Latest World Sports News

President presents Khel Ratna, Arjuna awards

New Delhi, August 29, 2009:President Pratibha Patil presented the National Sports awards in New Delhi on Saturday, with Beijing Olympic bronze medallists boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar and four-time world boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Marykom getting the Khel Ratna award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It was the first time since the inception of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991 that three sportspersons were given the country's highest sporting honour.

Marykom was the first to receive the newly designed statuette from the president followed by Vijender and Sushil amid loud cheers at the majestic Ashok Hall.

Besides the trio, 15 sportspersons were awarded Arjuna Awards.

Badminton sensation Saina Nehwal, trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who equalled the world record, were among the Arjuna winners. Gautam Gambhir, who had a terrific season last year, was the only cricketer to get the award.

Olympic medallist Sushil's coach Satpal and former All England Badminton champion and Saina`s coach Pullela Gopichand were presented the Dronacharya Award.

The prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards have been increased this year.

Khel Ratna prize money has been raised from Rs 500,000 to Rs 750,000. The prize money for the Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards has been increased from Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000.

The government instituted this year a new award, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, to recognise the contribution made to sports by entities other than sportspersons and coaches.

Under the new category, Railways got the award for Employment of Sportsperson and Sports Welfare Measures. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee received the award.

TATA Steel bagged two awards for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar. They got it for Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent, and Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence.

List of awardees:

Rajiv Khel Ratna:

M C Marykom (boxer), Vijender Kumar (boxer) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling)

Arjuna Award:

Mangal Singh Champia (archery), Sinimol Paulose (athletics), Saina Nehwal (badminton), L Sarita Devi (boxing), Tania Sachdeva (chess), Gautam Gambhir (cricket), Ignatius Tirkey (hockey), Surinder Kaur (hockey), Pankaj Shirsat (kabaddi), Satish Joshi (rowing), Ranjan Sodhi (shooting), Poulami Ghatak (table tennis), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling), G L Yadav (yachting), Parul Parmar (badminton disabled)

Dronacharya Award:

Baldev Singh (hockey), Jaidev Bisht (boxing), Satpal (wrestling) and Pullela Gopichand (badminton)

Dhyanchand Award:

Ishar Singh Deol (athletics), Satbir Singh Dahya (wrestling).

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent: TATA Steel Ltd
Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence: TATA Steel Ltd
Employment of Sportspersons and sports welfare measures: Railways Sports Promotion Board

'Two nineties are disappointing, I'll take the runs' - Jayawardene

August 29, 2009: Mahela Jayawardene's success at the SSC has become a creature of habit. This is, after all, a man who has averaged 79. 58 with 2467 runs in his 22 Tests at the venue. When he missed a century in the first innings by eight runs, there was an air of inevitability that Jayawardene would get there in the second innings, seeing as Sri Lanka would definitely try and bat New Zealand out of this Test.

Instead, Jayawardene put himself into the record books for a reason that left him bittersweet at the end of the day. Falling in the nineties again, and to the same bowler (Iain O'Brien) and with a similar shot, Jayawardene become just the fifth player - and first Asian - to make two nineties in a Test.

"I have always wanted to put effort into spending time at the crease and at the end of the day, while two nineties are disappointing, I'll take the runs," Jayawardene said. "The first innings was more disappointing, though. If we had gone through and got a big score then probably we would have been in a much better situation."

Surely you jest, Mahela? The way New Zealand have batted all tour, Sri Lanka would have surely been comfortable with a first-innings score of 416. When he walked out in the second innings, it was with a determined stride and from the start you sensed he was checking in for a while. This is a batsman who, once settled, is unlikely to get out against such bowling and in such conditions.

To the spinners, on a wearing track, Jayawardene's preferred shots were off the back foot, going right back to hit the ball on top of the bounce either behind point or to square leg. He played several such shots off Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel. Against the seamers, there were wristy flicks and delicate dabs and copybook cover-drives. Until he poked at one from Iain O'Brien on 96, Jayawardene had batted with faultless assurance.

"Whenever I go out it is to do well. Keeping consistency is something I've thrived on," he said. "I wanted to get a hundred in the second innings but I got a peach of a delivery. You can't always help it."

Jayawardene has been the center of Sri Lanka's batting archipelago since the retirements of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, and has consistently proven himself a batsman with the temperament and the strokes for big scores. Since giving up the captaincy, Jayawardene said his approach had not changed. "I've always said I've taken captaincy and batting separately. My contribution is important but right now I don't have captaincy responsibility. I am 32 and hopefully I have three or four years of my best time where I learn a lot and push myself harder."

Jayawardene's efforts have put Sri Lanka into a winning position and its now just about wrapping things up. If Jayawardene's role with the bat numbed New Zealand into submission, then the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's four wickets had the tourists puzzled. Herath, after being dropped for Ajantha Mendis in Galle, has continued his rich vein of form with seven wickets so far in the Test. Four came today in a spell in which Herath bowled better than Test cricket's highest wicket-taker at the other end.

"We've invested in Rangana for some time. He's been our second best spinner for quite some time now before Ajantha came into the scene," Jayawardene said. "He's been around for a while and we've had belief in him. Now he's put his hand up and said 'I'm capable of handling that No. 1 spot once Murali leaves'. With the experience Rangana has, he will probably be our best spinner for some time."

Fisichella celebrates amazing pole for Force India

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS: Italian veteran Giancarlo Fisichella could hardly stop smiling with joy Saturday as he celebrated what he described as "an unbelievable pole position" for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

The 36-year-old Roman, who delivered Force India's first ever pole with a stunning lap in the closing stages of an equally-surprising qualifying session riddled with shocks and drama, said he never expected to achieve such a result for the team.

It was the first time that Fisichella had made it through to the top ten shootout, his first pole since the Malaysian Grand Prix of 2006 and the fourth of his long 14-years career.

He said: "It is unbelievable, I didn't expect pole position, especially after yesterday. I was quite surprised because there was a lot of understeer and the measures of downforce levels were not good for us.

"But we worked through the problems this morning and the car was much better, and in qualifying it was much better than expected. For me, it is amazing.

"I was quickest in Q1, fourth in Q2, and then pole position. It is fantastic, I am so happy. I didn't expect that result, so I am really happy and looking forward to tomorrow. I feel so confident."

He added: "This is one of the my favourite circuits, I did well in the past and I was sure to be competitive this year but I didn't expect to be on pole.

"I am so happy for myself, for the team, my engineers, everybody. They did a fantastic job, and we have made a fantastic step forward, especially from the last race. Considering our budget, I didn't expect that!

"We were confident for sure to be top 15, and maybe top 10, but to be on pole position we didn't expect that. In Q1 I was quick, in Q2 fourth quickest so we played to do pole and I am on pole!!"

Fisichella admitted his team had opted for an aggressive fuel strategy but, after setting the fourth fastest time in the second qualifying segment, the Italian is adamant his car still has strong race pace.

"Actually I think we are a little bit aggressive," he said. "We knew for the top three it was important to do that, but don't forget I was fourth quickest in Q2. We are not so slow."

Fisichella has been heavily linked with a move to Ferrari for next month's Italian Grand Prix as a replacement for struggling fellow-Italian test driver Luca Badoer, who himself is a stand-in for injured Brazilian star Felipe Massa.

But after this performance he may have to say he will stay with Force India - because they are the team with greatest potential.

Former Pakistan players happy with out-of court settlement

August 29, 2009:Former Pakistan players have welcomed the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision not to take the legal route against the ICC after the country was stripped of its 2011 World Cup games over security issues.

At a meeting in Dubai between the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and ICC president David Morgan, it was decided that Pakistan would retain its hosting fee of US$ 10.5 million. In addition, the PCB expects a further US$ 18 million as compensation.

Former captain Moin Khan felt that legal action would have complicated things further for the PCB, which has been adversely affected by pull-outs by international teams in the last two years.

"I think it is always wise to resolve issues through negotiations," Moin told PTI. "I don't know who advised the PCB to file a legal challenge in the first place. But at least now Pakistan will get some good money from the World Cup."

Zaheer Abbas said the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers had given the ICC enough reason to shift the matches out of Pakistan.

"No team is willing to play in Pakistan at the moment because of security issues," Zaheer said. "So it would have been futile to even go for a full legal challenge against the ICC who have adequate justification for moving the matches out of Pakistan. There is a general sympathy for us in international cricket and we should use that to our advantage."

Former wicketkeeper Rashid Latif expressed similar sentiments. "I always felt the ICC would give us plenty of concessions and compensation for shifting the World Cup matches," Latif said. "There is sympathy for Pakistan cricket everywhere."

But former opening batsmen Aamer Sohail wasn't pleased that the PCB had opted for an out-of-court settlement, saying that it would set a bad precedent.

"I think we have sent a wrong message to everyone," Sohail said. "The most important thing right now for us to get teams to resume touring Pakistan as soon as possible and by agreeing to surrender our World Cup matches we will give out the wrong message."

India fail Syrian 'test', lose 0-1

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI): Defending champions India sans star striker Bhaichung Bhutia failed to impress as they went down 0-1 to Syria in their inconsequential last round-robin match of the Nehru Cup international football tournament here today.

Having already qualified for Monday's final against the same opponents, India rested Bhutia, who had received a yellow card in the tournament opener against Lebanon.

His strike partner Sunil Chhetri was also brought in the last 10 minutes of the game as India started without four first XI players.

For Syria, who also started without four of their main players, including star striker Mohammad Al Zeno, defender Ali Dyab scored the all-important goal in the 19th minute in the match seen as the dress rehearsal for Monday's summit clash.

Indian Premier League, IMG part ways

August 29, 2009 (New Delhi):It seems there is yet another controversy brewing in Indian cricket, and the latest casualty of the fight between the BCCI bosses and Lalit Modi is the International Management Group or IMG.

The IMG had come up with the format of the tournament and has been conducting it for the last two years. Incidentally, the BCCI bosses thought that they were over-charging the board for organising the league, as result the board's profit from IPL were going southwards.

Also BCCI is not happy with IPL having given compensation to two franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for last year's Champions League T20 that had got cancelled.

The contract with IMG was only for conducting IPL and not for Champions League T20. So IPL has been asked to let go of IMG.

Team India take long look at short ball

BANGALORE: Indian team coach Gary Kirsten had promised that the intensity in training would be high in the short preparatory camp ahead of the tri series in Sri Lanka.

True to his word, Day Two of the four-day camp was intense, with Friday morning devoted to fitness and fielding drills, which at times were neatly combined to keep away boredom, while the afternoon saw the batsmen and bowlers face off at the nets. The nets were certainly interesting, more so with extra attention being given to playing the short ball.

After the fitness assessments were done with on Day One, Kirsten, asked specifically if the short ball would figure prominently during training had said: "That might be one of it, but there might be a whole lot others. Within what we do in this team, in terms of our game plans, our training, our structures, we try and cover every base that we need to cover to make sure we give ourselves best chance of success."

Yes, a lot of bases were covered in terms of fielding, with the short pick up and throw, slip catching, et all figuring but when it came down to the net session at the National Cricket Academy, it was clear that it was the short ball that was being given a lot of thought.

The short ball session for each batsman was seemingly split into two parts. In the beginning, the batsman had to duck and weave his way out as either the bowling machine or the tennis racquet and ball were put to use to send down fast serves that grew big on the batsmen. After that, it was about hitting the short ball, pulling or hooking whenever the line was middle and leg, while still leaving it when the line was on or outside off stump. The training was for 50-over ODIs, where the dot ball is not always frowned upon, so it did make sense to practice both the leave and the shots.

Skipper MS Dhoni was happiest when the time came to smash the ball. He had not been found wanting when he had to leave the ball, his quick reflexes, more than any real technique, coming to the fore.

Dhoni had also looked to be in good touch when just prior to coming into the short ball net he had faced up to RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan in the regular net. There too he wasn't struggling to come to terms with the ball dug in, pulling and cutting the quickish RP with some ferocity (Ishant Sharma was the quickest but he didn't bowl to Dhoni).

The most impressive batting on the day came from comeback man Rahul Dravid. He seemed to be in prime form and though it was a given that he would excel at the ‘short ball net', the number of times the ball found the middle of his blade when he was up against the bowlers, made for pleasant watching.

The same was not the case with Sachin Tendulkar, who for some time at least, struggled. May 21, 2009 was when Tendulkar played his last game (for Mumbai Indians) and since then he's been enjoying the rare break and it showed. Harbhajan was the bowler he struggled most against, the offie teasing him with flight and winning more battles than he lost.

Tendulkar, however, is not the sort who believes too much in batting at the nets. However, if there was reason to worry as far as the batsmen were concerned, it had to with the struggles of Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan when it came to tackling bouncers. Both showed a tendency to take their eyes off the ball most times and thus found it tough to cope.

Kirsten spent a lot of time with both, patiently explaining the best way to deal with the stuff that no batsman likes but has to endure anyway as a professional hazard. Of course, it is important to remember that the nets always provide some sort of a claustrophobic feeling and is never a true or full indicator of ability.

Sports News

Ponting eager to remain captain

Australia's Ricky Ponting said he is determined to continue as captain despite his team's defeat in the Ashes.

Ponting is the first Australia captain in more than a century to lose two Ashes series in England after the hosts wrapped up a 2-1 win last Sunday.

"I still think I've got a lot to offer the team, as a batsman and as a captain and as a leader," said the 34-year-old.

"If it gets to the point I'm not the captain, my hunger and determination to keep playing are as good as ever."

Ponting's worth as a batsman is unquestionable, with a Test batting average of 55.88 and more than 11,000 runs to his name.

But his captaincy skills have come in for criticism, with a perceived lack of imagination in his field placings and bowling changes sometimes cited as a weakness in his leadership.

Ponting has an impressive record in his 61 Tests in charge, including winning 16 straight Tests from January 2006 until January 2008, but the two Ashes series defeats have cast a long shadow over the rest of his time in charge.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke would appear to be the most likely replacement for Ponting as captain, should the selectors decide that a fresh approach is needed, while Simon Katich has also been mentioned as a possible contender.

But Ponting has no intentions of standing down to allow the 28-year-old Clarke to ascend to the captaincy, and has set his sights on regaining the Ashes in Australia - and even a possible return to the UK in 2013.

"I've got to worry about the next 12 or 18 months and see if all that hunger or commitment is still there," added Ponting.

"Right at the moment it most definitely is. It's probably higher right now than ever before.

"I would love to go back and give it the Ashes in England one more crack. Who knows, 2013 might be something achievable."

Nehru Cup: India beat Sri Lanka 3-1

NEW DELHI: India beat Sri Lanka 3-1 in the third group match of the Nehru Cup tournament on Wednesday.

Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia, Gourmangi Singh and Steven Dias scored for India and the defending champions are now in a better position to qualify for the final of the five-nation tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium.

Bob Houghton's boys now may just need a draw in their last round-robin fixture against a formidable Syria on August 29.

Had India drawn against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, they would have to beat Syria to play in the August 31 final.

Vettori reaches Test double mark

First Test, Colombo, day one:New Zealand's Daniel Vettori became only the eighth player to achieve the 300 wickets-3000 runs double on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Kumar Sangakkara was the left-armer's 300th victim on a day which ended with Sri Lanka on 263-3.

They were 75-2 earlier in the day put an unbroken stand of 147 between Mahela Jayawardene (79) and Thilan Samaraweera (78) put them in a strong position.

"I still see myself as a bowler, rather than an all-rounder," said Vettori.

"As a spin bowler, I did not think a feat like this would happen, so it's a very special feeling."

The left-arm spinner is the second player from New Zealand after Sir Richard Hadlee to achieve the double and joins a list that also includes the likes of England's Sir Ian Botham, India's Kapil Dev and Australia's Shane Warne.

But the Kiwis still face a tough task in trying to level the series after losing by 202 runs at Galle.

Vettori used himself as first-change and the move paid off when opener Tharanga Paranavitana, who failed twice in the first Test, pushed forward and edged to Ross Taylor at slip, departing for 19.

Seam accounted for Tillakaratne Dilshan in the third over after lunch when he lobbed a return catch back to Iain O'Brien after making 29.

But home skipper Kumar Sangakkara looked in good touch as he struck nine boundaries, only to sweep Vettori to Jacob Oram at mid-wicket just after reaching 50.

It proved to be New Zealand's final success of the day, however, and although the pitch was "extremely flat", according to Vettori, he professed himself slightly disappointed by the match situation.

"We were ideally looking at five wickets, but Mahela and Thilan are seasoned players and are at the top of their game," he said.

"I hope our batsmen will take a leaf out of their book and put up a big score too."

Hope my suggestions are implemented: Sehwag

Bangalore, Aug 26 (PTI): A day after meeting DDCA president Arun Jaitley, Indian opener Virender Sehwag today said that there are discrepencies in the selection process at the lower level and hoped that his suggestions to the Delhi administrators would be implemented soon.

"If you look at Indian team, I don't think there is any need to give any suggestions because it's the merit that matters. Whoever performs gets picked. There is never an instance where somebody has not performed and got picked," Sehwag said on the sidelines of a Birla Sun Life programme.

"It (unfair selections) happens at lower levels and I have given some suggestions to DDCA and I hope that my suggestions would be implemented soon and the results would be seen in near future," he added.

Somdev clears first hurdle at US Open qualifier

August 26, 2009:Somdev Devvarman kept himself in contention for a berth in the singles main draw of the US Open by advancing to the second round even as it was curtains for compatriot Prakash Amritraj.

Somdev, India's top singles player, scored a facile 6-3, 6-3 win over 16th seed and local lad Alex Bogomolov Jr in the first round of the qualifying event on Tuesday night.

Prakash, on the other hand, had a tough day in office as he played his heart out against 31st seed Alejandro Falla of Colombia, only to lose his opening round qualifying encounter 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6.

Somdev, meanwhile, was quick in grabbing his chances as he converted all the breakpoints that came his way. He broke the Russian-born American twice in each set to script a convincing win, in one hour and 15 minutes.

"I played a solid match right from the start. I am feeling good going into the US Open Qualifiers as I have prepared well and I hope I will be able to qualify for the main draw," he said after the match.

Somdev will next lock horns with Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands.

If Somdev beats Sijsling, ranked 305th, he will then take on the winner of the match between Jerzy Janowic of Poland and 26th seed Alexandre of France

Pakistan can win Champions Trophy if they play as team: Miandad

KARACHI: Pakistan is capable of winning the ICC Champions Trophy next month in South Africa but they would have to play as a team rather than individuals, feels former skipper Javed Miandad.

"The problem with the Pakistan team has always been that they tend to play as individuals but whenever they combine and play as a team they can beat any side in the world or win any major event in the world," Miandad said in an interview on Wednesday.

The former national team coach said the Twenty20 World Cup triumph this year showed that Pakistan is capable of beating anyone when they played as a unit.

"If we can play with the same spirit and coordination that we showed in the T20 World Cup there is no reason why we can't repeat the same success in the Champions Trophy," said Miandad, who is now director cricket in the Pakistan cricket board.

Miandad, who is also batting consultant for the national and junior teams, said that he always rated Pakistan among the top three teams of the world in any era.

"We have god gifted talent in the country and we have some immensely talented performers. The only thing is that they click when they play as a team and not as individuals," he added.

Miandad said the Champions Trophy is a tough competition since only the top eight teams take part in it.

"But we have an excellent pace attack and some good spinners and if the batsmen back them we can win this Champions Trophy," he said.

Miandad, who was a member of Pakistan's 1992 World Cup winning team, said if the board asked him to accompany the team to South Africa for the Champions Trophy as batting consultant he would definitely go.

"But it is the decision of the board what they decide. If my task is to work with the players only in the training camp at home then I will do my best to help the players and pass on my experience to them," he added.

Miandad said that he was working hard on introducing a more competitive and solid domestic structure in the country.

"Because once your basic is strong and competitive you will always produce players with the capability of performing at the international level. We need to improve our domestic structure," he said.

Miandad felt it would be an open tournament as teams like Pakistan, India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka were all good One-day outfits and capable of defeating each other.

"I don't think any one team has a big edge over other sides in this Champions Trophy. Specially after India's poor show in the T20 World Cup and Australia's recent Ashes series loss. It is going to be a very open tournament," he said.

Cyclist Di Luca cries foul over positive dope tests

ROME — Italian cyclist Danilo Di Luca on Wednesday claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy after twice testing positive for banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) during May's Tour of Italy.

Di Luca finished second in the event he previously won in 2007 but returned positive tests for the new-generation EPO called Cera on both May 22 and 28.

He won two stages during the Giro and held the leader's pink jersey for eight days before eventually losing to Russian Denis Menchov by just 41 seconds.

"I just can't explain the two positive tests at the Giro. I'm not ruling out a conspiracy but before I can confirm it I have to be sure," he said during his meeting with the Italian Olympic Committee's (Coni) anti-doping prosecutor.

The 33-year-old was given a one month extension to his hearing after arguing that he didn't have all the information he needed to supply a proper defence.

He was temporarily suspended on July 22 after the results of his tests were published.

"I said previously that if my B samples confirmed the positive tests I would retire from cycling but now I've changed my mind and I am certain I will ride again in the Tour of Italy," added Di Luca.

"My lawyers and I have some serious doubts about the method used in the doping tests which have produced positive results.

"These methods have already given false positives and I think that's the case with me.

"I would have to be a man without a brain to have used Cera, which stays in the blood and urine for a month, especially during the Giro."

This was not the first doping controversy Di Luca has found himself involved in.

During his Tour of Italy victory in 2007 he produced an abnormal dope test and anti-doping prosecutors here requested a two-year ban but he was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

He did, however, serve a three month ban last year for his involvement in the 'Oil for drugs' scandal of 2004.

World Sports News

Pietersen: Broad can fill Flintoff void

Kevin Pietersen has backed Stuart Broad to make England fans forget Andrew Flintoff as the all-rounder prepared to bring the curtain down on his Test career with an Ashes win.

Flintoff is playing his final Test for England as persistent knee injuries mean he is unable to continue to play the longer form of the game. But with Flintoff faltering England have already found a "world class" replacement, according to Pietersen, in the shape of 23-year-old Broad.

Pietersen told the News of the World: "Freddie (Flintoff) has struggled with too many injuries this summer and maybe hasn't made the impact he would have liked in this thrilling series. His retirement would leave a void in any side. But in England's case, it is one that Stuart Broad, can certainly fill."

Pietersen added: "Yes, I know it is a big call. And a big burden of expectation. The last thing Stuart would want or need is to be called the new Freddie. And he won't be. He's his own player.

"He has shown in this game - and others - that he can become a world-class all-rounder for England.

"His performance in this fifth Test has shown that he has accepted the responsibility of becoming England's number one all-rounder now that Freddie is leaving the Test match scene.

"Stuart's bowling and batting are improving all the time. He is only 23 years old don't forget, and there is a lot of development yet to come from him.

"But what impresses me most about Stuart is that he has a good cricketing brain. He is clearly an intelligent cricketer, as he showed with his superb bowling on Friday afternoon.

"With Freddie bowing out, Stuart is the future."

Novak Djokovic sees off Rafael Nadal to reach Cincinnati final

Sunday 23 August 2009: Novak Djokovic caused an upset when he beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters to set up a final with Roger Federer.

Djokovic, the fourth seed, has yet to take a Masters Series title this year but has four to his name in his career and looks in good shape to make it five after dismissing the second seed, Nadal, in straight sets.

Federer had earlier beaten Andy Murray in his own semi-final.

Djokovic did not yield a break against Nadal and made three of his own on his way to a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win that took just over 90 minutes, denying Federer a chance to resume his rivalry with Nadal.

Dilshan made the difference - Vettori

Galle, 4th day, August 21, 2009: Daniel Vettori has singled out Tillakaratne Dilshan's ruthless performance with the bat as the key factor behind New Zealand's 202-run defeat in Galle.

Dilshan, promoted to open the innings for the first time in Tests, raced to 92 off 72 balls in the first innings and followed it up with a century in the second which helped his team set New Zealand an improbable target. The manner in which he dominated also mirrored the ineffectiveness of New Zealand's bowlers and Vettori admitted the uneven contest shut his team out of the match. "We won the toss we wanted to and probably didn't quite do the job," he said. "Look back and see how well Dilshan played and how poorly we bowled to him were the real defining moments throughout the game."

Sri Lanka's batting effort was a collective one with Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scoring centuries in the first innings and the middle order stepping up to get some quick runs while setting the target in the second. Not that New Zealand were without opportunities. They made early inroads in both innings only to be thwarted by Dilshan's unrelenting strokeplay. "We had a couple of opportunities to put pressure on them but every time we did it he took it away from us and played exceptionally well," Vettori said. "When you have a player like that it makes it very tough to captain. He just took the momentum away from us."

New Zealand's worries were compounded when seven of their players were hit by a stomach bug; Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder, who returned to the team hotel at the start of yesterday's play, were the worst affected. Though the illness had a bearing on their fitness, Vettori said it was not an excuse for the way they batted today. Chasing an imposing 413, New Zealand's hopes of saving the game were dashed early this morning when they lost three wickets for 15 runs.

"We hoped that we could bat for longer periods of time but in some ways a few illnesses came against us and the application wasn't quite there," he said. "We tried to stay as long as we could and hoped for rain or to hang on but when you lose five of the top six for scores of under 50 it makes it very tough. Illness aside we could have fought harder in this Test match."

Vettori led by example, taking five wickets in the Test and contributing two defiant knocks down the order in each innings to resist Sri Lanka. He was in charge of a team that was highly inexperienced against the spin threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis but the disappointing aspect of its batting performance was the lack of competitiveness against pace. Fast bowlers Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara bagged eight of the 20 New Zealand wickets and their success, Vettori felt, had a significant impact on the outcome.

"One of the disappointing things was to lose as many wickets to the seamers as we did coming here with a focus thinking that the spin bowlers are going to play a major part," he said. "We put a lot of effort in there and I think we played them pretty well. Murali is quality bowler and a difficult customer to come up against. But I think the way Thushara bowled was probably where we let ourselves down. He took six wickets in the Test match and bowled very well."

Vettori, though, took encouragement from the way his batsmen handled spin. "We played spin quite well," he said. "There was all this talk leading to the Test match how we are going to cope with Murali and Mendis, the guys were pretty comfortable picking them and understanding what they were trying to do. They are still very good bowlers and still if you pick them you still got to play them. That's the one positive we can take into the next Test match."


World Athletics: Usain Bolt exhausted after clinching third gold in Berlin

23 Aug 2009:Bolt's three medals here have replicated his gold medal hat-trick from last August's Beijing Olympics and while he has repeated his individual world-record breaking haul he insists he is not in the same shape he was in China.

The 23-year-old shattered his own 100m world record here last Sunday when he picked up his first gold, then set another global mark when he was victorious in the 200m final on Thursday before running Saturday's third leg of the relay.

The Jamaican quartet clocked a championship record of 37.31 seconds while Trinidad and Tobago took silver in a national record of 37.62sec and Great Britain the bronze in 38.02sec.

With team-mate and world 100m bronze medallist Asafa Powell carrying a groin strain, Bolt ran the penultimate relay leg and despite his claims he is jaded still had enough gas to help his team clinch victory.

"I'm really tired, I didn't run the best leg I wanted to, but I am just happy I got the baton to Asafa (Powell) and we got it around the track," said Bolt, who sat on the track after the baton switch to rest his weary legs.

"My first aim was to get the gold medal, so I am definitely happy. Maybe I didn't look so happy, because I was tired. I had to take a break on the track because I was so tired.

"I was worried about Asafa going into the race, I kept asking him if he was ok, first priority is his health. But he said he felt good and would try his best, the aim was to make sure we won."

Having left Beijing with three world records for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, Bolt missed out on repeating the feat in Berlin when the Jamaicans just failed to match the 37.10sec they ran in Beijing exactly a year ago.

But Bolt says he has no regrets about missing out on a third world record.

"It's been a great championships, I have got my two records it doesn't matter if I don't get one," he added.

Powell anchored the Jamaican team and Bolt explained why he ran the third leg to help his team to gold.

"Michael Frater is not a 200m runner, Asafa has a groin problem and we couldn't let him run the curve," said Bolt. "It's all about the team effort coming to the 4x100m and I run the corners well, so that is why."

Having run four rounds for both his 100m and 200m gold medals before Saturday's 4x100m relay final, Bolt, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, said he is now ready to rest.

"When I came here, I wasn't in the best shape, but I executed what I had to do, so I am happy," said Bolt whose training was hampered earlier in the season after he suffered minor injuries from a car crash in Jamaica last April.

"I think I was in better shape in Beijing - I am dying here now. I wasn't really fit enough to get through the rounds here. It takes a lot out of you to get through and I was in better shape in Beijing, but I am fast enough. I think I showed that here."

Nehru Cup: Bhaichung Bhutia Focused On Winning Against Kyrgyzstan

23-Aug-2009:The 'Sikkimese Sniper' made his international debut in the 1995 Nehru Cup against Thailand and on the eve of his 100th match, he revealed that it was actually Rustom Akramov, the then coach of India, who converted him into a striker.

“I still remember that in my first game Rustom Akramov asked me to play upfront even though I used to play in midfield and since that day I have been playing as a striker.”

The former JCT player said that he is honoured to have reached this landmark but insisted that winning the game is more important for him.

“It’s an honour to reach this milestone for my country. And it's even more special that like the first match, the hundredth one is also coming in the Nehru Cup.

“But having said, I just want us to win the game and stay in contention for a place in the final. It’s a very important match and I am sure that Kyrgyzstan will be tough to beat so we have to play well.”

The 33 year old also talked about how much he wants to play in the 2011 Asia Cup.

“If possible I would like to play 100 more games for India! In truth, Asia Cup is the biggest tournament I can play in before I end my career so I hope we go into that event well prepared and do well,” he concluded.

World No 2 Vijender plays to win!

India:He has 1700 pts and is placed behind Correa Bayeux Emilio of Cuba. Vijender lost to the Cuban in Olympics semi-final. An elated Vijender says, “I’m happy to be World No. 2; the title is a motivation for me to keep my focus on the No 1 slot.”

With the world ranking under his belt, Vijender is gung-ho about all his bouts in the upcoming World Championships in Milan. “I’m training hard, for 6-7 hours regularly, for the Championship. For me, every fight, every bout is like the final round. It doesn’t matter whom I fight,” says Vijender.

The only hitch here is that the team leaves for the World Championship at Milan on August 27 and Vijender is to receive the Khel Ratna Award at a high-profile function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29. Vijender, world champion woman boxer M C Mary Kom and Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar were picked for the country’s highest sporting honour last month. "I would prefer to be in Milan, which will give me more time to acclimatise. My parents would collect the award on my behalf.” His parents stay in Kaluwas, along the Meham-Bhiwani road in Haryana.

World Sports News

The Ashes: England v Australia, fifth Test, day three, lunch report

Oval:Australia will have to set a new fourth innings run chase record if they are to win the Oval Ashes Test after England made a solid, if unspectacular start, to the third day.

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, was the only dismissal as he and Jonathan Trott, unbeaten on 50 at lunch, took the score to 157 for four, against Australian bowlers ploughing a dogged off stump line on a pitch that continues to deteriorate.

Strauss and Trott showed the resilience that has characterised much of Australia's batting in this series as they extended England's lead from an overnight 230 to 329 which if Ricky Pointing's team successfully chase down will eclipse the previous highest fourth innings run chase of 263.

Strauss has been the heartbeat of England's batting this summer and he looked set for a second century of the series when he edged to slip on 75 in the over before lunch.

By then he had already become the highest run scorer in this series from either side when he reached 50 and his run tally stood at 474 when he was dismissed.

The first ball of the day reared up off the dusty pitch and led to a full throated appeal for a catch behind off Trott by Peter Siddle but umpire Asad Rauf, who dropped two clangers on Friday, made a good decision, judging the ball flicked the thigh pad.

Marcus North's off spin was quickly introduced by Ricky Ponting and his first ball was paddled through fine leg for four by Trott to bring up the fifty stand off 127 deliveries.

The first hour, as usual earmarked as crucial by both teams, was attritional with England grinding another 28 runs to their overnight score of 58 for three.

Strauss reached his fifty with a cut to third man and then struck his first boundary of the day when Stuart Clark drifted down the leg side.

Clark persevered with a deliberate ploy to bowl wide to pitch in the rough outside left-hander Strauss's off stump. It shut off the runs but rarely caused Strauss any problems and he eventually hit Clark out of the attack by advancing down the pitch and thumping him through the covers for consecutive fours.

Trott drove Ben Hilfenhaus for three to take the lead beyond 300 and in the following over the 100 stand was recorded as runs began to flow a little more freely as the morning session ended.

With five minutes to go before lunch Trott reached his half century of 89 balls with a four through the on side off Hifenhaus.

Thushara, Murali fashion strong win

With the rain clouds staying away and the Galle sky clear, Sri Lanka romped to victory in the first Test, finishing off proceedings mid-afternoon. The New Zealand tail offered far more resistance than the top order - Daniel Vettori led the way with a brave 67 - but with the spinners coming into their own after early breakthroughs from Thilan Thushara, Sri Lanka eased to a 202-run win. Fittingly Muttiah Muralitharan, who had taken his 100th wicket in Galle earlier in the match, had the final say, running out Brendon McCullum with a superb throw from mid-off to finish off proceedings.

Any realistic hopes that New Zealand had of survival had disappeared soon after lunch, when Jesse Ryder edged Murali behind. McCullum and Vettori staved off the inevitable for a while, and there was polite applause for Vettori when he reached his half-century. Two neat pulls for four off Thushara followed, but by then both Murali and Ajantha Mendis were turning the ball at wicked angles.

And it was Mendis who delivered, coming round the wicket and turning one sharply away to take the edge of Vettori's bat. Once again Prasanna Jayawardene's glovework was smooth, and as Vettori walked back, it was only a matter of when Sri Lanka would wrap things up. McCullum swung Murali for a six, and then swept him for four to rage against dying light, and there were a couple of lovely drives too from Jeetan Patel. But after Mendis had seen him dropped by Malinda Warnapura, substituting for Angelo Mathews, at short leg, Murali struck, with the doosra luring him forward and Prasanna doing the rest.

Iain O'Brien went caught at silly point off the inside edge, and McCullum then made the mistake of taking on Murali's throwing arm to end the contest. The damage, though, had been done much earlier, as Sri Lanka started the morning with some exceptionally tidy overs. The pressure eventually told once Thushara switched the angle of attack to round the wicket. Martin Guptill was clueless against one that came in with the arm and then darted away to clip the top of off stump. Soon after, Tim McIntosh, perhaps still suffering the after-effects of illness, was squared up, and Thilan Samaraweera took a fine low catch at third slip. McIntosh waited for the third umpire's decision, but had to walk off eventually.

An even heftier blow came soon after. Kumar Sangakkara threw the ball to his predecessor as captain, and when Mahela Jayawardene got Ross Taylor to tickle on into Prasanna's hands down the leg side, the Lankan celebrations were raucous. Up in the dressing room, Trevor Bayliss, the coach, held his head in his hands in disbelief.

With the fields more attacking, both Vettori and Jacob Oram had the opportunity to play some strokes. Vettori played a couple of lovely drives, and the sweep and pull were also employed by both as the scoreboard ticked along. But just when it seemed that they might get to lunch without further damage, Oram tried to sweep a straighter one from Mendis, and missed.

Both Vettori and Ryder saw edges off Murali evade wicketkeeper and slip and go for four, but there was to be no great escape for New Zealand. Sri Lanka, whose home form is the envy of so many, chipped away relentlessly and with Thushara adding a cutting edge to the wiles of Murali and Mendis, victory was as inevitable as it was emphatic.

Sri Lanka 452 (Samaraweera 159, M Jayawardene 114, Martin 4-77) and 259 for 5 dec. (Dilshan 123) beat New Zealand 299 (McIntosh 69, Murali 4-73, Thushara 4-81) and 210 (Vettori 67, Murali 3-88) by 202 runs.

Virender Sehwag to meet Arun Jaitley on Tuesday

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The crucial meeting between Virender Sehwag, who has triggered a virtual players' revolt against Delhi adminstrators, and DDCA President Arun Jaitley will be held on Tuesday to try and resolve the issues raised by the senior cricketers.

Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team in protest against alleged nepotism and corruption in the DDCA's sports committee but has been told to keep his decision on hold till the meeting with Jaitley.

The star Indian opener has received support from his senior Delhi teammates like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra, who have also threatened to play for some other state in the upcoming domestic season if their grievances were not addressed. Former Delhi players have also backed the revolting cricketers.

Since both Sehwag and Jaitley were out of town, the meeting could not be scheduled eatlier.

Scrap Champions Trophy, make way for IPL: Hayden

Saturday, August 22, 2009 (New Delhi): Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has advocated scrapping of the Champions Trophy and a two-month window for the Indian Premier League in the international calendar.

In his column for the 'Independent', Hayden wrote: There's too much cricket, too much of it is meaningless, and there are just too many different formats.

"Playing the World Twenty20 every other year is too much. And why have the Champions Trophy when you've already got a 50-over World Cup," he said.

Hayden said cricket should take lessons from football and evolve.

"There are strong lessons to be learned from the success achieved in other sports, such as the quadrennial cycle of football World Cup and UEFA European Championships."

"Cricket should follow this with a similar cycle of T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup. To maximize coverage these should be played in odd-numbered years - football major competitions, and the Olympics, are in even-numbered years. The Champions Trophy should be scrapped," he wrote.

Hayden, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said there was nothing more exciting and challenging than the opportunity to play amongst the best players in the world.

"The T20 format is high-impact, colourful and attractive. I truly believe that the formula works, and that IPL, the world's premier franchise competition, is here to stay."

"The IPL has the ability to generate international fan bases in the same way as achieved by the English football's Premier League. I believe some IPL matches should go on the road each year and be played in other countries, to make it a global competition. The sooner the world of cricket embraces the IPL, the sooner everyone can find ways to benefit from its massive potential," he said.

The Australian giant also backed the idea of World Test Championships to draw spectators to the stands for the traditional format.

"I propose the establishment of a World Series, or a 'World Test Championship' if you like, which would be on a rolling calendar with finals every two years," he said.

"At the core would be the iconic series - the Ashes and India v Pakistan. They should stay as five-match series. Aside from those ties, teams are pooled in two groups, with everyone playing each other and scoring points for wins, draws and series wins, and picking up bonus points for stand-out batting and bowling performances. The leading two in each group would progress to semi-finals and a final, the other would enter a rankings play-off system," he added.

It seems like yesterday: Vijender

NEW DELHI: It's not everyday that an athlete emerges champion even in defeat. On August 22, 2008 Vijender Singh did just that when he lost his
semi-final bout at the Beijing Olympics but the bronze medal that he settled for was the first that any Indian boxer had managed in the world's biggest sporting event.

He completes a "life-changing" year since that feat but Vijender says it is just like yesterday for him.

"It's amazing, a year has passed since I won the Olympic medal and what a year it has been. I still remember the days in Beijing very clearly, it's just like yesterday. Winning the Olympic bronze medal was the start of a new life for me. Everything changed after that medal," the 23-year-old middle weight (75kg) boxer said.

"I lost the (semi-final) bout. It would have been nice to have won and ensured that India's first Olympic medal in boxing was gold," the Khel Ratna awardee added.

"But I am proud of what I achieved and the fact that it made such a difference to Indian boxing gives me immense happiness."

The road to Olympics was a bumpy one for Vijender as he had failed to qualify for the event in his first two attempts and was battling a nagging back problem going into the third and final qualifying tournament.

Sports News

Australia count on Manou to stand tall with bat and gloves

Sunday, 2 August:After catching a cold by not bringing a spare opening batsman for the Ashes series in England, Australia almost went down with swine flu by bringing only one specialist wicketkeeper. Perhaps it is because Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist shared the keeper's duties for 20 years (1988-2008) – if we overlook Phil Emery's solitary appearance in Lahore in 1994 – that Australia appear to take their keepers for granted.

The selectors thought long and hard about putting all their eggs in Brad Haddin's basket when they sat down to pick their squad for this trip. Some thought that Mike Hussey or Phillip Hughes could keep in an emergency. That would have left them looking red-faced on Thursday morning when Haddin, Australia's leading run-scorer in the series, was forced out of the side with a broken finger. England's sporting behaviour in allowing Graham Manou to play after the team had been confirmed, with Haddin in it, was ridiculously overplayed yesterday.

The real story would have been if Andrew Strauss and the England management had refused. If there is no spirit within cricket, the game is simply not worth playing. There was never any chance of England saying no. Manou was rushed into the team so quickly that he did not even have time to pick up his baggy green cap. That was awarded to him on Friday. He is 30, just as Wally Grout was when he won his first cap for Australia in 1957. This might persuade people to think that he and Haddin are the only two keepers in Australia, which would be unfair.

Manou has come through ahead of Luke Ronchi, of Western Australia, Chris Hartley (Queensland), Matthew Wade (Victoria) and Tim Paine (Tasmania). Ronchi, 28, became Australia's No2 keeper after Gilchrist retired. He is an outstanding top-order hitter, with a strike rate of 205.40 from his four one-day internationals. Wade, 21, who is also an Australian Rules footballer, is a left-hander capable of playing long innings. Hartley, 27, and Paine, 24, are also keepers who can bat. But none of them have played in a Test match.

England, with great wicketkeeping traditions, still have the greater strength in depth. Tim Ambrose and the unlucky James Foster have played 17 Tests between them and, although Chris Read and Geraint Jones look unlikely to play for England again (Matt Prior is becoming established and the selectors await the qualification of Somerset's Craig Kieswetter next year), there is plenty of experience in the shires. While the world has been full of classy wicketkeeper-batsmen in recent years (just who do Prior, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahendra Dhoni, Mark Boucher and Brendon McCullum think they are?), Manou is something of a throwback.

He has good hands – he is considered better behind the stumps than Haddin – and looks something of a late-order hitter. Two of his first three balls in Test cricket were hit to the ropes on Friday, though he did not last long. Manou might be a tyro at this level, but he was given a contract and picked for this tour because he is battle-hardened, having played 88 games for South Australia in a decade as a first-class cricketer.

When he was out for a first-ball duck at Northampton, the warm-up game for the Edgbaston Test, he might have wondered whether he would feature again on this tour. But he scored an unbeaten half-century in the second innings and then, on Thursday, came his big chance in a Test. He looked tidy in the little time we had to view him on Friday, though the ball did not move around for the Australian fast bowlers as it had done for England's.

Today we might be able to make a sounder judgement. He has some character. He was dropped by South Australia after a poor run with the bat in 2006 and missed the game against England that winter. But he scored a career-best 190 against Tasmania in 2007 and was given the captaincy of the side last season.

Two Pura Cup centuries in his 647 runs, together with his 33 dismissals, eased him ahead of his rivals and on to the plane for England. The previous season, he had replaced Shane Deitz in the state team and proved himself to be a batsman of some substance. With 596 runs at an average of 37.25, he was the leading scorer in the South Australia side.

A promising junior, he was voted player of the tournament when he captained his state in the 1997-98 national under-19 carnival in Melbourne. In 1999-2000 he replaced Tim Nielsen, the current Australia coach, in the side. His athletic and technically sound keeping caught the eye immediately, though batting was a battle for him at first – he made ducks in four of his first five innings in the first-class game. His girlfriend is Tamsyn Lewis, the Australian middle-distance runner who has won three Commonwealth Games gold medals.

He was born with a hole in his heart, which was discovered after he felt chest pains when he was 11. Two years ago, he organised a 960-mile Tour de Heart bike race from Alice Springs to Adelaide to raise money for cardiac research. He did this again last year, but had to cancel his plans for another event this year because of the Ashes tour.

BCCI's worry: Deadline penalty

MUMBAI: Whether Indian cricketers agree to adopt the anti-doping norms or not, the more serious issue awaiting BCCI right now is whether it would ICC let its players get penalised for missing the July 31 - first information filing - deadline. BCCI president Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan, the board's chief administrative officer Prof Ratnakar Shetty simply refuse to comment. "That will be decided after tomorrow's (working committee) meeting," is the reply.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) says a majority of players from across all countries have agreed to adopt the norms, with India being the only exception. The World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada) code requires players in ICC's international testing pool, to sign the 'whereabouts' clause. Missing the deadline, for the record, incurs severe penalties. Even the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) has said "if Indian players do not pay the fine, the rule will have to be applicable to everybody else." This should further put BCCI in a fix.

So, the issue concerning penalties on players will be on top of the mind of those attending the working committee meeting on Sunday. Senior cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag will be present in the meeting and TOI has learnt that the players will be arriving armed with their standard argument that they are not comfortable with the "out-of-competition" testing clause.

ICC's company lawyer Iain Higgins is in Mumbai to explain the intricacies of the Wada clause and also convey ICC's point of view. The Indian board, however, has already decided that it is going to solidly back its players. "Remove that one clause and we're okay with it," is the board's stance. The ICC generally believes that if cricket, as a sport, needs to get global, then becoming an Olympic sport - or at least aiming for a slot - should be the main primary aim. In such a scenario, it becomes mandatory for the sport to sign up the anti-doping policy norms.

BCCI, on the other hand, is not concerned with the idea. "The testing happens during ICC events. We're okay with it even if they are tested during bilateral events. Even during training, it is fine. But not when there's no cricket happening," the players say. BCCI completely agrees with that.

Even if that is mutually settled, with ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat saying that "a few changes can be made" in the clause if deemed necessary, it is to be seen if Wada will accept it.

Hamilton excited about Schumacher’s return

NEW DELHI: These days, Lewis Hamilton is enjoying time off the gruelling Formula One circuit.

A much-needed victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week may not significantly brightened up his hopes of retaining the tag of the World champion but Hamilton has reasons to believe that he can win a few more races from the remaining seven in the season ahead.

“The spark inside me is brighter than before. I owe it to my team that always believed we could win. It was tough not to win for a long time. But the team kept pushing me.

“It was fantastic, everyone wanted to win and believed that it was possible,” said Hamilton during a promotional event in the Capital on Saturday.

Despitw the hot-and-humid weather Hamilton had to bat, bowl and field. He was playing a friendly tennis-ball six-a-side cricket match played between employees of Vodafone and a team including some local Ranji Trophy cricketers. Later, addressing the media, the 24-year-old Briton said he was excited that Michael Schumacher was making a comeback.

“I am excited that we’ll be racing again. It was always my dream to race against someone like Michael. It is beyond winning or losing. It is an opportunity to be part of the same race as Michael. I am already looking forward to it,” said Hamilton, who started driving at the age of eight.
Force India’s prospects

When asked about the prospects of Force India opening its account, Hamilton was optimistic.

“They are using something that we developed two and half years ago. They are taking a step forward. I think they’ll get better.”

On the subject of the Grand Prix coming to India in 2011, Hamilton said, “I hope the race is held in winter. I am happy to know that there is a huge following for Formula One in the country. I am sure it’ll be exciting to race before the Indian fans.”

Kohli, Saha too hot for SA

Calcutta: Virat Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha scored the bulk of the runs as India defeated South Africa by 17 runs to win the Emerging Players Tournament in Brisbane Saturday.

Put in to bat, India scored 283 for nine in their allotted 50 overs. Kohli led the charge with a 102-ball 104 and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman scored 74 off 59 balls.

The South Africans, in the final with an all-win record, were then bowled out for 266 in 46.2 overs with Sudeep Tyagi returning figures of four for 72.

India’s start was not an ideal one. Tall South African pacer Lonwabe Tsotsobe, who returned figures of five for 69, dealt twin blows in the very first over of the match. He first trapped in-form Ajinkya Rahane in front of the wicket soon after the opener smacked the left-armer for a six over extra cover. Off the next ball, Tsotsobe had Murali Vijay lbw for a duck with a full-length delivery. That left India struggling at seven for two.

Thereafter, Kohli, the other opener, and captain Subramaniam Badrinath, did a bit of repairing job with a 49-run partnership for the third wicket before three quick dismissals saw India tottering at 109 for five by the 22nd over.

Then came Wriddhiman, who added 78 for the sixth wicket with Kohli to get the Indian innings back on track. Kohli was particularly prolific on the leg side, hitting sixes in consecutive overs with superb feet movement. He brought up his century in 97 balls before giving a straight forward catch to Beharsien at extra cover.

Useful contributions from leg-spinner Amit Mishra (25 off 22 balls) and Abhishek Nayar (23) down the order ensured a 280-plus score for India.

In reply, the South African openers made a steady start to their run chase, putting on 52 for the first wicket. However, the Indian bowlers brought their side back into the game, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Opener Rilee Rossouw slammed 35 from just 16 balls, including consecutive sixes off Tyagi, before the lanky right-arm pacer cleaned him up.

Kohli finished the tourmanment as the highest scorer, with 398 runs from seven matches with two centuries and as many half-centuries, while Tyagi was the highest wicket taker with 14 scalps from six matches.

New kid on the block

Moushumi Bora, TNN 2 August 2009: A smile was enough. While Gaganjeet Bhullar's peers railed against the madness of non-stop golf at the end of last season, the youngster from Gaganjeet BhullarKapurthala had a bright spark on his visage. "I'm playing 40 tournaments next season so I better be ready." Perhaps he knew he was on the verge of a breakthrough as the gathering scribes simply nodded, impressed by the visible commitment.

While his success on different levels spoke of a winning mentality, there were murmurs about his lack of finishing grit on the professional front. There were encouraging whispers too - Give him a break, he's not even an adult...

He got his break. But it wasn't something that came out of the blue. In 2007, he was on the brink of claiming the same Indonesia event he won last week but fate had other ideas, as Juvic Pagunsan's birdie-eagle finish put paid to his ambitions. Sometimes there are moments that make you bigger and better, or shatter your confidence. This near-miss made Gaganjeet more driven. He felt that the tide would turn eventually and perhaps, there was a divine message when he turned up with the most miraculous round when it mattered.

Last year, Bhullar made a dramatic final-round move in the season's penultimate event, the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open, where he fired a 64 to edge Adam Groom to the 65th spot on the Order of Merit, the final place for a full Asian Tour card, by a meagre $681.

But then, his recent successes are not all about fortune. "I worked really hard during the last two off-seasons," Bhullar told TOI from Bandar Seri Begawan, where he is playing the Brunei Open. "My approach has become much more positive and the Asian Tour experience has, of course, helped me a lot."

"I have learnt that patience is an underrated virtue in a game where the mind plays the biggest part," the 21-year-old added.

After making big leaps on the domestic circuit, Bhullar proceeded to win the International Final Qualifying for the British Open, becoming the youngest Indian player to play golf's oldest Major. Offered the opportunity to play among the world's best, Bhullar went through elaborate preparations in Scotland, and played a Tuesday practice round with the country's best export, Jeev Milkha Singh.

Although Jeev had to withdraw because of injury, it was not before he had offered his pupil a dossier of advice. "Jeev told me about the pressures of playing in a Major. There's so much you can learn by watching how he conducts himself on the course. There were lessons about course management, and the mental side of the game," he reprised.

Jeev himself reserved high praise for the youngster. "He's only 21 and who says he can't be better than a Jeev, Arjun (Atwal) or Jyoti (Randhawa) in the long run," the world No. 41 told TOI from Chandigarh. "He is definitely the complete package. A strong lad who can hit big and putt well, and the most important thing is that he has a good head. I've told him to keep his feet on the ground, stay focused."

While Jeev 'sir' is a hard man to catch, Gaganjeet is more likely to bump into Jyoti, and the three times Indian Open champion is comfortable wearing the cloak of a mentor. "Jyoti has been fantastic throughout. He is always telling me what to do and what to eat as well... all the basic stuff. He's someone you can count on," Bhullar said.

Earlier this year, Bhullar had attributed his domestic success to psychoanalyst Dr Pradeep Aggarwal for the transformation of "visualisation to reality" but he has learnt in the last few outings that things are not so simple. "I'm travelling alone now and I am relying on my natural instincts because ultimately you are alone on the course. Having said that, my father has been a great source of confidence over the phone," he said.

His victory in Indonesia will earn him slots in the co-sanctioned events, and he is ready to rub shoulders with the big guns again. "I remember playing with the cigar-chomping Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Johnnie Walker Classic. However, my attitude has changed since then. You cannot be in awe of such players. We are all playing to win the same prize."

The goals are being revised also. "Earlier, I was thinking of playing on the Japanese Tour but now if my schedule allows me, I'll attempt to qualify for the European and US PGA Tours. While it's logical to take it step by step, I am more keen on the latter because I feel that the USPGA is a refined version of the Asian Tour."

Looks like it's fast forward for Indian golf's new star.

Tayeb packs off top seed Dipika

CHENNAI: Nour el Tayeb served a shock to the system on Saturday, sending top seed Dipika Pallikal tumbling out of the World junior squash championships. Tayeb will take on her namesake, Nour el Sherbini, in an all-Egyptian girls’ final on Sunday, while the boys’ title clash will be contested between defending champion Mohamed el Shorbagy and second seed Ivan Yuen of Malaysia.

The fourth seed, Tayeb, trounced the favoured Dipika in four games, cutting short the Indian’s slapdash attempts to claw her way into a position of dominance after the players were locked at one game each.

Trailing after losing the third, the Indian appeared to have got the measure of her younger opponent as she went for low-percentage shots in the fourth game — her sneer intensifying with the impossible angulations of her wrist. But sneering can take one only so far, and another improbable attempt to kill a stray floater — that was blasted into the tin at matchball — gave the Egyptian a shot at the title.

Submerged in a sea of personnel after her win, Tayeb said: “I’m speechless. I’ve never seen more than two photographers at my matches in Egypt. My coach here advised me to avoid playing to Dipika’s forehand, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Sherbini, who had accounted for Heba el Torky in the quarterfinals, was dealt an easy hand against eighth seed Maria Toor Pakay of Pakistan in the other semifinal. For someone who took to squash as a fitness measure, Toor Pakay still appeared to be hounded by ‘weighty’ issues, and with the willowy Sherbini running circles around her, movement was always going to be a problem for the Pakistani.

So each time Toor Pakay slammed a prospective, full-blooded forehand winner into the wall, all Sherbini had to do was caress the ball away and watch her rival sway and stumble in her approach.

Shorbagy, too, had a non-encounter of a semifinal against compatriot Andrew Wagih Shoukry. Both players, positive and negative replicas of each other in black and white tops, scurried about like laboratory hamsters after a bobbing ball of cheese. But the boys’ top seed wasn’t really taxed, getting a straight-games verdict his way, as Wagih appeared a touch subdued even during the warming up phase. Pakistan’s escape artist Aurangzeb Mehmud finally had the door shut on him by Ivan Yuen, who was all business in the second semifinal.

With a track record of fretting and fuming when things didn’t do his way on court, Aurangzeb had several spectators hanging around the venue purely for entertainment of a different kind. But both his game and his temper were kept in check by the efficiency of Ivan’s minimalist approach, which left the Malaysian a winner at six, nine and three.

India recovers to subdue England

Birmingham: In a splendid second half action, India nullified the 0-2 deficit and managed to win the second hockey Test 4-3 and level the series 1-1 against England at the University of Birmingham on Friday.

It is a rare instance of Indians recovering from a two-goal deficit within 27 minutes and then netting one in the first half and three in the second.

England had a comfortable lead when Ashley Jackon put the team ahead in the 26th minute and within four minutes Jonty Clarke enlarged the lead. Only late in the first half could India find the rhythm and strike, a goal coming from Arjun Halappa at the stroke of half-time from a penalty corner. Shortly after the break, India levelled 2-2 when Dhanjaya Mahadik struck from a penalty corner. Thereafter India kept up the pressure and Rajpal Singh gave India the well deserved lead.

England hit back again to restore parity at 3-3 thanks to the second strike by Ashley Jackson. Within a minute before the final whistle came the match-winner from Gurvinder Singh Chandi. India not only inched back into the match but displayed admirable measure of speed and skill to shock the home team. Adrian D’Souza brought off a few saves to keep the big turnout of Indian spectators at the venue happy.

Speaking after the match, India’s outstanding goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza said: “It feels good to have levelled the series and to make the saves I did against a side with the quality that England has was great.”
Learning exercise

India’s Spanish coach Jose Brasa refused to get carried away with the comeback and put the result down to renewed confidence in his team. “We’re not worried about the result tonight. We haven’t come here to win, we’ve come to learn. They are trying new things that they are not used to. In the second half, we gave the players more confidence to play how they know.”

England’s coach Jason Lee, who will announce his squad for the EuroHockey Nations Championships early next week, blamed missed opportunities for his side’s defeat: “At 2-0 up we were playing well but the sign of a good team is to put the game away in that position.

“We had several good opportunities to go 3-0 up but we didn’t take them and we really lost the game in about the 28th minute when we could have put it to bed. In the second half we were lethargic and lackadaisical and India came back well.”

India plays the third and final Test on Sunday at 3-30 p.m