“We have shown consistency and loyalty in team selections. Moreover, the composition of our side and the kind of mix we have. The combination of selection policy, quality of players, their maturity and above all a good franchise, everything has been fantastic,” said Fleming.

“We have been lucky to have had the same team for six years and have played only finals and semi-finals. We have been conservative in our approach and often been criticised for being boring. But in a tournament where results can be emotionally driven, we have had a solid base,” he added.

Chennai Super Kings entered the final of the Pepsi IPL for the fourth straight time with a thumping 48-run win over Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier here last night.

Fleming said that introduction of Ravindra Jadeja was a `Game Changer` as the left-arm spinner got rid of the dangerous Dwayne Smith, who hit a blazing 28-ball 68.

“We were a little bit on the backfoot as the bowling came under a bit of pressure from Smith. We needed to quickly turn around things. Bringing in Jadeja was the right move as it turned out to be the Game-Changer,” said the coach.

Asked how Dhoni approaches a particular match-situation, Fleming said, “Dhoni is a captain who always has an open plan and I back his judgement.”

Fleming paid rich tributes to veteran Mike Hussey for his phenomenal success, having scored 732 runs in IPL-6 so far.

“It`s been unbelievable. He (Hussey) is also in a little bit of shock as to how good he has been. I used to pull his legs, calling him “too old and traditional” to play some innovative shots. But now that he is concentrating solely on T20s, he is exploring ways to get better. He has been an absolute delight this season,” Fleming said.

The former Kiwi captain said that his choice of opponent for the final will be the side that is more “emotionally drained” after two tough matches.

He was asked for the umpteenth time about whether he would like to coach a national team, and Fleming was quick to dismiss the idea yet again.

“I have a young family with three kids. As of now the balance between IPL and family works fine for me as I have been on the road for the past 20 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma termed the performance as “one bad day when the plans didn`t click”.

Are MI becoming proverbial chokers in the league, Rohit replied, “I don`t agree as we have won 11 out of 16 games in the league phase. The bowlers have done a tremendous job till now and it was one day they couldn`t make it happen.”

Asked about the areas where MI were found wanting, the young skipper said, “There are a few areas like changing pace and bowling back of the length on this track with short boundaries which didn`t work. It was a huge score and we got tremendous start but lost a lot of wickets in the middle.”

He finally sent his resignation letter to the club boss Churchill Alemao yesterday.

It is learnt that Bhowmick, who guided Churchill Brothers successfully to win the I-League crown for the second time, had alleged differences with Alemao during the I-League matches.

Milan, a central midfielder, started his career with East Bengal and joined the Pailan Arrows in 2010. During his association with the Arrows, he had scored six goals in 31 appearances.

After a successful run with Pailan Arrows as the key player in their previous I-league seasons, he was handed the captaincy of the team for the 2012-13 season and he went on to score five goals for his club.

Arvind Narayan, Libero Sports Partner and FIFA Licensed player agent of Milan Singh said, “Milan is a quality player and will support Shillong Lajong’s ambitions of creating a title challenging squad.

Karthik admitted to the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.3) of showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during the match at Ferozeshah Kotla Ground last evening.

For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.

Myanmar eves rode on their two first half goals from Naw Phaw and Khin Moe Wai in the 5th and 26th minute, respectively to beat India comfortably at the Faisal Al Husseini stadium here last night.

Yadav, who was picked up from Delhi yesterday and questioned for his links with arrested player Ajit Chandila, has been placed under arrest, police sources said.

It was Yadav who allegedly introduced Chandila to bookie Sunil Bhatia, who is already arrested, they said.

Cardiff City’s Malky Mackay was named Championship Manager of the Year for leading his side to the first-ever promotion to the EPL, while Gary Johnson of Yeovil Town was honoured as League One Manager of the Year, at the LMA awards dinner yesterday.

Police conducted searches at the house of the alleged kingpin Prashanth and recovered some mobile phones and laptop besides some documents and cash. Police did not elaborate on the seizure but said they would seek his custody for further interrogation.

Searches were also conducted at the houses of two other ‘absconding’ bookies, they said.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Murugesan said it will fix the matter for hearing tomorrow after Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra, appearing for Sports Ministry, apprised the court that a similar petition was listed for hearing before the apex court.

The PIL, filed by NGO Association for Social and Humanitarian Affairs, has also sought a direction that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) be taken over by the Sports Ministry.

The NGO, which moved the court through its President Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, has also sought judicial supervision of the investigation into the IPL spot-fixing scandal case in which 18 people — three IPL players, four former players, 11 bookies and their assistants — have been arrested so far.

“The IPL’s model seems to be designed specifically to suit the requirements of the mafia to quickly and efficiently churn huge sum of money using the routes of hawala,” the petition, filed through advocate Rahul Raj Malik, alleged.

“The strategic time out of two to three minutes while the game is being played is misused, as being the only opportunity, for interactions between the players and the bookies to influence the result of the match and session and thereby cheat the nation…,” it alleged, adding that the whole nation has been “cheated” by some unscrupulous players, bookies and others.

The petition also quoted various newspaper reports to say that the bookies are operating from Karachi and Dubai.

Since the ugly revelations of the spot-fixing Scandal followed by the arrests of three of its players, including India international S Sreesanth, cricketing matters have taken a backseat for the champions of the first edition of the IPL.

One can expect the Sunrisers to be overwhelming favourites as they don’t have to deal with the demons of an ugly controversy that has shaken the cricketing establishment.

For Rajasthan Royals and especially their skipper Rahul Dravid, it will be a challenge to go out in the field shedding inhibitions and perform to the best of their abilities.

For the Royals and their loyal band of supporters, a good performance at least can help them deflect the unwanted attention that is on them for the time being.

But there is no denying the fact that the team is under immense pressure. The two foundations of a good team: self belief and confidence in each other’s abilities has been hit badly after the controversy.

Will Rahul Dravid have the same confidence when he hands over the ball to a particular bowler? Can he change the batting order randomly without having a crease on his forehead? These are question that will only be answered tomorrow.

Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the Royals management decided to have their last practice session ahead of the ‘Eliminator’ in Jaipur.

Since Jaipur-Delhi is less than an hour’s flight, the squad will only arrive here in the evening. This ensures that media will be busy covering the high-profile first Qualifier between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

Doctors at Shaukat Khanam Hospital here said the cricketer-turned-politician was fitted with a specially designed brace or spinal support this morning and he walked unaided for over 300 metres.

The pacer Sreesanth and two teammates of Rajasthan Royals—Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan were arrested by Delhi Police for indulging in crime of spot-fixing in three IPL matches along with bookies who might have connections with underworld abroad.

The suspended players have been brought to New Delhi booked under section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. The arrested accused are most likely to be booked under MCOCA (Maharastra Control of Organized Crime Act) if that takes place the accused will be jailed without bail and the confessions before DCP level will be admissible in the Court. The accused have been sent to the police custody for further interrogation in the connections of the said story for at least five days.

Lauding India for its historic series victory over the Australians, Srinivasan said the Board “always had confidence in the team” despite its below-par performances in recent times.

“It is very nice to see India winning. We always had the confidence in the team. We understood that the team was going through a period of transition after some great stalwarts of Indian cricket chose to retire. But I think our faith in the team, the captain and the players have been justified,” he said.

“Cricket is a sport. In sport you cannot be winning all the time. I don’t think that the Indian players want to lose. They also want to win, they fought hard. Sometimes they had bad luck, circumstances were against them. But overall, we should be proud of our cricketers,” he said.

Srinivasan was particularly happy with the way India bounced back after the 1-2 defeat at the hands of England at home in the previous series, but said stern tests awaits Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men when they tour South Africa later this year.

“Against England I thought maybe we were little bit unlucky at times, but the team regrouped and performed extremely well against Australia. But we will have tests in South Africa and New Zealand towards the end of this year and early part of next year.

“But all of that is part of building of a team and the character of the players will also come out,” he said.

The 38-year-old Ponting, who retired from international cricket last November, led the Sheffield Shield with 875 runs at an average of 87.50, including an unbeaten 200 in a recent match. Tasmania will host the first-class final beginning Friday against Queensland.

“International cricket has long passed me by,” Ponting said, predicting Australia could “put up a good show” in the fourth and final test against India after three consecutive defeats.

He signed a two-month contract with English county Surrey and will be in England when Australia builds up for the Ashes series. Ponting will also play for Mumbai in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League this year.

Ponting scored 13,378 runs in 168 tests at an average of 51.85. He is third on the all-time test run-scorers’ list behind Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Meanwhile, Mike Hussey confirmed Wednesday that he was happily retired, saying he was flattered by comments from Australia coach Mickey Arthur that he’d welcome him back into the test team.

Hussey was still at the top of his game when he retired in January after 79 tests.

“It’s extremely flattering,” Hussey said. “But I’ve moved on and I really don’t want to be back in that pressure-cooker environment, particularly leading into the Ashes. It’s going to be an extremely stressful time for all the boys.”

Both Hussey and Ponting have been mentioned as possible saviors for the test team, which was rocked by the suspensions of Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson for the third test in India and fell behind 3-0 in the four-match series.

The players failed to provide team management with a critique of their performances in the second test in an episode which most critics compared with schoolchildren not completing their homework assignments.

Watson, the team’s vice-captain, returned to Australia for the birth of his first child after the suspension was announced. But he has since flown back to India and is likely to play in the fourth test beginning Friday in New Delhi.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/ponting-accepts-award-rules-ashes-comeback/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/gambhir-opening-ipl-matches/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/gambhir-opening-ipl-matches/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:00:07 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=35081 New Delhi: Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders might miss the services of their Captain Gautam Gambhir as the senior opener is down with jaundice.

Gambhir, who was in contention to replace an injured Shikhar Dhawan in the fourth Test against Australia, underwent a few blood tests and jaundice was detected ruling him out of the match starting on Friday.

As of now, he might require rest for a period of three weeks in order to get back in action.

There is a possibility that South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis or New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum might lead KKR in Gambhir’s absence.

McCullum has already had an experience of leading KKR during the disastrous second edition in South Africa where they finished at the bottom of the heap.

But Kallis, if fit and available, will be the senior-most player and someone who is respected in the KKR ranks.

So, Kallis seems to be the favourite to lead the side if Gambhir misses the first few matches of the IPL.

Gambhir last played a competitive match against Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Tournament where he made an unbeaten 68 in 54 balls to leave a successful chase.

The possibility of KKR having an overseas skipper is due to the fact that there are not too many Indian players of stature who can replace Gambhir.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/gambhir-opening-ipl-matches/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/wasim-paks-recovery-pace-crisis/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/wasim-paks-recovery-pace-crisis/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:57:57 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=35078 Karachi:  Pakistan pace legend and former captain Wasim Akram wants to play a role in helping the Cricket Board resolve, what he calls, a “crisis” in the fast bowling department.

Wasim said he was willing to not only help the Pakistan Cricket Board in any venture but would also launch his own talent hunt scheme to unearth raw pace talent and then groom them in a specialised camp in April.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/wasim-paks-recovery-pace-crisis/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/flattered-hussey-retirement/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/flattered-hussey-retirement/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:56:43 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=35076 Melbourne: Mike Hussey has ruled out coming out of retirement despite Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur saying that he is open to welcoming back the batsman who was a crucial cog in the team’s middle-order till a few months back.

Hussey retired in January with 6235 Test runs at an average of 51.52. The 37-year-old veteran of 79 Tests said it was flattering to hear Arthur emphasising on his relevance during what has been a nightmare tour of India.

“It’s extremely flattering,” Hussey was quoted as saying by ‘the Sydney Morning Herald.

“But I’ve moved on and I really don’t want to be back in that pressure-cooker environment, particularly leading into the Ashes,” he added.

Hussey conceded that the team, which is down 0-3 in the four-match series against India, is going through a tough phase but ruled out coming back to lend a helping hand, saying that he is enjoying time with his family.

“It’s going to be an extremely stressful time for all the boys. I’m really looking forward to having a winter at home and just having some time with the family and being part of some normal life,” he said.

“People probably take it for granted, but I absolutely love knowing that I get to come home every day rather than going to another hotel room or another airport.

“I feel very lucky to have been able to leave on my own terms and leave when I wanted to.”

Hussey said the current crop of players needs to backed completely for a better future.

“In some ways, having a tough tour like India can sometimes really galvanise the group,” said Hussey.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/flattered-hussey-retirement/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/matt-hayden-promote-queensland/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/matt-hayden-promote-queensland/#comments Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:34:22 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=35074 Melbourne: In a bid to tap the growing Indian overseas traveller market, Australian state of Queensland has roped in cricket legend Matt Hayden for a new tourism campaign.

According to official statement, Minister for Tourism Jann Stuckey said the ‘Go Beyond’ campaign would showcase Queenslands rainforests, beaches and the Great Barrier Reef, which are all popular with Indian tourists.

Hayden, 41, one of Australia’s best opening batsmen, will front the new campaign.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/03/20/sports/matt-hayden-promote-queensland/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/23/sports/somdev-yuki-return-davis-cup-tie-indonesia/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/23/sports/somdev-yuki-return-davis-cup-tie-indonesia/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:16:09 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=35052 New delhi:  Top singles players Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri on Saturday made a return to the Indian Davis Cup team even as Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna continued to be pariahs for the crucial tie against Indonesia in April.

The national selectors met in New Delhi on Saturday and, as expected, picked Somdev, Yuki, Sanam Singh and experienced campaigner Leander Paes for the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I relegation play-off first round tie against Indonesia in Bangalore from April 5-7.

The All India Tennis Association’s (AITA) selection committee also named Vijayant Malik and N Sriram Balaji as reserves while Ram Kumar Ramnathan was picked for practice.

Meanwhile, S P Misra continued to be the non-playing captain while Zeeshan Ali will be the coach.

In the absence of 11 top players, who revolted against the AITA demanding better playing conditions, India had lost the Asia/Oceania Group I first round tie against South Korea 1-4 earlier this month.

The players ended their rebellion for the time being and made themselves available for the Indonesia tie after AITA agreed to improve the playing conditions and gave all the offers in writing.

Somdev, fifth-highest ranked Indian player at 354th, had beaten the world number 39 Benoit Paire of France in an ongoing ATP event in France.

Yuki is the highest-ranked Indian player in singles at 257th and that went in his favour during selection. He had won both his singles in the relegation play-off tie against New Zealand in September 2012 in Chandigarh.

For the doubles, the selection committee picked Sanam as Paes’ partner as Purav Raja was not retained for the tie.

Raja had supported Paes well in the tie against Korea, as the two registered the only victory for India.

Bhupathi and Bopanna were not considered for selection after they were axed from the side on disciplinary ground and handed two-year bans although a court had issued a stay order on the punishment.

The AITA also decided to persist with non-playing captain Misra, even though the players had demanded his replacement.

The Korea tie was supposed to be Misra’s farewell tie but the federation looks in no mood to replace him.

With 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1, Harbhajan has been one of India’s most prolific bowlers even though he has been enduring a tough phase for some time.

The off-spinner will become only the 10th Indian cricketer to achieve the milestone after it was confirmed that he will be in the playing eleven for the series opener.

“It’s a big game,” Harbhajan, who interestingly found fame after wrecking the same team in the famous 2001 series, said at the pre-match press conference here.

“(The previous) 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before,” the 32-year-old spinner added.

Talking about the milestone, Harbhajan said the next target would be to add another 50 Tests to his CV.

“I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start with, but I will be fine.

“Once I get away with 100, we will see what needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work even harder,” he said.

One of India’s top cyclist, Deborah is now gearing up for the Asian cycling championship which will be hosted by the National Capital Region from March 7 to 17.

“After these four years if he spends more time playing the game of golf, I’m sure he can actually get to where he’s a pretty good stick,” Woods said.

“Partner” was what Woods called Obama during the match, the New York Daily News reported.

Kohli succeeds former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was at the helm during last season.

Kohlis appointment follows a productive IPL VI auction in which RCB strengthened their bowling line-up significantly and added capable all-rounders to increase the amount of flexibility in the selection of the playing squad.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I can’t say how much I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Henriques said.

“It has happened very quickly. It wasn’t really in my list of goals at the start of this first-class season,” the 26-year-old added.

Henriques was chosen ahead of another uncapped all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. He said that he was informed about his selection last night.

“Mickey (coach/selector Mickey Arthur) came into my room last night and passed me the news.”

Henriques said he was delighted to have joined the likes of legends like “Allan Border and the Waugh Brothers” who seem to have played an influential role in his career. “I never thought it (Test cricket) had passed me by. I always felt that once I could stay on the park for long enough, the rest would take care of itself.

Asked if Arthur gave him any advice, Henriques said, “He told me to just keep doing what I have been doing, not to change anything. The conditions will be different here but I will be doing my very best to execute (my plans).”

The double-amputee Olympian and Paralympian “Blade Runner” is seeking bail at the hearing which is expected to reveal more about what happened the night his covergirl law graduate lover Reeva Steenkamp was killed.

“If I get a chance, I would want to be involved with the Indian Boxing Federation and help clean up the mess. I would like to get the ban removed to make it possible for the Indian boxers to represent the country in international events,” Vijender told reporters.

Vijender stressed on the importance of sportspersons getting involved in decision-making.

“IOA, federations or the Sports Ministry should involve different sportspersons in decision making,” he said.

The provisional suspension on the IABF has left Vijender frustrated and he hoped things get sorted out soon.

“I have been training and it is frustrating when you think about the goal and the uncertainty. I hope things get sorted out soon. I will probably go to Cuba for training in June or July,” he said.

Vijender plans to drive through Rajasthan till the Indo-Pak border post and sing for the jawans posted there as a part of MyEndeavouralterrain project.

He also emphasised on the formulation of Jammu and Kashmir Sports Policy and handling of sports issues under its provisions.

Chairing the 53rd Meeting of J&K Sports Council here, the Chief Minister, who is also president of the council, said that the standing committee headed by Sports Minister of the state should work out categorisation of sports in Jammu and Kashmir.

Omar said that holistic development of sports and proper nurturing of sports persons have been flagged as important aspects by the government and due attention was being paid to the infrastructure development in various sports.

The meeting discussed matters pertaining to engagement of statutory auditors for preparing of balance sheet, recognition of new sports associations, action taken in constituting the District Sports Councils, infrastructure development and other administrative matters.

In a powerpoint presentation the secretary, Sports Council informed the meeting that Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has sanctioned two mega projects for Jammu and Kashmir at the cost of Rs 11.5 crores.

These are Rs 4.50 crore-project for laying of synthetic turf for football at TRC Ground Srinagar and construction of Rs seven crore Indoor Stadium at M A Stadium Jammu

It was also informed in the meeting that the central

government has agreed to the proposals of the state government for construction of new Indoor Sport Complex in Kashmir Province at a cost of Rs 15 crore, laying of artificial turf for football at Baramulla at a cost of Rs 4.50 crore and two sports training centres at Jammu and Srinagar at a cost of Rs 10 crores.

The secretary said that the Sports Council was maintaining 69 stadia and playing fields all over the state.

He sought additional funds for the upkeep and improvement of these fields.

He said that there are 48 recognised state sports associations and over a score associations have applied for recognition.

He said that during the current financial year an amount of Rs 153.90 lakhs has been earmarked by the finance department in revised budget estimates for grant-in-aid and other aspects. He also sought enhancement of the grant-in-aid for the said purpose.

The secretary of Sports Council said that preliminary exercise for formulation of J&K Sports Policy has been initiated under the directions of the Chief Minister and the task is expected to be completed shortly.

The officials held a meeting with the BCCI officials yesterday and discussed various issues such as coaching, umpiring and scoring.

“We had a good meeting with BCCI Honorary Secretary (Sanjay Jagdale) and General Manager for Game Development ( Ratnakar Shetty). It’s in the initial stage. We want to build up good relations with BCCI.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/18/sports/afghan-board-seeks-bcci-support-develop-cricket/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/18/sports/india-wane-vulnerable-lawson/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/18/sports/india-wane-vulnerable-lawson/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:01:12 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=34874 Melbourne: The retirement of some batting greats and the recent failure to dominate England with spinners on home soil make India a “vulnerable” side in the upcoming Test against Australia, former cricketer Jeff Lawson has commented.

The former Australian fast bowler said India’s defeat against England despite playing on favourable dust-bowls was a big positive for the visiting Australian side.

“The forthcoming Indo-Aussie Test series presents major challenges for both teams.

The Olympic and Paralympic athlete was charged on Friday with the premeditated murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead at his luxury Pretoria home.

He had been contracted to compete in races in Australia, Brazil, Britain and the United States between March and May.

V K Gupta, General Manager, Northern Railway and Patron of the NRAS made the announcement here in the presence of the wrestler.

“I am honoured that my country has conferred this title upon me and I will do all I can to promote sports in India.

“I was told about the number of injuries which were occurring. Injury prevention methods are not in place. In football the most important thing is decision making. Now in India, if you constantly nag about the problems, you’re not moving forward and doing any good.

Singh, who is popularly known as Bhajji, will appear in a cameo but it is not yet revealed if he will play his cricketing self or a new character.

The film is produced by Kumar and Ashvini Yardi’s company Grazing Goat Productions.

Patel said he could not imagine AIFF going against FIFA or AFC guidelines in the pretext of adhering to Sports Code.

“There are certain sets of FIFA and AFC rules, which AIFF has to follow and we cannot go against these guidelines. So, it will have to be ensured that NSFs don’t go against their international federations while adhering to the Sports Code,” said Patel, who is also the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

“Doing that could lead to disaffiliation by the international federations and we (the NSFs) will be the losers,” he told reporters at the sidelines of ‘Goal 2013′ convention on the business of Indian Football organised by FICCI in association with the AIFF.

Patel said if at all the Sports Code will have to be implemented, it should be done after Parliamentary approval.

“The Sports Ministry should take into confidence all the NSFs and other stakeholders connected with the development of sports in the country. If at all the Code is to be implemented I favoured doing it after approval by the Parliament and after consultation with the NSFs,” he said.

An earlier draft of the contentious Sports Code was rejected by the Cabinet during the time of then Sports Ministry Ajay Maken and the current incumbent Jitendra Singh has said that the government would not compromise on the Code.

The issue of the application of the Sports Code in the elections of the Indian Olympic Association has led to the suspension of the national apex sports body by the IOC.

Asked about the dropping of wresting from among the core sports for the 2020 Olympics by the International Olympic Committee, which could dent the India’s medal chances in the quadrennial mega event, Patel said, “As president of the AIFF I could feel the sadness and worry of the wrestling federation and fraternity in the country.”

Defending champions England and last edition`s runners-up New Zealand were knocked out of the tournament after West Indies upstaged Australia to reach the final.

Having defeated New Zealand by 15 runs in their Super Six match yesterday, England would be keen to carry on the momentum into tomorrow game.

The Charlotte-Edwards side had a few positives in the previous game as wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor, who had flopped in the series with just 35 against India followed by three ducks in a row, made a fluent 79-ball 88.

The opening pair of Edwards and Danielle Wyatt shared a half century stand against the Kiwis to give England a solid platform to build 266-run innings. The English would once again rely on the openers tomorrow.

“(We need to play for) third place and rankings. Every game of cricket England play, we want to win. This won`t change. We are disappointed but we have a kind of roller coaster last two weeks in this tournament. The girls have reacted to our losses unbelievably well,” said Edwards.

“I can`t talk highly enough about group of players how they have picked themselves and got on about it. They have put in some magnificent performances. They will do the same and we want to finish third and that is really important to us to end the tournament on a high,” she added.

The English pace attack is formidable with the lethal combination of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, who have scalped 25 wickets between them.

Shrubsole, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 13 dismissals in five matches, suffered a side strain and did not bowl against the Kiwis in the inconsequential match yesterday, and her fitness will be a key for England.

“She wasn’t feeling too great and to be fair, once we knew what had happened (in the other match), I don’t think we could have put her through 50 overs of fielding when she wasn’t feeling all well,” Edwards had said.

On the other hand, New Zealand, who missed out on the Cup in the last edition of the World Cup to England, will be desperate to exact revenge and finish third in this edition.

“We enjoy playing England. It is always a great battle between the two nations…It has been for years. It is the third place up for grabs that we are certainly going to scrap for and the fact that we are playing England, it will be another great game of cricket,” New Zealand assistant coach and former captain, Haidee Tiffen said.

For the White Ferns, one-down batter and vice-captain Amy Satterthwaite who notched up her century against England, will bolster the middle order.

The Kiwis have largely depended on in-form captain Suzie Bates, who has been in menacing form to wield the willow and she is the top run-scorer in the tournament with 386 under her belt so far, to dominate the English bowling attack in the crucial game.

Though pacers Sian Ruck and Rachel Candy went wicketless in the previous match, the team would expect them to provide the initial breakthroughs.

Left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen, who has picked up eight wickets in four matches, would also hope to trouble the English batters

According to the Beeld newspaper, Pistorius was arrested early Thursday following the shooting.

Police could not immediately confirm the report.

The athlete know as the “Blade Runner” made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.

The same team will later participate at the Qatar Open to be held at Doha from February 20 to 24.

India’s highest-ranked international paddler A Sharath Kamal would look to prove his detractors wrong after his recent slump in form.

“You can have as many plans as possible for Sachin Tendulkar but he is a great player. He is the greatest I have seen and I have always loved playing against him. His sign of greatness is his longevity and consistency,” Clarke said.

“We have the right intent. We are yet to get full practice, hopefully the boys acclimatise to the conditions in Kochi. The first match will be very important,” Bhattacharya said on the eve of the team’s departure to Kochi.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) said it will take up the issue with its International body FILA and build up support in the IOC for the sport’s re-inclusion in the Olympic programme.

“I am bowling in very good rhythm and enjoying my cricket. I am playing for myself. Previously I used to play for my parents and country. If you do well for yourself it will also help the team,” said the Kerala bowler on day three of the five-day Irani Cup match here today.

Sreesanth bowled a few testing overs to senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar but picked up just one wicket for 80 in 21 overs as Rest of India bowled out Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai for 409 in reply to their massive first innings tally of 526.

Sreesanth tested Tendulkar with a few short balls which the senior batsman either ducked or tried unsuccessfully to swat away over the slips.

“I got him (Tendulkar) out in my mind,” said Sreesanth about the 39-year-old centurion who made 140 not out and equalled Sunil Gavaskar`s national record of 81 first class hundreds.

Asked about the upcoming team selection for the Test series against Australia, Sreesanth said it was not in his hands.

“I look forward to being picked against Australia but it`s up to the selectors. I was not even sure of being selected to play in the Irani Cup. I am thankful that seven weeks after my toe surgery I am able to play here.

“If I am not selected (for Australia Test series) I would go and play in the (South Zone) Subbiah Pillay (one-day) tournament (in Goa),” he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai`s Ajinkya Rahane, who made 83 before being controversially given out leg before, said he was disappointed at missing out on a hundred.

“It`s all part and parcel of the game, but I was disappointed in not getting a century,” said Rahane, who hit nine fours and a six in 183 balls.

Observing that BCCI abused its dominant position, the Competition Commission of India directed it to “cease and desist” from any practice in future denying market access to potential competitors, including inclusion of similar clauses in any future agreement.

“…the abuse by BCCI was of a grave nature and the quantum of penalty that needs to be levied should be commensurate with the gravity of the violation,” CCI said in an order today.

The fair trade regulator has imposed a penalty of Rs 52.24 crore on BCCI.

The complaint was filed by a city-based individual, Surinder Singh Barmi against BCCI in November 2010. His allegations were based on issues related to IPL and a professional cricket league tournament conducted by BCCI.

Among others, the complainant had alleged irregularities in the grant of franchise rights for team ownership, media rights for coverage of the league and award of sponsorship rights.

Noting that BCCI’s economic power is enormous “as a regulator that enables it to pick winners”, the regulator said the cricket board has gained tremendously in financial terms from the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket format.

“Virtually, there is no other competitor in the market nor was anyone allowed to emerge due to BCCI’s strategy of monopolising the entire market,” the order said.

The policy of BCCI to keep out other competitors and to use their position as a defacto regulatory body has prevented many players who could have opted for the competitive league, it added.

“Yes, it is under consideration of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation and certainly has not been shelved as yet,” Sandhu said in reply to a question here.

Stating that such a tournament would give a boost to boxing, Sandhu, a Dronacharya awardee, was optimistic that it would be organized by the federation.

Sandhu agreed when asked whether international exposure being given to boxers was enough to make them excel internationally.

“In fact, the federation approved our boxers to represent in all international tournaments we asked for,” he claimed.

“We are getting adequate international exposure but now we need at least two international level championships to be held in India as well,” he said referring to Kazakhstan hosting 11 world-class meets per year.

It was at the same venue that Tendulkar scored 100 not out against Gujarat in his Ranji Trophy debut in December 1988. Then he scored 103 not out in the second innings of his first Irani Cup match against Delhi in November 1989, again at the Wankhede Stadium. Thereafter he made 159 for West Zone in his first Duleep Trophy match against East Zone in January 1991 at the Nehru Stadium, Guwahati.

Tendulkar’s maiden Test century, 119 not out, had come in August 1990 in the second innings of the Manchester Test against England. The break up of his 81 centuries is: India in Tests (51), Ranji Trophy

(18), Duleep Trophy (3), Irani Cup (2), Yorkshire (1) and India against other first class teams (6).

Gavaskar played for Andhra Chief Minister’s XI, Associated Cement Company, U-Foam, Vazir Sultan Colts, Bombay, BCCI President’s XI, Indian Universities, Rest of India, Rest of the World, Somerset, West Zone, World XI, India against county & other teams. The break up of Gavaskar’s 81 centuries is: India in Tests (34), Unofficial Test against Sri Lanka (1), Ranji Trophy (20), Duleep Trophy (6), Irani Cup (3), Rest of the World (10, Somerset (2) and India , against other first class teams (14).

England’s Sir Jack Hobbs leads the 100 plus first class centuries list with 199. Others who top the list for their respective countries are: Don Bradman (Australia, 117), Viv Richards (West Indies, 114), Zaheer

Abbas (Pakistan, 108), Glen Turner (New Zealand, 103) and Barry Richards (South Africa, 80).

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/08/sports/tendulkar-equals-gavaskars-record-class-100s/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/06/sports/bcci-institutes-annual-lecture-memory-pataudi/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/06/sports/bcci-institutes-annual-lecture-memory-pataudi/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:00:52 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=34561 New Delhi: The BCCI today instituted an annual lecture to honour the memory of late former India skipper Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi which would be inaugurated by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar on February 20 in Chennai.

“The inaugural Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial Lecture will be delivered by cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday, 20 February 2013, at the Taj Coromandel, Chennai,” the BCCI said in a statement.

England made an imposing total of 186 for three after losing the toss and being sent in to bat in the Twenty20 match, with Jos Buttler top-scoring on 57 not out and Eoin Morgan contributing an unbeaten 48.

The AITA on Sunday formed a three-member committee, which includes Justice Deepak Verma and former Davis Cupper Naresh Kumar, to resolve the issues with the rebel players, but Bhupathi said the panel was formed to divert attention from the “real issues”.

“I am very sceptical about the formation of the committee because the committee has been given a mandate to submit a report in four months while India’s next tie will be held in a few weeks’ time. This was a ploy by the AITA to divert attention from the real issues. I don’t see any urgency on the part of the AITA,” Bhupathi said.

“It is very disturbing and frustrating for us. We were hoping that somebody from the management would take charge and try to sort out the issues. It seems that the AITA does not want to engage with us,” he said.

After losing to South Korea 1-4 in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie, India play Indonesia from April 5-7 in the first round play-off encounter.

Bhupathi also said that he had reservations about the composition of the committee.

“Two of the members have no tennis background and by putting Naresh Kumar in the committee, there is no chance of the committee being unbiased. I have a lot of respect for Naresh, he has been India captain but some of the writings from his notepad which has been shared in the media have not gone down well with a lot of people,” he said.

It was reliably learnt that Singh yesterday spoke to NRAI president Raninder Singh on the issue of appointing the veteran shooting administrator to the post, and asked him to explain the reasons for making such a move.

“It will be a challenge. I will be leading Mumbai for the first time at the senior level.

England shot out the West Indies for a paltry 101 in 36.4 overs after the latter opted to bat first at the BKC ground and then made heavy weather of the chase by making 103 for four in 35 overs to finish the league with four points from three games.

West Indies now await the result of the day-night game between hosts India and Sri Lanka, the fourth team in the group who have beaten England in the group stage, to see whether they go through on better net run-rate or get eliminated.

The holders started slowly with a half century opening stand, but lost four wickets in a heap before chasing down the modest target with plenty to spare.

Openers Danielle Wyatt, who made 40 in 80 balls with 6 fours, opened the England run-chase with Arran Brindle as skipper Charlotte Edwards was not feeling too well.

They suffered a mini collapse by losing the duo as well Sarah Taylor and Lydia Greenway as the score advanced from 66 to 79 and then managed to cross the line without further loss with Heather Knight (18) and Jennifer Gunn (4) at the crease.

In the morning the West Indies, who were on a high coming into this game after a comprehensive 209-run win over Sri Lanka, found the going very tough against the defending champions’ seam attack and were shot out in just 36.4 overs.

It left England with the easy task of winning the game at a very modest asking rate of 2.04.

West Indies, at one stage, were in danger of being bowled out for their lowest-ever ODI total when they were tottering at 31 for 6, 10 short of their lowest score.

The ignominy was averted by a 68-run partnership off 114 balls between Kyshona Knight (33) and Shane Daley (30 not out), the only two batswomen to prosper in the West Indies innings.

The next best individual score in the pathetic batting display was the number of extras, 28, conceded by England.

But once that partnership was broken, West Indies lost their last four wickets for just 12 runs, with Arran Brindle slicing through the tail to take 3 wickets in 12 balls without conceding a run.

The initial damage in the West Indies innings in the morning was done by England’s new ball bowlers Ketherine Brunt (2 for 6) and Anya Shrubsole, who picked up 4 for 21.

Shrubsole left West Indies gasping with a three-wicket burst for 8 runs in her first six-over spell and then came back to take the last wicket.

England would be the group toppers (A1) going into the next stage of the eight-team event where six teams from the preliminary round, including three from Group B who are playing their matches at Cuttack, play a game each against the other group qualifiers to spot the finalists.

Teams will carry the points earned against Super Six qualifiers from the same group into the second stage.

Three-time champions England defeated West Indies and India after suffering a shock defeat against Sri Lanka in their campaign opener.

Brief scores: West Indies 101 all out in 36.4 overs (Kyshona Knight 33, Shanel Daley 30; Katherine Brunt 2 for 6, Anya Shrubsole 4 fof 21, Arran Brindle 3 for 0) lost to England 103 for 4 in 35 overs (Danielle Wyatt 40, Heather Knight not out 18, Jennifer Gunn not out 4; Deandra Dottin 3 for 20).

On the occasion of World Cancer Day, Yuvraj spoke about the time after he was diagnosed with a rare germ cell cancer between his lungs a few months post India’s World Cup triumph in 2011.

“Today is about survivorship.

The agency, which issued the penalty notice after a two years of investigations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), has sent out three separate notices to the IPL franchise totalling to Rs 98.5 crore plus some other similar notices earlier, sources said.

“I don’t think there is a lot to get adjusted to, because it is not real winter, like what we get to see up north where the dew factor or moisture is heavily in the air. Because the matches start at 9 am, there will be a bit of assistance to bowlers, which I saw in yesterday’s game.

“Other than that, I think the wicket is behaving beautifully in both the innings,” Mithali said at the pre-match press conference today at the Cricket Club of India.

“I think playing a day game will not affect us much, what we saw was that ball wasn’t doing much. Maybe in the initial 4-5 overs, but it was the same throughout the day,” she added.

India’s day game against England follows the day-nighter that the team won easily against the West Indies in their opening Group A match on January 31.

The host nation will play against Sri Lanka in a day-night match on February 5 at the same Brabourne Stadium.

The no. 1 ICC-ranked woman cricketer exuded confidence ahead of the important clash and said the team was well prepared to face any situation.

“I think England has got a very good batting line-up but I don’t think they are very strong in their bowling attack other than Katherine Brunt. They heavily depend on her for the breakthroughs,” she said.

“We played England last year as well, most of our batsmen are comfortable playing their bowlers. I would say tomorrow is a different game…We are expecting all kinds of situations and we are prepared for everything,” she added.

Asked if England would come hard after losing against Sri Lanka, Raj said, “I am sure they would field a strong side to play us in tomorrow’s game, we are well prepared for it.”

England’s one-down batter and wicket keeper Sarah Taylor missed the match against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury and Raj said even in her likely absence, the holders had a strong team.

“I think she has been one of the mainstays for England and a very compact number three player for England to score runs. It is unfortunate for her not to play that game. Without her also, England had a very good batting line-up,” said Raj.

The 30-year old further said that the tournament is wide open after England’s defeat.

“I did tell you the other day that the tournament is open because each and every team is scoring heavily, more than 200 plus. They are also able to chase. I think the tournament has opened up even more after yesterday’s upset,” she said.

South African pacemen Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander produced combined figures of five for 15 from 13 overs, while Jacques Kallis also weighed in with two wickets to give the Proteas a firm hold on the match.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/02/sports/pakistan-crumble-morning-reach-407-lunch/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/02/sports/paes-raja-hopes-alive-winning-doubles-rubber/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/02/sports/paes-raja-hopes-alive-winning-doubles-rubber/#comments Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:37:53 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=34449 New Delhi: Bringing in his wealth of experience, Leander Paes combined with debutant Purav Raja to keep India afloat by winning the do-or-die doubles rubber against Korea today but it would take a super heroic effort to save the hosts from a defeat in the Davis Cup tie.

Playing for the first time together, Paes and his 97th doubles partner Raja pipped Yong-Kyu Lim and debutant Ji Sung Nam 6-4 7-5 6-2 in a hard-fought contest that went on for two hours and 30 minutes.

The way Koreans played on the first day, the Indians knew it was not going to be an easy task to tame their super-fit rivals. And it was evident from the very first game in which Paes and Purav faced four breakpoints but managed to escape unscathed.

Given his limitations, Purav supported Paes well. More than the quality of his game, it was his gumption that caught everyone’s attention as he came across as someone who wanted to contribute to the country’s cause.

Paes, who is now nearing 40, is not as sharp as he used to be but his experience of playing 48 ties before bumping into this fit Korean team counted today.

It is for the second time in the six months that Paes has produced good result with a first-time partner. At London Olympics, the 39-year-old Indian star had played extremely well with Vishnu Vardhan.

Now India need VM Ranjeet and Vijayant Malik to pull of the reverse singles tomorrow in order to advance to the second round of the Asia|Oceania Group I tie.

However, it is too much to ask form the inexperienced players as the both Suk-Young Jeong and Min Hyeok Cho are far superior players — both in fitness and game — than the Indians.

Ranjeet will take on Cho while Malik, who conceded his singles against Jeong after a valiant fight, will clash with Jeong.

Goals from Pardeep Mor and Siddharth Shankar made the difference for the hosts in this bottom of the table clash.

Wizards now have 22 points, 8 more than the bottom-placed Magicians.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/02/sports/wizards-beat-mumbai-magicians-2-0/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/01/sports/sachin-takes-kensville-storm-enjoys-putting/ http://www.jaintv.com/2013/02/01/sports/sachin-takes-kensville-storm-enjoys-putting/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:35:00 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=34436 Ahmedabad: The golfing community got a taste of super celebrity as Sachin Tendulkar paid a visit to the Kensville Golf and Country Club today.

Tendulkar, who has a Villa at the Kensville Golf and Country Club, took time out to go around the golf course and also interact with the players.

The players, fans, officials and members of Kensville virtually swarmed the senior cricketer, who seemed to enjoy himself in the midst of sportspersons and fans.

The group B matches of the World Cup were shifted to Odisha after Maharashtra and Gujarat refused to host the games involving the Pakistani team in the backdrop of tensions at the LOC.

Afridi said on Geo News TV yesterday that while he understood the honest efforts made by the board to somehow revive international cricket in Pakistan but felt running after teams like Bangladesh would serve no purpose.

Both the Olympians were missing from the list of 25 probables, who will attend a training camp under the supervision of head coach, Akhtar Rasool and coach, Hanif Khan before the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament.

The teams have been divided into groups of four wherin each team will play the other three in its group. The sides topping their group will qualify for the semifinals of the tournament.

Indore, Pune, Nagpur and Raipur will host the league matches.

“Something that played a huge role in my career was the warmth and affection that I have received all across the world, whoever support Indian cricket,” Tendulkar said at the music launch of ‘Mai’ where legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle is making her acting debut.

Croatian Nino beat Deshmukh in straight sets 7-6 6-0 after both played out an entertaining first set.

Deshmukh levelled the match at 5-5 after trailing 2-5, but the Croatian wrapped it up in tie-breaker.

After snatching the opening set by 7-6(3), Nino did not look back and kept Deshmukh fixed at the baseline on almost every point.

A worried Ashraf told reporters in Gujranwala on Tuesday that the board was in touch with the ICC on daily basis over the security issues facing the team ahead of the World Cup.

Paes and his Russian partner were outplayed by unseeded local pair of Matthew Ebden and Jarmila Gajdosova 3-6 2-6 in just 58 minutes.

The 42-year-old Kumble not only holds the record of being the highest Indian wicket-taker in both Tests as well as ODIs but is also considered a highly respected sportsman the world over for his enormous experience and cricketing intelligence.

The talented Yadlapalli came back from being a set down to beat the Korean 3-6 6-4 6-4.

Dabin, displaying her class, took the first set with one break of serve by 6-3.

As Novak Djokovic regrouped after his late-night thriller against Stanislas Wawrinka, Federer and Murray had no such problems as they breezed into the quarter-finals.

The win fetched the Kerala youngster his third and final International Master Norm. His first two IM Norms also came in Chennai during the World Junior Championships in 2011 and the Commonwealth Championships 2012.

Odafa, who was serving an automatic two-match ban after he was red-carded in the December 9 derby, was also imposed a fine of Rs 1,50,000 by the Disciplinary Committee of the All India Football Federation.

“The AIFF’s Disciplinary Committee comprising of N A Khan (Chairman), Rakesh Bakshi, Uma Prasad Mukherjee, Premashis Chowdhury and D S Sivaswamy, met at the Football House on Monday (January 21, 2013). The Committee reviewed all the documents, the video of the I-League match between KEB and MMB (played on December 9, 2012) and interrogated Odafa Okolie who was present in the hearing,” the AIFF said in a statement.

“After taking into consideration an unconditional apology from Okolie, the Committee imposed an additional one-match ban (in I-League 2012/13) and also imposed a fine of Rs. 1,50,000 on the Mohun Bagan player,” the statement said.

The committee also directed that Odafa will be allowed to play only after paying the fine.

Mohun Bagan were initially suspended for two I-League seasons for failing to turn up in the second half of the derby match after their midfielder Syed Rahim Nabi was hit on the face by a stone hurled from the stands and was hospitalised.

Odafa was handed an automatic two-match ban after he was red carded for a prolonged argument with the referee regarding a warning against one of his team-mates. As soon as the Nigerian was sent off, Mohun Bagan fans started to hurl missiles, one of them hitting Nabi’s face.

The ban on Mohun Bagan was later revoked by the AIFF Executive Committee while imposing a fine of Rs two crore. The club also had to start from the scratch in I-League without any points from the 10 matches they had already played.

Left with 16 matches to avoid relegation, Mohun Bagan lost to Salgaocar 0-2 yesterday in their first match after the revocation of ban. They will now have to play two more matches without their star striker.

The opening ceremony started at 6:45 pm with the sound and laser show. The colourful lights displayed the names of the franchises along with their team logos.

The show went on for 20 minutes before the Ukrainian dancing couple took the centrestage with their stunning roller-skating stunts.

The couple produced some exhilarating skating moves as the sparse crowd at the National Stadium cheered them relentlessly.

Their floor sweeping moves took the crowd for a spin as it was frightening to watch how fast she was spinning through the air. Her feet were locked behind her male partner`s neck; his arms were up, in a “V,”. One single mistake could have thrown her into the audience like a doll but it was the case to be.

For nearly 10 minutes, this perfect couple, left the crowd awe-struck with their dramatic stunts, with each move better than the one before. Their dancing moves made way for an exhilarating ride above the ground with a young lady executing a balloon act in a lighting costume.

Her high-wire act saw cables spanned between the helium balloon. Using music, lighting and the location, the Heliosphere created the illusion of flying.

Spiralling and spinning and seemingly weightless, the lady acrobat suspended beneath a helium balloon drew loud applause for her every stunning move over the heads of the audience.

After her show, HIL chairman Narinder Batra addressed the gathering and said,”It`s a great honour and privilege for me to honour you all here. I express my gratitude and support we receive from India and around the world for this league.”

“I am confident that HIL will be a grand success. HIL is a recognition for our players and national game. I would like to thank the Government of India for their support and necessary sanctions,” he added.

Also present on the dais were HIL`s advisory board members Arun Jaitely, Rajeev Shukla and Rajat Sharma.

Delhi captain Sardar Singh took the oath on behalf of the five captains to abide by the rules and regulations of the league.

Hero Moto Corp chairman and managing director Pawan Munjal declared the tournament open.

“Today is a historic day for the Indian hockey. Our national game is poised to take a giant leap into the future. We are waiting for the history to unfold in front of us. I declare the Hockey India League open. Enjoy the game,” said Munjal.

Munjal declared the tournament open after Batra`s opening remarks. The announcement was followed by dazzling fireworks. The Anthem of Indian hockey, sung by Sukwinder Singh, lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and music by Aadesh Srivastava, was played for the crowd whhich grew in numbers as the opening match started between Delhi Waveriders and Jaypee Punjab Warriors.

In a letter written to VK Malhotra, who was the acting IOA chief before the controversial elections, and the IOC member Randhir Singh, the International Olympic Committee made it clear that it will not deal with the current dispensation led by Abhay Singh Chautala.

The world body listed two pre-requisites for it to consider the lifting of the ban on India, which made it clear that the government’s Sports Code will have no relevance.

“The suspended IOA must be in a position to hold free, fair, transparent and credible elections without any external interference and exclusively on the basis of Olympic Charter and IOA’s Constitution. For that purpose, relevant government authorities definitively amend or repeal any government regulations or laws which interfere with autonomous functioning and internal operations (including election rules).

“… and the suspended IOA reviews its own constitution and internal regulations and makes any necessary amendments, in close collaboration with the IOC and subject to IOC’s approval, to improve its internal governance and include proper and concrete mechanisms to ensure good governance at all levels and implement all basic ethical principles,” the letter said.

“The conditions are a prerequisite for the IOC Executive Board to consider lifting the suspension of the IOA,” said the letter signed by IOC Director of NOC relations Pere Miro and Olympic Council of Asia Director General & Technical Director Husain Al-Musallam.

It has been learnt that the players were willing to make themselves available for selection after being offered the additional concession by the AITA but insisted on getting the assurance in writing.

AITA spoke to at least four players, including Somdev Devvarman, about the latest offer and asked them to give their response by 12 noon today.

Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam Singh and Divij Sharan were all aware about the offer but AITA it just verbally and did not give it in writing.

The players waited for communication via e-mail and since it never came, they stuck to their stand.

In new concessions, the federation agreed on the issue of consulting the players in selecting physiotherapist instead of approaching SAI.

It also agreed to give business class ticket to all four players even for the Asia/Oceania ties as demanded by them and also accommodated their wish of having six players in the side.

“We have never gone back on our words. They should have trusted us. We wanted them to play that’s why we made these offers. Tomorrow they could have said that we never got that in writing, what you could have done then,” an AITA official said.

“One of the players said, we would discuss it and come back to you. They never came, so went ahead with the selection,” the official said.

AITA selected an inexperienced side, to be led by Leander Paes.

After the selection, Mahesh Bhupathi warned AITA on his twitter page about intensifying their fight.

“Dear AITA. 1 became 2, then 2 became 11. NEXT? You better brace yourselves for a Tsunami, we will inflict change,” he wrote.

“Yes, we conceded a lot of runs in the last two overs.

But we got a good start but did not have enough wickets in hand in the last ten overs to put pressure on them.

Chasing England’s 325 for four, India lacked the batting firepower and were restricted to a 316 for nine in a high-scoring contest to concede a 1-0 lead to visitors in the five-match series.

The lecture began in 2001 in memory of former Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Colin Cowdrey, who played a key role in the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ being enshrined in the preamble of the Code of the Laws of Cricket in 2000.

The 22-year-old brought home India’s first Olympic medal in badminton when she clinched the bronze in London last year and this year, Saina has already set her eyes on the All England and World Championship titles.

However, the world number three Indian will look to get into the groove early during the Korea Open. The draw is also in her favour as she will start her campaign against Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand tomorrow at the SK Handball Stadium.

Saina is likely to sail to the quarterfinals where she is expected to meet sixth seed Ratchanok Intanon. If she can get across the young sensation from Thailand, Saina is likely to meet Olympic champion and world number one Li Xuerui in the semifinals.

Among others, world number 14 Parupalli Kashyap will take on England’s Rajiv Ouseph in the men’s singles first round.

Rajiv had beaten Kashyap in the semifinals of the 2010 Commonwealth Games but the Indian avenged his loss during their last meeting at China Masters in 2011. Kashyap is in good form, specially after ending the year with his first international title — the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold.

His first round rival Rajiv, on the other hand, is struggling for form as he suffered five first-round defeats from the six tournaments following London 2012 which ousted him from the world’s top 30 bracket.

Another player rising up the ranks in Indian badminton is P V Sindhu and she will clash with Lindaweni Fanetri in her opening round. She is likely to take on Olympic champion and top seed Li Xuerui in the second round on Thursday.

For the records, the 17-year-old from Hyderabad had defeated Li just after her Olympic feat, during China Masters in September last year.

The tournament in Seoul is the first of five Premier events in the 2013 World Super Series circuit.

The new ICC rules make it mandatory for the teams to have five fielders inside the circle and use two new balls from each end.

Chasing a difficult 294 for five set by England, Delhi rode on skipper Dhawan’s 110 and Milind Kumar’s unbeaten 78 to overhaul the target with nine balls to spare.

Left-hander Dhawan, who last played for India in the West Indies, cracked his 110 off only 109 balls to set up a chase which initially looked difficult. He hit 13 boundaries and three huge sixes — one each off Jade Dernbach, James Tredwell and Stuart Meaker.

If Dhawan and Unmukt Chand (37) started the chase well, adding 98 for the opening stand, unheralded youngster Milind and veteran Rajat Bhatia (45 not out) finished off the run chase with a flourish as they smashed 103 runs off 72 balls.

The day, however, belonged to Dhawan who hogged the limelight with brilliant authorative display. Time and again, he drove the pace quartet of Steven Finn, Dernbach, Meaker and Chris Woakes through the covers. The moment, the pacers dug it in short, he was quickly in a position to play the pull shot.

Dhawan completed his century off 98 balls with a big six off Tredwell over deep mid-wicket.

Credit should also be given to young Milind, who showed a lot of maturity and paced his innings to perfection. Whether it was playing the slash over deep third man or driving on the up, Milind had an answer to everything that was thrown at him.

Milind hit seven fours and three sixes in his 85-ball knock. The shot that stood out was a six over extra cover off Meaker.

Earlier, Ian Bell scored a fine century as England posted a challenging score of 294 for five after being put into bat.

Having scored 91 in the first match against India A, Bell was again in fine form as he batted with lot of responsibility scoring 108 runs with the help of 10 fours and two huge sixes.

The 42-year-old Shamshuddin made his international debut in the India-England Twenty20 match in December last year.

After that he stood in the Twenty20 International between India and Pakistan in the same month.

The Emirates International Panel of Umpires comprises umpires who are nominated by their home boards and accredited by the ICC.

Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan had sucked the life out of Indian batting when his fiery spell of four for 43 in Chennai mopped up the top order and eventually set up a six-wicket victory for his team.

None of the top five batsmen could even reach a double digit figure and if it would not have been for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s heroic unbeaten 113, things would have been more embarrassing for the hosts who are trailing the three-match series 0-1.

Another defeat on Thursday would mean India’s second series loss in less than a fortnight after England recorded their first Test series win (2-1) on Indian soil in 28 years.

With odds heavily stacked against them at Eden Gardens, a struggling India will be under tremendous pressure tomorrow to keep the three-match series alive.

It remains to be seen how captain Dhoni makes the famed top-order click with both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir struggling to give a good start to the team.

In absence of retired ODI batsman Sachin Tendulkar, senior pro Sehwag is yet to take up the challenge and lead the batting from the front.

Sehwag had a poor 2012, accumulating 217 from 10 matches. Barring a 96 against Sri Lanka in 2012, he’s yet to fire since his record-breaking 219 in December 2011.

The Sehwag conundrum is hurting India’s cause and the Delhi opener will need to come up with a sizzling innings to give India a dazzling start, something that more often than not translates into a big win.

Last Month, Lee had criticised Gilbert and called for his sacking but the veteran seamer was let off the hook and instead invited to join a sub-committee of NSW board, which will be set up immediately, to “address issues as to the future direction of cricket in NSW.”

Lee, who plays for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, was reported to Cricket Australia by Cricket NSW and slapped with two charges following his outburst against NSW officials.

“Both parties are very pleased to have found a way forward and at having arrived at a very positive mutual outcome,” Cricket NSW said in a statement.

“Brett Lee looks forward very much to working constructively with Cricket New South Wales into the future.”

Lee had questioned the appointment of Anthony Stuart ahead of Trevor Bayliss as coach and the departure of young batsmen Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja to rival states -– where they have since catapulted themselves back into the Australian Test set-up.

Lee was happy with the decision and said that common sense had prevailed.

“I’m really happy they’ve dropped all charges. I think the game will be a lot better off now moving forward because there’s a chance to meet with the sub-committee of the board and express my views on the way to improve it,” Lee was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’m happy with the outcome, I’m happy with the way things progressed.”

“The last 10 years it [Cricket NSW] has been going through some tough times. I’m actually looking forward to improving that and getting NSW back to where it was.

“I bleed blue and that’s a huge part of me.”

“Even ten years ago, I had told the board to recognise cricket academies like this. As the country produces good cricketers for Team India, the board only stands to benefit,” Dev said while inaugurating a bowling machine at the Mainland-Sambaram Cricket Academy here.

The latest rankings were released at the end of India’s T20I series against England and Pakistan, as well as South Africa’s three-match series against New Zealand.

The News Media Coalition (NMC), which champions freedom of the media, has condemned the BCCI’s high-handed attitude on the issue.

Stern action will be taken against those who try to disrupt the T20 match, he told reporters here, adding, there would be no compromise on the security of players and spectators.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/22/sports/tight-security-indo-pak-t20-match-dec25/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/%ef%bb%bf-trottbellvirtually-sealindias-fate-series/ http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/%ef%bb%bf-trottbellvirtually-sealindias-fate-series/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:11:34 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=33805 Nagpur: England waited to complete the formalities, reaching 310 for four in their second essay at tea as the fourth and final Test headed inexorably towards a tame draw on the fifth and last day here today.

 Jonathan Trott (143) hit his eighth hundred before being dismissed late in the second session, while Ian Bell (87 batting) was well in sight of his 17th as the fourth wicket duo combined forces to produce a double century partnership.

 The 31-year-old Trott was finally dismissed for 143, caught at leg slip by Virat Kohli when he turned off R Ashwin straight to the fielder, after a marathon stay of 406 minutes. He struck 18 fours in his 310-ball essay.

 The visitors were ahead by four runs in the first innings after making 330 whileIndiahad replied with 326 for 9 declared.

 The fourth wicket duo, which combined forces late yesterday withEnglandat 94 for 3 following the cheap fall of star batsman Kevin Pietersen, put on a partnership of 208 runs in 474 balls to sealIndia’s faint hopes of forcing a series-levelling victory on the lifeless track.

The duo slowly crept towards the record fourth wicket partnership of 214 between Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood set up at Chennai on their previous visit to India in 2008 before falling short by six runs.

 They, however, went past the 191-run stand between Peter Parfitt and Barry Knight in 1964 at Kanpur and the 206 stand between Ken Barrington and Ted Dexter in 1961 at the same Green Park ground — the second and third highest for the wicket by England in India.

At tea,Bell, who has faced 256 balls, and new batsman Joe Root (7) were the not out batsmen at the crease.

Brief Scores

 India: 326 decl.

England: 330 and 352 for four in 154 overs (Ian Bell 116 not out, Jonathan Trott 143, R Ashwin 2/99).

Organised by CII and the Ministry of External Affairs, the 22-day rally was flagged off fromYogyakarta,Indonesia. In the next 21 days, the 124 participants passed throughSingapore,Malaysia,Thailand,Cambodia,LaosandMyanmarbefore ending the epic journey here.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/asean-india-car-rally-ends-guwahati/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/saina-top-seed-syed-modi-indian-grand-prix/ http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/saina-top-seed-syed-modi-indian-grand-prix/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:36:56 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=33772 Lucknow: Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal has been given the top billing in women’s singles, while flamboyant former world champion Taufik Hidayat leads the men’s line-up for the USD 120,000 Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championship starting here tomorrow.

In men’s singles, Olympics quarter-finalist P Kashyap is the top Indian, seeded second in the field.

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/saina-top-seed-syed-modi-indian-grand-prix/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/australia8-wickets-test-win-oversri-lanka/ http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/australia8-wickets-test-win-oversri-lanka/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:35:51 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=33770 Hobart: Australia were eight wickets andSri Lanka a more improbable 328 runs away from victory in the first Hobart Test after a see-sawing fourth day here today.

Sri Lankabowled outAustraliafor 278 with star spinner Rangana Herath taking five wickets, leaving them with 393 runs to win at tea. They went to stumps on 65 for two with a day to play.

Kumar Sangakkara and skipper Mahela Jayawardene dug in until close of play.

Brief Scores:

India: 326 declared.

England: 330 and 240/3 in 110 overs (Jonathan Trott 106 batting, Ian Bell 61 batting, R Ashwin 1/61).

]]> http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/17/sports/england2403-lunch/feed/ 0 http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/15/sports/rahul-gautam-crack-centuries/ http://www.jaintv.com/2012/12/15/sports/rahul-gautam-crack-centuries/#comments Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:21:02 +0000 Admin http://www.jaintv.com/?p=33725 Mysore: Unbeaten centuries by Lokesh Rahul and Murlidharen Gautam helped Karnataka pile up 308 for two against Vidarbha on the opening day of the their four-day Group-B Ranji Trophy match here today.

Rahul was unbeaten on 145 and Gautam was batting on 129 at stumps.

Rahul batted cautiously and built a 44-run partnership for the first wicket with Robin Uthappa, who was first to go after scoring 24 runs from 4 balls with three boundaries.

“We will demand compensation from the host club till the time the player was fit to turn out in Mohun Bagan jersey,” Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra told reporters at the club tent today.