|
|
|
|
|
Mumbai stay winless
‘Faulkner changed the game’
Khandekar returns as junior hockey coach
|
|
|
Heena waits for promise of help to come good
New Delhi, April 30 Government ministers or officials often make big promises to fund prospective medal winners in their training for international events such as the Olympics and Asian Games, but these promises are often broken or met after a long wait.
Akhil, Dilbag take their fight to court
Sort out money matters, get Indian GP back in 2015: Bernie
New appraisal format for SAI coaches
SA sport still racially divided: study
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Mumbai stay winless
Dubai, April 30 The big-hitting West Indian gave Mumbai Indians, chasing 172, more than a glimmer of hope with his astonishing assault on Sunrisers spinners Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma in the middle overs. Having gone on the backfoot after losing the top three for just 31 runs, Pollard and Ambati Rayudu pulled their side back in the game with a 77-run partnership. The return of pacers, Dale Steyn, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Irfan Pathan, into the attack, however, snuffed out the hope that Pollard's assault on the spinners had ignited for Mumbai Indians. Thanks to the trio holding their nerve, the Sunrisers restricted Mumbai to 157 for a 15-run win. Earlier, David Warner hit a fine half-century (65) and combined well with Lokesh Rahul (46) for a superb 111-run partnership as Sunrisers Hyderabad finished at a competitive 172 for five. Warner worked hard for runs initially but once he got his eye in, the left-hander scored runs at a brisk pace. He hit more sixes (4) than fours (1) in his 51-ball knock before departing towards the end of the innings. Rahul also contributed in Hyderabad's decent total by supporting Warner well in their third-wicket stand, following cheap dismissal of their openers. Veteran paceman Zaheer Khan (2/26) bowled with good rhythm and succeeded in sending skipper Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Aaron Finch (16) back to dugout inside the first five overs.
— TNS/PTI Scoreboard Sunrisers Hyderabad Finch c Dunk b Khan 16 (15) Dhawan c Harbhajan b Khan 6 (6) Rahul c Gautam b Malinga 46 (40) Warner c Gautam b Anderson 65 (51) Sammy c Pollard b Anderson 10 (4) Ojha not out 10 (4) Pathan not out 1 (1) Extras (lb 5, w 12, nb 1) 18 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-38, 3-149, 4-161, 5-162 Bowling Z Khan 4-0-26-2 L Malinga 4-0-28-1 P Ojha 3-0-43-0 Harbhajan 4-0-16-0 K Pollard 4-0-36-0 C Anderson 1-0-18-2 Mumbai Indians Dunk b Sammy 20 (17) Sharma b Kumar 1 (5) Anderson c Ojha b Steyn 1(8) Rayudu c Warner b Pathan 35 (27) Pollard b Pathan 78 (48) Tare c Ojha b Steyn 7(5) Harbhajan c Dhawan b Kumar 1(3) C Gautam not out 4(5) Z Khan not out 1 (2) Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 6) 9 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 157 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-8, 3-31, 4-108, 5-146, 6-149, 7-153 Bowling D Steyn 4-0-20-2 B Kumar 4-0-17-2 K Sharma 4-0-33-0 D Sammy 2-0-20-1 A Mishra 4-0-54-0 I Pathan 2-0-10-2 MoM: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
|
|||
|
‘Faulkner changed the game’
Abuu DHabi, April 30 Defending 152 for five, ‘birthday boy’ Faulkner (3/11 in 2 overs) produced a splendid penultimate over in which he got the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav (31), Robin Uthappa (0) and R Vinay Kumar (0) with KKR just needing 16 off the last two. And Smith has no doubts that the 19th over of KKR’s innings was the turning point of the match. “I think that over from Faulkner turned the match in our
favour. Until then, the game was pretty much in the balance, and in fact, they were probably in front,” Smith said after Tuesday’s win. Gayle hopes to bounce back in Bangalore
After winning just two of the five matches played in the UAE, Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Chris Gayle is hoping for a turnaround of his team’s fortunes in the Indian leg of IPL-7. Out of nine remaining matches, RCB will play five matches at Chinnaswamy stadium and are hoping to fare better on home turf. “Hopefully we wish to bounce back as quickly as possible. We are back home now and know the conditions well here. Still a long way to go,” he said. However, Gayle said the team is disappointed with losing last three games on the trot after having a great start by winning first two matches. “We had a good start by winning first two games and thereafter lost three. We were disappointed, but that is cricket,” he said. Asked whether there is any missing link for their dismal show in the last three games, Gayle said “I don’t think there is any missing link ... Everybody is capable of winning.”
— PTI |
|||
|
Khandekar returns as junior hockey coach
New Delhi, April 30 Khandekar, who was part of the Indian senior team at the 2012 London Olympics, will be the coach of the junior side, along with former senior hockey national coach Harendra Singh and BJ Kariappa. The trio has been appointed after HI decided not to hire a chief coach for the junior team at this time. Gregg Clark was appointed the chief coach of the junior team in April 2013 for a period of one year, but the South African decided not to renew his contract. HI has made some sort of history by appointing Khandekar as one of the coaches of the junior team as the Jhansi player has not announced his retirement and recently represented his employer, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), in the Hockey Nationals in Lucknow in February-March. It's interesting that HI has not formally announced the decision to appoint Khandekar as coach of the junior team. “It's a big responsibility. Whatever I have learnt as part of the senior national side, I would look to pass on my experience to the junior side. I believe my knowledge of the game would definitely help the young players, keeping in mind the 2016 World Cup,” Khandekar told The Tribune. “It's also a learning curve for me. Coaching the team and playing as an individual are two different things. As an individual, you only think about your own performance, but as a coach, you have to take into account the performance of the whole team. You see, the whole thinking changes as coaching is a challenging job,'” he added. One of the most consistent players for India in his playing days, Khandekar had been a livewire on the flanks, setting up many scoring opportunities for his teammates. Khandekar belonged to a family which has produced several hockey players of national and international fame. His late father Vinod Khandekar was a national player, as was his brother Vinamra Khandekar. His uncle Subodh Khandekar was an international player. Khandekar represented India in the junior level before advancing to India seniors. In November 2010, his last minute goal helped India defeat South Korea and win a bronze medal at the Asian Games. Khandekar, who has over 200 international caps, said he has identified some specific areas for improvement. “I personally feel our junior side needs to work on some technical aspects of the game. One is man-to-man marking and how to convert scoring opportunities into goals. We are working on these aspects at our ongoing camp at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium,” he said. Khandekar said that he is enjoying his new role. “I want to serve the country for the betterment of hockey. I am enjoying my stint as a coach and sharing my experiences with the young boys.” Does this mean that he has given up hopes of making a comeback to the senior national side? Khandekar, understandably, may not like to answer this question, but Hockey India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, who identified Khandekar for the coaching role, had a response to this query. “He is aware of the fact that he may not make it to the senior side again. We had a chat about it and he understood my viewpoint. He may not get to play again, but I wanted to use his skills as a hockey player. For me, he is an exceptional hockey talent and I wanted to utilise his knowledge in the best possible way. I identified that a coaching role suits him the most,” Oltmans told The Tribune. “During the second edition of the Hockey India League (both Khandekar and Oltmans are part of the Uttar Pradesh Wizards franchise), I suggested to him the coaching job and he accepted the challenge. He has the quality in him to develop the team for the World Cup. He will be there as an integral part of our coaching staff till the 2016 World Cup,” Oltmans added. |
|
Heena waits for promise of help to come good
New Delhi, April 30 After world-record holder Heena Sidhu's gold medal triumph in the ISSF World Cup finals in Munich, Germany, last November, Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia had publicly announced that his government would extend all possible support to the state's shooters. Majithia is also the president of the Punjab State Rifle Association president. Ludhiana girl Heena, who became the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked No. 1 in the world in women's air pistol rankings, had approached the Punjab government to help fund her training for the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year but she says she has got no response. Majithia had said that besides jobs and promotions for athletes on the pattern of Maharashtra and Haryana, special training would be imparted to the state's players to equip them for international competitions like the Olympics. Heena, who had won a silver last month in the World Cup held in the USA, said she is still waiting for financial assistance from the Punjab government as part of its special policy to train elite athletes. “I had approached the Punjab government last November after my World Cup final medal and requested them to help me fund my training. I met Majithia and he told me that funds would be released soon. He even made me meet Sukhbir Singh Badal (Punjab's deputy Chief Minister). He also told me the same thing but nothing has been done so far,” Heena told The Tribune. “My cash awards are also lying with the Punjab government for my achievements after 2010. I have not received a single penny for all my national and international medals in various competitions after that year. It's been four years and I am waiting for my dues to reach me. The Punjab government is doing nothing to give me my cash awards,” she said. “Thankfully, I had applied for the central government's assistance in 2013 itself and that amount only got approved now in 2014. Now I have money to take care of my CWG and Asian Games expenses,” she added. “Sadly, I have not received any assistance from the Punjab government or any cash awards after 2010.” Heena also claimed that no medal winner from the state in other sporting disciplines too has received any cash award from the state's Sports Ministry. “I know no medal winner has received any kind of financial benefit from the Punjab government as promised to them. Before the big tournaments like the CWG and Asian Games, they promise prospective medal winners funding for their training. But in reality, they don't extend help to the athletes,” she said. An official of the Punjab Sports Department told The Tribune that they can release funds for athletes only after they are cleared by the government, and that they had released funds for Heena for her wins in the 2010 Commonwealth and Asian Games as per the government's orders. |
|
‘I’m hurt, medal is my revenge’
New Delhi, April 30 India's best doubles player, Jwala had to endure a bitter legal battle with the Badminton Association of India after its disciplinary committee recommended a life ban on her for allegedly delaying a match between Krrish Delhi Smashers and Banga Beats in the Indian Badminton League last year. The 30-year-old Hyderabadi, who has brought many laurels to the country in her over-a-decade-long career, said the bronze medal at the Asian Badminton Championship has healed some of the pain that she went through last year. “This medal is sort of revenge for me. I am now playing with vengeance. There is a lot of hurt and pain. If I would not have had to go through the trauma of what happened six months back, I would have enjoyed this medal win with more calmness,” Jwala said. “What happened to me was completely unnecessary. Why should a sportsperson go through it? I didn't demand money for my achievement, I demanded respect and acknowledgement. But there has been nothing. Why doubles is discriminated?” the feisty player asked. “Frankly, I don't understand why I have to prove myself again and again. I have achieved enough and I am proud of my achievements. I won medals at Commonwealth Games, World Championship, I represented India in Olympics. Even the bronze at ABC is a first for Indian badminton. There is still no one in the team to replace me and Ashwini. “We have achieved all that without support. But even today we have to struggle for sponsorship,” she added. A Commonwealth Games gold, a bronze at 2011 World Championship and qualifying for London Olympics, Jwala has achieved it all but despite her accomplishments, she has found herself at the receiving end of BAI's ire time and again. The 14-time national champion has once again answered her critics with her performance and buoyed by her feat at the ABC, Jwala is now targetting a medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. “Playing the next Olympics is my main aim. I started playing again after the break only because I want to win a medal at Rio Olympics,” Jwala said. “Qualifying for the London Olympics in two events was a very big achievement for me. Now, I want to try and win a Olympic medal, I will give my last shot. I don't want to have any regrets,” she said.
— PTI |
|
Akhil, Dilbag take their fight to court
New Delhi, April 30 The case, filed under section 499 and section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, was initiated by Akhil after Dilbag accused him of “manipulating” and “rigging” the selection for the last year's World Championships. Dilbag, who lost to Akhil’s prodigy Mandeep Jangra in the trials held in Patiala last August, had accused Akhil of bribing the selection committee to favour Jangra. A furious Akhil demanded an apology, which Dilbag refused to tender despite being served a legal notice. Now Akhil, a former Olympic quarterfinalist besides being a World Cup bronze-medallist, has initiated legal proceedings against Dilbag, a former national champion, at the District Court in Chandigarh. Dilbag had been show-caused by the national federation and forced to tender an apology for making similar allegations against national coach GS Sandhu and the selection committee. “I had initiated the steps to sue him at that time itself but I was waiting for the legal process to start after giving him six months time to tender an apology,” Akhil said. “I was clear that I would not let the issue just pass like that because he had sullied my reputation,” he added.
— PTI |
|
Dazzling Real thrash woeful Bayern
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos score twice each in the 4-0 win as the Madrid club reaches final
Munich, April 30 Two headers from Sergio Ramos, a breathtaking breakaway goal by Cristiano Ronaldo and a late free kick by the Portuguese forward in a one-sided semifinal, second leg handed Bayern their heaviest home defeat in European competition. Bayern, beaten 5-0 on aggregate, were impotent in attack and ragged at the back and their performance left a stain on the reputation of their former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's South American-style forays out of his penalty area had the home fans living on the edge while Bayern's shocked players reacted petulantly to a number of tackles as they lost their composure. The third goal summed up Real’s counter-attacking performance as they broke from their own penalty area to score in a matter of seconds. Gareth Bale played the ball to Angel Di Maria, who released Karim Benzema on the right, with the Frenchman playing the ball inside to Bale and he quickly sent a pass to his left where Ronaldo slipped the ball past Neuer. Real did to Bayern exactly what the Bavarians had done to Barca last year when a 7-0 aggregate semifinal win had pundits predicting an era of dominance for the Munich side in Europe. "It was a perfect game, especially the first half when we defended very well, using a very efficient counter-attack, with passes on the ground, using the speed of the forwards," Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We prepared the set pieces very well, the first two goals, and the game was easier after that." The only disappointment for the Italian was a yellow card for midfielder Xabi Alonso who will miss the final as a result. Bayern, previously unbeaten in nine home meetings against Real, duly wrapped up the Bundesliga title this season with seven games to spare but have suffered a dramatic loss of momentum since then. Spaniard Guardiola's tactics have been described as too clever for his own good, with German critics saying Bayern's possession-based game has become predictable and toothless but he said he would stick by his tried and trusted methods. "I know it's a tough night for us for me and for the players," he said. "The reason we did so badly in the first half is that we did not have possession. We didn't play with the ball." — Reuters Ronaldo sets sights on Lisbon after record
Cristiano Ronaldo has turned his sights on winning the Champions League in his native Portugal after setting a record for goals scored in a single edition of Europe's elite club competition. Ronaldo's brace in Tuesday’s win, which sent Real through to next month's final in Lisbon took his Champions League tally for the season to 16 in 12 matches. The 29-year-old had equalled Lionel Messi's record of 14 scored in the 2011-12 edition with a goal in the quarterfinal first leg against Borussia Dortmund and has 66 overall in 102 appearances. Former Real striker Raul is the leading marksman with 71 goals, with Messi second on 67. “A final is always complicated. It will be in my country and I want to win the Champions League," Ronaldo said. |
|
NBA bans LA Clippers owner for life over racist comments
New York, April 30 Sterling, 80, the longest-tenured owner of any of the 30 National Basketball Association teams, will be barred from any role in the operations of his franchise or from serving as one of the league's governors, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. Silver also urged the other owners to vote to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, a first-time use of such a sanction that would require approval of three-quarters of the current owners. Asked whether Sterling could end up as essentially an absentee owner if the league fails to force a sale of the team, Silver replied: "I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him." The Sterling controversy, which quickly grew into a national discussion of race relations transcending basketball, began over the weekend when a celebrity website released an audio recording of a voice, said to be Sterling's, criticizing a woman friend for "associating with black people." In it, he asks her not to invite former player Earvin "Magic" Johnson to Clippers games.
— Reuters |
|
Sania-Cara in quarters of Portugal Open
Oeiras (Portugal), April 30 The Indo-Zimbabwean team downed the Romanian-Argentine combo 4-6 6-2 10-5 in one hour and 20 minutes in the $250,000 clay court event. In the men's doubles event, Divij Sharan and Purav Raja advanced to the quarterfinals after getting a walkover from the Colombian pair of Santiago Giraldo and Alejandro Gonzalez. In the singles event, Somdev Devvarman will face top seed Czech Tomas Berdych in the second round. Devvarman beat Matthew Ebden of Australia 6-2 6-3 in the opening round.
— PTI |
|
Sort out money matters, get Indian GP back in 2015: Bernie
New Delhi, April 30 Ecclestone said that he is expecting a meeting with the Jaypee officials soon to sort out the contractual matters that have put the future of the race in doubt after it was dropped from the 2014 calendar. "It is all very clear. They just need to come here (London) and sort out the existing contract. Though the race promoters have not said when they will come over, we are constantly talking and they look very eager to get the race back. I am also confident that all financial issues will be sorted out and India will be back on the calendar," said Ecclestone, making it amply clear that India's rigid tax and bureaucratic set-up were not the only hurdles facing the race. Jaypee Sports International CEO Sameer Gaur had earlier said that he would meet Ecclestone in April to work towards getting the race back next year. However, no Jaypee official was available for a comment today.
— PTI |
|
New appraisal format for SAI coaches
New Delhi, April 30 “Their work will also be assessed with regard to formulation of short-term/long-term plans for sportspersons and the use of ethical motivational techniques. The functional competence of the coaches shall be assessed with regard to their initiatives, resourcefulness and dependability and their ability in talent scouting,” it added. “The coaches shall also be assessed with regard to their following proper safety procedures while imparting training,” the release said.
— TNS |
|
SA sport still racially divided: study
Johannesburg, April 30 “The processes to change the face of sport over the past 20 years have been largely ineffective,” said Willie Basson, a member of the sport ministry`s panel that oversees racial transformation. The report marking two decades of democracy found that the number of blacks in rugby and cricket teams still had to increase threefold to reach the target of 50 per cent representation. Cricket and rugby remain pillars of the white South African identity, and whites often argue that team selection should be merit-based. Football has the reverse problem, with white players virtually absent from major teams, the sport ministry noted, with no sign that hosting the 2010 World Cup helped popularise the sport among
non-blacks. — PTI |
|
Another heavy loss for Indian women Chandigarh, April 30 Manon Simons (33min), Jill Boon (38), Louise Versavel (41), Emma Puvrez (64) and Lieselotte van Lindt (69) were the goal-scorers. India started with far more composure than in their previous two games, but lost their grip after conceding the first goal. “The team stuck to the game plan for 31 minutes. When we went 0-2 down the game plan went out of the window. I have told the team, if they want to stand a chance against USA tomorrow (in the quarterfinals) they have to stick to the plan for at least 60 minutes,” India coach Neil Hawgood said. — TNS
|
|||||
Women paddlers get past Italy, men falter Toal leaves after seven years with Indian football PCB promises to review Saleem Malik's life ban Shami finds bowling for India easier than in IPL Thorpe out of hospital after battling infections No compensation for Asia Tour players for late switch
|
| 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 | |
