|
|
|
|
|
Kings script fourth win on trot
|
|
|
Rajasthan beat Challengers by 6 wickets
Ahead of CWG, Asiad: SAI scampers for sports psychologists
asian
badminton c’ship
Punjab footballers finding it hard to play ball
I-League and ISL could be merged in future: AIFF
Punjab thrower Mankirat sets new meet record
Lahiri cards 64 as Indians dominate
|
|
Kings script fourth win on trot
Asked to bat, Punjab were strangled by spinners Sunil Narine (3 for 24) and Piyush Chawla (3 for 19), who outfoxed the batsmen to restrict them to 131 for nine in their stipulated 20 overs. However, table-toppers Punjab came up with a superb bowling effort to dismiss Kolkata for 109 with 10 balls to spare at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium and continue their invincible run. Sandeep (3/21), Akshar Patel (16), Mitchel Johnson (2/22), Lakshmipathy Balaji (1/21) and Rishi Dhawan (1/24) — all got wickets as Punjab registered their fourth win as many matches. Suryakumar Yadav was the top-scorer for Kolkata as he blasted three fours and one six in his 34-run innings down the order but it was not enough in the end. Defending 133, Punjab pace trioka of Sharma, Johnson and Balaji ripped through the top order to reduce Kolkata to 31/3 in 8 overs. While Sandeep drew first blood, trapping Manish Pandey infront of wicket in his second over, the Punjab pacer came back to dismiss skipper Gautam Gambhir in his third over. Balaji also joined the party, picking up Jacques Kallis on his first delivery in the sixth over. Chris Lynn (13) and Robin Uthappa (19) tried to steady the ship but Patel and Dhawan kept a tight line as Kolkata huffed and puffed to 50 in 11 overs. Earlier, Punjab lost Cheteshwar Pujara (8) early in the second over when Pandey’s direct throw from point found the opener short. Coming into bat at No. 3, Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha (14) got a life early when a running Umesh Yadav spilled his catch but he failed to make use of the chance. After a four and six, he was sent back by Jacques Kallis, who trapped him infront of wicket. — PTI
Scoreboard Kolkata Knight Riders
|
|
Rajasthan beat Challengers by 6 wickets
ABU DHABI, April 26 Pravin Tambe was the chief contributor in dismantling RCB with figures of 4 for 20, but Bangalore’s star-studded line-up didn't help matters by playing some reckless strokes even when wickets were falling around them. Rajasthan suffered early jolts when Ajinkya Rahane (23), Sanju Samson (2) and Karun Nair (8) were dismissed in quick succession, but the below-par total was never enough for RCB to defend as the Shane Watson-led side completed a facile victory. Earlier, put in to bat first, start studded Bangalore were bowled out for 70 runs in 15 overs. — PTI Scoreboard Rajasthan Royals
|
|
Ahead of CWG, Asiad: SAI scampers for sports psychologists
New Delhi, April 26 SAI Director General Jiji Thomson said that mental trainers/sports psychologists are the need of the hour, but there is a dearth of professionals in the country. “There are 800 core probables for Commonwealth Games and 1500 for Asian Games who are getting trained at SAI centres in Patiala and Bangalore. You see, sport nowadays is as mental as physical and what we require at the moment is sports psychologists. We lack mental trainers which are important to our athletes,” Thomson said on the sidelines of the fifth AFC Football Medical Conference here Saturday. “Sports science is very important but we lack professionals in this area. SAI had invited applications for sports psychologists, but the response was not encouraging. So, we have approached universities like Manav Rachna and Sri Venkateswara to come forward and help us in developing sports science infrastructure. This is a neglected area in India,” he added. India will take part in 13 out of 17 disciplines at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23-August 3 and 30 out of 36 events at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea from September 19-October 4. There are athletes in disciplines like archery and boxing, who have been demanding sports psychologists to prepare better for the two quadrennial events. “We need to create an Institute for Sports Science in the country. Such institute will bring a change in the training approach of elite sportspersons as well as young athletes,” said Thomson. 3 bronze medals for India in Asian wrestling Indian grapplers gave their fans something to cheer about on the fourth day of the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan with Joyti Joyti, KK Yadav and Manoj Kumar bagging bronze medals in their respective bouts. Joyti wrestled past Gulmira Ismatova of Uzbekistan in the bronze medal bout of the women's 75kg freestyle. Earlier, the Indian had lost to Guzel Manyurova of Kazakhstan in the semifinals. In the men's draw, Yadav grappled past Mirkhojaev Nekruz in the bronze-medal bout of the 75 kg Greco-Roman style. Manoj beat Esenov Kyyas in 85 kg Greco-Roman to bag bronze.Indians have so far won six medals in the championships after the third day went medal-less for the team. On Day 2, India had pocketed one silver and a bronze through Bajrang and Satywart Kadian in men's 61kg freestyle and men's 97kg freestyle respectively. Pooja Dhanda had bagged a bronze in 58kg freestyle. PTI Team ready with strategies: Ritu After the success story of the build-up games during the European Tour against Ireland, the Indian women’s hockey team is all geared up for the 8th Champions Challenge 1 beginning in Glasgow, Scotland tomorrow. India will be playing their first match against Korea in Pool A. The team boasts of seven players - Deep Grace Ekka, Monika, Lily Chanu, Poonam Rani, Vandana Katariya, Namita Toppo and P Sushila Chanu - from the under-21 squad, which bagged the bronze medal in the Junior Women’s World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany last year. TNS
|
|
asian
badminton c’ship Loses to Shixian in semis; Jwala-Ashwini also go down in last four stage
Gimcheon (Korea), April 26 Sindhu fought hard for one hour and 18 minutes before losing to reigning All England champion Shixian Wang 21-15, 20-22, 12-21. In women’s doubles, Jwala and Ashwini failed to breach the defence of Luo Yu and Luo Ying, and suffered a 12-21, 7-21 loss to the world No. 10 Chinese pair. Sindhu had beaten Shixian thrice in the past but the world No. 2 had the last laugh in the last two occasions. Sindhu initially played a perfect game. She was attacking and didn’t have much trouble in keeping Shixian away but the Chinese bounced back in the second game as she defended well and slowed down the pace, as the game went down to the wire. “Overall, Sindhu played well. It was an extremely close match. She was up 20-18 but she lost two points while serving. You need a bit of luck in such close matches. It’s okay, at the end of the day, you will win some and lose some. I am happy with the way she is playing,” National coach P Gopichand said. Sindhu’s father Ramana said, “She could have won the match. But I guess she needs a little bit of experience to consistently beat these Chinese players.” In the women’s doubles match, Jwala and Ashwini suffered for their inconsistent and inaccurate strokes. The duo tried to engage in long rallies with their rivals but faltered in their finishing. In the first game, Jwala lost a few early points at the net but Ashwini covered the back court brilliantly and produced some great returns to make it 3-3. But errors at the net, a service and a receiving error meant they went into the break 6-11 down. — PTI
|
|
Padma award will motivate me to do more, says Anjum
New Delhi, April 26 Leander Paes, the country’s highest Grand Slam-winner (14 titles — eight men’s doubles, six mixed doubles) received the Padma Bhushan for ‘distinguished service of a high order’. Paes is also a recipient of Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who was honoured with the Padma Shri award, could not make it to the ceremony due to his ongoing IPL commitment. “I am humbled, honoured and deeply touched. It’s a great feeling to receive the Padma Shri award from the President. The award will motivate me to contribute more to the sports in the future. It will energise me to do more for the country,” Anjum told The Tribune. “Each and every accolade which I have received in my life or I will get in the future, I have always dedicated the honour to my parents and family. Without their support, I wouldn’t have reached here,” she said. It was also a memorable day for Anjum, who got a chance to meet Paes, the 40-year-old former India Davis Cup captain. “I congratulated him after he received the award. He was equally thrilled. Paes is a legendary tennis player and as a he is a senior to me, I respect him a lot for what he has done for the country. He is playing right now and this speaks volumes of his achievements. I told him whenever you win a Grand Slam or a tournament, it’s the victory of India,” said Anjum. Anjum, who is one of the most known faces in Indian women’s cricket, rued the poor state of women’s cricket in India and said an Indian Premier League-style tournament was the need of the hour. “An IPL-style tournament will really help women’s cricket in India. We need better visibility and for that we need to be on the ground. That’s only possible when we have more tournaments for women cricketers.”
|
|
Punjab footballers finding it hard to play ball
Chandigarh, April 26 To the layman it was shocking. But for those who know the sport inside out here, it was a given. Despite a visible talent pool of budding players. Despite the good health of traditional strongholds in the state. Despite the emotional bonding that the people here have for the game. And despite Punjab remaining a powerhouse in Indian football. “Things are different from the past. The state of the sport in Punjab is declining every year. ISL could have been a good platform to showcase talent,” said Sandesh Jhingan, Indian team member presently contracted with the IMG till 2015. The message is loud and clear: The closure of JCT Phagwara has brought an end to the club culture in the state. Talk to the former Punjab players and coaches and they will not mention the state team but the “only team” that is no longer there, JCT. “For players, coaches and fans, it makes a lot of difference to have a local connect. There are 30 players in the squad. Then there are some 30 more in the neighbouring states trying to outdo them. Naturally, the camaraderie and competition grows,” says Jagir Singh, Punjab former coach. “Now the players will be scattered across eight teams. They will have to face insecurity, mould themselves into their respective team's style of play and make other adjustments.” In a season there are seven to eight recognised tournaments in the state, of which three are of all-India level. There are three major teams — Rail Coach Factory, Punjab Police and United Punjab Football Club, Mahilpur, —which have the wherewithal to play in the I-League. The only hindrance is the lack of sponsorship. Though IMG-Reliance and STAR India, promoters of the tournament, did not the reveal the prices of the eight franchises, it's estimated that the average annual franchise cost of an ISL team was around Rs 15 crore. When the ISL invited bids for the new league there was not a single corporate house from the region to show interest in acquiring a franchise. “We had invited bids with an open mind but no one showed interest in acquiring a franchise from Punjab,” said Kushal Das of All India Football Federation (AIFF). At a time when teams are fast packing their bags from the domestic circuit as well, Punjab has come up with a new team — United Punjab Football Club coached by Ali Hasan - that has emerged as a major force in the region. In their very first year they defeated Punjab Police 2-0 in the final of the All India Principal Harbhajan Singh Memorial Football Tournament in 2013. Ali Hasan rues the closure of JCT and says: “We're currently providing a platform to local players, so they could go on to play for big clubs. But later, we hope to play in I-League ourselves.” Gurmangal Dass, who has run the Youth Football Club (YFC) in Rurka Kalan since 2001, says, “We have centres in 9 villages - Rurka Kalan, Bundala Jandiala, Shanker, Bilga, Aluna Tola Sarhali, Bhodey Saprai and Attari (near the Indo-Pak Border). Every year sports scientists and psychologists from Coventry University, UK, visit our centres to provide advanced training to local coaches and monitor the growth of footballers.” Punjabis do make it to the top level. Punjab coach Harnek Singh says, “At any point of time 3-4 players from Punjab are playing in the national team. At least 30 to 40 players from Punjab are playing in the I-League, and still there is no team from the region. You can very well imagine the state of affairs.” These players do not come from one particular academy but from all over the state. Gurdaspur, Mahilpur, Garshankar, Faridkot, Malerkotla, Palldi, Chota Ghuman are producing junior players in plenty. The emergence of players from Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Jalandhar and Ludhiana suggests that it is not only rural but urban areas that are contributing to the talent pool as well. Coaches all over the state rue the fact that the talent from the state is not being identified by international academies like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, who have opened their academies in metros but are just not willing to come to Punjab's hinterland. The region has an ample number for NRIs ready to sponsor World Cup Kabaddi Championships, or to invest money in various schemes related to opening of academies or organising cash prize tournaments and maintaining soccer fields in villages. But no one is interested in building a top-notch team. In 2007, the state started slipping in its performance at the all-India level. Punjab's junior level players started to approach other states due to the lure of getting money and better opportunities. Tejinder Singh, former skipper of the Indian team, presently settled in Atlanta in the US, said: “Players like us never thought that Punjab would face such a disastrous situation. The standard of playing is declining year by year. In late 80s and 90s, people here used to spend crores of rupees in promoting players but today no one is ready to invest a nominal amount.” Another former skipper, Harjinder Singh, who currently heads the Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA), known for producing over 23 players for the nation and various clubs, is shocked by Punjab's present state in Indian soccer. “No one thought that such downfall would occur in Punjab. I remember people all over India used to present us as an example. But now, our lads are facing a tough time... The game has shifted to places like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and other cities,” said Harjinder Singh. Anecdotal evidence suggests that football is gaining in popularity in the metros and bigger cities. However, Chandigarh Football Academy, one of the country's top feeder academies, has not seen too many players from an urban background. Since its inception in 2001, the academy has been inducting 24 footballers a year, aged 10-11 years. An overwhelming majority of the trainees are from rural backgrounds across the India. The local representation has been negligible. The nursery has been witnessing talent drain in recent times. In the last two years, six trainees have been lured midway through the programme by various professional clubs to bolster their feeder academies. Those who remain don't get to play much. Last year, the Chandigarh Football Academy teams played in only the pre-Subroto Cup and Administrator's Cup, apart from a couple of other low key tournaments. Clearly, the lack of exposure is hurting it. The story is the same for the whole of Punjab.
|
|
I-League and ISL could be merged in future: AIFF
New Delhi, April 26 It was suggested that the ISL will complement I-League and club owners should not worry about the future of the seven-year-old premier domestic tournament. But, it seems the ISL has already started threatening the very existence of the I-League, much like the cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL) has overshadowed the Ranji Trophy. Unlike I-League, the ISL has been aggressively promoted with money from corporate giants, a healthy dose of celebrated international stars, primetime slot on sports channels, and above all, the backing of the sport’s governing body. The ISL starts later this year with Bollywood stars and cricket legends already buying the eight city-based franchises spread across India. Going by the AIFF senior vice-president Subrata Dutta’s own admission, I-League could possibly be merged with the new-born ISL in a few years’ time. “It could be five years or seven years, but yes, there’s a possibility of two leagues getting merged,” Dutta said. Does AIFF think that’s the way forward? “The time hasn’t come for it, but only time will tell,” he added. One would have sensed the change in attitude of the AIFF towards its own child, the I-League, when they had pushed the start of the new season to December to create a window for ISL, which is set to kick-off in September and finish its first season in November. For the AIFF, the ISL was the explosion that the Indian football needed for its progress and growth despite some I-League clubs, under the umbrella of Indian Professional Football Clubs Association, opposing it. “ISL will change the spectator profile of the Indian football. It will not only benefit the Indian football, but the country as a whole,” said Dutta on the sidelines of the fifth AFC Football Medical Conference here Saturday.
|
|
|
Punjab thrower Mankirat sets new meet record
Haridwar, April 26 His effort better the existing record of 16.65m, held by Shakti Solanki of North-West Delhi district. Solanki holds the National record in the boys under-16 shot put event, which stands at 17.89 metres. Sirsa’s Saddam Hussain took the second spot with a throw of 15.44m, while Juber Malik of Sonepat finished in third position with his best throw of 14.73m. — PTI
|
|
|
Lahiri cards 64 as Indians dominate
Chandigarh, April 26 Lahiri is placed second at 13-under 203, one stroke behind leader Cameron Smith, while Rashid is a stroke behind Lahiri and sole third. Lahiri displayed excellent form as he birdied the second, fifth, sixth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 18th holes for an error-free 64. “I have been playing well and it’s nice to finally see it reflecting on the leaderboard. I’ve been looking for some momentum all week but I just haven’t had the chance to convert the half-chances. But I made a putt outside of six feet for a change on the 10th and 11th holes today, so that always helps,” said Lahiri. Well positioned for his first win on the Asian Tour outside India, he added, “It is very important for me to get off to a good start this season. I’m really focused on my world ranking and it will definitely do me a lot of good if I can win tomorrow.” Rashid birdied the third and sixth holes and dropped the only stroke of the day on the eighth, but recovered immediately with an eagle on the par-five ninth hole. Birdies on the 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th and 18th holes on the back nine. Indians dominated the field today as four Indians moved into the top-ten. SSP Chowrasia carded a three-under 69 to move up to tied fifth at ten-under 206 and Jyoti Randhawa displayed his determination with a five-under 67 today to move up to a tie for seventh place at nine-under. On the European Tour, Gaganjeet Bhullar continued playing consistently, carding a one-over 73 in the third round of the Volvo China Open. The sole Indian left in the field is now tied for 42nd place with a total of two-under 214.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
ABU DHABI, April 26
ABU DHABI, April 26
Proud moment