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Fear of playing Australia is gone
‘Walsh has put Indian hockey back on track’
Anand makes his move, wins third game to draw level
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Bombay HC dismisses CAB’s petition
Federer tames Nishikori
champions tennis league
doping violation
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Fear of playing Australia is gone
Chandigarh, November 11
The joy of beating the world champions was visible on the faces of the players. “It’s a huge achievement for us. Beating Australia in their backyard was never going to be easy, so we are thrilled to have done that,” said Ramandeep, the Indian forward. Much more important than what they have returned home with – joy and confidence – is what they have left behind in Australia – the fear of playing the mighty Australians. “There was always a nagging fear of playing against Australia... after having beaten them in their backyard, I think we will be far more confident facing them now onwards,” said Dharamveer, a midfielder. In their moment of triumph, one should of course not forget that Australia didn’t field their first choice players and at least five of their players made debut in the series. “That’s alright but all their players are equally good... it was a tough competition and we played really well after losing the first game to win the next three matches,” said Ramandeep. The players also felt that playing regularly against the Australian side will have long-term impact on the Indian hockey. “The regular bi-lateral series against the Australians is a step in the right direction and it’s going to help us a lot. We can learn a lot from them if we keep playing them on regular basis; our players have benefitted a lot playing alongside them in the Hockey League too,” said Ramandeep. While the players are obviously delighted, Roelant Oltmans, the high performance director, tries to curb their excitement. “It is surely a positive result for the team. Everyone in the world including Australia would not have thought of this outcome, although they are in the process of rebuilding after the World Cup,” said Oltmans. For him, the real test of the team’s strength will be facing Australia in the upcoming Champions Trophy. “If we are able to beat Australia in Champions Trophy, then we can say we have taken major steps forward,” he said. — With Agency inputs
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‘Walsh has put Indian hockey back on track’
New Delhi, November 11 The young players, led by experienced Sardar Singh, are showing immense grit and determination on the field to bridge the gap with the top-ranked nations. A major credit must go to chief coach Terry Walsh and High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans — who have brought out the best in the team. Walsh might have threatened to resign from his post just days before leaving for Australia, but that bitter showdown with the Sports Authority of India did not distract him. The appointment of Walsh as the chief coach has brought a sea change in the Indian hockey, as pointed out by midfielder Gurbaj Singh. “Indian hockey might have had its ups and downs, but it’s on the verge of revival. The credit must go to Walsh for instilling confidence in the players that we can beat the world champions. He is one foreign coach who taught us to play as a unit,” Gurbaj told The Tribune. There were foreign coaches attached with the national side in the past — Ric Charlesworth, Jose Brasa and Micahel Nobbs — but, according to Gurbaj, they did not bother to develop the team as a well-knit professional unit. “The team is touching new heights under Walsh. We want him to continue till the Rio Olympics. We never played the sport as a team game under previous foreign coaches, but it’s different with Walsh. His coaching method and different training skill set are definitely helping the team to rise,” he said. Gurbaj said the Australia tour was a great learning experience for the entire squad and they would take the winning momentum into the Champions Trophy next month. “We played attacking hockey against them which was missing earlier. We used to play defensive hockey against them, they would build psychological pressure on us. But this time we paid them in the same coin, we countered them with our solid defence, man-to-man marking and attack,” he said.
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Anand makes his move, wins third game to draw level
Sochi (Russia), November 11 Having lost the second game of the match, Anand was almost in a must-win situation and the Indian ace came up with his best effort against Carlsen in recent years. Equalising the score on 1.5-1.5 after the third of the 12-game match, Anand also ended a four year drought against Carlsen as the last victory by the five-times world champion over the Norwegian had come way back in 2010 under this format. For the first time in his world championship matches against Anand, Carlsen went for the theoretical duel and was duly punished in a well-analysed variation. For the records, it was a Queen’s gambit declined by Carlsen, a natural choice with a full point cushion to back him. Anand went for a deeply-analysed variation and was pleasantly surprised to find Carlsen game. The players followed a 2013 game played between Levon Aronian and Michael Adams and it was Carlsen who did not seem to have kept the track of this game well. While going behind on time, Carlsen found the right manoeuvres but Anand was still well prepared. On move 20, a new idea was revealed by Anand which was a big improvement on the existing game in the position. Carlsen had to again sink in long thoughts intermittently during the rest of the game as one or the other problem was posed by Anand with a well-supported passed pawn on the seventh rank. Anand kept the momentum ticking without any further slips and piled on the pressure in almost Carlsenesque-style, giving the Norwegian a taste of his own medicine. For once Carlsen was on the receiving end as he could only delay the inevitable. Making matters worse at this point was the clock that was ticking away and Anand sealed the issue after Carlsen made a blunder on move 28. Anand swapped a piece and it was all over in 34 moves. Carlsen admitted that he was not prepared for Anand’s line of attack today: “Anand was better prepared in this line. I was surprised at some point. When something goes wrong it’s obviously my fault so it’s okay.” Nigel Short, the British Grandmaster, later said: “In summary, Vishy’s preparation was far superior. Carlsen emerged with a difficult position and could not handle the problems.” — Agencies
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Bombay HC dismisses CAB’s petition
Mumbai, November 11 The HC ruling on the petition, filed by CAB chief Aditya Varma, could pave the way for Srinivasan to contest for president during elections in Chennai on November 20. A Division Bench headed by Justice Anoop Mohota refused to interfere with the decision of the BCCI’s general body in carrying out the amendments in its rules, saying the plea was based on presumptions and assumptions which cannot be considered by the court in a Public Interest Litigation. The Bench maintained the petitioner was a third party and not part of BCCI. Moreover, he was making allegations which were based not on his personal knowledge but on presumptions and assumptions which cannot be considered by the court. The PIL had challenged an amendment to Clause 15 of BCCI’s rules whereby the Zone-wise rotational policy of nominating Board President was revised. According to the original rule, each Zone was to elect BCCI president by rotation, but the amendment provided that a Zone can nominate a person for the top post from outside its jurisdiction. — PTI
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Federer tames Nishikori
Sochi (Russia), November 11 The six-times former champion was at his imperious best to subdue the 24-year-old US Open runner-up and will reach the last four should Canada’s Milos Raonic defeat Andy Murray in the day’s other Group B match. Although this year’s tournament is still to witness a three-set match, the entertainment served up by world No. 2 Federer and Asian trailblazer Nishikori kept the capacity crowd enthralled for one hour and nine minutes. Federer clearly enjoyed it too. “I was expecting a very difficult match,” the 17-times Grand Slam champion said on court, to cheers from a vocal Swiss contingent complete with cowbells. “I’ve known him since he was 17 years old and always thought he was a great talent and he’s going to have a great future. I’m very pleased with the way I played.” Djokovic mauls Cilic Novak Djokovic began his challenge for a hat-trick of ATP World Tour Finals triumphs with a 6-1 6-1 demolition of Croatia’s Marin Cilic late on Monday. The Serbian world No. 2 produced a ruthless display against a ragged US Open champion, opening his Group A account with a 56-minute masterclass. The 27-year-old has now won 28 consecutive matches indoors dating back to 2012 and should he win his remaining two group matches against Stanislas Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych he will be guaranteed to end the year on top of the rankings. — Reuters |
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Paes replaces Ferrer in Punjab team
New Delhi, November 11 “I am very happy to be a part of Champions Tennis League, playing for the Punjab Marshalls. I am looking forward to a very competitive and challenging league format that will bring some of the best international tennis to different parts of the country. I look forward to playing with Somdev, Garbine and Greg, and together, I believe we will be a strong contender for the title,” Paes said. Vijay Amritraj, who has conceptualised the league, said,”I am truly delighted that our own Leader Paes will replace David Ferrer in CTL making a very strong Indian presence in the Punjab Marshalls team.” — PTI
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BWF suspends Lee
“The world-governing body has imposed this suspension due to an Adverse Analytical Finding of a sample taken at the BWF World Championships in August,” the BWF said in a statement. “The BWF has referred the matter to the BWF Doping Hearing Panel and, in due course, the Chair of the Panel will set the time, date and location of a hearing. The Panel will determine whether or not the athlete has committed an anti-doping regulation violation,” it added. On Saturday, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed that one of their players had tested positive for the banned anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone but withheld the individual’s identity pending an appeal. The 32-year-old Lee, however, posted messages on his official Twitter and Facebook accounts thanking fans for their support and denying using drugs to gain an advantage. “I just want to thank every one of you who had faith in me through this difficult time. There are so many unanswered questions and I hope to clear my name soon,” he wrote. “I never cheated nor will I ever rely on banned substances.” Should Lee fail with his appeal, the Malaysian faces a two-year ban and will be stripped of the silver medal he won at the world championships in Copenhagen in August, the location of his positive test. He would also be likely to lose the two bronze medals he won at the Asian Games in September in the individual and team events. — Reuters
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Lions pip Eagles
Ludhiana, November 11 After this victory, Vancouver Lions bounced back in the race as they moved to 16 points with three more matches to come for them before the semifinalists are decided. California Eagles, who have 20 points, now cannot afford another upset in the remaining three games. Sukhbir Sarawan, captain of the Lions, played a pivotal role in his team’s hard-fought win and was declared the man of the match. Mikhail Jamaal waged a strong battle for California and was named the best stopper. In the second match, Royal Kings USA beat Lahore Lions 60-51. |
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Viswanathan Anand pulled one back when it mattered the most and scored a crushing victory over defending champion Magnus Carlsen in the third game of the World Chess Championship.
London, November 11
