India are bookies' favourite to lift World Cup

MUMBAI: India might face the monumental task of overcoming four-time champions Australia in the quarterfinal at Ahmedabad on March 24, but for bookies, MS Dhoni & Co are the runaway favourites to win the 2011 World Cup.

Top betting site Ladbrokes is offering odds at 3/1 for India to lift the trophy on April 2 in Mumbai. In other words, a bet of Rs 1,000 on India will earn you a profit of Rs 3,000 if Team India justifies its billing. Another leading betting website, Williamhill, also tips the hosts to win the Cup. While India get top billing at 3/1, South Africa, at 10/3, are the next close favourites. Another betting site, www.bet365.com, gives South Africa, at 3/1, the top billing, with India only slightly behind at 10/3.

At Ladbrokes, India gets favourable odds at 8/13 to beat Australia on Thursday night, while for the Aussies, the figure is 5/4. Williamhill too tips India, at 4/6, to vanquish the Oz (6/5). South Africa, who topped Group B, the pool in which India were placed, and Sri Lanka are the other teams favoured to win the crown, says Ladbrokes. The Proteas enjoy odds of 7/2, while the Lankans are tipped at 9/2.

If Ladbrokes' estimation comes true, India are likely to meet Lanka or South Africa in the final. For both eventualities, the odds are at 5/1.

As for the other quarterfinals, Shahid Afridi's Pakistan are tipped to beat the West Indies at Mirpur. South Africa, the bettors think, should not have a problem against the Kiwis at Mirpur, while Lanka are expected to have it easy against England at Colombo.

If the Cup goes the bookies' way from here, it should be an India versus Pakistan semifinal at Mohali, with Dhoni's boys making it to the summit clash.

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Somdev jumps to number 73 in singles ranking

NEW DELHI: Reaping rich reward for his fantastic run at the Indian Wells Masters, Somdev Devvarman on Monday jumped 11 places to achieve his career-best singles ranking of 73 in the latest ATP list.

Somdev reached the pre-quarterfinals in Indian Wells, eventually losing to finalist and top seed Rafael Nadal but not without giving a good fight to the world number one Spaniard.

Rohan Bopanna, who along with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the same tournament, also improved his ranking by four places to 15.

The Indo-Pak pair had lost to eventual champions Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse.

Leander Paes (7) and Mahesh Bhupathi (5), however, remained static.

In the WTA list, Sania Mirza broke back into the top-100 as she stands 99th in the singles list with a jump of eight places.

This week Sania is seeking to qualify for the Miami event in the USA. She has been seeded 19th and will take on Chinese Xinyun Han in the first round.

The doubles title win at the Indian Wells tournament helped Sania jump 21 places to 33.

Sania and Elena Vesnina of Russia had beaten Bethanie Mattek and Meghann Shaughnessy in the summit clash.

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India should play three spinners against Australia, feels Akram

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should use three specialist spinners in the quarterfinal against Australia in order to exploit the weakness of Ricky Ponting's men against slow bowlers.

"If the wicket in Ahmedabad offers turn, then MS Dhoni should definitely opt for three spinners since the Aussies don't play spin that well," Akram told said in an interview.

Sri Lanka had adopted a similar strategy during their clash against the Aussies on a turning track at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on March 5. However the Lankan spin-trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath did not get a chance to showcase their skills as the match got washed out.

However, Akram added that in case the pitch at Ahmedabad is a flat one, then the ploy to stack the side with spinners may backfire on India.

"Playing so many spinners on a batting track may spell doom for India since the slower bowlers will not get much assistance from the surface," Akram said.

India have played with two specialist spinners in four out of the six league games in this tournament. However they haven't played a single match yet with all three spinners ( Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla) in the eleven.

One major worry for Team India, going ahead into the knockout stages, will be the back-to-back batting collapses against South Africa and the West Indies. While they lost nine wickets for only 29 runs against the Proteas in Nagpur, Dhoni and company performed marginally better on Sunday losing their last seven wickets for the addition of only 51 runs.

Akram mentioned that despite this recklessness by the most-famed batting line-up in the world, there is not much reason to worry for the fans.

"Yes, the India batting has collapsed badly twice. But I don't think there is any major reason to worry as these things happen by chance. At the same time, you have to plan your innings and cannot afford to slog every delivery. I am quite sure the experienced Indian middle-order will learn a lot out of their mistakes," concluded Akram.

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Sehwag sports numberless jersey in World Cup

NEW DELHI: Rival bowlers desperate to see the back of India's flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag early at the World Cup can now blame the back of his shirt when they are being smashed to all corners of the ground.

The dashing opener, who used to have the number 44 on his back, is now sporting a numberless jersey at the tournament after advice from numerologists.

It seems to work with Sehwag in top form at the World Cup where he has 327 runs from five games at an average of 65.40.

Sehwag is not alone in his quirks and superstitions as most of the players in the Indian team are known to consult astrologers and numerologists while adhering to set routines in the hope of success.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sports number seven, since his birth date is July 7, while Yuvraj Singh has a 12 to match his birthday of December 12.

Yuvraj also sports a black thread - believed to ward off evil spirits - on his wrist on advice from his mother.

Promising Indian batsman Virat Kohli has no qualms in admitting he is superstitious.

"Earlier, I used to wear the same pair of gloves with which I'd been scoring," he told the Kolkata Telegraph.

"That phase has gone as now I look for comfort. Now the superstition revolves around wearing black wristbands."

Paceman Zaheer Khan attributes at least some of his success to his lucky charm -- a yellow handkerchief that he keeps with him in every crucial match.

But it was a red one which did the trick for former Australian skipper Steve Waugh, a gift from his grandparents, while India's Mohinder Amarnath, who played in the 1983 World Cup winning team, kept a red handkerchief with him.

Sachin Tendulkar is known to put on his left pad first and is fussy about his favourite bats. He would rather use a battered, taped-up bat than trust a new one.

His family doesn't watch TV when he is batting, fearing that he will get out early if they do.

Even fans try to do their bit to help their teams.

A radio station in New Delhi is running a campaign which urges listeners to do the same thing routinely on each day that India play.

So there are fans drinking milk before the start of a match or sitting on the left side of the sofa all through the game.

"I only eat non-vegetarian stuff while watching India play," said Pritam Sinha who works as a research associate in Delhi.

"Be it fish, chicken or mutton. It brings India good luck and wards off evil forces."

Former India captain and opener Krish Srikkanth recalled how members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad were asked not to move from their positions when Kapil Dev was batting to glory in a key match against Zimbabwe.

"The point was I was standing outside the dressing room on a cold, windy day, with a cup of coffee in my hand. And I didn't move for the next two hours or so! I wanted to go to the toilet, but Man Singh (the manager) said 'no'," recalled Srikkanth of the match at Tunbridge Wells in England.

"To tell you the truth it wasn't easy. Actually, it was tougher than battling it out there in the middle.

"Believe me, it stayed that way till Kapil walked back with a triumphant 175 not out. Not just me but the entire team stood at the same spots.

"It was one of the greatest knocks in any form of cricket, but I would like to think that I had, in my own little way, made a small contribution."

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Djokovic upsets Nadal to win Indian Wells title

INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic claimed his third ATP World Tour title in a perfect season by beating top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Sunday.

The unstoppable Serb shrugged off the loss of the opening set to outlast the world number one in a gripping match lasting two hours 25 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, extending his remarkable record for the year to 18-0.

Australian Open champion Djokovic, who overcame Swiss world number two Roger Federer in the last four, broke Nadal twice in the final set before sealing victory when the Spanish left-hander netted a forehand.

It was the Serb's second triumph in the elite ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, having first won the title here as a 20-year-old in 2008.

"I want to congratulate Rafa on a great tournament," third-seeded Djokovic said courtside after celebrating victory by clenching both fists. "He had to lose but he has started off the year very well.

"It's always a pleasure to play you. For me, you are the greatest player ever and a good friend so I wish you good luck."

Nadal, the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, applauded the Serb for his third successive tournament win of the year.

"You started the season fantastic so all the best for the rest of the season," the Spaniard said after his own record for the year slipped to 14-3. "Well done. I lost today but I lost to one of the greatest."

BROKE BACK

The opening set went with serve until Nadal broke Djokovic in the fifth game but the Serb immediately broke back in the sixth, pumping his right fist in delight after hitting a backhand winner down the line.

However the Spaniard regained control by breaking Djokovic in the seventh, after his opponent dumped successive backhands into the net, to lead 5-3.

Nadal then held to love in his next two service games to win the first set in 48 minutes.

The second set was almost a mirror image of the first with three successive breaks of serve paving the way for Djokovic to level the match.

He broke Nadal in the sixth game after the Spaniard hooked a forehand wide before failing to hold his own serve in the seventh.

The Serb immediately recovered, though, by again breaking in the eighth and he shook off a strong challenge by Nadal in the ninth, holding serve with his sixth set point after his opponent pushed a two-fisted backhand wide.

Roared on by flag-waving Serbian fans in the stadium's upper tier, Djokovic effectively closed the door on the Spaniard by with service breaks in the first and third games of the final set.

The Serb fired down aces to hold serve in the fourth and sixth games before sealing victory in the eighth on his first match point when Nadal dumped a forehand into the net.

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Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 80 runs, face Australia in quarters

CHENNAI: The skeletons had started to tumble out of the cupboard when Zaheer Khan struck. Devon Smith got out, the brittle West Indian middle-order crumbled, and India glossed over the flaws with an 80-run victory.

But along the course of the Chepauk struggle on Sunday evening, it was there for everyone to see that this Indian team is not in best shape.

The lottery of knock-outs beckon the co-hosts now and a couple of good days may still take India to the final, but on current form, it can be safe to say that Dhoni and Co. are definitely not the favourites in this tournament any more.

West Indies is a team desperately short of talent these days and the side they fielded on Sunday (without Kemar Roach and Chris Gayle) would have struggled against any decent opponent. But there was a time in the game when it seemed that India would face the humiliation of losing to this team as well, which had its last ODI win against a Test playing nation (barring Bangladesh) two years back.

Yes, there were a few positives. Yuvraj Singh (113 and 2-18) shone both with the bat and ball, Virat Kohli (59) looked impressive during his stay at the wicket, Ashwin showed the world that he is perfectly cut out for the big stage, but the basic flaws that are bothering this team have still not been ironed out.

The pace attack (barring an odd Zaheer spell) looked pedestrian and it never seemed that Munaf Patel could take a wicket. Add to that his fielding, which always puts India 15-short in the field. Had it not been for the wily, old Zaheer who brought all his experience into play ---India would probably have cut a sorry figure on Sunday.

Another huge trouble area for India is the batting PowerPlay. They struggled with it, despite holding it back till the 46th over. The hosts lost 28 runs losing four wickets and failed to bat out even the 50 overs.

Both Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, who are fighting for the same slot, failed once again and Dhoni will have to spend sleepless nights pondering over his combination for the semifinal.

But then, the big plus emerging out of Sunday's 'practice match' before the quarterfinal clash against Australia is the form of Yuvi. He held the innings together, played some lovely shots on both sides of the wicket and took India to 268. With the ball too, he came up with a couple of crucial breakthroughs after Zaheer had struck.

He gave the ball a little bit of air and extracted some turn that fooled the likes of Andre Russell and Devon Thomas.

If Yuvi was the star of the show, Ashwin, too, showed that it won't be a bad option if the team management plays him in the quarterfinal. He was given the new ball and in the first six overs that he bowled, he gave away 18 runs. He got the carrom ball to work as well, getting Kirk Edwards plumb in front that went the other way.

But the likes of Darren Bravo, Smith (81) and Smith (39) did run India ragged for a while and there were murmurs in the ground whether India were looking to lose so that they can avoid Australia.

When Zaheer got Smith

Returning for his second spell, and bowling his third over, Zaheer Khan produced a dazzling slow full-length delivery making the ball swing reverse to beat Devon Smith, who was going great guns having made 81 runs. Trying to go for a drive, Smith missed the line of the ball that cut in after pitching and disturbed the stumps. The breakthrough turned the tide in India's favour opening the floodgates as West Indies found the going tough and the climbing asking rate eventually got to them. Zaheer continued to pick two more wickets to finish with figures of 6-0-26-3. It was yet another super class show by India's leading pace bowler.

Yuvraj Singh 113 (123 b, 10x4, 2x6)

Yuvraj Singh has shown one and all why skipper MS Dhoni backs him so much. The lefthander came into the World Cup with poor form, but ever since the half-century against England, he has been in wonderful touch. Against the Windies on Sunday night, the stylish left-hander was at his best, stroking 113 off 123 balls to pivot India to a respectable 268. Together with Virat Kohli, who scored 59, Yuvraj added 122 for the third wicket to steer India out of troubled waters. Later, Yuvraj took two wickets too to bag his third Man-of-the-Match award in the tournament.

Yuvraj (113) recorded his first century in World Cup, eclipsing his 83 off 46 balls against Bermuda in 2007. His Cup tally is an impressive 660 runs, average 50.76 and strike rate 90.78.

Ravi Rampaul (5-51), had a superb World Cup debut logging his career-best and his first five-wicket haul in ODIs. He also became the second West Indies bowler and the sixth overall to capture five wickets on World Cup debut.

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SA vs Ban: South Africa thrash Bangladesh by 206 runs

DHAKA: Lonwabo Tsotsobe grabbed 3-14 on his World Cup debut as mighty South Africa sent Bangladesh crashing out of the tournament with a 206-run victory on Saturday.

Jacques Kallis made 69 and Faf du Plessis hit a run-a-ball 52 to lift South Africa to 284-8 after Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to take first strike on a slow, sluggish wicket.

Bangladesh, needing a win to qualify for the quarterfinals, were shot out for 78 in reply after Tsotsobe ripped through the top order and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson claimed 4-12 at the end.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan made 30 but none of the other 10 batsmen reached double figures as Bangladesh almost matched their lowest one-day total of 58 against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.

The emphatic win not only cemented South Africa's place as Group B winners with 10 points, but also carried India and England into the quarter-finals with the West Indies set to take the last spot.

Bangladesh ended the league with six points, the same as the West Indies, but their run-rate is so poor that even a massive win by India over Darren Sammy's men on Sunday will not help.

Tsotsobe, who was given a chance only because pace spearheads Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rested ahead of the bigger matches, seized the opportunity in style.

The 27-year-old left-arm seamer silenced a sell-out crowd of 25,000 home fans at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium when he had Bangladesh's main batting hope, Tamim Iqbal, caught behind for five in his second over.

Tsotsobe bowled Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees and off-spinner Johan Botha trapped Junaid Siddique leg-before to dash Bangladesh's hopes.

Mushfiqur Rahim was caught in the slips off Peterson and Mohammad Mahmudullah was run out as Bangladesh slipped to 58-6 by the 22nd over.

Peterson had Shakib caught behind and then removed Shafiul Islam and Abdur Razzak in one over and bowled Naeem Islam to end the innings.

Earlier, Kallis mastered the slow wicket to hit five boundaries and a six in his ninth World Cup half-century, sharing a fourth wicket stand of 82 with Faf du Plessis.

They laid the platform for a late assault which saw the lower order batsmen smash 92 runs in the last 10 overs.

South Africa made a solid start as Smith and Hashim Amla (51) put on 98 for the first wicket by the 21st over.

Smith, on 26, survived a close call for leg-before when he asked for a review after being given out by umpire Daryl Harper.

Replays indicated an on-field call - which usually means the batsman has to go -- but Harper overturned his own decision to the surprise of bowler Razzak.

Smith equalled his best score of 45 in this World Cup, against the West Indies in the first match, before he was stumped off Mahmudullah attempting a big hit.

Amla fell two overs later when he played a delivery from Razzak onto his stumps to make South Africa 107-2.

When JP Duminy was caught down the leg-side by the wicket-keeper while trying to hook Rubel Hossain, South Africa were 141-3.

SL vs NZ: Sri Lanka thump New Zealand by 112 runs

MUMBAI: Sri Lanka showed why the World Cup favourites tag sits pretty next to them as they thrashed New Zealand by 112 runs in the day-night clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

The result enabled them to top Group A with nine points from six games. Sri Lanka now can't finish lower than second spot in the table and that too is possible only if Pakistan beat Australia in Colombo on Saturday.

More than the win, what will delight the co-hosts is the fact that their key players are back in top form ahead of the quarterfinals. After winning the toss and batting first, the 1996 champs were led by an inspired ton from skipper Kumar Sangakkara (111, 128 balls, 11x4, 2x6) and a stylish 66 (90 balls, 6x4) from vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene. Their 145-run third-wicket alliance enabled them to recover from a shaky 19 for 2 in 4.3 overs to a match-winning total of 265-9.

With the ball, Muttiah Muralitharan showed the spin and drift of old times and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis too proved difficult to negotiate as New Zealand, going well at 82-2 at one stage, just collapsed in a heap as a result of the M&M magic.

The game belonged to the Sri Lankan skipper though. He has been in great touch right through the World Cup and Friday's 111 saw the southpaw top the run-getter's tally with 363 at a Bradmanesque average of 121. He was also brilliant behind the stumps, effecting a smart stumping off the bowling of Muralitharan to get rid of the young Kane Williamson.

Apart from scoring runs, it was the manner in which he took the responsibility of guiding the innings after openers Upul Tharanga (unfortunately run out at the bowler's end) and Tillakaratne Dilshan were packed off early. The way he controlled the powerplay overs was educative, especially for teams like India, who tend to try and do too much in them.

It was Sangakkara's first World Cup hundred and his first ton in 63 ODIs after his hundred against Bangladesh in June 2008 in the Asia Cup at Karachi.
Murali injures knee, hamstring

While Sri Lanka were thrilled after their 112-run shellacking of New Zealand in their last Group A encounter of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, they were a touch worried over key bowler Muttiah Muralitharan's fitness. Murali injured his knee and hamstring while going for an impossible second run and got run out. Man of the match and Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara, though, appeared confident about Murali's availability for the quarterfinal next Sunday. "He will be fine. We are heading back home now and it's important that we give him a rest. He has hurt his knee and hamstring, but he should be fine for the quarters." That Murali picked up 4-25 in eight overs despite his injury proves that he will be fine with some rest.

Ever since he took the charge of the Sri Lankan team from Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara has believed in leading from the front. The 33-year-old has been in golden touch in this tournament and he carried that form against New Zealand. He turned out to be a Man Friday for the Lankans. It was his first century since June 2008 and came after a long gap of 63 innings. Sangakkara's 11th hundred may not be a fluent one but he will cherish this as it came in a winning cause. It was a perfect One-day knock from the Sri Lankan captain, who fought adversities with utmost calmness and then showed his natural flair. His 128-ball 111 contained 12 fours and two big sixes.

How many times in their illustrious careers, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have stepped up and taken Sri Lanka to safety. Even they would have forgotten the counting! However, for spectators, it's always a treat to watch these two stalwarts batting together. On Friday, Sri Lanka had lost early wickets of in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga with just 19 runs on the board. The Wankhede wicket was offering some assistance to the bowlers. The duo put their heads down; gave due respect to good balls and after getting their eye in, dispatched bad deliveries with class and authority. Their 145-run third-wicket stand set up the game for Sri Lanka, who posted enough runs for their bowlers to defend.

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Federer reaches semis at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: World No. 2 Roger Federer defeated Swiss compatriot and doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells ATP tennis tournament on Friday.

Three-time former winner Federer advanced to the semifinals where he will face Serbian Novak Djokovic who defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4.

"I have had a wonderful hard court swing," Federer said. "I had a good start to the year, a good six months. I am excited, pretty healthy and really motivated."

Federer set up match point with a thundering forehand down the line then clinched the win when Wawrinka punched a backhand wide ending the 64-minute match on centre court.

The Swiss pair are also teaming up in the doubles draw. No sooner had they finished their singles match then they had to get ready to return to the main stadium court to play doubles against Spaniard's Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez as the first match on the night session.

In their only previous meeting this year, Federer crushed Wawrinka in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. He eventually lost to Djokovic in three sets in the semifinals and Djokovic went on to win the title.

"Wimbledon wasn't that bad," Federer said on Friday.

Federer's win not only sets his first semifinal match against third seeded Djokovic since the Australian Open but the outcome will determine the number two ranking in the world. Federer has a 13-8 career record against Djokovic.

World No. 3 Djokovic has been blitzing his opponents the last few months and is currently on an 18-match win streak dating back to last year's Davis Cup final.

Saina avenges loss to Eriko, reaches quarters in Swiss Open

NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal avenged her All England quarterfinal loss to Eriko Hirose with a thrilling three-game victory over the Japanese in the second round of the Wilson Swiss Open Super Series in Switzerland.

Second seed Saina beat All England finalist Eriko 21-15 17-21 21-11 in a match which lasted close to an hour to set up a clash with sixth seed Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva in the quarterfinals.

Nedelcheva defeated qualifier Karin Schnaase of Germany 21-12 21-11 last night.

Eriko had beaten Saina in the quarterfinals of the All England Championships last week and the Japanese got off to a good start in the first game in Switzerland.

She opened up a four-point lead at 9-4 in the second round but Saina caught up with her and moved ahead to pocket the opener.

Her back against the wall, Eriko came back strongly in the second game and moved neck-and-neck with Saina before surging ahead from 17-16 to equalise.

In the decider, world number four Saina didn't give any chance to her rival and shut the match with ruthless precision moving to 13-5 first and then holding on to it as Eriko crumbled.

In men's singles, Ajay Jayaram also reached the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 15-21 23-21 21-19 victory over 16th seed Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the third round last night. He will take on fourth seed Sung Hwan Park of Korean in the next round.

Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas beat sixth seeds Mads Conrad-Petersen and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark 17-21 21-15 21-15 in the men's doubles category.

The Indian duo will next take on fourth seeds Chieh Min Fang and Sheng Mu Lee of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.

In women's doubles, there was disappointment in store for Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist lost 16-21 12-21 to seventh seeds Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito in the pre-quarterfinals last night.

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Tendulkar eyes ton of tons in World Cup group finale

CHENNAI: Sachin Tendulkar can complete another landmark on Sunday by hitting his 100th international hundred as India tackle West Indies in the World Cup's final group match.

Both sides have yet to make sure of their quarterfinal places, although the qualifying picture from Group B will become a lot clearer after South Africa, who are already through, face hopefuls Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.

As well as the qualification picture, most of the 38,000 fans at the Chidambaram Stadium will be anticipating Tendulkar's 100th international hundred.

The India star moved to 99 centuries (51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals) with a majestic innings of 111 in his side's previous group match against South Africa.

However, even a 'Sachin special' was not enough to prevent a three-wicket defeat by South Africa where India, on a belting batting pitch in Nagpur, contrived to lose their last nine wickets for just 29 runs as they slumped from 267 for one to 296 all out.

"When you hit those big shots, you tend to forget that you are playing for the country and not for the crowd," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

Runs are set to be harder to come by in Chennai, where no batsman managed a fifty on a typically bowler-friendly pitch during England's nailbiting 18-run win over the West Indies on Thursday.

The good news for India is that West Indies have no equivalent of Proteas' fast bowler Dale Steyn.

But their batsmen, who will be expected to bat far more sensibly in the powerplay after collectively losing their heads against South Africa, will do well not to under-estimate a youthful Windies attack that troubled England.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo took three wickets on his one-day international debut while lively seamer Andre Russell almost produced a match-winning all-round performance with four wickets and a dashing 49.

Had the West Indies, who lost their last four wickets for just three runs on Thursday, won both they and India would now be in the quarterfinals.

However, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson was encouraged by much of the England match, saying: "We are starting to show the resilience we are going to need to beat teams like England and India on Sunday and the big boys."

For India, the debate over whether to play off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is reaching a key phase.

Dhoni has been steadfast - his critics would say stubborn - in support of struggling leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

Ashwin, praised by Dhoni for his mental toughness and stability, has yet to bowl a single over at the World Cup.

But Sunday's match is taking place on Ashwin's home ground and there will be those in the Indian camp arguing that it is better to bowl the 24-year-old this weekend than risk playing him 'cold' in a quarterfinal.

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SL vs NZ: Kiwis need 266 runs to win against Sri Lanka

MUMBAI: Kumar Sangakkara led from the front to hit a fine 111 as Sri Lanka posted 265-9 in Friday's World Cup clash against New Zealand which was marred by an unsavoury catch controversy.

The Sri Lankan skipper also put on 145 runs for the third wicket with his deputy Mahela Jayawardene (66) to pull his team out of early trouble in the day-night match at the Wankhede Stadium.

The two teams have already made it to the quarterfinals and the result of this game will determine their final Group A positions.

Sri Lanka lost opener Upul Tharanga early when he was run out in the third over after Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in hot and humid conditions.

Tharanga backed up too far and Tim Southee (3-63) managed to get his hand to a straight drive from Tillakaratne Dilshan before the ball rolled on to hit the stumps.

Dilshan followed his partner to the pavilion soon, lobbing a simple catch to Jacob Oram off Southee while trying to go for an ambitious shot on the leg side, plunging Sri Lanka to 19-2.

Jayawardene got embroiled in a controversy early in his innings.

The former captain tried to play a defensive shot in the 24th over against off-spinner Nathan McCullum but ended up chipping the ball back to the bowler.

McCullum dived and managed to get his right hand under the ball to cap what looked like a stunning effort.

But even as McCullum broke into a celebration, TV umpire Amish Saheba was called in and he ruled it not out.

A furious McCullum and Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor angrily protested the decision with on-field umpire Asad Rauf.

Jayawardene, then on 26, hit six fours in a dour 90-ball innings before being adjudged trapped leg before off Southee, a decision he asked to be reviewed but in vain.

Sangakkara played a captain's innings, racing to his 11th century and completing 9,000 one-day international runs in the process, the fourth Sri Lankan player to the mark.

This was Sangakkara's first three-figure score in 63 innings, having gone without a ton since June 2008.

He was bowled by McCullum in the 42nd over after facing 128 balls and hitting 12 fours and two sixes.

Angelo Mathews provided the late impetus to the innings with an unbeaten 41 off 35 balls.

Eng vs WI: England beat West Indies by 18 runs to stay afloat in World Cup

CHENNAI: England kept their World Cup campaign alive by beating blow-hot-blow-cold West Indies by 18 runs on Thursday.

In a ding-dong battle, England first wasted a good batting start (79-1 in the 11th over). But after being 151-6, their last four wickets added 92 runs to take the tally to 243.

When West Indies made 58-0 in eight overs, it looked an uphill task for Strauss' men. But they stuck to it by removing the middle-order of West Indies in quick succession, especially Pollard. On a challenging track, Andre Russell and Ramnaresh Sarwan showed great resilience to take it from 150-6 to 222. But once they lost Russell, nerves played a part and the West Indies lost.

Spinners Graeme Swann and James Tredwell shared seven wickets between them on a helpful track and Ravi Bopara varied his pace to scalp two.

West Indies started the chase of 244 by throwing caution to the wind. They probably thought survival was difficult on this track. The strategy seemed to have worked when Chris Gayle hammered away, hitting pacemen Tremlett and Bresnan (1-0-18-0) out of the attack. Probably, it was a mistake in hindsight as it brought another spinner Tredwell (Swann opened from the other side) into the attack.

Tredwell had Gayle (43 off 21, 8x4s, 1x6) lbw; Prior made a brilliant stumping of the off-balanced Smith and skipper Strauss plucked Darren Bravo at first slip. All the three lefties fell to off-spinner (Dhoni please note: Peterson was leftie and Bhajji an off-spinner).

Sammy and Thomas then played on to the stumps against Bopara.

Pollard hit two typical sixes after playing out one maiden over. But classy offie Swann had him lbw to a turner. Russell was generally quiet but he also hit three sixes, the one being particularly contentious. Strauss appeared to have caught him at long-on off Swann, but unclear TV footage and the shadow of the boundary line ads seemed to have put a doubt in the TV umpire's mind. And he passed that advantage to the batsman.

But Tredwell got Russell lbw. Swann, in his last over, got Sarwan caught at short-leg and Roach caught by Tremlett, running in and diving in front at mid-off.

Earlier, at 121-2 in the 22nd over, with Jonathan Trott in sublime touch, England lost the momentum despite the lack of relentless pressure from the bowling attack.

Matt Prior was bowled through the gate by Andre Russell. But the bigger culprits were Andrew Strauss (top edged a difficult high catch to Chris Gayle, who ran back from mid-wicket) and Eion Morgan (edged a reverse sweep to the wicket-keeper).

James Tredwell couldn't have asked for better World Cup debut than this. England had their backs against the wall and a loss would have thrown them out. However, Tredwell delivered when it mattered the most. Every time Andrew Strauss threw the ball to him, he came up with a breakthrough. He was brought in when Chris Gayle was belting England's bowlers all over the park. He trapped the dangerous Gayle in front and then sent back Devon Smith and talented Darren Bravo. Later on, when the West Indies were cruising with the 7th wicket stand between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Andre Russell, he claimed Russell's wicket.

It seemed as if the game against England was going to be one dominated by Andre Russell. The pacer had picked up four wickets for 49 to bowl England out for 243 after Strauss had won the toss and chose to bat on a two-paced and dry pitch. After Pollard was dismissed for 24, England had West Indies down for the count at 150 for 6. The experienced Ramnaresh Sarwan needed someone to hang around and it was Russell who put his hand up. Tonking sixes, he scored an entertaining 49 and took West Indies to within 21 runs of a quarterfinal berth. His dismissal to Tredwell's off-spin started the collapse and the West Indies lost four wickets for three runs.

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Indian playing XI row heats up

CHENNAI: All is not well in the Indian camp.

Right from the time the World Cup squad was selected, the selectors and skipper MS Dhoni were not sharing the same thought process. With the group stage almost done and dusted, the rift has only increased.

It's understood that Dhoni's "stubbornness" regarding team selection hasn't gone down too well either with the BCCI bosses or with the selectors. And now, with just a couple of days to go for the crucial game against West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth met Dhoni & Co at the team hotel just before they were to come for practice. One understands that a few harsh words were spoken and the team management was asked to have a closer look at the playing XI. Dhoni has been extremely stubborn on the issue of playing with Piyush Chawla as the second spinner and the selection committee thinks that "it's time R Ashwin is given a chance".

A couple of days back, two selectors had a talk with Dhoni and he was clearly told that "Chawla has got enough chances" and that Ashwin should be in the playing XI. But the skipper was not ready to budge, even though there are senior members in the team who believe that the TN offie should get his chance.

Chika, despite his stature, has never interfered with the playing XI, but now that things have gone too far, there was no other alternative for the chairman but to have a talk with the team management. He clearly communicated the displeasure of the selectors but finally left it to the captain to take his call.

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan was also present and was a witness to the conversion between the chairman of selectors and the captain.

Later, Chika was present at the IIT Chemplast ground as well where he caught up with the other members of the team. The chairman had a long conversation with coach Gary Kirsten and later he was seen having a talk with the bowlers. As the media swarmed around him for a sound byte, he refused for the time being. "We will have a talk after India win the West Indies game," Chika said trying his best to deflate the tension.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina has been given indications from the team management that he will play Sunday's game. The left-hander has mentioned to his close friends that he is making mental preparations to play the game.

Ashwin vs Piyush

What works in favour of Ashwin:

- His ability to bowl in the Powerplays. The off-spinner is known to contain the batsmen.
- Has done well in the Chennai, which is home turf for him.

What not for Chawla:

-Hasn't been able to contain batsmen or take wickets.
- Is under immense pressure to perform.

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Canon may pull out IPL ads

MUMBAI: As the crisis in Japan deepens, Canon India, a subsidiary of the Japanese imaging and optical products major, has pressed the panic button. In a major setback to its plans, Canon India is contemplating pulling out from advertising during the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting April 8.


The Japanese multinational which specializes in products like cameras and photocopiers plans to launch a new range of cameras next month and was going to put out a new campaign starring its brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar. But with supplies being hit, the company is not sure of being able to fulfil the demand if it goes ahead with the media campaign.


Alok Bharadwaj, senior VP, Canon India, told TOI, "With the launch of a new campaign we expect demand to be created for the product but with issues on the supply side the decision on whether we will go ahead with the mass media campaign will be taken in a couple of days."


However, an official broadcaster of the IPL-SET Max said there is no clause which can allow for any advertiser to pull out from the tournament under any circumstances. "There is no question of any advertiser pulling out once the contract is signed. Such provisions are not part of the terms and conditions," said Rohit Gupta, president of Multi Screen Media (the parent company of SET Max).


Canon, along with other Japanese companies, has increased its advertising and marketing spends over the last one year to ramp up its presence in the country.


Sony, one of the biggest exporters of electronics out of Japan, has been on an overdrive and signed on the Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni before the start of the ICC World Cup to garner market share away from its Korean rivals LG and Samsung, but the Japanese electronics major said it cannot comment on any expected cuts in marketing and advertising budgets post what happened in Japan. But given the ongoing crisis, with the kind of destruction that has been brought about by the earthquake and the tsunami and now the threat of a nuclear meltdown, the Indian subsidiaries of Japanese multinationals may have to cut costs and resort to austerity measures. In fact, Canon has cancelled a foreign jaunt that it had organized for its trade partners as a mark of respect to the victims back in Japan and also to cut unwanted expenditure.

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Aus vs Can: Ponting compares Patel with Sehwag

BANGALORE: As Hiral Patel smashed the likes of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait to all corners of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during a World Cup match, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said the Canadian batsman reminded him of Indian swahsbuckler Virender Sehwag.

Patel's blazing 45-ball 54-run innings had the Australians on the backfoot before the defending champions regrouped to skittle out the Canadians for 211 and chase the total with ease.

"He plays a lot like him (Sehwag)," Ponting said after his team's seven-wicket win over the North Americans in a Group A match on Wednesday night.

Ponting felt it would be difficult for the title-holders to fight back if bigger teams get off with the kind of blistering start that Patel gave to the Canadians.

"We did well to get wickets and restrict them today. But against good teams with deeper batting line-up (it would be hard)," Ponting said.

The unknown factor probably worked to Canada's advantage and Ponting said his team would be better against Pakistan.

"We didn't know much about him and the others. We just saw some clippings of them. He needed some room and played some amazing shots.

"But Pakistan, we know their game better," he said before adding, "It's always great playing Pakistan. One never knows about Pakistan. They have been good but against New Zealand they were ordinary."

Ponting has, so far, failed to live upto his billing in the World Cup, but hoped he would click in the bigger games.

"There wasn't much left for me to do today. Hopefully, I am saving them for the big matches," he said.

Asked about his angry reaction following his collision with Steve Smith while taking a catch, Ponting said, "It wasn't a great reaction. But it wasn't designed or intentional. It just happened in the spur of the moment. If it looked bad, I apologise."

Australian opener Shane Watson, who struck a 90-ball 94, said, "It was one of those innings which took a while to get going."

Talking about his opening partner Brad Haddin, with whom he was involved in a record 183-run stand, Watson said, "I think the way he batted tonight and against New Zealand was brilliant.

"I think we are building a very good partnership at the top of the order."

Canada skipper Ashish Bagai made his disappointment obvious after his side failed to capitalise on the good start.

"It's very, very disappointing. The lack of experience showed. They have some good wicket-taking bowlers," Bagai said.

About the team's overall experience in the tournament, he said, "It's a young side and I think the bowling has been fantastic throughout the tournament. They will take a lot of positives which will help them grow and make Canada a lot stronger in the next five years," he said.

Bagai also felt that they should get to play against better oppositions on a more consistent basis.

"If we can get some decent competitions, it doesn't matter to me even if its an A level tournament, that will help the side tremendously. We need some help in the next five years," Bagai said.

"For a nation that's trying to grow, it takes more than just six games," he said.

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Team India mulls over pace partner for Zaheer

NEW DELHI: With off-spinner R Ashwin almost certain to make his World Cup debut against the West Indies on Sunday, the Indian team management is now sweating it out to decide who will share the new ball with Zaheer Khan as the second pacer in the playing XI.

According to sources, Team India is divided between Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra.

If some members of the team are banking on Munaf's recent form, the others are backing Nehra for his wealth of experience. Sources said that the final call on this is yet to be taken, but Nehra enjoys considerable backing of some of the top players in the team. Will this translate into Nehra getting the nod for the West Indies match?

But this is of great significance for Nehra, especially at a time when the Delhi pacer is been getting a lot of flak for conceding 13 runs in the last over against South Africa on last Saturday. While Munaf has taken nine wickets in the World Cup so far, Nehra has claimed four from two outings in the tournament. "It's a tough call for the team management for sure. Clearly, Munaf is bowling well but Nehra is backed by the seniors despite that last over against South Africa," another team insider told TOI.

Backing someone in a crisis is heartening, especially for a team whose bowling attack lacks consistency. But for former Indian medium-pacer Manoj Prabhakar, Nehra does not look the right option. "If one has to pick either of the two, I would bat for Munaf. Nehra is not looking confident as a bowler right now," Prabhakar, who coached the Delhi Ranji team this season for which Nehra plays, feels.

Agreed another former medium-pacer Roger Binny. "Going by the current form, Munaf has the upper hand. Ideally, Nehra would have been the first pick, but of late he has struggled with injuries and hasn't played regular competitive cricket for the last two months. So, it's showing in his bowling performance. You need at least two or three matches under your belt to get your rhythm right," Binny said.

Eng vs WI: England meet West Indies in now-or-never contest

CHENNAI: An inconsistent England are expected to rejig their line-up with the hope of beating West Indies in their final World Cup Group B match on Thursday to keep alive their quarterfinal prospects.

Out of form pace bowler James Anderson may have to pave way for Chris Tremlett, while Matt Prior is expected to drop down the batting order so that either Ravi Bopara or Ian Bell can partner captain Andrew Strauss at the top.

Having tied their match with India and gone down to Ireland and Bangladesh, a victory would keep England afloat even though Strauss and his men would move into the quarterfinals only if other Group B results also favour them.

Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann have recovered from a stomach bug to join the team that looked jaded in the tournament.

West Indies, on the other hand, will be banking on fit-again opener Chris Gayle and in-form all-rounder Kieron Pollard to provide the batting firepower that would take them through to the quarterfinals.

Captain Darren Sammy expects coach Ottis Gibson's experience of working with England to provide them the insider knowledge that would come handy in this contest.

STATBOX

Facts and figures relating to the Group B World Cup match at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Thursday.

Head-to-head record: West Indies lead 41-37 (NR: 4)
In the World Cups: England lead 4-1
In the sub-continent: England lead 3-1

* The teams first played each other in Sept. 1973 at Headingley, Leeds when England chased down a modest 181 in a thrilling one wicket win. The response to that match set in motion the creation of the World Cup in 1975.

* Since then England are still seeking their first 50-over World Cup while West Indies are a pale self of the indomitable bunch that dominated the first two editions.

* England camp (LWLTW) have to beat West Indies if they are to have any hope of reaching the last eight. Even then if other Group B results do not fall their way, England might find themselves as the only test-playing nation not to make the cut.

* West Indies (WWWLL), on the other hand, have had a poor year, fell behind Bangladesh in ODI rankings and then lost to South Africa in their opening Cup match. Since then they have gone from strength to strength having dismissed Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland easily.

* West Indies need to win one of their remaining games against England or India to confirm their place in the quarter-finals. If they win both matches, they could finish as group leaders.

* It is likely to be a clash between the English batsmen in form - Andrew Strauss (298 runs), Jonathan Trott (289 runs) and to a lesser extent, Ian Bell (193 runs) - against the West Indian in-form bowlers - Sulieman Benn (12 wickets at an economy of 4.43) and Kemar Roach (11 wickets at 4.00)

* The West Indies batsmen have not been in the best of forms, besides Devon Smith (202 runs), while the English bowlers have really struggled against most oppositions, other than South Africa, with Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan (nine wickets each) being the only consistent bowlers.

* England will have a slight advantage having played in Chennai earlier in their win against South Africa, where the pitch was not a very high scoring one and good line and length bowlers were rewarded for their toils.

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Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup

COLOMBO: Pakistan's maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar, whose colourful career has been a heady mix of on-field brilliance and off-field controversy, will quit international cricket after the World Cup.


"Yes, I will quit international cricket after the World Cup" the 35-year-old said.

"I have taken this decision after much thought. Pakistan's last match in this World Cup will also be my last. I hope that will be the final on April 2."

Akhtar made up his mind after Pakistan's 110-run defeat against New Zealand, in which he went for 70 runs in his nine overs.

He was rested for the match against Zimbabwe on Monday and was thought to be an unlikely starter for Saturday's last Group A match against Australia.

Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007.

He is three wickets short of 250 in 163 one-day internationals and has taken 19 wickets in 15 Twenty20 internationals.

Pakistan squad members hugged him in the dressing room on Thursday before captain Shahid Afridi embraced him as the players entered the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo for practice.

Akhtar, known as the Rawalpindi Express during his tearaway days as one of Test cricket's most feared if unpredictable talents, once cracked the 100mph barrier at the 2003 World Cup.

At this World Cup, which was always likely to be his swansong, Akhtar looked neat and tidy with figures of 0-10 and 2-42 against Kenya and Sri Lanka respectively.

He missed the win over Canada but was then smashed all over the park at Pallekele against New Zealand, with figures of 1-70, before being dropped for the game with Zimbabwe.

His career will always be remembered for a series of fitness problems, discipline violations as well as a doping offence that put the brakes on achieving his true potential.

Most recently he was fined $2,000 for breaching discipline after the defeat to New Zealand.

Team manager Intikhab Alam confirmed the fine, which was levied after an on-field spat with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who missed two chances off his bowling.

Akhtar and the now banned Mohammad Asif failed drugs tests in 2006 and were suspended for two years and one year respectively, both of which were lifted on appeal.

Fitness problems forced him to miss the 2007 World Cup while he was fined heavily and banned for 13 ODIs after he hit Asif with a bat two days before the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa.

In 2008 he was banned for five years after publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board following his exclusion from the list of centrally contracted players.

The ban was reduced to 18 months by a tribunal, which levied a fine of 7.0 million Pakistani rupees ($105,000 at the time). His appeal against the ban is still pending.

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Spirited Somdev goes down fighting to Nadal

INDIAN WELLS (USA): Somdev Devvarman put up a spirited fight against Rafael Nadal but the world number one eventually managed to tame the lion-hearted Indian in straight sets in the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP BNP Paribas Open.

Somdev went down 5-7, 4-6 but not before making the Spaniard work hard for every point in a contest that lasted close to two hours -- the first set alone accounting for more than an hour.

The 26-year-old Indian, known for his fighting spirit and appetite for long-drawn matches, seemed set for another marathon when he was locked 5-5 with Nadal in the opening set itself.

The world number 84 Somdev got a crucial break point in the 11th game, his second of the set, but could not convert it handing the advantage back to the Spaniard.

That is where the difference in rankings and experience showed as Nadal managed to break the Indian in the very next game to finally seal the set in his favour after slogging it out for more than an hour.

The second set went on serve till the eighth game before Nadal managed to convert the only break opportunity to edge past the Indian.