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davis cup
Sania has a change of heart, will play in Asiad
Don’t blame chuckers, wives or young players, says Dravid
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Ashwini to pair with Sindhu
‘Oscar is angry, insecure man’
Unhygienic conditions draw minister’s attention
IPL teams hold edge as MI start CLT20 qualifiers
Icy rift: Serena posts sister’s toddler image on Instagram
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Not a good Friday for India
Visitors Serbia take a handy 2-0 lead as both Somdev and Bhambri lose their singles tie
Bangalore, september 12
Serbia, who are here without their top stars, dominated the proceedings to take the driver's seat as they exposed the weakness of the Indian players at this level. India scheduled the tie for this high-altitude venue to gain an advantage, but it was the Serbian players who called the shots. Yuki Bhambri lost 3-6, 2-6, 5-7 to Serbian No. 1 Dusan Lajovic in the opening singles, which lasted two hours and four minutes. The onus to bring India back into the tie fell on Somdev. Despite being his usual fighting self, he could not prevent the Serbians consolidating the lead as he lost the second singles 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 after battling for two hours and 23 minutes against Filip Krajinovic, ranked 37 places above him at 107. Somdev could never execute his baseline defence as Krajinovic paced the match well with quick points. Serving well was the key to his success as he opened the court with ease for winners. Somdev, who likes to pin the opponent on the baseline, could not play to his strength as he kept firing short and the Serbian dismissed those without any fuss. Krajinovic stood out with his forehand, set up by his serve, and well-calculated drop shots. He closed the match in tremendous fashion, firing an ace. Now, if India are to stay in the hunt, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna must win tomorrow's doubles against Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac. Inconsistent Yuki In the first match, Yuki, who missed a good part of the season due to a heel injury, could play well only in patches as the world No. 61 Lajovic cruised to victory. Not having enough matches under his belt, it was an arduous task for Yuki to down a player who has been in tremendous form this season. Yuki struggled to rein in his unforced errors. He was not able to finish the points after setting them up. A staggering 59 unforced errors and failure to convert seven of the nine break chances told the story of the match. Even as the two players struggled with their first serves, it was Yuki who shocked the Serbian by getting the first break in the third game. Yuki's strategy was clear — keep the points short. He approached the net for that and set up two points in that game using the strategy. Yuki converted the chance when Lajovic failed to tackle a brilliant backhand return from him, sending a forehand ball long. The smiles from the faces of the Indian team and that of 2500-strong crowd evaporated soon as Yuki lost his serve at love in the next game, failing to contain his errors. As Yuki struggled to keep the ball in on crucial points, the set gradually slipped away from him. The second set was a disaster for India as Yuki's game crumbled. Lajovic had settled by now and two back-to-back breaks helped him swiftly grab the second set. Yuki raised hopes of a fightback when he led 4-1 in the third set but unforced errors returned to haunt him. He dropped serve in the seventh game and that little opening was enough for Lajovic to claw his way back and close out the match. — PTI Sad Somdev pins hopes on doubles A despondent Somdev Devvarman, after his four-set loss to Filip Krajinovic, said India face an uphill task to get back into the tie. “It is going to be extremely tough, especially after being down 0-2 against a very strong nation. There is no question about that. The doubles may be 50-50, but we have two really good players in (Leander) Paes and (Rohan) Bopanna and we really have a chance. “Hopefully, the boys come out really fired up tomorrow and play some good tennis and get us on board. Then I will have another chance in the reverse singles,” said Somdev. On his game against Krajinovic, the 30-year old Somdev said his serve let him down. “Bad serving made the life tough for me. We have played well before in the altitude. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.”
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Sania has a change of heart, will play in Asiad
Bangalore, September 12 Sania's decision means that she has put 900 ranking points on the line, which she had to defend on the tour during the period of the Asian Games, starting from September 19. Sania will miss the Wuhan WTA event, but will play in Tokyo, where she is the defending champion. “I was feeling weird, I was not feeling happy with my decision. So I thought I will play. I know I am sacrificing 900 points, but sometimes you have to take a decision,” said Sania. After the Games, Sania will compete in the China Open, starting September 29. Sania and Cara Black are fourth in the Race to Singapore, the year-end championship, but the Indian hoped that she would be able to earn enough points in Tokyo and Beijing to remain in top-8. Asked if there was any pressure on her, the US Open mixed doubles champion replied in the negative. “No there was nothing like that. I hope we come back with a medal, I know the chances are less in both mixed and women's doubles but I will give it my best shot,” the 27-year-old said. Asked if the Indian team's participation was in jeopardy in the wake of mass pullouts of top players, AITA president Anil Khanna said there was no pressure on them from the government. “I can only say that government did not say anything to us. Yes, she is playing, it's a good news,” Khanna said. A few days ago, leading male player Leander Paes had said: “This is my bread and butter and at the end of the day my ranking has dropped to 35 in the world. Hence I have to get some job security for next year. I have to play a long fall season, through Kuala Lumpur as well as Tokyo, these two tournaments are the exact dates in the nine-day span of the events in Asian Games.” — PTI
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Don’t blame chuckers, wives or young players, says Dravid
Mumbai, September 12
Over the last 12 months, there have been several cases in which the International Cricket Council has acted in its efforts to curb chucking in cricket. Significantly, the most high-profile of these cases have involved off-spinners, like Saeed Ajmal, Sachithra Senanayake, Shane Shillingford and Kane Williamson, all of whom were banned or suspended. Other off-spinners like Sohag Gazi and Prosper Utseya were reported for suspect actions. “The ICC has a rule in place. When they reviewed a lot of old footage they found a lot of former cricketers were doing it too,” said Dravid. “Glenn McGrath also had a bend but let me make it clear, McGrath wasn’t chucking. What I am glad about is that they are strict about this. They also have kept it consistent.” Asked if he would like to coach the Indian national team in the future, Dravid said: “I think there’s a time and place for everything. I’ve enjoyed being in media and mentoring Rajasthan Royals. But yeah, in future I would love to be a coach of an Indian team, or even the Rajasthan Royals team.” Dravid was of the view that wives and girlfriends of the players should be allowed to tour with them, and that they should not be blamed if the team doesn’t do well — as happened recently in England. “I think wives, girlfriends should be allowed to travel with the players. Wives, girlfriends, any gender (laughing) should be allowed,” he said. “You can’t start blaming the wives and girlfriends for a poor performance. In fact, if you don’t allow them, then that would be a bigger problem.” Dravid also said that One-day International cricket is going to face a struggle for relevance and survival. “I think ODI cricket without a context will struggle,” he said. “All other ODI cricket should be geared towards preparing for the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. People can play lesser ODI cricket and focus more.” Cheteshwar Pujara recently played his first match in the English county circuit this season, after being signed up by Derbyshire. Pujara playing in the county circuit is seen as an encouraging sign, for a stint there might help him hone his technique for the tricky English conditions, from the point of view of performing better in Tests there. Dravid said he was sure that the younger players care for Test cricket, too. “Guys like Rahane, Kohli and Pujara don’t ask me questions about T20,” he said. “But they keep asking me about Test cricket. I think they care a lot about it. They are always willing to talk about it. But their touch with history is not as good as it should be. They live in the age of the internet. They are willing to watch a Youtube clip about Gavaskar batting but they won’t go deep to research about it.” — TNS
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Ashwini to pair with Sindhu
New Delhi, September 12 “Jwala's pullout is a big blow for the team. It has affected our medal chances in the team event. Ashwini will combine with Sindhu,” Kumar told The Tribune. Wouldn't that put a lot of pressure on Sindhu? “One has to take tough decisions when it comes to winning a medal for the country,” said Kumar. Saina Nehwal and Sindhu may be forced to play the second doubles in the team event just like they did in the Uber Cup earlier this year. But who will Ashwini partner with in the individual event? “That hasn't been decided yet. I have to work it out with (Pullela) Gopichand,” Kumar said.
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‘Oscar is angry, insecure man’
London, September 12 Ahead of the verdict in the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in which Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide, Taylor said it could have been her, the Mirror reported. Taylor said that she was left with bruises and scars after the Blade Runner bit and pinched her, apart from torturing her mentally during their 18-month relationship. Taylor said Pistorius used to lock her in his house and then go out, leaving her with no food. “He often went out saying he would just be an hour or so but ended up out all day or night,” said Taylor, recalling how he once left her paralyzed with fear when he used his beloved Porsche as a weapon, driving her at up to 200 miles-per-hour to punish her. Pistorius shot Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013. And since that moment, Taylor has had nightmares. She said what happened to Steenkamp could so easily have happened to her. Speaking of one ordeal, Taylor said that Pistorius gets so mad, so angry that he could not even speak. The woman said that he used to bite her a lot, pinch her in anger, in fun. One night, she said, things got so bad that she thought he was going to shoot her at his home in Pretoria with the gun he would later turn on Steenkamp. “Pistorius would vanish for nights of boozing, partying and chatting up impressionable women. But when we were apart for longer periods, like when he had athletics events abroad, his jealousy erupted,” said Taylor. “Pistorius is a very insecure man, he would call at all hours and I was scared of him. He was so possessive, he would look through my phone and find a photo from long ago or look at my Facebook account, and often get quite angry.” — ANI
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Unhygienic conditions draw minister’s attention
Chandigarh, September 12 He has also asked the officials to prepare a detailed report of other facilities and submit it at the earliest. After media reports of inappropriate food quality and unhygienic catering at national training camp at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex here, the minister had set up a high level committee to look into the matter. The panel was asked to prepare a detailed report of the conditions prevailing on the ground and submit their observations and suggestions within 24 hours. Senior officials of the Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) led by Joint Secretary (Sports) have been given the responsibility. “All the members of the committee visited the Indira Gandhi Complex and checked the kitchen, the storage, the waste disposal and washing area to make note of the shortcomings. The committee members discussed the matter with athletes, coaches, nutritionists and the contractor who runs the Mess,” the Ministry said in a release. “However, considering the hygiene and the food to be satisfactory, the inspecting committee members have listed some suggestions to improve the present condition and ensure that better hygiene prevails in the kitchen and food quality is improved,” it said. “Our utmost priority is to ensure that our athletes are in the best of their health. There will be no compromise on their food and healthcare. It is our duty to provide the athletes best of the facilities and support them in their relentless effort and hard work. All suggestions made by the inspection committee are being discussed and required measures will be implemented at the earliest,” Sonowal said in the release. The committee has given wide-ranging suggestions: Food vendors to strictly follow Diet Chart prescribed by SAI nutritionist; entire hostel premises to be dis-infected by a pest control service provider on quarterly basis; camps as well as the hostel/mess facilities, including proper upkeep and hygiene, should be inspected by the senior officials once in a week; improvement in hygiene in the storage area, more racks to be provided and refrigerators to be inspected on weekly basis. It was also suggested that separate and enhanced space is to be designated for washing of utensils. Officials should be asked to keep a routine watch and prepare reports on daily basis about availability of food; Any delay in payment to the vendors or contractors which can stall the supply of ingredients should be immediately reported and action to be taken; though bottled mineral water is provided, the committee suggested regular maintenance of the water coolers is a must.
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IPL teams hold edge as MI start CLT20 qualifiers
Raipur, September 12
While the tournament proper starts on September 17 with perennial favourites Chennai Super Kings pitted against reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders, the start of qualifying rounds will feature defending CLT20 champions Mumbai Indians taking on Lahore Lions team led by former national T20 captain Mohammed Hafeez. While three IPL franchises KKR, CSK and Kings XI Punjab have directly qualified for the main rounds along with five other sides, Mumbai Indians, by virtue of finishing fourth in IPL-7 will have to slug it out with the Lions (Pakistan), Northern Districts (New Zealand), Southern Express (Sri Lanka) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium. Out of the four qualifying teams, the top two will earn a berth in the main round, which will comprise of 10 teams divided into two groups. With the tournament being played in India (other venues are Mohali, Hyderabad and Bangalore), it is a foregone conclusion that the four home franchises have the best chance of winning the coveted title. While CSK will be aiming to shrug off the disappointment of not reaching the IPL final with a solid show, Gautam Gambhir would be aiming for a ‘double’ in the same calender —winning both IPL and CLT20. — Agencies Qualifiers schedule (Raipur) n 13 September: Qualifier 1: Northern Knights vs Southern Express (4pm); Qualifier 2: Mumbai Indians vs Lahore Lions (8pm) n 14 September: Qualifier 3: Northern Knights vs Lahore Lions (4pm); Qualifier 4: Mumbai Indians vs Southern Express (8pm) n 16 September: Qualifier 5: Southern Express vs Lahore Lions (4pm); Qualifier 6: Mumbai Indians vs Northern Knights (8pm)
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Icy rift: Serena posts sister’s toddler image on Instagram
New York, September 12 The world No.1 posted a picture on Instagram showing the image of the two tennis star sisters as toddlers and captioned it ‘Guess Who?’ She also posted that it was she herself and Venus together since before she could walk, adding ‘Love my sis’ to her post, New York Post reported. Insiders have been whispering that the siblings are not in a good place in their relationship because of Serena’s active social life, and they’ve noted that the customarily close pair had’t been seen together at recent events or been popping up in each other's online feeds. Reps for the sisters strongly denied any beef between them. Serena has been in New York since the Open to present her clothing line for HSN on Wednesday for Fashion Week. Venus left town after being knocked out of the US Open to play in the Quebec City WTA Open and missed her sister's presentation. — Agencies
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Test reveals Ajmal’s elbow extension beyond 40 degrees Prannoy reaches semis in Indonesian Masters Bhullar shoots even par; Jeev, Kapur in trouble RFI announces rowing team for Asian Games Messi, Neymar fit for Barca's game against Bilbao Materazzi joins Chennai in Indian Super League
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In a significant development, Sania Mirza has agreed to play in the upcoming Asian Games, two days after the All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced that it would allow top players to miss the Incheon event, keeping in mind their requirements on the professional circuit.
Sania's decision means that she has put 900 ranking points on the line, which she had to defend on the tour during the period of the Asian Games, starting from September 19.
A former girlfriend of Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius has talked about how the athlete terrorised her during her relationship with him. Samantha Taylor said that she feared Pistorius would kill her and revealed that she once hid his gun after he flew into a rage at her.
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday promised better services to the Incheon-boundsportspersons and asked his officials to keep a tab on the food being served to the country’s top athletes.
He has also asked the officials to prepare a detailed report of other facilities and submit it at the earliest.
After media reports of inappropriate food quality and unhygienic catering at national training camp at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex here, the minister had set up a high level committee to look into the matter.
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