India eliminated with defeat against Lanka

Joseph Hoover

St Lucia (WI), May 11 (PTI) India were today knocked out of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup after suffering third defeat in a row as they lost their last Super Eights match to Sri Lanka by five wickets here.

After putting on 163 for five, India needed to not only win the crunch rubber but by at least 20-run margin to give themselves an outside chance of sneaking into the semifinals.

However, Sri Lanka not only ended India's hopes with their thrilling win but also dented hosts West Indies' semifinal chances.

Chamara Kapugedara hit a six off Ashish Nehra in the last ball of the 20th over as Sri Lanka made 167 for five after a wobbly start.

Sri Lanka now have four points in group F and West Indies will have to win the next match against Australia with a considerable margin to remain in the competition.

Sri Lanka keep hopes alive, India bite the dust

Sri Lanka keep hopes alive, India bite the dust

St Lucia, May 11: Sri Lanka beat India by 5 wickets at a thrilling match of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup at St Lucia tonight. The last-ball sixer by islander Chamara Kapugedara proved to be the dampener for India’s race for a semifinal berth. Chasing a target of 164, Sri Lanka made 167 for the loss of five wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.

Earlier, Suresh Raina top scored for India with a 47-ball 63 as his team scored a competitive 163 for five in their crucial Super Eights match. India were 90 for one at half-way mark but could not accelerate much afterwards due to slow nature of the wicket.

If India manages to beat Sri Lanka by 20 runs, they will keenly watch the next match where an Australia win over the West Indies would clear their passage to the semifinals. Given the do-or-die situation, India batted aggressively and positively. Dinesh Karthik, who replaced Murali Vijay, started off with a bang by dispatching the first ball of innings off Angelo Mathews to the point boundary. Karthik (13) looked in good touch as he was striking the ball well but a leading edge off Lasith Malinga ended his stay at the crease, though India made a steady start.

Viswanathan Anand retains world chess title

Anand retains world chess title

Sofia, May 11: Viswanathan Anand held his nerve and focus way better than his opponent Veselin Topalov here on Tuesday to win the 12th and final game to retain his World Chess Championships title. The 40-year-old Indian beat local man from Bulgaria in the closing game with black pieces to emerge a 6.5-5.5 winner and seal his place as one of the dominant players of his era.

Anand first won the world title in 2000 and held it till 2002 when the chess world was still split. He became the undisputed World champion in 2007 and then retained the title in 2008 when he beat Vladimir Kramnik. This time around he beat Topalov to cement his place among one of the games’ all-time greats. Anand, who travelled more than 40 hours by road to reach the venue as flights in Europe were suspended due to the volcanic ash from Iceland, lost the first game. He, however, quickly hit back with wins in the second and third game.