Ahmedabad, November 6
Ambati Rayudu slammed his maiden hundred as India produced yet another comprehensive batting performance to beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second One-day International here tonight.

India now lead the five-match series 2-0.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 274 for eight in the stipulated 50 overs with skipper Angelo Mathews scoring 92. In reply, India never looked in any sort of trouble as they chased down the target with minimum fuss in only 44.3 overs.

With Virat Kohli promoting him to No 3, the 29-year-old Rayudu justified his skipper’s faith scoring an unbeaten 121 off 118 balls with the help of 10 fours and four sixes in an innings that was paced perfectly.

He shared two fruitful partnerships off 122 runs for the second wicket with Shikhar Dhawan (79) and 116 for the third wicket with Kohli (49) as ‘Men In Blue’ again made the inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling attack look pedestrian.

Fittingly enough, it was Rayudu, who finished the match with an inside out boundary off leggie Seekkuge Prasanna.

With this century, 29-year-old Rayudu became the fourth oldest Indian batsman to score his maiden ton in ODIs after Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath and Robin Singh.

Growing in confidence after reaching his half century, Rayudu lofted Dhammika Prasad for his third six when in the 80s, then confidently smote off spinner Suraj Randiv for another maximum in his 90s before reaching the coveted landmark with a single to square leg.

Rayudu’s previous highest was 64 not out made in England at Nottingham in August as he showed a lot of maturity during his innings.

Having taken two catches and also effected a run-out, Rayudu deservingly won the man-of-the-match award.

The Guntur-born batsman first steadied the ship after the cheap dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane to stitch the first century stand with Dhawan, whose 79 off 80 balls was laced with 1 six and 7 fours.

“It’s special, and it’s been a long wait. I think, more than anything, it’s the confidence given to me by the coach, Virat and Dhoni bhai (that has helped). Entire team management kept telling me, hang in there, hang in there. I was not actually looking to get a hundred as such, just trying to stay not out and see the team through and in the process I got to the hundred,” said Rayudu. — PTI

Scoreboard

Ambati Rayudu plays a shot during India’s second ODI against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad on Thursday. PTI

Ahmedabad, November 6
An elated Ambati Rayudu today said that his maiden hundred in international cricket will certainly be a “special one” as it took a long time to come.

Rayudu, who first time played for India A back in 2003 as a 18-year-old talent had lost his way in the middle joining unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL), leaving Hyderabad for Andhra and subsequently joining Baroda.

“It’s a special feeling as it’s been a long wait,” Rayudu said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Rayudu feels that since the team management gave him confidence, it was easier for him to showcase his skills at No 3 position which captain Kohli voluntarily vacated for him. Asked if he would like to bat higher up the order like today, Rayudu was diplomatic.

“I think it’s left to the captain (keeping the No. 3 position), so I’ll stand by whatever decision he takes.”

Skipper Kohli was impressed in the manner Rayudu grabbed the chance to bat higher up the order.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews rued the fact that his team could not post a total in excess of 300. “The 300 mark, makes a lot of difference. We lost our way in the middle and couldn’t pull through. These wickets are quite good for the batsmen and you need to score runs in the top four as well,” Mathews said. — PTI

New Delhi, November 6
Pleased at being named in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) 2014 One-Day International (ODI) team, India seamer Mohammed Shami on Thursday said he is focussed on improving his ‘death-bowling’ keeping in mind the forthcoming Australia tour and the ICC 2015 World Cup.

“My focus is to improve my bowling at the end of an innings. It is imperative that as a pacer I bowl well at the death. I am trying to incorporate more variations in my arsenal so that I can implement them in match situations,” said Shami.

“I am training to make my yorkers and slower deliveries more potent. Yorkers are very important for a pacer, normally I back myself to bowl towards the end of an innings.”

He said his training will be aimed at maximising the accuracy of his block-hole deliveries so that batsmen can’t score off him easily.

“Bowling at the death is always challenging and yorkers and slower balls have to be used judiciously. You need to be very accurate with them otherwise you will be taken for runs,” the seamer said.

He expressed satisfaction at getting an entry into the ICC ODI team of 2014 and said it was a result of his hard work, which has given him added motivation to improve his performance from here on. — IANS

Dubai, November 6
Confident about defending the World Cup, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the upcoming tour of Australia would be a great opportunity for his already well-prepared side to hone its skills further ahead of the mega-event to be played Down Under next year.

India will launch their title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15 and Dhoni said his side was capable of adapting and performing in any condition. “Following the World Cup triumph in 2011, the India side won the 50-over ICC Champions Trophy in the United Kingdom. This reflects the calibre and talent of the side, and its ability to adapt and perform in any condition,” said Dhoni.

“The tour to Australia in the lead up to the World Cup will be a good opportunity to hone our skills and, like all the sides participating in the tournament, be fully prepared for cricket’s ultimate prize,” said the 33-year-old.

“The World Cup is the biggest prize in cricket and to defend the title in Australia and New Zealand next year is a special opportunity. Like all the players, as well as millions of die-hard India cricket supporters around the globe, I look forward to the tournament with anticipation and excitement,” added the wicketkeeper. India will begin their tour of Australia next month. Other national captains also joined the 100 days to go to the World Cup celebrations by sharing their excitement and talking about their targets for the tournament that will be participated in by 14 sides, and will begin in Christchurch and Melbourne on February 14.

Australia captain Michael Clarke, who won the tournament in the West Indies in 2007, said it was a unique opportunity to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup in front of home crowds.

“The last time the ICC Cricket World Cup was played in Australia was 23 years ago, so to be able to play in one at home is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the 33-year-old veteran of 237 One-Day Internationals. “It is incredibly exciting for Australia to be co-host with New Zealand for the tournament and I encourage fans in both countries to come out watch the world’s best battle it out.” — PTI

Kochi, November 6
The Sachin Tendulkar co-owned Kerala Blasters edged past FC Goa 1-0 to register their second win in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today.

After a goalless first half, Salgaoncar striker Milagres Gonsalves made it count for Kerala with a left footer that found the net in the 64th minute. Coming on in the 56th minute, Milagres soon combined with another substitute Andrew Nikolas Barisic to give Kerala the winning goal.

In a move that brought the 47,000 capacity crowd to its feet, Penn Orji slid the ball to Barisic at the edge ofthe box. Barisic drilled it across the face of the goal for Milagres, who made no mistake to tap the ball in at far post.

Kerala Blasters were without injured Iain Hume. Former French international Robert Pires, who returned after his ban, was unable to contribute and was finally substituted in the 72nd minute.

Goa though enjoyed the possession but failed to capitalise. They played well in the first half but lost their way in the second.

Kerala on the other hand kept attacking as Milagres strike created chances from the flanks and pushed the Goan defense back. The home side did guard their lead well.

Fikru, Habas set to return as ATK take on Pune

Kolkata: Atletico de Kolkata will be bolstered by the return of their mercurial forward Fikru Teferra and coach Antonio Lopez Habas when the league leaders face FC Pune City in their next ISL match here tomorrow.

The AIFF disciplinary committee reduced the ban on Habas to two matches for lack of evidence so the Spaniard marquee manager will return to the turf tomorrow along with the Ethiopian forward, much to the home team’s delight.

Pune will be without French World Cup winner David Trezeguet, as the team did not want to risk playing him on a hard artificial surface. “It is a long tournament and we did not want to take a risk with our marquee player on the injury prone artificial surface,” a team official said.

The artificial turf at the Salt Lake Stadium came in for criticism earlier also, with even ATK marquee player, Luis Garcia, saying it was difficult to play on. — PTI

Live on Star Sports, 7pm

New Delhi, November 6
A day after SAI consultant Dr PSM Chandran alleged that Boxing India subjected women boxers, including juniors, to pregnancy tests, Boxing India has denied the allegations.

Boxing India said the minimum age for participation in the World Championships is 19 years and the youngest girl in the camp was 1994 born. “Since there’s no junior girl in the camp, the question of conducting a pregnancy test on junior girls doesn’t arise at all,” said Boxing India.

The boxing body said the AIBA invitation for the Championships asks for a “non pregnancy form issued by a medical doctor” from all participating boxers. “The AIBA’s invitation to National Member Federations for participation in the women’s World Championships at Jeju states that all boxers must carry a ‘non pregnancy form issued by a medical doctor’ for the general weigh-in,” said Boxing India in a statement. “The Indian boxers, through the team coaches, requested BI to get the test done through SAI or any SAI doctor.”

New Delhi, November 6
India’s Rahil Gangjee made a strong comeback after an ordinary start to open a two-shot lead on the first day of the Panasonic Open golf tournament here on Thursday.

Gangjee had started with a bogey on the tenth, but ended the day with a birdie to card an impressive six-under 66, pushing the defending champion, Wade Ormsby of Australia, to the second spot.

After a few initial hiccups, Gangjee showed a great tactical acumen while negotiating the tricky Delhi Golf Club (DGC) to hit seven birdies, including an eight-footer on the eighth, followed by a 15-footer on his closing ninth hole.

“I didn’t hit a good tee shot off the 10th hole (started from the back nine). I was in the rough and didn’t have a shot into the green. I had to play it left and didn’t make a good first putt and left it too short. But by the time I got to nine, I was well on my way,” said Gangjee, who is aiming to end a 10-year title drought.

The 36-year-old from Kolkata led a strong Indian challenge in the opening round, with five others — Rashid Khan (68), Akshay Kumar (69), Shankar Das (69), Om Prakash Chouhan (69) and amateur Pratap Atwal (69) — joining him in the Top-10.

After winning his first Asian Tour title at the SAIL-SBI Open in March on the same venue this year, Rashid rolled in a 25-footer on the 18th hole to stay within sight of the leader.

Breathing down Gangjee’s neck, Wade Ormsby birdied the last hole from a close range. Ormsby got off to a flying start in his title defence after shooting four straight birdies from the fifth hole, which cancelled out his only bogey of the day on the fourth hole.

Leaderboard

Pos Player Score

1 Rahil Gangjee -6

T2 Choo Tze Huang -4

Zamal Hossain -4

Wade Ormsby -4

Rashid Khan -4

T6 Settee Prakongvech -3

Akshay Sharma -3

Shankar Das -3

Unho Park -3

OP Chouhan -3

J Janewattananond -3

Terry Pilkadaris -3

Pratap Atwal (A) -3

Amsterdam, November 6
Lionel Messi enjoyed another landmark European night as he equaled the Champions League scoring record against Ajax but doubts remain over Luis Enrique's Barcelona side after a stuttering start to the season.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (L) and Neymar await to take a free kick during the UEFA Champions League football match between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona in Amsterdam. AFP

The coach found himself in the eye of a storm after Barca suffered back-to-back La Liga defeats and although they beat Ajax 2-0 on Wednesday to book a place in the last 16, their football was far from fluid, especially in the first half. Messi came to the rescue with a double that saw him draw level with Raul on 71 goals at the top of the Champions League all-time scoring charts.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one adrift having missed out on the chance to add to his tally in Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Liverpool on Tuesday.

“I am happy for Leo, for the work he does for the team and because he is the Number One, the best,” midfielder Xavi told reporters. Barca have nine points from four games in Group F and are a point off leaders Paris St Germain, who beat them in France.

“In the first half, they (Ajax) were in control but after that we played better and got three points which will give us confidence. We need to keep going and winning matches. We needed to win this game and we played some good football at times. We also had some difficult moments but we were playing away and in the Champions League."Ajax played pressed high up the pitch and it is normal that it would not be easy but the result is a boost."

Spanish inquisition

Barca followed up a defeat in the El Clasico against Real Madrid with a home loss at the hands of Celta Vigo which knocked the Catalans off top spot in La Liga and they are now down in fourth, on 22 points from ten games.

The defeats led to an inquisition over Luis Enrique's tactics with the coach having chopped and changed his side constantly and there is also talk of dressing room unrest. In midfield, Barca began the season with Ivan Rakitic as the focal point and Xavi as little more than a bit-part player but now the veteran has reasserted his influence.

His control in midfield during the second half against Ajax coincided with Barca's best play. Most questions have been asked about the defence though, where both fullbacks Dani Alves and Jordi Alba have been off-form.

Luis Enrique surprisingly left out Alba for the El Clasico game and instead started Jeremy Mathieu, who was untried in that position for Barca. In central defence, the debate has focused on Gerard Pique who was left out of the squad against Celta and was an unused substitute in Amsterdam. — Agencies

New Delhi, November 6
With favourable results under his belt this year, five-time World Champion Vishwanathan Anand is approaching the forthcoming World Chess Championship at Sochi with a quiet confidence and a positive frame of mind but termed his opponent Magnus Carlsen as “tenacious”.

“He (Carlsen) has had achieved a lot and is tenacious in his play . He will definitely come to Sochi motivated,” Anand was quoted as saying.

After losing the title to the 23-year-old Carlsen of Norway last year at Chennai, Anand played powerfully at the Candidates tournament this year in March to brush past seven other contenders including Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov included). The 44-year-old Anand is confident ahead of the 12-game match starting Saturday.

“I am in general happy with my chess performance this year. Actually in 2013, I had some good results but those were marred by a few bad losses. In 2014, I was more consistent in Khanty Mansiysk and Bilbao and played the chess I enjoy playing. So I would say I approach Sochi with positive feelings,” he said.

Vishy has played six World Chess Championship matches since 2007 but the Grandmaster is unperturbed.

“Really 6 in 7 years, I didn't realise it. Like I said, I really compete with myself. There have been times when you think you have had enough and always, after a few moments you realise — No you always want more! Chess, for me, is something that I am fascinated with. I still realize that there are so many openings to learn from, to explore more. New variations to uncover, the ones that can blow the lid off, making months of work redundant. Still, when I start work on chess, I feel like a six year old with a chessboard, waiting at Tal club to play Blitz,” he said.

Anand is also happy with Sochi as the venue.

“Sochi is great venue and Aruna was very impressed when she inspected it a few months back. They have held the F1 and hosted the winter Olympics. So I think it will be excellent. Russian chess audiences are always chess appreciative and even warm weather should be good.” — PTI

Jalandhar, November 6
Battle lines have been drawn for the semifinals of the Surjit Hockey Tournament as Punjab and Sind Bank, Delhi will take on Army XI and Punjab XI (Pakistan) will cross swords with Indian Oil, Mumbai at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

In the last league matches of the men’s section, Punjab and Sind Bank, Delhi, CAG, Delhi played out a (3-3) draw, earning one point each. Punjab XI (Paksitan) beat ONGC, Delhi (3-1) to enter semifinals. Punjab & Sind Bank, Delhi earned 4 points from two league outings, while CAG earned two points from two outings.

In the women’s section, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala will clash with Haryana XI. RCF entered the final on better-goal average compared to Punjab XI. Haryana XI beat Rest of Pakistan (5-0) in the semifinals.

The women’s final will be played on Friday (5pm).

Chandigarh, November 6
Himachal Pradesh began their Vijay Hazare Trophy (North Zone) campaign on a dismal note, losing to Services by two wickets at their home ground in Dharamsala.

Batting first, Himachal were bundled out for just 181. The hosts couldn’t get even one good partnership, and hence failed to cross even the 200-run mark. Prashant Chopra (43) and captain Bipul Sharma (35) helped them reach the total they eventually did.

Notable among failure was Rashmi Pardia, the side’s professional player, who scored just 13 off 27 balls. 37-year-old Parida, after representing Assam, Orissa, Rajasthan and Vidarbha, has now turned out for Himachal. Debutants PP Jaiswal and Raghav Dhawan too failed to make an impression. Surprisingly, Ankush Bains, India under-19 player, was kept in the reserves.

In reply, Services reached home (182) in just 40 overs for the loss of eight wicket. Nakul Harpal Verma top scored for them with 57. For HP, pacer Vikramjeet Singh Malik and Rahul Singh bagged three wickets each. All rounder Rishi Dhawan bowled eight overs and gave away 57 runs for one wicket.

J&K beat Delhi

Jammu and Kashmir registered a thrilling victory over Delhi by two wickets at Luhnu Cricket Stadium in Bilaspur.

Batting first, Delhi scored 212/8 in 50 overs. Samiullah Beigh bagged three wickets by giving away just 35 runs. Gautam Gambhir scored 36 runs and Virender Sehwag scored 11 runs. In reply, J&K chased down the total in 49.2 overs. Skipper Parvez Rasool scored 74 runs in 60 balls with the help of 12 fours.

Punjab lose by 3 wkts

Haryana beat Punjab by three wickets at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, Nadaun. Batting first, Punjab scored 252/8 in 50 overs. Haryana reached home (253/7) in 49.1 overs.

Brief scores: Punjab: 252/8 in 50 overs (Mandeep 86, Taruwar 47*; Ashish 3-53, Harshal Patel 2-62) lost to Haryana 253/7 in 49.1 overs (Avi Barot 53, Sachin 71*; Gurkeerat 2-28) by 3 wkts; HP: 181 all out in 45.2 overs (Prashant 43, Bipul 35; Narendra 3-38) lost to Services 182/8 in 40 overs (Nakul 57, Yashpal 28; Vikramjeet 3-36, Rahul 3-27) by 2 wickets. 

New Delhi, November 6
India's junior women's hockey team fought bravely to hold hosts New Zealand to a 2-2 draw in their second match of the six-Test series at the TET Multisports Centre in Stratford on Thursday.

The junior Blacksticks women had a good start to the game as Kelsey Smith scored the initial goal of the match to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the first half.

After the change of ends, the Indian girls made a spirited fightback and levelled the scores with a close-range goal that came from the stick of striker Anupa Barla.

The match intensified thereafter as both the teams went on the offensive and created a lot of scoring opportunities.

India were soon awarded a penalty corner and Jaspreet Kaur made no mistake by flawlessly converting the opportunity low to the right of the New Zealand goalkeeper. However, Rachel McCann equalised for New Zealand with another field goal 12 minutes from the final hooter. In the last quarter of the game, both the teams managed to create a few more scoring chances but could not capitalise on the chances.

The third Test between India and New Zealand will be played on the same ground on Saturday. — Agencies

BRIEFLY

Ghosal, Joshana ease into semis of National c’ships

Mumbai: Favourites Saurav Ghosal and Joshana Chinappa fashioned comfortable wins to enter the semifinals of the 62nd Senior National Squash Championship here today. Chinappa lived up to her reputation with a 3-0 win over girls under-15 junior national champion Nikita Joshi of Maharashtra. India No. 1 Ghosal tamed Vijay Kumar of Tamil Nadu 3-0 to set up a last-four clash with Ravi Dixit.

Pune FC to clash with Salgaocar in Durand final

Margao: Pune FC scored a goal in each half of their semifinal match to beat Sporting Clube de Goa 2-1 here today and set up title clash with Salgaocar FC in the final of the 127th Durand Cup. Pune FC took the lead in the 20th minute through Bineesh Balan when he netted the ball from inside the box after receiving a cross from the right from Fanai Lalrempuia. Sporting Clube de Goa retaliated and restored parity in the 23rd minute as Boima Karpeh fired a left-footer into the far corner after he was set up by Cajetan Fernandes on top of the box. Sueoka then scored the winner in the 62nd minute. Earlier, Salgaocar FC had defeated Bengaluru FC in another semifinal encounter. The final is slated for Nov 8.

Mittal wins gold at Asian Shotgun Championship

Al Ain (UAE): India’s impressive run at the 4th Asian Shotgun Championship continued as Ankur Mittal clinched the gold medal in the men’s double trap event, giving the country its fourth gold in the continental event here today. The 22-year-old shot 141 in the qualification round and 28 each in the semifinal and the gold-medal contest to bag the top honour. Teammate Mohd Asab won the bronze after reaching the finals with a score of 139 in the qualification. He shot 27 in the semifinal stage and 28 in the bronze medal match. — Agencies

Basketball tournament begins today

Bhainibagha: A three-day basketball tournament will begin on in Bhainibagha village of Mansa district on Friday. In the Open tournament (senior) teams including Delhi Police, Signal Center Army, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, R Army, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Patiala, Bhikhi, Abohar Army, Gidderbaha, Dhanaula, Bhainibagha Club, and Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Club Bhainibagha would take part. The Under-17 category will have Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Malout, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bhikhi and Bhainibagha.

Tomita retracts confession to camera theft

Tokyo: Disgraced Japanese swimmer Naoya Tomita tearfully denied he had stolen a journalist's camera at the Asian Games, despite previously admitting the crime to South Korean police. The 25-year-old, who was booted out of Incheon and slapped with an 18-month ban by the Japan Swimming Federation, said he had confessed because he feared he would not be allowed to return home. He also claimed that the poolside security camera footage Korean prosecutors said showed him taking the $7,600 camera was unclear.

Lahiri positive despite opening 74 at World C’ships

Shanghai: Anirban Lahiri was left to rue a costly double bogey which consigned him to a first round two-over-par 74 at the $8.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions. The five-time Asian Tour winner trails leader Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland by seven shots. — Agencies