Team for CT, Lanka tour to be picked on Aug 16

Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) Indian squad for next month's triangular ODI series in Sri Lanka and ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa would be picked on August 16 in Chennai.

"Both the teams would be selected in Chennai on August 16. But the dates of the preparatory camp for the players are not yet finalised. It would be done in a short-while," BCCI sources told PTI.

The tour of Lanka features a tri-series, also involving New Zealand from September 8-14 with the teams playing each other once leading to the final.

Champions Trophy is to be held from September 22 to October 5 and all the teams have already short-listed 30 players which is to be pruned to the final squad of 15.

Hockey: India beat Belgium 4-3, level series

BRAXGATA

BRAXGATA (Belgium): Captain Sandeep Singh starred with two goals as India beat Belgium 4-3 in the second hockey Test to level the three-match series in the second leg of their ongoing European tour.

Sandeep sounded the board in 32nd and 64th minute while Hari Prasad (8th) and Rajpal Singh (55th) scored one each for India. Belgium scored through Tom Boon (4th), Cedric Charlier (11th) and Jeff Thys (18th).

India had lost the first encounter 3-6. India brought back goalkeeper Adrian D'souza, Sardar Singh, Rajpal, Gurvinder Chandi and Bharat Chhikara into the starting lineup on Wednesday, while Sandeep also recovered from flu to take the field.

The match began on an aggressive note as India tried to break the ice in the second minute, but Chandi's attempt was padded away by Belgium custodian Vincent.

Belgium earned their first penalty corner two minutes later when Sardar Singh playing as the freeman, committed a defensive error.

Resultant flick struck V S Vinaya leading to a penalty stroke which was converted by Boon to give Belgium the lead in fourth minute.

India fought back soon but couple of attempts for the equaliser by SV Sunil and Shivendra Singh were off the target.

However, Hari Prasad found the mark in eighth minute to level the score.

Belgium were back on their toes and sparkled with off-the-ball running and overlaps. Their efforts soon paid dividends as a faulty clearance by Sandeep was intercepted by Charlier who beat D'souza from the top of the circle to give Belgium the lead again in 11th minute.

The tally was further increased after seven minute after Jeff Thys got past both Vikram Pillay and Gurbaj Singh and beat D'souza low to his right.

India regrouped themselves and initiated onslaughts to reduce the margin. However, penetrations from Sunil and Rajpal Singh bore no fruit as Belgium captain Xavier Reckinger and Vincent stood tall.

However, India scored their second goal in the 32nd minute when Sandeep sank a penalty corner to the right of Vincent. Bharat Chhikara missed an open chance immediately after the break when he failed to latch to a Rajpal cross.

India, trailing 2-3 during the breather, again lost an opportunity midway in the second half when Chandi missed after a Sunil setup, but Rajpal Singh made amends as he flicked past Vincent from a penalty corner in the 55th minute.

India's match winner came from their last penalty corner after Chandi was fouled in the 64th minute. Sandeep fired home with aplomb to round off the tally in India's favour.

The third and final Test will be played on Friday.

TOI

Sania moves to second round in Vancouver

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER: Targetting her second consecutive singles title, top seed Sania Mirza faced stiff resistance from American Mallory Cecil before snatching a hard earned win in the first round of the ITF women's tournament.

Sania, edged past 410-ranked Mallory 6-4, 7-5 in her opening match of the $75,000 hard court event.

Sania will next face American Laura Granville, who advanced to the second round after her Japanese opponent Aiko Nakamura opted out of contest during the third set. Nakamura was leading 4-3 in the decisive set when she opted out of contest.

Granville had lost the first set 2-6 but stretched the match to third set after winning the second 6-3. Sania had won Lexington Challenger event recently.

TOI

Sachin Tendulkar targets 15,000 Test runs

NEW DELHI:

NEW DELHI: Even after scoring close to 30,000 international runs ever since he started his career, Sachin Tendulkar feels he has not done enough as a batsman.

"I am not pleased yet with what I have done," said Tendulkar, who has scored a record 12,773 from 159 Tests at an average of 54.58 and 16,684 runs from 425 ODIs.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar, in an interview to Wisden Cricketer magazine, said he is now aiming to touch 15,000-run mark in Tests.

"Sunil Gavaskar has told me that I have to get to 15,000 runs. He said he would be angry with me and would come and catch me if I didn't. I admire him so much and to score that many would be a terrific achievement, but that is not the only aim," he said, adding that "to win the World Cup in 2011" is his another ambition.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, 34, is close to Tendulkar's Test mark with 11,193 Test runs so far.

Tendulkar, earlier described as second best cricketer after Don Bradman in the history of the game by Wisden, said that if anyone comes close to his style of batting is his teammate Virender Sehwag.

"I would say Virender Sehwag comes closest to my style," he said.

Australian great Bradman saw himself in Tendulkar and the Indian batting legend was also the only modern player to figure in his all-time XI.

Tendulkar admitted that thinking of life without cricket after retirement scares him.

"It's a scary thought. It has been there for my whole adult life, it will be difficult, I have been around for a long time, I can imagine when I finish I will long to face just 10 more balls but you have to move."

He, however, said time has not come yet to hang his bat. "I will know when it is the right time, I won't have to be dragged away. I am the person who will make the decision and I will know whether I still belong."

Tendulkar also revealed how he endured pain while batting in the recent past.

"I always play in pain, all the time. I played with a broken finger for the last three months, but you know when pain is manageable or not, and most of the time I can do it.

"I can still do what I did when I was 25 but the body is changing, so your thought process has to change too. I have had to change how I think, which is about taking less risk," he said.

TOI