Chandigarh, August 31
In the current One-day series, Ravindra Jadeja has taken five wickets at the average of 13.20, Ravichandran Ashwin has taken five at 15.40. In the Test series, which India lost 1-3, the figures were very different — Jadeja took nine wickets at 46.66, Ashwin took three at 33.66.

In these figures of the two spinners lies the difference between India's performance in the Test series and the One-day series, which they lead 2-0.

Surprisingly, the wicket at Nottingham too helped the spinners, and the England batsmen struggled against Jadeja and Ashwin. “We didn’t play the spin very well,” Alastair Cook, the England captain, said. “Obviously, we didn't in Cardiff either. But they bowled well, and did turn it. Ashwin and Jadeja are very good at One-day cricket spin bowling. We had a few soft dismissals, and a few good balls as well.”

Apart from Jadeja and Ashwin, Mahendra Singh Dhoni used two other spin options — Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu. They bowled a total of 30 overs, picking up six wickets at the cost of 122 runs — that's an average of just over 20, and an economy rate of a little over four an over. This kind of a performance can be expected on Indian or Subcontinental wickets, not in England.

“I was surprised by how much it turned,” Dhoni later said. "That really brought our spinners into the game. I felt Raina's spell was crucial because Mohit got injured and we were not really sure whether he would come back and bowl the seven overs he had to bowl. So I had to get those seven overs from the part-timers. I am happy that Raina and Rayudu contributed more than the seven overs and there was less pressure on me.”

Ashwin, named the Man of the Match, said that being out of the team for some time gave him the opportunity on his bowling. “The downtime gave me some time to work on my bowling. I thought the wicket had some bounce,” he said. “It was good to bowl on. Me and Jaddu have a good record against England which is a real help.”

So, just days after India lost badly in the Test series, Dhoni could say with evident satisfaction: "So overall, it looks like a good team: if you look at the batting order itself, it is a fantastic one.”

But what if the wickets are not helping the spinners? “Bowling, still we need to work on wickets where there is no turn and spinners are not that effective,” Dhoni agreed.

But Dhoni is right — the moment the Indian spinners became effective, it looked like quite another side altogether. It is true, too, that, the white ball used in One-day cricket swings for less time - in Tests, it can swing for long, perhaps 30-40 overs, and then reverse swing too come into play. Also, in ODIs, there are fewer catchers close to the bat, which is relevant because a large number of Indian batsmen were caught by the wicketkeeper in the slips cordon during the Tests.

But yes, this ODI side has looked completely different from the Test team. “When Indian spinners are able to make an impact, India are a different team,” says cricketer-columnist Ajit Agarkar. “That's a great advantage.”

Surprisingly, the curators in England handed India an advantage by providing wickets that helped the spinners. The Indian team capitalised, so full credit to them.

Nottingham, August 31
Ajinkya Rahane feels the ODI specialists have infused new energy into the side and have helped the team turn the corner in the ODI series against England. “The new boys have brought in a lot of energy. We are fielding a lot better. Yes, we didn't do well in the Tests but that doesn't make us a bad fielding unit. We have made a conscious effort to be energetic on the field and back each other,” said Rahane.

“We were really hurt by what happened in the Test series but we knew we had to move on. We helped each other in getting over the hurt and to channel our focus on the ODI series. When we won the second ODI, we prepared for the third ODI from a scratch,” said Rahane.

Rahane, who had to open the innings in the third ODI in place of an injured Rohit Sharma, said he enjoyed his new role. “I was really excited and enjoyed opening again. I knew I was batting well and I know the conditions well by now. I went in with a very positive mindset. I knew the ball swings a bit initially but I decided against going into a shell. My priority is to score runs, I was determined to play shots,” he said.

Isn't it a little difficult to switch from middle order to opening at such a short notice? “When you've been batting at four and suddenly need to open, it does require a lot of change in the mindset. To face the new ball, you need to go in with a different attitude. However, it wasn't that difficult for me as I am familiar with the opening slot,” he said. Asked about the lack of form of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, Rahane said Shikhar was actually batting well. “In ODIs, sometimes even a good shot can get you out. I thought the shot that he got out to wasn't a bad one. He played it well and it came from the middle of the bat. Unfortunately, it went straight into the hands of the fielder.”

“As for Virat, there is nothing wrong with him. He is a fine player and he is actually looking good while he is out there batting. It's tough on him that he is getting out cheaply despite batting well.” — PTI

Mumbai, August 31
Jaipur Pink Panthers proved too strong for U Mumba, producing a clinical performance in the final to win the inaugural Pro-Kabaddi League at the NSCI Stadium here tonight.

The Abhishek Bachchan-owned Panthers scored a 35-24 victory in an action-packed summit clash in front of a full house with a number of celebrities in attendance.

Maninder Singh started off well for the Panthers and secured seven points followed by Rajesh Narwal (5).

For U Mumba, the points tally in raiding was expectedly led by captain Anup Kumar (11) but what swung the game the Panthers way was superior defending through which they secured 13 points as compared to their rivals’ 4.

Things went neck and neck in the initial stage, the highlight being U Mumba captain Anup Kumar taking three rivals out to help his side take a 4-2 lead before the Panthers caught up and then took a two-point lead (8-6).

From then on the Panthers were ahead of their rivals and then got a lona (a bonus of two points for packing off the entire rival squad) to lead 13-7. They kept up this slight advantage till half time though Mumba reduced the gap to four points at the end of the 20th minute of the game (18-14).

Raider Jasvir Singh got four points for the Panthers from a single raid with 10 minutes left. He got a touch on the last two Mumba players to pack the rivals off for a second lona and two additional points.

Stout defending, especially from Prashant Chavan, also saw the Jaipur franchise pack off Anup Kumar on a few occasions to further push U Mumba, who were handicapped by the knee injury to key raider Shabbir Bapu Sharfuddin, behind.

Patna beat Bengaluru Bulls to finish third

Earlier, in the hardline match for third place, Patna Pirates easily overcame Bengaluru Bulls 29-22 in a defence-dominated game.

The Pirates, though handicapped by the absence of their star player and captain Rakesh Kumar, defended stoutly to keep their rivals at bay, especially in the first half, to win the third place in the eight-team tournament. Ravi Dalal (4) and Sandip Narwal (3) were the leading raiders for the winners. — PTI

New Delhi, August 31
Vancouver Lions held their nerve in an intense battle to beat United Singhs by a single point, 53-52, in the World Kabaddi League here today. At the close of the first quarter, United managed to take a slim lead, 14-13, with the help of some dour defending.

The second quarter also belonged to the Singhs as they opened up a four-point lead, winning the quarter 15-11. Overall, they led 29-24.

However, the match began to change in the third quarter with the Lions' mighty raider Gagandeep Singh Sabrawa leading the charge. Lions won the quarter 16-10.

The contest heated up further in the fourth quarter with the Singhs catching up with the Lions at 42 all. Going neck and neck thereafter, Lions eventually finished with a point more to win the thriller.

Gagandeep Singh Sabrawa was announced ‘Man of the Match' for 18 successful raids. "We are really happy after winning this match. The fight was really tough as the other side had a very strong line-up. This victory will boost our confidence for the upcoming matches," said Sabrawa. Sandeep Singh Sandhu of United Singhs was declared 'Stopper of the Match' for six stops.

The much-needed victory for the Vancouver Lions has helped the team jump to seventh spot from the last position. United Singhs, who were at the fourth spot in the points table, has slipped down to fifth place.

While Vancouver Lions will next meet Khalsa Warriors, United Singhs will meet California Eagles in Ludhiana on September 6. — PTI

Copenhagen, August 31
China's Chen Long and Spain's Carolina Marin surprised their opponents in their respective finals to clinch the men's and women's singles titles of the World Badminton Championships on Sunday. The jinx continued for World No.1 Lee Chong Wei at the sport's most prestigious event as the Malaysian top seed faltered against Chinese second seed Chen 19-21, 19-21 in the final that lasted an hour and nine minutes.

The two-time Olympic silver medallist trailed the second seeded Chen for most of the match. Tentative from the start and unlike his usual bustling, attacking self, Lee found himself parrying Chen's ferocious attacks at critical moments.

A final kill at the net gave Chen his first World Championship gold medal while his top seeded opponent had to once again settle for the silver for the third time in a row. Lee had also lost the 2011 and 2013 finals to Chen's compatriot, the legendary Lin Dan while 2012 had no World meet because of the Olympics.

Earlier in the day, World No.10 Carolina stunned reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China to become the first European in 15 years to clinch the women's singles crown. The ninth seed drubbed World No.1 Li Xuerui 17-21, 21-17, 21-18 in an hour and 18 minutes to notch her first victory over the top seed in four meetings.

Danish great Camilla Martin was the last European to win the World Championships in 1999 which were also held here. Li Xuerui failed to clinch the coveted title for the second year in a row after losing in last year's final as well to Thai Ratchanok Intanon. — Agencies

New York, August 31
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams advanced safely to the next round of the U.S. Open on Saturday but the women’s draw saw yet another big upset as Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova was sent packing by a 145th-ranked qualifier.

Third-seed Kvitova fell victim to 21-year-old Serbian Aleksandra Krunic, leaving only three of the top eight women's seeds still in the tournament. Simona Halep (2nd), Agnieszka Radwanska (4th), Angelique Kerber (6th) and Ana Ivanovic (8th) have already been shown the door. While the women's draw has been ravaged by upsets, the top men are still in the hunt, with number three Stan Wawrinka, number five Milos Raonic, eighth seed Andy Murray and number nine Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all moving on.

The shock of the day was delivered by the little-known Krunic, who stung the unsteady Kvitova 6-4 6-4. The diminutive Serbian was a blur as she sprinted and slid into splits while stretching for returns. “It was an honour for me to be on the same court as Petra, who is a great champion,” said Krunic. “Of course, I didn't expect to win. Of course, I hoped to. I'm very happy.” Twice Australian Open winner Azarenka secured her spot in the last 16 with a 6-1 6-1 win over Russian Elena Vesnina.

Eugenie Bouchard, a semi-finalist in the previous three slams, including a runner-up finish at Wimbledon, had to fight to keep from joining the list of upsets, the seventh-seeded Canadian holding her nerve to earn a 6-2 7-6(2) 6-4 win over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

New York, August 31
Sania Mirza fought through a gruelling schedule to enter the last 16 of women's doubles and quarterfinals of mixed doubles by winning both her respective second-round matches on an all-win day for Indians.

Sania first teamed up Cara Black in women’s doubles to beat the Caroline Garcia and Monica Niculescu 6-1, 6-2.

In the evening session, Sania was back on the court pairing up with Bruno Soares in the mixed doubles second round. The top-billed combination sailed past Casey Dellacqua and Jamie Murray 6-2, 7-6 (8). Leander Paes and Cara Black also advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals. The third seeds edged past Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-1, 4-6, 10-4.

Harare, August 31
Captain Elton Chigumbura hit a fluent half-century as Zimbabwe secured a shock three-wicket win over Australia in the triangular series on Sunday.

After Australia elected to bat, the tourists were restricted to 209 for nine in their 50 overs, a target Zimbabwe chased down with two overs to spare. With number 9 Prosper Utseya (30 not out), he added 55 in an unbeaten eighth wicket partnership to take Zimbabwe to a famous win.

Brief scores: Australia 209/9 in 50 overs (Clarke 68 no) v Zimbabwe 211/7 in 48 overs (Chigumbura 52 no; Lyon 4-44). — Agencies 

London, August 31
Liverpool produced an irresistible performance to dismantle a toothless Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 and Arsenal were held 1-1 by Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Mario Balotelli made amends for his wasteful finishing on his Liverpool debut with his impressive all round performance. Reuters

Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard and Alberto Moreno were on target as Liverpool bounced back from defeat by champions Manchester City with a classy performance at White Hart Lane that ended Tottenham’s perfect start to the season.

Arsenal missed the chance to move up to third in the table after they were frustrated by a dogged performance from promoted Leicester.

Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring with his first Premier League goal but Arsenal were pegged back within two minutes by Leicester’s record signing Leonardo Ulloa.

Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann scored as third-placed Aston Villa maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 2-1 win over Hull City at home.

Liverpool handed a debut to enigmatic striker Mario Balotelli who made amends for his wasteful finishing with an impressive and hard-working contribution. Balotelli nearly enjoyed a dream start inside three minutes but his powerful close-range header was parried by Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Liverpool moved up to fifth in the table, level with Tottenham on six points. — Reuters

Barcelona, August 31
Substitute Sandro Ramirez slotted home eight minutes from time to continue Luis Enrique's winning start at Barcelona with a 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal on Sunday.

Barca had been frustrated by a Villarreal side who defended well but the introduction of fit-again forward Neymar for the final half hour gave them an extra attacking edge. It was Lionel Messi, though, who opened up the Villarreal rearguard with a cross along the goalline that was turned in by Ramirez to lift Barca to six points from two games. — Reuters

Barcelona, August 31
Joao Miranda and new signing Mario Mandzukic led Atletico Madrid to a 2-1 home win in La Liga on Saturday as visitors Eibar were unable to cope with the aerial threat of the champions.

Atletico, who sold several top players in the close season including striker Diego Costa and defender Filipe Luis to Chelsea, took the lead when the unmarked Miranda nodded the ball in at the near post after 12 minutes.

Midway through the first half Croatian Mandzukic, bought from Bayern Munich in the close season, made it 2-0 when he headed a Gabi Fernandez free kick into the corner of the net from 12 metres.

Eibar, in their debut season in the top flight, refused to fold and responded in the 33rd minute with a fine curling shot by Abraham Minero from 20 metres that nestled in the top corner.

They pressed Atletico in the second half but the home side hung on for the victory.

Atletico, who have four points from two games this season, were presented with the league trophy ahead of the game. "We started very well but were then unable to control the game," coach Diego Simeone said.

"The anxiety to pick up the points affected us. We have to improve and work. Still it was a win which is positive.” — Reuters

Berlin, August 31
Last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski scored his first competitive goal for new club Bayern Munich but the champions had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Schalke 04 on Saturday.

Despite having new signing Xabi Alonso in the Bayern team 24 hours after he joined on a two-year deal from Real Madrid, they looked far from their best as Schalke got their first point to snap a two-game losing run with a gutsy second-half performance.

Lewandowski opened his account when he flicked in a pass from Sebastian Rode in the 10th minute. “I think those first 20-25 minutes were outstanding,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. “After that we started losing possession and that turned out to be the problem.”

The visitors, despite missing half a dozen players through injury, overran their opponents in the first half with Alonso, who had more touches than any other Bayern player, confidently dictating their game from the back.

However, Bayern took their foot off the gas in the second half, with Schalke pressing higher and earning a deserved equaliser through captain Benedikt Hoewedes. — Reuters

Kolkata, August 31
Ranti Martins struck a double to help East Bengal prevail over arch rivals Mohun Bagan 3-1 in the season's first derby here today.

The Nigerian, who switched from United SC, gave East Bengal lead in the 13th minute from a controversial penalty before scoring another in the 50th minute in front of 70,000 spectators in the high profile Calcutta Football League Premier Division clash.

For a team that was mired in controversy following its top official Neetu Sarkar's arrest in a chitfund scam, East Bengal coach Armando Colaco said it was a big morale booster.

"There was a lot of criticism on and off the field but I had faith, I am happy. Great feeling as it came from a derby against Mohun Bagan. It's just the beginning," Colaco said.

Ranti had a brilliant chance to complete a hat-trick, but missed a sitter in front of an open goal in the 75th minute.

Mohun Bagan had a jittery start and referee Pranjal Banerjee awarded a penalty to East Bengal after Cavin Lobo jumped over Fatai Adisa before falling down. Ranti cooly converted the spot kick.

Mohun Bagan were quick to bounce back with CS Sabeeth scoring the 21st minute equaliser.

Mohun Bagan showed the intent with Japanese recruit Katsumi Yusa's brilliance from the left flank, but poor finishing cost them badly as their arch rivals snatched the lead through Abranches' freekick just before the break. — PTI

BRIEFLY

I'm very enthusiastic about ISL adventure: Del Piero
New Delhi: Italy's renowned World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero has called the Indian Super League football tournament an "adventure" and said he was "enthusiastic" about embarking on this new journey. "I'm very enthusiastic about this adventure. It fits perfectly with the way I chose to move forward since I left Juve," the 39-year-old Del Piero wrote on his twitter handle. The Juventus legend who has won almost every tournament he has played in for club and country, has many achievements to his name in a career spanning over two decades. The highlight of his career was winning the World Cup in 2006, when he scored in the semifinal and final. Del Piero will playing for Delhi Dynamos FC as its marquee player in the franchise-based ISL tournament. Del Piero said: “It's really exciting to be coming to India and playing for the capital of the country. I am thoroughly looking forward to training with my teammates and work together with the coach and the club and I hope to encourage the people of Delhi to follow our games.”

Chowrasia tied eighth after three rounds at Italian Open
Torino: Playing flawless golf, SSP Chowrasia brought in a six-under 66 to go up from tied 44th to tied eighth at the end of the third round of the 71st Italian Open. Chowrasia, who won two co-sanctioned titles on European and Asian Tours, moved to nine-under 207 for 54 holes. Shiv Kapur (68) also moved to tied 33rd at six-under 210. Chowrasia had three birdies on either side of the course and no bogeys. So far he has had 14 birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. Meanwhile, Hennie Otto of South Africa pulled two strokes ahead after three rounds. Otto posted a one under 71 to move to 16-under and into a two-shot lead over Scotland's Richie Ramsay in second spot.

IOA ad-hoc committee calls meeting, BI fumes
New Delhi: The administrative mess in Indian boxing is showing no signs of ending as of now but the Indian Olympic Association's ad-hoc committee, in-charge of the sport right now, has called a meeting of the state associations to finalise the dates of the National Championship. But the meeting, set for September 4, has raised the heckles of Boxing India, the body provisionally recognised by the AIBA to conduct the long-pending elections for the national federation. The elections for constituting a new federation are scheduled for September 11, nominations for which would be concluded by September 6. However, Boxing India is not convinced with one source saying that the meeting was an attempt to sabotage the elections.

Indian men face SL, eves play Thailand in Asiad
New Delhi: Indian men will face Sri Lanka in their tournament opener while the eves will be up against Thailand in their first match of the hockey competition at the Asian Games. The team will open the campaign against the island nation on Sept. 21 while the eves will play their first match the next day on Sept. 22. In the men's competition, India are placed in Pool B along side arch rivals Pakistan, Oman, China and Sri Lanka. After Sri Lanka, the Indian men's team will face Oman on September 23 followed by clash against Pakistan on Sept. 25 and China on Sept. 27. The women's will have face China in their second game on Sept. 24.

Ishant not interested in playing county cricket
New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara will be playing for Derbyshire this season while Varun Aaron is also keen on plying his trade in the county circuit. Ishant Sharma, however, is not at all keen on playing in England. Would you be interested in playing county cricket? “No, I am not interested,” was a curt reply from the lanky pacer during a promotional event in New Delhi.

Super League: CRPF, RCF play out a 2-2 draw
Jalandhar: Archrivals RCF, Kapurthala, and CRPF played out a 2-2 draw in the league match of the Punjab Super Football League here on Sunday. CRPF raced ahead twice in the game but the Kapurthala boys came back both times to finish the match on an even keel. — Agencies