glasgow, july 30
A silver isnt something to sneeze at, but four silver medals only brought tears and gloom into the Indian wrestling camp here tonight.

Ironically, when the evening session of the day got over, it was the bronze won by Navjot Kaur that brought cheers to the Indians. This was the only bout India won in the evening; four wrestlers won more prestigious medals, four silvers, but their day ended in defeats.

It was the nature of the defeats that rankled — Lalita Sehrawat, Bajrang and Sakshi Malik all lost in very demoralising manners, soundly beaten. The Indian heavyweight, Satyawrat Kadiyan in the 97kg category, was the only wrestler who put up a very tough fight in the gold medal matches India figured in today. Lalita Sehrawat, the freestyler from Haryana, was the first to go into fight, ending up with a silver in the women’s 53kg weight category after she lost to Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria in the golden bout.

Odunayo Adekuoroye got a firm hold on the Indian early on and the Hisar girl was unable to defend, and the bout ended in just 31 seconds. This was Lalita’s first senior level international competition and a silver medal is no disgrace, but she burst into tears after the bout and just would not be consoled. “I should have fought better, this was my mistake,” she said later. “I was prepared, but it happened so quickly and I was unable to fight back.”

Lalita, who comes from a farming family, said she was inspired by watching the wrestling competitions at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. “I thought we had better wrestlers here, and our training was very good, too,” she said. “I thought we would win gold medals in all categories, but that didn’t happen.”

Odunayo Adekuoroye said that while it was she who seemed to be fighting, it wasn’t really — “It was God,” she said.

Immediately after Lalita’s bout, 61kg wrestler Bajrang entered the arena as a favourite against David Tremblay of Canada. Bajrang, though, didn’t last too long too — he lost in less than half a round to the Canadian.

“I was lucky to fight here at all,” Tremblay later said. “I was too heavy for the category I’d entered for, and so I had to put on more weight to fight in this 58kg category.”

Sakshi Malik then lost the 56kg gold medal match to Nigeria’s Aminat Adeniyi, 10 points to one. “She was good, but I made her better by making a mistake,” said Sakshi later. “I failed to defend well, she got a hold on me, and it was impossible to get out of that.”

The sombre mood in the Indian camp, which was hoping for at least three gold medals today, became worse when Kadian lost to Arjun Gill of Canada. The match had ended 6-6, but the jury gave the decision in favour of the Canadian-Indian. “I shouldn’t have lost that match,” Kadian later said. “I was leading up to the final seconds of the match, but I made the mistake of conceding a very late point.”

Gill was delighted, of course. “He’s a very strong chap,” he said. “I’d lost to him in Italy, 1-3, and I knew that it was going to be very tough. I worked hard, got more strength into my arms, and luckily for me, it went my way today.”

Not quite the way the Indians wanted, and four silvers is all they got. — Agencies

glasgow, july 30
Female Indian boxers Pinka Jangra and L. Sarita Devi reached the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games in their respective categories here on Wednesday.

However, Amritpreet Singh bit the dust as he lost the men's 91 kg quarter-final bout to local pugilist Stephen Lavelle. The judges found the Scot to be better than the Indian in all three rounds to win with the scoreline reading 29:28, 30:27 and 30:27.

Pinki started the proceedings with a dominating 4:0 win over Papua New Guinea's Jacquiline Wangi in the women's 48-51 kg quarterfinal. She will now face Northern Ireland's Michaela Walsh in the semis Friday.

Sarita followed it up with a win in the women's 57-60 kg quarterfinal over Welsh Charlene Jones. Though the Welsh girl won the first round on points, Sarita came back well to win the next three rounds of two minutes each to clinch the contest 3:1.

Southampton, July 30
India were staring at a crushing defeat after yet another miserable batting display gave England complete control of the third Test here today.

Chasing an improbable target of 445, India were tottering at 112 for four at stumps with Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma batting on 18 and 6 respectively.

India still require 333 on the final day but more realistically have little chance of preventing England from equalizing the series with only six wickets in hand.

With Murali Vijay (12), Shikhar Dhawan (37), Cheteshwar Pujara (2) and Virat Kohli (28) back in the confines of the dressing room, the remaining batsmen need to bat out of their skins in order to save the match. After being all-out for 330 in their first innings, India conceded a huge first innings lead of 269 runs but Alastair Cook decided against enforcing the follow-on in order to give his tired bowlers some recovery time.

England scored at a quick clip to reach 205 for four in 40.4 overs before declaring with a lead of 444 runs.

Joe Root smashed his way to a 41-ball-56 (9x4) while skipper Cook having regained some form helped himself to an unbeaten 70 off 114 balls with seven boundaries.

With the 22-yard strip producing some movement off it, the Indian batsmen did face some testing times with both Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad asking questions in the ‘Corridor of uncertainty’. Shikhar Dhawan played and missed on a number of occasions as he had no clue about the outgoing delivery from Jimmy Anderson while Murali Vijay didn’t look in his usual composed self that he has been till now in the series.

Vijay was run-out as he failed to beat a Stuart Broad throw. Cheteshwar Pujara’s dry run continued as Chris Jordan showed his alertness at first slip latching onto a catch off part-time off-spinner Moeen Ali’s (2/33) bowling. Having lost two wickets for 29, the Delhi boys Kohli and Dhawan batted sensibly to add 51 runs for the third wicket before disaster struck again. — PTI

England 1st innings 569/7
India 1st innings 
(overnight 323/8)
Dhoni c Buttler b Anderson 50
Jadeja lbw b Anderson 31
Kumar c Ballance b Broad 19
Shami c Buttler b Anderson 5
Pankaj not out 1
Extras: (b 16, lb 14, w 8) 38
Total: (all out; 106.1 ovs) 330
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-56, 3-88, 4-136, 5-210, 6-217, 7-275, 8-313, 9-329 
Bowling
Anderson 26.1-10-53-5
Broad 25-7-66-3
Jordan 17-4-59-0
Woakes 20-8-60-0
Ali 18-0-62-2
England 2nd innings
Robson c Dhawan b Kumar 13
Cook not out 70
Ballance c Pujara b Jadeja 38
Bell b Jadeja 23
Root b Jadeja 56
Extras: (b 4, w 1) 5
Total: (4 wkts dec; 40.4 ovs) 205
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-80, 3-106, 4-205 
Bowling
Kumar 10-0-59-1
Pankaj 10-4-33-0
Shami 4-0-24-0
Rohit 5-0-32-0
Jadeja 10.4-1-52-3
Vijay 1-0-1-0
India 2nd innings
Vijay run out (Broad) 12
Dhawan c Jordan b Root 37
Pujara c Jordan b Ali 2
Kohli c Buttler b Ali 28
Rahane not out 18
Rohit not out 6
Extras: (b 4, lb 5) 9
Total: (4 wickets; 42 overs) 112
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-29, 3-80, 4-89 
Bowling
Anderson 8-3-13-0
Broad 9-4-18-0
Woakes 5-2-7-0
Ali 12-2-33-2
Jordan 5-0-22-0
Roo t2-0-5-1
Ballance 1-0-5-0

Southampton, July 30
India middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane expressed his disappointment in the manner he got out, playing a poor shot off a rank longhop bowled by part-time off-spinner Moeen Ali on the third day of the third Test.

“I was really disappointed in the manner I got out. I was concentrating really well at that point of time. I thought it was a loose delivery and played it, but the shot was a miscued one. In the end, it was a bad shot. I just need to learn from this and bat well in the second innings,” a dejected Rahane said.

Rahane scored his third Test half-century on the day to help India avoid a collapse in the post-lunch session.

He put on 74 runs with Rohit Sharma, but both of them fell on either side of the tea-break to Ali, a fact that has left India ruing their mistakes. When asked if it was a thought-out plan between Rohit and him to attack Ali, Rahane denied it.

“No, we had decided to play one ball at a time and capitalise on the loose balls. We were going along well, but in cricket, anyone can take anybody’s wicket. So unfortunately Rohit got out and then I too played a bad shot,” he said.

“The England bowlers bowled well. They were patient on a pitch that didn’t show too much wear and tear. When the ball was old, the pitch seemed to be a little two-paced. But with the new ball it is coming easily on the bat still. So they bowled consistently and in good areas.” — PTI

CAPE TOWN, July 30
South Africa’s Jacques Kallis has surprisingly decided to call time on his international limited overs career six months before the World Cup. The 38-year-old, one of the greatest all-rounders in the game’s history, retired from Test cricket last year but had been planning to finish his South Africa career at the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

However, he announced a change of heart on Wednesday, just weeks after helping South Africa win a one-day international series in Sri Lanka for the first time.

“I realised in Sri Lanka that my dream of playing in a World Cup was a bridge too far,” he said in a statement.

“Ï just knew on that tour that I was done. The squad that was in Sri Lanka is an amazing one and I believe they have a good chance of bringing the trophy home in March. I would like to thank Cricket South Africa, the team, the team sponsors, my sponsors, the fans and all the people who have been involved in my career. It has been an amazing journey.”

Glasgow, July 30
Ashpal Kaur Bhogal, the first Sikh girl – and the first south Asian girl, too – to play for England in hockey, last visited India when she was eight, but she is deeply interested in the welfare of Indian hockey.

“I’m sure the Indian team is on the right track,” says Ashpal, who turns 20 in September. Her interest in India is hardly surprising – she has roots in India, though she last visited India 12 years ago; her interest in hockey, is natural, too – she comes from a family of hockey Olympians.

Dad Bobby Singh Bhogal and uncle Satvinderpal Singh Bhogal, both excellent players in the UK, are now hockey coaches, the first mentors of Ashpal.

However, beyond these reasons, there’s another, very compelling reason for Ashpal’s interest in Indian hockey.

Ashpal, who has played for the England junior team, is engaged to be married to Sardar Singh, the charismatic captain of the Indian men’s team.

The petite Ashpal can be seen during the Indian team’s matches here, shouting encouragements to the Indian team; off the field, she and Sardar Singh can be seen in the Glasgow city centre, chatting as they amble around. They look happy being with each other – possibly, that joy could be caused by a technical discussion on the finer aspects of the sport. Possibly, it’s just love.

Ashpal and Sardar became friends on Facebook two years ago, during the London Olympics. Ashpal was part of the England Under-19 team, Sardar was preparing for the Olympics.

“We were both experiencing difficulties at that time as the Indian team failed to perform at the Olympics, and I was unfortunate to get injured, which kept me out of the game for nine months,” says the Leeds-born player.

They became good friends, providing support for each another, sharing and halving their troubles. “Both of us were able to relate with each other, support each other,” adds Ashpal.

When they met, it was love at first sight, she says. They started spending time with each other and, on May 22 this year in The Netherlands, Sardar proposed to her, and it became official.

Sardar turned 28 earlier this month, and he comes from a very different background. Due to these reasons, Ashpal’s family did have some worries about the future of the couple; they wondered if Ashpal and Sardar had a good understanding about the challenges they might face in the future.

“But all’s well now… Sardar felt it was the right time in our relationship so he proposed to me, and we got engaged,” says Ashpal.

Hockey brought the two together, and it retains a very important role in their relationship. Sardar is one of the world’s best players – Ashpal says that she benefits a great deal from his advice.

“There has been the occasional hockey skills session given to me by Sardar when having a mini hockey battle in the house,” says Ashpal with a laugh. “He’s very conscious about not making errors, so usually after each game, he asks me how many balls I missed or failed to trap, or what I excelled in.”

Her own support for Sardar’s game is more moral and mental than technical.

“Making a contribution to his game is something that has become very regular. I don’t go to just watch him play – I do that, of course, but he’s made me into his personal game analyst!” Ashpal says. “Being a hockey player myself, I am able to give Sardar the support he needs, be it psychological or even some advice about his game.”

As for her own game, Ashpal is no slouch in the sport. After representing England in junior hockey, she hopes to be part of the senior team as well.

She had that dream right from the time she fell in love with the game – she remembers the day well. “I started playing at age six, and I remember that day in 2001, during the Champions Trophy in The Netherlands, when I really fell in love with the sport,” she says. “I remember watching the final… It was just amazing – the bond between the players, their happiness in each other’s success… Tennis had been my sport until then – but that experience made me move to hockey.”

Asian heritage kids are not encouraged much to get into sports – Ashpal, luckily, found much support at home. “I’ve found success only because I had the backing of my parents,” Ashpal says. “It’s well known that Asian families do not push their children into sport, especially their girls. They usually advise them to get educated and then marry early. Not my parents – they gave me the opportunity to play sport and music.”

She learnt Indian classical music and also plays the flute. “My father was my biggest role model, I didn’t really need anything else,” says Ashpal. “I had a role model, coach, trainer, psychologist, father all in one.”

Being terrific in hockey hasn’t prevented Ashpal from doing well in academics – she’s done well in school and when she was recovering from her injury in the USA, she also studied sports medicine there. She recovered quicker than expected, so she returned to England and hopes to complete her degree in an English university, while continuing to play club hockey.

Marriage is slated for next year, and Ashpal plans to move to India after that.

“My family is very traditional, and I’ve always stayed in touch with my roots,” she says. “I recite my paath (prayers) everyday first thing in the morning. I spoke Punjabi with my great-grandparents, but because Punjabi is Sardar’s first language, and also the only language his family can speak, I find myself speaking Punjabi more often than before!”

A move to India would entail challenges – she’s put her heart into the relationship, she’s convinced she’s going to make it work.

Glasgow, July 30
High on confidence after the spirited showing against Australia, the Indian men’s hockey team would look to win outright against South Africa in their final group match, even though a draw is enough to seal their semifinal spot.

Going into tomorrow’s crucial match, both India and South Africa have six points from two wins apiece but the Sardar Singh-led side occupy the second position behind Australia in Group A on account of better goal difference. India have a goal difference of plus four as against South Africa’s zero.

Even though a draw is enough for India to seal a semifinal berth, India’s chief coach Terry Walsh said they would be going for an outright win. “We are going to try and create as many chances at goal as possible. We will not play for draws as that might end up bad,” Walsh said.

“South Africa have some quality in attack so we will be required to close down all avenues. A semifinal position is at stake but more importantly our playing qualities will need to be in place for a good result.” — PTI

glasgow, july 30
Chandrakant Mali added another medal from the weightlifting arena after he won a bronze in men's 94kg, while India's top squash players Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa started their campaign in women's doubles with a victory in the 20th Commonwealth Games here.

However, it turned out to be a bad outing for Indian pugilists, and with an exception of L Sarita Devi, none of the other three boxers in fray could advance to the next round. Mali totalled 338kg (150 + 188) to finish third on the podium. He could lift 146kg and 150kg in his first two chances in snatch but failed to lift 153kg in his third attempt. In clean and jerk, he lifted 183kg and 188kg before failing to clear 194kg mark.

Steven Kukuna Kari of Papua New Guinea bagged the gold medal with a total of 349 and Australia's Simplice Ribouem won the silver with and identical score, but Kari took the top honours owing to lesser body weight.

Glasgow, july 30
Indian boxers Vijender Singh, Pinki Jangra, L. Sarita Devi and Devendro Singh made the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games in their respective categories at the SECC Hall here on Wednesday.

However, Amritpreet Singh bit the dust as he lost the men’s 91 kg quarter-final bout to local pugilist Stephen Lavelle. The judges found the Scot to be better in all the three rounds to win with the scoreline of 29:28, 30:27 and 30:27. Pinki started the proceedings with a dominating 4:0 win over Papua New Guinea’s Jacquiline Wangi in the women’s 48-51 kg quarterfinal. She will now face Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh in the semis Friday.

Sarita followed it up with a win in the women’s 57-60 kg quarterfinal over Welsh Charlene Jones. Though the Welsh girl won the first round on points, Sarita came back well to win the next three rounds of two minutes each to clinch the contest 3:1. The Indian will play her last-four bout Friday against Mozambique’s Maria Machongua.

Attacking Manipuri boxer Devendro then won his men’s 49 kg last-eight bout, defeating Scottish Aqeel Ahmed 3:0. The 22-year-old notched up perfect scores of 30 from the judges in the last two rounds.

Devendro will face Welsh Ashley Williams in the semis Friday. The losing semifinalists in the discipline are assured of a bronze medal as the winners proceed to the gold medal final match.

Vijender, the pin-up boy of the Indian boxing, had a pretty easy bout against his opponent from Trinidad and Tobago. The Indian went on the offensive from the first round, pushing his opponent on to the backfoot right away. Vijender’s punches got meaner as the bout progressed, leaving the T&T boxer with bloodied nose and crushing defeat to mull over eventually. — Agencies

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Lisicki fires fastest ever serve in Stanford defeat
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NRAI orders inquiry into coach’s detention at IGI
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