Griezmann double dumps Barca out of Europe

Madrid, Apri 14, 2016, (AFP)

Atletico Madrid dumped holders Barcelona out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the second time in three seasons as Antoine Griezmann's double sealed a 2-0 win to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Griezmann put the hosts ahead on away goals with a fine first-half header before converting from the penalty spot two minutes from time after Andres Iniesta had handled inside the area last night.

Barca, meanwhile, were left to rue referee Nicola Rizzoli's decision to give a free-kick on the edge of the box in injury time instead of a penalty when Gabi appeared to be inside the area as he was penalised for handball.

"I am not left with just a place in the semi-finals, I think it is much more important than that," said Atletico boss Diego Simeone.

"This group displays values that are less and less common in society. We can win or lose, but we believe in these values that are important in life and once again we have won a tremendously difficult game."

Defeat is Barca's third in four games after a 39-match unbeaten run stretching back six months and sees their quest to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era come to an end.

"The team wanted to retain the title, it was one of our objectives and excited every Barca fan, but it isn't to be," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.

"We are finding it much more difficult than normal to score goals and suffering defensively too. "We all have to improve and I'm the first one in that regard."

Atletico will be joined by local rivals Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich in Friday's semi-final draw.

Roared on by a vociferous 55,000-strong crowd at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico were worthy winners as Barca's star front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were limited to precious few clear-cut chances.

The home side were far the better team before the break as captain Gabi fired over before Griezmann placed his first big headed chance from Filipe Luis's cross too close to Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Messi's most significant involvement in the first 45 minutes saw him scurrying deep into his own half to dispossess Yannick Carrasco in a sign of the five-time World Player of the Year's desperation to get into the game.

Atletico made the all-important breakthrough nine minutes before half-time when Griezmann's header was this time precise and powerful enough to beat Ter Stegen from Saul Niguez's brilliant cross.


Ter Stegen ensured Barca went in at the break just one goal down as he held a Carrasco drive at the second attempt before Niguez could follow in for the rebound.

Atletico had two more chances to extend their advantage early in the second period as Koke's cut-back was cut out by Gerard Pique with Griezmann waiting for a tap in.

And then as Barca struggled to clear a corner, Niguez's looping header came back off the crossbar with Ter Stegen stranded.

Griezmann had another chance to give Atletico a cushion but fired straight at Ter Stegen on his weaker right foot at the end of a lightning counter-attack.

However, Barca began to impose themselves in the final half-hour as Atletico tired and Suarez tested Oblak with a fierce effort from inside the area that the Slovenian handled impressively.

Suarez was lucky to escape a red card in the first leg after clashing with Juanfran and Filipe Luis and got off lightly once more when he was just shown a yellow card for elbowing Uruguayan international teammate Diego Godin.

Neymar was also booked for kicking out at Juanfran moments later as Barca began to lose their cool.

Iniesta was also lucky not to be sent-off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity as he blocked Filipe Luis's pass into Griezmann's path for the penalty.

The French international kept his head to slot home the resulting spot-kick.

However, there was still time for late controversy as Rizzoli only awarded Barca a free-kick on the edge of the box when Gabi handled.

Messi's free-kick drifted inches over and with it Barca's chances of a second consecutive treble were gone. 

Bopanna-Mergea advance to quarters of Monte-Carlo

Monte Carlo, Apr 14, 2016 (PTI)

 Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea advanced to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters after getting the better of Robert Lindstedt and Alexander Peya in straight sets here.

The sixth seeded Indo-Romanian combination broke serve four times and fired four aces to beat their opponents 7-5 7-5 during the round of 16 match that lasted 87 minutes.

Bopanna and Mergea will next take on fourth seeded pair of Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. In the opening round of the tournament earlier, Bopanna and Mergea had got a bye. 

India shock Aus; make World finals

New Delhi, Apr 15, 2016, DHNS:

Fourth-seeded India entered the World finals after shocking second-seeded Australia 2-0 in the quarterfinals of Asia-Oceania Final qualifying tournament at Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) complex on Thursday.
Japan, New Zealand and Thailand are the other teams to have qualified for September’s World Finals in Hungary.

For India, Mahak Jain rallied to beat Jessica Zaviacic 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in two hours in the opening singles. Sathwika Sama then sealed the tie for India after posting a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Baijing Lin in two hours and 19 minutes.

India now plays Japan who beat Chinese Tapie 2-1.

In the other quarterfinal matches, New Zealand beat China 2-1 and Thailand beat Korea 2-0.

Go

Inzamam in the running for Pak chief selector post

Karachi, Apr 15, 2016, PTI:

The Pakistan Cricket Board has widened its hunt for a new chief selector by including Inzamam-ul-Haq in the list of contenders after the former captain expressed his interest in the job.

A reliable source in the Board confirmed that PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan was in touch with Inzamam and Rashid to discuss the possibility of giving one of them the responsibility of chief selector.

"Look nothing is final as yet that is for sure. Shaharyar is presently in the process of talking to likely candidates and Inzamam and Rashid are among them. But it is wrong to say Inzamam has been finalised as chief selector," the source told PTI.

He said Inzamam had shown interest in becoming the chief selector but there were two major hurdles in his way -- one was that he would have to leave his job as head coach of the Afghanistan team which earns him a monthly salary of USD 12,000.

"Obviously the Board will have to match that amount if it ropes him in. But so far nothing is final and the only thing confirmed is that Inzamam has shown interest in the job," the source said.

Inzamam, who is Pakistan's most capped player with 120 Tests and 398 one-day internationals, joined Afghanistan as their head coach last year and along with former Indian pacer, Manoj Prabhakar, has managed to produce some decent results with them.

Rashid Latif, who in the past has also declined the post of chief selector, reiterated that he was not keen on this job. The source said the board was also also former Test opener Mohsin Khan and former spinner Iqbal Qasim as possible chief selectors.

The PCB is on the hunt for a new chief selector after dissolving the previous committee owing to Pakistan's failed disastrous Asia Cup and World T20 campaign.The poor results also led to the resignation of head coach Waqar Younis and captain Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan's former captain and top batsman Muhammad Yousuf said if Inzamam or Rashid became chief selector, he would be willing to work under them.

"I think they are both ideal choices for this post as we need those people in the chain of command who have played modern day cricket and understand the importance of promoting and grooming new talent," Yousuf said.

Cricket and IPL have become soft targets: Gavaskar, Dravid

New Delhi, Apr 14, 2016 (PTI)

 Perplexed by the Bombay High Court's order to shift 13 IPL matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra, former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid said cricket has become a "soft target" for creating controversies.
The court has ordered that all IPL matches after April 30 should be shifted out of Maharashtra owing to the acute water crisis in the state.

"It's a serious issue and the fact that so many people are dying because of shortage of water is serious but linking it to IPL will trivialise it. How can a drought be as important as cricket? If not having IPL will solve the problem, then we should stop playing cricket," Dravid told 'NDTV'.

Echoing the sentiment, Gavaskar said the sport is being singled out to rake up controversies.

"What do you think has been happening for the last 9-10 years? It's always something or the other cropping up before or during the IPL. Whether it's a soft target or not, yes it is a soft target," Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar said while the water crisis, which has led to farmer suicides, is a serious issue but it cannot be mixed with cricket.

"Farmers' life has to be absolute priority. You cannot trivialise people who put bread on our table. That's an absolute priority," he said.

"Is water being saved by not having IPL matches? If yes, how can it be done? The BCCI did guarantee that they will not use potable water. Franchises and BCCI, I believe, also offered to make donation. Those two were significant and good gestures," he added.

Gavaskar said if water conservation can be done by stopping cricket matches, then other activities should also be checked.

"Why only cricket has been singled out? What about gardening, swimming? You can go on and on. Only cricket has been singled out," he said.

"Not just in this, even when there is something political, cricket is singled out. When it comes to having ties with some country or not, it's cricket that is talked about," he pointed out.

Gavaskar said water conservation requires a long-term plan.
"This is something that has to be done over a period of time. Last two three years, there has been less and less rain. The national government has to think how to solve this problem. Everywhere there is this problem and with global warming, this will only increase," he said.

"A policy has to be evolved so that we know that in case there is less rain, what is to be done. It can't be done by not just playing some matches in the IPL," he added.

Du Plessis, Dhoni lift Supergiants to 163/5

Rajkot, Apr 14, 2016, (PTI):

 Faf du Plessis smashed a quick half century before Gujarat Lions pulled things back with fine death bowling display to restrict Rising Pune Supergiants to 163 for five in an Indian Premier League match, here today.
Du Plessis (69) and Kevin Pietersen (37) were going great guns after the fall of Ajinkya Rahane (21) to raise hopes of a 200-plus score for Supergiants at one stage, but Gujarat Lions pulled things back with brilliant death bowling from Ravindra Jadeja, who finished with impressive figures off 2/18 from his four overs.

Opting to bat, the Supergiants were off to a flying start with Rahane playing some great cricketing shots, which included two consecutive boundaries of Shadab Jakati in the second over.

Rahane looked in great touch and lofted Praveen Tambe (2/33) over mid-on for another four. But a ball later the veteran leg-spinner had his man when he foxed Rahane with a quicker delivery to catch his young Mumbai teammate plumb in front of the wicket.

Rahane's dismissal hardly had any imapact on the Supergiants scoring rate as Du Plessis and Pietersen went about their business in style, stitching 86 runs for the second wicket in just 61 balls.

Du Plessis was the aggressive among the duo as he smashed five boundaries and four sixes during his 43-ball knock, while Pietersen's runs came off 31 balls with the help of two fours and one hit over the fence.

Just when it seemed the duo would run away with the innings, Dwayne Bravo (1/43) bowled Pietersen with a slower delivery in the last ball of the 14th over.

Du Plessis, however, kept his aggressive attitude and smashed Tambe for a four and six in consecutive balls before perishing in next ball in search of one too many. He was stumped by Dinesh Karthik as the South African went for another huge hit.

Jadeja then dismissed Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh in his consecutive overs to pull things back for the Gujarat Lions.

Towards the end, Supergiants skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22 not out off 10) proved why he is regarded as the best finishers of the game as he struck Bravo for two boundaries and one six to pick up 20 runs off the last over and take his team past the 160-run mark. 

'Want to make a winning start at home'

NEW DELHI, Apr 15, 2016, DHNS:

Delhi Daredevils leg-spinner Amit Mishra said they were eager to make a winning start at home and would be approaching their contest against Kings XI Punjab here on Friday with an aggressive mindset.
Daredevils’ start to the season was far from ominous following their nine-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game.

“Yes we lost the first match but everyone in the team is positive and we will approach the match with aggressive mindset. We want to make a winning start at home,” Mishra said on the eve of the match on Thursday.

“We did not do well last season. We are looking for a last four finish. We have options in our team. We have big hitters like Carlos Brathwaite down the order, the middle order has Sanju (Samson) who has been doing well in domestic season. So we have the right combination but we need to find a way to click. Rahul Dravid has been working with the batters, trying to fine tune whatever is needed like what shots to play. All these things should help us click in the longer run.

Mishra and Imran Tahir had done well in the previous edition and the Haryana bowlers was looking forward to another season with the South Africa leg-spinner.

Kings XI Punjab captain David Miller said they have analysed the opponents and conditions well and were confident about their preparations. 

“We didn’t have a good first game (against Gujarat Lions). But it was a learning experience, I learnt a few things personally. We were 20 runs shorts,” Miller said.

“We have got three days to prepare and I think we have prepared well.  We have become familiar with conditions here, and I have spoken to the bowlers about the plans.”

DD aim to turn things around

From Pragya Tiwari, New Delhi, Apr 15, 2016, DHNS

Embattled Daredevils take on wounded Kings XI Punjab

When Delhi Daredevils crumbled to 98 runs in their opening Indian Premier League-9 match against Kolkata Knight Riders, its followers were stabbed with a feeling of déjà vu. It was like watching a repeat telecast of their previous outings.

As they gear up to face Kings XI Punjab in the first home game of the season, Daredevils would be eager to quash their losing ways. 

Their last eight seasons, where they have reached the semifinals twice, have spelt disappointment. Since the inaugural season in 2008, the franchise owners have been fervently revamping the squad but seldom got satisfactory results. The last three seasons of Daredevils have been particularly insipid, having finished in the penultimate seventh position last year. The bottom place was taken by Kings XI after experiencing the high of reaching the finals in 2014.

This year the Daredevils have raised the excitement by roping in former India captain Rahul Dravid as the mentor to work alongside head coach Paddy Upton. The run fest of Shreyas Iyer on domestic circuit, the form of Quinton de Kock, and fearless striking of West Indian Carlos Brathwaite in the World T20 final against England had further boosted the hopes of a turnaround.  But after the manner in which they capitulated against seam and spin alike during their nine-wicket loss to Knight Riders, hopes quickly turned into fears.

Daredevils batting possesses clean hitters in De Kock, Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, and Brathwaite, but it lacks in experience. The middle-order, too, appears flaky and perhaps including JP Duminy could address the issue somewhat. The bowling led by captain Zaheer Khan wasn’t impressive either.

Zaheer, who himself was playing competitive cricket after a long gap, was expensive.  

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was the sole-wicket-taker against KKR and could find more spinners joining him at Kotla, if the pitch plays out to its traditional nature.

Much like Daredevils, Kings XI have been the under-performers of the league. This year they appointed a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey, who is no longer the part of the franchise. Like Daredevils, Kings XI, too, are coming from an opening round loss. Against Gujarat Lions, they managed to rustle up 161/6. 

Their openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra had given them a flying start but the middle-order, comprising Miller, Glenn Maxwell and Wriddhiman Saha, misfired. It took a 22-ball 33 by Marcus Stoinis to help Kings XI post a decent total before blitzkriegs by Aaron Finch and Dinesh Karthik handed Gujarat the five-wicket victory. 

The loss aside, the Kings XI batting has the potential to hold up against the best of international bowling. Their bowling has the likes of recently-retired Mitchell Johnson, who, however, looked a pale shadow of his former self against Gujarat. He is supported by Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma in the pace-department while Stoinis, Axar Patel and Pardeep Sahu comprise the spin attack.

These are early days in the competition but a good start can always help kick in the much needed momentum.

Kohli gives the freedom every bowler wants, says Harshal

By Sidney Kiran, Bengaluru, Apr 15, 2016, DHNS:

In a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore team, Harshal Patel cuts an anonymous figure despite being part of the set-up since 2011 and having featured in 15 games last season.
One of the finds of the 2011-12 domestic season where he bagged an impressive 19 wickets in the Ranji Trophy knock-out phase for his adopted state Haryana (he began playing for Gujarat), the right-arm medium-pacer, who was signed up by RCB first in 2011, was tipped to make his talent count in IPL 2012.

He played 12 games but failed to impress upon the think-tank strongly, picking up nine wickets with an economy of 8.29. 2013 was a disaster where he didn’t play a single game and then warmed the benches predominantly the following season, managing to get just three games.

The management, however, decided to repose their faith in the 25-year-old last season and played him in 15 games. Harshal responded in kind, bagging 17 wickets, showing the lessons learnt from watching in the sidelines. With his confidence up again, the pacer now wants to step it up this year.

“The team goal is to win the IPL,” Harshal said ahead on Thursday’s practice session. “My personal goal is, like I did yesterday (against Sunrisers Hyderabad), repeat such performances and obviously get better on it. The main goal is to contribute to the team’s cause.

“In my first year, I didn’t know much about IPL or T20 cricket. I was a new kid to the scene. That year just went past like a breeze. I learned a lot of things and I didn’t expect to play the whole season. The next two years, where I played just three games, I went through a learning curve. Throughout those two years, the support staff kept supporting me. Last year was the result of the hard work that I had put in over the last two years.”

Harshal felt its a huge challenge to bowl at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. “It’s a challenge to bowl on this ground because 180-190 is a par score here. The margin for error is very small. Like our slogan says “Play Bold”, we just go out there and play bold. We back our skills and plan according to what has worked on this ground and what has not worked.”

Harshal also said playing under Virat Kohli gives him a lot of confidence. “It’s a privilege to have a captain who gives you the freedom to do whatever you want on the field. Virat is somebody who believes in freedom and he gives you absolute freedom. That is something that every bowler appreciates. He backs us to execute our skills and not be afraid of the results.”

Finch, McCullum power Gujarat Lions to comfortable win

Rajkot, Apr 15, 2016, (PTI):

Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum played destructive knocks up the order to guide Gujarat Lions to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants in the battle of debutants at the Indian Premier League, here today.
Their second consecutive win propelled Gujarat Lions to the top of the points table.
Chasing a below-par 164 for win, Gujarat Lions rode on a powerful batting display to overwhelm the target with two overs to spare.

Earlier, Faf du Plessis smashed a quick half century before Gujarat Lions pulled things back with fine death bowling display to restrict the Supergiants to 163 for five.
Coming out to chase the target, Finch (50 off 36) and McCullum (49 off 31) got Gujarat Lions off to a breezy start, sharing 85 runs for the opening stand in just 8.3 overs.

Finch was the initiator as he used his power to great effect and smashed young leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin (2/31) for four boundaries in the sixth over. He then took on Rajat Bhatia and clobbered the medium-pacer for two sixes in the next over to make his intentions clear.

Finch raced to his 50 in just 33 balls with the help of seven boundaries ans two sixes but soon after he perished trying to hit another boundary, caught by Ishant Shama at fine-leg off Murugan Ashwin.

After Finch's dismissal, McCullum took the onus of him and struck Ravichandran Ashwin for a bounadry and a six in the 12th over before getting a life when Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed a regulation stumping in the next ball.

But the missed stumping did not cost Supergiants much as McCullum got out soon, caught by Du Plessis of Ishant Sharma as the batsman went for an extravagant shot.
But by that time the damage has already been done and therafter Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina (24) and Dwayne Bravo (22 off 10) played sensibly to take the hosts home with 12 balls to spare. 

Electing to bat earlier in the day, Du Plessis (69) and Kevin Pietersen (37) wnt hammer and tongs after the fall of Ajinkya Rahane (21) to raise hopes of a 200-plus score for Supergiants at one stage, but Gujarat Lions pulled things back with brilliant death bowling from Ravindra Jadeja, who finished with impressive figures off 2/18 from his four overs.

The Supergiants got off to a flying start with Rahane playing some great cricketing shots, which included two consecutive boundaries of Shadab Jakati in the second over.

Rahane looked in great touch and lofted Praveen Tambe (2/33) over mid-on for another four. But a ball later the veteran leg-spinner had his man when he foxed Rahane with a quicker delivery to catch his young Mumbai teammate plumb in front of the wicket.

Rahane's dismissal hardly had any imapact on the Supergiants scoring rate as Du Plessis and Pietersen went about their business in style, stitching 86 runs for the second wicket in just 61 balls.

Du Plessis was the aggressive among the duo as he smashed five boundaries and four sixes during his 43-ball knock, while Pietersen's runs came off 31 balls with the help of two fours and one hit over the fence.

Just when it seemed the duo would run away with the innings, Bravo (1/43) bowled Pietersen with a slower delivery in the last ball of the 14th over.

Du Plessis, however, kept his aggressive attitude and smashed Tambe for a four and six in consecutive balls before perishing in next ball in search of one too many. He was stumped by Dinesh Karthik as the South African went for another huge hit.

Jadeja then dismissed Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh in his consecutive overs to pull things back for the Gujarat Lions.

Towards the end, Supergiants skipper Dhoni (22 not out off 10) proved why he is regarded as the best finishers of the game as he struck Bravo for two boundaries and one six to pick up 20 runs off the last over and take his team past the 160-run mark.

Chance for Sunrisers to register season's first win

Hyderabad, Apr 15, 2016 (PTI)

Eyeing their first win of the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be looking to put up an improved show in their home ground where they lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders, who would also be keen to get back to winning ways in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow.

Sunrisers suffered a 45-run loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening game with RCB's Virat Kohli, A B de Villiers and Shane Watson having a blast with the bat against the hapless Hyderabad bowlers.

A victory against KKR, at the Rajiv Gandhi International cricket stadium, will go a long way in bringing Sunrisers' campaign back on track.

Two-time title winners KKR also lost their last match, having started the tournament with a victory.

SRH could not make it to the final four last year and the task that awaits them is again easier said than done as KKR, champions in 2012 and 2014, are one of the strongest outfits in the tournament.

Though they suffered a reverse against Mumbai Indians, KKR were at its dazzling best against Delhi Daredevils.

The Knight Riders will definitely get a boost if they include mystery spinner Sunil Narine in the playing XI, who was rested in the last game after making the long journey back after attending his father's funeral.

Narine would make a handy combination with the chinaman bowler Brad Hogg. Even in the absence of Narine, Hogg and Andre Russel restricted Delhi Daredevils to a sub-100 total with their canny bowling.

The Shahrukh Khan-owned outfit has some classy batsmen in its ranks as well, including Robin Uthappa, skipper Gautam Gambhir, Russel and Manish Pandey.

The Sunrisers too boasts of a strong line-up and potential match winners in captain David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Kane Williamson and Yuvraj Singh.

It remains to be seen whether Yuvraj, who sustained an injury during the recent World T20, would be available for tomorrow's match.

The form of some of the top-order batsmen, including Dhawan and Williamson, has been a matter of concern and they would look to come out all guns blazing.

Sunrisers has some seasoned and also promising young players, including Ashish Nehra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Karn Sharma and new acquisition Mustafizur Rahman, in the bowling department. 

Observing that the team has got abundant talent, SRH mentor VVS Laxman has recently said they should make it to the top of the tournament if they play to its potential.

"We got abundance of potential and talent in this team and if we play to our potential, we will achieve our goal which is to win the IPL," Laxman said.

As the match is scheduled to start in the afternoon, the players would have to bear the scorching heat prevailing in the city with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees celsius.

Teams (from):
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautham Gambhir (capt), Piyush Chawla,  John Hastings, Brad Hogg, Jason Holder, Sheldon Jackson, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Lynn, Manan Sharma, Morne Morkel, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Manish Pandey, Yusaf Pathan, Ankit Rajput, Andre Russell, Rajgopal Satish, Shakib Al Hasan, Jaydev Unadkat, Robin Uthappa, Suryakumar Yadav and Umesh Yadav.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (capt), Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Bipul Sharma, Trent Boult, Ben Cutting, Shikar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Siddarth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Midtun, Eoin Morgan, Mustafizur Rahman, Ashish Mehra, Naman Ojha, Vijay Shanker, Karn Sharma, Barinder Sran, T Suman, Aditya Tare, Kane Williamson and Yuvraj Singh. 

I am not vying for allrounder's spot with Watson: Binny

Bengaluru, Apr 6, 2016, (PTI)

Royal Challengers Bangalore's Stuart Binny today said he is not vying for the all-rounder's spot in the IPL team with Shane Watson and added that it will be the Australian veteran who will be in competition with other foreign players.

"I don't think it is between me and Wato (Watson). He falls under foreign category. He will be vying with foreign players. I am not worried whether I will get into the playing XI from the very first match. My role is to get as much as practice right now," he told reporters after a practice match played under lights at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Asked what he expects from his RCB team mates Chris Gayle and A B De Villiers, Binny said he is eager to share the dressing room with Gayle and De Villiers, having spent some time with Watson at Rajasthan Royals.

"I have played with Wato for five IPL seasons. So, I know exactly how Wato plays this brand of cricket, and the boldness he has when he comes out to play his cricket," he said.

"I will be looking forward to sharing dressing room with Gayle and De Villiers. I haven't played in the same team but have played against them," Binny added.

Binny said whatever the players pick up in the next few days will be valuable.

"This tournament is going to be crucial for us. We don't have too much time before we go into the first match. So, whatever we pick in the next two to three days will be important," he said.

Asked about RCB's chances, Binny said it all depends on how the team starts off the season.

"It all depends on how we start the tournament. If we start the tournament well, then our chances are as good as anybody's," he said.

"Your team looks strong on paper, but that doesn't work ... what works is how you do on that day," Binny added.

Asked about his chances of getting into the playing XI, Binny said no team is fixed, and players are picked depending upon the playing condition and other things.

Binny further said he is excited to play for RCB, a dream which he cherished right from the very first IPL season.

"I am excited. I always wanted to play for Bangalore since IPL started. When I knew I was playing for RCB I was jumping out of my seat. This is where everything started for me. I just want to go out and play," he said.

Binny said he does not know where he would be bating and how much he would be bowling.

Replying to a query, Binny said Rahul Dravid has been a driving force in his career.

"Dravid has been an instrument in building my career. While playing for Rajasthan Royals, I learnt good things about cricket," he said.  

Defending champ Spieth faces stiff test from Day

Augusta, United States, Apr 6, 2016, AFP:

Irishman McIlroy gunning to complete a career Grand Slam

Top-ranked Jason Day, defending champion Jordan Spieth, career Grand Slam seeker Rory McIlroy and a host of elite rivals have sparked an exceptional level of excitement for the 80th Masters.
A field of 89 will tee off Thursday morning at Augusta National in quest of the green jacket awarded a Masters champion, but only one will slide their arms inside the sleeves come Sunday.

Australia's Day comes off triumphs at Bay Hill and the WGC Match Play. Northern Ireland's McIlroy has found his form at just the right moment and American Spieth's record-tying wire-to-wire win from last year still resonates in the Georgia pines.

Add Aussie Adam Scott, twice a winner last month, plus fourth-ranked Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion, 2015 Players winner Rickie Fowler and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson and the stage is set for a showdown on golf's most acclaimed course.

Day has won six of his past 13 events, including his first major title at last year's PGA Championship, to overtake Spieth as world number one.

Day is trying to become only the fifth player to win the PGA one year and the Masters the next to join Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead.

"It's really tough with how everyone is playing," Day said. "Jordan and Rory are young guys, so we're all kind of motivating each other, and Rickie as well."I want the best playing against the best and fighting it out," Day said.

"If I end up not wearing the green jacket at the end of Sunday but have a fantastic competitive match against the best players in the world, that's what I'm there for."

McIlroy is on hand to capture a fifth major title and complete a career Grand Slam at age 26, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen in having won all four majors at least once.

"It's definitely a motivation to be able to put your name alongside those five guys," McIlroy said. "I haven't been in a situation where I've felt the pressure of it, really, because I didn't have a real chance to win last year."

Spieth will try to become the first back-to-back Masters winner since Tiger Woods in 2002. Woods is skipping this year's event because he has not fully recovered from back surgery.

Spieth happily passes off the favorite role. "Isn't Jason the favorite?" Spieth asked. "He can be the favourite. I'll go ahead and we'll just do our thing."

Chipping and putting will be key to success at Augusta

Anirban Lahiri, Apr 6, 2016:

It’s Masters time, once again and it is as lovely as ever. The course, the atmosphere, the field and in fact the whole package, as usual, is top class. To be here once again is indeed a privilege and I look forward to doing better than last year when I made my debut at the Masters.

There are so many things that I love about the place that it is hard to put a finger to one specific thing and I am not going to try doing that. I just want to enjoy myself, play the best I can and hopefully do well.

My wife, Ipsa, is here and so are some friends and my coach, Vijay Divecha, will be here over the weekend, but that is part of a larger plan. I am going to spend some time practicing after this event so that I can plan for more events later.

I have been busy for quite some time playing a lot of events, so there’s been no time for practice and working on the game. In fact I hardly had an off-season and my game was not where it was around the time of the PGA. But I have managed to hold on, stay around 50th in world rankings, so that gives me a lot of confidence and that included the second place at Indian Open at home.

Having said that, right now I am happy with my ball striking and if I can putt — and that alongside chipping is always crucial at Augusta — things could be good this week.

As anyone who has played this game will tell, this is a confidence game and that needs to be put alongside your ‘A’ game for the results to come. And I am hoping that it will happen soon. I know something good is around the corner and I am working towards it.

I came in here from Houston, a bit of an early arrival after having missed the weekend action there. At Augusta, I have played both the front and back nines and am looking forward to the Par-3 later on the eve of the main event. That is always a fun event and all the legends of the games — including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player and many others are part of it.

I am really looking forward to that relaxed atmosphere and it puts you in a perfect frame of mind. Then these last two days before the event also means finishing the souvenir shopping at the Merchandise shop and choosing from all those Masters goodies.

Lacklustre India beat gritty Japan

Ipoh (Malaysia), Apr 6, 2016, PTI:

Harmanpreet, Sardar score in hard-fought win

Asian Games champions India came from a goal down to clinch an unimpressive 2-1 victory over hard-working Japan on the opening day of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Wednesday.

Squandering a series of scoring chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Singh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

Earlier, Pakistan banked on two goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir to open their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Canada in extremely humid conditions at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here.

In their opening match later in the day, India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit. SV Sunil’s deflection on a diagonal cross from Ramandeep Singh went over the cross-bar before Japan stunned the Indian defence in the 17th minute.

Kitazato converted Japan’s first penalty corner by placing a fine flick to the left of Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh. Taken aback by the reversal, the Indians began exerting some pressure and were rewarded with their first penalty corner that Harmanpreet converted through a drag-flick into the right corner in the 24th minute.

Skipper Sardar then capitalised on a short diagonal pass from Jasjit Singh Kular on the right wing to beat Japanese goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa with a reverse shot that went into the far corner of the goal two minute into the second half.

Just after the match India’s chief coach Roelant Oltmans said he was always confident of winning the encounter against Japan even after a rusty start. “We did not have a good start today, but it is the just the beginning of a tournament,” said Oltmans.

Results: India: 2 (Harmanpreet Singh 24th, Sardar Singh 32nd) bt Japan: 1 (Kenji Kitazato 17th); Pakistan: 3 (Mohd Qadir Arslan 27th, 28th, Mohd Tousiq 52nd) bt Canada: 1 (Richard Hildreth 48th); Malaysia: 3 (Firhan Ashaari 19th, Razie Rahim 44th, Shahril Saabah 48th) drew with New Zealand: 3 (Nick Wilson 22nd, 34th, Simon Child 55th)

Manpreet bereaved

Indian men’s hockey team suffered a big jolt on Wednesday after centre-half Manpreet Singh was ruled out of the tournament following the sudden death of his father.

Manpreet returned home on hearing the death of his father just before India’s opening fixture against Japan, which the Sardar Singh-led side won 2-1.

India’s squad was reduced to 17 for the opening match against Japan and to make matters worse they will not be able to get a replacement for Manpreet.

Bengaluru share points with Shivajians

Pune, Apr 6, 2016, (PTI)

Bengaluru FC squandered the chance to go top of the I-League table after the Blues played out a 1-1 draw against DSK Shivajians at the Balewadi Stadium here today.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh's first goal for the club this season was cancelled in a matter of minutes by DSK striker Asier Pierrick Dipanda's header in the 37th minute to share spoils in what was a game played at a very fast pace.

The draw takes Bengaluru to 26 points, equal with Mohun Bagan who have played a game more than Ashley Westwood's side. East Bengal are in third with 24 points, having played as many games as the Blues.

Bengaluru's opener came in the 34th minute when Lyngdoh was at hand to tap home a rebound from close after Sunil Chhetri saw his freekick pushed to the post by Subrata Paul.

But DSK found their equaliser just minutes later when Dipanda rose to nod home Juan Barraso's cross from the left.

The hosts switched gears after the goal with Douhou Pierre, Dipanda and Barraso linking up well but the Blues defence refused to buckle under pressure, seeing the half through at 1-1.

Westwood rang in three changes from the side that beat Mumbai FC on Saturday.

Skipper Chhetri and defender Keegan Pereira made the starting XI along with young Daniel Lalhlimpuia who came in for Kim Song Yong.

The Blues began the second half with a change, Westwood bringing in Ranjan Salam Singh for Curtis Osano. The Englishman's second change of the night came on the hour mark when he replaced Daniel with Lalchhuanmawia. The introduction of the nippy defender saw Chhetri move up to join CK Vineeth in attack.

The two almost combined for what looked like the lead when the skipper's nod down from Rino Anto's cross was intercepted by Milan Singh with Vineeth waiting at the other end. Minutes before the move, DSK were denied by the post after Pierrick's diving header from a Baljit Sahni cross, grazed the woodwork on its way out.

Pierrick came close again in the 85th minute but this time Amrinder Singh didn't need the post, diving on his left to push the strike out.

Bengaluru could have had the winner in the 87th minute but were left to rue woeful decision making by Thoi Singh. The midfielder, in the box with the ball at his feet and Chhetri to square a pass to, chose to strike instead. But with Paul having his angles covered, Bengaluru could only wonder what could have been.The Blues next host East Bengal in Bengaluru on Sunday.  

New mentor, fresh hopes

Pragya Tiwari, New Delhi, Apr 6, 2016, DHNS:

Delhi Daredevils have been the perennial underachievers of Indian Premier League. They have rapidly shuffled the squads, the captains, even loosened the purse strings, but it didn’t change their fortunes. By roping in former Indian captain Rahul Dravid as their mentor, the Delhi team would be gearing up yet again for the elusive trophy.

Daredevils have retained 14 players this year, including former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who has been appointed the captain. He is the 10th player to captain the side.

The team, this year, didn’t go for anyone on the marquee player list and went about picking up a blend of youth and experience. They, however, did throw a surprise by splurging 8.5 crore on Delhi left-arm spinner Pawan Negi. And no one would have been more gladdened than Daredevils when Carlos Braithwaite tonked those four sixes off Ben Stokes in the final of World Twenty20.

Brathwaite will be donning the crucial role of an allrounder of whom Daredevils have done a healthy shopping this season. Albie Morkel, Chris Morris and Negi are among others in allrounders’ role.

Their presence would beef up the strong looking Delhi batting that has Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Aggarwal and Sanju Samson, all three doing well on the domestic circuit apart from South Africans Quinton De Kock and JP Duminy. Shreyas and Mayank had opened for Daredevils for the first time last year and the experience would come handy. Shreyas particularly impressed with his free-flowing strokemaking.

The bowling looks strong as well with Zaheer leading the likes of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mohammad Shami and Morris. They also have the leg-spinning duo of Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir, and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. However, it is the fitness of Zaheer and Shami that puts a seed of doubt in an otherwise good looking pace–attack.

The addition of India’s under-19 World Cup star and Delhi batsman Rishabh Pant, Mahipal Lormor, and Khaleel Ahmed has increased the options. Delhi's best show in the league was witnessed in 2008, 2009 and 2012 seasons when they reached the semifinals before going downhill in the next three seasons. They had finished seventh last season.

Squad: Zaheer Khan (captain), JP. Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Imran Tahir, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Morris, Joel Paris, Sam Billings, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Shreyas Iyer, Akhil Herwadkar, Chama Milind, Karun Nair, Mahipal Lomror, Pawan Negi, Pawan Suyal, Pratyush Singh, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Syed Khaleel Ahmed.

Entertainers set for action

By Madhu Jawali, Bengaluru: Apr 08, 2016, DHNS

Preview

It’s normally the rain that the hosts of a cricket match dread the most. Apart from the fact that it’s a logistics’ nightmare, it also spells a financial disaster for them.

The Indian Premier League organisers, however, may not have envisaged a day when lack of rain would put them on a sticky wicket. As this piece is being written, there is a cloud of uncertainty over the ninth edition of IPL; ironically because there are no dark clouds in the horizon. Anyone for “no rain plays spoilsport” headline?

Though there is no stay on the conduct of the opening match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants on Saturday, the Bombay High Court is still weighing with the issue of whether it’s feasible, or even ethical, to hold matches in drought-hit Maharashtra -- the contention being the 19 matches that are going to be played in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur over 51 days will require an estimated 60 lakh litres of water to maintain the pitches alone which is “criminal” given the acute shortage of water in the state.

While there is no denying that meeting water demands of living beings is far more important than a cricket match or a tournament, it’s astounding how these issues are raked up just days before the event is to start. It’s not like drought is an overnight development and the IPL schedule was released yesterday as it were. This may not have the politics that went behind the shifting of India-Pakistan World T20 clash from Dharamsala to Kolkata but the timing again is a bit suspect here. And if this has a ripple effect, holding the tournament itself may become a difficult proposition as Karnataka and Telangana, where Bengaluru and Hyderabad are scheduled to host eight and seven matches respectively, too are reeling under severe drought. And there is already a PIL with this regard in High Court of Karnataka.

But then that is the lot of IPL, not a year passes without any controversy dogging it. It’s been in existence for less than a decade but it has had more than its share of troubles – some self-inflicted and some inflicted upon it.

That aside, the country is in the grip of T20 cricket. It started with India’s three-match T20I series against Australia and was followed by another three-match series at home against Sri Lanka, then Asia Cup in Dhaka (in T20 format) and finally the World T20 that concluded on Sunday in true T20 fashion. The IPL is the final stretch of what has been a T20 carnival.

Being held in the aftermath of the Lodha Committee recommendations, which included the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years, the ninth edition of IPL has two new teams in Supergiants and Gujarat Lions. Having drawn majority of their key players from the suspended teams, Supergiants and Lions are, in a way, old wine in new bottles. And that’s not intended to be in a negative way.

With the likes of MS Dhoni, who will lead Supergiants, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, R Ashwin, Suresh Raina (captain of Lions), Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Brendon McCullum and Ravindra Jadeja equally divided between the two teams, quality of the competition hasn’t been diluted.

This time there is a different feel to the tournament though. Dhoni and Super Kings had become synonymous over their eight-year association and to see the Indian limited-overs skipper in Supergiants’ purple colour as against CSK’s yellow in itself will be a strange experience. Under Dhoni, CSK went on to become the most successful franchise in IPL and it remains to be seen how the Pune-based outfit shapes up. Having been an understudy to Dhoni for eight years, Raina’s captaincy skills will be tested as he leads Lions who have several match winners in their ranks.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the biggest under-performers despite being one of the strongest sides in the league. Virat Kohli, who is batting like a dream, will hope for his super-stars filled team to click as a unit to clinch that elusive trophy. 

Delhi Daredevils have gone for another overhaul and this time they have installed Rahul Dravid as the mentor to steer their ship. Daredevils have been one of the poor performers in the last few years and the franchise hopes Dravid’s low-key style of functioning and man-management skills will improve their fortunes.

After the low of 2015, Kings XI Punjab will look for a better show under new captain David Miller. Possessing one of the most explosive batting line-ups, Kings XI can be dangerous like they proved to be in 2014 when they reached the final.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have had middling performances despite a wealth of talent in their ranks. Skipper David Warner will have to play a big role along with Shikhar Dhawan while picking veterans Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh may work to their advantage.

In the absence of a united CSK, the only other multiple champions – Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders – will be favourites to go all the way again. Both teams are well balanced and have almost all areas covered.

We have a good side, says Kohli

Bengaluru: Apr 08, 2016, DHNS

RCB skipper all praise for Bengaluru supporters

The Royal Challengers Bangalore unveiled their new jersey, giving it a complete makeover with the hope that it brings them the luck in their bid to claim a maiden Indian Premier League title.
In a ceremony delayed by two hours with the public relations team having very little clue about the arrangements for the function, members of the RCB team strolled out in the new jerseys and were greeted with huge cheers from the Bold Army — RCB’s official cheer squad.

Designed by Michael Foley, RCB became the first team to unveil home and away kits -- a la football teams. While the home jerseys are predominantly red with shades of black, the away has larger shades of black with red thrown in.

Stars Virat Kohli, Shane Watson and Chris Gayle and domestic top players like KL Rahul, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, Sarfaraz Khan, S Aravind and Yuzvendra Chahal were at the launch. AB de Villiers though, was absent.

“This season we have a very good squad,” said Kohli. “The best thing about RCB is their fans. They come out to cheer us so loudly every match. That’s why I love coming back to Bengaluru. I hope we can entertain them well this season.” It was not just the media who were made to wait for close to two hours. Talismanic Gayle, who arrived about 10 minutes early, asked a few press photographers at the lounge on when the event would start. 

When they replied they too were waiting for the start and had no idea about the exact launch time, Gayle immediately retreated back to his room before returning later to the stage.

Meanwhile in Hyderabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner said he has got a balanced team to work with thi time around.

“Obviously, on the back of what Laxman (team mentor VVS Laxman) said, we have got talent of world potential…. Definitely, we got great balance in the side…,” he said.

Pointing to the presence of stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Ashish Nehra, he said the team has the ammunition in batting and bowling to make matters difficult for its rivals. Sunrisers Hyderabad, which could not make it to the top four last season, signed seasoned players like Yuvraj Singh, Nehra, and promising youngsters including Aditya Tare, Deepak Hooda and Mustafizur Rehman for season nine.

Australian veteran Tom Moody, who has been retained as the coach, said the team relied on the strong character of the players to cope with the different and tough situations the games in the tournament throws up. Observing that the team has got abundant talent this time, Laxman said SRH should make it to the top of the tournament.

“Last year was exciting. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to the final four. Last two games were little disappointing, because we were positioned number two and we lost to RCB and the Mumbai Indians. Otherwise, we would have ended up in the final four and hopefully go on to win the IPL edition...” he said.