MIAMI (FLORIDA), April 1 (PTI): Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy crashed out of the Miami Masters with a shocking straight-set defeat at the hands of the unseeded Czech-Slovak pair of Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak in the men’s doubles second round here. The Indo-Czech combine went down 3-6, 3-6 in the just over an hour-long contest.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Paes-Dlouhy duo crashes out
MIAMI (FLORIDA), April 1 (PTI): Fourth seeds Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy crashed out of the Miami Masters with a shocking straight-set defeat at the hands of the unseeded Czech-Slovak pair of Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak in the men’s doubles second round here. The Indo-Czech combine went down 3-6, 3-6 in the just over an hour-long contest.
Kiwis seek to save series
WELLINGTON, April 1 (PTI): With an unassailable lead in hand, India only have to guard against complacency and the notoriously seaming track of the Basin Reserve to notch their first Test win here in 34 years when they take on New Zealand in the third and final match of the series here on Friday.
Having won Tests at Adelaide, Perth, Trinidad, The Oval, Multan, Galle, Johannesburg and Hamilton, they are now faced with their biggest challenge of scoring a win at a venue where their last triumph came in 1975.
Monday, March 30, 2009
KKR to announce captain, squad in South Africa
KOLKATA: Apparently fearing a public outrage after Sourav Ganguly was stripped of sole captaincy role, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday said they will announce their skipper and squad for the Indian Premier League second season in South Africa and not in India.
After the six-day training camp concluded on Monday, KKR Director of Cricket Operations John Buchanan while leaving the Eden Gardens merely said a 24-member squad will fly to South Africa on Tuesday.
KKR Chief Executive Officer Joy Bhattacharjee, when contacted and asked to name the 24 players, said, "I don't want to disclose who will go to South Africa now. The final squad will be named in South Africa."
After the six-day training camp concluded on Monday, KKR Director of Cricket Operations John Buchanan while leaving the Eden Gardens merely said a 24-member squad will fly to South Africa on Tuesday.
KKR Chief Executive Officer Joy Bhattacharjee, when contacted and asked to name the 24 players, said, "I don't want to disclose who will go to South Africa now. The final squad will be named in South Africa."
Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Davis Cup venue decision next week
BANGALORE: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is likely to decide the fate of the May 8-10 - third round Asia-Oceania Group I - tie between India and Australia by "the weekend of the week starting April 6".
It's India's turn to host Australia in the Davis Cup but with Tennis Australia writing to the ITF, asking for the tie to be moved out of India for security reasons, an air of uncertainty hovers over the venue.
Earlier, India broke with tradition picking Chennai's hardcourts over the grasscourts of New Delhi and Kolkata. The southern metropolis had successfully hosted the ATP season opener in January.
The ITF is now looking at its security advisors for answers. A decision was expected early this week, but the process is taking longer than expected.
"Our security advisors are working with a security agency based in India," ITF's communications officer Nick Imison said.
"We're hopeful of having a decision soon. Irrespective of whether security issues are raised by rival nations, we go through the process of checking security details before every tie. We'll let the two national federations - India and Australia - know latest by the weekend of the week starting April 6."
While Australia's No.1 player Lleyton Hewitt raised concerns in the media following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore earlier this month, the fact that the Davis Cup tie would be played during general elections in India and that the IPL was moved out due to security reasons would probably weigh against the hosts.
The All India Tennis Association, however, is confident that Chennai will get the nod. "The ITF sent us a questionnaire, we filled it and sent it back. We haven't heard from them formally since," Col Chauhan, executive director of the AITA, said.
"We're hopeful of hosting the tie. Chennai is absolutely safe."
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Davis-Cup-venue-decision-next-week/articleshow/4336999.cms
It's India's turn to host Australia in the Davis Cup but with Tennis Australia writing to the ITF, asking for the tie to be moved out of India for security reasons, an air of uncertainty hovers over the venue.
Earlier, India broke with tradition picking Chennai's hardcourts over the grasscourts of New Delhi and Kolkata. The southern metropolis had successfully hosted the ATP season opener in January.
The ITF is now looking at its security advisors for answers. A decision was expected early this week, but the process is taking longer than expected.
"Our security advisors are working with a security agency based in India," ITF's communications officer Nick Imison said.
"We're hopeful of having a decision soon. Irrespective of whether security issues are raised by rival nations, we go through the process of checking security details before every tie. We'll let the two national federations - India and Australia - know latest by the weekend of the week starting April 6."
While Australia's No.1 player Lleyton Hewitt raised concerns in the media following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore earlier this month, the fact that the Davis Cup tie would be played during general elections in India and that the IPL was moved out due to security reasons would probably weigh against the hosts.
The All India Tennis Association, however, is confident that Chennai will get the nod. "The ITF sent us a questionnaire, we filled it and sent it back. We haven't heard from them formally since," Col Chauhan, executive director of the AITA, said.
"We're hopeful of hosting the tie. Chennai is absolutely safe."
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Davis-Cup-venue-decision-next-week/articleshow/4336999.cms
Woods completes thrilling comeback victory
MIAMI: Tiger Woods came from five strokes behind to overhaul fellow American Sean O'Hair and win his 66th PGA Tour title by a shot at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando on Sunday.
Playing only his third tournament since returning from reconstructive knee surgery, Woods completed a record sixth victory at Bay Hill Club by dramatically sinking a 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole in fading light.
The American world number one, who had been sidelined for eight months following his previous Tour win at the US Open in June, matched his biggest final-round comeback on the circuit.
In 2000, he overhauled a five-shot deficit after 54 holes to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Woods finally caught the pacesetting O'Hair with a birdie at the par-four 15th and claimed the outright lead for the first time when his playing partner bogeyed 16 after hitting his approach into water.
Although Woods stumbled on 17, where his tee shot ended up under the lip of a greenside bunker, he calmly rolled in the 16-footer on the 18th green for a five-under total of 275.
"It feels really good," the 33-year-old said in a greenside interview after celebrating his victory by backing away with a sweeping fist pump before embracing his caddie Steve Williams.
"It feels good to be back in contention again and to feel the rush and to have to deal with everything coming down the stretch. It's been a while but it kind of felt good."
O'Hair, who had been bidding for a third PGA Tour title, had to settle for second place after closing with a 73 with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson (69) a further two strokes back at two under.
The start of the final round was delayed by an hour and 45 minutes due to the threat of lightning after storms rolled into the area earlier than expected.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Woods-completes-thrilling-comeback-victory/articleshow/4332525.cms
Playing only his third tournament since returning from reconstructive knee surgery, Woods completed a record sixth victory at Bay Hill Club by dramatically sinking a 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole in fading light.
The American world number one, who had been sidelined for eight months following his previous Tour win at the US Open in June, matched his biggest final-round comeback on the circuit.
In 2000, he overhauled a five-shot deficit after 54 holes to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Woods finally caught the pacesetting O'Hair with a birdie at the par-four 15th and claimed the outright lead for the first time when his playing partner bogeyed 16 after hitting his approach into water.
Although Woods stumbled on 17, where his tee shot ended up under the lip of a greenside bunker, he calmly rolled in the 16-footer on the 18th green for a five-under total of 275.
"It feels really good," the 33-year-old said in a greenside interview after celebrating his victory by backing away with a sweeping fist pump before embracing his caddie Steve Williams.
"It feels good to be back in contention again and to feel the rush and to have to deal with everything coming down the stretch. It's been a while but it kind of felt good."
O'Hair, who had been bidding for a third PGA Tour title, had to settle for second place after closing with a 73 with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson (69) a further two strokes back at two under.
The start of the final round was delayed by an hour and 45 minutes due to the threat of lightning after storms rolled into the area earlier than expected.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Woods-completes-thrilling-comeback-victory/articleshow/4332525.cms
Indians to give China Open a miss
NEW DELHI: As a mark of solidarity with the Asian Tour, most Indian golfers playing on the Tour will boycott the upcoming $2.2 million Volvo China Open in Beijing, which is being co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the new OneAsia Super Series.
The OneAsia Tour has been recently formed by the China Golf Association, Korea Professional Golf Tour, Korea Golf Association and the PGA Tour of Australia but without taking the Asian Tour into confidence.
It begins its six-tournament schedule at the China event in April, which also includes the Pine Valley Beijing Open, another Asian Tour event.
For the Asian Tour, it is a sort of a ‘rebel' tour which is trying to invade its territory.
Digvijay Singh, who is in the Asian Tour Tournament Players Committee, confirmed the Tour's decision to fine and ban players who take part in the event without permission, although members who have European Tour cards will not be affected by the entry policy.
European Tour regulars Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia confirmed their participation to TOI but Digvijay revealed that Jyoti Randhawa had withdrawn from the tournament.
"Jyoti is absolutely against this upstart tour so he won't be playing but the others have their compulsions. Even the Order of Merit leader, American Anthony Kang has pulled out," said Digvijay.
Tour veteran Gaurav Ghei elaborated the point, "For Shiv and SSP, who have been struggling with their games lately, it's a big event in terms of points and money while Jyoti has begun the European season on a strong note and he can afford to give it a miss."
Gaganjeet Bhullar, who is currently in Singapore to contend for a British Open slot, also swore his loyalty. "I totally agree with the decision because the way OneAsia is dealing with Asian Tour is not correct," complied the youngster, who could have furthered his ambitions in such big-money tournaments.
Digvijay stressed on the ‘unscrupulous' attitude of the new tour. "The Volvo China Open was formerly co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours so this is completely unjustified," he felt.
Ghei, who is a former Beijing Open champion, added, "The Asian Tour has been a part of our development, and occupies a special place in our hearts and we will stand by whatever the Tour decides."
Agencies reported that OneAsia was critical of the Asian Tour for "discriminating between members on the basis of European Tour membership and nationality (exempting players from China)."
Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han had said in a statement that he had no option because of the manner in which OneAsia has attempted to ‘invade' the continent without consulting the Asian Tour.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians-to-give-China-Open-a-miss/articleshow/4336949.cms
The OneAsia Tour has been recently formed by the China Golf Association, Korea Professional Golf Tour, Korea Golf Association and the PGA Tour of Australia but without taking the Asian Tour into confidence.
It begins its six-tournament schedule at the China event in April, which also includes the Pine Valley Beijing Open, another Asian Tour event.
For the Asian Tour, it is a sort of a ‘rebel' tour which is trying to invade its territory.
Digvijay Singh, who is in the Asian Tour Tournament Players Committee, confirmed the Tour's decision to fine and ban players who take part in the event without permission, although members who have European Tour cards will not be affected by the entry policy.
European Tour regulars Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia confirmed their participation to TOI but Digvijay revealed that Jyoti Randhawa had withdrawn from the tournament.
"Jyoti is absolutely against this upstart tour so he won't be playing but the others have their compulsions. Even the Order of Merit leader, American Anthony Kang has pulled out," said Digvijay.
Tour veteran Gaurav Ghei elaborated the point, "For Shiv and SSP, who have been struggling with their games lately, it's a big event in terms of points and money while Jyoti has begun the European season on a strong note and he can afford to give it a miss."
Gaganjeet Bhullar, who is currently in Singapore to contend for a British Open slot, also swore his loyalty. "I totally agree with the decision because the way OneAsia is dealing with Asian Tour is not correct," complied the youngster, who could have furthered his ambitions in such big-money tournaments.
Digvijay stressed on the ‘unscrupulous' attitude of the new tour. "The Volvo China Open was formerly co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours so this is completely unjustified," he felt.
Ghei, who is a former Beijing Open champion, added, "The Asian Tour has been a part of our development, and occupies a special place in our hearts and we will stand by whatever the Tour decides."
Agencies reported that OneAsia was critical of the Asian Tour for "discriminating between members on the basis of European Tour membership and nationality (exempting players from China)."
Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han had said in a statement that he had no option because of the manner in which OneAsia has attempted to ‘invade' the continent without consulting the Asian Tour.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians-to-give-China-Open-a-miss/articleshow/4336949.cms
Nadal, Murray, Venus advance in Miami event
MIAMI (Florida): World number one Rafael Nadal, Britain's Andy Murray and reigning Wimbledon champion Venus Williams all advanced at the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament on Monday.
Spanish star Nadal, the Australian Open champion, was unhappy with his performance but reached the fourth round nonetheless with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Portugal's Frederico Gil.
"No opponent is easy, especially if you're not playing your best tennis. That's what was happening," Nadal said. "I didn't play very well. I had chances to lose the first set. I didn't feel very well on court.
"I always want to win. My motivation is full in every match. But you can't play well every day and today was one of those days."
Nadal will next face either Swiss 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka or Russian 20th seed Igor Andreev.
Fourth-ranked Murray advanced to the last 16 by defeating Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4. Next for the Scotsman will be 41st-ranked Serbian Viktor Troicki.
US fifth seed Venus Williams ousted Polish 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final eight, but like Nadal she was not happy with her performance.
"Every now and then everybody has those kinds of matches," Williams said. "I was hitting really well in the practice. Came out and things weren't going to the way I imagined they would, but that's tennis.
"I just had a lot of errors. Errors, errors. It seemed like when I had the winner it became an error. On days like that, you have to let the errors go behind you and continue to play aggressively and not pull back."
Williams could face her top-ranked sister Serena, the Australian Open women's champion, in a Miami semi-final.
Australian Samantha Stosur, ranked 42nd, continued her strong run into the quarter-finals by ousting French 20th seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4.
Stosur, who eliminated Russian world number two Dinara Safina in the third round, will next meet 11th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Hungarian 25th seed Agnes Szavay 6-2, 6-4.
Danish 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki upset fourth seed Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-4, to reach the women's quarter-finals.
She next faces another Russian, eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-1.
Others who reached the men's round of 16 included Argentina's sixth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-1, and Serbian Viktor Troicki, who ousted Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-4, 6-3.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Spanish star Nadal, the Australian Open champion, was unhappy with his performance but reached the fourth round nonetheless with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Portugal's Frederico Gil.
"No opponent is easy, especially if you're not playing your best tennis. That's what was happening," Nadal said. "I didn't play very well. I had chances to lose the first set. I didn't feel very well on court.
"I always want to win. My motivation is full in every match. But you can't play well every day and today was one of those days."
Nadal will next face either Swiss 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka or Russian 20th seed Igor Andreev.
Fourth-ranked Murray advanced to the last 16 by defeating Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4. Next for the Scotsman will be 41st-ranked Serbian Viktor Troicki.
US fifth seed Venus Williams ousted Polish 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final eight, but like Nadal she was not happy with her performance.
"Every now and then everybody has those kinds of matches," Williams said. "I was hitting really well in the practice. Came out and things weren't going to the way I imagined they would, but that's tennis.
"I just had a lot of errors. Errors, errors. It seemed like when I had the winner it became an error. On days like that, you have to let the errors go behind you and continue to play aggressively and not pull back."
Williams could face her top-ranked sister Serena, the Australian Open women's champion, in a Miami semi-final.
Australian Samantha Stosur, ranked 42nd, continued her strong run into the quarter-finals by ousting French 20th seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4.
Stosur, who eliminated Russian world number two Dinara Safina in the third round, will next meet 11th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Hungarian 25th seed Agnes Szavay 6-2, 6-4.
Danish 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki upset fourth seed Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-4, to reach the women's quarter-finals.
She next faces another Russian, eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-1.
Others who reached the men's round of 16 included Argentina's sixth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-1, and Serbian Viktor Troicki, who ousted Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-4, 6-3.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Beckham targets World Cup glory
Beckham targets World Cup glory after earning 109th cap LONDON, March 29 (AFP): David Beckham set his sights on a starring role at the World Cup after earning a record-breaking 109th cap in England’s 4-0 friendly win against Slovakia. Beckham came on for the second half at Wembley yesterday to pass Bobby Moore’s record for the most caps by an England out-field player.Now only goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with 125 caps, stands ahead of Beckham in England’s all-time appearance list.
Gutsy Gambhir leads India
Gutsy Gambhir leads Indian fightback in 2nd Test NAPIER, March 29 (PTI): Gautam Gambhir struck a gutsy unbeaten century to lead a remarkable Indian fightback as the visitors raised hopes of drawing the second cricket Test against New Zealand by losing just one wicket on the fourth day here today.After conceding a huge 314-run lead, the Indians raised their game when it mattered most to reach 252 for two at close on the penultimate day, still trailing the hosts by 62 runs.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Aronian tops Amber, Anand joint second
Nice (France), Mar 27 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand missed chances galore in the blindfold game against Chinese Wang Yue and had to be content with an overall joint second finish in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here.
Anand, however, maintained his supremacy in the rapid section as he tied with Levon Aronian of Armenia and Gata Kamsky of United.
The Indian ace finished with an impressive 7 points out of a possible 11 in rapid section while in the blindfold he finished joint fourth on 6.5 points.
Aronian drew both his games against former world champion Veslein Topalov of Bulgaria in the final round and emerged as the clear winner in the 18th edition of the prestigious event.
The Armenian finished with 14 points out of a possible 22 games and remained a half point ahead of Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who both shared the overall second spot.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway found his nemesis in the blindfold in Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and finished clear fourth after recovering to win the rapid game. The Norwegian ended with a tally of 13 points and was two points clear of next contender Alexander Morozevich of Russia.
Anand, however, maintained his supremacy in the rapid section as he tied with Levon Aronian of Armenia and Gata Kamsky of United.
The Indian ace finished with an impressive 7 points out of a possible 11 in rapid section while in the blindfold he finished joint fourth on 6.5 points.
Aronian drew both his games against former world champion Veslein Topalov of Bulgaria in the final round and emerged as the clear winner in the 18th edition of the prestigious event.
The Armenian finished with 14 points out of a possible 22 games and remained a half point ahead of Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who both shared the overall second spot.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway found his nemesis in the blindfold in Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and finished clear fourth after recovering to win the rapid game. The Norwegian ended with a tally of 13 points and was two points clear of next contender Alexander Morozevich of Russia.
PTI
Thursday, March 26, 2009
India finally bat after NZ declare on 619
Napier: New Zealand declared their first innings on a mammoth 619 for nine, after Brendon McCullum posted the third century of the innings on the second day of the second Test against India.
Jesse Ryder reached 201 and Brendon McCullum was 103 not out as New Zealand went to tea at 592 for six.
Ryder batted for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India, then was out to the next ball — bowled by Zaheer Khan — ending an innings of exemplary stamina and concentration. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.
The burly left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was out when New Zealand were 477-6, having transformed their innings, the match and potentially the series.
He was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — which gave the first clear evidence of his development from a big-hitting limited-overs batsman to a mature and disciplined Test player.
Ryder has now scored 50 or more, including two centuries, in four of his last five Test innings and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.
At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.
Ryder began his marathon vigil when New Zealand was 23-3 in the 11th over on Thursday, after winning the toss and batting.
He shared partnerships of 271 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor, who was out for 151 on the first day, 121 for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, run out for 52 before lunch, and finally 62 for the sixth wicket with Brendon McCullum.
McCullum went on to reach his third Test century just three balls before tea. He reached the milestone, eclipsing previous centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, in 141 minutes from 131 balls with 11 fours.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper shared an unbeaten 115-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with captain Daniel Vettori who was 43 not out at the break.
The innings became the first in which two batsmen in a New Zealand team had exceeded 150 since 2004 against South Africa at Auckland.
Ryder's partnership with Taylor was the highest for all wickets by a New Zealand pair against India and the highest for the fourth wicket for New Zealand against any nation.
India's win at Hamilton was their first Test win in New Zealand since 1976. The tourists remain in pursuit of their first Test series win here since 1968.
Mediocre bowling, poor catching and the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who pulled out of the match with a back injury, contributed to New Zealand's strong position on the second day.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-finally-bat-after-nz-declare-on-619/39465-13.html
Jesse Ryder reached 201 and Brendon McCullum was 103 not out as New Zealand went to tea at 592 for six.
Ryder batted for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India, then was out to the next ball — bowled by Zaheer Khan — ending an innings of exemplary stamina and concentration. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.
The burly left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was out when New Zealand were 477-6, having transformed their innings, the match and potentially the series.
He was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — which gave the first clear evidence of his development from a big-hitting limited-overs batsman to a mature and disciplined Test player.
Ryder has now scored 50 or more, including two centuries, in four of his last five Test innings and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.
At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.
Ryder began his marathon vigil when New Zealand was 23-3 in the 11th over on Thursday, after winning the toss and batting.
He shared partnerships of 271 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor, who was out for 151 on the first day, 121 for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, run out for 52 before lunch, and finally 62 for the sixth wicket with Brendon McCullum.
McCullum went on to reach his third Test century just three balls before tea. He reached the milestone, eclipsing previous centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, in 141 minutes from 131 balls with 11 fours.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper shared an unbeaten 115-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with captain Daniel Vettori who was 43 not out at the break.
The innings became the first in which two batsmen in a New Zealand team had exceeded 150 since 2004 against South Africa at Auckland.
Ryder's partnership with Taylor was the highest for all wickets by a New Zealand pair against India and the highest for the fourth wicket for New Zealand against any nation.
India's win at Hamilton was their first Test win in New Zealand since 1976. The tourists remain in pursuit of their first Test series win here since 1968.
Mediocre bowling, poor catching and the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who pulled out of the match with a back injury, contributed to New Zealand's strong position on the second day.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-finally-bat-after-nz-declare-on-619/39465-13.html
Yousuf may play for Pak soon
Star Pakistani middle order bulwark Mohammad Yousuf could be donning Pakistan colours again after reports have emerged that he is planning to end his association with the Indian Cricket League(ICL) and return to international cricket.
Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan are the players who might walk away from the ICL, the News reported. The Pakistan establishment, led by Younis Khan, the captain, is keen that Yousuf, in particular, returns to the national team as early as next month for the one-day series against Australia starting on April 22 in Abu Dhabi, the report said.
Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain. But the situation appears to have changed after Younis, known to be close to Yousuf, became Pakistan captain this year. The News quoted sources as saying that "the breakthrough was achieved following a series of meetings between Yousuf and Younis".
Another reason why the Pakistan players are said to be considering such a move is that the ICL has suspended its March-April tournament and is looking at restarting their international programme only in October. The ICL took this step in February due to the deepening economic recession and the Pakistan government's refusal to let any player from that country play in India following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The players fear that the current freeze in political ties between India and Pakistan would prevent them from playing in India in the near future.
The report also claimed that if the Pakistan players part ways with the ICL, they could be immediately included in the national team for the one-day series against Australia - the squad is expected to be named early in April.
Source:Cricbuzz
Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan are the players who might walk away from the ICL, the News reported. The Pakistan establishment, led by Younis Khan, the captain, is keen that Yousuf, in particular, returns to the national team as early as next month for the one-day series against Australia starting on April 22 in Abu Dhabi, the report said.
Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain. But the situation appears to have changed after Younis, known to be close to Yousuf, became Pakistan captain this year. The News quoted sources as saying that "the breakthrough was achieved following a series of meetings between Yousuf and Younis".
Another reason why the Pakistan players are said to be considering such a move is that the ICL has suspended its March-April tournament and is looking at restarting their international programme only in October. The ICL took this step in February due to the deepening economic recession and the Pakistan government's refusal to let any player from that country play in India following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The players fear that the current freeze in political ties between India and Pakistan would prevent them from playing in India in the near future.
The report also claimed that if the Pakistan players part ways with the ICL, they could be immediately included in the national team for the one-day series against Australia - the squad is expected to be named early in April.
Source:Cricbuzz
IPL announces schedule
Cape Town will host the opening ceremony and the first match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 18 while the Wanderers Stadium will host the final on May 24.
The semi-finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 league.
In a double header on the first day, champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers while the evening game will be contested between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth will be the 8 hosts for the 59 games.
Durban, which has a large South Asian community has been allotted the most games - 16 while Centurion in Pretoria will play host to 12 games.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the tournament.
Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.
Two matches each have been allocated to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley. Matches will start at 4 pm IST (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm IST (4.30pm local time). There are a total of 10 double headers (two matches back-to-back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.
Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)
April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban
April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban
April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth
April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban
April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria
April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London
May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban
May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London
May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein
May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban
May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley
May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria
May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg
May 24: Final at Johannesburg.
Source: Cricbuzz
The semi-finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 league.
In a double header on the first day, champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers while the evening game will be contested between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth will be the 8 hosts for the 59 games.
Durban, which has a large South Asian community has been allotted the most games - 16 while Centurion in Pretoria will play host to 12 games.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the tournament.
Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.
Two matches each have been allocated to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley. Matches will start at 4 pm IST (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm IST (4.30pm local time). There are a total of 10 double headers (two matches back-to-back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.
Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)
April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban
April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban
April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth
April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban
April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria
April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London
May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban
May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London
May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein
May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban
May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley
May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria
May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg
May 24: Final at Johannesburg.
Source: Cricbuzz
Yuki to play World No. 73 at Miami
Miami, March 25: World No. 1 junior Yuki Bhambri will find himself in the big league on Thursday when he takes on Diego Junqueira of Argentina at the Soni Ericsson Open tennis.
The 16-year-old junior Australian Open was given a wildcard when he won the prestigious Orange Bowl title, considered to be the fifth Grand Slam, in December.
If Yuki manages to beat 28-year-old Junqueira, who is World NO. 73, he will have his first brush with a top-10 player in former World No. 1 and fifth-seed Andy Roddick of US, who got a bye in the first round. (Agencies)
The 16-year-old junior Australian Open was given a wildcard when he won the prestigious Orange Bowl title, considered to be the fifth Grand Slam, in December.
If Yuki manages to beat 28-year-old Junqueira, who is World NO. 73, he will have his first brush with a top-10 player in former World No. 1 and fifth-seed Andy Roddick of US, who got a bye in the first round. (Agencies)
India chasing history
Napier, March 25: History beckons India as it prepares to take on an inexperienced and demoralised New Zealand tomorrow in the second cricket Test, a victory in which would give the visitors their first series triumph here in 41 years.
Leading 1-0 in the three-match series, the Indian team has been in decimating form and is high on confidence as it seeks to wrap up the three-match series with a win.
In contrast to India’s three-seamer, one-spinner combination, New Zealand have packed their attack with two spinners and three seamers for the contest at the McLean Park.
The hosts are hoping that off-spinner Jeetan Patel would give them the edge if the wicket assists spin. THE SENTINEL
Leading 1-0 in the three-match series, the Indian team has been in decimating form and is high on confidence as it seeks to wrap up the three-match series with a win.
In contrast to India’s three-seamer, one-spinner combination, New Zealand have packed their attack with two spinners and three seamers for the contest at the McLean Park.
The hosts are hoping that off-spinner Jeetan Patel would give them the edge if the wicket assists spin. THE SENTINEL
India-Australia Davis Cup tie is on: AITA
New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) The All India Tennis Association today ruled out shifting the Davis Cup tie between India and Australia from Chennai, scheduled in May, saying proper security arrangements will be in place for holding trouble-free matches.
An AITA official though admitted that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had written to them about security concerns raised by the Australian team.
"We are confident of holding the tie in Chennai and there is no need to shift it. ITF wrote to us about Aussies concerns and we have already sent a reply to them.
"There are good security arrangements. Apart from the state police, the security agency which monitored the ATP Chennai Open in January is involved. So there is no question of shifting it (tie) from India," the AITA official told PTI.
On being asked if ITF had replied back to AITA confirming the tie, the official said, "No, they have not replied but we have assured them about the proper security arrangements.
"We were sent a questionnaire, as is the procedure, and we have replied. As of now the tie is on." The third and final round tie of the Asia/Oceania Group I between India and Australia is scheduled between May 8-10.
The winners will advance to the World Group play-offs. PTI
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Anand draws with Topalov, loses sole lead
Nice (France), Mar 25 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand played out two draws with Bulgarian world number one Veselin Topalov in the ninth round to surrender his sole lead in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here today.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia caught the Indian in lead with an identical 1.5-0.5 victories over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine and Alexander Morozevich of Russia respectively.
With just two rounds to come in the strongest ever Amber, the leaders have 11.5 points each and they have a 1.5 points lead over Russian, Vladimir Kramnik who found his nemesis in Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk.
The lead for the three leaders is a clear indication that only these three will be fighting for supremacy now.
The encounter between Topalov and Anand was closely followed by everyone as they are not only top players in the world rankings but will also face each other in the World Championship match next year.
The blindfold game was a sharp and interesting fight in the Caro Kann defense, but it was also far from flawless. In the opening Topalov mixed up moves with white pieces and ended in difficulties.
PTI
Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia caught the Indian in lead with an identical 1.5-0.5 victories over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine and Alexander Morozevich of Russia respectively.
With just two rounds to come in the strongest ever Amber, the leaders have 11.5 points each and they have a 1.5 points lead over Russian, Vladimir Kramnik who found his nemesis in Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk.
The lead for the three leaders is a clear indication that only these three will be fighting for supremacy now.
The encounter between Topalov and Anand was closely followed by everyone as they are not only top players in the world rankings but will also face each other in the World Championship match next year.
The blindfold game was a sharp and interesting fight in the Caro Kann defense, but it was also far from flawless. In the opening Topalov mixed up moves with white pieces and ended in difficulties.
PTI
Chetan in second round, World no 1 crashes out of Indian Open
Hyderabad, Mar 25 (PTI) Third seed Chetan Anand staved off an early scare from Chong Chieh Lok of Malaysia to enter into second round of the Indian Open Grand Prix badminton tournament here today.
The Indian shuttler wrapped up the affair 14-21 21-9 22-20 in a grueling tie that lasted for 47 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chinese shuttler Long Chen pulled off probably the biggest upset of the tournament when he stunned world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-7 16-21 18-21.
Chetan made a strong comeback after losing the first game 14-21 to the Malaysian and spanked him 21-9 in the second, before the third game saw a tooth and nail battle.
The duo went neck and neck from 14-14, 16-16, 19-19 to 20-20, before the world number 12 Chetan sealed the match 22-20 to set up a second round clash with another Chinese Wenlong Zhou later today.
In the other match, world number one Lee Chong made an aggressive start, thumping Long 21-7 in first game but world number 147, Long soon avenged by bagging the next game 21-16, making it one-all.
PTI
The Indian shuttler wrapped up the affair 14-21 21-9 22-20 in a grueling tie that lasted for 47 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chinese shuttler Long Chen pulled off probably the biggest upset of the tournament when he stunned world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-7 16-21 18-21.
Chetan made a strong comeback after losing the first game 14-21 to the Malaysian and spanked him 21-9 in the second, before the third game saw a tooth and nail battle.
The duo went neck and neck from 14-14, 16-16, 19-19 to 20-20, before the world number 12 Chetan sealed the match 22-20 to set up a second round clash with another Chinese Wenlong Zhou later today.
In the other match, world number one Lee Chong made an aggressive start, thumping Long 21-7 in first game but world number 147, Long soon avenged by bagging the next game 21-16, making it one-all.
PTI
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
No decision on selling Liverpool stake: Gillett
LONDON: Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr. has not yet made a decision about whether to sell his 50 percent stake in the Premier League club or offload the Montreal Canadiens.
Gillett has hired financial companies in Canada, the United States and Europe to reassess his varied holdings.
"We have appointed advisers in different countries to assess our assets," Gillett said Tuesday. "We have engaged professionals who are doing some estate planning, it has nothing to do with any decisions to sell any assets.
"We may do some recapitalization, but any links between what we are doing and the situation at Liverpool is incorrect. We have made no decision to sell."
At Liverpool, which Gillett co-owns with Tom Hicks, a July deadline is approaching to refinance the loan that funded their takeover two years ago.
That financing package of about 250 million pounds ($368.2 million) must be renewed after a six-month extension was granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland and US investment bank Wachovia. But RBS recently announced huge losses amid the global economic downturn and may not be in a position to extend further financing.
Liverpool is in second place in the Premier League - one point behind Manchester United - and has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Selling his Liverpool stake would require the approval of Hicks, but Gillett owns 80.1 percent of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre.
Gillett bought the Canadiens and their arena in 2001 for $275 million with the help of $140 million in loans from two banks and the Quebec pension fund. He also owns the Gillett Evernham NASCAR team, event promoter Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Gillett has hired financial companies in Canada, the United States and Europe to reassess his varied holdings.
"We have appointed advisers in different countries to assess our assets," Gillett said Tuesday. "We have engaged professionals who are doing some estate planning, it has nothing to do with any decisions to sell any assets.
"We may do some recapitalization, but any links between what we are doing and the situation at Liverpool is incorrect. We have made no decision to sell."
At Liverpool, which Gillett co-owns with Tom Hicks, a July deadline is approaching to refinance the loan that funded their takeover two years ago.
That financing package of about 250 million pounds ($368.2 million) must be renewed after a six-month extension was granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland and US investment bank Wachovia. But RBS recently announced huge losses amid the global economic downturn and may not be in a position to extend further financing.
Liverpool is in second place in the Premier League - one point behind Manchester United - and has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Selling his Liverpool stake would require the approval of Hicks, but Gillett owns 80.1 percent of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre.
Gillett bought the Canadiens and their arena in 2001 for $275 million with the help of $140 million in loans from two banks and the Quebec pension fund. He also owns the Gillett Evernham NASCAR team, event promoter Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Anand beats Kramnik to take sole lead
NICE (France): World champion Viswanathan Anand crushed Vladimir Kramnik in the blindfold section and romped home with a 1.5-0.5 victory in the crucial eighth round of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid chess tournament on Monday.
Anand won the blindfold game and surged ahead in this section to share the second spot in this section.
With the rapid game ending in a draw the Indian ace is now in sole lead on 10.5 points.
Levon Aronian of Armenia defeated Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the blindfold game and played out a draw in the rapid to win by a similar margin like Anand and so did Magnus Carlsen of Norway in his match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.
Both Carlsen and Aronain remained on Anand's heels, half point behind, and it might well be a race between these three for the title in the last three rounds.
Kramnik slipped to fourth following the loss with 9.5 points. The fifth place is held by Peter Leko of Hungary on 8.5 points while American Gata Kamsky, Topalov and Alexander Morozevich of Russia are locked on 7.5 points apiece.
Ukrainians Vassily Ivanchuk and Sergey Karjakin and Radjabov share the ninth spot on 6.5 points while Wang Yue of China is now in the cellar with 5.5.
In the blindfold section, Carlsen is in sole lead with 6.5 points followed by Anand a point behind.
In the rapid section, Anand shares the lead with Kamsky and Aronian with 5 points.
The clash of the day between leaders Anand and Kramnik started with an impressive victory for the world champion in the blindfold game.
In their first encounter since their match in Bonn a few months back, Anand played the King pawn allowing his rival to go for his favourite Petroff defence.
"After the 20th move by Kramnik I believe black's position was a bit unpleasant as there was no coordination between his pieces," said Anand, who played white.
He was pleased with his 22nd move and explained that Kramnik had missed his devastating queen manoeuvre when he erred on the 27th. Kramnik's next move was a further oversight, running into the lethal pawn push on the king side resulting in a checkmate web, but at that point black's position was already lost.
In the rapid game also Anand showed excellent opening preparation. He surprised Kramnik with the line he chose and after 15 moves he achieved what most probably he was aiming for. It was an effortless draw with the black pieces.
In other matches of the day, Kamsky drew with Karjakin in blindfold but lost the rapid game, Wang played out two draws with Leko while Ivanchuk improved his standing slightly, beating Morozevich 1.5-0.5.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Anand-beats-Kramnik-to-take-sole-lead/articleshow/4307228.cms
Anand won the blindfold game and surged ahead in this section to share the second spot in this section.
With the rapid game ending in a draw the Indian ace is now in sole lead on 10.5 points.
Levon Aronian of Armenia defeated Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the blindfold game and played out a draw in the rapid to win by a similar margin like Anand and so did Magnus Carlsen of Norway in his match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.
Both Carlsen and Aronain remained on Anand's heels, half point behind, and it might well be a race between these three for the title in the last three rounds.
Kramnik slipped to fourth following the loss with 9.5 points. The fifth place is held by Peter Leko of Hungary on 8.5 points while American Gata Kamsky, Topalov and Alexander Morozevich of Russia are locked on 7.5 points apiece.
Ukrainians Vassily Ivanchuk and Sergey Karjakin and Radjabov share the ninth spot on 6.5 points while Wang Yue of China is now in the cellar with 5.5.
In the blindfold section, Carlsen is in sole lead with 6.5 points followed by Anand a point behind.
In the rapid section, Anand shares the lead with Kamsky and Aronian with 5 points.
The clash of the day between leaders Anand and Kramnik started with an impressive victory for the world champion in the blindfold game.
In their first encounter since their match in Bonn a few months back, Anand played the King pawn allowing his rival to go for his favourite Petroff defence.
"After the 20th move by Kramnik I believe black's position was a bit unpleasant as there was no coordination between his pieces," said Anand, who played white.
He was pleased with his 22nd move and explained that Kramnik had missed his devastating queen manoeuvre when he erred on the 27th. Kramnik's next move was a further oversight, running into the lethal pawn push on the king side resulting in a checkmate web, but at that point black's position was already lost.
In the rapid game also Anand showed excellent opening preparation. He surprised Kramnik with the line he chose and after 15 moves he achieved what most probably he was aiming for. It was an effortless draw with the black pieces.
In other matches of the day, Kamsky drew with Karjakin in blindfold but lost the rapid game, Wang played out two draws with Leko while Ivanchuk improved his standing slightly, beating Morozevich 1.5-0.5.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Anand-beats-Kramnik-to-take-sole-lead/articleshow/4307228.cms
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