London, August 21
Handed the task of overseeing a struggling Indian cricket side, newly-appointed Team Director Ravi Shastri has refuted suggestions that his role would undermine the position of beleaguered coach Duncan Fletcher. Shastri was appointed Team Director after India lost the fifth and final Test against England in under three days to go down 1-3 in the series.

“My role is to oversee everything. All of them report to me. This is for the ODI series in England,” Shastri told a cricket website.

Asked if his position would affect Fletcher's stature, Shastri said, “Absolutely not. He stays as the head coach. And these two (Sanjay Bangar and B Arun) will be his assistants.” Shastri said he took up this assignment as he wanted to contribute to the team. “It was an important time in Indian cricket. When asked I thought about it and then said, 'fine'. The state of Indian cricket is such that I know I can contribute. I have never been scared about how tough the job is or how easy the job is.”

The important thing is the contribution. “If I am here today, and at times some forget, it is because of the BCCI. The platform they gave me when I was a junior cricketer to play for my state and then the country,” he said.

On whether he has had a word with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Fletcher after his appointment, Shastri said, “I spent about two hours with them (on Tuesday). We had a chat about where things are at the moment, how things have to be addressed, and how important communication will be.”

Asked what he felt were the reasons for India's failure in the Test series, Shastri said it was inexperience. “If you calculate the number of Test matches played by the XI as opposed to some of the tours where we fared worse, here we at least won a Test match.”

“We did not win a Test in 1974 (3-0) and were whitewashed on the last tour here with some of the biggest names (in the team). So if you calculate the number of Test caps between this unit and some of the other units that have come (in the past), it is chalk and cheese,” he explained.

“On this tour I saw India's greatest ever overseas win I have seen. I know it because I have never seen a track like that and with this kind of inexperienced side, for them to pull it off... Then I also saw some spineless cricket over the last three Tests matches.” Shastri said India did not show the fighting spirit in the last two Tests.

“Spineless means stomach for a fight. People would have accepted 3-1 if there was a little more fight. The conditions what you saw here, barring the first Test, every track had serious juice on it. When I evaluate everything I put it down to inexperience. When they come back to England (next time) they would be better players,” he said.

“People can be judgemental, but we have not played a five-Test match series in a long time. When you play five Test matches in 40 days your fitness gets exposed. But if you are inexperienced it comes to the fore.

“What does experience do? It builds your mental strength — when you are down, you can still recover. But here when you lack the experience and when you get hammered, or you have two or three innings where you don't do well, then you go downhill straight,” he added.

Asked what was has been the most disappointing aspect of India's performance so far, Shastri said, “My only disappointment was players at times making the same mistake. That disappointed me. Everyone makes a mistake, but you want to try something different.

“Like Cook. He changed his stance, stood a foot outside the crease. You need to try something different instead of getting out the same way.” The former captain justified the critical columns he wrote before his appointment.

“I was hard on (Cheteshwar) Pujara and (Virat) Kohli specifically because they came here with big reputations. And they have been brought down to earth with their techniques being found out against the moving ball. And there is nothing wrong in that, it’s happened to biggest players,” he said. — PTI

London, August 21
The year is 2011. A cold, frosty morning at the Allan Border Oval in Brisbane. The Indian emerging team is in Australia. It consists of names such as Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Shikhar Dhawan, all of whom are now the core of the Indian national team.

As they complete their warm-up drills, they form into a huddle to listen to their coach. Most of the Indian fans have barely heard of this coach, but among the next generation of Indian players, he commands a great deal of respect.

He has observed them closely from the minute each of them landed at the National Cricket Academy camp in Bangalore. He knows about their cricketing abilities, mental strength and personalities.

He is none other than Bharat Arun. Accompanying Bharat Arun at Brisbane is the man setting up all the fielding drills, R Sridhar.

The two form a team that has been working together since 2008, fine-tuning the skills of India’s most promising cricketers.

In that emerging team of 2011, only a couple had represented India at the highest level. Today, all except two members of that squad have donned the Indian colours in one format or the other.

Arun and Sridhar — who are going to work with the national team during the One-day series against England — have played a vital role in the transition of the new generation of players to the top level.

At the Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, Arun expressed his delight that the boys he had assisted right from 2007 are now men, making waves in international cricket.

A few moments after the BCCI announced that the two would soon be working with the national team, former Under-19 team captain Unmukt Chand tweeted: “Congrats to Arun and Sridhar sir, best cannot hide for ever.”

The former Under-19 World Cup winning team members are all full of praise for Arun. “Technically he explains everything thoroughly and observes each batting session, explaining every time we make a mistake,” says a player.

Another member of the U19 World Cup winning team, Smit Patel, said: “One of the best things about Arun Sir is that apart from technical aspects, he really knows how to manage all the players, the expectations he has from individuals, and he ensures everyone is in a good space.”

Patel, the man who hit the winning runs when India won the title in 2012, recalls that Sridhar had told him that he would hit the winning runs for India as he went out to bat. The positive message actually gave Patel the confidence to score an unbeaten 62, and he actually hit the winning runs.

How much can Arun and Sridhar help the senior team? It wouldn’t be fair to judge them from just one series — the BCCI and the fans must give them time.

Mumbai, August 21
Indian-origin English footballer Michael Chopra was signed up by the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned Kerala Blasters here on Thursday. Chopra was chosen for USD 58,185 in the first round of the seven-round draft in which all eight franchises of the IPL-style football tournament took part.

“Pleased to have been picked by @sachin_rt’s team #KeralaBlasters in @IndSuperLeague," tweeted the 30-year-old England-born Chopra, who has plied his trade for various clubs in his home country.

The striker, a product of Newcastle United’s youth system, is currently a free agent after being released by Blackpool.

Kerala Blasters marquee player-cum-manager and former England custodian David James, who has played for big clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City, welcomed the addition of Chopra into the squad.

New Delhi, August 21
Weightlifter Ragala Venkat Rahul today bagged India's first medal in the second Youth Olympic Games by winning a silver in the men's 77kg category in Nanjing, China.

According to information received here, Rahul lifted 141 kg in snatch, followed by 175 kg in clean and jerk to finish with a total of 316 kg. This was his personal best performance in the total lift, six kilogram more than he did during the 2013 Asian Youth Games held in Nanjing. This was also the first medal for India in weightlifting in Youth Olympic Games.

This is great news for the Indian weightlifting, coming as it does immediately after its success in the Commonwealth Games in Scotland. It lends further credence to the notion that the Indian weightlifting has finally turned a corner.

Earlier in the day, Maymon Poulose and Mithravarun qualified for the Final-A stage in the 110 metres hurdles and discus throw respectively in the athletics events.

Poulose clocked 13.64sec in the 110m hurdles heats, which is also a new national record (youth) and personal best, while Mithravarun threw a personal best of 54.71 metres in discus throw.

Both of them have advanced to the Final-A stage, which is the second stage of the competition.

India had won eight medals – six silver and two bronze – in the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010 in Singapore. — PTI

Chandigarh, August 21
Agitated over the humiliating treatment meted out to a Sikh basketball player Anmol Singh during a tournament in Doha on Wednesday, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has sent a strong message to the world body. The BFI has warned that if the issue regarding the Sikh players not being allowed to wear a patka in international matches was not resolved immediately, it would explode into an issue of human rights at the international level.

In a strongly-worded letter to Patrick Bauman, secretary general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the BFI has urged him to stop insulting the Sikh players in international matches.

Giving details of the incident to the FIBA, deputy Chief Executive Officer of the BFI, Prem Pal Singh, stated that during India's match against Malaysia at the FIBA Asia U-18 championship in Doha, Anmol was asked to remove his patka. According to the information that BFI has received from Shafiqu Ahmed Shaikh, the team's coach, Anmol played the first quarter of the match wearing his patka but he was told to remove it in the second quarter.

It is not the first time that such an incident has taken place at the international level. During the FIBA Asia Cup held in Wuhan, China, in July, two Sikh players — Amritpal Singh and Amjyot Singh — were asked to remove their patka.

The BFI secretary Teja Singh Dhaliwal said it was an issue of racial discrimination and the BFI would not hesitate to withdraw its team from the championship in Doha if the issue was not resolved immediately. He said it was a question of the honour of the entire Sikh community and he would not accept humiliation of Sikh players in any manner. Dhaliwal said the patka was made of a soft cloth and it could not harm a rival player. Dhaliwal said that the BFI had submitted a lengthy petition to the FIBA regarding the importance of the patka for a Sikh player.

• 12 July 2014: India players Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh asked to remove their patkas moments before their game at the Asia Cup Championship in Wuhan, China.
• 19 August : Two US Congressmen send a letter to the FIBA president asking that it change its policy.
• 20 August : Anmol Singh asked remove his patka during the ongoing 23rd Fiba Asia U-18 Championship in Doha.
• 27 August: In Seville, Spain, FIBA technical committee to preside over issue of changing its policy.

New Delhi, August 21
It’s been 16 long years since the Indian men’s hockey team won a gold medal at the Asian Games, but its chief coach Terry Walsh said that the side has a realistic chance of breaking the jinx in the upcoming continental event to be held in Incheon, South Korea.

India won only two gold medals in hockey at the Asian Games (1966 and 1998), and their best finish after that was a silver medal in 2002 Busan.

But Walsh feels that going by India’s latest showing in the Commonwealth Games, his wards will start as one of the favourites in the Incheon Games to be held from September 19 to October 4. “Realistically, that would be the case. That would be a fair and reasonable assessment but that doesn’t mean anything as we have seen in the past. It doesn’t matter whether you are ranked 14th or 4th, you have to play the matches. We certainly should be regarded as one of the teams with a medal prospect in the Asian Games but we have to earn that,” he said.

But achieving the target is easier said than done as India have been clubbed with arch-rivals and eight-time champions Pakistan in Pool B. The other teams in India’s pool are China, Oman and Sri Lanka.

Walsh is fully aware of the task at hand but feels that not having played top-class international hockey for quite some time, the pressure would be more on Pakistan than India. “I think the pressure would be more on a team that has not played at this level for 12 months or so. They have a bunch of younger guys who haven’t had a lot of international experience at this level. But there is always the historical and the traditional pressure with India and Pakistan just like Germany and Holland and Australia and New Zealand,” the Australian said. “But we have to guard against complacency. The pool is not as easy as it looks. China is a good side, it can play well and we all know Pakistan is a very very good team. Not for one moment we can think that we are an automatic qualifier from this pool.”

India captain Sardar Singh too is optimistic. “We are confident we can win gold but the start is very important,” he said. “In the Commonwealth Games, we worked on the mistakes which we committed in the World Cup and in the Asian Games we will be working on the mistakes which we committed in the CWG,” Sardar said. — PTI

Jaipur, August 21
Host Pink Panthers fritted away a healthy lead to end with a dismal 31-31 draw against a spirited U Mumbai in a crucial Pro Kabaddi League match here today.

It was poetic justice for both the teams grappling for the top position in the table. But the Panthers were able to hold on the top position with 43 points while Mumbai were placed behind them with 41 points.

Earlier, Patna Pirates rode on Sandeep Narwal’s fine display to beat Bengal Warriors 36-31. The Pirates took some time to assert their authority as both the teams were neck and neck but a few raids helped Patna Pirates take a 19–13 lead at the breather. — PTI

New Delhi, August 21
Ace trap shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu is eyeing an Olympic quota place in the upcoming World Championships and is also confident of winning a medal at the Asian Games that follows. The World Cup gold winner says an early quota place and a good outing at the Asiad will “boost his confidence” ahead of the “real test” in Rio two years from now.

“The practice is going well and I am pretty hopeful. Asian Games is a big platform and a medal will obviously give a boost before the Olympics, the real test. Moreover a medal ensures that you are on the right track,” said Sandhu, who will be taking part in his fifth Asian Games.

Talking about India’s performance at the recently- concluded CWG, Sandhu said, “With every passing tournament India is proving that the country does not only play cricket. I personally am very satisfied with the way we performed but there is a lot of scope for improvement.”

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee also shared his concern for the lack of facilities at the grassroots. “Shooting is often seen as a rich man’s game but I don’t want to put it that way. A lot of young kids today want to be the next Abhinav Bindra but the fact is that we don’t have sponsors at that level or proper facilities to support them,” he said. — PTI

New York, August 21
Roger Federer is the form player going into next week’s US Open but Novak Djokovic is favourite to win the title for a second time, according to former champion John McEnroe. Federer, who reigned supreme at Flushing Meadows with five consecutive titles from 2004, won the Cincinnati title last week on the back of reaching the final in Toronto and with world No.2 Rafa Nadal injured, many believe the 33-year-old Swiss maestro can claim an 18th grand slam title.

“Obviously not having to deal with (Nadal) is a huge positive for him potentially down the road if he’s at a stage at the end of the event,” McEnroe said. I would give a slight, slight favourite to Djokovic based on it being best-of-five. He’s younger and he can go the distance perhaps a little bit more easily than Roger at this stage. A little bit.”

“Depending on what happens leading up to it if they were to play in the final, some of it would have to do with how much was left in the tank from previous matches.”

Djokovic beat Federer in an epic Wimbledon final but the 27-year-old, who has just married long-time girlfriend Jelena Ristic, lost early in Toronto and Cincinnati and McEnroe believes the Serb has lost focus. — Reuters

London, August 21
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has slammed Formula One's new rules as too easy and too slow and said that the sport should be more demanding for drivers.

Hamilton said that although the new hybrid rules are creating a better spectacle for fans he said that Formula One should be more demanding for drivers. He added that he is not a huge admirer of the direction Formula One is taking.

While preparing for a return to action in Belgium after the summer break trailing teammate Nico Rosberg by 11 points, Hamilton said that personally he is not a huge admirer of the direction that everything's going in, in the sense that the cars get slower every year so physically it's easier for him in the car, The Mirror reported.

The Brit racer said that maybe in the hot conditions it's still a challenge, but generally it would take him two race distances to feel the same as he did in his first season.

Hamilton said that they are fast on the straights of course but slower through some corners and that makes a difference, adding that he just feels Formula One is the pinnacle so it should be so draining that when one finishes the race one should barely be able to get out of the car.

And, he said that the cars should be the fastest they can be within the boundaries of safety. However, Hamilton added that the motor racing sport also has to stay relevant and some of the technologies that have been brought in such as the energy recovery systems are definitely a positive step. — ANI

BRIEFLY

F1 will not return to India in 2015, confirms Bernie
London: Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday asserted that the troubled Indian Grand Prix has run out of time for a 2015 return and its organisers must settle the contractual obligations for a possible comeback in 2016. Ecclestone was hoping the race organisers, Jaypee Group, will sort out the five-year contract in time for a return next year but that has not happened yet, leaving the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) owners too little time to get the event back on track. Usually, the FIA World Motor Sport Council ratifies the next season's calendar in September and the final one in December. "It is too late for 2015. We (Formula One Management and Jaypee) are looking at 2016 now and hopefully the tax issues in India will also be sorted out by then. The organisers also need to settle the existing contract before we get back. I am expecting to see them next week," said Ecclestone.

Broad to undergo knee surgery next month
London: Stuart Broad is to undergo surgery on his right knee on 4 September, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced. The ECB revealed earlier this month that the 28-year-old paceman, who suffered a broken nose in England’s innings and 54-run fourth Test victory over India, was to have surgery to address a long-standing patella tendonitis problem and a date has now been confirmed for the procedure.

Pollard, Ramdin rescue troubled West Indies
Grenada: Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin saved the West Indies from a humiliating defeat and engineered a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first one-day international at the National Stadium in Grenada. Reeling at 34 for five in reply to the tourists’ total of 217 for nine, Pollard’s commanding 89 and Ramdin’s polished 74 turned the match on its head, their 145-run sixth-wicket partnership transforming the improbability of victory into a leisurely canter by the time the winning runs were hit by Jason Holder in the 40th over.

De Kock stars as Proteas cruise to series whitewash
Bulawayo: The Proteas, who had already rested fast bowling trio Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander for this series, left out their top two batsmen as well for the final match as Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers sat out. Only Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura offered any sort of resistance to the Proteas with 90 as he put on 46 for the 10th wicket with Tinashe Panyangara, before he was bowled by a slower ball from De Lange to deny him his century. All of the runs in the last wicket stand were scored by Chigumbura to add some respectability to Zimbabwe's total after they had looked as though they would be bowled out for under 120.
Scores: Zimbabwe 165 all out in 39.5 overs (E. Chigumbura 90; M. De Lange 3-31) v South Africa 171-3 off 27.2 overs (Q. De Kock 84). — Agencies