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‘Want grant, play for the country’ warm-up game
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duleep trophy final
Advani a win away from another title
Lee to fly to Norway for doping test?
paris masters
Pune gear up to take on Kerala Blasters
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‘Want grant, play for the country’ New Delhi, October 29 It may be recalled that top tennis players, namely Somdev Devvarman, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna, had pulled out from the Asian Games squad at the eleventh hour, citing the loss of ranking points on the ATP circuit. While the missive did not name any players, it's pretty clear what spurred the Ministry into taking the hard line. "It was noticed while finalising the Indian contingent for the Asian Games that senior and rank-holding sportspersons of some disciplines decided to pull out, preferring to play in prize money tournaments instead of participating in the Asian Games, giving the impression that they do not take these competitions seriously. Multi-sports events are held once in four years and the nation takes pride in the number of medals won in these prestigious sports events," the release said. "It is again made clear to all recognised NSFs that individual players will be able to avail grants given to them by the Ministry only if they undertake to play in the Indian team when called upon to do so without reservations," the release added. Interestingly, the diktat on funding has come at a time when the Sports Ministry is threatening to de-recognise the AITA for not following the government Sports Code as far as their elections are concerned. The Ministry has also demanded AITA president Anil Khanna step down from his post as he has violated the Sports Code by ignoring a cooling-off period of four years between being elected president and serving as secretary general. It has also been learnt that since the 2012 London Olympics, India's tennis players have not received any government funding at all, and that was also one of the reasons for their pullouts. Hours after the government's notification, the AITA jumped to the defence of its top players and blamed the Ministry for questioning their commitment to the nation. "The three players represented India in the Davis Cup a week before the Asian Games and India lost a close tie to world champions Serbia. This shows their commitment to the nation," said AITA secretary general Bharat Oza. "It has to be understood that it is essential for the players to have good ranking as otherwise they would not be able to represent the nation in Grand Slams, Davis Cup at appropriate ranking and Olympic Games," the statement added. the pullout: WHat did the tennis stars say? Got to get some job secutity: Paes This (tennis) 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. Have to defend Tokyo title: Bops We always look forward to Asian Games. It’s been a tough year for me. Last year, I won in Tokyo, so I have to defend there. It was tough decision to pullout of the Games. It had nothing to do with representing the country or not. Whenever we have been called, we have represented the flag. It is just unfortunate.
It didn't make sense for my professional career to play in Incheon. I have had a tough year dealing with a few injuries unfortunately. My ranking has dropped but I am starting to feel good finally. Breaking into the top 100 is hard enough and by playing a three-week tournament mid season definitely doesn't make sense if my goal is to break back into the top 100. It's only people who don't know and have never been through the grind that will question me.
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warm-up game
Mumbai, October 29 The tour game also provides Rohit Sharma, recovering from a fractured finger and shoulder injury, an opportunity prove his fitness and get back into the side for the last two games of the five-match series. In the opening slot, Mahrashtra's Kedar Jadhav, a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, can establish himself as a back-up option with the World Cup only a few months away. Delhi's Unmukt Chand too would be keen to continue his good showing against the visiting teams after having scored an unbeaten 79 and 101 against West Indies in the two warm-up matches played earlier this month. Among all-rounders, Karnataka's Stuart Binny and Jammu and Kashmir's Parvez Rasool will strive to get a look in the limited-over side. The other players looking forward to this game would be Karnataka's Manish Pandey and UP's chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav who earned the maiden call-up against West Indies in the T20 and ODIs. For Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, included in the ODI team in place of injured Mohammed Shami, it is a god-sent opportunity to make an impression with the new ball as well as the old. Challenge for Lanka
The visitors, too, have a few things to look forward to in their lone warm-up game before the series at Cuttack from November 2. Sri Lanka haven't had enough time to prepare for the series after being asked to play at short notice and are missing some key players, including sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga. In the absence of some of the regular players, this series would Lanka to test their bench strength ahead of the World Cup next year.
— PTI Bumrah doubtful
A knee injury sustained recently while playing for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy tournament could prevent young Gujarat medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah from taking the field tomorrow for India A in their tour game against the visiting Sri Lankans here. “There is a minor concern about Bumrah. He is going for an MRI for a knee sprain. He bowled off a shorter run up today,” said team's coach Sanjay
Bangar. |
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Bist keeps Central from falling apart
Sabi Hussain Tribune News Service
Bist brought the calmness his side needed as the Rajasthan batsman stitched two crucial partnerships with Faiz Fazal and Ashok Menaria to provide a semblance of respectability to Central's score on Day One. He turned out to be the lone bright spot for Central with a gritty 79 on Day One as the South Zone bowlers restricted them to 237 for seven in 87 overs at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium. Bist decorated his 153-ball innings with 12 fours and one six, which lasted three and half hours. His 65-run second-wicket stand with opener Fazal and 68-run partnership with former India Under-19 skipper Menaria took Central to a relatively safer position even as other batsmen frittered away their starts. Despite a thick green coating, the Kotla wicket lacked pace, making it difficult for the batsmen to handle the pace trio Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and HS Sharath, who got the ball to move both ways. The openers survived a testing spell in which only 18 runs were scored in the first hour of play. Vinay got lucky when Jalaj Saxena was wrongly given out caught behind for 2 in the 17th over by umpire Anil Chaudhary. Bist joined Fazal and both scored judiciously to deny South any further opening. Their plan worked till the 38th over, but the introduction of off-spinner Baba Aparajith spelt trouble for Central. The Tamil Nadu tweaker dismissed the well-set Fazal and Naman Ojha, who came into the game on the back of four successive first-class centuries, in the space of five deliveries. While Fazal was dismissed for 49, caught by Hanuma Vihari at backward point, Ojha's attempt to clear the in-field resulted in a simple catch to Vinay at mid-off. Central slipped from a comfortable 90 for one to 94 for three in the middle session. Menaria (37), however, took the attack back to the bowlers, smashing seven boundaries in his knock. His stay, however, was cut short by Vihari's part-time off-spin. Four balls later, Railways skipper Mahesh Rawat was sent back by Shreyas Gopal for a duck. Bist, who had done the hard work, got out to a poor shot he will regret for some time. He misjudged the short ball from Pragyan Ojha on the leg side which ballooned straight to Mithun at midwicket. Bist took the long walk back to the pavilion with Central's score reading 189 for 6. Arindam Ghosh (32 batting) helped take the team past the 200-run mark along with skipper Piyush Chawla, who got out minutes before the close of play. Later, speaking to the media, Bist expressed his disappointment over missing out on a well-deserved ton. “I am very disappointed. I wanted to stay till the end and complete my century, but I got out at a wrong time,” he said. Brief scores: Central Zone 1st Innings: 237/7 (Bist 79, Fazal 49, Ghosh 32no; Aparajith 2/26).
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Advani a win away from another title
Leeds, October 29 Eyeing another grand double (points and time format in the same year) after clinching the 150-up short format title last week, Advani led Causier by a comfortable 400 points margin at one stage only to pip last year's runner-up 1180-1175. With Advani making it to the final it could have been an all-Bangalore title clash, but Balachandra Bhaskar went down to another Englishman, Robert Hall 978-824. Hall was far too consistent for Bhaskar, who had stunned defending champion Peter Gilchrist in the previous round. But in the match of the tournament so far, Advani opened the proceedings with a 94 break due to a loss of position while crossing the baulkline. Causier responded with an 83 and from there the high quality last-four match between two world champions saw a wide range of breaks. It was Advani who ran away with the lead in the first half of the four-hour semifinal with breaks of 304, 103 and 114. The big-scoring Englishman then took charge and fired in breaks of 91, 170 and 188 to take a slender three-point lead with only seconds to go on the clock. The Indian rushed to the table and added a timely 10 points but missed. With a seven-point deficit, Causier started his fightback with a cannon (2 points) and was on his way to regain the lead before the timer went off. Advani, on winning the match narrowly, said, “I just cannot believe how close it got! I had no business relinquishing the lead I enjoyed in the first half but that's the magnitude of David's talent. He is a remarkable billiards player and a thorough gentleman. He congratulated me and wished me luck for the finals. A true sportsman.”
— PTI |
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Hat-trick of titles for Harinder, double for Dipika
Chennai, October 29 Both Dipika and Harinder effectively snuffed their opponents out with some tight play. Having had a good outing in the semi-final, Dipika was in the right frame of mind from the first point. Keeping the returns long and ensuring Misaki does not get any leeway to make gains, Dipika reeled away points to get into a strong position. Misaki too did not help her own cause with repeated unforced errors, mostly trying to find the area above the tin with a drive or boast. The Japanese however worked up a good fight in the third game and for the first time earned a handy lead too. But Dipika was not one to lose pace. She used the angle shots to good effect and variations in returns also helped her ensure Misaki did not run away with a big lead. As the game reached the business end, Dipika forged ahead and there was no stopping her from there. “As a junior I had lost to her. She is not an easy opponent. I ensured she did not design any comeback,” said Dipika. Harinder too sounded ecstatic after his impressive win against the top-seed. “It feels great to be playing at my best. It all started with the gold medal performance in the Asian Games and I am hoping to continue like this. Hopefully these three title wins should help me jump in my ranking this year. I am thankful to all my coaches in ISA for this wonderful run in form,” said Harinder.
— PTI |
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Lee to fly to Norway for doping test?
Kuala Lumpur, October 29 Malaysian sports officials have confirmed that one of the nation's shuttlers failed a recent doping test but have declined to identify the athlete pending the test next week on a second urine sample. But Malaysian media have widely reported that Lee -- the country's top sporting star -- was found to have traces of the banned anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone in his system during the world championships in Denmark in late August. The state-linked New Straits Times said Lee has made plans to fly to Norway with a top Malaysian sports official for tests at an Oslo laboratory on a second sample provided during the tournament. Malaysian authorities were informed of the failed test on October 1 and have said they are investigating whether the drug was inadvertently taken as part of medical treatment. Lee, 32, has struggled with a thigh injury, for which he received stem cell injections in July. — Agencies |
Djokovic breezes through, Andy step closer to London
Paris, October 29 The Scot needs to reach the last eight at Bercy to book his ticket to the finals in London. Eighth seed Murray, in his sixth consecutive week on the tour, has won titles in Valencia, Vienna and Shenzhen and he appeared in great form again on Wednesday when he was rarely threatened by Benneteau. Earlier, third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka won for the first time in more than a month as he beat Austrian wunderkind Dominic Thiem 6-4 7-6(6). Wawrinka, who has already qualified for the Tour Finals, lacked consistency but prevailed on the important points, relying on his superb backhand. He lost his first match at the previous three tournaments he entered. Seventh seed Milos Raonic of Canada kept his London challenge alive with a 6-3 5-7 7-6(4) win over American qualifier Jack Sock. Good start for champ
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic began his Paris Masters title defence with a routine 6-3 6-4 win over German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round on Tuesday. Djokovic, who is in a race with Roger Federer to end the season on top of the rankings, quickly opened a 3-0 lead playing some aggressive tennis. Kohlschreiber pulled a break back but his opponent held firm to bag the opening set with a service winner. Djokovic then broke in the first game of the second set as the German struggled to focus. Kohlschreiber produced a series of beautiful backhand winners but could still not manage to unsettle the Serb. Djokovic, who became a father for the first time last week, wrapped up victory on his first match point. Czech Tomas Berdych, the fifth seed who currently sits eighth in the Race to London, reached the third round with a 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 defeat of French wild card Adrian Mannarino.
— Reuters |
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NorthEast hold Dynamos
Rehenesh denied Delhi captain Alessandro del Piero in what could have been his first goal of the ISL in the 39th minute. The 21-year-old dived full length to his right after the Italian legend’s free kick had beaten the defensive wall. The Kerala goalkeeper then made diving saves to deny Delhi striker Hans Mulder twice — in the 87th and 90th minutes — much to the agony of the home crowd. With the draw, Delhi Dynamos remained on fourth in the league standings with six points from four matches while NorthEast also maintained their third spot with eight points from five games. NorthEast were without marquee player Joan Capdevila and Koke due to injuries but despite their absence, the match was evenly contested with the biggest crowd turning up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Delhi’s marquee player Del Piero showed flashes of his brilliance including a fierce drive from just outside the box which was, however, parried away by a diving NorthEast goalkeeper in the 14th minute. Del Piero was later substituted in the 57th minute by Brazilian Gustavo Dos Santos. In between, NorthEast striker James Keene’s strike from inside the box off a pass by Durga Boro was saved brilliantly by Delhi goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout. Northeast looked a better side in the second half with more goal-bound moves. Englishman Keen and Boro were in the thick of things upfront and Brazilian Felipe de Castro gave the supply as Delhi defence was under constant pressure. Somehow the visiting side could not get a real chance though the Delhi goalkeeper was kept busy.
— PTI |
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Pune gear up to take on Kerala Blasters
Pune, October 29 The last game saw marquee player David Trezeguet coming to the fore and this augurs well for the side. Kostas Katsouranis, who was the man of the match in the last game, will will play a critical role against Kerala. While he controls the midfield alongside Lenny Rodriguez, Ashutosh Mehta and Israil Gurung, with their attacking instincts, will be a formidable force for the opposition ranks.
— PTI Live on Star Sports, 7pm |
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A war of words has started between the Sports Ministry and the All India Tennis Association
(AITA) after the former issued a diktat saying those athletes who fail to make themselves available to represent the country in multi-discipline events will not be considered for funding from the National Sports Development Fund.
Makes no sense to play Asiad: Somdev
New Delhi, October 29
New Delhi, October 29
