The Hague, MAY 31
India suffered a heart-breaking loss in their opening match of the Hockey World Cup as Belgium scored in the final seconds to win 3-2.

After going down 0-1, India made a spirited comeback to take a 2-1 lead. Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh scored from India's only shots on target.

Belgium drew level in the 56th minute but it looked like India were going to hold on before John-John Dohmen scored with just 17 seconds on the clock, meaning that India didn't even have the time restart the game let alone go in search of a leveller. It was a fittingly dramatic end to a pulsating game in which both teams made massive contributions. Belgium fired nine shots on target in the match as opposed to India's three and if it weren't for Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, the match would have had a very different scoreline.

The opening stages of the match were evenly contested, although there weren't many clear cut scoring opportunities. India's defensive line held Belgium's live-wire attackers at bay though India goalkeeper Sreejesh was forced into making a reflexive save from a close range deflection midway through the period.

Belgium slowly began to take control of the contest as the half progressed, and would have taken the lead were it not for more outstanding work from Sreejesh who made a string of unbelievable blocks including a fine save from Tom Boon's ferocious penalty corner drag-flick.

Despite Sreejesh's heroics, Belgium eventually opened the scoring a minute before the half time break thanks to a close range diving deflection from Florent van Aubel at the fat post, which was awarded following a video referral.

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New Delhi, MAY 31
Owing to his run of poor form, Asian Games gold medallist Ronjan Sodhi has failed to break into the 30-member Indian squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which will see top shooters such as Abhinav Bindra and Vijay Kumar gunning for podium finishes.

The National Rifle Association of India's selection committee on Friday picked the shotgun team that has 10 shooters competing in six events.

The rifle/pistol team for the event, to be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 3, was selected last month.

The shooters were chosen on the basis of scores in the selection trials held earlier this month at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Almaty.

“The pair events have been deleted from the program of Commonwealth Games 2014 and this has brought down the number of medals in the Commonwealth Games 2014, compared to Commonwealth Games 2010,” the NRAI said in a statement.

“Moreover, two pistol events, Centre Fire Pistol and Standard Pistol events have also been deleted and women Double Trap and Skeet women events have been added on the program of Games 2014 in place of these two events,” it added.

The team also has recent ISSF World Cup winner Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Heena Sidhu and London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang.

In the last Commonwealth Games at home, Indian shooters won 14 gold, 11 silver and five bronze medals. Shooting alone contributed 30 out of 101 medals won by India.

Teams: 50m rifle 3 Position men: Sanjeev Rajput, Gagan Narang; 50m rifle Prone men: Gagan Narang, Joydeep Karmakar; 10m rifle men: Abhinav Bindra, Ravi Kumar; 25m rapid fire pistol men: Vijay Kumar, Harpreet Singh; 50m pistol men: Jitu Rai, Gurpal Singh. 10m pistol men: PN Prakash, Om Prakash; 50m 3 rifle position women: Lajja Gauswami, Elizabeth Susan Koshy.

50m rifle prone women: Lajja Gauswami, Meena Kumari; 10m rifle women: Ayonika Paul, Apurvi Chandela; 25m pistol women: Rahi Sarnobat, Anisa Sayyed; 10m pistol women: Heena Sidhu, Malaika Goel Trap men: Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Mansher Singh; Double Trap men: Mohd Asab, Ankur Mittal. Skeet men: Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Baba PS Bedi; Trap women: Shreyasi Singh, Seema Tomar; Double Trap women: Shreyasi Singh, Varsha Varman. Skeet women: Arti Singh Rao. 

bangalore, May 31
The ‘club versus country’ debate has been around in the world of cricket for a long time. It has raised its ugly head again when West Indies mystery spinner Sunil Narine decided to stay with Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL final here on Sunday, which ruled him out of the next month's three-Test series against New Zealand at home.

Narine had been given a June 1 deadline by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to join the training camp, but the off-spinner chose his IPL franchise, KKR, over the national interest.

The Narine episode has again exposed the lure of the IPL riches.

But KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir feels otherwise. “It's unfair for the player. His team has reached the final of the tournament and he would be forced to miss the final. Somewhere down the line, you as a cricketer, also do not do that. You have taken the team to the final and it's just one game to play, but you were asked to leave that game. I think Narine took the right decision, continue playing for KKR. It's an important game; it's not like that it's a dead rubber or third-class stuff. I think any player would have taken that decision. KKR totally supported him in his decision. If I would have been in his position, I would have also done the same thing.”

Nothing can compare the high that we all felt India winning the World Cup in 2011. The feeling cannot be same while watching Kolkata Knight Riders or Kings XI Punjab lifting the IPL trophy. There have been many cases in the past when a player decided to put his national interest on back seat. Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from the Test cricket to prolong his career in the shorter version of the game. He would rather play in the IPL than serve his national side.

The same debate had put the eleven Sri Lankan cricketers on a collision course with their national baord in IPL 2011 when SLC had asked them to return home, more than three weeks before the tournament ended, to prepare for the England tour. The players included some of the legends of the game such as Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who chose to stay with their respective franchises. West Indian Chris Gayle had angered his cricket board by choosing to play for RCB in 2011 by making himself unavailable for the entire home series against Pakistan.

When we talk about the Indian cricketers, they would never find themselves part of this debate because the cash-rich private league has been conceptualised by the BCCI. BCCI has been very cleverly planning its international calendar since the inception of the IPL. The ICC has not listed the IPL in the Future Tours Programme (FTP), but unofficially, it has created a window for the league.

The IPL is full of freelance players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga who are making good money.

bangalore, May 31
After 46 days of aggressive and fearless cricket, we finally know the two teams that will face each other for the IPL glory in the final of the Season-7 on June 1.

Kings XI Punjab, this year's surprise package and the most consistent team in the tournament, will take on the 2012 champions Kolkata Knight Riders in one of the most-anticipated IPL summit clash that promises to be another cracker of a contest.

Kings XI Punjab survived a mighty scare from Suresh Raina before stopping two-time champions Chennai Super Kings in their tracks in the Qualifier 2 at the Wankhede Stadium to book their final date with Kolkata Knight Riders. It was the same KKR, which had defeated the KXIP in the Qualifier 1, and the George Bailey-led side would be keen on extracting revenge of their embarrassing loss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The fact that KKR have won eight matches on the trot to reach the final makes them a firm favourite to lift the trophy for the second time. But, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and one can only write off KXIP at their own peril.

“Very happy and thrilled (to reach the final). It's been a terrific season for us. Really proud of the way the guys have played right throughout the tournament. The belief that was being shown within the group, the positive chat within the group was outstanding. Hopefully, we have got one more game in us,” KXIP skipper George Bailey had said after his team's 24-run win over CSK.

KXIP's entry into their maiden final largely revolved around Virender Sehwag's 58-ball 122 and the cricket-crazy Bangalore crowd would be expecting an encore from the Delhi maruader.

Sehwag, himself, would be looking to repeat the performance against the best bowling attack in the tournament, comprising of Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al-Hasan and Umesh Yadav.

“My one innings was due but when it would come I didn't know. It came at a good time like the playoffs. You know if you don't play well, you would be out of the tournament. My conscious effort was that I play well and give a good performance and try to help my team win,” Sehwag said. “Everybody was expecting when I was out of the team, everybody was hoping I would score hundred and double hundred in first class cricket but that didn't happen. When your time is not good, you can't do anything. I was doing everything right but I was not able to score runs,” he added.

Punjab's fearless approach to the game, which showed in their three 200-plus scores, has brought them this far in the tournament and, after Sehwag's brilliant show against Chennai, their batting has become more invincible. Glenn Maxwell, whose bat has been quite for some times now, would look to put his lean patch behind and strike one final blow in the final against KKR. His teammates felt it's a lull before the storm. David Miller, Bailey, Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha boast of a solid top and middle-order, but the worrying part has been their bowling which nearly had cost the Kings XI the match against CSK in Qualifier 2. They conceded 100 runs in the Powerplay and even after scoring 226 runs, it seemed that they might end up on the losing side.

KKR, on the other hand, would again look for Orange Cap holder Robin Uthappa and skipper Gautam Gambhir to give them a flying start before Shakib and Yusuf Pathan take the centre-stage in the death overs.

For KKR, to lift the trophy for the second time, it would take another inspiring show from their pace and spin quartet to choke the flow of runs from KXIP's bat.

LONDON, May 31
The England and Wales Cricket Board and their managing director Paul Downton have apologised to Kevin Pietersen regarding comments he made about the former England captain earlier this month, British media reported on Friday.

Downton, who played an instrumental role in the decision to effectively end Pietersen's international career in February, said the controversial batsman had become “disinterested” during their 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia. Downton also said Pietersen had lost the support of the senior players in the England dressing room during the November to January test series but the batsman responded by saying his allegations were “wholly untrue”.

Pietersen also said: “I did, and continue to have a good relationship with most of the England players, which has been subsequently highlighted by a number of press interviews.”

Mumbai, May 31
Viswanathan Anand feels winning the Candidates title has given him fresh motivation needed to avenge last year's loss to World No. 1Magnus Carlsen, when the two meet in the World Chess Championship title clash later this year.

Five-time world champion Anand registered three victories in 14 games without a defeat enroute his Candidates victory to earn a rematch against Norwegian Carlsen.

“If I had been dropped into the match that would have one thing but qualifying for it gave me a morale boost,” the 44-year-old legend told reporters on Saturday.

“It will be a different match. It is very unlikely that we both would try to do the same things. Obviously I will try to learn from things that went wrong and I have many impressions that I will think about when I train,” said Anand, who was soundly beaten 6.5-3.5 at the Chennai World Championship title contest last November.

“You feel positive. Good result is also something you can feed off. I am hoping to carry that feeling into it. But it goes without saying that we have to do different things, especially the loser,” the chess wizard explained further.

Anand said he will try to give his best shot in the re-match which is scheduled to happen in November.

“I will give it my best shot and I am looking forward to it. It is an unexpected second chance, so you definitely want to make use of that. Having said that, I don't know when the match is going to be. Whether they will stick to the current schedule or the match moves, just literally waiting for details on that front," he said. — Agencies

Paris, May 31
Eight-times champion Rafa Nadal produced yet another rock solid performance to see off Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-2 7-5 6-2 and reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.

The world No.1, who is undefeated at Roland Garros since his only loss in 2009, extended his record to 62-1 on the Paris clay having not dropped a set at this year's event. The Spaniard made only five unforced errors in the first two sets — 10 in total — even though he was broken in the second as world No.65 Mayer showed his claycourt skills.

Nadal ended the contest with a service winner to set up a meeting with unheralded Serbian Dujan Lajovic, who beat American Jack Sock 6-4 7-5 6-3 and also has yet to drop a set.

David Ferrer eased past Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-2 7-6(2) 6-3 in the first match on a sparsely populated Court One. After winning the first set with ease, he relaxed to let Seppi back into the second set when leading 3-2, 40-15.

The 32-year-old recovered his focus to win the tiebreak and take the match over the two-hour mark, having conceded just 15 games in his first two outings. "I speculated too much, and I thought he would make mistakes," Ferrer said. "I would have liked to be more steady with my forehand and more consistent but, still, I'm happy."

Ferrer has now reached the last 16 in his last 16 grand slam tournaments.

Fourth seed Simona Halep had too many tricks up her sleeve for unseeded Spaniard Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor as she glided into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-0 win.

The wily Romanian, the highest seed in the draw after Serena Williams, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska were knocked out early, found perfect angles and defended superbly to counter Torro-Flor's powerful forehand. Halep will next meet American 15th seed Sloane Stephens, who beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-3 6-4, for a place in the quarterfinals. — Reuters

Patiala, May 31
Abhishek Verma has become the first Indian archer to win three gold medals in a single international tournament after a silver medal he won last year was converted to gold. Abhishek won a silver in the compound men’s event at the Asian Archery Championship in Chinese Taipei in October-November last year. Iran’s Hamzeh Nekoeei, who won the gold, was found using a masking agent (glycerol) on November 1. His result has now been suspended and Abhishek declared the winner. India’s Sandeep Kumar had won the bronze medal, which has been upgraded to silver.

Abhishek had won two other gold medals as part of the mixed team and the men’s team. Hamzeh has been provisionally suspended for two years, starting from February 17 this year, and his results achieved in the Asian Archery Championship have been annulled, including those in team events. Hamzeh was a part of the team which won a bronze, and the medal has now been given to Chinese Taipei.

Expressing his happiness over this development, Abhishek said it was a dream come true. “I give all credit of this success to the Archery Association of India, my coaches and fellow players who provided me with every kind of support to attain my goal,” he said. “However, I don’t want to go overboard due to this success as my aim is to win a gold in this year’s Asian Games.

London, May 31
England overcame some stubborn resistance from a well-organised defensive Peru side before sealing a comfortable 3-0 win in their last home World Cup warm-up match at Wembley on Friday. England head off to their final training camp in Miami boosted by an excellent opener from Daniel Sturridge after 32 minutes which lit up a lifeless first half.

Mumbai, May 30
With a new political dispensation in place, many of Pakistan's top players have expressed hope that the issue of IPL and bilateral cricket ties with India would be resolved soon.

One among them is former captain and pace legend Wasim Akram, who believes the Pakistan players would only raise the bar and add value to the T20 event.

The Tribune caught up with Akram for a chat. Excerpts from the interaction.

Talking about the 2014 season, KKR rose like a phoenix from four straight defeats to march into the final of the IPL? What, according to you led to the turnaround?

It is a brilliant team effort. The way the team has stayed strong and managed to reverse their fortunes, it shows great character. In terms of performance, every player has contributed in some way to the success whenever called upon. A lot of credit should be given to Gambhir and his leadership skills. He is a fine leader who knows how to rally his troops. His personal comeback to form has also been crucial. He is a top class player who has fought his way back into the national team.

Does it hurt to see non-participation of Pakistan players in the IPL due to political reasons?

I have always maintained that politics and sport should not be mixed. There would have been a lot of value addition to IPL teams if Pakistan players were allowed to play.

Do you think that new government in India should work closely with Pakistan to restore the bilateral cricket ties?

Sport and politics should not be mixed. They should be kept away. People in India and Pakistan would love to see their teams playing against each other irrespective of the politics.

You have captained the Pakistan side successfully? But, for long, we have not seen a bowling captain. Is it because bowlers nowadays lack the leadership skills?

I think in today’s game, bowlers are actually quite mentally strong as they have to keep coming back irrespective of the beating. I think you will see one as a captain soon.

BRIEFLY

london
Sri Lanka level series: Sri Lanka beat England by seven runs to level the series 2-2 in the fourth ODI at Lord’s on Saturday. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 300/9 in 50 overs with Kumara Sangakkara hitting a century (112) and Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring 71. Harry Gurney took four wickets by giving away 55 runs in 10 overs. In reply, England could score only 293/8 in 50 overs. Man of the match Jose Butler (121) could help his team win the match. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 300/9 (Sangakkara 112, Dilshan 71, Gurney 4-55) bt England: 293/8 (Buttler 121, Bopara 51, Malinga 3-52) by 7 runs

MALMO (Sweden)
Kapur, Jeev make cut at Nordea Masters: Shiv Kapur landed five birdies against just one bogey to make amends for the patchy first round as he carded 68 at the Nordea Masters in Malmo. Kapur, who looked on his way out with a card of 76 on first day putted way better than the first day on his way to 68, which made sure he was in action over the weekend. He was tied 43rd at the end of the second, while Jeev Milkha Singh overcame a major lapse with four bogeys in a row from sixth to ninth and then had yet another bogey on 14th, he looked for an early exit at three-over. He birdied the last two holes to claw his way back and make only his second cut in seven starts. — Agencies