-rounder is confident that he would have an equally great time playing alongside Virender Sehwag for Kings XI Punjab this season. “ It was special to spend time with
Sachin. The IPL winning moments with him will stay with me forever. He used to point out all my faults at the nets and I became a better player as the tournament went on. Now it is great to play with
Sehwag,” said Dhawan, recollecting his stint with Mumbai Indians.
Bubba Watson withstood an inspired early challenge from playing partner Jordan Spieth to clinch the Masters for a second time in three years with a three-shot victory at Augusta National on Sunday.
Trailing the prodigiously talented Spieth by two strokes after seven holes, the left-handed Watson took advantage of a faltering run by his fellow American around the turn as he upped his own game, then maintained control on the back nine.
After being warmly embraced by his caddie, Watson shook hands with Spieth before he was then congratulated greenside by his wife Angie and their two-year-old boy Caleb.
“Although it sits a little hard right now, I’ll be back and I can’t wait to be back. It was an incredible experience. It was so much fun, it really was. Even if I didn’t show it there on the back nine, it was.
Grenoble (France), April 14
