Prakash Amritraj crashes out of Australian Open qualifiers

MELBOURNE: Prakash Amritraj's seven-year wait to feature in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam event continued as he crashed out of the Prakash Amritraj crashes out of Australian Open qualifiers Australian Open qualifiers after suffering a straight set defeat on Thursday.

Unseeded Amritraj went down fighting 5-7, 4-6 against French 25th seed Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the second round.

Amritraj last played in a Grand Slam in 2002 when he made the US Open main draw as a wild card entrant.

Yuki Bhambri has already exited following his first round defeat.

Now India's hopes to see a player competing in the singles event of the first Grand Slam of the season are resting on Somdev Devvarman who will play his second round on Friday.

He is up against Germany's Tobias Kamke.

TOI

India upstaged, Sri Lanka lift tri-nation trophy

MIRPUR (Bangladesh): Indian top guns came a cropper when it mattered most as Sri Lanka spanked them by four wickets in a low-scoring final to Sri Lanka lift the tri-series on Wednesday.

The summit clash demanded a special performance by the Indians who aspire to be the number one ODI team in the world but all they managed was 245 before folding in 48.2 overs, denying their bowling colleagues enough runs to defend.

Things could have been embarrassing for them but for the 106-run stand between Suresh Raina (106) and Ravindra Jadeja (38) and a characteristically brisk 27-ball 42 by Virender Sehwag upfront.

Chasing the target, Sri Lanka fumbled occasionally before eventually cruising to 249 for six in 48.3 overs. For them, Tillakaratne Dilshan (49) and Kumar Sangakkara (55) set the tone and Mahela Jayawardene (71 not out) completed the job.

Not that the Sri Lankan chase was a hiccup-free affair. Ashish Nehra had the scoreless Upul Tharanga caught in the slip by Virat Kohli off his third delivery and Sri Lanka were yet to open their account at that stage.

Sangakkara is not new to such situation and the Lankan captain, in Dilshan's company, added 92 runs to put the chase back on track at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

Dhoni pressed in service Yuvraj Singh and then collaborated with him to remove the dangerous Dilshan off the left-arm spinner's first delivery.

Harbhajan Singh removed Sangakkara and Thilina Kandamby (18) and in between, Jadeja castled Thilan Samaraweera (27).

Already one bowler short as Nehra left the field with a groin injury, Dhoni could only watch as the Lankans gradually overwhelmed the target.

Earlier, Suresh Raina's third ODI ton, product of his 115-ball stay that included 10 fours and a six, saved India blushes as the side recovered from 60 for five inside 11 overs to post 245 before losing all the wickets in the 49th over.

The left-hander shared a 106-run sixth wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (38) to revive the innings.

Virender Sehwag chipped in with a brisk 27-ball 42 before falling to a soft dismissal.

For Sri Lanka, pacers Nuwan Kulasekara (4-48) and Chanaka Welegedara (3-53) wrecked the Indian order.

The Sri Lankan bowlers used the early life on the pitch with some swing and bounce but it was more due to the Indians rushing for shots in search for quick runs which led to their downfall.

It was a disastrous start for India which began with Dhoni losing the toss and continued with Gautam Gambhir (0) and in-form Virat Kohli (2) returning to the pavilion by the second over.

Gambhir completely missed a Kulasekara delivery which disturbed his leg stump after deflecting off his thigh pads.

In the next over, Kohli went for a slash off Welegedara, only to offer an easy catch to Kumar Sangakkara.

Sehwag seemed unperturbed as he punished Kulasekara for three fours in the third over but new man in Yuvraj Singh made a quiet exit without opening his account.

Yuvraj chased a Welegedara delivery for a cut without moving his feet and Thilan Samaraweera took a smart catch in the slips as India slumped to 16 for three.

Sehwag and Dhoni tried to revive the innings with a brief 32-ball 31 runs for the fourth wicket before the Indian captain nicked Kulasekara to Sangakkara in the ninth over.

Sehwag hit Welegedara for two fours to take India score to 58 for four after 10 overs before he went for an upper cut and the edge ended safely on Sangakkara's gloves.

Back against the wall, Raina and Jadeja played the balls on merit, scoring the occasional boundaries. But just when India looked like reaching a stage from where they could launch for a defendable total, Jadeja was out LBW to a Dilshan ball which straightened after pitching on the middle stump.

Raina played some delightful shots, including a six off off-spinner Suraj Randiv and raised his hundred with a two off Thissara Perera in the 44th over with the help of nine fours.

Raina did not get much support from the lower order batsmen, including Harbhajan Singh (11) and Zaheer Khan (16), both of whom can swing the bat to good effect.

TOI

Mumbai beat Karnataka to win 39th Ranji Trophy title

MYSORE: Defending champions Mumbai pulled off a thrilling six-run win over a fighting Karnataka to clinch the coveted Ranji Trophy title for the
Mumbai Ranji team 39th time on Thursday.

Mumbai's 39th championship win looked unlikely when Manish Pandey and Ganesh Satish were at the crease as Karnataka chased a mammoth 338-run target.

The duo, who had come together when Karnataka were in dire straits at 46 for three, batted with gusto, assurance and caution to take the fight into the enemy camp, raising 209 runs for the fourth wicket.

As long as Pandey, who made a magnificent 144 (18 fours, one six) in trying circumstances, was at the square Karnataka were in the reckoning of winning their seventh Ranji title.

But once he departed, caught at slip by Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer off left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla minutes before lunch, Mumbai slowly but assuredly started taking control of the game.

While Pandey, who amassed a whopping 882 runs in the season, carted the cherry around the park with impunity, Satish batted with circumspection.

Satish, who laboured hard for 318 minutes, made 75 before being adjudged leg before wicket to Dhawal Kulkarni.

Stuart Binny (17), Sunil Joshi (16) and R Vinay Kumar (15) batted with resolve to take Karnataka closer to the target.

But quick strikes by Kulkarni and Ajit Agarkar (5 for 81) ensured that Mumbai emerged triumphant in the end.

This closely contested final would remembered for the outstanding performances of Vinayak Samant (67), Avishkar Salvi (5 for 31), Daval Kulkarni (87 and 3 for 80), Ajit Agarkar (5 for 81), Manish Pandey (144), Abhimanyu Mithun (3 for 56 and 6 for 71) and R Vinay Kumar (4 for 61 and 3 for 78).

The sporting wicket was prepared by a tennis court curator from Mysore.

Brief scores:

Mumbai: 233 (Vinayak Samant 67, Vinay Kumar 4-61) and 234 (Dhawal Kulkarni 87, Abhimanyu Mithun 6-71)

Karnataka: 130 (Aavishkar Salvi 5-31) and 331 (Manish Pandey 144, Ajit Agarkar 5-81)

TOI

Team leaves for Chittagong, Simons to join on Jan 16

STAFF WRITER 16:24 HRS IST

Dhaka, Jan 14 (PTI) The 16-member Indian cricket team today left for Chittagong for the first of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting January 17.

The players under captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the support staff, including coach Gary Kirsten, left the capital by a GMG Airlines flight around 4.15 pm.

Six players -- Sachin Tendlukar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Murali Vijay -- joined their team-mates, who were already here for the ODI tri-series which ended yesterday with India losing the final to Sri Lanka by four wickets.

Virat Kohli, Ashok Dinda, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Ashish Nehra and Rohit Sharma, who were in the ODI sqaud for the tri-series, also left for home today.

Kohli, Nehra, Raina and Jadeja boarded a New Delhi-bound flight, while Rohit Sharma and Ashok Dinda were on flights for Mumbai and Kolkata respectively.

BCCI not charitable organisation: rules IT deptt

STAFF WRITER 18:10 HRS IST

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Evading taxes for long by calling itself a charitable organisation, the BCCI may now have to shell out more than Rs 100 crore as the income tax department is set to penalise the Indian Cricket Board for hiding details of its commercial activities.

The IT departement has passed an order terming the BCCI a commercial organsiation and not a charitable one. Sources in the CBDT confirmed that the order has been passed by the Exemptions unit of the department in Mumbai.

Sources said the BCCI has not informed the tax department about a number of its activities like establishing coaching centres, conducting Twenty20 tournaments and other commercial ventures conducted within and outside the country.