New Delhi, November 12
This could turn out to be the hardest and the cruellest blow to Sarita Devi's career. Despite apologising to the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for refusing to accept her bronze medal at the Incheon Asian Games, the AIBA seems determined to impose heavy sanctions on the Manipuri boxer. And if that happens, not only her dream of playing in the Rio Olympics will be shattered but also her career could be over.

AIBA president CK Wu has hinted that Sarita should expect a strong penalty and possible life ban for her emotionally-charged protest when its disciplinary committee meets in Jeju Islands, Korea, to decide the quantum of punishment on Thursday.

"She will be heavily punished, there will be zero tolerance," Wu has been quoted as saying. "It was totally unacceptable behaviour for any competition in any sport. I think her boxing career is finished. Every athlete should fully respect the decisions of referees and judges. So this boxer is facing very severe punishment. She has damaged her own country, India has been damaged. If you accept being the winner, you have to accept being the loser. If everyone behaved like that, what type of competition will we have?" Wu added.

The world body had suspended the Indian boxer and her coaches for an indefinite period in October after her Asian Games protest and barred them from participating in all AIBA competitions, events and meetings until further notice.

Later, the AIBA rejected Sarita's entry for the World Championships, scheduled from November 14 in Jeju Islands. The four-member disciplinary committee -- comprising members from Switzerland, USA, Spain and England — will submit its report on Sarita during the two-day AIBA congress.

Terming the AIBA president's comments as "unfortunate" and "too harsh" on the athlete, Sports Minister Sarbanada Sonowal said the government would continue to fight for the athlete.

"I am really hurt and shocked by what AIBA president has said. Hearing his comment, I would like to say that the whole ministry is behind Sarita. I have instructed the DG SAI, Jiji Thomson, to take up the matter with Boxing India at the earliest. We want Sarita to get justice," Sonowal said.

The Minister sought to clarify that Sarita's emotional outburst at the podium was not pre-planned and the AIBA should have accepted her apology.

"Sarita has already given a written apology to the AIBA and the Olympic Council of Aisa (OCA) has accepted it. The AIBA should also let her off and forgive her. This written apology is sufficient. Her outburst was not pre-planned and I think the AIBA decision is too harsh," he said.

Wu's comment also took the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by surprise, which promised to fight her case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

"Let the decision come. We (IOA) will talk to the Sports Ministry before challenging the verdict in CAS. We will fight her case at the CAS. We are with Sarita in her fight," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said.

When contacted, Sarita sounded optimistic that her ban would be lifted and she would be allowed to make a return to the ring. "I respect what the AIBA president has said and once again request the world body to lift the ban," she said.

The aiba threat

She will be heavily punished, there will be zero tolerance. It was totally unacceptable behaviour for any competition in any sport. I think her boxing career is finished. Every athlete should fully respect the decisions of referees and judges. So this boxer is facing very severe punishment. She has damaged her own country, India has been damaged. If you accept being the winner, you have to accept being the loser. If everyone behaved like that, what type of competition will we have?.~

CK Wu, aiba president

Sochi, NOvember 12
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand played out an easy draw with black pieces against Magnus Carlsen in the fourth game of the ongoing World Chess Championship. After a crushing win over Carlsen in the third game which leveled the scores, Anand gave nothing away and was a completely different player from the first two games in which he had looked quite vulnerable. The scores are now level at 2-2 after four rounds. There was pressure from Carlsen yet again but Anand was hardly intimidated as he tackled the Norwegian move for move.

Anand changed gears in the opening of the fourth game, shifting to the Sicilian defence, from the Berlin wherein he lost badly in the second game while playing with black pieces. Carlsen, in his typical style, went for the closed set-up, livening things up at his own will when he wanted and put Anand under some pressure in the middle game.

Anand, however, did not buckle under pressure, and found a resourceful defence before pieces got exchanged in a heap.

The Norwegian was playing against a slightly vulnerable pawn structure but things did not go in his favour thanks to some perfect counter-attack that Anand produced after trading all the pieces except queen. Carlsen used up some of his time in the second time control after move 40 but decided that there was nothing to play for. The game ended vide perpetual checks after 47 moves, giving Anand a small psychological advantage ahead of the rest day before the fifth game.

The tide seems to be turning in Anand's favour if the last two games are any indication. All he needs is keep his foot on the pedal. — PTI

Bilaspur, November 12
Pacer Sandeep Singh wreaked havoc upfront and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh polished off the tail as Punjab beat Services by six wickets in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match here today. Sandeep grabbed five for 31 from 8.1 overs while Harbhajan was economical in taking three for 38 in 10 overs as Punjab dismissed Services for 200 in 42.1 overs.

In reply, Manan Vohra (47) and Amitoze Singh (73) ensured that Punjab reached the target within 42 overs to keep their qualification hopes for the knock-out phase alive.

Rishi, Raghav star for HP

Medium-pacer Rishi Dhawan bagged a five-for to help HP trounce Jammu and Kashmir, who saw five ducks in their innings, by nine wickets. Put in to bat, J&K lost both their openers for nought and the next five batsmen added just 10 runs as the Parvez Rasool-led side was bundled for a paltry 132 in 37 overs. In reply, Himachal made short work of the chase and galloped to the target in the 29th over. Raghav (77) and Ankit Kalsi (40) saw the team home with plenty to spare.

Gambhir-Sehwag shine

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag struck big half-centuries to drive Delhi home by three wickets against Haryana in Dharamsala.

Chasing 248 for a win, Delhi lost wickets at regular intervals but Gambhir (93) and Sehwag (80) stitched a 144-run third-wicket partnership to help the side achieve its target in 42.1 overs. Sehwag, 36, was dropped down the order and the dasher struck 8 fours and 3 sixes in his 68-ball blitz.

Brief Scores: Services 200 in 42.1 overs (Rajat Paliwal 52, Sandeep 5/31, Harbhajan 3/38) Punjab 204/4 (Amitoze 73, Manan 47). Match 2 J&K:132 all out in 37 overs (Paras Sharma 60, Ram Dayal 24; Rishi Dhawan 5-29, Vikramjeet Malik 3-29); HP: 133-1 in 28.3 overs (Raghav Dhawan 77*, Ankit Kalsi 40 not out; Beigh 1-25).

Match 3 Haryana 247 all out in 50 overs (Barot 49, Sachin 71; Vikas 4-41); Delhi 251/7 in 42.1 overs (Gambhir 93, Sehwag 80, Manhas 31 not out; Joginder 4-27). — PTI

Kolkata, November 12
An unassailable lead has been achieved against Sri Lanka but stand-in skipper Virat Kohli today said his team would not let the intensity slip in the remaining two ODIs of the five-match series.

Having already pocketed the series with a 3-0 rout, Kohli said they would continue to be ruthless in order to make it a habit ahead of the World Cup next year.

“Especially knowing that the World Cup is around the corner, we want to create good habits, can’t afford to be complacent at any point of time. It’s going to be the same kind of effort and intensity from everyone on the field. That’s the sort of culture we are trying to build for the team going into big tournaments,” said Kohli. “Why not create a winning habit and win from difficult situations, something we have lacked in the past. It’s about doing it over and over again.”

With regular skipper MS Dhoni yet to recover from a hairline crack in his thumb, Kohli has also been named skipper for the first Test in Australia beginning December 4. Terming it a massive moment, Kohli said: “I’m really excited to lead in Australia... I’ve some plans in mind. The focus would be to win the Test and not just focus on individual goals.

“The target would be how to win Test matches, how to play session by session, how to target each bowler, that’s something I would look to bring into play as a captain,” Kohli said. Reiterating his views on creating a perfect team atmosphere, the stand-in skipper said he would like to make the core group happy and comfortable “Right now we’re winning but there would be times when results would not come our way. It’s important the core group feels comfortable even if we win or lose,” he added. — PTI

LIVE ON STAR SPORTS 1.30 PM

New Delhi, November 12
The story of legendary Indian footballer MA Salam — one of the stalwarts of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics team — paints a dark picture of forgotten sporting heroes in our country.

Fifty-eight years ago, the Indian football team had scripted a golden chapter in the Olympics history. The visitors had annihilated hosts Australia 4-2 to enter the semifinals of the Games and become the first Asian nation to reach the last four.

Hyderabad's Salam was part of the starting eleven and had played a key role in setting up the hat-trick for centre forward Neville D’Souza.

India finished fourth in Melbourne. Of the Indian footballers who played in Melbourne that day, only Salam, PK Banerjee and Samar Banerjee are alive. Salam is alive to see how our sports system, national federations and government officials forget their own heroes and send them into living a life of oblivion and misery. The 75-year-old Salam is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, hospitalised and struggling to foot his medical bills. Three years back, he slipped in the bathroom, fractured his hip and is bed-ridden since then.

“Doctors said the operation was not possible given his health condition and it would be a costly affair to keep him in the hospital. They told us to start his treatment at home. We are not financially well off and our family savings are dwindling. We have run short of money as his treatment is expensive,” Salam's younger son, Kaleem, told The Tribune.

To add to the family's misery, Salam's wife expired last month due to an illness. She was his biggest source of inspiration and a reason to live.

Salam is now looked after by Kaleem, who is a part-time tennis coach in Hyderabad. He sought help from the Telengana government and wrote letters to the Chief Minister's office, but, till date, he has received no response. Disappointed and pained by the apathetic attitude of the government, Kaleem turned to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), but, here again, he was left to fend for himself. “I first wrote to the AIFF on September 30, describing my father's deteriorating condition. When I did not get any response from them, I again wrote to them, but the result remained the same. Till date, I have written several mails to them and I am still waiting for their response. This is the way they treat their own heroes. I demand a pension structure for retired players,” said the 33-year-old Kaleem.

Kaleem said his father, despite being a part of the golden generation of the Indian football, did not receive any financial aid or one-time benefit from the AIFF, central and state government.

“Before he had a fall, he lost his memory. He can hardly remember anything. His situation is bad. He has not eaten anything for the past three days because of the pain in his jaws,” said Kaleem. When contacted, AIFF secretary general Kushal Das informed that the federation has decided to extend financial help to Salam.

BRIEFLY

new delhi

ICC too late to act against illegal bowling action: Bedi

Legendary Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi on Wednesday said the recent ICC crackdown on illegal bowling action has come 20 years late. "The ICC should have acted at least 20 years ago, then the problems that we are having now would never have happened," said Bedi. A strong critic of the rule allowing bowlers to bend their arm by 15 degrees, Bedi blamed the subcontinent cricket boards for illegal bowling action flourishing. "Remember the Asian subcontinent has four votes. The Doosra and Teesras have evolved from the subcontinent. All these Doosra and Teesras are rubbish," said Bedi asserting that no bowler should be allowed even one degree of elbow bending.

new delhi

Sachin entitled to his opinion, says Kapil

Cricket legend Kapil Dev refused to comment on Sachin Tendulkar’s claim that despite being one of the finest Indian all-rounder of all time, the former skipper was disappointing as a coach and said it was the legendary batsman’s personal opinion. “That’s his opinion. Everyone has a right to give his opinion and I respect everybody’s opinion. Good luck to him for his endeavour,” said Kapil.

kochi

Subrata denies Blasters full points against Mumbai

Kerala Blasters couldn't cash in on home advantage as they played out a goalless draw with Mumbai City FC in an Indian Super League home match. The result meant that Mumbai were on the fourth spot with 12 points from eight games while Kerala remained at the sixth position with nine points from eight encounters. With the support of the home crowd, Blasters should have logged full points but India's premier goalkeeper Subrata Paul, who is one of the highest paid Indian players in league, came up with some good saves to help the Ranbeer Kapoor co-owned side leave with a point.

abu dhabi

Pakistan on the brink of huge win against Kiwis

Pakistan are two wickets away from a comprehensive victory over New Zealand in the first Test after the tourists slumped to 174-8 in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. After their first-innings run feast of 566-3, Pakistan declared their second innings at 175/2 to set New Zealand a 480-run victory target in the first match of the three-Test series. Brief scores: New Zealand 262 and 174 for 8; Pakistan 566 for 3 dec and 175 for 2 dec (Hafeez 101no).

fuzhou

China Open: Saina, Kashyap make winning start

Leading Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap got off to a victorious start by winning their respective opening round encounters at the $700,000 China Open Super Series Premier here Wednesday. While Saina beat old foe Sayaka Takahashi of Japan 21-14, 19-21, 21-17 in 58 minutes to progress to the second round, Kashyap overcame Hong Kong's Nan Wei 24-22, 19-21, 21-15 in a marathon men's singles encounter which lasted an hour and nine minutes.

London

Berdych bounces back to pile misery on Cilic

Tomas Berdych rebounded from an opening defeat to revive his hopes at the ATP World Tour Finals by demolishing Croatia's Marin Cilic on Wednesday. Berdych's 6-3 6-1 victory continued the theme of straight-sets wins this year, with none of the seven matches played so far having gone the distance. Cilic never looked comfortable from the moment he dropped serve in the first game. He did have two break points to get back to 4-4 in the first set but Berdych held form and went on to dominate the rest of the match. He will now go into his final match against Djokovic still hopeful of a semifinal place. — Agencies