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Pathan power to the fore
Chennai sign off from league stage with a victory
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KXIP to consolidate top spot in trivial tie
Chinese women champs, again
No delight in doubles for Indian shuttlers
Now, family wants medal from Pinky
Parul left to fend for herself
Monaco GP: Rosberg secures controversial pole
french
open
Brazil ready to quell protests
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Pathan power to the fore
Pathan made full use of the two lives to smash the fastest fifty in IPL history as KKR knocked off a 161-run target in 14.2 overs when they were required to overhaul it in 15.2 to make it to top-two. Pathan enthralled the packed Eden Gardens crowd with his exceptional knock which featured seven sixes and five fours. After being dropped on nought and 15, he completed his half-century in just 15 balls. The result pushed Chennai Super Kings to third place and KKR will now clash with table toppers Kings XI Punjab in the first Qualifier on May 27 at Eden Gardens. Leading run-getter Robin Uthappa (41) and Gautam Gambhir (28) set up the chase before Yusuf’s blitz. Yusuf was on his way back to dug out before he could open his account after hitting straight to midwicket fielder Anirudha, who dropped the sitter. It would have been a second wicket in the Karn Sharma’s over after the leggie dismissed Manish Pandey but the breather turned around KKR’s fortunes as they were reeling 78/4 in 9.4 overs after Uthappa (41) and Ten Doeschate were dismissed in the same over. Yusuf made his intention clear in the next over when he slammed Parvez Rasool one six and a boundary and even got a second life when Steyn dropped him at the square leg boundary, that went over the rope. The J&K spinner leaked 22 runs in that over. Steyn had to bear the brunt of dropping Yusuf as the biggest onslaught from the Baroda hitter came only against the South African speedster who conceded 26 runs in his last over with two sixes and three fours. Such was Yusuf’s fury that he made the world’s No. 1 bowler look sorry with the bowling sequence of 4-6-6-4-4-2. Earlier, late flourish from skipper SRH skipper Darren Sammy (29) had guided Sunrisers to a 160 for seven after being invited to bat. Shikhar Dhawan (29 from 31 balls) and Naman Ojha (26 from 23 balls) also contributed in team’s total. After being put in, Dhawan and Ojha shared a quick 64-run stand from 46 balls to begin a recovery act after losing David Warner (4) in the first over. Later SRH skipper, after getting a reprieve on zero from a butterfingered Yusuf Pathan, slammed three sixes and one four in his 19-ball 29 to push the total past 150-run mark. Yusuf not only dropped Sammy’s sitter at long-on boundary off Shakib but he took the ball past the boundary rope for a six. Sammy gained confidence and struck another six in an over that yielded 15 runs to push SRH’s run-rate. — PTI
Scoreboard Kolkata Knight Riders
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Chennai sign off from league stage with a victory
Bangalore, MAY 24 Virat Kohli’s splendid 73 off 49 balls helped Bangalore to the 154 for six. While Kohli looked on fire, others couldn’t build on their starts. Bangalore had made numerous changes for this game, the biggest being the ommision of Chris Gayle. Chennai kept Bangalore in check early on, they were 34 for three in the powerplay. Kohli, then, built a platform with Yuvraj Singh and then unleashed his range of strokes in the last six overs. Some of the shots he played were amazing. The mid-wicket boundary was peppered with the big hits. The spinners were charged and smashed there, whereas the seamers were hit with all power of the wrists. For Chennai, Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers with three for 33. In reply, Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Smith started the innings all guns blazing. Ravi Rampaul and Mitchell Starc bore the brunt of their fury as they were smashed with disdain down the ground. Chennai raced to 50 inside four overs before Smith fell for 34 off 16 balls. After the fall of Smith, Chennai slowed down and took a little more than ten overs to get their next fifty. But, with du Plessis holding fort and batting sensibly, MS Dhoni shifted gears. In the 16th over bowled by Yuvraj, a stumping chance was missed off the first ball and then Dhoni teed off with two sixes. From that point onwards, it was all Chennai and nothing could stop them. They won the game with 14 balls to spare. — PTI Scoreboard Chennai Super Kings
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KXIP to consolidate top spot in trivial tie
MOHALI, MAY 24 KXIP, the most dominant so far in the seventh edition of the cash-rich event, are placed comfortably on the top of the table with 20 points, having won 10 out of their 13 ties. Delhi, on the other hand are lying at the bottom of the table with just two wins from 13 outings. The Punjab outfit once again stamped its authority here last night when it put up yet another clinical all-round performance to post a 16-run win over Rajasthan Royals. In contrast, Delhi slumped to a 15-run defeat against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai yesterday. Delhi have an uphill task at hands against a side which is thriving in all departments of the game. Punjab's batting has been their mainstay this season. The fact that young domestic players like Manan Vohra have been delivering alongwith stars like Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Virender Sehwag, captain George Bailey, speaks volume about the side, capable of intimidating any opponent. Be it batting or bowling, all those youngsters who are on the bench, have also shown their mettle as and when they have got an opportunity. Last night, it was young leg-spinner Karanveer Singh's turn to make an impression and he did his job perfectly, finishing with figures of two for 16 from his four overs. Young bowlers Akshar Patel, Rishi Dhawan and Sandeep Sharma have been performing consistently. Punjab will be keen to experiment in the remaining games in the group stage and they may test their bench strength in tomorrow's game. Mumbai take on Rajasthan in crunch game
Still in with a chance to make the playoffs, title-holders Mumbai Indians will take on former champions Rajasthan Royals here tomorrow in what would be a virtual knock-out game to make the final four. The rival teams will go into the game after knowing whether the third team still in the running to nail the fourth and last spot in the four-team playoff, Sun Risers Hyderabad, would be standing or have fallen by the wayside after their last round robin game against qualifiers Kolkata Knight Riders tonight. Rajasthan are the front-runners to make the knockout stage with 14 points in their kitty and need to just defeat Mumbai to sail through. But it would be difficult task in the Mumbai's fortress which has been breached just once by Chennai Super Kings going back to last season. — PTI |
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Chinese women champs, again
New Delhi, May 24 The Chinese women made up for the heartbreaking loss of their men’s team in the Thomas Cup when they overwhelmed Japan 3-1 to win the World Women’s Team Championship. China, whose 12 Uber Cup titles include seven in the last eight editions, proved too strong for their Asian counterparts as World No.1 Li Xuerui and World No.2 Shixian Wang dished out a dominating performance. China dropped one doubles in overpowering Japan, which had reached the final stages of the Uber Cup after a gap of 33 years since their famous victory over Indonesia in 1981, as their top players Xuerui and Wang convincingly won their respective singles. The pair of Yunlei Zhao and Xiaoli Wang sealed the tie by winning the second doubles encounter. Olympic champion Xuerui hardly broke a sweat in taming Minatsu Mitani 21-15 21-5 in just 36 minutes. China surged ahead with Shixian Wang producing another impressive performance to take out Sayaka Takahashi 21-16 21-12 in 45 minutes. China’s second doubles pair of Zhao Yunlei and Wang Xiaoli then completed the formalities with a convincing 21-13 21-6 win over Miyuki Maeda and Reika Kakiiwa, prompting wild celebrations from their teammates, who rushed to the centre court and hugged each other. Talking to reporters after his team’s famous victory, Chinese badminton coach Li Yongbo said his players got richer in experience. “This Uber Cup victory meant two things to me — we successfully defended our title and our players became richer in experience. Japan are a very good team; they made it to the finals after 33 years. We analysed the game of our opponents before coming into the final. My players got more mature and gained in experience. It’s good that our experienced players again became champions,” said Yongbo.. Asked about the performance of Indian women shuttlers in the Uber Cup, the coach said they fared much better than expected. “Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu played much better this time. They played better than expected. I congratulate the Indian women’s team for their historic bronze. But, I hope to see more audience next time,” he added. Results
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No delight in doubles for Indian shuttlers
New Delhi, May 24 The weakness was laid threadbare in the Thomas and the Uber Cup Finals. The event witnessed the unusual pairing of the top singles’ players — Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu — as the regular pair of Pradnya Gadre and N Siki Reddy didn’t look good enough. The situation was pretty much the same in men’s category, what with the pairs of B Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri, and Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra failing to inspire much confidence. The lack of quality doubles players is going to hit India hard in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, which have three and two doubles rubbers, respectively. “A lot of work needs to be done on doubles front. We can develop players only once they come up to a certain level. Doubles players need to be groomed, and for that coaches need a lot freedom which we don’t have,” said chief national coach Pullela Gopichand. “In terms of forming combinations, more importantly till 19, we don’t have any specialisation. If someone is selected for doubles, he should play only doubles. And those picked for singles should concentrate only at it. But we don’t have that kind of authority, we are too democratic in a way,” added Gopichand. Is India’s doubles cupboard bare, then? “Tough measures are required but we are not ready to take them. The BAI has been receptive, we have spoken about this. There are people who see my viewpoint, hopefully it will be done well at some stage.” How could you expect to develop quality doubles players when the Indian Badminton League (IBL) dropped women’s doubles and added one more men’s singles instead to the format? Besides, a section of the badminton fraternity believes Gopichand gives much greater importance and training to singles, and the doubles don’t get much of his attention. “We have two coaches, Madhumita and Vijay Deep Singh, for doubles. I do care for doubles but even the singles players might say that I don’t spend time with each of them. I don’t differentiate between singles and doubles… but, yes, I would love to spend more time with each one of them.” Talking about India’s campaign in the Uber Cup — the hosts won a historic bronze after losing their semi-final clash against Japan last night — Gopichand said it was a “dream come true” for him. “Saina and Sindhu were fantastic. Jwala and Ashwini lost but that doesn’t take away anything from them. Overall, from a team perspective, we need to understand that it’s not easy for the first timers to play the crucial ties. But we achieved some fantastic results, beating Thailand and Indonesia was phenomenal,” he said. Gopichand also informed that Saina and Sindhu would miss the $250,000 Japan Open Super Series to be held in Tokyo from June 10-15.
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Now, family wants medal from Pinky
Hisar, May 24 Even though the names of the selected pugilists haven’t been announced yet, the upset win over the Olympic bronze medallist has made Pinky the frontrunner for the berth in the 51-kg category. The 24 year old pugilist, a resident of Azad Nagar in Hisar, had been toiling for the last six months to make it to the Indian squad for the Glasgow Games. “Knowing that she would need to fight and beat Mary Kom for a berth in the side, she put in a lot effort to prepare herself for the tough bout,” said her elder brother Amit Jangra, who, too, was a state-level boxer. Having beaten Mary Kom, Jhangra feels Pinky would now aim for a medal in the Games. “Haryana has emerged as a wrestling and boxing hub in the country. After dominating men’s boxing, the women too are ready make a mark on international stage,” he said. Joginder Bishnoi, in-charge of the Hisar SAI centre, said Pinky had been a hard-working boxer from the start. “We’ve three national-level coaches at the centre to help the young players. Pinki has been a promising player from her early days. We now have high expectations from her in the CWG,” he said. Pinky started practising at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre at the Haryana Agriculture University in 2004. She got a major breakthrough when she won a gold medal in the Federation Cup in 2009. After that, she bagged gold and was adjudged the best boxer, too, at Arafura Games in Australia 2011. In 2012, she won a silver medal in the Asian Boxing Championship.
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Parul left to fend for herself
Chandigarh, May 24 After the state and national officials failed to recognise her potential and support her, the Patiala girl is going to carry forward the Indian challenge in the upcoming second international Youth Tennis Cup, scheduled to be held in Hamburg from May 28 to June 1. After that, she will play in the Dresse and Maere World Deaf Tennis Championship, to be held in Chattanooga, USA, from July 14 to 19. The 17-year-old, the only deaf tennis player from Punjab, has got no financial help to represent India in these international competitions. Parul has been playing tennis for the past four years and had also participated in the Deaf Olympics held in Sofia (Bulgaria) in August 2013. Then too she had not got any assistance from the state or the central government. However, after she came into the limelight, Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia awarded her a cheque of Rs 2 lakh. Her parents (her father is an employee of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and her mother a teacher) claim they spend Rs 5-8 lakh to ensure their daughter’s participation in any tournament. This includes expenses on her kit, coaching and diet, and expenses of a family member who accompanies her to different tournaments. The national association of deaf players is currently defunct because of an internal dispute. “There is no help, in any form, from the government. The sponsors also show less interest in supporting her,” said Parul’s father Avinash Gupta. “Being a deaf player, she attracts many sympathetic gestures but no one comes forward to help us. The Sports Authority of India also fails to support deaf players. We have approached them many a time.” Parul, in order to get the best coaching, has shifted from Patiala to Chandigarh. With the help of an interpreter, she said: “My parents are suffering but I will repay them by winning medals in upcoming international tournaments.”
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Monaco GP: Rosberg secures controversial pole
Monaco, May 24 Formula One stewards summoned Mercedes to a hearing afterwards but, after reviewing video evidence, decided no offence had been committed. The German had locked-up on the way into Mirabeau during the key final seconds of qualifying and skidded down the escape road, bringing out yellow warning flags that forced other drivers to slow. The excursion, with Rosberg then putting the car into reverse, came just as Hamilton — behind him on the track — was on his final quick lap. Hamilton had been faster through the first sector but had to settle for second place on the grid for the season’s showcase race. Australian Daniel Ricciardo will start in third place, the clean side of the track, for Red Bull with team mate Sebastian Vettel alongside. The Ferrari pairing of Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen filled the third row. — Reuters
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french
open
Paris, May 24 For the first time in a decade, the world No. 1 lost three matches on red dirt in the build-up to the claycourt major and the Spaniard could have to beat all three conquerors — Nicolas Almagro, David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic — if he is to successfully defend his title. Nadal also admitted to suffering jitters following his quarterfinal exits at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, by Ferrer and Almagro respectively, and those results proved that Nadal was no longer the indestructible force that he once was on clay. While the results have offered hope to his opponents, they are also aware that Roland Garros is another story for Nadal. The left-hander carries a spine-chilling 59-1 record into this year’s tournament, having lost his only match on the Parisian clay in 2009. “I’m far behind Rafa and Novak. They are really above the other players,” Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who won the Monte Carlo title, said. Djokovic, who beat Nadal in the Rome Masters final in three sets last week, believes a grand slam is a special occasion. “It’s obviously different from the Rome tournament. All of the players who are participating in the event have an extra motivation to perform well compared to the other events,” he said. — Reuters
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Brazil ready to quell protests
Brazilian officials believe the protests will be smaller than the massive demonstrations that unexpectedly erupted in June of last year during a warm-up event for the World Cup. The protests by Brazilians angered by the excessive cost of building the World Cup stadiums in a developing country with deficient public services have continued this year, but they have become less spontaneous and more violent. The government is spending 1.9 billion reais ($856 million) on security for the World Cup, and will deploy 100,000 police and 57,000 troops to guard stadiums, airports, hotels and borders. Some 600,000 foreign fans are expected to travel to Brazil. — Reuters
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Kolkata, MAY 24
Brasilia, May 24
