New Delhi, May 2
Delhi Daredevils did some intelligent thinking today. The team travelled by metro to the Ferozeshah Kotla ground to avoid traffic jams, a common sight in the city. Skipper Kevin Pietersen even posted a picture of Delhi's ‘Tube’ with the team on his twitter account. “On the Delhi Metro to our home ground...brilliant way to travel to avoid traffic!" he wrote.

Pietersen would hope that like the “brilliant” Delhi metro, Delhi Daredevils would shine and put their floundering campaign back on track when they open their campaign in the second leg of the IPL against a resurgent Rajasthan Royals tomorrow evening.

After 20 eventful matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where all eight teams played five games each, IPL-7 has returned to India. While the three venues in the UAE proved to be a happy hunting ground for some teams, others struggled to get a foothold. It would be interesting to see how the change in conditions affects each side.

Tomorrow Delhi would look to erase bad memories from the last season and better their record. They completely overhauled their line-up following a disastrous outing in 2013 but the new combination hasn't worked so far.

Delhi are languishing at seventh in the points table and they would be looking at their charismatic leader Pietersen to do wonders for his side, which has long underperformed. Pietersen would be looking to get some runs under his belt and take the home outfit to a position of strength in their remaining matches.

An injury to his hand kept him out of Delhi's opening three matches. The team did not quite perform up to the expectation, losing two of the games. Pietersen's return to the side did not change DD's fortunes as they slumped to another defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad after his much-awaited innings ended in 16 from 17 balls.

In the next match, he made 26 not out against defending champions Mumbai Indians while chasing a modest target of 126. Delhi would hope for Pietersen to continue in the same vein.

For Delhi, JP Duminy and Murali Vijay have been among the runs, while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik too has a half-century to show. But a lot will be expected of the rest of the batsmen, including New Zealander Ross Taylor. For the bowlers, pacer Jaydev Unadkat and spinner Shahbaz Nadeem have so far taken six and four wickets, respectively, but Delhi would want Mohammed Shami and Wayne Parnell to fire as well.

"It's a very crucial phase of the tournament and if we can win a few games from here on, get the momentum going, it would be good for us. Kotla is our home ground and we would look to win as many matches as we can," said vice-captain Dinesh Karthik.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, would look to keep their momentum going after back-to-back victories against RCB and KKR. RR are placed third in the table right now, and they will be absolutely high on confidence after their thrilling Super over victory against KKR.

Ajinkya Rahane has performed at the top, but he needs a good opening partner, while Sanju Samson and Watson need to be little more consistent in the middle. Allrounder Rajat Bhatia too has contributed with both bat and ball.

The bowlers have done well, with veteran spinner Pravin Tambe and seamer Kane Richardson being among wickets, while James Faulkner also returned to form with three wickets in a single over against KKR.

KKR wilt in chase of 149

Kolkata Knight Riders were 65/5 after 9.3 overs, chasing a total of 148/3 against Chennai Super Kings in a rain-curtailed match on Friday. Batting first, Brendon McCullum sizzled with an enterprising half-century after the IPL arrived in the country to the pitter-patter of rain, powering CSK to a 148/3 in 17 overs.

McCullum pulverised the Knight Riders attack during a 40-ball 56, which contained five boundaries and two sixes.

In a contest that was reduced to 17 overs per side after rain delayed the start by an hour and 40 minutes, CSK also got valuable contribution from Suresh Raina (31). MS Dhoni (22) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) remained not out. The two-time former champions raced away to 20 before Shakib Al Hasan dismissed Dwayne Smith in the third bowl of the third over. 

New Delhi, May 2
Murmurs of discontent are growing into a loud rumble over the issue of non-payment of salaries to Indian shooting coaches associated with the senior and junior teams.

Most of the coaches are ready to skip the preparatory camp this month after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) failed to offer them new contracts and clear their long-pending payment dues as promised by it. The unresponsive attitude on the part of the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) has only made matters worse.

Over three months after a meeting between NRAI, the coaches and the SAI officials had set February 1 as the deadline for the coaches to sign the contracts if they wanted regular monthly salary, there is no sign of either the contract or the payment.

"Nothing has been settled. Everybody is waiting for the new contracts as promised to us by SAI. It's not only me, but other coaches are also waiting for it. We are still waiting for some communication from the SAI and NRAI. We are working without any pay package," Jaspal Rana, the chief coach of the junior pistol team, told The Tribune.

“When the coaches had signed on with the NRAI in October 2012, the payment agreed upon was Rs 50,000 per month for chief coaches and Rs 30,000 per month for other coaches. But when we got the payment in December last year, some of us got just about Rs 60,000 for the period of 15 months," added Rana.

Rana and junior chief rifle coach Deepali Deshpande received Rs 1.5 lakh each for the period of 15 months. Priti Sharma, who is on the junior pistol panel, got Rs 72,000, Rajiv Sharma and Sapnaa Chaman (associated with the junior pistol team) got Rs 70,000 and Rs 54,000 respectively, while mental trainer Sanjay Bhambhani didn’t get a single penny.

"They gave us some money. That was for 15 months, not like one month or two month salary. If you look at the payment made to us, it’s pittance. They had come up with the arrangement in February for us to sign the new contracts and get the monthly salary only after Deepali had resigned after the coaches were paid less than what was promised. It was done to just calm things down and delay the process,” said Rana. Deepali, who represented India in the 2004 Athens Olympics, has already shot a letter to the NRAI informing that she would not be attending the camp unless the payment issue is resolved.

"The promised amount has not reached us. The issue has been stretched for too long. We are in a place where we have been left with no other option but to take a stand. The next camp is from May 14 and there's some time to go for it. Before that, I want the issue to be settled. After that, I would be left with no other option but to quit the job. I can't survive without pay," Deepali said. SAI, on its part, said the coaches were being paid on pro-rata basis for the 15-month period since they had not signed the contract which was mandatory for getting salary on monthly basis.

"The NRAI did not pursue the matter with us seriously. What I know is that the contract hasn’t been signed yet. The details have not been worked out. Earlier, we had paid them on pro-rata basis," a senior SAI official said.

London, May 2
Sometimes there is a sameness to English cricketing history. Nearly four decades ago, England returned from Australia having been savaged by fast bowlers. The cry went up: out with the old and in with the new. In came a young opening batsman from Essex.

The summer of 1975 was Graham Gooch’s first taste of Test cricket. He drove his “battered little red Sunbeam Imp” to Edgbaston the day before the first Test of the summer, again against Australia. “I felt terribly uneasy,” he wrote years later. “Two-thirds [of the England team] had been playing Test cricket when I was at school.”

Yesterday a young man who had watched “the great man” bat while he was a schoolboy brought Gooch’s time with England to an end. After opening the batting, captaining the side and at times carrying it, advising its batsmen and then officially coaching them for hour after hour, pinging down ball after ball with his self-designed dog-thrower, Gooch met with Alastair Cook to be told he was being relieved of his position as England’s batting coach. Out with the old.

Cook decided it was down to him to deliver the news to his mentor, the man who has preached his creed of “daddy hundreds” to him time after time after time. They have history. “It was tough telling a man who I used to go and queue up to get his autograph that it’s time to move on,” said Cook. “Everyone knows how close we are as friends and we’ve been through a lot together. So to make a decision on a guy who I have so much respect for was tough.”

Yesterday Cook told a story of how, ahead of a Test in Adelaide with temperatures in the mid-thirties, Gooch spent an age giving throwdowns to England’s batsmen. As the session ended he spotted Scott Borthwick and the Essex player Jaik Mickleburgh looking on. They were nothing to do with the England party, having come to Australia to spend time at Darren Lehmann’s academy. It did not matter to Gooch. Come on, he urged the two youngsters, get your pads on and I’ll throw you some balls, and on he went.

Gooch’s experience in his first Test, where he was all but ignored by his team-mates, stayed with him and he has mentored a host of young batsmen, first with Essex and then England. He remains close to Cook on a personal and cricketing level, as well as Ian Bell and Matt Prior, and the 60-year-old will continue to work with them on an individual basis.

— The Independent

Chandigarh, May 2
Rahil Gangjee completed his first round this morning to shoot a bogey-free six-under 66 and followed it up with a five-under 67, taking his two-round total to 11-under 133 at The Championship at Laguna National, Singapore.

Thailand's Panuphol Pittayarat continued in the lead with a four-under 68 in the second round, for a two-day total of 131.

In his second round, Rahil birdied the first, fourth, fifth and seventh holes but dropped a shot on the par-three eighth. A hat-trick of birdies followed on the ninth, tenth and 11th and another on the 13th before he made a double bogey on the 16th and a bogey on the 17th holes. A final birdie on the last saw him finish with a 67.

“I had a few bad drives on holes 16 and 17 which resulted in a double-bogey and bogey, respectively. However, I managed to recover with birdies on the next two holes after that. It was a good comeback,” said the Kolkatan. He added, “My putting was very good today. I didn't hit the ball as well as I did the last couple of weeks. The greens are really good here and I've been putting well for the last two rounds, especially today. I made a lot of long putts and I started to get the birdies going. The confidence came back and I hit the ball better. I would say the course is rather easy because the greens are in good condition. It was easy to read the lines and the speeds are good. I will keep myself hydrated for tomorrow and have a good rest tonight so I can get my energy up for the next rounds.”

His city mate SSP Chowrasia carded two rounds of four-under 68 and was well placed going into the weekend, with a total of eight-under-par136.

Anirban Lahiri carded a two-under 70 in the second round, taking his 36-hole total to a seven-under 137.

Meanwhile, Jeev Milkha Singh birdied the last hole of the second round to finish the day at a level-par 72. He remains at five-under 139. He was tied alongside Chiragh Kumar, who has the same total after carding a two-under 70 today.

Digvijay Singh carded a 73 and missed the cut, which was applied at 140. He was followed by Rashid Khan, who carded a 70 to take his total to 142. Shiv Kapur carded a four-under 68, but his 74 in the first round left him at 142.

New Delhi, May 2
Having recovered from a groin injury, which had laid her low for most of last year, ace discus thrower Krishna Poonia says she is now geared up to defend the gold she won in 2010 Delhi CWG in what could be her last hurrah after a successful 10-year career.

Poonia, who is leaving for United States tomorrow for two-and-a-half month training-cum-exposure stint ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, says she is 100 per cent fit now and expecting to be in peak form during the July 23-August 3 event. “I am now 100 per cent fit and ready for the tough season ahead with the CWG and Asian Games coming up. In my United States stint, I am looking to further build my strength and a few international events before Glasgow,” Poonia said.

“I have never felt so good in the last two years after suffering an injury following London Olympics. It could just be a defining season for me. I have become the first Indian woman individual gold medallist in CWG and I want to add to that history by defending my title in Glasgow,” Poonia, said. — PTI

Glasgow, May 2
The Indian women’s hockey team put up a tough fight but eventually ran out of steam, losing 0-1 to USA in the quarterfinals of the Champions Challenge 1 in Glasgow on Friday.

In the first half, Katie O’Donnell was the driving force behind the USA team, but all too often her teammates were sloppy with the final ball, and the young India side took full advantage. The India captain Ritu Rani was a creative force in midfield but opposition’s defence denied any scoring chances.

In the 60th minute, Rachel Dawson successfully converted a penalty corner for USA. Seconds later Paige Selenski had the chance to double the lead, but the Indian goalkeeper made a good save this time. India got a chance to level the score in the last minute but the penalty corner strike hit the crossbar.

USA will meet Spain, who edged past Belgium 3-2, in the semifinals. In another quarterfinal, Ireland beat Korea 2-1 to set up last four clash with South Africa, who squeezed out a narrow 2-1 win over Scotland. India will play the first of the 5-8 hardline matches against Belgium on Saturday. — PTI

New Delhi, May 2
Sports Authority of India today hit back at hockey chief coach Terry Walsh’s outburst against holding the camp for World Cup-bound side in sweltering heat here, saying that it was the national federation and team management which had decided it.

SAI Director General Jiji Thomson said that it was not possible to hold the camp in Bangalore, which is the preferred venue for Walsh due to its cooler climes, because work on relaying of the turf there would take some time.

“They (Hockey India and team management) decided to hold the camp in Delhi; we can’t force any federation. We can’t make a decision alone,” Thomson said.

“When the national camp was shifted to Delhi from Bangalore last August, everybody knew that the camp for the World Cup-bound team will be held in Delhi. Why this sudden outburst from Walsh; we are surprised. Moreover, Hockey India could have taken up the matter with us but why Walsh?”

Thomson said that the work of relaying the turf at Bangalore SAI Centre would take a few more months to complete as it needed to follow procedure. “We can’t do anything. We have to follow laid-down procedure. The tender will have to be floated to procure the turf.”

“The turf in Bhopal is also being relaid. The only other suitable place (considering cooler climatic conditions) could be Shilaroo SAI Centre in Himachal Pradesh but I don’t know why they (HI and team management) did not go there. There is a good turf in Manipur but there the problem is about accommodation facilities.” — PTI

Oeiras (Portugal), May 2
India’s Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean partner Cara Black are through to the final of the doubles event at the Portugal Open.

The top seeds defeated third seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 6-4 6-3 to move into the final where they will meet Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva, who defeated Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva 6-4 7-5 in the other semifinal.

This is Sania and Cara’s third final of the year but they are yet to win a title in 2014.

Kuznetsova ends final absence

Svetlana Kuznetsova reached her first final in more than three years with a 6-3 6-1 semifinal win over fellow Russian Elena Vesnina at the Portugal Open here today.

The seventh seed who owns Grand Slam titles from 2004 in Paris and 2009 in New York, will Saturday play Spanish top seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who beat Romanian qualifier Irina Begu 7-6(3) 6-1. The 28-year-old Kuznetsova last played a final in February 2011 in Dubai, where she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. The Russian’s last trophy was earned at 2010 San Diego.

Vesnina was completely outplayed in her 73-minute loss. Kuznetsova struck 27 winners, breaking her good friend on five of 16 opportunities. But Vesnina, seeded eighth and ranked 33rd, showed resistance at the end, saving four match points on her serve before Kuznetsova finally prevailed. Vesnina fell victim to six double-faults in defeat.

Kuznetsova won the opening set in 42 minutes and was barely under pressure as she moved smoothly to within one victory of her 14th career singles title. — Agencies

New Delhi, May 2
The boxing ad-hoc committee, which has been formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in the wake of IABF’s international suspension, today announced the dates for the selection trials to pick the women pugilists for the Commonwealth Games.

The selection trials will be held on May 6 and 7 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium in the capital.

“The trials to pick the women’s boxing team for the Commonwealth Games will be held on May 6 and 7. It will be followed by selection trials for men’s boxing team for the CWG from May 20 to 23 at NIS, Patiala,” ad-hoc committee’s president Tarlochan Singh told The Tribune. “The boxers who have won medals in the international junior competitions in 2012 and the medal winners in the international competitions after 2012 would be eligible for the trials. NIS campers would also be participating in the trials,” he added.

Paris, May 2
Benfica and Sevilla reached the Europa League final Thursday, further cementing an Iberian grip on the sport on the continent. In a week which had already seen Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid set-up a Champions League title showdown, Europe’s second-tier tournament followed a similar script.

Benfica, runners-up to Chelsea in last year’s final, weathered a Juventus onslaught in Turin to hold out for a 0-0 draw and a 2-1 semifinal aggregate win. They ensured the stalemate despite having Enzo Perez sent off for a second bookable offence with 23 minutes to play. The Portuguese side restricted the Italians to only a handful of serious opportunities as Juventus failed to score at home for the first time in 25 matches this season.

The loss also denied Juventus, who are heading for the Serie A title this season, the opportunity to play the May 14 final on their home ground.

Meanwhile, Cameroon international Stephane Mbia headed home in the fifth minute of stoppage time to take Sevilla into the final on away goals despite losing 3-1 on the night away to Valencia.

An early strike from Sofiane Feghouli and Beto’s own goal had wiped out Sevilla’s 2-0 first leg advantage inside 25 minutes.

Jeremy Mathieu’s goal midway through the second-half then seemed to have Valencia on route to the final, but Mbia, on-loan from Queens Park Rangers, powered home Federico Fazio’s flick-on from a long throw to deny Los Che with the last attack of the game. — Agencies

New Delhi, May 2
Murmurs of discontent are growing into a loud rumble over the issue of non-payment of salaries to Indian shooting coaches associated with the senior and junior teams.

Most of the coaches are ready to skip the preparatory camp this month after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) failed to offer them new contracts and clear their long-pending payment dues as promised by it. The unresponsive attitude on the part of the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) has only made matters worse.

Over three months after a meeting between NRAI, the coaches and the SAI officials had set February 1 as the deadline for the coaches to sign the contracts if they wanted regular monthly salary, there is no sign of either the contract or the payment.

"Nothing has been settled. Everybody is waiting for the new contracts as promised to us by SAI. It's not only me, but other coaches are also waiting for it. We are still waiting for some communication from the SAI and NRAI. We are working without any pay package," Jaspal Rana, the chief coach of the junior pistol team, told The Tribune. 

“When the coaches had signed on with the NRAI in October 2012, the payment agreed upon was Rs 50,000 per month for chief coaches and Rs 30,000 per month for other coaches. But when we got the payment in December last year, some of us got just about Rs 60,000 for the period of 15 months," added Rana. 
Rana and junior chief rifle coach Deepali Deshpande received Rs 1.5 la

h each for the period of 15 months. Priti Sharma, who is on the junior pistol panel, got Rs 72,000, Rajiv Sharma and Sapnaa Chaman (associated with the junior pistol team) got Rs 70,000 and Rs 54,000 respectively, while mental trainer Sanjay Bhambhani didn’t get a single penny.

"They gave us some money. That was for 15 months, not like one month or two month salary. If you look at the payment made to us, it’s pittance. They had come up with the arrangement in February for us to sign the new contracts and get the monthly salary only after Deepali had resigned after the coaches were paid less than what was promised. It was done to just calm things down and delay the process,” said Rana. Deepali, who represented India in the 2004 Athens Olympics, has already shot a letter to the NRAI informing that she would not be attending the camp unless the payment issue is resolved.

"The promised amount has not reached us. The issue has been stretched for too long. We are in a place where we have been left with no other option but to take a stand. The next camp is from May 14 and there's some time to go for it. Before that, I want the issue to be settled. After that, I would be left with no other option but to quit the job. I can't survive without pay," Deepali said. SAI, on its part, said the coaches were being paid on pro-rata basis for the 15-month period since they had not signed the contract which was mandatory for getting salary on monthly basis.

"The NRAI did not pursue the matter with us seriously. What I know is that the contract hasn’t been signed yet. The details have not been worked out. Earlier, we had paid them on pro-rata basis," a senior SAI official said.

Ranchi, May 2
A dominant Chennai Super Kings once again stamped their authority with a crushing 34-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders as the IPL-7 arrived in the country to the pitter-patter of rain, here today.

Ravindra Jadeja produced a brilliant spell of spin bowling that saw him return with the figures of 4/12, after Brendon McCullum's sizzling half-century powered CSK to a daunting 148 for three. Mohit Sharma too bowled well, bagging 3/22.

Brendon McCullum celebrates his fifty against Kolkata Knight Riders in Ranchi on Friday. PTI

BRIEFLY

Waqar offered 2-yr contract to coach Pakistan
Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board has offered former captain Waqar Younis a two-year contract to coach the national side, according to chairman Najam Sethi. While it remains unclear whether Younis has accepted the offer, Sethi's interview to a local newspaper has all but confirmed recent rumours that negotiations between the two parties were underway for the position of head coach of the national team. “I put the matter before our managing committee and they chose the option led by Moin Khan which (Wasim) Akram had listed at number one. Not everyone was happy with the decision, but we let it go because there was no time to constitute a new committee and come up with different choices," Sethi said.

IPL Governing Council meet
New Delhi: The Governing Council of the IPL will meet on Saturday to take stock of the UAE leg. “We are meeting tomorrow to take stock of the tournament’s matches which were held in the UAE. We also have some other things to be tied up," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said. Patel hinted that the eliminator scheduled in Chennai on May 28 could be shifted to Cricket Club of India. “That decision would also be taken, about whether the eliminator is to be shifted to the CCI,” Patel said. Chennai is scheduled to hold the first Qualifier on May 27 followed by the eliminator the next day. The second qualifier is scheduled at the Wankhede Stadium on May 30 followed by the final June 1.

Roger Bannister battling Parkinson’s disease
London: Sir Roger Bannister may be best remembered for running the first sub-four minute mile, but the man himself is more proud of his Commonwealth gold medal. Bannister's run of three minutes 59.4 seconds in Oxford on May 6, 1954, broke a barrier which had become one of the great sporting challenges and the achievement earned him worldwide acclaim. Sixty years on the feat remains as iconic as ever. But Bannister, now 85 and battling Parkinson's disease, said his exploits at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, only months after breaking the four-minute barrier, which saw him win mile gold were a greater achievement. The race in Vancouver was between Bannister and Australia's John Landy, who had broken the Briton's record just 46 days after it had been set, and was dubbed the 'Miracle Mile'. — Agencies

Pakistan hockey Olympian Anwar passes away
Karachi: One of Pakistan's most well-known hockey Olympians Anwar Ahmed Khan today passed away here. Given the sobriquet of the 'Rock of Gibraltar' because of his strong play as centre half, Anwar, who was born in Bhopal, was 81. He was one of the last few surviving members of the 1960 Rome Olympics team. Regarded as one of Pakistan's best centre halves, Anwar played in the golden era of Pakistan hockey, taking part in the 1960 Rome Olympics where Pakistan won gold and in the subsequent Olympics in 1964. He also took part in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games. Anwar, who had not been well for months, also served as manager, coach and chief selector of the national team.

I won’t change anything at Bayern, says Guardiola
Berlin: Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola hailed on Friday what he said was a successful season despite the crushing 5-0 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals and said he would not change the way his team played football. The 0-4 loss to Real in Munich on Tuesday was extremely bitter for the Bavarians, who had been virtually invincible up until clinching the league title with seven games left in March. “I am surprised that we did it so well in this season,” Guardiola said. “We showed a lot of good things. I am satisfied with this squad. We were outstanding with this system and these players.” Guardiola said he would not change a thing in the way his team played after their overwhelming possession against Real over both legs failed to yield a single goal. “I have my ideas and I have to convince my players,” he said. “Following this defeat I am even more convinced of my philosophy.” — Agencies