Wellington, March 4: On a high after taking three wickets in four successive deliveries in the first cricket one-dayer against New Zealand, Indian offie Harbhajan said he was unperturbed by the fact that tracks here would not assist spinners.“I think it is all in the mind. Your role definitely changes on different sorts of wickets in different conditions. If they are not suiting you, then there is a bit of change in your role in the team,” Harbhajan told reporters here.The spinner explained that he had greater responsibility on turning tracks but on fast wickets his role changes to restricting runs and felt a performance like yesterday’s was a bonus.“When we play on spinning tracks, it is my responsibility to get all the wickets and do well for the team. As a specialist spinner my role is surely to take wickets here as well and win games.”
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Saina Nehwal crashes out of All England Super Series
NEW DELHI: India's highest ranked shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand crashed out of the All England badminton tournament after suffering contrasting defeats in the first round of the Super series event in London on Wednesday.
World number 10 Saina played her heart out but could not get past Pi and lost 15-21 16-21 in the first round of the tournament.
Saina played better from the nets but was outdone by her rivals' smashes in the 34-minute gruelling battle.
Saina had 18 net winner against Pi's 17 but could fetch only seven smash points against PI's powerful 12 points.
The eighteen year-old Hyderabadi had to skip last month's national badminton championship owing to her shoulder injury and after a rigorous three-week healing process, returned to the court for the all-important tournament.
In contrast, Chetan started off well, pocketing the first game 21-6 but eventually as the match progressed he ran out of steam.
World number 13 Chetan played better from the nets and had better smash points then world number 21 Smith. Both had identical number of smash points, while Chetan grabbed 26 net points against Smith's 25.
Among other Indians in fray, Anand Pawar put up a brave fight before bowing out 20-22 15-21 against fifth seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia in a battle that lasted for 36 minutes.
Indian women's double pair of Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurian also could not get past Malaysian duo of Chiou Hwee Haw and Pek Siah Lim and went down 9-21 21-19 18-21 in a 41-minute clash.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Saina-crashes-out-of-All-England-Super-Series/articleshow/4225042.cms
World number 10 Saina played her heart out but could not get past Pi and lost 15-21 16-21 in the first round of the tournament.
Saina played better from the nets but was outdone by her rivals' smashes in the 34-minute gruelling battle.
Saina had 18 net winner against Pi's 17 but could fetch only seven smash points against PI's powerful 12 points.
The eighteen year-old Hyderabadi had to skip last month's national badminton championship owing to her shoulder injury and after a rigorous three-week healing process, returned to the court for the all-important tournament.
In contrast, Chetan started off well, pocketing the first game 21-6 but eventually as the match progressed he ran out of steam.
World number 13 Chetan played better from the nets and had better smash points then world number 21 Smith. Both had identical number of smash points, while Chetan grabbed 26 net points against Smith's 25.
Among other Indians in fray, Anand Pawar put up a brave fight before bowing out 20-22 15-21 against fifth seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia in a battle that lasted for 36 minutes.
Indian women's double pair of Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurian also could not get past Malaysian duo of Chiou Hwee Haw and Pek Siah Lim and went down 9-21 21-19 18-21 in a 41-minute clash.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Saina-crashes-out-of-All-England-Super-Series/articleshow/4225042.cms
Ronaldo returns to action after knee surgery
ITUMBIARA: Ronaldo made yet another comeback to competitive football by coming off the bench in the second half of Corinthians' Brazilian Cup match a gainst Itumbiara on Wednesday.
Ronaldo entered in the 68th minute and was loudly cheered by most of the 30,000 fans who packed Juscelino Kubitschek Stadium in central Brazil.
It was Ronaldo's first official match since undergoing surgery after a left knee injury sustained with AC Milan in February 2008.
The three-time world player of the year was surrounded by photographers and reporters from the moment he arrived at the stadium, and even on the sideline he struggled to avoid reporters.
He left the field without talking to the media after apparently being hit in the eye by a microphone.
"It was a good debut for Ronaldo," Corinthians coach Mano Menezes said. "He moved well and even tried some of the moves that are typical of him. It was a first step important to overcome and with time things should become easier."
Corinthians was already leading 2-0 when Ronaldo entered the match, which ended with Corinthians' victory behind goals from defenders Chicao and Andre Santos. The result allowed Corinthians to advance to the second round of the Brazilian Cup.
The 32-year-old Ronaldo touched the ball for the first time after less than a minute, and in the 74th he just barely failed to reach a ball crossed into the area.
He claimed being fouled while trying to get past two defenders in the 75th near the top of the area, but the referee said he dived.
Ronaldo was free from markers in a counterattack in the 77th, but teammate Douglas chose to take a shot on goal instead of passing to the striker, drawing jeers from the crowd.
He had one final chance in injury time, but again the referee called a foul on him when he tried to overcome a defender inside the area.
Ronaldo, who has scored a record 15 goals in World Cups, had been expected to debut on Sunday against Corinthians' archrival Palmeiras in the Sao Paulo state championship, but the striker's recent performances in practice led Menezes to bring forward the debut.
The coach said he hadn't yet decided if Ronaldo would play on Sunday.
"We will talk to him and see how he felt," Menezes said. Ronaldo had to come back from serious knee surgeries two other times in his career. In 1999, he tore up his right knee with Inter Milan and needed surgery, and a year later he twisted the same knee and was sidelined for several months after another surgery.
He recovered brilliantly, however, helping Brazil win its fifth World Cup in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. He was the tournament's top scorer with eight goals in seven matches - including two in the final against Germany.
Ronaldo hadn't played a match with a Brazilian club in Brazil since 1994, when he was still with Cruzeiro.
He transferred to PSV Eindhoven that same year, then eventually moved to Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan in 2007.
Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ronaldo-returns-to-action-after-knee-surgery-/articleshow/4226473.cms
Ronaldo entered in the 68th minute and was loudly cheered by most of the 30,000 fans who packed Juscelino Kubitschek Stadium in central Brazil.
It was Ronaldo's first official match since undergoing surgery after a left knee injury sustained with AC Milan in February 2008.
The three-time world player of the year was surrounded by photographers and reporters from the moment he arrived at the stadium, and even on the sideline he struggled to avoid reporters.
He left the field without talking to the media after apparently being hit in the eye by a microphone.
"It was a good debut for Ronaldo," Corinthians coach Mano Menezes said. "He moved well and even tried some of the moves that are typical of him. It was a first step important to overcome and with time things should become easier."
Corinthians was already leading 2-0 when Ronaldo entered the match, which ended with Corinthians' victory behind goals from defenders Chicao and Andre Santos. The result allowed Corinthians to advance to the second round of the Brazilian Cup.
The 32-year-old Ronaldo touched the ball for the first time after less than a minute, and in the 74th he just barely failed to reach a ball crossed into the area.
He claimed being fouled while trying to get past two defenders in the 75th near the top of the area, but the referee said he dived.
Ronaldo was free from markers in a counterattack in the 77th, but teammate Douglas chose to take a shot on goal instead of passing to the striker, drawing jeers from the crowd.
He had one final chance in injury time, but again the referee called a foul on him when he tried to overcome a defender inside the area.
Ronaldo, who has scored a record 15 goals in World Cups, had been expected to debut on Sunday against Corinthians' archrival Palmeiras in the Sao Paulo state championship, but the striker's recent performances in practice led Menezes to bring forward the debut.
The coach said he hadn't yet decided if Ronaldo would play on Sunday.
"We will talk to him and see how he felt," Menezes said. Ronaldo had to come back from serious knee surgeries two other times in his career. In 1999, he tore up his right knee with Inter Milan and needed surgery, and a year later he twisted the same knee and was sidelined for several months after another surgery.
He recovered brilliantly, however, helping Brazil win its fifth World Cup in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. He was the tournament's top scorer with eight goals in seven matches - including two in the final against Germany.
Ronaldo hadn't played a match with a Brazilian club in Brazil since 1994, when he was still with Cruzeiro.
He transferred to PSV Eindhoven that same year, then eventually moved to Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan in 2007.
Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ronaldo-returns-to-action-after-knee-surgery-/articleshow/4226473.cms
Padma awards panel ignored Olympic heroes
NEW DELHI: Nominations of Olympic medal winners Sushil Kumar (wrestler) and Vijender Singh (boxing) were struck off by the Padma Awards Committee des pite having been recommended by the sports and home ministries.
In response to an RTI query, home ministry said it had received recommendation in favour of both the Olympians from ministry of youth affairs and sports on November 20, 2008, well before the cut-off date for accepting nominations.
"The nominations were placed before the Padma Awards Committee. These names were not recommended by Padma Awards Committee for 2009," ministry's CPIO S K Bhatnagar said in reply to an application filed by RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal.
Sushil and Vijender had won bronze medals in the Olympic Games held in Beijing. The ministry in its reply said 1,093 recommendations were placed before the Padma awards committee which selected 133 names for different categories — 10 Padma Vibhushan, 30 Padma Bhushan and 93 Padma Shri.
In fact, on at least two occasions earlier, the government has overruled the K R Narayanan committee — set up by the Supreme Court to frame guidelines on Padma awards to sportsmen. One of the guidelines said the government could not give Padma awards at any other time except for Republic Day. However, according to the home ministry, in March 1983 and June 1984 seven sportspersons were given these awards out of turn.
The awards committee is headed by the cabinet secretary and comprises home secretary, secretary to the President and principle secretary to the prime minister. Four non-official members this year were Kapila Vatsyayana, Tarun Das, Jyotindra Jain and R Chidambaram.
Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Padma-awards-panel-ignored-Olympic-heroes/articleshow/4226618.cms
In response to an RTI query, home ministry said it had received recommendation in favour of both the Olympians from ministry of youth affairs and sports on November 20, 2008, well before the cut-off date for accepting nominations.
"The nominations were placed before the Padma Awards Committee. These names were not recommended by Padma Awards Committee for 2009," ministry's CPIO S K Bhatnagar said in reply to an application filed by RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal.
Sushil and Vijender had won bronze medals in the Olympic Games held in Beijing. The ministry in its reply said 1,093 recommendations were placed before the Padma awards committee which selected 133 names for different categories — 10 Padma Vibhushan, 30 Padma Bhushan and 93 Padma Shri.
In fact, on at least two occasions earlier, the government has overruled the K R Narayanan committee — set up by the Supreme Court to frame guidelines on Padma awards to sportsmen. One of the guidelines said the government could not give Padma awards at any other time except for Republic Day. However, according to the home ministry, in March 1983 and June 1984 seven sportspersons were given these awards out of turn.
The awards committee is headed by the cabinet secretary and comprises home secretary, secretary to the President and principle secretary to the prime minister. Four non-official members this year were Kapila Vatsyayana, Tarun Das, Jyotindra Jain and R Chidambaram.
Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Padma-awards-panel-ignored-Olympic-heroes/articleshow/4226618.cms
TN stun Mumbai, Bengal oust Delhi
Agartala: Tamil Nadu stunned Ranji champions Mumbai, while Bengal riding on an unbeaten 96 by India discard Manoj Tiwary ousted Delhi to book their berths in the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy national one-dayers here on Wednesday.
Put to bat at the Polytechnic Institute Ground, Tamil Nadu had problems in the beginning as they lost opener Abhinav Mukund for a duck.
However, Junior Srikkanth, Anirudha came up with a defiant 67 and later skipper Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with a quickfire 46 as Tamil Nadu notched up a challenging 252 for nine in the stipulated 50 overs.
Aniruddha hit six fours and one six in his 88-ball knock, while Ashwin had two sixes and one boundary from 37 deliveries.
Mumbai left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla bagged three for 43, while Ajinkya Rahane and Usman Malvi took two wickets apiece.
Chasing 253, Mumbai did not have any partnership going and lost wickets at regular intervals as they were bundled out for 196 in 45.5 overs.
Left-arm spinner Vidyut Sivaramakrishan was the most successful bowler bagging three for 32 from 8.5 overs.
In another quarterfinal at Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Bengal, a side which was promoted to Ranji Trophy Super League this season, upset Delhi by two wickets.
Electing to field first after skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla won the toss, Bengal stuck to their task with tidy bowling to restricted Delhi at 209 for eight in the stipulated 47 overs.
Delhi struggled to have a partnership going with opener Manan Sharma returning with a top-score of 43.
The match had a 45-minute delay start as the pitch was wet. Both the umpires after consulting the two team captains curtailed the match to a 47-over affair.
Chasing 210, Bengal also struggled as wickets kept on falling at regular intervals. Skipper Shukla made 18 and departed in 23.3 overs.
But the stylish Bengal batsman Tiwary, who has been made the East Zone captain for the upcoming Deodhar Trophy to be held in Cuttack, held on to his end and single-handedly steered the side home.
Tiwary faced 106 balls in his undefeated knock which was laced with nine boundaries.
Bengal will face Baroda, while Tamil Nadu will take on Uttar Pradesh in their last-four matches to be held here on March 6.
Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/tn-stun-mumbai-bengal-oust-delhi/38795-13.html
Put to bat at the Polytechnic Institute Ground, Tamil Nadu had problems in the beginning as they lost opener Abhinav Mukund for a duck.
However, Junior Srikkanth, Anirudha came up with a defiant 67 and later skipper Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with a quickfire 46 as Tamil Nadu notched up a challenging 252 for nine in the stipulated 50 overs.
Aniruddha hit six fours and one six in his 88-ball knock, while Ashwin had two sixes and one boundary from 37 deliveries.
Mumbai left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla bagged three for 43, while Ajinkya Rahane and Usman Malvi took two wickets apiece.
Chasing 253, Mumbai did not have any partnership going and lost wickets at regular intervals as they were bundled out for 196 in 45.5 overs.
Left-arm spinner Vidyut Sivaramakrishan was the most successful bowler bagging three for 32 from 8.5 overs.
In another quarterfinal at Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Bengal, a side which was promoted to Ranji Trophy Super League this season, upset Delhi by two wickets.
Electing to field first after skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla won the toss, Bengal stuck to their task with tidy bowling to restricted Delhi at 209 for eight in the stipulated 47 overs.
Delhi struggled to have a partnership going with opener Manan Sharma returning with a top-score of 43.
The match had a 45-minute delay start as the pitch was wet. Both the umpires after consulting the two team captains curtailed the match to a 47-over affair.
Chasing 210, Bengal also struggled as wickets kept on falling at regular intervals. Skipper Shukla made 18 and departed in 23.3 overs.
But the stylish Bengal batsman Tiwary, who has been made the East Zone captain for the upcoming Deodhar Trophy to be held in Cuttack, held on to his end and single-handedly steered the side home.
Tiwary faced 106 balls in his undefeated knock which was laced with nine boundaries.
Bengal will face Baroda, while Tamil Nadu will take on Uttar Pradesh in their last-four matches to be held here on March 6.
Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/tn-stun-mumbai-bengal-oust-delhi/38795-13.html
Windy Wellington awaits upbeat India
New Delhi: After winning the Napier one-dayer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men are now gearing up for the second one at Wellington where they face not only the challenge to maintain their winning momentum, but also to win at a ground that has been "exceptionally lucky" for New Zealand.
India can finally manage a smile after what have been a testing couple of weeks for them. Shrugging off their initial struggle, the Indians came out roaring at Napier with the batsmen leading the charge. The hosts, no doubt, would be plotting to avoid an encore.
"If we get a good start and capitalise more often than not, we'll get a good target on the board which our bowlers can look to defend," the Indian captain said after winning the first ODI.
While Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand skipper said, "Dhoni and Sehwag are quality players, so if you give them a chance they can hurt you."
Desperate to return to the fold, Ishant Sharma is making steady progress even as experts continue to caution Dhoni against straining him too much in the one-day series.
"I will be available for the second one-dayer so I think it's good for me," Ishant said before the first one-dayer. "I'm not bowling in the nets even now. Before, I couldn't even lift my shoulder but now it's getting better."
But former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri suggested of using Ishant sparingly in the limited overs version. "As far as Ishant Sharma goes, even if he was fully fit, I for one won't play him in more than two one-day games. I'd like to keep him fresh for the Test series coming up."
As they shake off the ghosts of Napier, New Zealand will no doubt take heart from their exceptional record at the Westpac ground, having won 10 off the 15 ODIs they have played there.
"We are looking forward to another chance to perform," Vettori said. "We are pretty good performers at Wellington, so we hope to continue it there."
While India would be keen to carry forward the winning momentum, the hosts would be itching to square the series by exploiting the home conditions to the fullest.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-wait-on-ishant-as-action-shifts-to-wellington/38809-13.html
India can finally manage a smile after what have been a testing couple of weeks for them. Shrugging off their initial struggle, the Indians came out roaring at Napier with the batsmen leading the charge. The hosts, no doubt, would be plotting to avoid an encore.
"If we get a good start and capitalise more often than not, we'll get a good target on the board which our bowlers can look to defend," the Indian captain said after winning the first ODI.
While Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand skipper said, "Dhoni and Sehwag are quality players, so if you give them a chance they can hurt you."
Desperate to return to the fold, Ishant Sharma is making steady progress even as experts continue to caution Dhoni against straining him too much in the one-day series.
"I will be available for the second one-dayer so I think it's good for me," Ishant said before the first one-dayer. "I'm not bowling in the nets even now. Before, I couldn't even lift my shoulder but now it's getting better."
But former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri suggested of using Ishant sparingly in the limited overs version. "As far as Ishant Sharma goes, even if he was fully fit, I for one won't play him in more than two one-day games. I'd like to keep him fresh for the Test series coming up."
As they shake off the ghosts of Napier, New Zealand will no doubt take heart from their exceptional record at the Westpac ground, having won 10 off the 15 ODIs they have played there.
"We are looking forward to another chance to perform," Vettori said. "We are pretty good performers at Wellington, so we hope to continue it there."
While India would be keen to carry forward the winning momentum, the hosts would be itching to square the series by exploiting the home conditions to the fullest.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-wait-on-ishant-as-action-shifts-to-wellington/38809-13.html
BCCI submits revised IPL itinerary for approval
New Delhi: The BCCI has sent a new schedule of the Indian Premier League to the Home Ministry.
Sources have told CNN-IBN that the BCCI has sent the new schedule in the wake of security concerns after the Lahore terror attack.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been uncomfortable with the IPL dates clashing with the poll schedule.
The Ministry had earlier asked the DGPs of all host states if they could provide additional security because private security is not expected to be a foolproof replacement.
The Punjab government said that they'll provide security for the IPL matches only if the schedule is changed.
Bengal had demanded a complete change in the IPL calendar. They wanted all matches in Kolkata to be over before April 30.
Gautam Mohan Chakraborthy
— West Bengal goes to polls on April 30, May 7 and May 13. IPL matches in Kolkata are on May 2, 6, 8, 13.
— Delhi goes to polls on May 7. IPL matches in Delhi are scheduled for May 5, 11, 14 and 16.
— Maharashtra poll dates are April 16, 23, 30. IPL matches are April 12, 17, 19, 24, 28 and May 2.
— Karnataka poll dates are April 23 and April 30. IPL matches are on April 14, 19, 23 and May 3.
— The Punjab and Andhra police too want the IPL dates to be changed.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/bcci-submits-revised-ipl-itinerary-for-approval/38821-13.html
Sources have told CNN-IBN that the BCCI has sent the new schedule in the wake of security concerns after the Lahore terror attack.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has been uncomfortable with the IPL dates clashing with the poll schedule.
The Ministry had earlier asked the DGPs of all host states if they could provide additional security because private security is not expected to be a foolproof replacement.
The Punjab government said that they'll provide security for the IPL matches only if the schedule is changed.
Bengal had demanded a complete change in the IPL calendar. They wanted all matches in Kolkata to be over before April 30.
Gautam Mohan Chakraborthy
— West Bengal goes to polls on April 30, May 7 and May 13. IPL matches in Kolkata are on May 2, 6, 8, 13.
— Delhi goes to polls on May 7. IPL matches in Delhi are scheduled for May 5, 11, 14 and 16.
— Maharashtra poll dates are April 16, 23, 30. IPL matches are April 12, 17, 19, 24, 28 and May 2.
— Karnataka poll dates are April 23 and April 30. IPL matches are on April 14, 19, 23 and May 3.
— The Punjab and Andhra police too want the IPL dates to be changed.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/bcci-submits-revised-ipl-itinerary-for-approval/38821-13.html
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