Latest news

German magazine, says recovery claims not true First doubles triumph: Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy clinch Mexico Open Grand Prix India tour Australia 2015-16: Unfortunate for Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra and co but selectors have done well Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini slapped with eight-year bans by FIFA Here's An Inspiring Story Of Indian Hockey's Deaf And Mute Champion Who Dreams To Play For India Vijender eyes another knockout show against Hyuseinov Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni feature in Shane Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI

German magazine, says recovery claims not true
New Delhi:MMNN:23 Dec. 2015
Michael Schumacher's long-time manager Sabine Kehm slammed reports which said that the F1 legend has made a spectacular recovery and is able to walk back again.
Kehm accused German magazine Bunte of raising “false hopes” with its report of Schumacher’s recovery.
"Michael is very thin. But he can walk again with a little help from his therapist,” the magazine quoted an unnamed “confidant” of the racing driver as saying.
The magazine went on to describe the improvement in Schumacher’s condition as a “Christmas miracle”.
According to a report in The Telegraph, Kehm clarified, “Unfortunately, we are forced by a recent press report to clarify that the assertion that Michael could move again is not true."
“Such speculation is irresponsible, because given the seriousness of his injuries, Michael’s privacy is very important for him. Unfortunately they also give false hopes to many people involved.”
Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 world champion who is widely regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, was injured while skiing off-piste with his 14-year-old son in December 2013.
The German suffered serious brain injuries, when he crashed into rocks and the doctors performed two operations to relieve pressure on his brain and remove blood clots in the days following his accident.
Schumacher's family had announced in June that he was no longer in the medically induced coma he was placed in to reduce swelling in his brain.
Schumacher was moved from a Lausanne rehabilitation centre to the extraordinary custom-built clinic in the grounds of his 35 million ($71.5 million) mansion in Gland, on the shores of Switzerland's Lake Geneva.

First doubles triumph: Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy clinch Mexico Open Grand Prix
New Delhi:MMNN:23 Dec. 2015
India's men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy ended the season on a high by claiming their maiden Grand Prix title with a straight-game win over Thailand's Bodin Issara and Nipitphon Puangpuapech in the finals of Mexico Open.
The third seeded Indian pair, who had reached the finals of US Open and Dutch Open, finally lay their hands on a grand prix title when they defeated Bodin and Nipitphon 22-20 21-18 in a 35-minute battle at the Centro Deportivo Chapultepec AC on Sunday.
"They're the no 1 pair of Thailand, so it was tough match for us as we had lost to them in the last tournament (K&D Graphics Grand Prix in California). But we played really good and it was our day," Manu told.
"We played without any pressure and there were no unforced errors from our side. Basically we played amazing badminton. It was one of the best matches ever," he added. It was a gritty performance from the Indian duo as they never gave up in the face of adversity despite falling behind a couple of times during the opening game.
Manu and Sumeeth produced a gruelling game of badminton as they fought their way to a slender 11-9 lead at the break but the Thai pair drew level after the interval. The Indian pair then once again opened up a 15-12 lead, which once again was reduced by Bodin and Nipitphon with two points.
Manu and Sumeeth, however, zoomed to a 20-16 lead but the Thai pair once again clawed back with a four-point burst but the Indian duo didn't give them any chance after that and closed the opening game in their favour.
In the second game, Manu and Sumeeth didn't allow the Thai pair to ever threaten them as they lead right from the start to end to shut the door on their rivals.
"This is our first big title in this year. And it's really a good motivation and end to this year. It's a big advantage. This win will definetely give a big boost to our Olympic qualification campaign," said Manu.
For the 22-year-old from Meerut, this season was more special as he had started the year with a final finish in the mixed doubles event with K Maneesha at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and ended it with a title with Sumeeth.
"It was a satisfying year as I started the year with a GP gold runners up and ended with a GP title. And in that tournament I was awarded the best men player trophy in January," he said.
Manu and Sumeeth played a lot of Grand Prix, Grand Prix Gold and International Challenge tournaments this year to reach a career-best ranking of World No. 17 in August.
The duo won the Belgian International Challenge and Lagos International challenge, besides reaching the finals of US Open Grand Prix Gold, Dutch Open Grand Prix, Prague Open International Challenge and Guatemala International challenge.
Talking about his association with partner Sumeeth, Manu said: "Me and Sumeeth started playing internationally in 2013. Our first tournament together as a pair was at the senior nationals in September, 2012 and we had won that."
Asked if they had scheduled their tournament keeping the Olympic qualification in mind, Manu said: "No not actually but after we performed well in US Open, we started taking it seriously and planned each and every tournament according to that. So basically US Open changed everything."
Manu also attributed the win to his coaches and parents.
"I would like to thank my coach Pullela Gopichand and also doubles coach Tan Kim Her. He has been supporting us very well and we've improved a lot training under him. I also like to thank BAI officials and a great thanks to my parents because of them I'm here today," he signed off.

India tour Australia 2015-16: Unfortunate for Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra and co but selectors have done well
MMNN:21 Dec. 2015
Ahead of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 2007 in South Africa, senior Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and then captain Rahul Dravid decided to opt out of the tournament. They felt the format demanded young legs and that prompted the unselfish move. What happened next was history as MS Dhoni marched a bunch of young boys to a title win. Now eight years later, the theory seems to have altered. The theory of ‘youth for T20’ has made way for the ‘horses for courses’ with veteran cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra returning to the national side for the T20I series in Australia. This means they are very much in the contention of for the ICC World T20 2016, which starts in March.
Did they deserve this? Yes, they absolutely did. In all major tournaments where India have done well, Yuvraj has played a crucial role. His form for Punjab has been phenomenal as he has guided them to the knockout stage of the ongoing edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy. An average of over 85 with a strike-rate touching almost 104, Yuvraj’s form couldn’t be ignored. Not just T20, Yuvraj should also have been picked for the ODI side.
On the other hand, Harbhajan, Yuvraj’s state captain, had done brilliantly in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was one of the reasons that Mumbai Indians had done so well in the tournament. It’s true that the Sardar from Jalandhar is well past his prime but if there’s one format where he still remains dangerous it’s the T20s.
It’s the same case with Nehra. The Delhi left-armer’s return to the national side is another chapter in the curious tale of his chequered career. His fielding was a spot of bother even when he made his national debut as a teenager in 1999 and now at 36, the standards have only deteriorated.
However from Sourav Ganguly to Dhoni, his captains still prefer him. He hasn’t played a lot of late but taking his recent IPL outings into consideration, India surely don’t have many better bowlers in the shortest format than him.
Bold and fresh move: Indian selectors in the past have hesitated to pick two separate squads for ODIs and T20Is in away tours, so it was good to see them doing so. Also by dropping Suresh Raina, one of India’s all-time best limited-overs players from the ODI side, the selectors have made a statement that no one is indispensable.
Raina’s form has hurt India lately and he has failed to make it count in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too where he has so far managed 55 runs at an average of 13.75. By picking the likes of Manish Pandey and Gurkeerat Singh, selectors are now clearly looking beyond names.
An ideal definition of a good all-rounder would be someone who could make it to the side purely as a batsman or purely as a bowler. India have persisted with Stuart Binny for long. It’s true that he didn’t get an extended opportunity but could he make it to the side purely on basis of one discipline? In comparison, a Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel can do so purely on basis of bowling.
Rishi Dhawan has finally been given a chance for his consistent show with both, bat and ball. Not many average over 40 with the bat in First-Class cricket and less than 26 with the ball. Dhawan has a tendency to come up with a brilliant performance followed by a string of inconsistent shows. Here’s an opportunity for him and Team India will look for consistencies.
A couple of months back, VVS Laxman visiting CricketCountry office spoke highly of Hardik Pandya as an all-rounder. Pandya has been rewarded for the promise he has shown so far and picked in the T20 squad. India are in desperate need for a pace bowling all-rounder and with Binny now out of favour, here’s a golden chance for the young Baroda lad.
Unlucky: Not many have been dropped from the national side after scoring a match-winning hundred but luck hasn’t smiled often at Kedar Jadhav. The explosive Maharashtra batsman has scored runs at 57.33 in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy with a strike-rate of over 104, but still missed the bus. In his last ODI in Zimbabwe, he smashed an unbeaten century only to be dropped in the next series.
Similarly, Robin Uthappa will consider himself unlucky to miss out. He has been around the national fringes for longer than most and once again had a prolific Ranji Trophy season. Adding to that, he has been key to Kolkata Knight Riders’ fortunes in the IPL. He could have been a good back-up as a wicketkeeper to Dhoni.
Agreed that too many spinners wouldn’t have made sense in Australia but Amit Mishra has done very well in the limited opportunities he got. He was brilliant in the ICC World T20 in 2014 and is currently enjoying a honeymoon in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Mishra hasn’t received the fairest of treatments but with consistent performance in domestic cricket he can still make the cut for the T20 mega event.
With some many youngsters making it to the side, Shreyas Iyer having missed out will be hurt. The 21-year-old has amassed 930 runs in the Ranji Trophy so far this season at a strike-rate over 95. Iyer has been the best domestic batsman in India this season. Similarly, Shardul Thakur has been Mumbai’s best pacer in the recent years. Despite his consistency, he was again overlooked. Young Brainder Sran leapfrogs Thakur to a national berth; reason — the former is a left-armer and has done better lately.
Conclusion:Everyone can’t be happy at the same time but by preferring merit to reputation, the likes Iyers and Jadhavs can take it in their stride that if they continue to excel in domestic cricket, their time may come soon.
The cliche goes that an ideal team must consist a right mix of youth and experience and in that parameter the selectors have got it right for the T20 squad. New players draw a lot of interest and the performances in Australia will be keenly followed.
ODI squad: MS Dhoni (c&wk), ViratKohli (vc), ShikharDhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, AjinkyaRahane, Manish Pandey, RavindraJadeja, Mohammed Shami, Akshar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Brainder Sran.
T20I squad: MS Dhoni (c&wk), ViratKohli (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, AjinkyaRahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra.

Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini slapped with eight-year bans by FIFA
Zurich:MMNN:21 Dec. 2015
An ethics tribunal of scandal-plagued FIFA on Monday banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years saying they had abused their positions over a 2 million Swiss francs payment made to Platini.
The sentence against the two most powerful men in football stunningly highlighted the troubles faced by the world`s most popular sport where billions of dollars have been invested in recent years.
Blatter, 79, and Platini, 60, were "immediately" banned from all football activity. Blatter`s career is now almost certainly over while Platini`s hopes of taking over FIFA are all but finished
Blatter, FIFA`s president since 1998, was fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,000/46,300 euros). Platini, the head of UEFA, Europe`s governing body and a FIFA vice president, was fined 80,000 Swiss francs.
A statement by the court said both showed "abusive execution" of their powers.
FIFA had looked into a two million Swiss francs payment authorised by Blatter to Platini in 2011. They said it was for work as a consultant carried out between 1999 and 2002.
While the FIFA court dropped corruption charges against both men, it said both were guilty of a conflict of interest.
It said there was "no legal basis" for the payment in an oral agreement between the two officials in August 1999.
"Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment. His assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber."
The court said "Mr Blatter`s actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA`s regulatory framework to the extent applicable to him and demonstrating an abusive execution of his position as President of FIFA".
Platini was also found to be in "a conflict of interest".
The judgement was even more damning of the French football legend than for Blatter.
"Mr Platini failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.
"His actions did not show commitment to an ethical attitude, failing to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA`s regulatory framework."The court said Platini was also guilty of "demonstrating an abusive execution of his position as vice-president of FIFA."
Blatter and Platini were provisionally suspended in October after Swiss prosecutors started a criminal investigation into the 2011 cash transfer.
Blatter is under criminal investigation and Platini is being treated as between a suspect and a witness.
Both strongly deny any wrongdoing. Blatter spent eight hours before a FIFA court last Thursday while Platini boycotted his hearing saying he had been "condemned" in advance.
At the time of the 2011 payment, Blatter was campaigning for a fourth term as FIFA president. Platini later supported his former mentor but has since turned against him.
Blatter and Platini can challenge any ban at a FIFA appeal tribunal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and even in a Swiss civil court.
Blatter would be fighting for his reputation. For Platini, the ban rules him out of the FIFA election to be held on February 26.
The deadline for candidates to be registered and pass an integrity check is January 26.
With FIFA`s reputation in tatters after the arrest of several top officials, Blatter announced four days after winning re-election to a fifth term in May that he would stand down and call a new election.
Seven FIFA officials were arrested in a luxury Zurich hotel two days before the election congress.
Now US authorities have charged 39 football officials and sports business executives over more than $200 million in bribes for football television and marketing deals.
Swiss prosecutors are in parallel investigating FIFA`s management and the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
Facing pressure from governments and the International Olympic Committee for major reforms, there are currently five candidates to take over FIFA: Asian football head Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, South African politician and tycoon Tokyo Sexwale, former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan, UEFA general-secretary Gianni Infantino and Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA assistant general secretary from France.

Here's An Inspiring Story Of Indian Hockey's Deaf And Mute Champion Who Dreams To Play For India
MMNN:18 Dec. 2015
Somewhat similar to the Bollywood film 'Iqbal', is the story of Abdul Samad, a hearing and speech impaired hockey player from Madhya Pradesh. Hailing from Bhopal in central India, he plays hockey with able-bodied athletes for Madhya Pradesh in spite of being unable to hear and speak.
For this 26-year-old though, the journey to play his game at the national level was a rough one to say the least. At first, he was a victim of glares and much ridicule for having aspirations of playing with able-bodied athletes. But his lack of abilities could not stop him from proving the potential of his athletic skills with the hockey stick. He taught basic sign language to his teammates, learnt to lip read and there he was - a willing a able competitor as a hockey goalkeeper.
"When I first approached SAI for training and they said no. I felt terrible. I requested them to give me a chance. I proved myself and was selected. I dream to play for Team India and make the country proud like Iqbal did in the film," Samad communicated with the help of his brother to recently.
Abdul Wahab, his father, a former national-level player himself, tells how Samad took to the stick sport. "When Abdul was a child he used to accompany me to the stadium for practices and gradually grew fond of the game and started playing. Initially, I felt he cannot speak or hear so how will he communicate on the field? So then we started training him to be a goalkeeper," Wahab said.
Former Olympian and Samad's coach Ashok Dhyanchand also marvels at his story and says it is for the first time in his 50-year hockey career that he's heard of someone of his abilities playing at the national levels. Now, Samad's cabinet at his home is laden with trophies won at the state level.

Vijender eyes another knockout show against Hyuseinov
MANCHESTER:MMNN:18 Dec. 2015
Vijender Singh would be eyeing a third successive knockout victory but the task seems easier said than done against an experienced and aggressive Samet Hyuseinov when the two square off in the star Indian boxer's maiden six-round professional contest on Saturday.
Vijender has so far competed in four-round bouts, winning both of them via knockouts.
Against Hyuseinov, who has 14 fights under his belt -- seven of them being victories -- the bout will be of six rounds even though the Indian has promised to wrap it up much earlier than the stipulated time.
Hyuseinov, on his part, has been as aggressive with his words and has vowed to send Vijender back to India "beaten and broken".
The Bulgarian has missed no opportunity to harp on him being the more experienced of the two and has gone to the extent of calling Vijender a "play-actor boxer", taking a dig at the Indian's movie appearance.
"How do you respond to such threats? I can only laugh, let him say what he feels like. He has all the freedom to say what he wants. But I talk only in the ring and in a language he will understand quite well," this was the response of the former Olympic and World Championships bronze-medallist when asked about Hyuseinov's tall claims.
"If he is experienced, than I am no less. I am an Olympic medallist. Obviously he is more experienced in the pro circuit but I am experienced enough not to be affected by it," he said.
"My USP is that I hardly ever get worried. I know it's my job and I will be facing up to a variety of people, so I don't get too affected," he added. Vijender's confidence comes from the dominating wins he notched up against Sonny Whiting and Dean Gillen in the earlier bouts.
However, the 29-year-old Hyuseinov, who took to boxing at the age of 10 after surviving an attempted robbery by older boys, feels Vijender is just not ready for an experienced fighter like him.
"I don't see Vijender as a threat, I don't see any boxer as a threat otherwise I wouldn't be a fighter. I take each fight as it comes. I don't think Vijender is ready to fight someone like me yet and he is saying what he will do to me as if I don't exist and he will stop me. I'm the most dangerous opponent to date for him," Hyuseinov said. "
"...Believe me I am going to cause a big upset (for Vijender fans), I'm sorry India but your man is going to lose," he signed off.

Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni feature in Shane Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI
Melbourne:MMNN:16 Dec. 2015
The iconic Sachin Tendulkar was an expected pick for the No.4 slot while Sourav Ganguly was preferred in the leadership position in Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI.
Warne, who has been naming his preferred XIs from different countries on his facebook page, turned his attention to India in the latest post. The criteria for selection was that Warne must have competed against the selected players.
Not surprisingly, cricket’s highest run-scorer Tendulkar was Warne’s choice for the No.4 spot in his side. The opening slots went to Virender Sehwag and Navjot Singh Sidhu followed by the ever-dependable Rahul Dravid at No.3.
Tendulkar, who scored a whopping 15,921 runs with 51 hundreds in 200 Tests, was hardly a surprise. But Warne said he was left in a dilemma on whether to go for VVS Laxman or Mohammad Azharuddin for the No.6 position.
“This was the hardest team to select as I played against a few legends at the end of their careers like Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ravi Shastri, Manoj Prabhakar as well as current players like Zaheer Khan too,” Warne wrote on his Facebook page.
“The Indian side I’ve selected is a very strong one & would be tough to play against. The hardest position to select for me was the number 6 spot between my great friend VVS or Azharuddin.”
The maverick bowler said it was this confusion which prompted him to name a 12-strong squad for India.
“Hence I named 12 and would choose the 12th man on the day!,” he said.
Also making the cut in Warne’s squad were legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev and current limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni has not played international cricket against Warne but made the cut owing to the IPL face-offs between the two.
Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath formed the bowling attack of Warne’s line-up.
Warne’s Greatest India Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath (VVS Laxman 12th).

Yusuf Pathan eyes T20 World Cup squad berth
NEW DELHI:MMNN:16 Dec. 2015
Having honed his all-round skills, swashbuckling all-rounder Yusuf Pathan is eyeing a berth in India’s world T20 squad on account of his batting prowess and a good showing during the Ranji season and IPL.
Yusuf, who last played an international T20 for India in March 2012, has been regularly performing for his IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders and making it count for Baroda in the current Ranji season. The 33-year-old all-rounder is sure that he still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket.
“I have had a very good Ranji season this year. If you talk about T20 then I have had a very good IPL season for KKR. I am bowling well, letting down 9-10 overs in every match (Vijay Hazare), so things are moving in the right direction. Wickets are coming my way and I am also getting runs when I am batting.
“So obviously I am eyeing a place in the upcoming tournament and that’s the T20 World Cup. And I believe that if I keep performing then I will get an opportunity,” Yusuf told PTI in an interview.
On his cricketing future, Yusuf said, “I have a lot of cricket left in me and a long road ahead of me. I am just focussed on doing well. Performing to the best of my ability and leave the rest to the almighty. I believe if you keep performing, selectors certainly take notice.
“My aim has always been big and those will remain so till the time I play cricket. I will work harder to achieve my goals. If you do well for your team consistently, the team will always like to take your services and give you an opportunity. So my goal is always to play good cricket and work towards it.”
Making his Team India debut in 2007, four years after his star brother Irfan Pathan wore his international cap in 2003, Yusuf made an impression right away in the inaugural World T20 final. Opening the batting in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side, Yusuf hit Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif for a six in his eight-ball stay as India won a thriller by 5 runs.
The Men in Blue have come a long way after that historic moment with the Test captaincy changing hands from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to Virat Kohli.
“Kohli has done well in the few matches that he has captained so far. He is a good leader and has shown positivity in his approach. He is aggressive on the field, but that is positive aggression I believe. He also helps the team and the teammates and that is a good sign for Indian cricket,” he said.
The destructive batsman has also been a useful off-spinner for his side, something that works well in limited-overs cricket. Yusuf insists that he has worked on all aspects of his game since being out of favour from the national side.
“I have been working on my bowling for quite sometime now and the results are certainly showing. Not only on my bowling, I worked tirelessly on every aspect of my game, whether it is batting or fielding,” he said.
Having played 57 ODIs and 22 T20s for the national side, Yusuf feels at home with the limited-overs format, but is not averse to trying his luck in Test matches as well.
“Look, I have played ODIs and T20s, so obviously I think more about ODIs and T20s. I have not played Test matches, so can’t say much about them. But it’s not that I don’t wish to play Tests. I have done well in the four-day Ranji matches and will certainly look to play these, but yes, for the moment I am enjoying my limited-overs cricket,” he said.
Cricket apart, Yusuf and Irfan are also seen donning many hats but the older brother feels that its family that keeps the two occupied off the field.
“The Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP) is being looked after by the coaches that we have, so that doesn’t really keep us busy. Either it’s cricket that takes our time or it’s family that we are surrounded with,” he concluded.

Saina Nehwal should focus more on mental strength: Prakash Padukone
Mumbai:MMNN:14 Dec. 2015
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone says that in order to improve on the mental aspect, which he feels will play a vital role in clinching the gold at 2016 Rio Olympics, top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu should engage the services of a sports psychologist at the earliest.
"I think Olympics is a test of mental character. Whoever is mentally strong will probably win the gold, not just in women's singles but in any sport. Olympics is a different ball game. You can win all the other tournaments, but if you are mentally not strong you can never win the Olympics," said Prakash in an interview to here.
"It's important that you prepare well mentally. I would advise Sindhu and Saina to focus a little more on the mental aspect and, if required, take the help of some sports psychologist, if they feel comfortable. But they should start right now because one month or so (before the Games) won't help. It would need six to eight months.
"If I was in their place I would probably take the help of a sports psychologist as all other aspects like specialist trainer, physio and coach are being taken care of.
Some people believe, some don't that it might help. I believe so. Ultimately Olympics is a test of character.
"It does not matter how well you perform the week before or the week after, (but) you have to make sure you reach the peak during the week when the badminton event is happening. It's extremely difficult to predict who will win.
The difference is so little at that level. Whoever is strong mentally will win the title," the 1980 All-England men's single champion emphasised.
Prakash is wary of predicting who, from among the Indian shuttlers, can finish on the podium at the Rio Games, but feels 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina and two-time World Championship bronze medal winner Sindhu have a better chance, having beaten all other top shuttlers at one time or the other.
"We have a good chance, specially in the ladies singles. The top two - Saina and Sindhu - have beaten all the top players at one time or the other. It may not be necessarily in the same tournament; that should happen now," said the Bengaluru-based Prakash whose academy is into its 21st year of existence now.
"Of course, it won't be easy as everyone will be trying to peak during that period. It will be a draw of 32 and a lot would depend on the draw too," added the 60-year-old badminton great.
While not ruling out the chances of men, including senior shuttler Parupalli Kashyap who reached the quarterfinals in London, the former great said that the first priority for them was to qualify for the Rio Games, unlike Saina and Sindhu.
"They have the potential, but whether it happens will depend on them remaining injury-free, trying to reach the peak during that period and having a lot of self-belief. In men's singles, compared to women's, it's a little tougher as they have not beaten all the players.
"It does not mean they don't have a chance, but it will be tough. This is (also) the best chance we have.
Initially for men, at least, the key for them would be to make sure they qualify before the April 30 cut-off. May be one or two may qualify. For women that issue is not there. For men, it's still open.
"It could be a toss up between K Srikkanth, P Kashyap, who is injured now, (H S) Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram, two (among these) have a good chance to qualify (for Rio Games)," said the 1978 Commonwealth Games singles champion.
Asked about the women's doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who have in the past won a bronze medal in the World Championship, Prakash felt the duo has an outside chance to finish on the podium.
"I would say (they have an) outside chance, unless there is drastic improvement. They need to put in a lot more effort in these last eight months. They have a lot more support now. OGQ's (Olympic Gold Quest, of which he is a co-founder with billiards ace Geet Sethi) support, TOP (Target Olympic Podium) scheme support, a specialist doubles coach etcetera.
"It's now entirely up to the players. Specially Jwala needs to concentrate a bit more on physical training. On her day she can make a big difference. If she is physically fit it will make a big difference with her height," said Prakash, who won the National men's singles title 8 years on the trot.
"They have beaten good players but in the past and not recently. It may be tough, but they have an outside chance.
These are the three medals (we can look for). If we can get in others (men's and mixed doubles), then it will be a bonus, but it's not being realistic," he explained further.
Prakash was also in favour of sending the Indian sports-persons, in badminton and in other disciplines, at least a week prior to the start of their respective events as he feels such a move would maximise their chances of doing well.
"If I was in charge I will send them a week to 10 days before their respective events. At least a week before, for sure. Just to be there in the time zone, recover from the long flight. Just go to the hall, or shooting range, or hockey field or whatever else, five-six times.
"Weather (in August in the southern hemisphere) is not an issue as they have played in winter in other places but time difference and long flight would take one day to recover.
"I hope they just don't go only 2-3 days before. This event comes once in four years and I don't want the government to be miserly after spending so much. Compared to what they already have spent over the last four years (in preparations), may be 5 to 600 crore, may be 4 or 5 crore extra will have to be spent as only a handful will qualify.
"They should send them one week before their event.
It's about giving them, not only badminton but all others, a realistic chance to perform to potential. That should be the aim.
"Whether it happens or not is a different issue but the aim should be to rule out uncertainty, provide the best playing facility and prepare properly. And then hope for the best. The chances of getting a medal gets better.
"If they want OGQ will support for the extra 3-4 days' (stay), but I hope it does not come to that and someone in the (Sports) Ministry will take a call. I would prefer that everyone reaches one week before their event."

West Indies' Marlon Samuels banned from bowling by ICC for 12 months
MMNN:14 Dec. 2015
West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling for 12 months by the International Cricket Council after undergoing testing on his action.
It is the second ban for the 34-year-old, whose off-spin bowling is only used on a part-time basis by West Indies.
He was reported for an illegal action following the first test defeat against Sri Lanka in October and had testing at the ICC accredited testing centre in Brisbane earlier this month.
"The assessment revealed that Samuels' elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees while bowling and, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action," the world governing body said in a statement.
"As this report constitutes the player's second suspension within a two-year period, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period."
Samuels has already served a near four-year bowling ban from 2008 over concerns with his action but was allowed to resume in 2011 after remedial work.
He was reported again following a test in India in 2013 and subsequently banned from bowling his quicker deliveries but had been allowed to continue with his standard off-break.
He will not be allowed to apply to have his action re-assessed until the ban ends, the ICC added.

India to meet Pakistan on March 19 during World Twenty20
New Delhi:MMNN:11 Dec. 2015
The Indian cricket team will open its campaign in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 against New Zealand in Nagpur on March 15 next year, followed by a marquee clash against Pakistan in Dharamsala four days later. The ICC announced the groups and itinerary for the sixth instalment of the tournament to be held across eight venues in India from March 8 to April 3, confirming that the final will be played at Eden Gardens.
In all, the 2016 World Twenty20 will comprise 58 matches - 35 for the men's teams, 23 for women's - over 27 days across Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi. The semi-finals will be played in New Delhi and Mumbai on March 30 and 31 respectively, with Kolkata hosting the summit clash. The women's semi-finals and final will be followed by the men's knock-out matches.
The men's event will see eight teams decided into two groups of four for the first round of matches, from with the group winners will progress to the Super 10 stage starting March 16; this is two groups of five teams. From the second round, the top two teams from both groups will make it to the semi-finals. In the women's event, ten teams will be divided into two groups and the top two from each group will progress to the semis.
The men's tournament will start on March 8 in Nagpur, with Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland, man (Group A) and Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan (Group B) competing until March 13. The first day will see Zimbabwe play Hong Kong followed by Scotland versus Afghanistan. The group winners will join Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and India.
India, losing finalists in the 2014 edition, have been pooled with Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and the Group A winner. After the Nagpur and Dharamsala fixtures, India will meet the Group A winner in Bangalore on March 23 and Australia in Mohali on March 27. Defending champions Sri Lanka are alongside South Africa, West Indies, England and the Group B winner.
"India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game like India. I am fully confident that the Board of Control for Cricket in India will deliver an outstanding world cricket event, just like the ICC Cricket World Cups in 1987, 1996 and 2011," said ICC chairman Shashank Manohar in Mumbai during the launch of the tournament. "The ICC and BCCI are fully committed and will work together to make this a memorable event. I invite fans from across the world to witness fast-paced cricketing action on the field and enjoy the hospitality and culture of India, off it."
Added ICC Chief Executive David Richardson: "The ICC World Twenty20 is an event which puts the world's best cricketers in the shortest format of the game against each other in a nation versus nation contest. The Twenty20 format provides the perfect vehicle by which the ICC can further globalise the game, providing international exposure and opportunity to our top Associate and Affiliate members. The ICC World Twenty20 event structure is designed to provide highly competitive matches throughout, with eight evenly-matched sides fighting it out in the first round and the best two then getting in the mix with the top eight ranked teams in the Super 10 stage where the intensity and competition will be of the very highest level."
The teams will be vying for a prize money of $5.6million, an increase of 86% from last year's event in Bangladesh, the ICC announced. The total prize money for the women's event is $400,000, up 122% from 2014.

Series won’t happen for a year if not held within Jan.: PCB
KARACHI:MMNN:11 Dec. 2015
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has said if the proposed India-Pakistan bilateral series is not held within the next month it would not be possible to have one for the next one year.
“I don’t see the series happening in the next one year if it is not held at this time as both teams have international commitment throughout 2016,” Khan said.
He also made it clear that the bilateral series with India that is still undecided and the World T20 were two separate things.
“This is a bilateral series between two nations the World T20 is an ICC event.”
But the PCB chief said in an interview that the PCB will have to seek its government permission to send the team to India for the World T20 in March.
“We are monitoring the situation but given the current environment in India with regards to Pakistan we will have to ask our government for permission whether the security situation is ok for us to send our team,” he said.
Khan sounded visibly disappointed at the failure of the Indian board and government to clear the short bilateral series with Pakistan in Sri Lanka.
“Yes I know I am being criticised by some people for trying to have this series and pushing for it but in the end we just want it to happen this time or else we will have to wait for the next one year.
“We feel that India must fulfill the MOU signed between the two boards and if the series is held it will play a role in improving India and Pakistan relations.”
Khan also insisted that if India didn’t agree to play the series the PCB would obviously suffer financial losses but would not go bankrupt.
“By grace of god we are in a stable financial position and though not having the series will deprive us of lot of estimated revenues but it does not mean we will be in a bad financial position.”
The PCB chief said he had still not given up hope and even the ICC wanted the two boards to play the series soon.
“We are going to wait for a few more days at the most to get a positive response from India after that we move on to other things,” he said.
Khan confirmed that ECB president Giles Clarke was playing the role of a mediator in the whole issue.
“He has been very helpful since he is also the head of the ICC task force on Pakistan cricket. He has also advised us to remain patient and wait for a positive reply,” he said.
Khan felt that the Indian board also wanted to play the series but said it was not up to them to convince their government to give clearance.

Saina Nehwal Nominated For Woman Player of the Year Award
New Delhi:MMNN:4 Dec. 2015
Saina Nehwal had became India's first world number one in women's singles and enjoyed a consistent run this season, winning her home leg of the BWF World Superseries tour in Delhi and also reaching the finals of the BWF World Championships, the All England and the Thaihot China Open.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been nominated for the Woman Player of the Year Award of the Badminton World Federation after a consistent season which saw her occupy the world number one spot for a brief period.
Saina, currently ranked number two, will vie for the coveted honour along with world number one Carolina Marin of Spain, 2014 winner Zhao Yunlei of China and another Chinese Bao Yixin.
The winners of the BWF Players of the Year Awards will be announced at the Players' Reception and Gala Dinner for the Dubai World Superseries Finals on December 7 at Al Badia Golf Club in Dubai.
Saina became India's first world number one in women's singles and enjoyed a consistent run this season, winning her home leg of the BWF World Superseries tour in Delhi and also reaching the finals of the BWF World Championships, the All England and the Thaihot China Open.
Marin started and ended the year on a perfect note -- winning the All England Championship in March and the Hong Kong Open in November. In between, she picked up three other Superseries titles and retained the World Championship title.
Zhao was the pre-eminent woman doubles player. Partnering Zhang Nan, she won six Mixed Doubles Superseries. She repeated the remarkable feat of winning two World Championships -- in Mixed and Women's Doubles -- while capturing the Japan and Hong Kong Open titles in Women's Doubles. Overall, she collected eight Superseries titles in 2015.
Bao was successful in both her disciplines -- winning the All England Women's Doubles crown and Mixed Doubles at the India Open. She reached the Mixed finals in the World Championships, the Australian Open and the Hong Kong Open.
In the Male Player of the Year category, world number one Chen Long of China -- who won the title last season -- has been nominated alongside his doubles-playing compatriot, Zhang Nan, and Korea's exciting duo of Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong.
In a historic first, there are three nominees each for the Male Para-Badminton Player of the Year and the Female Para-Badminton Player of the Year.

India moves up six places to 166th in latest FIFA rankings
Zurich:MMNN:4 Dec. 2015
It was a great developement for the Indian football team as they jumped six places to the 166th spot in the global football rankings in the latest list released by FIFA on Thursday, while Belgium retained their top position after grabbing it for the first time last month.
Before the release of these rankings, India were 172nd in last month’s rankings after losing five consecutive 2018 World Cup qualifying matches.
But, the Stephen Constantine-coached side arrested the slide with a commendable 1-0 win against Guam in their last World Cup qualifier at Bengaluru on November 12.
On the other hand, Belgium will end the year as the world’s top-ranked team for the first time in their history. World Cup 2014 runners-up Argentina moved up a spot to the second, displacing reigning world champions Germany from the spot, who dropped to fourth.
World Cup 2010 winners Spain claimed the third spot, up by three places. Copa America 2014 victors Chile retained their fifth spot just before five-time world champions Brazil, who moved up two spots.
Portugal are at seventh, a dip of three places, but just ahead of Colombia, who dropped a spot. Ninth-placed England and Austria at 10th, retained their slots.

BAI announces cash award of Rs. 10 lakh for Sindhu
New Delhi:MMNN:30 Nov. 2015
Badminton Association of India (BAI) todon Monday announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh to PV Sindhu in recognition of her impressive title victory at the Macau Open.
Sindhu, ranked 12th in the world, beat World no. 6 Minatsu Mitani from Japan 21-9 21-23 21-14 in the final to retain her title.
“She has yet again made us proud because of her play and determination to prove herself on the International platform.
We were confident that she will retain the title and she has stood up to our expectations from her as a player who has a bright future ahead.
We at Badminton Association of India are proud of her and wish her to win more such tournaments in the future,” Akhilesh Das Gupta, President, BAI said.

Virat Kohli’s refreshing approach to captaincy has benefitted India
MMNN:30 Nov. 2015
Replacing someone like MS Dhoni as a leader of national side is a challenge; not only because millions will critically monitor your every move but also because there will be comparisons. Added to it is the pressure to excel. Virat Kohli has done a tremendous job so far and quite early in his stint as captain, he has the distinction of leading India to a win against the No. 1 ranked South Africa, breaking their streak of 15 consecutive undefeated away series. In a short span Kohli has displayed a fresh, fearless brand of leadership and it has yielded results. Test wins have been a rarity for India in the recent past but now with Kohli in charge, India have notched up two consecutive series wins.
Dhoni retired from Test cricket in December 2014 and despite knowing it is going to be difficult replacing India’s most successful skipper, Kohli was ready. And why not; earlier that month, in Dhoni’s absence, Kohli led India for the first time in Tests at Adelaide. It was an emotional Test post Phillip Hughes’ demise and Kohli nearly led India to a famous win. Prior to that, India had lost 13 of their 17 away Tests under Dhoni since the tour of England in 2011.
Dhoni was often criticised for being overtly defensive, but Kohli made a statement at Adelaide when he picked leg-spinner Karn Sharma ahead of the more established Ravichandran Ashwin for that Test. Leg-spin is a more attacking option and whether or not it was the right decision, Kohli made a point that he wanted to attack the predominantly right-handed Australian batting line-up. Kohli scored two hundreds in the Test and almost guided India home. The earlier Indian teams might not have eyed 364 in the fourth innings to win a Test. Kohli made his intent clear that he plays to win.
The more aggressive approach of Kohli has benefitted India and they have been able to shed off the safety-first approach. India won two Tests against South Africa that were played in difficult batting surfaces. Kohli, one of the top batsmen in world cricket, has struggled with the bat and scored a mere 68 runs at 17. While the world expects him to maintain an average near the 50-mark (because he is that good), Kohli personally keeps no such ambitions. After the Nagpur Test win against South Africa, Kohli made it clear when he said: “I don’t mind compromising on (batsmen’s) averages as long as we are winning Test matches. We are not playing for records, we are not playing for numbers or averages.”
Who has been India’s most impactful cricketer in Test cricket? It is not Sunil Gavaskars, Virender Sehwag, or even Sachin Tendulkar. It is Anil Kumble. According to the list of most impactful players, released by ICC, there were no Indians in the top 10 batsmen, while Kumble featured in the top 10 bowlers.
Kohli realises that bowlers win Tests. Despite the team struggling to put big scores on the board, Kohli has not hesitated to field a six batsmen (including a wicketkeeper whose batting credentials are yet to be proved in Tests) and five bowler combination. He knows 20 wickets is key to win Tests. He has also shown that he doesn’t mind losing a match in an attempt to win it. The ‘want to win’ approach has benefitted the side.
There are no second thoughts if he has to field three spinners either. Likewise, if he has to drop a spinner in favour of a pace bowler, then too he will. For instance, despite a good show from Amit Mishra at Mohali, he was dropped for the Bangalore Test. Kohli felt that in overcast conditions, the seam bowling of Binny will be advantageous. He takes harsh calls if needed, and they are backed with reasons.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Becomes Brand Ambassador For Dubai-Based Company
New Delhi:MMNN:27 Nov. 2015
India's One-Day International cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has bagged his first endorsement deal outside the country, roped in to be the brand ambassador of Dubai-based hospitality and event management company Grand Midwest Group for three years.
"It is announced today (Friday) that Dubai-based premium hospitality and event management company Grand Midwest Group has signed a three-year multi-million dollar deal with Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its official brand ambassador," a press release stated.
Established by UAE businessman Zafar Shah Khan, the Grand Midwest Group owns hotel properties in Dubai, United Kingdom and Ireland.
The company also has interests in the entertainment business in India and currently owns a local cricket team in the UAE.
The group's event management arm - GM Sports - was recently in the news for announcing the launch of a Twenty20 international cricket tournament called the Masters Champions League (MCL), which is scheduled to be played starting end of January next year.
"This is my first endorsement deal outside India and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Grand Midwest Group for welcoming me to the UAE. It's a company and a brand that resonates well with me and I look forward to working with them," said Dhoni.

An year after death, Phil Hughes lives on in Australia’s memory
Melbourne:MMNN:27 Nov. 2015
Cricket has changed in Australia in the 12 months since Phillip Hughes was felled by a rising delivery that ultimately led to his death.
Hughes, who played 26 Tests for Australia, died three days short of his 26th birthday of a brain hemorrhage on Nov. 27, 2014, two days after he was struck under the rear of his batting helmet by a short-pitch ball while playing for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
His death stunned the international cricket community, causing an outpouring of grief from players, officials and from the general public – tens of thousands of fans around Australia showed solidarity in mourning by putting their cricket bats on display outside their homes as a tribute.
While new safety measures such as improved batting helmets are the obvious legacy of Hughes’ passing, others are more subtle but affect the very culture of cricket.
Fast bowlers, by and large, tend no longer to aim to intimidate batsmen with head-high bouncers, and spectators no longer rejoice in pacemen serving up “chin music” or cheer when a batsman is hit.
Recently retired strike bowler Mitchell Johnson, one of cricket’s most feared pacemen, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television that Hughes’ death made him question the way he played the game.
“I had that (2013-2014) Ashes series where I was really aggressive and bowling a lot of short balls and I did hit players,” he said, reflecting on the summer before Hughes died. The death, he added, “made me think, was I doing the right thing? You know, was I playing in the spirit of the game?” While Johnson eventually came to terms with his intimidating style, his former teammates agree the game is different now.
A number of senior players have since retired from international cricket, Johnson being the most recent of a line that includes former skipper Michael Clarke, allrounder Shane Watson and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin – who all played in provincial and national teams with Hughes.
“The game has changed for me forever. It’s not what it was,” said recalled spin bowler Steve O’Keefe, who was who was fielding for New South Wales when Hughes was struck.
O’Keefe told a news conference in Adelaide, where Australia will take on New Zealand in the first day-night cricket Test match starting Friday, that his perspective changed.
“You’re playing a game that’s supposed to be fun and you’re supposed to be in a great contest, and then in the blink of a ball it completely changes on you,” he said. “I just hope in my lifetime that I never have to see anything like that again, and we can remember Phil Hughes for what he was, which was a great bloke and an even better player.”
The schedule for Australia’s 2014-15 home series against India was redrafted in the wake of Hughes’ death, with the emotional opening Test played at Adelaide Oval, the same venue where the Australia vs. New Zealand Test will start on the first anniversary of the batsman’s passing.
In that match last year, Australia players wore No. 408 – Hughes’ Test cap number – with black armbands on their shirts. Hughes was 63 not out late on Nov. 25, 2014 when fatally injured at the SCG. The Adelaide Oval crowd offered 63 seconds of applause in his honor before the start of play in the next Test match, and a large number 408 was painted on the field in tribute.
“There was a lot of emotions come this time last year and that’s one thing in the back of a lot of our minds, but at the end of the day we’re coming out here to play a game that we love, and it’s about crossing that line and putting our cricket caps on and thinking about the job ahead,” said opener David Warner, who was a close friend and held Hughes’ hand as the fallen batsman was lifted from the field last November.
“We always know that our mate is looking down on us and we’ll always do our best for him when we walk out in the field, as we have done in the last 12 months. We’ve said from the first Test last year when we played here ‘he’s with us every day.”’
Several low key tributes are planned to commemorate Hughes’s death on Friday, with both the Australian and New Zealand teams expected to wear black armbands and a video montage to be played at 4:08 p.m. during the first scheduled break in play.
New South Wales and Queensland state teams, which open their domestic Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Friday, will also be wearing black armbands.

Virat Kohli's Stance, Balance Faulty: Sunil Gavaskar
MMNN:25 Nov. 2015
Virat Kohli's batting technique is flawed, said former Test opener Sunil Gavaskar on television. Commentating on the Nagpur Test, Gavaskar was not amused with Kohli's skills after the Indian captain edged a Morne Morkel delivery to the keeper.
Kohli was out for 22 after playing 55 balls and India needed a big knock from him after the hosts won the toss and decided to bat at Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday. At Kohli's exit, India crashed to 116 for five in the 40th over and on a dry and already turning wicket, the Test match was already shaping up to be a low-scoring contest.
"Virat's stance is not correct on this kind of wicket. With his feet wide apart, his balance is also not fine," Gavaskar said on STAR Sports. The Little Master added: "Virat needs to shorten his stance because then he can use the crease better. He will be in a better position to play or leave a ball."
Kohli has been batting with this feet-wide-apart stance for quite some time and in his last 10 Test innings, Kohli has only one century (103 versus Sri Lanka in Galle in August 2015) and a 50 (78 vs Lanka in Colombo) to show. India's No. 1 batsman certainly wants a better report card.
In Mohali, Kohli was out either edging a seamer or spooning a catch, clear indications that he was never in control of his strokes. In English conditions, Kohli repeatedly edged behind the wickets, never comfortable with the moving ball. However, Kohli's stance worked better in Australia because the conditions of pitches were different and the Australians bowler shorter lengths.
Gavaskar, a man who was known for his copybook technique, said Kohli's current stance put him "off balance" but credit should also go to the bowler (Morkel), who bowled the right length and let the batsman err.
On Wednesday, Kohli shuffled across to the sixth stump and then pushed hard at the ball well pitched up. This was perfect recipe for an edge to the keeper. Is Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar watching?

PCB seek clearance for India series at ‘unspecified’ neutral venue
Lahore:MMNN:25 Nov. 2015
PCB chief Shaharyar Khan said on Tuesday that he had sought permission from the country’s government for a bilateral series with India at an unspecified neutral venue.
The move came after the PCB chairman met with the BCCI president Shashank Manohar in Dubai on Sunday.
Sri Lanka is the likeliest venue to host the shortened bilateral series between the arch-rivals after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rejected a request from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play in United Arab Emirates, Pakistan’s adopted home, because of security fears at home.
“We have sent the report to prime minister Nawaz Sharif and has sought permission to play India on a neutral venue,” Khan told AFP, without confirming Sri Lanka as the venue of the series.
“After the Dubai meeting both BCCI and PCB have said that the final decision rests with the respective governments, so in the next three to four days we expect a final decision,” said Khan.
With time running out, as India have to travel to Australia for a limited over series starting from January 12 and Pakistan visit New Zealand in the same period, the series of two Tests, five one-day and two Twenty20 is likely to be reduced.
It is most likely that both countries will agree to play three one-day and two Twenty20 internationals.
Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee head Sidath Wettimuny also confirmed that Pakistan has contacted him to arrange the matches.
“I received a call from the PCB asking about the possibilities of hosting the series. We are now looking at it very seriously,” Wettimuny told The Island newspaper in Colombo.
“Nothing is confirmed as yet as we have to get back to them on schedules and availability, but we are very excited by the request. I think this is a great opportunity for us to support Pakistan and India. They have always supported us,” Wettimuny added.
Pakistan and India have not played a full series since 2007. India stalled bilateral series with Pakistan in the wake of 2008 terrorists’ attacks on Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.
But last year, both the boards signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which they are scheduled to play six series between 2015 to 2023 with subject to government clearance.

Don't see South Africa winning a single Test if India prepare spin-friendly pitches, says Manjrekar
Mumbai:MMNN:20 Nov. 2015
Former batsman Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out that the Indian cricket team knows that the only way they can defeat visitors South Africa is by creating a spin friendly pitch.
India face South Africa in the third and penultimate Test in Nagpur from November 25 with a 1-0 lead after winning the first Test in Mohali by 108 runs and the second in Bengaluru being washed out.
In Nagpur, this first class cricket season saw spinners picking up 51 wickets while seamers claimed just 17 wickets so far. With the Indian team management preferring spin friendly pitches it remains to be seen how the association goes ahead with it.
“India have got it totally that if they are to beat them (South Africa) here they have to beat them with spin and by making spin friendly pitches. And if that is the case I don’t see the visitors winning a Test here,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by espncricinfo on Wednesday.
“They (Proteas) don’t have the spinners like Monty Panesar or Graeme Swann to surprise the Indians. Their batsman also lack depth, except AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and sometimes Dean Elgar. India will fancy the chances if they see ball spinning,” he added.
The 50-year-old said that he expects a turning track for this Test unlike the original batting friendly pitch which Nagpur is known to offer.
When South Africa played a Test in Nagpur last time in February 2010, Amla scored a brilliant 253 not out and the visitors went on to make 558/6 declared in the first innings.
In reply, India went on to lose the match by an innings and six runs, thanks to some terrific bowling by Dale Steyn which saw him claim 10 wickets in the match which included a seven-wicket haul in the first innings.
“It will be seen how Nagpur and it’s association looks at Indian cricket; if they make a pitch that will suit Indians or make something keeping in mind the long term Indian team which would test both India’s batting and bowling line-up.
"But as far as I think an attempt will be made to prepare a turning pitch. Nagpur is something where you get good batting pitch and making turning pitch is not that easy.”
Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India, said if a batting friendly pitch is made one can expect another double ton from Amla.
“Amla is an interesting character. He has not been among the runs lately but if he gets a batting friendly wicket you really can’t rule out a double hundred again from Amla,” he said.
“Steyn has changed as a bowler. He was right at his peak at that time. He is not quite the same force now, although I believe we will get to see some great spells from him. Expecting him to bowl the same will be too much on him,” Manjrekar added.

SMTA to host exhibition match between star pairs
HYDERABAD:MMNN:20 Nov. 2015
The second of the three mixed doubles exhibition matches between star teams of Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova and Mahesh Bhupahti and Sania Mirza will be held at Sania Mirza Tennis Academy (SMTA) in Hyderabad on November 26.
Both doubles pairings have won two Mixed Grand Slams each with Leander-Martina winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon (both in 2003) while Sania-Mahesh have won the Australian Open (2009) and the French Open (2012).
“SMTA is proud to be hosting this event in Hyderabad,” Sania, who is back in her home town after her most successful year on WTA Tour, said in a press release.
“This is another step in promoting tennis in India and is certain to inspire the promising youngsters from this part of the globe, who are aspiring to become world beaters in this amazing sport,” Sania added.
The first match will be held in Kolkata on November 25 and third on November 27.
In an extraordinary run in 2015, Sania and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis won 10 titles together including Wimbledon, US Open and the year-end WTA Finals in Singapore.

World Tour Finals: Federer snaps Djokovic’s unbeaten run, enters semis
London:MMNN:18 Nov. 2015
Roger Federer got one over on world number one Novak Djokovic to book his ATP World Tour Finals semifinals spot with a straight sets victory on Tuesday.
Federer triumphed 7-5, 6-2 in their group stage clash in the packed 17,800-capacity O2 Arena in London, winning the key points at crucial moments to hand the Serb his first indoor defeat in 39 matches -- a winning run stretching back to 2012. Triple defending champion Djokovic, on a 23-match winning streak, suffered his first defeat since losing to Federer in the Cincinnati final on August 23.
But after becoming the first man through to this year’s semifinals, world number three Federer insisted Djokovic was still the favourite to win the season-ending tournament, which is contested by the season’s top eight players on a hard court.
Earlier in the same group of four, Japan’s Kei Nishikori gave his hopes of reaching the last four a major boost with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.
“I know it’s a big win. Could help me for what’s to come in this tournament,” Federer said. “It’s going to help me for next year. It’s always good beating Novak or any top player.
“Still, to me, Novak is still the favourite of the tournament.
“He should make his way to the semis somehow... and he’ll be the favourite in that probably, too, with the year he’s had. He’s far from gone.
“The way I know Novak, he’s going to find a way to be tougher to beat from now on.”
Victory for Djokovic in the final group match against Berdych on Thursday would see the Serb through to the semis; it would also prevent Nishikori from progressing, regardless of whether the Japanese beats Federer.
Federer converts chances
In the first set, Federer converted his second set point with a delicate backhand drop shot over the net that had the six-time champion’s numerous fans on their feet celebrating.
Federer raced away in the second set, earning himself a match point with a tremendous backhand. However, Djokovic won a long rally to stay in the contest. On Federer’s second match point, Djokovic shot wide and challenged, but the ball was correctly called out as Federer celebrated victory. Federer now leads Djokovic 22-21 in career matches between them.
Djokovic said the match “couldn’t be worse”.
“You have those days when you are not feeling your best, not even close to the best,” he said. “I made a lot of, lot of unforced errors. Just handed him the win, especially in the second set.
“Undoubtedly, he was the better player on the court. But I think I also allowed him to play and penetrate through the ball and dictate the tempo from the baseline.
“I didn’t have this follow-through on my shots, no depth, many mistakes. If you play this way against Roger, you have no chance.”

IPL spot-fixing: Delhi High Court issues notice to all accused
New Delhi:MMNN:18 Nov. 2015
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to all of the accused involved in the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case after admitting the Delhi Police plea against their acquittal by a trial court.
The Delhi Police has moved to court challenging the trial court’s July 25 order to give clean chit to all the accused in the 2013 spot-fixing , including S.Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.
Earlier, the court had adjourned the matter following the counsel for the Delhi police requested for it on personal grounds.
The infamous IPL controversy broke out during the IPL 6, during which Rajasthan Royals cricketers Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan were accused of tarnishing the image of the game.
In a sensational verdict, the three-member Supreme Court appointed committee found Chennai Super Kings (CSK) official Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals (RR) co-owner Raj Kundra guilty in spot-fixing, and imposed life suspensions on the duo in July.
The committee also suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from participating in the IPL for a period of two years.

India's Siril Verma wins silver at World Junior Championships
Lima:MMNN:16 Nov. 2015
Young Indian shuttler Siril Verma clinched a silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships after suffering a narrow defeat against Chinese Taipei's Chia Hung Lu here.
The 15-year-old Indian, who trains at the Pullela Gopichand Academy, had a giant-killing run at the tournament where he defeated The Netherland's Niels Veenstra, France's Thomas Baures, Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen, Denmark's Anders Antonsen, Malaysia's Satheishtharan R and Thailand's Adulrach Namkul to reach the finals.
But Siril could not cross the final hurdle as his fight ended with a 21-17 10-21 7-21 loss to Chia in a 50-minute battle at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR).
Siril, who had lost to Chia at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in Bangkok in June, dominated the proceedings early on, leading 7-4 at one stage. But Chia clawed back with three points. The Indian then once again surged ahead to a 11-7 lead at the break.
After the interval, Chia slowly crafted his way to turn the tables, leading 15-12. However, Siril engaged in a tense fight and from 17-17, he broke off to pocket the opening game with a four-point burst.
In the second game, Chia looked a different opponent as he completely dominated the game and didn't give any chance whatsoever to the Indian to make any comeback. He lead from the start to end to roar back into the contest.
In the decider, things were no different as brimming with confidence, Chia zoomed ahead from 4-4 to a 9-6 lead and then marched ahead with giant steps as Siril's game crumbled.
With this medal, Siril now joins the elite list of Indians such as Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, RMV Gurusaidutt, HS Prannoy and Sameer Verma, who have won medals for India in the Junior World Championships.
Last month, Siril was left frustrated after he could not participate at the Asian Junior U-17 & U-15 Championship in Indonesia as he was declared overage by the doctors at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, following an age determination tests conducted at the behest of SAI. Later he was cleared by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Vijender meets Haryana CM, offers support to sports schemes
New Delhi:MMNN:16 Nov. 2015
Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh today met Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar and offered his support to any government initiative aimed at promoting sports in the state.
Vijender, who turned professional earlier this year, is on his first trip to India after making the transition.
The 30-year-old former Olympic and World Championships bronze-medallist won both the bouts he fought after turning pro.
"I am pleased to meet our Chief Minister and thanked him for extending his full support in the debut of my professional career. Mr. Khattar is very happy with my performance and he congratulated me for two back to back wins.
I am happy that our Chief Minister is following my professional fights very closely," Vijender said after the meeting.
"During this meeting Mr. Khattar discussed with me about the future of boxing in our country and the development of sports in our state.
"As we all know that Haryana has produced many international star players in different sports in the last few years, so I want this to continue in future also and I extend my full support to Mr. Khattar for the development and promotion of sports in Haryana," he added.
Vijender's next bout is scheduled to be held on December 19 in Manchester but his rival is yet to be decided.

India register first win of 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers
Bengaluru:MMNN:13 Nov. 2015
India tasted victory after five straight losses in their 2018 Fifa football World Cup qualifying campaign as they beat Guam by a solitary goal in Bangalore on Thursday.
The victory came despite India playing the whole of the second half with 10 men after Sehnaj Singh was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 41st minute in the Group D match which was played under constant drizzle and slippery conditions.
Robin Singh scored the all-important goal in the 10th minute at the Kanteerava Stadium to give India three points.
Despite the win, India still occupy the bottom of the five-team group with three points while Guam are just above them on seven points. India are already out of contention for a final round berth for the 2018 World Cup but Thursday’s win has put them in a good position to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup.
Robin put India ahead early in the match. The striker, playing in front of his Bengaluru FC home crowd, received a pass from his club mate and captain Sunil Chhetri and then cut into the Guam box by getting the better of a defender before sending the ball past a leaping goalkeeper into the net.
The home side suffered a jolt in the 41st minute after Sehnaj was shown a straight red card for a late and high tackle on Justin Lee. But Stephen Constantine’s side hung onto the lead despite incessant attack from Guam in the second half.
Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also did a great job under the bar by making numerous saves late in the match after Guam went all out looking for an equaliser.
China score 12
China hammered 12 unanswered goals past a hapless Bhutan side on Thursday as they ramped up their World Cup qualifying hopes with their biggest win in 15 years.
Australia, Japan and South Korea also enjoyed comfortable wins on a night of few surprises in Asia’s round two — apart from the giant scoreline in Changsha.
After Mei Fang’s 10th-minute opener, Yang Xu hit four including a penalty and Yu Dabao, Yu Hanchao and Wang Yongpo all bagged braces as China ran riot.
The pain didn’t finish until two minutes from time for Bhutan when Zhang Xizhe grabbed the 12th and last goal for Alain Perrin’s rampant home side. The 12-0 win heaped further embarrassment on Bhutan after they also lost 0-15 to Qatar earlier.

Can't take criticism about spinning track to heart: Virat Kohli
Bengaluru:MMNN:13 Nov. 2015
India's Test captain Virat Kohli feels there is no need "to take criticisms to heart" about playing visiting South Africans on turning tracks, saying it is the result-oriented pitches that would bring the dwindling crowd back to the ground in the Test format.
Asked if the hat-trick of Test wins under his captaincy has been buried under the controversies surrounding the nature of Mohali track, Kohli gave a straightforward reply.
"It's only disappointing if you are looking to take what is written or said to heart, or think about it too much. We focus on the process and don't really think about what's being written or what's being said. The fact of the matter is we won a Test match and that's what we feel good about as a team," Kohli told reporters on the eve of the second Test starting here.
"We are not worried about any external factors or what's being discussed about things that are not in our control. If someone chooses to say or write about something which they feel is a topic of interest, that's their choice. It's up to us if we take it to heart or sit down and feel disappointed.
We are not at all disappointed. We won a game of cricket. We are very happy about it," he added.
The first Test saw lukewarm response from spectators and the captain took a dig at critics stating that it is the result-oriented wickets that makes the crowd throng the ground.
"We should be delighted that we are getting result-oriented wickets because then you will have more people coming in to watch Test matches rather than you know criticising the pitches and saying it is not fair," the skipper made it clear as to what exactly he felt about critics of rank turners.
For Kohli, the players are focussed so much on the game that other factors become non-issue when the match is on.
"It doesn't really make us sad that we won't have so many people turning up to watch this Test match. Obviously, you like playing in front of full stadiums and full crowds but eventually you are focusing on the ball that is bowled to you and as a bowler you are focusing on the ball that you have to bowl. We hope we get more number of people to watch this Test match because it is an exciting series, it is between two exciting and very strong teams."
The 27-year-old feels that there has been "no change in his mindset" from the time he first led the side in Adelaide to now but with the passage of time, he has learnt to assess his mistakes.
"There is no change in mindset. There might be lessons learnt from mistakes. That day in Adelaide, we were looking to win a Test match and we will do so in Bangalore as well.
Mindset remains same but you sit down and figure out the mistakes, you keep on correcting them as you go along.
"Similarly, when you are batting, the mindset does not change but you correct your mistakes and move along."
During their comprehensive win in Mohali, the two batsmen who contributed were Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay and the skipper said that he is "proud of both of them".
"We all are very proud of both of them (Pujara and Vijay), the way they batted in the last game. We can learn a lot from them in the way they applied themselves. Our batsmen didn't apply themselves as much as we wanted to as a batting group and we are aware of that. But not taking credit away from the way both of them batted. I think they kept us in the game throughout and that is very important I think, two guys standing up in each innings.
Their contributions in both the innings were very crucial to us."
However the skipper said that he can't relax just because the batsmen ahead of him are performing.
"I cannot be relaxed as a captain because I have to bat at No 4 so if I relax I will probably not be in the right kind of mindset to go out and play. But it is a nice feeling to see two professionals building a partnership and it is always a good feeling to know that you have two guys in front who know how to score runs and who know what they are doing out in the middle.
"It is always a very calming influence in the change room for the guys sitting outside or the bowlers as to say, they can feel pretty relaxed and pretty calm about those batting in the middle."

Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth look for an encore at China Open
Fuzhou:MMNN:9 Nov. 2015
Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth will look to shrug off the recent dip in form and put the best foot forward when they begin their campaign as defending champions at the USD 700,000 China Open Super Series Premier starting with the qualifiers on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Saina had been suffering from a abdominal pain which affected her performance at Japan, Denmark and France Super Series, where she made early exits. Also there is some issues with her achilles heels but the Indian is upbeat about a good show here.
"I had some abdominal pain and little discomfort in my heel but now I am fine. I trained harded in the last few weeks and I am really looking forward to the tournament. It is an Olympic year and it is an important event. I will give my best," said Saina.
The top seeded Indian will take on China's Sun Yu in the opening round. Even though Saina has a 4-1 record against the Chinese with the only defeat coming in the 2013 China Open in Shanghai, the World No. 11 might prove to be a formidable opponent.
In men's singles, Srikanth too had been troubled by injury and poor form ever since he stood on the podium at the Indian Open in New Delhi. The
Hyderabadi had to skip the Asian Championship because of a pain in shin and then he made early exits at Japan, Korea, Denmark and France.
The fifth seeded Indian will take on Hu Yun of Hong Kong.
The Indian has a 2-1 record against Yun but he lost to him in their last encounter at the World Championship in August.
In women's singles, two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, P V Sindhu, who reached the finals of Denmark Open, will open her campaign against Russian Ksenia Polikarpova.
Among other Indians in men's singles, Parupalli Kashyap will be missing in action after being sidelines because of a torn calf muscle injury. H S Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram will however look to get some good result in the prestigious tournament.
H S Prannoy, who had scripted the downfall of two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan at the French Open, will open his campaign against a qualifier, while Korea Open finalist and Dutch Open winner Jayaram will square up against top seed Chen Long of China in his opening match at the Haixia Olympic Sports Center.
In women's doubles, Commonwealth Games silver medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will play against Japan's Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao in the opening round. The men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy withdrew from the event.

Srinivasan ousted from ICC, Roger Binny axed as selector, Shastri out of IPL GC: Key points from BCCI AGM
Mumbai:MMNN:9 Nov. 2015
N Srinivasan was today dethroned as the ICC Chairman after the BCCI decided to recall him and nominate its recently-elected President Shashank Manohar as the chief of the world body.
The decision to remove Srinivasan was taken at the BCCI's 86th Annual General Meeting here today, virtually signalling the end of his hold on Indian cricket.
The tenure of Srinivasan, who took over in June last year, was to end next year in the same month and the remainder of the term would be completed by Manohar as it is India's turn to hold the top position.
It is learnt that the resolution favouring replacing Srinivasan with Manohar was passed at the AGM. In case, Manohar cannot attend the ICC meetings, Sharad Pawar will be India's representative.
The Tamil Nadu strongman will thus lose his grip on Indian cricket for good after having already been ousted as the BCCI President owing to the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal in which his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was held guilty of betting charges.
Although Srinivasan was not personally indicted for the damaging scandal but the Supreme Court-appointed R M Lodha committee had chided him for not acting on the elements which corrupted the IPL.
With his sacking as ICC chairman, Srinivasan now only remains the president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. His company India Cements had owned the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, which was suspended for two years after its officials were held guilty of betting.
Meanwhile, as expected, Ravi Shastri has been removed from IPL Governing Council, which has been reduced to 5 members - Rajeev Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ajay Shirke, MP Pandove and Sourav Ganguly - while Roger Binny too has been removed from the selection panel.
Former Chief Justice of Delhi HC, AP Shah, has been appointed as the Ombudsman to avoid "bias in decision making" and handle code of conduct complaints.
Gagan Khoda and MSK Prasad new members in the selection committee, replacing Rajinder Singh Hans and Binny. Rajeev Shukla has been retained as IPL chairman.
Key points of BCCI AGM:
- N Srinivasan not the representative of BCCI at ICC anymore, Shashank Manohar takes his place and becomes de-facto ICC Chairman
- IPL Governing Council reduced to five memebers after Ravi Shastri being left out. Rajeev Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ajay Shirke, MP Pandove and Sourav Ganguly form the new GC. Ganguly will forego commentary duties
- Sourav Ganguly replaces Anil Kumble as the Chairman of BCCI Technical committee.
- Gagan Khoda and MSK Prasad new members in the selection committee, replacing Rajinder Singh Hans and Roger Binny. Manohar said that the perception that Stuart Binny is getting selected because of Roger's presence "should not destroy his career."
- BCCI has also announced six new centers - Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Indore, Pune, Rajkot and Dharamsala. (confirmation awaited regarding Dharamasala)
- Former Chief Justice of Delhi HC, AP Shah, has been appointed as the Ombudsman to avoid "bias in decision making" and handle code of conduct complaints.

Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar’s All-Stars T20 inspired by Beckham
New York:MMNN:6 Nov. 2015
Former England international David Beckham is the millionaire model, sportsman and nice guy credited with helping make soccer more popular in the United States. And now Shane Warne wants to do the same for cricket.
The Australian spin legend has jetted into New York with Indian master blaster Sachin Tendulkar to embark on an exhibition tour designed to get baseball-loving Americans up to speed with a sport few of them understand, play or ever watch. “Soccer wasn’t big. David Beckham came over here and suddenly the sport is starting to grow,” Warne told reporters at a hotel in Times Square ahead of the first All-Stars T20 game on Saturday.
Cricket is second only to soccer in terms of world popularity, he said, no matter that baseball and American football reign supreme in the United States. “We don’t think it’s a gamble, we think Americans are ready,” said Warne in a nod to his sideline as a poker player.
Warne and Tendulkar will captain two All-Star sides -- Warne’s Warriors and Sachin’s Blasters -- that will showcase the talents of some of the greatest stars in world cricket, playing three Twenty20 three-hour games in New York, Houston and Los Angeles.
Tendulkar, who offers a softly-spoken bookish counterpart to Warne’s tell-it-how-it-is drive, said their dream was to one day see an American team in the World Cup. “We’re here to establish cricket in America” he said. “The next time we come here it would be nice to find an American kid with a cricket bat in his hand alongside a baseball bat.”
They will be doing cricket clinics for young children, interact with players as much as possible and invite women cricketers to their practise sessions as well, he said.
Among the talent on the Blasters side are Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Graeme Swann, Brian Lara, Curtly Ambrose, Carl Hooper, Glenn McGrath, Moin Khan and Shoaib Akhtar.
Included in the Warriors are Ajit Agarkar, Jonty Rhodes, Matthew Hayden, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, Daniel Vettori, Ricky Ponting, Michael Vaughan and Wasim Akram.
Win hearts
They may have retired and not be as quick as they were 10 years ago, but they insist they’ve lost none of their skills -- or their competitive streak. “We’re going to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can, and we’re going to win. Simple as that,” said Warne.
“We’re good friends, but not on the field,” said Tendulkar. “We want to go out and not disappoint the fans... We want to win the hearts of as many people as possible here.”
The ICC-sanctioned matches will be played on drop-in pitches at major baseball fields in New York, Houston and Los Angeles. A portion of the proceeds will go to the ICC for the development of cricket within the United States.
Warne said the response “had been overwhelming” and if all goes well, it could become an annual event. “Hopefully it will go on for a long time,” he said.
He batted aside suggestions that the rules of cricket were too complicated for Americans to follow.
“When you take two minutes to concentrate on it, it’s actually very simple,” he said. “We’re trying to hit the stumps and they’re trying to hit it out of the park. It’s not that hard.”
But many of the spectators are expected to be expatriates from cricket-loving nations. The vast majority of the reporters at Thursday’s press conference were from overseas.
New York, one of the greatest metropolises on earth has a wealth of expatriates from England, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies. Its metropolitan area is home to the largest concentration of South Asians in the United States from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where cricket is a national obsession.

Vijender eyes another smashing show in 2nd bout
DUBLIN:MMNN:6 Nov. 2015
Buoyed by a knockout start to his professional career, Indian boxer Vijender Singh will be up against Dean Gillen in his second bout in Dublin on Saturday in front of an audience which will not just have boxing aficionados but also Hollywood executives exploring his potential as a movie star.
Vijender, who notched up a Technical Knockout against Sonny Whiting in his debut fight last month, will take on British boxer Gillen, a part-time fire-fighter, in a four-round contest.
The 30-year-old from Haryana is no stranger to the movie world having already starred in the Bollywood film ‘Fugly’ and has also appeared on the reality TV show MTV Hero Roadies X2.
“I’m very excited by Vijender and his potential and we’re looking forward to seeing him up close on Saturday night and taking it from there. I’ve only seen his first fight and being a boxing fan, that was something special and some of my close associates also mentioned it,” the executive, who preferred anonymity for the time being, was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Vijender’s promoters IOS.
“He’s got a special commanding presence and aura about him in the ring, likes he’s the king of the ring, and I think that it could transfer onto screen, who knows, we just want to see him on Saturday first and we’re hoping for another exciting performance,” he added.
Vijender arrived in Dubli on Thursday with his Indian promoter Neerav Tomar and trainer Lee Beard.
“I’m getting a really good buzz being in Dublin and the city has really taken me in, I can’t wait for Saturday night and give the fans a good night of action,” said Vijender.
“I’ve been over once before after the 2012 London Olympics and trained with the Irish amateur boxing team and I had a brilliant time then, so it’s fantastic to finally return to actually fight here for the first time and show what I can do.
Talking about his next opponent, Vijender said: “I’ll see what Gillen brings to the ring against me. He’s another challenge so he’ll make me raise my game and perform. I’ve been in the gym perfecting and improving and I’ll be looking to put on something a little bit special for the Irish fans.”

Virender Sehwag was a nightmare for South Africa: Dale Steyn
Mohali:MMNN:4 Nov. 2015
Dale Steyn considers the current Indian batting line-up a formidable one, but South Africa's world No. 1 pacer on Tuesday said nobody came close to being the nightmare that the recently-retired Virender Sehwag was in his prime.
The bowler, whose lethal pace is intimidating for most batsmen around the world, said he always found the going tough against an on-song Sehwag. "In the past times that I have played here, I have bowled against guys like Virender Sehwag, that guy was a nightmare. He scored 300 in Chennai and if you missed him by a small margin, he would smoke you out," the 32-year-old said in an open session with the media ahead of the Test series against India starting November 5 here.
Steyn said even now India has a power-packed batting line-up "but not someone like Sehwag who would blaze right from word go."
Sehwag called time on his international career after being out of favour with the selectors due to a decline in form in the last couple of years. He would now be seen in action in an All-Star league set to be jointly conducted by Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and Australian bowling great Shane Warne.
South Africa not favourites
Speaking about the Test series against India, where South Africa would have the psychological edge after resounding victories in the limited-overs series, Steyn said he does not consider his side to be the favourites despite those results.
Steyn said his team believes in making clear strategy for each of the opposition players.
"...It's not rocket science, if you have got a guy like Sachin (Tendulkar) and you bowl a top of stump to him, he will hit you through the point, when you bowl it to Murali Vijay, he will probably hit you through the covers, so it's important to know where you want the fielder to be positioned.
The delivery stays the same, but the batsman's shots will change," he explained.
"So, it's about getting into his head a little bit and looking into his last 10 dismissals. Position a fielder there and if he gets out in a similar fashion, may be laugh at him too.. Its not rocket science," Steyn said.
"I don't think we are favourites, we are playing in India's back garden. It's going to be extremely difficult. I think we are coming to this series with a lot of expectations after winning the T20s and the ODIs, so we've got confidence on our side and ideally we would like to win, that's what we are here for," he asserted.
"I personally enjoy the Tests more than anything else and we've come up with some good game plans. We have got a great bowling attack and we have got a fantastic batting line-up. We are up for the challenge, that's for sure," Steyn added.
Sub-continent not conducive for pacers
Asked what does it take for overseas fast bowlers to do well in India, Steyn replied, "I think pace through the air is really important. With the wickets here on the slow side, anything from 135 (kmph) down, batters are able to make the adjustment when the ball hits the deck.
"It's the guys that bowl 145 (kmph) plus who really push batters, it gives them a lot less time to adjust..control is another thing, you've got to land the new ball in the right areas."
Steyn said conditions in the sub-continent are never too conducive for the pacers.
"It is really tough, I am not going to lie about that. It doesn't get easier every year. But I love bowling in India, the grounds are quite flat
whereas in South Africa you feel you are running uphill. So here you feel you are running downhill all day long. Even if the wickets are not offering you a lot, like pace and carry, but your run up always feels smooth."
On whether his side has any specific plan to contain India's prolific captain Virat Kohli, Steyn said, "I am not going to tell you because then he is going to know about it. Yes, we have (a plan for him)."
Amla is an unassuming aggressor
Steyn was all praise for his skipper Hashim Amla, describing him as an unassuming aggressor.
"Hash can be quite a deceiving guy, he is calm and composed, but he goes for the kill, he definitely knows how to go for the kill. I mean if you look at his stats as a player, remarkable stats he has, if you look at him as a person, you would just never think those stats are capable of person someone like that," he said.
Asked if he would have preferred to play the Test series before the limited-overs matches, Steyn said, "I don't really care how they come around. I do tend to bowl better and better when I have bowled already. ODIs are not that hectic."

Cricket All-Stars League: Have told Sachin, I will fly back to Kolkata if I don't open, says Sourav Ganguly
Kolkata:MMNN:4 Nov. 2015
Practising ahead of the Cricket All Stars league in the United States, former India captain Sourav Ganguly joked on Tuesday that if he is not allowed to open the innings, he would take the first flight back to Kolkata.
The left-hander batted at the nets for around 30 minutes on Tuesday morning so that he can be ready to take on Warne's Warriors in the first match in New York City on November 7. Ganguly will be turning up for Sachin Tendulkar's team 'Sachin's Blasters'.
"I have told Sachin, if I don't open, I will catch the next flight to Kolkata. So that is a criteria for playing," Ganguly, who was in a jovial mood, told a news channel after practice.
At the nets, Ganguly turned back the clock and was seen stepping out to the spinners. He was also well balanced as he leaned into some of his trademark cover drives.
But when told that he seems to be close to the kind of form he enjoyed during his prime, Ganguly disagreed.
"It is not possible," he said. "I was picking the ball late. But it was fun."
The southpaw also spoke about former India middle order batsman V.V.S. Laxman who is struggling to get a visa for the US.
"V.V.S. Laxman has not got the visa yet, so he is a little worried. The US consulate are not giving him (laughs), but he will be there," he said.
"Asked him about his (Laxman's) batting but he said he can't quite understand as to when the ball is being released. This problem will be there. I hope we will come into the groove once we reach the US."
Ganguly also joked about his ageing body, saying "We will have to wait and watch how much strength is left on my hands, legs and hips."
However, Ganguly is sure that the matches will have quality cricket.
"No one one wants to get out, and the bowlers also don't want to get spanked. So it will be a good contest," he added.

Sania Mirza- Martina Hingis dream run continues
SINGAPORE:MMNN:2 Nov. 2015
Her 177-kmph down-the-middle serve whizzed past the rooted Garbine Muguruza like an errant biker at a traffic signal. Sania Mirza clenched her fists and turned to her bench with a look that screamed, 'bring it on'. That was in the first game of the 66-minute title match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals which the Indian powerhouse dominated with electric shot-making, cheeky interceptions and strong serving.
All week, nay all year, the top seeds Sania and Martina Hingis, who have swept everything in their path, winning nine titles as a team, including two Grand Slams, have been drawn into debates of doubles specialists thriving in a world sans the cream of singles talent.
On Sunday, the Indo-Swiss combine took on a pair, primarily singles players -- world No. 3 Muguruza and No. 11 Carla Suarez Navarro. Sania and Hingis' most persuasive argument that the doubles game was more than the sum of two peot ple doing one man's job came in the title clash. The shellacking of the Spaniards, a 6-0, 6-3 verdict, and so complete was their domination that the 27-year-old Navarro told the champions, "Now I know why you are the No. 1 team in the world!".
The Indo-Swiss combine, who extended their winning streak to 22 matches, took home $500,000 and 1500 points. For the 28-year-old Hyderabadi, who has never lost a match at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, clinched her eighth win on these courts and taking home her second successive season-ending crown, while for the 35-year-old Hingis it was her third doubles title in the year-end tournament.
Hingis, who is making her seventh appearance in the WTA Finals, having won two singles and two doubles titles, coming away with a double in 2000 playing alongside Russian Anna Kournikova, said she didn't know what to expect from their opponents coming into the final.
"I've never played them before, so I didn't know, but Sania has a pretty much unbeaten record against them. I felt that out there," Hingis noted. The veteran Swiss was all praise for her partner, say ng, "I didn't think it's going to be like that in the beginning). But it felt pretty good. It feels awesome just to be there and see Sania play incredible tennis today. Down the-lines, returns, everything was amazing."
Sania, hugely popular with the crowds here, said the world No. 1 pairing was looking forward to a break. "I was looking at the stats, we won 53 matches before this tournament. That's a lot of matches even that's just doubles," the Indian said. The Indian, who walked into the press conference with a mini cupcake in hand, signallng the start of her vacation.

Virender Sehwag’s outburst after retirement irks Indian selectors
MMNN:2 Nov. 2015
Virender Sehwag‘s outburst on not getting a farewell match has not been taken in spirit by a member of the Indian national selection panel. In a television program telecast on Saturday night, Sehwag claimed that he would have announced his retirement in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2013, against Australia after the final Test at New Delhi.
The fourth Test of that series which India won 4-0 would have been Sehwag’s last, that too on his home ground. The Indian cricketer, who recently announced his retirement, had claimed that he would have walked away from cricket had the selectors spoken with him about his future plans.
A selector on the condition of anonymity told Mid Day, “We are surprised to read about what Sehwag said (in the TV programme). By saying that he would have requested for a farewell Test had we told him that we won’t pick him, means he admitted being at the end of his road.
Selectors have no right to tell any player that he won’t be picked again. Anyone can make a comeback through big scores and we are always aware of that.”
Sehwag said in the show on India TV, named Aap Ki Adalat, “Had the selectors told me they were going to drop me, I could have requested them to allow me to play my last Test in Delhi (vs Australia in 2013) and then announce my retirement, but they did not give me that opportunity.
A sort of sadness shall always remain in my mind that I was not allowed to retire while playing, but anyway, it’s all a part of life for a sportsman.”

Cheteshwar Pujara back in focus ahead of South Africa Test series
Mumbai:MMNN:30 Oct. 2015
Since Virat Kohli took over Test captaincy from MS Dhoni, India have insisted on playing an aggressive brand of cricket. The new-found ‘aggression’ meant Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara suddenly became a misfit for the unit.
The below par show in New Zealand, England and Australia of the batsman who was settling down as the successor to Rahul Dravid at No 3 though didn’t help his cause.
From being termed tailor-made for Tests to becoming expendable, the Saurashtra batsman has had many ups and downs in last oneand-half years. Pujara grabbed the chance as injury replacement in the final Test against Sri Lanka, carrying the bat with a brilliant 145 not out, although Kohli said before the match that the batsmen knew he may have to step aside when M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan return.
The focus is back on Pujara as India gear up for the Test series against South Africa. Only time will tell what lies in store but the batsman believes he is ready for any role the team management assigns to him.
Ready for team
“As an individual, I am ready to do the job for the team. I don’t know about the position and once I join the team, I will have a word with the captain and the team director. They will let me know the number I will be batting at. Depending on the team’s requirement, I will be ready for it,” said Pujar a, who will lead the Board President’s XI in a twoday match against South Africa.
Pujara also stressed that he was comfortable batting at the top of the order. “As I have batted at number 3, I have got the experience of facing the new ball. So, technically I don’t have to do much adjustment to my batting as an opener.
“Personally I feel I will be facing the same bowlers whom I will face in the Test series, so it’s a good thing and I hope we have a good time out there.” Young Rajasthan pacer Nathu Singh, hailing from a humble background and just four first-class matches old, will get his first big opportunity to show his talent as a g enuine quick.
Pujara praised the 20-year-old. “He is a talented youngster. The most important thing is that he is quick and he can swing the ball.”

Nathu Singh looks to shine for Indian Board President’s XI vs South Africa
MMNN:30 Oct. 2015
Nathu Singh has in his minuscule first class career has impressed a lot of people, people who are legends of the game. Born in Jaipur this 20 year old has attracted many followers and is watched by many for scrutiny. Nathu was first spotted and trained up by The MRF Pace Academy under the watchful eyes of Australian bowling legend Glenn McGrath.
Mcgrath himself thinks that Nathu Singh can in the future become a great fast bowler for India. Nathu who in his four first class games for Rajasthan has picked up 12 wickets. After his first match he had impressed the likes of Gautam Gambhir who mentioned to their coach vijay dahiya that “after a long time he has seen new India material, please make sure he is not ruined by over-bowling.”
Nathu Singh who is ready to play against the visiting South Africans for Board’s President XI was drafted in because chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said that “there was glimpse of spark in him” that prompted them to select the boy for Board President’s XI. Nathu on his inclusion say that the feeling is yet to sink in and it is still unbelieveable.
Nathu says “Today a teammate called up and said “Congratulations” and I just said “what for? He informed me about my selection and I told him that please don’t joke. It’s not possible but then I was a bit curious and checked the internet. I found my name and couldn’t believe it. It’s yet to sink in.”
‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid taking interest in Nathu it holds good for the pace man from Rajasthan. Dravid had spoken to the conveyor of Ad hoc committee, Amrit Mathur, and was quoted “this boy” is good, please keep an eye out for him.” Nathu says, there is no intimidation for him when he be pitted against the likes of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers.
“My job is to bowl fast and pick wickets. Do whatever the captain tells me. I am not thinking about bowling to De Villiers and when the India cap is coming. That would be putting too much pressure on myself.”

Indian bowling attack for Tests more balanced than South Africa: Javagal Srinath
New Delhi:MMNN:28 Oct. 2015
Former India speedster Javagal Srinath thinks India have a "more balanced bowling attack in the longest format" compared to South Africa which will provide them the edge in the upcoming four-Test series starting 5 November.
Bowling contributed majorly to the hosts' downfall in the preceding T20 and ODI series but Srinath is backing them to deliver in the Test series beginning at Mohali on 5 November.
"With India, it has always been a combination of pace spin (that works for them). Spinners play a big role at home. If not 50-50, I would expect the faster bowlers to take 40 percent of the wickets. If you include the spinners, it is a fairly decent attack and gives India the edge in the Test series," Srinath told during an interaction.
Ishant, however, will not play the Mohali Test, owing to a one-match ban he copped in Sri Lanka. There isn't a significant change in the bowling line-up from the T20s and ODIs with Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron being the other seamers and Ravichandran Ashwin expected to return from injury to lead the spin attack comprising Amit Mishra and comeback man Ravindra Jadeja.
Yadav, who was rested for the last two ODIs, alongwith Aaron provide much needed venom to the attack but Srinath sees either of them playing in the eleven.
"You got to see their performance. How they are bowling just before the first match. The two bowlers are very similar in style, so you got to go by the gut feeling of the captain. Whoever performs better at the nets. Somebody who is hitting the lines regularly will probably get the nod," he said.
Ishant, who starred in Sri Lanka, has to be the leader of the pace pack.
"India will miss him in Mohali but in the long run, Ishant is your leader of the pack. He should take more responsibility. He has lot of cricket left in him."
Bhuvneshwar appears to have lost his swing and ended up leaking 106 runs in 10 overs at the final ODI at Wankhede. Srinath, however, continues to have faith in his abilities.
"I think Bhuvi's strength is his accuracy. He is an intelligent bowler. If not a strike bowler, he can be a good third seamer for the side." While Dhoni has repeatedly asked for consistency from his faster bowlers, Kohli prefers sheer pace.
"Dhoni is not part of the Test team so whatever Kohli feels is more important. He is your captain. Every captain has his thought process. You should allow them to function. He runs the team, he has the plan and will manage the resources accordingly," said Srinath. His prediction for the series opener at Mohali?
"It all depends on the first two days of the match. It depends on team composition, whether dew is around or not. Ishant not playing can pose issues but I still feel India will have bit of an advantage," he added.

Sachin Tendulkar: Back to where he belongs
Mumbai:MMNN:28 Oct. 2015
One can take Sachin Tendulkar out of cricket but not cricket out of Sachin Tendulkar.
On Tuesday, Tendulkar was back at what he does best — batting. The three Ds – Discipline, Dedication and Determination – were at display. The intensity was familiar and the touch was like it was never lost.
The preparation was not for his next match for India but for exhibition series – Cricket All Stars Series – to be held in the USA. However, with the seriousness and focus that Tendulkar batted in nets at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC, it seemed like he was ready for another long innings.
"When you play for India, your preparation is quite different. The format we are playing – we will be playing three matches this time and after three-four months, we will again play three matches – you you don't get a break like this when you are playing for India. And, you have to maintain your fitness at a certain level and you also have to play at a certain level," he told the media after his nets session.
Tendulkar, who exhibited all kinds of copy book shots and some unorthodox shots in the nets, said he was getting into shape.
"Good fun. I am pacing myself. It's not that I can come back after two years and start doing everything at one go. The last 10 days or so, I have been practicing a bit and pacing myself. Before that, I started training a little bit to get back in better shape. After retirement, things were obviously slightly different. I could eat whatever I wanted. Before that, I had to think twice but not anymore," said Tendulkar.
The batting maestro admitted that he gets emotional whenever he takes out his cricket gear. "It's nice. I am wearing the same leg guard I wore in my last Test innings at the Wankhede. As and when I get close to my kit bag, I remember all those things. Obviously, these are special leg guards to me, the thigh guards, the whole kit is special to me."
Post retirement, Tendulkar has been enjoying life. This includes experimenting with different food. However, he is now back to a strict diet regime and has even lost some weight. "A little bit, yes. I wanted to lose some weight, so I had to check my diet. It's fine. We are all retired cricketers, we want to enjoy, we want to promote cricket. We want to get competitive as much as we can, as much as the body allows us to be. So, it's about having fun, getting our fans closer to us, giving them an opportunity to watch live cricket, get more engaged with cricket."
The 42-year-old said that he was excited to bat alongside some legends he has not played with. "There are so many players. With Ricky (Ponting), I have done (opening) and with (Virender) Sehwag and (Sourav) Ganguly obviously. I have batted with Brian (Lara), in a couple of exhibition games. Matthew Hayden is someone I have not batted with. Michael Vaughan, I haven't, VVS Laxman I have, (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Mahela) Jayawardene, I haven't. So, there are quite a few players with whom I haven't batted along. I have always had them in the opposition camp. This time who knows, for the selection, we have a system that you will know shortly.
To bat alongside them would also be an experience."
While talking about the current scenario where runs are scored in tons like the last ODI in Mumbai, Tendulkar said: "It is the rules that has made all the difference. When I played, I remember the four-fielder rule was there throughout the 50 overs and in the Power Play, you could change your field. But here, the rule has changed more or less for all the 50 overs, You could only have four fielders outside the circle, putting more pressure on the bowlers. With four fielders outside the circle, the batsman has more option of scoring runs in boundaries. The batsmen are prepared to take more risks. That is also to do with the T20 format. The batsmen have been practicing certain shots that earlier nobody would play.
"I still remember 15 years ago when Andy Flower started playing the reverse sweep in Test cricket, I said he is possibly 10-12 years ahead of everyone else because in time to come, everyone will start using that shot. Today, if somebody plays a reverse sweep, nobody is surprised because people expect the guys to go out and try all these shots. And that's because the game is moving forward."
Tendulkar also praised South African AB de Villiers. "Yes, he is (ahead of his time). Absolutely! Maybe he is possibly at the peak of his career. He is really, really batting unbelievably well and it seems that he has got more time than anyone else."
TENDULKAR SPEAK
On curator being abused by Team Director Ravi Shastri...
I don't know what Ravi spoke to the curator. I felt that South Africa batted really well. I wouldn't want to take away the credit away from Quinton de Kock, du Plessis and de Villiers. I thought de Villiers batted really well. If you see the first 20 balls he faced and at no stage, I still remember I was watching a little bit and Shaun Pollock kept saying he has not shifted to sixth and seventh gear. It was rightly so, he has figured out how to pace his innings and he did it beautifully. I would give credit to the way he batted.
On what ails Indian batting...
I am not involved, so I am not one of those guys who would pass a loose statement not knowing the facts. I would be in a better position to say when I am involved in it.
On hiring a foreign or Indian coach...
I believe that a coach should be a capable coach and it doesn't matter whether he is a foreign coach or an Indian coach. The coach is one who keeps the team in a good space mentally and also conducts the practice sessions well. From my experience, I can say that a good coach is one who can treat you as a friend, who can be a guide for the team. He should be someone who can always come to your help when you have a problem, whether with batting or bowling or something else, you should feel comfortable to go and discuss it with him, I like those type of coaches.
On India against South Africa in Tests...
We have a very good team. Each team will go through phases. There will be patches where you will play well and there will be tough phases where things will get really difficult and won't go to your plans. But that doesn't mean that every weekend you pass a judgment on your team. When they do well, you say 'wow, they have done really well' and the following week if they don't do well, you start criticising them. I think we need to show more balance and we all are passionate about cricket and we need to patient also.
Sehwag joins All-Stars
Virender Sehwag, who announced his retirement from international cricket last week, is the latest high-profile cricketer to join the Cricket All Stars Series in the USA. Sehwag will leave for the US after playing Haryana's next Ranji Trophy encounter against Bengal at Lahli starting on October 30. "Yes, that's there. I think he has spoken to the association and they have agreed to let him go and play. It's good for people in America because when they get to know about this, they would be excited. Who doesn't want to see Sehwag?" Tendulkar said.

Historic silver for Verma in archery World Cup Final
New Delhi:MMNN:26 Oct. 2015
Abhishek Verma created history on Sunday when he became the first compound archer from the country to win a medal at the archery World Cup Final being held in Mexico City. Abhishek, who reached the final, however, had to settle for a silver after losing to Turkey's Demir Elmaagcli 143-145 in the summit clash.
"It was a good experience to line up among top-8 players in the world. All of them have been world champions at some point of time. My pool also had big names and to beat them and make the podium is a good experience," Abhishek told TOI from Mexico City on Sunday.
The Asian Games individual silver medalist won his quarterfinal match against Denmark's Martin Damsbo 148-146. He was up against home favourite Mario Cardoso in the semifinal and the Delhi-based archer scored a perfect 150 to advance to the final. His rival scored 142. "The highlight was my semifinal score which was the highest by an archer.
Everyone aims for that but not many can achieve given the pressure. After my score the spectators were all rooting for me and it was a different feeling," he added.
But windy conditions in the final made the 26-year old lose two crucial points. When asked about his experience of playing in the final of the major event, Abhishek said: "For me all tournaments, be it state or World Cup final, are at par. You use bow and arrow in both. The only difference is your thinking.
"When you reach the final of an event, both finalists are competing for gold. Even I was but I fumbled as it was slightly windy. Silver is not a bad achievement especially when no one from India has done it so far. I have got silver this year, I am hoping to bag gold medal next year," he signed off.
Three-time World Cup Final silver medalist Deepika Kumari, seeded sixth, will be vying for top honours in recurve event when she starts her campaign here in the quarterfinal against Korean third seed Kawanaka Kaori.

Brilliant South African batting exposes India's bowling flaws in ODI series decider
MMNN:26 Oct. 2015
It is easy to overreact to defeat, especially a defeat as large as the one South Africa inflicted on India in the fifth and deciding ODI in Mumbai. The 214-run blowout is India’s second largest loss in ODIs in terms of runs as India but as MS Dhoni said, “it has happened in cricket, it keeps happening.” India had played South Africa to a draw over the first four games and if a few breaks had gone the other way, might well have won the series.
However, the loss also exposed the limitations of India’s preferred bowling attack. On a pitch seemingly prepared by the batting Gods, India’s bowlers did not have the skill or ability to limit the damage. It is a problem Dhoni acknowledged at the post-match press conference, “There was no turn on offer for the spinners," Dhoni said. "Our fast bowlers, yes, they can swing the ball but when it's flat they are not the ones who can push the batsmen on to the back foot. Even if we have bowlers who bowl quick, they don't get the same amount of bounce from the same areas, as we don't hit the deck as hard.”
What Dhoni left unsaid is that India is built to win only under certain circumstances – ones that favour the spinners. It is a strategy that is also predicated on the opposition not having quality spinners of their own, as England proved in 2011-12 in the Test series.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith raised the question on TV after the match was done. Why, he wondered, was India so caught up with the idea of turning wickets? Why not prepare good wickets and build a team that can win in all conditions?
It is not a question that is easily answered. The theory that Dhoni proposed is that India’s fast bowlers haven’t been good enough. "We tried going for fast bowlers — bowlers who bowl quick — but we realised that they are giving the opposition more runs and we were better off playing with people who are more into their line and length,” Dhoni said.
Smith’s counter to this was to let fast bowlers be fast bowlers, as South Africa does with Dale Steyn. Tell them not to worry about going for runs and concentrate on taking wickets. The problem for India is that contradicts Dhoni’s philosophy, which is based on control and the slow building of pressure. In Dhoni’s world, it is pressure that leads to wickets, rather than wickets leading to pressure.
But on a wicket like the one at the Wankhede, that approach falls flat. As we saw, it was impossible for India to build any pressure. On the flip side, South Africa were able to keep India in check because they kept taking wickets. India’s run-rate during their innings was 6.22 an over, so they weren’t exactly jogging along. But it was the wickets that did the damage.
Dhoni claims his fast bowlers haven’t developed in the way that they have should have in international cricket. “If you see any other Test or ODI-playing nation, the fast bowlers come and in one or two years they graduate to the next level – they become the strike bowlers or they learn what their strength is and bowl according to that,” he said. “To some extent, we have not been able to do that and also, once you put in a lot of time and effort in a particular individual and if it doesn't come up good, then a vacuum gets created where you have to look for the individuals.”
Again, the problem with this explanation is it doesn’t clarify why this is an issue with practically every single fast bowler. In Mumbai, you had Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was selected for India on the basis of his ability to swing the ball, producing delivery after delivery that did not deviate even an inch while clearly straining to bowl as quick as he can. His stock weapon was the bouncer and he was not taking wickets with the new ball, something he did regularly when he began playing international cricket.

Kohli's 23rd ODI ton trumps de Villiers' 22nd as India draw level against South Africa
Chennai:MMNN:23 Oct. 2015
ies continued as he pulled one straight to Shikhar Dhawan at mid-wicket. Gauging that the pitch was dry and turn was on offer, Harbhajan was brought in the attack as early as the 9th over.
The 'Turbantor' looked dangerous in each of his six overs in the first spell while he got a bit of stick towards the end to finish with 2/50 in 10 overs.
He got the wicket of last match centurion Quinton de Kock (35) just when he was taking on the attack.
It was a classical off-spinner's delivery where he enticed De Kock for a drive with a flighted delivery that spun away from the left-hander taking the outside edge which was held by Ajinkya Rahane at second slip.
Faf du Plessis (17) was a bit ruffled as a powerful hit from De Villiers hit his elbow. He was soon dismissed when he was adjudged caught behind off Axar bowling. While Du Plessis looked unhappy, the snickometer showed some noise when the ball passed the bat. From 79 for 3, it soon became 88 for four when Harbhajan bowled one that straightened sufficiently after pitching to hit David Miller (6) plumb in-front.
However De Villiers countered the turn with footwork as he got a partner in Farhaan Behardien (22) as they steadily built a partnership of 56 runs for the fifth wicket.
It was leg-spinner Mishra, who accounted for Behardien in the 32nd over which turned out to be a wicket-maiden.
Behardien should have been out off the 2nd ball when he nicked one to Dhoni but a vociferous appeal was turned down by umpire S Ravi. However off the fifth ball of that over, Mishra bowled a flipper which Behardien missed trying to sweep off middle-stump. This time Ravi raised his finger as South Africa were reduced to 144 for five.
De Villiers continued in attacking fashion as he reached his 50 with a shot over extra cover. He got a dogged partner in Chris Morris (9), who didn't score many but hung around to add 41 runs before a miscommunication led to a run- out with Ajinkya Rahane effecting a direct throw at non- striker's end.
The South African captain continued despite cramps as he reached 97 with a huge six off Harbhajan over deep mid-wicket and then another straight six off Mishra to complete his second hundred of the series.
Earlier, Kohli smashed a scintillating ton to help India post a competitive 299 for 8 in 50 overs after opting to bat.

Saina Nehwal lone Indian survivor at French Open Super Series
Paris:MMNN:23 Oct. 2015
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal emerged as the lone survivor at the French Open Super Series after she defeated Minatsu Mitani of Japan to reach the quarterfinals of the women's singles event.
Saina, who slipped to world number two in the latest rankings,
claimed a 21-19, 21-16 win over her Japanese opponent in a thrilling second round contest that lasted 41 minutes.
In men's singles, HS Prannoy crashed out of the tournament after suffering 15-21, 10-21 defeat against Hong Kong's NG Ka Long Angus,
while Ajay Jayaram was beaten 18-21, 8-21 by China's Tian Houwei.

Virender Sehwag was a creature of evolution, not revolution
MMNN:21 Oct. 2015
Virender Sehwag was an absolute star. That guy who dragged people through the turnstiles. For Viru, every ball was a bad ball.
He swung harder than a Canadian lumberjack. He had more power than Vladimir Putin. Chuck Norris wouldn't have wanted to bowl to him. Boundary ropes jumped out of the way of his shots, they were hit that hard.
He has now decided to retire on his terms. Well, kind of.
International scorecards haven't seen his name in ink since early 2013.
The truth is that he was already retired. But who doesn't want to make an announcement so that flowery articles and tribute videos can be made about you?
I'm planning my retirement from cricket writing as we speak. Have your pen ready Gideon Haigh.
One way to judge the relative merits of a cricketer is the impact they had on how the sport is played. In this sense, Sehwag is ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting.
He is more Gilchrist or Shane Warne. For these guys redefined their roles.
Take Gilchrist.
Yes, we had seen wicket keeper batsman previously, but none who averaged 50 in Test match cricket or had the ability to turn a match in an hour at the crease. He could catch the ball too. Standing up the Shane Warne couldn't have been the easiest thing in the world.
Because of Gilchrist, we got MS Dhoni and Brendon McCullum.
We thought Gilly was revolution. At the time he was. However, history now shows him to be simply evolution. That water creature that walked on land and lost its gills.
Sehwag is the same. In the Test arena, he took what Chris Gayle took from Michael Slater who took from Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. He scored faster. He played shots earlier. He took risks. He swung. Hard. Really hard.
Today's beneficiary is David Warner. I hope he's sent Sehwag a thank you text.
Cricket is now more than comfortable with the up and down nature of the Kaboom kid. Without Sehwag, perhaps we wouldn't be? But it wasn't just the Test arena where Viru represented evolution.
The ODI game first saw attacking openers on a consistent basis at the 1996 World Cup. Those tiny Sri Lankans daring to make more than 60 from the first 15 overs. They wanted 90 and they went after it. Sehwag benefited from that. Tillakaratne Dilshan as well. Today, those winners are Quinton de Kock, McCullum and Aaron Finch.
Without guys like Sehwag demonstrating what flair with the bat really meant, T20 may not have been born.
The Netherlands would never have had the chance to defeat England in a World Cup match. The IPL wouldn't have kicked started the global phenomenon of the renegade short form player. TV revenues wouldn't be up. Sliced bread wouldn't have been invented. We would all still be riding horses to work.
That Crazy Frog ringtone would simply be an idea in some Swedish guys head. Viru was evolution. A crucial step. A bridge.
Who will be the next link in the evolutionary batting chain? Glenn Maxwell? Perhaps AB de Villiers is already it? It doesn't really matter.
Cricket will continue to ebb and morph. People like Sehwag are the reason why.

4th ODI: Series on the line for struggling India
NEW DELHI:MMNN:21 Oct. 2015
Just as the Twenty20 series between India and South Africa was settled with a game to play, the ODI battle could also be done and dusted before the teams fly to Mumbai for the fifth and final match.
After bossing India 2-0 before the dead rubber T20I was washed out, South Africa are ahead 2-1 in the ODIs and are a win away from wrapping up the series. The fourth match in Chennai on Thursday - on the occasion of Dussehra - offers the tourists the chance to seal their first bilateral ODI series win on Indian soil.
MS Dhoni's team needs to win to keep the series alive, and the issues that need to be addressed are straightforward: the batsmen, more than the bowlers, must deliver. Shikhar Dhawan has scored 13, 23 and 23; Virat Kohli 11, 12 and 77; Suresh Raina has two ducks in a row. That has left Rohit Sharma (150, 3 and 65), Ajinkya Rahane (60, 51 and 4) and Dhoni (31, 92* and 47) to do the bulk of the scoring.
In the last ODI, India were well placed to chase 271 with Kohli and Dhoni going along well, but a game-changing burst from Morne Morkel left the hosts on the wrong side of the result by 18 runs. With Axar Patel not contributing as a batsman in the allrounder's role, the lower order has been left with too much to try and do.
So what to do? A reshuffle is unlikely, because Raina continues to have a lot of support from the captain and management. The replacement batsmen are Ambati Rayudu and the all-round pair of Stuart Binny and Gurkeerat Singh. Dhawan is the likeliest to be dropped, which would mean getting Rahane to open with Rohit. That opens up a place for one of Rayudu, Binny and the uncapped Gurkeerat.
The only change to India's squad was Sreenath Aravind in for Umesh Yadav, and he could find himself getting an ODI debut in place of one of Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. News that Amit Mishra has been served a notice by Bangalore police for allegedly assaulting a woman should not have any bearing on his selection, considering he bowled economically and picked up a big wicket at Rajkot.
Losing JP Duminy to injury is a blow to South Africa, because he was used as a fifth bowler to hurry up the over rate. Duminy's replacement is Dean Elgar, who opens in Tests, and he landed in India in the early hours of Wednesday and won't have much time to acclimatise before the match. So there is a chance that South Africa opt for the seam-bowling allrounder Chris Morris instead.
Should Elgar get the nod, signs are that he won't bat up the order. David Miller was promoted to open the innings in Rajkot and made a steady 33, and after the win AB de Villiers commented that he liked what he saw. Indication enough that Miller will continue to bat at the top.
Of the five previous bilateral series between the teams in India, South Africa have lost four and tied one, in 2005-06 with a 2-2 scoreline. The MA Chidambaram Stadium has hosted South Africa twice in ODIs, with one abandoned game in 2005 and a defeat to England during the 2011 World Cup. India's ODI record in Chennai stands at P 10, W 5, L 4, NR 1. Their last ODI at the ground was in December 2012 when Pakistan won by six wickets.
Probable XIs
India: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Ambati Rayudu/Gurkeerat Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Sreenath Aravind, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Mohit Sharma
South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 David Miller, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 Dean Elgar, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir.

Yuvraj Singh's experience could help Team India: Sunil Gavaskar
MMNN:19 Oct. 2015
Sunil Gavaskar feels India should look at horses for courses and pick players on form. Speaking to NDTV, former India captain said Yuvraj Singh can be a right choice for number five or six given the form he is in.
Gavaskar reckons Yuvraj’s experience could help India level the series, ”Yuvraj can bowl few overs and give a little bit of depth to batting, he is top-class in the field as well, and his experience will help India.” ”Age should not matter,’’ added Gavaskar.
Gavaskar also believes India should rest Shikhar Dhawan for remaining One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He said, ‘’Shikhar Dhawan is looking just a little bit out of sorts, maybe give him a break before the Test matches start and have Ajinkya Rahane open the batting’’.
Yuvraj on Sunday scored a vital century for Punjab in a Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat and struck 187 off 223 balls. With India facing problem in middle-order, Yuvraj’s timely ton might tempt selectors to bring the left-hander back.
Even MS Dhoni said India is still looking for a finisher. “We are looking for batsmen to play at No 5, 6 and 7. we are looking to give chances as well so it’s a tricky one,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Suresh Raina has failed to play any innings of note in the on-going series. Raina so far managed to score just three runs, including two ducks, in three matches. Selectors will be announcing the squad for the remaining two ODIs on Monday, and Yuvraj’s name will certainly do rounds during the meeting.

BCCI-PCB talks rescheduled for tomorrow after Shiv Sena protest
MUMBAI:MMNN:19 Oct. 2015
The much-anticipated talks between BCCI president Shashank Manohar and his Pakistan counterpart Shahryar Khan on the proposed bilateral series have been rescheduled for Tuesday after protests by Shiv Sena activists forced the Board to cancel the meet in Mumbai on Monday.
The meeting was to take place in Mumbai today but was cancelled in view of the protest at the BCCI headquarters during which hundreds of Shiv Sainiks stormed the Board office and gheraoed Shashank Manohar in his office.
"The talks have not been called off. Shashank Manohar and Shahryar Khan will speak to each other in evening today and tomorrow they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks," IPL chairman and senior board functionary Rajiv Shukla said.
"In no way, the dialogue will be stopped. BCCI has never compromised with national interests," Shukla said.
In tomorrow's meeting, Shukla and BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur will also be present. The PCB chairman is also expected to meet top government officials.
Manohar had invited Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan for talks on the much-anticipated series scheduled in December.
Khan and PCB's executive committee head Najam Sethi are in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai.
Thakur had assured him a final decision could be taken later this month and conveyed Manohar's invitation to visit India.
There is speculation that the two neighbours could play either a bilateral series in the UAE or agree to a possible triangular series in December also involving Bangladesh. Earlier, shouting slogans against Pakistan and the PCB chairman, the Shiv Sena workers asked BCCI chief Shashank Manohar not to have any ties with the neighbouring country, which they said sponsors terrorism.
Waving black and saffron flags, the workers sought to know from Manohar if he would go ahead with his meeting with the PCB chief here.
Sena Vibhag Pramukh Pandurang Sakpal told reporters that his party is firm that there should be no cricket matches between the two countries. Asked about Sena being a part of the Maharashtra government, Sakpal said, "The government will do its job, we will do ours."
"What we did today is Sena's stance," he said. The protesting Sena workers were later taken into custody by the police. "We are looking into it. Those detained will be booked as per law," said a police officer.

Denmark Open: India's top dogs Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth crash out in second round
MMNN:16 Oct. 2015
On an extremely bad for India’s badminton hopes at the Denmark Open, top seed Saina Nehwal suffered a shock second round defeat while Kidambi Srikanth also failed to clear the second round in men’s singles of the USD 650,000 Super Series Premier event.
Also making an exit was men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy.
World number one Saina lost 18-21 13-21 to world number 18 from Japan Minatsu Mitani in 39 minutes in the women’s singles second round on Thursday.
World no 5 Srikanth, who had a 1-1 record against Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia coming into the match, failed to come up with his best game and lost 15-21 17-21 in the men’s singles second round.
The top Indian men’s doubles pair of Manu and Sumeeth, who reached the finals of Dutch Open last week, put up a brave fight before going down 19-21 22-20 19-21 to eight seeds Lee Sheng Mu and Tsai Chia Hsin of Chinese Taipei.
Last night, H S Prannoy went down fighting against Hsu Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei in the opening round.
World no 16 Prannoy, who had lost to Hao at the 2011 Bulgarian International, could not exert enough pressure on his opponent and suffered a 21-23 21-19 15-21 loss in a match that lasted an hour and 21 minutes.
Prannoy had dominated most part of the opening game as he led 7-3 early on and even though Hao wrested control for a brief time at 13-12, the Indian grabbed the lead immediately with a four-point burst to move to 17-13 and then held three game points at 20-17.
But Prannoy squandered the lead as Hao surpassed him with four straight points to move to 21-20 and then sealed the game with two more points.
Bolstered by the first game, World no 24 Hao came into his own in the second and led right from the start to be 15-11 at one stage.
Prannoy, however, had other plans as he caught up with his rival after reeling off four points and after an intense battle managed to pocket the second game with three points straight from 18-19.
In the decider, Prannoy zoomed ahead to a 4-0 lead initially but Hao clawed back at 6-6 and after a battle of supremacy, he broke off from 13-13 to eventually seal the issue in his favour.
In Chinese Taipei Grand Prix tournament, 13th seed Indian Sameer Verma lost to Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab 17-21 23-21 12-21 in men’s singles opening round at the Hsing Chuang Gymnasium.

Zaheer Khan, a performer par excellence
MMNN:16 Oct. 2015
"During the previous few years, the sight of an injured Zaheer Khan limping off the field time and again was getting frustrating to watch. Here was an old war horse, who'd been spearheading India's bowling attack for over a decade, but repeated injuries are cutting short a career that's already in its last stage. That nagging shoulder just can't take it no more. Sure, he was India's leading wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup triumph, but the gas is slowly extinguishing from his tank."
When one has followed a career as full of determination as Zaheer's, those are the last thoughts you ought to associate with India's best fast bowler of the modern era. But somehow, the notion was unfortunately turning out true. Age and fitness had been Zaheer's biggest nemesis over the previous few years and that's what led him to take the 'tough call' 20 months after he last played for India. Fast bowling has never been Indian cricket's greatest strength, but as long as Zaheer was around, people managed to cling on to that tiny thread of hope. I certainly did.
Apart from Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath, no other name than Zaheer fits in the pantheon of genuine fast bowlers produced by India. Ajit Agarkar would be a close fourth and he too has a good 349 wickets under his belt. Zaheer, since his debut as a 22-year-old rapidly emerged as India's spearhead, leading the attack in England, New Zealand and Australia early in his career. Here was a left-armer who could who could not only dish out deliveries frequently over 140 kmph, but fire in yorkers and reverse swing the old ball effectively. He had a long run-up, leaped high, hit the deck hard, and could unsettle batsmen with pace and swing. Such a trait has always been rare among Indian bowlers.
With the dawn of the new millennium, under a new leader in Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricket marched in a new direction. Ganguly's India started winning matches abroad - Nairobi 2000, Champions Trophy 2002, Natwest Trophy 2002 and World Cup 2003 are gentle reminders. So while Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and a young Virender Sehwag were shepherding the Indian batting, Zaheer made rapid strides on the bowling front.
The sharp quick bouncer, a picture perfect yorker to Andrew Hall and a fast full toss to dismiss Steve Waugh in a close contest against the mighty Australians were encouraging signs. He was one of the best fast bowlers to be around when Y2K kicked in. And that, when Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock, a fiery Brett Lee and Chaminda Vaas were in their elements.
"Zaheer is India's answer to Wasim Akram", a certain section of the media claimed, and even though Akram's genius was a bridge too far to reach, Zaheer's mind was on par with him. Over the next decade, he proved time and again to have grown as a cricketer and as a bowler. Zaheer, much like the rest of the Indian bowlers that came before and after him, wasn't the most athletic, but watching him bowl in rhythm was equivalent to looking at a man obsessed with his craft. Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkara were no mean players, and to have their numbers match after match speaks volumes of Zaheer's mastery over his art.
He swung the new ball, reversed the old, did well on flat subcontinent pitches and responded well at the idea of the away ones. Kookaburra, SG or Duke, he was one of the few to have perfected the art of bowling with all three. Zaheer was always adhere to the concept of getting wickets, irrespective of conditions. Add to that some lusty blows with the bat - four consecutive sixes of Henry Olonga in Jodhpur, a prove that Zaheer was no mug with the bat either. His 75 against Bangladesh in a Test back in 2004 was a record for the highest score by a No.11 batsman.
He was not one who could move the ball a lot in the air, and he made up for it by jagging them off the pitch. Zaheer may have many better figures in both ODIs and Test, but his two inspirational performances came against England. Trent Bridge's jellybean incident turned sweet when his 5 for 75 handed India a Test win in England after 21 years. It was an exhibition of good old-fashioned fast bowling, where the bowler knew exactly what he was doing.
Under a much smoother and thought after action following his return from a rejuvenating county stint with Worcestershire, Zaheer made the England batsmen hop with vicious deliveries that snorted back into the right-handers. Michael Vaughan had his stumps uprooted, Paul Collingwood was caught behind and Ian Bell went back third ball. Add to that Zaheer's four wickets in the first innings, and the Trent Bridge Test was all because of him. Fast forward four years and he once again bailed India out. England were cruising home in pursuit of 339 in Bangalore when Zaheer returned to prise out Bell, Andrew Strauss and Collingwood under the Chinnaswamy lights.
Over the next five years, even as he led an attack that kept on changing frequently, Zaheer was the man India built their attacks around, the crux of a side that would win a World Cup and top the Test rankings. Ironically, India lost the No.1 ranking and in a way, Zaheer too during their debacle in England during the summer of 2011.
A personal favourite memory of him remains the Hamilton Test of 2002, just months ahead of the World Cup. In the absence of cable television, FM was my only connection to cricket. So while one day I woke up to the news of India getting bundled out for 99, a day later Zaheer's 5 for 29, his first five-wicket haul in Tests, allows India to escape with a narrow four-run first innings lead. Rejoicing in glory, I'm tempted to be glued to the radio the next night.

India vs SA: Time for Kohli and Dhoni to rediscover the touch of old
Indore:MMNN:14 Oct. 2015
While everyone’s gaze is on MS Dhoni for everything that has gone wrong so far in the series, vice-captain Virat Kohli has escaped scrutiny despite his failure playing a role in India’s misfortune of late. And this low phase has run close to a year.
Kohli had been in raging form since 2012, but has hit an all-time low in ODIs this year. Since he hit a match-winning century in the World Cup opener against Pakistan at Adelaide, he hasn’t scored a half-century. This year has seen his lowest annual career average — 29.92. Even his debut year, 2008, was a touch better — 31.80.
In an eight-year career, 389 runs in 16 innings is a record Kohli would not like. Known to play error-free cricket early on by hitting along the ground, Kohli has often cashed in once he got into the 70s and 80s. But since the start of the year, his impetuosity to play big shots has left him unsettled.
There is no doubt Kohli has been the single biggest reason for India’s strong ODI performances in the last three years. Capable of soaking the pressure, keeping the chase on, and hunting down targets with masterful calculation---when to attack and when to see off the strike bowlers --- Kohli most significantly also has the great knack of seizing the moments when rivals lose the plot a bit.
Trading places
However, a different plot could develop if the experiment with Ajinkya Rahane at No 3 is pursued with seriousness. Kohli then will have a different role to play. Moved to No 4, he will have lesser time to settle down and will have to get scoring straightaway. Though the Rahane experiment appears temporary, it has come at a time when Kohli is not in great nick in limited overs cricket. And Dhoni can’t make Rahane bat down the order as he is not known to attack immediately.
There is scepticism over the Kohli-Rahane situation. “We need to look carefully at what we do with our players as for the batting order,” Rohit Sharma said. “It depends on what MS thinks. Virat has scored most of his runs at No 3, and Ajinkya just played at No 3 and got some runs. I don’t know if it’s a permanent solution, but time will tell what will be the ideal batting line-up for us. Numbers 3, 4 and 5 are very crucial positions as we saw in the last game.
“At the moment we’re trying to find out what will be the best combination going forward, but in the next few games, we’ll have a proper batting line-up. We need to get this going. It’s an important game, so we have to get the combination and batting order right.”
Most would go with Sharma’s observation on Kohli’s best coming at No 3, but his record at two-drop too is equally excellent. But outside this statistical perimeter lies the larger question of the batsman’s preference and his success rate at a particular slot. With Sachin Tendulkar, it was an unwritten clause in the team that his best has come as opener, and he liked the position the most. Now, it’s up to Kohli to embrace the change, for the team, and as a leader.
Kohli would also like to focus on improving his batting average against South Africa — which is a modest 33.41.

Dinesh Mongia mulls legal action against Lou Vincent
MMNN:14 Oct. 2015
Dinesh Mongia has claimed innocence and is mulling legal action against New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent, who has alleged that the former India cricketer was involved in fixing during the unsanctioned and the now defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL). Vincent had told a London courtroom that Mongia was one of the key members of a 'Gang', that also included former New Zealand captain Chris Cairns and pacer Daryl Tuffey, who fixed matches during ICL.
"I totally deny these allegations. I don't know what Mr Vincent was doing then, what he is doing now. What kind of cricket he played with Chris Cairns or Cairns played with him," the 38-year-old Mongia said. "I played cricket at top most level, I have done nothing wrong."
Mongia said that he will consult his lawyers regarding next course of action since his image had been tarnished. "..I will consult with my legal team and decide what action needs to be initiated."
"I would say if somebody like Vincent is making such a statement, then something is really wrong. As far as I am concerned, I have never had any problems with Vincent," he said. "As far as I am concerned, I am totally clean. If there is anything Vincent has anything against me, let him come out with proof."
The 36-year-old Vincent spoke at the Cairns' perjury trial where he admitted that while playing for Chandigarh Lions in the ICL, he took part in match-fixing on the senior cricketer's insistence. Vincent took the names of Tuffey and Mongia during the trial. Mongia said though he played for the Chandigarh Lions "I don't know what the New Zealanders (Cairns, Tuffey and Vincent) were doing."
"Now, Tuffey's name has also cropped up. I don't know what kind of distress or depression Vincent is going through, about which I have come to know through the media," Mongia said.
Cairns used me, abused me and spat me out
Meanwhile, Vincent told the Southwark Crown Court that two years after helping Cairns fix matches, Tuffey was furious that he still had not been paid. "He said that he hadn't received a cent, and he'd f**king kill him," Vincent told the court.
When Cairns' lawyer Orlando Pownall, QC asked Vincent why he carried on "betraying your sport for nothing" despite not receiving any money, the tainted cricketer replied: "I was used by Cairns. He used and abused me, spat me out and went running and hiding." When asked if he spoke to Tuffey about the non-payment in 2008, Vincent said: "I didn't need to, I believed Chris would look after us."
Cairns successfully sued Modi for 1.4 million ($2.14 million) after being accused of match-fixing on Twitter in January 2010, but now faces allegations that he lied during the case. Vincent said he had rejected a request from Cairns to support his civil case against Modi because to do so "would have been a complete lie". Tuffey, on the other hand, gave a statement that supported Cairns in his libel case.
During cross examination, Vincent asked Cairns' lawyer if Tuffey would appear as witness in this trial. "Where is [Tuffey] today? Is he going to help defend Chris this time around?"
Vincent, who continued providing evidence for the second day, was grilled by Pownall who constantly questioned his motives and credibility. Pownall accused Vincent of providing "an account that's been rehearsed over the years and isn't true". "Your lies have been not only extensive, but in some cases quite clever when you've sidestepped the question."
Cairns' lawyer also questioned Vincent as to why he did not report Cairns' fixing approach when he was obliged to do by ICC. ICL was an unsanctioned tournament, not recognised by the cricket governing body. "I wasn't going to report Chris Cairns: he was my captain, my coach, my mentor," Vincent said.
Pownall asked the cricketer if he functioned as a match-fixing double agent and also questioned Vincent's betting habits. "I can't recall something I'm not really interested in," Vincent said, mentioning that he was not interested in gambling.
Vincent was visibly tired after the barrage of cross-questioning, which prompted Mr Justice Sweeney to adjourn the court an hour early. Vincent said he was "extremelyfatigued" and left the witness stand with tears in his eyes.

Boxing: Shiva Thapa settles for bronze, still in Rio 2016 hunt
Doha:MMNN:12 Oct. 2015
Asian bronze medal-winning pugilist Shiva Thapa fought his heart out but still fell short in a draining contest, settling for a bronze medal at the World Boxing Championships in Doha on Sunday, but he remained in contention for a Rio 2016 Olympics berth.
Thapa (56kg) lost 1-2 to Uzbekistan’s Asian silver-medallist Murodjon Akhmadaliev in a closely-contested bout.
However, he is still in the running for an Olympic spot as the losing semifinalists will fight a playoff on October 15 to decide the last of the three slots in this category. “It’s a part of the game, I gave it my all but it was not my day. I still have a good chance of making the Olympics so I am looking forward to that,” a disappointed Thapa told.
The 20-year-old Assam lad will face Dzmitry Asanau in the all-important contest after the Belarussian went down to third-seeded Irish Michael Conlan in his semifinal bout.
The two rivals, well aware of each other’s style due to their past face-off, were guarded to begin with. In the opening round, it was Thapa who mounted attacks with his trademark left hook connecting well. But the judges ruled in the Uzbek’s favour, giving him the early edge.
In the second round, Akhmadaliev was a tad more attacking than the Indian and the strategy worked well for him as some of his jabs struck cleanly to get him the judges’ unanimous nod once again.
Thapa went all out in the final three minutes and perhaps eyeing a knockout, landed some telling left hooks. The aggression won him the round but the overall battle went in Akhmadaliev’s favour. “It was anybody’s bout till the last second and it’s disappointing that we could not get it. But Shiva was fantastic and I am proud of his performance,” national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.
This was Thapa’s second successive loss to Akhmadaliev after the semifinal defeat he faced in the Asian Championships in Bangkok.
The youngster is only the third Indian after Vijender Singh (2009) and Vikas Krishan (2011) to fetch a World Championships medal.

India vs South Africa 2015: Five reasons for the hosts’ stunning loss in 1st ODI at Kanpur
MMNN:12 Oct. 2015
India‘s woes in its home series against South Africa found an extension when the latter pulled off a thrilling five-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series, at Kanpur on Sunday. The game saw the Indians dominate for the most part during their innings, comfortably poised for victory with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni at the crease, before a couple of quick wickets changed the course of the match completely. What defined the game however, were the last five overs of both innings. Amit Banerjee lists five reasons why India lost the first ODI at the Green Park in Kanpur on Sunday.
India haven’t been having the best of run in limited-overs cricket since their semi-final finish in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. They lost the three-match ODI series against a resurgent Bangladesh side 1-2. Although one would have to admit the sheer quality that the Bangladeshis displayed in that tournament as well as in their victories against Pakistan and South Africa, the call for the sacking of MS Dhoni as the limited-overs skipper began to gain mileage.
Fast-forward to the ‘Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Trophy’ 2015. The ‘Captain Cool’ returns to the helm the ‘Men in Blue’ after a well-deserved break of a three-month duration. The Indian fans, especially the ones who haven’t lost their faith in the 2011 World Cup-winning captain, would have expected Dhoni to deliver and silence his critics after the refreshing rest. Sadly, they are yet to discover the joy of victory in the series so far, after India conceded a 0-2 series defeat in the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series, and started the ODI series with what one could describe as a five-run ‘choke’ (a term that seems to be exclusively reserved for the Proteas).
South Africa managed to put up the first-ever 300-plus total at the Green Park in Kanpur on Sunday, thanks to another blazing century by their ever-consistent skipper AB de Villiers, who had great support at the other end from T20I captain Faf du Plessis (62 off 77) and a lively cameo from Farhaan Behardien (35 off 19).
India, in reply, were cruising for the most part during their innings, with Rohit Sharma continuing his mindblowing form with a score of 150 off just 133 balls. At a score of 269 for 3, with four overs to spare, few would have had the thought of a narrow defeat cross their mind. Yet that turned out to be the fate for the hosts. So what exactly are the reasons for India’s spectacular defeat? While one can make the broad assumption of the hosts messing it up in the last five overs of both innings, there are several other points to be noted, which are listed below:
1. Ashwin’s injury: Ravichandran Ashwin was viewed as India’s primary weapon with the ball in their home series against South Africa even before the squads were announced. Ashwin has a dominant aura on home soil, and often is the centre of the bowling plans for matches played on tracks that are known to be conducive for spin. Thus, one can imagine the blow that the Indians must’ve received when the news of Ashwin getting ruled out of the ongoing series due to a side strain.
Earlier in the match, Ashwin collected his 100th ODI wicket when he dismissed Quinton de Kock with a gem of a delivery. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner dove in the 32nd over, following which he was visibly uncomfortable and requested skipper Dhoni to take him off the attack. While Harbhajan has replaced him for the remainder of the one-dayers, his absence did have its effect on the match as Dhoni had to fall back on Stuart Binny and Suresh Raina, with the former getting hammered all over the park in a disastrous spell.
2. India’s terrible death bowling: South Africa had reached a score of 194 for 3 after 40 overs, and had added 23 runs over the next four overs. While the scoring rate was decent enough, 300 looked like a difficult prospect. Yet one could never be sure with a certain AB de Villiers at the crease. Together with JP Duminy — the star of the T20I series — South Africa collected 21 runs off the 45th over by Binny, which forced Dhoni to take the Karnataka all-rounder out of the attack.
3. Raina coming in late: There were a couple of major changes in the Indian batting order for the first ODI. Not Ajinkya Rahane was finally picked to play after being overlooked during the T20Is. He took the No. 3 spot from Test skipper Virat Kohli, a position that he may have sealed for now with a fine innings of 60 off 82 balls. Another change was that of Dhoni coming in at three-down instead of Raina, a move that many would assume to be his intention of building the innings in the middle stages and not just finishing it.
As a result, while Rohit was playing the big shots and propelling India towards the target, Dhoni was taking his own time, dealing with the ones and twos. Raina’s turn finally came in the 47th over after Rohit’s dismissal, by which time India needed to accelerate the innings, with the southpaw getting dismissed in just three deliveries. The Indian team might want to review this move in one of their meetings ahead of the second ODI.
4. Dhoni fails to guide India past the finish line: Dhoni played a calm innings for the most part, playing a supporting role to Rohit as long as the latter lasted at the crease. Once Rohit was dismissed, the burden fell on Dhoni’s shoulders to take India past the finish line — a task that he has so gloriously achieved in the past. This time, however, things were a little different. Dhoni did not have the same aura of invincibility in the final over, with 11 runs needed off it, as he had in similar situations in the past.
One does feel however, that Dhoni should have begun the acceleration in his innings much earlier than the final over. Dhoni has been observed building the tension till the final over, and then getting his side to victory with a couple of lusty blows. This time however, the build-up only ended with a brilliant final over by Kagiso Rabada.
5. Excellent death bowling by the Proteas: What ultimately won the game for the Proteas was their death bowling, this time by the duo of Tahir and Rabada. While the 47th over by Tahir was the major turning point in the game, with the dangerous-looking Rohit and Raina back in the pavilion, the task was completed by Rabada in the final over. The young pace sensation, who is known for his ability to extract bounce as well as for his disciplined approach, stuck to an attacking line and length against Dhoni. After failing to get a boundary off the first two balls, Dhoni miscued an attempted slog in the final over that resulted in a simple return catch for the Rabada. The final nail in the coffin of course, was Binny getting dismissed off a similar shot in the following delivery.
While India may have encountered quite a few positives in the opening one-dayer, they will have to make some bold moves for the second one-dayer in order to get back on track, aside from getting their first win of the home series. All eyes will be focused on Dhoni, who is yet to deliver, in the second one-dayer. Amit Mishra, who managed to bowl Hashim Amla with a beautiful flipper, may have to share the responsibility of getting important breakthroughs in the middle overs alongside Harbhajan. Most importantly, India’s death bowling needs a massive impetus for their chances of victory to improve.

Sania-Hingis pair eyes Grand Slam sweep
BEIJING:MMNN:9 Oct. 2015
The world No. 1 pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis got talking about possibilities over brunch, pasta and dreams, if you like. On Thursday at the China Open, the duo, winners of the Wimbledon and the US Open titles, looked at completing the Grand Slam, a sweep of the majors, in 2016.
The Indo-Swiss combine, who won their last three tournaments - Wuhan, Guangzhou and the US Open - all without dropping a set, have struggled a touch here, rallying after falling behind by a set to beat the difficult Italian outfit of Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta in their tournament opener. In the quarterfinals against German Julia Goerges and Czech Karolina Pliskova, they fought back from 1-5 down in the first set to win 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in an hour and 20 minutes to make Friday's last-four.
"This morning we were chatting about the Grand Slam," Sania, who is struggling with a bad throat and cold, said. "It's only natural that we look ahead, but it's a long way off. We have this week and a big tournament, the season-ender in Singapore before we finish. And then we need to start the year well too."
"You're allowed to dream," Hingis, 35, broke in strategically, pretty much like how she does on the court. "The way we're playing, combining, nothing is impossible."
Sania and Hingis, who are on a 15-match winning streak, have bettered their previous run of 14 straight wins after coming together in April, when they won three tournaments in a row. "We don't feel invincible," the 28-year old Indian said. "We've both played enough tennis not to think that way, but what we have is belief. When we're in a tough situation, like when we were trailing 1-5 today, we believe that we can find a way. We can pull it off."
"Find a solution," the veteran Swiss chipped in. "That's what match play is all about, finding a way when the all doors are closing. We did that in the Wimbledon final and again in the match against the Chan sisters at the US Open. We know that when we're playing our best, we are hard to beat. But it hasn't been easy. We've worked really hard to be here. It already feels like we've played 52 weeks of tennis."
The top pairing has won eight titles apiece in 2015 with seven of those coming when they were together. While the world No. 1 Indian has a 56-12 win-loss record for the year, having picked up 1,151,526 in prize-money, Hingis' charge stands at 53-11 with her on court earnings at 1,341,031.
"It's not easy to get the body going at this age," Hingis said. "Mentally, I know just what I need to do, but the body isn't always paying heed. The tough part is the disciplining bit - the gym, training, practice, eating right, the routine. It's tough to be disciplined all the time. Some days you just wake up better than others."
Sania said the pair didn't even need to tell the other how they're feeling when they get on court. "You can tell by the way we hit the first few balls and after that it's just trust," the Hyderabadi said. "When she says I'm going to take this return, I've got to believe she'll make it and vice versa, which is why we've been able to get this far, the belief."

Sony SIX To Broadcast Vijender Singh’s First Professional Fight Live!
Mumbai:MMNN:9 Oct. 2015
Vijender Singh is on the verge of creating a historic landmark in his boxing career as he makes his debut in professional boxing at the Manchester Area. Associating themselves with this momentous fight, Sony SIX (a part of Multi Screen Media Network), India’s premier sports entertainment channel, has bagged the exclusive broadcasting rights to this highly anticipated sporting event. The fight headlined as ‘World War III’ will be telecast on Saturday, October 10, live and exclusive on Sony SIX at 10:20 PM (IST).
India's first Olympic and World Championships-medallist, Vijender Singh, will take on England’s Sonny Whiting, who is three-bouts old and has a 2-1 overall record so far in the middleweight division. The fight which features in the prime time viewing belt for Indian audiences will feature 4 rounds of 3 minutes each.
Ahead of his fight, the 29-year-old Vijender has set up base in Manchester to train under renowned coach Lee Beard and has been training alongside stable mates Jack Catterall, Adrian Gonzalez and Jimmy Kelly. Vijender has made essential changes to adapt his game against the 27-year old English boxer, who already has one knockout win to his credit so far.
Sony SIX’s association with boxing was highlighted with the broadcast of the ‘Fight of the Century’ featuring Mayweather against Pacquiao in May 2015. Following that, the channel focused on bringing premium & marquee combat sports content to Indian viewers including showcasing the high profile fight of Floyd Mayweather Jr Vs Andre Berto in September this year. This will be the channel’s third initiative in bringing one of the most headlined boxing fights live to Indian viewers in 2015.
Vijender Singh, said, “I am really happy that my professional debut fight in Manchester will be telecast live on Sony SIX in India. Now all my friends, fans and coaches in India, who have been asking me about the telecast of the fight can watch me live in action . I am confident that with the reach of Sony SIX, everyone in India will be able to watch my pro debut at Manchester Arena.”
Meanwhile, Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony SIX and KIX, said, “We are proud to showcase the fight that marks Vijender Singh’s foray into the professional boxing circuit. Vijender Singh is a National icon and an Olympian who has made India proud with his accomplishments. We are pleased to play our role as broadcasters of his pro debut fight to his fans.”

Navjot Singh Sidhu hospitalised with blood clot in veins, currently stable
MMNN:7 Oct. 2015
Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu has been admitted to a Delhi hospital on Tuesday after being diagnosed with a life-threatening blood clot.
Sidhu, also an active politician, suffered a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) attack, resulting in a clot formation in blood vessels after which he was admitted to Delhi's Apollo Hospital. However, his condition is stated to be stable.
"Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals Delhi today evening with acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is a life-threatening condition if not treated on time.
Mr Sidhu has been put on blood thinners and has been recovering well. His condition is said to be stable as of now," said a statement issued by Indraprastha Apollo Hospital authorities.
DVT is caused by a blood clot in a deep vein which hinders the normal blood flow. The symptoms may include swelling, pain, and tenderness, often in the legs.
Sidhu later tweeted a picture of his lying on the hospital's bed with the following text: "Down but Not Out! Life threatening disease (DVT) With God 's Grace will recover. Life is Fragile, handle with Prayer."
Sidhu, a terror for spinners during his playing days, has represented India in 51 Tests and 136 ODIs.
We at Cricketnext wish Navjot Singh Sidhu a speedy recovery.

India’s run ends with a 2-0 loss to big boys
New Delhi:MMNN:7 Oct. 2015
The usual problems returned to haunt Roelant Oltmans as India again conceded an early goal and wasted many scoring opportunities to go down 2-0 to New Zealand in their opening match in the four-Test series in Nelson on Tuesday.
After two convincing wins over New Zealand A, India coach Oltmans had said that the team scoring field goals in their wins was a “good sign”.
But not only did the team miss many chances today, it conceded a goal in the first five minutes. The hosts got a penalty corner in the 5th minute and
Nick Haig’s drag-flick ricocheted off the goalkeeper’s pad and went into the net.
India intensified the attack but the possession amounted to nothing as New Zealand defended well. Ramandeep Singh failed to capitalise on an Akashdeep Singh pass in the circle.
In the 27th minute, Auckland’s Jared Panchia scored the second goal, a great piece of play that finished when he received a pass from Ryan Archibald before slotting it home.
Despite repeated attacks, India were disappointing in the opposition third, failing to break a solid Kiwi defence. The best opportunity came to Birendra Lakra, but his effort was saved by the Kiwi goalkeeper.
“It was a good win, I think it’s coming together really well. The guys haven’t been together for a while so I think it was a good performance,” said Haig.
New Zealand’s Steve Edwards made his 200th international appearance.

Death and a re-birth: How Shashank Manohar made his way to BCCI top job
MMNN:5 Oct. 2015
Shashank Manohar, the Nagpur lawyer who likes to maintain a low-key profile, became the BCCI president on Sunday. Ironically, it’s a development that’s seen as the result of N Srinivasan’s attempt to patch up with Sharad Pawar, a move that has backfired spectacularly. It’s said that Srinivasan’s move piqued Arun Jaitley who decided to bring back Manohar to start the end game.
The intent of Srinivasan, who had patched up with Pawar after late Jagmohan Dalmiya had snubbed him following BCCI elections in March, was simple: If Pawar runs BCCI, he can continue to enjoy his run in ICC and his position within BCCI also remains safe. However, that move upset Jaitley and BJP, which has the maximum votes in board at the moment.
Sept 20: The death that started it all
Jagmohan Dalmiya takes his last breath in Kolkata’s hospital after a massive cardiac arrest, triggering the battle for power at the BCCI.
Sept 21: Srini’s bold move
Srinivasan’s decision to request a meeting with Pawar, someone he had fallen out with, sets tongues wagging. Speculations abound about Pawar’s interest in the top job.
Sept 22: Jaitley silent
Even as names of contenders roll out — Rajeev Shukla and Pawar seem to be the frontrunners — Arun Jaitley is silent and is yet to make his backing public.
Sept 23: Srini-Pawar meet
Srinivasan meets Pawar at NCP minister Praful Patel’s residence in Nagpur and requests Pawar to be BCCI chief. Later in the day, Pawar speaks to Manohar and Ajay Shirke and the duo tells him that they will not go with Srinivasan. The development makes Jaitley call Manohar and Shirke for a meeting in Delhi.
Sept 24: the turning point — jaitley backs Manohar
The BCCI circuit is abuzz with the news that Jaitley is miffed with Srinivasan’s move to rope in Pawar and decides to plunge for Manohar. The Delhi meeting ends with Jaitley trying to convince Manohar to contest for the president’s post and a message is sent to Pawar that BJP will back Manohar. A non-committal Manohar seeks more time as he wants Pawar’s backing as well.
Sept 26: Manohar says yes
After getting the nod from Pawar, Manohar consents to Jaitley’s suggestion to stand for Presidency. Srinivasan’s last throw of dice to patch up with Pawar is now seen as a blunder, a trigger that moved Jaitley to pitch in for Manohar, who had fallen out with Srinivasan.
Sept 27: Various factions say yes to Manohar
At a meeting in a Mumbai hotel on Ganesh Chaturthi, Thakur brings in more good news to Manohar. He has the assurance from East Zone that they will back Manohar, and has already secured support of Orissa, Tripura, and Andhra – so four out of six zones are already in the bag. Even Bengal and National Cricket Club who were arranging Dalmiya’s mourning ceremony had given their unofficial backing to Manohar.
Sept 28: Srinivasan refuses to fade away
Even as the news breaks that Srinivasan is desperately trying to pull off a meeting with Amit Shah, the second in command at BJP, the BCCI sends a note to all state associations at 11:32 pm to inform the date of SGM.
Sept 30: all but over
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur makes a confident proclamation: “Shashank Manohar is our consensus candidate. He is the only candidate for the BCCI president’s post. N Srinivasan can come and vote at the SGM”.
October 2 : Srini accepts defeat
The Tamil Nadu cricket association says it will send PS Raman, their vice president, to the SGM and that Srinivasan won’t be attending.
October 4 : manohar elected bcci prez
The 58-year-old begins his second stint as President after being elected to the post at the Special General Body meeting on Sunday.

India vs South Africa 2nd T20 Match: Security beefed up at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar
Cuttack:MMNN:5 Oct. 2015
At least 63 platoons of police, 300 officers, four quick response teams (QRTs) and two anti- terrorist squads (ATSs) will be deployed in Cuttack city for the India-South Africa T-20 match to be played at Barabati Stadium at Cuttack on Monday.
Besides, nearly 150 closed-circuit TV cameras will be installed at vantage points, including all entry points of the stadium to keep the tab on the situation during the match.
This was stated by the twin city police Commissioner R P Sharma who briefed the police force to be deployed for the second T-20 international of the series.
Sharma said 25 platoons (one platoon comprises around 30 personnel) of security personnel, including armed police like OSAP and SOG personnel, have been deployed in the state capital and in Cuttack. Similarly, around 60 armed police have been deployed in the Cuttack city for the match.
To keep a close watch on the spectators and the crowd during the match, 150 CCTV cameras have been installed inside and outside the stadium. This apart, four QRT would be deployed for emergency operations, the Commissioner said.
Emphasis has been made on the traffic management of the city on the match day. Meanwhile, players of both the teams have arrived at Bhubaneswar on Saturday to a rousing welcome amidst tight security.
The players are to join net practice at the historic Barabati Stadium, all set to host a successful match with its outfield and pitch well prepared. However, showers on Friday and Saturday in Cuttack city have put the match organisers OCA and enthusiastic cricket lovers in a tizzy.
Director of Bhubaneswar Met Centre S C Sahu has said an upper cyclonic circulation exists over North Andhra Pradesh, South Odisha and adjoining parts of West Bengal. "Under this system, sporadic rainfall will occur in parts of Odisha for next three days," Sahu said.